If Miami University of Oxford Ohio is known for anything, it is our extensive Greek presence on campus. However, everyone always asks if Greek Life is beneficial and advantageous for students who attend here at Miami. Her Campus sat down with Lambda Chi Alpha’s current President, senior Rob Hadley, to get an idea of how he believes that Greek Life has impacted Miami’s campus, where he sees Greek life going, and how Greek Life has undoubtedly changed his undergraduate experience.
Name: Rob Hadley
Year: Senior
Major: Bachelor of Arts in Architecture
Post-Miami Plans: I am working this summer in Traverse City, Michigan as a kitesurf instructor for M22. I will move to San Francisco in the fall to complete a 2 year masters in Industrial Design at California College of the Arts. I am passionate about extreme sports and living by the water and I want to find my niche the Kiteboarding scene that is so huge out there. It is my dream to mature my passions and talents into a company and to sail around the world on a kite-powered boat of my design.
Hobbies: Kiteboarding, down-hill skiing and snowboarding, water skiing, running, swimming, road-biking, and slack-lining are a few things I do to satisfy my ADHD. I also enjoy drawing, painting, sculpting, reading, and rewriting the declaration of independence with a dipping pen and some parchment.
Who you look up to: The man I first, and will always, look up to is my father. The kind of man that he is to my mother and my five brother/sisters and me is nothing short of extraordinary and I sincerely aspire to be like my dad. Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group, and Dietrich Mateschitz, CEO of Red Bull, are a couple of other people I admire. They are people who follow their passions and inexhaustibly persevere through challenges to reach their goals, and have a hell of a good time in the process.
How would you describe your college experience with Greek Life?
I was not your typical frat star. I was the mascot my freshman year, I rode around on a unicycle, I wore heelies to the dance clubs uptown, and I did not drink alcohol. I soon discovered that Lambda Chi Alpha was not your typical fraternity and that they were not looking for “frat stars”, they were looking for brothers. I joined them, helped build the fraternity from just a colony into a fully functioning body of brothers, and have never looked back. Now as president of the fraternity, I work with the talented and eclectic group of brothers we have to create the same kinds of positive experiences for new members that I had.
Do you think you benefited from Greek Life? If so, how?
The mission of Lambda Chi Alpha is to help young men from all different walks of life become better men. I have benefitted from being with them from day 1. Just as an example of this, Lambda Chi Alpha does not believe in the pledge process. I took it for granted freshman year that, as an Associate Member, I was granted almost all of the rights and privileges of the brothers upon accepting my bid. That is how we create better men: through respect, support and guidance. After graduation it continues as a part of the lifelong brotherhood initiative and I am proud to soon become a part of the large and successful group of alumni.
Do you think that Greek Life betters Miami’s Community?
Greek Life certainly gives you the opportunity to better the Miami Community. With all of the connections and resources available to members of the Greek Community, we are vested with a lot of privilege. It takes hard work, dedication and a vision in order to better your surrounding community. All Greeks have values systems that they are expected to strongly uphold. When they do, then the entire Miami Community is benefitted.
What does Greek Life mean to you and where do you want to see it go in the future?
Guys say all the time that Greek Life is brotherhood, but combined with the sororities and other organizations on our campus, Greek Life becomes a family. For a lot of new members, it is that family away from their own family and it is our responsibility to help them grow and to achieve their individual goals. In the future I would like to see Greek Life become something truly for everyone on campus. If we could all benefit from being part of a big family then we would be doing the most good.