Name: Ryan Donlon
Age: 19
Year: Sophomore
Major: Business Administration and a concentration on Sports business
Hometown: Lake Oswego
FIJI Twitter: @Fiji_Oregon
Relationship Status: Single
HCO: FIJI is fairly new to the University of Oregon Campus, how did you get involved with it?
The long story is, last January, my freshman year, one of my best friends, who is now my roommate and a legacy, was contacted by some graduated brothers who wanted to know if he could find some men that would be interested in starting FIJI on campus. When we started talking with our friends they really seemed excited about it. We began with 5 guys and once the fraternity started it grew to 28 and now we have 60+. I was the President of the interest group when we started recruiting; we kind of acted like a colony when it wasn’t here yet, we were able to see what worked and what didn’t. I wanted to continue holding a position. There is that special bond being in a fraternity or sorority. The past FIJI’s have a checkered past and I want to help that into a new light. Now that we have the money and the men to do it we are able to see out all the things that we wanted to do and are able to call ourselves FIJI.
HCO: Have you always wanted to be apart of a Fraternity?
No, no haha. When I came into school I didn’t really know a lot about it. I was the assistant manager for the women’s volleyball team so I had other things going on and I didn’t go through fall recruitment. It wasn’t until this year that I thought about going through it.
HCO: How did you decide to become President?
I enjoyed being President of the interest group and wanted to continue it, and then I got elected.
HCO: For those not familiar with Fraternity and Sorority Life can you explain a little bit about what being in a Fraternity is like?
It’s tough to explain right now, because we are still in the process of establishing the fraternity. But I met with some graduated men who were like 85 years old. The way they talked about memories they had and that they would give their left arm to be back with their brothers. I want to have that, nothing that’s material, but tangible. I will have something like this, not just a memory, but a bond. That’s something that is very hard to put into words. Meeting the guys that have been involved on a personal and business level, being able hang out and then the next day and get down to business. That’s something that I try to convey doing fraternity and sorority life. I want to remove the misunderstanding between Greeks and non Greeks and there is so much more to the stereotypes given.
HCO: Besides being President, what is your involvement on campus?
I’m an ambassador for the University of Oregon. I give tours and I love that. There is nothing that will make or break your day than giving a good or bad tour. You are trying to convince parents that it’s a safe place for your kids to go to and at the same time trying to be the cool kid trying to get the students to come. I have had tours where no one laughs at my jokes except when I make fun of myself. Or days like today when its so nice outside that I don’t have to convince anyone to come.
I was also just elected under United Oregon as the student planning and construction member on the ASUO board. Pretty much I oversea expansion and renovation on the campus. I will work with the EMU during that.
HCO: What is your favorite outside, Spring Term activity?
Going down the river, BBQ’ing outside, baseball games. My biggest memories from last year are sitting outside kind of pretending to do homework waiting for my friends to come outside! I don’t really care what it is, whether that’s just sitting outside or doing intramural sports!
HCO: Living or Dead, who would you want to have dinner with one on one?
Billy Bean, the general manager for the Oakland athletics. I want to be a general manager for a sports team and from watching his movie and reading the book, I want his job.
HCO: Do you have any guilty pleasure shows you avidly watch?
I wouldn’t call Game of Thrones a guilty pleasure because everyone watches it. I ran through Breaking Bad and more recently Curb Your Enthusiasm on Netflix. I love that show!
HCO: Give us your favorite joke!
When I am giving tours it’s usually serious so I say…“Right over there is (the building) Cascade Hall, its our home to the Geology department and students on campus love this building because it rocks!”
HCO: Looking back on Freshman year is there any piece of advice you would give your freshman self?
Probably not to take myself so seriously, I am a pretty goofy guy, but I have kind gotten in over my head and really busy, so just not to take my self so seriously and enjoy the ride. And also not to prioritize the things you are doing over the important people in your life.