This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Vanderbilt chapter.
Name: Grant
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Majors/Minors: Human & Organizational Development with a minor in Corporate Strategy
Campus Involvement: Internal Vice President/Founding Father of ZBT, member of Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, former Vice President of Membership for Vanderbilt Hillel
ZBT just got re-chartered on campus with your help. What was that process like?
The process was a long but exciting one. After we recolonized in January of 2014, we had been working for this for awhile. It’s exciting to be recognized for the hard work and dedication that so many members of our fraternity have put in over the last year and a half.
Why did you and your friends want to get ZBT restarted on campus?
Many of the guys who decided to re-start ZBT went through the traditional rush process here on campus. But ZBT approached us and presented the opportunity to create something new and shape it into something of which we could be proud. We saw this as an opportunity to leave something here on this campus long after the founding fathers have graduated. From the drafting of the constitution to the initiation of our first classes, we got to design our fraternity experience from scratch and provide another great option for the men on Vanderbilt’s campus to experience Greek Life.
What are your favorite things about ZBT and/or Greek Life?
My favorite thing about Greek Life is the life lessons is teaches you. Greek Life is often seen in the media as a hub for reckless partying and innappropriate behavior and that just isn’t accurate. The Greek community is full of passionate individuals who get involved in everything and everything they can and they use their local chapters as both a support system and a catalyst for engaging with their passions, whether they be community service, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, leadership, or anything else.
Specifically with ZBT, I love how dedicated the brothers are to continuing to create a space for individuals on this campus who are looking for something different. Even a year and a half in, brothers are constantly making recommendations for how we can make a bigger impact on our brothers, Vanderbilt, and the community as a whole.
What do you love most about Vanderbilt?
Without a doubt it’s the people. Students come to Vanderbilt for the education and the growth opportunities, but they love it because of the people here and how accepting, supportive, and passionate they are about what they do. Everyone here genuinely cares for one another, and that’s something I don’t think you get to see anywhere else.