As a senior in the fraternity, it’s been a pleasure to hold responsibility and participate as much as I have been able to. With ambitions to see DKE rise to the top of Kenyon Greek Life, I would say the Chapter saw many high points over the year. One major highlight was the Shawn Kelly Christmas Party, our annual party dedicated to the late DKE Shawn Kelly. Going into Shawn Kelly I didn’t realize how big of an event this is for the locals around campus, but after seeing the smiles on children’s faces when handing out food or giving them Christmas presents, it was clear that Shawn Kelly is a special event. Almost every active participated and everybody had fun, and I think of the event as a highlight of my time at Kenyon.

While I have been a pretty involved Deke over my time in the fraternity, the greatest honor and responsibility given to me was my role as Brother Pi. I wanted to be Pi because I saw this year and the 170th pledge class as a critical juncture for DKE, and that this pledge class is massive in establishing and continuing the great Lambda DKE culture given to us by the DKEs that fought so hard to see us back on campus. For me, the process was about unifying the young candidates and teaching them how to be gentlemen, scholars, and jolly-good fellows. During events, I found myself growing closer and closer to my brothers, the pledges, and DKE as a whole. I firmly believe the 170th pledge class represents DKE values well, and I couldn’t be more confident in my brothers’ future success after I graduate. There are few moments in my life that I’ve been filled with overwhelming pride in others, but seeing our newest brothers get initiated felt like watching a little brother succeed.

My favorite event during the process wasn’t Faith Night or Road of Life, but rather a newer tradition called The Things We Carry. On this emotional night, brothers share personal stories with the pledges. I think this represents what DKE is at its core: a group of brothers that care for and understand each other. This night was special for me during pledging, and I found it to be just as magical as Bro Pi. On a personal level, I learned a lot about the values that make a great man: what true respect, leadership, and compassion really are. I am forever grateful to my brothers for electing me Brother Pi, it was the best few weeks I had on the Hill.

Finally, there are some other highlights that I think sum up the current brotherhood we foster:

First, we held an incredible alumni weekend in October. I missed most of it as my brother was getting married, but I had the chance to eat dinner with dekes that graduated decades ago. The weekend went so well, the school asked us how we did it. Beyond the connections we made with older Dekes, we all saw first-hand how important this fraternity is to so many people.

Second, we had a lock-in at the lodge during a campus-wide power outage. We had a blast, and it was just us. In fact, we had so much fun we elected a new position this year called ‘Brotherhood Chair,’ which is responsible for organizing events solely for the brothers.

Last but certainly not least, there were many moments in the fraternity when both actives and pledges were very excited, including when we heard news of the recent land acquisition and plans to build a patio.

These are just a few of the highlights I could think of, but all of these moments were born from the brotherhood DKE fosters, and I don’t think any of actives take that too lightly.

Colton “CJ” Morris, ‘23