Business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi members keep busy while living together
Business and brotherhood are more important than fun and games for professional fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi.
The fraternity is concerned with getting jobs for its members and having a place for them to hang out.
"Everyone's good friends, and you really learn a lot of things," said Sterling Heights freshman Mike Panone, who lives in the fraternity house.
Living in the fraternity house is another way the members get the most out of their experience.
The house, 905 S. University St., is currently in the middle of a renovation.
"It's convenient and close to campus," said Williamston senior Kara Johnson. "After all the remodeling is done it'll be really nice because all my brothers can come over and hang out."
Johnson said the house is nice because there were always people to hang out with.
"You can't hang out in an apartment with 70 members," she said.
Sterling Heights senior Nicole Ridenour, who also lives in the fraternity house, said it is sometimes hard to have a bustling house, but if she didn't feel like socializing she could always head up to her room on the third floor.
"During the day mostly people are coming and going," she said. "The only thing about our fraternity is that people are pretty respectful about not coming in during the middle of the night."
The fraternity participates in intramural sports such as volleyball and softball, and also participates in non-sport related activities, like going to the movies as a group, said Clinton Township senior Nicole Rieck.
"What I've found is that when I am in a bad mood and there are ten or fifteen people over, I can sit down and talk with them and I'm instantly in a good mood," she said.
Different companies will come in and talk to the fraternity members about things like career opportunities, how to approach interviews and internship opportunities, Rieck said.
"You get to know people who can hook you up with internships and positions," Rieck said. "I got a position as a mock interviewer at the career center through the fraternity."
Alpha Kappa Psi is the biggest professional business fraternity in the country, as well as the oldest business fraternity at CMU, fraternity president Emily Cook said in an email.
"We pride ourselves in being professional along with helping others advance in their careers," Cook said. "Here on campus we partner with Career Services along with having a good faculty support group."
The fraternity has three informational forums being held, all in Pierpont Auditorium. The two remaining forums are 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, Cook said.
The fraternity also organizes the Downtown for a Pint event, which takes place in April.
Despite the busy schedule, neither Panone nor Rieck had to schedule their classes around fraternity activities, since most are held in the evening.
"It's not hard to juggle everything before school starts, but soon I'll have to start making lists of things to do, using the calendar app on my phone, etcetera," Rieck said.
Overall, the members agreed the fraternity was laid-back and fun to be a part of.
"I definitely think the bad stigma doesn't apply to this frat and it shouldn't apply to the co-ed service fraternities," Rieck said.
