Throughout our lives, we reach emotional checkpoints that we call milestones. Milestones are defining moments in our lives that that bring us a step closer to who we are today. Most of the time, we do not plan for them to happen, but they just happen. And then there are the few times you do plan to reach a milestone such as graduating or moving out of your parent’s house. But despite planning or not, we can all agree that the journey in between each checkpoint is unpredictable. Bid night is very special for the active house. It is on this night we proudly present to the Greek Community those we believe are strong enough to join the ranks of Lambda Phi Epsilon. It is also our way of saying, “Good luck on the rest of the journey.” We throw a celebration in honor of the trial members and invite alumni of the house, other organizations, and close friends in joining the celebration.“New Member Education” in itself is an unpredictable journey and a massive milestone in our brothers’ lives. Every member of Lambda Phi Epsilon might have started down the road reluctantly or eagerly, but by the end of that trip, they can proudly look back on the experience and agree that the fruits of their labor truly shaped them into leaders among men.
Lambda Phi Epsilon spares no expense in making the event classy and memorable. This quarter, we had a formal dinner at a private room in Ivar’s Salmon House. New members were joined by our actives, alumni, dates, as well as members from organizations comprising of alpha Delta Kappa Phi, Chi Sigma Alpha, Sigma Beta Rho, Sigma Psi Zeta, and Zeta Kappa Epsilon. Pi Alpha Phi was also invited, but they were unable to attend. For the bid night of February 18, 2012, the Alpha Zeta Chapter proudly presented to the greater Greek Community:
- Don Nguyen (Lieu Family)
- Marc Ro-Sete* (Wong Family)
- Benny Tran (Acuario Family)
Following dinner and dessert, external presentations and gift giving began. First, the big brothers of each prospective new member gave their little brothers personalized gifts to help cement the bond of big brother and little brother. For the big brothers, bid night is also an incredibly emotional milestone in their active career. It is the night they see their guidance and mentorship pay off in the form of their proud little brothers. After big brother presentations, members of the family line presented each new member with their own gifts. For family line members, whether they are active or alumni, bid night represents a time for growth and expansion. Family lines originate with the charter class. Each new member to a family lineage represents the continuation of the respective charter’s legacy.
Afterwards, other organizations presented the new members with gifts. They gave meaningfully handmade items such as cupcakes, personalized umbrellas, and survival packs. Each organization had their own special message behind each gift but the ultimate message was simple, “We will see you on the other side.” Bid night is an event to express confidence and hope. If the active house of the Alpha Zeta chapter has confidence in these four young men, then the Greek Community bolstered it through their presentations. And of course there is no such thing as a college party without a crackin’ afterparty. After presentations came to a close at Ivar’s, everyone reconvened at the Lambda house where the stifling formalities were loosened. The party raged onto the night and at some point, there was even an impromptu dance battle between the new members of Lambda Phi Epsilon against the ladies of Chi Sigma Alpha.
To Phi PC: Congratulations gentlemen, you have made it this far. Despite the boundaries between actives and new members, words fail to describe how proud we are of your progress. We hope that you take every message we teach and fuse it into the very core of your essence. Every message thus far is not just words on banners we expect you to wave—we expect you to live it. And although the festivities have come to a close, the message remains.
See you on the other side.