This year, Samford welcomed a new fraternity to campus, Phi Gamma Delta. FIJI, as it’s more commonly known by, is a national fraternity with over 130 chapters.
Jarrett Keyton, growth consultant for Phi Gamma Delta’s National Fraternity, is proud of how this chapter has grown so far.
“Ultimately, this has been one of the most successful expansion projects Phi Gamma Delta has seen post-epidemic,” said Keyton.
FIJI’s journey at Samford began with its initial founding fathers who joined the chapter spring semester of 2024.
“The basis of the chapter started with 13 non-Freshmen that were motivated to challenge the status quo of what’s currently available on campus,” said Keyton.
Connor Lovette, a sophomore at Samford and one of these founding fathers, described what won him over with FIJI.
“There’s something that he (Jarrett Keyton) said to me about FIJI that I’ll never forget and that really won me over: ‘These are the people that marry you, and these are the people that bury you.’ That description of brotherhood and the idea to be able to build that culture at a university was really something I was excited for,” said Lovette.
Lovette recruited for FIJI during their first formal recruitment cycle this fall.
“Although it was exhausting at times, it was amazing to talk to so many great guys. It was great for the founding fathers because we bonded a lot over the course of the week and it really allowed us to solidify the culture we were going for,” said Lovette.
Despite going through recruitment before, Lovette did not feel a connection with any of the existing chapters on campus. Similarly, Michael Wichmann, junior, said “the challenge to build something great” originally drew him to the fraternity in a way none of the others could.
“I love the idea of starting something new, building our own reputation and being one of the big names someday,” said Wichmann.
While most fraternities have pledge-ship programs that span weeks, FIJI’s pledge-ship lasts 96 hours, at most. FIJI’s newly active brothers were all initiated on the same day, September 15th.
“It really allowed a sense of equality among the entire chapter,” said Lovette.
FIJI’s founding fathers hope to fit the Samford standard as they establish their own culture here, pursuing their values of friendship, knowledge, service, morality and excellence.
Staff Writer
