The Six Folds

As William Dennison, class of 1999, put so eloquently "Brotherhood comes about from the mutual achieving of the [Six] Folds." The following sections were contributed by the current officers at the time this was printed, academic year 1998-1999. Their composition reveals a living interpretation of steadfast principles which accurately represent Phi Kappa Nu.

Service - 

"The intention of the service fold is to foster a passion for positive commitment to the campus and surrounding community. It provides a way to give back to a society that gives so much to us every day. Service Directors such as me set up roughly six service projects a month, two of which are off campus. Projects at MidAmerica Housing Project (MAHP), a non-profit organization which benefits low income families, Inn-Circle, a Head-Start program where we provide positive male role models to children, and the Octagonal Secrest Barn, a historic structure Phi Kappa Nu has been helping to restore since 1992 highlight our service accomplishments. In 1997, we were recognized state-wide when we received an award from our Representative Ro Foege for our commitment to service. Achievement of this fold carries with it the satisfaction of good deeds done and responsibility answered, let this be your highest reward."

- Jason Dooley

Academic - 

"Of the [six] folds that the members of Phi Kappa Nu adhere to, perhaps the most important is academic. When our group was founded in 1975, one of its main goals was to set itself apart from other groups in its high ideals. Academic excellence was, and still is, one of the most important of those ideals. To this end, we raise our standards by requiring a GPA that is above the minimum requirement for membership in a social group. Phi Kappa Nu demands excellence, and the academic wire has been set accordingly. Our group also believes in more than grades on paper. Every third Tuesday of the block we hold a colloquium on a subject that broadens the minds of our members and maintains the tradition of excellence on which this group was founded. I challenge you to continue in the vein of your predecessors and maintain the high level academic excellence in Phi Kappa Nu."

- Lee Tilden

Leadership - 

"The meets and bounds of leadership are oft debated, but never truly agreed upon. To serve is to lead, to perform essential team tasks is to lead, to instruct is to lead. Regardless of one's definition, though, the members of Phi Kappa Nu, by nature and by mind, are leaders. From our first steps down the unbeaten path of excellence in the [six] folds to our continuing efforts to support the achievement of these folds on campus and in the community, Phi Kappa Nu exemplifies what it means to lead by example. A good leader is a beacon, constantly identifying the path to excellence, as well as a humble servant to the greater good. Do not forget that it is only through your connection to others that leadership is possible; maintaining this ethos will ensure your success."

- Alex Langerman

Social - 

"Excellence in the social fold may be the hardest to define. If one takes merely the lead of the DiFonzo Incentive Plan, attendance at 51% of the groups social functions is your definition. This definition, though, is not truly in the spirit of our brotherhood. Social excellence goes beyond simple attendance to active and enthusiastic participation in all aspects of social habit. This means being responsible at parties, sober driving drinking events, aiding in the clean up of the aftermath of such events, and, of course, having fun! As well as enlivening one's extracurricular experience, our social functions serve as a training ground for interpersonal experiences throughout life. The poet John Donne instructs one to "live deliberately and suck the marrow out of life." That marrow is the aura of the keg, that marrow is the thrill of the party, that marrow is the common bonding at all social occasions."

- Paul Paradis and Jason Fritton

Athletic - 

"Phi Kappa Nu promotes maintenance of a sound body, sportsmanship, and athletic ability to its members through the athletic fold. We compete in team and individual events that test a wide range of abilities including the team sports flag football, floor hockey, and softball as well as the individual endeavors of golf and board games. A popular biannual event is the bar games quadathalon, which tests the physical prowess of our members in fiercely competitive matches of foosball, darts, billiards, and euchre. Regardless of physical ability, though, all members of Phi Kappa Nu support athletics by attending as spectators the variety of intramural and varsity competitions in which their brothers participate."

- Alan King

Art -

"The newest of our folds, the brothers of Phi Kappa Nu realized we celebrated all aspects of campus life save for the arts. It is through the art fold that we promote the creative endeavors of our members, and encourage one another to think and engage critically with the arts. Members of Phi Kappa Nu have hosted an art show, written and photographed for the campus literary magazine, participated actively with theatre and dance, and attended many a gallery open house. Artistic ability is not defined by one's ability to put brush to canvas, but rather by one's ability to view the arts for what they are: integral to campus life and society at large. The arts connect people across cultures, across societies, and across human experiences."

- Adrien Kaplan-Mazur