During my senior year of high school, it was difficult to choose a college with reasonable tuition expenses, a great education, and a thriving Christian community. A critical factor in deciding to attend the University of Michigan was living at Phi Alpha Kappa, which I believed would support me in my walk with God. Looking back at my experience with the fraternity, I know I made a good choice. The most important aspect that I have come to appreciate is the brotherhood. Though fraternity members come from various walks of life, we bond together and learn to appreciate our differences. Our different denominations are unified through the goals of growing closer to God, serving Him, and serving one another. Through charity events, social events, IM sports, bible study, and worship, we serve Him and grow in our fellowship. Outside the house, many members also become involved in other Christian organizations, which help to keep us on the straight and narrow. If you’re a potential pledge, I strongly recommend that you check out this Christian fraternity, full of great, God-fearing men, and I want you to join us in serving Him. Phi Alpha Kappa has influenced my life positively, and I hope you make an effort to experience the joy in drawing close to Him with the help of your brothers.
– Paul S
During my senior year of high school at NorthPointe Christian, when I made the decision to attend the University of Michigan, I was presented with a bit of a dilemma concerning my housing. Every one of my friends had decided to go to different schools, so I had no one to room with as a freshman. I was nervous that I would be placed in a dorm room with someone whose lifestyle and moral code were drastically different from mine until I received an email from a member of Phi Alpha Kappa, inviting me to live there during my freshman year and give the pledge process a try. To make a long story short, I moved in, pledged, joined the fraternity, and lived there for the entirety of my college career.
Looking back, I can say with certainty that it was the perfect decision. As an English major with hopes of attending law school (admittedly a more rare breed of student at the Dutch House), I took several philosophy classes in hopes of honing my ability to form logical, cohesive arguments. To my dismay, these classes often focused very heavily on attempting to disprove the very existence of God.
It was easy to become aggravated by the frequent lectures that attacked the beliefs that I had been raised with. I left class every day with a heavy heart and a slightly weakened stance on the faith I had in God. But every day, I returned to Phi Alpha Kappa to be with my Christian brothers. Every day, I was presented with the fellowship that can only be found in a house built on the Word of God.
I graduated from the University of Michigan with hope and trust in the promises of God. I am not certain that I could make such a claim without the consistent invigoration that I found in the fellowship of the brotherhood at Phi Alpha Kappa. I didn’t realize it when I first decided to live there, but the Dutch House truly is a diamond in the rough. For the firm foundation the house provided me during one of the most formative periods of my life and for the strong friendships I built in my time there, I am, and always will be, grateful.
– Tim H.
Entering college, I would have never guessed that I would be in a fraternity until I met a member of PAK who told me the fraternity and its mission. I was skeptical that any fraternity could be successfully provide a Christian environment , but I decided to look past the stereotype of fraternities and see what PAK was all about. After meeting other members and future brothers, I knew PAK was truly something special. While I never would have imagined myself here, PAK has been a blessing in my life and I am truly proud to be a part of PAK!