Upon entering “Meet the Greeks” I saw fraternities with trophies, scrapbooks, wearing ties and jackets. I looked around the room and saw groups who just looked kind of stuffy and straight laced. Finally, I looked to my right and saw a group of guys in blue Nu Sigma Phi shirts. They were drinking “Special Punch” and had nothing on their table but a lawn jockey and a boom box. Music was pumping and one of the brothers was dancing on the table. ??I was then approached by the President of the Fraternity, Mike Connell.

He came right up to me and my friend Frank who was also in my pledge class and said, “Hey guys, whats up? Do you wanna pledge a fraternity?” He said Phi was having a party later in the dorms and we were invited. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming to Frank and I. We had an awesome time at the party and the next Monday morning, we were pledging Nu Sigma Phi.??I have 3 best friends in my life. I love them like brothers. Frank was a friend from H.S. and he pledged with me. Rich was already a Phi Alumni. Lastly, John was also a pledge brother of mine. ?

Pledging a fraternity is not about partying, girls and everything else you’ve heard. Pledging a fraternity is about making life long friends. You will not like everyone in the fraternity. I didn’t and still don’t like everyone in Nu Sigma Phi. However, I am proud to say that 2 of the 3 best friends I have are directly because of Nu Sigma Phi and all 3 are brothers of Nu Sigma Phi. ??I ask you, if you meet someone you can call your brother, someone who would give you the shirt off their back if you need it, isn’t that something you would be lucky to be a part of? If you meet someone who is the best man at your wedding or possibly the god father to your children, isn’t it worth pledging? ??This is what Nu Sigma Phi has given me.??

Dean Smith “Sideways”
Alpha Mu 1988

Growing up as an Army Brat I spent most of my life moving from place to place, and then spent my later high school years in Korea on an Army base. I went to DOD (Department of Defense) schools most of my life and this makes for are rather sheltered life experience. Although it was good in some ways, the “real” world, as it turns out, was much different than I ever knew.

So, there I was a graduating senior looking to start my adult life at college in the U.S., with my parents and [current] friends 6000 miles away. When I arrived, my sister who preceded me here to Kean College, introduced me to the Phi brothers, which included her then boy friend and husband to be. These guys took me in and immediately got me acclimated me to campus life, as well as life in general. They were a God-send, as I would have otherwise been on my own to discover these things.

Joining the fraternity was a no-brainer, since most of my new friends were Nu Sigma Phi. But, I also had a deep respect for what they stood for. This was a diverse and well rounded group of guys with a long history of ideals that I approved of. Most of them knew what they wanted in life, and new how to have fun achieving it. And, with the wisdom of decades of alumni who were very active in the fraternity, I knew I was in it for the long haul.

Eric Tichenor
Alpha Ata 1983

I decided to pledge Phi because a number of my friends were already brothers and I got to know a lot of others through them. I came to see that this group was different than most of the other frats in that they didn’t take themselves too seriously, being a member of the fraternity was not all consuming of their lives, and basically they were nice guys. After joining, I continued to find this to be true.

At the time our big fund raising/social activity was to sponsor one or two “Rally to the Keg” events per year. Today we’d never be able to do that, but this was early 70s and times were different. We would make arrangements with a backwoods bar in North Jersey or New York State, map out the route to the place from campus and charge an entry fee (I forget how much) for each car that entered. It would be on a weekend afternoon and each driver was given a set of hints from which they were to figure out where to go. They were also given a sealed envelope with the name and address of the bar in case they got too lost or frustrated. The first car that arrived won a prize; I think we also had second and third place prizes too. If they got there and their envelope had been opened, they were disqualified. And then we’d have a party until the keg ran out. They were a lot of fun, but eventually we stopped them because of fear of someone getting a DWI because we were usually an hour or two away from campus.

Many of the brothers who were active when I was have remained lifelong friends and we remain in touch and get together a few times a year. These are guys I know I can still call, 35 years later, at any time of the day or night, and they will be there to help me with whatever I need. I don’t know of many other people, outside of my immediate family, about whom I can say that.

Jim Mason
Alpha Mu 1971

It is a unique and funny story how I became a Phi Brother. Because, I really didn’t intend to pledge Phi, I got Drafted. You see, I was very skeptical of fraternities. I said to myself what can they offer me? Besides, they party too much and I really don’t have the time. Then one fateful day in the fall of 1975, I was hanging out in the student center with my buddy (Charlie) from high school and few other people we met during orientation. We were keeping to ourselves like many typical freshmen. Then a couple Phi Brothers came over to our table. One of them (Fred Tisch) turned out to a friend of the family of one of the guys (Ralph Naples) I was sitting with. They started talking to him and the next thing I heard was Fred saying Ralph you are joining the Frat. All Ralph could get out was but…but…(poor guy didn’t have a chance). The rest of us thought it was pretty funny. Till the other Phi Brother (Joe Festa) turned to me and Charlie and said you guys too follow me. Well, let me just say that you do not say no to Fred especially when he has “Priscilla” at his side. The rest as they say is history.

Seriously, joining Phi was the best thing that I have done (besides marrying my wonderful wife and have a lovely daughter) in my life. The Fraternity has taught me a lot about friendship, responsibility and commitment. I have also made life-long friends. Sharing life experiences (some good and some bad). Watching each others family and children grow up through the years. Those memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Tommy Lee
Alpha Psi 1975

I remember this day clearly. It was my first day of classes at Kean and I was waiting to go into my Psychology 101 class; I noticed a really cute girl waiting too. I decided I was going to sit next to her, at any cost. As we started to shuffle into the classroom I distinctly recall nudging (OK, shoving) another guy out of the way. I got the seat the I was looking for but not in the way you might think. While the cute blonde was on my left (we dated briefly) the person to my right had a profound impact on my college career and beyond.

You see, sitting next to me was Danillo “Danny” Medina, and after a couple of classes and some friendly banter he invited me and my friend Steve to an open tea for his fraternity. We both accepted. Initially, I was suspicious since I never had any compulsion to hang out with a bunch of preppy frat boys and I had already adopted every stereotype associated with fraternities. The brothers at Nu Sigma Phi quickly converted me from staunch resistance to outright optimism. These guys were not “cookie-cutter” jocks or white-bread poster boys for middle-class suburbia, they were…well….like me.

The spectrum of individuals in Phi was immediately appealing to me. The group was diverse, eclectic and somewhat irreverent. Their loyalty to each other was obvious and their energy contagious. After my first open tea, I knew I had to pledge. I wanted to be part of this curious group of characters, if for no other reason than to see what might happen next. The rest, as they say, was all downhill. I was president of my pledge class (something I am proud of to this day) and from Homecoming to Greek Olympics, from induction ceremonies, to our annual book sale and the KCNJ Carnival, my tenure as an active brother was rewarding. The culmination of my Phi life was in 1988 when I was elected president of Nu Sigma Phi (barely edging out my close friend, John Albrecht). I never really thought of myself as a leader back then. Today, I know differently. If it wasn’t for the camaraderie and life-long support of Nu Sigma Phi, I may not have realized my true potential. I am eternally grateful to be affiliated with such strong, divergent individuals whom I consider family.

John “JT” Thompson
Alpha Theta 1984

A long time ago, in a land far away, there was a nutty professor. This professor had a son, who was a tad on the wild side. Being of like minds, another boy befriended this untamed lad. They had a good friendship, never ratting out the other when picked up by the law. Both grew up and went their separate ways, boy A became a top-notch mechanic and boy B went to try his hand at college.

While attempting higher education, boy B saw a flyer advertising free beer and pizza. Money was tight so a free dinner and a buzz was just enough to persuade this fellow to go to an Open Tea; which he considered gay (sorry if this offends you). While indulging in the free fare, he noticed a display of items containing a small metal pin. He asked one of the hosts, “what the f**k is that thing?” The response was, “it’s a pledge pin of the founder of our fraternity; Rocco LaRusso” and at that moment he decided to join Nu Sigma Phi.

After three years, the boy finally figured out that college wasn’t his bag and attended a tech school where he found his initial profession; which led him to bigger and better things and he now lives happily ever before. Now when asked what he went to college for and what he got out of it, his answer is “I became a member of an organization whose members I love and trust more than most of the people I grew up with.” Just in case you didn’t figure it out, Rocco LaRusso is the nutty professor, boy A is his son Teddy LaRusso and yours truly is boy B.

William “Twisted” Thompson
Alpha Ata 1983

So I have been at Kean for a full year and starting my second and still commuting, and not really meeting any new people except the Radio Station people. They don’t really like me cause I took concert tickets and never wrote a review of the show. Oh well, I forgot… whatever. So I am getting sick of going nowhere and really considering the Marines as an alternative, when this skinny guy with a hook nose and mustache leans over in Accounting and asks me if I want to join a fraternity.

Sure, at this point either I get a free haircut from Uncle Sam or go nuts just working and commuting to school and never meeting anyone. Well it turned out to be the best invite ever. The guys where great, I started meeting new people and making friends like right away and even stole a girl from one of the other brothers (sorry Mike). In addition I got to travel to other schools, compete in inter scholastic sports and learn how to get along with my peers (okay, so I might still need some work here). No one is perfect and that is the goal of Nu Sigma Phi! We accept you for what you are warts, zits, and all. We join together to make our lives better and to help Kean out in the process. Thanks and I hope you will consider Phi.

Dan DeWeever
Alpha Gamma 1979

I was introduced to Phi through a High school friend. I had seen the movie Animal House and thought that this was for me. The brothers actually reminded me of the individual animal house characters. There was even a “Pinto” and a “Flounder.” My friend had quit during pledging, but I stuck it through. I did not grow up with any brothers but felt that suddenly I was part of this “brotherhood”.

My college years were filled with a lot of good times and memories of what people tell me actually happened the night before. (this is sometimes called time travel) ??Fraternity life consisted of weekly meetings in the cellar of some local bars. We had a good presence on campus, in basketball leagues, the Greek Olympics and other events like all-college parties, the yearly carnival, etc. I took great pride in being on the beer chugging team that won every year and would beat our previous year’s record.??

What most impressed me about Phi was the diversity. It didn’t matter what ethnicity or background you had, you would be accepted and made fun of regardless. Self-humility was a trait I learned early on from the brotherhood. We had brothers that were handicapped and we treated them no different than anybody else. But we took care of our own! When I graduated from Kean, I still kept in touch with a lot of brothers and would still check in with the active brothers on campus. When I got married years later I had 5 brothers in my wedding party. Now with a family and a full time career, I count my brothers as those that are closest to me. Even with the passage of time, I feel I can call anyone of the brothers anytime and shoot the breeze with them.

John Albrecht “NSB”
Alpha Ata 1983