Why I’m Going To The National Convention
Brothers, here’s the full text of the essay from Andrew Tremblay, Xi Mu (Delaware) ‘07, talking about why he’s attending the Convention. There’s still time to register!
In the fall of 2007, I was initiated as a proud new brother of the Xi Mu Chapter at the University of Delaware. In my four semesters as a brother, I’ve experienced Sinfonia in some really cool ways with the guys here. I’ve been very happy with my collegiate experience and, until recently, hadn’t taken the opportunity to venture outside my home chapter.
The first province event that I ever attended was Province 27’s 2009 Winter Leadership Retreat. At the event, I really began to see Sinfonia as something bigger. One of the articles we were given to read at the retreat was “Sinfonia: Molding Commitment into a National Force.” The article references an interesting quote from Wilson Pile who, nearly one hundred years ago – in 1910, said: “At first to think of Sinfonia was to think of the home chapter. Very few of the brothers knew any of the men, customs, or plans of other chapters. This is all very different now. Visitors from chapter to chapter, the long tours of the Supreme President, and most of all, the annual convention, have knit us all together into one large family.”
Just last week, I had the unique opportunity to visit Lyrecrest for the first time. What an incredible experience. Myself and seven other brothers from Xi Mu took a road trip from Newark, DE to Evansville, IN and had an amazing retreat there. To break up the long trips to and from Evansville, we decided to stop in at other chapters along the drive. We got the chance to meet brothers at Zeta Eta (Marshall University), Xi Lambda (Northern Kentucky University), and Delta Eta (Youngstown State University).
At each chapter, it seemed that as soon as we exchanged the grip with the brothers, we immediately picked up as if we had known each other for years. The way that each brother opened his arms to us demonstrated to me that brotherhood extends far beyond the guys you pledged with or attend weekly meetings with. These adventures only strengthened my desire to experience Sinfonia in new and bigger ways.
To see the spirit of brotherhood and the work of Sinfonia on a national level has been nothing short of thrilling. And so I cannot even begin to describe how pumped I am for this summer’s National Convention. Beyond a few really neat highlights, I barely know what the four days have in store for me. I’m just excited to see Sinfonia in this new way.
I think Percy Jewett Burrell described what I’m trying to say best when he wrote “How it Feels to Miss a Convention,” after he was unable to attend the 1915 Convention in Cincinnati: “It is that indescribable ’something’ which keeps any fraternity alive… to meet and mingle and measure up side by side with brothers from everywhere, bound by a common bond which no geographical line can sever.”
I want to close by sharing just one more quote, this one from John Mongiovi in an article about our sacred ritual: “There are certain experiences that we undergo which, positive or negative, have deep significance beyond the common occurrences of our daily lives. When two or more individuals share such an experience they are bound together by a mystic tie that transcends mere friendship. They can attempt to put the experience into words, but the bond based on that experience and the intensity of feeling can never be conveyed… The fact that so many men, despite separations of time and geography, undergo this identical experience binds all Sinfonians together, just as the members of a probationary class or chapter are bound together by their own common experiences.”
We have all had fantastic experiences with the brothers at our respective home chapters, and there is nothing that can replace the daily interaction that happens there. But, as I’m learning, the power of Sinfonia does reach farther. Whether from Delaware, Mississippi, Kansas, or California, we all share an exalted experience as brothers of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. This summer, we have a unique opportunity to get together, the New Boys and the Old Boys, rejoice in our exalted experience, and live out that bond with literally hundreds of other Sinfonians from across the country.
That’s why I’m going to National Convention.
