The Extended Family You Might Not Know You Have: Remembering Zach Decker | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

The Extended Family You Might Not Know You Have: Remembering Zach Decker

29
The Extended Family You Might Not Know You Have: Remembering Zach Decker

When a tragedy strikes in a community, members come together to build each other up. At Ball State, our Greek Life family is no exception to this, regardless of our differences. 

Saturday afternoon, our community was struck with grief as we heard news of a member of the Sigma Chi, Epsilon Omega chapter, had passed away. Brothers of Zach Decker were sharing kind words and thoughts about him on social media, and shared crazy stories and memories of their late brother and friend.  Many talked about how he always lived his life to the fullest and could light up the mood of any room he walked into, while others talked about his influence on them personally and their chapter. 

As the brothers of Sigma Chi asked for thoughts and prayers for Decker's family and those impacted by the loss, the internet blew up with posts from the whole Greek community.  Soon other fraternities and sororities were posting about the news, offering condolences to the family and fraternity brothers and asking them to stay strong in a time of need. People that barely knew or didn't know Decker at all were even tweeting just to show respect to him, his family and his fraternity.  It was a heartwarming sight to see people from other chapters trying to build up and pay respects to the late member of Sigma Chi.  

In times of need and discomfort, it's always comforting to know you have people there by your side.  When you receive a bid from a fraternity or sorority, you soon realize as you become a part of the organization, that you have more people by your side than ever before. These people will know when you need support and will help you through the struggles you have in everyday life.

What we sometimes don't realize is not only are there over 80 or so men or women to strengthen us up in the worst times, but also an entire Greek community that can be there for us. Regardless of the sorority or fraternity, we are all part of a organization that strives on being leaders and remarkable examples of men and women. As different as the chapters might seem, we connect together as a strong unity of individuals that do amazing things.

Like a family, our members aren't all alike-- we are all different individuals who view the world in a different way. We can see this in our own chapters, and in our Greek community as a whole. Together, the differences help us strengthen each other and overcome hard times and obstacles, even if it is responding to an accident or a death in our community.

It may take bad times to realize this, but it is something to keep in mind regardless of what is happening in our community.  We are all part of a big, extended family that needs each other.  It is our duty to strengthen each other up to become the best we can be, and to be there in times of need for not only now but for life.

Rest in Peace, Zach, your Ball State Greek family misses you!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

The Struggles of Being A Last Semester Senior, As Told By Michael Scott

25 reasons your last semester in college is the best and worst time of your life

453
Michael Scott

The day you walked onto your school's campus for the first time you were scared, excited, and unsure of how the next four years of your life were going to turn out. You doubted it would go fast and even though you weren't positive about what your future plans would hold, you had plenty of time. You figured out your major, added a minor or two, joined a handful of organizations and all of the sudden you're here. Your final semester of undergrad. Now you've got 25 problems and graduation is only one.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Syllabus Week At UD Explained By "The Office"

"The Office" understands the struggle of the first week back from winter break.

481
the office

January 19th is the first day of the second semester at the University of Dayton, and students couldn't be more excited. However, the excitement that students are experiencing may be short-lived once they see what this semester's courses will entail. Although students will be happy to be back at Dayton, they may realize this semester will be more difficult than they predicted. Here are some things that happen during syllabus week explained by " The Office."

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Your Friend Group, As Told By Disney Princesses

Each Disney Princess has their own personality, and chances are you've got a friend in your group to match it.

1061
Disney Princesses

The dynamics of any friend group are usually determined by the personalities which make it up. Chances are, while personalities may overlap, each person in your friend group holds his or her own place. It is the differences which bring the groups together and keep them functioning. No matter how functionally dysfunctional your friend group may be, if you're anything like me, you feel absolutely blessed to have found such a wonderful group of humans to call "your people." Here is what your friend group might look like if they were Disney princesses (and that wasn't just a thing you all pretended in your heads):

Keep Reading...Show less
dorm roon
Tumblr

College is a place where you spend four years exploring opportunities you never knew were there, creating the person you are, and making life-long friends. College is hard, but it is worth spending four years there. Just because college is difficult doesn't mean that it's not fun. There are plenty of great memories you can make during your four years if college. Here are ways college is designed to be the best four years of your life:

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

You Know You Go To The Ilstu When...

If you are an ISU student, you will come across most of these things during your time on campus.

46
You Know You Go To The Ilstu When...
Community Link

When it comes to Bloomington-Normal, there are many outstanding factors that any Illinois State student can say are unique to our college town (and maybe others too). Proud or not, we Redbirds know all the ins and outs of Blono.

1. The wait for Buffalo Wild Wings is always going to be long on Thursday nights.

As hard as we try, it's nearly impossible to resist the 69-cent wings on a college student budget. Plus, they are always delicious!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments