Alpha Chi Rho prepared John J. Elnitski ‘85 for his life after graduation. “It taught me to deal with different situations that I would encounter along the way,” he said. “One example is when I became township supervisor and was worried about how to participate in meetings. At the first meeting I realized that it was exactly the same as our chapter meetings.”
Experiences to prepare for the future wasn’t all that John got from his time in the chapter. He also made great friends. “It was always fun to hang out with everyone including the little sisters,” John explained. “It was like living with family. I remember pledge bolts, parties, Phi Psi 500, Crow Bowl, road trips and helping my big brother, Fuzz, work on the house.”
That sense of camaraderie was what enticed John to pledge Alpha Chi Rho in the first place. “Everyone seemed to be more like meeting new friends than trying to recruit us to increase membership,” he said.
Those relationships continue today. “I have some great friends and some of us have been getting together for over 40 on the second weekend of June,” he said. “We call it the Moose Head Club.”
Indeed, John said the thing that set Alpha Chi Rho apart on campus was “the people. It was a mixer from almost everywhere. We had people from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and East, West, and Central Pennsylvania.”
John’s experiences with the chapter as an undergraduate motivated him to volunteer with the chapter as an alumnus. “I want to give others the opportunity to experience what I did,” John said. “ I did not have much of an extended family and I got that from the house. Why is giving back to Alpha Chi Rho so crucial? If you want it to stay, you have to give back and provide your experiences to the undergrads so they can carry on.”
In addition to donating his time, John supports the upcoming capital campaign because it will give Alpha Chi Rho “the ability to make improvements that will compete with today’s dorms and apartments off campus. One reason to join the house was the food was better, but the dorms have upped their game.” John encourages other alumni to give back because “it will propel us forward for the next 20 years.”
