Siblings stay close after joining greek community

When junior Bill Kennedy received his bid to fraternity Pi Kappa Phi as a freshman, he was excited to meet his new brothers.

He didn’t know that he would share the experience with his twin, Jim. And then his little brother, Patrick.

Though many siblings grow up together only to part ways before college, Bill and Jim made the choice to stick together through the greek system.

Bill, now president of Pi Kappa Phi, said when he and Jim went through rush, they had considered different houses, but both decided on Pi Kappa Phi because they felt it was the best fit.The following year, their younger brother Patrick, now a sophomore, went through rush, and Bill and Jim made sure that he chose Pi Kappa Phi, too.

“He didn’t have much of a choice,” Bill said, joking.

Jim said he and his brothers have remained close because they’ve maintained different groups of friends within the house. He said anyone going through rush should form their own opinions about a house, independent of sibling influence.

“My advice would be to keep an open mind,” Jim said. “You should definitely check out a bunch of different houses and choose the one that fits your talents and abilities.”

But twin sisters Kaitlin and Kelly Ruchniewicz, both seniors in Alpha Gamma Delta, stuck together, too.They went through rush as freshmen, but decided to go through the process as individuals.

On bid night, Kaitlin received a bid to AGD, and Kelly didn’t. She was ready to live with other friends. But a few days later, Kelly got news that there had been a glitch in the computer system and she had actually received a bid to AGD.

“Kelly didn’t find out for a day or two after me that she got a bid, but it was exciting. We were really happy, and I was so excited at the prospect of sharing the whole college experience with her,” Kaitlin said.

Kaitlin said the experience of pledging the same chapter has also helped them show that they’re each their own person.

“Sharing this experience, if anything, has continued to keep our relationship close, but people have also gotten to see our independence, because we’re not the same person by any means,” Kaitlin said.

Twin freshmen Alex and Max Fredlake pledged Pi Kappa Tau this past fall after Alex received a bid halfway through the rush process and invited his brother to an event.

“Max decided to come out to a couple of events — he wasn’t really rushing or anything — but they decided they liked him and gave him a bid, and he decided to join,” Alex said. While he likes having his brother in the house, Alex also emphasized that each house is different and that anyone going through the process should consider their options.

There are siblings like junior Kim Lockhart, a member of Alpha Phi, and her twin sister Stacie, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. They chose to go different directions when they went through rush as freshmen, deciding not to compare which sororities they liked until after three party.

“We ended up falling in love with two different houses, which was cool to see,” Kim said. “If we had ended up living in the same house we obviously would have loved that too, but it’s been great both ways.”

Kim said while there are definitely times she misses her sister, she would advise women not to pledge a house just because of someone they know.

“I always tell siblings that you don’t have to do whatever your sibling does — everyone likes something different,” Kim said.