Richard A. Rasmussen, Upsilon ‘72

In the course of working on plans for the Upsilon’s 150th anniversary celebration with our Alumni Board, members of the undergraduate chapter, other alumni, and the university alumni staff, I had the opportunity to reflect from a variety of perspectives on my 40 years involvement with Psi U beginning as a pledge in the fall of 1968.

As a freshman from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, who came to the University of Rochester, site unseen, the last thing I ever expected to do was to join a fraternity. But as I walked the campus for the first time during summer orientation, the first person to introduce himself to me was one of my future pledge brothers, Dana Heumann ’72. As we went through those first days of college life on the River Campus and eventually fraternity rushing, it became clear to me that one of the truest riches of college life would be the people I would meet.

As I went through rush and on to pledging, I was drawn to and into Psi U by the people I met and the friendships I made. The traditions and ideals of Psi U and the chapter house were attractive to be sure, but what really drew me in were the upper classmen and the 26 members of my pledge class, who came from such diverse backgrounds and so many different places but who willingly shared a deep and abiding friendship that was something special. That, to me, was Psi U, and it has always remained so.

As I moved into the life of an alumnus and eventually work with our own Alumni Board, as well as the Psi U Executive Council and Foundation Board, I continued to meet Psi U’s from many of our chapters as well as from many different eras. They all shared that special bond of friendship and a loyalty toward its preservation and its continuation among generations to come.

In the course of reviewing our lists of Upsilon alumni, reunion classes, and former officers of the chapter during the past year, I was struck that my memories of Psi U focused not on any series of events or milestones over my 40 years as a Psi U, but rather on the individuals who lived those events and accomplished those milestones. The undergraduate officers I have been privileged to know over the years have been, with few exceptions, incredibly talented, dedicated, effective leaders. The members of our Alumni Board have likewise shared their talents and given of their time and energy in countless ways and always toward the betterment of Psi U.

Together, we have been through many inspiring times as well as our share of challenges. Perhaps the most inspiring to me have been the times when we have faced our challenges and succeeded because individual brothers were able to come together, focus on the task to be accomplished, and give of their time, energies, and resources to make it so. They say that life is a circle—an endless series of events, some good and some not so good, that work their way along a path that eventually turns back on itself, reinvigorates itself, and continues. Psi U is no less. What has always made the difference in our cycle of life has been people. And for me people were are what Psi U is all about.