Our members are impacted in many ways by the Men of Honor Leadership Conference. Below are some Impact stories directly related to the experiences our Brothers have at Men of Honor.

Kent Burlingame, Alpha Epsilon, IIT 2013
Men of Honor is potentially the most meaningful thing I’ve done in my life thus far.  I learned so much about myself and my Chapter and Brothers.  More importantly, I learned about Phi Kappa Sigma and how I, being just one person, have the ability to make the Fraternity better for those that come after me.  I am honored to have met so many awesome Brothers from around the nation and from different generations.  I don’t think words can describe the appreciation I have for being given the opportunity to be a part of something so significant.  I plan on taking what I learned here at Men of Honor back to my Chapter and incorporating it so that I and my fellow Chapter Brothers can grow and develop and know what it truly is to be Men of Honor. 

Phil Manthe, Alpha Nu, Georgia Tech 2005
I don’t think that any man on Earth could describe the impact the being a facilitator at this institute has had on me.  It is truly beyond the English language in its scope.  This institute has truly reignited my passion for this organization, not only because of what we believe in, but because of the impact it has on our members who are still in their undergraduate years.  Seeing them and the fire that this institute of Men of Honor has ignited in their souls is all the payment a volunteer needs for his time.  Giving these honorable men such an experience has given me so much in return.  As I have said before, more than I can put into words. 

This brings me to my second point.  When we choose not to volunteer after our undergraduate years we our cheating ourselves out of the best experience this Fraternity has to offer.  There is nothing better than watching the light go on with an undergrad, knowing that he “gets it,” and knowing that you had something to do with that.  We are also doing a disservice to our fellowman by not giving back to the Fraternity all that it has given us and by not offering our unique perspective, life experiences, and skill sets.  Who’s to know how we will influence others, how we will positively impact the organization or who we will inspire to do the same if we never offer to be involved after our undergraduate years?  That, my Brothers, is the real consequence when we neglect our life long commitment.

Glen Ruhl , Zeta, Franklin and Marshall 2012
As I write this, Phi Kappa Sigma enters its 160th year.  My wildest hope is that this may be read in its 200th, 250th, or beyond.  But even in its 161st, there is a staggering amount of history in these letters. So many lives have been changed by what they stand for.  In countless conversations with my Brothers, in my Chapter and beyond, I have heard the same thing expressed which I have experienced in Phi Kappa Sigma.  That thing is a dramatic change of character, a growth as a man that is found in no other place.  Skull Brothers forever are stronger men for what they learn in the Fraternity.  We also make some of our best and longest kept friends in our time as Brothers.  This brings to reality our lifelong commitment.  Membership in Phi Kappa Sigma truly changes a life.

Phi Kappa Sigma isn’t just a “Frat.”  It is a Fraternity that has helped to instill key values and Brotherhood in my life.  Above all it has given me opportunity; the chance to learn, grow, and be a part of something more than myself.  Through the many life lessons and experiences I have had Brothers of Phi Kappa Sigma.  I have been able to define myself as an individual and as a man.  With an understanding of Trust, Honor, Respect, Knowledge, Wisdom, Responsibility, and Integrity, I have developed leadership in my life and a vision for my future.  There are few things in life that come around and really change you for the better.  Phi Kappa Sigma is one.

Rishabh Singh, Delta Upsilon, VCU 2012
I joined Phi Kappa Sigma this semester, Fall 2009, and already I have been able to notice change within myself.  I am very career driven and don’t usually worry about anything that is outside of my tunnel vision.  However, after becoming a Brother of Phi Kappa Sigma I have begun to have thoughts and ideas to help not myself, but all these guys in my Chapter and the organization as an entirety.  This Fraternity has allowed me to care about more than myself and after Men of Honor I am extremely enthusiastic about my lifelong involvement in the Fraternity

Orion Palausa, Delta Upsilon, VCU 2011
Joining Phi Kappa Sigma has been one of the greatest challenges of my life.  I never would have expected to join a Fraternity, but now that I have, I can’t think how I would have lived without it.  Since joining in Fall 2008, I have experienced intense struggle to maintain the survival of Phi Kappa Sigma on campus.  Now I can proudly say we maintain a positive image and are receiving well-deserved recognition.  With our Chartering only three weeks away I can say that this isn’t the end, but the beginning.  Phi Kappa Sigma VCU:  Delta Upsilon will rise to the occasion, seize the day, and demonstrate what it is to be a Man of Honor.  Indeed, Phi Kappa Sigma has made me the man I am today.

Glen Nielsen, Gamma Gamma, Carthage 2012
Being a Phi Kap means so much to me.  So much that no matter how hard I try, I could never truly express my feelings through words.  There is yet a word in the dictionary to describe the amount of passion and fire burning within my heart for the amount of love I have for this Fraternity.  Like your average Skull, I too did not think of becoming Greek.  I thank God everyday for leading me to Phi Kappa Sigma.  I can not imagine my life without being a part of this organization.  Joining Phi Kappa Sigma was the best decision of my life and I will continue to be an active part of the Fraternity till I am eventually only a Skull and Bones six feet under.

Patrick Spiedel, Alpha Theta, Wisconsin 2011

As my second Men of Honor experience comes to a close, I look back with wholesome appreciation.  This institute leaves you with the wisdom and tools that, if you share them and the fire that burns after Men of Honor, you and your Chapter will only be successful.  I will return home with more knowledge about leadership and myself than I would ever hope for.  Men of Honor expands my knowledge of how Phi Kappa Sigma shapes my mind and defines my life.

James Murtha, Beta Nu, Adrian 2012
Phi Kappa Sigma has shown me an example of what the definition of Fraternity is and what it is supposed to be.  My Chapter has provided me with a solid support group and is helping to shape me into the man I wish to see myself becoming tomorrow.

Maxwell Fugere, Delta Upsilon, VCU 2013

I’ve learned that in life not many things are sure things.  I have also learned that one sure thing is Phi Kappa Sigma.  Although I have not been a member for long, and at this point not even an initiated Brother, still nothing in college so far has seemed as significant as my decision to be a Skull.  I plan to continue to help positively effect the Skulls as it has done so to me.

David Ball, Beta Nu, Adrian 2013
Over the past few days I have learned so many things that I can’t even comprehend how much new information I have to take back to my Chapter.  This Fraternity is so much more than just some “frat” and it means so much to me that I can’t even begin to explain in words what it really is to me.  I can only hope that people that come after me get as much out of it as I have.

Mike LeResche, Alpha Epsilon, IIT 2012
Phi Kappa Sigma has positively impacted me as I have attended Men of Honor due to the paradigm that has shifted within me during my attendance.  I have noticed the good qualities which first attracted me to my Chapter in many of the men I have become acquainted with here.  I came here thinking, or rather fearing, that the other Chapters embodied all the bad qualities I associated with other Greeks.  This program has proven me wrong.

Phi Kappa Sigma continues to show me that men of diverse backgrounds, goals, races, etc. can come together for the common good.  Despite differences the brothers come together in times of crisis.  For example, when my youngest brother died of cancer in 1983, word quickly spread throughout the house, despite the sorority party that was going on.  Brothers whom I was not particularly close to came to me offering condolences and help.  The Fraternity gave me a blank check to get on the next airplane home.  They drove me to the airport 65 miles away and picked me up.  They contacted each of my professors to inform them of my absence.  They sent flowers and called to check on me.  It was clear to me and my family that I had made the right decision with Phi Kappa Sigma.

Ricky Smidt, Alpha Upsilon, Washington 2011
Before coming to Phi Kappa Sigma there was one quote that I really enjoyed, “I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.”  This quote has always carried heavy meaning to me as it shows us that the world will always fair and just in its evenhanded way of treating humanity.  It is not meant to imply that the world doesn’t care, but rather allows us to be how we are and that the world will always accept us for us.  Despite the fact that I knew this, I never really felt it until I became a Phi Kap.  This Fraternity allows us to be our unadulterated selves because our Brothers will always love us.  We will have indifference to one another but in a way that enables us to be happy in our different walks of life.  This indifference is just meant to reflect how we will never bring a Brother down nor ever prosecute him for being him.  Phi Kappa Sigma has demonstrated this to me, and I now live a happier, more carefree life.

Dan Kelly, Alpha Epsilon, IIT 2012
Coming from a dysfunctional family, I have always been looking for something to fill that void.  I came to the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma and found that family.  Never have I seen a group of people who stick together as close as members of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity.  The bond that can be created to those men during a college experience is one that can never be mimicked.  Phi Kappa Sigma is everything I am and everything I one day hope to become.

Timothy Roberts, Gamma Upsilon, UMASS-Lowell 2010
Just like many other Phi Kaps I never thought I would join a Fraternity, but here I am.  I cannot think of a single negative impact that the Skulls have had on my life.  Since becoming a New Member I have improved academically, socially, professionally, and because of Men of Honor I am in the process of improving fraternally.  Academically, I have learned great time management skills, structure, and I now have more of a will to learn.  Before Phi Kappa Sigma I was extremely introverted and soft spoken, but now I have improved my oral communication skills and I’ve become much more outgoing.  Professionally, I was able to get hired as a paid intern for a federally contracted engineering company with a great future outlook.  Men of Honor has helped me reassert my values and become, yet again, a more confident and efficient leader.  Phi Kap has exposed me to skills and life lessons that many people go a lifetime without having.  With these skills I have been and will continue to be able to achieve things that are above and beyond my increasing potential.

Wayne Delia, Beta Upsilon, Potsdam 1979

Phi Kappa Sigma is a typical college fraternity found at several mostly American college and university campuses. Those who would agree to that superficial, shallow observation are very nearly completely missing the point.

Phi Kappa Sigma provides a framework of positive values, morals, and excellence carefully designed to optimize the fraternal experience of both undergraduates and alumni members. It also provides leadership opportunities for those who have benefited from this fraternal experience, that by their example they may persuade the undergraduate members that following the Fraternity's framework of guidance provides a clear advantage in many aspects of life.

I'm employed by IBM as a database administrator. My wife is a kindergarten teacher, and I have often remarked that she has more chances in one day to positively affect the lives of young people than I will ever have in my entire career with IBM. In my role as a Phi Kappa Sigma chapter adviser over the past dozen years, and a Men of Honor facilitator for the past ten years, I've had the chance to bridge that gap. In a variety of ways, I've touched the lives of hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand young men, many of whom are looking for a direction or a purpose in their own lives. Whether through a few well-chosen words of advice to a chapter, or a ride provided to a brother unable to navigate his way home, or a sincere and supportive letter of recommendation for a graduate looking for his first job, countless opportunities present themselves for a positive contribution to the well-being of many close friends. Without Phi Kappa Sigma, I would not be able to do this.

The principles of Phi Kappa Sigma can be applied in many areas of life, with demonstrable success. At the 2008 Men of Honor leadership conference, I spoke of a period of frustration and lack of direction in my professional life. I turned to trusted friends and role models in the Fraternity who provided me with basic, simple, positive advice and direction. I was able to describe the results of their advice in terms of significant career advancement, professional honors, and increased job stability in a time of economic disarray. These are real, tangible results, representing so much more of a return from the Fraternity than what I have contributed to it.

Everyone's life is made up of a spectrum of experiences, both good and bad. One might envision a "bell curve" graph of life events ranging from bad to good, with the more frequently occurring neutral events making up the majority of data points in the middle of the normal distribution curve. Membership in Phi Kappa Sigma tends to extend the bell curve and widen the spectrum of life experiences. There are more good events as well as more bad events. The victories and accomplishments are celebrated with more intensity; the tragedies and failures hit even harder. The laughter is heartier and more sincere; the sorrow is deeper and more poignant. "All men die, but few men truly live," said actor Mel Gibson, as William Wallace in Braveheart, and the added dimension of the fraternal experience with enriched meaningful life events is the basis on which we can say that Phi Kaps are among those who truly live.

The world is much different now than it was two, five, or ten years ago. New products and services are delivered in many different ways. New industries have cropped up rapidly, and others have been made obsolete virtually overnight. Career strategies have adapted to accommodate changing economic conditions on a global scale. Now more than ever, networking is critically important. Phi Kappa Sigma provides a powerful network which is combined with much stronger personal bonds among the members of the network, often resulting in more satisfying results when they are most needed.

In 2004, the chapter I advise concluded a two-year period of steadfast dedication to the expectations of an outstanding Phi Kap chapter, as measured by our annual Mitchell Chapter Standards application. We won the CKS Outstanding Chapter award, but fell just a few points short of the Founder's Cup trophy to the Alpha Epsilon chapter. Knowing how hard we worked toward our goal, it was quite easy to respect the IIT chapter for slightly exceeding our effort. Phi Kappa Sigma offers many opportunities for this kind of positive "win-win" competition and mutual respect, with some exciting possibilities planned for the future.

The "brotherhood" aspect of Phi Kappa Sigma relates to a well-known family relationship. This is to indicate that our bonds are much deeper than those normally expected in other college organizations. Not surprisingly, the guiding principles of Phi Kappa Sigma can be applied with equal effectiveness to our own real-world family relationships. For those who take these values and principles to heart, present and future family relationships are strengthened. Undergraduate active members tend to treat their parents or guardians with more respect, and vice versa; alumni members tend to treat their wives and children with deeper compassion and understanding.

Phi Kappa Sigma has made all the difference in my life. All the difference.