Op-Ed by Ricky Bailey, Florida State ’03

As we approach our fraternity’s Founders Day, I find myself reflecting on my fraternity experience. As I think about my journey, one phrase continually comes to mind: Representation Matters.

There’s so much power in those two words; and it perfectly represents my fraternity experience. It was easy learning the “what” and “who” I represented. But it has taken some time – years, in fact – for me to truly appreciate the “how” and “why” representation matters to me.

I joined Phi Kappa Tau at Florida State University in Fall 2002. At the time, I would have told you I had no business joining a fraternity. No one in my family was Greek, I knew virtually nothing about fraternities, and I looked nothing like the all-American white guy staring back at me from all of the marketing materials. So why did I join? It started with small talk with a fellow classmate in a hallway before English class. He had on a “Phi Tau Athletics” shirt and I asked him about it. Rather than rambling on about all of the sports he played, he focused on what Phi Kappa Tau represented for him. At the end of our conversation, he invited me to the fraternity house later that evening for a formal recruitment event. It was the only fraternity house where I didn’t feel ostracized for not being a white male. Rather, I saw men who were more like me in many different aspects: short, black, scrawny, baby-faced, smart, genuinely nice, respectful, the list goes on. But most importantly, they saw me for me. They saw my innate worth. It was the first time I understood why representation mattered to me. Being a member of a brotherhood with a sense of purpose greater than oneself, that’s the feeling I got – and still get to this day – from joining Phi Kappa Tau that I didn’t feel at any other house.

Our Founding Fathers certainly understood why representation matters. It would have been easy for them to fall in line and join one of the fraternities of the Miami Triad. However, the Triad wasn’t representative of what they believed in—their higher purpose. And they knew there were other men who felt they had no representation. They took the time to understand why representation beyond the Triad was important for them and for the greater good of the Miami student body. It is because Borradaile, Boyd, Douglass, and Shideler believed representation matters that I am able and honored to write this article for our great brotherhood 116 years later.

Today, I have the privilege of representing our fraternity as a National Councilor. My journey would not have led me here were it not for my fellow classmate from freshman English (now Brother) who showed me why representation matters to me. Now, there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about how to continue the legacy of our founders and best represent our great organization. As I close, I challenge each of you reading this article to ponder, what does Representation Matters mean to you? Why is it important to you? And how will you continue to build upon the legacy of representation created by our Founding Fathers? Be sure to share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #MyBrothersKeeper. Happy Founders Day Brothers!

Proud To Be.

-Ricky Bailey, Florida State ’03 - National Councilor