Senior Nate Nelson felt a kinship with the men of Mu Alpha from the moment he received a letter informing him of their existence.
In 2002, Phi Mu Alpha, the only men’s music honorary on campus, found itself in turmoil. Unsatisfied with the national fraternity, a large majority of the members split off and started a new organization: Mu Alpha.
Nelson, a previous member of Phi Mu Alpha, attended Hillsdale preceding the split. He received a letter about the creation of Mu Alpha while he was away, and when he returned to school, he decided to “retroactively grandfather in” to Mu Alpha.
“I don’t consider it a switch and neither does Nate,” said junior and Mu Alpha President Jacob Nieuwsma. “This is the first time this has happened.”
Nelson felt a connection with the Mu Alphans while he was away from school and when he returned.
“Had I been here at the time [of the split], I would have voted with my chapter to split off from Phi Mu Alpha,” Nelson said. “I already considered myself a Mu Alphan. The brotherhood wasn’t with nationals but with the guys I knew on campus.”
The relationship is friendly now between the two groups and both support Nelson in his decision.
“Nate’s a friend of mine, and I’ve talked to him about being in Phi Mu Alpha when he first attended Hillsdale College,” said Brad Dietzen, senior and President of Phi Mu Alpha. “I’m fine with him joining Mu Alpha. I feel bad that we didn’t reach out to him like they did, especially since he was part of the organization [Phi Mu Alpha] originally. It looks like he enjoys being in Mu Alpha and that’s the most important part to me.”
“We are very excited to have him,” Nieuwsma said. “It has been a very good thing for the chapter.”
Both organizations are strong today, but the split took some time to recover from. After the 2002 division, the two remaining members of Phi Mu Alpha were left to make a big decision: rebuild or let go.
“They stayed true to the fraternity, and nationals sent members from other colleges such as Albion to come fill the officer positions during the weekly meetings and to help regain membership,” Dietzen said.
They decided to rebuild, but the road to recovery would be a hard one. The few men involved would have to deal with another large group leaving to join Delta Tau Delta fraternity, a president quitting, and a fragile relationship with the national fraternity. Through it all, things are finally looking up, Dietzen said.
“The character of Phi Mu Alpha changed with the split, and since then, we have focused on the rock and roll aspect of music,” said Dietzen. “We have consistently tried to recruit new members and as of Friday we will have 20 guys in Phi Mu Alpha, the most I’ve seen since I joined. Things are looking good for the future of Phi Mu Alpha at Hillsdale.”
Mu Alpha is also enjoying their own prosperity, and Nelson enjoys being a part of the organization.
“The desire to rejoin was fostered by a sense that this group was extremely similar to the group of guys I had been a member of back in the 90’s,” Nelson said. “In the natural course of being back on campus, I had already become friends with a number of members and had a great respect for many others. Plus, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wear a fedora again.”