Now, I get that I’m not your average writer here and most people probably never saw me on Classic TFM. So, I don’t wanna seem like just some…
silly parody character from the BEFORE TIMES who genuinely appreciates Greek life for what it can and is meant to be… who imparts wholesomeness, kindness, realness, and a surprising amount of wisdom gained from the school that is the sea (where you learn by experience and not in a classroom)…
So in order to get to know me, where I came from, what I’m about…
I present SharkWeekTFM Literally Interviews Himself.
SharkWeekTFM: First things first. Why would someone like you ever go to college in the first place?
SharkWeekTFM: My main goal over the last several years has been to help bring more understanding and cooperation between sharks and fraternities. In order to do that I had to be where the right people were. Since those people are in fraternities, going to college was a no brainer.
SharkWeekTFM: How did you decide that you wanted to pledge and how did you decide which house was right for you?
SharkWeekTFM: To get an authentic understanding I knew I had to go all in. Plus, I knew even before I got on campus that true fraternity could be a beautiful thing.
SharkWeekTFM: Why do you call yourself SharkWeek?
SharkWeekTFM: Just a nickname a brother gave me during pledgeship that stuck.
SharkWeekTFM: What is the hardest part about being a shark in a fraternity?
SharkWeekTFM: Once I was in it wasn’t that hard. Obviously there were difficulties and inconveniences involving logistics for initiation and other things. I had to get pretty creative when it came to educating pledges too. But I think creativity is what got me elected to Pledge Educator. But if I had to say one thing specifically, I’d say it gets old when girls don’t believe I actually have an aquarium in my room.
SharkWeekTFM: Why fraternities? Why not college students in general?
SharkWeekTFM: There are a lot of connections between fraternities and sharks that can help each other. It could be little things like how fraternities like beach parties and sharks know about beaches. One of the big ones is that both cultures are very vulnerable to negative publicity. We could compare notes and learn how to better avoid bringing it upon ourselves and then how to better handle it when it does happen.
SharkWeekTFM: What would be your advice for a someone considering pledging?
SharkWeekTFM: One thing you have to consider is that pledging is about you AND others. You should understand that you will change and that change of any kind is hard. You should also ask yourself what you bring to the table. Don’t get overly self-critical but make sure that your personality, abilities, and attitude will help an organization. You might not be a fit for the top house, and that’s ok. You want to be in the house that will benefit from who you are and one that is invested in cultivating you to be a better person by allowing you to utilize your gifts for mutual benefit.
SharkWeekTFM: What if a guy is in a house he feels he doesn’t fit in with anymore?
SharkWeekTFM: Stay the course. Barring physical, psychological, or legal danger, don’t quit. Like I’ve said, fraternity is about others as well as you. At some point there were things you liked about this place. Try to remember what those things are. See if you can rediscover them. See if you can recreate or cultivate those aspects back into the house. There might be other guys feeling the same way. If that doesn’t work remember you owe this place something; not necessarily the active members and certainly not the pledges but you need to give back what you’ve been given with interest. That’s a valuable lesson to learn in this life. If you can start practicing that now, you will be a happier person.
SharkWeekTFM: So, you’re back after all this time and a great run on Classic TFM…
SharkWeekTFM: Well I was asked to keep writing by the the guys running it back then cause I was “legit a funny fuck” and didn’t put out another piece after such an accolade… When I saw this new phase was posting articles again I figured now was my opportunity to honor their legacy.
SharkWeekTFM: What is so special about the actual Shark Week (only on Discovery)?
SharkWeekTFM: I don’t understand the question.
SharkWeekTFM: Thanks for your time.
SharkWeekTFM: No prob.
