Every year, the buzz between the pre-pharmacy students is focused around which of the pharmacy fraternities they will rush. In just a short time, that same opportunity will be presented to pre-medical students as Phi Delta Epsilon finds a home here at Drake University.
PhiDE is an international medical fraternity that prides itself on creating physicians of integrity with a lifelong commitment to their guiding principles of philanthropy, deity and education through fellowship, service, mentoring and formal training in leadership, science and ethics (www.phide.org).
What will PhiDE provide for students here at Drake?
“The pre-med community here is so spread out,” junior Peyton Faganel, PhiDE president said. “It is going to be a phenomenal resource not just on Drake’s campus, but getting pre-med students to medical school, through medical school and have a successful career because of the connections that PhiDE has. Since it is an international medical fraternity, there are chapters in places like Europe and Canada.”
The journey started last year when pre-medical students Faganel and Sam Meyers questioned why the same resources that were offered to pre-pharmacy students were not offered to pre-medical students. From there they contacted the CEO of PhiDE, Karen Katz and began the process of bringing the fraternity to Drake. Drake was one of five universities that gained colonization status. One hundred applied.
“Drake University shares some of the same core values as PhiDE in their focus around service to the community and academic excellence as well as the commitment of the teachers to creating a student experience,” Katz said. “Also the caliber of the students that contacted us were exceptional. All these things made Drake University the perfect fit for our newest pre-medical chapter.”
The chapter was colonized on Oct. 28 and will go through an application process soon to determine who will be among its founding members.
“The most important thing about PhiDE is that it is not just about your transcript. It is about having values and ethics, and that is what we are looking for because a physician is more than just a person who is really knowledgeable in organic chemistry — it is someone who can treat their patients well,” Faganel said. “PhiDE’s motto is ‘facta non verba,’ which means ‘deeds not words’, so we are really, really big on integrity, and we do look for that in our candidates. One of the best analogies that Sam and I have heard is ‘misery loves company.’”
The lives of pre-medical students are jam-packed with maintaining a high GPA, preparing for the MCAT, completing volunteer hours and participating in a variety of other activities and clubs. For those students, PhiDE hopes to provide a center for support and guidance as well as a social outlet. Anyone who would like to learn more about PhiDE or is interested in applying should contact vice president of recruitment, Nickey Jafari, at nickey.jafari@drake.edu.
