Emma Esteb – Staff Writer
Jasper Gantriis (‘23), Gustie of the Week, is a personable and well-spoken individual who is from Mahtomedi, Minnesota. Gantriis is a Business Management major with a minor in Statistics.
On campus, he is a member of Kappa Sigma Chi fraternity, where he has created lifelong friendships.
The purpose and mission of the fraternity itself is to “come together to develop camaraderie which in the face of adversity shall remain strong and will uphold the morals and values of the fraternity, college, and community by creating relationships and promoting respect between these institutions” according to the Kappa Sigma Chi Fraternity Statement of Purpose.
He is the sergeant in arms for the Kappas which means that he is the mediator of problems and makes sure all of the risk factors for the fraternity are in check. He was also in charge of recruitment this past spring. Gantriis joined this year and already understands the importance of brotherhood as he said “not all of us get along all the time but at the end of the day, you really just know that when your back is against the wall those guys are gonna be there.”
As a brother, Gantriis has been able to participate in many events on campus such as the first annual All Greek Lip Sync Battle on April 12.
This event was a huge success that brought not only all of the Greek Life fraternities and sororities together, but a lot of supportive students in the crowd. The Kappas had one of the larger groups performing on stage as they “practiced for about an hour each time and met about six times, making it a total of six hours rehearsing,” Gantriis said. As one of the larger fraternities that performed at this event, Gantriis said that was one of the reasons why he loves the Kappas as they are all willing to go out and do stuff together as a group. The Kappas are also hosting a car smash event on May 11 which is important for philanthropy, with the funds supporting an anti-bullying organization.
These events and activities contribute to their purpose of being able to facilitate positive self-growth through various social and community activities. As a brother in this fraternity, they must promote the positive aspects of each individual. With that, one of his fellow brothers, Junior Zach Standley said that Jasper is a “very friendly person, he’s very good at carrying a conversation, and is comfortable in front of people.”
These attributes can contribute to his future career paths with his Business Management major and Statistics minor. He is currently interviewing for marketing and advertising internships because those two fields are his interests post-college. His favorite class that he has taken at Gustavus is Intro to Marketing with Cathy Harms.
He is also choosing to take the 9th semester that Gustavus is offering. He wants to experience life on the hill a little longer and has spread out his classes with a more relaxed semester in order to do this.
As COVID has changed quite a bit of his college experience, Gantriis wants to stay and take advantage of another semester. He also wants to just stay in college for a little longer and escape the “real world” for a few extra months.
Gantriis chose Gustavus due to his strong family lineage to the school. His parents met at Gustavus and spoke highly of it which urged Gantriis to attend. His favorite thing about that school is the people he has met throughout the years. Even with a few dampered years of COVID, he feels as if he has made lifelong friends.
With the end of the year approaching, he was able to reflect on the past eight months and was overall content with his junior year. Next fall, he is ready to continue to be an active member of Kappa Sigma Chi Fraternity and work towards his degree in Business Management and Statistics. As a son of two Gustavus Alumni, Gantriis is on his way to becoming a part of that legacy soon.