Saying that something has a Machiavellian feeling tends to have a strong negative connotation. However, some communities continue to succeed and thrive today by Machiavellian community standards. My involvement in the fraternity of Pi Kappa Phi has been a blessing and a curse. I love the guys I'm with 18 hours a day. However, the Pi Kappa Phi pledge is subject to certain rules and bylaws that set the pledge to take place in a highly Machiavellian format. However, our pledge trainers are amazing guys; They are not there to make friends. They are there to make sure we learn about the history of not only our chapter but the entire national organization. Pledge trainers would rather be feared than loved when pledging. The Student Creed includes eight stanzas explaining how a member of Pi Kappa Phi should live his or her life. The White Diamond is a book that contains the entire history and stories of our national organization. However, not all of our contracts are drawn up in formal form. Our pre-initiation ceremony was entirely verbal and explained everything the fraternity expected of us as well as what we can expect from them. The end always justifies the means of commitment. The grief we endure for five to six weeks is justified because we then become members of the chapter with a variety of benefits. This is one of the definitions of a Machiavellian community. The Student Creed encompasses many different views on life. The Student Creed is a guide to how a member of Pi Kappa Phi should live their life not only during their college career, but also later in life. The penultimate stanza of the creed states: "Who diligently prepare for...... middle of paper...... the chapter on brotherhood than ourselves. Machiavelli says: “It is much safer to be feared than loved if one cannot be both.” » (chap 17). Machiavelli would believe that the process of pledging within the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity is conducted with a consistent type of government for the greater good of not only the fraternity but the entire community surrounding it. Machiavelli would understand that the end justifies the means of the pledge. Our promise makers are not afraid of being more feared than loved and according to Machiavelli, this is one of the characteristics of a good leader. Works Cited Thurston, Jared, The White Diamond: A Guide to Brotherhood. Charlotte, NC: Pi KappaPhi Fraternity, 2010. Print. Thurston, Jared. “Student’s Creed.” White diamond: 74. Machiavelli, Niccolò and Robert Martin Adams. The Prince: New York: Norton, 1977.