COVER STORY
Graduate and Professional Schools) Chapter. During my second year of law school, I decided that I wanted to go ahead and join Washington Alumni and I gave up my opportunity to remain at Theta Tau in favor of joining the flagship. Williams: If you don’t mind sharing, why was that? Jenkins: A large part of my motivation to join Washington Alumni at that point was that I understood the advisor for Xi Chapter came from that chapter. Therefore, WAC had some influence and impact on what would be going on at Xi. There were rumors starting about bringing back the Xi Chapter. After my initiation, about 18 months thereafter we found ourselves once again suspended. I wanted to be able to have a voice in who would be the next guys to populate Xi Chapter. To be quite honest I wanted to be a part of that effort. I wanted to be the advisor and that wasn’t going to happen if I continued to exercise my right to be a member of Theta Tau. I love Theta Tau. In fact, I even served as the Vice Pole- march, but the opportunity to impact Xi was one that I just couldn’t resist. So that’s
SGVP Jenkins and Washington (DC) Alumni members proudly holding a Resolution from the City Council of the City of Washington DC.
what really drove me. I’ve jokingly stated pub- licly it wasn’t out of love for Washington Alumni. That had very little to do with it. In fact, I probably didn’t hold a very high opinion of the WAC and many of the mem- bers who at that point in time, like many undergradu- ates of the day, blamed WAC for some of the difficulties Xi had been experiencing. Williams: As an undergrad you were already taking on Senior Vice Province Polemarch responsibilities, even back when you were
just getting out of college. Jenkins: No doubt about it. At that time, I was still attending Theta Tau meetings even after I officially joined Washington Alumni. I was still attending trying to be supportive, until we got Xi Chapter back up and running. That didn’t occur until 1998. As I men- tioned, I wanted to play a role, which drove me to join the WAC. It’s also the reason why I lived in DC back then. Even when I moved from DC to Virginia, I made a commitment that I was never going to leave WAC
no matter where I lived. All because of Xi Chapter.
Williams: At the dedication, you mentioned that the house not only influenced you, but also your family; particularly your daughters. Can you expound on that for us? Jenkins: Of course. When I became a member I wasn’t married and didn’t have any children. I got married in 1998; my first daughter, Latrice wasn’t born until 2002 and I’d been a member for over 10 years at that point. When
30 THE JOURNAL ♦ SUMMER 2024
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