The National Eagle

The National Eagle is moving!

2011-09-08T12:53:00.004-05:00

The National Eagle will be moving to the homepage of Theta Chi's new national website. Future updates will be posted to thetachi.org. You'll be able to read all about our great alumni, undergraduates and chapters, as well as recruitment updates via The Holland Report. It's the same great blog, but now on a great new website.

If you have a news story that you'd like to report to The National Eagle, you can still e-mail nationaleagle@gmail.com. With the new website, we hope to update our blog more frequently than ever before. You'll also be able to interact with Theta Chi's social media tools, including the official Theta Chi fan page on Facebook, Twitter account, and LinkedIn profile.

We're confident that you'll enjoy all the new functionalities that our new and improved website will offer. If you have questions about either The National Eagle or thetachi.org, send an e-mail to webmaster@thetachi.org.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Evan Wecksell announces fall tour dates, plans stops at Theta Chi chapters

2011-08-26T08:21:00.008-05:00

Musical Comedian Evan Wecksell (Epsilon Theta/Tufts) piles on the frequent flyer miles as he once again hits the road with his solo show, Greek Life talk and original, "College The Musical: A Musical About College," a show co-written with wife and comedienne Kelly Meyersfield.

Starting Friday, August 26, Wecksell kicks off his 2011 "Up in the Air" Tour, a (as of press time) fifteen-show jaunt back and forth across the country.

Many of the shows take place in the middle of the country, including two trips to Nebraska, the second of which takes him to University of Nebraska-Omaha on October 24.

Most recognized from such pop culture television shows as VH1's "I Love the 80s 3D" and E!'s "30 Most Outrageous Celebrity Feuds," this summer Evan put down the guitar, and essentially the material, when he performed audience warm-up for tapings of SPEED Channel's "The Car Show" with Adam Carolla.

After spot dates over the last few years, a few runs in North Hollywood and a 2010 sold-out summer weekend in New York City, the two- person musical kicks off the tour with three straight performances.

Stops planned at Theta Chi chapters

Wecksell's tours have expanded in recent years due to his participation in Greek events and his talk "It's Great To Be Greek" which follows some performances. On September 1, he welcomes back Greeks at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.

In addition to Greek-wide shows, it is Wecksell's participation with his Theta Chi Fraternity that has been most prolific over the years.

His first Theta Chi event is during recruitment for University of Maryland in College Park. This will be different from his performance last March which was for the Panhellenic Council.

"That show was for an audience of 700 sorority sisters," remembers Wecksell. "They represented about 3000 bottles of shampoo."

The Theta Chi chapter is happy to have him.

"We have heard great things about his past performance at the University of Maryland," explains Theta Chi Rush Chair Jake Wechsler. "It is great to see a fellow brother make it big and we hope he will inspire others to be part of Theta Chi."

2010/2011 Alter Award winners announced

2011-08-16T14:42:00.002-05:00

Theta Chi Fraternity is excited to announce the 2010/2011 recipients of the Howard R. Alter, Jr. Award for Chapter Excellence. Winners were announced at each of the two meetings of The Initiative Academy, Theta Chi’s newest leadership experience. This year’s Alter Award-winning chapters are:

Phi/North Dakota State
Alpha Nu/Georgia Tech
Epsilon Kappa/Idaho
Zeta Beta/Adrian
Zeta Lambda/Westminster
Iota Beta/Missouri State
Iota Theta/Central Florida
Iota Lambda/Longwood

The Alter Award is Theta Chi’s highest chapter honor and is traditionally presented at the Fraternity’s summer event. Consideration for the Alter Award is by application only. Applicant chapters are evaluated based on their performance in 12 categories, including recruitment, scholarship programming, risk management practices, member and new member education and others. The Alter Award may only be presented to active chapters.

Recognizing that receiving the Alter Award can be a very special and meaningful experience for the undergraduates, some winners were announced in June and the remaining winners were announced in August in order to accommodate the unique format of The Initiative Academy. In doing so, the Fraternity was able to ensure that a representative from each winning chapter would be present to receive the award in person.

“The Fraternity is extremely proud of the 2010/2011 recipients of the Alter Award,” Executive Director Michael Mayer said. “By their actions, our Alter Award-winning chapters have demonstrated their commitment to operational excellence and the enthusiastic perpetuation of the traditions and ideals of Theta Chi.”

Created by a group of former field staff in 1984 upon the occasion of Howard Alter’s retirement as Executive Director, the Alter Award was first presented in 1986 to chapters that met or exceeded the Fraternity’s standards of excellence.

Congratulations, brothers!

A Theta Chi to compete in America's Got Talent Semifinals

2011-08-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

Brother Kevin Colis (Zeta Phi/Cal Poly 2001) will be competing in the America's Got Talent Semifinals on Tuesday, Aug. 23 and is asking for brothers to support him in his mission to reach the Finals. You can watch Brother Colis' most recent performance here. Brother Colis is a Founding Father from Zeta Phi's return to Cal Poly in 2000. Be sure to check out the show on Tuesday and cast your vote!

America's Got Talent airs at 9 p.m. EST Tuesdays and Wednesdays on NBC.

How a bad wheel bearing led to great Theta Chi memories

2011-08-12T14:23:00.002-05:00

[Editor's note: the following letter originally appeared in the summer 2011 edition of Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine. In it, a brother recalls how some unexpected car trouble led to a great brotherhood experience in Bloomington, IL. The letter is reprinted with permission from Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine. The editor would like to thank Bill Harter (Delta Phi/North Texas 1962) for sharing his story with us.]

I was driving my 1960 Austin Healey to Chicago to attend a marketing training program with Florsheim Shoes and Hart Schaeffner Marx, the clothing company. It was early February of 1963 and I had left Dallas a few days prior to driving through Illinois.

As I reached the outskirts of Bloomington, I began to hear a shrill sound. I pulled into a service station on Highway 66 to find out the trouble with my precious Healey.

After a few minutes on the rack, the attendant told me that I had a bad rear wheel bearing. Not a big deal. BUT ... that part would have to come out of Chicago on the next day's Greyhound.

I remembered that Bloomington was a college town, much like my old alma mater, North Texas State University (NTSU) in Denton, Texas. I checked the phone book, and there it was! Theta Chi Fraternity on Main Street. I paid for the wheel bearing and got directions to the Theta Chi house.

When I pulled up to the elegant, two-story frame house, with the big Theta Chi crest over the door, it struck me how similar it was to our house at NTSU (now the University of North Texas).

The short of it was that I was most welcome, and I found out that Brotherhood does reach across the United States.

I spent a couple of days at the Theta Chi house, and left for Chicago ... without a whining wheel bearing.

During the next few months, I returned to Bloomington for different campus activities and really learned what a terrific school IWU was and how special the brothers of Beta Rho were, also.

The Healey was just the right size for four of us to fit in as we drove down the sidewalks of Bloomington snatching Sigma Chi derbies and getting smiles from the beautiful coeds of IWU.

I remember some of the guys: Bill Hartel ('68) was president of Beta Rho (our names were identical with the exception of the last letter of the last name); Scottie Scrimshire ('64; who I later learned had passed away); and the Coates brothers, Gary ('64) and Michael ('67).

There were other great guys whose names have slipped my memory, but those fun times in the spring of 1963 are indelibly etched.

Bill Harter

Dallas

Theta Chi mourns passing of Fmr. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair, Gamma Upsilon Alum

2011-07-25T10:13:00.004-05:00

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John “Shali” Shalikashvili (Gamma Upsilon/Bradley 1958) died Saturday morning at an Army hospital in Washington State of complications following a stroke. He was 75.

Brother Shalikashvili succeeded Gen. Colin L. Powell in 1993 as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served under President Bill Clinton until retiring in 1997. He advised the president on situations in the Balkans, Haiti and elsewhere and lead the military’s humanitarian efforts following the end of the first Gulf War.

Born in Poland, he emigrated with his family to Peoria, IL, when he was 16 years old. After graduating from Peoria High School in 1954, he attended Bradley University, where he joined Gamma Upsilon Chapter. He became a citizen in 1958 and was drafted shortly thereafter. He rose through the ranks over the next three decades before becoming assistant to Gen. Powell in 1991.

“A true patriot, Theta Chi is very grateful to have known and counted the General as one of its most distinguished members,” Theta Chi Executive Director Mike Mayer said. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family."

Brother Shalikashvili served on the Bradley board of trustees from 1994 to 1999 and maintained an honorary position. He was most recently living in Tacoma, Wash. and was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award by the Grand Chapter at its in 2009 meeting in Seattle.

In a 1994 interview for The Rattle, Brother Shalikashvili spoke fondly of his time with Theta Chi: “The Fraternity offered, and still offers, a wonderful opportunity to develop and hone leadership skills. The Theta Chi experience has served me well throughout my Army career, with amazing and sometimes surprising results.”

Theta Chi thanks Brother Shalikashvili for his service to his country and to his Fraternity. You read more about his story here.

In the Life of Theta Chi- Meeting Phil Vassar

2011-07-18T12:16:00.006-05:00

[Editor's note: The following story is courtesy of Dan Fleetham, Jr. (Theta Chi/GC Honorary), who wanted to share a story of a chance encounter with musician Phil Vassar (Eta Kappa/James Madison) prior to a benefit concert on June 4. Thanks for sharing, Dan!]

"Brother Phil Vassar spotted my Theta Chi polo shirt as he approached the entrance to the VIP reception. We shook hands- Theta Chi style- and I presented him with a new red Theta Chi hat, and then we took a picture together. I also gave him an envelope with info on Theta Chi Founders Day 2012 and personally invited him to join us. It was great meeting him and a great benefit concert benefiting Child and Family Services of New Hampshire."

Brother Fleetham is the coordinator of Theta Chi's annual Founders Day celebration at Norwich University. "[Last year's] Founders Day was a great success with over 20 brothers and guests from four chapters," he said. "We were also honored to host Ms. Barbara Sibun, the great, great granddaughter of our co-founder Arthur Chase as well as Daniel W. Fleetham Sr. (Alpha/Norwich 1934), one of Theta Chi's oldest active alumni members."

It's not too soon to start thinking about the 2012 Founders Day celebration, which will take place April 21, 2012 at Norwich University. Look for more information about Founders Day later this fall.

Brotherhood at Dodgers Stadium

2011-06-29T10:13:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Brother Wecksell for this story- we're sorry we couldn't have posted this one sooner!

On May 18, Mike "The Miz" Mizanin (Gamma Kappa/Miami OH 2003) threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodgers Stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers took on the San Francisco Giants. Knowing the former WWE champion would be in attendance, Comedian Evan Wecksell (Epsilon Theta/Tufts 2001) caught Brother Miz's attention by bringing a Theta Chi t-shirt. After the pre-game festivities, Brother Miz then initiated the Grip and briefly talked Theta Chi with Brother Wecksell as both posed proudly with their letters.

A Gamma Rho publishes his first novel

2011-06-14T12:08:00.002-05:00

Brother Patrick Griffith (Gamma Rho/Florida State 2008) has recently published his first novel. It is currently for sale on Amazon, and will soon be out with a paper copy. The novel is titled "The Search for Artemis (the Chronicles of Landon Wicker)."

You can find the book on Amazon by clicking here.

Theta Omega brother requests support

2011-06-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

Last week, the International Headquarters received a letter from Chris Kolhmeir (Theta Omega/Appalachian State 2011), who explained that he is currently attending Officer Candidates School for the U.S. Marine Corps. in Quantico, VA. He asked that we share his note below (portions have been edited for grammar and spelling):

"Dear brothers:

My name is Chris Kohlmeir. I am a brother from Theta Omega Chapter, Appalachian State. I am at Officer Candidates School for the Marine Corps., and I would love for everyone and anyone to send me letters to help me motivated! It would be greatly appreciated. My address is:

Cand. Kolhmeir 8124

4th Platoon, Echo Co.

2189 Elrod Ave.

Officer Candidates School

Quantico, VA 22134-5033

Thank you very much and wish me luck!"

If you'd like to send Brother Kolhmeir a letter of encourage, he would greatly appreciate it. And, thank you, Brother Kohlmeir, for your dedication and hard work. Good luck!

Alpha Rho raises $13,000 for Kyle Charvat Foundation

2011-06-08T10:48:00.002-05:00

Alpha Rho brothers at the University of Washington raised $13,000 to benefit those in need of assistance with cancer treatments.

On Thursday, May 19, the 4th Annual Kyle Charvat Foundation Golf Tournament kicked off at the Golf Club at Newcastle, just outside Seattle. More than 80 players participated, and 100 percent of the proceeds went straight to "helping young adults battling life-threatening cancer in our community," according to a press release following the event.

The Kyle Charvat Foundation is named in memory of Brother Kyle Charvat (Alpha Rho/Washington 2006), who was discovered to have a brain tumor the size of a golf ball during his freshman year. Despite treatment, the tumor remained. An opportunity to try an experimental treatment was suggested, but his medical insurance refused to cover the cost. So, his chapter brothers teamed up and raised the $100,000 needed on their own. Although Kyle passed away in January of his senior year, his fraternity brothers' helping hand allowed him to enjoy a quality of life that many felt would have been impossible otherwise.

According to their website, the Kyle Charvat Foundation has been able to provide financial assistance to seven individuals facing challenges similar to Brother Charvat's.

Rho Wins Big at Illinois

2011-06-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

The brothers of Rho Chapter at the University of Illinois recently announced that they received three awards at the recent Greek Oscars-- Illinois' annual Greek awards ceremony. They were recognized in the following areas during 2010:

First Place- Outstanding Risk Management
First Place- Outstanding New Member Education
Second Place- Outstanding Internal Operations

Additionally, Brian Kelinson (2012) was awarded the 1872 Legacy Scholarship, given to just two underclassmen who "exhibit involvement in the Greek community, high academics, and community involvement."

Lastly, Andrew Hughes (2012) received the first place award for Outstanding President, recognizing him as the best president of all fraternities at the University of Illinois.

The University of Illinois is home to a staggering 47 IFC fraternities.

You can read more about Rho Chapter in the upcoming spring 2011 edition of The Rattle. Check your e-mail for the digital edition soon. Great job, Rho!

Epsilon Kappa Among Idaho's Best

2011-06-06T15:05:00.003-05:00

Epsilon Kappa Chapter at the University of Idaho is proud to announce that it placed 2nd in this year's Greek Week competition.

They were also named recipients of the Richard D. Gibb Award for Chapter Excellence. Applicants for the Gibb Award are evaluated on performance in nine categories, including chapter management, alumni relations, recruitment, scholarship and campus participation.

Gamma Deltas leave a mark in Scotland

2011-06-01T09:01:00.001-05:00

While studying abroad, brothers from Gamma Delta/Florida Southern recently hiked to the top of Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano in Scotland. When they got to the top, brothers Scott Johnson (2012), Billy Smith (2013), and Kevin Parker (2012) noticed that previous visitors would leave their mark at the peak by rearranging the volcanic lying around nearby. The brothers decided to follow suit.

Do you have a cool travel photo? E-mail us: nationaleagle@gmail.com.

Theta Chis honored at University of Hartford

2011-05-26T13:52:00.002-05:00

Kudos to Zeta Upsilon Chapter at the University of Hartford for being named IFC Chapter of the Year and on earning recognition for having the Highest New Member Class GPA in the fall 2010 semester. Additionally, Steve Burke was named Future Greek Leader by the Hartford IFC.

Individual members also have something to celebrate this year: Daniel Arsenault (2012) was named 2011's Greek Man of the Year and IFC President for the 2011/2012 academic year. Joining him on IFC will be Evan Wadsworth (2012), who will serve as IFC Vice President of Standards and Practices. Keep up the great work, brothers!

Omicron alum receives Presidential Distinguished Service Award

2011-05-24T12:44:00.000-05:00

Otis L. Brown (Omicron/Richmond 1956), president of the Longwood University Real Estate Foundation and Vice Rector of the Longwood Board of Visitors, received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award. This is the seventh time the award has been bestowed since its creation in 2000. Brown was instrumental in creating the Real Estate Foundation and has been president and director since its inception in 2004. He has also served on the Board of Visitors since 2003 (his term expires June 30) and as Vice Rector since 2007.

The resolution that accompanied the award cites the crucial role Brown played in developing Lancer Park and Longwood Landings at Midtown Square, two Longwood-managed off-campus apartment communities. Brown's wife, Frances Young Brown, is a Longwood alumna.

From the Big Apple to the Big Easy- Epsilon Psis rally for Wounded Warriors

2011-05-23T09:41:00.003-05:00

Two Epsilon Psi/NJIT brothers will participate in their second BABE (Big Apple to Big Easy) Road Rally this June to help out the Wounded Warrior Project and have some fun along the way.

Brothers Jason Wolf (2005) and Gregg Andrews (2005) will attempt to make the trip in five days. Although the BABE Rally sounds like another race, it's not-- all team cars must be valued at no more than $500 total, and manufactured no later than 1996. Most of the vehicles break down long before they ever make it to their final destination in Louisiana, so winning isn't nearly as important as completing the trip.

Brother Wolf explained that he learned after last year's event that many teams use the rally as an opportunity to raise money for a charity or other cause. He decided that this year, his team would benefit the Wounded Warriors Project.

“Last year a team did the rally to raise money for the American Diabetes Foundation and the March of Dimes, and this year we realized we could do the same to help a good cause,” he said. “We figured that everyone knows someone in the military, and daily more and more soldiers are risking their lives for everything we take for granted in the safety of our homes. So we chose the Wounded Warrior Project.”

The Wounded Warrior Project seeks to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, help injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

Brothers Wolf and Andrews are hoping to raise $1,500 this year. They've already received a big boo $500 corporate sponsorship from At Large Nutrition and are asking for support to help make it the rest of the way. The Rally kicks off on June 6. You can learn more about the BABE Rally or help support Jason and Gregg by either making a pledge or a regular donation. You can also follow the official team blog.

Good luck, brothers!

Two brothers selected for Arlington National Cemetary ceremony

2011-05-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

Two Theta Chis have been selected to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary later this month.

David Toohey (1998), of Epsilon Delta/Youngstown State, will join YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson and other YSU representatives at the Tomb of the Unknowns outside Washington, D.C., on May 23 to honor fallen members of the United States Armed Forces. The ceremony marks the culimination of a series of YSU-sponsored events to commemorate Armed Forces Week.

Brother Jim Joseph (2002), also of Epsilon Delta, has been selected to participate in a similar ceremony in July.

Iota Nu closes out spring 2011 semester strong

2011-05-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

Iota Nu at the University of South Florida celebrated its one-year anniversary this semester, and is proud to report a number of chapter successes.

Brother Van Hoda won the Greek God award, Joseph Narusis won Scholar of the Year and Matthew Donovan was named New Member of the Year. The chapter as a whole earned a 3.1 GPA, placing second overall in IFC. Iota Nu also received nominations for Most Improved Chapter as well as Best Chapter Adviser (Dwayne Isaacs).

The chapter rounded out the semester by finishing third in two major sorority philanthropy events: Kappa Delta's Shamrock and the Panhellenic Watermelon Splash. It also held its first stand-alone philanthropy as well as a memorable Formal on the 42nd floor of the Bank of America Building in downtown Tampa.

Delta Phi is Chapter of the Year

2011-05-16T12:11:00.005-05:00

The brothers of Delta Phi Chapter at the University of North Texas were named IFC Chapter of the Year, and received a variety of other awards as well, including:

Involvement Cup
Excellence in Service
President of the Year
Program of the Year

Congratulations on a job well done!

Awards Update: Delta Mu/Texas

2011-05-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

The brothers of Delta Mu at the University of Texas recently won two awards at this year's Relay for Life. They won 1st Place in both the Fraternity Team and Overall Team categories. Great job, guys!

Congrats to Brian Cardinal and the Mavs on Lakers sweep

2011-05-09T17:08:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Brian Cardinal and the Dallas Mavericks on last night’s win over defending NBA champs the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brother Cardinal, of Alpha Delta Chapter at Purdue University, shot a 3-pointer in the 4th quarter that brought the Mavs’ total to 20 from behind the 3-point line, matching an NBA post-season record. The Mavericks won the game 122-86 and the series 4-0, ending the Lakers’ hopes for an NBA championship three-peat.

Read all about Sunday's game here.

Awards Update: Zeta Beta/Adrian

2011-05-08T10:14:00.000-05:00

Zeta Beta Chapter at Adrian College received the award for Most Involvement and Campus Leadership at this year's Greek Life banquet.

Also, Brother Greg Bartosch (2011) received two major student life awards: Greek Man of the Year and Adrian College 2011 Outstanding Leadership by a Male Student.

Awards Update: Delta Zeta/Nebraska-Omaha

2011-05-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

The brothers of Delta Zeta Chapter at the University of Nebraska at Omaha recently announced that they and partners Alpha Xi Delta recently won UNO's 2011 Greek Week.

Brother Jimmie Pinkham (2011) was also named Greek God at the same ceremony, which is presented to a senior fraternity member who "maintains a strong Greek image and stands by positive Greek principles while also involving himself in other Greek, campus and community organizations."

Lastly, Brother Ryan Kahanca (2012) received Zeta Tau Alpha's Apollo Award.

Central Missouri Theta Chis Win 5-Star Chapter Award

2011-05-06T09:55:00.001-05:00

Epsilon Phi at the University of Central Missouri took home several honors at the 2010 Greek Awards. Here's the rundown:

5-Star Chapter Award (awarded to the top chapter on campus)

Outstanding Chapter Programming

Outstanding Philanthropy/Community Service

Outstanding Public Relations

Chapter Scholarship Achievement

"Epic Video Competition": 1st Place

GAMMA Awards: 2nd Place

Great job, brothers!

Top Honors at Florida State

2011-05-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

Two Gamma Rhos at Florida State were recently recognized for their outstanding achievements:

Drew Chiodo (2011) was named IFC President of the Year

Travis Rasmussen (2011) was named Greek Man of the Year

Congratulations, guys!

Iota Kappa Alum Saves a Life

2011-05-02T09:35:00.002-05:00

Officer Andrew Bauman (Iota Kappa/Northern Arizona 2008) was presented a Lifesaving Award by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police for "going above and beyond the call of duty" during an incident at the Jet Nightclub at the Mirage Hotel & Casino.

Officer Bauman was working overtime at the Jet Nightclub when a valet notified him of a male guest "sitting precariously on the ledge of the parking structure several floors above street level." The subject was extremely intoxicated, yelling obscenities, and making gestures to the crowd gathering below. Officer Bauman and his partner, Officer Dave Delaria, spotted the subject and notified Dispatch. They also began communicating withe the subject to attempt to de-escalate the situation.

Officers arrived on the scene and determined that the subject was either considering suicide or likely to fall off the ledge due to his being intoxicated. Officer Bauman approached the subject from behind, grabbed him around his chest and pulled him back over the ledge and onto the floor of the garage.

Video surveillance from the garage showed that the actions Bauman took "exposed him to danger and quickly brought the subject off the ledge and into the control of the police."

This is Bauman's second Lifesaving Award since joining the force four years ago. Bauman is also a Founding Father of Iota Kappa Chapter.

A Theta Chi is Case Western's Greek Man of the Year

2011-04-21T14:41:00.002-05:00

Beta Nu/Case Western Chapter President Matt Richter (2011) received the David E. Michael Greek Man of the Year Award. The award was presented by Director of Greek Life Wes Schaub at the 2011 Student Leadership Award ceremony. The award is presented annually to a senior fraternity man who has distinguished himself in service to and participation in the Interfraternity Congress, his chapter, and the Greek Community. In addition to being Beta Nu's current president, Brother Richter has served two terms on the Interfraternity Congress and is President of Order of Omega, just to name just a few of his accomplishments. Congratulations, Matt!

Iota Beta Chapter at Missouri State Takes Home Top Honors

2011-03-28T14:12:00.007-05:00

On Wednesday, March 23 the Fraternity and Sorority Life Office at Missouri State University hosted its annual VIP Reception and Awards Ceremony. Iota Beta Chapter was well represented in both chapter and individual award categories. The awards are listed below:

Chapter Awards
Chapter of the Year
Outstanding Risk Management
Outstanding Scholarship Program
Outstanding Recruitment Public Relations
Outstanding New Member Education
Outstanding Leadership Development
Most Fraternity Community Service Hours
Highest Fraternity New Member GPA
Highest Fraternity GPA

Chapter Award – “Superior Recognition” in the following areas:
-Scholarship and Academics
-Philanthropy and Community Service
-Membership Development
-Programming
-Recruitment

Individual Awards
Outstanding Recruiter: Kyle Copeland
Outstanding Male Sophomore of the Year: Miles Figg

Last week, Theta Chi also won Greek Week overall and Kory Lower was named 2011's Greek God.

Great work, brothers!

A Theta Chi to Conduct Research for U.S. Dept. of State

2011-03-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

Matthew Becker (Gamma Rho/Florida State 2007) has been awarded the prestigious Title VIII Fellowship by the U.S. Department of State. He will be studying Bosnian—which is considered a critical needs language—during Summer 2011. Upon completion of language training, he will travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina to conduct research. Matthew is a current Ph.D. student studying political science at the University of Mississippi, and graduated from Florida State University with an M.S. in international affairs (2009) and a B.S. in political science.

Eddie Higginbotham named 2011 NIC Undergraduate of Distinction

2011-03-22T17:41:00.001-05:00

Theta Chi Fraternity is pleased to announce that Eddie Higginbotham (Eta Omicron/Northwestern State 2010) has been named a 2011 recipient of the North-American Interfraternity Conference’s Undergraduate Award of Distinction, considered to be one of the most prestigious undergraduate honors in the interfraternity world.

First presented in 2002, the Undergraduate Award of Distinction “seeks to recognize the fraternity man who has found in his experience an outlet for developing as both a leader and a better man.” This year’s NIC awards will be presented on April 10, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

Eddie, also the Fraternity’s 2010 Colley Award winner, is the ninth Theta Chi individual to receive this honor from the NIC. Brother Higginbotham’s win also marks the fifth consecutive year that a Theta Chi has received the Undergraduate Award of Distinction. Past Theta Chi recipients include Colley Award winners Daniel Neumann (Beta Nu/Case Western 2009), Kevin Reilly (Tau/Florida 2008), Erik Lange (Zeta Kappa/Ohio Northern 2007) and current Executive Director Michael Mayer (Epsilon Phi/Central Missouri 2004).

You can read more about the NIC and the other awards being presented at April’s ceremony by clicking here.

Congratulations, brother!

Four Theta Chis receive Order of Omega scholarships

2011-03-10T09:11:00.004-06:00

Four Theta Chi brothers received scholarships this year from Order of Omega, the Greek honor society that seeks to recognize "fraternity men and women who have attained a high standard of leadership in inter-fraternity activities."

This year's recipients are:

W. Spence Dabbs (Beta Xi/Birmingham-Southern 2011)
Matthew Richter (Beta Nu/Case Western 2011)
Macklin Warrington (Gamma Phi/Nebraska Wesleyan 2011)
Stepheno Zollos (Zeta Pi/Old Dominion 2011)

This year, Order of Omega awarded 136 scholarships totalling over $63,000, as well as $8,250 to graduate students from its fellowship program.

Click here to learn more about Order of Omega's scholarship opportunities, including information about the 2011 scholarship applications.

Adrian College Theta Chi re-elected to Michigan House

2011-02-10T09:51:00.005-06:00

Peter J. Lund (Zeta Beta/Adrian 1986) was recently re-elected to serve the 36th District in the Michigan House of Representatives. In addition, his peers elected him as the Majority Whip. Brother Lund, a Republican, owns a small business, Direct Mailers, and teaches public finance part-time at Walsh College. He was first elected in November 2008. The 36th District includes Bruce, Shelby and Washington townships in Macomb County.

Congratulations, brother!

"Green Hornet" Creator is a Theta Chi

2011-01-11T14:01:00.005-06:00

Looking forward to seeing the feature film adaptation of The Green Hornet? Did you know that its creator, Fran H. Striker, is a Theta Chi from Gamma Pi Chapter at the University of Buffalo?

The Green Hornet initially gained popularity as a radio drama in the mid-1930s. The radio program aired until the 1950s and has since been adapted into various television programs, comic books, and feature films. The newest film adaptation, starring Seth Rogen, opens January 14.

The Green Hornet follows the adventures of Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher by day who takes to the streets at night to fight crime as the Green Hornet. Reid is accompanied by his trusty sidekick Kato.

Brother Striker is perhaps most famous as the creator of another influential radio and television program, The Lone Ranger. He died in 1962 at the age of 59.

Chad Ellsworth named Outstanding Campus Professional

2010-12-14T13:00:00.002-06:00

The Fraternal Information & Programming Group (FIPG) recognized HazingPrevention.org President Chad Ellsworth (Alpha Upsilon/Nebraska 2001) as an Outstanding Greek Life Professional for 2010.

According to FIPG President Steven Hartman, Ellsworth was recommended following his work to address several recent risk management issues concerning the Minnesota Greek community. Ellsworth has taken the lead in developing and implementing new risk management education programs and policies.

In addition to his work with HazingPrevention.org, Brother Ellsworth is the Program Director at the Office for Fraternity & Sorority Life at the University of Minnesota.

Eta Mu extends "Helping Hands Across America"

2010-11-23T13:28:00.004-06:00

Story courtesy of Maximus Bryant (Eta Mu/Findlay 2011), President

The brothers of Eta Mu were once again recognized for contributing the most food out of any student organization to Sodexho’s second Helping Hands Across America food drive.

The brothers solicited donations around town and also went shopping for food themselves. Altogether, they donated 1,581 pounds of food, about 500 pounds more than what was collected in 2009, and also three times more than their giving in 2008. The brothers won a bowling party with free pizza and will have their names put on a plaque. Theta Chi narrowly beat the Criminal Justice Club by just three pounds.

The results of this year’s food drive are also significant for the University of Findlay, which beat its 2009 record by donating approximately 26,000 pounds, an increase of nearly 9,000 pounds. The University of Findlay was the top school in the nation for overall donations.

The Eta Mu brothers were inspired by the name of the event. “Helping Hands” was previously known as Cans Across America prior to 2009.

“With a name change like that, we had to stick to the motto of Theta Chi Fraternity and we just had to give the most out of any student organization at that event,” said President Maximus Bryant. “We worked hard to collect the food and also gave what we could monetarily. We got help from our local alumni and also faculty. In 2010, we raised the goal and got 500 more pounds than last year. We are glad to do it. It fulfills the ideals of our creed, and we serve our alma mater loyally."

Epsilon Phi/Central Missouri raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-11-05T14:04:00.002-05:00

The Epsilon Phi chapter at the University of Central Missouri received some media coverage this week for their efforts to raise money for breast cancer awareness.

Check out the article in UCM's student paper The Muleskinner here. Great work, guys!

Theta Xi/Virginia Commonwealth University Wins Intramural Flag Football Championship

2010-11-02T17:54:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to the brothers of Theta Xi Chapter/Virginia Commonwealth University for winning this year's intramural flag football championship. For more information please read the following article:

Theta Chi win Greek league intramural football championship
http://www.commonwealthtimes.org/?p=12745

Adrian alumnus to star in new reality series

2010-10-26T16:16:00.000-05:00

Theta Chi alumnus Allen Haff (left) and Clinton Jones (right)
team up for a new reality series on Spike TV

Allen Haff (Zeta Beta/Adrian 1992) will star in "Auction Hunters," Spike TV's new reality series that follows Haff and costar Clinton Jones as they search for treasure in unlikely places- abandoned storage units sold at auction that often harbor hidden prizes such as jewelry, antique jukeboxes, paintings and other valuables.

From the show's website on Spike: "Every day in America, there are over 10,000 abandoned storage units that are put up for public auction. Each unit has the potential to be a gold mine or a bust for those who make their living hunting unclaimed property." Read more about the show and see preview clips here.

"Auction Hunters" premieres Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 10 p.m. (EST) on Spike TV.

A Helping Hand and An Advancer of Culture

2010-10-21T17:53:00.001-05:00

Christopher Piscopo, left, is one of the
first scholarship recipients

Brother Roger Roszell (Gamma Upsilon/Bradley 1957) has extended a helping hand to support high school music students by establishing the “Fund for Young Sarasota Musician.” The scholarships may be used for college expenses, musical instruments or music instruction.

Brother Roszell has worked with a variety of young people with varied instrumental and vocal talents, and from just as varied social-economic backgrounds. He says “Some of these young people have immense talent, and even more importantly, incredible dedication; they need encouragement and support as they pursue their art in these challenging economic times.”

Brother Roszell is the musical director at Faith Lutheran Church of Sarasota, Florida. For more information, contact the Music Office of Faith Lutheran Church at (941) 924-4664.

Tom Jernstedt to receive National Football Foundation Legacy Award

2010-10-19T15:10:00.003-05:00

[Editor's note: the following article is courtesy of the National Football Foundation]

DALLAS, Oct. 18, 2010 - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that former NCAA Executive Vice President Tom Jernstedt (Alpha Sigma/Oregon 1966) will be recognized with an NFF Legacy Award during the 2010 NFF Annual Awards Dinner, which will take place Dec. 7 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

"Since the early 1970s, Tom Jernstedt has been a steady and powerful force in the growth of intercollegiate athletics while playing a pivotal role in expanding opportunities for student-athletes," said NFF President and CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "Tom is a true pioneer and visionary who been one of the key invisible hands that have helped guide college athletics during the past four decades. We are proud to recognize him for his contributions that will benefit countless generations for years to come."

Jernstedt will be recognized at the 2010 Annual Awards Dinner in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 1,500 of the most powerful and influential people in the world of college football. Also that night, the NFF will induct the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Class from the Football Bowl Subdivision, distribute $300,000 in scholarships to the 2010 Class of NFF National Scholar-Athletes, and present its major awards to some of our nation's finest leaders.

A graduate of the University Oregon, where he played quarterback and offensive end for Hall of Fame Coach Len Casanova from 1964-66, Jernstedt got his start in athletics administration working for Casanova who had become the Oregon athletics director. Jernstedt left Oregon and joined the NCAA in 1972 as a director of events, earning a promotion to assistant executive director just two years later. He subsequently held a number of senior-level management positions during the next four decades, culminating in his appointment in 2003 as executive vice president and second in command of the organization. In August 2010, Jernstedt announced his retirement after 38 years of service with the NCAA.

During his tenure at the NCAA, Jernstedt oversaw Division I Football, and he served as the president of USA Basketball and on the board of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He played a key role in nurturing the growth of the NCAA Basketball tournament from $1 million in revenue and 32 teams in 1972, the year before he ran the tournament, to 68 teams this coming year and a new $10.8 billion television rights deal that runs from 2011 to 2024.

"He's the guy more than anybody else who has allowed the event to evolve," said Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, who serves on the NFF Board, in a 2008 interview with the Sports Business Journal. "The beauty of the tournament is the way it's been allowed to grow from the bottom up, not from the top down. And that's a credit to Tom. His genius is the subtlety of his leadership."

About the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.

Iota/Colgate are Intramural Football Champs

2010-10-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

Congratulation to the brothers at Iota/Colgate University for taking this year's intramural football championship!

Please report your chapter's intramural achievements to NationalEagle@Gmail.com

Stand Up for Heroes 2010

2010-10-15T14:53:00.000-05:00

Brother Bob Woodruff, Iota/Colgate '85 believes that "Support our Troops" is no longer a slogan, it's an action. As such, his foundation, through his Remind.org initiative is conducting its 4th Annual "Stand Up for Heroes" event at the Beacon Theater in New York City on November 3rd, 2010.

John Stewart will be the master of ceremonies of the event that will feature performances by Jerry Seinfeld, Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen and others.

Tickets and more information is available at http://remind.org/events/stand_up_for_heroes/invitation.

Phi President named 2010 NDSU Homecoming King

2010-10-06T10:49:00.003-05:00

Phi/North Dakota State President Cory Loveless was named the 2010 Homecoming King over the weekend. Phi chapter also won "Best Greek Float" and the annual "Yell-Like-Hell" competition.

Zeta Beta alum receives Alumni Service Award

2010-10-04T13:53:00.004-05:00

Brett Peters (Zeta Beta/Adrian 1995) became the youngest recipient of Adrian College's Alumni Service Award over Homecoming Weekend at the College's annual Alumni Awards presentation. The Alumni Service Award is presented annually to a "dedicated volunteer contributing time, talent and service to Adrian College." Brother Peters was recognized for his more than 15 years of constant support of Adrian. Congratulations, brother!

**Updated Oct. 6**

[Editor's note: the below story is courtesy of Adrian College]

Brett Peters has not missed a homecoming weekend since he graduated from Adrian College in 1995. He loves coming back to reconnect with old friends and see the changes to campus. He was in attendance at the 150th Gala in March 2009 to help celebrate the College’s sesquicentennial.

Brett is an avid supporter of the Bulldogs and continues to travel throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin to attend sporting events. He has been to over 65 Adrian College games and was present for the baseball team’s first ever appearance at the College World Series in 2008 in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Brett is an unofficial recruiter for the College, referring numerous prospective college athletes to coaches. He has donated funds to support building projects on campus, academic scholarships and shared his photography of AC events. Brett is an avid promoter engaging alumni in conversation about the many positive changes and improvements that have taken place over the last five years.

Brett is devoted to his fraternity. He is responsible for maintaining the Zeta Beta Chapter of Theta Chi’s alumni database, serves as its alumni association secretary and keeps the fraternity brothers abreast of current events. He has served as a regional counselor, as facilitator for regional and national events, and as a campus alumni advisor. He currently serves on two national committees and as a Colony Advisory Board Member for the Alpha Lambda Colony at The Ohio State University.

Brett has a kind heart and has also volunteered his time and funds to many other non-profit organizations including the Red Cross of Greater Columbus, March of Dimes, Mid-Ohio Food Bank and many more.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in communications-mass media, he attended Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University and earned his master’s in business administration with an emphasis on human resources.

Brett currently serves as the Class Agent for the Adrian College Class of 1995. He has worked hard to get his fellow classmates back on campus today for their 15th reunion and encourage them to support their alma mater.

Brett currently resides in Columbus, Ohio, and works for Alpha 1 Induction Service Center where he is in charge of inventory control and acts as the safety coordinator.

Theta Chi honored as Sam Houston State's 2010 Outstanding Young Alumnus

2010-10-01T11:26:00.004-05:00

John Garrett (Theta Eta/Sam Houston State 1997) has been honored as Sam Houston State's Outstanding Young Alumnus, an award he will receive on Oct. 15 during this year’s homecoming festivities. The award recognizes alumni under the age of 40 who have “distinguished themselves through personal and professional achievements and who have made significant contributions to SHSU and/or society, and thus have brought honor and distinction to our university.”

“Sam Houston gave me the opportunity to learn how to lead an organization,” he said. “My experience as president of Theta Chi Fraternity taught me how to achieve goals and how to lead people who come from different backgrounds and value systems."

Brother Garrett is also currently featured on the Sam Houston State website. Thanks to Rory Huddleston (Theta Eta/Sam Houston State 2003) for the update.

Theta Chi International Headquarters supports Gleaners Food Bank of Central Indiana

2010-09-29T12:56:00.003-05:00

Calling all Indianapolis area alumni!

These past few years have been tough on Central Indiana, so last year the International Headquarters (IHQ) of Theta Chi Fraternity, with the support of the local Indianapolis Alumni Chapter of Theta Chi, provided a Thanksgiving and Christmas donation of food and money to the Gleaners Food Bank of Central Indiana.

This upcoming holiday season, the Theta Chi International Headquarters will be collecting money, toiletry items, and non-perishable food to provide to The Lord's Pantry at Anna's House.

The Lord’s Pantry at Anna’s House, Inc. (303 N. Elder Street) has been providing support and food for the poor in the Stringtown/Haughville area of Indianapolis from an empty field. Since 2005, no one has had to stand in the cold or guess where to go to receive assistance.

The facility is designed to provide a place for the weekly distribution of food as well as a home for weekly community dinners, tutoring neighborhood children, a site for life skills training and job placement, and a house for an after-school healthy snack program.

Once again, IHQ will be holding two food drives during the holidays:

The Thanksgiving Drive will start today and go through November 19.
The Christmas Drive will start November 22nd and go through December 17th.

Donations can be brought to the IHQ (3330 Founders Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. For more information, contact the IHQ at 317-824-1881 or e-mail ihq@thetachi.org.

Here are examples of items that can be donated: toiletry items (toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste, diapers, soap, detergent, etc.) and non-perishable food (jelly, peanut butter, canned fruits, vegetables, soups, pasta, crackers, beans, cereal, etc.).

For those Indianapolis brothers who would like to help out even more, Anna's House passes out food to disadvantaged families from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday. Visit their website for more information.

Building Heros

2010-09-23T19:51:00.000-05:00

In “Beyond Hazing,” posted earlier this week you read that hazing teaches people behaviors that will hinder them from making significant contributions in others’ lives. When our founders were imagining the organizations that became fraternities and sororities, they were creating organizations whose purposes were to transform ordinary men and women into people who would change the world. Is your chapter ready to continue their legacy? Read on.

What does it mean to be a hero?

Almost everybody can name a hero, whether it is somebody who had a significant impact on you personally, somebody who has made a significant impact on the world, or even a fictional character who exemplifies heroic qualities. Some of you may now be thinking of a mother, father, coach, teacher, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., a former president of the United States, a religious leader, or Batman and Spider-Man. What do heroes have in common?

According to Zeno Franco and Philip Zimbardo’s The Banality of Heroism (2006-07), heroes:

Work to preserve ideal/value or life
Confront an actual or anticipated risk/sacrifice
Engage actively (fight) or passively (resistance)
Engage in an one-time act or on-going

In the context of fraternities and sororities, heroism is what lies at the far right side of the continuum – it is the ultimate realization of our organizations’ purposes. It is going way beyond the minimum expectations, to the place our founders wanted us as lifelong members to go. In other words, if we give every single member what we promise to give them, we are preparing them to be our generation’s heroes.

Hazing ---------- | ---------- Not hazing ---------- | ---------- Heroism

When you look back at the greatest heroes of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, do you think it is a coincidence that so many of them are affiliated with fraternities and sororities? Of course not. Those heroes embraced their personal values and their organizations’ purposes, and made it their life’s work to preserve or pursue those ideals and values.

In your chapter, how can you move toward the far right side of the continuum. In hazing or unhealthy organizations, people are taught to blindly follow a group of leaders, to not stand up for their values, and to not rock the boat. In heroic organizations, people are taught to (Franco & Zimbardo, 2006-07):

Question what is, what could be – to ask: How does this fit with my chapter’s and my personal values.
Stand up for beliefs/values – to ask: What does it say about me if I stand up against behavior or ideas that do not fit my personal values? What does it say about me if I do nothing?
Be grounded in who they are – to ask: What would my mother, father, coach, teacher, etc. think of me if they knew what I was doing or thinking right now? What would my future employer, colleagues, neighbors, etc. think of me if they knew what I was doing or thinking right now?
Lead the way (don't wait for others) – to know that by standing up, you may be giving others the strength to follow your lead.
Sacrifice short-term for long-term successes – to know that anything worth something is worth standing up for.

The greatest gift that we can give the newest members of our organizations is the gift of preparing them to be our generation’s best leaders, its best servants, and its best heroes. Indeed, it also is the greatest gift we can give back to our organizations, and ourselves

Chad Ellsworth is Coordinator, Office for Fraternity & Sorority Life at the University of Minnesota, in addition to serving as President, Board of Directors for HazingPrevention.Org

Iota Theta alumnus honored by UCF Alumni Association

2010-09-23T15:15:00.004-05:00

[Editor's note: The below article, with minor edits, was provided courtesy of Bridget Holt of the University of Central Florida's Burnett Honors College]

The UCF Burnett Honors College is proud to announce that Charles “Chas” Short (Iota Theta/Central Florida 2006) has been awarded the 2010 Rising Star Alumni Award. The Rising Star Award recognizes a recent graduate of UCF who displays promise and excellence in his or her career, and Chas exemplifies those attributes.

Chas graduated with both University Honors (a four year program) as well as the Honors in the Major distinction (where he wrote an undergraduate thesis) with a 4.0 GPA. Chas was also a National Merit Finalist. During his time at UCF, he was an Honors Congress Director, a member of the LEAD Scholars program, founding Vice President of the Iota Theta chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity, and served on UCF's prestigious President’s Leadership Council.

He presently continues his involvement with UCF as an e-mail mentor to current Honors students and also by serving as the alumni advisor for Iota Theta. He currently funds a book scholarship awarded to a member of the chapter that demonstrates outstanding academic achievement.

Chas attended law school at the University of Florida where he served as the President of the John Marshall Bar Association (UF Law's student bar association), and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class. He has authored an article of legal scholarship (Guilt by Machine: The Problem of Source Code Discovery in Florida DUI Prosecutions) that was published in a forthcoming issue of the Florida Law Review. It will be his second published article.

Chas is an attorney in the Miami office of the law firm Carlton Fields. His practice focuses primarily on corporate internal investigations and white collar criminal matters.

Chas will be awarded the Rising Star Award at UCF’s Annual Black and Gold Gala on October 23 at the UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida. Congratulations, Chas!

Beyond Hazing

2010-09-20T20:03:00.001-05:00

As part of National Hazing Prevention Week, the National Eagle is featuring guest blogger Chad Ellsworth. Chad is a Theta Chi brother who serves as the President of the Board of Directors for HazingPrevention.Org; he is also the Coordinator for the Office for Fraternity & Sorority Life at the University of Minnesota.

Beyond Hazing

We have done many of you a disservice in the ongoing debate about hazing in fraternities and sororities. As an undergraduate in the late 1990's, the education I received about hazing consisted of a list of prohibited activities, and I was told there was a zero tolerance policy against hazing. At the campus and inter/national organization levels, chapters were labeled as healthy/non-hazing organizations, or as unhealthy/hazing organizations. In other words, chapters either met the campus' or headquarter's minimum expectations, or they did not. But, by definition, to meet minimum expectations is to be merely mediocre.

As a fraternity man, I have been told time and time again that I am to be more than mediocre. As a Theta Chi, I took sacred oaths to perpetuate the ideals of my fraternity for the rest of my life. As a fraternity man or sorority woman, you have taken or will take sacred oaths to be the very best citizen, leader, scholar, and person you can be. As fraternity and sorority professionals, we have done you a disservice by lumping together those groups who have met those minimum expectations.

If you can imagine a continuum of unhealthy organization (left) to healthy organization (right) ...

Hazing ---------- | ---------- Not hazing ---------- | ---------- ?

What if we continued the spectrum to the right? Where would that lead us as individuals, as organizations, and as a fraternal movement? Imagine the possibilities!

What is hazing?

I want to challenge you to think beyond a list of prohibited activities. Policies are important in some ways, because those are the standard by which violators will be judged in campus conduct procedures or legal proceedings. In other ways, they are not as important because they will not teach you to be an exemplar of your fraternity or sorority's values. They will not teach you to be a true fraternity man or sorority woman. The definition that I use is: whether or not it is against your/somebody else's personal values. Alexander Hamilton said, "Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." If you know what you will stand for (your personal values), you are one step closer to realizing what lies at the far right of the continuum I mentioned above. I'm convinced that this is what our founders had in mind when fraternity and sorority were fragile ideas held strongly by a small group of committed leaders.

On the other hand, hazing teaches the newest members of our organizations to blindly follow a group of leaders, accepting a direction without question. It also teaches those people that, no matter how many times you may stand up or speak out for your personal values, you will be knocked down again and again until you accept the status quo. Lastly, it teaches that going along is getting along, despite a litany of research and scholarship that shows us that "challenging the process" (Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge, 2008) and introducing diverse, sometimes controversial ideas, are essential to leadership. Hazing reminds me of a "Whack-A-Mole" game, where no matter how many times somebody stands up, they're smacked back down. When our founders were meeting on campuses throughout the country, when only 1 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds were attending colleges, they gathered around the idea that more could be done to educate men and women, thereby serving their country and fellow man. They were creating organizations that demanded more of an already elite group of men and women.

When you think about what lies at the far right of the continuum I mentioned above, you may imagine a person who stands up in the face of adversity, a champion for those who are less fortunate, or in other words, a hero.

Is your chapter ready to go to the next level, to stop being more than mediocre, to start creating the types of members who will transform others’ lives, and their own? Watch for Part II – coming later this week to the National Eagle!

September 20-24, 2010 is National Hazing Prevention Week

2010-09-19T21:58:00.002-05:00

National Hazing Prevention Week is observed on campuses and within organizations each year during the last week of September (or another time that is more convenient). Activities range from brown bag lunch discussions among faculty to movie or book discussions with students; training for organizational and team leaders, to the signing of anti-hazing pledges. Some plan an entire week of activities and programs and some simply plan one or two meaningful programs. Whatever you do, the important thing is to DO SOMETHING!

You can learn more about National Hazing Prevention Week at HazingPrevention.org.

Hazing is expressly prohibited by Article V, Section 11 of the Constitution and Bylaws of Theta Chi Fraternity:

The Fraternity prohibits absolutely all physical hazing, paddling, uncalled-for humiliation, and public display in connection with New Member education and pre-initiatory activities, and subscribes to the National Interfraternity Conference resolutions and the Fraternity Executives Association’s “Statement of Position on Hazing and Pre-Initiatory Activities” which condemn all forms of hazing in connection with New Member education and pre-initiatory activities. The active chapters shall carry out the Fraternity’s policy and conform strictly to this policy, not only to escape the danger of bringing discredit to the Fraternity and injuring the entire fraternity cause, but also to build higher respect for the chapters and the Fraternity in the minds of New Members and to instill a finer type of loyalty thereby. The Fraternity prohibits all forms of public initiation, and pre-initiatory and initiation activities shall not be permitted to interfere in any way with the scholastic obligations or class attendance of those involved.

Phil Vassar performs at his alma mater

2010-09-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

Country music singer/songwriter Phil Vassar (Eta Kappa/James Madison 1984) stopped by his alma mater last Wednesday to play a sold-out set at JMU's new Forbes Center.

Brother Vassar is the first artist to perform at the Forbes Center. After the show, he took some time to catch up with his Eta Kappa chapter brothers.

Click here for the full story.

Remembering The Brothers of 9/11/01

2010-09-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

Gamma Rho brother named Fulbright Scholar

2010-09-07T12:01:00.004-05:00

Brother Richard Benson (Gamma Rho/Florida State 2010) was recently named a 2010 Fulbright Scholar. Established in 1946 and operating in more than 155 countries, the Fulbright Scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the world.

Brother Benson graduated summa cum laude from FSU with dual degrees in economics and history and minors in business and history. Benson was an active member in FSU's World Affairs Program, was an Honors student, and served on the Student Government Association as a senator and later as chair of the Student Senate Finance Committee. He is also an active fundraiser for the Florida State Foundation, where he helped raise more than $80,000, all as an undergraduate. He is also an Eagle Scout.

Benson was equally involved in his chapter, and served as Parliamentarian and historian. He is an honorary member of the Gamma Delta chapter at Florida Southern College, which was reinstalled last spring.

"I've always had a passion for being a leader, while at the same time being a servant," he said.

As a Fulbright recipient, Benson will travel to Turkey to teach English and research alternative energy solutions for the developing world at Ak-Saray University. He will stay in Turkey for one year.

Brother Benson is the first Gamma Rho to receive a Fulbright Scholarship. Congratulations, Richard!

Theta Chi Fraternity and The Norwich Housing Corporation Support September as Fire Safety Month

2010-09-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

Theta Chi Fraternity and The Norwich Housing Corporation are teaming up with the Center for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS) to recognize September as Fire Safety Month at universities and colleges across North America.

Regardless of a person’s age, fire kills. And with August and September typically being the worst months for fatal campus-related fires, now is the best time for everyone to get reacquainted with living fire safe. Fire safety skills are not just important undergraduate skills- they are life skills that will reduce the chance of death or injury. Unfortunately, most college students do not realize how quickly a fire can grow, or even worse, how to respond when a fire does occur. Therefore, spreading the fire safety message and imparting vital life preserving skills requires a team approach.

During Fire Safety Month, Theta Chi will do its part to support Fire Safety Month by providing facts, figures, and fire safety tips on the Theta Chi Facebook fan page and through Twitter. Articles and fire safety tips will also be posted on Theta Chi’s housing blog Within These Walls (www.thetachihousing.org). Finally, Theta Chi will be provide ideas for chapters to implement at their respective schools on www.thetachi.org. Theta Chi encourages its chapters to conduct fire drills, meet with their local fire marshals, and practice other important fire safety procedures during the month of September to recognize this month as Fire Safety Month.

Campus Fire Safety Month was first proclaimed by CCFS in 2005, and was formalized nationally in 2007 by resolutions from the United States House of Representatives and Senate.

The Norwich Housing Corporation is a non-profit corporation that provides loans for the purchase and renovation of Theta Chi chapter houses. Norwich is one of the first Greek organizations to provide low interest loans specifically for Theta Chi house corporations for the purpose of addressing life safety issues within the chapter house. Theta Chi house corporations wanting to learn more about the life safety loan program should contact the Norwich Administrative Officer at Norwich_Loans@thetachi.org or at 317-824-1881.

The Center for Campus Fire Safety is a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting life and property from fire at our nation’s institutions of higher learning. Based in Newburyport, MA, the Center provides public education and support to the professionals who spend their life’s work making our campuses and communities safer. For more information about fire and life safety on and off campus, visit www.campusfiresafety.org.

Zeta Lambda brother saves a woman's life

2010-08-18T10:43:00.008-05:00

[Editor's note: Brother Devin Gannon (Zeta Lambda/Westminster 2011) was recently recognized as a local hero for his quick thinking after saving the life of a woman who collapsed at the Crawford Swimming Pool in Shaler Township, PA. The below story is reprinted with permission from the Titan Sports Blog. You can read the original story here, or check out WTAE Pittsburgh Channel 4's coverage (with video) here.]

Posted by Titan Sports Blogger

Followers of sports often lose sight of who we recognize as true heroes. Gene Collier wrote in his column "The ex-sportswriter" for the Columbia Journalism Review that "an actual living hero is ten times as likely to walk down your street, sit next to you on a bus, or hold the door for you at the library than to appear on your television between the never varying pre-game yammer and the postgame lament about who 'stepped up' and who just 'didn't want it bad enough.'"

Last week a Westminster College varsity athlete was looked upon as a hero -- not a sports hero, but an actual living hero -- for helping save the life of a woman at the Kiwanis Park pool in Shaler Township. Devin Gannon (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler), a senior-to-be on the Westminster swim team, helped save the life of a woman that collapsed on Tuesday and she was subsequently in a coma for two days before she recovered. However, the efforts of Gannon and two other workers at the pool helped sustain the woman's life until paramedics arrived.

Gannon used an AED defibrillator to shock her heart to keep her alive. Gannon and the two other workers were honored Friday night at the pool in a special ceremony.

International Headquarters welcomes new staff addition

2010-08-16T16:02:00.000-05:00

Theta Chi Fraternity is pleased to welcome Joel Wendland (Zeta Beta/Adrian 1996) to the International Headquarters staff. Joel will be serving as Director of Member Services and will be responsible for managing the new member registration, awards, and all other membership-related processes.

Brother Wendland brings a world of experience with him to the International Headquarters. Most recently, he was the Foundation Relations Manager for the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis, where he managed grant programming by securing private and public funding for education programs and general operations. Previously, Brother Wendland worked at the Indiana University School of Medicine as a development specialist, managing the foundation database to build donor portfolios for the IU Simon Cancer Center. He had also previously worked in Venice, CA as a project director for L.A. Theatre Works, where he managed promotional marketing and fundraising projects and launched the organization’s first national touring program.

As an undergraduate, Brother Wendland served the Zeta Beta chapter as President, Vice President, Secretary and House Manager. He is a volunteer on Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity’s National Awards Committee and is also involved with the Indiana Youth Group as a grant writer.

“We are very excited to welcome Joel to the International Headquarters Staff,” Executive Director Michael Mayer said. “His experience in the nonprofit sector will serve Theta Chi very well.”

Brother Wendland began work at the International Headquarters on Monday, Aug. 16. He can be reached by e-mail at jwendland@thetachi.org or by calling the International Headquarters at 317-824-1881. Congratulations, brother!

"Caddyshack" Actor Dan Resin Dies at 79

2010-08-03T15:37:00.002-05:00

Brother Dan Resin (Alpha Iota/Indiana 1953), best known for his role in the 1980 film "Caddyshack," has died. He was 79.

Born in South Bend, IN, Brother Resin had a long and distinguished acting career that spanned back to 1950s Broadway, where he had roles in productions including "My Fair Lady" and "Once Upon a Mattress." He later held roles in other TV shows and films such as "Wise Guys," "The Sunshine Boys," and "The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover."

Some of Brother Resin's more famous acting credits include his roles as the Ty-D-Bol Man in the 1970s toilet cleaner commercials and Dr. Beeper in the iconic 1980s classic "Caddyshack" alongside Chevy Chase and Bill Murray.

Resin died on July 31, 2010 in Oakland, N.J. after suffering complications from Parkinson's Disease. For funeral information, click here.

2010 Craig Blass Memorial Golf Tournament

2010-07-27T08:39:00.008-05:00

You’re invited to play in the 2010 Craig Blass Memorial Golf Tournament at South Riding Golfer’s Club on Sept. 18, 2010.

The Craig Blass Memorial Scholarship was founded in November 2001 to remember Brother Craig Blass (Eta Kappa/James Madison 1996), one of the many people who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11th. Through this annual tournament and other activities, the Blass Memorial has raised over $175,000 to date. The event itinerary includes a long list of contests, performances and raffles.

Event Details:

DATE: Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010

TIME: Check-in starts at 11 a.m.

LOCATION: South Riding Golf Club, South Riding, VA

Golf Ticket: $125 per player, includes: Green fees, golf cart, range balls, lunch, goody bag, hole-in-one contest and awards dinner/drinks. Cheater packages available for purchase during registration.

Event Day Schedule:

11 a.m. – Check-In | $1M shot and putting contest entry | Warm-up

11:15 a.m. – Collegiate Sealer’s Putting Contest begins for $10,000

Noon – Box lunches delivered

12:45 p.m. – Putting contest preliminary round ends and Instructions at golf carts

1 p.m. – Shotgun Start

Immediately Following Golf:

AutoScandia’s 1 Million Dollar Shot on 9th hole

Collegiate Sealer’s putting contest finale

Awards reception (food, drinks, awards, prizes and recognition)

The Blass Memorial would also like to recognize the following sponsors for supporting this event:

2010 Sponsors - http://blassmemorial.org/2010Sponsors.aspx

United AirTemp

Acumen Poker

AutoScandia

Collegiate Sealers

Mark Pollak of Ameriprise Financial

Important Links:

Event website - http://blassmemorial.org/golf.aspx

Registration page - http://blassmemorial.org/register.aspx

Blass Fact Sheet - http://blassmemorial.org/Documents/Blass%20Fact%20Sheet%202010.pdf

Blass Memorial Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/craigblass

To register, or for more information, please visit http://blassmemorial.org/golf.aspx.

2010 Order of Omega and Gamma Sigma Alpha initiates announced

2010-07-22T09:43:00.012-05:00

Theta Chi is proud of the 62 brothers representing 35 chapters who were recently initiated into the Order of Omega and Gamma Sigma Alpha, two prestigious Greek-letter honorary societies.

Since its founding at the University of Miami (FL) in 1959, the Order of Omega has grown to more than 500 chapters throughout the United States and Canada, inducted more than 200,000 members and awarded over $800,000 in scholarships to deserving undergraduate and graduate students. For more information about the Order of Omega, visit their website at www.orderofomega.org.

Gamma Sigma Alpha was founded in 1989 at the University of Southern California and currently has 212 chapters in North America. For more information about Gamma Sigma Alpha, visit their website at www.gammasigmaalpha.org.

For a complete list of Theta Chi inductees, please visit www.thetachi.org.

Congratulations, brothers!

Congratulations to the 2009/10 Alter Award recipients!

2010-07-13T16:44:00.010-05:00

Theta Chi Fraternity congratulated four outstanding chapters for their superb achievements and accomplishments this past academic year by presenting them with the Howard R. Alter, Jr. Award for Chapter Excellence at this year’s 154th Anniversary Convention in Orlando, Florida. The 2009/10 recipients are:

Phi/North Dakota State

Zeta Beta/Adrian

Iota Beta/Missouri State

Iota Theta/Central Florida

Howard R. Alter, Jr. has been honored with every award in Theta Chi Fraternity. He was the first of two men in the history of Theta Chi Fraternity to serve as Executive Director, National President, and President of the National Board of Trustees (now The Norwich Housing Corporation). He served as Executive Director from 1968-1984, during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of American college fraternities. Brother Alter formally served Theta Chi for 54 years before his death in 2009, earning many accolades along the way. His lifelong and selfless work on behalf of Theta Chi Fraternity and the interfraternity world serves now, and will continue to serve, as an example for all to follow.

The Howard R. Alter, Jr. Award for Chapter Excellence was created in 1984 upon the occasion of Howard’s retirement as Executive Director by a group of former Field Representatives who served under Howard. The Alter Award was first presented in 1986 to chapters that met or exceeded the standard of excellence.

The Alter Award is the highest honor that the Fraternity can bestow upon a chapter. Consideration for the Alter Award is by application only. A committee of current and former Field Staff members reviews each application and selects winners. The Alter Award is presented annually and may only be given to active chapters.

Congratulations on a job well done, brothers!

Theta Chi welcomes new additions to Grand Chapter

2010-07-13T16:40:00.009-05:00

During the 154th Anniversary Convention in Orlando, Florida, undergraduate and alumnus delegates of Theta Chi Fraternity met to elect the 2010-12 Grand Chapter. The 2010-12 Grand Chapter officers are:

National President Douglas M. Allen (Delta Beta/Georgia 1990)

National Vice President Joseph R. D’Amore, Jr. (Eta Pi/East Stroudsburg 1977)

National Secretary Richard I.L. Partridge (Theta/Massachusetts 1991)

National Treasurer Terry A. Johnson (Gamma Pi/Buffalo 1971)

National Marshal James D. Hardwick (Phi/North Dakota State 1987)

National Counselor Thomas G. Tinnin (Epsilon Phi/Central Missouri 1984)

National Chaplain Joseph S. Couch (Chi/Auburn 1996)

National Historian William W. Palmer (Beta Alpha/UCLA 1985)

Brothers Allen and D’Amore were both re-elected for second terms. Brother Allen was also re-elected as National President. Brother D’Amore previously served as National Secretary from 2008-2010 before being elected current National Vice President. Brothers Couch and Palmer are newly elected to the Board.

Theta Chi Fraternity also recognized and thanked brothers Brian K. Hall (Theta Eta/Sam Houston State 1988) and Ronald J. Ramos (Gamma Theta/San Diego State 1968), who recently completed their terms of office, for their service on the Grand Chapter.

The Grand Chapter is the administrative, executive and judicial head of the Fraternity, and is charged with interpreting and enforcing The Constitution and Bylaws of Theta Chi Fraternity, developing the Fraternity’s strategic plan and working with the International Headquarters staff.

Congratulations, brothers!

Dr. Wesley Wicker appointed to the Norwich Housing Corporation

2010-06-11T17:20:00.007-05:00

The Norwich Housing Corporation is happy to announce that Brother Wesley Wicker will join the Board of Directors for Norwich starting Sept. 1, 2010. He will serve in the role of Counselor.

Brother Wicker will be replacing Brother Douglas Schemenauer, who has served voluntarily for 10 years on the Norwich Housing Corporation.

Brother Wicker earned a doctorate in higher education administration from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia in 1990, a master’s degree in history from Georgia Southwestern State University in 1985, and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Alabama in 1981.

At the University of Alabama, Brother Wicker joined the Alpha Phi chapter in January 1976 and was later elected Chapter President. After graduation, he joined the Executive Office of Theta Chi Fraternity and worked as a Field Representative, now Leadership and Education Consultant, from 1979–1981.

While working on his doctorate at the University of Georgia from 1998–2000, Brother Wicker served as the chapter adviser for the Delta Beta chapter, and was also a Regional Counselor. He again served the Delta Beta chapter from 1998–2000 as House Corporation president.

From 1990–1995, Brother Wicker was the Director of Development for Theta Chi Fraternity’s Funds for Leadership and Education, Inc. followed by two years with the United Way of Central Indiana from 1995–1997. Wicker spent the next five years as the Vice President of Major Gifts for United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta (1997–2002). During this time period, Brother Wicker served on the Foundation Chapter from 1992–1995 and as President of the Foundation from 1996–2002.

Since September 2002, Brother Wicker has served as Vice President of Advancement for Kennesaw State University and was selected in January 2005 as the Executive Director of the KSU Foundation.

The Norwich Housing Corporation is headed by five Theta Chi alumnus volunteers who provide mortgage loans to assist Theta Chi house corporations with renovating old or building new fraternity houses. The Corporation’s headquarters is in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Theta Chi announces 2010 Theta Chi For Life Award recipients

2010-06-11T17:12:00.010-05:00

For their outstanding national and local service, their personal efforts taken for the betterment of Theta Chi, and their continual unselfish interest, Theta Chi Fraternity is happy to announce the 2010 recipients of the Earl D. Rhodes Theta Chi for Life Award:

Carlton F. Bennett
Zeta Pi/Old Dominion University 1972

Allen F. Carter
Eta Omicron/Northwestern State University 1976

Michael Davidson
Tau/University of Florida 1969

Patrick T. O’Connor
Chi/Auburn University 1978

Ronald J. Ramos
Gamma Theta/San Diego State University 1968

Douglas Schemenauer
Epsilon Phi/University of Central Missouri 1989

The Theta Chi for Life Award was established and authorized by the Grand Chapter in 1975 and was first presented at the Fraternity’s 120th Anniversary Convention. This prestigious award is considered the second-highest honor for service to Theta Chi Fraternity.

Nominations for the Theta Chi for Life Award are evaluated by the National Advisory Committee, which is composed of all past National Presidents of Theta Chi Fraternity.

Recipients of the Theta Chi for Life Award will be recognized during a special awards presentation on July 2 at the 154th Anniversary Convention Alumni Awards Luncheon at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

The Theta Chi for Life Award is named in honor of Past National President Earl "Dusty" Rhodes, Delta/RPI 1921, (photo above) who was known as "Mr. Theta Chi." Rhodes was the first recipient of this award in 1976.

Congratulations, brothers!

Brother Honored by School District

2010-06-04T15:42:00.006-05:00

Originally submitted by Richard Rogers

Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. Area Director

On Tuesday, April 13 at the Brevard County [Florida] Schools Area IV Awards of Excellence Ceremony, Brother Michael King (Zeta Theta/Troy State 1977) was honored with an Award of Excellence for going above and beyond in his support to Riverview Elementary School and their students.

Mike King is the Hi-Five Early Intervention & Prevention Coordinator at Riverview Elementary School. The Hi-Five Program is a program of Eckerd Youth Alternatives, a private, non-profit organization serving youth and families since 1968. Eckerd has served over 100,000 youth and provide a full continuum of behavioral health and child welfare services. You can find more information about Eckerd and the programs it provides by clicking here.

His program responsibilities are to facilitate classroom presentations, Super Kid Clubs (Small Group Interventions), and Family Trainings. However, Mike has gone above and beyond his job requirements with several special projects in which he gathered support of his Super Kids, school staff, and community volunteers.

Mike and his Super Kids collected pop tops for the Ronald McDonald house, started a food drive for needy families, collected donations to put together care packages for troops in Afghanistan, and collected food and basic needs supplies for the people of Haiti. Mike also started an after-school Gardening Club at Riverview Elementary.

He applied for many small grants and got donations from local businesses to get the materials and supplies to start a large garden at Riverview Elementary. Students, teachers and community volunteers have all chipped in to volunteer after-school and on weekends to build the garden, complete with a sprinkler system which they put together themselves. Plant seeds and fertilizer were donated through local businesses. The gardening club also redid the landscaping in the front of the school. They received donations for mulch and plants and spent a weekend beautifying the front of the school.

The Super Kids are really enjoying the gardening club. They are spending their after-school and weekend time volunteering and helping their school. Mike is utilizing this extra time with the kids to teach them responsibility and citizenship. The youth are taking pride in their garden and their school and Mike and school administration have notice improvement in students’ behavior since participating in the club.

Congratulations, brother!

We Shall Remember--Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-29T10:45:00.002-05:00

The following poem was published shortly after World War II. At least 342 of our Brothers made the ultimate sacrifice and became "Golden Stars" during that war. Theta Chi's have served and given the last full measure of their devotion in all of our Nation's conflicts since the Civil War, including the current Global War on Terrorism. Today, let us remember not only those Brothers, but all who have laid down their lives for their fellow man.

We Shall Remember

Golden Stars are blazing

High in the peaceful sky—

By them we’ll remember

The men who went to die,

The brave we knew as brothers

Of dear old Theta Chi

Their deeds shall be remembered,

Their virtues shall not fade.

They left quite ivied halls

And went forth unafraid

To earn eternal oaken wreaths

And Time’s bright accolade.

So on some quite evening,

Look upward to the sky

And see the gold stars shining

For those who went to die—

For Right, and Truth, and Freedom,

Brothers of Theta Chi.

--Roger Pecke Cleveland, Beta Mu/Middlebury

(Brother Cleveland published several books of poetry after WWII)

Special Williston Print Available to Theta Chi Members

2010-05-17T19:47:00.003-05:00

Norwich University has made a limited number of prints of Brother Edward Bancroft Williston available to Theta Chi members. (Shown at left.) Brother Williston, the first initiate after the Founders, received the Congressional Medal of Honor for “distinguished gallantry” during the Civil War.

Norwich University commissioned noted military artist Dale Gallon produce the print. The university is offering Theta Chi’s a number of the limited “Norwich University” prints that include the N.U. logo.

A very limited number of prints are available at the special price of $120 (includes shipping.) Brother Dan Fleetham Jr., a Norwich grad and member of the Theta Chi Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity has worked out the arrangements with N.U. If you would like a copy of the print, please contact Brother Fleetham directly at dfleethamjr@netzero.com.

Proceeds from the sale of the pint support the Sullivan Museum and History Center at Norwich University. You can also view the print at the artist's website here.

Newberry College: Greeks, Theta Chi are Generous

2010-05-07T09:57:00.005-05:00

Newberry College recently celebrated Greek Week with a Penny War fund raiser to benefit the American Red Cross. During the week-long activity, the Greeks set a new campus record and raised $1,420.97.

Three fraternities, Tau Kappa Epsilon or TKE, Kappa Alpha Order and Theta Chi and three sororities, Alpha Xi Delta, Kappa Delta, and Sigma Sigma Sigma participated in the Penny War. Sororities competed against sororities and fraternities battled against fraternities outside of the cafeteria at lunchtime. Each group decorated their own jar with their Greek letters and colors.

The group that collected the most pennies was Sigma Sigma Sigma. Theta Chi raised the most pennies of the three participating fraternities.

The presidents are John “Remy” Brennan of TKE; Kyle Edens of Kappa Alpha Order; Nate Nickel of Theta Chi; Courtney Crigger of Alpha Xi Delta; Kayla Knight of Kappa Delta and Cera Windham of Sigma.

Director of Student Activities, Melissa Rorer, is especially proud of the effort and enterprise of the students. “I’m very proud of the Greeks. They stepped up to make this one of the best Greek Weeks ever and raise money for a wonderful cause.”

New NIC Website Focuses on Fraternity Rights

2010-05-06T10:23:00.004-05:00

INDIANAPOLIS (5/6/10) – The North‐American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is joining member fraternities and fellow Greek life advocates in promoting research findings from the University Learning Outcomes Assessment (UniLOA) by launching a new web site at http://nicindy.org/fraternityrights/. The independent research findings support the positive impact fraternity membership has on student growth and performance.

Based upon the UniLOA research, the NIC’s case for open recruitment and for protecting the rights of freedom of association has new meaning and relevance. “Often, arguments both for and against the fraternity experience focus on personal experience and anecdotal information,” said Peter D. Smithhisler, NIC President and CEO. “The UniLOA research, conducted by The Center for Learning Outcomes Assessment, places compelling, objective data into the conversation.”

The UniLOA research focused on the seven areas of behavior regarded as “most critical” by employers, academics, managers, and researchers. Those areas are critical thinking, self‐awareness, communication, diversity, citizenship, membership and leadership, and relationships. The data clearly show that fraternity men scored higher, and experienced higher net gains in growth over their academic lifespan, than the national mean of all students in each of the seven areas measured.

Common themes from the extensive research support the NIC’s opposition to deferred recruitment and address many ongoing points of contention between NIC‐member fraternities and those who discount the importance and positive impact of fraternity life on both students and campus communities.

“NIC Standards are clear about the fraternity community’s strong support for open, year‐round recruitment of members,” Smithhisler said. “The 73 NIC‐member fraternities understand that different communities have different agendas, but to delay or deny a student the opportunity to join a fraternity when he wants to violates his Constitutional rights to freedom of association. Being able to join any group, when we want to join it, is a freedom we enjoy; it’s unfortunate that this sometimes needs to be highlighted, and it’s good to have independent research that supports the broader benefits of fraternal association. It is not a surprise to fraternity alumni, or to current fraternity chapter leaders on more than 800 U.S. campuses, that joining, participating in and leading a fraternity chapter provides genuine growth in members’ critical thinking, selfawareness, communication, diversity‐appreciation, citizenship, followership, leadership, and relationship building skills.”

The new site provides NIC members with an easier way to educate their own members about the importance and benefits of open, year‐round recruitment, as well as a relevant and effective vehicle to accomplish that with today’s college men. The site also allows Greek advisors – both local alumni who work with chapters, as well as inter/national headquarters staff – to promote the open recruitment Standard to staff at colleges and universities with fraternity chapters.

The new site was created to promote the independent UniLOA research results. “As with the NICStandards.com site, the goal is to create a destination that will provide education on the Standards in a language all can understand,” Smithhisler said. “The NIC membership already has agreed that the Standards outline how we, as a fraternal community, will do business moving forward.”

The NIC Standards were created to elevate the fraternity experience through partnership between fraternities and campus communities. Created by the member fraternities of the NIC, the Standards were designed to compel fraternities to be who they say they are.

Founded in 1909, the NIC, through advocacy, collaboration and education, works to ensure that fraternities can operate in an environment conducive to their success.

Brother Evan Wecksell Releases First Comedy Album

2010-05-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

Theta Chi brother and guitar-wielding stand up Evan Wecksell captures an energized set list of comedy melodies on his debut album LOL. From crooning about such topics as Internet addiction and cougars, to pining after his "Inflatable Woman" and aspiring to be a male stripper, even dedicating songs to David Hasselhoff and Alex Rodriguez, LOL combines comedic storytelling and anthemic choruses to hit every absurd comedy bone in your body.

The CD contains ten studio tracks, five live tracks and a remix of "Platonic Male Companion," detailing Wecksell's search for "bromance."

You can pick up the album on i-Tunes or Amazon.

Brother Wecksell has played on hundreds of college campuses around the county and often does shows for Theta Chi chapters. He has appeared on Comedy Central and VH1; "Campus Activities" magazine named him the "Hot Comedian of 2009." Check out his Facebook fan page here.

Theta Chi Fraternity Announces Executive Transition

2010-04-28T08:48:00.005-05:00

April 28, 2010: Theta Chi Fraternity Executive Director Dale Taylor (Alpha Phi / University of Alabama ’69) has announced his plans to retire from the International Headquarters Staff effective August 31, 2010. He will vacate the Executive Director position on April 30 and will remain on staff through the summer to facilitate a smooth executive transition.

Since his appointment as Executive Director in 2007, Brother Taylor has worked tirelessly to improve the operations of the International Headquarters. His commitment to fraternity growth, undergraduate academic performance, and alumni involvement are evidence by increased undergraduate membership, improved scholarship programming, and a larger volunteer base. Brother Taylor’s friendly demeanor and genuine commitment to improving every member’s Theta Chi experience have been a hallmark of his time on staff.

Brother Taylor brought a great deal of Fraternity experience to the International Headquarters Staff. He has previously served on the Grand Chapter, Norwich Housing Corporation, and Theta Chi Funds for Leadership and Education, Inc. He is one of only two men in Theta Chi history to have served as National President in three different decades. In addition to his involvement on the National level, Brother Taylor served as the long-time Chapter Advisor for his own chapter at the University of Alabama. He is the recipient of Theta Chi’s Reginald E.F. Colley Memorial Trophy, the Earl D. Rhodes Theta Chi for Life Award, and The Distinguished Service Award.

Theta Chi Fraternity expresses its sincere gratitude for Brother Dale Taylor’s leadership and wishes him the very best in all of his future endeavors.

The Grand Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity has appointed Michael Mayer (Epsilon Phi / University of Central Missouri ’04) to succeed Brother Taylor as Executive Director effective May 1, 2010. Brother Mayer currently serves as Associate Executive Director at the International Headquarters, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to joining the staff in his current role, he was employed by Pennington & Company as a Capital Campaign Consultant. During the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 academic years, he served the fraternity as a Leadership and Education Consultant, specializing in expansion.

Brother Mayer has been a volunteer on both the local and regional level. He is the 2004 recipient of Theta Chi’s Reginald E.F. Colley Memorial Trophy and a 2005 recipient of the North American Interfraternity Conference’s Award of Distinction.

Founded in 1856, Theta Chi Fraternity is a successful men’s collegiate fraternity with over 160,000 initiated members and is a leader in the fraternal movement. Throughout its 154+ year history, it has developed lasting relationships with the colleges and universities it serves. Leadership development, personal development, and scholarship are fundamental to Theta Chi Fraternity’s success.

Contact:

Theta Chi Fraternity International Headquarters

3330 Founders Road

Indianapolis, IN 46268-1333

Phone: (317) 824-1881

FAX: (317) 824-1908

E-Mail: ihq@thetachi.org

Beta Lambda/Akron and Kappa Kappa Gamma Win Songfest

2010-04-18T20:43:00.005-05:00

The Beta Lambda Chapter at the University of Akron took home the first place trophy for ‘Best Combined Act’ at this year’s Songfest competition on Sunday, April 11. The men of Beta Lambda joined together with the ladies of Kappa Kappa Gamma to create a rich tale about an average young guy who transforms into the ideal man, thereby winning the lady of his dreams.

This year’s Songfest theme was ‘Bringin’ Back the 90s’ and included competition from five of Akron’s sororities and seven of Akron’s fraternities. The Beta Lambda Chapter and Kappa Kappa Gamma performed to the songs ‘We Like to Party’ by the Vengaboys, ‘Pretty Fly (for a white guy)’ by the Offspring, ‘No Scrubs’ by TLC, and ‘Tearin’ Up My Heart’ by NSYNC.

In order to prepare for the act, Brother Jeff Matheny and Abbey Gaugher worked over the month of March to rigorously choreograph and train the dance team for six intense minutes on-stage. This year's win represents the first time since 2000 in which the Beta Lambda chapter has placed in Akron’s annual Songfest, and exemplifies the strong dedication and work which the chapter has been putting into re-invigorating their commitment to Theta Chi.

Thanks to Brother Jon-Michael Durkin for passing along this article.

Tau Brother Wins National College Fishing Championship

2010-04-13T10:17:00.004-05:00

Brother Jake Gipson of Tau Chapter/Florida (on left in photo) along with friend Matt Wercinski won first place at the the first-ever National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship on Monday, April 12th.

For their efforts, Gipson and Wercinski walked away with a $100,000 total prize package – $50,000 for their university, $25,000 for their bass club and a brand new, fully rigged Ranger 177TR bass boat wrapped in their school colors.

The three-day tournament took place in Knoxville, Tenn., on Fort Loudoun Lake and featured the top 25 teams in the country. Gipson and Wercinski's recorded a three-day stringer weighing 29 pounds, 10 ounces.

National Guard FLW College Fishing is the country's largest tournament circuit for college bass clubs, where clubs compete for lucrative awards plus a chance to fish against the luminaries of the sport in the Forrest Wood Cup.

You can read more at the National Guard FLW College Fishing website.

(Photo by Gary Mortenson)

Brother Matos Named "Xi Man" at YSU

2010-03-30T21:32:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to Brother Sergio Matos of the Epsilon Delta Chapter for winning the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority "Xi Man Competition" at Youngstown State University.

According to the YSU Alpha Xi Delta facebook page, "Xi Man is a contest between male students from various student organizations at Youngstown State University. Contestants compete in three different categories and raise money for The Rich Center for Autism. The contestant who has the most points at the end of the competition will be crowned Xi Man 2010. This year, all proceeds from Xi Man will be benefitting The Rich Center for Autism at Youngstown State University.

If you look closely you can find Brother Matos amongst all those AZD's. Hat tip to alumnus advisor Bill Mays for this post.

Psi colony raises $15,500 for charity

2010-03-26T08:55:00.004-05:00

On Feb. 20, 2010, Psi chapter alumni and undergraduate colony members held its philanthropy “Ski For Cancer” for the first time in over a decade at Tyrol Basin Ski and Snowboard Area in Mt. Horeb, Wisc. Through substantial alumni donations, concessions revenue, ticket sales, local sponsorships and a silent auction, Psi donated $15,500 to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund.

MACC will send the proceeds to the UW Carbone Cancer Center, on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The UW Carbone Cancer Center is the state of Wisconsin’s only comprehensive cancer center, and is on the leading edge of cancer research.

Psi chapter first ran Ski For Cancer in 1969. In its inaugural year, the brothers donated approximately $600. Over the next 15 years, Ski For Cancer raised more than $250,000, establishing itself as one of the premier philanthropic events on campus and in the Fraternity. Alumnus and undergraduate members of Psi are proud to continue the time-honored tradition of extending the helping hand, and are already looking forward to next year.

The next day, Psi officially recolonized with the help of alumni Jon Graan (’69), Dave Bunzel (’77), and Tom Farin (’69), among many others. Expansion at Wisconsin began in spring 2009 after Expansion Coordinators Phillip Burns and Corey Fischer traveled to Madison to restart the group. The Psi colony currently has more than 27 members.

Shown in photo, left to right:

Dr. Paul Sondel, MD. PhD Harvard Medical School, world renowned doctor in pediatric hematology and oncology
Brock Hensen, President of the Psi Chapter Colony
Parker Gabriel, Ski For Cancer Chairman, Psi Chapter Colony
John Cary, Executive Director of the MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) Fund

Phi Chapter's Flood Control Efforts Recognized by City of Fargo

2010-03-24T10:24:00.006-05:00

As you may be aware, the city of Fargo, ND was threatened again this year by rising flood waters.

After 17 days of sandbag filling operations, Theta Chi's Phi Chapter was one of the top five non-profit groups recognized by the City of Fargo in the "Denny's Bag of Bucks program." The program gives non-profits $75 for every 100 hours of sandbagging service.the

31 participating local organizations received a total of $7,700 in donations for 16,447 hours of volunteering. Organizations earned $75 for every 100 hours spent filling sandbags.

Corey Loveless, president of Theta Chi and a junior math education major from Grand Forks, N.D., said the money will be donated to the YWCA of Fargo.

"It's really cool to be a part of it. Fargo is our community, too, and we love to give back our fair share," said Loveless.

Brother Neumann Wins NIC Award of Distinction

2010-03-18T21:24:00.005-05:00

For an amazing third year in a row, Theta Chi Fraternity's Reginald E. F. Colley Award recipient has also been named a recipient of the North American Interfraternity Conference's Undergraduate "Award of Distinction."

This year's winner is Brother Daniel C. Neumann, Beta Nu/Case Western University. Brother Neumann received the Reginald E. F. Colley Award at the Chapter Leadership Conference held at Villanova University last July.

The NIC's Award of Distinction seeks to recognize the fraternity man who has found in his experience an outlet for developing as both a leader and a better man. The award will be presented at the annual NIC meeting in Washington, DC on April 18th.

Brother Neumann has a Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, both from Case Western.

Brother Kevin Reilly, Tau/University of Florida was a 2009 recipient of the NIC Award of Distinction.

Brother Erik Lange, Zeta Kappa/Ohio Northern was a 2008 recipient of the NIC Award of Distinction.

Brother Mike Villine Recipient of Prestigious JFK Award

2010-03-17T11:36:00.004-05:00

Brother Mike Villines, Beta Upsilon/Fresno State '90 has been named as one of four recipients of the "John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award" for 2010.

Brother Villines is California State Assembly Member. He was elected to the 29th Assembly District in 2004, a Central Valley seat that encompasses Fresno and Madera counties and has served as the Republican leader in the Assembly. He is currently a candidate for California Insurance Commissioner.

This year's "John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award" was given to four members of California’s legislative leadership who in 2009 led a bi-partisan effort in a bid to close the state’s devastating budget deficit.

“Faced with the most difficult choices and a budget crisis of unprecedented magnitude, these legislative leaders had the courage to negotiate a compromise that they felt was in the public’s best interest,” said Caroline Kennedy, President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. “They did so knowing they would suffer the wrath of their constituents, powerful interest groups, and their own party members. The members of the Profile in Courage Award Committee chose to herald this story of political courage and bi-partisan compromise with the hope that it will inspire other elected officials facing similar challenges to stand up with courage, to cross party lines, and to do whatever is necessary to better serve the public interest.”

The prestigious award for political courage, announced on March 16th by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, will be presented by Caroline Kennedy at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on Monday, May 24.

Hat tip to Brother David Baxter for the tip on this post!

Fire At Zeta Phi-Major Damage But No Injuries

2010-03-14T09:53:00.003-05:00

The Zeta Phi Chapter at Cal Poly suffered a major fire around noon on Saturday, March 13th. Fortunately no one was injured.

The fire appears to have been accidental, possibly starting due to combustion of a paintbrush that had been cleaned and wrapped in a towel.

6 of the chapters 62 members lived in the house.

You can read more at the Cal Poly Mustang.

Beta Lambda Chapter Most Improved at Akron

2010-03-11T12:17:00.004-06:00

The Beta Lambda Chapter at The University of Akron was honored on March 7, 2010 as the Most Improved Chapter on campus at the Greek Leadership Awards. The recipient of this award is the chapter that has shown the most significant improvement in the areas of chapter operations, Greek leadership, interfraternal participation, social and philanthropic planning over the Spring and Fall 2009 semesters.

Each member chapter of the Interfraternity Council may cast one vote for a chapter other than their own. The chapter receiving the most votes from their peers receives the honor of Most Improved Chapter.

In addition, the Beta Lambda Chapter was proud to have one of its alumnus members, Anthony J. Capozzi/'82, honored with The University of Akron's Distinguished Alumni Service Award. This award is presented to an alumni/ae who demonstrates a significant and consistent contribution to his/her chapter's positive improvement, the welfare of The University of Akron's Greek Community, and the support of his/her community through philanthropic/service efforts.

Brother Capozzi exemplifies these qualities through his work as the current Vice President of the Beta Lambda Alumni Association, a volunteer member of the University of Akron Greek Alumni Board and various volunteer positions in his community, including Board of Catholic Commission of the Cleveland Diocese, Board of Tri-County Independent Living and the North Hill Cluster Social Justice Committee.

Thanks to Regional Counselor Chris Conley for submitting the article and photo!

The Holland Report in Blog Format

2010-01-29T22:00:00.002-06:00

Since 2005, the Holland Report has been your source for Recruitment News and Notes from the Theta Chi International Headquarters. During this time, the newsletter has seen many changes, going from being released once or twice a semester to being released once a week during the peak recruitment season. Now is the time for one more change.

The Holland Report has moved to a blog format. There are a few reasons for this change:

1) The Holland Report becomes more accessible. In the past, we had to have your email address to send you the Holland Report.With our new blog format, the Holland Report is available for all members of Theta Chi to see at their convenience. Also, you can send Prospective New Members to our blog so that they can see just how well Theta Chi is doing.

2) You can view old Holland Report articles. People are always asking for articles that have to do with recruitment. Now you have an online resource to be able to use! There are some great articles in the blog that has to do with accountability, the importance of recruitment, and why men join Theta Chi. Make sure to look through the different categories.

3) More up to date changes. Your chapter just bidded 25 men but the Holland Report doesn't come out for another 5 days; how will Theta Chi Nation know how great your chapter is?! Now with the Holland Report blog, we will be updating the content throughout the week, which means that we will have more up to date figures for all of our chapters during the semester. This also lets us upload more recruitment videos, rush t-shirt designs, and great links that you, a Brother of Theta Chi, should be aware of. You are also able to sign up for an email alert so that you know when new articles are posted.

Now that you're caught up on the Holland Report Blog, go check it out. It's located at: http://thehollandreport.wordpress.com/

Also, when reading an article, leave a comment! Let us know if you like it, hate it, think we need to expand upon it, or should follow up with another article like it soon. The Holland Report Blog is for you; help us make it better.

You are what makes this Fraternity great gentlemen. Keep it up!

Fraternally,

Phillip Burns
Senior Expansion Coordinator

Deranian Presidents Conference - Theta Chi Marketplace

2010-01-04T15:26:00.003-06:00

This years Deranian Presidents Conference will feature the Theta Chi Marketplace where participants will be able to browse around with several different companies and organizations. The following companies and organizations will be in attendance:

Campus Classics - Campus Classics has always been in attendance at this conference. They will be selling Theta Chi memorabilia and merchandise.

Easy Dues & Omega Financial - These companies offer both similar and different services to chapters in the area of dues collection.

Herff Jones - Herff Jones offers a unique variety of jewelery products such as class rings, bracelets and charms for significant others, as well as graduation related items and other accessory items.

John Hanes - John Hanes, one of the keynote speakers for the event will be selling his book, Change Focused Leadership.

Theta Chi IHQ - IHQ will be selling Theta Chi history books and coffee mugs pricing at $15 and $10 respectively.

HazingPrevention.Org - Brother Chad Ellsworth was just elected President of HazingPrevention.Org. Brother Ellsworth sent some promotional materials that will be given away at the marketplace.

The Theta Chi Marketplace will be open on Friday January 8, 2010 from 5 - 7 PM and Saturday January 9, 2010 from 12:15 - 1:20 PM. The marketplace will be located on the second floor of the lobby right up the stairs outside of all the breakout rooms.

Deranian Presidents Conference - Keynote Speakers

2010-01-04T15:12:00.006-06:00

For the first time ever Theta Chi Fraternity's Deranian Presidents Conference will feature keynote speakers! There will be three keynote speakers at this years conference, Richard Smith, John Hanes, and Mel George. Below are each of their respective biographies. Theta Chi is very excited for each of these men to speak to our brothers. We hope this gives you a glimpse of what to expect from these outstanding men.

Richard W. Smith - Friday January 8, 2010 7:25 PM

Richard W. Smith is a depth-educator and organizational development specialist. Richard graduated from the University of Notre Dame and has a graduate degree in Family Therapy from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. For the past 40 years he has been helping individuals, teams, and organizations develop more fully. He has facilitated more than 1000 searching conversations, seminars, workshops and learning sessions and has spent more than 45,000 hours working with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. His work includes, but is not limited to: Searching Conversations, Leadership Development & Renewal (Executives, Managers, and Supervisors), Manager/ Executive Coaching, Building High Performing Teams, Board Development, Renewals for Professionals (Educators, Nurses, Clergy, Physicians) & Organization Development/Re-Structuring. In 1975, Richard was introduced to Robert K. Greenleaf’s concepts of the Servant as Leader and he has been studying, applying and living these concepts ever since. During the past 33 years he has helped a number of organizations adopt the servant-as-leader concepts.

The following is a short list of organizations that Richard has worked with regarding servant-leadership (see a more complete list of higher education institutions below):

The Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, Indianapolis, Indiana
Starbucks Coffee Company, Seattle, Washington
The Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, North Carolina.
United States Air Force, Senior Officer Leadership Development, Wright-Patterson AFB.
KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), Hilversum, The Netherlands
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, Michigan.
Eli Lilly and Company, London, England & Indianapolis, Indiana.
Bank One, Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Leadership Institute, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Baylor Medical School, Houston, Texas.
The American Association for Higher Education, Washington, D.C.
The Foundation for Integrative Leadership, Annapolis, Maryland.
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
Center for Leadership & Executive Development, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.

Program/Course Development * Developed and delivered a series of lectures in servant-leadership for Oxford University, Oxford, England

Some of the Higher Education Institutions that have utilized Richard’s skills to help them explore the concepts of Servant-Leadership include, but are not limited to MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana Virginia Polytechnical University, Blacksburg, Virginia University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois

John W. Hanes - Saturday January 9, 2010 9:00 AM
Beta Omicron/University of Cincinnati ‘76

John W. Hanes, Ed.D has always had a missionary zeal to help leaders and organizations improve their effectiveness. He is one of the nation’s most dynamic facilitators, known for his fast paced, hard hitting delivery. John is a sought after consultant to executive groups and is noted for his "real world" application of concepts. Since 1986 he has been president of Effectiveness Dimensions International, a southern California based leadership development and consulting firm.

John has personally trained over 24,000 managers from over 800 organizations in his nationally acclaimed 3 day seminar, Team Top Gun. He has conducted over 1,500 executive candidate assessments and is the author of 11 psychological instruments and 7 training simulations.

Prior to starting Effectiveness Dimensions, John held leadership positions at Caterpillar and Key Bank and was a Visiting Senior Scientist with the world renowned Battelle Memorial Institute and The Center for Creative Leadership.

John lives and works in both Lake Arrowhead and Irvine, California. He holds a doctorate in leadership from The University of San Diego along with bachelors and masters degrees in management. His diverse client list includes Fortune 100 corporations, federal, state and local governments, prestigious "think tanks", internet companies, sports teams and the military.
John is passionate about most major sports and enjoys an active year round sport oriented lifestyle.

John was the chapter president for two consecutive years at Beta Omicron Chapter. After graduation, he served as a Field Representative for the International Fraternity from 1976 -1977.

Melvin D. George
Delta Iota/Northwestern University

Melvin D. George is President Emeritus of the University of Missouri, President Emeritus of St. Olaf College, and Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, University of Missouri-Columbia. He was an undergraduate at Northwestern University, where he became a member of Theta Chi (Delta Iota Chapter) in 1953 and received a BA in Mathematics in 1956. After receiving a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Princeton University in 1959, George joined the faculty of the University of Missouri in 1960. He became Associate Dean of the Graduate School in 1967, then moved to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1970 as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He returned to the University of Missouri as systemwide Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1975, serving as Interim President in 1984 before moving to St. Olaf College in Minnesota as President in 1985. Following his retirement from St. Olaf, George returned to Missouri in 1996 and then served a second time as Interim President of the University of Missouri system, retiring again in 1997. Over the years, he has been active in efforts to improve mathematics and science education, serving on many committees and panels for the national Science Foundation and for the National Research Council. He was the author of a major 1996 report on science education for the National Science Foundation, entitled “Shaping the Future.” Since retiring, he has several times taught courses in the Honors College of the University of Missouri-Columbia, and he currently participates in an NSF-funded project based at the University of Wisconsin relating undergraduate science education and sustainability issues. He is married, with 2 daughters and one granddaughter. He loves the outdoors, has been down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in wooden dories 3 times, and he recently completed a quest to see all 17 species of penguins in the wild. The installation of the Iota Mu Chapter of Theta Chi at Missouri was a 2009 highlight for him.

Brother Award 3rd Highest Military Honor

2009-12-21T21:07:00.004-06:00

Staff Sergeant Linsey W. Clarke, Eta Kappa/James Madison University ’05 is a is a combat medic with the 3^rd Special Forces Group. On December 16^th he was recognized with the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest military decoration, for valorous actions in combat during an awards ceremony at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

“Honestly, I don’t feel like I deserve this “I mean if I should get it, so should all of my teammates because I couldn’t have done anything without them,” said Clarke.

During a joint reconnaissance patrol, an improvised explosive device destroyed the rear ground mobility vehicle in Clarke’s convoy. Three of the vehicle’s crewmembers were killed, and the entire patrol began to receive heavy and small-arms fire. It was at this time that Clarke said his training as a Special Forces medic kicked in. He began assessing wounded Soldiers’ conditions and evacuating them to safe areas as far from the kill zone as possible. Clarke helped to provide security until support arrived, which he estimated to be about 20 minutes. During this time, he and his fellow Soldiers were receiving heavy fire.

“As I was dragging people away, I could hear the rounds cracking and snapping all around me,” he said. “I don’t know how close they came to me, but I knew they were pretty close.”

Clarke said he never thought twice about doing what he did.

“We are a close team. I know that any one of them would have done the exact same thing for me,” Clarke explained. “I was just at the right place at the right time to help.”

However impressive his award citation reads, Clarke is hesitant to admit that his actions warrant a Silver Star. He said he is not accepting the medal for himself, but for his entire team.

“I wish everyone who was there that day could’ve been up on the stage with me,” he said. “They all deserve it just as much as I do.”

You can read more at the Washington Post's website.

Blue Scholarships Available

2009-12-18T22:54:00.003-06:00

The Foundation Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity has announced that applications for the Sherwood and Janet Roberts Blue Memorial Scholarships for 2010/2011 are now available online at www.ThetaChi.org under the "Blue Scholarship" section.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than February 28th, 2008.

These scholarships are named in memory of Brother Sherwood Blue, Alpha Iota/Indiana University '26 and his wife Janet Roberts Blue, and in recognition of their substantial estate gift, which funds the scholarships. (Photo on left.)

Brother Blue founded the Foundation Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity, Inc. in 1953; serving as President from 1953 to 1993 and Chairman Emeritus until his passing in February of 1999. Brother Blue also served as National President of Theta Chi Fraternity (1952-1954), National Vice President (1950-1952), and National Secretary (1946-1950). He was the recipient of the “Distinguished Service Award” in 1953 and the “Earl D. ‘Dusty’ Rhodes Theta Chi for Life Award” in 1978. Brother Blue had a distinguished legal career, including service as the Marion County (Indianapolis) Prosecutor.

Janet and Sherwood married in 1961 and she also had a distinguished legal career, which included several years as Clerk of the Appellate Court of Indiana followed by several more as Commissioner of the same Court. In 1992, she was named Sagamore of the Wabash by the Governor. She is the recipient of Theta Chi's Appreciation Award and accompanied Sherwood to many Theta Chi events.

Blue Memorial Scholarships are given to graduate and undergraduate students who demonstrate scholastic aptitude and financial need. Recipients are selected by a committee of the Foundation Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity, Inc.

Last year the Foundation Chapter granted over $150,000 in scholarships to members of Theta Chi Fraternity.

For more information, contact Vicki Wilson at Vicki@ThetaChi.org

National VP Plays Santa for Special Needs Kids

2009-12-18T22:43:00.002-06:00

National Vice President Tom ‘Bo’ Tinnin, Epsilon Phi/Central Missouri State ‘84 has been playing Santa Claus for over 22 years.

On December 14th the Tahlequah (Oklahoma) Middle School, National Junior Honor Society" hosted a winter carnival for special needs students that included a visit from the "jolly old elf." "

"Everyone in attendance has a blast and it is truly a high light of both the NJHS leaders, teachers and the kids attending," said Brother Tinnin.

Brothers in "Straight No Chaser" Hit it Big This Christmas

2009-12-04T19:58:00.006-06:00

The a capella sensation "Straight No Chaser" is back this Christmas and even bigger than last year.

Theta Chi brother Ryan Ahlwardt, Delta Kappa/Ball State University wrote and sings the lead on the tune "Who Spiked the Eggnog" from their new album "Christmas Cheers."

Brother Jerome Collins, Alpha Iota/Indiana University is also a member of the group.

You can learn more about "Straight No Chaser" at their new website.

The new CD is available at all Barnes & Noble and most Target stores as well as online in MP3 format at Amazon.com

If you're having or going to any holiday parties this year you need to have this CD!

A Brother Requests a Helping Hand for his Little Girl

2009-11-25T15:46:00.004-06:00

Brother Sam Chamberlin, Gamma Phi/Nebraska Wesley ’94 has reached out to his Theta Chi brothers with a special appeal. He writes,

Now more than ever, I need the Helping Hand of Theta Chi.

Maya is our beautiful, smart, loving and wonderful 4 year old daughter who has become gravely ill with a disease called Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH. Before she got sick, Maya loved to dance, sing, and bake with her grandmothers. She constantly read books, drew and painted pictures and, of course, put up with her little brother.

Now, Maya can’t sing or play. She needs donated bone marrow that very closely matches her own, for a transplant. The best chances of matching are with a sibling, but Maya’s brother is not a match. The next best chance is with a parent. But we are not a match. So, we need your help. Maya needs your help.

We need as many people as possible to quickly join the National Marrow Donor Registry. Every new donor will give Maya and other people in our dire situation another breath of hope.

Think of it: You could hold the key to curing Maya’s disease, or the disease of another sick child or adult, inside you right now. Please join the registry. Please spread the word. We appreciate your help in creating a tsunami of marrow registrations.

That's where Theta Chi comes in. We need to spread the word as much as possible to drive a wave of new registrations into the National Marrow Donor Registration. We have not found a matching donor yet.

TO REGISTER ONLINE:
http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/Join_Now/join_now.html
enter promo code: marrow4maya

Marrow registration is PAINLESS: 4 cheek swabs and you've taken the first step to being someone's hero.

You can follow Maya’s story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/concentrate

More Theta Chi's Serving As IFC Presidents

2009-11-22T22:20:00.009-06:00

The National Eagle congratulates these Theta Chi brothers who have recently been elected as the IFC President at their university.

Andrew Antonio, Beta Eta/Washington College

Allen Goebl, Gamma Upsilon/Bradley University

Jeffery Dralick, Epsilon Zeta/University of Tampa

John Parro, Zeta Delta/St. Cloud State University

Stepheno Zollos, Zeta Pi/Old Dominion University

Joe Macko, Zeta Tau/University of Michigan-Flint

Evan Massengill, Eta Chi/George Mason University

Michael Rosen, Theta Epsilon/Kennesaw State University

Theta Chi Re-Colonizing Eta Alpha Chapter at Clemson University

2009-10-16T14:55:00.006-05:00

The Colonization Ceremony for the Eta Alpha Interest Group will take place on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 9:30 AM in the Student Sentate Chambers on the Clemson University campus. The Eta Alpha Chapter was active at Clemson from 1970 until 2001.

Past National President Jim McEachern will be conducting the ceremony. There will also be representatives from International Headquarters of Theta Chi in attendance along with Eta Alpha alumnus members and members from other chapters.

Following the ceremony, members enjoy tailgating on the Greek Quad. The Clemson Tigers will be taking on the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons--will any brothers from Gamma Omicron be making the trip down to "Death Valley?"

If you would like to attend, please email Dan Lepper, the graduate advisor at Lepper@Clemson.edu .

Theta Chi is IU's BMOC--Again!

2009-10-15T17:03:00.003-05:00

For the second year in a row, a brother from the Alpha Iota chapter at Indiana University is the winner of the Zeta Tau Alpha's "Big Man On Campus" philanthropy event.

Brother Tyler Webb, pictured at left, raised $18,000 in the fight against breast cancer.

The "BMOC" event raises more money that any other event by a single Greek chapter in the United States.

You can read full coverage of the event at the Indiana Daily Student website.

The National Eagle thanks Peter Stevenson of the IDS for the use of his photo above.

Brother Chad Ellsworth Elected President of HazingPrevention.org

2009-10-07T21:52:00.004-05:00

Brother Chad Ellsworth, Alpha Upsilon/University of Nebraska-Lincoln ’01 has been elected President of the Board of Directors of HazingPrevention.org

"I'm humbled to be the president of the board of directors for HazingPrevention.Org, a group that includes representatives from fraternities and sororities, including three current or past fraternity and sorority international presidents, athletics, marching bands, renowned experts and speakers, and of course our very own brother Dave Westol," said Brother Ellsworth.

"In addition to its Web resources, HazingPrevention.org sponsors the Interdisciplinary Institute for Hazing Intervention, a training opportunity for administrators, coaches, educators, law enforcement personnel, and others; as well as the National Hazing Symposium, which brings practitioners and researchers together to develop a national agenda for hazing prevention," added Ellsworth.

Brother Ellsworth own experience in taking a stand against hazing is actually what led him to Theta Chi.

"Theta Chi brothers extended a helping hand to me - even though I was a member of a different fraternity at the time. Brothers Chris Wegener, Joe Kopp, and Trevor Johnson moved me out of another chapter house in the middle of the night after I stood up against hazing in that organization. They demonstrated true brotherhood, and inspired me to become involved in the anti-hazing movement, said Brother Ellsworth."

Professionally, Brother Ellsworth is the Coordinator of the Office for Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Minnesota. In 2007 he was name an "Anti-Hazing Hero" by HazingPrevention.org

Theta Chi Fraternity has long taken a stance against hazing. The Fraternity's policy on hazing states:

Theta Chi is based on the belief that true fraternalism is nurtured in an atmosphere of social and moral responsibility, respect for duly constituted authority, and loyalty to the principles and values of higher education.

Theta Chi is also based on the understanding that while social behavior cannot be legislated, a fraternity without morally sound precepts and practices is not a constructive influence upon college men.

Theta Chi is further based on the belief that a fraternity has a solemn obligation to develop its new members, initiates and alumni, and that this responsibility extends alike to the institutions where the Fraternity is represented. This obligation also extends to parents and others who make possible the education of new members and initiates as well as the communities where chapters are accountable for good citizenship. Finally this obligation is also owed to the college fraternity system of which Theta Chi is a part.

Theta Chi is also based on the firm conviction that one of the most damaging instruments to the fraternity system is the employment of a new member education program which includes hazing, and that this unproductive, ridiculous, and hazardous custom has no place in the fraternity system.

Furthermore, hazing is expressly prohibited by the Constitution & Bylaws of Theta Chi Fraternity, which states:

ARTICLE V, SECTION 11. HAZING PROHIBITED.

The Fraternity prohibits absolutely all physical hazing, paddling, uncalled-for humiliation, and public display in connection with pledging and pre-initiatory activities, and subscribes to the National Interfraternity Conference resolutions and the Fraternity Executives Association’s “Statement of Position on Hazing and Pre-initiatory Activities” which condemn all forms of hazing in connection with pledge/New Member education and pre-initiatory activities. The active chapters shall carry out the Fraternity’s policy and conform strictly to this policy, not only to escape the danger of bringing discredit to the Fraternity and injuring the entire fraternity cause, but also to build higher respect for the chapters and the Fraternity in the minds of pledges/New Members and to instill a finer type of loyalty thereby. The Fraternity prohibits all forms of public initiation, and pre-initiatory and initiation activities shall not be permitted to interfere in any way with the scholastic obligations or class attendance of those involved.

Theta Chi Fraternity is a Gold level sponsor of HazingPrevention.org.

Theta Chi's Growing List of IFC Presidents

2009-09-26T21:57:00.019-05:00

These Theta Chi brothers currently serve as the Inter-Fraternity Council President at their respective colleges and universities.

Axel Brandt, Ohio Northern University

Dean Caruvana, Wagner University

Anthony Clowe, North Dakota State University

A.J. Dance, Newberry College

Ryan Debock, University of Tampa

Ben Esner, Adrian College

Daniel Gonzalez, Old Dominion University

Chris Hollowell, George Mason University

Anthony LoVullo, University of Akron

Joe Macko, University of Michigan - Flint

Brad Martin, Presbyterian College

Taylor Pearson, Birmingham-Southern College

Ryan Post, Nebraska Wesleyan University

Tyler Samples, Auburn University

Steven Sandlin, Oakland University

Andrew Schussler, Missouri State University

Brandon Steinbrook, Ball State University

Ricky Tessaro, Florida Southern College

Erik Wood, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Some of the name listed are taken from a list provided by the North American Interfraternity Conference; if you see any errors or omissions please report them to the National Eagle NationalEagle@gmail.com. Future National Eagle posts will list student government officers so please send in those names and term dates as well!