Beta Pi Class Initiation; Record Alumni Turnout

 

On Saturday, January 16th, The Alumni Association welcomed our newest undergraduate brothers of the Beta Pi Pledge Class into our Chapter. The Ritual was held in the Founders Suite at the Bone Student Center (the same equipment and room which was used to induce Br. Dr. Al Bowman, President of Illinois State University, in 2004).

Undergraduate Steve Ernest with Alumnus Dan Brennan

BOT Chairman Dan Manno with Newly Sworn Undergraduate Worthy Keeper of Exchequer Andrew Kubick.

Beta Pi Initiate Ed Gallagher (Center) with Alumni Big Brother & Association President Andy D'Amico (left) and BOT Trustee Eric Burwell.

The Beta Pi Class first pledged to the Theta Theta Chapter in the Fall of 2009 Semester. In efforts to assuring all of our members obtain and retain the mandetory minimum GPA required for the Chapter, Previous Worthy Master Rahil Kassam decried that the initiation would be postponed until after grades had been posted for the fall semester, a first for the refounded chapter. As a result, our pledge class had the highest GPA on campus for all IFC Fraternities.

Undergraduate member and Recruitment Chairman Zac Summers thanked all of the alumni for attending the service, noting that it was the largest turnout for alumni at an initiation since our chapter’s refounding in 2001.

Amongst the alumni president were Matt Gerbatsch and Dan Brennan (Beta Zeta Class), Trustee Eric Carr (Re-Founding Father), Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Manno (Re-Founding Father), Alumni Association President Andy D’Amico (Beta Beta Class), National Leadership Consultant Bobby Granger.

Following Initiation, Trustee Eric Burwell hosted a pasta party at the Chapter’s home in celebration of our new initiates and the chapters recent success in achieving a 2.94 GPA for last semester.

This initiation may mark the retirement of the current ritual equipment, donated by the Board of Trustees, the Undergraduate Chapter, and private donations in 2004 for the occasion of the initiation of Dr. Bowman. The equipment is planned to be combined with the original equipment of the Theta Theta Chapter for the 2010 Founders Day Honorary Initiation, producing a set which will have been instrumental in the initiation of every Theta Theta ATO since 1975, when the chapter was founded.

The newly elected Executive Board of the Fraternity was also sworn into their offices, including new Worthy Master John Schuller. Schuller will fulfill a 1 year tenure as the chair and principal officer of the Theta Theta Chapter.