Beta Theta Pi - University of Kansas

A L P H A N U C H A P T E R O F B E T A T H E T A P I A T T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F K A N S A S • S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 Alpha Nu's Letter A YEAR OF SUCCEEDING IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY Alpha Nu Excels Despite COVID-19 Challenges W hen I recall conversations I've had with people about their experience living through this pandemic, there are several themes that consistently surface. "is is getting old," "Who would have thought it would go on this long?" "I can't wait to get back to normal," and, thankfully, "Some really good things have come from this." I have heard all these said many times at the Beta house this year. As we are approaching the end of the school year and hopefully the end of the pandemic, I want to share some good things that happened at Alpha Nu. Leadership ere are few times in the past where the guys that are elected to lead the house faced the kind of headwinds that the pandemic brought. If I am being honest, I wasn't sure how this year would go with all the rules and restrictions that were in place. No events. No Turkey Pull. No visitors. Limited access to in-person classes. In the fall, we even had to limit the number of guys that could be around the basketball court to 15. It was going to take some great leadership to have a great year. Former Chapter President Nick Kneibert '21, his successor, Garrison Niemann '22, and their executive teams led the way by adapting to an ever- changing set of rules and guidelines related to the pandemic. ey made difficult and sometimes unpopular (but good) decisions. ey proactively engaged in more-than-the- usual number of calls with alumni advisors to strategize and collaborate on the unique challenges and opportunities that came with this unusual year. But, most importantly, they successfully led 100-plus guys through a year for which there is no playbook to rely upon. It is a testament to the respect they have among the men of Alpha Nu. Alongside the recognition of the executive leadership, I would be remiss if I didn't recognize and thank every member of the chapter for the roles they individually played in making this year as good as it has been. Alpha Nu leadership and brotherhood were a joy to watch and be part of during these unprecedented times. Academics Less time for social events means more time to focus on studies, right? Apparently. Alpha Nu has always had high academic standards and an inherent pride in academic excellence. is past year was no exception. In fact, we hit some great milestones and set a new record. e freshman class set an Alpha Nu record for first semester GPA with an average of 3.89. e overall chapter also saw success, earning the top spot among fraternities with a 3.59 GPA (compare that to KU's overall 3.28 GPA for all undergraduates and 3.18 for all undergraduate men). at is amazing given the challenging learning environment this year. Other Notables ere isn't enough space in this newsletter to highlight everything that is worth sharing, but here are a few things I thought were particularly noteworthy. Rock Chalk Revue Once again, the men of Alpha Nu earned (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 2) Mark Denison '77 Highlights His Coronavirus Research in Webinar with Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier W hen it comes to being a Man of Principle during the pandemic, no one has fit the bill quite like Mark Denison '77. As the director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Mark is one of the world's leading coronavirus researchers. Mark joined Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier for a webinar in December to share some of his knowledge from his 36 years of researching coronaviruses and some of the latest breakthroughs in the COVID-19 pandemic. You may have heard of Mark's lab, Denison Lab, late last year in the national news. It was the lab that received a $1 million donation from country music legend Dolly Parton to advance COVID-19 research. e Denison Lab led the development of Remdesivir, which had been the lone treatment of COVID-19 for several months. His team was also the first to demonstrate human antibody response to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. "I'm so passionate and excited about the science, but it's also a very daunting time," Mark said during his introduction.

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