Theta Chi - University of Florida

TAU CHAPTER OF THETA CHI FRATERNITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TAU TOPICS Spring 2021 D espite the uncertainty that this year imposed, we have moved forward with one goal in mind: improvement. This goal was achieved through two focuses—one being individual improvements and the other being fraternal improvements. Throughout this semester, we have seen tangible evidence that improvement is occurring and will carry on well into the future. Our maxim reminds us that academics are a priority above all. We have kept our academic standard and maintained our high GPA to put Theta Chi at the pinnacle of UF fraternities. Brothers have been excelling in their respective schools. Matthew Gomez '18, Dom Ciricello '18, and Evan Goff '18 have recently placed in competitions on their design-build team at UF's Rinker School. At the Heavener School, Jared Friedman '17 is working as a peer advisor. Involvement on campus is also a priority. Following our trend of previous fall semesters, two brothers were initiated into Florida Blue Key. We're excited to see how Ryan Gleason '16 and Adrian Badenjki '17 can positively represent Theta Chi with Florida Blue Key. Sher Farooqi '19 was promoted to executive director of ThriveIFC, a new mental health organization for fraternities at UF. Jared Weingard '19 was appointed as Gator Growl Associate Producer of Production. In addition to the other positions they hold, Michael Sommer '18 and Noah Towbin '19 were promoted as Dance Marathon captains. Finally, Zachary Roher '19 was elected as a student senator and Robert Schulte '17 was named UF Homecoming king. One of the reasons we remain prominent on campus is our focus on excelling internally. We installed a mental health committee this spring aimed to destigmatize the topic of mental health within the brotherhood. We also are establishing a mentor program, beginning with writing pen pal letters to students at local Gainesville schools. We raised more than $2,000 for the United Service Organizations leading up to our annual SandbOX beach volleyball tournament. We initiated 40 men in our fall 2020 new member class and have seven spring new members. Those are great numbers considering the circumstances of the pandemic. Thank you to all the alumni who have helped Tau Chapter directly or behind the scenes. You are all an integral part of creating and building upon the legacy that I am proud to be a part of. On the topic of creating a legacy, we are grateful and honored that Kyle Soch '14 is part of UF's Hall of Fame Class of 2021—the highest honor one can achieve at UF. Overall, our Chapter has excelled and exceeded our goals in academics, involvement, and recruitment. A quote that has personally helped me and guided our goals at Tau Chapter is, "Direction is more important than speed." Thank you to the alumni and families for helping us maintain this proper direction as we strive for constant improvement. We look forward to the rest Josh Clark '19, Aaron Lazar '19, Jordan Blum '19, and Jared Weingard '19 enjoy their winter break by hiking in the Flatiron Mountains of Colorado. Building Upon Tau's Tradition of Excellence Undergraduate Brothers Thrive as Leaders at UF of our time at UF and following in your footsteps by being dedicated Tau alumni. Fraternally, Max Pachter '18 Chapter President oxtaupresident@gmail.com Brothers stop at the Zeta house while running Zeta Tau Alpha's annual Paint Me Pink 5K. We were glad to do our part in raising money for breast cancer research.

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