Beta Theta Pi - Oklahoma State University

O ur chapter at Oklahoma State is looking stronger than ever! It is once again a proud time to be a Gamma Lambda Beta as the house continues to make clear its standard of excellence in all areas. The foundation of this success began with selecting young men with the potential to become Men of Principle and carry the torch of excellence passed down by our alumni of Bridge Builders. STELLER RECRUITMENT Ending the spring semester with 162 active members and pledges, and as the largest house on campus, we seek to add 52 men to that number with the new class waiting to be pledged this fall. Head of Recruitment Ryan Hofmann '23 has outdone himself with the character and potential of the young men eagerly anticipating a chance to join the men of Beta Theta Pi, and we look forward to giving such Men of Principle a place to belong. We express a debt of gratitude and thanks to those alumni who have referred such men and assisted in the recruitment process. The brothers they hope to be joining have left a high bar to strive toward, beginning in the classroom. GPA 2ND IN 21 FRATERNITES WITH 162 MEN IN THE AVERAGE Gamma Lambda once again excelled academically this school year. The IFC GPA this fall and spring were 3.23 and 3.29, respectively. Despite being the largest house, our chapter blew this score out of the water with our members and pledges accumulating a 3.57 and 3.51 GPA in the fall and spring semesters. This earned a second overall ranking only to a much smaller FarmHouse by .03 and .07 of a grade point. 1ST PLACE IN ALL THREE GREEK SHOWS When it comes to Greek shows, however, second place did not seem to be in the show directors' vocabulary as we examine their body of work. The fall of 2021 began with a sweeping victory of Freshman Follies while paired with the ladies of Kappa Delta by winning not only first place, but also the remaining awards for Best Choreography, Best Vocals, Cheesiest Cast, and the Kids' Choice Award. The same result followed into the spring of 2022 with the coming of Varsity Revue, also pairing with Kappa Delta. The trophy case was further filled not only with another first place trophy, but also additional awards for Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Theme, Best Opener, and Most Entertaining Performance. But the brooms would not be put to rest for Spring Sing with the ladies of Chi Omega either. The cast took home yet another first place trophy and awards for Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Theme, and Best Opener. Be ready to support the ongoing streak of amazing performances by our cast and directors this fall! INTRAMURAL CHAMPTIONSHIPS Competing in academics, Greek shows, and developing thriving campus activities has always been an integral part of the Beta house experience at OSU. Intramural sports are certainly no exception. Before COVID, the last intramural champion award was given in 2017-18 and went to Beta Theta Pi, as it had been awarded all but a few years for the past two decades. For this reason, when the trophy was retired, it was given to Beta Theta Pi to rest in our trophy case since our name had been virtually the only one repeatedly etched on the trophy. In the COVID environment, the university discontinued tallying points to crown an overall intramural champion, but individual events are celebrated nonetheless (don't worry, we are still keeping track of the overall leaderboards ourselves). But this did not slow the men of Beta from competing for championships this last year. This spring, the men of Beta Theta Pi won the individual intramural championships for men's softball, coed kickball, ultimate Frisbee, and the IFC Greek Olympics, along with many other runner-up finishes. The coordinator of competitive sports at OSU did inform us that he hoped to bring back some variation of point tallying for intramural sports championship awards in 2023. We plan to be ready for the competition. 2 Beta Theta Pi O U T S TA N D I N G A C H I E V E M E N T S Greek Discovery Day for high school juniors and seniors to visit our Greek community and meet members. Ryan Gabriel '23, Dawson Gates '23, Ryan Hofmann '23, Graham Robinson '24, Trent Smith '22, Carder Gutteridge '25, Catch Davidson '24, Logan Michael '24, Nic Forhan '22, and Jonathan Buskirk '23. IFC AWARDS The steady pill of success and excellence across the board has been acknowledged by the IFC of the university, as Beta was given the award for Best Chapter Management and Risk Management. You can rest assured our chapter is in good hands thanks to the fall 2021 and spring 2022 executive teams. Jonathan Buskirk '23 reinvigorated a standard of excellence in achievement that propelled Gamma Lambda as we escaped the dropped morale and paralysis of progress put in place by the COVID- 19 pandemic. That momentum has carried forward with great results. NEW CHAPLAIN OFFICER POSITION Also, a beneficial development sparked in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the addition of a chaplain position to the cabinet of officers. Beginning in the fall of 2021, the chaplain position was to be a resource for mental health needs and foster spiritual growth for those desiring in our band of brothers. The first elected chaplains, Conner Kramer '24 and David Buskirk '23, kicked off this endeavor that would later be expounded upon to new heights by the current chaplain officers, Chase McManis '25 and Cooper Flurry '25. They have jointly produced a large midweek gathering of worship and speaking by young college peers who inspire hope and growth as Jesus is proclaimed as the ultimate comfort to those emerging from the pandemic. This new branch of success for Beta Theta Pi is not as easily measured as trophies or awards but has left a lasting and eternal impact on our chapter. THANK YOU, LOYAL ALUMNI On that note, I would like to take a moment on behalf of Gamma Lambda to express our gratitude to the faithful alumni of our chapter. We thank you for the active role that many of you have played in the recent years to propel us to new heights. In keeping with the historical legacy of achievements by those before us, please rest assured that your chapter brothers are striving to follow in your footsteps by keeping Beta distinguished from all other fraternities. Yours in __kai__, David Buskirk '23 Chapter President david.c.buskirk@gmail.com Betas finished strong in the ultimate frisbee intramural by winning the championship in overtime.

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