Beta Theta Pi - University of Texas

Page 2 Alumni should be confident in the recolonization of their Chapter and that the men entrusted with the responsibility are capable of giving Beta Omicron a bright future. As the recruitment process for the new pledge class begins this June, Trevor Voss, Gamma Nu '10, and TJ Hutchings, Gamma Phi '10, want to open communication with alumni to express their enthusiasm and to answer any questions. Trevor graduated from UCLA where he served as chapter president. After graduation he began working as a consultant for the General Fraternity because of his passion for Beta. "Beta is the organization that developed me the most. I learned to do as much from brothers as I learned in the classroom," he shared. Since his employment, Trevor has worked on numerous colonizations and currently oversees all of Beta's expansion efforts. "Beta is unique in that for every recolonization we supply one full-time employee for an entire year. The colony development coordinator's (CDC) job is to integrate himself into the college community and build the Beta brand on campus. He will also recruit and train the volunteer advisors who will be a mix of Beta alumni and university faculty. "Next, the General Fraternity will send a group of recruiters. These are younger men, many of them previous chapter presidents, who will begin recruiting the newest members of Beta Omicron. Once we have our refounding fathers, the CDC will teach them how to run a fraternity during the fall semester. Then in the spring, the idea is that the new pledge class can run the Chapter themselves with supervision," Trevor said. TJ was chapter president at the University of Oklahoma with more than 200 members, one of the largest Beta chapters. He most recently helped develop the Eta Eta Chapter at Texas Christian University, one of the largest recolonizations in recent years. "I led a recruitment effort resulting in 92 new members in a one-year period. I facilitated educational materials to the new members and established a self-sustaining organization now consisting of more than 25 members. I worked to build a positive fraternity culture while developing each individual student," TJ said. As the General Fraternity takes a bigger step into chapters, the importance of alumni support is more significant today than ever before. "I have worked with Mac Churchill '72 and Louis Baldwin '71 to reach out to alumni in Houston and Austin areas. We need alumni help to be successful. As new members are recruited we need alumni involved; students need alumni support to feel connected to the Chapter. The General Fraternity has their process down. We need alumni do their part. We can't recruit new alumni," TJ said. Please reach out to Trevor with questions about the recolonization process and to find out how you can get involved by e-mailing him at trevor.voss@beta.org, or by visiting the Chapter website, www.texasbeta.com. The Partnership (Continued from page 1) Beta knows how to do expansion; we invest more money than any other group in the world. This is the real deal. See Beta thrive. Reach Matt Owen frankmowen@gmail.com with questions. BETA OMICRON REFLECTS ON A t the end of the spring 2010 semester, the Beta Omicron Chapter made the decision to close its doors on the University of Texas campus. After several years of dwindling membership, decreasing academic performance, and an unstable financial standing, the active members saw the Chapter's eventual closing as unavoidable. By voluntarily shutting down and paying back any financial obligations, the Chapter was able to retain its charter and remain in good standing with the university. We have the support of UT and The General Fraternity to make a return when the time is right. As we embark on Beta Omicron's return to campus, it is important to reflect on what caused our issues in the past so we are able to avoid them in the future. In correspondence with several alumni and active members of the time, the following timeline was developed to describe Beta Omicron's situation in the years before the Chapter shut down and what may have caused it. It's safe to say that there was no specific event that lead to the chapter's Timeline Early 1990s Fundraising to pay for the renovation is initiated, but is it not well organized and isn't successful. Members feel a lot of pressure from the bank to make payments on the debt. The Chapter is notified of foundation issues on the house. A loan is taken out for the repairs, but there is very little financial support from alumni for the project. 1987 A call goes out to alumni for fundraising help, but not enough support comes through. Mid 1990s Late 1990s The house is sold to pay back the debt to the bank. The remaining $80,000 is used to seek new housing on west campus. 2000 The Phi Kappa Sigma Chapter on the UT campus loses its charter but retains the Chapter House under the Sigma Housing Corporation. The remaining members of this fraternity approach the members of Beta to consider a merge. The two groups come together with an agreement to combine into one fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, and move into the Chapter House owned by the Sigma Housing Corporation. The newly merged fraternity pledges its first all-Beta pledge class with 16 members. Spring 2001 Fall 2001 Rush goes well with 13 men recruited, conflicts with newer Betas and former members of Phi Kappa Sigma. There are multiple incidents vandalism of former Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity items. Creates a division in the Chapter and friendly relationship between the landlord (former Phi Kappa Sigma and owner of the Sigma Housing Corporation) and the active Chapter. Rush goes well, but the Chapter develops an attitude of partying and loses the importance of balancing priorities, including school, leadership, and brotherhood. Fall 2002

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