Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

www.alpha6294.com Alphabet 4 T he Alpha Chapter of Theta Xi is in one of the strongest positions it has ever been. With 52 active brothers as of Spring 2016 and our house fully occupied next fall, the bonds that unite us as undergraduates are strong and far-reaching. This substantial group of exceptional men, cou- pled with the recent renovations to the chapter house, puts Alpha Chapter on track for contin- ued growth while being held in high regard by the RPI and Troy communities. The actives are strong in many facets, not just numbers. Our term GPA last semester was 3.14, placing us sixth for fraternities and matching the all-men's average. Our cumulative GPA is 3.15. Strong Campus and Community Involvement We continue to participate in philanthropic events on and off campus in order to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. One example is a dunk tank event held in the middle of campus where students try to dunk our broth- ers in exchange for donations. Our chapter also held a bake sale in the Darrin Communication Center (named after David Darrin '40 (A566)) in which all proceeds were donated to this im- portant cause. Many of our brothers are involved in other or- ganizations and clubs on campus. Currently, we have two brothers on the executive boards of Our active members prepare the yard for 6294. Brothers by the gravestone of Nathaniel Henry Starbuck [1867] (A8) during the Oakwood cemetery cleanup on November 7, 2015. Congratulations to our new brothers from the class of Fall 2015! Alphas 1708 through 1721. IFC, one on the IFC judicial board, one on the RPI judicial board, one resident assistant, one student orientation advisor, and seven brothers holding executive board positions in various clubs and honor societies on campus. In addition to those holding leadership positions on campus, 44 of our brothers participate in at least one organization on campus not related to the fraternity. Since physical wellbeing is one of the seven purposes of Theta Xi, our chapter spon- sors multiple intramural sport teams each semes- ter. In the fall, our ice hockey, floor hockey, and billiards teams each won the championship in their respective divisions. High Recruitment Numbers This past year, 14 new brothers were initiated. Due to changes in RPI's recruitment policies, specifically concerning dorm-storming, fraterni- CHAPTER HOUSE AT CAPACITY FOR FALL 2016 ALPHA CHAPTER SUCCEEDS IN ACADEMICS, RECRUITMENT ties housed close to campus—such as Theta Xi— have seen greater pledge class numbers than even some of the larger fraternities on campus such as SAE, Sigma Chi, and Pike. Alpha Chapter and Alumni Events An annual event hosted at the chapter house called Dog Days of Finals is a big hit on campus. This event allows students to enjoy time spent outdoors with therapy dogs in order to relieve the stress of final exams. This year, we partnered with AGD and Resident Student Association. Each year we host a barbecue at the chapter house and invite our families to enjoy the fall weather, tour the house, and meet the brothers of Theta Xi. While we usually see parents of associate broth- ers or new brothers come to the house, there are some families of alumni who continue to come each year. We also like to host at least one event per semester where we invite alumni to attend. In the fall, we have a wine and cheese event, fol- lowed by a barbecue lunch the following day. These two events are usually smaller and lead to more personal interactions between actives and alumni. In the spring, we had our Founder's Day event on April 29-30 where alumni returned to RPI to reconnect with their pledge brothers. It is the support of our families as well as our alumni that keeps this chapter so strong. I speak for the entire chapter when I thank every single family member and alumnus who continues to support us and everything this fraternity stands for. The Alpha Chapter continues to strive to be one of the strongest fraternities on campus. We thank all our alumni for their continued support, and would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to please return to the chapter house for any of our alumni weekends or should they just be in the area. Yours in the Bonds, Thomas DeMartino '17 (A1681) Chapter President detho23@gmail.com / (631) 332-4608

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