Installation

Today the General Council of Phi Delta Theta voted unanimously to install Arkansas Alpha! The Initiation Ceremony will be Friday, February 18th and an Installation Banquet will be held the next day.

More details to come!

Officer Transitions

Yesterday the Incoming and Outgoing Executive Officers met at the Fayetteville Town Center to have a transition retreat. As a big group we performed a SWOT analysis which looks at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Once we achieved this, we were able to set goals both as individuals and as an organization.

This was followed by actual 1-on-1 transition time between the outgoing and incoming officer for each position. Each outgoing officer created a binder that included all the information needed for the following year. The hope is that by transferring all the knowledge at one time, the officers will be able to move forward as opposed to "re-inventing the wheel".

After lunch we started with a leadership style analysis. Each new officer was placed in one of five leadership categories based on the results of a survey. Once separated, we were able to dissect how each group is unique and how all five groups work together towards success.

We concluded the meeting with planning for Spring semester. The officers collaborated to plan out everything from social events to Mom's Day and placed dates for them on the calendar. Then we moved on to creating a working budget.

* Below is what our calendar looked like after we were done.

The First 100 Days

Guest Blog from Colony Freshmen Zach White:

Although it has only been 52 days, the title seemed fitting since I will be judging these first few months I have been in Phi Delta Theta similar to that of a newly elected official. Two months since that fateful bid day on September 19, 2010 and still I am more than happy with my choice.

I have gained friendship, but more than that I have gained brotherhood. I have become really great friends with many of my New Colony Member brothers (“Pledge Brothers”) as well as many of the older Colony members. I have received leadership and guidance from many of them as well, including them giving me a history of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. I am very impressed at the disposition of the Colony, although all are very anxious to be granted a charter and become a fraternity.

The Colony has encouraged me to do well in my classes, setting a minimum GPA and have mandatory study hours four days a week. Socially, being in the Colony is amazing. I have gained very many new friends outside of the Colony by joining up with Sororities and Fraternities for social functions, philanthropy, and functions to raise school spirit.

Deciding to go Greek was one of the best decisions I ever made, and deciding to join Phi Delta Theta was an even better decision. I am only 52 days in and I already have great memories with my Phikeia brothers, and I still have a whole lifetime to go.

*Zach is a Freshmen Colony Member from Jonesboro, Arkansas currently studying Biology.

Fall 2010 Update

Its been an exciting semester so far for Arkansas Alpha.

This fall our colony of 43 members participated in Formal Recruited and signed a New Member Class of 55. This far and exceeded the expectations of the members, alumni and GHQ. Within this group there are former Student Council Presidents, All-State Athletes and members that have faithfully served their community. Additionally, we also signed one member of the Varsity Track Team and have two new members running for ASG Senate this week.

Last week, the Colony sent in their petition for re-installation. This took the form a thick binder that included: member bios, all new programs (recruitment, new member education, community service, alumni relations, scholarship and risk management), letters of recommendation and grade reports. It will now be reviewed by several groups and eventually will be approved by the General Council. At that point the date for Installation will be set. The picture above is Vice President Collin Pitts holding the completed petition before it was sent out.

We were also visited this past week by our Province President Joe Passanise. He encouraged the group to keep up the great work they were doing. Joe also emphasized the importance of academics, and to aim for a class average of over a 3.0. He spoke to the New Members about how important this colony is to not only the older colony members, but to the alumni and the University, and how our behavior needs to be exemplary.

This weekend is Homecoming. For the different competitions we're paired with the ladies of Chi Omega. We have been working hard to create our float and lawn decorations. Chi Omega has won Homecoming for the last two years, and while there is no overall winner this year, we expect top finishes in the individual events. The members have been working very hard to make sure that happens.

This has been a great start to the semester, and we are looking forward to finishing it, and the rest of the year, in the same fashion.

We are about to start the third week of the semester, and it seems that everyone is getting settled into their daily routines.

The summer went by fast but we still accomplished many great things. We held two rush events, one in Little Rock, and another in Hot Springs. With our rush chair's hard work, and support from our Alumni, both events had great turn outs of both rushees and members.

Phi Delta Theta also held two conferences that representatives from Arkansas Alpha attended. General Convention was held in Orlando, Florida and Emerging Leaders Institute was held at Phi Delt general headquarters in Oxford, Ohio.

Now that school had started, we've been getting to know more potential new members and helping them learn about both Phi Delta Theta and the University of Arkansas.

Arkansas played their first football game of the season this weekend against Tennessee Tech, winning 44-3. Alumni stopped by the house to eat and visit before the game. The parents club graciously provided Slims chicken for all our visitors. Now we are looking forward to rush starting the week of September 13th.

For those interested in rushing Phi Delta Theta, contact our Recruitment Chair, Jahon Zehtaban at jzehtaba@uark.edu

Top 10 Reasons to Join Phi Delta Theta

Classes have started here at the University of Arkansas. Campus is bustling with new students trekking around with lanyards around their necks and unfolded maps in their hands. Greek Life is huge here at the University of Arkansas. Over 750 girls accepted bids to join sororities on Sunday. The next step is fraternity recruitment which starts September 13th.

That being said, Phi Delta Theta is one of U of A's most historic and prestigious fraternities on campus. The following is a list of the Top 10 reasons to join Phi Delta Theta:

10. Large National Organization - Phi Delta Theta is one of the largest national organizations, with 163 chapters and eight colonies nationwide which includes 11/12 SEC schools.

9. Local Alumni Support - There are over 130 alumni within 100 miles of Fayetteville. There is also a very active Chapter Advisory Board, which is a group of alumni committed to the success of the colony.

8. Social - Joining Greek Life makes a large campus seem a lot smaller. You instantly have a large group of friends to hang out with, study with, and take classes with. In addition, new members will take part in large events with sorority women.

7. Academics - Phi Delta Theta ranked 3rd out of 13 fraternities at U of A with a 3.07 GPA.

6. Hazing - Worried about hazing? Don't be. Phi Delta Theta has a firm commitment against hazing, and have a New Member Program designed to build brotherhood through more constructive methods.

5. Housing - The PDT house is located at 208 N Stadium Drive right across the street from Razorback Stadium. The chapter house just underwent over $4 million dollars in renovations and is considered the nicest on campus.

4. Networking - Arkansas Alpha has initiated nearly 1,700 men. Nationally, Phi Delta Theta has over 160,000 living alumni which becomes valuable as you begin to search for jobs and internships

3. Parental Involvement - Unlike many other chapters, we encourage parents to come see our state-of-the-art facility. Additionally, we have an active parents club that keeps parents informed and involved in their son's experience.

2. Professional Development - After four years in the chapter, our members develop the leadership and social skills necessary to be successful in the real world. Phi Delta Theta considers itself a "Fraternity For Life", meaning that there are several ways to stay involved and connected after graduation.

1. Legacy - As a colony poised to regain its charter, there are many opportunities to leave your mark, not only on Phi Delta Theta, but on the U of A campus as a whole. As a Re-Founding Father, you will have the opportunity to create traditions that will last long after your graduation.

For those interested in rushing Phi Delta Theta, contact our Recruitment Chair, Jahon Zehtaban at jzehtaba@uark.edu or fill out our recruitment form HERE.

Colonization

This past Friday evening, April 16th, our Colonization Ceremony was held, making us the Arkansas Alpha Colony of Phi Delta Theta! Click here to visit the Phi Delta Theta website and read more about it.