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.

Founding Fathers Retreat

Founding Fathers Retreat was held on Sunday March 7th at the Phi Delta Theta house. Dustin Struble, Director of Expansion for Phi Delta Theta, along with Steve Curtright guided us in the steps needed to take to fulfill the prerequisites for Colony recognition. We also heard from guests Parice Bowser, Director of Greek Life at the University of Arkansas, and Joe Passanise, our province president. This was a crucial step towards re-colonization which is set for April 16th, 2010.

Facebook Fan Page

Become a fan of Arkansas Phi Delta Theta on Facebook to help us promote our recolonization efforts and to help you stay up to date with our progress.

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Parents' Day

This past Saturday, March 6th, we held Parents' Day here at the Phi Delta Theta house. We'd like to thank all the parents and alumni that came out. The catered chicken from Slim's was great and the weather made it even better.

A special thanks goes to Parents' Club Coordinator Debbie Holliman who made Parents' Day a success.

































Here's a picture of the t-shirt from the event. We are in the process of making a second order. If you'd like to order a shirt (and you didn't already sign up for one at Parents' Day), please send your information to jgweaver AT uark.edu