Men of Principle

During the 161st Beta Convention in Chicago in early August, I got the chance to participate in the undergraduate (mostly sophomores) training with other Beta chapter advisers for the “Men of Principle” initiative. Beta Theta Pi continues to move forward with this effort to build a greater fraternity for growth and improvement for its men. This training is an intense process that ran from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for three days. The effort is to expose as many men from all chapters to allow development of the initiative to evolve. The General Fraternity is not demanding immediate and total immersion as a basis for holding a charter, but to use it as a model for improvement of all chapters. Theta is slowly finding its way down this path. For example, a new pledge training program developed by senior brother Eric Eickhoff has been put in place that moves the process along. The “Men of Principle” concepts are used so the new pledges are seeing new ways to strengthen themselves and the chapter. As this progresses the membership can adjust and embrace those parts of the program they feel will be beneficial as they move forward.