At Beta in Iowa City we value and encourage our members to be involved in the campus and community. Our members are involved in over 70 different student organizations or community volunteerism opportunities. Joining these organizations, our members advance their skills, grow, and develop many valuable leadership qualities. There are numerous leadership opportunities within Beta as well; however we encourage additional involvement within the UI community.
Our chapter has two different levels of positions which allow members to become engaged with the amount of time they can offer. Both Executive positions and Cabinet positions allow our members to develop their leadership potential. Although during your first semester you are not eligible for either position you are encouraged to become involved in your pledge class executive board. After pledge semester we encourage our new members to take on leadership roles within Beta!
Our members have or are currently involved in various organizations at the University of Iowa….. The following is a partial list of organizations in which our members hold important leadership positions:
- RiverRun
- Homecoming Executive Council
- The 10,000 Hours Show
- Associated Residence Halls (2 former Executive Directors)
- University of Iowa Student Government
Beta Theta Pi has several award winning leadership programs organized by the Beta national fraternity. Each year the leadership programs are held in various locations around the country, allowing Betas to connect from all over the United States and Canada. Many of the leadership opportunities are paid for by our chapter and further funding is available from our alumni. Skills and experiences attained through the Beta leadership opportunities are very similar to those gained at expensive corporate leadership training seminars, but at little or no cost to our members. Not only do members who attend these events gain general leadership skills, but also learn how to effectively run our chapters and learn more about the rich history of Beta Theta Pi. If you would like more information about the available leadership opportunities that Beta has to offer, please click the following link to the national fraterity website.
Our main goal as a colony has been to "challenge the Greek stereotype" on The University of Iowa campus. We think the majority of the student body views Greek life as irresponsible partying, being self-centered, and academically lax. Our goal is to help bring back the popularity of Greek life and to bring back its dignity. We recruit men who maintain character of the highest caliber and that display academic determination. In simpler terms, we are a brotherhood who encourages a balance between an active social life and active school work.
At Beta Theta Pi our mission is to assist our men in succeeding at college life and helping them to prepare for advanced degrees or work. As with most fraternities we a large number or upperclassmen who are available to help younger members through their class work; however at Beta we take it a step further. Every day one of our older members holds study hours for men in his respective major. Although everyone is welcome to attend, members of similar major tend to meet up to study.
We feel that our academic initiatives pay off. In the last two years we have ranked:
Our chapter has programs in place to help men succeed academically and we frequently check in with our new members to assure they are excelling.
Additionally our local and national chapter awards considerable amounts of money to our members. The national fraternity has awarded over 80,000 to undergraduate members.
To be accepted into our pledge program, recruits must have a high school GPA of a 3.0+ or a college accumulative GPA of a 2.75+ which is higher than the General Fraternity's standard of a 2.5. As an active brother, we require a GPA of 2.75 per semester. If a brother falls below this standard, academic help is required by the chapter. More information can be found on our academic standards by reading our "Academic Assistance Plan" found on the Constitution page.
Community Service
This is one of the key components in being a Beta at Iowa. Our members are heavily involved in the community and on campus. Especially with the University’s Pick One initiative we feel that it is important for our members to be engaged in at least ONE campus activity. Our members record their involvements and encourage other members to likewise participate.
Some Examples Include:
- Dance Marathon
- UIHC- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics volunteers
- Iowa City Hospice
- Relief Workers
- Friends of Hickory Hill Park
- Uptown Bill’s Small Mall
- Big Brothers/ Sisters
- The 10,000 Hours Show
- Jaycee’s Field of Screams Haunted Corn maze
- Participation in other Greek Philanthropies
Each year Beta holds two philanthropies of our own. In the fall we hold Beta Bag’s, a corn hole tournament that raises money for the local community and in the Spring we will be having our first ever Beta Bull riding tournament.
New Member Education
Our new member education program serves three main purposes: it allows our new members the chance to get to know the men of the chapter, allows our men to get to know the new member, and provides basic information regarding fraternity life to the new member (both Iowa and at a National Level). Our program is designed as a laid back experience for our new members to become familiar with Beta and to start to enjoy their time at Iowa.
Our program lasts for only eight weeks. Each week the new members meet for about an hour to do a variety of activities. Some of the meetings are held at adventure courses, volunteer service sites, or at the chapter house. For more information regarding our pledge education program, please email our pledge educator.
Throughout our recruitment, new member education, and initiation all are entirely hazing free. At Beta we are sincere about anti-hazing and strictly enforce anti-hazing policies as we believe that to build a successful brotherhood hazing must not be a part of it.
Our chapter is active in many of the university's intramurals. We participate in Flag Football, Indoor Basketball, Outdoor and Indoor Soccer, and most other team sports. A few of our brothers are involved in more extreme sports such as snowboarding, rock climbing, wakeboarding, and rafting. We are always looking for athletic men to join Beta and help our teams be even more successful.
We have a newly renovated chapter house thanks to the Alumni Housing Corp. It was renovated during the Spring and Summer of 2006. Brand new carpet, furniture, paint, lighting, kitchen, and many other things have been added to our house.
Costs:
2008-2009 Rates |
Live Out Members (not pledge semester) |
Live In Members |
Residence Hall (Double with Air) |
Pledge Semester |
Room |
-- |
$4,720 |
$4,942 |
|
Board (optional) |
-- |
$1,200 |
$2,475 |
|
Dues |
$1,200 |
$1,200 |
-- |
$600 |
Building Fee |
$180 |
$180 |
-- |
|
Parlor Fee |
$150 |
-- |
-- |
|
Parking |
-- |
Included |
$252 |
|
Total |
$1,528 |
$7,300 |
$7,417 |
$600 |
- Board is 19 meals a week (we have a catering service)
The Beta Theta Pi house is one of the oldest fraternity houses on the Iowa campus and has had the most recent renovation. In 2006 our alumni housing corporation re-invested over 600,000 to make our house what it is today. Our house is a source of pride for our undergraduate members. Our men take good care of our house and spend considerable amounts of time working on renovations. Most of our rooms have window air conditioners, and common rooms feature large screen Televisions, Pool Tables and sound systems. We also have a good number of single rooms available to our men.
We take a proactive approach with our finances and have built in all costs for our members. Even things like philanthropy, homecoming, and special event t-shirts are included in our costs.
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