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The Theta Xi Mission Statement
As described by National Headquarters:
The purpose of Theta Xi is to provide a college home environment for its active members in which fellowship and alumni guidance lead to wholesome mental, moral, physical, and spiritual growth. To that end Theta Xi actively supports and augments college and community efforts to make individual members more mature and chapter groups more useful units of society. Through its alumni and undergraduate leadership Theta Xi endeavors to assist each member to develop: one, intellectual curiosity that assures the highest scholarship rating consistent with his ability; two, habits that lead to better mental and physical health; three, sincerity in his association with others and confidence in himself; four, responsibility to chapter, college, community, and country; five, leadership that comes from practicing the principles of democratic self-government; six, interests and activities outside regular scholastic studies that employ spare time to advantage; seven, spiritual understanding that provides a reservoir of strength to draw upon when faced with conditions beyond comprehension.
The current brothers of Theta Xi Omicron have voted into the chapter's by-laws the following mission statement, specific to the ambitions and visions of the Omicron chapter:
The Omicron Chapter of Theta Xi aims to provide each brother with a foundation of fellowship, compassion, and integrity which allows him to grow as a student, a leader, and a young man. Omicron strives to better the community through service and philanthropic projects where proceeds primarily benefit our nationally designated charity, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Through our commitment to Brotherhood, Omicron fosters a healthy and accepting environment, allowing each of its members to strive in whichever endeavor he chooses, be it academic, athletic, spiritual or otherwise.
The history as explained in The Quest for Theta Xi:
Theta Xi was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, on April 29, 1864 by Peter Henry Fox, Ralph Gooding Packard, Christopher Champlin Waite, George Bradford Brainerd, Samuel Buel Jr., Henry Harrison Farnum, Thomas Cole Raymond and Nathaniel Henry Starbuck. Minutes of the original meeting, Constitution and Ritual have been preserved by the Fraternity to this day. Our tradition is truly continuous.
Christopher “Kit” Waite, whose father was destined to become Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was from Toledo, Ohio. Peter Fox from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Thomas Raymond, a “downeasterner” from Westborough, Massachusetts, together with Waite, were the only Founders from out of state. Nathaniel Starbuck was a “local” from the campus town of Troy whose father, a leading citizen of the town, was often called upon to address public meetings to arouse popular support for the Lincoln administration. The remaining Founders were all New Yorkers: George Brainerd from Brooklyn; Samuel Buel, Jr., from Poughkeepsie; Ralph Packard from Niagara Falls and Henry Farnum from Port Jervis.
In 1864, Rensselaer was attempting to rebuild. The Civil War had threatened the future existence of the institution, just as it had threatened the future existence of our Union. In 1861, the collar factories, for which Troy was famous, nearly all closed down, and several other large manufacturing plants went idle. In 1862, sparks from a passing locomotive ignited the roof of a covered bridge spanning the Hudson at Troy, and before it could be halted, the fire swept across a 75-acre tract, completely destroying eight hundred structures in the heart of Troy’s business section, including the downtown campus and the original building of RPI, the Old Bank Building.
All of the Founders were members of Sigma Delta, a local fraternity established in 1859 to rival Theta Delta Chi, the only secret society then at Rensselaer. Crude in its beginnings, Sigma Delta gradually increased and prospered so that, by the fall of 1863, it had become a secret center of attraction for all freshmen.
Debates formed a regular part of Sigma Delta meetings (as in other fraternities at that time) and these were judged by the presiding officer. Spirited debates were held on such topics as: “Genius is more necessary in the pursuits of science than in the pursuit of art”; “The use of tobacco is injurious”, and “The rum barrel is more potent than the gun barrel.” Dissension within Sigma Delta became apparent on October 30, 1863, when George Brainerd tendered his resignation to the society. The resignation was unanimously declined, but it contributed to a rift that would not heal. On that same day, due to a seeming desire of some of the members to “bust up” Sigma Delta and try to become part of another organization, Samuel Buel suggested that Sigma Delta try to obtain a charter from some “large and flourishing society such as Sigma Phi,” which had been founded in 1827 at Union College and had six chapters at that time. He had previously had an interview with a minister who belonged to Sigma Phi, who assured him that he favored such a move. He promised to do all in his power to help them obtain a charter. Sigma Phi sent representatives to Troy who were entertained and had their hotel bills paid. A petition was prepared and submitted to Sigma Phi, but at its convention at Union College on March 4, 1864, a motion was adopted to the effect that no more charters be granted. Since no action was taken on Sigma Delta’s petition, this was accepted as a refusal.
Dissension in Sigma Delta continued to grow such that two factions sprang up within the society. The eight members who ultimately founded Theta Xi considered such divisiveness incompatible with their ideals of unity and fellowship. They determined to build anew with the intention of forming a society national in scope — a tall order for the Civil War era!
The ill feeling became more acute after the failure to obtain a charter, and at a regular meeting held on March 11, 1864, attention was called to “the sad condition of the society.” A suggestion was made that “each one present express his views concerning the management of the affairs and offer some plan of removing this feeling which has existed, and does now exist, among us.” This suggestion was accepted and each member in turn was called upon for his opinion. One suggested plan, which met with instant favor and was finally agreed upon, specified that bottles, suitably covered and labeled, be provided and placed in the adjoining club room.
On March 12, 1864, two large cups of white and black beans were provided for the purpose of voting. A bottle was placed upon the table and each member went into the clubroom to cast his ballot on the member whose name appeared on the bottle (a tradition used by chapters to this day). After everyone had voted the bottle was sealed, and the next vote taken. When the process was completed the members assembled in the club room to count the votes. Before any bottle was opened, each man deposited on the table the keys and all other property in his possession which belonged to the society. The bottles were emptied alphabetically and, as one received a majority of black beans, he took up his hat and left. The first person who received a majority of black beans remarked, “I guess I am not wanted here.” Four of our eight founders had opened their bottles before the five who received a majority of black beans left them in possession of the room. A new lock was immediately put on the door.
At a meeting held on April 1, 1864, a committee consisting of Waite, Buel, Brainerd and Packard was appointed to prepare a constitution. At this meeting the secretary was instructed to recall their petition to Sigma Phi and to inform them of their intention to form a new society. On April 6, Buel presented two monograms, Theta Xi and Theta Psi, as possible names for the new society. Theta Xi was chosen because of the reported existence of a local society called Theta Psi at Yale at that time.
On April 29, 1864—that most sacred night in the history of our brotherhood—eight former members of Sigma Delta met in their secret rooms for the purpose of founding Theta Xi. Ralph G. Packard was chosen chairman because he had been president of Sigma Delta at the time of its dissolution. Brother Farnum was requestedto act as secretary. A committee made up of Brothers Buel and Brainerd was designated to develop an initiation service, while another committee comprised of Brothers Raymond, Starbuck and Brainerd was made responsible for developing a grip, various symbols, the names of the officers, as well as for completing all vacancies in the constitution. The Constitution, By-Laws, and Rules of Order which had been drawn up by the committee were read and adopted without a dissenting vote. The oath of initiation was taken by all the Founders as a group, then they signed the Constitution alphabetically and by classes. The new society decided that the chapter be called the “Alpha Chapter of Theta Xi,” and that each succeeding chapter should be named by the following letter of the Greek alphabet. On the same night Edward H. Morrison was unanimously selected the first new member of the Fraternity, and was initiated eight days later on May 7, 1864.
Various concerns about Fraternity operation were addressed during the months that followed. At the beginning of the next school year, in Fall of 1864, six of the Brothers answered to their names at roll call. Recruitment efforts that Fall increased their number to eleven.
William H. Wiley, initiated as Alpha 11, had a close friend at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He approached his friend with the idea of forming a chapter at Yale and found him to be in favor of the idea. On October 29, 1864, Frank Martin Guthrie and Thomas Ira Atwood, members of the Class of ’68 at Yale, came to Troy to be initiated as honorary members and to be instructed in the secrets of the Fraternity. Upon returning to Yale, they organized a chapter.
In December, two members of Alpha Chapter were sent to New Haven to help Guthrie and Atwood initiate three more men, and a sixth was added in February, 1865. Although these men held meetings, they were not regarded by Alpha Chapter as a chapter of Theta Xi until they received their Constitution. This document was not received until April 26, 1865, when Beta Chapter was officially installed and Theta Xi started on the road to becoming a national organization.
The six chapters established by Theta Xi during the first forty years of its existence (Yale University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Cornell University, and Lehigh University) were all located within approximately two hundred miles of Rensselaer. It was not until 1905 that Theta Xi began its westward expansion with the chartering of Theta Chapter at Purdue in February of that year, and Iota Chapter at Washington University in St. Louis a month later. The Fraternity established its first West Coast chapter in 1910 with Nu Chapter on the Berkeley campus of the University of California; moved into the Southwest three years later by locating Rho Chapter at the University of Texas and entered the Pacific Northwest in 1915 by establishing Upsilon Chapter at the University of Washington. Theta Xi’s introduction to the South occurred in April, 1921 when Alpha Alpha Chapter was chartered at Louisiana State University. In less than sixty years the dreams of our Founders had become a reality. Theta Xi had become a national organization.
Theta Xi's Merger with Kappa Sigma Kappa
Upon completion of informal talks held between representatives of Kappa Sigma Kappa and Theta Xi in 1962, it was concluded that a merger would prove beneficial to both organizations. Kappa Sigma Kappa had three main reasons for favoring a merger. First, and most important, it had been unable to obtain National Interfraternity Conference (NIC) membership because several of its chapters were on unaccredited campuses. Some of its chapters had disaffiliated or lost host institution recognition as a result of the fraternity’s failure to obtain NIC membership (Theta Xi had been a member since 1911). Second, its membership expressed a need for stronger organizational structure with a sound financial footing, more uniform chapter operations, and a larger base of alumni volunteers. Last, the fraternity saw a need for a central office with paid personnel, including a full-time executive and traveling staff. Theta Xi could provide all of these needs. The two fraternities also seemed to complement each other, since there was no duplication of chapters.
Following a series of meetings the terms of the proposed merger were agreed upon and subsequently ratified by the governing bodies of the two fraternities. As part of the merger agreement, the Theta Xi Fraternity flower was changed from the white carnation to the blue iris, the fleurs-de-lis on the coat of arms were replaced with upright crescents and the title of the membership manual was changed from The Theta Xi Pledge Manual to The Quest For Theta Xi.
On August 20, 1962, twenty-one chapters of Kappa Sigma Kappa located at accredited schools were received into the Bonds of Theta Xi. Each of these chapters received a Greek-letter designation prefaced by Kappa. Seven chapters, which were ineligible to come into Theta Xi because they were located on unaccredited campuses, reorganized their national structure and continued under the name Kappa Sigma Kappa.
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What is rush?
During rush week, all of the fraternities will be hosting events at their houses for prospective members to attend. We encourage you to check out other fraternities as well to see if Theta Xi is the right fit for you. If you attend one or more rush events and demonstrate that you would make a good member of the house, brothers will extend a bid of membership to you, to which you can accept or decline (you will have several days to make your decision if you so choose).
After rush week, those men who have accepted bids will be associated into the fraternity as associate members. An associate member is different from a “pledge” in that he is not of lower status than the brothers; he is an equal. During your associate period, you will have all the same rights as initiated brothers, except that you will not be giving access to our fraternity secrets or voting privileges. At the end of your associate period (which usually lasts about seven weeks), the brothers will then vote on your initiation and you will be initiated as a brother.
An associate member is a man who has accepted a bid to join our fraternity and has been pinned in the associate member ceremony. This ceremony is the first step in a seven week process designed to get new men educated on the ideals, values, and history of the Theta Xi Fraternity, as well as provide numerous opportunities for personal development and bonding with the brotherhood.
Associate members do not know the ritual of the Theta Xi Fraternity as they are not initiated members. For that same reason, they are not allowed to attend ritual meetings and cannot vote on issues coming before the chapter, though they do have the opportunity to make their views known to the general membership. Other than that, associates are welcome and encouraged to attend all chapter events.
Will there be hazing during pledging?
As an associate member, you will NEVER be hazed by any member of the Theta Xi fraternity. You will not be asked to wear funny costumes and/or get paddled on the behind. However, you are expected to participate in various memorable events where you will have an opportunity to learn more about the current brothers and the chapter. You will also be asked to learn about various facts that are important to our fraternity.
The associate member period will last no longer than 63 days after which, if you are found fully qualified, you will be initiated in the bonds of brotherhood of Theta Xi. During your associate membership period, you will be allowed to enjoy all of the rights, privileges, amenities and responsibilities that current brothers enjoy. However, you will not attend closed meetings or be privileged to vote.
Will I be distracted? I already have a lot going on...
During the associate member period, the formal time commitment is no more than three hours a week; however, we expect that everyone interested in becoming a part of Theta Xi will want to participate in our events as well as study, eat and socialize with us on a regular basis.
Our fraternity was founded with the principle of its members achieving the highest academic standards. Theta Xi offers many resources that are not available in other organizations. We offer test files, study sessions, and the experience of older members who can help the younger brothers with scheduling their classes. The brothers regularly study together at various restaurants, coffee shops and libraries. In addition, there are always brothers present who will gladly assist you with proof reading a paper or solving a complex mathematical problem. You are expected to maintain a 2.5 or above GPA to rush Theta Xi and must maintain above a 2.5 GPA to remain active once you are a brother.
Does Theta Xi offer any opportunities for me to grow as a person?
Opportunities come from many facets when you are a Theta Xi brother. First and foremost is the companionship that one gains from being a member of such a large group. As listed above, there are also many leadership opportunities available for brothers to take part in. Besides the initial camaraderie, you also build a great networking base from current alumni in order to attain jobs, internships, and experience during your undergraduate years or when you are an alumnus.
Theta Xi also has philanthropies that it works closely with, including the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, offering personal growth through community service. Being a brother of Theta Xi means always having a home to come back to. The house is yours, the decisions are yours and the brothers are yours. Theta Xi is here to prepare you for success later in life.
Theta Xi is a gentlemen's fraternity. Unlike the stereotypes surrounding fraternities, we believe in treating women with the respect they deserve. Our chapter has adopted the core values of Service, Social Grace, and Self-Betterment, and we try very hard to escape the poor images pushed upon Greek Life from movies like Animal House or Old School.
I still have questions about Theta Xi. Who can I talk to?
Please email Michael Fisher at president@thetaxipenn.com if you have any additional questions.
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