Greek life at Northeastern is viewed as a positive influence on our campus. Recently, a new Fraternity chapter hopes to be recognized by Northeastern. I met with Sam Rubin, President of Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) Boston-City to get the inside scoop on this possible new chapter.
HCNU: Tell us a little about ZBT. What kind of Fraternity is it?
Sam: We are nationally a Jewish fraternity. Currently we’re considered the Beta Tau Boston-City colony, our primary goal is to get recognition from Northeastern. As of right now, all of our brothers are students at Northeastern.
HCNU: What inspired you to bring ZBT to Northeastern?
Sam: Initially my relatives encouraged me to bring ZBT because there used to be a ZBT on campus. A group of friends and I got together and liked the idea and just went with it. We really like that ZBT has a no pledging policy.
HCNU: Do you have any ideas in mind for your philanthropy?
Sam: Yes, we are planning an event for the fall called “Get on the Ball.” We’ll be rolling a giant ball down Huntington Avenue to collect signatures from people. We’ll have sponsors donate money for every signature we receive on the ball. All the proceeds we raise go directly to Children’s Miracle Network.
HCNU: What exciting events can we expect from ZBT?
Sam: You can expect ZBTahiti! This is a beach themed party that we hope to have! Hopefully within the next year we can become much more involved with the Greek life community on campus.
HCNU: So who is on the Eboard?
Sam: Myself (Sam Rubin as President), Chuck Scully (External Vice President), Joshua Elowe (Internal Vice President), Austen Blass (Treasurer), Alex Newman (Brotherhood Development Director), Dylan Oanono (Recruitment Chair), and Andrew Hombach (Secretary).
HCNU: We know it’s early in the game but do you have any favorite memories with your brothers as of now?
Sam: Being president is a great leadership experience. I would compare it to owning your own business! We initiated on March 22, and hope to have a second ceremony later on this semester. We are all looking forward to more brotherhood events. Everyone has been getting along great, and so far we have more than 25 brothers.
HCNU: Did you encounter struggles along the way?
Sam: It was a long process, but thankfully we broke the record for recruitment for ZBT (shout out to Recruitment Chair Dylan on a great job)! I have also been really busy as president; my phone has been ringing off the hook but I have enjoyed the work because it will be so beneficial for the future.
HCNU: Who has been supporting you along the way?
Sam: Dr. Lori Lefkovitz, Director of Jewish Studies at Northeastern; Jason Pressberg, Northeastern Hillel’s Israel Programs Coordinator; Rabbi Karen Silberman, Executive Director at Hillel; and some sororities have all been very supportive.
HCNU: What do you want Northeastern to know ZBT?
Sam: We are a Jewish fraternity, but considered non-sectarian (meaning we don’t discriminate and are very accepting). All of our brothers are unique and we are becoming very involved on campus and hope to do more work in the following semester. We are slowly getting our name out there in unique ways, such as giving roses to sorority members. Our brothers are very driven to make this happen and be a positive member of the Greek Community.