A new fraternity is coming to CNU, and they call themselves Beta Alpha Sigma (also known as “The Betas”).
Three best friends decided, after three years of perusing what the current fraternities had to offer, they wanted to form their own brotherhood off campus. And thus, Beta Alpha Sigma was born. “We wanted to make our own Freshman year. Sophomore year was when Justin came to CNU. We got invited to stuff for the other frats, but we still wanted to make our own instead. Last semester we met John and then we were like ‘we can make this a real thing’,” says Jared Steigerwald, ’18.
First came the hand sign, then the name, and finally they got hard letters to prove that they were serious about starting this brotherhood. And they’re making it a true brotherhood. They’re planning on giving back to the community through Special Olympics, says John Jackson (’20), and are striving to make the brothers better than they were before joining. They’ll focus on service and brotherhood, and their working motto is “More life”.
We asked the brothers what they thought the reaction from IFC Fraternities would be, and they said the response was positive. Jared and Justin agreed: “I think we’ll get respect. We’re not trying to step on anyone’s toes. Most people have said it’s cool. We talked to a brother of Kappa Sig who graduated last year and he was like ‘BAΣ? What’s that? That’s cool!’ Some people at Virginia Tech and JMU started a similar thing, and they ended up on campus.” We also asked if Beta Alpha Sigma would try and go through IFC, to which Justin Brown (’18) said, “We’re just a group of brothers. Going through IFC certifies us, but we already feel certified. We don’t need a label. If we didn’t believe we were legit we wouldn’t be a thing.”
The brothers explained that everything starts with an idea, and they’re totally fine with staying off campus for now. The number of new members they take isn’t really something they’re concerned with, as long as it’s a group of guys who mesh well and have the same vision of becoming better men. We also asked if they’d like to be called the “baes” (spelled BAΣs), to which they responded that they’d be known as “The Betas”.
BAΣ is already planning some major stuff this coming semester. Not only will they be taking a class of new members, but they’re working on having a few mixers with the Panhellenic community, as well as a formal towards spring! They’ve got the mission statement, the hand sign, the mascot (a Tiger), and the true brotherhood that founds all of our fraternities on campus. We at HC at CNUcannot wait to see what amazing stuff these guys do as they give back to the community and grow as men on campus!
If you’re interested in becoming a Beta, their interest meeting is Tuesday, February 14th. Here’s the event page.
Also like The Betas on Facebook, and be on the lookout for an official instagram and tumblr!