This fall, the Loyola Greek community welcomed Beta Theta Pi (“Beta”) to campus. The fraternity, founded in 1839 at Miami University, prides itself in “mutual assistance, intellectual growth, trust, responsible conduct, and integrity,” according to its website. Priding themselves in being “men of principle,” Beta has produced numerous successful men, including a Vice President of the United States, over 200 members of Congress, eight U.S. Supreme Court Justices, six Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, four astronauts, 34 Olympic Gold Medalists, and three Nobel Prize Laureates, to name a few.
I sat down with one of the Founding Fathers of the Loyola Colony, Michael Arnold, to learn more about the fraternity itself and its principles that the new members hope to proliferate throughout Loyola’s campus.
Why did you decide to join Beta Theta Pi?
“I decided to join Beta Theta Pi because the idea of being a founding father of a fraternity seemed like an amazing opportunity that only a handful of people can experience. The opportunity to help the fraternity grow is an incredible chance Loyola to leave my legacy on campus, and the idea of coming back and seeing how the fraternity grows after I’m gone – and knowing I helped build Beta at Loyola – is what really sold me.”
How will your new chapter benefit the Loyola community? “Adding a new chapter benefits both to the new members of the chapter and the college community as a whole! Within in the LUC Greek community, we look forward to participating in the great philanthropy events that all of the other chapters host and helping them reach their fundraising and outreach goals. Alpha Chi Omega’s Walk a Mile in her shoes was one of the first events that I did with my brothers and it was a great way for us to show our support for their cause! We would love to not only contribute to the efforts of other Greek organizations on campus but we are also excited to share our philanthropy with them as well.”
What are some interesting facts about your fraternity that people should know? “Some facts about Beta Theta Pi that I think are the most interesting, or just fun facts to know, are that we are one of the oldest fraternities – founded in 1839 at Miami University. Also our colors are blue and pink, and our crest has a dragon on it, so that is really cool. One cool fact about Beta is that we do not have a national philanthropy, which means the we are Loyola will get to pick our own, making our philanthropies more personal to our colony.”
What is it like being a founding father?
“The opportunity to be a founding father of a new chapter on campus is absolutely amazing! It is a great opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself and to create something that will hold the legacy that I hopefully will leave after graduation far into the future. Being a founding father means that I am able to contribute my ideas and values for the chapter moving forward and also have the ability to serve as an example for future members.”