Brothers,
The Beta Omega Alumni Association (B.O.A.A.) of Theta Xi Fraternity held its Annual Meeting on July 16th, 2022 at The Inn at Virginia Tech. For those unable to attend in person or virtually, your alumni association is providing this recap as an opportunity to update our entire membership as we celebrate our 50th year anniversary.
Your Board of Directors wishes to Thank You for your support in a successful year and progress toward our future, including:
Continued growth in sustaining membership support ~ approaching our all-time high
Epic GoldFest Reunion in Blacksburg, and a variety of regional events throughout the year
Continued growth and introduction of new communication channels
Progress and plans on rechartering an active chapter at Virginia Tech
Successfully completing the full endowment of the Vredenburgh Leadership Fund
B.O.A.A. is committed to continuing to deliver the lifelong Theta Xi and Hokie Experience only we are blessed to have as Beta Omegas. As you review the recap below of “everything Beta Omega”, we hope you will see the momentum currently in motion as your alumni association, and as we return to Virginia Tech. Thanks to your lifelong support and love of Theta Xi to quote Coach Beamer, “Our best days are ahead of us”. Like you, we want to see it continue, and need your support and participation to continue to make good things happen for all of us.
Now is a great time time to join the huddle! As Fall is here, our biennual Board election is approaching and we are looking for “A Few Good Men” to join us at the Board, committee, and volunteer “extraordinaire” level to help lead us the next two years. Opportunities and needs range from communications, events, and membership… even history stuff! Two areas we are actively looking for folks to step up and join us in making good things happen:
1) House/Property Management VP: Blacksburg resident and deeply knowledgeable building guru Jack Thompson has graciously offered to be our local “boots on the ground” to assist the incoming House VP. Your role as House VP will include ensuring our house is in working condition, planning future projects, and participating as a Board member contributing as we plan our future.
2) Membership/Engagement Team Members and Membership VP: We are currently assembling a team of folks from different eras who want to help us reach out to our “family members” on a regular basis to make sure they are aware of all the fun we continue to have together and to encourage engagement, participation and membership in our alumni association. Do you want to make sure the folks from your era come back for events so you can all have some more fun together? Brothers and Little Sisters, this is the team for you! We also need a Membership VP who will coordinate the efforts of the team and serve as a liason with the Board. This is your opportunity to connect with others and help us build on our successes continuing to deliver the “Theta Xi alumni experience” for everyone in our fraternity family.
Interested? Please contact Mark Rodda 704-236-2468 mark@explore365.net
Read on for more information!
Yours In The Bonds,
B.O.A.A. Board of Directors
2022 Beta Omega Alumni Association Annual Meeting
--- Recap ---
Tanner Mercantel, Theta Xi National Fraternity President, joined President Chuck Norris (452) to provide a recap of the current Theta National Fraternity Strategic Plan, and Beta Omega’s priorities. Of significance, Theta Xi’s Grand Lodge has updated its strategic plan through 2026 https://www.thetaxi.org/strategic-plan/ which includes a major capital campaign focused on endowing the Vredenburgh Leadership Academies into perpetuity https://www.thetaxi.org/give/endowment-campaign/ .
With the Theta Xi’s national strategic plan in motion, which includes a rechartering of the Beta Omega Chapter at Virginia Tech (more later), your Beta Omega Alumni Association now focused forward on a variety of initiatives.
Membership - Randy Woodson (169)
2022 was the most successful Sustaining Membership Campaign since 2012 and continued to build membership momentum toward our future. For the year, 191 sustaining memberships just eclipsed the all-time record of 188 in 2012, and 161 gifts from brothers approached the 2002 record of 177. Total 2022 gifts of 218 also a record. Shout out to the 30 Little Sister Sustainers and 27 memorial gifts made in remembrance of well-loved friends, Brothers, and Little Sisters.
Visit the B.O.A.A. website 2022 Membership page (2022 BOAA Sustaining Members) for more information and recognition. Note that at the 50 yr. anniversary of Beta Omega, 175 brothers are 10+ yr. Sustainers including 45 who have 25+ years.
Sustaining gifts are the lifeblood of the resources your alumni association relies on to make good things happen such as GoldFest. Thanks to the support of sustaining membership gifts, B.O.A.A. contributed $2k toward FY22 regional events and another $3k to the GoldFest budget, including the Pig Friday night!
GoldFest also celebrated 50 years of lifetime support by the Brotherhood through the Beta Omega 6294 Founders Circle and Theta Xi Fraternity Giving Societies (see BOAA Wall of Gratitude). Over the last five years, 34 brothers reached new lifetime giving levels with B.O.A.A., including 14 new Founders Circle members!
The Virginia Tech Foundation recently published a study on “Why people give” and found, in reverse ranked order:
5) Recognition
4) Believe in the Cause
3) Believe it makes a difference
2) Want to #payitforward somehow
1) Asked … and that’s why we ask! 😊
Advancing the future prosperity of the fraternity comes in many forms of time, talents and, yes, financial resources to make good things happen. Sustaining memberships make a difference in the goals and future plans of your alumni association in perpetuating the Theta Xi Experience for future members, and for all of us in our alumni experience in connecting to each other and having a “place to come home to”. If you believe in the cause, value what B.O.A.A. has made to your lifetime Theta Xi and Virginia Tech experience, and understand your support makes a difference, please #payitforward for our future lifelong brotherhood.
Finance Steve Fisher (240)
Your alumni association remains in sound financial condition and improving resources for the future made possible by growing membership support. Financial information available by contacting Steve Fisher, Treasurer @ fisherst67@gmail.com .
B.O.A.A. also maintains, and actively investing in, scholarship funds for the benefit and support of an active chapter. The Wiss Scholarship and Vredenburgh Leadership Fund are managed by the Virginia Tech Foundation while the Beta Omega Chapter Education Account (“CEA”) is under the umbrella of the Theta Xi National Fraternity. These are off balance sheet “quasi” assets of B.O.A.A. in that they are not under complete control of the association and therefore not included in B.O.A.A. financial statements. B.O.A.A. pleased to report a ten-year goal achieved in FY22 with full endowment of the Vredenburgh Leadership Fund, first established in 2012. Many thanks and gratitude to the 62 Brothers and Little Sisters whose contributions made the endowment possible. Also, particular gratitude to Brothers Tom Ludlow (164) for leading a successful FY22 campaign to take us “into the endowment end zone”, and Randy Woodson (169) for fundraising work since inception to make it happen.
More information is available @ https://www.txvt.org/annual-scholarship-report and Scholarship page of www.txvt.org
Alumni Interaction and Engagement
“Connecting all our members through regular communications to share in meaningful life events and milestones”
Communications John Glackin (300)
o Over the past two years, B.O.A.A. has updated and/or added 353 email addresses or 50% of the TXNews 700 member distribution list.
o MemberPlanet - introduced as the tool for members to maintain all of their current contact information, and to connect with others. If you haven’t already done so, please go to the "Get Started" link https://mp.gg/6oy3z, create your login password, and update your contact info.
o Social - in addition to the BetaOmegaFaceBookGroup, the ThetaXiBetaOmegaLinkedInGroup now @ 200 members. Imagine what an asset this group can be to young Beta Omegas in new Chapter Fall 2023, as well as your own professional endeavors.
o GroupMe - during GoldFest, we tried out a new communication platform, called GroupMe, that kept attendees informed about the event and let everyone engage with each other. The Goldfest committee posted daily itineraries and timely event notices. Brothers and sisters shared pictures from the different activities, such as the bourbon tasting, winery tour, athletic facility tour, etc. GroupMe proved to be very useful to share information and conversations leading up to, during, and following the event.
To build on that communications win, during the brother's meeting, we announced local region based chats for members to communicate with others close enough to get together for happy hours, to watch ball games, and just talk to old friends.
Now we want to expand GroupMe to include all Brothers and Sisters of Beta Omega. Please go to the following link to install the GroupMe app on your phone, create an account, and sign into TXNews, TXTalk, and any number of regional chats that interest you:
“Develop consistent events and occasions to socialize, network, amd celebrate life - #LifelongBrotherhood”
Events David Reed (217)
B.O.A.A. is committed to delivering and supporting meaningful events as part of the Beta Omega “Alumni Experience”, and did so in the past year.
o GoldFest – we are pleased to report the 50 Year Anniversary of the Beta Omega Chapter of Theta Xi Fraternity at Virginia Tech was an epic kick-ass reunion with over 200 Brothers, Little Sisters, and friends of the fraternity in attendance. An awesome weekend with any and everything from a bourbon tasting to Pig Roast, appearance by Legendary Coach Bud Foster, tubing on the New River, too many informal group hikes to name… not to mention all the reconnecting and fellowship!!!
Many Thanks and gratitude to VP Events/ GoldFest Chair David Reed (217) and committee Steve Fisher (240), John Charles (118), Mark Rodda (149), Andy Johnson (317), Karl Larson (277), Robin Miner (LS34), and Tricia Kleber (LS105) for an incredible weekend experience that reminds us all how lucky we are as Beta Omegas to have a place to come home to. #ThisIsHome!
Congratulations to Brother Jon Luning (241), recognized by Theta Xi President Tanner Mercantel at GoldFest for induction into the Order of the Unicorn of Theta Xi Fraternity, the highest honor of distinction for a Theta Xi!
Over 100 Beta Omega Brothers and Little Sisters participated in a variety of events in FY22. Thank you to the following Brothers who organized and led regional and Founders Day events this past year:
o Regional Events
§ Flying Squirrels Family Unicorn Night (Richmond) – Hosts Chuck Renninger (138)/Mark Debes (226)
§ Guinness Open Gate Brewery (Maryland) – Host Dan Warthen (275)
§ Quattro Goombas (NoVa) – Hosts by David Reed (217) & John Charles (118)
o 6294 Founders Day
§ Tidewater @ Virginia Beach Top Golf – Host Brian Tryzcinki (202)
§ Tidewater @ Virginia Beer Company – Host Len Frank (153)
§ Richmond @ The Veil Brewery – Host Richard Walton (450)
§ NoVa. @ Settle Down Easy – Host David Dunlap (173)
If you are interested in organizing a regional event, please contact John Charles @ john.charles6@comcast.net to get started!
Path Forward - Chapter Re Chartering
Jon Luning (241), Don Compton (171), Chuck Norris (452)
The Friday of GoldFest, Chuck Norris (BOAA President), Jon Luning (VP) Don Compton (VP University Relations), Tanner Mercantel (Theta Xi National Executive Director) met with Ro Settle, Tech's Greek Life Director to discuss Theta Xi's return to Virginia Tech. A few weeks earlier, Tanner and the Theta Xi Headquarters staff had engaged in a multi-hour presentation to Tech outlining the reasons Theta Xi wants to return, and what it offers to the university and campus. We learned that there is significant demand for chapter starts at Tech, and that the campus has one of the highest proportion of students involved in Greek Life of state campuses nationally (about 17% of campus, compared to 11% nationally).
Ultimately, there are three organizations that Tech has tentatively selected to return to Tech over the course of the next couple years. All are organizations that are returning to campus, and Theta Xi is one of them. At this point, the question is more a matter of "when" for us, than a matter of "if." The Greek Life team noted that the positive experience with the BOAA during, and since, the events that led to the closure of the chapter weighed heavily in our favor, as did a strong alumni presence and enthusiastic support from the national organization.
Tanner spoke at the BOAA Annual Meeting to share this good news, to speak about Theta Xi's desire to return Beta Omega to Tech, and how the chapter and school fit well into Theta Xi's strategy and goals for expansion, including returning to campuses with a prior presence. He reviewed the process, typically having a professional consultant on campus during the pre-colonization period to get things started. The National Fraternity would fund the startup costs involved, and look to BOAA to capitalize on opportunities to assist in marketing and involvement in events as the colony starts on its path toward chartering. Roughly speaking, the initial recruiting period would target an initial two or three dozen members who would be initiated, trained on chapter operations, and would operate as Beta Omega Colony. They would recruit additional members, targeting a size that makes sense to the members and the campus, most likely in the range of 50-80 members.
BOAA will have a unique opportunity to become involved with the chapter during the rechartering process in a more regular manner than we have historically, providing not only a presence for special occasions, but in establishing ongoing connections between the Association and the Colony.
Tanner provided the meeting with additional insights into some of the elements of interest to today's generation of students - their general idealism, and their need to find real value in an organization in order to commit time and energy to it.
In the next steps, Tech and the three selected Fraternities will determine a calendar for recolonization on campus, which will be set to accommodate the different Fraternities' schedules, as well as ensuring that startups are staggered so that there isn't direct competition between new groups with similar member bases. The exact timing and details of the process are yet to come. As these are worked out, the key items for the BOAA are to remain a committed and positive presence in the Tech community, and to continue to gather strength in preparation for the time when Beta Omega Colony, and then Beta Omega Chapter are returned to Tech.
Property Management (The Estate @ 208 Upland Road)
Jack Thompson (102)
The house still stands!!!
Brother Thompson reported that after three years, Delta Sigma Phi outgrew the Upland Road house and is moving onto campus housing this fall with 100+ members. A new lease (annually renewable) has been signed with Farmhouse which began in August. Interestingly, after funding a “refresh” to Upland prior to new tenant occupancy, it appears the prior tenant’s security deposit funded the bulk of the investment needed. They treated us better than we did Frank Teske! 😊
