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More than 100 Founding Fathers

ONE OF DELTA TAU DELTA’S LARGEST CHAPTERS ADDED A FEW more members in the fall with the official installation of the Beta Alpha Chapter on September 30, 2023, at Indiana University. In total 120 men took their Oath to become a Delt, bringing the number of all-time initiates into the chapter to 2,699. The Beta Alpha chapter ranks ninth in terms of overall initiates and 1.4 percent of all Delts initiated into the Fraternity since 1858 have been initiated in Bloomington, Indiana.

The Beta Alpha Chapter originally received its charter in 1870. Until its unfortunate closing in 2017 the chapter had operated continuously on campus for more than 140 years. A team of Beta Alpha alumni and Delt staff worked together during the years Beta Alpha was off campus to ensure a successful return. The newest class of Delts were recruited in the fall of 2022 and they have been working tirelessly to build the future Beta Alpha. On September 30, that labor was rewarded with a new charter.

Among recent installations, the ceremony at Beta Alpha was unique. Not only did more than 100 men initiate to create the first “new member class,” but the Ritual ceremony itself was held in the chapter’s shelter in front of a beautiful double staircase built within the most recent addition. It is not unusual for a new group to earn a Shelter, but it is unusual for a new group to have use of that Shelter so soon. All credit for this rare circumstance goes to the house corporation which stewarded the facility while the chapter was closed.

Indeed, the return to Beta Alpha was a team affair. Not only did the house corporation play a large role in the return, but the chapter was aided every step of the way by an outstanding volunteer advisory team (VAT) led by former chapter consultant Ken Glass (Indiana, 1976). Glass recruited a team of Delts across the generations to assist with the massive undertaking of rebuilding a large chapter at a major college campus. And he relished the challenge. 

“The VAT is committed to keeping the chapter on the right track. They have managed to recruit two classes of 30+ new members who readily share the values that we all espouse in the Delt Creed and our Ritual,” Glass said.

Following the initiation of the newest Delts, the chapter hosted a celebratory banquet and reception in the Beta Alpha Shelter courtyard. The undergraduate brothers and alumni were joined in the celebration by Chief Executive Officer Jack Kreman (Nebraska Kearney, 2004) and Arch Chapter Chairman Rosario Palmieri (American, 1999). Kreman presented the emblems of office to the chapter president. Palmieri presented the artifacts of the chapter, including the charter and the roll book. Palmieri left feeling hopeful for the future of the Fraternity in Bloomington.