Delta Theta/Toledo Receives 2020/2021 Westol Sacred Purpose Award
Carmel, IN - Theta Chi Fraternity is proud to announce the Delta Theta Chapter at the University of Toledo as the recipient of the 2020/2021 David L. Westol Sacred Purpose Award. The award was presented during the 165th Anniversary Celebration in Lexington, KY.
The mission of Sacred Purpose is to protect our brothers, and the broader campus community, by providing health and safety education. By offering programmatic support at the chapter and international levels, Theta Chi inspires its members live up to our Fraternity’s highest calling.
Delta Theta Chapter demonstrated incredible creativity in educating their brothers and the greater community about the topics within Sacred Purpose. A Jeopardy!-style game was created to discuss sexual misconduct prevention with brothers, a virtual reality game was set up to simulate drunk driving to teach brothers about the risks of driving under the influence, and three social media campaigns were hosted on their Twitter and/or Instagram accounts to promote awareness about hazing prevention, the signs of depression, and suicide prevention.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they pivoted their Sacred Purpose event plans to ensure safety for their brothers and the broader community, while still providing quality education and awareness for each topic area.
Delta Theta utilized their alumni, TEDx Talks, and resources from the International Headquarters to provide a variety of events to educate their members and foster brotherhood.
These gentlemen continue to exceed expectations of implementing Sacred Purpose in their daily operations and this year was no exception. We are proud of their commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of our members and others.
The Sacred Purpose award is named in honor of David L. Westol (Beta Zeta/Michigan State 1973), whose volunteer and professional career have been devoted to the health, safety, and protection of fraternity and sorority members.
After graduating from Michigan State, Dave worked for his alma mater as Assistant Director of Student Activities and Advisor to Fraternities. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in November 1979 and became an assistant prosecutor for the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney in Kalamazoo County, MI.
From 1975-1980, Westol served as a Regional Counselor for Theta Chi before being elected to the Grand Chapter as International Vice President in 1980. He remained in that role until completing his maximum second term in 1988. In December of that year, he was named the Fraternity’s Executive Director and held that position for 18 years. Today, he is the founder, owner and CEO of Limberlost Consulting.
Westol’s interfraternal career is equally impressive. He was elected to the board of directors of the Fraternal Information and Programming Group (FIPG) in 1993 and also served FIPG in the roles of Director of Policy Interpretation and Administrator. In July 1998, he was elected to the Fraternity Executives Association board of directors and served as president from 2002-2003. He has also served on the board of directors for HazingPrevention.org and on the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values.
Dave has become a universal figure at fraternity and sorority leadership development events. He has performed his signature anti-hazing presentation “Hazing on Trial” over 1,800 times since 1981 and has spoken on more than 350 campuses and at over 200 Greek leadership events. Dave has served as a faculty member for the Association of Fraternity Leadership and Values, the Northeast Greek Leadership Association, the Southeast Interfraternity Conference, and the Fraternal Risk Management Trust, Inc. From its first session in the early 1990s through 2010, he was a faculty member for “Risk Management on the Road,” an annual workshop for traveling consultants of women’s national fraternities and sororities.
In 2012, Dave Westol was named a recipient of the North-American Interfraternity Conference’s Gold Medal, the most prestigious honor in the inter-fraternal world. Brother Westol is one of only four Theta Chi members to have received the Gold Medal.
Founded in 1856, Theta Chi Fraternity is a men’s collegiate fraternity with more than 196,000 initiated members and has established 244 chapters. Theta Chi’s mission is to develop college-age men into successful students, good citizens, lifelong brothers, and resolute leaders.