Less than a week after celebrating its 156th anniversary, Theta Chi installed its 221st chapter- Iota Omicron- on Saturday, April 14, at Florida International University. Forty-three Founding Fathers were initiated at FIU’s Wolfe University Center in Miami, FL, with National Chaplain Joseph Couch acting as installing officer.
Joining him were members of the Chapter Advisory Board: Jon Fernandez (Tau/Florida 2008), Dr. Tony Lake (Epsilon Upsilon/Central Michigan 1995) and Dave Finneran (Alpha Xi/Delaware 2002).
J.C. Byrd (Alpha Eta/North Carolina 1960) assisted with the initiation ceremony as well. Also present were Executive Director Mike Mayer and Leadership and Education Consultant Stepheno Zollos representing the International Headquarters staff. University of Miami Dean of Students Steve Priepke attended the installation banquet.
Forming a chapter at FIU was originally the idea of Stephen Nunez and Aaron Bethencourt, who had visited with members of Epsilon Chapter at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the spring of 2010. The brothers at WPI made a good impression on Nunez and Bethencourt, who returned to Miami with the idea of bringing Theta Chi to FIU. They discussed their idea with friends Lazaro Rodriguez and Adrian Espinoza and contacted the International Headquarters to get started.
The group was put in contact with Jon Fernandez, a former Leadership and Education Consultant who currently studies at the FIU College of Law. With assistance from Fernandez, Lake, Finneran and others, the fledgling interest group grew over the course of the next year and a half and was colonized on Aug. 27, 2011.
Iota Omicron brothers pride themselves on their campus involvement, with members involved in the Student Alumni Association, FIU Honors College, FIU Interfraternity Council and other organizations.
Established in 1965, Florida International University’s doors opened for the first time in 1972 with an enrollment of approximately 5,600 students. Today, FIU is home to almost 40,000 undergraduate students, 14 NIC-affiliated fraternities (including Theta Chi) and seven PHC-affiliated organizations.
Interested in bringing Theta Chi to a new campus? Contact Director of Recruitment and Expansion JD Ford for more information about how you can get involved in starting a new chapter. Or, visit our Expansion Page.