Theta Delta Recolonized
Santa Clara, CA – During the fall 2016 semester Matthew Richmond went through the fraternity recruitment process like many do at Santa Clara University. As he made his rounds to the fraternities on campus he came to the realization that they were not the best fit for him. Some of his friends, who were stand-out students in high school, expressed a similar sentiment. “The idea then popped into my mind of how great it would be to start a fraternity with these guys,” stated Richmond.
He proposed this idea to friends and fellow colony members Joseph Rubino, Robert Arnold, and Osa Adler, who were immediately on board with Richmond’s proposition. The next step was to decide on what fraternity they would want to join. The first fraternity to interest Matthew was Theta Chi since his dad, Ed Richmond (1988), joined the fraternity when the Theta Delta Chapter originally chartered in 1986. After researching Theta Chi’s ideals and traditions, the men officially decided to pursue the recolonization of the Theta Delta Chapter.
Through numerous meetings and deliberation, the interest group grew to 18 men. Theta Delta was recolonized on April 9, 2017. The ceremony, presided over by Counselor Jim McMahon (Zeta Epsilon/Long Beach State 1979), saw the colony build upon Theta Chi’s foundation in the Bay Area that already includes multiple chapters.
“This is a great group of gentlemen,” stated Taylor Dahlem, Director of Recruitment and Expansion. “We’re excited to get back to Santa Clara University.”
Theta Chi is the seventh IFC fraternity at Santa Clara. They hope that by starting up their own fraternity chapter that they will be able to build the social and philanthropic relationships that they have witnessed on campus from other fraternities and sororities. The main goals of the colony include establishing philanthropic endeavors, helping the community, maintaining a grade point average above the all-men’s GPA at the school, and establishing relationships with other fraternities and sororities at Santa Clara University.
A private Jesuit institution located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara University is home to over 9,000 full-time students that sits on just over 100 acres of land just south of San Francisco. Founded in 1851 it is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in the state of California. U.S. News and World Report has ranked Santa Clara University as the second-best university and second-best college for veterans in the West and its undergraduate business school has been ranked in the top 100 in the country.
