Theta Chi officially welcomed the arrival of two new colonies over the weekend of Jan. 14, 2012. Twelve new members formally pledged to a new colony at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) on Saturday, Jan. 14, while 23 new members joined the Eta Psi colony at the University of Alabama at Birmingham the next day.
Tom Van Cleave (Beta Rho/Illinois Wesleyan 1972) represented the Grand Chapter and served as the presiding officer at Saturday’s colonization of UIC. He was joined by Colony Advisory Board Chairman Kyle Mauch (Alpha Iota/Indiana 2010), members of the Colony Advisory Board, alumni from the greater Chicagoland area and Regional Counselor Bob Carroll. JD Ford, Director of Recruitment and Expansion, and Jason Handberg, Director of Standards, represented the International Headquarters staff.
First recognized in the Spring of 2011, the UIC interest group was formed after Aleks Vicentic, a transfer student from Iota Mu Chapter at the University of Missouri, indicated to friends that he would like to bring Theta Chi to campus. One of Brother Vicentic’s friends, Brian Runo, recruited a small group and began the work of establishing a chapter at UIC. During the following semester, Leadership and Education Consultant Eddie Higginbotham and other Headquarters representatives visited the group and worked with them to boost recruitment numbers, train new members and set goals for the future.
UIC was formed in 1982 by the consolidation of two University of Illinois campuses, which had originally opened in the 1880s. Today, with an undergraduate student population of approximately 17,000, it is the Chicago area’s largest university. UIC currently hosts 11 NIC fraternities and four NPC organizations, as well as a number of NPHC and other multicultural organizations.
On Sunday, Jan. 15, National Chaplain Joseph Couch served as the presiding officer at the UAB ceremony and was joined by UAB Assistant Vice President for Student Life Andy Marsch, UAB Coordinator of Greek Affairs Emily Perrin and members of the Colony Advisory Board. Leadership and Education Consultant Stepheno Zollos represented the International Headquarters staff, and brothers from both Beta Xi/Birmingham-Southern and Chi/Auburn sent representatives as well.
Eta Psi was first recognized in the fall of 2011 after Leadership and Education Consultants Eddie Higginbotham and Stepheno Zollos recruited and trained the initial group of Founding Fathers. The Eta Psi Interest Group quickly gained traction at UAB, both in terms of recruitment and campus involvement. The colonization petition was approved later that semester.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham was established in 1936 as an extension of the University of Alabama and became an autonomous institution in 1969. Today, with a total student population of approximately 11,000 undergraduates, it is one of Alabama’s three state institutions for higher learning. UAB currently hosts four NIC fraternities and four NPC organizations, as well as a number of NPHC and other multicultural organizations.