Theta Chi History
On the evening of April 10, 1856, Frederick Norton Freeman and Arthur P. Chase met in secret in Freeman’s room found in the Old South Barracks. Both young men were cadets at Norwich University, a small military and engineering college in the hills of Vermont. Freeman, age seventeen, and Chase, age twenty, had been planning this occasion for some time. The two friends, who shared a high level of idealism and a set of common values, planned to bind themselves together in fellowship. They felt strongly that together, they could help each other be better men. With this in mind, at 9 o’clock they placed their hands on the Bible and initiated one another into the Theta Chi Fraternity.
February 8, 1921 is when the charter was given to install the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity on the West Virginia University campus. It was on March 19, 1921 that the officially instillation took place. Harry McGraw is the founding father for our chapter. For 88 years we have been providing excellence and service to the University and community. We have graduated doctors, lawyers, engineers, military officers, and computer engineers to name a few. We currently have brothers in all fields of study. Theta Chi is represented on the Engineering, Medical, and Downtown campuses. Our members are from all around the world. Theta Chi has an excellent collection of personalities, which leads to growth as a person. It also leads to networking, a huge additive that comes from a diverse fraternity. The biggest emphasis is that you will meet the best friends of your life in Theta Chi. These are the guys that will be by your side at your high points and your lows. If you go to any Theta Chi and ask for help, they will help you. Our motto is “Extend the helping hand.” Whether you just got initiated or you are a 90-year-old alumni, our doors are always open. We have four brothers who have won the Congressional Medal of Honor, Steven Spielberg a world famous film producer is an alumni, as well as Ross Greening and Harold Watson, two of the 32 pilots who participated in the famous Doolittle Raid in April 1942.
Foremost the process of becoming a member of Theta Chi begins with rush. During rush prospective new members meet brothers, see the house, learn information about the Fraternity, and have any questions answered. Then prospects that are seen by the chapter having the characteristics to make a good brother are given a bid card, which is nothing more than a lifetime invite to the Fraternity with no other commitment needed to be made. If the bid is accepted, the new member starts the pledging process. It is a 4-5 week process that entails learning information about Theta Chi. They learn our history, locally and nationally, our traditions, they learn about the offices and how operations are run, and most importantly we teach new members the meaning of brotherhood and respect. Don’t worry about pledging, WVU has a no hazing policy. Our goal is to make new members into brothers. Hazing doesn’t accomplish any good for the Fraternity and we do not condone it.
Theta Chi Creed
Written by Frank Schrenk
I believe in Theta Chi, its traditions and its ideals. Born of sturdy manhood, nurtured by resolute men, ennobled by high and sacred purpose, it has taken its place among the educational institutions of America as a promoter of knowledge, an advancer of culture and a builder of character. It inspires true friendship: teaches Truth, Temperance and Tolerance, extols virtue, exacts harmony, and extends a helping hand to all who seek it. I believe in the primacy of Alma Mater; in the usefulness of my Fraternity, in its influence and its accomplishments and I shall do all in my power to perpetuate its ideals, thereby serving my God, my country and my fellow-man.
