When: Thursday, December 4th at 9
Where: Beta!
Who: You!
Why: Everyone needs a study break!

For more info, check out the Facebook group.

Monday, November 24th from 5:30-8:30.

Check the Facebook Event here.

Join us for this new life-changing event hosted by Beta Theta Pi and ASWU.  Enter the Garden for a massive dance party in Cat Cavern featuring a real music mixing DJ, fluorescence, and design on an epic scale.  The temptation begins Saturday, November 8th at 10pm and lasts to the early hours of the morning.  Suggested attire is sexy blacks and reds.

For more information, check out the Facebook event.

Don’t miss what is sure to be the best Western event of the semester!

For more information, check out the Facebook event.

Grab the bull by the horns… and GET SOME!!!

More alumni were treated to an open house later that afternoon.  Dozens of house tours were given and even University President M. Lee Pelton stopped by with Senior Director of Alumni & Parent Relations, Jim Booth, a graduate of Willamette and member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.  Nearly every single person who walked through the front door was in awe of how nice the new house looked.

That night, two of Beta’s alumni, George Hoyt (’58) and Bob Seeger (’62), both received honorary awards from Willamette University.  Brother Hoyt was awarded the Lestle J. Sparks Medallion for his years of service to Willamette and Brother Seeger was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Citation for his work in medicine.  Nearly a dozen Betas signed up to volunteer at the awards banquet that night.  Overall, Beta had a very successful alumni weekend and we would like to welcome any alumni to stop by anytime!

Congrats Mike!

The gentlemen of Beta Theta Pi would like to invite everyone to their Go Beta Week festivities!

Here’s the schedule of events.

Tuesday, September 2 - Welcome Back BBQ - Beta Front Lawn - 5:30pm

Come join the Betas on the front lawn for some free food and good times after that long first day of school. Also, come check out the new chapter house (across from Montag)

Wednesday, September 3 - Movie Night - 8:30pm

Weather and conditions permitting, this will be an outdoor movie night, if not, join the Betas in their new chapter house!

Movie: TBD

Thursday, September 4 - Volleyball Tourny - 5:30pm

Test your skills at some 4×4 volleyball action on the Beta front lawn! Are you as good as our Olympic champions?

Thursday, September 4 - Poker Tourny - 8:30pm

Volleyball not your thing? Find out the hard way? Regain some honor at the poker tournament in the house.

Friday, September 5 - BEACH BLAST! - 10pm

The gentlemen of Beta Theta Pi and the lovely ladies of Pi Beta Phi present the most popular dance of the year! Come bury your troubles in the sand and forget those first week blues while dancing the night away! This dance has won Greek event of the year before, and this year will be no different!

On Sunday, May 4, Mark O. Hatfield, former Governor and United States Senator, returned to the house he founded back in 1947. In a touching and powerful ceremony, Brother Hatfield finally “pinned” his wife, Antoinette. A pinning ceremony usually occurs upon engagement, however Brother Hatfield never got the opportunity to participate in one before he and Antoinette married. In the spirit of “better late than never,” Brother Hatfield signified his life-long devotion to his wife by placing his Beta pin on her lapel.

Ryan Moothart, Executive Officer of Alumni and Parent Relations, planned the event with the help of chapter adviser Jon Steiner. Ryan had this to say about the event:

“It was an honor and a privilege to host Brother and Mrs. Hatfield. When we heard he wanted to do this, we jumped at the opportunity. Everything went about flawlessly and the event was a tremendous success. Not only was it a huge honor for the brotherhood to be able to participate in such an important moment in the lives of Brother and Mrs. Hatfield, it was very humbling. To see a man of such distinction sitting in our (and his) living room, knowing that he was just like us when he went to Willamette, made a lot of us realize that Beta Theta Pi really is something special and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

On Saturday, April 5, over 70 alumni members of Willamette’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi came to say goodbye to the wing of Baxter complex that has housed the fraternity since its founding. For the first time in its 61 year history, Beta Theta Pi will be moving to what is currently Terra North. Among the attendees were members of the first pledge class as well as members of Kappa Gamma Rho, the local fraternity that eventually became a chapter of Beta Theta Pi.

Willamette’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi was founded in 1947 after G. Herbert Smith, President of Willamette University and a member of Beta Theta Pi himself, allowed international fraternities on campus. His influence inspired a young Kappa Gamma Rho member named Mark O. Hatfield to begin a petition for Beta Theta Pi to come to Willamette. On January 4, 1947, the General Fraternity granted the Gamma Sigma chapter its charter, with Mark O. Hatfield becoming the first of five founding members. Afterwards, Hatfield went on to become Oregon Secretary of State, Governor of Oregon, and a United States Senator for 30 years.

“The event itself was a huge success. We’ve had tremendous feedback thus far. We made a lot of members from years past very proud and we can’t wait to continue our success in the new facility that the university has been so generous to invest in,” said Joe Gruber (’09), who took charge of planning the event as the chapter’s Executive Officer of Alumni and Parent Relations. Nearly 140 people total were in attendance, including current members and a dozen university officials.

“This was possibly the largest gathering of Betas at Willamette ever. I’m thrilled about how well everything went,” said Jon Steiner (’63), an alumnus of Willamette and member of Beta. “This house has been through a lot in 61 years. To put on an event such as this honoring our history and our house is a great thing to do for all of our alumni who still love this chapter all these years later. It just goes to show how strong the bonds of brotherhood are made here in Beta.” The event culminated with the presentation of a scholarship award in honor of the chapter’s first advisor, Winser Acton (’47), and a movie of the chapter’s history, made by current member Paul Eldred (’10).

You can watch the film of Gamma Sigma’s history below.

The following video was created by member Paul Eldred (ΓΣ 1111) for the event and gives a brief overview of the chapter over the past 61 years and the local fraternity, Kappa Gamma Rho, that preceded and would transform into this chapter.

A History of Gamma Sigma