CHAPTER VISIT
STEVENS If we are known for one thing on campus, it is community service. We try to participate in service many times a semester. Patience and Fortitude If one were to walk to the east end of campus at Stevens Institute of Technology they would face the Manhattan skyline. The skyline is said to be one of the most historical and storied in the world. Manhattan consists of man-made mountains that define the city by the rest of civilization. The Sigma Chapter at Stevens also has great history. William Raimond Baird, Stevens 1878/Columbia 1881, attended the College and took on several roles within the Chapter. The mayor of Hoboken, N.J., resided in the Chapter house, and experienced an untimely death there. Although the Chapter’s current members appreciate the history of past influences, the past does not define the Chapter in the same way the skyscrapers do Manhattan. The brothers take pride in how the Chapter has evolved, and live by the ritual of Beta Theta Pi. Approximately 80 percent of the Chapter is enrolled in an engineering program. The brothers go into detail about how 14
The Beta Theta Pi
they incorporate the idea of cultivation of the intellect into the entire chapter. “Many brothers are forced to adopt this value because they have to constantly study the material from classes. But, it goes further than that when brothers read material that is not assigned for class . . . they read and study because they want to,” senior Matt Reihl, Stevens ’09 said.
Consisting of 32 men, they understand that they do not need to have 100-plus members to drive results and be successful not only within the General Fraternity but, more importantly, within their community. “If we are known for one thing on campus, it is community service. We try to participate in service many times a semester, which is not always easy when you are taking 24 credits of engineering classes,” James Roarty, Stevens ’09, offered. Participating in different events is a great way for the brothers to stay connected and relax after intense weeks of studying for classes. The projects range from simple tasks such as making sandwiches for the local homeless shelter to participating in Relay For Life, a 24-hour event that helps raise cancer awareness. Some brothers participated in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by assisting the production crew in inflating the balloons and escorting them to Herald Square. This past year, the entire