Portrait of a Beta

by Joshua Barney

0.038%. That is the percent of all men in the United States that hold the rank of Eagle Scout. It is a rare feat, and one of the highest honors in the scouting system. In the college system, you might expect a slightly higher percentage of eagle scouts in any organization as these individuals typically exemplify the qualities colleges look for. A full 25% of the active brothers of the Eta Tau Chapter of Beta Theta Pi have earned that prestigious title. This cannot be explained by random chance. There must be some factors that draw these young men into both of these groups.

Some parallels between these two organizations can be seen in their values. Beta shares its core values as such: cultivation of intellect, responsible conduct, mutual assistance, integrity and trust. Most of these have a parallel in the boy scout law. The law states that: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

While there is no direct parallel for the cultivation of intellect, responsible conduct relates to both obedient and trustworthy. Mutual assistance parallels helpful, friendly, and cheerful. Integrity parallels brave as integrity is nothing if not sticking to your morals in the face of opposition. Finally, trust is clearly seen in “A scout is trustworthy”, the first law.

The young adults who decided to work hard to attain the rank of eagle must deeply believe in the values held in the scout law. It speaks volumes that they decided that our chapter embodied those values. We should continue to work to embody those values held in mutual high regard by both the Eagle Scouts of the world as well as Beta itself.

As a young adult, Boy Scouts was an organization I knew to be reputable. My father, uncle, and grandfather had become Eagle Scouts and I knew the Boy Scouts to embody the same values I loved to see in those people I looked up to. It was basically a given that I would join, and possibly get Eagle as well. As well, Eagle meant a lot to me because I achieved it on my own terms. During the middle of high school, I became a less active member due to the mountain of other activities that were piling up, and the fact that I was feeling pressured by my parents and others to get it. I felt like I was getting it for them and not me. This changed in my senior year when I reengaged with the troop. I ran for and was elected Senior Patrol Leader, the leader of the troop. I am proud of the fact that I am an Eagle, as it shows my own hard work and desire to get there.

I joined Beta because I saw people similar to myself. All around the rush events were people who seemed to hold in high regard to the same things I did. I did not assume that they were Eagles as well, but simply that they were good people. After joining, I learned how many Eagles there were and it started to add up. The values shown in Beta and in the Eagle Scout rank both represent goals to strive for. As an Eagle Scout myself, I could not be more proud of the fraternity I decided to join. I find all of my brothers to be people of merit, who I am happy to be in the company of.