Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (December 8th, 2012)

On a rainy Pittsburgh afternoon, a diverse group of men from Carnegie Mellon University met in McConomy Auditorium to pledge themselves to Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. With this ceremony, the Pennsylvania Rho interest group colonized and began the journey of becoming a recognized chapter at the university. A historic sixty-eight men now compose the colony that came to campus in August. Each brother was given a colonization pin and Phikeia Manual during the historic ceremony.

This marks Phi Delta Theta’s official colonization at Carnegie Mellon University for the first time. The Founding Fathers of the Pennsylvania Rho Colony are excited to begin a legacy at CMU and build a community of brotherhood and fraternal love within the University’s student body. The newfound colony broke the University’s colonization record as well as Phi Delta Theta’s. The sixty-eight men that comprise the colony represent sixty-one student organizations on campus. The brothers come from all colleges on campus and represent twenty-four different majors. This colonization ceremony marks the beginning of the story of Phi Delta Theta Pennsylvania Rho.

Although Pittsburgh’s atmosphere was cold and bleak, there was warmth and hope within the auditorium. The ambience created by representatives from CMU’s Greek Community was very welcoming. Excitement and elation filled the air; it encompassed each and every brother. This same excitement stays within the hearts of the brothers as they move closer to formal chapter recognition. When Chapter President JR Marshall addressed the attendees, he talked about the future and what Phi Delta Theta Pennsylvania Rho has in store for the campus community. He proclaimed “We all well know that our work is far from over and in fact it’s only beginning.” Following his remarks, CMU’s Panhellenic Council representatives Amy Stautz and Talia Livneh, Interfraternity Council President, Brian Titus, and Fraternity and Sorority Life Coordinator Monica McGee welcomed the colony to the Greek Community at Carnegie Mellon.

The Pennsylvania Rho Colony would like to thank the Greek Community at CMU for coming to the colonization ceremony and supporting Phi Delta Theta’s expansion into the University. It would also like to thank the Phi Delta Theta chapters from the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris University, Washington & Jefferson College and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for expressing their support during the ceremony. The colony would like to thank Ankit Agrawal, Chuck Reynolds and John Talcott. Furthermore, a special thank you goes to Chris Brussalis for being the presiding officer of the ceremony. The Pennsylvania Rho Colony remains forever grateful for the hard work and dedication to the expansion project by Expansion Consultants Michael Boulter and Bob Wolfley.