Although there was no snow on the ground, it was certainly a colder day than expected on Saturday, December 9 as everyone came inside to attend the official colonization ceremony of the Georgia Theta Colony at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. Families and friends all witnessed the ceremony that inducted exceptional male leaders at Augusta University into Phi Delta Theta. The event took place in the Jaguar Student Activities Center Ballroom on campus, and the ceremony was led by local alumnus and Colony Advisory Board (CAB) member Gould Hagler (Mercer ‘06) in place of Province President Travis McCloskey (Mercer ‘01). In attendance were CAB Faculty Advisor Roberto Aragon, Carolyn Zoerb and Lyndsey Mayweather from the Augusta University Student Life and Engagement office, several Augusta sorority women, and families of the colony men. You could feel the excitement in the room as everyone welcomed the new Phi Delta Theta colony to Augusta University.

Leadership Consultants Landon Killion (Nebraska-Kearney ’17) and BJ Henderson (Wisconsin ’16) worked to recruit and provide organizational guidance to the men of this colony over the past seven weeks. They are very confident that the leaders of Georgia Theta will enable them to become one of the best student organization on campus in the near future.

During the ceremony, numerous individuals provided words of encouragement to the colony.

Colony President Pierce Mitchell commented that, “Moving forward, I could not be more excited to see what this campus has in store for us, and more importantly, what we have in store for this campus.” Scott Wallace, Interim Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs and Dean of Students, was unable to attend the ceremony but wanted to tell the group that, “They are embarking on a project that will not only affect men who are currently at Augusta University, but their work will also affect men who at this time have not yet been born. The hard work they put in today and in the days to come is like a stone thrown into a still pond. The ripples will continue to spread outward and affect so many lives in a positive way.” Hagler closed out the ceremony on an inspirational note by saying, “Phi Delta Theta has Neil Armstrong, who was the first man on the moon. Let’s aim for the moon because if we miss, we will be amongst the stars.”

Throughout the recruitment process, the Expansion Team looked for individuals who will embrace Phi Delta Theta’s values. They were able to find a strong group of men who are leaders at Augusta University. The colony members come from different backgrounds, have varying majors and interests, but they have all come together and are willing to put forth the time and effort to put Phi Delta Theta on the map in Augusta.

There were several individuals who provided great assistance during the development of the colony. A special thank you is in order for the Georgia Theta Colony Advisory Board and Augusta University, especially Carolyn Zoerb, Coordinator of Greek Life and Student Organizations.

December 9, 2017 may have been a typical Saturday to some, but for the men of the now Georgia Theta Colony, it is a date that they will remember as they begin their journey with Phi Delta Theta. The Fraternity is excited to welcome a new group of men to the brotherhood!