The Re-Founding Fathers of Phi Delta Theta’s Wisconsin Alpha Chapter are elated and honored to have been initiated into the great Fraternity on the night of Friday, November 13 at Monona Terrace, a building designed by Wisconsin Phi Frank Lloyd Wright. On the night of November 14, the University of Wisconsin – Madison welcomed back its pioneer fraternity to campus. Chapter President BJ Henderson graciously accepted the original 1857 Wisconsin Alpha charter at the DoubleTree Hotel with an extravagant banquet and celebration.
University officials and many notable Phis from across the nation attended the ceremony. Among them were Chapter Advisory Board Chairman Chris Arenz (Wisconsin ‘95), Chapter Recruitment Adviser Alex Carrick (Michigan ’10), Chapter Financial Adviser Robert McAloon (Clemson ’12), Director of Expansion Tucker Barney (Puget Sound ’14) and General Council Member-At-Large Moe Stephens (Southern Indiana ’99).
At the banquet, Wisconsin Alpha alumnus Bart Reuter recalled his life-changing experiences in Phi Delta Theta at UW – Madison, and Chris Arenz gave the brothers his best wishes in their future endeavors. Chapter President BJ Henderson spoke about continuing success and how the road only begins with the charter. The final speaker, Moe Stephens, delivered a moving speech about the duty of friendship between brothers.
The Wisconsin Alpha Colony was re-established last December, with a total of 60 Founding Fathers. Since the re-colonization, the chapter has seen great success establishing their reputation on campus. Following a 5K walk/run for ALS during the previous spring, the chapter has raised over $1,000 for The ALS Association’s Wisconsin chapter. The chapter also enjoyed an exciting Spring Formal at the Kalahari resort in the Wisconsin Dells and has formed strong relationships with the other Greek organizations on campus.
In the future, the chapter hopes to inspire many young men that attend the University of Wisconsin – Madison to join the brotherhood of Phi Delta Theta. The brothers would like to cordially thank Tucker Barney, Moe Stephens, and all of the alumni in the area whose support and hard work made the installation weekend possible.
In accordance with Phi Delta Theta’s Strategic 10-Year Plan, Phi Delt 2020 and its growth initiative, Phi Delta Theta is currently executing expansion strategies that culminate in seven chapter installations annually and 200 chapters by 2018. The installation of Wisconsin Alpha was the ninth chapter installation of 2015, and the Fraternity currently has 184 active chapters and 8 colonies.
