On Friday, March 20, 44 Founding Fathers became the first men to sign The Bond of the North Carolina Epsilon Chapter at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The installation weekend took place a year and three months following colonization at the university in December 2013. The journey that the 44 Founding Fathers took reached the end of one milestone and the beginning of another. Great excitement was present in the room as the moment came for the Founding Fathers to officially be called brothers of Phi Delta Theta. The Founding Fathers all shared the same excitement in regards to the achievement, but they remained humble knowing that they represented something much greater than themselves.
Both the initiation and installation ceremonies were presided over by General Council Member-at-Large Moe Stephens, who officially presented the chapter’s charter to Chapter President Ryan Haines.
At the installation banquet, Brother Stephens gave an enlightening speech mentioning that the journey the Founding Fathers have encountered so far is just one step in the many that they will take as young men. ‘Becoming the Greatest Version of Yourself’ starts with how you carry yourself, and when in doubt, look to The Bond for guidance. He also discussed how the lessons that a young man can learn within Phi Delta Theta are many; lessons such as networking, entrepreneurship, marketing, management, culture, philanthropy and service.
The new Brothers in the Bond were joined by more than 150 guests, including University of North Carolina at Charlotte administration officials, Phi Delta Theta brothers, parents, friends, members of the GHQ staff and Chapter Advisory Board members.
There were a few other notable speakers at the banquet including UNCC assistant director of Greek life Bonnie Shade and Province President Ron Johnson who assisted the chapter greatly on the road to installation. As mentioned by the chapter, “It can’t be put into words how thankful we are to have been able to work with Brother Johnson. He was just as excited as we were to see us succeed, and the intensity and excitement that he brought was the driving force behind our motivation to succeed.”
The brothers of North Carolina Epsilon want to thank those who made this dream a reality. They are also grateful for each other for not giving up when situations became difficult, for putting egos aside for the common goal of accomplishing something greater than any one man alone and for standing tall when all they wanted to do was sit.
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 North Carolina Epsilon was the third chapter installation of 2015, and the Fraternity currently has 179 active chapters and 11 colonies.
