On May 5, 2011, a group of 30 gentlemen accepted the opportunity to rebuild the New Mexico Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at the University of New Mexico. Though their journey had its ups and downs, those who remained stayed true to the values that they had pledged to uphold when they agreed to become re-founding fathers. With the guidance of others, these men put great time and effort into recruiting like-minded individuals and turning the colony into a thriving chapter of more than 50 upstanding gentlemen.
Installation weekend began with a prep meeting with Phi Delta Theta’s Director of Expansion DeMarkco Butler and West Coast Leadership Consultant David Lopez to discuss the weekend’s events. The two GHQ staff members were as excited as the colony was about the exciting weekend ahead. After leaving the initial meeting, many colony members had questions, but they knew that only time held the answers.
On October 18, the night of initiation, the colony members met at the historic Hodgin Hall. Hodgin Hall opened on September 1, 1892, and despite numerous renovations, remains the oldest and one of the most respected buildings on UNM’s campus. All fifty brothers received their badges and swore themselves to the tenets of Phi Delta Theta.
The installation ceremony on Saturday, October 19 was held at the Sandia Resort and Casino. Just north of Albuquerque, this casino boasts a gorgeous view of the Sandia Mountain Range, which provided a great backdrop for the event’s photographs. Along with each brother’s guest of choosing, the presidents of every other fraternity and sorority on campus were invited to the installation ceremony. Other guests of honor included UNM Dean of Students Tomas Aguirre, Director of Student Activities Debbie Morris, Greek Life Advisor Jonathan Gayer, Province President David Jones and General Council Member at Large Moe Stephens.
The purity of the ceremonies over the weekend served as a reminder to all brothers of the chapter that hard work breeds great results. The New Mexico Alpha Chapter has lost its charter twice in UNM’s history, but the newly-initiated brothers have sworn to ensure that it will never happen again. Moving forward, all brothers will uphold the sacred principles of Friendship, Sound Learning, and Rectitude upon which the Fraternity was founded, and all are proud to call themselves Phis.
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 New Mexico Alpha was the fifth chapter installation of 2013, and the Fraternity currently has 172 active chapters and 12 colonies.
