View photos from the dedication here.
More than 100 Sigma Chi actives, pledges, alumni and parents attended Oct. 17’s dedication of the new house that the president of the Beta Phi house corporation called a place were memories are made.
They also heard about a new mentoring and career development program the alumni chapter plans to begin in January.
Brother Jim Campbell told the gathering on the UA’s Family Weekend on the house patio that the building, which is being leased from the Kappa Sigs, signifies the past, the present and the future for generations of Sigma Chis.
“We dedicate buildings because they signify our lives,” he said. “It is the memories and the experiences that go with the building.”
The Beta Phi actives and pledges moved into the house at 1423 E. First St. this fall under a lease for interim housing for three years while a campaign continues to raise funds to build a permanent facility.
The house sleeps 40 and has a resident adviser unit. It comes with a full kitchen and dining room, which will be used. It also has a living room, chapter room, and storage and utility rooms. It is a two- and three-story structure, with a sprinkler system for fire protection. It has multiple outdoor areas, including a half basketball court. It is considered one of the two nicest fraternity houses on campus.
Campbell told the gathering that the Beta Phi Chapter has been an important part of the university since its inception in 1921, calling the chapter a “driving force at the university. Throughout those decades, men who have worn the white cross including Sen. Barry Goldwater, 53rd Grand Consul Dr. Marvin “Swede” Johnson, 50th Grand Consul Jack McDuff and so many others have started their adult lives at this chapter,” he said.
“This house is the gathering spot for our young brothers to learn and to grow into those standards and values that our alumni brothers have attempted to live their lives to these many years. However, the house is not the fraternity,” Campbell noted. “Our young undergraduate members and their alumni brothers living their lives to a set of moral values and ideals are the fraternity. We charge our young members to conduct themselves and to live their lives to a higher standard … journey that started in a loving home with their parents and siblings … but a journey that continues here and in the years to come.”
Chapter adviser Robin Winters thanked the parents and Brothers for their help in securing the house. “Parents, without you, all of this would be impossible,” he said. “Brothers, without your tireless efforts, none of this would be possible.”
In describing the mentoring program, Brother Terry Valeski told the gathering that alumni would be advising Beta Phi juniors and seniors on career paths. He quoted Winston Churchill, who said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
“It is in this spirit that we launch this program,” said Valeski, who will head the program. “Beta Phi Sigs have gone on the successful careers in numerous sectors and will now interact with juniors and seniors to not only enhance their career path process but also provide guidance and opportunities for job interviews and connection within the alumni chapter network. A critically important aspect of this will be personal mentoring.
“We will match an alum with each junior and senior in the program. The mentor will be available to the student and at the same time communicate with that individual’s parents to create a team environment, away and home, for the successful development of the individual.”
During the barbecue that followed the dedication, chapter brothers passed out ceremonial white roses to their mothers on the warm day for the festive occasion on the UA campus.
