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Beta Rho Chapter (Founded 26 February 1995) is located at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Chapter was founded by Joanna Cestaro and Jami Jones and is a member of the Dominion Region.

Brothers of Beta Rho-Fall 2012

Chapter History

Founding

Beta Rho was founded on February 26, 1995 with 115 founding members. Inductions took place in Harrison Hall with members from the Alpha Omicron and Alpha Rho chapters.

Early Years

The Active Chapter

The current chapter membership fluctuates between 70-90 brothers each semester, in addition to initiate classes which have ranged from 13 to 30 members in the last few years. Our brothers are not only an active and enthusiastic force in our own chapter, but are incredibly involved elsewhere on the James Madison University campus. Brothers are also involved in fraternity and sorority life, business fraternities, honor and pre-professional societies, First Year Orientation, Student Ambassador tour guides, varsity and club sports, and much more. The Brothers as a whole also engage in a variety of service activities which include:

Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Peer Advising
Blast Off Program
Our Community Place
SPCA Volunteering
Boys and Girls Club
Relay For Life
Harrisonburg EMT and rescue squad.

The Executive Board

The Executive Board is comprised of 9 positions. The term of each position is one calender year, with the exception of our Regional Delegate, who's term is for one school year in order to adequately plan for Regional Convention. In our history there have been a total of 12 presidents:

Tara Weideman 1995
Becky Askew 1995-1997
Preston Garcia 1997-1998
unknown 1998-2004
Sara Martin (2004-2005)
Jacky Allgier (2005-2006)
Danielle McGhee (2006-2007)
Craig Randolph (2007-2008)
Kaitlin Balka (2008-2009)
Emily Niedermaier (2009-2010)
Matthew Hartmann (2012-2013)
Lauren Vaccarello (2013-Present)

The current executive board is as follows:

Committees

Rush

Rush is held at the beginning of every semester and is open to students that have been enrolled for at least one semester and possessing a GPA of at least 3.0. Beta Rho's rush runs for about 2 weeks. Events typical of our Rush are Field Day, 90's Night, Tripod Night, and Mocktails.

Fall 2013 Chairs: Sam Lade & Josh Temple

Fundraising

Beta Rho hold several fundraising events every semester, which have included concession stand sales, event clean up and set up, and sales of t-shirts. Vrothers must earn a total of 3 points a semester, which can be earned by participating in three fundraising events.

Fall 2013 Chair: Heather Fowler

Scholarship

Multiple scholarship events are held every semester. Some that have been held in the past are documentary viewings, cooking lessons, scholarly talks and lectures, field trips to the Harrisonburg Cultural Fair and local museums, and more. Brothers must earn a total of three points a semester, which can be earned by attending or holding at least one scholarship event,or outside events that are approved by the Scholarship Chair.

Fall 2013 Chair: Katie Costanzo

Service

The Brothers must earn a total of three service points a semester, which can be earned by attending or engaging in a Beta Rho sponsored event, or an outside event approved by the chair. Events in the past have been the DC Walk for MS, Relay for Life, Highway Cleanups, and the Big Event.

Fall 2013 Chair: Gina Settimo

Social

The Social committee is responsible for organizing events throughout the semester for borhters to meet and bond in outside of school. Events in the past have been apple picking, zumba classes, movie nights, mini-golfing, cooking classes, pot-luck dinners, and more. The committee is also responsible for planning semi-formal in the fall, and formal in the spring.

Fall 2013 Chair: Gaby Edwards

Public Relations

The Public Relations Committee is in charge of getting the word out around campus and the community about all of the events the Brotherhood holds. The PR chair and committee help promote rush in the beginning of the semester, as well as advertise our fundraising and philanthropy events.

Fall 2013 Chair: Chelsea Clark

Alumni

The Alumni Chair and committee is in charge of informing our alumni about current chapter events, and providing communication between current brothers and the alumni. The chair and committee also organize breakfasts and bonding events during our Founders and Homecoming weekends.

Fall 2013 Chair: Alan Becker

Intramural

The Intramural committee is in charge of signing teams up for various sports organized by University Recreation, as well as planning our annual Frosty 5K.

Fall 2013 Chair: Josh Weaver

Philanthropy

The Philanthropy committee is in charge or organizing events and spreading awareness for both our national philanthropy, Teach For America, and our local philanthropy, Multiple Sclerosis research. Events include our Teach for America 5K and MS Week.

Fall 2013 Chair: Peter Watt

Spirit

The Spirit committee and chair is in charge of promoting the values of our chapter and nationals on a daily basis within the Brotherhood. Events held in the past have been Megan Concert, tie-dying, and brother/parent brunches.

Fall 2013 Chair: Elisa Hernandez

Web Master

Our Web Master is in charge of maintaining our Beta Rho websites and the creation and supervision of the voting system used at the end of rush.

Fall 2013 Chair: Patrick Davis

Initiate Classes

Main Article: List of Beta Rho Chapter Initiate Classes

Chapter Events & Activities

Founder's Weekend

Beta Rho celebrates the Chapter's founding every spring semester with an annual banquet and activities planned by our Brother Relations chair in coordination with our Alumni Chair. The weekend includes one service event and one scholarship event. The banquet takes place that Saturday night, and features an honored alumni guest, who talks about his or her experience in Beta Rho and in the real world, while offering advice and words of encouragement to the Brothers. Along with this speaker, the Brothers also look forward to the annual superlatives which are apart of the banquet. The Brothers all vote on specific categories, such as Best Dressed and Best Big/Little Pair,and the winners are announced during the dinner. The following Sunday morning, the alumni who visited are treated to a special send-off breakfast, where the current Brothers have their last chance to mingle and talk with those who came to visit.

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Brothers at Founder's Banquet

Megan Concert

The Megan Concert is sponsored by the Beta Rho chapter in memory of Megan Stidham. The concert, held annually in the Spring semester, raises money for an endowed scholarship in her name at James Madison University. The scholarship is presented to one Beta Rho Brother and one member of the student body. In 2006 the scholarship became fully endowed. In addition to the scholarship, the event raised money for The Megan Memorial, which was started to raise money to go towards placing a memorial on campus in her name. The Megan Concert has grown over the years to include numerous acts from the a capella, comedy, dance, and musical groups on campus, as well as speakers who talk to the audience about loss and how it affects a community. This concert is organized by our Spirit Chair.

Frosty 5K

MS Week

Notable Alumni

Rebecca L. Askew

Vice President of Alumni Development (1998-2000)

Brian Beedenbender

Vice President of Membership Development (2002-2004)

Chapter Honors and Awards

National Awards

2002 Joseph Torchia Outstanding Chapter Award
2002 Top Ten Chapter Award
2003 Joseph Torchia Outstanding Chapter Award
2003 Top Ten Chapter Award
2004 Joseph Torchia Outstanding Chapter Award
2004 Top in Region Award
2005 Steven A. DiGuiseppe Administrative Award
2006 Outstanding Initiate Program Award
2007 Claude A. Phillips Fellowship Award
2009 Top in Region Award
2009 Outstanding Fundraiser Award
2010 Top in Region Award
2010 Joseph Torchia Outstanding Chapter Award

Further Resources

In the News

Collegiate Chapters
Alpha • Beta • Gamma • Delta • Epsilon • Zeta • Eta • Theta • Iota • Kappa • Lambda • Mu • Nu • Xi • Omicron • Pi • Rho • Sigma • Tau • Upsilon • Phi • Omega • Alpha Alpha • Alpha Beta • Alpha Gamma • Alpha Delta • Alpha Epsilon • Alpha Zeta • Alpha Eta • Alpha Theta • Alpha Iota • Alpha Kappa • Alpha Lambda • Alpha Mu • Alpha Nu • Alpha Xi • Alpha Omicron • Alpha Pi • Alpha Rho • Alpha Sigma • Alpha Tau • Alpha Upsilon • Alpha Phi • Alpha Chi • Alpha Psi • Alpha Omega • Beta Alpha • Beta Beta • Beta Gamma • Beta Delta • Beta Epsilon • Beta Zeta • Beta Eta • Beta Theta • Beta Iota • Beta Kappa • Beta Lambda • Beta Mu • Beta Nu • Beta Xi • Beta Omicron • Beta Pi • Beta Rho • Beta Sigma • Beta Tau • Beta Upsilon • Beta Phi • Beta Chi • Beta Psi • Beta Omega • Gamma Alpha • Gamma Beta • Gamma Gamma • Gamma Delta • Gamma Epsilon • Gamma Zeta • Gamma Eta • Gamma Theta • Gamma Iota • Gamma Kappa • Gamma Lambda • Gamma Mu • Gamma Nu • Gamma Xi • Gamma Omicron • Gamma Pi • Gamma Rho • Gamma Sigma • Gamma Tau • Gamma Upsilon • Gamma Phi • Gamma Chi • Gamma Psi • Gamma Omega • Delta Alpha • Delta Beta • Delta Gamma • Delta Delta • Delta Epsilon • Delta Zeta • Delta Eta • Delta Theta • Delta Iota • Delta Kappa • Delta Lambda • Delta Mu • Delta Nu • Delta Xi • Delta Omicron • Delta Pi • Delta Rho • Delta Sigma • Delta Tau • Delta Upsilon • Delta Phi • Delta Chi • Delta Psi • Delta Omega • Epsilon Alpha • Epsilon Beta • Epsilon Gamma • Epsilon Delta • Epsilon Epsilon • Epsilon Zeta • Epsilon Eta • Epsilon Theta • Epsilon Iota • Epsilon Kappa • Epsilon Lambda • Epsilon Mu • Epsilon Nu • Epsilon Xi • Epsilon Omicron • Epsilon Pi • Epsilon Rho • Epsilon Sigma • Epsilon Tau • Epsilon Upsilon • Epsilon Phi • Epsilon Chi • Epsilon Psi • Epsilon Omega • Zeta Alpha • Zeta Beta • Zeta Gamma • Zeta Delta • Zeta Epsilon • Zeta Zeta • Zeta Eta • Zeta Theta • Zeta Iota • Zeta Kappa • Zeta Lambda • Zeta Mu • Zeta Nu • Zeta Xi • Zeta Omicron • Zeta Pi • Zeta Rho • Zeta Sigma • Zeta Tau • Zeta Upsilon • Zeta Phi • Zeta Chi • Zeta Psi • Zeta Omega • Eta Alpha • Eta Beta • Eta Gamma • Eta Delta • Eta Epsilon • Eta Zeta • Eta Theta • Eta Iota • Eta Kappa • Eta Mu • Eta Lambda • Eta Mu • Eta Nu • Eta Xi • Eta Omicron • Eta Pi • Eta Rho • Eta Sigma

Beta Rho Chapter

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