Beta Nu Chapter (Founded 6 March 1994) is located at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The Chapter is a member of the Northeast Region.

The Beta Nu Chapter in Spring 2010 at Induction

Chapter History

Founding

The Beta Nu Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi was founded March 6, 1994 by 15 Brothers.

Notable Achievements

The Beta Nu Chapter incorporated itself as a 503(c)(7) non-profit organization.
The Beta Nu Chapter is the first, and currently the only chapter, in the National Organization to have a house.
In Spring 2011, the Chapter hosted the Northeast Region Conference for the first time since 2003.
In 2012, Beta Nu Chapter received the Joseph Torchia Outstanding Chapter Award

The Current Chapter

The Beta Nu Chapter currently has 118 Active Brothers. Active across the entire Cornell Community, Beta Nu boasts an eclectic Brotherhood comprised of members who do research, who play varsity and intramural sports, who sing or play instruments, who march in the band, who are RA's, who are also members of other social fraternities/sororities, etc. Beta Nu takes pride in uniting its Brotherhood through Phi Sigma Pi, and Brothers take pride in sharing their achievements with one another.

Beta Nu boasts membership from Brothers representing all seven undergraduate Colleges on campus: College of Architecture Art & Planning, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Hotel Administration, College of Human Ecology, and the Industrial & Labor Relations School.

Traditional events in recent years have included:

A Weekend Brother Retreat
Leadership Dinner
A Chapter Team for Relay for Life
Teams for Into the Streets
Weekly "Ivy Room" Dinners
Founder's Day Weekend
Post-initiation family brunches
Post-induction brunches

The Active Chapter

The current chapter has approximately 118 active brothers.

Spring 2013 Executive Board:

President - Spencer Gruenenfelder
Vice President - Casey Ebner
Secretary - Sarah McIlvennie
Treasurer - Shannon Comolli
Historian & Parliamentarian - Biagio DiSalvo
Initiate Advisor - Megan Hill
Recruitment Advisor - Abbie Balevic

Spring 2013 Executive Council:

Regional Delegate- Sara Moore
Alumni Chair - Dylan Reuter
Documentation Co-Chair - Caitlin Baumhart
Fundraising Chair - Jenna Behrendt
Inter-Chapter Relations Chair - Katie Sullivan-Trainor
Scholarship Chair - Kaitlyn Flynn-Rozanski
Service Chair - Claire Siegrist
Social Chair - Mariel Schneider
Spirit Chair - Alyssa Shuster
Public Relations Chair - Maggie Yang
House Manager - Michael Twiford
Webmaster - Mytien Nguyen

Note: The Executive Board is elected for the calendar year. Regional Delegate, Public Relations, House Manager are elected for the academic year. The duration of all other positions is one semester, with the exception of the Webmaster position, which is an annual position.

Past Chapter Presidents

Initiate Classes

Main Article: List of Beta Nu Chapter Initiate Classes

Chapter Traditions

Chapter Families

There are three major families in the Beta Nu Chapter- Herbcar, Dispenza, and Shirley. Every semester each family hosts a Family Dinner. Within the families particular lineages have taken on special identities.

In Fall 2011, the Great Lineage Bonding Adventure was created. This event, designed to promote interactions within the lineages even after induction, awards points for attending informal events. Such events range from cooking dinner with the lineage to attending an on-campus event or performance. Between the GLBA and the Linage Crest Big-Little event, many current lineages have created names and identities within the Chapter.

The Erin Boschert line, a part of the Shirley family, is known as the Beta Nu Muses. Their mission is to promote Chapter spirit through leadership and the creation of informal events to tie the Chapter together.

Within the Dispenza family - the Pauli Evanson family members have their own culture. Pauli Evanson's little Nina Coveney has her own offshoot super-power-house Nina Coveney lineage comprised of a rambunctious group of active Brothers promoting the tripod!

Chapter Mascot

Alf and friends, from left to right: Pteri, PSPedro, Alf, Brother Moo of Beta Nu, Persepolis

The Beta Nu Chapter Mascot is Alf, a plush version of the T.V. character wearing a bowler hat and suit. In Spring 2009, the Spirit Committee put on the Secret Brother Event "Alf's New BFF", where teams competed to make Alf's new best friend. The winner was Brother Moo from Beta Nu. Other contestants were Pteri, PSPedro, and Persepolis.

The Spirit Committee

In addition to a more traditional social committee, Beta Nu Chapter has a Spirit committee designed to foster bonds between brothers within the Chapter and to increase Chapter pride on campus and nationally. The Spirit committee is currently responsible for the semesterly brotherhood bonding retreat, perhaps the committee's biggest event. The Spirit Committee has created several ways for Brothers to honor each others' achievements either personally through the "Spirit Box" or in Chapter with a Purple or Gold Pencil Award. On the 14th of each month, the Spirit Committee encourages Brothers to show their pride by wearing Fraternal gear or the Fraternal colors.

Chapter Events

Founder's Weekend

Beta Nu celebrates the Chapter's founding in Spring Semester, often by hosting a Founder's Day Dinner and other weekend events.

Leadership Dinner

Every semester, the Vice President hosts a Leadership Dinner to foster leadership within the Chapter. A guest speaker, usually from the greater Cornell community, attends the dinner and Brothers currently in leadership positions also discuss the role of leadership in their PSP careers. The dinner is held in a restaurant in Collegetown.

Retreat

The Beta Nu Chapter in Fall 2009 at Retreat

In the Fall of 2009, the Chapter decided to better foster Brother cohesion by organizing a weekend-long Brother retreat. Held at Fieldstone Suites, the retreat was organized by the Big Event Committee and turned out over 40 Brothers and then voted the Best Event of the semester.

In following semesters, Retreats became a tradition, currently hosted by the Spirit Committee. Locations for Retreat have included Commstock Girl Scout Camp, the COE yurts, Cass Park, and Fuertes Observatory. Retreat can either be a single-day or overnight event, and has had successful planning in both forms.

Events at retreat have included Truth or Dare, Fishbowl/charades, a campfire circle, stargazing, a barbeque, fire-building, a photo scavenger hunt, movies, among many other things.

Retreat usually culminates in a craft or present that can be customized to remember the event. This has included t-shirts, photos, and merit badge sashes.

At the 2010 National Convention, the Beta Nu Chapter presented on Retreats.

Campus-wide Event

Every year, the Chapter hosts at least one campus-wide event aimed at increasing the Chapter's presence on campus and give back to the greater Cornell community. The event has in the past also raised awareness of the National Philanthropy, Teach For America.

Past events have included

Sampling Ithaca (Spring 2012)
Collegetown for Classrooms (Fall 2011)
Haiti Speaker (Spring 2010)
Farmer's Market (Spring 2009)
Ice Skating at Lynah (Spring 2009)
Are You Smarter Than a College Freshman? (Spring 2008)

Assassins

The Chapter has traditionally held a semesterly Chapter-wide game of Assassins, pairing Initiates with their Bigs. Organized by a head coordinator, teams eliminate their assigned targets by hitting them with a sock. Although there was a brief period where the game was not played, it was reintroduced in Spring 2010.

Secret Brother Event

At the beginning of every semester, the Spirit Committee hosts a Secret Brother Event. The event is kept quiet until Brothers reach the event location and is meant to foster Brother spirit.

Past events have included:

Ginger Bread House Making (Fall 2011)
Apple Picking (Fall 2010)
Minigolf (Spring 2010)
Bowling (Fall 2009)
Alf's New BFF (Spring 2009)
Go-Karting (Fall 2008)

Formal

Every semester after the last weekend of classes and Induction, Beta Nu celebrates the end of the semester with Formal, a formal dinner and dance. With the greatest attendance of any event of the semester, formal acts as the occasion for Brothers to celebrate the Chapter.

Semester awards are presented at formal, as well as Senior Speeches for graduating Brothers and a slideshow of semester photos. There is traditionally a souvenir for each attendee at formal, usually glassware with the Phi Sigma Pi logo.

Inter-Chapter Relations

The Beta Nu Chapter NERC 2010

In recent years with a stronger chapter, Beta Nu has begun working on Inter-Chapter Relations, especially within the Northeast Region. In Spring 2008, the Chapter hosted a multi-Chapter Barbeque with the Delta Alpha and Beta Epsilon Chapters. In Spring 2010, the Beta Nu Chapter hosted a pizza get-together and Seven Deadly Sins Party with the Beta Epsilon Chapter in Ithaca and that Spring the Chapter also sent 18 Brothers to the Northeast Region Conference. Four Brothers attended Grand Chapter in Harrisburg, PA in 2010 and the Chapter was chosen to host NERC in 2011.

Notable Alumni

Mari Morimoto, Richard Cecil Todd and Clauda Pennock Todd Tripod Scholarship recipient

Chapter Honors and Awards

National Awards

1996 C.H. McClure Single Service Award
2001 Sanders P. McComsey Most Improved Old Chapter Award
2010 Top in Region Award for the Northeast Region
2011 Outstanding Initiate Program Award
2011 Top in Region Award for the Northeast Region
2012 Top in Region Award for the Northeast Region
2012 Joseph Torchia Outstanding Chapter Award
2013 Dr. Eldo L. Hendricks Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Programming
2013 Top in Region Award
2014 Top in Region Award, Charles W. Chance Alumni Award

Further Resources

In the News

Profs Face Off With Freshmen Assistance

Beta Nu Chapter
Founded March 6, 1994 • Cornell University
Presidents	unknown pre-2000 • Patrick Ryan • Gerald Wilmoth • Helen Ling Lee • William Cox Keim • Corinne Cohen • Scott Valastyan • Seth Popick • Rachel Katz • Stephanie Pompelia • Amanda Rudman • LeAnn Canady • Jeffrey Bowen • Timothy Bruhn • Lila Nojima
History	List of Beta Nu Chapter Initiate Classes • List of Beta Nu Family Lines
Chapter Service Keys	Matthew R. Bolcar • Gerald "Herb" Wilmoth • Andrew Perlmutter
National Council Members	none
Torchias	2012

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 Nu Chapter

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