By Carlo Valladares
Staff Writer
Greek life at LIU Post offers students a chance to improve their social skills, receive support for academic excellence, establish lifelong friendships, and help improve their college community through volunteer work. Students who affiliate themselves with sororities and fraternities receive opportunities to network with alumni professionals, and in turn improve their chances of success after graduation. Theta Chi, a national fraternity chapter at Post that was founded in fall 2013, plans to offer their members just that.
Post currently has five fraternities: Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Lambda Sigma Upsilon, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, and Phi Iota Alpha. However, Theta Chi wants to try to stand out.
“We’re putting something out there that’s different… People’s ideas of a fraternity are skewed, I think, and they have their stereotypes,” said Anthony Musacchio, president of the LIU Theta Chi fraternity and a junior Accounting major. “Our major goal is to show that fraternities are about gentlemen. I mean, it’s okay to have fun, but it’s really about being on the right track to be successful,” he added.
Theta Chi has 225 installed chapters since first being founded, but currently has 137 active chapters, according to Thetachi.org. “We’ve been around for over 150 years. It started in 1856,” Musacchio said. Theta Chi started recruitment on campus in the fall 2013 semester, and just recently became colonized. Their official colonization ceremony will take place at the Atrium in the Tilles Center on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. The ceremony will officially solidify their presence on campus, by moving forward as not just a supported colony, but an official chapter, with both the support of LIU Post and national Theta Chi representatives.
“The next step is a numbers game; getting members and showing the fraternity that we’re not going to fall off the map. They’ve given us the opportunity to wear letters around campus and represent them,” said Musacchio. Transferring from the University of Tampa in 2012, Musacchio was already a member. He started his first semester in spring 2013 with the intent to bring Theta Chi to campus. “I felt such a strong connection of brotherhood and the fraternity was something that made my college experience, so I wanted to recreate it here.”
In an effort to raise awareness for their organization and improve membership, Theta Chi hosted the “DATE-A-CHI” date auction on Feb. 20. The event was held at The End Zone, Post’s new sports bar in Hillwood Commons. From 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., roughly 30 girls, most of who were from the Alpha Xi Delta sorority, were allowed to mingle with their potential dates. The nine men being auctioned were all members of Theta Chi, and they offered the girls a chance to get to know them by presenting information posters, all of which included their hobbies, pictures, and their potential date destinations.
Kristin Mendez, Alpha Xi Delta senior member and Criminal Justice major, announced the auction. She introduced the men to the ladies, highlighting their desired qualities. “It went well, I thought. I went for $45 and I’m looking forward to the date. The girl that bought me is very sweet,” Joe Jenkins, a sophomore and Theta Chi member, said. The money went to Theta Chi to help aid their growing chapter.
Breana Martinez, a sophomore Journalism major and Alpha Xi Delta member, spoke highly of the event. “We helped out the auction by bidding on some very handsome guys. All in all, it was an awesome night and some lucky Alpha Xi Delta girls have some very exciting dates coming up,” she said. “We absolutely are getting involved with them again,” she added. “They’re like our brothers. We love them and will do anything to support them.”
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