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| The Beta Semester in Review: Fall 2008 The JCU Colony of Beta Theta Pi is continuing its commitment to the Fraternity's founding principles in its second year on campus. Some highlights: - The 2008-2009 academic year started a little early for six Betas, who served as Streak Week Advising & Transition (SWAT) Team leaders to acquaint all of the new students to JCU.
- Over the first few weeks of the semester, the advisory team sponsored several recruitment education sessions in preparation for the colony’s first formal recruitment period.
- Beta hosted a “Meet and Greet” with university staff and administrators, which doubled as a recruitment practice session.
- The colony got away from campus for a brotherhood retreat at Carrollodge during the second weekend of September. This allowed the brothers to reconnect after a long summer, develop some leadership skills, and make final preparations for formal recruitment.
- Beta Theta Pi hosted a very successful formal recruitment week, kicking off with a powerful open house presentation, followed by four events: Beta Athletics Afternoon, Beta Bowling, Betas are Men for Others (service night), and Beta Bistro & Game Night.
- Throughout the last weeks of the summer, Beta advertised for its Men of Principle Scholarship. Brothers interviewed more than 25 men for the scholarship, and in a picnic on September 23, awarded two $250 scholarships, to Odell Brown of
 Cleveland, OH and to Peter Croke of Bethel Park, PA. - To celebrate JCU’s homecoming, four of the six men on the Homecoming Court were Betas: Doug Gault, Peter Niro, Peter Poznako, and Matt Wooters. Brother Niro was crowned as the 2008 Homecoming King, succeeding last year’s King and Beta alumnus, Patrick Carpenter.
- Concluding formal recruitment and a week of informal recruitment, the colony extended bids and inducted ten men in a ceremony on September 29.
- During the weekend of October 3-5, Betas exhibited their commitment to community through eight different service projects around the Cleveland area as part of the first All-Greek Service Day presented by Order of Omega.
- The colony’s next big task was to put on its first major event, “Carroll’s Got Talent,” a campus-wide talent show featuring students and staff, to benefit Beta’s recently adopted philanthropy, the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. Over 300 people attended the event on October 10 to see ten performing acts, and raised $700. Hip-hop dance trio TKU took home the honor of being Carroll’s Best Act. “Carroll’s Got Talent” has since been featured in a video promotion for the Office of Admission and in an article in the winter issue of John Carroll magazine.
- On October 24, several brothers had the opportunity to meet and network with Beta alumni in the region by attending the Beta Cleveland Area Alumni Association “Fraternal Fifties” event.
- As part of Parents & Family Weekend, Beta Theta Pi hosted a Parents BBQ on October 26, when brothers could introduce their families to other brothers and new members’ families could hear a little bit about the organization. The brothers even performed an impromptu serenade!
- In a ceremony on October 30, the eight members of the Beta Class were introduced to their Big Brothers.
- On November 1, the colony held its first date party, a costume-themed event.
- Beta Theta Pi teamed up with the Knights of Columbus on November 8 to rake leaves as a service to the sisters of the Carmelite Monastery.
- To thank them for their strong showing at “Carroll’s Got Talent,” Betas serenaded the ladies of Kappa Alpha Theta on November 9 and Chi Omega on November 23.
- A seven-week new member education program led by Member Educators Matt Wooters and Danny Dempsey culminated in Initiation for the eight members of the Beta Class. The colony traveled on November 15 to Brennan Hall, home of the Beta Theta Pi Foundation & Administrative Office in Oxford, OH, for the ceremony. Brothers also visited the Alpha Chapter at Miami University and toured some Beta landmarks on the campus at which the fraternity was founded.
- On November 19, Brother Kuczynski became the sixth Beta to be inducted into Order of Omega, a Greek leadership honorary society.
- Also on November 19, Beta Theta Pi swept the academic awards presented at the Order of Omega Scholarship Banquet. Beta was recognized for having the most improved GPA, highest new member GPA, highest fraternity GPA, and highest overall GPA in the Greek community.
- Brother Schoonmaker was runner-up in the annual "Mr. University" talent competition hosted by Kappa Alpha Theta on November 20.
 To ease the transition of one executive board to the next, the outgoing and incoming leaders met on Saturday, November 22 for several hours so that the new executives would not miss a beat.- The new executive board took office on December 1. Brother Kuczynski takes the reigns as president of the colony.
- On December 3, Andrew Vogel was named as the 2009 Vice President for Administration & Finance for the Interfraternity Council, a seat filled in 2008 by Brother Poznako.
- Eight brothers took time to serve as a “buddy” on December 6 for Circle K’s annual Through the Eyes of a Child event.
- On December 8, Ryan Schoonmaker was announced as one of the co-chairs for the University’s annual Greek Week celebration, to be held April 19-25, 2009.
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