Theta Chi fraternity at NDSU received national recognition for their outstanding volunteerism during Fargo’s spring floods by being featured in the fraternity’s national alumnus publication, The Rattle.
“This is great recognition for these men as they put in so much hard work for the sandbagging efforts each year. Their dedication and passion for service is appreciated by so many in the Fargo/Moorhead community as highlighted in this article. This type of national press is great as it showcases their service efforts for all affiliated with the Theta Chi fraternity to see,” said Courtney Barstad, NDSU coordinator of Greek life.
The article, “Fighting Floods in Fargo – When flood waters threaten the City of Fargo, Phi Chapter is there to lend a helping hand” appeared in the Spring 2011 issue and outlines the members’ flood efforts since the record 2009 flood.
It started by helping a current Theta Chi member protect his house, and soon extended to assisting strangers throughout the city. “We knew one of our brothers had a house that had damage from the floodwater, so that was a huge incentive for us to go out … A lot of the other brothers decided that it would be important for us to help other families like our brother’s,” Phi Chapter Marshal Cory Loveless said in the article.
City officials quickly recognized the fraternity as a reliable group of volunteers. Fargo Senior City Planner Robert Stein said, “There’s no other way to do it. We absolutely rely on volunteer help and we rely on the type of volunteerism that Phi Chapter provides. They’re reliable (and) we know they’re going to be there because they always are.” Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker also recognized Theta Chi’s efforts by presenting the chapter with a decorative sandbag adorned with his and other city officials’ signatures. Walaker also had dinner with members of Theta Chi at their chapter house.
Theta Chi led all NDSU student groups in the number of hours volunteered in the 2010 flood fight with 384 hours. They volunteered 406 hours during the 2011 flood, the second highest among any NDSU group.
Members of the fraternity recognize their volunteer effort as a way to reach out to the community and be recognized for something other than Greek letters. “Our response is what our fraternity is all about,” Loveless said. “Brotherhood and the helping hand. That’s what we’re proud to be and being part of a volunteer effort is important to us because it’s what we believe in.”