Tau Talks

A theme so often mentioned in Tau Talks is change. Any given fraternity will change over the course of a year. Membership fluctuates and the events a fraternity participates will be different over time. Alumni may come back and be surprised at how different the face of their fraternity is. Change can be for the best or worse. Tau Zeta is experiencing change that keeps shifting us in a positive direction. These changes are very tangible. This semester we plan to initiate twenty-three freshmen– the largest class in recent history. Furthermore we have won several philanthropies and competitions. This is a testament to the spirit of Tau Zeta. Finally, we have made several renovations to the house. However, as we continue to evolve we do not lose sight of our history. Tau Zeta is bringing back many traditions that made our fraternity what it is today. These include the return of the Watermelon Bust philanthropy and the full repairs to the fire truck.

Tau Zeta’s ultimate goal is to be the top fraternity amongst the WSU Greek Community. This is something that we believe we are well on our way to achieving. In doing so we will remember the traditions and the members that made our house so great, continue to recruit quality individuals, and attempt to be the best representatives of Lambda Chi Alpha.

Watermelon Bust

This year Tau Zeta decided to bring back a meaningful tradition- the Watermelon Bust philanthropy. Watermelon Bust was once Tau Zeta’s main philanthropy. In recent years, however, Tau Zeta has participated in FurBall, a philanthropy that raises money for the Humane Society in the spring. In conversations with alumni, the topic often came up about the fun times which were had during this event. For this year’s Watermelon Bust we had a group of sororities participate in four events: the watermelon bust, the watermelon throw, tug of war over the watermelon pit, and watermelon decorations. The winning sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta earned the watermelon trophy (a watermelon painted gold) and received a ride home on the fire truck. All the money raised during the philanthropy went to local food banks.

We heard great feedback from participants in this year’s Watermelon Bust. Many sorority members said it was the most fun philanthropy they participated in. This philanthropy will help Tau Zeta’s Greek relations. Furthermore, by participating in two philanthropies (Watermelon Bust in the fall, FurBall in the spring) Tau Zeta will continue to be a prominent force in the community of Pullman and help raise money and awareness for important causes.

Homecoming BBQ

Alumni from all generations of Tau Zeta converged in Pullman and enjoyed the annual Homecoming BBQ at the fraternity house. This year’s BBQ was extra special because it featured the official unveiling of the repaired fire truck. Alumni were happy to meet current members of the house, share memories with old friends, and catch a ride on the fire truck.

On a personal note, Homecoming Weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year. It is a time for current members to showcase the house and talk about recent achievements. It is also special to hear the many vibrant stories told by alumni of Tau Zeta experiences throughout the ages. We truly have great alumni and I cannot wait to attend next year’s BBQ as an alum myself.

Philanthropy Success

Philanthropies and Greek-wide and campus-wide competitions are an important way for Tau Zeta to continue to be recognized. Last year, Tau Zeta and our partners won Greek Week. This was a huge accomplishment and we wanted to build off that success. This year we placed second in Homecoming Week.

Our Homecoming partners were Alpha Chi Omega and Sigma Nu. Throughout the week we participated in the lip sync, talent show, house decorations, chant, skin the snake, penny war, and chariot race. Perhaps the highlight of the week was cheering for our chariot racers as they glided their chariot across Martin Stadium at the halftime of the Homecoming football game. In the end we were very pleased with the result of Homecoming Week. Tau Zeta is continuing to show off their spirit and pride.

Another example of philanthropic success was during last week’s battle of the bands competition. Battle of the bands is Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy which benefits Alternatives to Domestic Violence on the Palouse. In the competition nine bands faced off. The band Balcova which includes two Tau Zeta members, Joey Pettersson on lead vocals and guitar and Spencer Stumpf on drums, took first place. Tau Zeta hopes to can continue our success in these competitions.

Initiation Invitation to Alumni

This semester Tau Zeta plans on initiating twenty-three freshmen. This is a special occasion because it is the largest class in recent history. Tau Zeta has bright hopes for these associate members and believes the lessons they gain from ritual will benefit them for the rest of their lives. We are welcoming alumni back to the Tau Zeta house to witness this semester’s initiation. The Lambda Chi Alpha initiation is a serious time and we encourage alumni to come back to the house for the right reason. If you are an alumni coming back to the house for this sacred event we encourage you to join us with the intent on helping the new initiates as they learn about the secrets of Lambda Chi Alpha.

The initiation ritual is planned for Friday, Jan. 21, 2011  Please show up in formal attire at 5:00pm.

Please contact the ritualist Brother Sodorff at (206) 949-8021 if you plan on attending initiation.