It is time to Support Delta Tau Delta

Did you know… that the Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity is celebrating its 130th consecutive year on the University of Nebraska campus in 2024?

Did you know… that it has been over a decade since the last capital campaign for the Beta Tau Shelter?

Did you know… that the Beta Tau Chapter has increased membership to over 100 members, improved academics to a 3.3 all-house GPA (above UNL All-Men’s and All-Fraternity average), and won a Hugh Shields Award for Chapter Excellence (#1 chapter overall) in 2022 from Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity?

For 130 years, the Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity has been a beacon for excellence on the University of Nebraska campus. Please consider supporting our efforts to provide today’s college student with a competitive educational experience by modernizing our living facilities, improving scholarship opportunities, and enhancing the membership experience for future generations of Beta Tau Delts!

Thank you for your generous support of Delta Tau Delta!

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The sultry temperature on the last day of September didn’t stop nearly 50 alumni and guests to turnout for the 2023 Alumni Tailgate. The Beta Tau Shelter was packed with activity to celebrate brotherhood, Delta Tau Delta, and cheer on the Huskers.

Delt alumni from various generations were able to visit and share what they’ve been up to, many spouses were in attendance, as well as current and former House Mothers.

Russ Stigge (Beta Tau, 1970) led off the festivities by conducting the group in a rendition of “Delta Queen” and other local favorites.

Steve Fallon Awarded Alumnus of the Year Award

Steve Fallon (Beta Tau, 1972) was awarded the Thomas E. Wolf Alumnus of the Year Award by the Chapter. Brother Fallon has been instrumental in the maintenance and improvement of the structure during the past year and will be heading the construction improvement of the kitchen this upcoming winter.

The alumnus of the year award was named in honor of Thomas E. Wolf (Beta Tau, 1967) who was a long-time House Corporation director and officer who gave over 40 years of volunteer service to Delta Tau Delta. Brother Wolf passed to the Chapter Eternal in the summer of 2023.

Undergraduates Awarded Scholarships at 2023 Alumni Tailgate

Two Beta Tau undergraduate members were awarded scholarships based on their leadership and academic achievements.

Max Grucella Awarded Ben Neff Scholarship

Max Grucella (Beta Tau, 2026) was awarded the Ben Neff Scholarship. The $750 cash award was provided by the Delta Tau Delta Educational Foundation through an endowed gift by Ben Neff (Beta Tau, 1957). Max resides in the Shelter, achieves a 3.75 cumulative GPA, and currently serves on the chapter’s Executive Board. Max plans to work for the FBI or ATF after graduation. Congratulations Max!

John Strauss Awarded Alan Emanuel Scholarship

John Strauss (Beta Tau, 2026) was the inaugural recipient of the Alan Emanuel Scholarship. This $2,000 tuition credit was provided through a gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation by the Emanuel Family in memory of their son and brother Alan Emanuel (Beta Tau, 1988) who tragically passed away in 1989 shortly after his graduation from the University of Nebraska. John resides in the Shelter and achieves a 3.83 cumulative GPA. John plans to attend law school after graduation.

In responding to an essay question asking to describe what Delta Tau Delta means to him and his favorite moments, John stated:

My favorite moments in Delt have included emotional conversations that have foreshadowed deep relationships with my brothers. My first complex conversation with a brother occurred before I pledged. We elaborated on how we want to be the best men we can be. We want to be there for our mothers, wives, children, etc. We want to be the best we can be for each other’s families.”

-John Strauss (Beta Tau, 2026), inaugural recipient of the Alan Emanuel Scholarship.

Brian Hamilton Recognized for Giving

Brian Hamilton (Beta Tau, 1972) was recognized for his outstanding financial giving to the House Corporation which has been able to facilitate many needed facelifts and maintenance within the last few years. House Corporation Vice-President Chuck Allen (Beta Tau, 1987) presented Brian with the “BDB”-Best Delt Booster Award which was originally presented to G. Wayne Ballah (Beta Tau, 1926) by Fred Allen, III (Beta Tau, 1955) in 1994. The award is an original roof tile from the 1994 roofing construction project. Thank you Brian!

Capital Campaign Announced at 2023 Alumni Tailgate

The festivities ended with the announcement of a capital campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to finish the kitchen renovation project, pay off the note from the 2012 construction project, update the heating/air conditioning system, and for general improvements throughout the Shelter.

Here’s to another great year at Beta Tau of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity!

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Beta Tau’s House Board continues to make improvements to the living conditions of the Shelter.  Last summer, we completed several projects.  New light fixtures for the entryway area, new living room furniture, and we completed several painting projects on the first floor.  Our intent was to refresh the look as you enter Beta Tau, first impressions are important.

We also reframed all living room pictures and added several pictures about Beta Tau’s history, such as pictures of our previous Chapter Houses, Delts that were governors, and famous football Delts. Intent is to preserve our history, tell Beta Tau’s story to future generations of members, a proud history for sure! 

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2023 Alumni Tailgate

September 30, 2023

Save the date! The 2023 Alumni Tailgate will be hosted at the Delta Shelter during the Homecoming Game on September 30, 2023.

Meet at the Shelter at 12 p.m. An awards and special announcement will be made at approximately 12:15 pm.

If you are not receiving our e-mail alerts, make sure to update your contact information here.

At the tailgate be ready for FOOD, DRINKS, alumni awards, scholarship awards, and camaraderie with alumni and undergraduate Delts from many different generations!

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Despite the rain and early morning start of the Husker game against Oklahoma, Beta Tau alumni and undergraduates joined together at the Shelter to celebrate brotherhood, chapter history, and breakfast. Those in attendance were treated to Chick-fil-a breakfast sandwiches provided by the Chapter. Awards were also presented during the tailgate.

Allen Presented With Alumnus of the Year Award

Chuck Allen ’87 was presented with the Thomas E. Wolf ’67 Alumnus of the Year Award. Chuck was elected Vice-President of the Beta Tau House Corporation in January 2022 and has been instrumental in the updates throughout the Shelter as well as the renovation of the kitchen. His organizational skills have been paramount to getting the chapter and House Corporation lined up on planning and accomplishing the task at hand.

Thank you for the recongition. Us alumni continue to give back because we want these undergraduates to experience fraternity life like we did. Many of us volunteer even though our family may not understand and would prefer us to work on home projects. That just shows how committed and dedicated we our to the Fraternity.

-Chuck Allen ’87

The alumnus of the year award was named in honor of Thomas E. Wolf ’67, longtime House Corporation director and current Treasurer who has given over 40 years of volunteer service to the Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Tau Delta.

Steinwold presented with scholarship award

The current chapter vice-president, Adam Steinwold ’24, was the recipient of the Benjamin Neff ’57 Scholarship. Adam not only serves the chapter as vice-president, but he has a hand in recruiting for the chapter, has been a member of the Ritual team since his initiation, and is a former social chairman as well. Adam has resided in the Shelter for the past 3 years exhibiting his dedication to the fraternity. Finally, Adam earns a 3.5 grade point average.

The Scholarship Committee really wanted to emphasize awarding the Scholarship to a young man who was a well-rounded member. That means a member who is not only high achieving academically, but also has a developed leadership style that is also high achieving. Adam fit that criteria with his 3.5 g.p.a., constantly residing in the Shelter, and his demonstrated leadership. But I think Adam’s desire and goals in making Beta Tau even better is what made him stand out to the committee.

-Ryan Caldwell ’02, Theta Kappa (Univ.of Nebraska-Kearney): Former Beta Tau Chapter Advisor and House Corporation Scholarship Committee Chairman

The Benjamin Neff ’57 Scholarship is provided by the gracious gift of Ben Neff, a 1957 graduate of the Beta Tau Chapter at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Brother Neff donated a considerable gift for an endowed scholarship through the Delta Tau Delta Educational Foundation. This endowment provides a $750.00 scholarship to any initiated member of Beta Tau Chapter who exemplifies scholastic and leadership excellence.

Alumni Gather for Golf Tournament

The day before the alumni tailgate, over 20 alumni and 40 undergraduates participated in a shotgun start golf tournament at NuMark golf course. Following the golf tournament, Beta Tau Delts were invited to the Shelter for burgers and cake provided by Chuck Allen ’87.

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Delt Parents from around the country celebrated the 2022 Parent’s Weekend in Lincoln this past weekend. It was a well attended and a fun event. For some parents this was the first they had the chance to experience their son’s college fraternity life.

Parents from all over the United States made their way to Lincoln, Nebraska to support and share in their son’s Delta Tau Delta Fraternity experience. Surprisingly, even parents as far as Pennsylvania. Parents were involved in bowling night at a local bowling alley, had dinner at the Shelter, and participated in the new on-campus football tailgate with their sons.

Parent’s weekend is a time to show our families what Delta Tau Delta really is and share in our experiences with them. We, as brothers, bond and create a family during college. This fraternity family is an extension of our natural families. They are so supportive of us and we appreciate the time so many parents took to come to Lincoln and spend the weekend with us.

-Josh Hoins ’23, Beta Tau Chapter President

Summer Kitchen Renovation Project Noticed by Parents

The summer kitchen renovation project was noticed by parents as their sons hosted tours of the Shelter. Many parents were excited and mentioned how much cleaner and professional the kitchen looked. Additionally, parents were thrilled to hear ongoing efforts by the House Corporation for further renovation projects for the kitchen and dining area.

Parent’s Club

The Chapter is excited for any efforts to re-organize the Parent’s Club. The pandemic caused a disruption to many chapter operations. As a result, the parent’s club became inactive. This tradition was a great benefit to the Chapter. As an illustration, parents would organize Dead Week care packages, dinner nights on Sundays, and other fun events to benefit their sons in the chapter. Members are emphatically appreciative of any help and support offered by parents. If interested, contact Chapter President Josh Hoins to discuss reorganizing Parent’s Club.

Future Parent’s Weekend Events

Beta Tau Chapter is always planning additional events with parents. Previously, there have been dedicated weekends with just mothers or fathers. Undeniably, our parents are our greatest support and we would love to hear how they would like to participate in their son’s experience.

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Delta Tau Delta Spring 2022 New Members Initiated

The Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Tau Delta recently initiated it’s Spring 2022 New Member class. The initiates are composed of the largest spring new member class in more than 20 years. They are:

Congratulations to our new initiates!

Beta Tau Chapter is approaching 2,500 initiates! If the chapter reaches it’s Summer 2022 recruitment goal, the chapter plans on a large gathering of alumni in October 2022 to celebrate. Stay informed of developments by updating your contact information if you do not already receive email notices and newsletters.

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House Corporation Plans 2022 Summer Shelter Construction Project

For those Delts from the 1980s, I’m glad to report that Ilene Fry’s ghost still haunts our kitchen!  But unfortunately, I must also report that the kitchen appliances and cold storage units that Ilene used also still haunt our kitchen.  Some of our equipment dates back to the 1969 addition or to updates done in the early 80s. The kitchen was not part of the Shelter remodel done ten plus years ago, but House Corp is taking on the challenge of updating components of the Shelter’s kitchen.  We need to provide a safe and functioning cooking environment for the current members. 

            House Corp’s plan is to do updates in phases over the summer, to limit disruption to Chapter operation.  This summer we plan to replace the convection oven, replace the east wall wooden cabinets with stainless steel shelving, and professionally clean and spot repair the tile floor.  Summer 2023 we plan to tackle the cold and dry storage areas.  Possibly a walk-in cooler / freezer combination and move the pantry dry storage to the walk thru area.  Increases storage capacity and removes the heat that the cooler units put out. 

            We are also considering remodeling the dining room, adding more of a “stately” feel to the room.  Also add noise reduction materials to create more areas in the Shelter that provide an atmosphere beneficial to academic study in the Shelter.  The concrete block walls aren’t the most appropriate or appealing. 

            Current updates are being funded by a generous Beta Tau Delt, other contributions are welcome.  We likely will have to execute a short capital campaign to obtain all the needed funding for next summer’s projects.  House Corp’s approach is to prudently update what is absolutely necessary, maintain what is still functioning, and remodel only where it counts with recruitment and member dining experience in mind.

If you would like to support the 2022 Summer Shelter Construction Project, we would appreciate it! Your gift can be mailed to the following address:

The House Corporation of Delta Tau Delta

PO BOX 5951

Lincoln, NE 68505  

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Beta Tau Wins Hugh Shields Award!

Beta Tau Wins its 21st Hugh Shields Award! The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity had an impressive showing at this year’s Western Plains Division Conference. In addition to various awards, the chapter took home the top prize of the Hugh Shields Award for Chapter Excellence. The award is given to the top 10 chapters of the Fraternity. It is based on an annual evaluation of the chapter’s operations, programming, and performance. Chapters who earn the Hugh Shields Award do so because of their outstanding accomplishments in all areas of chapter programming and operations.

I’m really happy at how determined our members have been. Covid was difficult for our chapter. It really hurt our morale to not be able to conduct activities and events. Every aspect of the chapter suffered. Once restrictions were lifted we all made a concerted effort to improve our overall programs and events to make up for the loss in morale. Getting the Hugh Shields Flag means that hard work has paid off. But we will not rest on our laurels. This is just a springboard to continue improving upon what we’ve started. I’m excited to see the chapter get even better.

-Josh Hoins “23”, Beta Tau Chapter President.

Court of Honor

The Chapter was also awarded the Court of Honor. The Court of Honor is given to the top 20 chapters in the Fraternity. Once a chapter receives the Court of Honor, they know they are in contention for the top prize.

After I heard the chapter’s name called for Court of Honor, I was pretty confident that a Hugh Shields Award was not far behind. This chapter has worked so diligently to improve upon past performance. They established a goal and ran with it. I could not be more proud of this group of young men.

-Ryan Caldwell (University of Nebraska-Kearney “02”), Beta Tau Chapter Advisor.

Longtime House Corporation Director awarded Distinguished Service Chapter

Jim Loach (Georgia Southern University, “70”), a longtime Beta Tau house corporation director and the current president was awarded the Distinguished Service Chapter. This is the highest award given to a Delt alumnus. It is awarded to an alumnus who has been actively involved with the Fraternity for more than 20 years, rendered some unusual service to the Fraternity, and evidenced personal characteristics and habits which are worthy of acceptance by the Fraternity and society at large. Only 456 Delts have ever received this honor and only 94 recipients are currently living.

This Good Delt has been actively loyal to Delta Tau Delta for more than 50 years and has rendered more than twenty years of service to Delt chapters other than his own. He serves in order to give back what he has received. He leads not because he has sought leadership positions, but because, through his demonstrated actions, devout loyalty, and unwavering commitment, he has been asked to lead. Despite these positive attributes, he remains humble. During his service as a resident advisor, he said, “I would not presume to say that I help develop character. These men are about my own age. Their characters are already developed. What is good hopefully is strengthened by their Fraternity experience. What I hope to do is help enrich the experience.” Whether he knows it or not, he has enriched the Delt experience for countless undergraduate and alumni Delts. This Good Delt is a walking embodiment of our Delt values and truly lives up to our mission of a life committed to excellence.

-from Jim Loach’s Distinguished Service Chapter nomination.

Other Highlights

Other highlights of the conference included many Beta Tau Chapter alumni in attendance at the awards banquet. Fred Allen “84”, Bob Woodruff “81”, Dan Lindstrom “82, Blake Woodruff “17” were in attendance along with approximately 20 undergraduate members from the chapter. Josh Hoins “23” was awarded Chapter President of the Year for the Western Plains Division and longtime Chapter Advisor, Ryan Caldwell (University of Nebraska-Kearney “02”) was awarded the Excellence in Alumni Service Award.

It is amazing what this chapter has been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. They had many road blocks in their way, but they persevered and the Hugh Shields Flag embodies their perseverance. Jim Loach’s recognition for the Distinguished Service Chapter is so well warranted. He’s been a lasting presence at Beta Tau for over twenty years. It’s very inspiring. I couldn’t imagine anyone else more deserving of an alumni service award than Ryan Caldwell. He has put more man-hours into improving and building up Beta Tau than anyone else and deserves the recognition. What a great night for Beta Tau!

-Blake Woodruff “17”, Beta Tau alumnus and House Corporation Director.

The banquet ended with everyone huddled up to sing “Delta Shelter”. Celebrations continued throughout the night at the hotel. What a tremendous night for Beta Tau and proof of the great positive upward trend the chapter has been on.

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Beta Tau Officers have been learning leadership skills at the Division Conference in Omaha this week.

Chapter President Josh Hoins learned the essential duties of a Chapter President and how to prioritize those duties and responsibilities. As the chief executive of the chapter, Josh learned the role of volunteers, advisors, and undergraduate members and the self-governing nature of a chapter with regard to programs and regulations.

Vice President Adam Steinwold was provided some strategies to determine his roles as both a leader and a manager and ways to identify which style would fit best under different circumstances.

Director of Finance Michael Schilken spent much time in-depth on the ins and outs of finance, budgeting, and collecting accounts receivables.

Director of Recruitment Seth Forsberg discovered valuable insight into the elements of why we recruit and developed a plan for spreading that information to the rest of the chapter.

Director of Risk Education Cole Perlinger worked on identifying and responding to risk management issues from situations that require informal accountability measures and those more difficult decisions to use formal accountability.

Other chapter members in attendance are also attending the break-out sessions and absorbing all of the great programming the Division Conference has to offer.

The Beta Tau officers are looking forward to the last day of the conference where they will complete their chapter planning strategy, observe a performance of the Rite of Iris and Ritual performed by our University of Nebraska-Kearney and University of South Dakota chapters, and finally await the announcement of chapter awards at the banquet.

Look for a future post that will contain images from the conference and a breakdown of the anticipated awards banquet.

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