News

Posted by:Nick Hoke | Published: November 2, 2018

New Colony Established at Boulder, CO

Boulder, CO – On October 13, 2018, Theta Chi established its newest colony at Boulder, CO. This colony is working to become the 3rd active chapter (and 5th overall) to be installed in the state of Colorado.

In Fall 2017, Director of Recruitment and Expansion Taylor Dahlem received a call from Marc Stine, the Greek Advocate for the IFC on the Hill which is an independent and autonomous Undergraduate Interfraternity Council in Boulder, CO. Given their open expansion policy, Stine informed Dahlem that they would like to have Theta Chi join the IFC on the Hill. In spring 2018, Dahlem submitted a request for Theta Chi to expand to Boulder, CO and was accepted, with the start date slated for the fall 2018 semester.

In August 2018, Field Executives Mitch Nolan and Brandon Taylor departed from the International Headquarters in Carmel, IN, and traveled to Boulder, CO, to begin the process of starting a new colony. Through vigorous recruitment efforts that lasted over two months, the Field Staff was able to build the colony to 20 members.

The Colonization Ceremony took place at the Williams Village Center Ballroom with Past Grand Chapter member CJ Vanstrom presiding. Other members in attendance for the ceremony included past International Vice President and Past Foundation Chapter President Jim Moylan, Chief Operating Officer Ray Vanlanot, Director of Recruitment and Expansion Taylor Dahlem, Field Executives Mitch Nolan and Brandon Taylor, and brothers from Gamma Lambda/Denver, Beta Iota/Arizona, and Gamma Phi/Nebraska Wesleyan (who made the trip via train).

Fifteen men were pinned during the Ceremony. Due to other commitments, five were unable to attend the ceremony and will be pledged by the Colony later this month.

Two Theta Chi legacies became pledges: Corbin Peters, son of Barry Peters (Theta Iota/UC-Santa Cruz 1988) and Matthew Riegelman, son of Kurt Riegelman (Zeta Epsilon/Long Beach State 1987).

The 20 Boulder, CO Colony members are current students at the University of Colorado and include: Colin Bailey, Shane Barnett, Joey Crowley, Shanay Dingwaney, Hunter Evering, Eli Fuchs, Hayes Gouger, Chase Loisel, Tyler Merchant, Bingham Mitchell, Oliver Movtady, Corbin Peters, Damius Ray, Ryan Rebori, Matthew Riegelman, Grey Scheinman, Quinn Seawalt, Brock Settlemier, Omkar Shinde, and Evan Wilkinson.

Colony members are involved in many areas on Colorado’s campus including: American Institute for Chemical Engineers, Air Force ROTC, Colorado Crew, Cybersecurity Club, Engineering Without Borders, Hyperloop, Intramural Sports, Leeds Professional Mentoring Program, Mountain Biking Team, National Guard, ROTC, South Asian Student Association, and University Memorial Center (UMC) Board.

Following the ceremony, a banquet was held at the Williams Village Center. Guest speakers included CJ Vanstrom, Jim Moylan, Ray Vanlanot, Mitch Nolan, Brandon Taylor, and Marc Stine, who presented the colony with a $1,000 check from the IFC on The Hill to help the colony with startup costs and wished them the best in their efforts to install Theta Chi at Boulder.

“The opportunity to grow and build a new chapter of Theta Chi at Boulder is beyond exciting for me and my fellow pledge brothers,” stated Colony President Matthew Riegelman. “With the enthusiasm that Mitch Nolan and Brandon Taylor instilled in us, we hope to grow fast and charter by next spring.”

Congratulations to our new colony members in Boulder, CO!

Congratulatory notes may be sent via email to Matthew Reigelman.

You can follow the progress of the Boulder, CO Colony via their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Founded in 1856, Theta Chi Fraternity is a men’s collegiate fraternity with more than 191,000 initiated members and has established 239 chapters. Leadership development, personal development, and service to alma mater are fundamental to Theta Chi Fraternity’s mission.