What is Beta Chi Theta?

Beta Chi Theta National Fraternity, Inc. is a national South Asian fraternity that was founded in the Spring of 1999 at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Eight students began working towards the creation of the first South Asian male fraternity in the state of California. After months of hard work and dedication, Beta Chi Theta was officially recognized as a fraternity on the UCLA campus on June 2nd, 1999, and was granted membership into the UCLA Inter-Fraternity Council. Since those early days, this grand fraternity has expanded tremendously into various states, including all over California, Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, and Tennessee and can boast an active roster list of well over 300 brothers. Every day we grow larger, fostering our goals and reaffirming the purpose for the existence of our organization.

Beta Chi Theta was founded upon several principles: tradition, service to humanity, promoting South Asian awareness, academic excellence, striving to create a unified nationwide network, and most importantly brotherhood. These principles are the unifying factors that tie every brother across the United States together, and form the foundation of beliefs that characterize our gentlemen. Beta Chi Theta is a means by which students of any ethnicity may come together and form a bond of brotherhood that lasts a lifetime, and embrace the South Asian culture that our beliefs support.

We are classified as a social fraternity, and thus believe strongly in the benefits of social interaction in academics as well as outside the classroom. We have various social events throughout the school year in order to better interact with those on campus and within ourselves.

Although we are classified as a social fraternity, we also believe in service to humanity. Our brothers actively participate in several community oriented projects throughout the year, tallying hundreds of hours of service every semester. In addition to these hours, our organization at the University of Texas hosts a week in the Spring of every year known as BHD Week (Beating Heart Disease Week). During this week we provide extensive awareness and fundraising to the causes, effects, and cures of heart disease.

Our most important asset is the strength of our brotherhood. We believe in creating a "home away from home" in our host institutions, and firmly believe that a fraternity brotherhood not only provides a means of coping with the rigors of college life, but also instills bonds that last a lifetime. As a result of these long lasting friendships, we also foster the creation and maintanence of a unified nationwide network. As alumni, our brothers help each other in the job market and provide guidance and counseling to the ambitious, eager young men that are the embodiment our organization.

We take great pride in the development of our brotherhood and our organization, and work hard to promote the goals and beliefs that this fraternity instills in all of our gentlemen. What is Beta Chi Theta? We believe the best interpretation and benefits can only be seen by the gentlemen that comprise this organization.

Eta Chapter History

In the early spring of 2003, a group of young men from the University of Texas at Austin contacted the Alpha chapter of Beta Chi Theta at the University of California in Los Angeles in regards to expanding the fraternity to their University.

Once the Alpha chapter knew that the request was both genuine and serious they sent brothers from the southwestern region to act as representatives for the fraternity at an informational session held in Austin. Four brothers from the Beta Chapter at Baylor University and one brother from the Delta chapter at Oklahoma University drove from their respective chapters to meet and discuss the appropriate steps for expansion with the interest group. During the following week, the interest group met several times in order to discuss at length the full weight and responsibility that came with the decision before them. We refer to them as young men because the group was comprised almost entirely of college freshman with the exception of one sophomore. Within a week's time of the informational session, the group came to a unanimous decision to begin the New Member Process and attempt to establish this grand fraternity at the University of Texas.

On or about March 29th, thirteen men began their New Member Process under the direction of the Beta and Delta chapters, with Brother Mujteba Naqvi as their Process Coordinator. On May 4th, the alpha class crossed into the dawn of brotherhood as initiates and founding fathers of the Eta Colony of Beta Chi Theta National Fraternity, Inc. The alpha class almost immediately went to work on fraternity related business during the summer of 2003.

The alpha class of Eta organized and hosted the very first National Convention of Beta Chi Theta which took place on Labor Day weekend of 2003. And it was at this first National convention that the first National Executive Board was elected and assembled, a pivotal and necessary step in the growth and organization of this grand fraternity.

Eta colony continued to work and establish themselves on campus early in the fall by hosting a formal rush in an attempt to recruit the future beta class. Due to the fact that the colony was in its infancy, the founding fathers knew that the men necessary for the beta class required the same ambition and vision that they had possessed as New Member Affiliates. Under the direction of Shivan Mehta as the first Process Coordinator of the Eta colony, eight men successfully completed the New Member Process shortly before Thanksgiving. Since their initiation, the Beta class had exceeded all expectations and hopes as they had proven themselves throughout the New Member Process and as actives. While the alpha class provided the backbone, the beta class served as the spirit and embodiment of this fraternity throughout the first year of Eta's establishment.

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