Beta WPI D20 Newsletter

THE

D TERM ISSUE MAY 2020

ETA TAU NEWSLETTER

STATE OF THE CHAPTER Greetings Brothers and Friends of Beta,

inside this issue

First and foremost, I hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones well. This is an unprecedented time and I hope that you have been relatively unaffected. It is at times like these when our values shine the brightest.

The Eta Tau chapter has looked a little different this term. Chapter meetings through zoom do not have the same feel as our round table in Salisbury Labs. Yet, the bonds of brotherhood are still strong.

Over the term brothers and alumni connected through discord, playing games and talking about cooking.

Lastly, we wish our graduating seniors the best of luck in all their endeavors. We are disappointed we could not be on campus for their last term but are forever grateful for their beta service and friendship.

SENIOR CEREMONY

2

HOUSING UPDATE

6

SUPPORT OUR MISSION!

8

COMMUNITY SERVICE

9

Despite our separation, the state of the fraternity is united.

Yours in _kai_, Matthew Karns #117

STAYING ACTIVE

10

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR YEAR

11

| The invitation sent to Beta members.

SENIOR CEREMONY

by Hoang (John) Do

“ Once a Beta, Always a Beta, Everywhere a Beta. �

That is a motto that rings true to everyone who wears the badge of Beta Theta Pi, especially to the graduation Class of 2020. Though the amount of time they have spent with the chapter varies, some have been with us for 4 years, while some have only become a brother for less than a year, they all share something in common: a cultured and untarnished character that shines like a diamond. In appreciation for all the legacies they have created, the chapter hosted a virtual Senior Ceremony on Saturday May 16th, through Minecraft, Twitch, and Zoom!

Leading up to the event, non-graduating brothers have been working together to build an area to celebrate the ceremony. The Minecraft server included the Beta dragon, a grand chapter hall, a model of 52B Fruit St apartment - our Beta house for the next academic year, a staging area, and many more features. A copy of the Minecraft world is available upon request.

| Kai sky in Minecraft.

2

| The staging area being used to celebrate the ceremony.

Brother Augustus Teran (#130) opened the ceremony with a speech that captivates the gratitude the chapter want to express to the seniors. After several readings, the seniors, received the superlatives and shared thoughts on their time spent as undergraduate brothers. Their words echo the strong connection that we have made over the years. Senior brother Daniel Duff (#96) left his remark that moved many to tears: “And now let us all come together one last time as classmates, but stay forever as friends and brothers; always looking to support one another in times of struggle, and laugh in times of celebration.

While some of us will be travelling far away, the Eta Tau chapter will forever last in the hearts and minds of brothers, thanks to the experiences we have had and the memories we have shared. Now let us share another memory here together, as brothers, and chase away the coming day, the thought that we must sever. Hail to the Seniors of Beta Theta Pi, fidelity forever.”

The ceremony ended with a firework display to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter for the 18 men. To the seniors, a sincere thank you to all of you, for everything, and good luck! To Beta Alumni, please join us in congratulating them through any means you desire to use. To Beta Parents, thank you for the continual support for our brotherhood, especially for the Class of 2020, and similarly, please join our chapter wishing them all the best post-graduation.

| Fireworks to end the ceremony.

3

HAPPY GRADUATION KEVIN BAPTISTA

JUSTIN CHENG

Major Electrical & Computer Engineering

Major 1 Electrical & Computer Engineering

Minor Astrophysics

Major 2 Computer Science

NICHOLAS CUMELLO

DANIEL FRANCIS DUFF

Major Environmental Engineering

Major Computer Science Minor Interactive Media & Game Development

BRANDON FOX

MATTHEW HAGAN

Major 1 Industrial Engineering

Major 1 Electrical & Computer Engineering

Major 2 Mechanical Engineering

Major 2 Computer Science

ANTHONY HENG

RYAN LAPOINTE

Major Biomedical Engineering

Major Computer Science

JONATHAN LEE Major Electrical & Computer Engineering

4

CLASS OF 2020 ANDREW LEVY

LUKE LUDINGTON

Major Computer Science

Major Computer Science

SAM MILENDER

NICOLAE OPINCARU

Major 1 Mechanical Engineering

Major Mechanical Engineering

Major 2 Robotics Engineering Minor Chinese

JOSEPH PETITTI

MATTHEW PUENTES

Major Computer Science

Major Computer Science

ERIC SOLORZANO

THOMAS VAGNINI

Major Mechanical Engineering

Major Robotics Engineering Minor Mechanical Engineering

TIMOTHY WINTERS Major Computer Science

5

HOUSING UPDATE

by Benjamin Dorr and Taylor Cox 6

Hello Brothers and Friends of Beta!

We are thrilled to announce that during this past semester, we have completed a phase of our chapter’s development. With the help of brother Tim Winters, we have been able to acquire a new house!

Our new house will be located at 52B Fruit Street. As you can see, the house is beautiful! It has just been just renovated and is looking sleek. We are looking forward to having the ability to host Rush events, education sessions, and brotherhood hangouts/dinners at one central location. It is exciting to announce this and we hope that it will be a nice gathering place for all brothers now and for the future. This upcoming year, we will be working with the brand-new housing corps which includes brothers GriďŹƒn Bishop (#92), Mark Panetta (#85), Luke Ludington (#103), and Tim Winters (#108).

The Eta Tau chapter is proud to present the Engineer Our Year annual giving campaign!

This campaign will begin every end of D-Term, continue throughout the summer, and end around the beginning of the next academic year. Every little bit counts in these growing days of our fraternity, so even if you can contribute something small it would mean the world to us!

Since the house is unfurnished upon moving in, our chapter is reaching out for support in equipping the house with necessary furniture and appliances for a communal living space. Received donations will go towards furnishing the space, as well as covering some chapter operations that relate to the house.

Our goal for this year fundraiser is $2,500 and we need your help to get there! Thank you and we hope to see you soon at our wonderful new house.

7

SUPPORT OUR MISSION! Dear Brothers and Friends of Beta, First and foremost, I want to express my deepest appreciation for your support throughout the past academic year. For the chapter, the next academic year is a crucial one for our longevity. As such, we would like to reach out to you for further support as we continue our mission to develop men of principle for a principled life. Listed below are some areas where we need your supports: 

Financial Contribution: These contributions will go directly into funding furnishing the house and covering the chapter operations. The giving link can be found here beta.crowdchange.co/14277.

Sponsorship packages are also available.



Physical Item Contribution: As our goal is to create a communal and welcoming space in the new Beta house, we are still looking for several items, listed in this document (https://bit.ly/2WyT9lS).



Networking Opportunity: One of our core values is growth. As such, our chapter is working on developing programs for brothers to develop their skills and knowledge. We are interested in working with you to provide the best experience for the undergraduate brothers.



Visit our Chapter! Whether you want to learn more about what we do, to share with us your experiences, or to reconnect with the brotherhood, we have several events coming up that are open to the public and/or the alumni. Come and join us in these fun activities! Detailed schedules will be published closer to the events.



Follow and Interact with us Online! We understand it may be difficult to visit WPI to find out more about us, so we are putting in efforts to improve our communication process via online platforms. Follow our accounts for exciting updates and let us know what you think!

Wanting to get involved in other ways? Send us an email with your questions to gr-betaexec@wpi.edu or gr-betacommunication@wpi.edu and let us know how we could help! Once again, thank you for your past support, and thank you in advance for helping us achieve our mission.

On behalf of the WPI Chapter Eta Tau of Beta Theta Pi, Yours in _kai_, Hoang ‘John’ Do #123.

8

COMMUNITY SERVICE

by Hunter Caouette As everybody is aware, it's become a lot harder to get close and interact with other people in the past two months. With D-term online this year, we weren't even able to host any of our normal community service events. But being a part of Beta means always trying to give back to the community. Even while stuck at home, our Community Service chair, Andrew Ventura Molina, has been volunteering every week with his family.

When Relay For Life was cancelled this year I know that a lot of people at WPI, many Betas included, were very disappointed. So when WPI's CAC announced Relay Online for this year, we were very excited about it. We had really rallied this year to put a team together, and we were excited that we were going to be able to see that effort come to fruition.

And of course, for everybody stuck at home during this time who can't venture out, know that you can still do your part to help take care of your community. Do this by always washing your hands, practicing social distancing, and being mindful of any other laws in your states that will help keep people safe.

TALK TO YOUR LOVED ONES

5 WAYS TO COPE WITH STRESS DURING COVID-19 MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE When at home, maintain a healthy lifestyle - including proper diet, sleep, exercise, and drink water. There are many free sources available to stay in shape, such as at-home workout videos, online healthy recipes and blog posts.

It is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared, or angry during the crises.

Talking to people you trust can help.

You can spend time with your loved ones at home or remotely through email or video chat.

DON’T USE TOBACCO, DRUGS, OR ALCOHOL TO COPE If you feel overwhelmed, talk to a health worker or counsellor. Have a plan, where to go, and how to seek help for physical and mental health needs if required.

GET THE FACTS

REVISIT OLD HOBBIES / SKILLS

Gather information that will help you accurately determine your risk so that you can take reasonable precautions.

Find a credible source you can trust, such as WHO website, or local or state public health agency.

Draw on skills you have used in the past that have helped you managed previous life’s adversities. Use those skills to manage your emotions during the challenging time of this outbreak.

9

STAYING ACTIVE

by Taylor Cox Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, brothers have had to get creative trying to interact with each other. Many brothers have taken up cooking, and there is even a channel in the Beta discord dedicated to brothers sharing recipes and their own creations!

Also, with the help of brother Jonathan Lee, the

| The Eta Tau Steam group

Eta Tau discord has gotten a face lift! With all new channels and rooms dedicated to various video games, hobbies and schoolwork, the server has never looked better and been more lively!

Chapter and exec meetings have been taking place over Zoom, which has presented itself with a number of problems, but also a number of ways to have some fun. Brothers changed their backgrounds to funny images and captions to try and keep everything lighthearted during these troubling times.

And ďŹ nally, the Eta Tau chapter has created a Steam Group! If you would like to join, contact either brother Sam Millender or brother Kevin Baptista.

| Casual Hangouts between brothers and their friends.

10

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR YEAR A

B

A | Spring Retreat Brothers taking part in Balancing the Board activity during the retreat at Camp Green Eyrie, Harvard, MA.

B | Formal Brothers and their guests having a great time during the annual Formal event. This year’s theme is ‘The Roaring 20s’.

C

C | Beta Theta Fries Brothers making and selling French fries and fried Oreos to raise money for philanthropy.

D | Habitat for Humanity Community Service Brothers having fun while volunteering at Habitat for Humanity Restore

D

E

E | Grill and Chill Brother Allen showing off his cooking skills during a Grill and Chill social with Alpha Gamma Delta.

F | Nu Class Induction The Nu Class includes the most recently initiated brothers. The two men of the Xi Class remains as New Members.

F 11

CONTACT US! 

Contact Benjamin Pulver, (benpulver43@gmail.com) to learn more about Alumni Board involvement.



Contact Taylor Cox (tcox@wpi.edu) about general alumni matters.



Contact Paul Monahan (paul.m.monahan@gmail.com), the Chapter Advisor, about becoming an advisor.



Contact Matthew Karns (mdkarns@wpi.edu) about chapter operations.



Contact gr-betacommunication@wpi.edu for access to the Beta Wiki and Sharepoint.

FOLLOW US! /BetaWPI

TRIVIA CORNER  

@beta_wpi @Beta_WPI

 

When was Beta Theta Pi colonized at WPI? Which brother has the roll number 131?

What is the duration of the longest chapter meeting in hours?

What is the Lizard fiasco?

12