Westminster Phi Delta Theta Chapter Nationally Recognized for Excellence

Through the support and contribution of each of its members, the Missouri Beta chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Westminster exemplifies the fraternity’s motto that “One Man is No Man.”  The chapter worked together during the 2016-17 academic year to achieve great accomplishments and was recently recognized by Phi Delta Theta International for its success.

Each year Phi Delta Theta International presents awards to its best chapters for their accomplishments during the school year.  During the even years, the awards are presented at their Biennial Convention and during the odd years they are presented at the Kleberg Leadership Institute held at Miami University, located in Oxford, Ohio, where Phi Delta Theta Headquarters is also located and where the fraternity was founded in 1848. 

This year, the Missouri Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Westminster was again recognized as one of the fraternity’s outstanding chapters.  

Missouri Beta is one of only 18 of 187 chapters that qualified at the highest level — “Chapter Excellence” (Gold Star) — this year.  Those chapters qualifying must excel at administration, reporting, risk management, finances, scholarship, conducting rituals, alumni relations, community service and philanthropy, facility management, recruitment, campus involvement and leadership, as well as receive recommendations from their leadership consultant from PDT headquarters, their advisers, and the staff of their college or university. 

Phi Delta Theta also divides their chapters into three groups based on the size of the college or university. Westminster is classified in the small institution category (under 2,700 male students). The chapters qualifying for the excellence award also compete for recognition as the best overall chapter in their size category. The small institution category includes schools that are nearly five times larger than Westminster.  

The highest award available to the Westminster chapter is the Kansas City Trophy.  This year, within the small institution category, Missouri Beta was recognized as the second place chapter in the nation for this award. In the last four years, Missouri Beta has finished in the top two for this national award, earning the Kansas City Trophy in 2015. 

 Missouri Beta was also recognized with other awards, including the following:

• General Headquarters Trophy: Awarded to a chapter who completes and exhibits promptness in submitting monthly, periodic, and annual reports to GHQ. Only chapters with 99 to 100 points receive this award. Missouri Beta received all 100 points. 
• First in Scholarship Trophy: Awarded to a chapter who achieves the top scholastic ranking within their respective Greek communities. There are five fraternities on the Westminster campus, and Missouri Beta has been number one three semesters in a row and for four of the last five semesters. 
• Community Service Commendation: A chapter who receives this award has at least  one community service event for the year and exhibits an exceptional community service program. Missouri Beta submitted five of their best community service activities. This year the chapter averaged more than 30 man hours per man for community service. 
• Biggers Ritual Trophy: A chapter receives this award when the chapter can demonstrate quality ritual performance as judged by the leadership consultant from headquarters and when the chapter room meets the national standards.   

  This year the chapter was also recognized for two other honors by PDT International: 

• Knights of Pallas Chapter: Missouri Beta was the first chapter of this year to become a Knights of Pallas Chapter. The honor is given when every member of the chapter donates $18.48 to GHQ. The donations go to the Phi Delta Theta Foundation which handles educational training and scholarships for its members. Through this award, the Missouri Beta chapter has also received the statue of a knight. The Chapter has named the knight Sir Lamkin, after the past General Council President and Missouri Beta alumnus Charles F. Lamkin.  
• Phi Delta Theta National Song Competition Winner: GHQ promoted a songwriting contest for an original musical composition for the fraternity — the first competition of its kind for Phi Delta Theta. Missouri Beta won the competition with the original composition “Thy Likeness Brother” from Missouri Beta brother Isaac Coronel ’18. The requirements for the song were that it must be written for a men’s choir with text that represents the values of Phi Delta Theta. 

  This national recognition follows a very successful year at Westminster for the chapter: 

• Missouri Beta won the Drosden Trophy which recognizes the best Greek Organization on campus. 
• The chapter achieved the level of “Greek Excellence” in the Greek organization competition for the third year. Missouri Beta is the only fraternity at Westminster to have ever reached the highest level and it has done so in each of the three years the award has been in existence. 
•   Missouri Beta was number one in grades both semesters during 2016-17. 

 A major contributing factor to the chapter’s success is its compliance with Phi Delta Theta’s high national standards. Phi Delta Theta is a substance-free and hazing-free fraternity.  No drugs or alcohol are allowed in the chapter premises.

The members of Missouri Beta have led the way at Westminster to become a fraternity that lives up to the high standards established in 1880 by its founder Robert Morrison.