Buried in the rugged hills of Greece, the ruins of the legendary Oracle at Delphi were said to bear this inscription: “Nothing In Excess.”
More than 2,000 years later on Rocky Top, the Greek alphabet’s origins are largely forgotten and co-eds instead associate these letters with fraternities and sororities, often colored by a stigma of over-the-top parties and underage drinking.
In addition to Pi Kappa Alpha’s “butt chugging” incident in Sept. 2012, UT also suspended its chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity last spring for hazing, preventing the fraternity’s official recognition until August 2016.
With four fraternities currently on disciplinary probation at UT and Kappa Alpha’s recent suspension, “nothing in excess” may prove to be timeless wisdom for those participating in rumored activities in Fraternity Park.
Not all fraternities, though, are currently under scrutiny.
For Beta Upsilon Chi, the Christian fraternity that moved into the former Pi Kappa Alpha house in 2013, redefining the image of Greek life remains a goal for the organization as it approaches its third year on campus.
“Our heart behind pledgeship is we want to encourage the younger guys and empower them,” said Preston Morris, president of BYX and junior in accounting and German. “So that when they become brothers, hopefully, they can do the same exact thing to the next group of pledges. It’s not a time where they’re degraded. It’s not where they’re forced to do something they don’t want to do.
“We want them to flourish.”
While BYX is still separate from Interfraternity Council, members have a series of requirements as brothers: study hall hours, regular chapter meetings and Monday morning reflections on testimonies and Biblical doctrine.
Like their fellow fraternities, pledges are also required to wear blazers and a tie that belongs to their designed “big brother.”
But these clothing essentials, according to Morris, indicate more than just a preferred style of dress.
“There’s a passage in I Samuel where Jonathan takes off all his robe and takes off all his armor, and because of that (King) David goes and succeeds,” Morris said. “That’s kind of the mentality that we want to embrace with. My big brother, my fraternity is giving this to you to be your absolute best.”
Officiated as a fraternity on Jan. 17, 2012, Morris said the fraternity prohibits any alcohol at the BYX house or any events as a result of their faith-based principles.
Morris noted, however, that the fraternity does not believe alcohol as inherently evil but that there is room for improvement between the university and the Greek community
“I think right now there’s kind of sour taste in everyone’s mouth with the Greek life,” Morris said. “And part of that is there has been a disconnect between fraternities and UT. It’s only fraternities at UT, and I know we would like to be in place where we can be a light and an encouraging force in that.”
As part of their philosophy of community building, the fraternity also serves meals to seven other fraternities in addition to the BYX brotherhood — or the “Bucks” as they are fondly named.
David Herberich, a junior in industrial engineering, said the intentional attitude behind the pledging process was a big draw for him to join.
“One thing BYX is really good about is going to a level of closeness, like not being afraid to talk about the stuff in your lives that guys tend to stray away from,” Herberich said. “I mean some guys have a hard time talking about personal things, so I would figure that some of the fraternities would cause some of the friendships I had before where it never goes very deep,”
College presents the dilemma seasonal friendships, Herberich explained, but BYX offers a community that promises to be more lasting.
“I definitely think until my graduation and then hopefully even on after that, we’ll always keep up with each other and be looking out for each other and helping each other out,” Herberich said.
As both sororities and fraternities at UT prepare for the coming year, Abby Powell, a junior in kinesiology and President of the Panhellenic Council said that all fraternities will be required to have house directors — also known as house “dads” — to foster a safer community and more accountability on Fraternity Row.
“IFC is working with Dr. (Melissa) Shivers and the Vice Chancellor of Student Life to outline that job description,” Powell said. “This is something that has been in the works for a few years now, and I’m excited to see where it leads us.”
