Beta Parents

Sending a child to college can be a challenging and stressful time in a parent's life. Your son will encounter many opportunities to become involved outside of their classroom experience. It is important that you be educated about the enriching experience that your son will find by joining Beta Theta Pi. As you read about Beta Theta Pi on our web site, we hope you will reassured of your son's choice to become a Beta.

Now only 2% of the American male population joins a fraternity. So you may be thinking, "That's not a lot of people, why should my son join the minority?" However that same 2% represents some of the most influential men in this country. 43 CEOs of the top 50 US companies are greek. All but 3 of the us presidents since 1825 were in fraternities. Prestige aside, not much can beat the idea of having a group of friends who share a sense of tradition fostered by an institution nearly two centuries old.

Statistically, fraternity members graduate at a higher rate than other students, and the leadership opportunities and social networking of over 125,000 living alumni, Beta Theta Pi provides an edge in today's ultracompetitive society.

Betas would not be the outstanding men they are today if it wasn't for the excellent parenting that brought them to this point. Here at Johns Hopkins, our devotion to our schoolwork and the cultivation of intellect is paramount among our values and a testament our upbringing. That's why it's important to stay involved in your son's choices and experiences and give him the encouragement you've already given. Beta Theta Pi values the input and the involvement by you, our Beta parents.

We invite you to become involved in your our chapter as your son and his Beta brothers strive to live up to and exceed our Beta principles. As a parent of our member, the best thing you can do for your child is be active in your son's Beta experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is my role as a parent?
Take time to find out more about the fraternity community at Johns Hopkins and the chapter your student is joining. When you visit campus, meet your son's fellow brothers and, if possible, their parents. In short, be supportive, be involved, and never hesitate to ask questions.

Does being in a fraternity take a lot of time?
Your son can make his experience as extensive as he might like. Some members spend many hours a week with participating in intramural athletics, holding an executive office, or attending social functions while others may limit their time to chapter meetings and events. We hold a weekly membership meeting, meetings for new members, and meetings for the executive board. During their first semester, new members attend a variety of activities to meet other chapter members, learn about the organization's history and values, and develop leadership skills. These events are planned in advance to allow members time for studying, involvement in other organizations, work, and other activities.

Who is actually in charge of the fraternity?
Fraternities are self-governing student organizations; this is a key element in each member's personal development and learning to function as part of a team. Students serve as officers of the organization, develop the standards under which they operate. Further, we hold members accountable to reaching chapter goals and objectives and regularly assess our progress both at weekly meetings and through the Kai board.

My son will make friends in his dorm and classes. What is be different about fraternity friends?
In class, your son may meet people in his major, and he will certainly interact with fellow freshman in his residence hall. However, our fraternity consists of diverse members from freshmen to seniors, who range in majors from Biomedical Engineering to Classics. Further, being a Beta is not just a four year experience. Thirty, forty years from now, we will still be brothers, and not many friends can make that claim.

Will my student's grades suffer if they join?
Ultimately, we all make a choice of how diligently we study, and with good time management, joining a fraternity such as Beta will impact your son's grades. Fraternity grades at Johns Hopkins are typically on par with the rest of the University. Most fraternity chapters are at or above the all-campus and the all-men's grade point average. Please remember that these are averages; academic performance of individual members, of course, will vary. Additionally, Beta has the highest minimum GPA of any fraternity in the country at 2.7, which is enforced at all times

Support Your Son's Chapter

Our chapter recently began a online magazine drive to help raise funds for brotherhood events and to start saving to eventually put a down payment on a chapter house. If you would like to start a new subscription or renew an existing one to support us, you would be helping us immensely. To reach our fundraising site, please go to http://www.magfundraising.com/axbeta. Any contribution you make would be greatly appreciated!