Local History

The history of the Zeta-Xi chapter begins in the fall of 1994. Two roommates, Ryan Sather and Michael Stegeman, formed a small group of friends who held frequent meetings to discuss starting a new fraternity on what was then Northeast Missouri State University’s campus. The group came to be known as Beta Lambda Epsilon and eventually grew to 26 outstanding young men. As the spring ’95 semester began, the men of Beta Lambda Epsilon continued to work hard and recruit new members and on February 6, Beta Lambda Epsilon became an official campus organization.

It wasn’t until early ’95, when Sather was Contacted by Joel Stern, Director of Expansion for Beta Theta Pi, that the men of Beta Lambda Epsilon achieved their goal of becoming an interest group of a nationally recognized fraternity. On April 27, 1995, the men of Beta Lambda Epsilon were welcomed as new members of Beta Theta Pi and became the first sons of the stars at Truman State University. On January 13, 2004, our chapter took another step towards living the ritual of Beta Theta Pi by aligning with the Men of Principle Initiative, signifying our commitment to brotherhood, leadership, and excellence.

Despite being one of the youngest Greek chapters at Truman State University, Beta Theta Pi has displayed leadership and excellence in all facets of campus life. Our Chapter has earned many awards from the general fraternity and our campus Inter- Fraternal Council including several Knox and Sisson Awards, Beta’s highest awards for chapter excellence, and the Inter Fraternal Councils Most Outstanding Chapter Award. Furthermore, Beta Theta Pi is still the only Fraternity at Truman to score on the Gold Level in the Greek Challenge for Excellence Award — an award which is given out by the university in recognition of fraternities and sororities who strive to achieve in the areas of effective leadership, community engagement, and intellectual competence.

The members of the Zeta-Xi chapter place a strong emphasis on giving back to the campus and the Kirksville community. With members involved with organizations such as the Student Activities Board, Student Senate, Center for Student Involvement, Blue Key, and Student Ambassadors, the men of Beta Theta Pi do our best to give back to the campus. The men of this chapter volunteer over 1,600 hours of their time annually to charitable organizations and in community service.

Two of the newest additions to our fraternal infrastructure are the Zeta Xi Alumni Association and the Zeta Xi Housing Corporation. These organizations are maintained by our generous alumni. They fund various activities of the fraternity and are working toward an important goal of obtaining a house for the brothers of Zeta-Xi and continuing to support Zeta Xis attending Leadership Development Experiences organized by the General Fraternity.