By 2008, Beta Sig’s membership had grown to 46. Based on early recruitment numbers, Gross, who is now president of Beta Sig, expects at least a dozen new members in the fall.

For obvious reasons, Beta Sig’s academic success scores points with parents. But it’s also “a big selling point” to freshmen, Gross says. “After all,” he says, “that’s why we’re here at Missouri S&T – to get good grades and then move on to good jobs.”

Ask the person on the street to describe fraternity life and you’ll likely get a different perspective. The uninitiated tend to think of frat guys as more bent on partying than studying, more concerned about beers than careers. Informed largely by pop culture depictions and sensational news reports, the public view of life in Greek-letter societies is an Animal House world of hazing, sex and endless toga parties.

Released 30 years ago, Animal House introduced moviegoers to a satirical view of fraternity life that has turned into the default perspective of many Americans. The movie chronicles the exploits of Delta house, a gang of beer-swilling misfits at fictional Faber College. Operating under the motto “don’t get mad, get even,” Delta members sneak a horse into the dean’s office, take a few liberties with their female guests and crash the homecoming parade in a “deathmobile.” In the words of Faber’s Dean Wormer, the Deltas are destined to go through life “drunk, fat and stupid.”

The fraternity’s emphasis on academics “is important to me, because we are here to study.” — Abdullah Alajaj (Delta Tau Delta). Photo by B.A. Rupert

Still, that stereotype persists, even on a campus like Missouri S&T, where Revenge of the Nerds might be the more fitting frat house comedy. S&T is “a much different school when it comes to fraternities,” says Andrew Friedrichs, a Beta Sig whose 3.95 GPA is tops for his fraternity. “By and large, the people I know who are in fraternities, they take school more seriously than most people typically think,” he says.

Zeta’s “smarty pants” award is a “giant pair of old lady underwear somebody bought from Wal-Mart.” — Erin Hayden (Zeta), third from left. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Despite the stereotypes, fraternities and sororities at their core remain “values-based organizations” designed to “make men better men and women better women.” So says Matt Goodwin, former Greek life advisor at Missouri S&T. National studies and anecdotal evidence support the view that fraternities and sororities help students develop leadership and social skills. Gross – an officer in four other organizations besides his fraternity – nearly personifies that perspective. With the steady interest in Greek life on campus – one in four students here opt to go Greek, compared to about 7 percent nationally – plenty of other Missouri S&T students must be attracted to those ideals.

Or maybe they just want to fit in. That’s one of the main reasons students join Greek-letter societies, Goodwin says. (Success is the other motivating factor.) For Alajaj, fitting into American culture as well as university life was paramount. “When I first got here, I didn’t know anyone,” he says. “It was a strange culture.” The native of the oil-rich Persian Gulf city of Qatif asked around campus about different fraternities. He eventually talked to Andrew Perkins, a member of Delta Tau Delta, who invited Alajaj to join the fraternity. Like Beta Sigma Psi, the Delts focus on academics – Alajaj points out that the house’s GPA has been in the top five of all fraternities over the past five years – and downplays partying. (Unlike
that more famous Delta House of Hollywood, this Delta House’s revelries are limited to Greek Week in the fall and St. Pat’s in the spring.) The fraternity’s emphasis on academics “is important to me, because we are here to study,” he says. “It’s important to any international student.”

For Hayden, sorority life was an extension of her peer network from high school. As part of an all-female dance team at her large San Antonio, Texas, high school, “I was constantly surrounded by 30 girls,” she says. “It was kind of like a mini-sorority. I knew there weren’t a lot of girls here, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to adapt. … When you go to such a small school and you’re also faced with such a high difficulty level (academically), you need a support network or else you’re either going to drop out or flunk out.”

Now a production supervisor at Frito Lay in Topeka, Kan., Hayden’s support network is helping her settle in to life after graduation. Zeta alumnae living in Lawrence, Kan., helped Hayden find her first apartment. Apparently some alumnae take to heart the sorority slogan “Zetas forever.”

The Greek support network helps academically as well as socially. One reason for Beta Sigma Psi’s academic success has to do with mandatory study hours for freshmen. New initiates are required to study four hours a night, five nights a week. Gross and Friedrichs both say the practice helped them develop a more disciplined approach to studying and managing their time.

For new members, the study requirement “is kind of a kick in the pants,” says Friedrichs. Especially if they, like Friedrichs, rarely had to study in high school. But the aerospace engineering junior from Lamar, Mo., says the practice pays dividends. “I’m more motivated to study now than I was in high school,” he says. “I played a lot of video games in high school, too, and if I had been in the dorms I may have played a lot of video games instead of studying.”

Like Friedrichs, Hayden breezed through high school, graduating with a 4.0. While ZTA didn’t impose mandatory study hours when Hayden was active in the chapter, they used other methods to encourage members to do well academically. Zeta’s “brag board” in the kitchen is used to spotlight students who earn A’s on tests, and the sorority’s “smarty pants” award – “this giant pair of old lady underwear somebody bought from Wal-Mart” – is a fun way of recognizing members for their classroom performance, Hayden says.

The Greek support network is there for students who don’t make their grades, too. When Alajaj joined Delta Tau Delta last fall, the fraternity’s goal was for every member to carry at least a 2.5 GPA. Alajaj fell short. So during the spring semester, the fraternity required him to hit the books for four hours a night during the week. The extra study hours are just another cultural and academic adjustment for Alajaj. But it doesn’t bother him, any more than living in a fraternity of non-Muslims does.

Some Saudi students at Missouri S&T question why Alajaj would want to live, dine and study with non-Muslims, especially “people who drink.”

“My response to that is, ‘Well, you go to class and you sit with people who drink. What is the difference?’” In this Delta House, “We all act as brothers,” he says. “That’s how life should be.”

George is now retired from his post as Missouri S&T’s assistant to the chancellor for affirmative action, but he’s still the advisor to the Alphas on campus. He says hazing is no longer tolerated. But something altogether different, “stepping,” something that George never experienced as a student, is now a big part of the landscape at historically black fraternities like Alpha Phi Alpha.

“If stepping would have been part of my initiation, I wouldn’t have made it,” George says. “Father (Joe) Carlo at Christ Episcopal in Rolla once told me I was the only black guy he knew who couldn’t dance.”

Stepping, for the uninitiated, is like tap dancing without tap shoes. It probably started before the civil rights movement with pledges who were forced to march in lockstep to encourage unity, but stepping didn’t gain a
significant foothold on college campuses until the 1960s or 1970s. Modern step shows include stomping, satirical “put-downs,” improvised dance moves and gestures of respect.

Keenan Miller, CE’06, is a project engineer for Brinkmann Constructors in St. Louis, but he’s still involved in fraternity activities. Miller says one of the highlights for an Alpha at Missouri S&T is visiting the Annie Malone Children’s Home in St. Louis, a trip that usually involves stepping.

“We make the children presents, talk to them about education, and most of the time just listen to them,” Miller says. “Afterwards, we step for them.”

Miller, who also played football at Missouri S&T, says fraternity members and alumni spend long hours practicing for stepping contests, which help Alphas and other members of historically black fraternities raise money for charities and campus events.

Step shows are part of the culture of historically black fraternities and sororities across the nation. Each of these Greek organizations, of course, has its own traditions, practices, signs and symbols, as well. In the case of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, the other historically black organization on campus, canes are very symbolic and are incorporated into step shows.

Unique to the Epsilon Psi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at Missouri S&T are “ship paddles.” Miller explains: “Every ‘ship’ or pledge class that joins our chapter creates a story of their journey to Alpha,” he says. “If you go to our house, there is a room that has six-foot-tall wooden panels that have been cut and designed specifically by the members of each ship.”

The Alpha house is currently located at 1606 N. Rolla St. The first Alpha Phi Alpha house in Rolla was a renovated Cadillac dealership, according to George, who says many of the owners of rental properties in town discriminated against African Americans and international students in the 1960s. After a formal complaint by an Alpha member, the university eventually adopted a policy that required the owners to sign a nondiscrimination affidavit in order to
have their properties advertised as campus housing. Furthermore, George says, members of Alpha Phi Alpha were instrumental in starting the Association for Black Students and the university’s student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.

Students at Missouri S&T must complete one semester with a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher before starting the process of joining the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. While the Alphas don’t have the highest collective GPA on campus, George is very proud of the house’s graduation rates. “Since 1992,” he says, “only two members have not graduated.”

A motto coined by Alpha Andrew T. Cleveland, EMgt’06, was recently embraced by fellow members: “We party hard, we stay out late, but most of all, we graduate.”

“I remember that ceremony well,” says original Kappa Delta member Laura (Eddleman) Davenport, Psyc’72. “We just felt a lot of pride; we felt we had done something really great. We had arrived; we had met our goal.”

“There are definitely a lot more opportunities for women.”— Katherine Stockstill, Kappa Delta. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Within a week, pledging ceremonies were held and the new Kappa Deltas began learning the rules and rituals of the sorority from members of the Alpha Psi Chapter at Drury University, as well as representatives from Kappa Delta’s national organization.

“It was a complete whirlwind. I joined the local sorority and the next thing I knew, it was going national,” remembers Lynda (Nations) Short, Engl’74. “During the summer, they trained us and we learned all of the ceremonies. It was just like a regular rush, but it was only for the girls who were members of Lambda Sigma.”

Soon after, Zeta Tau Alpha “women’s fraternity” (the phrase used for such organizations founded before 1874) became Missouri S&T’s second National Panhellenic sorority in May 1973. Chi Omega women’s fraternity would follow in February 1978. Finally, Phi Sigma Rho sorority was installed on campus in April 2004, although it is not affiliated with the 26-member National Panhellenic Council.

Back during Missouri S&T’s first formal rush in the fall of 1972, there were 411 women attending the university.

“At that time, Missouri S&T was barely on the map as far as women were concerned,” says Davenport. “Kappa Delta was about doing something for the girls. We could tell the female population was going to grow, so it was a way to organize the women and have something that was just for them. It gave the university some kudos to be able to tell women there was a sorority on campus.”

There are now 1,286 women enrolled at Missouri S&T, with 22 percent belonging to one of the four Greek organizations, and Kappa Delta has grown from its 12 original members to 50 active members and 600 alumnae. As the number of women on campus has grown, so have their opportunities in the fields of math, science, engineering and technology.

“There are definitely a lot more opportunities for women,” says current Kappa Delta President Katherine Stockstill, a junior majoring in biology. “But, it still takes a lot of hard work. Since these are male-dominated fields, there still is a certain level of competition.”

Stockstill says being a Kappa Delta has helped her do away with her shyness, and has given her a support system of sisters during her years at Missouri S&T.

“They are your family, they are there with you when something goes wrong and you need a shoulder to cry on, or when you’ve had a good day and need someone to help you celebrate,” says Stockstill.

Vice President of Membership Stacie Adams, a junior majoring in psychology, says being a Kappa Delta has helped her build confidence, overcome her fear of public speaking, and get involved in life on campus.

“I’ve never felt like I’m in the minority as a woman at Missouri S&T because I have been a part of the Kappa Delta house for so long,” Adams says.

In addition, the following students and staff won MACURH awards:

Jonathan Leek, a senior in psychology from St. Louis, was named the NRHH Member of the Year for contributions within NRHH to benefit leaders on campus.

Matt Hume, a sophomore in engineering management from St. Peters, Mo., was named Programmer of the Year for programmatic efforts in the residence halls and on campus.

Jacob Sherry, a sophomore in architectural engineering from Wright City, Mo., was named Student of the Year for leadership in the residence halls.

Alias Seiichi Tagami, a senior in aerospace engineering from Rolla, received the Distinguished Service Award for lifetime service to both the local residence halls and to the MACURH region.

Dana Barnard, Thomas Jefferson Hall resident director, was named Advisor of the Year for contributions to the residence halls and various campus organizations. Barnard was recognized for her efforts in promoting diversity awareness and student empowerment.

Missouri S&T is one of 50 schools in MACURH’s seven-state region.

Dale and Patricia Ruma Spence. Photo by Phillip Mackenzie

“The common view is that you must be retired with a million dollars to make a difference, and that’s just not the case,” Patricia says. “We are everyday people in our thirties who feel our Missouri S&T education and Greek organizations contributed significantly to our successes and ability to pursue our dreams. That is why giving back to our alma mater is so important to us.”

Dale and Patricia are trying to inspire other young alumni to do the same. They point out there are many ways giving can be accomplished, and not all of them require shelling out big bucks. Dale suggests supporting student design teams or annually leveraging an employer’s matching gift program. “Everyone has a personal reason for giving,” Dale says. “Patricia and I believe in education, we believe in the mission of Missouri S&T, and we believe in assisting students in their goal of becoming tomorrow’s leaders.”

Honored were:

Diana Ahmad, associate professor of history and political science and the author of The Opium Debate and Chinese Exclusion Laws in the Nineteenth-Century American West, published in 2007. Ahmad is also the campus archivist.

Jerry Cohen, professor of arts, languages and philosophy and an expert in word origins. Cohen’s books and monographs touch on such topics as Missouri place names, baseball terms, jazz lingo and even eatery slang. Many of the subjects are covered in his seven-volume series, Studies in Slang.

Kate Drowne, assistant professor of English and technical communication and director of the campus’s writing center. Her book, Spirits of Defiance: National Prohibition and Jazz Age Literature, 1920-1933, was published in 2005.

Irina Ivliyeva, assistant professor of arts, languages and philosophy and the author of Problems in the Synthesis of Russian Verbs, published in 2003.

Ed Malone, assistant professor of English and technical communication and director of the technical communication program. Malone edited and contributed to the first two series of British Rhetoricians and Logicians, 1500-1660, published in 2001 and 2003. He also wrote 13 biographies for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, published in 2004.

John McManus, associate professor of history and political science. An expert on military history, McManus is the author of several books ­­on the subject, including Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible and War For Dummies, both published in 2007.

U.S. News’ online rankings include six Missouri S&T graduate engineering programs, four of which improved upon their 2007 rankings, and one program not ranked last year:

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• Aerospace engineering, ranked 39th (28th among public universities)


• Civil engineering, ranked 38th (tied for 24th among public universities)


• Computer engineering, ranked 57th (tied for 33rd among public universities)


• Electrical engineering, ranked 50th (tied for 30th among public universities)


• Materials engineering, ranked 39th (25th among public universities)


• Mechanical engineering, ranked 48th (tied for 29th among public universities)

“We are very pleased with Missouri S&T’s outstanding graduate programs and the national recognition they have received,” says Provost Warren K. Wray. “Having five graduate programs among the nation’s top ­50 underscores the recognition that our peers have of our programs.”

U.S. News ranks 12 individual engineering disciplines. Missouri S&T offers 10 of those programs (including the six listed above), plus seven additional graduate degrees in engineering that are not ranked by U.S. News.

JacobBrakeman. Photo by Kyle Te

Week two, Tower Week, focused on refining individual skills. Participants learned the procedures for a “mass exit” from an aircraft and trained on the 34-foot tower, the swing landing trainer and suspended harness.

Soldiers and cadets finally tested their skills during the third week, Jump Week, by making a real jump from an aircraft. Brakeman and his fellow cadets completed five jumps the week prior to the end of the course to earn the title of paratrooper.

“This experience left me with the most confidence I have ever had,” Brakeman says. “I felt like I could do just about anything, which was good, because I needed that kind of attitude to try and catch up on the class work I missed. All in all, it was one of the best experiences of my life, and I look forward to the next time I get to exit one of those ‘big iron birds.’"

Teams from 22 other colleges and universities from around the world developed proposals for using hydrogen technologies to solve noise pollution, energy efficiency and other critical issues at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in Columbia, S.C.

Eversman, Curators’ Professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has spent his career trying to quiet the world’s skies. His work is widely recognized and used for noise control by major aircraft engine companies. Among his accomplishments is the development of the Eversman Code, which has become an industry standard design tool for turbofan and tonal radiation.

This is the 12th year for the Woman of the Year award, which is funded by Cindy Tang, Econ’85, founder of Insight Industries Inc., one of the largest software engineering companies in Wisconsin. The award is given to an outstanding female faculty member who has helped to improve the campus climate for women and has served as a role model for other faculty and students through her research, scholarship and service.

Nuran Ercal, professor of chemistry and adjunct associate professor of internal medicine at St. Louis University, and Yinfa Ma, Curators’ Teaching Professor of chemistry, have earned the $1,000 award to help fund their research on a treatment for HIV-1 associated dementia and a method for non-invasive pre-cancer screening, respectively. The annual award, established by Claypool, MS ME’60, recognizes excellence in medical research.