Greeks celebrate 50 years on campus

    Two of Murray State’s fraternities are celebrating an important milestone this year: their 50th anniversary on the University’s campus.
    The first fraternity celebrating this achievement is Alpha Tau Omega, which was established nationally in 1865.
    ATO President Jay Hite, junior from Morganfield, Ky., said one of the greatest parts of belonging to this organization is seeing the continual change from year- to-year.
    “Within my three years, we’ve gotten more of a brotherhood bond,” Hite said. “We go out and eat with each other.  We have weekly dinners and things.  We have started participating on campus more.  Since I have been here I would say that winning the Greek Olympics in 2008 and winning Rock-a-Thon in 2007 would be up there too.”
    Hite said ATO members are excited about the anniversary on campus and plan to commemorate the event after graduation.
    “The weekend of May 16th we are expecting 300 to 500 alumni to show up,” Hite said. “We have a whole weekend of activities planned, including a golf scrambler that Friday morning, a live band playing at the house and a few dinners for everyone.”
    Although this is a milestone for ATO, Hite said the fraternity is constantly looking to the future.
    “We hope we can be around for another 50 years and that they are just as good as the last 50 years,” Hite said.
    The second fraternity enjoying their 50th anniversary at Murray State this spring is Sigma Chi, founded nationally in 1855.
    Sigma Chi President Christian Klaas, senior from O’Fallon, Ill., said one of the biggest changes the fraternity has experienced within the past 50 years is the addition of a house.
    “We got a new house 13 years ago,” Klaas said. “That was a major change for people around here.  A lot of our alumni haven’t even seen it yet.  To other people, the building might look older, but it was new to us, so that’s all that matters.”
    Klaas said Sigma Chi will celebrate its achievement this weekend with events for current students and approximately 300 to 500 alumni.
    “We are doing a golf tournament on Friday during the day,” Klaas said. “We’re doing a house dedication ceremony at our house.  On Saturday, there is a second golf tournament for those who couldn’t make it the first day, and then on Saturday night, there will be a dinner and awards ceremony where we will celebrate the founding members who are still alive.” 
    Chapter adviser, Mike Maxwell, was instrumental in planning the events for Sigma Chi this weekend and said he has enjoyed the role.
    “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate all the great history and tradition that the Sigma Chi fraternity has created in the last 50 years at Murray State,” Maxwell said in a press release. “It is time for us to thank the people who made it happen, to celebrate the successes we have shared over the years and to look forward to where we want to go, and what type of organization we want to develop over the next 50 years.”
    Amanda Crider can be reached at amanda.crider@
murraystate.edu.
 

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