Frequently Asked Questions About Theta Tau
General Information
1) What is Theta Tau?
2) Is Theta Tau an honor society?
Joining
3) How do I join?
4) What is "rushing"?
5) What is "pledging"?
6) Who is eligible to join Theta Tau?
7) Can I be a member of both Theta Tau and another fraternity or sorority?
More Information
8) How much time does Theta Tau require from me?
9) Who do I contact if I have more questions?
10) Wow, this FAQ is awesome! Who can I thank?
1) What is Theta Tau?
Theta Tau is a National, Professional, Co-Ed,
Engineering Fraternity. Although we do hold social events, our focus is
professional development. First, we try to make you a better Engineer.
Then we have a party. Theta Tau is a fraternity as opposed to an engineering
society because membership is for life.
2) Is Theta Tau an honor society?
No. Although we strongly encourage academic
achievement, the minimum required GPA for being initiated into Theta Tau
is 2.0.
3) How do I join?
Like other fraternal organizations, membership
in Theta Tau will come only after you have proven that you will be a valuable
member of the organization. There are three steps to joining: rush, pledging,
and initiation.
4) What is "rushing"?
Rushing is an open invitation for eligible
students to start the process of becoming a member of Theta Tau. Rush
is usually held during the first few weeks of the Fall and Spring semesters.
During this time you will see signs posted saying "Rush Theta Tau." Theta
Tau holds Rush events where we give out pizza, go to the Swamp, play pool,
BBQ, and do other assorted activities. During this time you first meet
the members of Theta Tau, and they get to meet you. The purpose is to
let the brothers of Theta Tau know you are interested in joining. You
also learn about the fraternity and the upcoming pledge cycle, so you
can make an informed decision about joining. During the two rush weeks,
students are encouraged come to as many rush events as possible but only
required to go to a minimum of two rush events, in addition to one info session. Also during rush, students
should introduce themselves to the members and ask any questions they
may have about Theta Tau. At the end of the rush period, the members of
Theta Tau vote on who should recieve a bid and continue on to the pledge
process.
5) What is "pledging"?
"Pledging" Theta Tau is a continuing promise
by the student to become an active member of Theta Tau. After the rush
cycle ends, Theta Tau members have a meeting, and give out bids to those
people who they feel will make valuable members of the organization. If
you receive a bid, be proud that the brothers have placed faith in you.
Although there is still much you must do before becoming a member. First,
you must choose to accept the bid. All people accepting a bid will receive
a pledge pin, which identifies you as a Theta Tau Pledge. The pledge period
lasts for about 11 weeks. During the Pledge cycle you learn some history
about the fraternity, important Theta Tau facts, and you bond with your
fellow Pledge brothers and soon to be Theta Tau brothers. Throughout the
pledge period, different requirements are asked of the pledges. As a pledge
class you learn teamwork, professional development, and what it means
to be a member of Theta Tau.
6) Who is eligible to join Theta Tau?
Any student of the College of Engineering.
Mostly, the prime qualification is to being judged of good character.
We do have a few particular qualifications that must be met at the time
of initiation (after pledging, at the end of the semester). A member must
meet the following qualifications:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Must be enrolled in a program leading to an Engineering degree. (Once you are a member of Theta Tau,
you are a member for life, even if you should switch majors at some future date.)
- Attend weekly pledge meetings.
- Not be members of a competing engineering fraternity.
- Must not be within 6 months of graduation.
- Have a GPA of at least 2.0
7) Can I be a member of both Theta Tau and another fraternity or sorority?
Yes. (most of the time) You can be a member
of Theta Tau and any social fraternity or sorority and/or any engineering
societies currently at UF. However, there are some other professional
fraternities we don't allow our members to join. If you have further questions
please ask us.
8) How much time does Theta Tau require from me?
The more time you put into Theta Tau the
more you can get out of it. As a pledge you will need to set at least
an hour a week to come to your pledge meetings. It is also to your benefit
to attend and help out with whatever events (whether they are professional
or social) take place. Once you are a member, you are expected to attend
weekly meetings held on the day that is most suitible for majority of
the members. You should try to set aside at least and hour and a half
for the meeting, but they usually last around one hour. You really do
get as much out of Theta Tau as you put into it. If you don't show up
for the meetings, don't go to the events, you get nothing out of it. Members
who spend a lot of time with Theta Tau find that they get a lot out of
it - friendship, leadership experience, connections within UF and elsewhere,
and more.
9) Who do I contact if I have more questions?
You can contact us by clicking here.
10) Wow, this FAQ is awesome! Who can I thank?
As much as we, the webmasters
of Zeta Gamma Chapter, would like to take credit for this great FAQ, we
just can't. We give all the credit to Eta Gamma Chapter for their hard
work on their Rush section in which we used as a template. Thank you Eta
Gamma!!!
|