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STUDIES
Academic Encouragement and Help
Our chapter is outstanding scholastically.
Scholastic emphasis has
been a hallmark of the Texas Beta chapter since it was
founded. We know what we are here for. We have
had a number of 4.0 GPA graduates.
We have some successful methods to
help scholarship:
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Pledging capable, studious,
men who are serious about their education and career. They set the
right group environment.
-
 Providing
a library and computer lab
that is convenient, well equipped, and quiet.
(One fourth of our
lodge is devoted to this.)
Thanks to a large grant from brother Jerry Nelson, a 1947 alumnus
of our chapter at UCLA, and others, we have networked computers, printers, scanner,
high speed Internet access. a Wi-Fi wireless interface, and a copy machine.
(Shown with the undergraduates is Dr. Sam Spikes, M.D,, a chapter
Lubbock alumnus.)
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Emphasizing scholarship-by
our Scholarship Committee, Pledge Educator, advisors, and alumni.
Alumni frequently inquire about
the chapter's scholastic standing.
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Having pledge study
halls which pledges are required to attend a certain number of
hours per week.
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Keeping in check
non-academic demands. Our half-semester
pledgeship interferes less with studies that that of most
fraternities. We reserve adequate time for study when we decide what parties to have, whether to build a float,
etc.
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Having advisors
and other alumni who are willing to help.
Leadership Experience and Training
You can lean
useful skills in Phi Psi outside of the classroom (in addition
to vague "how to get along with people" skills). The officers of
the chapter manage significant amount of property, make and
manage budgets, recruit personnel, train, use technology, schedule
and oversee projects, participate in meetings, organize and make
presentations, etc. Many alumni who have had long careers report
that their undergraduate fraternity experiences were useful in
those careers.
Undergraduate
control is a feature of Phi Kappa Psi that is unique among
fraternities
and provides more responsibility and experience. A majority of the
members of the Executive Council of the fraternity are
undergraduate representatives, called Archons. Incidentally, there
are two chapter officers on our local house corporation Board of
Directors.
You can get
Leadership training and meet brothers from across the county at
sessions that Phi Psi holds for chapter officers and others. These are held at central locations, such as
at our
national headquarters, and the interaction with men from other chapters
is
valuable. Notable events are
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President's Leadership
Academy (PLA) for chapter presidents and others.
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Fraternity Educator's
Leadership Academy (FELA) for pledge trainers and other.
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Woodrow Wilson Leadership
School (WWLS) for elected chapter delegates.
You can have helpful
discussions with industry leaders and hear acclaimed, dynamic,
speakers at the American Leadership Academy.
(www.americanla.org)
Topics include Personal Development, Interpersonal Relations,
Team Dynamics, Planning Your Professional Future, Negotiation,
Global Perspective, etc. Yes, these may seem like
sessions that you ought to attend but don't want to bother
with, until you realize that they are held in the beautiful, fun, Cabo
San Lucas area of Mexico. The social aspects of this trip are
described and pictured elsewhere on this website.
Tutoring and Mentoring
 Help
and advice on studies is available from the
chapter advisors and other alumni in addition to from other
brothers. Our Chapter Advisor makes
it a point to get well acquainted with the men of each new pledge
class and stands ready to advise them on their college careers.
Assistant Chapter Advisor David Jones, an engineer, on occasion
has tutored a student in a difficult spot on a technical subject.
Faculty Sponsor Jeremy Leggoe, Associate Professor of Chemical
Engineering, is available for consultation.
Other alumni offer you information, advice, and support in their
fields of expertise. The photo shows such a situation, in which a
young chapter member who was considering law school is meeting
with Texas Beta alumni- TTU Law School
Dean
Walter Huffman; David Jones; Federal District Judge Sam Cummings; and Lubbock real
estate developer H. A. Sessions.
ADVISORS
 Walter
B. Huffman,
J. D., Dean of the Texas Tech School of Law, W. Frank Newton
Professor of Law, and Major General U.S. Army (retired), is
our Faculty
Sponsor. He
is the former Adjutant General of the Army and
former pledge trainer and president of the chapter.
 Brian
R. Murry (BBA), a banker dealing in real estate loans at
Lubbock National Bank is our Chapter Advisor, replacing our long-serving advisor Dr. Brian D. Carr,
Ph.D. Brian Murry is a graduate in finance of the Texas Tech School of
Business and a former chapter Treasurer.
 David A. Jones
(BA, BSEE, MBA), a retired Principal Systems Engineer at Raytheon
Company who lives in the Dallas area, is our Assistant Chapter
Advisor for Recruitment. At Raytheon he designed defense systems, and
previously he was a Lieutenant in the U. S. Army. He is a past president
of this chapter, |
