Rush FAQs
1) What are fraternities and sororities?
2) What Kind of Fraternity is Theta Tau?
3) Is Theta Tau an honor society?
4) What's a brotherhood?
5) How do I join Theta Tau?
6) What is Rushing?
7) What is Pledging?
8) Am I eligible to join Theta Tau?
9) Can I be a member of both Theta Tau and another fraternity or sorority?
10) Why should I join Theta Tau?
11) What is required of brothers who join?
12) How much time does Theta Tau require from me?
13) How much does it cost?
1) What are fraternities and sororities?
A fraternity or sorority is a national organization with Greek letters as its name. There are usually many chapters of the organization, meaning local groups at a particular college, and each chapter holds its own name; Theta Tau, Omicron Gamma chapter is the chapter of Theta Tau that is here at UC Davis.
2) What Kind of Fraternity is Theta Tau?
Theta Tau is a professional co-ed engineering fraternity. The purpose of Theta Tau is to develop and maintain a high standard of professional interest among its members, and to unite them in a strong bond of fraternal fellowship. We separate ourselves from being a social fraternity because we do not haze our pledges and we encompass a professional common goal. We hold lots of social events, such as broomball and retreat, and we know how to have fun! Just take a look at our photo gallery.
3) Is Theta Tau an honor society?
No, but we do emphasize academic excellence and keep a strict policy for active members to maintain above a 2.3 GPA each quarter.
4) What's a brotherhood?
Brotherhood refers to the strong bond between all of the fraternity’s members. It allows for the local organization to become like a tightly knit family, and recognition as part of the nationwide brotherhood. We are all life-long friends that have come together with a common background of engineering, and our connections are constantly growing forever.
5) How do I join Theta Tau?
To join Theta Tau, attend our rush week held at the beginning of every Spring and Fall quarter. Each potential member is chosen after being interviewed at the end of rush week, and must complete the pledge process once given a bid (a bid is essentially an invitation to come pledge Theta Tau).
6) What is Rushing?
Rushing is a process where people can come and find out what our fraternity is all about, meet the brothers, and sign up for interviews if they are interested in joining. Our rush typically consists of an informational, professional, and social night. Come check us out!
7) What is Pledging?
Pledging is a process in which a carefully selected group of eligible individuals must complete in order to become members of the fraternity. To be selected, you must sign up for an interview during rush week. The process usually lasts an entire quarter, and is meant to teach the pledge group how to become strong members of the fraternity, and life-long brothers. Pledging will require lots of time from your schedule, and should be treated like a 5 unit class. Again, we do not haze our pledges.
8) Am I eligible to join Theta Tau?
To be able to pledge Theta Tau, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must be in the engineering major
- You must currently have an overall GPA of 2.3 or above
- You must have at least 6 months until your graduation date
- You must have the potential to stay active for 2 quarters following your pledge quarter (the summer is not considered an active quarter).
9) Can I be a member of both Theta Tau and another fraternity or sorority?
Yes, as long as the other fraternity or sorority is not a competing fraternity with Theta Tau. The competing fraternities are: Alpha Chi Sigma, Alpha Omega Epsilon, Alpha Rho Chi, Kappa Eta Kappa, Phi Sigma Rho, Scarab, Sigma Beta Epsilon, Sigma Phi Delta, Sigma Rho, Triangle.
10) Why should I join Theta Tau?
Theta Tau will give you the opportunity to excel in a professional and business environment; you will take on responsibilities and learn skills not taught in the classroom, such as leadership, organization, time management, public speaking, and much more. Our alumni are always extending job opportunities from their respective companies to the brothers, and you will often have the chance to interact with them to gain perspective of the working world. Our common engineering backgrounds create a valuable resource to any brother in need of help with school.
11) What is required of brothers who join?
All brothers of Theta Tau are required of the following:
- Attend weekly meetings, several of which will require business casual attire.
- Pay quarterly dues.
- Complete at least 5 hours of community service (coordinated by CS chairs).
- Attend at least 1 professional development (coordinated by the PD chairs).
- Obey the laws and customs of the fraternity.
12) How much time does Theta Tau require from me?
Theta Tau is an organization that provides you with opportunities. The time required from you is minimally for those things listed in the previous question, but ultimately up to you. The amount of work you put into the fraternity is the amount of personal gain and satisfaction you will get from it.
13) How much does it cost?
The dues for pledging slightly varies every quarter, but is a total of about $150, as described below:
- $30 pledge fee that goes to the national headquarters.
- $75 initiation fee that goes to National.
- $45 badge fee (every member is require to buy a badge).
Active members currently pay a quarterly due of $100, which goes to the national headquarters. These amounts are actually the cheapest amongst all of the fraternities on campus, but if you are experiencing financial hardships, our treasurer will be able to work out a payment plan with you to disburse costs into smaller amounts. You are expected to pay dues until you become an alumni, after which your financial obligations will end. Alumni continue to hold membership with Theta Tau, and are expected to join a local alumni association in order to continue helping the fraternity. They are always welcome to make any kind of donation as well.
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