Alpha Gamma Rho - Beta Nu Articles Feed

Farmers Fight video

Eric Evans — 2012-04-16 20:07:00 -0500

Howdy,

I wanted to make sure that everyone had the opportunity to see this incredible AGvocacy video, written and performed by Farmers Fight lead Advocate Jasmine Dillon. Jasmine wrote this spoken-word piece as a part of our efforts to further spread agricultural awareness to the masses, and her modern style appeals to today's target audience while emphasizing just how vital of a role modern agriculture plays in everyone's lives. She presents a truly moving presentation- watch and see for yourself.

Beta Nu News- FARMERS FIGHT!

Eric Evans — 2012-04-16 17:35:00 -0500

Howdy!

As I attempt to start this latest report of the chapter's events and affairs, all I can say is WOW. It's been too long since I last posted an update (sorry, y'all), but we've been so busy with all the dynamic events we've been planning, preparing, and hosting that finding the time to write one of these doesn't happen too often.

First and foremost, I want to applaud the Beta Nu brothers on coordinating the first annual Farmers Fight! Ag Advocacy Day on the Texas A&M campus. To see this idea grow from a small committee meeting at the end of last semester, into a full-fledged student movement that mobilized 20 ag-based student organizations and over 200 student advocates has been an incredible experience, and I'm beyond grateful to have been a part of it. Here's a picture from our setup during Farmers Fight! on April 12th:

That's 8 Beta Nu AGvocates, 2 Sigma Alpha AGvocates, and Mr. Larry Graham of Southwest Dairy Farmers, who brought the Mobile Dairy Classroom to campus. Each of the four milking demonstrations he performed drew an interested crowd of students who were excited to learn more about just how their milk gets from cow to cup. The first annual Farmers Fight! day was an immense success and achieved higher goals than we could've imagined. The entire campus buzzed with the presence of the Farmers Fight advocate teams and their educational booths, and the movement received considerable publicity from various media sources throughout College Station and beyond. A few ag industry representatives were even on hand to see just what we were doing for the advancement of agricultural education and awareness. We spread our message to thousands of students, well achieving our goal of spreading Agricultural awareness and debunking harmful myths currently facing the ag industry.

That's a full post, I'd say. Y'all be watching for more Beta Nu news, coming soon!

Thanks and Gig 'em,

Eric

Ag Advocacy on Campus!

Eric Evans — 2012-02-07 00:51:00 -0600

Howdy Ags!

I figured this news was important enough to have its own post, so here y'all go; I'm talking about...

Farmers Fight! TAMU Ag Advocacy 2012- This event, which will promote agricultural advocacy and awareness throughout the Texas A&M campus, is building steam as committee chair Mason Parish mobilizes leaders and students throughout the College of Agriculture and beyond to take part in this great movement to promote agriculture among the Texas A&M student body and even into the Bryan/College Station community. A little back story- After some anti-ag blogs were posted on the A&M newspaper's website, the brothers of Alpha Gamma Rho came together and formed an Ag Advocacy committee to dispel the destructive myths flying around about modern agriculture, while promoting a positive, informative image of agriculture on the A&M campus. From there, we've gained tremendous momentum in putting Farmers Fight! together, as well as enthusiastic support from various ag organizations, including the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences itself. This is an incredible opportunity for the Beta Nu chapter, as well as all Ag-based student organizations, to stand up and speak out in support of Agriculture- the common thread that unites and sustains us all. Some incredible possibilities and opportunities are in the making with the progress of Farmers Fight!, so BE SURE to check out the Farmers Fight! facebook page, where you can stay up-to-date on the latest news about our work and view the link to our blog posts! And if you tweet, don't forget to check out the Farmers Fight! twitter feed for even more news and updates from the committee work.

That's all I've got for now; I'll be back soon with more news from the Beta Nu chapter. Until then, Gig 'em and God Bless!

-Eric Evans

Chapter Update 2-6-12

Eric Evans — 2012-02-06 23:17:00 -0600

Howdy!

Sitting down to send out another update from the Beta Nu chapter, I reflect on the accomplishments of the past week: First and foremost, we brought a great group of new brothers into the chapter for Spring Rush! We're excited to welcome three new brothers into the Beta Nu chapter. It's always a pleasure to watch the chapter's potential grow in conjunction with our quality membership. I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Bo/David Williford, our 2012 VNR-Recruitment, for doing a fine job so far, and commend his hard work recruiting for the chapter. He, along with the rest of the brothers, has plenty to do in preparation for recruiting for the Fall 2012 Rush next semester. Remember, if you're interested in Alpha Gamma Rho, don't hesitate to contact Bo/David, or any of our members!

That being said, all of our officers are doing well representing their respective leadership positions. A new semester brings about a sense of freshness to the business of the chapter and helps to promote new enthusiasm and innovation within the chapter's operations. Currently, we're in the process of meeting with a chapter consultant, where we discuss the chapter's current state and activities while brainstorming ways we can work to improve all aspects of the Beta Nu chapter. Observing the progress and stimulating thought that these discussions have facilitated also provides fresh insight and resolve to continue developing our chapter and planning upcoming events.

Until next time,

-Eric Evans

Rush Week Activities

Eric Evans — 2012-01-21 16:14:00 -0600

Howdy!

With the first week of classes out of the way, it's nice to have a weekend to catch up and relax after running around buying books, trying to figure out your schedule, etc. I hope everyone had a great week and their classes are going well.

So now that everyone's back on College Station and the Texas Hall of Fame has closed down (Sssssssssssss), y'all are probably looking for something to do with your evenings... like come to an AGR Rush Event! We're now entering the second week of the rush period and all the brothers are excited to get together, have some fun, and meet some new guys. If you're even slightly curious about who we are and what we do, the best way to find out is to COME ON OUT and meet us! We'd love to have you! We already had our first rush event last week at Fast Eddie's and had a great time meeting some new guys who are interested in the brotherhood in Alpha Gamma Rho. We all had a good time and are looking forward to the rush events this next week, so if you're interested in taking your college experience to the next level by joining a group of social-professional, agricultural leaders, don't hesitate to come hang out with us (and get some free dinner) at the AGR Burger Burn, Monday, Jan. 23rd, from 7-9 pm. We'll be hanging out, having a good time and enjoying some fine burger cooking. See our Recruitment page for location details, as well as some other exciting events coming up!

On that note, we have an industry tour scheduled with Sexing Technologies, a state-of-the-art cattle genetics company, on Wednesday, Jan. 25th. However, there has been a change to the time of our tour- Sexing wants us to come at 3:00 pm Wednesday, as they will be closed by 6. Talk to one of the brothers for more tour details.

Again, feel free to come on out to one of our Rush events and see just who we are and what AGR does. We look forward to seeing you there!

-Eric

Recruitment School and Spring Semester

Eric Evans — 2012-01-16 16:59:00 -0600

Howdy!

This is Eric Evans, VNR Planning for 2012, with a Beta Nu Chapter update for the start of the Spring semester.

Five of our Beta Nu brothers (Reese Vann, Bo/David Williford, Jody Harris, Austin Joyce, and myself) recently attended the Alpha Gamma Rho Recruitment School, held in Kansas City, MO. Two of these conferences are held each year to train each chapter's Recruitment committee on effective recruitment practices and to develop a successful member recruitment plan to be implemented throughout the year as we strive to bring more quality men into the brotherhood of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. We had a great time meeting brothers from several other chapters and learning how to effectively and consistently recruit men for membership in AGR. Such training is vital to the survival and growth of the chapter, which is especially important now as we are looking to move the chapter forward and take on exciting new challenges.

Here's a picture of our group that attended the recruitment school, taken in front of the AGR Home Office:

On a closing note, with the start of the Spring Semester already upon us, we're excited to start 2012 with commendable commitment and involvement from our members as we work to implement the various philanthropies and other projects we have in the works. It's an exciting time to be a member of Alpha Gamma Rho here at Texas A&M, and we hope to recruit another quality group of guys during Spring Rush to join us as we "make better men, and through them, a broader and better agriculture."

Gig 'em Aggies!

Highest GPA -- Again!

Logan Leschper — 2011-07-06 13:11:00 -0500

The Beta Nu chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho is proud to announce that once again we have the distinct achievement of having the highest GPA in the Interfraternity Council at Texas A&M University. This is a rather difficult feat to accomplish but after winning the same honor in the Fall 2010 semester, the chapter challenged itself to maintain this status. It took individual endeavor and accountability on the part of each member of Alpha Gamma Rho, but accomplishing this lofty goal a second time has proven that the men of Alpha Gamma Rho truly are great leaders not only in the world of agriculture but also in the campus as a whole.

Pink Rose 2011

Anthony Lopez — 2011-04-09 18:36:00 -0500

Brothers recently attended the Alpha Gamma Rho, Pink Rose Ceremony held in the Hilton - College Station & Conference Center. Several brothers were given various awards. Three brothers of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, Matt Okeson, Wesley Tobola and Lee Wright were awarded by a graduation ceremony as they will be graduating upon the close of the 2011 Spring semester. A great guest speaker and and a delicious meal, along with fellowship between current brothers and dates made for a very enjoyable night of brotherhood.

AGR Blood Drive

Anthony Lopez — 2011-03-29 23:59:00 -0500

An AGR sponsored blood drive, in conjunction with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center was conducted on the Texas A&M campus at the beginning of the 2010 spring semester. Brothers were present to help sign people up to give blood as well as hand out T-shirts to the donors. All brothers contributed blood to the drive as well. The expected donor number was projected at 20 people and the AGR Blood Drive finished the day with 31 donors, making the event a huge success for Alpha Gamma Rho as well as the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. AGR would like to extend a big thank you to all of those who gave blood and the volunteers with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.

Pi Chapter initiates Brother 20 Years later

Jeremy Zweiacker — 2011-02-21 20:32:00 -0600

In 1992, the men of Pi Chapter had the honor of initiating the founding members of the AGR

Colony at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

This action officially established the Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho and recognized those men who were instrumental in its formation. Unfortunately, one man who played an instrumental role in the formation of the colony earned his degree the semester before the initiation ceremony took place and, thus, was not officially initiated as a member of Beta Sigma Chapter.

On February 19, 2011, almost twenty years after the installation of Beta Sigma, the men of Pi Chapter once again had the honor of initiating a member of Beta Sigma Colony--Scotty Duvall.

Brother Duvall was that colony member who graduated and was never officially initiated. The ceremony took place at the Alpha Gamma Rho Leadership Seminar in Ft. Worth, Texas. The members from Pi Chapter participating in the initiation were Carson Horn, Kale Castner, Kyle Slagell, Clark Bixler, Brock Pittman, Mitchell Earl, and Josh Goff. The initiation of Brother Duvall was arranged by Brother Cody Lane, Alpha Gamma Rho Regional Vice-President.

Alpha Gamma Rho Ranks #1 for GPA

Jake Riley — 2011-02-18 16:07:00 -0600

At Beta Nu chapter, we have always held academics among our highest
priorities. During the fall of 2010, the brothers of the Beta Nu chapter
made this known to the Texas A&M Interfraternity Council and to the entire
campus when we achieved the honor of the highest GPA of any fraternity at
the university, ranking above the university and all men's average. Furthermore, an annual $1,000 Leadership Scholarship is awarded by the Beta Nu chapter to a deserving student enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Alongside this scholarship, our chapter gives away multiple scholarships to new members who show outstanding academic achievement each semester. For more information about our scholarships, please click the "Scholarship" tab on the left-hand side of
the webpage.

Belt Buckles

Dave Smith — 2011-02-15 10:16:00 -0600

My name is David Smith and I'm a current member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Beta Psi Fraternity at Delaware Valley College for the past couple of years we have been providing our brother with belt buckles to recognize that they are an Alpha Gamma Rho member. As a fundraiser for our fraternity, I thought I would offer the belt buckle design that is copyrighted to us, to other members in Alpha Gamma Rho. If you have an interest in this please contact me as soon as possible and I will be sure to send you pictures and more details on the belt buckle itself. Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you soon.

Undergraduates Use Renovation to Earn Food for the Needy

Brant Bigger — 2010-12-17 10:00:00 -0600

In past semesters at Epsilon, we’ve contributed to the community by doing various activities like picking up trash along our adopt-a-highway stretch, or selling wheat emptied from old samples from research plots and donating the proceeds to Farm Rescue. It’s been quite some time, however, since we’ve held our own special event at the house, and invited the public to help out. What better time to do this than our first semester living in the newly renovated house! Our idea was to hold a community food drive, and offer a meal and a house tour to anyone who came with a food item. We named the event “Farmers Feeding Fargo,” and it was a success as we collected 129 pounds of food. We also accepted money donations which were distributed to the Great Plains Food Bank ($180) and Farm Rescue ($154). We plan to continue these types of events in years to come as well as use our newly found experience to improve participation. A special thanks to all alumni who stopped by or donated money. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Monterey Mushroom Educational

Reese Vann — 2010-12-12 14:50:00 -0600

As the Fall 2010 semester at Texas A&M was quickly coming to a close, the brothers of Alpha Gama Rho took time out of their busy study schedules to take a tour of the Monterey Mushroom facility. The educational took place on Saturday, December 11^th at the Madisonville mushroom plant. The tour was composed of the three phases used in mushroom production.

The brothers were given special access to the facility and were allowed to see the plant in operation. The plant employs around five-hundred workers and the company runs around the clock. On any given day there will be some 125 employees running the facility from growing and picking to marketing the mushrooms. The plant was built in 1975 and it is one of 3 Monterey plants in Texas, the Madisonville location being the biggest.

The brothers were taken in many of the growing rooms and allowed to see the fabrication of white and brown mushrooms. The event was a special opportunity for the fraternity men and the tour proved to be very educational. The brothers of Alpha Gamma Rho would like to extend a big thank you to all the members who made this event a success and to the Madisonville Monterey Mushroom facility and its employees.

Brothers "Give MS The Boot," Raise $1725 for National MS Society

Matt Okeson — 2010-11-18 17:06:00 -0600

The Fall 2010 semester marked the beginning of a new annual philanthropic event for the Beta Nu Chapter as members joined the National MS Society in its fight against Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in honor of friends, family, and alumni who have been diagnosed with the disease.

Throughout the semester, Brothers solicited donations, sold t-shirts, and helped raise awareness about MS. This year's semester-long effort to raise money for the National MS Society concluded last weekend with seven Brothers participating in a 5K Walk in The Woodlands, Texas. The Beta Nu Chapter team raised a total of $1725, placing first in the school organizations category.

In addition to participating in the walk in The Woodlands, Brothers also gathered information and established contacts with the National MS Society staff. It is with great inspiration that the Brothers plan to sponsor and organize a similar annual event in the Bryan/College Station area benefiting the National MS Society. Details about the Chapter's new annual philanthropic event will be made available in the Spring of 2011.

Pictured above: Brothers Logan Leschper, Anthony Lopez, Travis Tippit, Matt Okeson, Wesley Tobola, and Jake Riley "Giving MS the Boot" at the 5K Walk in The Woodlands, Texas.

Brothers Attend National Convention; Chapter and Brother Receive Awards

Matt Okeson — 2010-08-17 00:18:00 -0500

Six brothers of the Beta Nu Chapter recently travelled to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 2010 Alpha Gamma Rho National Convention held on August 12-14, 2010. Brothers attended a variety of seminars, voted on important issues facing the Fraternity, and had the opportunity to meet with alumni and undergraduates from other chapters. In addition to the convention sessions, brothers toured a number of sites in St. Louis including Cahokia Mounds, the Gateway Arch, Monsanto’s Chesterfield Village Research Center, the St. Louis Zoo, and Busch Stadium.

Throughout the convention, Alpha Gamma Rho recognized a number of chapters and brothers for their accomplishments, including the Beta Nu Chapter and one of its brothers. The Beta Nu Chapter received Honorable Mention for Chapter Website. Furthermore, Brother Matt Okeson received the Undergraduate Achievement Award, the highest achievement an undergraduate can receive from the organization, for the second year in a row.

The next Alpha Gamma Rho National Convention will be held July 29-31, 2012, in Burlington, Vermont.