The 2024-2025 school year was historic for Xi Chapter, marked by major growth in every area – from our expanding member base to innovation across our pillars and positions. Check out what we’ve been up to the past eight months!
Professional Development
We had the honor of having several speakers this year, including panels from Xi Chapter alumni and Trane Technologies, where we learned more about beginning our career and furthering our goal as engineers. The highlight of these events was a special presentation by Google alum Burton Rast, design leader and speaker, and was open to all UW-Madison students and faculty. Rast spoke on the importance of proper design and pursuing one’s own desires through his presentation, an inspiring reminder to our chapter, and we were thrilled to host him. Brothers also had the opportunity to tour the GE Healthcare office, understanding more about the intersection of engineering and medicine in today’s world.
Community Service
This year was characterized by our new initiatives within community service, working with several shelters like The Beacon and the Ronald McDonald House. Our partnership with The Beacon thrived, with brothers participating in events every Saturday ranging from serving food, cleaning the courtyard, and even hosting résumé workshops for those interested. Another unique event we were able to host were polar plunges, thanks to the weather in Madison, where members raised money for Project Purple by jumping in the freezing Lake Mendota. We also continued traditions like making blankets, blessing bags, and hosting other fundraisers for meaningful causes.
Brotherhood
We’re proud to say that our fraternity has always been extremely tight-knit, and this semester we maintained our bonds through countless bonfires, murder mysteries, holiday celebrations, intramural sports, and the most beloved Food Fridays – featuring a special multicultural one filled with Cuban sandwiches and Mexican street corn this year. We also attended several member-favorite Madison Capitols Hockey games and revamped our basement with new decor and furniture. Brotherhood events have long been the foundation of Xi Chapter, and this year was no exception.
Engineering Expo
PNMs were tasked with a brand new project this semester – holding a booth at the UW-Madison Engineering Expo, a weekend long event filled with hands-on activities and interactive demos for all ages. With the help of current members, they ran a rocket-building station that introduced students to basic engineering concepts in a fun and creative way. We’re excited to participate in future Expos and continue cultivating passion for engineering within the younger generation.
Midwest Regionals
Brothers also attended the yearly Theta Tau Regional Conference, this year at Miami University, where we learned how other chapters operated, upheld their pillars, and developed our engineering values through workshops and presentations. This was a fantastic opportunity for Xi Chapter to connect with and learn more about Theta Tau’s purpose as a whole to build a band of engineers who serve the world through a variety of applications. Members thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and gained valuable information to convey to the entire chapter.
Xi Chapter is enormously proud of our progress as a fraternity in the 2024-2025 year, and cannot wait to see where our new ventures and steps we’ve made take us this fall.