Cinema and pop culture typically portrays fraternities to be a life of wild college parties every weekend and meeting pretty sorority girls, but pledging to a fraternity is not always just that. When you’re an active member to a fraternity, you are held to a different standard and required to sustain certain values and actions.

New Mexico State University is the home to ten fraternities, not including, Theta Chi, who is attempting to make their way back onto the NMSU campus this semester acting as an expansion chapter. Theta Chi previously held a place at NMSU from 1948 until 1995.

The fraternity was founded in April of 1856 and have since then been challenging themselves to become men of honor and respect.

Collin Ogle, a field executive for Theta Chi said the fraternity wants to develop leaders.

“One of our main ideals as a fraternity is, ‘resolute men’,” Ogle said. “We want to develop men who have their feet on the ground. We look for leaders and men who are willing to go out of their comfort zone to rise to the standard we are setting.”

Theta Chi prides themselves on their morals, particularly their value of lending, “An Assisting Hand”.

To execute their ideals, they are willing to partner with other organizations on campus to raise awareness about the issues that need to be addressed that are impacting college students, such as mental health, drug abuse or binge drinking.

“We want our commitments to be extended past the university, but make their way to the community and city of Las Cruces,” Ogle said. “We want to create a ripple effect.”

Prominent alumni of the Theta Chi fraternity are credited for being the ones who reached out to international headquarters asking them to bring Theta Chi back to NMSU. There are about 162 active Theta Chi chapters throughout the nation, with two projects currently underway at Arizona State University and the University of Colorado-Boulder.

“Like all things, establishment is tough at the beginning, especially with getting students accumulated. Because of the support we have received from the university, we haven’t had to face many difficulties, so we are grateful for that,” Ogle said.

The fraternity has been known to be strong in their foundation of building character and promoting higher education. Jacob Barker, also a field executive for Theta Chi stated that the fraternity will strive to create an environment their members can utilize to become successful in their education and throughout the course of their life.

“Students come to school to learn, therefore we make it noted that education comes first,” Barker said.

Theta Chi can be reached at ThetaChi.org.