When Jeff Cusick’s fraternity had its charter revoked for violation of Towson’s hazing policies last semester, he was inspired to make a change on campus.

After disaffiliating from his original fraternity, which Cusick did not comment on, he said he and several friends spent their spring break investigating different fraternities and their values, with the mission of bringing a new international fraternity to campus.

Cusick and his friends discovered Theta Chi.

“Hazing has become such a prominent force in Greek life that I want to end it,” Cusick said. “I want to have a good organization that shows without degrading your members, you can raise them up, so they can be well formed members of society and future leaders.”

Currently, Theta Chi is a colony on-campus.  Beginning Oct. 9, Theta Chi national staff will come to campus to begin recruitment, making Theta Chi fraternity the newest fraternity on Towson’s campus.

Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Matt Lenno said that the colony currently has an interest group of over 60 young men, which is almost twice the size of any fraternity at Towson.

Cusick said that part of the attraction has to do with Theta Chi’s interest in volunteer work.

“We’re a community service-oriented fraternity and we think we could really help the community by coming on and then really get a lot more people involved in this organization,” Cusick said.

Bart Zino, the director of communication of Theta Chi Fraternity, explained that besides community service, the three basic founding principles of Theta Chi make it desirable.

“One is the idea of loyalty to alma maters,” he said. “So this is an idea that college is something that stays with you for your lifetime. Your college is something that you should always support and be an active participant in throughout the course of your lifetime.”

Zino said Theta Chi focuses more on its members with their second basic principle. Members will not just grow as a group, but they will grow as individuals with the help of their brothers.

Finally, Zino explained that Theta Chi is a lifetime commitment, in-turn fostering lifetime friendships.

“You’re not just going through college, but you’re meeting these people who you actually have a lot in common with,” Zino said.

Typically, the entire process of starting a fraternity takes about 12 months, Zino said. Towson’s chapter of Theta Chi will be one of eight Theta Chi colonies across the country.

“It’s so great because we’re starting a tradition that will hopefully be here 50 years after we’re gone and so we can look back and it will help many generations of kids after us,” Cusick said