Senior Communications Advisor
I managed to give some of the Texas Tech brothers a scare
before I even showed up for my visit. Normally my very presence is enough to
make college students tremble, but, this time, all it to strike fear into the
hearts of the men of the Eta Chapter was a tweet.
While I was waiting to board my plane for Lubbock, I
tweeted, “Getting a wild and potentially stressful week started by visiting
@TTUbyx. Can't wait to see my brothers in Lubbock!”
Apparently, “wild” and “stressful” immediately made Tech
President Forrest Stovall think I was coming to Lubbock to bust some heads. The
fact that the boss, Executive Director Jason Hoyt, joined me on the trip only
created more apprehension. I wanted to ask all the officers if they knew why
Jason made the trip in hopes of making them squirm, but I had to behave myself
with the big guy around.
In reality, my week was wild and stressful because about
every second of every day was scheduled with work, church or wedding
obligations, all of which are a joy, but the amount of events on my plate
pushed me. Jason joining me for the trip was more of a product of the Eta
Chapter doing well than anything. He hadn’t dropped in on the Tech Chapter
since Fall 2008, so he was due to see the guys again.
The Eta Chapter continues to improve. For starters, the
chapter has grown from about 40 men to nearly 120 men over the course of the
last three semesters. I haven’t seen anything like that in my time on staff, and
I consider myself blessed to have been a part of that boom in membership.
The leadership of the chapter has improved along the way as
well. The Lord brought us the right men at the right time. The 2011 officer
team, who started this explosion, was filled with engaging men that a number of
new men gravitated towards. The 2012 officer team, while also engaging and
unified, has been able to maintain momentum and minimize the growing pains with
outstanding organizational skills. They are on the ball.
When a chapter grows as quickly as the Eta Chapter has,
growing pains are inevitable. Larger chapters face issues that smaller ones
don’t, and chapters need to learn how to adapt when you hit a certain number of
members. The leaders within the Eta Chapter have rolled with those punches so
well. They have listened to my council and applied it to the chapter, making
what could have been a difficult season of change far easier.
Chapter meeting looks so different from my first few visits.
The chapter grew to the point that they needed to find a new room, which is an
upgrade to their previous meeting space. Jason addressed the men, so I was off
the hook for speaking this time around.
Following Jason’s talk, the brothers broke up into their
cell groups to share prayer requests. They used to do it as a full chapter, but
they’ve outgrown that method. The cell group leaders now report their groups’
requests to the officers.
On the last night of the trip, we gathered up all the
officers for dinner. The officers each come from different circles of friends,
but you wouldn’t know it by spending time around them. The officers have a
distinct chemistry. Secretary Ryan Lincecum told me that the men often come to
meetings with different perspectives, so they apply those perspectives to
refine their ideas and examine them from all angles. As he put it, if they
agree on something, then they know they have a good idea.
Lubbock may be a flat, barren wasteland, but my brothers in
the Tech Chapter make it worth the trip. The effects of the boom in membership
will hopefully continue create impact and refine the chapter. They have more
resources at their disposal than ever before, and I look forward to seeing how
the Lord utilizes those resources.
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