Earlier this semester, brothers from Beta Nu Chapter joined members of the CWRU Greek Life community to celebrate outstanding members of our community for their contributions to their chapters, Greek Life, and the CWRU campus community.
Six brothers of Theta Chi were nominated for awards this year with three of them winning their award category. Additionally, the chapter as a whole was recognized for their Safety and Wellness programming.
Not pictured: Jake Bridge
Below is a list of the awards that brothers won or were nominated for, followed by a description of those awards and why the brother was nominated for the award.
Awards
Safety & Wellness Award – Theta Chi Fraternity
Outstanding New Member – Jake Bridge
Glenn Nicholls Character of Distinction – Ezekiel Stahl
Fraternal Legacy Award – Zach Baldridge (2025)
Nominations
Robert Neibaum Outstanding Advisor Award – John Cleaver (2012), Dr. Richard Drushel (1984)
Outstanding Scholarship Chair – Adam Hutchings
Outstanding Chapter President – Zach Baldridge
Safety & Wellness Award
Given to the chapter that models physical and emotional well-being by placing importance in caring for themselves and others as well as identifying and intervening in situations where individuals are most at risk.
[Theta Chi] has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the well-being of their members. This chapter has implemented a robust and caring mental health and wellness check program in their Chapter, taking a holistic approach to their members’ well-being. This chapter has held discussions and events on a wide array of safety and wellness topics, including “Hazing Prevention, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Fire and Life Safety, Sexual Misconduct Prevention, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness” This Chapter has involved their national organization in this process, as well as local organizations like the Cleveland Fire Department and Metro Health. This Chapter has been successful in building on the tenets of both Safety and Wellness that Greek Life values.
Outstanding New Member
This award recognizes a new chapter member who has not only become a successful, contributing member, but also has gone above and beyond in creating value for the chapter, its culture and endeavors, as well as the Greek community as a whole. Candidates will be selected on the basis of their involvement in the chapter, their cooperation with other chapters and organizations, and their effort to be involved in the greater Greek Community.
[Jake Bridge] fully immersed himself into the chapter and helped create a lasting impact in such a such amount of time. Joining during the spring 2024 semester the recipient attended many executive council meetings to better understand each role and then used this knowledge to change the chapter for the better. One example of this approach was in organizing their chapter library utilizing their ISBN, which saved so many hours for the Chapter Librarian. During the fall they attended all the candidate meetings and even taught a class when the New Member Educator was unable to be there. Through these actions and many more, the recipient was elected New Member Educator in the fall. The chapter has “no doubt that he will continue to live out their values and grow to become a pillar of the community.”
Glenn Nicholls Character of Distinction
The Glenn Nicholls Character of Distinction Award honors two students from IFC and two from PHC who are constantly going above and beyond duties outlined in their positions. These individuals are great examples that living your values is a continuous journey of both successes and failures. What differentiates these individuals is their desire to learn, not just for learning’s sake, but to learn with the pursuit of challenging themselves and those around them to be better.
[Ezekiel Stahl] is always there for a brother in need and steps up in every role he takes on. As house manager, he took on the responsibility of not only delegating to ensure tasks were completed every week, but created cleaning parties and always volunteered for event set-up and clean-up. Neither his commitment nor dedication to being the first point of contact for brothers can go understated. He is doing incredible research for the benefit of humanity, working to aid in disease prevention for disadvantaged populations. He also hosts holiday events for students who, for economic or practical reasons, cannot visit their families, and works as a peer tutor, helping undergraduate students get research. He has emerged as a strong student, brother, and friend. He lives up to the ideals of Greek Life and his chapter daily.
Fraternal Legacy Award
The Fraternal Legacy Award is presented to one fraternity and one sorority member who have distinguished themselves in service to and participation in the Greek community. This award is one of the highest Greek honors a member of the CWRU Greek community can receive and recognizes the influence and impact this person has had on their chapter and the greater Greek community.
[Zachary Baldridge] consistently acts with Greek life’s best interests in mind, fulfilling his roles both within IFC and his chapter with integrity and honor. As his chapter’s president, he has kept his members engaged; his brothers speak very highly of him. In addition, he has used his voice to help improve the broader Greek community. He has improved his chapter’s engagement across the community, including an increased participation in Greek Games. Having served on the Greek Games committee for several years, he has been a constant presence at events organizing, leading, and providing mentorship to those around him. He has successfully orchestrated recurring mixers with fraternities and sororities and promoted his chapter’s philanthropic efforts while also supporting other chapter’s philanthropy events. He is an effective and compassionate leader both for his own chapter and the entire Greek community.