Collegiate Times

The Triangle Fraternity has returned to Virginia Tech for recruitment this past month after their disbanding in 1996.

The Triangle Fraternity is open to men majoring in engineering, architecture or the sciences.

Brian Tenclinger, executive director for the Triangle National Headquarters, said that by the end of this week, they plan to recruit 10 to 15 men to be a part of the academically focused fraternity.

Eileen Marin, assistant director for the office of fraternity and sorority life, said that even though Triangle will be an addition to the existing 34 fraternities at Tech, it will still cater to a group of men who do not currently have a fraternity appropriate for their areas of study.

"They meet a niche that our other fraternities don't meet," said Marin.

The men who are involved with Triangle's limited areas of academia often maintain a heavier course load. This fraternity will provide those men with the ability to have a social outlet while remaining centered on coursework, Tenclinger said.

He said that bringing Triangle to Tech is a part of the Headquarters' efforts "to bring back as many of our dormant chapters as possible."

At the time of their disbanding in 1996, the Triangle Fraternity had fewer than 10 members. Tenclinger said that the fraternity was laid to rest in 1996 because of a "lack of an initiative by the men."

The recruiting team from Triangle has been working on bringing back that lost initiative. They have been actively recruiting on campus since Oct. 11 and will finish this week.

For their recruitment process, Triangle is contacting academic departments to obtain references from faculty for students who would be well-suited for the fraternity. The recruiting team is also in contact with some women's organizations on campus to see if members know of any academically-conscious men who may be interested in the fraternity.

The team has also set up tables in academic buildings in an effort to gather interest by talking with passing students.

Leo Glass, expansion representative from the Triangle Fraternity National Headquarters, has been on campus recruiting students. He said that because the recruiting has taken place mid-semester, they have been "combating tests and other student organizations" in the process.

Glass said that during the recruitment process, they have addressed close to 800 Tech students.

To start the fraternity, recruiters are thinking in terms of quality, not quantity.

"We will want a group that is more driven than large to start," said Glass.

Since the Triangle Fraternity is undergoing re-colonizing at Tech, there are about 470 alumni in the area who were a part of the previous chapter in the 80s and 90s, said Glass. Kevin Granata, who was lost during the tragedy in April, was an Alumni Triangle brother from Ohio State University.

Once recruitment ends, the fraternity will have a great deal of work toward the process of becoming a national chapter, a process that could take anywhere from one to five years.

Glass plans to come back to Tech early in the spring to help the founders with the formation of Triangle and to continue recruitment.

If you are interested in joining Triangle fraternity, you can contact Leo Glass at Leo@triangle.org.