Zeta Rho could be gaining a few bros this semester.
After almost 60 years, the women’s social club is revamping its policy of accepting honorary male members. As of Thursday, the club is looking forward to inducting three men.
It all started when Barrett Corey, junior management major from San Antonio, emailed the club asking if there was any way he could pledge the traditionally service-oriented women’s club.
Kristina Davis, Zeta Rho on-campus sponsor, said shortly after Corey’s inquiry, a few of the members were looking through the 1960 edition of the Prickly Pear and found the Zeta Rho Star, also referenced as the Zeta Rho Beau.
“We were able to prove that it was part of our history, and we were able to move in that direction,” Davis said. “So we approached Mark and asked if we could have someone who was kind of an honorary member who would be a part of pretty much everything we do, but not an official Zeta Rho member.”
She said the women will be able to nominate a man, go through a similar voting process that all social clubs experience and decide if the nominated man is a good fit for the club.
To modernize the title, the women are changing “beau” to “bro.”
Mark Jackson, associate director of student organizations and programs, said an honorary member is not uncommon for clubs, such as Trojan’s Helen of Troy and Alpha Kai Omega’s Kaio King.
“In this case, this young man, if this is what he wanted to do, could be an honorary member, but he wouldn’t actually be a member of Zeta Rho,” he said. “So he could help very much the same as Helen of Troy and Kaio King.”
In the past, the Kaio King has helped with homecoming floats and projects, whereas Helen of Troy has hosted etiquette nights to teach members how to properly treat women.
In terms of rushing and pledging, and events like Homecoming and Sing Song, Jackson said he doesn’t anticipate much changing.
“Our clubs are not coed; we have men’s clubs and we have women’s clubs,” Jackson said. “Since it’s an honorary member, I don’t think it’ll affect anything. Again, this person is not pledging; that’s not happening. It’s literally just an honorary deal.”
Davis said she shared the news of the prospective honorary member at a club meeting Wednesday night, garnering a positive response from all women present.
“Oh, the women are excited; they love the idea. It’s one of those things that as we move into our future, we really want to see it be a part of who we are,” she said.
As the women talked, a couple of them relayed that their male friends would be interested in the same prospect.
“We know that we’re kind of one of the smallest clubs on campus, but we’re hoping that bringing in a few of these Bros will kind of revitalize us in ways and then also give us a whole new group of people who want to be a part of service,” Davis said. “We love that that’s a part of the reason why we were originally contacted.”
Any men interested can contact Zeta Rho President Kristi McQueen at klm12a@acu.edu before the next Thursday.
