BYX Beach Bash benefits homeless; Hambrick, Howell attract students

The campus fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi held their Beach Bash Benefit for the Bethlehem House Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at the UCA Practice Field and Alumni Pavilion.
The men of Beta Upsilon Chi, BYX, took a total donation of $137.06 and 70 canned goods.
“’The Bethlehem House is a local organization we could really get plugged in to. They provide a place for people to eat and it’s a really good cause,” Junior BYX member Jesse Chambliss said.
“This was our first [benefit]. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we’re pleased with the turnout,” junior BYX member Daniel Hubbs said.
Chambliss said he thought it was a good idea that they did a concert.
“Live music is always fun and it always attracts a lot of people,” he said.
Beta Upsilon Chi Alumni Ryan Howell went on first. After Howell finished his set, alumnus Adam Hambrick performed.
After Hambrick, the last group of the night, Stars Go Dim, performed.
Stars Go Dim, a band that formed out of Tulsa, Okla. has opened up for both Switchfoot and Daughtry.
Michael Wittig, bass, and Lester Estelle, drums, were formally with the band Pillar.
Stars Go Dim performed their own rendition of Citizen Cope’s “Son’s Gonna Rise.”
“I think it’s a really great thing,” senior Rachel Munson said. “Having been to the Bethlehem House myself, I know it’s a place of great need.”
She said that the event brought attention to the Bethlehem House, as well as entertainment to the crowd.
“I think it was a lot of fun. People were able to make new friends and be social. The bands were great. They have a lot of talent,” Munson said.
Junior BYX member Daniel Hubbs said the fraternity was in the process of choosing another philanthrophy.
“Because the Bethlehem House does have a lot of support, we’d like to see if there’s another organization that we might be able to get more specifically plugged in with,” he said.
Beta Upsilon Chi, which stands for Brothers Under Christ, started at the University of Texas in the spring of 1985 by a few Christian men who desired an alternative to the present fraternal lifestyle.
Their purpose as a national Christian fraternity is to establish brotherhood and unity among college men based on the common bond of Jesus Christ.
Their identity is to be a lifelong brotherhood of committed Christian men seeking the bonds of brotherhood and unity in Christ through the avenue of a social fraternity on a college campus.
The fraternity was started a few years ago at UCA.
“We started going through a process with the national office in the fall of 2009 to create a chapter at UCA,” senior Preston Patterson, one of the founding fathers of Beta Upsilon Chi, said.
Beta Upsilon Chi started meeting in the fall, but wasn’t officially recognized until spring 2010 and that same semester, also took its first pledge class.
“It’s a process to get started on campus. You have to go through national headquarters and also have to go through the university itself.” Chambliss said.
The officers of the Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity are  President TJ Beringer, Vice President Chase Baggett, Treasurer Jordan Chenier, Chaplain Michael J. Hinds and Pledge Captain Joel Studdard.
Patterson said he wanted to be a part of a fraternity, but didn’t like the way  most fraternities conducted themselves.
“I wanted a true brotherhood without sacrificing my morals or beliefs. BYX was an alternative I wanted to pursue,” Patterson said.
Chambliss said he wanted a true brotherhood whose only aim was to strengthen himself as a man of God and also make friends for life.
Patterson said that weekly, four to six members meet for cell groups.
“The cell groups are a to get to know each other on a deeper level. We also study the Bible and get into asking more questions about life and faith and dig further into those matters,” Patterson said.