Rose-Hulman's Theta Xi Fraternity Dedicates New Chapter House
Tuesday, October 06, 2026
Rose-Hulman's Theta Xi fraternity chapter officially dedicated their new chapter house, the culmination of a multi-year fundraising and renovation effort between alumni and student members.
Fraternity brothers past and present united during Rose-Hulman's Homecoming weekend to celebrate a new shared space for the Kappa chapter of Theta Xi fraternity. The chapter hosted a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony to officially open its new house, located on Blakely Avenue. Sitting adjacent to Terre Haute's Heritage Trail, the new house provides an improved space for chapter members to live and convene just a short walk from campus. The supporters commemorated the event with smiles, snapshots, and their own souvenir scraps of the ribbon.
Tanner Marcantel, executive director of Theta Xi Fraternity, flew in from the national headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, to officially christen the building.
"To see the commitment of graduates who will give their time, talents, and certainly their treasure for this kind of project really reinforces what a lifelong brotherhood in a fraternity or sorority should look like," said Marcantel. "These students will start a whole new chapter of the chapter for themselves living in this new beautiful home."
The space represents a collaborative, multi-year effort between Theta Xi alumni and current students to relocate from their former house in Terre Haute's historic Farrington Grove district, where chapter members have lived for over 60 years. Alumni members rallied to raise funds to support the move.
The new building previously housed the W.O. Weldele Elementary School, which closed in the late 1950s. The Theta Xi Kappa Chapter Alumni Association received approval from the Terre Haute City Council in 2024 to rezone the property for residential use.
Andy Roberts, a 1977 mechanical engineering graduate and Theta Xi member who worked for the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management before retirement, created the initial architectural, mechanical, and electrical designs, as well as fire protection measures, for the building's renovation.
"I've always loved the fraternity. It was a big deal in my lifetime and my education," Roberts said. "I had the skillset necessary to help with the design work, so I reached out to (faculty advisor) Dr. Zac (Chambers)."
Roberts hopes that the house will "reinvigorate the chapter," noting that its alumni association members have already become more engaged throughout the fundraising efforts.
Sprawled beneath a chandelier of interlocking gears, the reimagined space features a large common gathering space and kitchen, four first-floor rooms, and an exterior patio. The building's basement and upper levels are still under renovation and will provide additional rooms, a library, and workshop space for the chapter once complete. A former student of the elementary school was in attendance, exploring alongside Theta Xi alumni and active members the classrooms that had been converted into chapter rooms.
"It fills me with hope that Theta Xi will become a much better, more sustainable chapter," said Thomas White, a sophomore computer science major currently serving as the chapter's president.
Though discussions of relocating the chapter had occurred for several years, progress began in earnest in 2018. Coleman Roberts, a 2021 biomedical engineering graduate, was part of the group of students that began the renovation and demolition process and remained involved with the mission to bring the idea to life after graduation. He serves as president of the chapter's alumni association.
"To me, it means everything," Roberts said. "I'm just amazed that we're actually here. To see it all happen and the future that's going to happen for the guys that come in, the new members of the chapter, is exciting."
Tanner Marcantel, executive director of Theta Xi Fraternity, flew in from the national headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, to officially christen the building.
"To see the commitment of graduates who will give their time, talents, and certainly their treasure for this kind of project really reinforces what a lifelong brotherhood in a fraternity or sorority should look like," said Marcantel. "These students will start a whole new chapter of the chapter for themselves living in this new beautiful home."
The space represents a collaborative, multi-year effort between Theta Xi alumni and current students to relocate from their former house in Terre Haute's historic Farrington Grove district, where chapter members have lived for over 60 years. Alumni members rallied to raise funds to support the move.
The new building previously housed the W.O. Weldele Elementary School, which closed in the late 1950s. The Theta Xi Kappa Chapter Alumni Association received approval from the Terre Haute City Council in 2024 to rezone the property for residential use.
Andy Roberts, a 1977 mechanical engineering graduate and Theta Xi member who worked for the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management before retirement, created the initial architectural, mechanical, and electrical designs, as well as fire protection measures, for the building's renovation.
"I've always loved the fraternity. It was a big deal in my lifetime and my education," Roberts said. "I had the skillset necessary to help with the design work, so I reached out to (faculty advisor) Dr. Zac (Chambers)."
Roberts hopes that the house will "reinvigorate the chapter," noting that its alumni association members have already become more engaged throughout the fundraising efforts.
Sprawled beneath a chandelier of interlocking gears, the reimagined space features a large common gathering space and kitchen, four first-floor rooms, and an exterior patio. The building's basement and upper levels are still under renovation and will provide additional rooms, a library, and workshop space for the chapter once complete. A former student of the elementary school was in attendance, exploring alongside Theta Xi alumni and active members the classrooms that had been converted into chapter rooms.
"It fills me with hope that Theta Xi will become a much better, more sustainable chapter," said Thomas White, a sophomore computer science major currently serving as the chapter's president.
Though discussions of relocating the chapter had occurred for several years, progress began in earnest in 2018. Coleman Roberts, a 2021 biomedical engineering graduate, was part of the group of students that began the renovation and demolition process and remained involved with the mission to bring the idea to life after graduation. He serves as president of the chapter's alumni association.
"To me, it means everything," Roberts said. "I'm just amazed that we're actually here. To see it all happen and the future that's going to happen for the guys that come in, the new members of the chapter, is exciting."