Stories from Beta Delta

Alumni News

A growing archive of national recognition, chapter milestones, alumni involvement and the history that connects generations of Beta Delta brothers.

The Beta Delta Archive

News that gives alumni a reason to stay connected

The alumni newsroom documents more than announcements. It preserves the decisions, relationships and milestones that explain how Beta Delta has changed over time.

Some stories look backward, such as the 1976 chapter composite. Others follow current progress, including record recruitment, the Meissner Award and the work underway at 106 College Avenue. Together, they show a chapter with a long history and a meaningful next chapter.

In This Edition

Seven stories from the chapter

Leadership

Three Presidents, One Continuing Story

Keith Brauer, Michael Galari and Ryan Hopp represent three periods of chapter leadership.

National Spotlight

Ryan and Sean Hopp Featured by ZBT

A family fraternity legacy and two brothers whose Beta Delta experiences overlap.

Advisor Leadership

Keith Brauer’s National Recognition

The 2019 Maxwell Hyman Chapter Advisor Award and the service behind it.

Chapter Progress

A Chapter on the Rise

Record recruitment in 2025 and 2026 and the Meissner Award for Most Improved Chapter.

Our Home

Building the Future of 106 College Avenue

The campaign to provide letters, furnishings and improvements for the chapter house.

From the Archive

The Beta Delta Class of 1976

A chapter composite that connects today’s brothers to an earlier Rutgers generation.

Chapter Update

Alpha Gamma Delta Wins Tahiti 2026

Seven teams and five organizations came together for Beta Delta’s signature philanthropy event.

Keith Brauer, Michael Galari and Ryan Hopp, three Beta Delta presidents

Leadership · Beta Delta

Three Presidents, One Continuing Chapter Story

Chapter Advisor Keith Brauer, current President Michael Galari and alumnus Ryan Hopp have each led Beta Delta during a different period. Bringing them together in one photograph shows how chapter leadership can continue long after an officer hands over the gavel.

Keith offers the perspective of an alumnus who once served as President and has since advised generations of undergraduate leaders. Ryan served two terms as President and helped guide Beta Delta through a demanding period of rebuilding and growth. Michael now leads the chapter as it establishes 106 College Avenue and prepares for its next stage.

Their experiences are different, but the responsibility is connected. Each inherited a chapter shaped by the people before him, and each has contributed to the version that the next class will receive.

National Spotlight · Spring 2026

Ryan and Sean Hopp Featured by ZBT International

ZBT’s Digital Deltan profiled alumnus Ryan Hopp ’26 and his younger brother Sean Hopp ’28, describing how fraternity life became part of a broader family tradition. Ryan graduated after serving Beta Delta as President for two terms, while Sean followed him into the chapter and now serves in brotherhood development.

The feature also documents a period of major chapter progress. Ryan’s leadership included navigating difficult circumstances, helping drive improvement and building the momentum that led Beta Delta to receive the 2025 Meissner Award for Most Improved Chapter.

For the Hopp family, the story is personal as well as organizational. Ryan described seeing Sean become more confident and outgoing through membership and leadership—an example of how the chapter experience can affect brothers differently while still bringing them closer together.

Read the Digital Deltan Feature

National Recognition · Fall 2019

Keith Brauer’s Commitment Recognized Nationally

At the 2019 Zeta Beta Tau International Convention, Keith Brauer ’82 received the Maxwell Hyman Chapter Advisor Award. The national recognition honored the qualities current brothers continue to see in his work: consistency, care, communication and a willingness to remain involved when the chapter faces difficult decisions.

Keith’s relationship with Beta Delta is not limited to advising from a distance. As a former chapter president, he understands the pressure placed on undergraduate leaders. As a long-serving advisor, he can connect current officers to alumni, Rutgers and ZBT International while preserving context that would otherwise be lost as students graduate.

That continuity has been especially important during the work surrounding 106 College Avenue. The house is a visible milestone, but the deeper value of alumni leadership is the ability to help students think beyond the current semester.

Read Keith’s National Spotlight

Chapter Progress · 2025–2026

Record Recruitment and the Meissner Award

Beta Delta reported record recruitment in both 2025 and 2026, giving the chapter consecutive years of growth and a larger group of brothers prepared to take on future responsibility.

The growth was not only measured in membership. In 2025, ZBT International awarded Beta Delta the Edwin B. Meissner Award for Most Improved Chapter. The recognition reflected progress across leadership, operations, brotherhood and recruitment rather than a single event or semester.

For alumni, the award offers a clear picture of the chapter’s direction. For current brothers, it raises the standard. Momentum matters only when the next group is prepared to protect it, improve upon it and leave Beta Delta stronger than it was when they joined.

View ZBT’s Chapter Awards

Beta Delta brothers outside 106 College Avenue

The Beta Delta chapter house at 106 College Avenue

106 College Avenue · House Campaign

Building the Future of the Chapter Home

The work at 106 College Avenue continues after securing the property. Housing Manager Shane Russin and Chapter Advisor Keith Brauer are working with President Michael Galari and the undergraduate chapter to provide the letters, furnishings and practical improvements that will make the house fully function as Beta Delta’s home.

The campaign is designed as a long-term investment in the chapter. A well-established home can support recruitment, meetings, study, alumni events and the ordinary time together that creates stronger relationships.

Alumni and families who contribute are helping current leaders complete a milestone that will outlast any one officer term or graduating class.

View the 106 College Avenue Campaign

From the Archive · 1976

A Beta Delta Composite Preserved

The 1976 Beta Delta composite captures a chapter generation more than half a century after ZBT’s national founding and nearly three decades after Beta Delta was established at Rutgers.

Historical photographs do more than identify former members. They remind current brothers that today’s chapter is one part of a longer Rutgers story—one shaped by students whose friendships, leadership terms and college experiences came before the present organization.

Preserving composites, event photographs and alumni memories will allow this archive to grow. Alumni with historical material are encouraged to share it through the chapter’s alumni Facebook group so future generations can better understand the chapter they inherited.

Connect With the Alumni Group

Beta Delta Rutgers chapter composite from 1976

Alpha Gamma Delta team at ZBT Tahiti 2026

Philanthropy · 2026

Alpha Gamma Delta Wins ZBT Tahiti 2026

The 2026 ZBT Tahiti field brought together seven teams representing five Rutgers organizations: two teams from Zeta Tau Alpha, two from Alpha Gamma Delta and one team each from Phi Mu, Delta Gamma and Alpha Chi Omega.

Alpha Gamma Delta earned the championship after a day of team competition and banner presentations. The result was one part of a wider event built around participation and relationships across the Rutgers Greek community.

For alumni who remember earlier Tahiti events, the 2026 field offers another example of a Beta Delta tradition continuing to evolve with the current chapter.

Read the Full Tahiti Recap