Published by: The Daily Mississippian
Issue Date: March 18, 2008
Section: News
Although fraternities in the U.S. are often associated with the stereotype of opulence and binge drinking, a small fraternity called Beta Upsilon Chi would rather strengthen their brotherly bonds.
Called BYX for short (pronounced “bucks”), the “Brothers Under Christ” are members of a social fraternity who abstain from drinking at BYX events and worship Christ during their weekly Monday night chapter meetings.
“We are firmly grounded in the Christian faith,” BYX Founding Father Andrew Alderman, who is also city news editor at The DM, said. “We are not evangelical. We do not go on mission trips, which is different from groups like the Baptist Student Union (BSU). We just give the guys a place for support.
The support Alderman spoke of is self-evident in the BYX vision, which was originally founded at the University of Texas in 1985. Nationally, the chapter boasts about 1,500 active members.
While most chapters are located in Texas, the biggest and most well-known chapter in Mississippi is at Mississippi State University, Alderman said.
“Most people know about the Mississippi State chapter. Nobody knows we exist,” he said of the Ole Miss chapter, the newest in the country.
The visionary of BYX, Austin Reynolds, began the 22nd chapter in the country at Ole Miss by contacting the national office in mid-2006.
From there, a group of young men became founding fathers with Reynolds acting as president and Alderman as pledge trainer. Other founding fathers include Kevin Stevens, Cal Bowen and Matt Davison.
The BYX constitution calls for an “establishment of brotherhood and unity,” and for members to participate in Bible studies as a “time for guys to get closer together,” Alderman said.
“We’re just a group of men seeking an alternative fraternal lifestyle,” Reynolds said. “We are looking for something more out of the college experience.”
While the fraternity has Christian roots, Alderman said the group is social as well.
“We do have formals as well as open parties,” he said. “The Island Party on April 20 will be our big debut and the culmination of the year (for us). We’ll have a concert in the Grove, free food and a band.”
With the raised alcohol awareness, Alderman stressed the importance of the BYX drinking policy.
“There are stipulations in our constitution,” he said. “We don’t believe that drinking is a sin; there’s just no alcohol allowed with chapter affiliation.”
In addition to formals and open parties, BYX plans to team up with sororities around campus, who have said they are “gentlemanly and fun-to-be-around guys,” Alderman said. “We know how to treat women with the utmost respect.”
The fraternity has significance for chapter members beyond the social events, though.
“For a lot of people, their faith comes from their parents, and they’re forced to participate,” Alderman said. “When they get to college they see a freedom, then get into alcohol and drugs. They stress themselves out on it, and they can’t concentrate on their faith. They fall off and stay that way. We want to offer help for Christian guys (to avoid that trend) and foster their faith.”
Reynolds echoed the same sentiments.
“People are likely to walk away from their faith in college,” he said. “I look to BYX. It helps Christians to walk in their faith.”
The non-denominational group is “not as exclusive as it sounds,” Alderman said.
The group currently consists of a diversity of denominations, which vary from Baptists to Lutherans, from Methodists to Catholics.
“There are things we disagree on, but the heart of the matter is not about theology,” he said. “There is a sole purpose of uniting together and worshipping Jesus. That’s all we care about.”
Alderman said Ole Miss has helped BYX assimilate to the student organizations.
“The school has been absolutely tremendous,” he said.
There have been instances where universities do not accept BYX as an official organization, and legal issues have emerged in Georgia and Florida between the universities and their respective BYX chapters, Alderman said.
Reynolds thinks that his faith has helped him in college “without a doubt,” he said.
“I looked back to when I came to college, and I realize now how my faith has helped me grow – it’s really helped me,” Reynolds said. “I want to live for a higher purpose.”
Alderman, as a part of BYX, aspires to help change the stereotypical cast type of Ole Miss students.
“The University of Mississippi has an image of being a party-style school,” he said. “I think (Ole Miss) was willing to have us here because we’re a different kind of fraternity. We could slightly adjust that negative image.”
