What is the Beta Agency? One Year Strong

Jason Hagens

May 16

4 min read

Updated: Jul 21

From the Editor's Desk (A Reclaimed Wood Desk, Naturally)

I didn't stumble into this gig for the glory. I volunteered because I wanted to put my journalism roots to work for WSU Beta Alumni, offset some of the mortgage on our place (JOKE), and keep the brotherhood plugged into everything Beta. I clocked out for good on August 2, 2022, but last year hit different. My daughter Caroline Delta Gamma WSU literally pulled me back from the edge, and I'll unpack that story when the time is right. Thirty days in a hospital bed has a way of clarifying your priorities. Mine? Burn the brochures. Kill the bulk mail. Build something worth reading. Shoutout to Dan Young for nudging me toward the digital age before I got too comfortable being analog. I do say I love the 90's,

For 25 years, I paid people to craft newsletters, grow my brand, and keep the lights on. Now I'm a one-person shop writer, editor, photographer, web designer, blogger, hype man doing it all for free, fueled by cold brew and a stubborn love for this house on Linden Street and my Beta brothers. The hardest part? Hunting down the right email addresses and wondering if anyone's actually out there. If you're reading this, drop a like or a comment. Seriously. Encouragement is the currency this operation runs on. Let other Betas know about this.

What We're Building Here

Think of this platform as your artisanal, small-batch connection to Beta Gamma Theta. The website, the blog, the e-newsletter- they're your curated source for reconnecting with alumni, revisiting your time at the house, swapping stories, and staying looped in on events and fundraisers. If you graduated last spring or back in the dial-up era, it doesn't matter. This is your home base. Help me, help you by volunteering with me to write, share, post- whatever it takes. Good things are only a click away.

The mission is simple: help alumni network authentically, forge new connections, and dust off the old ones. When you share your stories, you don't just stay connected; you become part of the living mythology that inspires the brothers still walking those Pullman streets. We've got a real website now. A database that's not stale. Actual content. The Beta Agency just turned one, and we're just getting started.

Why I Showed Up

Because I know those four or six-plus years out on the Palouse were some of the most gloriously unhinged chapters of your life. Living on the edge, studying hard, and becoming a Cougar in every sense of the word. That's worth preserving. That's worth showing up for. That's why I loved summer school in Pullman. Life was a little slower.

The Bigger Picture

Beyond community, this is about sustainability, the unsexy, essential kind. The website and e-newsletter help us raise awareness, help fund, and support brothers who need it. Last month we got our 13 windows we asked alumni to support us, and they showed up. It happened fast, thank you! You know your names; like Letters on the Hill, we don't have to bloat about it. Your donations can keep scholarships alive, upgrade the house, and make sure future Betas inherit something worth inheriting. Giving back isn't a chore. It's a vibe. Think about it.

We're also building out an archive, a deep-cut historical record of Beta Theta Pi at WSU. Past members, defining moments, the traditions that shaped who we are. Our Alumni Historian Jim Pappas is sitting on a goldmine of stories, but we know there's more out there fermenting in your memory. Share them. I am currently working on the re-colonization event of the 90s, so if you know something, reach out.

We've got over 20 alumni volunteers who mentor students, offer real-world wisdom, work on the house, and model what it means to be "Men of principle". Ten of them just completed a five-day Beta House work party in Pullman earlier this summer. That's nothing. That's everything.

Come Out, Come Out

Keep an eye on the events page and actually buy the tickets or RSVP this time. We know, we know, planning ahead isn't exactly our brand, but these gatherings take real time, real money, and real heart. A six-pack and a bag of hot dogs have had their moment, but it is time to level up and show up! This Double Header event was a great success, and we know what we need to do next time. 45+ Friends of Beta showed up, and it was great to see old and new faces, but like a True Beta, budgets were blown, and breaking the fun meter is better than not having a meter at all.

Reach out anytime: 206-383-3545 (cell) or Jhagens@mac.com. We might be the most underrated and slightly chaotic "Beta Agency" (my internal marketing name for this volunteer endeavor) on the planet, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Hope to see you at our next Westside or Eastside event. Here's to keeping the stories going, staying out of hospital beds, and protecting our space suit for the next 20 years.

Go, Brother. Go do something worth writing about.