The Nineties Gap

By most measures, last year's Homecoming was a great success for Beta Beta alumni. Nearly 70 brothers returned to campus for an alumni happy hour, a fantastic tailgate, a Spider victory over Villanova, and a dinner reception overlooking Westhampton Lake. However, in one respect, 2007 was also a complete failure.

The above chart shows paid attendees for last year's Homecoming, according to their year of initiation (we don't have accurate years of graduation for everyone). A quick look shows that fellowship is strong among the brothers from the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. Every pledge class from 1960 to 1984 (except '62 and '67) had at least one representative in attendance last year.

This chart also reveals a dramatic drop-off in attendance beyond 1984. For lack of a better term, this is what I call "The Nineties Gap". I don't think this gap is the result of apathy. From what I know about the chapter of 15-20 years ago, these were some of our strongest years on campus. I also don't think it 's a matter of being too young or too busy with our job or families. From what I've seen on Facebook just the last few days, there are plenty of guys in their 30s and early 40s looking to reconnect with each other.

To help close this gap, I'm looking for anyone post-1984 that can help recruit other brothers back to campus for this year's Homecoming. Someone that can organize a golf foursome with their pledge brothers. Or convince a few former roommates to make the trip back to Richmond to smell that lodge smell once again. Drop me an email at mark.railsback@gmail.com if you're interested in helping recruit.