How did the Beta Chapter select its initiates and why was this practice stopped?

• A. Nomination by student leaders.
• B. Tap Day – Students lined up across from the student union and brothers tapped them on the shoulder while wearing their schools colors; stopped because it brought negative light to the fraternity.
• C. Formal interviews by a panel of alumni.
• D. Random selection from a list.

Answer: (B)

Initiation methods reveal how a fraternity balances tradition with how the campus and broader public perceive it. In this case, the Beta Chapter used Tap Day as the way to select initiates—the brothers tapped candidates on the shoulder in a public setting, signaling membership while wearing school colors. That visibility created negative attention and cast the fraternity in an unfavorable light, so the chapter stopped the practice to avoid further reputational harm. The other options describe methods that aren’t tied to a public ritual like Tap Day, which is why this public tapping approach is the one best explained by the scenario.