About The Senenmut Chapter
History
In April 2004, a few determined University at Buffalo students talked about starting an architecture fraternity and generated a lot of interest and excitement among their fellow architecture students. In May 2004, student leaders from University at Buffalo met with national leaders from Alpha Rho Chi, who were in town scouting the site for the 58th National Convention. Soon afterward, the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning granted Senenmut official recognition as a student organization, and by July 2004 the group was granted status as an official colony of Alpha Rho Chi.
In the summer of 2004, the Vitruvius Chapter (Penn State University) sponsored the Senenmut Colony in their efforts to to complete the required tasks necessary to become a recognized chapter of the national fraternity. On October 15, 2004, Vitruvius Chapter traveled to Buffalo to formally pledge 33 members of the Senenmut Colony.
While pledging, the colonists worked diligently to establish their presence at the University at Buffalo. They designed a recycling system of reusable materials for the architecture building, constructed of three plywood bins on wheels painted with the Alpha Rho Chi and Senenmut names. To raise money and introduce the fraternity to freshmen and upperclassmen, Senenmut hosted a "Road Rally" scavenger hunt on wheels. Teams in cars of three or four people traveled between the university's north and south campuses to find hidden items that could be located by deciphering a riddle clue. Each team flew a felt flag on their car antenna. As the teams solved riddles and found items, they earned extra points when they secured another team's flag and still had it by the end of the race. The team with the most points and the best time won half the registration money.
Alpha Rho Chi Letter, Spring 2005
On Friday, February 25, 2005, six car loads of Senenmut colonists caravanned for a five-hour trip to Penn State University. On February 26, 2005, twenty charter members of Senenmut colony were officially installed as the Senenmut Chapter. Senenmut Chapter's official installation coincided with a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Vitruvius Chapter's 1955 installation.
National Prominence
Senenmut Chapter hosted the Alpha Rho Chi 58th National Convention in Buffalo, New York on March 17-20, 2005. National fraternity leaders and delegates from 13 active chapters and 13 Alumni Associations were in attendance to conduct the fraternity's annual business meeting and experience the Buffalo-Niagara Region. Brothers gave presentations on behalf of their Chapters and Alumni Associations, and alumni presented information on the agencies at which they work. The fraternity's Annual Awards Banquet was held in the Pan American Room of Delaware Park Casino, the centerpiece of the Buffalo Olmsted Park System.
Professional lectures were given by notable experts in architecture, business, and fraternity-related fields. Dr. Andrew Sachs, Ph.D., presented a seminar on professional speaking and presentation. T.J. Sullivan, a national leader in fraternity advisement presented a talk on the importance of communication within fraternities to ensure the preservation of health, safety, relationships and academic excellence within fraternity chapters. A portfolio and resume workshop allowed brothers to learn what it takes to develop a successful and confident presentation for the academic and business worlds. Alumni members were able to receive AIA/CES learning units for their participation in lectures, tours, and workshops.
- Those in attendance also experienced private tours of several of Buffalo's famous architectural monuments including:
Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building. Built in 1896, it is a hallmark of early skyscrapers.
- St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral and St. Louis Catholic Church, 19th Century Gothic Cathedrals.
- Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House and Complex.
- Shea's Theater, a 1925 movie theater and performance venue.
- Walking tours of the City of Buffalo and Frederick Law Olmsted's Delaware Park.
Heritage
Our chapter is named after the great 18th Dynasty ancient Egyptian architect Senenmut, most famous for his masterpiece Mortuary Temple complex built for Queen Hatshepsut. The funerary complex is one of the most beautiful monuments of ancient Egypt, located in Deir el-Bahri at Thebes.
Our chapter's cadency mark is a crown, which recalls the namesake of Senenmut's patron, Queen Hashepsut, pharaoh in Egypt's eighteenth dynasty. The crown also connects with Buffalo's history as "Queen City of the Great Lakes." The angular depiction of the crown recalls Dietel Wade & Jones' art-deco design for Buffalo City Hall, completed in 1931.
Senenmut Chapter Today
The University at Buffalo Senenmut Chapter is one of the newest chapters of Alpha Rho Chi. Since 2005, the chapter's membership has continued to grow and prosper. We have a diverse group of active brothers and alumni from many academic, personal and professional backgrounds, all dedicated to the goals of creative and professional development, community service, networking, and social interaction. Our alumni brothers have gone on to attend prestigious graduate programs and many have already established successful careers in engineering, design, construction, business, and government industries, creating a strong network of experienced professionals that continue to advance their professions and support the local chapter and Alpha Rho Chi brothers everywhere. We are committed to supporting our members' talents and aspirations, and we continue to welcome new brothers to the fraternity each semester.