In the late 1990s, a group of athletes got together, looking to form a discipleship group. After some time, they discovered that this was a really special group, and it could become a club. They decided to make it official on campus. The club was officially founded in 1997 by a student named Mark Palfreeman.
Today, the men of Eta Alpha Omega are still upholding the founder’s vision of a group of men sharpening each other in the Word.
“Our roots are really deep in discipling each other and being a Christ-focused group, and we still do that today. That’s one of our main focuses,” said Mitchell Richards, a senior biology major from Springdale, Ark.
“The original idea is that Eta is a group of guys that honor God, whether they are with the social club or not, it still stands,” said Noah Bowman, a sophomore biology major from Greenbrier, Ark.
That idea is where the club got its letters. Eta Alpha Omega stands for “Honor the Alpha and the Omega.”
Members describe the club as “diverse,” “relaxed” and “fun.” It is a place to connect with people from all majors and groups across campus.
“It’s just a big group of guys that are good friends and we can goof off, but then we also know when to be super serious. It’s always good to know that you can always have fun with them, but then when you need them to be together and be serious, they’ll sit down and have a serious talk with you,” said Jacob Cottrell, a freshman Christian studies major from Whitehouse, Texas.
“Eta brings me closer to a lot of guys I otherwise would not even know,” Bowman said.
Although the club is the youngest men’s club on campus, they still have fun traditions to uphold.
One tradition that most people on campus are familiar with is Muggin’. Muggin’ is an event that takes place every year on the last night of Tiger Tunes. The Etas buy truckloads of IBC root beer and throw them in ice, filling the truck beds. When the late show is over, everyone is welcome to come enjoy some root beer (served by the newest members), listen to music and dance, or just hang out with friends. It is a fun time for all who come.
“Muggin’ is a really fun tradition,” Bowman said. “It’s a way to provide an atmosphere for all of campus to come together.”
Before Muggin’ happens, the men of Eta perform in Tiger Tunes.
“[Tunes isn’t] serious in the least bit. We all want to do really well, and we do have sort of a structured practice, but basically it’s us just goofing around for 90 percent of the time, and we pull it together for the last 10 percent and actually practice,” Richards said.
“Tunes is nuts. It’s crazy. It’s really disorganized, but every day that we are there, we’re there to have more fun than anything else. We ask ourselves, ‘How can we make this a good time?’ and ‘How can we make people laugh?’” Bowman said.
The Etas enjoy Tunes season, but more than anything, they hope that the fun they have while performing is reflected on stage and helps the audience have just as good of a time as they do.
Another fun tradition enjoyed by members are service days. Eta has adopted a two-mile stretch of Highway 7, and they take two days each year to go clean it up.
“Picking up trash doesn’t sound like it would be a lot of fun, but when you’re with all these crazy guys, it really becomes something you look forward to,” Richards said. “And then we all go eat after that.”
Other traditions include spring outing, when the club takes a weekend trip to a fun place like Dallas or Branson, and traditions weekend. Traditions weekend is a camping trip taken in December, at the end of the fall semester. It is a time for the club to hang out and celebrate the new members being with them for a full year.
Eta is not just all about fun, Tiger Tunes and traditions. It truly is a brotherhood for all who join the club. They rely on each other, learn from each other and push each other.
“Everyone in the club is really open and receptive to being spiritually sensitive to stuff. I know that I can trust them with whatever concerns me,” Bowman said.
Every Monday after the weekly meeting, the men share a devotional, something that is a big part of their club and something that the Lord uses to speak truth into people’s lives.
“Truly there’s been experiences for me where I can feel God moving in [me] through the other brothers,” Richards said. “I can think of a lot of different instances when I felt like the message was directly for me, and God just knew that I needed to hear that. So, I can say I’ve had personal growth and spiritual growth directly from Eta that I don’t think I would have gotten without Eta.”
Richards sums it up best: “We like to have fun, but we like to try and sharpen each other as men and as Christians.”
And that is what being an Eta is all about.
– Katie Jo Henley, staff writer
