Acacia Triad - Summer 2017 by Acacia Fraternity

SUMMER 2017

TIANYI JOE ZHU, ILLINOIS 2005 THOMAS DENISON, ILLINOIS 1984

By Patrick W. McGovern, Indiana ’99 “Not everything that’s faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed that is not faced.” - James Baldwin

ne of the most substantial accomplishments during my service as Executive Director was achieved over the past year. Acacia Fraternity now has a state-ofthe-art membership database (via OmegaFi Compass); and every Acacian now has a “member portal” (myAcacia accessible via acacia.org) through which they can manage their membership. If you have any questions about myAcacia please email Assistant Executive Director Michael Weber at mweber@acacia.org. OmegaFinancial (omegafi.com) is our technology partner in both of these new developments. They are also the partner of 17 other national fraternities and sororities. Some of the things that members may now do via myAcacia: • • • • • •

Update contact information (without requiring redundant data entry by HQ Staff) View their donation history (coming soon!) Find contact info for other Acacians Help foster connections between members by tracking down brothers for whom we lack contact information View an events calendar Access resources from the Fraternity

This new system puts Acacia Fraternity and Foundation into a database management system that is best-in-industry. There are many more features that will eventually take place via myAcacia; this is just the start. It has been exciting creating this new framework for all of our members to stay up-to-date and engaged with our Fraternity. All of these changes required months of detailed work to bring to fruition, and I would like to personally and publicly thank Assistant Executive Director Michael Weber, who truly “made all of this work.” Without Michael’s diligence and attention to detail, we never would have gotten everything figured out and implemented. Thank you Michael! Going back to the quote at the beginning of the article, I’d like to make a few comments on the current situation at Penn State University in relation to the Greek community. If you’ve seen the news in recent months, you surely have heard something about the Penn State Greek community, and a student death that took place in February. Tim Piazza was a sophomore student at Penn State who died related to very risky behavior at a fraternity-related activity. This is an instance in which the entire Greek community at Penn State, the alumni of the chapters at Penn State, and those of us involved in the fraternal movement are needing to “face things in order to change them.” Acacia Fraternity has a strong chapter at Penn State, and the Headquarters Staff has been in constant communication with chapter and alumni leadership since this event occurred. The university administration is pushing some strong reforms on the Greek community, most of which make good sense to prevent risky alcohol consumption. However, the university administration is also mandating “deferred recruitment,” meaning that there will be a delay in when young men are able to join fraternities at Penn State. The current “deferral period” that is

being discussed is the first semester of school, meaning that freshmen who don’t have 14 credit hours completed will not be eligible to join fraternities. This is a particular problem at Penn State as the university also closes out their dorm contracts for the following year in October, which will be two to three months before any freshman male even has a chance to consider whether he’d like to join a fraternity, or which fraternity he’d like to join. That means that, effectively, no freshmen or sophomores at Penn State will be allowed to live in fraternity chapter houses, as they will have to be committed to living in the dorms or an apartment before they’ve had a chance to consider fraternity living. The university is taking steps to protect the safety of students as best they can, but in doing so, is also dismissing the input from students and alumni leaders who are pointing out this new mandate will likely have the effect of making the fraternity chapter houses in State College, Pennsylvania, financially untenable. This is, in effect, an effort by a university to close down the Greek community on their campus because of the actions of one fraternity chapter and its members, a thought that should concern everyone reading this. Later in this issue of the Triad, we’ve included an essay by current North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) CEO and President Judson Horras in which some tough and relevant questions are asked. This is a time for reflection for our entire community, and I thank Jud for his thoughtful leadership at this time. In closing, I hope that you enjoy this issue of the Triad! You’ll find a story about how the Acacia connection was discovered between two men from the same chapter working on an innovative project. You’ll find a spotlight on our Undergraduate Counselors (on the International Council). You’ll find chapter updates to report on some of the happenings of our undergraduates. I hope you’ll find that Acacia Fraternity is doing very well, in many ways. Get Involved: 1. Provide some feedback via Acacia.org/triadsurvey. I would like to hear from you, our members, about the overall value of the TRIAD and what it means to us as members. ** If you don’t have Internet access, call Acacia HQ at (317) 8728210 to request that we mail a survey to you. 2. Chime in and tell your Acacia story by posting on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook with #BecauseAcacia. If you don’t use social media, send an email to communications@acacia.org. We hope that you will share the positive, encouraging aspects of your experience, as well as any challenges that caused you to grow as an individual, or as a leader. Fraternally,

Patrick McGovern, Indiana ‘99 Executive Director Acacia Fraternity

CONTENTS

Executive Director Patrick W. McGovern Indiana ’99

Director of Membership Development Benjamin B. Turconi California ’12

International President Jeremy N. Davis Iowa State ’00

International Treasurer Robert W. Mickam Texas ’87

First Vice President Scott H. Meyer St. Cloud State ’89

International Counselor George A. Ray Penn State ’10

Second Vice President Justin M.M. Kaplan Carleton ’07

Judge Advocate Maximilian J.B. Hopkins California ’80

Undergraduate Counselor Graham A. Pedregosa Carleton ’15

Undergraduate Counselor Ryan N. McDowell Oregon State ’14

ACACIA FRATERNITY FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016-2017 President Amos D. Meyers Jr. Shippensburg ’66 Vice President William M. Riley Kansas State ’60

Executive Director Darold W. Larson Washington State ’81

Secretary James Katsaounis Ohio ’95

Treasurer William A. Utic Cornell ’74

Directors Dr. John C. Barber Purdue ’58, Emeritus

Dr. John B. Lane Vermont ’57, Emeritus

John F. Beering Purdue ’88, Emeritus

Kris R. Lutt Nebraska ’90

Dwyte E. Brooks Northwestern ’69

John B. Pugh Iowa State ’50, Emeritus

John “Chip” Brueckman Cornell ’76

Robert E. Roberson Illinois Wesleyan ’74

Gerald C. Cook Shippensburg ’66

Michael L. Rollins Washington ’87

Aaron P. Darcy Indiana ’95

Larry E. Schroeder Georgia ’77

Brian R. Durst Wisconsin ’87

L. Dennis Smith Indiana ’56, Emeritus

David L. Ferguson Indiana ’74

Donald W. Solanas Jr. Louisiana State ’68

Scott C. Graham Penn State ’98

Robert G. Travnicek, M.D. Kansas ’59

Mark R. Guidry Jr. Louisiana State ’57

Michael C. Tu California ’91

Ronald T. Hopkins Syracuse ’69

Dewayne E. Ullsperger Nebraska ’82

Andrew Jee Oregon State ’87

John W. Wedgwood Purdue ’60, Emeritus

Harold D. Zarr Jr. Iowa State ’73

CONTACT ACACIA HEADQUARTERS AT: communications@acacia.org or at (317) 872-8210. acacia.org

5 THE VOICE OF THE UNDERGRADUATE

Brothers McDowell, Oregon State ’14, and Pedregosa, Carleton ’15, are active members serving on the International Council. Read about how they ensure the undergraduate voice is heard when making decisions that affect the fraternity.

9 CHAPTER NEWS AND UPDATES Our chapters are doing amazing things. From high GPAs to record human service hours, see what your chapter has been up to this last semester.

15 THE SERENDIPITY OF BROTHERHOOD Two Acacians co-founded a company together that is about to break ground on a $50 million facility and create more than 120 jobs. The catch? They didn’t know they were from the same chapter!

3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 8 EXPANSION AND COLONY OUTLOOK 9 CHAPTER NEWS AND UPDATES 18 ALUMNI NEWS AND NOTES 20 CHAPTER ETERNAL 21 AFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LETTER ADDRESS CHANGES, CORRESPONDENCE AND MATERIAL FOR PUBLICATION MAY BE MAILED TO: TRIAD Editor, Acacia Fraternity, 8777 Purdue Road, Suite 225, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or emailed to: communications@ acacia.org. All submissions are subject to editing for space and clarity. Standard postage paid in Indianapolis, IN.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

We Must Do By Jeremy N. Davis, Iowa State ’00

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” —Leonardo da Vinci

s Acacia Fraternity celebrates the 113th anniversary of its founding on May 12, 1904 at the University of Michigan, we should all take a moment to reflect upon the legacy of Acacia Fraternity, along with the bonds of brotherhood we share through the many generations of brothers who proudly call themselves Acacians. Through our social media channels, during the month leading-up to the anniversary of our founding, we celebrated the “30 Days of Gratefulness” where we highlighted 30 Acacians (one each day) who share their story of gratefulness of Acacia. Visit acacia.org/30days to view 30 Acacian’s views on Acacia! It was truly a humbling experience to read these stories of Acacians throughout the 30 days leading up to the anniversary of our founding! As undergraduates, we’re taught the values of Acacia: Virtue, Knowledge, and Truth. As alumni, we’re often reminded of these values in our daily lives through our families, careers, and social activities. Simply being taught or reminded of Acacia’s values isn’t enough—we must work diligently to live our daily lives (whether undergraduate or alumni) by the values we embrace. And for those of us who are alumni, it’s important that we support our undergraduate chapters and brothers to understand the importance of our values through our advisory efforts, especially in the areas of chapter operations, recruitment, social activities, and membership education through Cornerstones.

As most of our alumni are aware, in 2013 the International Council, in coordination with the Indiana Acacia Housing Corporation Board as well as the University of Indiana, closed the Indiana chapter of Acacia for failing to uphold the standards and expectations of a chapter of Acacia. Although it was a troubling time for Indiana Acacia, as well as the entire Fraternity, the Indiana Acacia Housing Corporation Board effectively reconstituted/reset itself and embarked upon a strategic planning process in preparation for a recolonization of the Indiana Chapter of Acacia. Through a diligent planning process, the Indiana Chapter alumni established a set of benchmarks and standards for what they envisioned for their undergraduate chapter. Fast forward four years, the Indiana chapter has been successfully recolonized and chartered. This would not have occurred had it not been for a dedicated group of alumni who were willing to look beyond “tradition” to establish the expectations for the future of Acacia at Indiana University.

Thus, if you’re a housing corporation board member, alumni advisor or engaged alumni with an undergraduate chapter, has your group embarked on a strategic planning process to help guide your local undergraduate chapter? If you haven’t, we’d strongly encourage you to do so, as it will help you not only assess the local alumni board’s strengths (and weaknesses), but also help establish strategic goals, objectives and expectations for the undergraduate From the International Fraternity’s perspective, we chapter and the respective alumni organization. know that when an undergraduate chapter is suc- The key to this, however, is to not conduct this processful it is often the result of having an engaged cess in a vacuum, but rather have both the alumni alumni advisor(s) and/or housing corporation group and undergraduate chapter participating in board. Alumni advisors, as well as housing corpo- this strategic planning process together! ration boards, provide undergraduate chapters and brothers with guidance, expectations, and strategic And while you might be saying “we’ve got too many other urgent items that need to be addressed,” let direction. 3

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

me be the first to say that now is the optimal time for a strategic planning process, as the time invested today may prevent long-term issues in the future for both the undergraduate chapter and alumni group. As Jack Welch famously stated, “Control your own destiny or someone else will.” By creating a strategic plan that establishes both long- and short-term goals and objectives, as well as expectations along with benchmarks for success, each of our local alumni groups and their respective undergraduate chapters will be on a pathway to success. Will this be an easy process? No. It takes dedication and commitment to creating, implementing, and evaluating a strategic process—but it can and needs to be done at all our chapters. As we look to the future operations of the International Fraternity, we know strong, vibrant, and growing chapters are a critical component to overall operational success. Our Headquarters Staff is available to help guide local chapters and alumni groups through this process, which can lead to greater levels of achievement and growth. This coming academic year, as our Leadership Consultants are visiting chapters, utilize their understanding of operational best practices to help build a plan. While a Leadership Consultant’s primary focus during a chapter visit is typically with the undergraduate chapter, having the opportunity to interact with local alumni advisors, corporation board leadership and area alumni brothers is very beneficial and can be a great tool for enhancing local alumni operations, as well. Additionally, through the support of our alumni brothers who graciously contribute tax-deductible funds annually to the Acacia Fraternity Foundation, the International Fraternity has been able to further enhance the educational programming resources through Cornerstones as well as chapter officer resource guides and new member education resources (such as the recently updated and published Pythagoras). With increasing demands on the International Fraternity to provide enhanced levels of educational resources for our undergraduate brothers and chapters, the need for financial support from our alumni brothers through the Acacia Fraternity Foundation is greater today than it

was just a few short years ago. And so, on behalf of the International Council, our Headquarters Staff, our undergraduate chapters and brothers, we extend our gratitude to our alumni brothers who have graciously supported the educational programming through the AFF. Without your financial support, the International Fraternity would not be able to meet the educational programming needs of our undergraduate brothers and chapters. Looking ahead, since this is a non-Conclave year, the Darold W. Larson Acacia Leadership Academy will once again be held in Bloomington, Indiana at the Indiana Acacia Chapter House at the end of July. ALA is recognized as a premier leadership development conference within the interfraternal community, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of our alumni brothers through the Acacia Fraternity Foundation. In order to continue to provide a premier leadership experience for our undergraduate brothers at ALA, we humbly ask you to consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Acacia Leadership Academy through the Acacia Fraternity Foundation online at acacia.org/donate. Your support today will allow the Fraternity to continue to enhance its educational, informative, and relevant programming that supports the overall undergraduate fraternal experience. And so, going forward, “We Must Do” to ensure a strong, vibrant and growing Acacia Fraternity. Fraternally,

Jeremy Davis, Iowa State ’00 President International Council of Acacia Fraternity 4

UNDERGRADUATE COUNSELORS

The Voice of the Undergraduate How Two Active Members Ensure the Rest Are Heard Brothers Ryan McDowell, Oregon State ’14, and Graham Pedregosa, Carleton ’15, serve as the International Undergraduate Counselors on the International Council. They were elected by the 2016 Conclave to serve on the International Council for two years. They hold an equal vote with the alumni members of the board and offer valuable perspective to the Council, ensuring the undergraduate voice is considered in all decisions made.

GRAHAM PEDREGOSA, CARLETON ‘15

We had a conversation with the two of them and have included the transcript below:

AHQ: Why did you join Acacia? RM: Good friend from high school joined when he became a freshman, Joshua Ramsey. Got sick, dropped phone in a puddle, no one could get ahold of me. Once the chapter found out what had happened, they brought me food when I was sick from a restaurant, not the dining hall. This sheer goodwill, just going off the word of a few members, and being new to school, it stuck out with me. GP: Why I joined? Watching hockey with Christian Robillard. Normally, I was always talking to students on professional and political grounds; this was a family mentality that I was missing in university. I met a lot of guys talking about what good brotherhood means, and I realized this would be a great organization to relax a little bit. Taught me how to balance professional and personal time. I lived nine hours away, so the family aspect was great as well. AHQ: Why did you run for VD of your chapter? GP: I ran for VD because it was a different opportunity than being a student leader. I thought, “This is my best way to contribute to my chapter.” A lot of members said, “We think this would be a good fit for you.” More of a, how do you say it…well, it was just my best way to contribute to the chapter! [Laughter]I’m lucky and privileged to serve in the position. RM: I wanted to be recruitment chair! [Laughter] I really wanted to get involved in chapter leadership after going to ALA 2015. Something clicked when I realized there was a whole fraternity bigger than my-

RYAN MCDOWELL, OREGON STATE ‘14

self and my chapter. It also got me looking at it as a bigger picture. We had gone from a 50-man to a 30-man chapter with 20 living in. I was only Secretary, but I said, “We’re gonna get 20 pledges; we can show the initiative to grow and improve.” Everyone was motivated and we recruited, I believe, 23 members. After that, I had some older guys say, “We want to talk to you, we think you’d be a good fit [for VD].” AHQ: How did you make the decision to run for Undergraduate Counselor? RM: I talked to Aiden Boschee, David Czyewicz, and I just decided, you know, I’m gonna go for it and the best brother wins. It was a pretty big surprise. I wasn’t expecting it! That was a crazy moment for me. Personally, I thought Graham nailed it. Really thought Jon Anderson nailed it as well. GP: We hold elections in March, so I was three months into my term as VD and I didn’t know any Venerable Deans from the VD Summit. However, Justin Kaplan, International Second Vice President, is a member of my chapter. He said he thought I’d be good for the position and I thought it would be a good idea. I felt that this position would be somewhere I’d be able to contribute and share my knowledge as well as the opinions of Active members. I consider it an honor to share the voices of the members during Council meetings. For example, we were at a meeting trying to explain Snapchat to the Council. [Laughter] We are in a generational gap concerning how Millennials

UNDERGRADUATE COUNSELORS

use technology to communicate, and we can explain from first hand experience. We really learn from each other, though, because they can offer the historical perspective. RM: Going over social media policies is a great example. For us to be able to give unbiased answers to these, this is valuable in these meetings. Graham hit it on the head: the generational gap is large but it creates a space where we can both learn from each other. AHQ: What do you hope to accomplish? RM: I haven’t done as much as I wanted to by now. I want to try and help West Coast chapters by improving relations between them. I’m hoping to be able to attend international events and provide guidance to younger members, just being able to talk about my time in a variety of positions and see how I can give them advice. I hope to be a resource. GP: On my end, I’m very lucky that I don’t serve in any executive positions right now. I live in the chapter house. I think it’s important that we have more dialogue between chapters. Be able to have road trips and meetings with chapters. I would personally like to see more people come to Canada. [Laughter] Yeah, it’s a little cold but your dollar will go further! RM: Graham, I really like your point of being in this position: to just get people to have dialogues. Be able to give younger guys in bottom-heavy chapters a chance to talk to other chapters. People need to have connections after ALA and Conclave. People think differently, some are into intramurals, some do Nile different, but then you get to the ritual. At the end of the day, they all know that this is what brings us together. Every active brother should get the chance to see a couple hundred Acacians get together and perform the ritual like we do in Bloomington at ALA. That rich heritage of principles is what unites us all.

AHQ: What advice would you give to chapters about utilizing Headquarters as a resource? RM: Reach out to Headquarters! Getting to know staff at ALA, you learn that these guys [HQ Staff and International Council] are brothers. These are brothers working full time or volunteering time to better the fraternity, and at the end of the day they are on the side of chapters. If the chapters asked more questions — for example, any member can send an email to you, Benjamin, or a leadership consultant — they [HQ] will give you a very level-headed answer. The Gold Books are valuable resources that many members may not even know exist! Members need to reach out to HQ; they are great guys who just want to help you. GP: I think a lot of things at Headquarters go unappreciated. The guys do a lot of little things that we don’t see. Whatever relationship chapters have, the name on the chapter is the reason they are there. The HQ staff are trying to make sure that every member who joins our fraternity has a phenomenal experience. With Patrick and Jeremy, you see a lot of hard work. Also, when it comes to risk, it is great that we have HQ’s phone number just in case something happens. As chapter leaders, we need to have that info. As an Acacian, the letters on your chest are representing not just yourself, but all brothers in the US and Canada. AHQ: Anything else? GP: Really excited to meet a lot of new executives and brothers at ALA at the end of July. Can’t wait to meet you all! Planning ways we can do more. It is always a blast meeting other brothers. RM: I would like to echo what Graham says: I really hope to give brothers who come the same treatment and opportunity. The fact that I can serve at ALA is going to be really amazing. I got so much out of it as an attendee. It’s going to be a really good year. I just want to do whatever I can to make this fraternity better.

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WSU CARLETON

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CHAPTER 7

COLONY

FUTURE EXPANSION

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES

ince Conclave, Acaciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expansion and recruitment efforts have focused on the past, the present, and the future.

Currently, members from Acacia Headquarters staff have been working directly with several of our current chapters on how to best improve chapter recruitment practices. Additionally, we have seen growth from several of our current colonies.

11 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

This semester, great steps have been taken for our future. This coming fall, our plan is to focus on current chapter and colony recruitment with the hopes of several colonies moving closer to their charter. There have been conversations with multiple universities about future expansions and we look forward to revealing these down the road. If you have any interest in being part of future expansion projects or have an idea for a university you would like Acacia Headquarters staff to look into, please email Director of Expansion and Recruitment Jerod Miles at jmiles@acacia.org.

20 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

FUTURE EXPANSIONS 52 LOUISANA STATE UNIVERSITY FALL 2018

AUBURN UNIVERSITY SPRING 2019

CURRENT EXPANSIONS ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY VENERABLE DEAN RYAN OZENBAUGH theohzie@gmail.com

This semester has been very productive for our colony. Early on, we received news that our colony was 2nd in grades out of all other IFC fraternities on campus. On April 1st, we initiated 8 enthusiastic new members. This semester, we were crowned Greek Week champions alongside Sigma Kappa, Theta Xi, Mu Epsilon Theta, and Alpha Epsilon Pi. We are working on our petition to charter and plan to submit the document in time to get passed at ALA this summer. We are also excited to announce that we have found a house in the Greek Leadership Village and look forward to moving in next semester!

FALL 2016

Despite strong efforts from Leadership Consultants Kieran Edstrom and Dan Watson, the colony that was recruited decided to disaffiliate from the fraternity and continue on their own as an unrecognized group. We are currently exploring options to start a new effort and will keep all updated on the progress.

VENERABLE DEAN GERRIT VAN MAANEN gerrit-vanmaanen@uiowa.edu Iowa entered the semester with 29 members and is set to move back into their chapter house in fall 2017. The colony is aiming to start working on their petition to charter next semester.

23 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON VENERABLE DEAN COREY ROGERS coreyrogers53@gmail.com

Greetings from the University of Washington colony! winter quarter, Acacia was the fastest growing fraternity on campus and showed the largest improvement in cumulative GPA amongst all other fraternities at UW. We partook in a trail restoration project with the Green Kirkland Partnership at Crestwoods Park for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where we helped remove invasive species from the area. Currently, there are 27 members and 3 pledges for the upcoming spring quarter. Brother Ernie Tao was selected to receive the 2017 Husky 100 Award, presented to 100 outstanding undergraduates and graduates from the three UW campus. Congratulations to Brother Tao.

48 UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT

VENERABLE DEAN JAMES WEISBECKER jweisbec@uvm.edu The Colony currently stands at 7 members and are continuing to experience exponential growth. The past year in the fraternity has been a challenging, yet rewarding experience. Recolonizing a fraternity from the ground up is a lot of hard work! There were a lot of hurdles that needed to be jumped, and many more hurdles that we need to overcome in the future.

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES (as submitted by chapters)

61 BLOOMSBURG

VENERABLE DEAN ZACHARY KNOX, zmk71349@huskies.bloomu.edu Bloomsburg Chapter initiated 5 members in the spring semester, bringing their total to 40 active members.

5 CALIFORNIA

VENERABLE DEAN RICKY MENDIOLA rmendiola@berkeley.edu California Chapter initiated three members in the spring semester and is currently reorganizing chapter operations. If you are interested in serving on the Alumni Advisory Team, please contact alumni@acacia.org.

83 CALIFORNIA OF

PENNSYLVANIA

VENERABLE DEAN MARK SANTUCCI san9995@calu.edu CUP Chapter initiated six members in the spring semester and is looking forward towards a succesful fall term.

85 CARLETON

VENERABLE DEAN GRAHAM PEDREGOSA, acaciacarleton.com This spring semester has been a busy one up here in the Capital of Canada! We kicked off the semester by participating in Bell Let’s talk, which is an initiative to bring an end to the stigma surrounding Mental Health, and then soon after celebrated our 28th Founders Day in February! At the end of February we road tripped down to Illinois to visit both the Illinois State and Wesleyan chapters (Huge shout out again to the guys at Wesleyan for opening your doors and letting us crash on your couches)! In March, we participated in Carleton’s Relay for Life, helping to raise almost $128,000 for cancer research and smashing last years record and keeping our place as the top school fundraiser for the event in Canada. Finally, we initiated 3 fantastic new brothers into our chapter in April. We are ramping things up this summer looking to go strong into the new school year as 2017 marks 150 years since Canadian Confederation and 65 years since Carleton University was founded!

61 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA VENERABLE DEAN PETER SHEETZ, centralacacia.com

Central Oklahoma Chapter has grown by over 25% over the last year and were the 2016 Football Intramural Champions. The chapter is looking forward to a great fall semester!

14 COLORADO

VENERABLE DEAN CONNOR BRAMLEY acaciacolorado.org Looking back from these final days of the Spring semester, there’s a lot to be proud of here in Boulder, Colorado. Our outgoing president from the fall, Ben King, and our incoming president from the Spring, Connor Bramley, are both a large part of the reason why. Both of them led the fraternity to new and exciting prospects. We have initated 21 great brothers over the last year. This is the largest Spring class we have ever had, and a big shoutout to our sophomore rush chairman Jake Reading! We are sad to say goodbye to what few seniors we have in the next few weeks, but with 16 seniors, and roughly the same amount of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen, we have put ourselves in an excellent position to grow very quickly. We have rekindled our passion for philanthropies as well. We started an initiative to recycle all (well, most...) of our cans, and so far we have recycled eight 35-gallon trash bags full of them! We also participated in the Polar Plunge, and have been active in nearly all of the philanthropies thrown by our cousins in the Boulder Greek community. There was a great Cornerstones talk given by our local fraternity lawyer, Tom Ward, about how make a plan and take the smart path on the road to being a lawyer. Next fall, we have quite a few plans in place as well. We will be starting up Acacia Claus on our campus, a Christmas toy drive. We will also be bringing back the tradition of parents weekend to our chapter, and this idea has been met with a lot of excitement within the chapter! Most exciting, we believe, is our goal to have 30 accepted bids next fall. There is a lot of competition here in Boulder, especially with the upcoming addition of two more fraternities, bringing the total to 21. We will continue to improve on our current standings, and we will rise to become a leading name on our campus. Big things to come, brothers: stay in touch, stop by for a visit, maybe? So Live.

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES

14 CORNELL

54 ILLINOIS WESLEYAN

After a difficult year in terms of recruitment in the 2015-2016 school year, we decided it was time for a change, and this year we recruited more than twice the number of new members from last year. This was accomplished even with numbers working against us, since we had fewer brothers to take on the task of expanding our house than the year before. Nevertheless, it was possible, and I would like to thank Brother Leung and Brother Wainaina for their outstanding efforts. Moving forward, I believe we have even higher expectations in mind, and rightfully so, since there are many leaders and hardworking brothers in these last spring and fall classes.

Illinois Wesleyan Chapter initiated 3 members in the spring semester and will be sending members to the Darold W. Larson Acacia Leadership Academy.

VENERABLE DEAN JOSE COVARRUBIAS cornellacacia.org

VENERABLE DEAN BRENT BAUGHN brentbaughan1@gmail.com

30 INDIANA

VENERABLE DEAN MARSHALL FARREN mfarren@umail.iu.edu Hello Brothers! The Indiana Chapter’s first spring back in our house on 702 East Third has been very exciting. We have just initiated eighteen bright young men who have shown admirable

As a chapter, we continue to encourage our members to establish relations with the rest of the Cornell community. Our members have attended multiple Panhellenic philanthropy and social events, and many of our brothers are involved in other on-campus organizations.

9 ILLINOIS

VENERABLE DEAN CRISTOPHER HERRERA rushacacia.com This semester we have put an emphasis on giving back. We have raised money for various charities through t-shirt fundraisers. We raised $900 with the sales from t-shirts we sold for Mom’s Weekend and donated that to Cancer Research Awareness. We also used sales from a date event and our brotherhood event to raise money for Foundation 40, a charity started in honor of our late Brother, Jason Sinnick. We also head a BBQ to show our appreciation for the law enforcement of Champaign/Urbana. We are excited to welcome 9 new members to our chapter on April 30th. We have emphasized academic success to our new member class and we have seen results as it is projected that no new member will have a GPA lower than a 3.0.

73 ILLINOIS STATE

VENERABLE DEAN ERWIN CORNELIUS III edcorne@ilstu.edu Illinois State Chapter initiated 5 members this semester and is making great strides in philanthropy and campus involvement. With a member serving on IFC, Acacia is making a great name for itself in the Illinois State community.

commitment to the house since they signed their bids. Aaron Yasko and Jordan Maxwell, our co-recruitment chairs, have done a tremendous job this year of finding the right guys to continue the growth of our chapter. After this spring’s initiation, our chapter will be up to 124 members (124 more than we had two years ago at this time)! Qualifications for the 2017 Little 500 took place on March 25. The Acacia cycling team came in 21st on the day. In late July, we will be hosting the Acacia Leadership Academy. The Indiana Chapter will have three brothers (including myself) in attendance. We are excited to show the work we’ve put in to renovate our house over the past year. Acacian and Proud, Marshall Farren

27 INDIANA OF PENNSYLVANIA VENERABLE DEAN TY STOKES therealtystokes@yahoo.com

Indiana of Pennsylvania Chapter initiated 1 member this spring semester, but is making preparations for next fall already. We hope to initiate 7-8 members next fall. If you are interested in serving as an advisor to the chapter, please contact alumni@acacia.org.

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES

19 IOWA STATE

VENERABLE DEAN JAKOB CROGHAN stuorg.iastate.edu/acacia This past semester has been a fun and exciting one! In early January, we welcomed each of our recently elected officers into their new positions. We hosted our annual Mother’s weekend in early February. We spent the entire morning filling our house with the warm aromas of freshly baked desserts to be sold in benefit of the Emergency Residence Project of Ames. This organization helps families in Story County combat homelessness. Following a dinner at one of our many great local establishments, members escorted their mothers to a Varieties performance, one of our three community wide competitions. This was especially exciting as our team’s mini-musical was recognized as the third best overall performance. At the end of March, I am pleased to announce, we initiated four new members into our brotherhood. Throughout the semester, each of these four new members worked diligently on preparing a new member service project, exemplifying our motto of “Human Service.” These four individuals spent three of their weekends volunteering at a local Ames middle school with Destination Imagination where children are able to compete in various challenges testing their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. They have been an inspiration to our active chapter and encouraged all of our members to participate. This spirit has carried into the rest of semester, especially our Greek Week. After a week of toilsome effort, our team was proud to stand on stage with 3rd place trophies in our hands. This Greek Week was particularly significant for our community as we were able to raise over $377,000 for Special Olympics as a community. This is a more than $90,000 increase over last year’s donation. Our team helped raise almost $60,000 to benefit Special Olympics athletes such as Abby, our team’s personal coach and encouragement. I could not be prouder of our brother, Aditya Navale, the community service coordinator for this year’s Greek Week and the man that helped make this achievement possible!

27 KANSAS STATE

VENERABLE DEAN SHANE TORREY kstateacacia.org Reflecting on the last semester, our vision of “Together Building Exceptional Lives…” has never held truer for the K-State Acacia Chapter. Between our formal in winter Park Colorado, hosting social events to meet people all across campus, to raising $6,000 in toys and cash for the Salvation Army through Acacia Claus, things never seem to slow down here in Manhattan, Kansas! In the spring of 2017, K-State Acacia welcomed 13 new brothers, as well as two new Young Men. We are also celebrating ranking in the top quartile in grades for the 27th of the last 28 semesters, with

19 members finishing with 4.0 GPAs. Not only have Acacians been keeping busy with socials, our swing dancing semi-formal, and many other brotherhood events, but we are also working hard to raise $3,000 for K-State Proud. On April 30th, we hosted a ‘Proud to be Purple’ 5K, with all ticket sales going directly to Proud. K-State Proud provides financial support to students in need, keeping them able to attend the school we love. K-State Acacia is honored to have had our housemother, Mom Ann Domsch, working with our members for more than 15 years. Her ever-present support of every member over the past decade and a half has played an irreplaceable role in developing strong leaders out of each and every Acacian to come through our front door. We celebrated Mom Ann’s retirement on April 8th with nearly 100 Senior Men and the Active Chapter, all under one roof. From ‘True Colors’ to multiple CORE leadership training sessions, Mom Ann’s insight has been a staple of the K-State Acacia experience.

84 MILLERSVILLE

VENERABLE DEAN NATHAN CHILDERS, nathanchilders2015@gmail.com This past semester here at Millersville University, our chapter has been nothing but busy. We started off this semester by creating a team and participating in our campus Relay for Life. As a team, we raised money to donate to the American Cancer Society. Also, during Greek Week this year, we were able to double our goal and help raise over $2,000. The money that Greek Life raised as a whole went to the Make A Wish Foundation,

TOP 10 CHAPTERS BY ROLL (up to date to 6/15/2017)

1 Indiana (2611)

6 Texas (1481)

2 Illinois (2541)

7 Nebraska (1350)

3 Purdue (2045)

8 Colorado (1272)

4 Penn State (2003)

9 New Hampshire (1263)

5 LSU (1731)

10 Kansas State (1257)

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES which was used to fund a vacation to Disney for a terminally ill child. This semester we also hosted our third blood drive of the year with American Red Cross. We concluded our semester by giving back to our Millersville community through Seven Days Of Service. We volunteered at John Herr’s, a local market, by bagging groceries and collecting shopping carts. The following day we picked up trash around surrounding neighborhoods as well as our adopted highway. We finished our Seven Days of Service strong by attending Alpha Xi Delta’s “Autism Speaks Walk” in Bethlehem, PA, as well as hosted our very own local philanthropy event for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). We just recently adopted MADD as our local philanthropy, in honor of one of our fallen brothers, Stephen Daverio. The event that we hosted was a presentation that spread awareness and educated our campus community on the dangers of driving under the influence. A representative from MADD gave the presentation as well as the Daverio family. We are looking forward to next semester.

13 MISSOURI

VENERABLE DEAN MICHAEL BENDER acaciamuvd@gmail.com

4 NEBRASKA

VENERABLE DEAN DANIEL THOMAS danielthomas1312@gmail.com The spring has been exciting for the Nebraska chapter. We have been building on the hard work many people have put in to get our chapter where it needs to be. This spring, the chapter participated in its fourth annual Acacia Leadership Scholarship and second annual Seven Days of Service. During the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Big Event we had two groups participate. On February 14, 2017, our chapter celebrated its 112th Founders’ Day. The event was celebrated with an event hosted by the alumni. The event brought members, parents, and alumni together. This recruitment for the fall semester has begun. Our two Rush Chairmen, Zach McDonald and Bryan Sliger are prepared to travel across Nebraska and the surrounding areas to find the next great members of our chapter. The excitement around this rush season is very high. With the help of all of our members and the alumni, we expect to bring in a great group of young men to continue the traditions of Acacia. This chapter is eager to see what the future has in store.

Greetings Brothers!

Fraternally, Venerable Dean, Daniel Thomas, 04.1312

This semester has been one in which we have found a renewed sense of purpose and are rededicating ourselves to growing the chapter. The alumni association and I have made recruitment our number one priority while working diligently together to produce a comprehensive plan for Formal Recruitment this summer and for the fall 2017 semester as well. I am very excited to say that the alumni association has graciously put together two $500 scholarships to help us with our recruitment efforts.

42 OHIO

Through these three events, and with your help, I am confident that we will all be able to help keep the Missouri chapter of Acacia thriving by ushering in a large pledge class this upcoming fall semester. If you would like to help out in the recruitment process or know of any young men coming to Mizzou this year please e-mail me at acaciamuvd@gmail.com.

90 MORNINGSIDE

VENERABLE DEAN DAKOTA DRENTH djd007@morningside.edu Greetings from Sioux City! This semester marked the last of our time with our long time Chapter Advisor, Gene Ambrosen, who has retired to Arizona. We thank him for all of his time and for putting in more than his “fair share of effort.”

VENERABLE DEAN COLIN DEL VALLE ohio.edu/orgs/acacia Greetings from the Brothers of Ohio Chapter! We just finished up our 9th annual 5cacia. We raised around $25,000 and will be donating around $21,000. The proceeds from this fundraiser have led to breakthroughs in Pancreatic cancer research. In addition, we inducted eight members and look forward to their contributions to the brotherhood of Ohio Acacia. Finally, we won Chapter of the Year for Ohio University Greek Life and could not be prouder of the work put in by every brother in order to achieve such acknowledgement from the University.

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES

35 OHIO STATE

VENERABLE DEAN JOSH FOY osuacacia.com Ohio State Chapter initiated 3 members this last semester and is working regularly with the Acacia Fraternity Headquarters to develop a recruitment plan for the fall semester.

35 OREGON STATE

VENERABLE DEAN JACK LEHMAN acaciaorstate.com We followed up our successful fall recruitment period with a strong winter rush, signing seven men who all have initiated and have already begun to help the chapter in many ways. With the addition of these brothers, along with the fall class, we are nearing a 60 man chapter. I am also happy to announce that we placed 4th among IFC fraternities for GPA on the OSU campus. We beat the all-mens and the all-IFC average, and hope to ride that momentum to another successful term from a scholarship standpoint. As always, the men of Acacia showed strong support for the OSU Blood Drive in order to honor the memory of Loren J. Hill. We also placed highly in the AOPI Sisters for Soldiers philanthropy, which consisted of decorating and filling boxes with basic items to ship to soldiers overseas. I can say with confidence that the Oregon State chapter is trending in a positive direction, and the collaboration of our undergraduates and alumni will make sure to keep it that way. So Live!

21 PENNSYLVANIA STATE

VENERABLE DEAN BRANDON BRODSKY bpbrodsky@gmail.com The Penn State chapter boasts 120 members not including the three studying abroad in Germany, U.K., and Australia. The chapter enjoyed very strong yield and retention rates for both semesters this year. The Biscoff Trophy is awarded to the overall Fraternity Intramural All-Sports Champion at Penn State. Acacia won the Bischoff Trophy in back-to-back years for the first time since 2005-2006 and extended our Penn State record to 13 overall titles. The fall 2016 overall semester GPA was an astounding 3.24, ranking us 4th amongst all IFC chapters. This was the fifth semester in a row the Penn State Chapter has achieved a top five chapter GPA as well as maintaining a chapter GPA of least a 3.20. Philanthropically, we could not be more proud of our results from the 2017 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. Despite a number

of fundraising challenges, we raised $210,849.67 with the sisters of Gamma Phi Beta of the overall total of $10,045,478.44. Our organization ranked 4th amongst both the Greek Life organizations and all overall THON organizations. GammAcacia saw a net increase of 25% over last year’s organizational total and our team, in its 10th year, has now raised more than $1.8 million for the Four Diamonds Fund in support of the fight against pediatric cancer.

21 PURDUE

VENERABLE DEAN TREY JAGIELLA purdueacacia.org Greetings to Acacians everywhere from the Purdue chapter! This semester has been reminding us continually of what being an Acacian means and requires. When faced with tribulations, the six meanings of Acacia taught from the Pythagoras membership manual ring in our ears. Specifically, that the Acacia far eastern evergreen stands to represent the strength and ruggedness that we as Acacians are called to employ in the problems we encounter. Not to be overlooked, but the call of our brotherhood isn’t just to be strong, but more importantly to “impart our strength and protection to the weaker, and use our education and association for the good of all.” This semester, we have begun to implement a new Cornerstones membership development program under the guidance of the International Headquarters. We would love to hear from any alumnus who is interested in coming to our chapter to serve as a guest speaker for this program. Cumulatively our brotherhood has reached upwards of 1000 hours of community service just this semester! A truly amazing feat for a group of our size. We surpassed our cumulative hours from the fall semester at about the halfway point of this semester. We initiated five men into our brotherhood this semester and are using this as a stepping stone to be as progressive as possible in the upcoming semester.

28 RENNSELAER

POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE VENERABLE DEAN KEVIN BRENNAN kbrennan78@gmail.com

The Rensselaer Chapter of Acacia continues to grow and improve our operations. This spring semester we welcomed five new members into our ranks. This pledge class is one of the largest spring classes in recent history. One area in particular we are working to improve is campus involvement and recognition. Many of our brothers are involved in various clubs on campus and several hold leadership positions in campus organizations. We hosted a faculty dinner to show appreciation for the work they do and this year we hosted more faculty than ever before. Acacia Stock, our

CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES annual charity concert fundraiser, gets our name out on campus and raises money for Kiva. We also participated in Relay for Life this March at RPI to help fight against cancer. Here at Rensselaer we’re excited for the future ahead of us and we continue to look for ways to improve our house to forge a stronger brotherhood.

28 SAINT CLOUD STATE

VENERABLE DEAN JARED MOSICH jaredmosich@gmail.com The Saint Cloud State chapter had a year to be proud of! We initiated eleven members in the fall and five members in the spring, bringing us to a total of 31 active members in the chapter. We also celebrated our 40th year at SCSU, and had about 135 alumni members attend a social at our house and the formal event the day after. It was a great experience for the actives getting to interact with so many alumni, including a handful of our founding fathers. We also had successful philanthropy events like our Trickor-Canning event in October, raising close to $2,000 for the Polar Plunge, and our Seven Days of Service went from April 9th to April 15th, consisting of a variety of events from packing food for Feed My Starving Children, to multiple park cleanups for the community in Saint Cloud. We look forward to this coming summer, and we hope to see you all at this coming Darold W. Larson Acacia Leadership Academy!

28 TRINE

VENERABLE DEAN AUSTIN BAKER bakeraustin62@gmail.com Greetings Brothers! We have great news! The Trine Chapter is going through some major logistical changes this year. Through a rental agreement with the university we will finally have a house, what used to be the International House on Trine’s Campus located at 409 College Ave. Angola, IN will, as of fall 2017, be the Acacia house on Trine’s Campus. We are ecstatic to finally be heading in the right direction and hope to use this as a stepping stone to eventually owning our own house through our housing association. Unfortunately, we were only able to recruit three men into our brotherhood this semester. However, each of them has shown dedication to our organization and a strong potential for leadership. This year has been a rough one for all of Greek Life on Trine’s campus, as well as all extra curricular organizations. Several organizations, including one national sorority, have been forced to shutdown in the last year due to lack of membership. With the addition of a house we will finally have a place of our own to host events, which will be a huge boon towards recruitment and brotherhood.

38 WASHINGTON STATE

VENERABLE DEAN DYLAN CALVERT wsuacacia.com Greetings from Pullman! The Washington State chapter initiated 2 members this spring semester, but are looking towards the fall. We have been working regularly with Headquarters to develop our program and improve our recruitment efforts. We will be taking part in a joint effort with Washington chapter to do a scholarship recruitment program to generate names of incoming freshman that excel academically. We welcome any and all support from alumni far and near and are currently in the process of developing a remote advisory team model. If you are interested in serving on the Alumni Advisory Team, please contact alumni@acacia.org.

12 WISCONSIN

VENERABLE DEAN MICHAEL FOY mpfoy@wisc.edu The 2016-2017 School year has been a banner year for the Wisconsin chapter. In the fall of 2016 we initiated 21 new brothers for our largest pledge class in our chapter’s history. During the fall, we also had the highest average new member GPA in all of IFC. Despite having the fourth largest new member class on campus, we still maintained a 3.577 GPA across the entire new member class. Our fall Acacia Claus was extremely successful raising over 550 lbs of food for families in need during the holiday season. At the beginning of 2017 our chapter held a leadership retreat with the executive board to help plan out the upcoming semester. I am very lucky to have such a strong and motivated group of officers, and they have all surpassed my expectations for this spring. We were also very busy over our winter break contacting over 200 alumni to help update contact information and update them on the recent activity of the chapter. This semester’s recruitment was quite successful once again and we initiated another 13 young men this spring. There is a particular buzz around our chapter for the fall semester, because we will have 28 young men living in our chapter house for 2017-2018 school year. This is one of the highest totals since our refounding in the late 1980s. It is truly an exciting time for the Wisconsin chapter and I am extremely fortunate to have an excellent group of officers, Housing Corporation, and active chapter. Without their efforts, there is no way we would have as much success. So Live and On Wisconsin!

FEATURED STORY

THOMAS DENISON, ILLINOIS 1984

Brothers Denison and Zhu displaying plans for their facility at Rosalind Franklin University located in northern Chicago

TIANYI JOE ZHU, ILLINOIS 2005

ncubators are companies that provide resources to companies (often startups) and assist them in developing their product. This funding and assistance is usually in exchange for partial ownership of the compaBy Benjamin B. Turconi, California ’12 ny. Tom Denison, Illinois ’84, likes to think of Acacia as a business, and the product developed? That would be the men we call our brothers. I like this analogy but prefer to think of Acacia as an incubator because of the exchange, the stake in the product delivered. How does Acacia claim its share in its members? That would be the values instilled in members and the way we choose to live our time as alumni members of the organization. For Tom and Tianyi Joe Zhu, Illinois ’05, something felt right from the moment they met, and that was because they were long-lost brothers, initiated 20 years apart. Smart Health Activator is a biotech incubator/accelerator, and a mutual associate who is the third co-founder introduced Tom and Joe. Brothers Zhu and Denison came together in an act that can only be described as serendipity. They discovered they had similar values and interests after meeting each other. Discussing their time in college, fraternity naturally came up, and it was then that the serendipitous nature of this partnership came to light: they discovered that they were both members of not just the same fraternity, but the same chapter.

FEATURED STORY

Brother Denison joined in 1984 and had a much different fraternity experience than most in his chapter’s history. The Illinois chapter house burned down while he was an active member and it was up to brothers like Tom to keep the chapter together through these tumultuous times. He served as the Vice President of his pledge class, Social Chairman, Senior Dean, and as Rush Chairman - Tom himself said that there are “lots of skills analogous to business” in the fraternity experience, and it is during these times that he honed his relationship building and salesmanship skills that led to a 10-year career in sales for a publishing company followed by multiple exits from successful start-ups (Ignite Sports Media, Sports Vision, and others), and now a dedication to mentoring and advising. Brother Zhu was initiated into Illinois Acacia in 2005 as a freshman and stayed involved despite outside activities. During college, Joe was an athlete at the top of his field. A boxer, he won the amateur Thai Boxing World Championship in 2006 and boxed for the Chinese National Team in the 2008 Olympic Trials. While training for and achieving these incredible feats, he also served as an Assistant Pledge Education Board Member and as an Assistant Rush Chairman. He is an entrepreneur, through and through, with an incredible resume of successful ventures and exits from start-ups (when you sell the company of which you have ownership), and he reads 100 books a year! Over the course of two separate phone calls, I spoke with Brothers Zhu and Denison and discovered many valuable lessons that apply to everyone from a first-

“I owe a lot of my success to Acacia.” Tianyi Joe Zhu, Illinois ‘05

year stepping onto campus for the first time to the brother looking back on a work well done and wondering what is next. First off, thank you so much for talking with me today. I think everyone who is reading is interested in what Smart Health Activator is? TD: We discover extraordinary biotechnology that solves some of mankind’s greatest health challenges.

We build companies around technology, biotechnology in particular, and get them investor ready. The problem that we solve is that there is a lot of extraordinary biotechnology but the scientists are ill-equipped to start a company and get to commercialization. How did this come about, and what kind of impact will this have? TJZ: This idea came about for a biotech incubator and resulted in us speaking with Rosalind Franklin University [in northern Chicago] about building a medical park to support it. The impact of this will be powerful. It will create 500 jobs and have close to a $120 million dollar annual economic impact on the economy – and this is just the first building! We are already working with one company that is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s. This is a potential Nobel Prize winner, and we don’t even break ground until September. What has been the most memorable experience from this project?

FEATURED STORY

TD: Selling the vision of this project. I guess I’ve sold it pretty well, bootstrapping our way to a $50 million building! But now this is real, investing in real companies, breaking ground on a real building…we will be able to rally even more people and money now – we can be in a big fundraising mode. This is not a short-term vision, it’s a 25-year plan.

the product? How do you maintain standards? That directly correlates to real life. That foundation at the outset is something you wouldn’t normally get in college. You’re not going to get that in a dorm or an apartment. It sets the stage for the next generation. Not much different at a startup or somewhere else. Lots of skills analogous to business.

TJZ: Getting approval from Rosalind Franklin for the medical park. Tom did an amazing job, as he likes to call it, “bootstrapping” our way to a $50 million medical park, and I can’t wait to break ground in September.

What is your advice to the young man who aspires to follow in your footsteps? Would you do anything differently?

Do you feel that your time in Acacia prepared you for later life and this current project? TJZ: I owe a lot of my success to Acacia. I didn’t learn what I learned in college in the classroom. I was a

TD: I tell myself, I wouldn’t do things differently. One thing I have learned along the way is that the relationships you build in college are going to be the most important relationships in your life and the foundation of what you will become. There is one thing that I call “managed serendipity;” if you put yourself where you are surrounded by extraordinary

“Fraternity gives the opportunity to surround yourself with great people and be a part of something bigger. I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world.”

Thomas Denison, Illinois ‘84 sports management major, not a business major. A lot of what Acacia helped me with was being able to sell, converse, manage – my first opportunities for leadership. Time in Acacia is the best opportunity to learn and at the same time to make mistakes. And some of those initial mistakes you can learn from. You learn to pick yourself back up because you have plenty of brothers to lean on. A lot of people talk about what is more important: IQ or EQ.1 But if you want to get 170 people to move in the same direction, you have to be able to connect on an emotional level [EQ]. What we are doing now, raising money – $25 million to $100 million – you really have to be able to sell a vision, to connect on an emotional level. That takes EQ, and the fraternity developed that more than any class I took in college. TD: You can look at your experience in Acacia in a number of ways. You create friendships that you’ll have for the rest of your life. The core group of guys I hang out with are all brothers from Acacia. If you boil it down, it’s a business and your products are the guys that go through the house. How do you improve 1

people, you will do extraordinary things. Fraternity is a great place to surround yourself with extraordinary people. Particularly at a big university, it’s easy to get isolated. Fraternity gives the opportunity to surround yourself with great people and be a part of something bigger. I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. TJZ: Find a mentor. Acacia is an excellent resource for finding mentors. A lot of my success is because I had good mentors to prevent me from making the big mistakes. Educate yourself enough that you don’t make stupid mistakes, but at the same time, you don’t wait. You can only learn so much from others, you have to make your own mistakes. A quote that I tell myself every day is, “I’m wiser today because of the mistakes I made yesterday, I’ll be happier tomorrow because of the risks I take today.” Serendipity has a way of working out. We walk with a certain amount of bravado that the chances we take are going to work out. One of the beauties of life in general is when you can enjoy that serendipity because of the chances you take.

EQ is a measure of a person’s skill in areas such as self-awareness, empathy, and dealing sensitively with other people.

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

CAL POLY/POMONA Rubio R. Gonzalez, #181 – I was elected to the Pomona City Council in November of 2016.

KANSAS STATE William M. Sturdevant, #335 – 1947-19481948 Petro Engineer. Joined Social Security in 1988. Born 1923 “Notch Victim.”

CORNELL Thomas J. Balcerski, #1063 – Very pleased to see Stewart Burger recognized for his many contributions to Acacia. Congratulations!

Brian T. Murphy, #1078 – This May will mark the 7th year I have run my own financial services business, Foresight Financial Management, LLC.

GEORGIA Thomas L. Manton, #11 – Just enjoying life. I am married, have 2 children, 5 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild. ILLINOIS Robert “Bob” Foote, #579 – I will be age 95 on June 6, and have developed a method of low-level airborne exploration for oil and gas and a drill cuttings method for predicting a successful well after examination of semishallow drill cuttings. New projects are under way. Dr. Ian C. Campbell, #930 – Fifty years out of medical school. Fifteen grandchildren. Still teaching. INDIANA Dr. Charles A. Barnett, #733 – Nearing retirement as Chief of Radiology at Sacramento VA Medical Center. Member of Shrine and S.A.R. Shout-out to Indiana alums from the 1960s. Matthew Culver Kirkham, #1805 - Brother Matthew joined the Saudi Arabian team of Dentons international law firm (the largest law firm in the world) in its newly formed office in Jeddah in August of 2016. Practicing mainly corporate law with a focus on bringing American companies into the Kingdom, Brother Matthew has worked with some of the most internationally influential firms in sportswear, mobile phone applications, healthcare, and technology. Brother Matthew lives in Jeddah with his wife of three years, Maha Abu Al Faraj-Kirkham, a manager at the international accounting firm of Ernst & Young. KANSAS John C. Quarrier II, #630 – Fondly recall our Kansas chapter observing the 50th anniversary of Acacia’s founding in 1954. It was a memorable “black tie” dinner befitting that Golden Anniversary occasion. Regrettably, our Kansas chapter has been inactive for a number of years. Our chapter house, then at 1225 Oread in Lawrence, no longer stands. A significant number of our Acacia brothers in attendance at that 1954 dinner are undoubtedly deceased. Most important to note, however, that the state of Acacia in 2017 remains as strong and relevant as it ever has been.

LONG BEACH STATE William T. Bradford, #89 – Retired from AMOCO. Married 51 years to my Acacia Sweetheart, Sheila. We have three grown kids and six grandkids. LOUISIANA STATE Gregory J. Hamer Sr., #186 – 2017 Chairman, National Restaurant Association Education Foundation Trustee, Taco Bell Foundation Member, Dean’s Advisory Council, Louisiana State University Ourso Business College Bobby W. Whitley, #350 – Self employed as independent insurance and financial advisor since 1991. My daughter, Leanne Whitley McWilliams, is an attorney with Unum Insurance in Chattanooga, TN; my son, Logan Whitley, is a Contract Sales Manager with Baker Roofing Co. in Nashville, TN; and my wife, Joanie, retired from Sarasota County government in 2016, as their Director of Human Resources. MIAMI Michael T. Huber, #177 – Moved to North Carolina since I’ve retired. Stop in to see us if you’re in the area. MINNESOTA Hollis W. Rademacher, #671 – Sixty years and counting!! Would love to hear from mid’50s members of Minnesota chapter!! MISSOURI SCHOOL OF MINES Richard E. Carver, #101 – Retired in 2011. Enjoy grandkids and fishing. 7-10 brothers make annual trip to Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee for a three-day fishing and fellowship. MORNINGSIDE Gene Ambroson, #18 – Retiring after 31 years at Morningside College...8 years as director Corporate Communications-IBP/ Tyson-12 years in broadcast journalism/ television production. 32 years military (Guard/Reserve) OHIO Walter L. Kutscher Jr., #145 – I joined the Ohio chapter 64 years ago. Just turned 89. OHIO STATE Paul A. Weglage, #761 – Appointed to Grand Lodge of Ohio F&AM as Junior Grand Deacon for 2016-2017.

OREGON David Mack, #387 – Having retired from practicing medicine for a lifetime in a small community, I have walked away from it completely to take up photography in a serious amateur modality, traveling the world. Art has not been a strong suit in my life, so it has been a great challenge. A very welcome change from meeting both patient and governmental demands, which I often found counterproductive. PITTSBURGH/JOHNSTOWN Mark Bowman, #126 – Working on putting together a technology training center in my home town. Small steel town that needs a boost. I have also been working in the Telecom/ IT consulting space for 20 plus years. I have worked for some of the largest Telecom Carriers in the world as a sales engineer and find it time now to share some of this knowledge with the next generation. Three daughters - youngest is the only one left in college now. She is studying to be a Physicians Assistant at St Francis University. PURDUE Paul R. Collier, #637 – Retired Jet Fighter Pilot - Captain USMC. Lawrence N. Allen, #855 – Enjoying retirement at the lake – summers. In Sarasota – winters. Charles F. Martin III, #1078 – Started my own management consulting practice, Martin Management Partners. George Todd, #1955 – I graduated with my master’s in biology in June of 2016 and just finished my first year as a biology instructor for Coastal Pines Technical College. I teach an introductory college biology course to high school students as part of the Move On When Ready Program of Georgia. RENSSELAER George J. Dolicker, #396 – Beginning my 4th year as the CISO at INC Research, a global clinical research organization headquartered in Raleigh, NC. SAINT CLOUD STATE Bryan C. Stoeck, #35 – Retired from Mills Fleet Farm. SYRACUSE Dr. Michael R. Park, #623 – Recently graduated Internal Medicine residency and am currently a locum tenens hospitalist. TEXAS Dale O. Hackett, #250 – Both of my fellow Vermonters have passed on (Ernie Lyon and Frank Linton). I’m doing OK at 93+. David Bolger, #468 – Celebrating 53 years of marriage this August.

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

The Uncomfortable Truth

A MESSAGE FROM THE NIC REGARDING PENN STATE BETA THETA PI

ike so many, as I read the horrific details about the events surrounding Timothy Piazza’s death, I found myself completely shaken. As a father, I struggle to imagine how Tim’s parents must feel, especially since their loss was senseless and preventable. As an alumnus of Beta Theta Pi, I’m embarrassed and angry. In my role as President and CEO of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, people are asking me, “How do we fix Penn State’s fraternity culture?” The reality is that substance abuse and hazing are not isolated to Penn State, and they are not isolated to fraternities. Research shows how many high school graduates come to college already having experience with both -- meaning these problems are pervasive across thousands of high schools and hundreds of college campuses.

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disrupt traditional forms of authority and accountability? How do we have authentic conversations with students about responsible drinking when so many see the legal drinking age as a speed bump to their fun? How do we approach students with firm expectations and accountability, while being humble and authentic about our own shortcomings? How do we embrace increased levels of transparency, as sunlight is the best disinfectant? How do we facilitate openness for students to seek help when they are constantly bombarded with declarations of zero tolerance with severe consequences? How do we prioritize addressing substance abuse and hazing when higher education is equally challenged with important issues like mental health, sexual assault and inclusivity? How do we foster the necessary stakeholder buy — in and collaboration toward significant change, requiring an investment of time, when society demands immediate results? How do we remain faithful that the clear majority of good students will rise to the challenge of doing the right thing?

Because so many people — fraternity men, parents, alumni and campus administrators — know the value and benefits of a good fraternal experience and want to see it continue and • evolve, they are coming to me with “we should” statements. Their motivation is right — we must do something. But we must “TIME AND TIME AGAIN, WE ARE HUMBLED also recognize that many of the BY THE FACT THAT OUR EFFORTS ARE industry’s best prevention practices UNLESS STUDENTS ARE — substance-free housing, a live-in SHALLOW advisor, an anti-hazing policy, and COMMITTED TO DOING THE RIGHT strong educational programming THING IN THE MOMENT. WHILE SO MANY — were already in place for this OUTSTANDING STUDENTS DO RISE TO chapter at Penn State.

Such deep reflection isn’t inaction — it’s an important step that lays the foundation for transformational change. Fraternal leaders have been asking questions like these as we work together to address critical issues facing fraternity men.

Vision for Fraternity THE CHALLENGE OF LEADERSHIP, OTHERS Our Clearly parents, alumni, campus FALL SHORT OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO Communities, crafted by higher administrators, and national education and fraternal experts, fraternity organizations must EFFECTIVELY GOVERN.” - JUD HORRAS provides a framework to prepare continue to maintain strong communities for change; foster expectations and provide education that fosters health and humble, confident fraternity men; and address substance safety for all students. When it comes to accountability, we abuse. This blueprint is designed to meet students and must immediately respond with strong action to ensure campuses where they are, with the goal of bringing local unacceptable behavior isn’t tolerated. stakeholders together to move their campus culture in the right direction. Our plan is to work with more than 20 Yet, the uncomfortable truth is that the inherent limitation campuses next year to implement these reforms, including of our interventions is that they attempt to influence student Penn State, and more in the future. behavior from a position of external power. Time and time again, we are humbled by the fact that our efforts are shallow At the core of fraternity is the notion that people united unless students are committed to doing the right thing in the around a common purpose can do greater good together than moment. While so many outstanding students do rise to the on their own. This tragedy serves as a powerful call that we challenge of leadership, others fall short of their responsibility must redouble our commitment to work together to develop to effectively govern. young men who are ready to lead their communities with empathy, respect, and integrity. As parents, alumni, campus administrators, and national fraternity organizations, we must also ask difficult questions Interfraternally, of ourselves: •

How do we work with students when their daily interactions are on technology platforms designed to

Judson A. Horras NIC President and CEO

NOTE: In the last issue of the Triad, we incorrectly listed Yuichi Ichinose, Morningside ‘07, as Chapter Eternal. Brother Ichinose is alive and well. Our apologies!

ALABAMA Charles H. Pointer IV, #9 ARKANSAS Reynolds Griffith, #84 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA Michael P. Cook, #113 CINCINNATI Gerald S. Hagaman, #132 Gustav E. Schmidt, #140 Howard B. Marx, #155 Clifford F. Matheny, #426 COLORADO Harold N. Walgren, #602 Charles R. Watts, #706 John C. Nicol, #838 COLORADO STATE William B. Frye, #136 Robert L. Bartholic, #25 CORNELL R. Stephen Hawley, #403 William Pendarvis Jr., #440 Walter J. Dragon, #477 David L. Riebel, #588 William R. Powell, #608 Bruce E. Bridgeman, #688 FRANKLIN Philip H. Young, #507 James L. Ernette, #693 ILLINOIS Earl T. Terp, #643 William L. Jacques, #720 Philip W. Mahin, #763 Andrew Ekblaw II, #770 Farrell R. Fox, #817 David Marvin Zottmann, #1564

CHAPTER ETERNAL INDIANA Donald L. Mahoney, #597 Jerry L. Parnell, #629 Claude Neil Brazier, #644 Robert B. Townsend, #653

NEW HAMPSHIRE Philip L. Hall, #8 Samuel J. Matson, #11 Rodney S. Richardson, #374 Lyman R. Blake, #486

IOWA Nicholas G. Papadakes, #378 James G. Walbolt, #527

NORTHERN COLORADO Alvin W. Ryden, #3 DeLance Viers, #76 Keith M. Bogren, #80

IOWA STATE Roger P. Cook, #513 Ronald A. Christensen, #531 Christopher P. Browning, #774 Bruce A. Banister, #777 KANSAS Roy E. Beckett, #414 George T. VanBebber, #563 Lowell C. Dierking, #708 KANSAS STATE James D. Wilson, #475 Jon R. Clark, #480 Richard K. Marshall, #643 LONG BEACH STATE Harvey L. Logan, #66 LUTHER A. SMITH James A. Lewis, #109 MEMPHIS STATE Roy C. Murdock, #93 MICHIGAN Richard August Kruse, #686 MINNESOTA Leonard D. Nelson, #651 Orlo E. Soland, #737 Craig M. Jensen, #805

NORTHWESTERN Vaughn E. Hill, #453 James J. Stack, #483 Charles P. Turner, #602 OHIO Thomas Q. Miller, #1 Paul H. Busby, #240 Leslie R. Dole, #261 Paul T. Lyons, #300 Calvin H. Baloun, #303 OHIO STATE Wallace G. Brown, #692 Damon Michael Viers, #981 OKLAHOMA Robert E. Bland, #520 Harold M. Gay, #743 OREGON STATE R. Ray Rickey, #130 Lyle A. Knower, #140 Ronald C. Bartley, #156 John W. Reeves, #176 Don M. Fenner, #178 John D. Layton, #561

CHAPTER ETERNAL

PURDUE Charles A. Watts, #325 Edward H. Reifeis, #588 Billy L. Lambert, #653 Robert B. Beckett, #812 Gregory A. Grayson, #1368 Kurt Thomas Downham, #1482 RENSSELAER William E. Howard III, #66 SHIPPENSBURG Thomas Edison Oldham, #83 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Richard C. Baerresen, #42 Donald E. Fraser, #97 Jerry W. Wenzel, #131 TENNESSEE Roy G. Cardwell, #28 W. Jack Walker, #31 TEXAS Robert H. Ratliff, #303 George A. Ragle, #557 Ernest R. St. John, #893 UCLA Charles Warren Barcalow, #9 Dennis L. Baker, #225 WASHINGTON Stanley E. Dickey, #387 Stanley A. Bergeman Jr., #466 WASHINGTON STATE Arthur N. Evans, #189 Robert R. Anderson, #241

MISSOURI SCHOOL OF MINES Leon Stevison Troxel, #5

PENN STATE Albert H. Keller, #390 David C. Evans, #431 William M. Alden, #444 William E. Pelton, #664 James G. McLane, #833

Acacia Fraternity has been fortunate to have visionary leaders who have charted the course of our organization. Harvey Logan, Long Beach State ’60, was one such leader who served as the third Executive Director of the

good friend to many Acacians in their undergraduate years. He will indeed be remembered by us all. God’s peace.” A Past Venerable Dean of the Long Beach chapter, Brother Logan first served the international fraternity by serving as a leadership consultant. After working diligently for twelve years as the Executive Director of Acacia Fraternity Headquarters, Brother Logan went to work for the Pest Control Operators of California, eventually serving as their longtime executive vice president.

“He was a good brother, very innovative,” said Past International President Don Solanas, Louisiana State ’68. “One of Harvey’s principles was to bring the concept of a National organization to the local level. He was a frequent visitor to chapters, and was a

“Harvey was the heartbeat of PCOC until his retirement in 2007, and even then he remained actively engaged in the protection of our industry,” said PCOC President Mike Bullert. “Perhaps more than his professional achievements, Harvey will be remembered as a dear friend to all that knew him.”

Acacia Fraternity Headquarters.

WESTERN ONTARIO Lucien Joseph Hubert, #72 WISCONSIN Billy M. Johnston, #491 Donald A. Schuler, #582

*Most Brothers listed above passed away since our last Triad publication; however, many of these are names we have just recently learned about from past years. Please feel free to contact Acacia Headquarters for more information about a brother, or to inform us of a brother’s recent passing.

AFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LETTER

“The More Things Change…” By Darold W. Larson, Washington State ‘81

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

ith some simple typing of a few words in my search engine, I was able to discover that the French novelist Alphonse Karr was credited with the phrase, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” About 100 years later Robert Zimmerman wrote the lyrics to a song called “The Times They Are a-Changin.” You may know him as the American poetic songwriter, singer, writer, and Nobel Prize laureate Bob Dylan! Diametrically opposite views yet they were both right. What would those 14 kindred spirits, our Founding Fathers, think of our society in the 21st century? Throughout Acacia’s 113-year history, we have experienced much in the way of change, and about all that can be said is that we live in times that are constantly changing. That’s neither good nor bad in itself; things are just different now than they were when I was initiated 36 years ago. Or are they? I’m now at the age where I can say, “I didn’t see that coming…”

I can remember when fossil fuels and our inability to feed the world were expected to cause global calamity by 2025 and now we have an overabundance of both fuel and food for the next century and beyond! I can remember when soccer was, at best, a niche sport and now its participation levels far outpace those of baseball and football. I didn’t see that coming. In fraternity, I can remember when chapter houses were clean and spotless, when pinning ceremonies included a well-rehearsed serenade of Acacia Sings, when a house phone was shared by all and picked up in three rings, when chapter meetings were efficient and well run. I remember when chapter houses had cooks and dinner with waiters and grace was said or sung before every meal. I didn’t see that coming. But then, some things haven’t changed as I travel around the continent and meet and talk with hundreds of our undergraduate and recent graduate brothers. I am still struck with their youthful enthusiasm and their idealism for a better tomorrow! Their commitment to philanthropy is unsurpassed!

I can remember when I first heard another ice age was coming, and now we’ve evolved from global Darold W. Larson (L) and his “Big Brother” Brotherhood hasn’t really warming to climate change. James G. “Jamie” Gregory (R) — 1981-2017 changed in 36 years! I can remember when a The worth of the Acacia cloud was a mass of condensed water vapor floating in experience is still a treasure, a value that can’t be the atmosphere, and now it’s a network of remote servers defined or repaid. Lifelong friendships are still being used to store, manage, and process data. I didn’t see that made; joys and sorrows are shared; the fraternity is still coming. the transitionary period from home and family to the outside world. Fraternity still provides opportunity for Technologically speaking, I can remember when the leadership, for responsibility and accountability. There Fraternity’s database was kept in some far distant is still fun to be had, for sure. There are athletics to enjoy computer mainframe in St. Louis, Missouri, and now and exceptional experiences to help mold men in filling 53,000 records can be had on an iPhone. Did anyone of our mission of Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders. us see the digital age of newspapers being the death knell of print journalism? I didn’t see that coming. The fraternity experience — Acacia in particular — is worth preserving for generations to come! Despite what I can remember when pot and gambling were thought you may read in the papers (if you still subscribe), we are by many to be the scourge of society, and now they are in the fourth generation of growth and popularity. Being considered the remedy to balance the state and local Greek has never been greater! budgetary needs around the country. I can remember when a “blue state” was a state of mind and now is “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” considered one-half of a divided country. I didn’t see that Acacia Fraternity, not for four years, but for life! coming.

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