Alpha Phi Quarterly Winter 2018

INSIDE: Alpha Phi memories through the decades Alumna builds a front-page-news design business

How the hurricanes affected Alpha Phi sisters

Science at HEART

Plus: Alumnae Group Success

Find out how the breakthrough research

Reconnect with your sisters in new ways as an alumna

heart transplants obsolete

of this year’s Heart to Heart Grant

recipient, Dr. Doris Taylor, could make

Alpha Phi

Quarterly

Inside This Issue 4

Amongst the Ivy

General Fraternity and Greek-letter news and announcements

PHOTO BY KEITH BARR ACLOUGH

11 Silent Chapter Honoring our sisters’ passings

Editorial Policy

26 Always Alpha Phi

Noteworthy news from our alumnae members and chapters

34 From the Quad

Accomplishments from our undergraduate members and chapters

40 Where We Live

Alpha Phi chapter houses with beautiful history

42 Trending

Must-haves to fend off the frost

43 What’s in Our Archives?

9 Alpha Phi treasures straight from the archives room

44 Now & Then

Two recruitment advisors relay their experiences

A PUBLICATION OF ALPHA PHI INTERNATIONAL FR ATERNIT Y SINCE 1888

Editorial Advisory Board Cayce Putnam Blackley Sheila George Bright Kathy Feeney Hiemstra Lizzie Hineman Karen McChesney Howe Denise Blankenship Joyce Ciera Murray Allison Cink Rickels Emma Sheils Jennifer Holsman Tetreault Jordi Tiffany Alpha Phi Quarterly Staff Elisa Drake, Editor-in-Chief quarterly@alphaphi.org Alpha Phi Quarterly Design Tria Designs Inc. www.triadesigns.com

The purpose of the Alpha Phi Quarterly and its content is to provide information and services to the membership of the Alpha Phi Fraternity, in keeping with the Fraternity’s status as a 501 (c) (7) tax-exempt private membership organization. The magazine is devoted to highlighting its members and matters of fraternal and collegiate interest. The views expressed in the articles published in the Quarterly are those of the authors and their contributors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Alpha Phi Fraternity, its officers or staff.

Submissions

All persons interested in submitting materials for publication in the Alpha Phi Quarterly are encouraged to send them to the editor at the Executive Office. The editor reserves the right to accept, deny or edit any materials submitted.

Unless otherwise requested, all photos sent to the magazine will become the property of Alpha Phi International and will not be returned.

Articles may be sent by email to quarterly@alphaphi.org or by mail to Alpha Phi Quarterly 1930 Sherman Ave. Evanston, IL 60201.

Submission Deadlines Spring 2018: Jan. 12, 2018 Summer 2018: April 13, 2018 Fall 2018: July 16, 2018 Winter 2019: Oct. 14, 2018

Questions

Please direct any submission questions or inquiries regarding advertising or reprint permission to the editor at quarterly@alphaphi.org.

Publisher

Alpha Phi Quarterly (USPS Pub # 14680) is published quarterly by Alpha Phi, 1930 Sherman Ave., Evanston IL 60201-3214.

Periodical postage paid at Evanston, IL and at additional mailing offices.

Postmaster

Please send address changes to Alpha Phi Quarterly 1930 Sherman Ave. Evanston, IL 60201-3214.

COVER PHOTO BY KEITH BARR ACLOUGH, KEITHBARR ACLOUGH.COM

Alpha Phi Quarterly W I N T E R 2 0 18

VO L . 13 0 N O. 1 W I NTER 2018

Features

Fixing Broken Hearts Alpha Phi Foundation presented this year’s $100,000 Heart to Heart Grant to Doris Taylor, PhD, FAHA, FACC, director of regenerative medicine research at the Texas

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Heart Institute in Houston. Read about her breakthrough research, her motivations and her advice for young, female scientists. Plus, get an update on four past Heart to Heart Grant recipients.

Alpha Phis in the Storm

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Late summer hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria wreaked historic havoc on those in their paths, including many Alpha Phis.

We know those affected are still cleaning up and rebuilding, and the stories they share are both tragic and inspiring.

Alumnae Love

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Miss your Alpha Phi life as a collegian?

It’s easy to regain that union of sisterhood within an alumnae group. Find out how to get involved, how to start your own group and how to make an existing group even better.

Stroll Down Memory Lane

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We enjoyed reading the many Alpha Phi memories we received. Now it’s your turn to indulge in some reminiscing about the good ol’ days, with tales from alumnae circa the 1950s through the 2000s.

Alpha Phi Quarterly

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A Message from the International President

DEAR SISTERS,

International Executive Board Deana Koonsman Gage, President Laura Jen Kin Berger Susan Bevan Amanda Minchin Carter Tobi Board Nieland Linda Schnetzer Jacqueline Schools Jennifer Holsman Tetreault Rebecca Andrew Zanatta Ex-officio: Sally McCall Grant, NPC Delegate Ex-officio: Linda Wells Kahangi, Executive Director Ex-officio: Mary Beth Cooleen Tully, Foundation Chair Foundation Directors Mary Beth Cooleen Tully, Chair Colleen Sirhal, Vice Chair Nancy Salisbury Trillo, Treasurer Coree Christine Smith, Secretary Gretchen Wilson Alarcon Kim Brown Brannon Jenny Concepcion Hansen Jean Creamer Hodges Karen McChesney Howe Ex-officio: Amy Peebles, Executive Director Ex-officio: Deana Koonsman Gage, International President Executive Office Executive Director: Linda Wells Kahangi 1930 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201 (847) 475-0663 fraternity@alphaphi.org www.alphaphi.org Foundation Office Executive Director: Amy Peebles 1930 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201 (847) 475-4532 foundation@alphaphi.org www.alphaphifoundation.org National Panhellenic Conference Alpha Phi Delegate: Sally McCall Grant First Alternate Delegate: Laura Malley-Schmitt Second Alternate Delegate: Ruth Gallagher Nelson Third Alternate Delegate: Laura Lynn Davidson Ellett

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More than 25 years ago, I chose “Making Sense out of Today-Preparing for Tomorrow” as a programming theme for a local women’s club. I don’t remember specifically what was going on in the world, but I was troubled about the impact of current events on our lives and the implications for the future.

Recent events have made me think of that theme again. There have been four alleged hazing deaths within the past year in the fraternal world. What a tragedy for lives to be lost attempting to prove they are worthy of friendship and brotherhood. It’s easy for us to say that it was fraternities, and that sororities don’t hurt anyone; but that’s simply not true. Even when we’re not directly involved, we’re often a party to actions that we convince ourselves are totally innocent, but they’re not.

Every day we need to think about the impact our actions or inactions may have on the physical and mental health of other individuals. We have to acknowledge that small acts can escalate into bigger, more dangerous behaviors. I’m not sure we can make sense out of what has already happened, but we can do something about what happens tomorrow. This is not just about policies and laws. It’s about human dignity. It’s about the life of someone’s son or daughter, brother or sister, beloved friend.

Alpha Phi can be a catalyst for change in the fraternal world that is too often filled with misguided intentions and dangerous activities. We can demand behavioral changes that will ensure the safety of new members of all organizations. Our collegiate chapters can choose to not socialize with organizations that are known to break the law and treat their new members poorly.

As individual members, we can be respectful of each other and strangers we encounter in our daily lives.

We need to do the right thing. We must make sure our words and actions will not negatively impact the health and wellbeing of those around us. Our daily experiences make us who we are and become memories that last a lifetime. Let’s do our best to make sure they’re good ones.

Heart to Heart,

Deana Koonsman Gage (Gamma Iota-Texas Tech) International President

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Quotable

“

I discovered that our shared strength is so much more powerful than any storm.

”

Erin Gutierrez (Omega-Texas)

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Alpha Phi Quarterly

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Amongst the Ivy

TALKING POINTS Alpha Phi alumnae live all over the world, doing all kinds of amazing things, including many of you who generously volunteer. No matter age, location, career or background, all alumnae are linked by their Alpha Phi affiliation. When a group of sisters attended the Alumnae Academy this past June, they learned the lowdown about our alumnae. Take a peek at some of those interesting, sometimes surprising, stats.

Alumnae by Generation 39% Generation Xers 38% Millennials 15% Baby Boomers 11% Traditionalists* (Note: Percentages have been rounded up) * Born before 1945

GAMMA IOTA

91

Age of oldest volunteer

Texas Tech Collegiate chapter that contributes the most volunteers Followed by Omicron-Missouri, Omega-Texas, Beta OmicronBowling Green and Nu-Nebraska

65%

Percentage of millennial alumnae who have a valid email address Gen Xers: 31% Boomers: 28% Traditionalists: 18%

75,140

3%

Percentage of alumnae who have paid lifetime dues

Total number of alumnae with valid email addresses

2,114

Number of alumnae volunteers 4

Most common names among volunteers

#1 Jennifer #2 Elizabeth

37

Average age of our volunteers

#3 Sarah #4 Susan #5 Lauren

Alpha Phi Quarterly W I N T E R 2 0 18

Words that Matter In this recurring section, we typically explore commonly misused words or phrases to help you say and write what you actually mean. This time, with our feature highlighting past and present Heart to Heart Grant recipients, we thought we’d provide a quick glossary of some technical, heart-related terms that can help when you’re learning about heart health. These terms come courtesy of the University of Washington Report on Women’s Cardiovascular-Related Research.

Arrhythmia vs.

Atherosclerosis Arrhythmia: An abnormal rhythm of the heartbeat caused by a malfunction of the heart’s electrical system.

Fact vs. Fiction

The date of Alpha Phi’s founding is Sept. 30 FACT! According to Alpha Phi International Fraternity: The First Fifty Years (1872-1922), Union Hand in Hand, the first in the Foundation's three-volume series, 15 women attended an organizational meeting about forming a women's fraternity on Sept. 18, 1872. It was on Sept. 30 that Initiation took place for the six Syracuse University freshmen, three sophomores and one junior at the home of Ida Gilbert, and the founding of Alpha Phi was solidified.

However, we celebrate Founders’ Day on Oct. 10, instead of Sept.

30 because Syracuse University later changed its schedule from an opening of August to late September, and the women of Alpha Phi wanted to celebrate their anniversary date each fall following summer vacations. So, to be safe, The Original Ten held their first formal meeting on Oct. 10 and afterward referred to that date as the Fraternity’s founding.

Oops!

Arterial plaque: A toxic clump of fat, cholesterol and cells that narrows blood vessels, impeding blood flow.

Atherosclerosis: A hardening and narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup.

Heart disease: A range of conditions that affect the heart, including heart attacks, strokes, blood vessel diseases, heart rhythm problems and heart defects.

Heart failure: A condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood at an adequate rate or in adequate volume.

(It does not mean the heart stops beating.)

Sudden cardiac arrest: Abrupt temporary or permanent cessation of the heartbeat caused by a malfunction of the heart’s electrical system.

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In the Fall 2017 Quarterly, our “Iconic Image” misidentified JULEE ROSSO (BETA BETA-MICHIGAN STATE) as the woman in the foreground of this image. In fact, she is the woman to the left.

We sincerely apologize for the error.

Alpha Phi Quarterly

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Amongst the Ivy

MEDIA MASHUP PHOENIX HOME AND GARDEN MAGAZINE

Beta Epsilon-Arizona After several phases of renovation and expansion, the Beta Epsilon (Arizona) chapter house was ready for showing off—and it looked especially gorgeous in Phoenix Home & Garden magazine. As Alpha Phi’s House Corporation Board Treasurer Renee Zainer (Beta Epsilon-Arizona) told the magazine, “The house screamed 1980s, with seafoam green carpet and peach floral upholstery. The building still had the original electrical wiring and plumbing from when it was first built in 1930.” A recent ribbon cutting concluded a three-phase plan that involved the extension of a new wing encompassing a 300-member chapter room (the chapter boasts 330 members), five new bedrooms, one large bathroom, expansion of the dining room and a sundeck. The house also got all new furniture and lighting, a landscape redesign and more. As article author Carly Scholl comments, it was a “sophisticated remodel that not only tells the story of Alpha Phi’s legacy, but also creates a vibrant platform from which the current class can create their own memories.”

FACEBOOK

Epsilon Omega-Texas A&M Posted by Melody Clark Barlow (Epsilon Omega-Texas A&M) SEPT. 5: My mom Cynthia [Stagg-

Ivey] (in the red shirt) has been boots on the ground for I don’t know how many days on end saving dogs and cats. This morning she was north of Lafayette at 5 am walking and loading 130 dogs on a plane headed for California. They have been pulling animals out of area shelters to make room for the animals coming in post Hurricane Harvey. This way, new animals will hopefully be able to be reunited with their owners. Mom and Nancy and their group ARFLA—Animal Rescue Foundation of Louisiana—have worked tirelessly to save the 4 legged victims of Hurricane Harvey. Way to go Mom and Nancy and crew!

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COLLEGIATETIMES.COM

FACEBOOK

Eta Omicron-Virginia Tech

Gamma SigmaWisconsin Stout

SEPT. 17: Grace McGuirk (Eta

Posted by @Muggs of Mille Lacs

Omicron-Virginia Tech) was featured in the CollegiateTimes.com recurring alumna column. In the photo accompanying the article, Grace is working on a project that she and a partner created called Learn, Grow, Thrive! It was a four-week nutrition and gardening education workshop for 3- to 5-year-olds at the Head Start program in Pearisburg, Va., intended to “increase healthy eating behaviors and access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Grace explains. In her own life, Grace says she strives to “fill my plate with as many whole, minimally processed foods as possible.”

Grace is currently pursuing her master’s degree in public health at San Diego State University.

JULY 7: Kelsey caught this monster on Lake Mille Lacs on Monday. Pending verification, it may be a world record as the largest muskie ever caught by a woman! Wow!

[FYI: Kelsey caught what was probably a record-breaking 57.25-inch muskie on Lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota. We’ll never know for sure, though, because she let it go.]

1.

FACEBOOK

Theta EtaWestern University Posted by UWO Alpha Phi OCT. 22: Our beautiful alumna Haley

Rudolph participated in a model search and is now in the running to become the face of Torrid! We’re so proud to say that she was chosen to be in the top 4 out of over 15,000 applicants.

PHOTO COURTESY BFA

Let’s Chat!

2. Alpha Phi International (Executive Office) 3. @AlphaPhiIntl 4. Alpha Phi 5. @AlphaPhiIntl

6. AlphaPhiIntl 7. alphaphiinternational. tumblr.com 8. Alpha Phi International Fraternity (Official)

Alpha Phi Quarterly W I N T E R 2 0 18

ONE OF US

Designing a Dream Alyssa Hendrie (Gamma Beta-UC Santa Barbara) emailed us with some news for the Quarterly. She included lots of exclamation marks and a few all-capital words. She was clearly excited and, as we soon realized, she had good reason. Alyssa and her sister, Tessa Hendrie, run Bitchin’ Digs, a design and real estate company in Malibu, Calif.

They had transformed a rundown, double-wide trailer into an elegant, homey, ocean-view rental in Malibu, and it had been featured on the front cover of the Los Angeles Times. “We could not be more thrilled!!!” Alyssa had written in her email.

We were equally thrilled and decided to find out more about this Alpha Phi designing dynamo.

What do you love about what you do?

We get so much joy out of people falling in love with the spaces we create. We’ve had people from around the world celebrate life events in spaces we designed. Plus, it’s exciting to be entrepreneurs. The thrill of having an idea, working diligently and creatively to make it happen, seeing it come to life and make a positive impact, is the best.

What makes something “bitchin’” to you?

A “Bitchin’” property is an environment that not only looks good but feels good. An ambiance, a vibe, that makes you exhale, relax, enjoy and celebrate life with the people you love. The whole concept should be to enhance the beautiful, hide the not-sobeautiful and play to the environment.

How has being an Alpha Phi impacted you?

Joining Alpha Phi was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Being surrounded by interesting, smart, creative, talented, fun, hilarious, wonderful women was inspiring and instilled values that I will carry with me throughout my entire life. It’s important for women to support each other in life and in business, and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

Alyssa Hendrie (Gamma Beta-UC Santa Barbara), pictured on the left, owns Bitchin’ Digs with her sister Tessa Hendrie (pictured on right)

What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs?

If you’re passionate about something and have always wanted to do it, just start. I had an entirely different career, political consulting, when we started Bitchin’ Digs. I saved for years, putting the money I made from consulting aside to buy our first property. Bitchin’ Digs continued to grow as a side business, until we had so many client projects that I “retired” from my political career. Then, through working hard, thinking creatively and following our instincts, the next steps fell into place.

What are you working on now?

The past few years have been quite a whirlwind. We are now working on several homes throughout southern California and ready for our next big project. 

Alyssa Hendrie poses (on the right) with sister and business partner Tessa Hendrie W I N T E R 2 0 18

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Amongst the Ivy

RETROSPECTIVE

Lady Bird’s Right Hand Woman

O

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AND INFLUENTIAL

Alpha Phis of all-time was the late Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Sutherland Carpenter (Omega-Texas), a humorist, women’s rights crusader, aide to Lyndon B. Johnson during his vice presidency and, most notably, press secretary to U.S. First Lady Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson. Historian Nancy Craig (Beta Chi-Bucknell) writes about the 1980 Frances E. Willard Award winner for the upcoming Volume II: The History of Alpha Phi Fraternity 1923-1972.

Given a graduation trip to Washington, D.C., in 1942, Liz Carpenter decided to stay there. Two years later, she married Les Carpenter, a fellow University of Texas graduate. When he finished his tour in the Navy, the two started Carpenter News Service, which reported Washington news for 18 newspapers in the South and Southwest.

Liz was first and foremost a newspaper reporter, a thorn in the side of many Washingtonians (especially conservative Republicans) and a hilarious commentator on political life. She was described by one writer as “a salty, unassailable force, so full of energy, spunk and verve that her friend, columnist Erma Bombeck, once said that Liz ‘always made Auntie Mame look like a shut-in.’”

Either in spite of her reputation or because of it, Lyndon B. Johnson recruited Liz to his vice presidential campaign and his post-election staff as the first-ever female executive assistant. On Nov. 22, 1963, Liz was in President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade in Dallas when he was shot. She was the one who wrote the 58 words Vice President

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Johnson spoke to a grief-stricken nation after the assassination as he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland just hours later. The conclusion of Johnson’s memorable words she wrote were simple and poignant: “I will do my best. That is all I can do.

I ask for your help and God’s.”

Working for the new president, Liz’s assignment was as the First Lady’s press secretary, the loftiest title of any woman in politics before her. She’d known Lady Bird Johnson as Claudia Alta Taylor when they were both Alpha Phi pledges at Omega chapter.

Lady Bird did not become an initiated Alpha Phi, reportedly because of a political situation in Texas at that time. But their bond was tight. In her bestselling memoir, Ruffles and Flourishes, Liz describes her press secretary duties as fielding media inquiries about the personal lives of the Johnsons and their two daughters, Lynda and Luci.

“I just had to worry,” she writes with humor, “about women, dogs, old brocades ... weddings ...

Lady Bird Johnson (left) and Liz Carpenter aboard an aircraft returning from Texas in November, 1960 PHOTO COURTESY LBJ LIBR ARY; PHOTO BY FR ANK MUTO

Alpha Phi Quarterly W I N T E R 2 0 18

“I just had to worry ... about women, dogs, old brocades ... weddings ... a hot-tempered French chef and 40 Lady Bird trips that covered 200,000 miles.”

—Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Sutherland Carpenter (Omega-Texas)

Left: Liz Carpenter pictured receiving her Frances E. Willard award in the Fall 1980 Quarterly

a hot-tempered French chef and 40 Lady Bird trips that covered 200,000 miles.” On the other hand, the men, she notes, were talking about Vietnam, the Russians and DeGaulle.

In a hiatus from politics, Liz became vice president of a public relations firm. Still interested in women’s rights, though, she co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 and traveled throughout the United States to push for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. When asked about her key to success, she told the Houston Post in 1981, “I have gray hair. I’m overweight. I’m a grandmother. I’m not a screamer. I can get to people many screamers can’t get to.”

Back in politics, Liz held a number of other positions. She was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the International Women’s Year Commission; by President Jimmy Carter to serve as assistant secretary of education for public affairs; and by President Bill Clinton to serve on the White House Conference on Aging. She was given the title of Distinguished Alumna of the University of Texas in 1975 and named by Texas Governor Mark White to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1980, Liz received Alpha Phi’s Frances E. Willard Award for outstanding career success, nationally and internationally.

Liz’s husband died in 1976, but she never slowed down, even becoming the mother of three of her deceased brother’s young children after her own two were grown. She wrote three other books and a syndicated newspaper column until her death at age 89 in 2010. Ms. magazine founder Gloria Steinem said of Liz: “She has proved to the world that the women’s movement has a sense of humor.” She’s still an inspiration for new generations of ambitious—and humorous—women. 

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NEW! $59

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www.HJGreek.com 1.800.451.3304 Alpha Phi Quarterly

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Amongst the Ivy

Save the Date!

Join Us at Alpha Phi’s 72nd Biennial Convention!

June 21-25, 2018 Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona Convention 2018: The Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa

Nestled at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, the Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa is the perfect location for Alpha Phi’s 72nd Biennial Convention, June 21-25, 2018. Located just 19 miles from the Tucson International Airport and five minutes from Tucson’s premier outdoor shopping experience, La Encantada, the Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa features the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, a tennis and health center, a children’s lounge, a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, five pools and the 177-foot Slidewinder waterslide.

Visit westinlapalomaresort.com for more information. See you in Tucson!

Stay tuned for more Convention information in upcoming issues of the Quarterly and on our website at alphaphi.org (keyword: Convention). All alumnae and collegians are welcome to attend!

Constitution Committee Prepares for Convention 2018 The Constitution and Bylaws of Alpha Phi International Fraternity is the Fraternity’s governing document.

In preparation for the 72nd Biennial Convention, the Constitution Committee will accept recommended amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws according to the milestone dates below: >> February 16, 2018: Deadline for submitting proposed amendments >> April 6, 2018: Full package of recommended amendments presented to the International Executive Board (IEB) by the Constitution Committee >> May 18, 2018: Committee amendment package distributed to all Convention attendees >> June 6, 2018: Deadline to receive written proposed amendments to the committee amendment package >> June 21-25, 2018: Amendments reviewed at Convention at a date, time and place determined by the IEB and listed in the Convention program Any member in good standing may sponsor amendments prior to Convention (Article XXIX, Constitution and Bylaws). The Constitution Committee will review and consider each recommended amendment at its regular meetings, and sponsors will be notified via email of the status of their recommendations.

To recommend an amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws, please take the following steps: 1. Locate the “Proposed Constitutional Change” form at alphaphi.org (keyword: Constitutional Change form).

2. For each amendment, complete the form, including affected article(s), section(s) and paragraph(s) of the Constitution and Bylaws; recommended new language; and detailed rationale for the amendment.

3. Submit the completed form by the relevant deadline to the executive director at fraternity@alphaphi.org or via postal mail at: Office of the Executive Director Alpha Phi International Fraternity, Inc. 1930 Sherman Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

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Questions? Contact constitution2018@alphaphi.org

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Silent Chapter

“ This is goodnight, but not goodbye.”

— “Linger” Adrian (Delta Eta) Shelley Cotter Hausch (’69), March 21, 2017 Arizona (Beta Epsilon) Anna Spain Jongward (’42), September 10, 2017 Ashland (Epsilon Alpha) Dixie Freidline Hurt (’67), October 9, 2017 Bucknell (Beta Chi) Eleanor Jones Bailey (’63), September 23, 2017 Colorado (Beta Gamma) Grace Purviance Brown (’48), August 12, 2017 Anne McDaniel Stonington (’46), January 31, 2017 Colorado College (Gamma Theta) Eleanor Diener Anderson (’54), October 19, 2017 Colorado State (Zeta Mu) Kimberly Curless Rivers (’88), September 21, 2017 CSU Long Beach (Gamma Kappa) Alissa Head (’11), September 2, 2017 Denison (Beta Kappa) Mary Stilwell Stevenson (’38), September 1, 2017 DePauw (Gamma) Judith Shafer Davidson (’54), September 13, 2017 Duke (Beta Nu) Rita McKerley Lang (’49), March 7, 2017 Kent State (Beta Omega) Becky Culley McNeil (’48), October 12, 2017 Patricia Miller (’49), August 22, 2017 W I N T E R 2 0 18

Michigan (Theta) Janice Olivier McWilliams (’47), September 15, 2017 Joanne Patterson Porter (’49), May 27, 2017 Midwestern State (Gamma Omega) Edna Kluver Boren (’69), October 4, 2017 Susan Robb Matthews (’60), October 16, 2017 Minnesota (Epsilon) Marjorie Johnston Peterson (’51), September 16, 2017 Adelaide Quinn Pierson (’41), August 29, 2017 Missouri (Omicron) Susan Bredall Dickmann (’43), October 4, 2017 Pamela Sheil Stoddart (’79), September 3, 2017 Montana (Chi) Judith Rogers Gallaher (’61), July 26, 2017 Nebraska (Nu) Mary Roberts Clark (’64), December 22, 2016 North Dakota (Pi) Marlys Froelich Crouch (’59), October 1, 2017

Rollins (Beta Lambda) Joanne Mercer Jones (’64), July 26, 2017 San Diego State (Gamma Alpha) Jane Barnes DeBeck (’51), September 8, 2017 Audre Provost Howser (’51), October 2, 2017 Southern Utah (Theta Sigma) Maria Reyes (’14), August 15, 2017 Syracuse (Alpha) Louise Patrick Johnson (’44), October 5, 2017 (also Theta-Michigan) Joan Gundersen Podgorsky (’46), August 25, 2017 Texas (Omega) Sue Burks Anderson (’51), August 18, 2017 Eleanor Horne Flynt (’51), August 25, 2017 Jackie Farris Jones (’50), October 15, 2017 Ann Watson Schaffer (’52), January 8, 2017 Joann Stancliff Wright (’51), June 12, 2017

Northern Iowa (Epsilon Theta) Cheryl Wogens O’Brien (’70), October 15, 2017

UC Berkeley (Lambda) Jane Krug Holmes (’29), September 16, 2017 (also Beta Epsilon-Arizona) Anne Moller Martin (’53), April 18, 2017

Northwestern (Beta) Joyce Lueth Shumway (’71), October 16, 2017

UCLA (Beta Delta) Margaret Pierce Hemmings (’38), September 26, 2017

Ohio State (Rho) Miriam Webster Porterfield (’44), August 30, 2017

USC (Beta Pi) Judith Murdock Rankin (’57), September 25, 2017

Washburn (Upsilon) Donna Adams (’54), August 30, 2017 Doris Minich Hanna (’48), October 1, 2017 Washington (Sigma) Robin Rutz Foster (’83), February 1, 2017 Carol Covert Lindblad (’49), September 5, 2017 Margaret Reading Mason (’37), October 1, 2017 Washington State (Beta Rho) Anne Bailey (’81), May 10, 2017 West Virginia (Beta Iota) Dorothy Hedrick Sealy (’54), August 23, 2017 Western Michigan (Delta Theta) Kristan Walker Cerqua (’98), September 28, 2017 Wichita State (Gamma Xi) Jill Smith Pot (’71), September 29, 2017 Saundra Welch Talley (’59), August 24, 2017 Willamette (Gamma Tau) Janice Allen Goodenough (’61), September 28, 2017 Wisconsin (Iota) Judith Hake Werner (’54), August 12, 2017  OUR APOLOGIES: The Fall 2017 Quarterly incorrectly listed the passing of Carol Sittler Benyi (OmicronMissouri). In fact, we are grateful to have learned she is alive and well.

Alpha Phi Quarterly

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Last August and September, hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria devastated parts of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Alpha Phi sisters were affected in all kinds of ways.

Here, we share some of their stories and quotes. Stories of loss and unity, hardship and resilience.

1 2

SCHOOL’S STILL IN SESSION

Kayla Griffith Towle (Gamma Iota-Texas Tech) knows her family was fortunate. Hurricane Harvey’s flood waters remained just outside their house. But her children’s elementary school took on 2 feet of water and is uninhabitable, at least through the winter.

Although students were moved to an older, vacated school building, nearly all the teaching supplies were lost. Cleanup crews boxed up soggy classroom items and brought them out for teachers to salvage what they could. “One teacher was given 42 boxes and, of that, she was able to keep two,” Kayla says. Through donation events, every teacher received enough materials to supply their temporary classrooms. “They could drive up, open their trunks and fill them up,” Kayla says.

CRITICAL CARE

Of all the shocking photos posted during the hurricanes, there’s one that stood out: a group of elderly women at a nursing home, sitting in waist-high water. One of the resident’s sons had posted it; it went viral; and it resulted in these women becoming an evacuation priority. A follow-up photo of them on CBS News showed the women safe and dry at the Laurel Court nursing facility in Alvin, Texas, part of the Cantex Continuing Care Network where Lara Cline (Epsilon Omega-Texas A&M) is director of care coordination. Laurel Court was one of their few accessible locations during Hurricane Harvey. “Almost all of our facilities were basically islands,” Lara says. In other words, the Friday evening staff couldn’t even leave until Monday. “Some employees who lost their homes and their cars remained on the job to provide care for those who could not care for themselves.”

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Below: During the reporting by Erin Gutierrez (Omega-Texas) during Hurricane Harvey, she came across Charlie Diggs, whose pontoon boat was dubbed “Charlie’s Ark” for the dozens of cats and dogs he brought to safety.

STRONGER THAN EVER

On the night Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Andrea Jaycox’s (Delta Mu-Purdue) Houston area community was bombarded with tornado warnings almost every half-hour. Andrea’s family ignored them, until 5 am when a neighbor called reporting one was seen on their block. She and her husband, 14-year-old son, and three Dachshunds hunkered down in a closet until daybreak. Although the tornado didn’t cause any damage, the rain soon did, and neighbors scrambled to evacuate. Still, her family stayed back. They fought encroaching waters with a shop broom and backpack blower, and sealed up doors with garbage bags and duct tape—all to no avail.

“Water was coming in through the walls,” Andrea says. “It was like something from a sci-fi movie.” Late that night, they were rescued by boat. An Alpha Phi Foundation Forget-Me-Not Grant is helping Andrea’s family cover expenses while they repair their home.

“As a family, we are stronger than ever and will come out of this as good as new.”

MORE LOVE THAN WATER

Kingwood High School, where Christy Trotter’s (Epsilon OmegaTexas A&M) daughter attends, took on almost 6 feet of water during Harvey. She and her daughter spent seven hours in the receding flood waters at school, helping to save anything possible from the band hall. A few days later, Christy was diagnosed with pneumonia.

“I’m sure it was from working in the nasty flood water, which was a combination of river water and sewer water,” she says. Although the school will be closed for the year, Christy says, “Mother Nature may have dealt us a blow, but human nature is winning the battle.”

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“We served more than 60 nursing home residents who were displaced.

Many of these amazing men and women came with nothing other than the clothes on their back.”

—C ORTNEY NICOLATO (IOTA DELTA-RHODE ISLAND), PRESIDENT AND CEO OF DALLAS AREA NONPROFIT, THE SENIOR SOURCE Through the outpouring of donations, the Foundation was able to award 17 Forget-Me-Not Grants to sisters affected by the hurricanes.

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Clockwise from top left: Andrea Jaycox (Delta Mu-Purdue) stands in her home, post Hurricane Harvey; Christy Trotter (Epsilon Omega-Texas A&M) and her daughter helping with cleanup at Kingwood High School in Houston; A picture inside Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, where more than 10,000 Hurricane Harvey evacuees were brought; Jackie Stubba (Beta Chi-Bucknell) took this photo of her local grocery store, as residents around Tampa, Fla., prepared for Hurricane Irma.

“Age, gender, language, color of skin ... we were all in this together, hugging, crying, sweating and sometimes laughing.

Horrible Harvey has definitely left an imprint on all of us.

One of hope and love.”

— H ALENE CROSSMAN (PHI-OKLAHOMA)

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DOUBLE DISASTER

“Rarely do I ever have anything notable to contribute to the Alpha Phi Quarterly, but I do this time,” Melody Barlow (Epsilon Omega-Texas A&M) wrote to us. August started when her wife had a serious bicycling accident. She had surgery on Aug. 25.

On Aug. 28, they were evacuated from their home due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey. When we spoke with Melody, they were back in their home, but confined to their living room and kitchen while two industrial-size dehumidifiers, five fans and an ozone generator helped dry out the flooded areas. Despite their own hardship, Melody says, “We gathered everything possible from our pantry and closets to donate to others in need.”

ESCAPE FROM IRMA

“The storm hit every corner of Florida and every heart of our sisterhood,” says Jackie Stubba (Beta Chi-Bucknell), who chronicled what she called her “escape from Irma” on her Facebook page.

Here’s a bit of her Facebook post dated Sept. 8, 7:26 pm: “Today’s grocery store trip: People buying essential items to hunker down, expecting power outages. Water bottles, all brands mostly gone.

Expected a run on paper towels and toilet paper, but soup and the entire chili and beans section? … I came home with chocolate and wine, deli ham and deli turkey for sandwiches, apples, and another jug of iced tea. Second guessing this decision [to stay] all day.” The next morning, Irma took a turn toward Tampa, and Jackie’s family decided to head out of its way. They returned a week later and found their house mostly intact, though a mess outside. She concludes, “It is really true that things are not what matter in life.” 

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Erin Gutierrez (Omega-Texas) reported on Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey: THE STORY BEHIND GETTING THE STORY

by Erin Gutierrez (Omega-Texas) THERE’S THIS STRANGE BALANCE YOU

walk while covering a crisis. You’re there to tell the story, not to be part of it. But at the same time, you are a person with resources.

At Harvey’s peak, I clouded that line. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t think twice about jumping into the water. It wasn’t my friends and family I was standing next to in the pouring rain, but it was someone’s grandma, or baby sister, or golden retriever.

We were all sad, somewhat scared—and soaked. I knew my media badge and camera could grab attention.

The morning of Monday, Aug. 28, I plunged into action. As boats pulled into Houston’s engulfed Lakewood Forest subdivision, no one seemed to have a plan. I started asking for addresses and shipping boats to people in need. A stranger named Sarah and I worked to coordinate details. Using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, we sent my cell number all over the place. People would call and give me the names of people and pets, as well as nearby landmarks, because with Lakewood literally a lake now, addresses and street signs were a luxury.

After a few hours, I had to stop directing boats and figure out how to get this story on TV. An app called Zello works like a W I N T E R 2 0 18

walkie-talkie, so I coordinated from afar.

We could hear rescue crews and regular people with boats heading to help, and when I discovered someone was stranded, I sent out a message.

Sisterhood is for a lifetime, and Hurricane Harvey offers proof. A lot of the people sharing my posts were Houston area Alpha Phis. I haven’t seen most of these women since graduation, but with their neighborhoods under siege, we suddenly needed one another again.

I spent three weeks telling stories in Houston, and one thing is clear to me: In the midst of chaos, there’s kindness.

Hurricane Harvey is a reminder of the bonds of sisterhood, a reminder to help others more, to hold loved ones a little bit tighter, and to let go of what doesn’t matter.

During Houston’s darkest hour, I discovered that our shared strength is so much more powerful than any storm.  Erin Gutierrez (Omega-Texas) is an Emmy-, Murrow- and Cronkite-winning executive producer for TEGNA, a media company that owns 46 TV stations across the country. She also serves as Iota Mu (Georgia Tech) chapter advisor.

“Sisterhood is for a lifetime, and Hurricane Harvey offers proof. A lot of the people sharing my posts were Houston area Alpha Phis ... their neighborhoods under siege, we suddenly needed one another again.”

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Heart disease is the leading killer of women in the United States and Canada. Scientist Dr. Doris Taylor is working to change that.

A $100,000 Alpha Phi Foundation Heart to Heart Grant is helping her get there.

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Dr. Taylor credits Alpha Phi with recognizing the opportunity to look at regenerative medicine strategies in terms of how they differ between men and women. “Alpha Phi said, ‘You’ve got the samples. You’ve got the tools. We’ve got the support.’”

SOMEONE ONCE GAVE DR. DORIS TAYLOR

a greeting card that read, “First they ignore you; then they laugh at you; then they fight you; then you win.” She hung it on her office wall as a reminder to follow her passion and persist in her efforts to push the limits of heart research. And she has done just that. In 2008, at the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Taylor’s team stripped the cells from a rat heart, then injected rat stem cells into the heart and watched as it began beating again. Nearly 5 million Americans live with heart failure, and thousands await heart transplants to save their lives.

Dr. Taylor’s work could lead to a major change in tackling heart disease: Rather than people living with suboptimal heart function, their hearts could be repaired.

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In a nutshell: “We’re building hearts,” she says.

Dr. Taylor is now the director of regenerative medicine research and director of the Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology at the Texas Heart Institute (THI) in Houston. Not only is she conducting innovative research on injured hearts, but she is doing so always with the theory in mind that men’s and women’s cells differ and should be treated differently. Unfortunately, data isn’t typically collected or viewed that way, so it’s often an uphill battle to support the research. “There have been more than 12,000 clinical trials of interventions tested on the heart,” Dr. Taylor says. Of those, fewer than 20 distinguish by gender. Dr. Taylor says that scientists have lost out on

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More Questions for Dr. Doris Taylor 1. How do you overcome challenges of being a woman and advocating for separating for gender in research?

The reality is you have to speak up longer, more forcefully and repeatedly, until there’s a critical mass of men and women speaking up to get a different result.

2. What does the $100,000 Alpha Phi Foundation Heart to Heart Grant mean to you?

grants simply because they propose sex difference as part of the goal of a study.

She has even submitted abstracts to different organizations that are accepted if the titles don’t include reference to sex differences, and not accepted if they do.

Dr. Taylor credits Alpha Phi with recognizing the opportunity to look at regenerative medicine strategies in terms of how they differ between men and women. “Alpha Phi said, ‘You’ve got the samples. You’ve got the tools.

We’ve got the support.’” To help advance the importance of understanding sex differences, Dr. Taylor and her team are collecting stem cells from consenting individuals enrolled in clinical trials; they have amassed more than 30,000 samples, which are stored at THI, and W I N T E R 2 0 18

they are beginning to evaluate the data by gender. With her $100,000 grant, Dr. Taylor is able to analyze the samples and data to devise a way to replace a human heart’s bad cells with good ones.

“It’s about making the heart better, not just forcing the rest of the heart to work better,” she explains, and “figuring out how and why men and women develop different types of heart disease—and then intervening.”

That quote from the card she received now hangs on a 2-foot-by-3-foot poster in the hallway. “It drives me every day,” she says. “It reminds me that if it were easy, someone else would have done it.

So I keep going.”  Heart to Heart Grants are made possible by the generosity of Foundation donors.

I don’t have time to apply for grants that aren’t meaningful. This one is.

The impact is huge. It increases the credibility of my research; it enables me to ask some questions I absolutely would not have been able to ask; and it reinforced through peer review that we’re asking good questions. That’s invaluable.

3. What do you tell young women who are interested in a career in scientific research?

It’s about being who you are, knowing who you are, doing it with passion and knowing you will be called the B word—and also remembering that ‘best’ starts with B too. It really annoys people when you’re the best and a nice, decent person doing what you do and doing it for all the right reasons.

The environment you operate in may not always be familiar, but you get to make it your own, and you don’t have to be like anyone else. You don’t have to be anyone but you. Fitting in isn’t exactly my strong suit, but consequently, new ideas get born.

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GRANT RECIPIENT 2007

University of Colorado Hospital (now UCHealth), Aurora, Colo.

AMOUNT RECEIVED: $50,000 PURPOSE: This grant provided seed money to explore community interest in health education.

SINCE THEN: The grant marked the beginning of a valuable

partnership between UCHealth and the School of Medicine’s Center for Women’s Health Research. Together, they have built a substantive lecture series called Let’s Talk: Conversations About Women’s Health. “We have made an impact,” says Chiara Del Monaco, manager of business development for the Women’s Health Program. “In the beginning, we focused only on cardiovascular disease and diabetes; however, after listening to our audience, we expanded our content. We started with a database of 50 people and now have grown to 17,000. We have mothers, daughters, aunts and grandmothers sign up and attend together, and we have friends telling friends what they learned.” The Women’s Health Program has also instituted a Girls Career Day to introduce high school girls to options for careers in health. “It has been a fabulous journey, and we are forever grateful to Alpha Phi for giving us the resources we required to demonstrate that education to women in our community is a worthwhile investment,” Chiara says.

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GR ANT RECIPIENT 2012

Dr. Xue-Qiao Zhao, University of Washington, Seattle, Division of Cardiology AMOUNT RECEIVED: $50,000 PURPOSE: A study that investigated whether there are any gender differences in atherosclerosis plaque composition between women and men.

SINCE THEN: “This question wasn’t part of our original project,”

says Dr. Zhao. “But with Alpha Phi’s funding, we were able to find an answer, which led directly to the next generation of our research.” Dr. Zhao’s team found that, on average, women have 6 percent lipid content in their plaque and men have 10 percent. “This finding can help us better understand why plaque behaves differently in men and women,” Dr. Zhao explains.

“We are putting the pieces together,” she says. Continuing clinical follow-ups are addressing questions including 1) Does gender play a role in response to intensive lipid therapy in the long term? 2) Is there gender difference in terms of treatment compliance and dropout from the research study? 3) Is there any disparity in treatment compliance and study participation among minority women in comparison to their non-minority cohort? 4) And is there any difference in incidence of cardiovascular disease events including heart attacks and stroke between women and men who participated in the same study?

Dr. Zhao says, “We anticipate completing the data collection in the next two years to be able to answer these important questions.” In addition, since 2005, Sigma (Washington) chapter has donated proceeds of more than $300,000 from its annual Red Dress Gala to the UW Division of Cardiology. “I would like to thank Alpha Phi for having a profound interest in women’s cardiovascular health and for raising the level of awareness,” Dr. Zhao says.

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This year’s $100,000 grant to Texas Health Institute marked $1 million in research grants awarded by Alpha Phi Foundation. The milestone makes it a perfect time to catch up with some previous grant recipients.

GR ANT RECIPIENT 2013

Dr. Stephanie Coulter, Texas Heart Institute, Houston AMOUNT RECEIVED: $50,000 PURPOSE: Houston HeartReach for Women project, a collabo-

rative effort joining the cardiovascular clinical and research expertise of Texas Heart Institute’s Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health with respected community outreach organizations serving women in the Greater Houston area.

SINCE THEN: The grant provided critical funding for

comprehensive risk assessment screenings in underserved and underinsured communities at no cost to the participants.

It resulted in the development of a cost-effective outreach model that can be implemented across the community for both men and women. Texas Heart Institute’s Women’s Center continues to conduct unique research to identify and explain heart and vascular disease and health trends among women. To date, more than 1,600 women have been screened at over 35 events. “When women participate in our Houston HeartReach programs, we now invite them to participate in the Houston HeartReach Registry we launched in 2017,” Dr. Coulter explains. “We use the information from HeartReach health screenings in our unique and confidential database at the Texas Heart Institute.” The community-wide registry helps in research that aims to improve heart disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment for all women.

GR ANT RECIPIENT 2015

Geisinger Health System, Danville, Penn.

AMOUNT RECEIVED: $100,000 PURPOSE: The Women’s Heart Health Initiative, which, among other things, works to put alerts and new processes in place to provide appropriate care for women who have suffered complications during pregnancy that would increase their risk for cardiovascular disease.

SINCE THEN: The risks are now flagged in women’s medical

records so women can be educated, followed and treated accordingly. Preeclampsia, for example, exponentially increases the risk for cardiovascular disease or stroke five to 15 years after pregnancy. Educational materials have been developed to be used in conjunction with personal education during clinical visits. Other materials were also created to help educate providers, administration and senior leadership on the important correlation between pregnancy-related complications and cardiovascular disease. The Women’s Heart Health Initiative is enrolling a female cohort specifically to study pregnancy-related complications and cardiovascular correlations. In addition, the grant helped fund family-based intervention programs to reverse obesity, knowing that it can lead to diabetes and heart disease. To that end, the Women’s Heart Health team hosts education programs and develops kits that help women embrace healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices.  W I N T E R 2 0 18

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5 Steps to starting an alumnae group: 1. For an officially sanctioned alumnae chapter, five members of good standing must sign a petition.

2. Establish a president, secretary and treasurer.

3. Contact the Executive Office for a list of alumnae in your area and get in touch with them.

4. Complete the startup packet sent from the EO. 5. Plan a kick-off event at a central location.

She’s in Charge

Some essential positions to fill:

by Elisa Drake

It ’s an incredible thing to have your Alpha Phi family surrounding you ever y day at college, but upon graduating, sisters scatter, they get busy, get jobs, have children, get busier, and pretty soon, your unbreakable connection to Alpha Phi can take a hit. Being part of an Alpha Phi alumnae chapter can rekindle that sisterhood. To help, we’ve gathered some alumnae chapter best practices, tips and suggestions, beneficial for both new and existing groups.

1. VP OF MEMBERSHIP Track down members; welcome new Alpha Phi sisters to the area; recognize alumnae accomplishments; and send thank-you notes 2. VP OF PROGR AMMING

(AND PHIL ANTHROPY )

Events are what keep people coming. This job can easily be split among several people, perhaps by generational group.

3. VP OF MARKETING OR COMMUNICATIONS

Regular communication in various formats is key.

4. SECRETARY Record progress to ensure future progress. This person might also send out various greetings to alumnae.

5. TREASURER Every organization needs to keep track of its money.

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Alumnae Group Event Ideas Gather for good: Keep the Alpha Phi spirit of giving alive by coordinating an alumnae event for a cause. The Jacksonville alumnae chapter participates in the American Red Cross annual Heart Walk, a tradition that started in 2015 after member Maddie Sciullo (Theta Zeta-Florida Tech) had heart surgery in 2015.

Remember Your Roots: Nothing like harking back to The Original Ten to renew pride as an Alpha Phi, and what better a time than Founders’ Day. “There’s something about a gathering of 100 or more of your sisters that is really inspiring,” says Wichita Alumnae Chapter President Shirley Dieker (Gamma Xi-Wichita State).

Be Merry: Holiday events are a great excuse to get together, like Wichita alumnae chapter’s annual gingerbread house decorating event for families and Northern Virginia alumnae’s popular ornament exchange.

Auntie Reveal: A recent event created by the Wichita alumnae group, the Auntie Reveal is a crowd-pleaser, Shirley says. Alumnae are paired with a new member, providing the new member “a mentor and a connection to a lifetime of Alpha Phi.” Matches are announced at the first formal chapter meeting when the “aunts” take all the “nieces” out to eat.

Raise a Glass: Any type of cocktail party or event at a bar will get a certain demographic of alumnae any day of the week. Make it a bring-your-significantother event, and you might attract a new crew. Or add a tasting component—wine, beer, cocktails—and it becomes a game.

Games and Books: Speaking of games, game nights are fun at any age. In the Northern Virginia alumnae group, it’s books that bring people together. Linda Crafton (Delta Zeta-Maryland) holds a monthly daytime book club, which especially appeals to older alumnae.

Cheer Team: Coordinate with a collegiate Alpha Phi chapter to root for the college team; or rally together at a local pro event.

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8 Best Practices 1. Focus on quality, not quantity. Don’t stress over having a certain number of members at every event, says Tabitha Bleich (Delta Epsilon-Iowa), president of the Central Iowa alumnae chapter.

“Sometimes we have high attendance, and we celebrate that. Other times, it’s low, but that’s OK.” Consider it a success if an alumna comes to even just one event.

2. Be official. It’s fine to have casual gatherings, but everything will run smoother if you have certain structures in place. Like officer elections (see “She’s in Charge”) and training.

3. Be consistent. Hold an event or meeting at least every month. That way, alumnae know to pencil it in.

4. Keep meeting notes. It’s helpful to have a history of membership, what worked, what didn’t and, for Alpha Phi heritage, a record of the time period.

5. Hold a membership drive.

Just like collegiate recruitment, alumnae chapters can benefit from a recruitment period as well. Another idea: Central Iowa alumnae chapter sends handwritten notes to graduating seniors, inviting them to the alumnae chapter.

6. Partner with a collegiate chapter. “It helps them see and understand what it means to be an alumna,” Tabitha says.

7. Engage through the ages.

Consider assigning one person to plan events just for the younger alumnae. For older alumnae, remember they’re probably going to want to sit somewhere. And for those who don’t drive, find someone willing to pick them up. Also, be sure your communication reflects a wide age range.

8. Communicate in all ways.

Cover your bases with at least some communication via email, social media, evites, Google docs, paper or e-newsletters and even the old-fashioned phone call. 

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Memories of Alpha Phi through the Decades

Back when I was Marti Watkins, my pledge dance, Initiation and the Initiation banquet were highlights of my Alpha Phi year. We wore white formals, and there were even a few long gloves. We arranged our own dance programs, and while I danced with their dates, my sisters could dance with mine (my future husband, Jim Mast). There was a five-piece band, and the dancing and music were both slow, though I’m pretty sure we took time out to do “The Hokey-Pokey.” And even now, after 67 years, I’d bet money that the last dance was “Goodnight, Sweetheart.” It was truly a magical night. I loved that dress! Thank goodness I have a picture or I’d never remember.

— Martha Mast, Beta Nu-Duke, 1950s Above: Jim Mast on the far left, back to camera and partially cut off. Martha Mast on the left (dancing separately), she and her partner looking right

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My first memory of Alpha Phi was pledge day in 1972.

We were to run from our dorms to the expansive steps of the Texas Tech library. I was wearing my pledge T-shirt, bell bottom hip-hugger jeans and my beautiful gold watch that was a high school graduation present from my parents. In all the excitement, my watch had slipped off my wrist.

The chapter president approached me, a new pledge, and said, “Is this your watch, Nancy?” I was shocked that she even knew me, let alone my watch!

I knew then that Alpha Phi was special.

— Nancy Kuhn, Gamma Iota-Texas Tech, 1970s

After two years living in our historic chapter house, three of my sisters and I rented an apartment on campus. My roommate’s Apple Macintosh Classic saved me from having to go to the library for every paper, and the corded cell phone in her car made us feel a little safer.

– Becky Greenbury, Delta Epsilon-Iowa, 1990s Below: Pictured (clockwise from top left) are Catherine Hommer and Delta Epsilon (Iowa) members Becky Greenbury, Julie Sears Moon, Jennifer Bogot Austin

I was a senior and was in class when the events of Sept. 11, 2001, began to unfold. By the time I got back to my apartment, the whole country knew that we were under a terror attack. I spent my morning glued to the TV and calling my parents to make sure that they were okay. By the time my roommate and pledge sister, Amy McCord Hudspeth, got home, I had worked myself into a frenzy with all of the TV coverage and was scared silly. We sat together and watched the news that afternoon. At a time when we all just wanted our families close to us, I had the next best thing—my sister.

– K ristin Alderman, Gamma Iota-Texas Tech, 2000s Above: Pictured (left to right) are Gamma Iota-Texas Tech members Kristin Alderman and Amy Hudspeth, at the Gamma Iota 50th reunion in 2015

Mountaineer Week takes place every year at West Virginia University to celebrate, pay tribute to and honor West Virginia’s heritage and traditions. It used to be a tradition for the Greek community to pair one sorority and one fraternity together to compete in events that demonstrated our Mountaineer spirit.

The tug-of-war pitted sororities against other sororities.

In 1983, Alpha Phi was partnered with Sigma Phi Epsilon. We had a big group of our sisters and our fraternity teammates cheering us on to victory.

– Debby Orsak and Molly Wilsbacher, Beta Iota-West Virginia, 1980s Below: Alpha Phi won the Mountaineer Week tug-ofwar in 1983. Debby Orsak is in front, Molly Wilsbacher next in line

The video game Rock Band had just come out, and our House Corporation Board got us one for the house, which was big news. For about an entire year it was the thing to do. We would all gather around and argue over who got to play the drums—and who wasn’t allowed to sing.

– Jessica Safir, Iota GammaUniversity of the Pacific, 2000s

During the 1960s, the most exciting event was the Beatles coming to the United States and being on the “Ed Sullivan Show.” One of the sisters had a small TV with rabbit ears in the dormitory, and we fit as many as we could into that small room, all of us screaming and whistling.  — Members of the Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter, 1960s

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Always Alpha Phi

E

PHOTO BY ASHLEY GIESEKING

A Way with Wine

EVERY YEAR, WINE ENTHUSIAST MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS

its picks for America’s top 100 wine restaurants. In 2017, Reeds American Table in St. Louis, Mo., made the list, one of just two in the entire state of Missouri. The award is in large part thanks to the work of certified sommelier and beverage manager ALISHA BLACKWELL (DELTA CHI-WILLIAM WOODS). “At Reeds, I am able to manage a wine program, assist guests with wine pairings and provide the upmost level of service, while receiving practical knowledge for the next sommelier examination,” says Alisha who has been interviewed about her vino know-how for local publications, blogs, late-night shows and syndicated radio programs. In her off time, Alisha tastes and selects new offerings for the restaurant. “I’m able to taste wine from all over the world, meet iconic members of the wine community and give guests a memorable beverage experience,” Alisha says. Another key aspect of her position is teaching the staff about the bottles she introduces to the restaurant. “My goal is to familiarize our team on new wine, talk about the producer and how the product was made, the technical aspects of taste and structure, then what it may pair best with,” she explains. “I like every server to be comfortable talking about wine to our guests.” While Alisha laments that bringing specific, iconic wines to their region can prove difficult—“St. Louis is still considered a fly-over city to some”—she continually searches for the best wine at the best value, no matter the price. Her challenge

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is to order a variety without overwhelming their limited wine cellar. “I compare it to a chess game: Each wine is hand-chosen, with a purpose. For each wine label or two I purchase, another comes off the list.” Alisha recently launched a wine club for diners; they can opt to receive three or six wines every month that match their tastes.

“My favorite part of my job is recommending a wine that a guest falls in love with,” Alisha says. 

“I’m able to taste wine from all over the world, meet iconic members of the wine community and give guests a memorable beverage experience.”

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THETA ZETAFLORIDA TECH

Engineering Her Own Success

BETA-NORTHWESTERN

Blog for Health

Maybe the “Shark Tank” crew should talk to MADDIE SCIULLO (THETA ZETA-FLORIDA TECH). She already has a patent pending, and she hasn’t even finished graduate school. Maddie is in her fourth and final

At 51 years old, BRENDA JOHNSON

year of a Ph.D. program in the College of

(BETA-NORTHWESTERN) suffered

Engineering at the University of Florida.

a heart attack. “I had a 100 percent

Last year, she was nominated by faculty and

blockage of an artery at the bottom of

awarded the Gator Attributes of Engineer

my heart,” Brenda explains. For about

Leadership Award for distinguished leadership qualities and experience. There are 4,000 graduate students and only one student receives the award. Maddie’s patent stems from work she did during a summer internship at Texas Instruments.

She may be back there soon, because they’ve offered her a full-time position upon graduation. In the meantime, she’s busy with school, plus serving as risk management advisor for Iota Psi (North Florida) and teaching a seminar course she developed with two other Ph.D. students.

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a month before that, she had mild to PHI-OKLAHOMA

Tech Education Social media isn’t all the rage anymore; it’s a way of life, ingrained into nearly everything we do. Most teachers have been given a directive to integrate social media into their teaching, but they’re not always given the directions on how to do this. HALEY WALLACE (PHI-OKLAHOMA) saw this disconnect and connected the dots. In June, the K-12 technology teacher presented her ideas in San Antonio, Texas, at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference, a national education technology event attended by more than 20,000 educators from around the world. “There is a low acceptance rate to present at this conference, so it was a privilege to speak there,” Haley says. In fact, this was Haley’s third time presenting at an ISTE conference. Her session gave educators the information they need to start using social media to connect with educators around the world, find free resources for their classrooms and find personalized professional development.

sharp chest pains that lasted a few minutes. But she ignored them. She also ignored lingering jaw pain, sudden shortness of breath and nausea. Six weeks after landing in the ICU for five days, she wrote in her blog, “One thing I have realized as an escapee from the ICU is that our life here on earth is an incredible gift.” Brenda, a service sales consultant for Cisco Systems, focuses her blog posts on women’s health.

“I want to educate others so they don’t have to experience what I did,” she says.

Brenda Johnson (bottom) skydiving

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Always Alpha Phi

Alpha Phi Authors

BETA DELTA-UCLA

GAMMA RHOPENN STATE

Her Own Words When EUGENIA CHU (GAMMA RHO-PENN STATE), a first-generation

Chinese-American, looked for children’s books for her young son that touched on her Chinese culture and included some Mandarin words, she couldn’t find any. So, she wrote one.

Brandon Makes Jiao Zi tells the story of a little boy, named after her son, who meets his grandmother from China. They make dumplings and talk and eat, learning a little conversational Mandarin along the way.

PHI-OKLAHOMA

Lucky Novel Number 13 Published by the Wild Rose Press, Jack Sprat Could is the 13th romantic suspense novel from alumna SHARON THETFORD ERVIN (PHI-OKLAHOMA). It follows

the story of a socialite-turned-private investigator, her determination to prove she’s worthy of the job, and her boss whose constant bickering masks his true feelings for her.

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Teaching and Learning A self-professed “lifelong learner,” COURTNEY FOX (BETA DELTA-UCLA)

was recently voted Site Support Employee of the Year for the Desert Sands Unified School District in La Quinta, Calif. This win boosted her to the countylevel competition, which she also snagged—as Riverside County Site Support Employee of the Year.

Courtney began in education as a math teacher, but transitioned out of the classroom and into her position as project facilitator for the Desert Sands district, where she’s been for the past 10 years. She provides professional development support for all K-12 teachers and administrators in more than 30 schools. “I work with an amazing team of people in my division and truly love the impact we can have on teaching and learning,” she says.

She was honored at a Celebrating Educators luncheon and says, “I’m beyond humbled by the recognition.”

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Alex Thompson (Delta Zeta-Maryland) pictured third from the left

DELTA ZETA-MARYLAND

PR Star

The Washington Women in Public Relations organization recently awarded ALEX THOMPSON (DELTA ZETA-MARYLAND) with an Emerging Leaders Award. The award goes to rising stars, ages 25 to 35, who have excelled in public relations and related fields, and who have given back to the industry. Alex serves as director of communications and marketing for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, responsible for the development and execution of strategic communications initiatives. “This award represents not only what I have achieved in my career thus far, but also my potential,” says Alex, who is also the Northern Virginia alumnae chapter’s vice president of programming and philanthropy. Responsible for a variety of communications and marketing efforts, Alex works with everyone from entry-level professionals to CEOs. “All of our member companies come from different industries, so I’m always learning new business trends,” she says. Among other things, Alex led communications efforts during a recent organizational rebrand and launched a marketing and communications advisory council.

BETA OMEGA-KENT STATE

Selling Fast

Members of the Cleveland West alumnae chapter have a top-selling realtor in their midst. HOLLY RITCHIE (BETA OMEGA-KENT STATE) is a founding member of the Keller Williams office in Boardman, Ohio, named No. 1 in the area, with more than $40 million in sales. Holly’s team recently received a Pinnacle of Excellence Award, and Holly says the team’s attention to detail contributes to its success.

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Q

Always Alpha Phi

Weddings Bells THETA ZETAFLORIDA TECH

Sisters for Life When NICOLE BERSON (THETA ZETA-FLORIDA TECH) got married

July 16, her Theta Zeta sisters were well represented.

Pictured are (left to right) DEVON MCMAHON, BLAIR KANIA, BRITTNEY LAMB, bride NICOLE BERSON (now Rice), MICHELLE BERSON, ALYSSA ROWE and MARA BANCROFT.

THETA IOTA-JAMES MADISON

Big and Little Brides They say sisters share everything, and these sisters from Theta Iota even shared an entire season of wedding planning up to their wedding dates. KATIE HYSON (pictured left) and her little, KAIT SOLOMON (pictured right), were married within three weeks of each other last summer and were respective bridesmaids as well. “We couldn’t imagine getting married without the other by our side,” says Kait whose wedding took place in Orange, Va., June 24. Katie’s event was in Charlottesville, Va., July 14.

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BETA MU-ALABAMA

BETA OMEGA-KENT STATE

Breaking News

What’s the Weather?

One of the two U.S. reporters called on during President Trump’s first news conference with another world leader, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was KAITLAN COLLINS (BETA MU-ALABAMA). At the time, she was reporting for The Daily Caller, an online news site co-founded by Tucker Carlson, who is now a host on Fox news.

The exposure, and her direct question about national security, put Kaitlan in the spotlight. Not long after, the 2012 Alabama graduate was hired by CNN, for which she continues to cover the White House. But journalism was not what Kaitlan had planned when she started at Alabama.

“I started my freshman year as a chemistry major,” she says.

“And then I realized I was much better suited for writing and reporting stories than I was at chemical equations.” Judging by her quick rise in the ranks of reporter, Kaitlan seems to have chosen the right career path. She’s been in Washington for more than three years now and says, “It’s an incredible time to be here.

I get the chance to witness and report on history on a daily basis.”

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If you ask ALEXIS WALTERS (BETA OMEGA-KENT STATE) about the

weather, you’re going to get a more thorough answer than you might expect. That’s because she recently was hired as a meteorologist on the WYTV news team in Ohio.

Alexis was working toward her journalism degree at Kent State EPSILON ALPHA-ASHLAND

Hope Still Lives In 2014, SABRINA CALI (EPSILON ALPHAASHLAND) was pregnant with her first child “Pregnancy was going great, and I was really active and healthy,” Sabrina says. Sadly, two weeks before her son was due, Sabrina found out that he had passed away. “I received no answers except, ‘These things happen,’” she says.

Unsatisfied, she researched stillbirth and found she wasn’t alone in her tragedy.

“The statistics are staggering, and it’s worse than SIDS,” she says, citing research that shows 26,000 babies are stillborn shortly before their due dates.

“But it’s a taboo subject that no one wants to talk about.” Fast forward to today, Sabrina has two healthy, happy kids, but she strives every day to honor the son she lost. Through her research, she also discovered Star Legacy Foundation, which raises awareness and money for stillbirth research and education. As a fitness instructor and professor of health pursuing her Ph.D. in health promotion, Sabrina decided to create a wellbeing event to raise money for Star Legacy. She titled it Hope Still Lives, with a 5K, kids fun run and health fair planned for Aug. 5 in Brunswick, Ohio. “I want to give back and maybe help others who have had similar experiences.”

and hadn’t originally considered meteorology. “After working with Kent’s student-run television station, TV2, and doing the weather on air, I developed a real interest in it,” Alexis says. “If there’s one thing that affects us all, it’s weather.”

While she’s learning a lot on the job, she’s also pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast and operational meteorology from Mississippi State University, a fully online program. “I’m able to apply exactly what I learn to my forecasting on air,” she says. “I have a lot of a-ha moments.” Eventually, Alexis plans to get her American Meteorological Society seal of approval and hopes to work in a top market as a morning meteorologist.

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Q

Always Alpha Phi

4 Years 4 Life

GAMMA IOTA-TEXAS TECH

Four Decades of Sisterhood

BETA TAU-INDIANA

Forever Together

Marcy Ewing VanGalen (Gamma Iota-Texas Tech) shared a photo of

For the second year in a row, members of the 1955 Beta

herself with some of her 1978 pledge sisters who gathered for a reunion in Dallas over the summer. Pictured are (top row, left to right) LEIGH ANN UBBEN VERNON, DEBBIE HUNT ROBERSON, KAREN MINTER MAXWELL, DIANNA COLLINS HARTWELL and ELIZABETH NABORS MARONEY; (bottom row, left to right)

Tau pledge class reunited at the country home of Diane

TERRE BROWN MCCARTY DORETY, KATHY COOK GIESE, SARAH ASHBURN MARKUSSEN and MARCY EWING VanGALEN.

Burnett (Beta Tau-Indiana). Pictured are (left to right): ANN SHARP, DIANE BURNETT, BETTINA HANSFORD, SUZANNE APPLE, EVELYN MESSICK, JACQUELINE HEIMAN

and DIANE MIKISKA.

DOOR COUNTY ALUMNAE ASHLAND AREA ALUMNAE

Honoring the Years An anniversary pinning ceremony was held for the Ashland Area alumnae in October. Pictured are (back row from left): DEBORA GRAY (EPSILON ALPHA-ASHLAND), 50 years; ANN SCHAR (EPSILON ALPHA-ASHLAND), 50 years; (front row from left) KATHY RUSSELL (EPSILON ALPHA-ASHLAND), 25 years; HOLLY CHRISTIE (BETA OMEGAKENT STATE), 25 years; and ELIZABETH PEEBLES (DELTA UPSILON-BALDWIN WALLACE), 25 years.

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Honoring the Founders Door County alumnae celebrated Founders’ Day with a luncheon at Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.

Pictured are (left to right) BERNICE (BUNNY) BURRIS (IOTAWISCONSIN), BONNIE KENNY (GAMMA UPSILON-WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE), PATTI GALVIN (DELTA PSI-WISCONSIN OSHKOSH), VIRGINIA MURPHY MAHER (GAMMA UPSILON-WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE), JOANNE SEILER (GAMMA SIGMA-WISCONSIN STOUT) and SUSAN GRANDGEORGE (IOTA-WISCONSIN).

Sisters enjoyed a Founders’ Day “quiz,” recalling important historic events of the day.

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NASHVILLE

PI-NORTH DAKOTA

Crafty Donations

Heading Things Up

This February is the second year that the Nashville alumnae chapter will put together craft kits for young patients at Nashville’s Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Last year, members of the alumnae chapter funded and donated more than 130 kits. Each kit included construction paper, markers and several stickers for the children to create their own Valentine’s Day cards.

“These children spend so much of their time in the hospital—some live there for months at a time—the craft kits give the children a project to do to help pass the time,” says IVETTE WEGRICHT (ETA LAMBDA-GEORGE MASON), alumnae chapter president. This year the chapter’s goal is to assemble 175 kits for kids to create a festive door hanger. “This is a cause our alumnae chapter loves to support, and we hope to continue to host this event annually,” Ivette says.

TRACEY JOHNSON (PI-NORTH DAKOTA)

was recently named director of Head Start programs for Grand Forks and Walsh counties in North Dakota. She’ll be managing the federally funded program’s multimillion-dollar grant, supervising 60-plus staff members and helping to give children ages 3 to 5 a leg up in terms of medical and mental health services. 

SAVING IS SIMPLE. Alpha Phi members could save even more with a special discount on auto insurance.

geico.com/greek/alphaphi | 1-800-368-2734

Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. GEICO contracts with various membership entities and other organizations, but these entities do not underwrite the offered insurance products. Discount amount varies in some states. One group discount applicable per policy. Coverage is individual. In New York a premium reduction may be available. GEICO may not be involved in a formal relationship with each organization; however, you still may qualify for a special discount based on your membership, employment or affiliation with those organizations. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company,

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Alpha Phi Quarterly

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From the Quad

Shark Bait

L

ETA IOTA-PENNSYLVANIA LAST MARCH, “THE ELLEN DEGENERES

Show” announced it would be filming in Philadelphia. A tweet went out to residents encouraging them to show up along Walnut Street dressed in costumes of famous duos. A group of women from Eta Iota, stressed out from schoolwork, decided to take a break and join the fans. VICTORIA SACCHATTI and KATRINA ARMAN, students in the Wharton School of Business, grabbed a couple of friends’ shark and narwhal costumes and went as the dancing sharks from Katy Perry’s memorable Super Bowl 2015 half-time show. “We didn’t know anything about what [Ellen] was going to be doing, but it didn’t matter because we were mainly going so we could spend time with our friends and have fun,” Victoria says. The two of them screamed and jumped up and down and sang Katy Perry songs at the top of their lungs—and pretty soon attracted the attention of Ellen’s crew. “We were shocked that we were selected from such a huge crowd,” Victoria says. “Ellen” correspondent Jeannie Klisiewicz and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jon Dorenbos chose Victoria and Katrina as one of two costumed

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pairs to compete in a race that entailed carrying a full cup of coffee through an obstacle course— spinning around a baseball bat, jumping through tires and walking across a wobbly beam. Victoria and Katrina ultimately won the obstacle course challenge, each taking home $5,000 and a whole lot of ecstatic Eta Iota sisters. Victoria plans to use her winnings to travel and to invest in her own startup company. Katrina is planning to put the money toward setting up a children’s charity and helping out her family.  Pictured are Victoria Sacchatti (top) and Katrina Arman in their narwhal and shark costumes the day they won $10,000 on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

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GAMMA PI-ARIZONA STATE

Sister Sells to Win

THETA RHO-CAMERON

To the Rescue Of the 343 firefighters who participated in Oklahoma City’s Memorial Stair Climb, only six were women.

EMILY COPE (THETA RHO-CAMERON) was one of them.

Each participating firefighter carried the name of one of the 343 firefighters who died on 9/11. In full bunker gear, including an air pack, totaling about 70 pounds, Emily climbed 110 floors, the same number of floors in each of the Twin Towers. Money raised was donated to the Oklahoma Firefighter Foundation. Emily has been a member of the Medicine Park, Okla., volunteer fire

The joke about being able to sell ice to Eskimos could easily apply to the students in Arizona State University’s Sales Scholar Program. Their goal is not just to sell, but to win sales competitions. KENDALL LYNCH (GAMMA PI-ARIZONA STATE) is a member of this 15-person team and explains, “The point of these competitions is to further your sales knowledge and win money and a trophy for ASU for your achievements.”

Competition organizers give each contestant a scenario, and the goal is to set up a meeting or sell a product to the judges. Kendall hopes to secure a summer internship in sales and continue in the field after receiving her undergraduate degree in business marketing.

DELTA XI-NEBRASKA KEARNEY

Full of Pride

Nebraska Kearney (Delta Xi) welcomed 42 new members in September, the biggest pledge class of the four sororities on campus. In addition to its successful formal recruitment, Alpha Phi received the highest sorority GPA and highest overall Greek GPA at Fall Scholarship Night. “We achieved a 3.552 GPA and are excited to work hard this next semester to maintain our 10-plus-semester consecutive highest-GPA streak,” says BAILEY HOADLEY, director of public relations and advertising.

department since November 2016. She says it’s not easy being a woman in a mostly male field. “Sometimes I’m doubted on my strength or abilities,” she explains.

And sometimes onlookers simply think she’s there to do technical jobs, rather than physically fight fires or tend to a medical emergency. “But there have also been occasions where the guys were very thankful to have women in the field,” she says. “Such as getting in small spaces or incidents with children.” Emily hopes to continue on as a firefighter after graduation. “I love to help people,” she says.

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Q

From the Quad GAMMA TAU-WILLAMETTE

Leading by Example As vice president of campus affairs, STEPHANIE ARONSON (GAMMA TAU-WILLAMETTE) helps

shape her chapter’s involvement in community service—and she’s not just talk. Stephanie (pictured below, left) was recently recognized for her outstanding service to the SalemKeizer Education Foundation (SKEF), a nonprofit organization in Oregon that improves the quality of education in its local public schools. One of the programs, ASPIRE, matches adult volunteers with students to help them develop post high DELTA GAMMANORTHERN COLORADO

Life Savers New defibrillators with an Alpha Phi logo are popping up around campus at the University of Northern Colorado. The lifesaving devices are thanks to Delta Gamma chapter and its new partnership with Starting Hearts, a nonprofit based in Avon, Colo., that helps save lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims through training in CPR and defibrillators. In September, the chapter hosted its first joint event with the organization, the Alpha Phi and Starting Hearts Cardiac Fair, where a Call.Push.

Shock class was offered to students and community residents, teaching them the three essential elements to increasing a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival.

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school plans. “I had a lot of support when I was looking for colleges and knew how to provide that support and advice for high schoolers now doing the same thing,” says Stephanie who was paired with Sirena, a legally blind and homeless senior at North Salem High School. “Sirena is one of the smartest and most motivated people I know,” Stephanie says. With Stephanie’s help on her college and scholarship essays and applications, Sirena was accepted to all four schools she applied to and received a scholarship that covers 90 percent of college costs through a Ph.D. Sirena is now a freshman at Willamette, and Stephanie’s involvement in the SKEF program continues through Alpha Phi service projects.

KAPPA DELTA-STEVENS

Super Start

Having been installed in May 2017, Alpha Phi marked its first semester on the Stevens campus. In September, Stevens (Kappa Delta) had its first informal recruitment, Aloha Phi, with beach volleyball and a luau. Members cheered on sisters at Stevens volleyball and tennis games, and they hosted an Oktoberfest event with Theta Xi open to all Stevens students. The chapter holds its first formal recruitment in January.

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Bid Day Love!

We couldn’t be more proud of our chapters for their amazing Bid Day celebrations. Enjoy these snapshots!

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Q

From the Quad

Philanthropic Alpha Phis

NU-NEBRASKA

Feeling Appreciated Every year since 2010, Nebraska (Nu) has hosted two philanthropic events, BETA EPSILON-ARIZONA

Heart of Giving Arizona (Beta Epsilon) donated half the money raised at its 2016 Red Dress Gala to the Tucson American Heart Association (AHA). It totaled nearly $25,000. This year, Beta Epsilon was recognized for this generosity at the AHA’s Go Red for Women fundraising event, where members of the chapter were chosen to model clothing from Macy’s, one of the AHA’s national sponsors. Paige Helfinstine, the chapter’s VP of marketing, and Nicole Long, director of philanthropy, were both selected to be Tucson AHA marketing/social media and event planning interns for the semester.

A Phi Open golf tournament held in the fall and its Red Dress Gala in the spring. Both events benefit Alpha Phi Foundation and the women’s heart program at Bryan Health in Lincoln, Neb. Over the past seven years, the chapter’s donations to Bryan Health have surpassed $70,000. As a tangible thanks for the chapter’s efforts, Bryan Health hung a plaque in the fourthfloor cardiac inpatient waiting area that reads, “Recognizing the generosity of Alpha Phi.” When the plaque was installed, members of the chapter received a tour of the hospital and

BETA NU-DUKE

A Tradition Begins Duke (Beta Nu) hosted its first Red Dress Gala last spring where collegians, families, friends and area businesses contributed to raising more than $5,000 for Alpha Phi Foundation.

The event also included a silent, online auction and live band.

PHOTO BY ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT

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learned more about where their funds have gone. Nu chapter was featured in Bryan Health’s summer print publication in which Bryan Foundation Development Officer Rachel Greene says, “It is inspiring to see the women of Alpha Phi make an impactful gift dedicated to helping women.”

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Extension

Alpha Phi Celebrates Two New Colonies!

This fall, Alpha Phi joined the Panhellenic communities at the University of Georgia (UGA) and McGill University

UGA Celebrates

New Members at McGill

The UGA colonization took place in August, with Bid Day being celebrated on Aug. 31, 2017. More than 170 women were welcomed into our Fraternity that day. Since that event, the chapter has held a new member retreat at an on-campus ropes course, conducted Phi Family reveals, organized into committees and held numerous social events.

On Sept. 16, they held their first parents’ tailgate, which also included a photo in front of Alpha Phi’s future home at 387 Milledge Street (See “Where We Live” for more about the historic house). The Athens, Ga., mayor was in attendance and declared the day “Alpha Phi International Day.” Events continued through fall semester, with the first officer elections taking place in November.

McGill’s first new members were welcomed to Alpha Phi on Oct. 4, 2017. Its Bid Day celebration kicked off on the campus’s Lower Field with a Panhellenic welcome. Nearly 40 new members spent the night getting to know each other and learning more about Alpha Phi. Post-colonization events included a new member retreat exploring downtown Montreal, Phi Family reveal on campus, social events and sisterhood nights. The New Member pinning included local alumnae who came to celebrate our newest Alpha Phis. The months of November and December brought officer elections and officer training.

you to the volunteers who supported the colonization efforts, especially Extension Team leads C and  Thank RISTA VASINA (DELTA GAMMA-NORTHERN COLORADO)

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ASHLEY HAUGH (XI-TORONTO).

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Where We Live

These Old Houses

Every Alpha Phi house has a story, but some go back a bit further than others. Here, we highlight four of our most historic chapter houses.

The House with the Picture-Perfect Porch: Eta Psi-Eastern Washington Lowe House, 306 F. St., Cheney, Wash.

Built around 1904

This chapter house’s semi-circular ornamentation on its wraparound porch is typical of homes designed in the Eastlake style, a type of Queen Anne or Victorian architecture.

Built for David and Bessie Lowe (rhymes with “how”), the home’s other common stylistic features include its table leg-like spindles that frame the porch, and multiple, steeply pitched roof lines. Inside, much of the woodwork is original, such as the fanciful, wooden portiere above the parlor entrance. Portieres were popular design elements of the early 20th century and helped keep heat from escaping a room. Alpha Phi purchased the house from Mike and Cathy Folsom who had done a good deal of renovating and revamping.

Because most of the larger homes in Cheney, Wash., of this era have been demolished, the Lowe House is now considered one of the city’s most architecturally significant older homes.

The Lake House: Iota-Wisconsin Frank G. and Mary G. Brown House, 28 Langdon St., Madison, Wisc.

Built 1905

In Madison, Wisc., there are 113 houses built between about 1900 and 1930 within the designated Langdon Street Historic District. The Wisconsin (Iota) chapter house is one of them. A two-and-a-half-story, red brick residence located on a hill above Lake Mendota, it’s one of Madison’s best examples of Colonial Revival style and features a roof distinctive for its ornate cornice and scalloped edges. It was built for Frank G. and Mary G. Brown. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Frank was a businessman, financier and a founder of the French Battery Company, which evolved into Rayovac, still one of Madison’s major corporations. Alpha Phi purchased the house in 1927 from the Browns, beating out several other sororities who had their eyes on it.

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The House with the Dog Statue: Georgia Colony Dearing-Wilkins House, 387 S. Milledge Ave., Athens, Ga. Built around 1865

Part of the Dearing Street Historic District in Athens, Ga., this house was the first in the city to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1860, Alfred L. Dearing started building the Greek Revival structure, but the story goes that he was unable to finish because of the Civil War. The majestic, 7,866-square-foot home was completed by prominent banker John J. Wilkins, who added its 14 iconic, fluted Corinthian columns. Besides the grand columns, the house’s other claim to fame is its cherished, cast-iron statue of a dog in the front yard. The dog is mentioned in the book Gone With the Wind and appears briefly in a scene in the movie.

The Movie House: Delta-Cornell 411 Thurston Ave., Ithaca, N.Y. Built 1898-1899

“There are so many memories that live in this historic Alpha Phi house, and it is such a privilege to be a part of them.”

—Brynne Merkley (Delta-Cornell)

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The history of this Georgian Revival house has always included Alpha Phi. Its first owners were C. William Wurster and his wife Amy Cooper Wurster (AlphaSyracuse), class of 1891. Later, wealthy judge Paul K. Clymer purchased the house, and his sister, Edith, was also a Syracuse Alpha Phi. During the summers, the Clymers rented the house to the famed Essanay Film Company. At the time, Ithaca was the center of the silent film era, and Francis X. Bushman was its biggest star. In fact, it was at this house that Bushman came up with the idea for “Dear Old Girl,” the first million-dollar movie ever made. In 1921, Delta chapter purchased the house, now listed on the National Historic Registry. Since then, it has undergone many renovations and updates, but one thing has remained the same: It has always been a place of creativity and of Alpha Phi. 

Alpha Phi Quarterly

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Trending

Comfy sweatshirt These soft pullovers from made-in-America Woolly Threads mimic wool without the cost.

Mitten-gloves When you want to keep your fingers cozy, but sometimes need their dexterity too.

Puffer vest Cool, but not freezing?

A down vest is the perfect compromise and super-trendy too.

Leg warmers

Winter Warmings

Not just for flashdancers, these cute Sock Dreams leg warmers can do wonders for warmth when you want to wear a dress.

Not everyone has to deal with winter the way we at the Executive Office do, but for those of us who trek through campus or across town while dodging Jack Frost, take note of these cold climate essentials.

Pompon beanie Knit pompon hats are in.

The Sprout from Pistil is a favorite, made from boiled wool and lined at the forehead with itchfree fabric.

HotHands If your extremities scream with the extreme cold, they’ll love cuddling up next to these air-activated heat packs.

Ear-flap hat

Yaktrax

On days when the cold just goes through you, a hat that doubles as earmuffs helps keep it away.

Gain some traction in the ice and snow with these clever contraptions that slip right over your shoes.

Snow tube

Lined stockings Wolford’s famous fleecelined stockings are thick enough to easily be worn as leggings too.

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When you can’t beat the snow, join it. This cool tube from L.L. Bean makes sledding smooth and sturdy—and a lot of fun.

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O

n this page, we typically present a peek into someone’s professional life by looking at a few of their favorite things.

But this time, with our feature focusing on Alpha Phi memories, we decided to highlight a selection of historic items from our archives, where thousands of treasures bring to life the origins, the growth, the milestones and the 145 years of Alpha Phi.

What’s in Our Archives

4.

1938 Convention Reel.

1.

War Relief Stamps. Alpha Phi

issued these stamps from 1941 to 1944 to support efforts during World War II. The $3,523 raised helped purchase surgical kits for civilian victims of air raids in England.

5.

1980 Convention Minutes. We’ve got Convention

This 16mm film reel of the 1938 Convention held in Pasadena, Calif., was discovered in a stack of other convention film reels.

on our minds. This printed presentation of minutes harkens back to the 53rd biennial convention held in 1980.

2.

Chapter House Scrapbook.

6.

Records of chapter house expenses and revenue, along with photographs, were kept in scrapbooks like this one.

Commemorative Cup. One of many silver

pieces stored in the archives room, this triple-handled chalice commemorates the 1959 installation of Florida State (Gamma Phi).

7.

Bomber jacket.

We’re guessing this is from the early 1980s, though it’s definitely back in style.

3.

8.

Keepsake From Alpha House. Doris Ridenour

A Book of Verses.

Published in 1899 by Martha Foote Crow, this book of verses, The Ministry of a Child, contains poems such as “First Baby Song” and “Joy of Tears.”

It is still available on Amazon.

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(Alpha-Syracuse) sent this to the Executive Office with a note: “This small section of the bannister from the first chapter house has been sitting on my dresser for many decades.”

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Recruitment

Now & Then

Successful recruitment is more than the numbers. It’s the people who make the numbers happen, particularly the recruitment advisors. These volunteers become role models for incoming, new and young members of Alpha Phi. They work closely with the collegiate chapter administrators and collegiate recruitment department, and they develop strategies to increase recruitment strength. After a fantastic fall 2017 recruitment season (8,425 new members), we take a look at recruitment from the late 1970s versus today.

Emily Pfund

(Eta Omicron-Virginia Tech), 2016-17 ELC, recruitment advisor for Beta Mu-Alabama We had 2,582 women come through during the first day.

Our primary quota was 130, and we matched 145 new members.

Our secondary quota was 10, and we matched 10 new members.

This totaled 155 new members for Beta Mu. Our biggest challenge was keeping up with the sheer number of women we had going through recruitment, while also keeping track of our own members’ conflicts, schedules and illnesses.

We also tried to scale back our budget this year, which brought its own set of difficulties.

Our members wear white, floor-length dresses adorned with their badge for preference.

We also wear no shoes.

After our new members ran to the house and celebrated on the lawn with the chapter, we had an overnight new member retreat. This year, our new member retreat was themed “Camp Alpha Phi.”

Beta Mu house has a great tech system that streamlines all of our media. We can show videos on multiple screens, while simultaneously broadcasting a microphone in any room, including the porch.

White dresses Overnighter Videos 4 4

Name

How many women came through recruitment the first day?

What was quota?

And how many matched?

What was your biggest challenge during recruitment?

What was the typical attire for preference?

Ann Lacefield

(Delta Gamma-Northern Colorado), “rush” advisor 1977-1982. Yikes…

I hope those dates are correct!

I think approximately 200 went through “rush” with a 20 percent drop-out rate. We always had a nice group that did COB in the spring.

Ceiling was usually set at 20 to 25 during those years, as we had eight sororities.

Probably only Alpha Phi and Sigma Kappa, maybe Delta Zeta, ever reached quota.

Legacy recruits—helping the chapter to realize their importance, their history, their commitment. Proud to say that while I was there we never dropped a legacy. I remember a few dropped us, which is fine, but we always brought them to preference.

Black dress; no slacks.

What was the Bid Day activity?

New sisters received their bids on a Saturday morning. Then, there was early afternoon “tea” and lots of hugging, crying...fun day! Introduction of chapter officers and, of course, the pledge trainer took her new “charges” under her wing. Lots of education, but lots of food, sharing and activities.

What technological tools were at your disposal to help with recruitment?

Yellow legal pads (my choice), colored folders, handwritten everything!

I am sure that Panhellenic used a typewriter, but not us.

Black dresses Afternoon tea Legal pads W I N T E R 2 0 18

Sitting Pretty In this photo from the Fall 1980 Quarterly, Idaho (Beta Zeta) pledges gather on and around a Volkswagen Beetle, an icon of 1970s roads. They posed to celebrate and cheer on their achievements in academics, as well as campus involvement. In her article about the chapter’s progress, Laura McDougal Trairatnobhas (Beta Zeta-Idaho) wrote, “The first changes were internal ones, for it was

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necessary to learn to work together and to improve our own self-image before we could show our campus that we were a sorority on the upswing.”

That year, the chapter came up from near bottom to a tie for first place in academics, receiving the Panhellenic Most Improved Scholarship trophy at the Greek awards banquet. They’re still going strong.

Save this portion of your Quarterly! You will need your membership number (first seven numbers found at right) to help identify yourself if you contact the Executive Office.

POSTMASTER: Please send changes to Alpha Phi, 1930 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201

Celebrating an Anniversary?

Alpha Phi is for a lifetime. Honor that membership or someone else’s with an anniversary pin that recognizes 10 years, 25 years, 40 years, 50 years, 65 years or 75 years.

Visit alphaphi.org or call (847) 316-8929 to place your order.

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