The Beta Theta Pi Magazine (Summer 2009)

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Unless you are one of the 4,921 Betas who have already managed their subscription.

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New magazine distribution policy to take effect in fall 2009

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256,620 copies of The Beta Theta Pi magazine were printed and mailed in the last year. In doing so, the Fraternity used 73,269 lbs. of paper!

FACT

It cost $63,500 to print and $78,200 to mail the last four issues of The Beta Theta Pi magazine.

FACT

As of June 15, 2009, 4,921 members have submitted their subscription preference. 53.4% prefer the online edition; 46.6% prefer the print edition.

Do you want to continue to receive the print edition of The Beta Theta Pi magazine every three months . . . or would you prefer to read it online? When it began in 1920, Beta Theta Pi’s “lifetime subscription” cost $10 per member. In 1952, the charge increased to $20. The Baird Fund contribution (included in the initiation fee) has been $30 since 1981. Upon initiation, each member was promised a lifetime subscription, and we’re doing our best to uphold that promise; however, rising printing and postage costs combined with significant reductions in the overall market value of the Baird Fund (brought on by the current economic climate) make it impossible to fund the magazine in its entirety. Because of the need for chapters to remain financially competitive, the Fraternity has made no real attempt to keep the Magazine’s subscription fees in line with the actual costs. Besides, it is the alumni — not the undergraduates — who have been getting the bargain all these years. We strive to be good stewards of the Fraternity’s limited resources . . . while honoring your communications preferences

and sharing the good news of Beta Theta Pi on a consistent basis. With that objective in mind, we need you to take action. Log on to www.betathetapi.org/news/ magazine/subscribe to indicate your magazine subscription preference no later than October 1, 2009. If you do not have internet access, please call the Administrative Office at 800-800-2382. We will continue to mail the magazine to those who prefer a hard copy; however, members who do not specifically indicate their desire to receive the magazine in print will be removed from the mailing list starting with the fall 2009 edition. Email notifications will be sent to those who maintain an active email address with the Administrative Office. Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to indicate your subscription preference, and for considering an additional contribution to the Baird Fund to support the Fraternity’s communications efforts.

www.betathetapi.org/news/magazine/subscribe


BETA THETA PI M

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[Volunteer]

TRUST AND CONFIDENCE

“I cannot imagine reflecting on the story of my life without having Beta Theta Pi being a part of it.” Amy Buch

Risk Management Advisor, California, Irvine

Profession:

Division Manager of Health Promotion, Orange County Health Care Agency

Alma Maters:

Kalamazoo College United States International University

Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology M.A. in Education

Hobbies: Excerise

Until two years ago, I worked at the University of California, Irvine in the Health Education Center. My job was to teach students about alcohol responsibility. To do that, it was important to get to know different student groups on campus. I thought that if students got to know and trust me, we would have a good partnership. I became involved when the director of Greek life told me that Beta Theta Pi would be re-colonizing on our campus, and that they were looking for some friends of Beta to volunteer. I was immediately impressed and curious about a men’s organization that would be so welcoming of a non member who was female. I was surprised and honored that I was trusted by the students and other advisors in participating in important conversations about the Chapter. With that trust, I was given the confidence I would need to advise this group of remarkable, young men. I have had the privilege of facilitating The Wooden Institute, Leadership College and a

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Keystone Regional Leadership Conference. Although I no longer work at UCI, I continue to serve as the risk management advisor for Delta Sigma. My Beta experience has helped me in my current job as division manager of health promotion of the Orange County Health Care Agency. I often find that when I am unsure of how to inspire my staff during difficult moments, I turn to my notebooks from those leadership opportunities and can usually find the perfect message. Recently, when I was trying to identify what was standing in the way of my staff working together on a project, I reflected on the time that I did the UCI ropes course with the Chapter and the insights we gained about what was, at that time, a young colony trying to form a brotherhood. I have enjoyed the friendships that have developed with fellow advisors and other friends of Beta. I cannot imagine reflecting on the story of my life without having Beta Theta Pi being a part of it.


The Beta Theta Pi Magazine/Vol. 137/No. 1

[Contents]

10 YEAR

ANNIVERSARY

Men of Principle B E T A

T H E T A

P I

I am a Man of Principle.

I AM A MAN OF PRINCIPLE

I believe in the power of the mind, cultivating my own intellect and the minds of others. I respect leadership, lead when called upon to do so and help to prepare the leaders who will come after me. I willingly lend my talents and abilities to the service of my community. I recognize and respect the worth of each person, refusing to take part in activities that undermine the dignity of others or myself. I choose to act responsibly, weighing the consequences of my actions on those around me. I speak honestly and listen actively. I seek the company of other men of principle, extending them the bonds of brotherhood.

14 feature story

Liberty and Justice Rodney Brown discusses what it was like to work on the Iraqi High Tribunal and stare Saddam Hussein dead in the eyes.

departments 6

From the Editor What’s Your Kryptonite?

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General Secretary Charlie Warner shares his thoughts on the 2008-09 academic year and reflects on the Men of Principle initiative.

Books by Betas Sporting Lives

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News & Notes Fraternity Happenings

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From Brennan Hall Staff Changes, New Hires

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Secretary of the Navy

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Rough Around the Edges

Campus Life Spring Updates

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Sports Roundup Spring Athletics

I build bridges, not walls.

features 10 State of the Fraternity

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Mystic Shrine In Loving Memory

I am a Beta. 34

A Principled Life A Path to Principle

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Mississippi’s Ray Mabus is the new leader of the Department of the Navy.

The Lambda Kappa-Beta Chapter utilizes its award of distinction as motivation to improve its hometown.

A Lasting Moment A Call for Celebration

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[From the Editor] What’s Your Kryptonite?

The oldest continuously published college fraternity magazine, The Beta Theta Pi was founded on December 15, 1872, by Charles Duy Walker, V.M.I. 1869.

Whether it is real or imagined, there seems to be a lot of pressure these days to be all things to all people. We have to be good fathers, husbands, brothers, colleagues, bosses, citizens, teachers, students, preachers, mechanics, landscapers and even IT specialists . . . we have to be supermen!

Editor Thomas C. Olver, Central Michigan ’98 Associate Editor Alexander S. Hammel, Florida ’08

(Betas have an even tougher job . . . we have to be supermen of principle!) Yet, something always seems to stand in our way. It is a personalized form of Kryptonite that weakens our defenses and prevents us from doing what needs to be done.

Associate Director of Communications Robert T. Umstadter, San Jose State ’05 Graphic Designer/ Production Assistant Sarah Shepherd

Illustration by Roger Warrick

I’ve met a lot of remarkable people in this job, and very few have truly mastered the challenge of finding the appropriate life balance. Some are naturally blessed by ability and organizational skills. The rest of us just fake it. At least Superman got to be Clark Kent every once in a while. Why do we feel like we have to be supermen? It’s an expectation that cannot be met — even under the best of circumstances — and yet we practically kill ourselves trying to be all things to all people. We beat ourselves up for not being good enough, smart enough or strong enough. Fortunately, lessons come to us when we’re prepared to receive them. I was in my hometown of Bay City, Michigan, for Father’s Day weekend and joined the family at the Harvest Baptist Church for the Sunday morning service. Pastor Joe Atchinson was preaching on the subject of what it takes to be a real man. He noted that real men know how to lean, how to lead and how to love. “Too often, we rely only on ourselves for strength,” he shared. Real men, as it turns out, lean. They lean on faith, family and one another. In Beta terms, we call this mutual aid and assistance. Our teachings remind us of “the great idea that men are mutually dependent upon each other for what there is of happiness during the short span of this present life. He who seeks the seclusion of a hermit’s hut or the shadows of a cloister’s cell, debases the nobleness of his manhood.” Real men seek (or at the very least accept) help, especially in the honorable labors and aspirations of life. As I reflect on my life experiences, I realize that my best moments weren’t a result of my own doing. I am at my best when actively engaged with others, working toward a common goal. As our Founders learned through their connection to the Union Literary Society, Cooperation Makes Strength. Is something weakening your ability to find strength through others? Personal insecurity, stubbornness or selfish pride might just be the Kryptonite that is preventing you from becoming a true superman. — T. Olver

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THE BETA THETA PI

Contributors Phyllis Bowie, Ian Brantly, Amy Buch, Jay Langhammer and Richard Lugar Editors Emeritus Erv Johnson, APR, Idaho ’53 Robert H. Kurz, Miami ’58 The Beta Theta Pi, (USPS 052-000) official magazine of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, is owned by the Fraternity, edited and published under the direction and control of its Board of Trustees, published Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall for $30 one-time pre-paid subscription. Periodical class postage paid at Oxford, Ohio, and additional points of entry. Canada Post International Publications Mail (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 0397474. Copyright Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, 2009. Produced in the USA.

Deadlines Fall 2009 ............................................August 15 Winter 2010 ................................. November 15 Spring 2010 ....................................February 15 Summer 2010 ........................................ May 15 Foundation and Administration Office Brennan Hall 5134 Bonham Road P.O. Box 6277 Oxford, Ohio 45056 (513) 523-7591 or beta@betathetapi.org www.betathetapi.org Postmaster Send address changes to: Beta Theta Pi P.O. Box 6277 Oxford, OH 45056


Making Connections. Whether through the Magazine, website or e-newsletters, the Baird Fund keeps us connected. Your investment of $30 or more will allow us to utilize traditional platforms as well as new technologies to keep members connected to the Fraternity AND to one another. Over the past academic year, 2,500 new initiates contributed $75,000 to the Baird Fund. Your assistance is needed to reach the goal of investing more than $100,000 in the Fund this year. Will you make the connection? Visit www.betathetapi.org/contribute today!

Special thanks to those who have contributed to the Baird Fund in the past year (as of June 15, 2009): Yancey B. Swearingen, Alabama ’67 Francis J. Davis, Ball State ’67 Stephen D. Messel, Ball State ’70 James N. Enyart, Bowling Green ’63 Eric. J. Unruh, California, Berkeley ’67 Gary L. Anderson, Carnegie Mellon ’76 William G. Marietta, Carnegie Mellon ’68 LeVar C. Jensen, Case ’51 Thomas C. Olver, Central Michigan ’98 Robert E. Klein, Cincinnati ’48 Drew E. McKenzie, Cincinnati ’05 Richard S. Reesey, Cincinnati ’65 John A. Rezsonya III, Cincinnati ’09 James J. Hodos, Columbia ’68 F. Brian Quinlan, Columbia ’50 Guy M. Seaton, Denver ’98 William A. Saunders, Denver ’65 Richard P. Best, DePauw ’48 John R. Claycombe, DePauw ’48 William B. Fischer, DePauw ’43 Eric B. Rudolph, Dickinson ’62 Joshua C. Trick, Eastern Washington ’04 Brian A. Duffe, Florida ’96 Albert D. Quentel, Florida ’56 Richard A. Persinger, General Fraternity ’97 Glenn L. Moore Jr., Georgia Tech ’67 Dewey W. Waddell, Georgia Tech ’56 Daniel J. MacKeigan, Guelph ’86 Morton S. Prime, Hanover ’55 Jerry D. Jones Jr., Houston ’97 William F. Gigray, Idaho ’69 Robert M. Robinson, Idaho ’43 James W. Thielke, Idaho ’64 George E. Bledsoe, Indiana ’62

Harold W. King, Indiana ’64 Franklin A. Urbahns, Indiana ’63 Kenneth A. Oldt, Iowa ’69 Paul B. Crockett, Iowa State ’59 Edward A. Freeburg, Kansas ’55 Perry C. Peine, Kansas State ’43 William G. Stanley, Kansas State ’72 James L. Simmons, Lawrence ’74 Robert P. Butler, Louisville ’71 David S. Lamb, Maine ’62 Jonathan J. Brant, Miami ’75 David L. Doyle, Miami ’72 David A. Long, Miami ’72 Donald E. Taylor, Miami ’60 David R. Zimmer, Michigan ’68 William S. Johnson, Michigan State ’55 Dan P. Reason, Michigan State ’57 Donald C. Sawyer, Michigan State ’61 James J. Ellis, Missouri ’56 Robert M. Toy, Missouri ’86 William G. Roeseler, MIT ’65 Lawrence A. Frolik, Nebraska ’66 William R. Pohlman, Nebraska ’62 Robert A. Walsh II, North Carolina ’70 Thomas C. Watson Jr., North Carolina ’63 Stanley K. Paulsen, Northwestern ’57 H. John Callahan, Ohio ’56 Gary L. Harlow, Ohio ’67 John B. Holden Jr., Ohio ’65 Peter V. Hood, Ohio ’61 Clayton, F. Riley, Ohio ’50 Thomas L. Brennan, Ohio State ’51 George R. Jacoby, Ohio State ’54 Richard E. Meredith, Ohio State ’56

Richard C. Pickett, Ohio State ’47 Bruce R. Elder, Ohio Wesleyan ’62 Loren V. Baker, Oklahoma ’52 Thomas A. Hopwood, Oklahoma ’70 Paul C. Houk, Oklahoma ’56 Joe A Kokojan, Oklahoma ’06 Paul R. Hertel, Pennsylvania ’51 George F. Southworth, Pennsylvania ’50 John W. Longstreth, Purdue ’51 Nicholas L. Block, Saint Louis ’03 Joseph S. Piehl, Saint Louis ’08 Thomas H. Romoda, St. Lawrence ’65 Herbert N. Gerhardt, Syracuse ’54 Sherman P. MacDaniel, Texas ’56 Charles B. Streig, Texas ’96 Jeffrey E. Axline, Texas Tech ’01 Charles W. Ziegler III, Tulane ’49 Samuel H. Hildebrand, Wabash ’61 J. Walter Dauber, Washington & Jefferson ’53 John J. Kelly, Washington and Lee ’46 Gary E. Marks, Washington State ’73 Edwin L. Winklemeyer, Washington in St. Louis ’48 David W. Knapp, Wesleyan ’49 John R. Birkett, Western Reserve ’65 Kirk W. Carpenter, Westminster ’65 William G. Hartwell III, Whitman ’61 Albert J. O’Donnell, Wichita State ’84 Fred J. Young, Wittenberg ’64 Shawn Lynch Joe Martin James Nichol

Prefer to contribute by mail? Send your check (payable to “Beta Theta Pi”) to: Baird Fund, 5134 Bonham Road, Oxford, Ohio 45056


[Books by Betas] Additional Beta Books Abraham Lincoln and Robert Burns: Connected Lives and Legends

Ferenc Morton Szasz, Ohio Wesleyan ’62 A story that reveals how famed Scottish poet Robert Burns influenced the life and thought of one of the most beloved and important U.S. presidents, and how the legends of the two men became intertwined after their deaths. Hardcover. 159 pages. US$20.40 Southern Illinois University Press. 2008

Close Call

John McEvoy, Wisconsin ’59 A tale of greed and corruption played out in the world of horse racing. McEvoy forces the smells and sounds of the racetrack off the pages and into the readers imagination.

Sporting Lives: Metaphor and Myth in American Sports Autobiographies James W. Pipkin, Florida ’66

Sometimes the crack of the bat or the roar of the crowd fails to capture the meaning of sports as athletes themselves understand it. In Sporting Lives, the first book to examine the two popular realms of sports and autobiography, James Pipkin looks at recurring patterns found in athletes’ accounts of their lives and sporting experiences, examining language, metaphor, rhetorical strategies and other elements to analyze sports from the inside out. Pipkin takes a fresh look at memoirs from baseball, football, basketball, golf and other sports to explore how American athletes see themselves: not only how those images mesh with popular perceptions of them as heroes or celebrities but also how their accounts differ from those of sports journalists and other outsiders. Sporting Lives shows that the life of the athlete involves more than mere athleticism; it is also a world of nostalgia and sentiment, missed opportunities and lost youth. Hardcover. 143 pages. US$29.95 University of Missouri Press. 2008

Beta Theta Pi benefits when you buy from amazon.com! Log on to http://astore.amazon.com/thbethpi-20 for the online store.

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Hardcover. 286 pages. US$18.96 Poisoned Pen Press. 2008

The Constitution of Electoral Speech Law Brian K. Pinaire, Whitman ’97

Pinaire examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s evolving conceptions of free speech in the electoral process and then traces the consequences of various debates and determinations from the post-World War II era to the present. Hardcover. 241 pages. US$60.00 Stanford University Press. 2008

Sinking of the Forty-Nine

James W. MacMeekin, Michigan State ’58 A story about Commander O’Kane and how he revolutionized the offensive use of WWII submarines from that of a reconnaissance and underwater attack vehicle of opportunity, to that of a speedy surface vessel. Paperback. 324 pages. US$18.95 Three Rivers Books. 2008

Wake Up, America! Peter M. Feaman, Union ’75

A book that carefully details what American leaders are not doing, the consequences of their lack of action and what they should be doing in the real war on terror. Paperback. 160 pages. US$19.95 Woodmont Publishers. 2007


[News & Notes] Beta Theta Pi Fraternity Board of Trustees General Secretary Charles W. Warner, Lynchburg ’87 President P. Thomas Purinton, Kansas State ’63 General Treasurer Christopher D. Miller, Kansas State ’86 Vice Presidents Scott J. Allen, Minnesota ’95 James R. Curtis, Wisconsin ’86 W. Martin Haskell, Ohio Wesleyan ’68 David E. Schmidt, South Florida ’92 Paul B. Swartz, Kansas State ’64 Joseph M. Troncale, Alabama ’63 Beta Theta Pi Foundation Board of Directors Stephen B. Becker, Florida ’69 Carroll R. Black, Wabash ’66 R. Ethan Braden, Willamette ’02 Michael J. Dubes, Iowa State ’66 Michael G. Feinstein, MIT ’82 Garland G. Fritts, Illinois ’52 Douglas G. Houser, Willamette ’57 Jeffrey Lieberman, Pennsylvania ’96 Lynn C. Maddox, Georgia Tech ’64 Thomas H. McCasland Jr., Oklahoma ’56 Charles O. McCormick III, Indiana ’72 H. Kent Mergler, Cincinnati ’63 Christopher D. Miller, Kansas State ’86 Jeffrey N. Newton, Miami ’77 Robert J. Schaupp, Lawrence ’51 Richard C. Spangler III, North Carolina ’71 David W. Wright, Ohio State ’67

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI Celebrates Installation The Eta Beta Chapter at the University of Miami held its installation banquet on Saturday, May 2 at the Miami Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Miami, Fla. The Chapter received its charter at the 169th General Convention last summer in Dallas, Texas.

Distinguished guests included Associate Dean of Students and Director of Judicial Affairs Tony Lake, Assistant Dean of Students Michelle Castro, Director of the Butler Center Keith Fletcher, General Fraternity Vice President David Schmidt and Administrative Secretary Judson Horras. The banquet included a private ceremonial induction, followed by a reception with more than 250 guests in attendance. “Our brothers could not have been more honored or humbled by receiving our charter during last summer’s convention. Now that our installation banquet is complete, we can serve our Great and Good Fraternity as a complete chapter of Beta Theta Pi,” stated senior David Yeomans ’09.

BOWERMAN Named Oxford Cup Honoree

The prestigious Oxford Cup award was bestowed posthumously upon William J. Bowerman, Oregon ’33, at a General Fraternity Alumni Appreciation Dinner held at the Waverly Country Club in Portland, Oregon, April 25.

Miami University Graduate Awarded Fullbright Study Grant

Michael P. McDonel ’09, has been awarded a Fulbright study grant for 2009-10 to take part in a nine-month intensive Arabic language study at the University of Jordan in Amman. The political science major participated in Miami’s Inside Washington program last summer and was an intern at NBC’s “Meet The Press.” The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

In 1964, Bowerman entered into a handshake agreement with Phil Knight, a runner he had coached in the 1950s, to start an athletic footwear distribution company called Blue Ribbon Sports, which was to become Nike, Inc. Knight managed the business end of the partnership, while Bill experimented with improvements in athletic footwear design. As the University of Oregon track coach, Bowerman had an obsession with shaving weight off his athletes’ running shoes. He believed that custom-made shoes would weigh less on the feet of his runners and cut down on blisters, as well as reduce the overall drag on their energy for every ounce he could remove from the shoe. Bowerman is a member of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Oregon’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1999, at the age of 88. Bill and his wife Barbara have three sons: Jon, Thomas and William J. (Jay) Jr., Oregon ’65. betathetapi.org

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REPORT

G E N E R A L

S E C R E T A R Y ’ S

Charles W. Warner Lynchburg ’87 General Secretary

If you have an interest in volunteering for Beta, please let me know by calling the Administrative Office at 1-800-800-BETA (2382).

Beta’s Journey

In the book, Inter Fratres, a collection of messages by Dr. Seth R. Brooks, St. Lawrence ’22, there appears a story entitled The Rear View Mirror. This story resonated with me as we look beyond this anniversary year for the Men of Principle initiative. One of the lines reads, “Man is a person who in a figurative sense is dependent upon, if he is wise, a rear-view mirror.” There is no doubt that our past, and the recognition of the importance of our past, has helped us re-energize and redirect our beloved fraternity. That story went on to say, “Looking in the rear-view mirror there is a past. The present moment does not appear out of nowhere. It is the latest moment in an unfolding process called the passage of time. The present stands upon all the foundations laid and the strata of history . . .” Our ritual provides that foundation and the journey we have been on this past decade helped us return to our roots. But what’s on the road ahead? What will happen around the next curve of the road? That is the exciting part of our fraternity’s journey. We know we will always end up on the road because we are using the past to chart our future destination. This year has been incredibly eventful. Director of Expansion Phil Fernandez, Miami ’06, and the chapter operations team, drove three incredibly successful expansions for the Fraternity at Furman University, the University of Maryland 10

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and Southern Methodist University. This coming year we will see our return to St. Lawrence University and the University of South Carolina, and a new Beta home at Northeastern University. Our chapters are blessed to have a chapter operations department with one mission in mind: to help the chapters and colonies they assist be the best that they can be, and to challenge the norm on their respective campuses. Beta Theta Pi does not, at least from what I can see talking to chapter presidents, believe in status quo. It was incredibly disappointing to lose our chapters at South Florida, Penn State, Denver and Florida Atlantic. It

records by having close to 1,800 leadership participants for the year. Our alumni and Friends of Beta continue to assist us in innumerable ways through their advising to our chapters. We are blessed to have some of the finest volunteers in the fraternity world with our district chiefs, assistant district chiefs and regional directors. SCOE (Standard Chapter Operating Expectations) continues to provide valuable feedback on the health of our chapters. Dr. Brooks stated, “The rear-view mirror enables one to look back into his heritage. One has ancestors.” Our ancestors are the men that came before us. They left us an incredible legacy. Do you want to help us continue this

What will happen around the next curve of the road? That is the exciting part of our fraternity’s journey. We know we will always end up on the road because we are using the past to chart our future destination. is never easy to lose a chapter, but sometimes those decisions must be made. Beta Theta Pi continues to believe in and allow our chapters to practice self-governance. There are times when we, the General Fraternity, must correct the course of a chapter. Unless we do, that chapter will undoubtedly run off the road, and I feel very strongly that every chapter must be given every chance to succeed. There are times that chapters just cannot be steered from the edge and we have to make the decision to close the doors. Our leadership programs continue to be incredibly successful with our predictions of shattering previous

journey? Beta Theta Pi is filled with undergraduates, Friends of Beta and alumni, all who believe in this journey we are on. The Men of Principle initiative has indeed served as a great road map. I can only envision that the next decade will be even better as we continue on our drive toward greatness. This journey would be much better with you, our alumni brothers, on board as advisors. For the past two years, I have been privileged to serve as your general secretary. I look forward to my third year as we drive together to explore what is around the next curve.


FROM BRENNAN HALL

Bryan Luff, Brian Webber, Joe Budde, Megan Vadnais, Andrew Willert, Christian West and Rory Curren.

New Hires

Bryan A. Luff, Oklahoma ’08, joined the Administrative Office staff in January as a business operations analyst. His responsibilities include studying the current business processes of the Fraternity and assisting with the management and design of information systems, online services and business process support.

Allen M. Hardin, Oregon ’09, (Great Lakes) led his chapter as pledge educator, indoor physical plant manager and president during his time at Oregon. He participated in two Keystone Regional Conferences and helped facilitate the Keystone in Seattle. In 2005, he was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America.

Joseph E. (Joe) Budde Jr., Miami ’06, joined the Administrative Office staff as assistant controller in April. Budde served three years with NCR Corporation as an internal controls consultant before choosing to work for the Fraternity.

Brian T. Webber, Loyola Marymount ’09, (Mid-Atlantic) served as chapter president and recruitment chairman of the Eta Alpha Chapter. He has attended many leadership development opportunities including The Wooden Institute, The Leadership College at the 168th General Convention and Chapter President’s Leadership Academy.

Megan Vadnais joined the Administrative Office staff as co-director of leadership development in May. Vadnais graduated from Buena Vista University in 1996. She earned a Master of Arts degree in counseling and student personnel from Minnesota State University in 1998 and a Master of Education in executive human resource development from Xavier University in 2006.

New Consultants

Rory D. Curren, Central Florida ’09, (North Central) served as his chapter’s vice president, house manager, brotherhood chairman and as chapter delegate for the IFC judicial board. He attended The Wooden Institute in 2006, and UIFI in 2007.

Christian P.L. West, Virginia ’09, (Northeast) was a founding father for the Omicron colony and pledge educator during its recolonization. As pledge educator, West oversaw the education of 63 founding fathers and developed the Colony’s first pledge education program. Andrew G. Willert, Miami (Fla.) ’09, (Northwest) was a founding father of the Eta Beta Chapter where he served as vice president and chorister. During his recruitment as a founding father, he received the Men of Principle scholarship. Actively involved on campus, Willert served on both the Interfraternity Council judicial board and the University’s honor council.

Ryan E. King, Southern Illinois ’01, was named director of advancement for the Beta Theta Pi Foundation in May. In this role, King is responsible for enlisting support for the Foundation’s award-winning leadership development programs and for promoting the advancement of the Men of Principle initiative.

David M. Campbell, Virginia Tech ’07, was appointed director of volunteer development in June. His responsibilities include facilitating the achievement of Beta Theta Pi’s strategic direction and providing direction for recruitment, training and accreditation for district chiefs and advisory teams. Campbell joined the Administrative Office as a leadership consultant during the summer of 2007. betathetapi.org

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NAVY

SE C R E T A R Y OF THE

RAYMOND E. MABUS JR., MISSISSIPPI ’69

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“These are important times for the Marine Corps and the Navy. Thousands of brave Marines and sailors are engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, while courageous thousands more carry out hazardous duties around the globe. These incredible, wonderful young Americans all volunteered to serve and are defending and representing the United States and all of us.” — Secretary of the Navy Raymond E. Mabus Jr., Mississippi ’69 On May 18, the United States Senate confirmed the appointment by President Barack Obama of Raymond Mabus Jr., Mississippi ’69, as secretary of the Navy. The secretary of the Navy is responsible for conducting all the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training and mobilizing. Leading the Navy and Marine Corps, Mabus will be responsible for an annual budget in excess of $150 billion and almost 900,000 people. Additionally, he will oversee the construction, outfitting and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities and is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the president and secretary of defense. Prior to joining the administration of President Obama, Mabus served in a variety of top posts in government and the private sector. In 1988, he was elected governor of Mississippi where he stressed education and job creation. In 1994, he was appointed ambassador to Saudi Arabia where, during his tenure, the Kingdom officially abandoned the boycott of U.S. businesses that trade with Israel. Previously, Mabus was chairman and chief executive officer of Foamex, a large manufacturing company, and served as a Navy surface warfare officer aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock. Mabus was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy through the Naval ROTC program at Ole Miss.

He is a member of the RAND Center for MidEast Public Policy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mabus has served as a distinguished lecturer on the Middle East at the University of Mississippi.

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus greets master chief petty officers during a tour of the Senior Enlisted Academy at Naval Station Newport. Photo Courtesy of the United States Navy.

Mabus received a bachelors degree, suma cum laude, from the University of Mississippi, a Masters of Arts degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He resides in Ridgeland, Miss., with his wife Lynne, and their three daughters.

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JUSTICE LIBERTY AND

“I will never forget interviewing an elderly woman whose husband and four sons were taken away from their home and killed by the former regime. She showed me her scars from being shot that night as her family was dragged away.” — Rodney Brown, South Carolina ’87

Rodney Brown, South Carolina ’87, had intentions of one day becoming a prominent doctor. He was accepted at the University of South Carolina for his undergraduate studies, where he pursued a degree in biology, and would then direct his attention to medical school. He was intelligent, charismatic and driven to help those less fortunate than himself.

High Tribunal in the investigation and prosecution of high ranking members of the former Iraqi regime. “I felt like this was my opportunity to serve my country and the cause of justice in a unique and meaningful way,” offered Brown. “I also wanted to witness and participate in what some would consider one of the most significant trials in history.”

He did not, however, envision that one day that he would have been staring overthrown Iraqi President Saddam Hussein dead in the eyes. Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal. Brown stood just a mere few feet away from the accused tyrant as he reacted negatively to the verdict and was forcibly escorted from the courtroom.

Before leaving for Iraq, Brown read up on Saddam Hussein and the history of his regime in Iraq. He reviewed many of the legal filings, investigative reports and witness interviews, as well as speaking with American lawyers who had been working on the trials. He purchased Arabic language instruction audio lessons that he listened to around the clock for several months. Brown also received training in firearms, explosives, first aid, security and Iraqi history and culture, and for good reason. “Several of the lawyers working in the Dujail trial were assassinated in Baghdad, and the Iraqi High Tribunal was located in the middle of a war zone,” advised Brown. “Safety and security was a constant concern during the mission.”

During his senior year, Brown made a radical career move and decided to go to law school. “I always had a passion for politics and government,” explained Brown. He worked for his father’s law book and bindery business, and then pursued a law degree at the University of Florida. Brown later became an assistant United States attorney (AUSA) in Jacksonville. He now works as a criminal AUSA where he investigates and prosecutes child exploitation and drug trafficking cases, and works closely with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Brown was deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom after responding to a request from the Department of Justice for prosecutors willing to spend six months in Baghdad assisting and advising the Iraqi

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Most of Brown’s time was spent advancing other pending investigations. He would locate, gather and transport documentary evidence, review witness interviews and forensic surveys involving mass graves, and travel to interview victims and witnesses both in Kurdistan (northern Iraq) and the Wassit province (south central Iraq). “I also participated in a number of hearings conducted by Iraqi investigative judges in which they interviewed other former regime members,” offered Brown. Throughout his stay, he traveled mainly by helicopter for security purposes.


Brown said that he and the U.S. were treated very well by their Iraqi partners, as if they were members of their own families. He shared that victims and witnesses he met with were thankful that he was helping them tell their stories in court, and that they could seek the justice they and their families had deserved. “The Iraqi people were warm and accommodating, and seemed eager to embrace the rule of law,” exclaimed Brown. When asked what the most eye-opening experience was from this experience, Brown reflected back to a vivid memory. “I will never forget interviewing an

elderly woman whose husband and four sons were taken away from their home and killed by the former regime. She showed me her scars from being shot that night as her family was dragged away,” remembered Brown. “That was a difficult moment for me.” Brown met many heroes, both American and Iraqi and he saw firsthand the many contributions, service and sacrifice of the incredible men and woman of America’s military. He applauds those Iraqis who risked their lives to seek justice and for that he is very blessed and thankful. — A. Hammel

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ROUGH

Around THE Edges

It is late April and the Case Western Reserve community is in an awkward transition from winter to spring. The shrubbery and barren trees appear confused as to whether to stay dormant or bring some much needed color and life to the streets of Cleveland. The dreary sky resembles that of a troubled Claude Monet painting, and parts of the city’s buildings are in dire need of attention. Cleveland has been one of the hardest hit cities during this economic recession. The area is desperate for hope and excitement to take over a complacency that is bleak and depressing, a request even Lebron and his Cavaliers did not fill alone. This spring, the Lambda Kappa-Beta Chapter was awarded the North-American Interfraternity Conference’s prestigious Chapter of Distinction Award. The brothers are respectful and motivated individuals who are inspired to redefine the tarnished landscape of Cleveland. “We are so gracious to have won the award and could not be more thrilled for not only our individual Chapter, but for the entire Fraternity,” said an enthusiastic president, Daniel Kaufman ’11. “However, we want this award to represent the possibilities that are on the horizon for the Cleveland area. Our Chapter is ready to serve the City and give back.” The award is given each year to only a handful of the most outstanding chapters in all of North 16

Summer 2009

America, and includes every fraternity, not just Beta Theta Pi. The award’s purpose is to identify chapters that have had the most positive impact on its members and the surrounding community. Lambda Kappa-Beta was re-organized in the fall of 2004 and, at one point, had dwindled down to four members. In a short time, the Chapter had gone from nearly being closed down to sweeping the University’s 2009 IFC awards banquet, winning eight out of the nine major awards, including the prominent Pytte Cup. For the past four years these brothers have diligently worked to enhance their chapter and build it to a solid 45 members. They have been rewarded for their academics and for scoring perfect on their Greek life standards score. The brothers are now turning their attention to creating a stronger, more unified brotherhood and serving the greater Cleveland community. Many compare the City to the status of the Chapter four years ago, struggling and on the brink of collapse. “It is our responsibility as a successful organization to help the Cleveland area


“Brothers understand that each individual is responsible for living out the obligation through his daily life, and the successes and failures of each member reflect on the entire group,” — Pledge Educator Joe Schroeder

during these difficult times,” Pledge Educator Joe Schroeder ’10 elaborated. “We need to pass on the spirit and dedication that helped bring our chapter back to prominence to the city of Cleveland.” The brothers have begun brainstorming on what they can do throughout the summer that will not only build their brotherhood, but also assist the City. Members want to capitalize on their “chapter of distinction” status and use it in more ways than one. Projects such as City Cleanup, various walk-a-thons and partnerships with the Cleveland Indians are all being considered for potential activities the Chapter can partake in throughout the summer months. These events will either raise money for groups affiliated with Cleveland or consist of basic volunteer cleanups.

“Brothers understand that each individual is responsible for living out the obligation through his daily life, and the successes and failures of each member reflect on the entire group,” explained Schroeder. “We are striving for our principles to be mirrored in the community service work that we give to the great city of Cleveland.” Although the Lambda Kappa-Beta Chapter has experienced much success within the past few months, they strongly reiterate the fact that there is still much work to be done, which will affect many people. They realize that while the City surrounding the Case Western Reserve campus is a little rough around the edges and in need of repair, they are humbly reminded that at one point, so were they. — A. Hammel

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[Campus Life] Alabama (∆Θ)

The Delta Theta Chapter recently hosted a cookout at its house benefitting the Military Heroes campaign. Through the joint efforts of Kappa Sigma, Phi Mu, Alpha Gamma Delta and Beta Theta Pi, $10,000 was collected to support this great cause. The Military Heroes campaign provides free housing to service members and their families during the rehabilitation process. Live music, a dunking booth and great food made for an enjoyable afternoon while supporting a worthy charity. — Joseph W. Kelly ’11, jwkelly@bama.ua.edu

Arizona (∆Β)

This year the Delta Beta Chapter will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Since the fall of 1959, the Chapter has had a strong presence on the University of Arizona campus, despite a hiatus from 1969 to1986. Delta Betas of all ages will join together this October to celebrate our Chapter’s history. We will rent rooms at a resort in Tucson, have brotherhood events with collegiate and alumni members and conduct a Fifty Year Ceremony with the awarding of the associated Beta pins, as well as host a semiformal banquet. All brothers greatly anticipate this celebratory weekend filled with fun and memories. — Charlie Peck ’11, cpeck@email.arizona.edu

Auburn (∆Ζ)

This year, the Delta Zeta Chapter chose the Muscular Dystrophy Association located in Montgomery, Alabama, as the beneficiary of its philanthropy. The association is a voluntary health agency that has a dedicated partnership between scientists and concerned citizens aimed at conquering neuromuscular diseases that affect more than a million Americans. Brothers held a volleyball tournament at the house, inviting teams of four to play. The tournament started on Friday afternoon and lasted through Saturday. We had a great turn-out and would like to see continued success in the years to come. — Colin Clyne ’11, Czc0003@auburn.edu 18

Summer 2009

Cal Poly (Ε∆)

The Epsilon Delta Chapter has been making great strides at Cal Poly. At the beginning of this year, we initiated a new member class of 12 men, bringing our membership to 26 active brothers. We set up a housing corporation to collect money to buy a chapter house. A large portion of our time has been spent bringing good publicity and recognition to our Chapter from campus and around our community. We are working toward securing a pledge class of 20 next fall, which should bring our Chapter up to a comfortable 40 members. — Parker Drennan ’11, pdrennan@calpoly.edu

California, Berkeley (Ω)

The Omega Chapter has made it a priority to increase community outreach in the Bay Area. The Sage Project, a non-profit volunteer organization founded and operated by active Betas, provides elementary school students in Oakland with mentors from UC-Berkeley. Thanks in large part to the recruiting efforts of the Chapter, membership in the organization has increased to more than 300 mentors this year! The proceeds from Beta Bowl, our annual philanthropy event, raised more than $1,000 for Sage Project. Additionally, the Chapter has increased its presence at the University as we now have two brothers serving as executive vice-presidents on IFC. While we have maintained a strong athletic tradition with members of our Chapter competing in rugby, swimming, lacrosse and sailing, we have met our goal of better serving our local community with the success of the Sage Project and our increased presence on IFC. — Matt Busch ’09, mbusch@berkeley.edu

California, Irvine (∆Σ)

Delta Sigma has accomplished a great deal this past school year. In the spring, we were officially reinstalled as a chapter at UC, Irvine. Two of our brothers, Jonathan Steller and Brent Asuka, are playing for the No. 1 college volleyball team in the United States. Kyle Olney served his second year as executive

vice-president of student government and Matt Villasenor is serving as president of IFC. At last year’s 169th General Convention, our Chapter received the Sisson award for Chapter Excellence and at this year’s Keystone, we received the award for excellence in member education. We also helped the charity, Rebuilding Together, to refurbish homes for underprivileged people in Southern California. — Daniel Navarro ’11, danavarr@uci.edu

California, Los Angeles (ΓΝ)

The pace of activity and campus involvement continues to charge ahead for the brothers at UCLA. Over winter quarter, Beta became the largest student group donor to the University’s Blood and Platelet Center in its history, establishing a strong commitment to community service. The Chapter is actively campaigning for Addison Huddy’s run to win the general representative position in the student government, one of campus’s most prestigious leadership positions. The Chapter kicked off spring with another outstanding pledge class, including two UCLA club athletes and two volleyball team managers. Five brothers successfully landed internship positions this summer at Air Products, Microsoft, FTI, Davita and ViaSat. With 16 brothers signed up for The Wooden Institute and Convention, a brotherhood whitewater rafting trip and the alumni banquet, brothers look forward to an action-packed summer. — Michael Casey ’10, mikecasey@ucla.edu

Carnegie Mellon (ΓΙ)

The Spring Carnival for the Gamma Iota Chapter was a success. The brothers are working with alumni to strengthen fundraising and make the event more efficient. A chapter newsletter with status updates and achievements is now available through an updated alumni email group. Alumni who would like to be added can contract Socrates Zacharias at szachari@andrew.cmu. edu. A golf outing was held to wrap up the Carnival weekend, with teams of four featuring brothers of all ages. Activities such as this will certainly help Gamma Iota become an even stronger


chapter of Beta Theta Pi. — Socrates Zacharias ’10, szachari@anderw.cmu.edu

Case Western Reserve (ΛΚ−Β)

The Lambda Kappa-Beta Chapter at Case Western Reserve University has continued in its efforts toward general excellence and principled living. This year, the Chapter achieved a perfect score on its University standards score, being the first chapter to do so on campus in many years. Brothers achieved the top overall campus GPA, earning a 3.521. This past spring, we won the Agnar Pytte Cup, given to the single most outstanding fraternity on campus, for the second consecutive year. Recently, the Chapter was awarded the NorthAmerican Interfraternity Conference’s Chapter of Distinction Award. This award recognizes fraternities that have made a difference on their campus’ and respective communities. It was presented on April 19th in Washington, DC, at the NIC’s annual Laurel Wreath Luncheon. This past semester we held our 24th annual Steven P. Arnold Walkathon for Diabetes. The event was held on April 11 and brothers raised $2,270 to support the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland. The brothers and participants thoroughly enjoyed the event and the Chapter agreed that, as always, it was a big success for raising diabetes awareness. — Dan Kaufman’11, dpk13@case.edu

Central Florida (ΖΨ)

This past spring, the Zeta Psi Chapter teamed with Zeta Tau Alpha for its inaugural UCF’s Best Dance Crew philanthropy. Organizations competed in a dance competition in which the winner was chosen by dancing ability, creativity, crowd enthusiasm and money raised. There was participation from every Panhellenic sorority, several IFC fraternities and multiple other campus organizations. The overall winner was Kappa Alpha Theta, who Beta will collaborate with for the event next year. The event raised more than $2,300 for the Children’s Miracle Network. Approximately 1,500

people were in attendance for the biggest philanthropy in Zeta Psi’s history. — Shane Meckler ’10, shanemeckler@gmail.com

Central Michigan (ΕΓ)

The Epsilon Gamma Chapter had a busy year in hopes of regaining its title as the best fraternity on campus. The brothers started the semester off strong by adding four quality men to the chapter roll. Recently the brothers hosted their annual King of the Wing philanthropy in which money was raised for SAPA, a registered student organization on campus which focuses on helping those who have been physically abused. The men of Epsilon Gamma welcomed back alumni and friends as they hosted their 22nd annual pig roast, where alumni and families visited campus and enjoyed the day with the undergraduate brothers. The Chapter was recognized as the best chapter on campus for the third consecutive year. Epsilon Gamma has solidified itself as a top chapter at Central Michigan University. We are now setting our sights higher, hoping to become one of the best chapters of Beta Theta Pi in the Midwest. — Thomas Ahearn ’11, ahear1tr@cmich.edu

Cincinnati (ΒΝ)

The men of Beta Nu are enjoying a string of great successes. This winter quarter, we held our 2nd annual Beta Theta Ball charity dodge ball tournament, which we partnered with Kappa Alpha Theta. We raised $1,500 for Literacy Center West, a charity started by a Beta Nu alumnus. We had our first winter pledge class since our reorganization in 2000 and followed it up with one of the largest spring pledge classes on campus. The Chapter stands poised to increase its membership for the year by 45 percent. Inter-fraternity relations are also high as we shared a Passover meal with the brothers of AEPi, and a Cinco de Mayo dinner with the women of Kappa Delta.

Brothers are also looking forward to pairing with Kappa Delta for this year’s homecoming festivities. We also just selected our first-ever Beta Rose Chapter sweetheart, Nicole Bukowski of Chi Omega. — Nicholas Puncer ’10, puncernw@gmail.com

Clemson (∆Ν)

The Delta Nu Chapter maintained its standard of academic excellence achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.05. The spring pledge class is seven men strong, adding to the 19 pledges we took in the fall. The Chapter is working on a new recruitment plan for the upcoming fall semester. Delta Nu is looking to expand its alumni relations. We held a successful alumni appreciation tailgate on April 11 before a Clemson baseball game. Community service is taking on a more important role in the Chapter as well. Working with the sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the Chapter successfully raised nearly $1,000 for cancer awareness at Relay For Life. Finally, we would like the congratulate Ryan Duane on winning the student body vice-presidential election for the upcoming school year. — Brennan Chesley ’11, bchesle@clemson.edu

Colgate (ΒΘ)

On Thursday, April 23 the Beta Theta Chapter hosted the 3rd AIDS Action Week Benefit. The event is sponsored by the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC), and marks one of many events around the United States comprising that organization’s “AIDS Action Week.” The SGAC is a national organization with chapters at schools around the U.S., including one at Colgate University, which collaborated with the Beta Theta Chapter in coordinating this event in the past. Due to its success, both organizations look forward to the event again next year. Former U.S. Senator John Sununu, co-sponsor of the PEPFAR bill, spoke at the event, which was followed by a banquet for students in attendance. — Peter Gill ’10, pgill@students.colgate.edu

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Colorado Mines (ΒΦ)

This spring, the Beta Phi Chapter successfully continued its philanthropy project, Ski-A-Thon. This partnership with the St. Anthony Hospital helmet donor program earned a total of $2,000, a substantial increase from last year’s donation. With some brothers volunteering more than 65 hours, the entire chapter was involved with on and off mountain activities. Not only does this event bring people closer to the mountain, it enhances our brotherhood as well. — Robbie Deister ’11, rdeister@mines.edu

Connecticut (ΖΧ)

The Zeta Chi Chapter had a very successful year. We capped off 2008 being recognized as Chapter of the Year from the University, while bringing in 10 other awards ranging from scholarship to pledge education to risk management. One of our graduating seniors, Sean Cady, won the Fraternity Man of the Year. We held a successful philanthropy this spring, donating $2,500 to the Jimmy V Foundation. The event consisted of a theme-based beauty pageant. It was set up into a three day beauty, brains and brawn competition. Working with Delta Chi, Phi Sigma Rho and Alpha Phi, Beta Theta Pi finished second in this year’s Greek Week. The event helps celebrate Greek life on the campus, and this was the highest finish the Chapter has had. — Kurt Paradis ’12, betasecretary@gmail.com

Dayton (Colony)

The Dayton Colony closed out another wonderful semester, initiating 11 new members to the brotherhood. Brothers are excited by the prospect of petitioning for charter at the General Convention this summer and to continue setting the example for Greek life on campus. Members lead the GPA pack for the IFC community, raised $2,000 for their annual Beta Beach Brunch and are widely recognized on campus for being gentlemen, leaders and scholars. — Andrew Fist ’09, Andrew.fist@gmail.com

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Denison (ΑΗ)

Alpha Eta was proud to host a new annual philanthropy event this year. “King of the Wing” is a wing-eating contest for individuals and teams who compete to see who can eat the fastest on campus. The event was a success and we raised an additional $200 for the Center for Disability Services, the beneficiary of our philanthropic events. We receieved support from Kappa Alpha Theta and Lambda Chi Alphaand a large turnout of other University students. We have already made plans for a larger and better King of the Wing this fall as fellow students anticipate the chance to become the new King of the Wing. —Mike Boebinger ’11, boebinger@gmail.com

DePauw (∆)

The Delta Chapter welcomed one of the largest and most talented pledge classes on campus this spring, having been joined by 19 new members. Brothers have continued to dominate campus leadership, holding positions of prominence in student government, IFC, varsity athletic teams and numerous other organizations. Wonderful relationships with the University president, vice-president of student services and our alumni advisory board, and a renewed passion for scholarship and service have been a source of inspiration for the Chapter. This spring, we again led the campus in Relay For Life, which is organized by two of our brothers. The Delta Chapter is poised for another fantastic year, and the combination of senior experience and rising potential in the recently-elected leadership positions hold promise for the months ahead. — Alec Synnestvedt ’11, alecsynnestvedt_2011@depauw.edu

Eastern Kentucky (∆Ξ)

The Delta Xi Colony continues the final push to receieving its charter at this year’s convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Brothers have been working diligently to uphold the principles expressed in our ritual since the recolonization in 2006. These efforts have proven most helpful during Greek

Week 2009. Delta Xi began the awards ceremony strong, receiving Best New Member GPA and winning Best Overall GPA for the second consecutive year. Recruitment co-Advisor Sean Mountjoy received the Outstanding Advisor of the Year award midway through the ceremony. The Colony received the Chapter Excellence Award, reflecting all the hard work these men have poured into the campus for the past three years. We hope our dedication to the Men of Principle initiative will be recognized this summer as it has been on the campus of EKU. — Gareth Saums ’11, gareth_saums@eku.edu

Emory (ΓΥ)

The Gamma Upsilon Chapter is proud to support its spring athletes. Junior Zak Warsaw and Freshman Max Christiansen competed for Emory’s track and field team. Zak competed as a thrower in the shot-put and hammer throw events, and Max in the triple jump. Both brothers helped Emory advance to the UAA indoor championship, the first championship in a number of years for the team. Junior Raffi Simel played golf for Emory in what was a rebuilding year. Sophomore starting pitcher for the baseball team Matt Ryckman led Emory to a 24-18 record and a second place finish in the UAAs. Freshmen Eddie Melendez was also a part of the baseball team and, after missing the beginning of the season with an injury, rejoined the team at second base. — Graham Lambert ’10, glamber@emory.edu

Florida (ΓΞ)

As the 2008-09 year comes to a close, the men of Gamma Xi say farewell to another successful year. We are extremely excited to begin a multi-million dollar housing renovation campaign that is to be completed by the fall of 2010. With the help of our alumni and chapter advisors, we hope to increase the living area by 50 percent and improve upon the current conditions of our house. We held the inaugural Beta Bring It On philanthropy, a cheerleading competition between sororities that benefits the Thomas Oliver Brown Memorial Scholarship


Fund. With 13 sororities competing, we raised $12,000 toward the foundation that was started in memory of our late brother Tom Brown, who suffered a tragic death at the Florida-Georgia football game in 2005. To donate to the housing renovations or scholarship fund, please contact me. — Jake SilvolaFinch ’11, jsilvolafinch@ufl.edu

Florida International (Colony)

The Colony won the most awards during the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life’s annual Greek awards ceremony including being recognized for maintaining a GPA above a 2.7, highest IFC GPA for 2008 and outstanding campus involvement, recruitment program and faculty relations. Ayleen Barbel, our recruitment advisor, was awarded IFC Advisor of the Year and Ivan Martinez, the Colony’s president, was awarded Fraternity Man of the Year. The Colony introduced a new philanthropic event called Beta Breakdown, a team-choreographed dance competition. Beta Breakdown raised more than $1,300 to benefit the American Liver Foundation. The members hope to continue their achievements and look forward to the possibility of being chartered at this summer’s convention. — Ivan Martinez ’09, ivanmartinez58@gmail.com

Furman (Colony)

This spring, the Furman Colony initiated its first pledge class since being re-established in the fall. The Colony doubled in size from nine brothers to 18. The newly initiated members were primarily freshmen, ranging from participants on the rugby team to student government. Many indicated that the diverse membership of Beta Theta Pi was an important factor in deciding among the fraternities on campus. The Colony is already working to enhance its recruitment and pledge programs for next year in order to continue expanding its presence on campus. — Ameer Armaly ’11, ameer_armaly@hotmail.com

George Washington (ΖΝ)

The Zeta Nu Chapter held its second annual Beta’s Day in Red, an annualevent focused on AIDS awareness on campus and around Washington, DC. The 2009 event featured a cookout for city residents and students, informational sessions and a philanthropic social event. Contributions went to the National AIDS Fund, which provides direct assistance to community-based organizations for the prevention and treatment of AIDS. Local partners of the National AIDS Fund contributed two dollars for every dollar raised by the Chapter, providing more than $2,200, far surpassing the goal and previous year’s donation. The Chapter has set a goal of making future Beta’s Day in Red last a full weekend, and has begun planning for the 2010 events. Because of this and other achievements throughout the semester, the Chapter was awarded Gold for Greek Excellence for the first time in its history, and was nominated for Greek Chapter of the Year. — Michael Moffett ’11, moffett@gwmail.gwu.edu

Georgia (ΕΕ)

Members of the Epsilon Epsilson Chapter successfully raised more than $6,100 in our annual philanthropy to benefit the American Cancer Society. The philanthropy, Choral Cup, is an annual singing competition in which sororities on campus compete for the coveted Choral Cup trophy. It was a great success this year with attendance of more than 675 women. Our judges were three UGA golfers who gave up their time just days before winning the SEC Championship. The money we raise every year helps put a cancer survivor through college. — Peyton Edwards ’10, peyton@uga.edu

Georgia Tech (ΓΗ)

Brothers of Gamma Eta continue to work to be the best fraternity in every aspect of Greek life. Throughout the semester, we volunteered at the Goshen Valley Boys Ranch, a camp for boys in the foster care program. We also volunteered several hundred hours at

the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Brothers continue to be leaders on campus by taking prestigious positions, including John Hanson who is president of the executive round table, and Michael Levy and Paul Moustoukas who sit on the ambassador’s executive board. We are striving this semester to have the highest Greek GPA, as last semester we had the second highest. Our efforts in attaining continued excellence have shown as we received the Dean Dull Memorial award. — Brian Bailey ’11, bbailey6@mail.gatech.edu

Hampden-Sydney (Ζ)

Members of the Zeta Chapter held a 5k Fun Run to raise awareness and funds for Breast Cancer. The beneficiary of this event was the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The 5k was a success, and we hope that it will become an annual event on HampdenSydney’s campus. We held our charter installation banquet in April. The event recognized our Chapter for receiving its charter at last year’s convention. We initiated six new pledges this spring, and we look to have an excellent pledge class this fall. One of our graduating seniors, Andrew Jennings, was selected to join the Honorary Fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa. — Ryan Haywood ’10, haywoodr@hsc.edu

Idaho (ΓΓ)

The Gamma Gamma Chapter finished the fall semester with the highest grades out of the 16 fraternities on campus with a 3.19 GPA. The accomplishment marks the fifth consecutive semester that the Chapter topped all other chapters academically. The Chapter’s longevity at the top of the grade report is clear when the Greek grades are charted over the past five years. Since 2004, Gamma Gamma has had an average semester GPA of 3.15. A graph of Greek grades at Idaho can be found on the Chapter’s new website http://www.uiweb.uidaho. edu/greek/Beta/. The site launched on March 27. — Mark Morgan ’10, mmorgan@vandals.uidaho.edu

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Iowa (ΑΒ)

Brothers of Alpha Beta recruited two exceptional pledge classes this past year. The new members’ average high school GPA was a 3.7 and each was involved in an average of six extracurricular activities. The new initiates have been actively involved with the Chapter’s operations, and compose a large part of our cabinet board. They have begun to take initiative in helping organize socials, Greek Week festivities and leadership development programming for our Chapter. The new brothers joined together to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, where they helped build a house for a University of Iowa faculty member whose home was destroyed in the Iowa River flood last summer. — Nicholas Rutzinski ’11, Nicholas-rutzinski@uiowa.edu

Iowa State (ΤΣ)

The Tau Sigma Colony has been working hard to apply for its charter at the 170th General Convention in August. Members have been working closely with leadership consultants to improve recruitment techniques, and are expecting a 20 man pledge class in the fall. The Colony has made preparations to be recognized as a chapter in the fall by Iowa State University. Tau Sigma has made strong advances toward becoming a chapter by holding a successful Beta Luau event with more than 60 members and guests in attendance, and placing in Greek Week Lip Sync for the second consecutive year. The Colony continues to focus on its scholarship and academic assistance programs, and is preparing to implement an in-house tutoring program. The members are excited to enter the final stages of the chartering process, which has been a long-term goal since the inception of the Colony in the fall of 2006. — Ryan Kennedy ’09, kennedy@iastate.edu

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John Carroll (Colony)

The John Carroll University Colony is well on its way toward a charter, which its members will be applying for at the 171st General Convention in Washington, DC in 2010. Brothers have done much community service and philanthropy fundraising. The Colony held its first philanthropy event in October, Carroll’s Got Talent. This talent show involved numerous other campus organizations, including other Greek members and school administrators, and raised more than $700 for the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. The Colony partnered with the Red Cross to hold the largest blood drive in Ohio in February and had 100 percent participation at this event with brothers both volunteering and donating blood. The Red Cross gave the Colony an award for its commitment at the event. The Colony is also active with the Cleveland Area Beta Alumni Association. — Nicholas Orlando ’11, norlando11@jcu.edu

Johns Hopkins (ΑΧ)

Brothers continue to develop relations with the community through our many philanthropic events. We maintain a strong connection with the friends of Wyman Park Dell by assisting with a monthly clean-up and beautification project of a park near the Homewood Campus. Members are preparing for the third annual Dining Dollar Donate-AThon, in which unused campus currency is converted into foodstuffs for a local soup kitchen. We have contributed more than $4,200 in the past two years. With the recent completion of a successful homecoming for alumni, the recruitment of a nine man pledge class and the Chapter’s first place finish at JHU’s inaugural Greek Week, the future of the Alpha Chi Chapter looks especially bright. — Christian Weaver ’10, cweave16@jhu.edu

Kansas (ΑΝ)

This spring the Alpha Nu Chapter started a new tradition within the Greek community. In an effort to reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfills and make better use of items that could be recycled, it is working with local recycling centers and nine other Greek chapters at the University to establish a Greek recycling program called Greeks Going Green. Plans are being made to expand the project next fall to all the Greek chapters. Brothers are very excited about the academic performance last semester with a house average GPA of 3.47 with 89 active members. This number led all chapters at the University of Kansas. We had a freshman GPA of 3.51 with 24 new members, leading all new members GPA. — Adam Brown ’10. Damzz123@ku.edu

Kansas State (ΓΕ)

Gamma Epsilon has continued to dominate intramurals as it is about to capture its fifth consecutive all-fraternity championship. On April 17, we were part of the all community service project where the entire Chapter attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. We helped set up and assist in their school carnival. The Chapter recognized its outstanding alumnus, Mark Fowler ‘92, and held its spring philanthropy, Cookout for Cancer. Through these works, brothers continue to make their mark on Kansas State’s campus. — Josh Parker ’11, parkerjh@ksu.edu

Kenyon (ΒΑ)

Brothers of the Beta Alpha Chapter chose to involve themselves in myriad philanthropic endeavors. We held a campus-wide philanthropy event that benefited the Tanzanian Children’s Fund in Tanzania, Africa. We have been firmly involved with campus clean-up events and worked multiple aid-stations at the Earth Day Marathon held at Kenyon College. Other philanthropic events included supporting the Mid-Ohio Food Bank during the holiday season


and Relay For Life. The Beta Alpha Chapter has been firmly focused on philanthropy this academic year and will increase its efforts in the upcoming months. — Logan Donaldson ’10, donaldsonl@kenyon.edu

Kettering A (∆Η)

The Delta Eta Colony is very involved in student organizations on campus. Brothers are members of the Greener Engineering Organization at Kettering, which is composed largely of Betas and Beta sweethearts. The current president, former president, former treasurer, former recycling coordinator and former vice president are all Betas. A Beta and a Beta Sweetheart were also on the winning team of the Greener Engineering Organization’s fundraiser for the Flint Children’s Museum. — Eric Bumbalough ’11, erickeeper@hotmail.com

Kettering B (∆Η)

Delta Eta brothers spent most of the spring preparing for their campuswide fundraising effort for the school’s Relay For Life. The event is a 24-hour signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. Brothers hosted their second annual three-course spaghetti meal cooked by Beta mothers. Students and faculty enjoyed dining on the wonderful array of freshly cut garden salad, saucy spaghetti noodles, buttered bread sticks and plenty of chocolate desserts. The previous year, brothers contributed a grand total of more than $1,800 toward the event. This year’s theme is “superheroes” and what team theme couldn’t be better for Beta than Batman! Beta Theta Pi alumnus, Adam West, is the legendary actor from the Batman television series. With their capes on, brothers are once again saving lives one step at a time. — Anthony Gosur ’11, agosur@gmail.com

Knox (Ξ)

The Xi Chapter chose the Polar Bear Plunge as one of its primary philanthropy events. The Polar Bear Plunge is an event that raises money for the Special Olympics. Members set up stands in several locations around town to raise money. The event happens in late January when the lake is completely frozen over. The fire department cuts out a chunk of the ice and however much money was raised determines the amount of people who run into that section of the lake. Brothers raised $2,500 for the Special Olympics. We have just begun a clothing drive on campus and all donations go to war veterans. We hope to have success with this event and continue it for many years to come. — Joey Graeff ’10, jgraeff@knox.edu

Louisville (∆Π)

Delta Pi brothers are taking campus involvement to a new level this year. Almost every brother is involved in some campus organization outside of Beta Theta Pi, including organizations such as RSO, university athletics, student ambassadors, RSA, IFC and many others. The brothers took home the Greek Week championship trophy for the first time in many years. The Chapter returned to the awards stand in the 72nd annual Fryberger Greek Sing competition winning Most Entertaining in the fraternity division. We accumulated a 3.0 GPA, which was second among 15 fraternities. We look to build upon these accomplishments and continue to strive to be the best fraternity on campus. — Zachary Gerdes ’11, zjgerd01@louisville.edu

Loyola Marymount (ΗΑ)

The Eta Alpha brothers decided to do something different during the week before Valentine’s Day. One of our members had the idea of creating Beta Love Week. Every day the Chapter would show our love for one area of the campus. On Monday, we co-hosted Bike

for Life and Late Night to show our love for philanthropies. On Tuesday night, we performed serenades to show our love for the sororities. On Wednesday we gave out cookies and cupcakes to show our appreciation for the LMU community and on Thursday we made Beta Love Shirts and sold them to the LMU community. — Dean Ekpa ’10, daenekpa@yahoo.com

Maine (ΒΗ)

The Beta Eta Chapter continued its annual philanthropy, Sleep-out for Rape Response Services of Bangor. This marked the 16th year with the highest grossing total raised of $6,200. Rape Response Services is a non-profit organization that assists victims of sexual violence. They provide a crisis intervention hotline, support groups, education and professional training. This year’s philanthropy was especially successful because of the support we received from fellow Greeks and students on campus. We were grateful to have such a high attendance with the cold conditions. We also saw strong support from our alumni in the form of donations and encouragement. This event continues to be a cornerstone of our Chapter and has helped break some of the typical stereotypes that are affiliated with fraternities. — Arthur Keenan ’10, Arthur_keenan@umit.maine.edu

Maryland (Colony)

The Delta Omega Colony began its recolonization this semester with 20 men. We hold the highest GPA of any Greek organization on campus and during Greek Week we won first place in the trivia competition and made good showings in the other events. On April 26, original Maryland founding fathers, alumni, and current and former members of nearby chapters initiated the founding fathers. Brothers are excited about the summer as five of them will be attending The Wooden Institute and three will be attending the General Convention. — Scott Shuffield ’12, sshuff@umd.edu

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Miami (Α)

This semester, the Alpha Chapter hosted King of the Wing, a chicken wing-eating contest in which a large crowd of students and organizations participate. It has always been an enjoyable time and we are continuously looking to make each event more successful. Phi Kappa Tau, Chi Omega and Alpha Delta Pi all helped put on the event. We raised more than $2,000 to donate to a local charity, Living Water Ministry. The organization’s mission is to make a positive impact in the lives of at risk children, youth and families in Hamilton, Ohio’s inner city. We are working with Children’s Miracle Network and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for our new philanthropy next fall, Dance Marathon. It will have participation from all other Greek and student organizations. The event will be 26.2 hours long with a first year goal of raising $50,000. — Scott Luvin ’11, luvinsa@muohio.edu

Miami (Fla.) (ΗΒ)

Since the majority of our founding fathers were graduating in April, the brothers of the Eta Beta Chapter were determined to put forth their best effort to win this year’s Greek Week. The week was filled with intense competition and the Chapter participated in a variety of events including Organized Cheer, Olympic Day, Greek God competition and a blood drive. In total, the Greek community raised more than $20,000 for United Cerebral Palsy and donated more than 1,015 pints of blood. Leading the Greek community in this accomplishment was Beta Theta Pi, the eventual 2009 Greek Week champions. — Jason Mills ’10, j.mills1@umiami.edu

Minnesota (ΒΠ)

The Beta Pi Chapter focused its efforts this semester on raising money for the American Cancer Society. The brothers had a successful fundraising campaign where they asked each member to raise $100 individually. Beta Pi raised $3,720, having the fifth highest total of all teams entered and

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the top fundraising chapter in the Greek community. The Chapter’s philanthropy chairman, Joel Livingood, held a successful event called Beta Theta Pies, where members sold pieces of pie to students of the Greek community. The Chapter raised more than $750 through the event and hopes to have continued success in the future. Relay For Life was dedicated this year in memory of Rick Vieira, Union ’72, a father of one of our brothers who passed away in September. At this year’s Greek Awards, the Beta Pi Chapter was recognized as the Chapter of Excellence on the University of Minnesota campus. — Michael Vieira ’11, vieir018@umn.edu

Mississippi (ΒΒ)

Beta Beta had a successful spring semester, hosting a parent-alumni weekend for the unveiling of our Mississippi State Historical Marker. The marker proclaims the University of Mississippi was the site of a Temple of the Star founded by the Mystic Seven secret society, which later merged with Beta Theta Pi. The Chapter is honored to receive the marker and would like to thank all who attended our parentalumni weekend. — Sean Ross ’09, sfross@olemiss.edu

Missouri (ΖΦ)

This year the Zeta Phi Chapter had a very successful philanthropy. The proceeds went to Barns Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. We hosted a seven on seven water balloon, dodge ball tournament, where we had almost every sorority participate. We managed to raise more than $6,500. Zeta Phi won its second Greek Week in three years. The Chapter was paired with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. The MIZZOU Greek Week raised more than $100,000, and provided the single most blood donations in the state. The amount of work that was put into this week’s worth of competitions makes this a very proud win for our Chapter. — Mason Emmott ’10, Mkewb7@mizzou.edu

Missouri-Kansas City (ΕΛ)

The end of April brought another victory for the Epsilon Lambda Chapter during UMKC’s Greek Week. This is the fourth consecutive year the Chapter has been victorious in the week full of athletic competitions between other Greek organizations. The brothers were victorious in football, soccer and swimming. The brothers also participated in the first Stroll Off during Greek Week, where each IFC chapter was partnered with a traditionally African American sorority to put together and compete with a dance or “stroll.” The event benefited Harvesters Community Food Network. — Andrew Iliff ’12, andrewiliff@umkc.edu

Nebraska (ΑΤ)

The Alpha Tau Chapter continued to excel at the University of Nebraska. We initiated 26 outstanding men in January with a pledge class GPA of 3.50 and a house GPA of 3.46. The Chapter hosted its annual French Toast Feed with Gamma Phi Beta Sorority benefiting Camp Fire USA, a nonprofit youth development organization. We participated in The Big Event, a campus-wide philanthropy, and the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. Alpha Tau raised more money for Dance Marathon than any other fraternity on campus. Due to excellence in philanthropy, Alpha Tau took home the C.B. Schultz Philanthropy award. The Chapter looks forward to another successful summer recruitment season and the continuation of our excellence on campus a. — Bryce Wergin ’10, bwergin2@bigred.unl.edu

North Carolina (Η)

The Eta Chapter increased its philanthropic efforts this past year. In the fall, we held a chili dinner with Chi Omega that raised more than $6,000 for the UNC Dance Marathon. In total, Dance Marathon raised more than $394,000 for North Carolina Children’s Hospitals. We raised more than $1,100 for Orange County Volunteers for Youth and brothers


participated in the Chi-O Dodge Ball Tournament and the Delta Delta Delta Frats-at-Bat, where we competed in the final four. Brothers celebrated the Tar Heels NCAA Basketball Championship by watching the Final Four and National Championship game on a projection screen in our back yard and we were mentioned on ESPN’s Sportscenter the following day. — Griffin Pugh ’11, gpugh@email.unc.edu

North Dakota (ΓΚ)

Philanthropy hours were easily attained for the Gamma Kappa Chapter during the spring. With record-breaking floods occurring in the Red River Valley, the cities of Grand Forks and Fargo were in need of sandbaggers. Since classes were canceled, brothers volunteered many hours to help sandbag neighboring communities. We assisted sandbagging the home of our cook and the rest of her community as well. The effort in both areas was successful. Shuttle buses transported people to Fargo, which was affected worse by the flooding. Members took advantage of the service to help a neighboring city. The level of the Red River is back to normal levels. — Dustin Patterson ’10, dustin.patterson@und.edu

Nova Southeastern (ΖΜ)

The Zeta Mu Chapter excelled in achieving various leadership positions. Members facilitated the NSU Leadership Conference. Brothers recently won individual awards including Freshman of the Year, Rising Student Leader of the Year and Emerging Greek Leader of the Year, and the Chapter won Rising Star Student Organization of the Year. — Ujash Patel ’10, ujash@nova.edu

Ohio (ΒΚ)

The men of Beta Kappa held the inaugural Beta Kappa golf outing in April. Thanks to the help of undergraduates Jed Manfull and Dave O’Connell, more than 50 alumni came to Athens for the event. More than $2,500 was raised to support the Beta Kappa scholarship fund. Brothers improved their grades this past quarter

placing fourth out of 16 fraternities. — Jonathan Griffith ’10, jg330006@ohio.edu

Ohio State (Θ∆)

Brothers chose Beta Ball, a dodge ball tournament, as their philanthropy with all proceeds going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The brothers chose the society because a member’s brother passed away from the diseases. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a non-profit organization pressing to find a cure for cancer. The tournament consisted of single elimination, with a men’s and women’s bracket. The Chapter set a goal to beat the previous year’s donation of $1,200. Brothers are beginning community service with Chi Omega to improve the recycling in Columbus. Members hope to continue the event for years to come. — Matt McClintock ’10, mcclintock.32@osu.edu

Oklahoma (ΓΦ)

Great things have happened at the Gamma Phi Chapter this year. Following the success of signing the smartest pledge class on campus and winning in academics for the second consecutive semester, we had a dominant victory in our Sooner Scandals performance with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. The Chapter moved up the ranks in intramurals with a second place finish in the Greek Softball Tournament and third in the All-Campus Tournament. Senior Dewey Bartlett won the election for the position of UOSA vice president on campus. Members worked diligently to serve the community by pairing up with Alpha Phi and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Norman to host an Easter event. — Thomas Reese ’11, Thomas.s.reese-1@ou.edu

Oklahoma State (ΓΛ)

The Gamma Lambda Chapter competed in the University’s annual spring show, Spring Sing. Brothers made history as we dominated Spring Sing with the first all-male show. The Chapter was paired with Sigma Nu for the event and won five awards including first place overall. Other

awards included Most Entertaining, Best Vocals, Best Choreography and Best Male Ensemble. Senior Jeremy Delay was awarded Best Male Director for his ability to generate winning choreography. Gamma Lambda strives for success in shows at Oklahoma State University, and our members hope to continue attaining awards in this area of competition. — Colin Smith ’11, colin. smith@okstate.edu

Oregon (ΒΡ)

Beta Rho combined its philanthropy, Miss Greek, with Alpha Phi’s Mr. Greek. Altogether $20,000 was raised. Brothers decided to donate our portion to the Brian Reams Foundation, supporting the foundation of our lost brother. We signed three men to our spring pledge class to compliment the large pledge class in the fall. Brothers were selective in choosing pledges, and think these three men have the potential to do extraordinary things for the Chapter. Brothers had the privilege to attend the alumni dinner in Portland, where Bill Bowerman was awarded the prestigious Oxford Cup. It is an exciting time to be a member of Beta Rho because this year marks our 100th year of existence on campus. We look forward to our centennial celebration and another 100 years of building men of principle in Eugene. — Kyle Becker ’10, kbecker2@uoregon.edu

Pennsylvania (Φ)

For the third consecutive year, the Phi Chapter has chosen to host an event to raise money for Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) research. FOP is a rare disease of the connective tissue. A mutation of the body’s repair mechanism causes muscles, tendons and ligaments to be ossified when damaged. Injuries can cause joints to become permanently frozen in place. This disease affects a family member of former Phi Chapter President Jason Cali, and we are determined to help Cali raise money for FOP research. To raise money, we plan to hold a downtown concert with hip hop stars Nappy Roots to attract a large crowd to increase awareness

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and collect donations for the research center. Last year we raised more than $5,000 and we hope to surpass that amount this year. — Eric Morris ’11, ecmorris@wharton.upenn.edu

Puget Sound (∆Ε)

The Delta Epsilon Chapter was reorganized in the winter and began spring recruitment with a chapter of 16 men. Through the energy and enthusiasm of the remaining members, as well as the quality leadership from the 11 senior brothers, Delta Epsilon secured a 12 man pledge class. Brothers, along with the new pledge class, bonded together and raised $3,755 for Relay For Life, an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society that was founded at Puget Sound in the 1980s. Beta Theta Pi was the smallest chapter from the Greek community, but raised the most money. There was an alumni team that raised more than $500 for the event. — Alex Gardner ’11, abgardner@pugetsound.edu

Purdue (ΒΜ)

The Beta Mu Chapter continues to strive for excellence in several areas. The Chapter expanded to 111 members and pledges, making it the third largest chapter on campus. The GPA for the fall semester was a 2.79, which was above the All-IFC average. Brothers finished the fall semester in second place in the overall intramural rankings. Beta Mu is primed to take home its third consecutive intramural championship. In the community, members continued tutoring children at the local Boys and Girls Club. The Chapter completed the requirements and confidently applied for its first Sisson award in several years. — Sean Kennelly ’11, sekennell@gmail.com

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Rhode Island (ΕΧ)

Brothers continued to excel in philanthropic activities this semester. In January, the Chapter helped organize the Angel Snow Ball, a silent auction in Warwick benefiting epilepsy awareness. In March, members attended Newport’s Polar Bear Club, which benefits cancer research. Brothers volunteered at a fundraiser for the McKinley homeless shelter. Each week, various brothers volunteered their time at John Clarke Nursing Home and made a significant trip to an anonymous Salvation Army drop spot in Newport. The Chapter was acknowledged for having the second highest GPA out of all fraternities at the University. — Andrew Mika ’11, exnewsletter@gmail.com

Saint Louis (ΖΤ)

Commitment to Community was a particularly strong theme this year for the Zeta Tau Chapter. Competing with all other fraternities, we won the annual philanthropy weeks of two sororities by raising the most money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Prevent Child Abuse America. For Zeta Tau’s annual philanthropy, we invited sorority women to compete and bake desserts that we sold to raise money for the Gateway Area Chapter of the National MS Society. The event was a success, and we raised enough money to send a family of four with a multiple sclerosis patient on a vacation. Becoming a force on campus and in our community, brothers are excited about our future and continued growth. — Jason Potts ’09, pottsjc@gmail.com

San Jose State (ΖΗ)

Brothers started the semester doubling their recruitment numbers by rushing nine worthy men. The Zeta Eta Chapter participated in four of the major philanthropies held this semester. Members took on other challenges such as starting two new programs. They established the first western region Happy Neighbor program, which helps initiate positive community relations around the Chapter

house. The second program, an alumni association network, encourages Beta alums in the Bay area to get involved and stay up-to-date with local chapters. Zeta Eta took first place in academics with a chapter GPA of 2.987 among all IFC and PHC organizations. They were awarded Fraternity of the Year between IFC, PHC, USFC and NPHC. — Jason Lewis ’09, louie139@hotmail.com

Southern California (ΓΤ)

We initiated 12 members who will make a fine addition to the 60 year legacy at Gamma Tau. Philanthropically, it was a busy semester as we had two brothers serve on the executive team for Swim With Mike, one of USC’s largest fundraisers that supports a scholarship for disabled athletes. Brothers raised more than $3,000 to support the cause. We hosted our second annual Beta Beach Philanthropy, where we transformed our backyard into a beach paradise that included a pool to host the BETA THETA sPIke water volleyball tournament for sorority women. All of this was done to raise money for the DPS Explorer Troupe, a program that provides leadership training for inner city youth. President Emeritus Torrey Fishman was recognized as an outstanding senior. We look forward to the fall and bringing in another stellar pledge class. — Alexander Bozzo ’11, abozzo@usc.edu

Southern Methodist (Colony)

Gamma Omega returned to campus this spring with 56 founding fathers representing all four classes. Brothers participated in Sing Song, the University’s annual song and dance competition, performing to the music of Michael Jackson. We hosted two teams at Relay For Life and exceeded our fundraising goal by raising $2,800. Weekends consisted of intramural games, formals, sorority philanthropic events and service projects. The semester ended with the first of many alumni events. We are proud to have a colony average 3.5 GPA. We look forward to our first full year of recruiting, establishing our own philanthropy and


continuing to participate in more than 35 campus organizations. We are celebrating moving back into our house this fall and look forward to a great year ahead. — Ryan M. Moore ’10, rmmoore@smu.edu

South Dakota (ΓΑ)

Gamma Alpha heightened its campus involvement this past year. Brothers occupy nearly 20 percent of the voting body of the USD Student Government Association, in addition to holding various positions in more than a dozen other campus organizations. Foci within the Chapter included the creation and implementation of an academic assistance plan, a set of minimum member expectations and updating the bylaws and constitution. This semester, a news team conducted a story about our Chapter that recognized the positive aspects of fraternity life. Soon after, the USD Greek committee recognized our Chapter for having Excellence in Risk Reduction. Brothers initiated six members in the spring and one of them was recently recognized as Sophomore of the Year by the Greek community. Overall, we anticipate successful fall recruitment and we constantly strive for excellence as our name becomes more prominent on campus. — Andrew Sitz ’11, Andrew.sitz@usd.edu

Tennessee (∆Κ)

There have been numerous changes in Knoxville over the past semester. We are in the middle of implementing a new recruitment plan geared toward contacting incoming freshmen during the summer earlier than we have in the past. We are relocating to a new house to better accommodate our needs. Our Chapter held the first Chronicles of the Glen where 10 brothers went camping for the weekend to review and improve upon our ritual. We would like to thank our alumni and chapter advisors for their dedication and assistance over the past semester. As always, we encourage other Delta Kappa alumni to get involved. — Andrew Ruth ’10, aruth@utk.edu

Texas-Arlington (∆Ρ)

Heroes for Hope was our big accomplishment this year. During the Texas tour, we dressed up as popular superheroes and delivered toys to five hospitals. As a result of the toy drives, penny drives and BBQs, along with the trip itself, we recorded more than 1,000 service hours while enjoying the company of our brothers. Charlie Nguyen, who is a member of the Prime Time Steppers, has taken home numerous first place titles in Texas and Oklahoma for his excellence along with his team. They have been recognized on BET and won the step show at UTA. Carson King was elected to be a Student Congress Liberal Arts Senator this spring and Omar Rosales was elected to be Mr. UTA. — Charles Nguyen ’09, leprakonboi@sbcglobal.net

Texas A&M (ΕΗ)

The Epsilon Eta Chapter again chose Paralyzed Veterans as the beneficiary for Beta Roundup. This organization supports paralyzed veterans from Texas by helping cover the high cost of being paralyzed. Beta Roundup is a rodeo in Snook, Texas, where sororities go against one another in calf scrambles and watch various bull riders compete. Our Chapter gave the $6,000 to the disabled veterans and we hope to donate again in the future. — Benjamin Cramer ‘11, bmc.cramer@gmail.com

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (ΖΡ)

The Zeta Rho Chapter is winding down from a strong year. Two brothers ran for the student government president seat currently held by brother Eric Rohne. Six Betas were elected to the SGA senate for the upcoming year. Zeta Rho holds the chairs of vice president of finance and president on IFC. Chapter President Cody Lasker is the Battalion Commander of Army ROTC program. Brothers regained the title of Greek Week champions for the 2008-09 school year. An additional six active members served on the freshmen camp staff called Aloha Days. Senior Eric Holguin was selected as

commencement speaker for the spring graduation. We had an extremely productive year and look forward to the upcoming fall semester. — Eric Rohne ’10, smallsintx@hotmail.com

Texas Tech (∆Μ)

The Delta Mu Chapter took the biggest spring pledge class out of all fraternities, and won the South Central Recruitment award at Keystone. We had brothers elected into student government, IFC, Mortar Board and many other campus organizations and honor societies. Our biggest accomplishment was participating in the Texas Tech Greek Habitat for Humanity build. The Chapter had 15 builders and many more there for moral support, despite a blizzard that came through that evening. Taylor Hutcherson, IFC president, was on the committee for the build and represented Beta well in local television and radio interviews. Brothers look forward to a fun and busy fall semester. — Will Bentley ’10, will.bentley@ttu.edu

Toronto (ΘΖ)

Brothers of the Theta Zeta Chapter are proud to report that this semester yielded many positive returns. We effectively implemented much of what we learned at Keystone at our chapter meetings. This was evident in our pledge education program. Our revamped system resulted in 100 percent pledge retention rate. A chapter consisting of many older brothers, we have already benefited from having a new generation. Theta Zeta ends this semester by looking forward to an eventful fall term. — Matthew MacDougall ’10, mattmackougall12@hotmail.com

Truman State (ΖΞ)

Zeta Xi continues to recruit judiciously and effectively, maintaining a brotherhood of more than 80 members. Despite these high numbers we continue to recruit quality over quantity. This selectivity shows through in our academics, where we reported the highest GPA among fraternities, while also posting the highest new member betathetapi.org

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GPA. Brothers put on two major philanthropy events and continue to be progressively innovative in our risk management policy. — Kurt Warnhoff ’10, kjw879@gmail.com

Vanderbilt (ΒΛ)

The Beta Lambda Chapter accomplished great things for the Nashville and greater Tennessee community. Two Betas were members on the executive board for Dance Marathon, Vanderbilt’s largest student organization and philanthropy. The event raised more than $150,000 for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Our Chapter held a community service event through Tools for Schools and helped build desks, tables and shelves at a local high school. At the University’s annual Greek Awards Ceremony, Beta Theta Pi was honored with the Best Collaborative Project award for teaming up with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta and the Vandy Fanatics to throw Kickoff Cookoff, a philanthropy benefitting Fannie Battle Day School before our opening football game. We were named Most Improved Chapter and continue to be leaders at Vanderbilt. — Patrick Frailey ’10, Patrick. h.frailey@vanderbilt.edu

Villanova (ΖΕ)

The Zeta Epsilon Chapter held its inaugural Founders Day banquet and looks to set a precedent for future alumni events. With more than 60 guests in attendance at the Valley Forge Radisson, everyone enjoyed a great meal and dancing, and were able to relive some fantastic memories. The event allowed brothers to fundraise for the United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia, our perennial philanthropic organization. The banquet marked the beginning of the involvement of the newly created alumni association for our Chapter headed by Michael Okenquist. We anticipate a greater attendance next year as it will mark the 15th anniversary since receiving our charter. If you are an alumnus who would like to receive further contact from the Chapter, please email the alumni relations chairman at Francis.Defanti@ villanova.edu. — Jonathan Limberakis ’10, jonathan.limberakis@villanova.edu 28

Summer 2009

Virginia (Ο)

The brothers and alumni of the Omicron Chapter are excited and proud to announce the acquisition of the historic Beta Theta Pi chapter house at 180 Rugby Road. The house was occupied by Betas during much of the first half of the 20th century and is located next to the aptly named and campusrenowned, Beta Bridge. Omicron brothers experienced great success this semester with the inaugural Beta Tug for the Town tug-of-war philanthropy. Thirtythree male, female and coed teams of eight participated in the historic Mad Bowl, which benefits the Charlottesville Free Clinic. Shortly thereafter, the Chapter initiated 18 outstanding pledges and acquired official member status in the University of Virginia IFC. — James Kim ’10, jtk3c@virginia.edu

Virginia Tech (ΑΦ)

The Alpha Phi Chapter had been hard at work on its new philanthropy, Hokie Idol. Modeled after the popular TV show, the inaugural Hokie Idol included 12 students from the Virginia Tech community and was a rousing success. The event raised money for the Free Clinic of the New River Valley, which provides health and dental care to low income residents without insurance in the Blacksburg/Christiansburg/Radford area. We had a successful recruitment with a 100 percent bid acceptance rate. The Chapter hosted its second annual parents’ weekend, which proved to be a great fundraiser through a silent auction containing items donated by each visiting set of parents. The Chapter had a great semester and looks forward to continued growth in the fall. — David Bergquist ’10, dbergquist@vt.edu

Wabash (Τ)

Brothers from the Tau Chapter have been busy this semester. With nine active members contributing to the most successful season in Wabash baseball history, and Jay Horrey shattering the tennis record books, it has been an exciting spring semester for the members. Brothers had many academic victories in the classroom. The Chapter placed

second in overall campus GPA led by an outstanding senior class. Every member of the senior class passed Wabash College’s comprehensive exams. In the community, brothers have participated in a number of philanthropic events that raised more than $5,000 for local charities. — Chad Sorenson ’10, sorensoc@wabash.edu

Washington (ΒΩ)

The Beta Omega brothers continuously cultivate their intellect. The Chapter achieved the top GPA two consecutive quarters out of 30 fraternities. They boasted a fall quarter GPA of 3.37 and a winter quarter GPA of 3.43. Fifty-two members made the Dean’s List this past quarter, which requires a 3.5 or higher. While balancing academics with athletics and social life, members are proud to have the best grades, and we aim to keep the Beta name on top for years to come. — Robert Suelzie ’11, robsuelzie12@yahoo.com

Washington & Jefferson (Γ)

Gamma brothers teamed up with the Central Blood Bank for our philanthropy. Each year, we hold at least four blood drives with Central Blood Bank to benefit those in need. This year proved to be our best year yet for giving blood; at one drive, a record-setting 77 pints of blood were donated. For the school year, 220 pints of blood were contributed from our efforts. The pints of blood were in support of a young lady whose sister attends school at Washington & Jefferson College. Another blood drive supported Erin Kelley’s father. Erin is a sophomore and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Each blood drive at the College focuses on a certain individual; usually these candidates are in some way related to a student. With this year’s turn out, we hope to see another record breaking year for the 200910 season. — Jordan Sokoloski ’10, sokoloskije@washjeff.edu


Washington and Lee (Colony)

Members of the Alpha Rho Chapter followed the Washington and Lee baseball team on its run to win its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference title. Three members of Alpha Rho’s freshman class were members of the team: Jody Davis (pitcher), Pat Smith (pitcher) and Ben Thomas (catcher). Having won its first conference title, the team entered its first NCAA tournament and the brothers of Alpha Rho made sure to travel with the team, and continued supporting the brothers and their teammates. — Collin Peck ’10, peckc@wlu.edu

WashingtonSt. Louis (ΑΙ)

Alpha Iota’s philanthropy, Beta 4 Square, benefited Operation Food Search, one of the largest free food distributors in the St. Louis region. The food distributor feeds more than 120,000 people each month, nearly half of whom are children. The Beta 4 Square tournament brought together different chapters on campus, strengthened the Greek community and raised more than $300. During the week leading up to the tournament, brothers held a campus-wide food drive and, with the help of the student body, collected 494 pounds of food. — Benjamin Heller ’09, bjheller@wustl.edu

Washington State (ΓΘ)

Brothers of Gamma Theta increased membership and look to once again reclaim their glory of being recognized as one of the top fraternities at Washington State. Through skillful recruitment and the devotion of our alumni, we increased our membership and hope to grow as summer approaches. The main goal of our Chapter is recruitment for summer vacation, and a 20 man pledge class is very obtainable. — Alex Field ’12, afield7@wsu.edu

West Chester (ΖΣ)

The Zeta Sigma Chapter focused its time and effort eliminating debt that has accrued over the years. The Chapter worked on accountability with

financial collections and hosted a variety of fundraisers. To raise accountability, brothers revamped their kai committee, which is now better structured and holds all brothers accountable for their actions and ensures they live the ritual. Members collected $2,100 this semester. The Chapter hosted a rose sale on Valentine’s Day, a candy sale that ran through the entire semester and Buy-A-Beta. Zeta Sigma brothers proudly announce they are officially debt free and look to continue remaining in good financial standing. The Chapter is proud of being named most improved on campus, and for the awards given for its new member education program. — Jeffrey Mashbitz ’10, jm635528@wcupa.edu

West Virginia (ΒΨ)

The Beta Psi Chapter chose to donate earnings from its annual Beta Bowl philanthropy to the United Way. Beta Bowl is a flag football tournament between each sorority on campus. Each organization is coached by brothers of the Chapter. The event was successful and raised $1,500 for the United Way. Two brothers were nominated to executive positions on the University’s Student Government and IFC. Nicholas Fortunato was elected as a member of the student government association board of governors and Nicholas Rubenstein was elected IFC treasurer. — Aaron Biro ’11, abiro1@mix.wvu.edu

Whitman (ΓΖ)

Brothers were honored to win two of the most soughtafter Greek Week awards: Choral Contest and Dance Off. The Choral Contest was important to the Chapter because of Gamma Zeta’s singing heritage. Members sang the classic, I Took My Girl out Walking. Another achievement is the Chapter’s Beta Buddies program, where brothers volunteer at Green Park Elementary School. Brothers are ecstatic to help the community and look forward to becoming involved in future projects. — Masud Shah ’11, shahmk@whitman.edu

Wichita State (∆Γ)

Delta Gamma brothers focused their efforts on philanthropy. They created a new event, the inaugural Beta Theta Pi 3v3 Soccer Tournament. Members raised nearly $200 for Big Brothers Big Sisters and look to increase future donations. Many brothers are helping with the East/ West Walk/Run event that assists Victory in the Valley. The Chapter has completed its new volleyball pit for athletics. Members are heading in a good direction as summer recruitment begins. We look to bring in one of the largest pledge classes we have had in recent years. — Dylan Gruntzel ’09, dylangruntzel@hotmail.com

Willamette (ΓΣ)

The Gamma Sigma Chapter hosted its annual Penny Coat clothing drive, which was a success. In its 14th year, brothers gathered 3,100 articles of clothing for the Union Gospel Mission. After the initial drive, we hosted the annual Star Trees lighting. Brothers served cookies and hot chocolate while visitors watched as the Christmas lights on the Star Trees were turned on for the holiday season. For students on campus, we held the two most attended dances, Beta Beach Blast with Pi Beta Phi, and our inaugural Trouble in Paradise dance. — Jake Horacek ’11, runnerjake7@aol.com

Willamette (ΖΥ)

The Zeta Upsilon Chapter thrived this year. At the 2009 Greek Award Ceremony, the Chapter received a total of three awards: Most Outstanding Chapter in Member Education, Most Outstanding Greek Scholars (with the highest fraternal GPA) and Most Outstanding Greek Scholar, Ryan Forster. The recognition of these awards speaks highly of our dedication to achieve excellence for Zeta Upsilon on campus. Members are excited about the accomplishments and will continue their strengths for Beta Theta Pi. — Daniel Allen ’11, dtallen2011@gmail.com betathetapi.org

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[Sports Roundup] Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference meet, Chris Gasbarra ’09 of DePauw was fourth in the triple jump and teammate Stephen Griffy ’09 was fifth in the javelin. Chris Brennan ’11 of Washington in St. Louis was third at 800 meters at the UAA indoor meet and had the top outdoor 800 time of 1:55.45. Wesleyan tri-captain Newman Hoffman ’09 won the shot put at the Swanson Invitational. Bill Horn ’10 of Denison was eighth in the pole vault at the NCAC indoor meet and Zak Warsaw ’09 of Emory competed in the hammer throw at the UAA meet. At the Midwest Conference outdoor meet, Mark Sprtel ’10 of Lawrence finished seventh in the 800 and 11th at 1,500 meters.

Lacrosse

Spike Malangone Wesleyan ’09

Track & Field

Pole vaulter Cooper Merrill ’11 of Kansas was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference first team and placed 11th at the Big 12 outdoor meet. Sprinter Dominic Schmidt ’11 of Idaho was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Academic Team. He had the top indoor 60 meter time (7.13) at the Vandal Invitational, and competed in the 100 meter dash at the MWC outdoor meet. Benjamin Brown ’10 competed for Southern California in both the long jump and triple jump events. Taylor Neason ’11 of Pennsylvania placed fifth in the 400 meter hurdles at the Heptagonals. Matt Davidson ’09 of Texas Tech had a best 800 meter time of 1:55.66 and a fifth place finish at the indoor Tech Invitational. David Eischeid ’09 of Colorado State had his squad’s second-best long jump at the Ram

30

Summer 2009

Open. Alex Lopez ’11 of Missouri-Kansas City won the 800 at the indoor Wildcat Invitational, placing sixth in the 600 at the indoor Mule Relays and finishing eighth in the 800 at the indoor Iowa State Classic. Four Wabash track members did well at the North Coast Athletic Conference meet. Brent Banach ’09 placed third in the javelin and Donavan White ’12 was sixth at the 1,500 meters. Kyle Edwards ’11was eighth in the shot put and Darryl Kennon ’09 was 10th in the shot and discus. Three Carnegie Mellon Betas placed at the University Athletic Association meet. Patrick O’Brien ’11 was second in the high jump, fourth in the long jump and reached 43’9” in the triple jump. Cody McMarlin ran the 100 and 200, then placed fourth with the 400 meter relay. Mike Tomovich ’11 was fourth in the high jump and reached 21’8” in the long jump. At the

Thirty Betas dominated the 15-4 Wesleyan squad that went to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Co-captain Spike Malangone ’09 was named D-III Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. He ranked second on the team with 78 ground balls. Third team All-American Russ Follansbee ’09 led in scoring with 71 points and had 54 ground balls. Second in scoring was Jason Ben-Eliyahu ’09, who had 24 goals, 22 assists and 44 ground balls. Dan Latzman ’09 scored 27 points and Adam Kirk ’09 contributed 12 goals and nine assists. California, Berkeley had a 14-2 record and won the WCLL Division I title. Seeing action were Dylan Westhoff ’11, Andrew Patton ’11, Jack Silva ’09 and Adam Wagoner ’11. Brandon Mowrey ’10 and Bill Buschle ’08 were good players for the 17-4 Cincinnati club. Jake Horacek ’11 scored 34 points for Willamette and tri-captain Peter Stonebraker ’10 scored 15 points. Teammate Andrew Clark ’09 added seven points.

Golf

Three Betas were key players for Northwestern and will play in the NCAA meet. David Lipsky ’10 was 28th at the NCAA South Central regional meet and 38th at the Big Ten meet. He shot a best round of 67. Jonathan Bowers ’10 was 28th at the Big Ten and 46th at the South Central meet. He had a second place finish at the FAU spring meet and a best round of 67. Josh Dupont ’11 was second at the Kepler Intercollegiate, 30th at the South Central meet and tied for 38th at the Big Ten meet. Also playing for the Wildcats were Ravi Patel ’11, who was 45th at the Big Ten meet and Sam Chien ’12, who averaged 74.50 for six rounds. Scott Busch was a member of the Purdue squad.


Will Cottle ’10 of Florida Atlantic played in the Sun Belt Conference meet and averaged 77.38 over 13 spring rounds. Chris Kovach of Truman State placed second at the Drury Invitational and was third on the squad with a 76.6 average over 16 rounds. Teammate Nik Bentzinger tied for 17th at the MIAA meet and averaged 79.3 over 13 rounds. Co-captain Patrick Cohn ’09 of Emory won All-UAA second team honors with an eighth place finish and averaged 77.7 over 20 rounds. Nick Clark was a regular for the Toronto team which won the OUA title and Bruce Goodman ’10 of Knox shot the team’s low round of 72. Chase King ’10 was a leading player for DePauw, averaging 77.9 over 22 rounds, and posted the team low round of 65 in a 25th place tie at the Camp LeJeune meet. He also tied for third at the Denison Fall Classic and tied for fourth at the Ted Barclay Spring Invitational. Wilson Anthony averaged 80.3 for Washington & Lee over nine rounds and Jake German ’11 of Wabash averaged 83 over 15 rounds. Playing in the Northwest Conference meet for Whitman were Paul De Barros ’10 and Noah Jolley ’11. Other golfers included Brian Kelso ’10 of Kenyon and Justin Castello ’11 of Bethany.

Baseball

Seeing action in the Purdue outfield was Barret Arthur ’09, who got into 16 games. Seven Betas played for the 23-19 Wabash team. Third baseman David Seibel ’12 started 41 games and hit .339 with 19 runs batted in. First baseman John Holm ’12 batted .258 with three home runs and 27 RBI. Pitcher Andrew Swart ’12 posted a 5-2 record in 13 games. Pitcher Matthew Ryckman ’11 had a 5-3 record for Emory and was on the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District second squad. The 21-20 Stevens club had six key Betas. Shortstop Tom Phillips ’12 hit .252 with four homers and 22 RBI. He led with 22 stolen bases and was second with 32 runs scored. Catcher T.J. Alcorn ’13 hit .255 in 17 starts and infielder Chris Coutros ’12 started 10 games. Seeing mound duty were Vincent Vinci ’12, T.J. Griffin ’12 and John Watters ’12. Knox featured eight Betas, with catcher George Nicholson ’10 second in hitting with a .342 average and 19 RBI. Infielder Jon Fletcher ’11 hit .250 in 15 games, outfielder Joey Graeff ’10 had 21 starts and 11 steals and outfielder Dexter Brown ’12 started in 13 games. Pitching for Knox were Aaron Juarez ’10, Zach Ricketts ’11 and Logan Willits ’11. Playing for 22-13 Washington & Lee were pitchers Jody Davis ’12 and Pat Smith ’12, and catcher Ben Thomas ’12.

Tennis

Peter Rispoli ’11 of Northwestern had records of 8-2 in singles and 2-0 in doubles. Eric McCullough of Truman State posted a 10-5 singles record and was 8-7 in doubles play. Jay Horrey ’09 ended his Wabash career as the winningest player in school history, totaling 73 singles wins and 67 doubles victories. In 2009, he was 17-11 in singles and won All-NCAC first team singles honors. Teammate Sean Clerget ’09 had an 8-8 singles record and won All-NCAC second team doubles recognition. Michael Moore ’11 was a regular for the Willamette squad. Ryan Dunn ’10 and Dan Hertel ’09 of Lawrence took second place honors at number one doubles during the Midwest Conference tournament. Dunn placed second at number one singles and had a 21-5 record. In doubles play, he was 15-11. Hertel was 11-4 in doubles and 8-6 in singles play. Two Betas were regulars for Washington & Lee. Michael Freeman ’12 had an 18-10 mark in singles and was 10-10 in doubles. Will Hall ’11 posted records of 7-1 in singles and 10-3 in doubles competition.

Other Sports

Basketball head coach Mark Edwards, Washington in St. Louis ’69, led his alma mater to a school record 29-2 record on the way to a second straight NCAA Division III national championship. Leading 27-5 California, Irvine to its second NCAA volleyball championship in three years were two Beta standouts. Jon Steller ’09, who played the opposite position, ranked among the team leaders in kills (201) and digs (57). Libero Brent Asuka ’09 was the 2009 leader in digs with 281 and finished as the school’s career leader in digs. Four Betas helped lead DePauw to a 12th place tie at the NCAA Division III swimming meet. John Cook ’10 won All-American first team honors in three events, including a fifth place finish in the 100 freestyle. He gained All-American mention with ninth place finishes in the 50 freestyle and 200 freestyle. Josh Baugh ’11 was a first team All-American with the seventh place 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Steve Klabak ’10 was an All-American first teamer on the seventh place 200 and 400 freestyle relays and Charlie Boehme ’10 gained All American mention on the 11th place 800 freestyle relay. Wesleyan diver Dave Wilkinson ’09 gained All-American mention with a 13th place finish on the three-meter board. He was also 19th on the one-meter event. Fourteen Betas were members of the 30-2 California, Berkeley team that advanced to the national rugby title game before losing to

Brigham Young, 25-22. Seeing action in the final contest were Andrew Mase ’10, Paul Jesseman ’09, Tom Rooke ’10 and Derek Asbun ’10. Football star receiver Tyler Thiems, Hanover ’09, was honored as the school’s outstanding male senior athlete. Two Betas were members of the Willliam & Mary squad that won the USA Gymnastics Collegiate championship. Chris Valeska ’11, who earned All-American honors in 2008, took first place honors at the State Open with a personal best vault of 14.95. Teammate Max Sabert ’11 also was a good contributor. Fencer Paul Nunley ’10 of Johns Hopkins competed at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic South regional meet and placed 20th in the foil event. Teammate Ian McCue ’10 placed 29th in epee at the Mid-Atlantic meet. A number of Betas were members of their school’s rowing or crew squads, including Tom Caruso ’10 and Dominic Abruzzese ’11 of George Washington and the Washington in St. Louis duo of Derek Turnbull ’10 and Connor Graham ’11. Competing for San Diego were James Arndt ’11, Ryan Boufford ’11, Cameron Clark ’11, Lambert De Ganay ’10, Shane Farmer ’09, Taylor Shramo ’11 and Josh Winters ’10. Members of the Willamette team were Cliff Chen ’11, Mike Isaacs ’10, Nathan Keffer ’10, Henry Lo ’12 and John Schmidtbauer ’11. — Jay Langhammer

David Lipsky

Northwestern ’10

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[Mystic Shrine] In Loving Memory

Alabama

Durden, Dr. Jimmy D. ’67, May 4

Amherst

Hurtz, L. Eugene Jr. ’39, April 16

Arizona

Helwig, Frederick G. Jr. ’70, April 18

Baylor

Mooney, Brendon C. ’09, May 11

Bethany

Ferguson, Charles A. ’51, April 2 Miller, Richard D. ’45, March 28

Bowling Green State

Weldon, William B. ’70, March 26

California, Berkeley Hall, David W. ’47, April 30

Carnegie Mellon

Beal, Roger E. ’44, Feb. 13 Wallace, Earl K. Jr. ’43, Nov. 14

Case Tech

Rockwood, Philip B. ’37, March 26

Centre

Howerton, Davis M. Jr. ’42, March 7, 2008

Cincinnati

Cockerill, Dean B. ’40, April 9, 2008 Schneider, C. Michael ’60, Feb. 14 Thomas, Dr. Donald R. ’51, March 20

Colgate

Sullivan, Roderick B. ’50, Nov. 13

Colorado

Crocker, John G. ’48, Feb. 23

Colorado Mines

Florida

Boardman, Frank S. ’52, Feb. 24 Boswell, Ramon P. ’58, March 16 Dawkins, Crosby H. ’50, Jan. 16 Wagner, Fred R. Jr. ’47, April 25

Georgia Tech

Fine, Allen B. ’51, March 29 Wilson, David G. Jr. ’62, April 1

Hanover

Young, Robert T. ’48, Dec. 11

Lipp, Kenneth L. ’28, March 26 Lower, Dr. Gary D. ’58, Nov. 21

Cornell

Idaho

Peirce, Andrew W. ’36, March 14 Silva, Robert K. ’51, April 15

Dartmouth

Seidman, L. William ’43, May 13

Denison

Shoop, Peter E. ’67, April 28

Denver

Walters, William B. Jr. ’49, March 22

DePauw

Fearer, William P. II. ’54, Nov. 3

Emory

Maxwell, Dr. Richard F. ’52, April 15

Carlson, L. Glen ’45, March 30 Carpenter, Ralph W. ’50, Feb. 28 Hudelson, B. Anthony ’80, March 21

Illinois

Lowrey, Bradley J. ’72, March 25 Netherton, V. Eugene ’47, March 4

Indiana

Lawson, William G. ’48, April 3 Quakenbush, Dr. John P. ’63, Feb. 16, 2008 Williams, Nicholas K. ’65, April 9

Iowa State

Kelleher, Denis M. ’52, Feb. 24 Winfrey, Dr. James K. ’53, Feb. 4

Johns Hopkins

Hopkins, Samuel ’34, Nov. 5 32

Summer 2009


Kansas

Oregon State

Knox

Penn State

Lawrence

Pennsylvania

Kane, Richard ’39, April 20 Lovelace, Eldridge H. ’34, Nov. 7 Nicholson, Philip W. ’39, Sept. 17 Orndorff, Robert A. ’42, Sept. 2 Curry, Irving G. III ’55, April 8, 2008

Maine

Arthur, Garfield M. ’40, March 28

Miami

Jones, Stanton I. ’55, May 3 Wald, Albert G. ’41, March 31 Wall, Robert J. ’47, March 21

Michigan State

Pick, Albert III ’57, April 16

Minnesota

Burgum, William H. ’35, April 13, 2008 Gilbert, Donald A. ’48, Jan. 26 Hawes, Robert L. ’47, May 6 Sorensen, Donald J. ’58, April 13

Missouri

Christensen, Dr. Oscar C. Jr. ’50, Aug. 22, 2008 Houghton, Dr. Karl H. ’32, Aug. 7, 2008 Finkbeiner, Ned H. ’57, May 14 Taylor, Thomas H. Jr. ’47, Jan. 19 Tokarczyk, Adolph J. ’50, Feb. 25

Puget Sound

Johnson, Grant M. ’79, Jan. 7

Purdue

Campfield, Herbert C. ’51, April 24 Harris, Edward A. ’67, March 27 Schlosser, William B. ’37, Feb. 24 Zeglia, James D. ’78, Aug. 15, 2008

Hellberg, Clifford W. ’52, March 9

Washington in St. Louis Heitland, Roger W. ’62, March 8

Washington State

Hampson, Dr. F. Frank Jr. ’49, May 12 Ingalsbe, George W. Jr. ’39, April 2

Stevens

Western Reserve

Bright, A. Patrick ’49, April 6 Osborn, David L. ’48, April 16

Lipps, Robert E. ’49, Feb. 22 Miller, Ernest D. ’42, April 25

Union

North Carolina

Utah

North Dakota

Vanderbilt

Northwestern

Washington & Jefferson

West Virginia

Harper, Frederick T. (Tro) ’36, Dec. 11

Syracuse

Olson, Clifford D. ’36, March 16

Bennett, Richard C. ’54, Feb. 14 Haskins, Albert H. ’34, March 8 Hausmann, Bryce E. ’51, Feb. 27

Stanford

MIT

Walker, W. Thorn III ’56, March 23

Washington

Weber State

Thompson, James R. ’50, Dec. 12

See, Robert W. ’52, March 2 Tootle, Jack ’42, April 11

Nebraska

McCreary, Richard E. Jr. ’39, Nov. 2008 Rowe, Norman P. ’60, Jan. 19 Schrader, A. Christian ’47, May 6 Thomson, William M. ’69, March 27

Southern California

Cannon, Roger D. ’45, March 16 Goodfellow, Glenn B. ’53, March 13 Sturken, Robert C. ’40, Nov. 24

Danner, Robert ’47, Feb. 14

Wabash

Taaffe, James T. Jr. ’38, March 5, 2008 Lowery, Sidney W. ’43, March 30 Close, William B. ’52, March 10 Cortner, Jack R. ’51, March 8

Donahue, John A. Jr. ’81, April 1 White, Jeffrey L. ’80, April 4 Turner, John D. ’51, March 1

Westminster

Collins, Thomas W. ’52, April 30 Finlay, David M. ’79, March 11 Hansen, Robert C. ’50, March 10

Wichita State

Moore, Jamie ’91, Feb. 2

Willamette

Teppola, Mark W. ’60, Jan. 29

Wittenberg

Hamilton, Robert F. ’48, April 29

James, Thomas M. ’42, March 4

Ohio

Ault, John E. III ’60, April 8. (See right.) Ford, Oakie G. ’62, March 26 Mihelick, Stanley J. Jr. ’52, April 24 Winzeler, Terrance J. ’68, March 2

Ohio State

Eckelberry, George W. Jr. ’50, March 17

Ohio Wesleyan

Schardt, William B. ’51, Feb. 19 Schroeder, Charles H. III ’64, Feb. 23 Shank, Tom R. ’52, Jan. 7

Oklahoma

Bickford, Bruce R. ’75, Feb. 28 Connor, Leslie L. Jr. ’61, March 13 Frantz, Robert S. ’42, March 8

Oregon

Cory, George H. ’38, April 23 Doyle, John C. ’50, Sept. 2

John Ault began a three-year term as a member of the Fraternity’s Board of Trustees in 1995 and was elected to an additional two-year term in 1998. He served six years as district chief for chapters at the University of Texas at Austin, Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Arlington. He also served as president of the Houston Area Beta Alumni Association and marshal of the 151st General Convention. After graduation, Ault embarked on a sales career, becoming district sales manager for IBM (1964-67) and vice president of sales for International Data John E. Ault III, Ohio ’60 Products (1967-73.) He joined Memorex in 1973, serving as vice president of sales until 1980 when he became area vice president for Ampex. He founded Synergy Computer Graphics in 1984 and served as president and CEO until his retirement in 1990. Ault is survived by his wife Barbara (Chi Omega) and their three children, all graduates of Texas Tech University: Debbie (Chi Omega), John (Sigma Chi) and Brad ’94 (Beta Theta Pi.)

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[A Principled Life] A Path to Principle by Ian Brantly, Kenyon ’07

villagers have two sources of water: the Rio Negro, a two-hour hike where there have been documented cases of leptospirosis, and a natural trough near the village center that is exposed to animals and their waste. Water For Lemons will seal the water from the natural trough to regulate exposure. By containing the water, the number of waterborne opportunistic infections will decrease. Reducing these infections will be one way to fight the many threats to the villagers’ health in the face of other overwhelming pressures.

T “What kind of Man will you be?”

Do you know what it means to live a principled life? Send your thoughts to alex.hammel@betathetapi. org. Your essay could be printed in a future issue.

he day of graduation was a moment when I realized there was more out there than I could possibly know. Having already been accepted to the U.S. Peace Corps, I felt like I was doing something noble, ahead of the majority of my fellow graduates, by simply signing up. How many of them were willing to sign up for 27 months in some of the poorest areas of the world to serve without a salary, away from friends and family and where everything, including the language, is completely foreign. The commitment I was making, so I believed, made me a man of principle. In January 2008 I arrived in Nicaragua with the U.S. Peace Corps. I was placed in the mountain community of Cusmapa, Madriz, to serve as a community health worker. The municipality is second, nationwide, in documented cases of Chagas disease. Being a bumpy, three-hour yellow school bus ride from the closest resources of a city, the town of 1,700 is limited to growing basic crops such as corn, beans and coffee, to survive. Working in the villages has provided me with the most rewarding work of my experience with the Peace Corps. Formed with villagers from Los Limones, the project Water For Lemons aims to build a safe and accessible water source for their families. Currently, the

34

Summer 2009

When I joined the Peace Corps, I believed my work was going to change the world. I have learned that to help others, I must change first. The commitment to serve was indeed an act of principle. But, the decision to serve does not signify that my role as a volunteer makes me a man of principle. While planting a seed of principle seems like an accomplishment, it is a long way from producing a tree of epitomized actions. The dusty paths in the scorching sun are just another challenge to my idea of principle. One long day going up and down the seemingly endless paths may allow me to rest at night, feeling as though I have lived as a man of principle with the notion of achievement. But the same idea of principle that pushed me through today is the same inspiration that will animate my fatigued body to seek more tomorrow. As generations have wrestled with striving to be men of principle, the idea of a principled life is nothing new. The challenge to us, to be men of principle, is not that we discover something revolutionary or change the world. It is that we endlessly challenge ourselves to be better than before. For me, being a man of principle depends on whether I answer that call each morning. Ian Brantley is a 2007 graduate of Kenyon College who serves as a community health worker with the U.S. Peace Corps in Nicaragua. For more information on Water For Lemons, please visit http://web.mac.com/waterforlemons.


A Lasting Moment Photo © James Kegley

L W

hen the General Convention of Beta Theta Pi came to Washington, D.C. in 1997, I was deeply honored to be asked to give a banquet address. In preparation for the Convention, I contacted officers of Beta Theta Pi and visited with a number of undergraduates. I received truly exciting news that a visionary group of Betas, young and old, had been meeting to formulate a plan for our Fraternity. During the course of that Convention experience, I was convinced that against sizable odds, Beta Theta Pi had an historic opportunity not only to reverse unfavorable trends, but to provide an unexpected surge of idealism and leadership that would make an enormous difference in the lives of all new brothers. Even if it is not yet clear whether the fraternity movement, in general, has reversed depressing trends, the fraternity world clearly recognizes that Beta Theta Pi has offered a startling example of some of the best leadership initiatives. Our Fraternity and the Beta

Foundation have been recognized with awards, plaudits and endorsements from those who are now impressed with the fraternity experience throughout North America. As we have celebrated a great 10th anniversary year of the Men of Principle initiative, I am pleased that so many Betas visit my Senate office just to indicate that we are brothers and they are proud of the new path being created for all who will come after us. I have never been so proud to say “I’m glad to be a Beta” and to cherish the thought of how much new principled and creative leadership Beta Theta Pi is giving to our world as new Beta graduates, enriched by a broad new sense of brotherhood, march into the future. U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar, Denison ’54, is the official spokesman for the Men of Principle initiative. The fifth generation Hoosier is the most senior Republican in the U.S. Senate and longest serving U.S. Senator in Indiana history. (Above: Senator Lugar poses with six Beta legacies and Beta sweethearts — all grandchildren.)


Beta Theta Pi Foundation & Administrative Office Brennan Hall P.O. Box 6277 5134 Bonham Road Oxford, Ohio 45056 www.betathetapi.org

Andrew Porter-Price, Connecticut ’11 Zeta Chi Chapter Hometown Canterbury, Connecticut Education Economics and Political Science Campus Activities Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, National High School Model United Nations Conference, Residential Assistant, University of Connecticut Transportation Services, Boy Scouts of America Treasurer, Recruitment Chairman, Pledge Class President Aspirations Law school, run my own corporation and/or get into politics

Beta Leadership Fund

Developing today’s undergraduates for tomorrow’s possibilities www.betathetapi.org/gift


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