The Deke Quarterly

DEKE the

quarterly

2015 DKE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

chapter & colony news

2015 dke awards

CHAI RMAN’S LETTE R

Dear Deke Brothers, We’re pleased to present another issue of the Deke Quarterly, and hope you enjoy reading it.

We use the magazine to present news and features about the world of DKE, or the “Deke Nation,” as the young guys on our staff like to say.

The term Deke Nation is meant to convey that we have a large network of alumni and undergraduates all across North America and beyond - and marketing efforts such as the Quarterly are one way in which we try to make that network a little smaller, by helping all Dekes feel connected to your Fraternity, regardless of your age.

Speaking of age, even though I graduated from RPI (Psi Omega Chapter) in 1956, I very much enjoy interacting with our young undergraduate Brothers. This past summer’s DKE Leadership Summit in Austin, Texas, was one such opportunity. You’ll read more about the Summit in this issue, but my reaction is that our undergraduate chapters are in great hands. The leaders and future leaders of our chapters attended the Summit, and it’s hard not to feel optimistic about DKE’s future when you meet these talented and intelligent young men.

While in Austin, we also had the pleasure of being hosted by Brother Richard Becker, MD (Omega Chi-Texas ‘63), who owns Becker Vineyards in Fredericksburg, TX. Dr. Becker’s wine business is flourishing, and he gave about 20 Deke alumni who were in town for the Summit a private tour of his vineyard, followed by a tasting. It was a great time and we were all impressed

by Richard’s knowledge of, and his passion for, the wine business. I encourage all Deke wine lovers to visit his website - www.beckervineyards.com - and order a few bottles. Soon, you’ll also be able to order his wines from the Deke Wine Club which we recently launched. More about that in this issue as well.

In terms of big upcoming events for DKE, we’re less than four years away from our 175th Anniversary (June 22, 2019). We’re just getting started planning for the celebration activities. If you are interested in helping out in the event planning, or on the fundraising side, please send me a note to sam@dke.org. You’ll be reading more about the 175th Anniversary in each future issue of the Quarterly.

Finally, I’d like to ask for your continued support by paying alumni dues of $100 (new amount in 2016) - and even more if possible. Dues help us provide great service to our undergraduate Brothers, so they can continue to enjoy the same experience you did when you were a Deke in college. You can find a link on the Deke website, www.dke.org.

Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoy the issue - and we look forward to making more connections throughout the “Deke Nation!”

In the Bonds,

Samuel (Sam) Heffner

Psi Omega -RPI ‘56

Chairman, Delta Kappa Epsilon

2 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

spring 2 0 1 6

table of

CONTENTS 10 cover story

texas SUMMIT SPECIAL NEWS

6

Editorial

8

The Dke Wine Brotherhood

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Road To Charter-UNCW

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DKE awards

departments

A Tribute to Rod Gillis

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Chairman’s Letter

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HQ Report

DKE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sam Heffner, Psi Omega ‘56, Chairman Peter Tripp, Phi Gamma ‘93, Vice Chairman Michael Peters, Delta Delta ‘90, Treasurer Bob Billbrough, Psi Delta ‘78, Southeast Regional Director Grant Burnyeat, Phi Alpha ‘65, Western Regional Director Cory Crenshaw, Tau Lambda ‘09, Southern Regional Director Bob Green, Eta ‘69, Member At Large Dan Johnson, Sigma Alpha ‘77, Member At Large Stan McMillan, Gamma ‘89, Mid Atlantic Regional Director John McNeil, Psi ‘79, Member At Large Mason Morjikian, Lamdba ‘88, Midwest Regional Director Paul Mullin, Sigma Beta ‘94, Mid America Regional Director Terry Stewart, Phi Chi ‘69, Member At Large Ross Wigle, Alpha Phi ‘79, Member At Large Richard Pipkins, Psi ‘17, Undergraduate Representative Clint Blume Mu ‘79, Honorary President DKE HQ STAFF Doug Lanpher, Gamma ‘77, Executive Director Sarah Christensen, Administrative Director Eric Holland, Kappa‘13, Director of Marketing & Communications Alex Hurley, Iota‘14, Director of Chapter & Alumni Services Kevin MacDonald, Phi Rho ‘14, Chapter Consultant Charlie Cubberly, Sigma Alpha ‘15, Chapter Consultant Andrew Denny, Rho Beta ‘15, Chapter Consultant DEKE QUARTERLY STAFF Robert Alvis, Gamma ‘74Co-Editor Kevin Cuneo, Gamma ‘77, Co-Editor Scott-Goodman Design, Design Editor CONTRIBUTORS Corny Dansby, Pi Beta ‘80 William Gartman, Chi Beta, ‘16 Eric Holland, Kappa ‘13 Kevin MacDonald, Phi Rho ‘14 Charlie Wildman, Chi ‘09

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The DEKE QUARTERLY is an educational journal published by the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, PO Box 8360, Ann Arbor, MI 48107, in Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: DEKE Quarterly, Ann Arbor, MI 48107.

A Few Questions For

Alumni News

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Mystic Circle ON THE COVER: Summit attendees with University of Texas tower in background

PUBLISHED BY Delta Kappa Epsilon International PO Box 8360 Ann Arbor, MI 48107 (734) 302-4210 dke.org

Correspondence: Send to DEKE Quarterly, PO Box 8360 Ann Arbor, MI 48107.

Manuscripts, literature, and letters should be addressed to the Editor. Submissions will not be returned. Please mark CONFIDENTIAL if material should not to be published.

For change of address please contact: DKE HQ and provide Full Name, Chapter, both old and new address Copyright ©2016 Delta Kappa Epsilon w w w.d ke.o rg

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HQ REPORT

I

’m pleased to have the opportunity to update Deke alumni and undergraduates on the status of DKE from a business perspective. For updates on activity at our chapters, please make sure you are receiving our quarterly newsletter, The Chevron, which focuses more on what’s happening with our undergraduates.

All alumni with a valid email address on our database should be receiving that newsletter. If you are not, please send an email to doug@dke.org with your name, chapter/year, and postal and email address.

First, a quick note about DKE’s governance structure. Earlier in this issue you read the Chairman’s Letter from Sam Heffner.

Sam chairs the DKE Board of Directors, which is the governing body of DKE. The Board sets policy and strategic direction of the Fraternity, and the Staff implements those policies. The Board consists of 14 alumni and one undergraduate member, all unpaid volunteers. They serve two-year terms. The alumni are elected by dues-paying members, and the undergraduate member is elected at the biennial convention by his fellow delegates. The other members of the Board are listed below, I encourage you to read their bios on the Deke website.

Bob Bilbrough, Psi Delta-Wake Forest ‘78 Grant Burnyeat, Phi Alpha-UBC ‘65 Cory Crenshaw, Tau Lambda-Tulane ‘01 Bob Green, Eta-Virginia ‘69 Sam Heffner, Psi Omega-RPI ‘56 (Chairman) Dan Johnson, Sigma Alpha-Va. Tech ‘77 Stan McMillan, Gamma-Vanderbilt ‘89

You might be interested to know that two members of the Board, Ross Wigle and Clint Blume, are third-generation Dekes. Both men had grandfathers and fathers who were Dekes.

Ross is known to proudly wear three Deke pins on his shirt at special Deke events. Another Board member, John McNeil, had a brother in DKE and has two DKE sons These men give very generously of their time and talent to provide direction and stability to DKE. Through their experience in business and on other non-profit Boards, each has a unique perspective to offer. The Board meets at least six times annually, five by conference call and once in person. Special meetings are called from time to time to address matters that require more timely attention.

The DKE Staff consists of seven people, whose job it is to manage the day-to-day affairs of the Fraternity. Here’s a brief introduction of the Staff.

• Sarah Christensen, Administrative Director. She’s the daughter of DKE Paul Kuzdrall, Omicron ‘66, and has been with DKE for seven years.

• Eric Holland, Kappa-Miami ‘13. Eric is Director of Marketing and Communications for DKE, and in this role he helps produce this magazine, DKE’s newsletters, and oversees the website, facebook page, etc. He also traveled for DKE for two years, and still covers a handful of chapters since we are short-staffed this academic year. Eric doubles as our “tech” expert on staff. A Cincinnati native and big Indiana basketball fan, he’s based out of a home office this year.

Ross Wigle, Alpha Phi-Toronto ‘79

• Alex Hurley, Iota-Centre ‘14. Alex was in a full-time traveling mode for one year before transitioning to his new role as Director of Chapter and Alumni Services. He works on programming to help our chapters improve their performance, and is working on several educational initiatives. He’s also involved in organizing alumni events and alumni organizations for chapters and in various cities. Like Eric, Alex is covering a few chapters this year. Alex is from St. Louis, and was IFC President while at Centre. He’ll be entering graduate school in the Fall.

There is also one ex-officio member of the DKE Board, Honorary President Clint Blume, Mu ‘79.

• Kevin MacDonald, Phi Rho-Penn State ‘14. Kevin is finishing up his second year as a Chapter Consultant for DKE. His chapters are in the Northeast, primarily New Jersey,

John McNeil, Psi-Alabama ‘79 Mason Morjikian, Lambda-Kenyon ‘88 Paul Mullin, Sigma Beta-UC Santa Barbara ‘93 Michael Peters, Delta Delta-Chicag0 ‘90 (Treasurer) Richard Pipkins (Undergraduate Member), Psi-Alabama ‘17 Terry Stewart, Phi Chi-Rutgers ‘69 Peter Tripp, Phi Gamma-Syracuse ‘93 (Vice Chairman)

4 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

Doug Lanpher, Gamma ‘77, Executive Director New York, and Pennsylvania. Kevin’s a New Jersey native, and actually works out of his home this year in order to be closer geographically to his chapters. As expected, he’s a Penn State fanatic, and still likes to give Vanderbilt fans (me, for example) grief about our football coach who left Vandy to take over the Penn State job.

• Charlie Cubberly, Sigma Alpha-Virginia Tech ‘15. Charlie has one semester under his belt as a Chapter Consultant for DKE. Having been a successful chapter officer while at Sigma Alpha, Charlie’s experience has been put to good use at his chapters, which range from the Midwest to New England.

Another NJ native, Charlie keeps his cool even while balancing a lot of activities at his chapters, and keeps the rest of us on staff laughing with his dry sense of humor.

• Andrew Denney, Rho Beta-Richmond ‘15. Andrew was president at Rho Beta, and helped that chapter continue its upward progress. Born in Denmark but now from Houston, Andrew covers a few Midwestern chapters, all the Canadian chapters west of McGill, and the far West and Southwest U.S. He is beginning his second semester as a Chapter Consultant, and was on the road in January in February on a lengthy Western trip. He’s also the best golfer on the Deke staff, a dubious honor to be sure, considering the competition.

The other governing entities within the “Deke Nation” are the Rampant Lion Foundation, and the Deke Club of New York City, both of which are independent organizations. Rampant Lion Foundation (RLF for short) is the charitable foundation which supports DKE’s educational activities. Alumni donations to RLF are tax-deductible. RLF has a separate Board of Trustees.

Many Deke alums are aware of the DKE Club of NYC, which recently celebrated its 130th Anniversary. As mentioned above, it’s an independent, self-governed organization with a separate Board of Trustees, headed by Bob Oros, Phi Chi-Rutgers ‘67.

With over 300 members, the Deke Club offers affiliate membership in the Yale Club at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, midtown Manhattan. No other fraternity has a Club privilege similar to this, and it’s a very nice benefit of membership in DKE. In other news, DKE from a business status continues to improve. From an operational standpoint, we run the business on a breakeven or better basis. About 80% of the operat ing funds come from undergraduate dues and fees, with the

remainder from alumni dues and donations. This is one area where we’d like to see improvement, meaning we’d like to be able to lower the burden on our undergraduates by increasing alumni support. DKE’s annual budget is $1.3MM. Our readers are probably aware of the growth taking place at our chapters over the past two years, with average chapter sizes increasing slightly, and with new chapter expansions taking place at a wide variety of Universities across North America, including three in Canada and 12 in the U.S. Of our 15 start-ups (called “colonies”), eight are at schools where DKE has never had a chapter. The other seven, where we have had chapters before, have been dormant for an average of 46.5 years. Even without South Carolina (150 years), the average dormancy period would be 29 years. So it’s very positive for DKE to be returning to our previous campuses. That still leaves over 40 universities where DKE once had a chapter, but we no longer do. You’ve probably see this list before, but here’s a quick run-down of our 15 colonies, with the first eight being our new schools: Delaware, Ithaca, Missouri, Colorado, Simon Fraser, Tennessee, North Carolina State, Texas Tech, followed by reactivations at Harvard, South Carolina, RPI, McGill, Illinois, Texas, and Western (Ontario).

Our goals for 2016 are aggressive and exciting, as we realize there is still room for improvement. Important initiatives for us this year have been to expand our online learning presence, assist some of our chapters in acquiring suitable housing, and work to consolidate our growth by strengthening our existing colonies.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this information is of interest to DKE alumni and undergraduates, and makes you a little more informed about DKE’s governance. Feel free to contact me, or any DKE Board member, with any suggestions or questions about DKE’s direction and management. Send us an email to dke@dke.org. w w w.d ke.o rg

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DKE’S WESLEYAN CHAPTER SUES WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY Editorial by Doug Lanpher

D

KE’s Gamma Phi Chapter’s Alumni Association has filed suit against Wesleyan University over the University’s predatory, monopolistic housing policies, and the pretextual rationales for their real objectives: the seizure of the real estate. Wesleyan mandated the closure of the DKE house for this academic year.

Here is what led up to the lawsuit. Late in 2014, Wesleyan announced that it was requiring all fraternities to become co-ed organizations within three years.

DKE and others protested this decision, on the grounds that Wesleyan knew very well that DKE’s International constitution clearly states that DKE is a single-sex organization (which as a private organization, it has every right to be). Wesleyan then backed off somewhat, and told DKE (and the other two fraternities) that the fraternities themselves need not become co-ed, but that the fraternity houses must accommodate women. This was supposedly to create more diversity, gender equity, and to make the campus a safer place for women. Wesleyan’s statements about their rationale for taking this action have been very vague, and unsubstantiated by any facts or reasoning about how this action will support the objective of making the campus more diverse or safe.

Wesleyan states that they are trying to prevent discrimination, yet the University also welcomes over twenty other theme houses on its campus which are clearly discriminatory. A few examples of such theme houses are the Women of Color House, the Womynist House 6 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

Gamma DKE house at Wesleyan University, owned by Gamma Phi Alumni Association

(spelled that way so as to avoid any form of the use of the word “man”), among many others with more shocking themes of a sexual nature.

The Deke House at Wesleyan, as well as the ground it’s on, is owned by the alumni association, and it is directly adjacent to campus.

DKE was required to submit a plan to eventually co-educate the house within the three year timeline, which we did, but Wesleyan arbitrarily judged the plan to be insufficiently detailed, and then declared that it would prohibit Wesleyan students from living in the house this year. The University exercised its power to declare the DKE house to be unfit for Wesleyan students. DKE has owned that property since 1888.

LETTERS

Seeing no other option, the Directors of the Gamma Phi alumni association (Kent Literary Society) filed suit against Wesleyan for their monopolistic practices, which discriminate against fraternities by requiring that they co-educate the houses. Wesleyan permits other campus-approved and supplied housing to be single sex, so it appears that fraternities are being singled out for this action. That is one basis for the lawsuit. The website www. cardinaltruths.com contains more information about the lawsuit, and some commentary surrounding it. Or, go to Facebook and search Cardinal Truths.

The other two fraternities who own houses have also been closed down by Wesleyan this year, for other reasons, which in The Deke Quarterly’s opinion, are equally flimsy. For reasons of space, we won’t go into the situations with Psi Upsilon and Beta Theta Pi, but an internet search will provide more background.

Wesleyan’s heavy-handed tactics throughout this process has led some to wonder whether their motives might be other than what they say. In fact, an email from the University’s president, Michael Roth, to the University’s Board Chairman, was subpoenaed as part of the lawsuit, and was read in court. It revealed what may be the true motive behind the closures of all three fraternities - in short, it appears to be a land grab by Wesleyan. Roth’s email to the Board Chairman, reads, in part, “If we don’t close the houses with the hopes of acquiring them, then we shouldn’t go down this road at all.” So there you have it. Wesleyan hopes to close the fraternities, and acquire the houses (all of which are beautiful), to use for University purposes.

It’s not clear whether the general Wesleyan alumni base support this decision, but there is strong evidence that Wesleyan’s alumni donations have dropped off significantly since the University began pressuring the fraternities. Whether this will be enough to convince the administration to ease up isn’t clear, but is not likely.

Interestingly, Trinity College in Hartford, 20 miles from Wesleyan, recently abandoned its attempt to co-educate its fraternities, when it recognized that the 3-year old experiment was not having the desired effect. Trinity’s decision does not seem to have influenced Wesleyan to re-think its position.

DKE International strongly supports the Gamma Phi Chapter and its alumni in the lawsuit against Wesleyan University. If anyone reading this has questions or wishes to support the Gamma Phi Chapter, the contact there is Gary Breitbord, Gamma Phi ‘79. gbreitbo@aol.com

Judge Ray Reynolds Graves, Alpha Chi-Trinity ’67, a legendary figure at the Trinity DKE Chapter, responded to a recent Deke Quarterly story about the friendship between President Gerald Ford, Omicron-Michigan ’35, and the late Judge Willis Ward.

Ford and Ward played on the same Michigan football teams and remained lifelong friends. Brother Graves recalls meeting Judge Ward and being impressed by the film “Black and Blue,” which detailed Ford’s reaction to the decision by Michigan athletic officials to bench Ward when the Wolverines played Georgia Tech’s football team in 1934.

Brother Cuneo, I enjoyed your article on Jerry Ford in the current Deke Quarterly. You captured the essence of Brother Ford as many of us here in Michigan still remember him. Through my parents social circles, I met Judge Willis Ward and heard from him, first hand, the mutual respect and friendship he shared with Jerry Ford. The movie “Black and Blue” was aired on Detroit’s PBS station, WDET, October, 2014. I am hoping it gets a chance at a wider audience.

I was the only Black student in the class of 1967 at Trinity College. There were many difficult and awkward moments that I did not handle as well as I should have. The one shining moment was pledging Alpha Chi of DKE and serving as chapter president my senior year. Some of us are working on a Deke reunion at our 50th class reunion, even though the chapter is inactive.

Alpha Chi of DKE was a wonderful experience that shaped my life. I truly learned a lot about growing up, understanding people of diverse backgrounds and, yes, how to “roll with the punches.”

When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in 1963 spoke of a day when, “All of God’s children, Black men and White men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics could sit down together at the table of brotherhood,” he was describing his vision of the future of the country. He was also describing the reality of the dining room at Alpha Chi of DKE in the 1960s.

In the Bonds, Ray Reynolds Graves Alpha Chi ‘67 U.S. Bankruptcy Judge (ret.)

THE UNDER 30’s Editor’s note: In future issues of The DEKE Quarterly, we are planning to feature brief stories about up and coming Dekes.

The Quarterly would like to highlight Brothers, who, while they might not have had time to rise to the level of a Fred Smith or Hugh Culverhouse, are nonetheless on the move and have much to offer other Dekes.

If you have nominations for someone who fits this mold and you would like to see him get some recognition please send an email to quarterly@dke.org. You might even get the opportunity to write the story for the magazine. w w w.d ke.o rg

7

SAVE THE DATE!

THE DKE WINE BROTHERHOOD

DKE International 172nd stated Convention

A VERY SPECIAL WINE CLUB RUN BY DKES IN THE WINE INDUSTRY, EXCLUSIVELY FOR DKE BROTHERS

T

he triumphs and successes of Delta Kappa Epsilon brothers and alumni throughout history are myriad and unparalleled, spread across every industry and trade: government, business, entertainment, sports, and of course, wine.

Taking advantage of the last of these groups, DKE has assembled some of the leading brothers in the wine industry and asked them to put together a unique wine program exclusively for fellow DKE wine connoisseurs. Today we are proud to announce the launch of the DKE Wine Brotherhood, a limited-membership wine club, featuring hand-selected wines from DKE brothers in the industry delivered directly to your door every quarter. Only DKE brothers are eligible to participate in this club, and, due to the limited supply of high-profile wines, membership will be extremely limited.

Every quarter for only US$99 per shipment, wine writer and expert Chris Kern, Zeta ’97, will curate and select three small-batch, limited-edition, highly-rated wines and provide tasting notes to guide his fellow DKE brothers on their journey through their tastings. These are top wines from exclusive and elite boutique wineries around the country, including winery-exclusive selections and rarities you will not find in your local wine shop. Some of the wines will be for immediate enjoyment, while others will excel with extra time in the cellar. Moreover, if you have any questions about the wines, Chris will be available to club members via email, phone, Facebook or Twitter to answer your queries and provide additional information.

Additionally, select shipments each year will include wines produced by fellow DKE brothers in the wine business. These showcase wines will ONLY be available through the DKE Wine Brotherhood, and may feature special club-exclusive DKE inscriptions, labels or stickers to highlight and promote their DKE heritage.

Every quarterly shipment comes with Chris’s detailed tasting notes and histories on the wines and wineries, along with food pairing suggestions. In addition, one month after every shipment arrives, Chris will host an exclusive virtual tasting event online just for DKE brothers, where you can drink along and discuss the wines with Chris and special guests.

Also planned is a very special wine tasting event at next year’s DKE Internation Convention in Tuscoloosa, just for Wine Brotherhood members. As an extra bonus, a percentage of the net proceeds from the DKE Wine Brotherhood goes directly to DKE International, where it will be used to provide scholarships to current brothers and assistance to active and charter chapters.

If you love wine and you love DKE, you need to be part of the DKE Wine Brotherhood. You get great wine. You help support DKE. You celebrate the best wines and winemakers DKE has produced. Sounds like a win-win-wine to us.

Go to: http://www.pasosbestwines.com/dke.html to sign up

8 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

The Psi Chapter at University of Alabama will be hosting the 2016 Deke Convention in July. The exact dates are the 28th-31st of July, 2016.

Please hold the dates.

We are making plans for the event now, and we hope this becomes our most highly attended Convention in the modern history of DKE. At the Convention we welcome one and all. Our goal is for 100% of colonies and chapters to send one or more delegates, and for 50 alumni to attend.

Brother Betas! Please plan to attend a day-long event just for Brother Betas, on Wednesday, July 27th. Arrive on Tuesday afternoon for a private dinner for undergraduate presidents only.

Then on Wednesday, we’ll meet in the morning from 9:30-noon, have lunch, then take part in a brotherhood event that afternoon.

We will also be holding a day of meetings for Alumni Advisors as well. If you advise a chapter and would like to meet with others to share best practices on matters of mutual interest, this will be your best opportunity. This meeting will be on Friday, July 29th, in Tuscaloosa.

See you in July!

ROAD TO CHARTER CHI BETA: THE ROAD TO CHARTER AND BEYOND

By William Gartman, Chi Beta ’16 THE UNIVERSITY The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, or UNCW, is a young public, co-educational university with a beautiful campus located just minutes from the beach. Although the campus is relatively new, the university is growing at a rapid pace. Undergraduate student population increased to over 11,000 in 2015. UNCW is Division 1A and the varsity teams sport the Seahawks logo. There are four undergraduate schools, Arts & Sciences, Business, Health & Human Services, and Education, offering 52 degrees. Approximately 12% of undergraduate students are members of the 15 fraternities and 10 sororities.

COLONIZATION In the fall of 2011, a handful of freshmen at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington met in Room 304 of Galloway Hall to discuss how to make their college experience the best it could be.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the group decided that Delta Kappa Epsilon, with its rich history, held the most promise for them. The leaders contacted DKE’s international headquarters, and a few weeks later Doug Lanpher, DKE’s executive director, came to meet with the group. Brother Lanpher must have sensed the positive feeling in the air, because, at the conclusion of that visit, he granted the group Colony status.

Our Founding Fathers then became the first DKE pledges at UNCW, setting into motion a year that could only be described as wonderfully chaotic. They encountered many challenges, such as recruitment, finances, and housing. Jonathan Withers, who served as the pledge class president, recalled those sometimes difficult first days.

“I remember the late summer of my sophomore year, when school had just reconvened,” Jonathan said. “We’d lost a bunch of pledge brothers after they realized how much hard work and commitment starting a fraternity would require. It left us with just three men.

Morale and confidence were low, but we decided to push through, giving it our all. All that work ultimately resulted in a pledge class of 12, which helped kickstart our drive to become a chapter.”

COLONIZATION TO CHAPTER In December of 2012, our 12 founding fathers were initiated into the bonds of Delta Kappa Epsilon as the Alpha Class of the Chi Beta Colony. Why Chi Beta? The group of internationally-affiliated Brothers that came down to initiate them started a tradition that will always be unique to our chapter. The morning the Alpha Class became Brothers, we looked out at the sun rising over the ocean at Carolina Beach, surrounded in the Mystic Circle. This is now an experience that six pledge classes have shared, and it will forever remain unique to our chapter.

With the successful recruitment of the Beta and Gamma classes, our focus became fixed on receiving our chapter charter. The prerequisites DKE’s international headquarters had set forth in order for us to qualify for chartering were not easily met. Fortunately, the classes not only had dedicated Brothers, but also strong leaders.

They helped Chi Beta reach the goal of becoming a full-fledged DKE chapter., Nicholas DeFalco recalls the road from colony to chapter status this way: “Every day was a fight. A fight to carry on the values and traditions set forth by DKE’s original fifteen founders. And a fight to prove our self-worth to anyone and everyone that voiced their doubts.

Eventually, we won that fight, and our lives would never be the same.”

ESTABLISHMENT On May 15, 2014, the Expansion Committee of Delta Kappa Epsilon met to decide the future of Chi Beta. Brothers anxiously gathered around a TV, waiting for Brother Lanpher to Skype us with the decision. We stood there, champagne in hand, awaiting word.

Needless to say, when Brother Lanpher called, corks popped and the champagne flew so high it left stains on our ceiling that are still there today.

Determined Unfortunately shortly before this to rise again joyous event, on April 14, we suffered after DKE house the loss of our first fraternity house on burns; InitiaRose Ave. As we stood by the street tion concludes just after 1:00 AM and watched the on the beach place we called home for two years burn, all we could think about was the physical loss of many of our cherished possessions. However, the memories of all the good times had within our home will never be forgotten. Inspired to soar above the ashes of that tragedy, we have reveled in our international chapter status, doubled our membership, and even started a monthly community road sweep along Rose Ave. The events we organized, both social and philanthropic in nature, are now well established on campus and have become part of the traditions at Chi Beta. This year, we raised more than $1,500 for Soldier’s Best Friend through our annual event, “Volleyball for Veterans.” In addition, we hold another SBF event every semester and sell special T-shirts to raise additional money.

THE FUTURE We’ve never forgotten those early days of struggle, and we take seriously our sacred oath as Dekes. We make sure every day to wear our letters proudly around campus, knowing we are a part of the best Fraternity on the planet.

Although we realize our philanthropic results may seem like pocket change to some of our Brothers in DKE’s more established chapters, we think of it only as a start. We plan to grow in parallel with UNCW. We are the proud members of the Chi Beta Chapter, we are DEKES! And we’re here to stay. w w w.d ke.o rg

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SPIRITED SUMMIT IN TEXAS ATTRACTS 80 UNDERGRADUATE DEKES

By KEVIN MacDONALD

E

Phi Rho ‘14

ighty delegates from thirty-four chapters across North America attended the 2nd DKE Leadership Summit in August of 2015 at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. Delegates from their respective chapters were chosen to attend the event, which is scheduled in the off years when DKE’s biennial Convention is not held.

The primary goal of the Summit is for leaders of DKE to come together to hone their skills to continue to build and improve our Brotherhood. “The Summit helps make you better,” said Peter Tripp, Phi Gamma alumnus, member of the DKE International Board of Directors, and coordinator of planning for the Summit.

The reward for attendance is participation in comprehensive group sessions on leadership and personal development.

Participants also hear guest lectures from prominent DKE alumni, which is an experience that helps strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between Dekes both young and old from across the globe. “We ask ourselves, ‘how can DKE help you become a better leader, not only within your organization but within your life?’” Tripp said. “We like to say the summit helps make us smarter, and the programs and experiences during the three-day event help push our delegates to meet this goal.”

As the delegates arrived on the first day, Brothers began mingling and sharing their common experiences as undergraduate Dekes. It proved to be a spirited introduction, and by late afternoon, the delegation had assembled and was ushered to a reception at the Gregory Gymnasium, where the pool and games were all at the delegates’ disposal.

Additionally, a tempting buffet was brought in from Pok e Joe’s BBQ, a well- known Austin restaurant.

On Day 2, the delegates assembled for an opening address by DKE Executive Director Doug Lanpher, who set the tone of the event. The first major session of the summit was a panel discussion entitled Debits and Credits, led by alumni of the Fraternity. Its purpose was to encourage Brothers to take a personal inventory and look as objectively as possible at each side of the balance sheet. The panel featured several DKE alumni such as 10 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

Brothers Tripp, Cory Crenshaw (also a member of the Fraternity’s Board of Directors), Pat Herrigan, and Lyman Aldrich.

The discussion addressed such topics as how to accomplish a chapter-wide project, what makes a good leader, and how to build mentorships.

While the Summit is designed primarily for undergraduate delegates, Brother Tripp talked about a goal to have 25- to 35-year-old Brothers attend such a gathering on a regular basis.

“We want to make our alumni brotherhood stronger, too,” he said.

“It would be great if alumni could attend and spend 10 minutes talking with a Brother in the field.” The benefits of such an exchange could be far-reaching, everyone agreed.

The delegates later attended various breakout sessions led by DKE’s Chapter Consultants. While spending time in smaller groups, the delegates shared views and absorbed information about Fraternity activities and business. Clayton Trette, a delegate from DKE’s Iota chapter at Centre College, found the format most helpful. “It was a focused conversation between members from across the world about things that can really help our own chapters, such as social media usage,” Bother Trette said.

“I thought it helped show how much more the consultants can provide beyond recruitment techniques and programs. They’re an invaluable asset, providing us with a wealth of knowledge.”

Later, a discussion focused on situations commonly encountered in the professional world, and how to best respond, based on the experiences of the alumni serving on the panel. The discussion addressed topics such as working with senior administrators or academic deans. It was followed by another breakout session which continued to emphasize personal development for leaders. Ideas were shared about how to best manage a chapter, inspire officers, etc.

Lyman Aldrich, a DKE brother from Chi-Mississippi, who has

Lyman Aldrich, Chi ‘66 spoke on teamwork and leadership

Alex Hurley, Director of Chapter & Alumni Services, leads a breakout session

had a long and distinguished career in business, and is known as a pioneer of the Memphis in May International Festival, spoke next. The Memphis event, which includes the Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Pork Bar-B-Q Cooking Contest, was created during a time of unrest following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Despite having virtually no budget, Aldrich assembled a team dedicated to revitalizing the city, using careful teamwork, cooperation and leadership.

Next, a panel session with DKE’s Board of Directors yielded a valuable open-ended conversation with the undergraduates. “I think you’d be hard pressed to find other fraternities that give that kind of personal time between undergraduate members and the fraternity’s ruling body,” Trette said. “Hearing about future plans and direction for our Fraternity was exciting and inspiring.”

The final event of Day 2 was a presentation held by Michael Osborne, a lawyer who works in fraternal litigation on behalf of FRMT (insurance claims service that handles incidents with DKE chapters). This session emphasized the necessity for responsibility among chapter leaders and Brothers, and addressed the challenges facing fraternities today (media, law enforcement and academic administration). Osborne also explained the process by which claims are filed and investigated, and how FRMT can be a resource for chapters.

At day’s end, a reception was held at the Omega Chi DKE House, and from there the delegates headed to El Patio, one of Austin’s most popular Tex Mex restaurants. It was great to see as an entire venue packed to the brim with Dekes who sat with members from all different chapters and regions.

On Day 3, a 7 a.m. breakfast was followed by two sessions administered by Marilyn Russell, Director of Greek Life at UT Austin, and members of her staff. They conducted a personality test that teaches how different people with different personality types can effectively communicate and work as a team.

At lunch, the Brothers listened to a presentation by Semmes Favrot, a Deke Brother from Psi-Alabama, who has researched the “Upon a Southern Battlefield” poem, in which a dying Union officer meets a Confederate soldier on the battlefield during the Civil War, and they both discover they are Deke Brothers. Broth-

er Favrot’s research not only located the famous diamond pin of Lieutenant Rogers, a Deke from the Theta Chapter at Bowdoin College, but he believes he has found a possible location where the event took place. Brother Favrot continues to search for the identity of the Confederate Deke from Psi. Staff members of DKE headquarters also presented sessions on crisis management for chapter incidents, chapter public relations and how to best use social media, new member education, DKE finances, and an alcohol skills training program.

DKE alumni Brothers enjoyed a tour and wine tasting at Becker Vineyards, led by Dr. Richard Becker, an Omega Chi Deke and a veterinarian. Carmen Davoli, a DKE alumnus and chapter advisor for Phi Gamma-Syracuse, described the experience as the coming together of Brothers from the vast reaches of the Fraternity, and he said he enjoyed seeing the diversity of Delta Kappa Epsilon flourish.

The day culminated with the undergraduates and alumni reuniting once more for a group photo in front of the Littlefield Fountain, a prominent feature on the Texas campus, followed by the grand banquet. After the cocktail reception, moving renditions of the “Star Spangled Banner” and “O Canada” were sung in honor of our chapters in the United States and Canada.

The banquet concluded with the Phi Marching Song and a rousing Lion March. The undergraduates then departed to the post reception held in the AT&T Center, sponsored by the DKE Board of Directors.

The next DKE Summit, scheduled for the summer of 2017, promises to continue to provide undergraduates with knowledge to assist our chapters and enhance the timeless experiences of all Deke Brothers. w w w.d ke.o rg

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2016 DKE CHAPTER AWARDS

By Eric Holland Kappa ‘13

Doug Lanpher and Sam Heffner present the 2015 Lion Trophy to Matt Nisbet, Iota ‘16, Clayton Trette, Iota ‘16, Luke Brooks. Iota ‘17, Grant Markwell, Iota ‘18, and Ian Ennis, Iota ‘18

Lion Trophy-Iota-Centre The Iota chapter at Centre College shared the 2013 Lion Trophy with Psi-Alabama, but in 2015 was the sole winner of our Fraternity’s highest honor. Iota Brothers expanded an already successful alumni program that resulted in nearly $11,000 in donations, which were used to improve amenities at the Chapter House and to help subsidize expenses for several undergraduate delegates to the DKE Leadership Summit.

Iota improved its recruiting program with a weekly event known as “Wing Wednesday,” which helped the Brothers get to know prospective pledges. They also had a monthly Soccer Saturday event where Brothers and potential new members would watch Soccer and have breakfast at the house.

These efforts paid off in a pledge class of 19, all of whom all were initiated. Brothers and pledges worked together at an event called Deke Hearts, which raised nearly $2,100.

Iota also held six philanthropic events that raised a total of more than $15,000. The chapter volunteered at the Blue Bird Market in the fall, which is an organization that helps the less fortuunate with an accessible 12 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

place to shop for furniture, clothes, and other household items. In all, the chapter logged over 680 service hours.

The chapter maintained its high academic standards, producing numerous scholarship recipients and honor society members. Individually, Iota Dekes could be found in leadership positions on campus such as Gamma Sigma Alpha VP and Order of Omega President. Iota Brothers were also named Centre’s Greek Man of the Year, Greek Leader of the Year, Greek Athlete of the Year, Interfraternalism Award, and winner of the Ormond Beatty Alumni Prize.In all, it was a great year for the Dekes of Iota-Centre.

other social and policy violations, Syracuse issued both recruitment and social sanctions. The sanctions prohibited the chapter from taking a pledge class for the entire academic year and included social probation for the entire academic year. Phi Gamma was in desperate need of both new leadership and a culture change. Fortunately, Scott Friedberg (Class of 2014) and Matthew J. Rose (Class of 2015) provided tremendous leadership at a time of adversity.

Together they were the catalyst for the changes that ensued.

The Brothers made a dedicated effort to restore the active chapter’s relationship with Phi Gamma alumni, which had become frayed.

They brought back a Phi Gamma tradition from the 1980’s, in which an illuminated ice chapel was built in the front yard of the chapter house.

The first annual Ice Chapel event was hosted during the Spring 2014 semester, and a second Ice Chapel 2014 semester, and a second Ice Chapel event held during the Spring 2015 semester proved just as successful.

Recruitment also improved dramatically, as strong leadership made the Phi Gamma Deke House the place to be on Syracuse’s campus. At the culmination of the 2014-15 academic year, Phi Gamma placed itself in the most promising position the chapter has seen in over a decade. The recovery that Phi Gamma has been able to independently make is something in which each Phi Gamma Brother takes great pride.

Delta AwardPhi Gamma-Syracuse At the start of the 2013-14 academic year, Syracuse’s Phi Gamma chapter was on the verge of extinction.

With hazing allegations surrounding the previous pledge class inthe spring of 2013, and numerous

Brad Dwyer, Phi Gamma ‘16 accepts Delta Award with other Phi Gamma members

2016 DKE PERSONAL AWARDS

By Eric Holland Kappa ‘13 Nicholas Napolitano Chapter President AwardWilliam Wright, Tau Delta ‘16 The Napolitano award was first presented at the 2012 Convention in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

It is named for Nick Napolitano, Psi Delta ’10, a loyal person who always put others before himself. He was a spirited young man who lived life to the fullest, with no regrets, and he was a tremendous leader who made sure those around him always felt valued and respected.

He led by example, never boasting about his own accomplishments (and there were many), and he put everything he had into making a difference.

“As subjective as I am about my son, I’m just amazed by the extraordinary things people said about him in the more than 1,000 letters and emails we received,” Nick’s father, Val, said. “He was a tremendous leader and was successful in all aspects of his life. He knew the balance between having a love for life and hard work.”

As a testament to Nick’s leadership skills, Delta Kappa Epsilon established the Nick Napolitano Award for Presidential Excellence, presented each year to the most responsible DKE Chapter President in the International DKE community.

The Napolitano award is selected by DKE staff, which felt that William “Willy” Wright exemplified the criteria for the award.

While President of the chapter, Willy took Tau Delta-Sewanee to the next level -- the chapter has doubled in size and made a much larger impact within Sewanee’s Greek community.

Willy was also chosen as Fraternity President of the Year on Sewanee’s campus. He is a Deke’s Deke, in the Nick Napolitano mold.

Charles O. Blaisdell Leadership Award-Matt Rose, Phi Gamma ’15 Charlie Blaisdell is one of the most consequential Dekes in the Fraternity’s history. He has served DKE in many ways and has held several major offices within DKE. He was President of the Fraternity in the early 1970’s, which was one of the most difficult eras ever faced by fraternities. He has been President of the DKE Club of New York and continues to serve on that Board.

His career with the FBI, and then for decades in the legal profession, has been filled with many accomplishments and successes. He still practices law at the age of 100, and Charlie is a mainstay at virtually every Deke event, especially in New York. His spirit and enthusiasm

for DKE are legendary. Every Deke who attends those events looks forward to Charlie’s rousing cheer at the end of a Lion March. Naming the Leadership Award for Charlie Blaisdell assures that each recipient will always be linked in name with one of the greatest leaders ever produced by Delta Kappa Epsilon.

This year’s recipient for the Blaisdell Award is Matt Rose, Phi Gamma ’15. Matt, during his years as a Deke on Syracuse’s campus, was the

Doug Lanpher presents Blaisdell Award to Matt Rose, Phi Gamma ‘15

face of the Fraternity. He was able to help create a new, positive image for not only the chapter, but also for Greek Life on campus.

Matt worked to establish an active and constructive dialogue with the head of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Eddie Banks-Crosson. As a result, university officials began viewing the chapter in a new light. In the second semester of his junior year, Matt was elected president of the Interfraternity Council at Syracuse – a tribute to his personal skills and leadership ability.

At the annual Greek Awards event, hosted by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the Greek Achievement Award was renamed the Matthew J. Rose Greek Achievement Award to honor his character as the “ideal fraternity man”.

Matt also exemplified the ideas of the wellrounded Deke. In addition to his service to the chapter, he was active in numerous organizations on campus, and from 2011-14 served as public relations and marketing director for the university’s Extra Points Sports Magazine. Matt helped to increase readership of the magazine through the use of social media and other means. During the summer of 2014 he served as a marketing intern for the Philadelphia 76ers. Matt was a key contributor to developing a successful Junior 76ers program to engage underprivileged inner city youth in Philadelphia.

Matt graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Si

Newhouse School of Public Communications and a bachelor’s degree in sports management from the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. Matt’s ability to excel academically and continue his involvement and leadership in Delta Kappa Epsilon, as well as in numerous other organizations, proves that he is a worthy candidate of this prestigious award.

William M. Henderson Alumni Award- Scott Smith, Beta ’80 Brother Scott Smith is the 2015 winner of the Bill Henderson Alumni Award, named for the longtime executive director of DKE. Scott has served the Beta, UNC-Chapel Hill chapter as its academic advisor for more than five years. His signature accomplishment has been enacting a long-term academic plan that ensures success for all Beta Dekes.

Not only has Scott had an impact on the chapter’s academics, his friendly face can often be found at chapter meetings, alumni events, and chapter functions. His influence seems to have rubbed off on many of the Beta Brothers, as they achieved a 3.293 cumulative chapter GPA in the fall of 2014.

At the UNC Greek Awards, Scott won as Outstanding Alumni Adviser for all fraternities and sororities on UNC’s campus. It’s the highest award an adviser can receive at UNC. Scott also serves as the Director of Development at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC.

LION TROPHY CATEGORY AWARDS Scholarship 1. Theta Chi, Union College 2. Sigma Xi, St. Joe’s 3. Gamma, Vanderbilt and Iota, Centre College Chapter Operations & Alumni Relations 1. Psi, Alabama 2. Iota, Centre College and Sigma Alpha, VT 3. Theta Chi, Union College Philanthropy and Service 1. Phi Alpha, UBC 2. Iota, Centre & Psi, Alabama 3. Theta Chi, Union & Theta Zeta, Berkeley Leadership 1. Iota, Centre College 2. Kappa, Miami University Overall 1. Iota, Centre College 2. Psi, Alabama & Theta Chi, Union College Delta Award 1. Phi Gamma, Syracuse 2. Rho Beta, Richmond w w w.d ke.o rg

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CHAPTERNEWS Psi-University of Alabama This year was once again a successful one for the Psi chapter. Our chapter, with 141 active members, has the highest membership that it has ever had. Many other fraternities at the University of Alabama have reached out to our chapter to inquire about our four year membership policy. Our four year contract has greatly increased our number of active junior and senior members, which has been great for the house. The newly initiated 46 member freshmen class has been a great addition to the Psi house. Also, we have had multiple members elected to positions in both the SGA and the IFC. Many other members have been recognized for their scholarship, campus involvement, and community service. Finally, our GPA is once again above both the non-Greek male GPA and the average IFC GPA at the University of Alabama.

The Psi chapter has also been involved in multiple philanthropic events benefitting the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Hospital, and the Be the Match National Marrow Donor Program. One event that we are particularly proud of is our 1st Annual Splash for Life Filter of Hope Fundraiser. We teamed up with another fraternity and two other sororities on the University of Alabama campus to raise over $3,000 for Filter of Hope. Their mission is to produce an affordable and effective point-of-use water filter to provide families in desperate need with all the safe clean water needed. These filters have been distributed all over the world. One filter costs $40 to manufacture and that one filter will purify 150 gallons of water a day, 7 days a week, for 10 years. During our fundraiser, held on April 17th at the DKE House, there was a live band, barbecue, multiple raffles, and even a hot dog eating contest. This event was great to raise both money and awareness about such a pressing issue. The Psi chapter plans to make this fundraiser an annual event.

14 TH E DE KE QUARTE RLY | SPR I NG 2016

Kappa chapter looking like they might outgrow their beautiful house.

Beta-University of North Carolina The Beta DKE house had a great 2015. A successful rush this fall, a fantastic philanthropy event, and great GPAs by all headline the fraternity achievements.

It seems as if the house is stronger than ever. The pledge class includes guys from Raleigh, Atlanta, Charlotte, New York, Washington D.C., the bay area and all across North and South Carolina. A good group of guys from all across the south and east coast brings a good amount of geographical diversity to the chapter.

The house GPA stands at a 3.226 total, with much of this success credited to hard work by the guys and also to our Academic Advisor Scott Smith. Scott was recently honored with the William M. Henderson Award, the highest award given to a DKE alumnus for outstanding service to the chapter. The DKEs have not only been working hard in the classroom, but also with our philanthropy building houses for the Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and holding a fundraising golf tournament.

Last summer we successfully renovated the main floor, replacing the bar and installing hardwood floors throughout. The project

turned out spectacularly and was well utilized during football tailgates this fall.

Overall, we know that the concerted effort from the alumni, actives and executive board members has helped the house continue to stand as the best fraternity at UNC. We look forward to what the next year brings and know that we will continue to uphold the prestigious legacy of the DKE house.

Kappa-Miami University Big things have been happening at the Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon recently! Our spring recruitment was a success and we have welcomed 25 new men to our beloved chapter. Many of these new brothers have already started reaching out to the executive members of the chapter; asking how they can get involved and take on leadership roles inside and outside of the chapter. These new members are excited to be apart of the Kappa Chapter, and each has an immense amount of potential to make a positive change on the Greek Community at Miami University.

Many sophomores in Kappa have taken on and excelled in chairman positions this year. There are currently four rising juniors

on the Executive Board of the chapter, which includes President Matthew Murtha and Vice President Sterling Parker. Other brothers have strived to take on roles outside of the chapter as well. Rising junior Robert Levoy was recently elected to the Miami University Interfraternity Council as the Vice President of Programming and newly initiated brother Eric McCorkle has recently become President of the Miami University Spanish Club.

All of this ties in with the main focus of the Kappa Chapter this year, which is developing each member of the chapter into a leader in his own regard. The brothers of the Kappa Chapter value leadership and believe that it is the main skill that our brothers will take with them past their four years in college. We also place a heavy emphasis on maintaining strong grades and are proud to say that our chapter has 3.0 average GPA.

biological research. Kenyon DKEs also participated in their share of philanthropy, hosting the biggest annual charity event of the year, the 24th Shawn Kelly Memorial Dinner. A two day event in coordination with Knox County Head Start, it served local families a Christmas dinner, and offered children various crafts, activities and presents presented

by Santa. Overall, we were Iota chapter members gather after cleaning up at the Centre able to raise enough money Greek Awards to host 688 people and give presents to 274 children; soon, we hope to and Tanner Lyons were named Greek Man outgrow the space we have it in now and of the expand even further!

Year, Greek Athlete of the Year, and Greek Our annual fundraiser for ALS research Leader of the Year, respectively, at the annual Greek awards ceremony in recognition was also a success, hosting Michael of their hard work and dedication within the Schnapp ‘08, and his band the Hunting Iota chapter as well as the Centre College Party at the Village Inn in Gambier this Greek community. Additionally, Michael Hart spring. As always, Lambda chose qualwas elected to serve as IFC President for the ity over quantity and initiated four new upcoming year. nd brothers this April to the 162 pledge class.

We look forward to next year, which will start as always with aiding the local parish house in their annual rummage sale, in coordination with Bob Heasley ‘60.

Lambda’s 24th annual Shawn Kelly Memorial Dinner and fundraiser

Lambda-Kenyon College Hosting the largest alumni gathering in recent memory, Lambda chapter at Kenyon College celebrated the 150th anniversary of our lodge, on whose site the first fraternity lodge in America was built. We said goodbye to five of our brothers in 2015. One of the graduating men, Aidan Lee ‘15, a major in physics, was also inducted into the Kenyon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the national academic honors society. In addition, Peter Lind ‘15 (Beta 2014-2015) handed over the reins to Alejandro Henao ‘16 (Sigma 20142015) for the presidency of Kenyon’s Business Finance Committee, which oversees allotment of funds to the college’s many student groups.

Many brothers achieved academic honors this year, including Dominic Camperchioli ‘17 who won the Dorothy E. and Thomas C. Jegla prize, in recognition for his efforts in

Iota-Centre College The Iota chapter initiated 19 new members of the Zeta pledge class this spring.

The chapter recently concluded its annual philanthropic efforts to support the Heart of Kentucky United Way. The chapter raised over $15,000 during the past school year by hosting popular events including the Lion Chili Cook-off, Leapfrog-A-Thon, and the campus-wide Favors Auction.

The chapter was awarded the Yerkes Cup, given to the fraternity with the highest academic standing for the year, and chapter leaders Tyler Farquhar, Woody Rini,

Phi Epsilon-University of Minnesota 2015 was a year of growth and success for the Phi Epsilon chapter. We initiated an 8 member Fall pledge class, who are already making great strides towards improving the chapter and becoming leaders in the Greek community. The new members have demonstrated proactivity and initiative by running for, and being elected to, multiple officer positions and have already set goals for improving the chapter in the near and long term.

As part of our year-round efforts to improve the chapter, the brothers dedicated our Summer to completely renovate

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CHAPTER NEWS

the landscaping of the front lawn, and the results were a tremendous success.

We had another memorable Homecoming where we hosted the house front and won the judging competition by a large margin.

Many sleepless nights were spent assembling the house front and our hard work was rewarded with 1st place.

Philanthropy is a major component of our chapter’s image on campus and key to our member development. This year’s annual Dunk-a-DKE philanthropy event was our most successful in recent times. We recruited 2 other chapters on campus to assist with the event and raised hundreds of dollars for the Ronald McDonald House.

Last, but far from least, strengthening alumni relations was a priority for the 2015 school year. Therefore, we reached out and hosted a reunion for 1980s Phi Epsilon alums who flew in from across the country to see how our chapter has improved.

Sigma Rho-Stanford Stanford Sigma Rho had an exciting and eventful spring quarter. First and foremost, we inducted eight new brothers with a diverse range of talents, interests, and backgrounds into our chapter, continuing our growth in recent years. Our favorite rush event this year, DKE petting zoo, drew crowds from all across campus to see a wide variety of animals including baby goats.

We had a great initiation ceremony thanks to the Theta Zeta chapter at UC Berkeley allowing us to use their house, and we hope to correspond on further events with them going forward.

This quarter saw an increased focus on philanthropy. We are proud to say that we raised the most money of any Stanford Greek organization for the great cause of Relay for Life, and one of our members, Joe

Delta Phi alumni turned out in big numbers for Horse Races night Getsy, even performed with his band at the event. In other community service news, we continue to cosponsor events like Stanford, It’s on Us, Take Back the Night, and Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. Our brother Alec Ortiz was also elected to the IFC as philanthropy chair.

On the academic front, both our former Brother Beta Chris Nguyen and our current Brother Beta Jason Risch were elected to Phi Beta Kappa this quarter. Half of our graduating seniors are continuing on to Master’s programs, while the other half accepted exciting roles in tech and consulting.

Delta Phi-University of Alberta

The Delta Phi Chapter of DKE at the University of Alberta had a successful year in a variety of ways during 2014-2015. The chapter welcomed 11 strong new initiates to our ranks this past January, which was a great improvement after initiating only 5 the year before. All of these new men are active leaders on campus and will bring DKE to new heights during the coming years. Alumni involvement was also greatly improved, as Horse Races Night held in September turned into one of our most successful alumni events in the last 5 years. Pictured below, 60 Dekes attended the event and many hope that it will return in the years to come.

As always, community service was a big focal point for our operations. Every Friday morning we had at least 4-5 active members attend a local homeless shelter to serve breakSigma Rho Brother Joe Getsy plays at Relay for Life fast at 7AM. In addition 16 The Deke Quarterly | SPRING 2016

to that, the annual Grinder Cup Charity Hockey Tournament was held in February, to which all proceeds went towards the MS Society. Overall, Delta Phi had a strong year, but still looks to build upon these successes as it moves forward.

Phi AlphaUniversity of British Columbia Fresh off the excitement of winning the 2014 Lion’s Trophy, Phi Alpha is proud to announce some exciting updates from the 2014/15 academic year. Our biggest accomplishment this year was yet another highly successful fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. Renamed in honour of Brother Scott Trapp Φ A ’17 who lost his battle with cancer on December 26, 2014, the fourth annual Stick It to Cancer road hockey tournament raised over $36,000, bringing our four year total to over $72,000!

Phi Alpha also had a very successful fall recruitment, with an initiated class of 22 distinguished gentleman including executives of the university’s Arts Undergraduate Society and the Model UN society. Phi Alpha’s initiation was held in conjunction with the initiation of the founding class of the Tau Beta Chapter from nearby Simon Fraser University, and Tau Beta’s second initiation was held this May at the Phi Alpha house with various actives and alumni taking part.

Brother Tri Tran highlighted our graduating class as the elected Valedictorian of the Faculty of Kinesiology class of 2015.

Over the summer Brother’s Zach Starko and Connor Mackay will be attending DKE’s leadership summit in Austin, TX, and then we will be hard at work preparing for fall recruitment.

Tau Delta-University of the South This year we received more prospective actives to replace the seniors (4 in total) that were graduating. The prospective actives

Chapter improvements have been at the heart of our success this year. We have received Wi-Fi installation, cable, a very large flat screen television, vinyl floors that covered the whole downstairs of the house, and a multi-thousand dollar landscaping renovation. All of these came to be through connections with alumni and parents of alumni/ current active members. We have countless donations still rolling in and many other future improvements that we have planned for the house. These donations have made us the recipients of the 2014-2015 University most improved chapter award, along with our success through social events.

Phi Alpha’s annual Stick it to Cancer fundraiser raised $36,000 in 2015 (8 in total) made it through all of pledge ship and initiation with great success. This year we are proud to say that we received a group of quality guys over a large quantity of lesser gentlemen. We had 33 freshmen return, which was a new chapter record for freshmen, and we gave out 15 bids. We are very proud of the newly initiated members that we received and we would not trade any one of them for the world.

As for community service, our chapter created a fundraiser for the Movember Foundation for Prostate and Testicular Cancer along with Mental Disabilities. We designed t-shirts and also created signup sheets to spread word throughout the university. We were able to raise over $400 for the foundation and raise awareness through our sale of the shirts. It was a great success. As a chapter, we were mentioned in the university newspaper for our success. We also received a suggestion in the article that if we did the same fundraiser next year, that we should shine more light on the mental health side of the fundraiser to raise more awareness because it is the less known of side of the issue.

The IFC holds an awards ceremony at the end of the year to recognize Greek organizations and student leaders on campus. Willy Wright (past Brother Beta) won the president of the year award at this ceremony.

Willy and current Brother Beta, Ben Buster, were inducted into the Order of the Omega.

And as a chapter, Tau Delta won the Most Improved Chapter on campus for the 20142015 year. Willy also was voted as the 20152016 IFC president, active immediately.

For the 2014-2015 year, our chapter has branched out to have dual social events with sororities and fraternities that we have never had before. We made amazing lasting connections with Greek organizations that will make for nothing other than for a great future. Our largest event was our annual shrimp boil which reached record breaking attendants in the thousands. We boiled 500lbs of shrimp along with 500lbs of potatoes and veggies. We were the main contributors to the event but we were able to sign one fraternity and four sororities to help with funds. With the funds covering the food that the Tau Delta chapter cooked along with alumni and parents, we were also able to sign two separate bands that performed back to back for the crowd.

All of our advertised social events broke the highest number of attendees recorded in history and we were able to sign on more bands than ever before to perform as well.

Sigma Alpha-Virginia Tech University This year has been a busy and quite rewarding year for the Sigma Alpha Dekes. We have initiated 18 new Dekes over the past year, and have sadly said our goodbyes to the 9 who have now graduated. This year has been a year of progress and hard work for the Sigma Alpha Dekes. Although this past year will serve as some of my best memories as a Deke, the details of the year will soon be forgotten. However, a year like this will serve as the foundation for the continued progress and excellence of our chapter.

To start the fall of 2015 off on a good note, we entered into a refurbished chapter house: a house with new furniture, TV’s, chapter room chairs, and a billiards table.

These key features were bought or donated through the chapter’s own fundraising efforts in the summer. In conjunction with the new environment of the house, a whole new motivation and work ethic was taken on by brothers.

This work ethic and care for the house

Sigma Alpha formal weekend in Myrtle Beach w w w.d ke.o rg

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CHAPTER NEWS

brought new potential members, friends, and sorority organizations into the house.

We immediately saw the effects of our progress in the form of socials with sororities, invitations to philanthropies, and even an article published in the school newspaper about our efforts to regain recognition in the IFC. We ended the fall semester with the initiation of 8 new brothers and raucous formals weekend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Our performance as a brotherhood made the poor performance of our football team almost tolerable.

Spring came around, and even before the semester started we had pretty much every weekend planned with events. A great Rush landed us 10 pledges, who were deeply committed to our pledge process; it has been rewarding to witness their growth. Additional socials, philanthropies, and even the planning of our own philanthropy quickly consumed our time. Our philanthropy “Shrimpfest for MS” will be held in the Fall of 2015 to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

In the spring, a Judicial Review Board consisting of five brothers was created to ensure behavioral, financial, academic, and participation standards will consistently be met by all brothers. Our by-laws saw refreshment with the terms served by elected Executive Council members which were changed from academic year to calendar year. The changing of Executive Council terms however gives us an uncharacteristic transition period next semester into the new structure. The recently elected officers will be serving for only one semester in the fall as opposed to the typical two semester term. The new officers are as follows: President-Evan Miller, Vice President-Garrett Godshall, Secretary-Dan Karch, TreasurerDaniel Joye, Member-at-Large-Henry Mauk, Social Chair-Bobby Ross, PledgemasterConnor Sterne, Rush Chair-Will Adams, and Philanthropy Chair-Kyle Hawkins.

The semester ended with 10 new brothers and a formal weekend in Myrtle Beach to cap off a great year. Our new executive board is already preparing our plans to have yet another successful semester in the fall.

18 The Deke Quarterly | SPRING 2016

Pi Beta Turkey Trot 5K was a big success

Pi Beta-Troy University For the first time since the re-founding of the Pi Beta chapter at Troy University back in 2011, a solidified philanthropic event was conducted successfully. The Troy Trojan Turkey Trot 5K race, held on November 15th, 2014, was a major step forward for the chapter. The success of the 5K demonstrated that Delta Kappa Epsilon was back on campus and making an impact to the students of Troy University. Among the brothers of Pi Beta working the race, local members of the Troy-Pike Habitat of Humanity also helped out by giving out water and helping direct racers to staging areas. With 120 preregistered participants for the race, it became a successful event prior to the day of the race.

Along with participants, Allstate sponsored the event with a donation supporting the race and Troy-Pike Habitat for Humanity.

Among the top finishers of the race included Alex Hurley, chapter consultant, and Catherine Hardegree from Troy University. Several Troy University professors participated in the race, exemplifying the support of the university for philanthropic events. Because of the beauty of the Troy University campus, the race route highlighted many key aspects including the quad and awe-inspiring buildings located on campus. Among the Troy University alumni present included Senior Vice Chancellor John Dew, who is also a Pi Beta alumnus.

Along with the Turkey Trot 5K, the Pi Beta chapter scheduled an alumni reunion and dinner that night, which included speaker Paul Bussman, who is a Pi Beta alumnus, practicing dentist, and Alabama state senator. Because of the importance of the

dinner on the campus, several officials from the university attended in order to show support of the Pi Beta chapter.

Included in the dinner, parents were invited to attend in order to demonstrate what impact the fraternity has had on the surrounding community, debunking the myth of stereotypical “Animal House” fraternity life. Dr. Bussman’s speech highlighted that very thought, brotherhood is not just partying together or having fun together, it is someone calling you out for shortcomings, not because of dislike, but because brothers push each other to be the best they can. The application of brotherhood infiltrates every action sought by the chapter and individual. For example, when a brother complains about a class giving him difficulty or a professor not seeing eye-to-eye with him, a brother shouldn’t be passive. Instead, a brother should ask, “So what are you going to do about it to fix it?”

When this ideal is completely reached by an entire chapter, drastic improvement and success will follow.

With this mentality, the Pi Beta chapter in preparation of the philanthropy event, worked on race materials to the wee hours of the morning and coordinated race schedule with local law enforcement officials to ensure safety of participants. After all the success and philanthropic events and alumni dinner, a party was thrown to celebrate. Because of course, a Deke must fulfill the three qualities of being a gentleman, scholar, and jolly good-fellow. Because of that mentality of exponential success achieved fall of 2014, Pi Beta has made drastic improvements beyond the success of the Turkey Trot in all aspects of fraternity life.

Events such as finishing 3rd in Greek week or receiving the most improved chapter award from Order of Omega exemplifies the reestablishment of Pi Beta permanently on Troy University’s campus.

Epsilon Rho-Duke University This past year our chapter made marked improvements from previous years in a variety of aspects which will continue to bolster our growth and help us to reach our potential.

For starters, we rekindled many lost connections with alumni that had fallen to the wayside in past years by revamping an alumni

newsletter to help keep alumni in touch and up to date with the going ons of the chapter.

We hosted two separate weekends during the school year (between the fall and spring semesters) where we had alumni come out and join us at our living space to socialize, recount memories, and get the opportunity to get acquainted with the current group of brothers.

In addition to developing stronger ties to our alumni, we hosted multiple philanthropic events on campus with incredible success.

For example, during the spring semester, we hosted an NCAA themed event (because basketball is so near and dear to our hearts) where we picked two national and two local organizations to see who would attract the most in monetary donations. Following a close semi-final and final round, a local group, the Genesis Home Project, came out on top. In the coming school year they will be receiving all of the money donated throughout the event. We were also able to double the amount of money raised for philanthropy this year, largely due to our success with Movember, a charity that supports prostate cancer research and awareness.

This year has also been one of stunning academic success, as our chapter earned the highest cumulative GPA of any Inter-Fraternity Council group on Duke’s campus during the fall of this academic year. We were also able to move from probationary status on our Duke community standard to Gold, the highest possible level of achievement.

The upcoming year holds a lot of promise for the current brothers; our executive board has already started meeting to plan for the coming school year, and we are excited for what the future will hold. We hope to continue seeing improvements in philanthropic efforts and alumni relationships; we will also be focusing on developing our recruitment strategies and organization so that we can continue to bring in passionate and well-rounded men into our brotherhood.

Theta UpsilonArizona State University The Spring 2015 semester served as a milestone for the Theta Upsilon chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon as it marked the 30th Anniversary in our chapters history. The 30th Anniversary was celebrated on April 18-19, 2015 with more than 40 undergradu-

ate brothers and Alumni in attendance. On Saturday, April 18, 2015 a formal reception was held at the Arizona State Karsten Golf Course Club House. Spirits were high as Brothers of all ages laughed and shared stories from their college careers. Awards for the most outstanding Alumni of the year, Active of the year, and Pledge of the year were given to Brother Steve Balthazor, Brother Nick Martinez, and Brother Tyler Littlefield, respectively. Executive Director Doug Lanpher was also in attendance in order to congratulate our chapter for reaching this important moment in our history and share an update from DKE Internationals.

On Sunday, April 19, 2015 we hosted our annual Alumni golf tournament at Top Golf in Scottsdale, AZ. This was a great opportunity for Alumni and Undergraduates to hang out with each other in a relaxed setting and improve their golf game while enjoying lots of laughs, drinks, and good times!

As a chapter we are very proud of the 30 years that we have been in Arizona and look forward to the next 30 years in which we are confident we will continue to grow and excel as a chapter on the West Coast, in Arizona, and at Arizona State University!

Phi Sigma-Bryant College The Phi Sigma chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity made successful strides during the 2014 – 2015 school year. The chapter initiated its first fall pledge class in over ten years by recruiting three new members during the fall term. Additionally, the Phi Sigma chapter acquired four new members during their spring pledge class, with a total of seven new members for the year.

The brothers of the Phi Sigma chapter participated in a number of philanthropy events throughout the year including; an Ovarian Cancer walk, a walk for Arthritis, March for Dimes, Relay for Life, Up ‘til Dawn, and Mo-shave Movember. In addition, the chapter was involved in other philanthropy and community service projects run by other fraternities and sororities on campus such as Sigma Sigma Sigma’s

Robbie Page Memorial Week, Delta Zeta’s Turtle Tug, and Phi Kappa Tau’s Blood Drive, just to name a few.

With regards to intramurals, the brothers had two teams, one for softball and one for basketball. Both of the teams made it to the finals. The softball team came in 2nd place and the basketball team made it to the final four.

The chapter saw great success this year with regards to school club elections, as well as IFC offices. Two of the brothers, Jon Manheim and Cal Hirt, were elected IFC President and VP of Community Relations, respectively. In addition, Jon Manheim was elected into the Bryant University Archway Investment Fund, which provides students practical experience of making real world investment decisions. Jon was recently elected but two other brothers, Collin Beardslee and Austin Hersh, are also in the club.

Mu Chi-Maryville College: These are exciting times at Mu Chi, in Maryville Tennessee. This past spring, in conjunction with the ItsOnUs national campaign, our chapter led a campus wide effort to raise awareness about sexual assault in college communities. We are happy to report that through our hard work we signed up 464 Maryville College students and faculty to the ItsOnUs pledge to end sexual assault, which translates to nearly half of the campus. Not only this, but Mu Chi was also honored to help give back to a wounded veteran. Marine Master Sgt. Michael Trost lives in Blount County, TN, and was shot 5 times in Afghanistan when a Taliban implant in the Afghani police force turned his machine gun on his American mission leaders. A group of Mu Chi brothers made the trek out to Sgt.

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CHAPTER NEWS Rho BetaUniversity of Richmond The Rho Beta Chapter at the University of Richmond began the year with some serious concerns about future growth. As the first semester began, the Rho Beta chapter had only 17 active brothers, of which five would be studying abroad. This left only 12 brothers on campus to rush Mu Chi Brothers assist veteran with fencing on his farm and recruit the Fall 2014 pledge class.

Trost’s farm and assisted the veteran in putThe pledge class from the spring of 2014 had ting up fencing along his property line. only two brothers, and positive momentum Much to the chagrin of the school’s vocal seemed to be stalling. This, however, did minority of an anti-greek coalition, Brothers not discourage the brothers who were on David Clifford and Chase Condrone (Beta campus. The small and more intimate group and Sigma of Mu Chi, respectively), were of brothers actually turned out to benefit elected as the Maryville College Student the rush process, allowing brothers to get Body President and Vice President in a to know rushes on a more personal level. As landslide vote. We at Mu Chi cannot wait the Fall 2014 rush period came to a close, to see what excellent work they get done eight pledges accepted their bids, making during their time in office. Our chapter has the Alpha Delta pledge class the largest Rho a proud tradition of involvement in student Beta pledge class since the Alpha class. The government, and we are excited to see that pledge process was a priority and consumed continue in the fall. a lot of time throughout the semester. Other But it is not on campus or immediately time was spent coordinating build projects off of it that Mu Chi has been making a difwith Habitat for Humanity, and opening lines ference. Recently, Delta Chapter in Columof communication with the university adminbia, South Carolina, became active for the istration about establishing a plan to join first time since before the civil war. Fortythe IFC. As the semester came to an end, the Eight new brothers were initiated into Delta chapter had grown by nearly 50%, and with Kappa Epsilon, and seven brothers from Mu the return of the five abroad brothers, the Chi were able to make the six-hour drive and spring semester looked promising. assist chapter consultant Alex Hurley in carUsing the momentum from the success of rying out the rituals prescribed for initiation rush first semester, a similar approach was into DKE. That Mu Chi could be apart of such used second semester. The chapter made a a unique experience is truly incredible, and pronounced effort to get to know each rush is something the chapter will cherish for a on a personal level, outside of larger social long time to come. gatherings. A successful first semester rush Mu Chi is excited for what lies ahead. process was followed by a very successIn the coming year, it will be a challenge to ful second semester rush process as well. best our efforts from this past spring, but Seven new pledges accepted their bids to that is a challenge we are more than willing complement the eight from first semester. to accept. Let The Lion Roar!

Also more effort was put into expanding 20 The Deke Quarterly | SPRING 2016

Rho Beta’s influence on the University of Richmond campus. The Rho Beta chapter partnered with another UR fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, to fundraise for March of Dimes.

Rho Beta also successfully hosted its first ever off campus social at a club in downtown Richmond. In conclusion, as the spring semester came to a close, Rho Beta had grown by 15 brothers, bringing its total to 32 active brothers entering the summer. Also, the chapter is finally starting to get the on campus interaction and recognition that has been a continuing goal for Rho Beta as the chapter has grown. Now Rho Beta is larger and more active than it has ever been, and confidence could not be higher entering the 2015-2016 school year.

Tau Chi-Texas A & M University The 14-15 academic year was one of the most productive to date for the Tau Chi chapter. Over the year they focused on improving virtually every aspect of their operations. This began with recruitment in which they welcomed 17 of their 47 members, and was followed with philanthropy and academics. Tau Chi introduced an aggressive academic program and hosted their first ever large-scale philanthropy, Deke Dog Day. The Texas A&M Office of Greek life gave Tau Chi a score of 1310 out of 1400 points regarding operating procedures, which ranks close to the top of all Greek chapters at the school.

As for individual honors, Tau Chi active Kevin Honan was awarded the academic excellence award from the IFC while active Jimmy O’Donnell was elected to the TAMU Student Senate. Socially, the Tau Chi’s held their first ever Undertaker’s Ball in the fall followed by their annual New Orleans trip in the Spring.

Over the year chapter members were able to visit with Dekes at Auburn, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Texas, as well as the alumni base in Houston, TX. Tau Chi’s recent success is due in large part to the renewed relationships with its Alumni base as well as national headquarters. Looking to the future, in the fall they will be moving into an impressive new chapter house that will be a large upgrade from their current facilities. As always recruitment will be a huge priority for the fall as well as building on the momentum they are currently experiencing.

incredible qualities that exemplify the gentleman, scholar, and jolly good fellow, and we are incredibly excited to see these guys grow and mature over the next few years.

Our initiatives in obtaining a chapter house have also taken a tremendous leap forward this year.

With the terrific assistance of our Alumni Association Tau Chi’s first and hopefully annual Undertaker’s Ball and active member Andrew Brown, we have secured a house that hosts 21 students. We have filled Beta Tau-University of Victoria the house with 15 actives and 5 pledges. It 2015 has marked a monumental year for is a fantastic building with a tremendous Beta Tau as we celebrate our 5-year anatmosphere, and we’re tremendously grateniversary. As the initial influential members ful to have finally found a place that we graduate, a new wave of individuals has officially call home. risen to continue the legacy that Beta Tau is This semester has been another sucworking to build. cess for Beta Tau. Philanthropy chairs Matt We would like to extend another huge Power and Colin Baldwin have reached thank-you to the alumni who have helped us our goal of three philanthropy events this reach this point, and a special thank-you to semester. In September, we first teamed up all who came and celebrated with us during with the local WHL team, Victoria Royals, to our Founder’s Day weekend in March. raise $850 for kidney research by promotShortly before our Founder’s Day, Beta ing ticket and 50/50 sales. We then raised Tau proudly initiated 17 new members into $1600 for the Movember initiatives, and we our chapter. We also initiated one adwill continue our tradition of raising money ditional member who was stuck overseas for the Salvation Army this December. since the Christmas break. With the “no Additionally, with the efforts of the entire pledge left behind” mentality and with the active chapter and the tireless work of our tremendous efforts of the Tau Beta and Phi rush chair, Ian Kobylanski, we are proud to Alpha chapters, we were able to initiate say that we have 24-man pledge class. They the last member of our 2015 pledge class. have made tremendous progress in bonding Each of the 18 new members has displayed as a group this semester, and we are looking forward to their social and philanthropy events they will host in the New Year.

Sigma XiSt. Joseph’s College

Beta Tau Founder’s Day luncheon

Recruitment this year was slightly below

our standards in the past because of frequent snow storms that ended up canceling our campus’ Greek Week. In the end, however, we ended our 2015 pledging season with six new, dedicated brothers of the Sigma Xi Chapter. There is no doubt in my mind that these new members will take our chapter to new heights in the future.

In the field of charity work and community service, our chapter has raised more money this year than any other year in the past. We will be donating over $1800 to the Anderson Center for Autism for use in their athletic programs. Our biggest event this year, our Halloween Trail, earned us over $500.

This past year, brothers Robert Mancuso and Angelo Lim have served on the Student Government Association as the President and Vice-President respectively. In addition, brother Michael Tavella sat on the Greek Council executive board as the Treasurer.

This coming year, brother Bryan Antonoff will step into the position of Student Government Vice-President, and brother Kyle Trypuc will take the reigns as Vice-President of Greek Council.

Our current average GPA is still being calculated by the school, but it is well known that ours is the dominant average of any all-male group on campus. We have several brothers working in the campus academic center, being inducted into various honor societies, and many other high academic honors.

The Sigma Xi Chapter has been through a lot of challenging experiences over the past year, and yet we continue to bounce back each time. Our inter-chapter bonds are stronger than they have been in years and our relations with other on-campus groups are unchallenged.

As for recent graduates, we have six brothers graduating this May. These brothers are Edwin Walker, John Ortiz, Kyle Santiago, Michael Tavella, Robert Mancuso, and Richard DelGiorno. In addition, we also have Darien Berrios, Kevin Vasko, Kevin Palulis, Jason Fowler, Dave Jaramillo, James DiGiovanna, and Zachary Buscemi graduating in December.

Over the past year, we have forged very strong bonds with the Phi Mu Chapter at Manhattan College. Both of our chapters

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CHAPTER NEWS

in association with other organizations based at Manhattan College, the Walk Now for Autism Speaks at Jones Beach and taking a weekly role at Part of the Solution Soup Kitchen, as well as Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, Lasallian Leadership Program and Lasallian Collegians. On campus, the brothers of DKE Phi Mu have taken part in events that included Safe Halloween, Dr. Seuss Day and Winter Wonderland.

Sigma Xi concludes a successful initiation have communicated openly, and have attended events together.

Phi Mu-Manhattan College The recently chartered Delta Kappa Epsilon Phi Mu at Manhattan College has had a year that would make any Deke proud. With a total of 14 new brothers over the course of the last two semesters Phi Mu continues to grow.

Brothers of Phi Mu have taken part in multiple charitable events on and off campus, including the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Central Park

Phi Mu Brothers at Safe Halloween

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Chi Beta-University of North Carolina at Wilmington The Chi Beta Chapter at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington experienced its first successful year as a chapter since earning our charter last May. The pledge process that we have constructed has proven to be very effective in forming gentlemen worthy of DKE. We nearly doubled in size, recruiting a total of 16 men (13 in fall, 3 in spring), including an Australian international student only here for the year. They have strengthened our brotherhood and brought a new sense of eagerness and determination to continue to move up the ranks of the Greek community to become one of the most well-known and respected fraternities.

Our social ties have improved significantly this year, attributed to the numerous mixers with new sororities and outgoing nature of our new guys. We were also the Greek Week champions for the second time in only

Chi Beta celebrates being Greek Week champions for the second time in three years three years on campus.

We successfully had our first formal, a more organized parents’ weekend, and elected our second fraternity sweetheart.

We also grew in community service, conducting monthly road sweeps and volunteering weekly at the local Boys and Girls club. We held a t-shirt drive and fundraising night at a local deli, earning over $300 from that alone, in order to support our Soldier’s Best Friend philanthropy.

We have brothers in Habitat for Humanity club, the Treasurer of the NABE (National Association of Business Economics) chapter of UNCW, and brothers in numerous academic fraternities.

We made amendments to our constitution to set more strict academic standards, formulated a Risk Management policy, and constructed a Judicial Board process that effectively handles difficult situations in a calm, non-confrontational manner. These systems come close to finalizing the foundation we want for the future of our chapter.

This school year brought us our first alumni, one graduating in the fall and the other four finishing this spring. They contributed more than we could have ever asked for as founding fathers and will hopefully be the start of strong alumni relations. They will be missed as they start their careers and graduate school, ranging from UNC Law school to personal trainer.

Our chapter looks forward to producing future alumni and continuing our success into the next academic year. rewarded with 1st place.

COLONYNEWS Alpha-Harvard College

Delta-University of South Carolina

We revived the inactive Alpha Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon at Harvard University to not only continue the legacy of this organization, originally founded in 1851, but also to create an original type of fraternity on a campus with little Greek Life. We started with only eight brothers, no living alumni, and an all-encompassing vision that stresses the six Objects of ΔKE, plus a seventh of our own creation: to emphasize and foster diversity including but not limited to opinion, race, creed, religion, and socioeconomic class. Indeed, even though we are not yet a year old, we are already a testament to this vision. For example, brothers Jacob Mayes and Stone Hart are both football players, while brother Alexander Moore runs track. Brother Matthew DeShaw writes columns for the Harvard Gazette.

Brother Jimmie Hill dedicates his time to public service, participating in the Mission Hill After School Program. Brother Samuel Liu is currently interning at Google. And the list goes on! We plan to add to our organization’s diversity with our Fall Rush beginning this September.

This year, we devoted most of our energy to administrative matters, like creating a constitution, but still found time for social gatherings, like our weekly “Deke Dinner” every Thursday night. We have also been building relationships with other chapters, like ΔKE, Sigma Tau, at the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and ΔKE Tau Alpha Chapter at McGill University. This year, we hope to further develop these relationships and create new ones with other chapters.

We have also been giving back to the community. Some brothers participate in programs through the Phillips Brooks House Association. For example, one of our brothers serves as a tutor at the Mission Hill After School Program, where he tutors inner city youth and another brother participates in the Cambridge Youth Enrichment Program, serving as a big brother and mentor to a child. For the new school year, we want to participate in other programs and hold fundraisers for charities.

Delta colony was started by Eric Jordan Wansong and Hemant Vallabhapuram in August 2014 and currently has 48 brothers. Throughout last semester, our goal was focused around getting Interfraternity Council recognition, giving us access to university resources and legitimizing us before other fraternities and sororities. Without it, recruiting and holding events with other Greek and university organizations would have been almost impossible. In order to accomplish this, our executive board tailored all of our events in a way that IFC would see in a positive light so they would see DKE as an asset to USC’s Greek community. That meant holding member events, participating in philanthropy events sponsored by Greek organizations, the university, and other charity organizations, and having the formal paperwork and infrastructure to support the organizations.

When it comes to philanthropy, we participated in quite few events. Two of the more wellknown charities were Harvest Hope and Relay for life. At Harvest Hope, we helped to pack boxes for those in need and had a great time doing it. For Relay for Life, our philanthropy chair created a team that collected donations and who participated at the charity’s event, raising close to $2,000. In addition, we partnered with the United Service Organizations (USO) to help raise funds that benefit members of the armed forces in need.

Over the course of last semester, Delta Kappa Epsilon: Delta Colony has grown in almost every aspect. Academically, we have one of the highest GPAs of any fraternity at USC. Financially, we have established effective accounting and financial practices that will ensure accountability and integrity

Delta Colony, 48 strong

while fulfilling our monetary obligations. In terms of risk management, we have created a Risk Management Policy that follows FPIG guidelines and a Crisis Management Plan that ensures safety and coordination at any of our events. In addition, we’re in the process of creating educational sessions that will teach brothers and pledges about alcohol, drugs, sexual harassment, and hazing to prevent unnecessary risks. Overall, we had a great last semester and we look forward to having another one this upcoming Fall.

Delta Pi-University of Illinois Delta Kappa Epsilon at the University of Illinois has gained invaluable experience and undergone much growth during its first official year of recolonizing. In retrospect, this was Delta Pi’s year to learn the ropes, make mistakes, learn through experience, and build a solid foundation for the future.

One of our proudest moments this year was hosting — thanks to Brother Newtson — a Homecoming reunion with alumni and having them tour the original Delta Pi home, which is now owned by Phi Sigma Sigma.

For some of our alumni it was the first time in over 50 years that they were truly able to return home, and some of our Brothers were finally able to walk through the halls their fathers and forefathers called home.

We are also very proud to have in our possession the original 1904 charter. Brother Nugent safeguarded this treasure, among countless others, for nearly three decades and never relinquished his faith in our beloved Delta Pi. We wanted to focus on philanthropy and service this year. Our big philanthropy for the year was Deke Derby, a bags tournament and barbecue to raise fund for the USO. Additionally, we packaged food for local food banks as part of Community and Campus Day of Service, participated in Relay for Life to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society, volunteered in Walk As One, a collaboration between Greek life and local law enforcement to hand out alcohol safety information to the campus community, and played in a sorority philanthropic soccer tournament to name a few.

Delta Pi also took part in an intramural volleyball league, got publicity in The Daily Illini (http://www.dailyillini.com/article/2014/10/ delta-kappa-epsilon-returns-to-campus), created a new Halloween tradition: an Undertaker’s Ball Roast — which was inspired by chapter consultant Eric Holland and alumni mentor Neil Pickering, leased a three-story 14 bedroom sew w w.d ke.o rg

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Colony NEWS

Delta Pi Homecoming Reunion brought back alumni from 50 years nior house for the fall, and developed our own website: http://www.dkeuiuc.com/.

We would also like to take time to thank all of our alumni, families, and supporters, and in particular, Brother and alumni mentor Dave Helverson for his indispensable wisdom, guidance, and support. Also, we would like to thank our Delta Delta Brothers at the University of Chicago for initiating the re-founding class of Delta Pi and welcoming us into the bonds with open arms. This is just the beginning for Deke at Illinois, and we are excited to see what the future has in store for us.

Kappa Chi- University of Delaware The brothers of Kappa Chi Colony of DKE experienced quite a year at the University of Delaware, going from an underground organization in the fall to a full-fledged fraternity in the spring. It was a long process but thanks to representatives from DKE speaking on our behalf, Kappa Chi was able to join the ranks and actively recruit/participate in all campus activities in the spring.

At the beginning of the semester, we were able to recruit 10 fine gentlemen and on April 29, 2015, we initiated these men into our brotherhood. This was an absolutely wonderful occasion because they are the first legitimate pledge class in the eyes of our university. Activities Kappa Chi participated in on campus and for philanthropy included Greek Week, Airband, and UDance, a fundraiser for children with cancer. We also had a speaker come and talk to various Greek students right before finals week about stress and anxiety in an effort to help students and get our name around. Having our first “real” semester under our belt, we look forward to continuing to be a positive impact on campus and representing Delta Kappa Epsilon with the upmost pride and dignity

Tau Beta- Simon Fraser College Busy days have passed for the Tau Beta Colony at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, 24 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

Tau Beta Spring Formal British Columbia. In March we celebrated the one year anniversary of colony membership.

This was celebrated during our inaugural Formal party held on April 4th in Downtown Vancouver. Not all of the brothers were able to attend, but those that did (along with their beautiful dates) were treated to a five course dinner, and award winning craft beer at Steamworks Restaurant. Also taking place in the tail end of the school year was Relay For Life in benefit of the Canadian Cancer Society. Dekes were in attendance as it is the largest Greek philanthropy event on the SFU campus. Over $20,000 in total was raised for the Canadian Cancer Society. Some brothers also made their third trip to the Salvation Army Belkin House soup kitchen in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood with the sisters of Delta Alpha Theta. This is a favourite mixer/ philanthropy event of the colony.

Exams were held in mid-April, but that didn’t stop the Spring pledge class from hosting their pledge party, and making their pledge paddles at Active Brother Tyler Koning’s workshop. The initiation for the Spring pledges finished on May 9th, and we now welcome five new active brothers into the bonds of DKE at SFU. However, we also have say goodbye to our first graduating brother Nader Kassem. Nader had been serving as president, and we welcome Brother Hamed Amiri into his new presidential role. We are looking forward to the summer semester on campus as we look to be at 20 members by September, just in time for fall rush. Greek life is still relatively new at Simon Fraser, but there is a buzz among the student body about the Greek movement.

Pi Alpha-University of Missouri This year has been an exciting for one of DKE’s newest colonies here at the University of Missouri, Columbia. In our first semester as a colony, we were voted into the school’s IFC as associate members by the Chapter

Presidents’ Council and initiated 48 of our founding fathers, all of which were freshman.

We also elected to participate in Greek Week during the 2015 Spring semester while in the midst of our pledge process. This was an excellent opportunity to help establish an honorable reputation on Mizzou’s campus as we worked together with several other fraternities and sororities, including Kappa Alpha Theta and Sigma Phi Epsilon. Mike Ebert, our head Greek Week liaison, did an extraordinary job.

While we were sad to have three of our Executive Board members step down from their positions at the end of this semester, they were all for good reasons! Billy Donley, our former Vice President, was elected President of Mizzou’s Residence Halls Association (RHA), one of the largest governing bodies on campus. Luke Brown (VP of Risk Management) and Nate Henry (Alumni Chairman) resigned due to other time commitments from becoming new Room Advisors for residential life. In addition, Luke was selected to be a member of Billy’s Executive Board for RHA and Nate was just recently accepted into Cornell University.

Nate plans on transferring his junior year to major in Industrial and Labor Relations.

We are extremely excited for the fall semester. After having successfully colonized, our highest priorities include surpassing the All-Fraternity Average GPA, securing larger housing, successfully recruiting an additional 25-35 young men that fit the qualities of a Deke, and of course, obtaining our charter to become a fully recognized chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon.

We look forward to continuing this growth and success by building relations with alumni, other DKE chapters, and the rest of the school. We are committed to make DKE International, DKE Alumni, and other active chapters proud.

Pi Alpha pinning ceremony

A FEW QUESTIONS FOR: Aron Ain, Tau Hamilton ‘79 The Quarterly had the opportunity to sit down with Aron Ain, Tau - Hamilton ‘79, for an interview this fall. Brother Ain is the CEO of Kronos, a Massachusetts based firm with over 4,500 employees and over $1B in annual sales. Kronos provides workplace management solutions to businesses large and small, in the U.S. and around the world, with time and attendance tracking, scheduling, HR and Payroll solutions, among other services. It’s the one of the largest human capital software and service providers in the world. Tens of thousands of companies around the world use Kronos products including over half of the Forbes 1000.

Founded in 1977, Kronos traded publicly on Nasdaq for 15 years before becoming private in 2007. Aron was one of the first employees at Kronos and has been CEO since 2005.

We visited Brother Ain in his office outside Boston, and spoke mostly about his DKE experience at Hamilton. For instance, we were curious as to why Aron joined DKE the first place. He replied that he and his close friends were rushing the different fraternities together, and they all liked what DKE had to offer. “The Dekes were energetic guys, intense in a good way, and I could tell becoming part of the house was going to be lots of fun and interesting.

Really interesting. During freshmen rushing I remember the sense of brotherhood that dominated the chapter. And they didn’t pressure us or try to force a decision. The Dekes did not chase us. We wanted to be part of the fun. Plus, all my best friends were headed toward DKE, so I tagged along. Turned out to be a great call.”

Thinking back to his days in DKE at Hamilton, Aron recalled the great, lasting friendships he made as his most rewarding experience. “The guys I was in DKE with were by far the best friends I had in college, and I still stay in touch with a lot of them. In fact, one of my DKE friends, Jim Kizielewicz, has worked for me at Kronos for 35 years now. Imagine, two Dekes helping making Kronos so successful. Seemed like a long shot back in 1979” (Note-Jim is the company’s Chief Marketing Officer and SVP).

Ain continued, “but I still stay in touch with several of theguys who were in the chapter back then. Marc White and Phil Greenough live in the Boston area and I see them around town. Ted Molloy comes through Boston now and then for a drink. I keep in touch with others

via email. I am now a Hamilton Trustee and return to the Hill often where I see Ben Madonia who works for Hamilton in a leadership role.

Other DKEs who are trustees with me are Harold Bogle and Barry Seaman.”

“I remember living and eating in the house were among the best times we had. Bunch of college kids living together, and eating our meals together at the DKE house. Fabulous experience and memories. Great camaraderie, with all of us together in “our” house. I was elected the DKE House Steward, where I man-

members and so on. Without any real direction from older folks to help out. We didn’t think anything of it, it’s just what you do. We learned together, collectively. If something came up, we just dealt with it. It’s really a great experience being involved with a fraternity. There’s a sense of commitment and responsibility to each other. Today we use the word ‘accountability.’ That’s not what we called it then, but that’s exactly what it was.

We were accountable to each other. A great learning experience for life and business.”

Asked if he feels the fraternity experience is still relevant today, Aron said “I’m not involved with the fraternity at an undergrad level any longer, but I’m sure it’s still a great leadership experience. I would not trade it for anything.”

“Today we use the word ‘accountability.’

That’s not what we called it then, but that’s exactly what it was.We were accountable to each other. A great learning experience for life and business.”

aged all the food for the house, including supporting John and Bea Fusaro who lived in the house and were our full time cooks. I worked with John to plan the menus, order the food and make sure all the brothers were well fed and happy. Our meal plan was the biggest budget item in the chapter, so the food we served definitely got everyone’s attention. It wasn’t like mom’s home cooking but not far away.

John and Bea knew how to cook up a storm and keep 50 or so hungry college guys well fed and happy. Food would hit the tables for dinner at 6:30pm and plates were cleaned spotless by 6:45pm.

It was always fun when there would be a bad meal – I would hear about it for weeks!

John and Bea had Saturday off so I would do the cooking for lunch on Saturday. Always burgers right from the griddle prepped with Gemma oil. Sunday brunch was time to hear about Saturday night adventures and conquests. Half of the stories were probably not true, but it sure was fun and funny.”

Aron also commented on the leadership aspect of belonging to DKE. “We ran the house ourselves - a bunch of 20 year olds basically running a small business, meeting a budget, planning events, recruiting new

Asked what other aspects of DKE he remembers, he mentioned the intramural athletics.

Good times on the playing field (or rink). Plus those great DKE parties, especially gin and juice on Sunday of house party weekend. “But for me, the main thing was the really close personal relationships I made in DKE. That’s by far the most meaningful thing about my time at the Tau Chapter.”

The Quarterly was also curious about Aron’s management of Kronos. In a 2013 article, Forbes Magazine had this to say about him: “Aron is the antithesis of the typical hard charging, take-no-prisoners enterprise software CEO. Ain’s approach to business and management is very much a reflection of his personal values and belief in treating employees and customers with the respect they earn and deserve.” When asked about that quote, Aron said at Kronos, “it’s an essential aspect of our culture to recruit and retain great employees - engaged, empowered employees. We treat them with respect because they’re the key to making our business successful. We have great customers too, and our customers consistently tell us how much they enjoy working with our associates.

We consider our employees to be our secret weapon in our business.”

It’s great to know how much DKE has meant to so many of our alumni - even if they’re 30 years or more out of college - and Aron is a great example of that. We’re lucky to call him Brother! w w w.d ke.o rg

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Alumni News Deke and best friend cycle from Maryland to Colorado bluegrass festival in support of New Orleans-based charity

By Charlie Wildman, Chi ‘09

T

he summer of 2015 promised to be a monumental undertaking for two friends that met a decade ago at the University of Mississippi. Jeff Steckler of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Charlie Wildman (X ’09) of Frederick, Maryland, laid the initial groundwork for a cross-country charity bike ride from Maryland’s premier bluegrass festival, DelFest, in Cumberland, Maryland, to the Mecca of bluegrass festivals - the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Telluride, Colorado, with funds raised along the way benefitting the Chase Your Dreams Foundation, a disability-oriented non-profit based in New Orleans.

Chase Treadway (X ’08) founded the Chase Your Dreams Foundation (CYDF) in 2013, four years after he was paralyzed chest down following a severe swimming pool injury. Chase and Charlie are both 3rd generation Dekes with legacies coming from Tau Lambda, Zeta Zeta and Chi. Jeff Steckler, though not a Deke, was closely associated with the Chi DKE house during Charlie and Chase’s undergraduate years.

After recuperating from severe bouts of depression, Treadway found that skydiving and similar activities reinvigorated his sense of being and that re-learning to feed himself gave him a new sense of dignity. Basically, Chase found that life can still be fulfilling despite his paralysis. Wanting to be an example to others, Chase founded the Chase Your Dreams Foundation to help those with an acquired disability repurpose their lives by achieving an improbable feat or by finding peace with daily life and routines.

Wildman and Steckler, who met at Ole Miss in 2005, had been growing their friendship around an annual trip to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. At Telluride’s iconic Sheridan Opera house following the conclusion of the 40th Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Steckler broached another adventure to Wildman -a bike ride from Vancouver, Canada, to Tijuana, Mexico.

Wildman liked the idea, but countered with one of his own involving a music themed ride from bluegrass festival to bluegrass festival.

Wildman had become an annual DelFest attendee and wanted to bike from his favorite east coast bluegrass festival to Telluride. Steck26 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

ler and Wildman, in honor of the two festivals, DelFest and Telluride, dubbed the ride The DelURide.

That is when they realized The DelURide could

DelURide logo; Stop in Marion, IL for new gear: Charlie and Jeff depart DelFest from Allegheny Fairgrounds; Backstage at Telluride with Jerry Douglas be much larger than just two friends cycling to a music festival. They phoned Chase and began the partnership that is The DelURide, benefitting the Chase Your Dreams Foundation. Chase was one of the first persons Charlie met on campus at Ole Miss in 2004 and was a fraternity pledge brother, a roommate, and a golfing buddy. When Jeff and Charlie agreed they should ride for Chase’s charity, it breathed life not just into them as individuals, but also in the concept or theme of the ride as a whole. The name of Treadway’s charity couldn’t be more fitting: Wildman and Steckler are two friends chasing a dream of their own to help others chase dreams of their own.”

They planned to camp and couch-surf as they traveled east to west certainly imposing on any brothers they could find along the way.

They would ride bikes from one music festival to another over 2,000 miles... and in only 24 days; Steckler and Wildman had to average over 80 miles a day to arrive in time for opening festivities in Telluride!

Equally daunting was the task of generat-

ing donations in support the CYDF. Wildman and Steckler aimed to raise $20,000 through a combination of individual donations and corporate sponsorships. They certainly sought high-dollar sponsorship but, this being a grassroots movement, they also encouraged individual/personal donations sponsorships.The ride concluded with $11,000 having been raised. More information can be found on the CHASE YOUR DREAMS FOUNDATION Facebook page. In keeping with Chi DKE’s 165th year on campus at Ole Miss, at least one brother pledged $165 or $1 for each year.

The DelURide garnered partnerships with The Gearage Outdoor Sports in Fort Collins, Colorado, and from local Frederick, Maryland, artist Stephanie Hyder who developed the DelURide logo. Fix-It-Sticks, a Chicago-based company that produces a patented all-in-one bicycle fix-it tool pledged a portion of their sales to The DelURide. Team Gleason, a New Orleans, an ALS-oriented non-profit, named for former New Orleans Saint Steve Gleason, teamed with The DelURide, and The Fort Collins Food Co-Op chose The DelURide as their charitable cause of the month. It is further hoped that through the generosity of Dekes far and wide, young and old, their goal will be met and the previously stated mutual benefits of brotherhood will be realized.

Today the CYDF provides mentoring, support networking and funding for opportunities involving motivating experiences for the recently disabled. It also provides its beneficiaries with funding for prescriptions, repurposed wheelchairs, and educational and enrichment courses. Please visit the CYDF Facebook page for updates and a the history of the journey visit www.facebook.com/thedeluride where the two have posted countless photos. One of the best pictures, included above is of Charlie and Jeff backstage right after their story was chronicled to the crowd at Telluride by 14-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas.

A Tribute to Brother Rod Gillis

By Corny Dansby, Pi Beta ‘80

A

new DKE colony had been organized Heartbreakingly, after only 10 years of in the Fall Quarter, 1975 at Troy existence, the passion faded, the Charter State University. The Chapter was was pulled, and Pi Beta was no more. The officially recognized and chartered later that Passion of DKE remained, however the unity spring, April 8, 1976. Twenty-two unified and transitioned into graduations, building determined Founding Fathers of the Pi Beta careers, and growing families.

Chapter electrified the ensuing Fall ’76 rush with their passion for DKE. This group became the first Fall Pledge class of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity in the small south central Alabama town of Troy.

The result was our pledge class being invited to report to the house at exactly 6:00 p.m. Our pledge master, Mark Gillespie, had prepared us for this eventful day. His instruction of matters of DKE transitioned our initial attitudes of careless The Gang of Four: apathy to attitudes of humbleDavid Marsh, ness. It was beyond belief that Rod Gillis, we were actually being considCorny Dansby, ered to be associated with the John Sylvia DKE tradition.

Original Pi Beta DKE house I remember walking towards the DKE house that afternoon; I was full of apThank you for your patience as I have set prehension due to the mysterious events the stage for one of the most dramatic excertainly about to take place. Standing on amples of why Delta Kappa Epsilon is more the front porch, waiting for fellow pledges to than just a college fraternity, as most have join him, was the stoic Rod Gillis. Rod’s combecome known today. ment to his fellow pledges concerning the inevitable was, “There’s nothing we can’t December 31, 2008. get through as long as we stay together.”

A New Year Resolution That proclamation has not been easy to forHi Dave, get. I’ve repeated it several times and have I hope you have a happy new year, also. I been reminded of Rod’s determination and am committing myself (hopefully with your resolve each time I’ve quoted him through help) to put together some sort of reunion the years. this year. My first initiative is assembling The ceremonies ended a few days later an exhaustive email list of our fraternity as the Founding Fathers enveloped our class brothers… into their close band of brothers. There was nothing any of us coveted more than the bindThis time it was an email that set into moing tie the Founders had, and now we were to tion a chain of events that led to a Pi Beta, actually be known as fellow brothers, friends DKE reunion after 32 years of dormancy. from the heart forever. What followed were David Marsh, one of those First Fall Pledge several years of being the most athletically Class members, received the email (above) competitive, most scholastic, most respected that led to a David, Rod, and John - foundFraternity on campus while also being the ing Brothers weekend workshop. Brother smallest in number. And, if skeptics appeared; John Sylvia hosted three of his ‘76 Fall we had all the trophies to back the claim.

Pledge class brothers in Charlotte, North

Carolina. The emotion of experiencing the renewed passion for DKE was overwhelming as we welcomed each other. After 32 years, DKE was still in the center of who we are.

Of course, Rod Gillis was front and center leading the charge. Google searches, email addresses discovered, and phone numbers found formed a call list and a campaign to regather the Brotherhood.

After several hours I remember Rod spoke up, “We need to pull this off – we owe it to the Founders.”

October 12, 2009 The Rampant Returns The event was attended by almost 100 people. Doctors, Lawyers, Executives, Judges, Hall-Of-Fame Coaches – even a Senator elect –had superseded those young college fraternity brothers from 32 years before. Even three of the brothers had been employed at NASA. Though some of the brothers had stayed connected, most had lost touch through the years. As one after another of the beloved brothers arrived, a common theme began to resonate – “the DKE Brotherhood was the single most important reason I accomplished anything in life.”

This “theme” brings me to why I am writing this account. While we researched together with Rod in Charlotte, he shared with me why resurrecting our Brotherhood was most significant to him. He produced an email that he had sent earlier that year to our Brother (and former Pledge master) Mark Gillespie. Here’s the correspondence:

Tuesday, May 26, 2009, Roderick Gillis wrote: …Same to you my brother. Honestly, you were one of the major reasons I stayed in [US Air Force] ROTC. I’ll save the long story for this fall when we get together, but to give you the short version, I didn’t put ROTC on my schedule. I was ready to drop it when, at a rush party, I met Jay Garraway and he Continued

w w w.d ke.o rg

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told me to talk to you before dropped the class. I’m sure you don’t remember it, but that discussion with you, Mark, made me decide to give the Air Force a shot. And I am proud to call you my brother.

–Rod

“There’s nothing we can’t get through as long as we stay together.”

Here is a list of a few consequences of Mark’s brotherly advice to Rod that night:

January 3, 2016 A Fallen Hero I am filled with extreme sadness as our longtime friend, Brother Rod Gillis passed away January 3, 2016. Rod was a true American Hero. Our Country is less safe without him.

He was fittingly and honorably laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in February.

Our Brother is survived by his wife Donna Jeffcoat Gillis, son Robert Scott Gillis, daughter Mary-Anne Gillis, son Jack Thomas Gillis III and his wife Rachel, sister Patty Lard and her husband Lynn, and sister Jennifer Cai Gillis.

Our brother Rod served his country with honor. He has had a very long and successful Air Force Career which he attributes solely to advice gained long ago in a conversation with Mark Gillespie, his DKE brother. Delta Kappa Epsilon is more than just a college fraternity as most have become known today.

Colonel Roderick Gillis • More than 80 combat flight hours • More than 4000 Flight Hours Some Commendations and Awards • Defense Superior Service Medal • Legion of Merit • Defense Meritorious Service Medal • Meritorious Service with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters • Air Force Command Medal • Joint Service Achievement Medal • Combat Readiness Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters • National Defense Service Medal with One Star • Global War On Terrorism Service Medal Highlights of Colonel Gillis’ many career accomplishments include several appointments that led to Commander of the 11th Bomb Squadron. After that tour he transferred to the Joint Staff in the Pentagon in 2001. Rod was stationed at the Pentagon when it was attacked on 9/11/2001. He told me his response was to voluntarily re-enlist to active duty and subsequently be reappointed Squadron Commander to fight to protect us from other attacks. He deployed to Afghanistan two times as the Commander 28 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

of the 36th Expeditionary Operations Group and the 40th Air Expeditionary Group – after voluntary re-enlistment!

The Pi Beta Reunion Rod was so instrumental in organizing has subsequently led to the re-chartering of the Pi Beta Chapter of DKE. The chapter is now healthy, strong, and growing thanks to time volunteered and contributions given by Rod and Donna Gillis as well as several other thankful Alumni.

The “forever” in our slogan “friends from the heart forever” is emphasized on each visit to Pi Beta DKE today. The passion is rekindled within us as we see it expressed in young men, just as we were 40 years ago. Rod has always been very thankful for the opportunity to be involved in bringing DKE back to Troy University.

Brother Gillis was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetary with full military honors, on Wednesday, February 25, 2016.

Rod Gillis finished well.

He has provided as a Father, a Husband, a Citizen, and as a grateful American Patriot.

I am a better person due to a friend, a Brother, from the heart forever, Rod Gillis.

MYSTIC CIRCLE HENRI MORTIMER (TIM) FAVROT, JR., TAU LAMBDA ‘52 1930-2015

Henri Mortimer (Tim) Favrot, Jr., Tau Lambda Tulane ‘52, died at home on Sunday, May 10th, 2015 at the age of 85. Tim was born in New Orleans on April 23, 1930. He was the son of the late Henri Mortimer (Morty) Favrot- Tau Lambda 1915, and Helen Parkhurst Favrot. He attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans and graduated from Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana.

He received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Tulane University School of Architecture and his Master of Architecture degree from the Tulane University School of as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force during the Korean conflict.

Tim served as Vice-President of Tau Lambda during his senior year at Tulane, and took an active part in the work of the 1961 DKE Convention Committee. From 1966 to 1967 he was President of the New Orleans Deke Luncheon Club. He was also active with the Tau Lambda house corporation for many years. Tim’s father, Morty, was the first of at least 35 Favrot family members to become Dekes, and he authored a short history of Tau Lambda upon the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1948 (see The Deke Quarterly, Vol. 67, No. 1, Feb. 1949). Morty was also instrumental in the fundraising in the early 1920’s which led to the purchase of the former Tau Lambda chapter house at 1469 Henry Clay Ave. in New Orleans, and he was active in DKE alumni affairs his entire life. Tim’s son, T. Semmes Favrot– Psi ’82,

has served as the Psi Alumni Historian since 2010.

In 1970 Tim and fellow architect Henry Shane founded Favrot and Shane Companies. Tim was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2013, his proudest accomplishment. Tim’s civic and professional activities include being past President of both the New Orleans and the Louisiana chapters of the American Institute of Architects, the Apartment Association of Louisiana chapters of the American Institute of Architects, the Apartment Association of New Orleans and the Preservation Resource Center, past Chairman of the New Orleans City Planning Commission and the Louisiana Architects Selection Board, past Commander of the Louisiana Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars, past Director of the Metropolitan Area Committee of New Orleans, current member and past VicePresident of the Board of the New Orleans Museum of Art, past Board member and Member Emeritus of the Tulane University Board of Administrators, current Board member of the National World War II Museum, past Board member of Preservation Action in Washington, DC. and past Board member of the Louisiana Landmarks Society.

He was named the Outstanding Alumnus of the Tulane School of Architecture in 1985 and Tulane’s Alumni Volunteer of the Year in 1997, a Legend of Architecture by the AIA New Orleans chapter in 2014, received the highest award given by the Louisiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Gold Medal of Honor, in 2001 and also Design Honors Awards from the Louisiana and New Orleans AIA chapters in 1970 and 1982, was named one of the Ten Outstanding Persons of the New Orleans area by the Family Service Society of New Orleans in 2001, a role model of the New Orleans area by the Young Leadership Council of New Orleans in 2002 and has been listed in Who’s Who in the South and Southwest since 1986 and in America since 2000.

He was a member of the Boston Club, Louisiana Club, Recess Club, New Orleans Country Club, Pass Christian Yacht Club and several Carnival organizations. He was a former member of the Stratford Club, the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club and the Southern Yacht Club. Tim made an annual retreat at

Manresa for over 40 years. He loved sailing, tennis and spending time on his boat and at his house in Pass Christian. Tim is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kay Gibbons Favrot, his four children, twelve grandchildren, one great-grandson, and his sister.

BRENT TYNAN, PHI ALPHA ‘76 1955-2015

We are saddened to advise of the death of Brother Brent Tynan, Phi Alpha-The University of British Columbia ‘76. Brent passed away peacefully in his beautiful Salt Spring home surrounded by his family. Brother Tynan was the rock for Phi Alpha for decades having served as Brother Beta as a neophyte and as Alumni Association President for many years.

He also funded the creation of the alumni computer records system and the cabinets that house the collection of Deke historical materials that he created and continued to contribute to. Brent also funded, and was the primary fundraiser for the $100,000 in improvements for the former Deke house on Agronomy Road. He chaired the Committees and was the main reason for the success of the 50th and 60th reunion festivities.

In his honor, the Brent Tynan Award and a scholarship of $2,500 is given each year to the undergraduate who best exemplifies the qualities of Brent – a gentleman, a scholar and a jolly good fellow. w w w.d ke.o rg

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MYSTIC CIRCLE At the International level, Brent was the Honorary President of the Fraternity, a longtime member of the Board of Directors of the Fraternity, and was the driving force behind the September, 1984 “Chicago Conference” that changed the path of the Fraternity from inaction and stalemate to action and revival and resulted in significant changes to the Constitution of the Fraternity at the December 1984 San Francisco Convention.

In addition, Brent chaired the Vancouver Convention of the Fraternity which was held in Vancouver in 1996. Brent served as a Director of the Canadian Deke Charity of the Fraternity since its founding in 2012.

Brent was a driving force behind the creation of the DKE at The University of Victoria and a loyal supporter since its founding in 2010. The Greek designation for Victoria, Beta Tau, was chosen to honor his commitment to the Chapter. Once the Chapter is able to purchase permanent housing, the House will be named the Tynan House in his honor.

He will be missed by all of us. We hope that you will follow what Brent suggested in the last e-mail he sent out:” Share a glass with me wherever you are and remember the good times and always endure the bad with grace” In accordance with Brent’s wishes, two wakes in the Irish tradition were held in the Fall of 2015.

He received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studi es from Wake Forest University in 2002. For almost 30 years Chip was the Assistant Vice President of Planned Giving at Wake Forest University. He was a devoted member of Knollwood Baptist Church where he taught Sunday School and served as a deacon. Chip was an active mentor to his fraternity and the men at Delta Kappa Epsilon for most of his adult life. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, John Quinn West, III. Chip is survived by his beloved daughters Laura Patterson Kaplan and husband Ben of Goldsboro, NC and Emily Patterson and fiance Philip English of Durham, NC. Also surviving is his brother Drew of Charlotte, NC and 4 nieces and nephews.

JORDAN BAYER, PSI DELTA ‘17 1995-2015

CHIP PATTERSON, PSI DELTA ‘72 1950-2015 Allen Hobson (Chip) Patterson, Jr., passed away peacefully November 17, 2015.

Chip was born to Allen Hobson (Pat) Patterson and Ruby Hogan Patterson on June 26, 1950.

He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

30 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2016

Jordan Thomas Bayer of Brookline died on Friday, November 6, 2015 at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. He was 20 years old. He had suffered severe injuries during a car accident.

Jordan was a great friend to many. He forged deep bonds at Brookline High, where he played lacrosse, and at Del Frisco’s, where he worked summers. He was both a former altar server and a proud Demon Deacon. Immediately following the accident, with virtually no notice, legions of Jordan’s friends from Wake Forest University, many

of them brothers of Delta Kappa Epsilon. dropped whatever else they had going on to spend the evening with him and his family at the hospital.

Several core traits made Jordan a wonderful, unique person. He was a pragmatist and a planner. He was also incredibly kind and grateful – grateful for his family, for his friends, grateful in general for a life that, even with its inevitable bumps, he considered blessed. It started early.

Always a polished dresser, at six years old, Jordan received a birthday shirt and tie from an aunt. Three days post-party, he was still thanking her. A decade or so later, a cousin proofread his college essays. A thread of gratitude ran through his answers long and short, regardless of topic. Example: “If you were an animal, what would you be?” “A golden retriever. So I could spend time with my loving family and make them happy.” When the cousin suggested tempering the gratitude with a little bite, Jordan declined. Bite wasn’t his way.

On the pragmatic side, Jordan was excited about and planning for the future. At the time of the accident, he was en route back to Wake Forest from New York where he’d just interviewed for an internship at Goldman Sachs. He came away happy, feeling he’d done his best. He knew he wanted to start his career in New York – and already had plans for a roommate, his sister Nora, once she, too, graduated.

At home during fall break in October, Jordan’s mother happened to see his driver’s license, which indicated his opt-in to the organ donation process. They’d never spoken about it before. Indicative of the pragmatic kindness that was Jordan’s way, he said, “Why wouldn’t you sign up?” On Saturday night, Jordan had a final surgery, for removal of his healthy vital organs for donation. “Jordan was a truly great example of the kind of person that makes our organization so special” said the president of the Psi Delta chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon.

Jordan was a beloved son of Elizabeth Foley and Steven Bayer. He is survived as well by his brothers Aidan and Desmond, his sister Nora, his grandmother Diane Bayer, his family’s long-term nanny and dear friend Janice Lynskey, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

2015-2016

CHAPTER ROLL

SCHOOL PHI Yale University ZETA Princeton University PSI University of Alabama BETA University of North Carolina ALPHA Harvard University KAPPA Miami University DELTA University of South Carolina LAMBDA Kenyon College ETA University of Virginia IOTA Centre College OMICRON University of Michigan RHO Lafayette College TAU Hamilton College BETA PHI University of Rochester THETA CHI Union College ZETA ZETA Louisiana State University PHI CHI Rutgers University GAMMA PHI Wesleyan University PSI OMEGA Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute DELTA DELTA University of Chicago PHI GAMMA Syracuse University THETA ZETA Univ of California, Berkeley PHI EPSILON University of Minnesota SIGMA TAU Mass. Institute of Technology ALPHA PHI University of Toronto DELTA KAPPA University of Pennsylvania TAU ALPHA McGill University SIGMA RHO Stanford University DELTA PI University of Illinois OMEGA CHI University of Texas, Austin ALPHA TAU University of Manitoba DELTA PHI University of Alberta PHI ALPHA University of British Columbia TAU DELTA University of the South PSI DELTA Wake Forest University SIGMA ALPHA Virginia Tech University PI BETA Troy University ALPHA MU Rowan University EPSILON RHO Duke University NU ZETA Pace University THETA UPSILON Arizona State University PHI SIGMA Bryant College PHI RHO Pennsylvania State University CHI RHO Bloomsburg University ZETA CHI Bentley College BETA GAMMA New York University SIGMA KAPPA Michigan State University DELTA PSI Indiana University MU CHI Maryville College RHO BETA University of Richmond TAU CHI Texas A & M University BETA TAU University of Victoria SIGMA XI St. Joseph’s College OMEGA MU Oklahoma State University PHI MU Manhattan College CHI BETA Univ of North Carolina, WiIlmington GAMMA IOTA Gannon University ZETA GAMMA Hampden-Sydney College

DKE ADDRESS 73 Lake Place, New Haven, CT 06511 Uses university facilities, Princeton, NJ 946 University Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 132 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Colony Status, Cambridge, MA 325 E Sycamore, Oxford, OH 45056 Colony Status, Columbia, SC Old Kenyon dormitory, Gambier, OH 173 Culbreath Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 600 W. Walnut Street, Danville, KY 1004 Olivia Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 719 Sullivan Trail, Easton, PA 18042 Uses college facilities, Clinton, NY 597 Fraternity Road, Rochester, NY 14627 N. Wing Fox dormitory, Schenectady, NY 13 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 Uses private facilities, New Brunswick, NJ 276 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459 Colony Status, Troy, NY Uses private facilities, Chicago, IL 703 Walnut Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210 2302 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704 1711 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 403 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139 157 St. George St, Toronto, ON, Canada M5R2M2 307 S. 39th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Colony status, Montreal, QC, Canada Uses university facilities Stanford, CA Colony status, Champaign, IL Colony status, Austin, TX Uses private facilities, Winnipeg, MB, Canada 11003 87th Ave., Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G0X5 #8-2880 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Can V6T253 735 University Ave, Sewanee, TN 37383 1101 Polo Road, Winston Salem, NC 27106 302 E. Roanoke Road, Blacksburg, VA 24060 414 Fraternity Circle, Troy, AL 36081 68 N. Main, Glassboro, NJ 08028 Craven AA dormitory, Durham, NC Uses private facilities, Pleasantville, NY Uses private facilities, Tempe, AZ Uses private facilities, Smithfield, RI 328 E. Foster Ave., State College, PA 16801 Uses private facilities, Bloomsburg, PA Uses private facilities, Waltham, MA Uses university facilities, NY, NY 505 Albert Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823 518 E. 1st Street, Bloomington, IN 47401 Uses private facilities, Maryville, TN Uses private facilities, Richmond, VA 3200 Callie Circle, College Station, TX 77845 Uses private facilities, Victoria, BC, Canada Uses College facilities, Patchogue, NY 11772 1225 W. Third Ave., Stillwater, OK 74074 4513 Manhattan College Pkwy, Bronx, NY Uses private facilities, Wilimington, NC 109 University Square , Erie, PA Uses college facilities, Farmville, VA

ACTIVES NEW MEMBERS 25 F 16 FO 141 FO 71 FO 12 S 66 S 48 S 23 SO 55 SO 39 SO 127 F 63 FO 17 SO 33 FO 47 S 51 FO 59 F 50 F 23 F 23 F 55 S 55 S 27 F 49 FO 22 FO 32 SO 34 FO 19 SO 27 SO 23 S 40 FO 34 FO 72 FO 23 S 64 FO 49 S 29 F 30 S 15 S 7 S 51 S 18 S 65 S 16 S 49 S 23 S 22 S 34 S 20 F 30 F 50 F 56 FO 19 SO 32 F 33 F 31 F 26 F 17 F

FO Fall only recruitment, SO Spring only recruitment, F Fall & Spring recruitment, Fall is primary, S Fall & Spring recruitment, Spring is primary w w w.d ke.o rg

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D e lt a K a p p a E p s i l o n F r a t e r n i t y PO B o x 8 3 6 0 Ann Arbor, MI 48107 Add r e s s C o r r e ct i o n R e q u e s t e d

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