SPRING 2020
THE COLORADO GAMMA
RAMS CONNECTION Official Newsletter of the Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Colorado State University
OXFORD TROPHY WINNERS
COLORADO GAMMA WINS TOP AWARD AT GENERAL CONVENTION SECOND YEAR IN A ROW! Top photo: Colorado Gamma with Phi Delta Theta General President Dr. Chris W. Brussalis. Bottom photo: Phi Delta Theta Chief Executive Officer Designee and Chief Operating Officer Sean Wagner (far left) and Tio Kleberg (far right) with award-winning chapter Colorado Gamma.
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or the second year in a row, Colorado Gamma won the top award at the 2019 Kleberg Emerging Leaders Institute. The Oxford Trophy was so named to commemorate the birthplace of our Fraternity and home of our General Headquarters. Formerly the Harvard Trophy, this award dates back to 1924 and recognizes the most outstanding Phi Delta Theta chapter at a large institution of over 20,000 students. Colorado Gamma are the inaugural winners of this award.
Additionally, the chapter won eight other Phi Delt awards: #1 Scholarship Award, Biggers Ritual Trophy, Excellence in Risk Management Award, Gold Star Award, Recruitment Improvement, Excellence in Recruitment, Excellence in Philanthropy, and Excellence in GHQ Reporting. Colorado Gamma’s success can be measured in the continued success in recruitment, academics, and philanthropy. In 2018–2019, they were awarded six fraternity and sorority life awards at CSU and they became an Iron Phi Chapter by raising over $16,000 in one month. This achievement led them to be the winners of Lou’s Challenge, a partnership with the LiveLikeLou Foundation, where the dollars raised go towards the goal of raising $4 million in 1,848 days.
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
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inning numerous awards from General Headquarters as well as Greek life here at CSU means that 2019 was one of the most successful years for our chapter. In the spring, our chapter took home a total of six awards from the CSU Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards ceremony. These awards consisted of: Membership Development, Academic Achievement, Recruitment Intake/Retention, Number 1 GPA, Fraternity Man of the Year (Austin Hayes 1133), and Emerging Fraternity Leader (Matt Coghill 1212). On top of this, our chapter also took home a
ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT
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eremy Sirner 1183 feels one of the best decisions he has ever made was becoming a Phi Delt in the fall of 2016. Throughout his time in the chapter he held a variety of different positions including executive board secretary, Phikeia board member, and intramural chairman. While at CSU in addition to Phi Delt he was a member of the Summit Fund (student managed investment portfolio valued at ~$500K), a member of the Finance Club, and he participated on a variety of intramural sports teams. After graduating from the College of Business in May 2019, he moved to Denver and started working full time in the finance department at Charles Schwab. On the weekends, he works for an entertainment company where he acts as emcee for a variety of different special events such as bar/bat mitzvahs, birthday parties, school dances, and more. What career advice would you give to the younger generation? Make the most of your college experience: take advantage of all of the opportunities available to you while you’re in school. Once you graduate, those opportunities are not as accessible. Also, be somebody that your brothers are going to want to keep in touch with after graduation.
How did Phi Delta Theta prepare you for life after college? Phi Delt helped me to surround myself with men who challenged me, are smart, fun, respectable, and the ones I want to have in my life forever. Hands down, Phi Delt has made me a better leader, a better friend, and a better man. Knowing what you now know, what advice would you give to your newest Phikeia class? When it comes to Phi Delt, be involved and be invested. There will always be the opportunity to do something else, but the number of Phi Delt events are limited. Make it a priority to be involved—you won’t regret it! Also, remember, academics are important. You came to college to earn a degree and found Phi Delt—don’t get your priorities mixed up.
UNDERGRADUATE UPDATE
A CHANCE ENCOUNTER LED TO AN INTERNSHIP THAT CHANGED A PHIS CAREER TRAJECTORY
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y name is Jesse Hernandez 1223 and I am a rising senior at Colorado State University. I am studying health and exercise science with a concentration in sports medicine, am a US Army ROTC Cadet, and a proud member of Phi Delta Theta, Colorado Gamma. There is no question that this chapter offers its members many great opportunities and experiences, but I must admit I am particularly lucky, and equally grateful for, the extraordinary influence this chapter has had on my life. The Colorado Gamma
ABOUT US
Send news, address updates and photos to: Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta 2 South Campus Avenue Oxford, Ohio 45056
CHAPTER OFFICERS Nicholas Beith, President Matthew Coghill, Vice President Maxwell Stelpstra, Treasurer Liam Brumley, Recruitment Chairman Alexander Smith, Phikeia Educator Josh Ridgeway, Risk Management Chairman Matthew Payne, Secretary Isaac Scott, Awards Chairman Ted Chasson, House Manager Taj Goldsmith, Warden
STAY UP-TO-DATE /PhiDeltCO1920 @csuphidelt colostate.phideltatheta.org
CHAPTER ADVISERS Keith Lopez, Chapter Adviser/CAB Chairman Leanna Biddle, Scholarship and Academic Adviser Jonathan Rust, CAB Member
COLORADO AREA ALUMNI CLUB Glenn Jacobsen
HOUSE CORPORATION Nathan Flynn, President Austin Hayes, Secretary Patrick Edler, Treasurer Eric Lawson, Member
The Colorado Gamma Rams Connection is published two times per year by the Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Colorado State University for alumni and parents. ©Copyright 2020 Colorado Gamma. All rights reserved.
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Rams Connection » Spring 2020
Chapter has given me practically everything I need to be successful as a student at Colorado State, from dynamic leadership skills to social confidence, friends who I consider family, and possibly a rewarding career path. Two short years ago, I attended the Kleberg Leadership Conference in Oxford, Ohio. I had the privilege to meet LiveLikeLou Director Suzanne Alexander who presented the stark and arduous reality of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), after losing her husband to the disease. I have always been fascinated by the complexity of the human neural system, and the challenge ALS presented had my full attention. I had spent time volunteering and fundraising with my chapter for ALS, but never really understood what we were working against. One summer later, thanks to Suzanne’s direct support, I would spend three months at the world-class ALS Research Laboratory at the University of Arizona Molecular and Cellular Biology Department under Dr. Daniela Zarnescu. This was unquestionably one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. One, because these people are literally Continued on page 4 Colorado Gamma
CO GAMMA
BY THE NUMBERS
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FRATERNITY & SORORITY LIFE AWARDS 2018: Excellence in Academic Achievement Excellence in Membership Development Excellence in Intake, Recruitment & Retention 2019: Excellence in Academic Achievement Excellence in Community Service/Philanthropy Excellence in Harm Reduction & Risk Management
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Back-to-back winners of most outstanding Phi Delta Theta chapter at a large institution
106
Total number of current members
RAISED FOR LIVELIKELOU
19,676
$
$16,355 Lou’s Challenge • $3,321 Phi Delt Fry Out
2019 WELCOME WEEK LEADERS
22
23
Members living in the house
34
Number of members initiated in 2019
9
10 68
Members involved in an outside organization
%
23
Years in a row winning from PDT GHQ
9
TOP 5 IN GRADES
Semesters in a row
AVG FALL INITIATES
GOLD STAR AWARD
22
over last five years
2019 GHQ AWARDS
Oxford Trophy #1 Scholarship Award Biggers Ritual Trophy Excellence in Risk Management Award Gold Star Award Recruitment Improvement Excellence in Recruitment Excellence in Philanthropy Excellence in GHQ Reporting
Total number of states represented by current undergraduate brothers
Two international members: South Africa and Australia
116.5k
$
Amount spent by House Corporation on facility upgrades in 2019
CO Gamma Members
PRESIDENT’S CORNER: continued from page 1 number of awards from Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters including the inaugural Oxford Trophy. After winning the Harvard Trophy the year before, our chapter knew this was only the beginning and began to build off of our previous success. To do this we increased our involvement on campus, improved our Phikeia Education Program in multiple ways, had very successful philanthropic success, and much more. The successes of spring 2019 continued into 2020 as we just recently took home another five awards from the most recent CSU Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards ceremony. These awards consisted of: Excellence in Academic Achievement, Excellence in Community Service/Philanthropy, Excellence in Harm Reduction & Risk Management, Living the Ritual (Sampson Briggs 1185), and President of the Year (Isaac Scott 1189). We plan to continue striving in these areas and building our chapter’s successes in others as well. Spring initiation saw thirteen new members and in the fall we initiated an additional twenty-two Phikeias. This brought our fall member total to 101, the largest we have been in over twenty years. Our chapter has continued to make house improvement colostate.phideltatheta.org
with the help of our House Corporation. For the first time we have a full-time chef in the house that makes three meals a day for those living in the house and for any members that want to purchase a meal plan. If you are ever in Fort Collins, we would love for you to stop by the house and say hello. Yours in the Bond, Nick Beith 1245, Chapter President Nsbeith@gmail.com
Rams Connection » Spring 2020
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WE WANT YOUR NEWS!
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In preparation of the next edition, we are looking for any news and updates in your life. Please email any content to CO Gamma Chapter Advisory Board Chairman Keith Lopez at lopez.keith@gmail.com.
UNDERGRADUATE SPOTLIGHT: continued from page 2
some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with, and two, there was a common sense of appreciation for the beauty of biological science that was deeply inspiring. I can confidently say that this internship set me on a new path, and I sincerely hope that I have the opportunity to work with some of these people again. The challenge that the disease presents, and the devastating and very real consequences were physically apparent when working hands on with the drosophilia (fruit flies). This dilemma was captivating and even frustrating at times. It seemed obvious, (at least from a physically observational perspective) that the current standard of care, the two FDA-approved drugs, Riluzole and Radicava, which I spent most of my summer working with, are not even close to where they need to be. I certainly hope through my future studies that I might be able to contribute again in what is a very complex and unpredictable fight to find a cure, maybe even with Dr. Zarnescu and her wonderful associates. When I returned to school and the chapter, I was able to share my experience, a story I hoped would remind them of the importance of our philanthropic efforts, and our duties as Phi Delts to contribute our talents and abilities to the world. Several of my fellow brothers have shown keen interest in seeking such opportunities for themselves, and contributing to the cause. It was a huge boost to our brotherhood to be reminded that what we stand for is very real, and most importantly, that we can do something about it. The words of Robert Morrison, “To do what ought to be done” are very much on mind as my future is still very much undecided. Currently, I will continue to pursue opportunities in the research community in hopes of giving back, and will always be proud to be a Phi.
Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta 2 South Campus Avenue Oxford, Ohio 45056 Address Service Requested
COLORADO GAMMA WINS TOP IRON PHI CHAPTER
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n April 2019 our members took place in an Iron Phi challenge against thirteen other Phi Delta Theta chapters called Lou’s Challenge. The challenge was a competition to raise money for the LiveLike Lou Foundation, an organization partnered with Phi Delta Theta and whose goal is to raise money for ALS research conferences, summer camp experiences for children from ALS families, and Iron Horse Scholarships for ALS dependents as they pursue their higher education dreams. Our chapter collectively raised $16,354.75 in one month for Iron Phi. The following brothers raised money by running a 5K: Sampson Briggs ($2,666), Bear Zietz ($1,942), Cole Bechtel ($1,926), Mason Weig ($1,102), and Isaac Scott ($1,008). Nate Nielsen ($1,152) water-skied ten miles. Jared Sheehan ($1,062), Josh Ridgeway ($1,033), and Will Craigmyle ($1,027) became Fourteeners (14ers). These brothers also contributed to Colorado Gamma’s success at winning Lou’s Challenge: Taj Goldsmith ($568), Drew Silpasornprasit ($462), JP Friend ($302), Ulises Cordova ($150), and Sam Cole ($130).