SUMMER 2021
PI KAPPA TIMES The Official E-Newsletter Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Zeta
ARCHON STATEMENT These past several terms have been very difficult for our house. Despite our hardships, we have come out stronger than before. Our bonds within the brotherhood kept us going. We have worked hard to maintain the regular participation of all members in upholding and protecting the traditions of this house. I think all of our hard work truly shows how strong we are at our core. As the Archon, I couldn’t be more proud of how our young men have stood their ground throughout the hardships. Throughout these ups and downs, I think that the heart of our chapter shines through the most. I would like to extend an invitation on behalf of the chapter for you all to come tailgate with us this fall. Whether your goal is to walk down memory lane or check out what’s new with Alpha Zeta our door is always open.
ODH Matt Gay Archon
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JOURNEY OF HOPE We are proud to announce that our ABEX coordinator Julian Cameleri took on the challenge of being our representative for the ability experience this summer! As most of you know this summer Julian biked across the country from Santa Barbra, CA to Washington D.C., in an effort to raise money for children with disabilities. Julian was working hard all year to be able to take on this challenge and we are proud to have a brother like him in the house. He reached his goal in donations. He was on the trip from June 17th to August 14th. After completing the trip Julian said " I signed up for JOH with the intention of acting as a role model for the younger guys in my chapter. I have learned that this trip is truly the experience of a lifetime, through all the people and communities we have interacted with."
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A LETTER FROM OUR HOUSE DAD I write to you with good tidings and warm wishes for you and your families during these seemingly challenging times. For those of you who do not know me, I am Zack VanHoesen (AZ 1207) and I have had the pleasure of serving in the House Dad role here at the Alpha Zeta Chapter for the past two years. As an undergraduate, I was honored to have served as the Philanthropy Chairman and Historian and to have participated in Pi Kapp College, Build America, and other PKP events. This fraternity has provided me a rich and rewarding experience and I have enjoyed continuing my journey well after my time as an undergraduate. I know I will never be able to fill the shoes of the late – and infamous – Dave Keele, but I do my best every day to summon my inner “bull fuck” and carry on in an ideal way. Being House Dad has its challenges but, witnessing the effort the undergraduates put forth inspires me to do improve my presence in this role every day. I invested heavily in this fraternity way back when I was initiated, so to speak, and it has continued to pay massive dividends to me to this day. I finished up my undergraduate career with much more than good memories and lifelong friends/brothers; I finished with maturity, a different perspective, and as valuable member in the alumni chapter. This place was always much more to me than a fun time on the weekend. I am sure all of you would agree that this house – and the fraternity - will always hold a special place in our thoughts and hearts.
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Many of you are aware of the incredible collaboration that occurred in our dining room. Most impressively, that collaboration can be measured in dollars; over $15000 in fact. Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, we were able to raise over $15000 to completely renovate our formal dining room. Insulation, drywall, new electrical system, new lighting, new heater, an electric projector screen, and much more. It truly portrays the beauty and pride of this fraternity. My biggest thank you to all of you who donated to this project and made it possible. That being said, we still have a lot of work to do, brothers. We are motivated to bring this house up to the standing glory it deserves.
Brothers, there is much on the horizon to be excited about and I would like to personally challenge each of you to consider playing a role. Consider giving back to the house and fraternity that gave so much to you. Consider doing your part to make Alpha Zeta the ideal chapter. As always, ODH.
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VICE ARCHON RUSH UPDATES Jack McDonnell is currently occupying the Vice Archon position for Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Zeta. He is originally from the suburbs of Chicago, IL, and is headed into his third year at Oregon State with a major in Forest Operations and a minor in Business Administration. He served as a recruitment chair for the 2019-2020 year and was the primary recruiter during this time, extending every bid that was extended during the fall of 2020. Since his term as Vice Archon, he has pursued a goal of more involvement with recruitment amongst the members. Furthermore, he has established a dedicated and productive recruitment committee to delegate various tasks to and have new perspectives when it comes to recruiting. This past spring, Jack and his recruitment team achieved a pledge class of 16 young men. 2 of whom were dropped for the betterment of Alpha Zeta. With regards to the upcoming summer and fall rush, Jack is actively meeting with his recruitment committee bi-weekly to formulate appealing rush events and attire. With full awareness of the need for numbers, Jack prioritizes the quality of men over quantity so that the brotherhood and reputation of Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Zeta can sustain itself for generations to come. You can find Jack working in Lebanon, OR at his firewood business that he owns with a fellow pledge class brother or mountain biking at the local Corvallis trails.
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EXCELLENCE IN ADVISING Heather Rapp is the current Chapter Advisor for Alpha Zeta and was recently honored and recognized nationally by Pi Kappa Phi as the 2020 Wade G. Birch Chapter Advisor of the Year. She also received the Excellence in Advising award in 2020. Heather resides in Corvallis and works as the House Director for Kappa Delta, where she has been the House Director for 7 years. Heather graduated in 2003 from Boise State University with a bachelor’s degree in Social Science and Communications and is currently working on her MBA. When she was in college, Boise State did not have a Greek system, so she is not affiliated with a Greek organization, but loves the work she is able to do as a House Director and an Advisor. Heather also works full-time at the OSU Foundation raising money for student scholarships and university-based initiatives. Prior to her career change in 2019, she worked in events at OSU for over 7 years. She is very much looking forward to helping alumni & membership plan and celebrating the Alpha Zeta 100 year anniversary celebration in 2024. In her free time when she is not working, advising, or studying, you can find her cooking, hiking, wine tasting, and attending sporting events. You can always find her tailgating before Beaver home football games. She would love to meet the Alpha Zeta Alumni, so next time you are in Corvallis, please reach out! Contact Information: hrapp80@gmail.com
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FUNDRAISING: PI KAPPA CAR WASH Looking for ways to better the house, we decided it would be a good idea to start to do car washes as a fun and easy way to raise money. We are looking to continue to provide car washes every term. Part of the money goes towards our philanthropy and part of it goes towards extra-curricular activities for the house. It also helped us show our associate members what philanthropy is all about and how important it is to our house. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we were not able to participate in our usual philanthropies to the fullest extent as we were not able to set up tables on campus. But throughout these trying times, we have had lots of time to think and plan better ideas for future philanthropies. We are excited to see what we can accomplish this upcoming school year.
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HISTORIAN UPDATE My name is Kage Groszewski and I am the current historian for our chapter. Our new exec board has been working hard throughout the pandemic to better our house in any way we can despite the hardships and I am very proud of what we have accomplished as a team. We are working to become more accountable as a brotherhood and push ourselves and each other to be the best Pi Kapps we can be. I am hoping to start a better line of communication with alumni because we haven’t had much contact with many of you in the time I have been here. I encourage you to try and become involved yourself and challenge you to share this newsletter with at least a few people who may have not gotten it. I also want to ask you all to update your contact information for the alumni chapter and reach out to anyone you suspect might need to as well. I can be reached at the email below if any comments or questions arise. ODH.
Update contact information here or @ https://pikapp.org/alumni/stay-informed/alumni-list-request/ Historian Email: pkp.az.historian@gmail.com