eta rho alumnus Issue 1, Volume 1
March 2007
P.O. Box 726 San Marcos, TX. 78667
Inside this issue:
Letter From The Archon My name is Ricky Neal. I’ve been a member of Pi Kappa Phi since spring of 2004. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to serve as Archon for the next two semesters. We have an extremely motivated and diverse Executive Council that has set a main goal of creating more effective channels of communication between the active and alumni chapter. To this point, it seems as if after actives graduate, there is not really any avenue to keep in touch with them. We are planning to change this. First of all, we are starting this newsletter. Next, we are putting to-
gether an alumni database. Our goal with this is to create a profile of each alumnus from this chapter, complete with contact information. We are excited about the opportunity to get all of you involved in your chapter. We are working on new outlets for communication and ways to encourage your feedback. Please feel free to contact us anytime you would like to chat. I look forward to serving as Archon and communicating with all of you. In Pi Kappa Phi….
The Latest on the Eta Rho Chapter
Letter From The Archon 1
2007 Executive Board 1
Alumni Spotlight: Mr. Dustin Alexander
2
2006 Awards and Ac- 2 complishments 2007 Archon Ricky Neal
Senior Farewells
3
A Look Into The Past
4
Ricky Neal
Special Points of Interest: 2007 Executive Council The 2007 Executive Council takes office after 2 years of building. The chapter is in better standing now than it has been in 2 years. We have a GPA above the All Men’s average and the All Greek average. The Executive Council has made it a priority to better serve alumni and to move the chapter forward in service and most importantly academics.
Archon: Ricky Neal rn1037@txstate.edu Vice-Archon: Chris Anderson ca1154@txstate.edu Treasurer: Patrick Stevenson ps1066@txstate.edu Secretary: Rob Prazak rp1090@txstate.edu
Warden: Dylan Cooke
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Formal: April 27,2007
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Push Awareness Week: March 5th-9th
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Kinetic Kids Service Project: March 25th
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Golf Tournament: Fall 2007
dc1196@txstate.edu Historian: Mike Neely mn1082@txstate.edu Chaplain: Jason Navarro jn1099@txstate.edu
eta rho alumnus Issue 1, Volume 1
March 2007
Alumni Spotlight: Dustin Alexander What made you want to join Pi Kapp? Jason Biggs, Clayton Harris and I were all going through recruitment together and Pi Kappa Phi was the only fraternity that we all three felt comfortable with. It was still a young chapter and we each saw the opportunity to help build something great, and it ended up being an outstanding decision for all of us. Where are you working? I'm currently a football/baseball coach and a Geography/History teacher at Trimble Tech HS in Fort Worth. How is your family? My parents currently own a vineyard in California and are planning to launch a wine label called Sanglier due to be released soon. It will be a family business and we hope to focus on the Texas market. What is your greatest memory from being a Pi Kapp? My best memory from Pi Kapp was just hanging out with brothers. It was so nice to be able to get together 10 or more brothers to just hang out
on virtually any weekend. With everyone being spread out and starting families now, it's really hard to get guys together although we still do once or twice a year. Intramurals and river floats were also things I loved. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I hope to be either a head coach in baseball or possibly a coordinator in varsity football. I'd like to be in Austin or Dallas/Fort Worth. How can the chapter better serve alumni? I think most alumni just want to remain in the loop somehow. A newsletter is a great start. Most of us enjoy San Marcos and are always looking for an excuse to go back, so any events planned far in advance are always appreciated. The key is advanced planning and increased communication. What made you want to become a Regional Governor for Pi Kapp? I worked for the National Office for a year so I've always tried to stay
involved both locally and nationally. I received an email from Nationals asking about my interest level and I volunteered to help, but I didn't know if I could be a good RG because I don't have much time. After talking with some of the people in Charlotte, I got excited about the position and submitted my name into the mix and things just went from there. I do enjoy the fact that I still get to be involved with Pi Kappa Phi. I get to see one of the top chapters in the country over at TCU. I get to help Baylor experience what I was able to at Texas State and I also get to work with Eta Rho alumnus Zach Howard in helping our UTA Chapter return to prominence. On top of all that, it's exciting to see our UT Tyler chapter take off with 50 guys in the first month. I love being able to give back to the fraternity that has given so much to me. Lastly, I look forward to seeing how Eta Rho is doing back down in San Marcos. Unfortunately, I usually only make it down in the summers but it's always exciting to hear from your home chapter.
“I love being able to give back to the fraternity that has given so much to me.”
2006 Awards and Accomplishments 2006 was a very successful year for Eta Rho. Overall the chapter raised more than $2200 for Push America. In addition to that amount, two of our new members, Colby Webster and Garrett Capps, were awarded $500 for their performance at Chi Omega’s annual Song Fest, which was also donated to Push America. Four men, Christopher Anderson, Kyle Hall, Danny Kruoch,
and Kyle McKemy, earned Dean’s List honors for their academic achievements while also being extremely active in the chapter. At the All Greek Awards Program, Eta Rho was recognized many times. We were recognized in the Chapter Accreditation Program (CAP) for Excellence in Community Service and New Member Education. We also received honors and recognition
from the Interfraternity Council (IFC). We were awarded most community service hours out of all the member fraternities in IFC. Christopher Anderson received an Outstanding Academic Achievement during his new member period. Closing out a very successful night for Eta Rho, one of our very own, Andrae Turner, was named Texas State’s 2006 Greek Man of the Year.
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eta rho alumnus Issue 1, Volume 1
March 2007
Senior Farewell Andrae L. Turner #139 Brother Andrae L. Turner was one of the most active members of the chapter and of the Texas State Greek Community. Andrae took leadership roles within the chapter immediately after his associate member period including representing the chapter as IFC delegate and Judicial Board Member. He served the chapter in a number of chair positions but most notably served the chapter as Warden. Brother Turner also served Eta Rho and the Texas State Greek Community as President of the Student Organizations Council, Vice President of Judicial Affairs of the IFC and as the first member of Eta Rho to serve as IFC President. Andrae continued his leadership by serving as the President of the Mid-American Greek Council Association (MGCA).
Brother Turner was the first Texas State Student to serve in that position. Additionally, he was the first Pi Kapp to ever serve on the MGCA Executive Board. Brother Turner will be moving to Houston to pursue an administrative residency with Memorial Hermann Sugar Land.
Kyle McKemy #191 Brother Kyle McKemy was a true brother to us all. He served the chapter from his pledge semester right up to graduation while going through Army ROTC. Kyle served on the 2005 Executive Council as Historian in which he served Push and co-coordinated a Casino Night and Roseball Formal, both of which were extremely successful. Kyle graduated with his Bachelors in Applied Arts- Criminal Justice and now finds himself at Fort Sill, in Lawton, Oklahoma where he serves as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Christopher Molho #147 Brother Christopher Molho was a leader of the chapter. He spent countless hours serving the fraternity, first as Warden and then as the Archon
for 2005. He finished his service to the chapter as T-shirt chair, one which he will be remembered for for semesters to come. During his term as Archon, Brother Molho saw a change in the fraternity, and under his direction the chapter started moving back towards sound chapter operations. Chris graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration and currently is training in Houston for a job that he will take in April in Miami, Florida.
Jared Rockoff #177 Brother Jared Rockoff was an extremely active member of the chapter as an undergraduate. He held numerous chair positions, including ritual chair, Push America chairman and most notably public relations chair in which he did an excellent job of promoting the chapter’s image on campus. He graduated in the fall semester of 2006 with a Bachelors in Applied Arts– Criminal Justice. Jared finds himself in Houston working for an insurance firm.
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eta rho alumnus Issue 1, Volume 1
Mike Neely Historian Eta Rho Chapter Pi Kappa Phi Phone: 713-851-8041 E-mail: mneely@txstate.edu
Ricky Neal Archon Phone: 210-325-8720
March 2007
Fraternity Becomes Chartered Chapter It all began in Blanco Hall, Room 206, when two fraternity pledges decided it would be a good idea to start their own fraternity. Now, almost four years later, the fraternity started by Troy Culwell and Christopher Duncan will become a chartered chapter of the national fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. The fraternity, which became an associate chapter of Pi Kappa Phi in February 1993, has spent the last three years fulfilling the requirements for a charter, said Robert Moffett, historian of the fraternity. Mike Fina, president of the Interfraternity Council, said that receiving a charter is very important for a fraternity. As an associate chapter, the fraternity members are still pledges and do not know the initiation rites or secrets of the national fraternity, he said. "It's the difference between being a pledge and an active," he said. Fina said that associate chapters have a twoyear probationary period to receive a national charter. If they do not receive a charter after the probationary period, they cannot be members of the Interfraternity Council, the supervisory body for fraternities associated with the National Interfraternity Conference, Fina said.
Check the website for updates at: www.txstatepikapp.com
One of the first steps to receive a charter is to petition the national fraternity with a chartering brochure, Moffett said. A chartering brochure, he said, is a long document that includes a history of the fraternity, a history of SWT, a history of the greek system, minutes from each fraternity meeting and other documents.
Moffett said the fraternity members took a year and half to get organized on their own before receiving help from the national Pi Kappa Phi. "After we got ourselves started, the nationals wanted us to prove ourselves to them before they spend any money to come help us out," he said. Once a representative from the national fraternity met with the local fraternity, it was decided to make the fraternity an interest group, or associate chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. Starting this Thursday, members of the fraternity will meet with national members and will be tested over things such as the history of the national fraternity, the local fraternity and the history of the greek world, Moffett said. The fraternity members will then have an oral exam which usually lasts three to six hours, Moffett said. If 35 men pass, the members are ready to go through the rituals of initiation and then become full-fledged members of the national fraternity, he said. Moffett said there are 38 candidates for membership. A formal chartering banquet will be held Saturday night at the Hyatt Regency in Austin after the initiation process. The banquet will include presentations, a keynote speaker and an official welcome to the greek community at SWT. By Jennifer Gregory Senior Reporter (Copyright Š 1996, SWT Student Publications)
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