Pi Kappa Phi- Eta Zeta
December 19th, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 2
Chapter Update Written by Justin Lafreniere With two seniors graduating in May of this year and one in December, Eta Zeta has come to some geographic point; it is not a crossroads, for the chapter has direction, from the juniors, the sophomores, and dedicated yet young freshmen. But with the House made up by mostly younger classmen, the effect is noticeable. In two years, Eta Zeta plans to add five Pi Alphas (brothers who have completed a summer Push Event), more than doubling the previous five years. And with the commitment to both Push and Brotherhood, the chapter has established itself as a nationally known and respected chapter. Following the closure of UNCC for hazing, Queens’ chapter has remained a shinning bright spot in the Carolina chapters that are so important to Pi Kappa Phi. The chapter will be sending a team to participate in a “Kids on the Block” puppet show for empathy training to finish up a Push Week that will have included events with the Carolina Crash Rugby Team and the annual 24-Hour Run. The chapter also recently held its second annual Glow Party and a Jock Jams mixer under direction of social chair, Michael Fleming. Elections were held on December 3rd to usher in a new era of leadership.
Brothers hanging out behind the house during an all-Greek event
Pi Kapp Photo shoot in Dana fountain
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Brotherhood Spotlight Adam Phillips Interview by Ian Kowalski 1.) Can you tell us a bit about your personal life?
Brothers and friends hanging out
Eta Zeta brothers and guest at Nationals
In the spring of 2008, I began interning as the marketing intern/managing editor for Push America here in Charlotte, where I was responsible for news content, including newsletters and Web site maintenance. Joey Smith (HZ 121) was working as a director of logistics at Push America at the time and knew that I still needed to fulfill some internship credits in order to graduate in May, and he helped me procure the internship. Once graduation time rolled around, I still had one class to take of the summer in order to finish and was offered the full-time summer internship as one of the two PR coordinators for Gear Up Florida, Build America and Journey of Hope. After a pretty amazing summer working with the teams and once I finally finished at Queens, I had the opportunity to stay on staff as an intern until a full-time position opened up. In January of 2009, my direct supervisor left to pursue another opportunity and I filled the role of director of marketing and public relations. Not married (I’m only 23! Quit pressuring me!). 2.) What was your experience like as an undergraduate in Pi Kappa Phi? (How big was the house (member-wise), did you have to know the first 21 members as well as associates do now, what was it like working on the growth of the chapter, etc.?)
I joined Pi Kappa Phi during my first semester at Queens. I was part of the largest associate class of the chapter’s history with 10 or 11 other young men. That year alone, Eta Zeta saw pretty incredible growth with my class in the fall and an even larger class in the spring. Between spring’s initiation and the senior class’ graduation in May, Eta Zeta grew to over 50 men, which is the largest it has ever been (to the best of my knowledge, it hasn’t gotten that big since I graduated, but I could be wrong). At the Awards Convocation at the end of the school year, Eta Zeta won our first Greek House of the Year award. We had great leadership in the executive council when I entered the house and the one elected following my initiation. Our associate membership education doesn’t seem to be much different from what it is now, with the exception that it’s only gotten better. It’s pretty impressive to hear semester after semester that the associates really know their stuff. My undergraduate experience was very impactful during my four years at Queens, and it definitely continues to be. Had it not been for Pi Kappa Phi, Eta Zeta specifically, it is very likely that I would’ve transferred out of Queens; freshman year was not easy on me. Those men that became my brothers are why I stayed. Had I left, I would’ve lost out on the three incredible years to follow. My very best friends in the world I met through Pi Kappa Phi. I don’t know
Page 2 of 6 that it’s possible to leave Queens with 30 or 40 best friends, but the few that you keep post-graduation will be there for life. And although the rest of your brothers may not be your very best friends and most trusted allies, it’s good to know that if you ever needed them, those 30 or 40 brothers would be right by your side at the drop of a hat. I recently saw a group of older brothers a few weeks ago while one was in town, and it was like no one had ever left; like we could still walk across campus and spend an evening in revelry and brotherhood. Life gets heavy sometimes, but even at its lowest points, life’s a little better because of Eta Zeta and the men that continue to add to its tradition. 3.) How has Pi Kappa Phi helped you in your life since graduation? Well, seeing as how I work for Push America, Pi Kappa Phi has helped in my life a lot! While it’s not a requirement to be a Pi Kappa Phi to work at Push America, my four years of active membership built a passion for Push America that I might not have pursued otherwise. My time spent as Secretary and Vice Archon helped in building leadership skills as well as organizational skills. As we all know, working in the chapter builds your people skills. Everyone butts heads at times, and learning to handle/control/reign that in is a real skill that is used every day in our office. We all come from intensely different backgrounds, and not rolling with those punches can cause unneeded stress. Although it can sound cheesy at times, Pi Kappa Phi’s leadership-focused mission really can
come to fruition if you let it.. 4.) Do you have any advice for current and future brothers? The best advice I can give to current and future brothers is to enjoy your time to the fullest of your ability. I know it’s easy to get caught up in outside forces when you’re trying to make the chapter run efficiently, whether that be attempting to win Greek House of the Year or competing against other fraternities that may pop up on campus. There’s nothing in your fraternal experience that will ever outweigh the people that you spend however many years with. Once you’re out of school, you won’t remember where you went for mystery destination or who planned the best Rush week (although mine was pretty awesome), you’ll remember the brotherhood events, the weekend road trips, the random late nights you’ll spend at Skyland’s drinking terrible coffee with your brothers. Those are the invaluable times. Live for those times. Don’t get caught up in the drama that tends to surround our very small campus: leave that to the sororities. Don’t be afraid to make hard decisions about the chapter. Whatever the decision, everything will be okay. Pass the gavel after meetings; tell people exactly what you appreciate about them. Try, try, try (and it’s a challenge that I fell prey to) to not stop caring just because you’re almost out of school. One of my biggest regrets of my collegiate career is missing out on a lot my senior year because I wasn’t trying hard enough to enjoy it.
Stuart Hair, Jay McBride, Derick Painter and Sean Stinson
2009 Pi Kapp College Awards
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Push America By Travis Mullis Hello brothers; I hope this newsletter finds you all well. This semester has been a whirlwind of activity for the Eta Zeta chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. We kicked things off in style with this year’s Rush in September. Brother Eric Galdo, Eta Zeta’s Vice Archon and participant in this year’s Journey of Hope, planned and put together a wonderful wheelchair basketball game and presentation for Push night during Rush. 18 freshmen going through Rush enjoyed a night of thought, understanding, and empathy. Brothers Galdo, Lafrenerie, and Bean talked of their experiences on the Journey of Hope and Gear up Florida. Their stories reminded everyone in attendance what Push America and Pi Kappa Phi are all about. Brothers participated in after school tutoring for Elementary school kids
Brothers participating in Quad rugby game with Carolina Crash during Push week
In October brothers and associates took time out of their busy weekend to help facilitate an event for people with disabilities at Shining Hope Farms. Located in Huntersville, NC; Shining Hope Farms provides therapeutic horseback riding for people with disabilities. Brothers and associates helped park cars, collect money, and package BBQ dinners for the event. After all the hard work some of the brothers and associates kicked back and learned how to square dance (which is much harder than it looks). Shining Hope Farms hopes to do future events with the brothers of Eta Zeta because of their commitment to Push America. Last, but most definitely not least, our biggest event of the semester is just around the corner. During the week of November 30th to December 5th Eta Zeta will be holding its annual Push week. During the week the brothers will be collecting donations in Trexler during meal times, participating in a 24-hour run, attending a Quad Rugby game put on by Carolina Crash, and listening to the stories and life lessons of national Push events as told by
brothers Galdo, Lafrenerie, and Bean. The 24-hour run will take place from Friday December 4th to Saturday December 5th at Queens University of Charlotte. Queens faculty and staff will be pledging a certain amount of money for every lap that is done by a brother. All alumni are greatly encouraged to stop by to chat, donate, or do some laps. The Quad Rugby game is still being finalized and an email will be sent out to all alumni reminding them of the time and place for the Quad Rugby game. Carolina Crash is a local Quad Rugby team that works to bring people with disabilities together to have fun and bring understanding to the general population. Eta Zeta has decided to give its grant from Push America of 900 dollars to Carolina Crash for all the work they do to raise money and encourage empathy for people with disabilities. Donations will be collected and anyone is free to come and enjoy an exciting night of Quad Rugby. On one final note, I thought I should give a shout out to brothers Wes Clarkson and Andrew Chinn for being accepted to the Journey of Hope. Congratulations guys!
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Students Find 'Family' on Cross-country Bike Journey By Dallen McKinnis When most college students think of a summer vacation, they think of sunny beaches, time to spend with family or maybe a summer job to earn a little extra cash for the upcoming semester. Three Queens students, however, pictured something a little different. They certainly had sun, there was definitely a family of sorts and you could even consider what they did a job, though they received no monetary reward. Queens juniors Joey Haynes, Eric Galdo and Justin Lafreniere spent their summer biking from coast to coast to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. They took part in the Journey of Hope, an annual event sponsored by Push America, the philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Push America an organization that seeks to show Americans that people with disabilities are in fact people, no different from the rest of us. The Journey of Hope is split in to three routes: North, South and Trans America. Two start in San Francisco while one begins in Seattle. All end on the same day on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. Lafreniere was a crew member on the South route, driving the vans filled with gear and providing support for the cyclists, while Haynes and Galdo were cyclists on the South and Trans America routes, respectively. The program raises more than $500,000 annually and has, to date, sent more than 900 undergraduate students cycling across the country.
Eta Zeta is proud of Joey Haynes, Justin Lafreniere, Eric Galdo, and Jarred Bean for participating in national Push events!
Haynes is currently studying abroad in Hong Kong through Queens’ John Belk International Program and could not be reached for comment, but Lafreniere and Galdo were more than happy to speak about their expectations and experiences from the trip. “I didn’t know what to expect from it,” said Lafreniere. “Expectations were hazy at best. I got to see the desert, the mountains, all of the southern parts of the country. I got to drive a van across the country with the that became some of my best friends…you can’t really describe it.” Galdo’s expectations were a little clearer, but even he found surprises occasionally. “I expected going into the Journey of Hope that it would be hard, and the friendship visits would be fun, but I never expected that through the hardest days riding up mountains that I would be able to rely on 26 other men who I barely knew to get me through my toughest times. I also never expected that at the friendship visits I would meet some of the most extraordinary people. Individuals that have struggled to make their lives the best they can with what they are given, and that have left a deep impression on my heart that I will never forget.”
guys
Jarred Bean and Eric Galdo speak with Durward Owen about National Push events
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Pi Kappa Phi Eta Zeta
Friendship visits were opportunities for the Journey of Hope participants to interact with people with disabilities. After completing their cycling for the day,, cyclists and crew members would visit a rehabilitation center, school for the developmentally delayed, or other organization to play games, dance, sing songs, and just spend time and get to know people with disabilities. “I learned a lot about people in general, how they work, what they desire,” said Lafreniere. “I learned people are universally the same good creatures with the same abilities who just may struggle or have to find other ways to use their abilities.”
Brothers participating in special rollers
Galdo added, “My entire perspective on people with disabilities has changed. I have a whole new love for helping people who need it, and for giving back to the community. And I have seen what the group of 30 men from my team can accomplish when they work together.” Yet Lafreniere said if he was given the chance to do the Journey of Hope again, he would turn it down. “I don’t want memories of another team to encroach on the memories with this team. I had my fun…I don’t think it could be better, and I’m afraid to try and make it so.” Galdo, however, said he would certainly do it again. “In a heartbeat. This was hands down the best, most memorable experience of my life.” Brothers Joey Haynes and Eric Galdo at the Capitol in Washington D.C. after their summer of Journey of Hope
*Any Alumnus interested in attending Roseball should contact Walter Broadhurst via e-mail. Walter.Broadhurst@gmail.com *Roseball will be April 23rd 2010
New Brothers: Fall Class of 2009 By Josh Lipack 1. Walter Broadhurst - Charlotte, NC - Computer Information Systems
7. Andrew Frerichs - Raleigh, NC - Business
2. Jc Gonzalez - Guayaquil, Ecuador - Psychology
8. Walid Asmar - Bronx, NY - Business
3. James Keesler - Charlotte, NC - Psychology
9. Daniel Jackson - Durham, NC - Business
4. Andrew Fuentes - San Antonio, Texas - International Studies
10. Tim Sheahan - Savannah, Georgia - Business
5. Benjamin Hussenet - France - Business
11. Malcolm Opoku - Accra, Ghana - Nursing
6. Ruairi O'kane - Belfast, Ireland - Business
12. Brandon Harris - Seal Beach, California - Communication and Literature
Pi Kappa Phi Eta Zeta
1900 Selwyn Ave Charlotte NC, 28274 Questions? Contact: Matthew Mozzo E-mail: mattmozzo@hargray. com
13. Ian Kowalski - Caracas, Venezuela Communication
2010 Executive Council Archon- Matthew Mozzo Vice Archon- Josh Lipack Treasurer- James Keesler Secretary- Ruairi O’Kane Warden- Jerrit Fuller Historian- Walter Broadhurst
*Congratulations to our newest lettered ladies: Ashley Van Osten Kelley Masche Kristin Lane
Chaplin- AJ Diaz
Also Check out the chapter website! http://www.hzpikapps.org/