The Scarlet Lamp Of the Rutgers Associate Chapter Featured in this Issue: The Beginning Senior Spotlight The Keller Cup Chapter Updates
The Beginning: A New Chapter Since colonizing in February 2013, the Rutgers Associate Chapter of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity has worked tirelessly to establish itself as an elite and ideal organization within the Rutgers Greek community. The chapter has worked in cooperation with PUSH America, first founding Rutgers’ branch of the club in the fall semester of 2012 before finally receiving our letters upon completion of our installation retreat in February of 2013. Since pre-installation, we have worked in collaboration with various volunteer organizations, such as Best Buddy and ENABLE, in addition to other fraternities and sororities on campus with the goal of service as our mission.
The brothers of Rutgers Pi Kappa Phi pose for a photo after a pre-initiation ceremony, February 2013.
Through our philanthropic endeavors, Pi Kappa Phi of Rutgers aims to advance the mission of PUSH America, which reads: “Building leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today”. With our organization’s dedication to all aspects of Greek life we feel that our abilities to do good in the fields of academia, philanthropy and community service will only further our status within and without the Rutgers Greek society.
Senior Spotlight: Our First Archon
Joshua Yarmush has been the presiding Archon of the Rutgers Associate Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi and is a model student here at our prestigious University. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, Joshua’s research capabilities know no bounds. In the Department of Biomedical Engineering, under Professor Francois Berthiaume, Joshua works to improve liver transplantation techniques in order to save lives. December 2013, Vol. 1, Issue 1 A Bi-Annual Newsletter Published by the Rutgers Associate Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein. The Rutgers Associate Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, nor Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity is liable for errors or omissions. © 2013
Beginning his research involvement while still in High School Joshua has sought to ultimately decrease the amount of livers thrown out each year that are unable to be transplanted due to high fat content. Joshua has become one of the School of Engineering’s most successful seniors, even receiving the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for his research work at Rutgers (an award totaling several thousand dollars in research grants). The honor is truly an example of a dedicated student grasping all opportunities presented to him via all his hard work and commitment. Chapter Address “I have been blessed with many opportunities both in life and at Rutgers. Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship and the denomination of ‘First Archon’ of Pi Kappa Phi have really cemented what has been an incredible college experience.” – Josh Yarmush
The Scarlet Lamp | A newsletter from the Rutgers Associate Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 2
The Keller Cup: Building a Team of Brothers In Pi Kappa Phi’s first season of the Rutgers Recreation Keller Cup, an inter-fraternity sports tournament, the brothers were able to make some waves in both soccer and football. The soccer team secured a record of 3 wins and 2 losses before being eliminated in the opening round of the 16-team formatted playoffs. The team was led in points by seniors Scott Flitter and Dylan Klemuk-San Martin, and sophomore Iddo Hamani who had an incredible second half hat-trick against Tau Kappa Epsilon in a come-from-behind victory for the team’s first ever Keller win. Unfortunately, Pi Kappa Phi did not qualify for the football playoffs despite a valiant effort in each of their 2 wins and 3 losses led by junior quarterback, Zak Zimmerlink. In addition to all this competition, there was a little time for fun, as Pi Kappa Phi and the rest of Rutgers’ fraternities participated in the first ever Dragon Boat Races on the Raritan River this past October. We look very forward to participating in Keller’s indoor soccer and basketball leagues during the spring semester of 2014.
The brothers attending ASTP conducted by SUNY-Brockport alumni, Jeff White
Rutgers OFSA – Pi Kappa Phi
15 Bartlett Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (848) 932-7692 rutgers.pikapp@gmail.com | getinvolved.rutgers.edu Officers as of Spring 2014: Joachim Talloen, Archon; Eitan Itzkowitz, Vice Archon; Daniel Katz, Treasurer; Wayne Chen, Secretary; Matt Fishman, Warden; Bart Gallo, Historian; Scott Murray, Chaplain.
Our brothers pictured here after recording their first Keller soccer victory, 5-4, over Tau Kappa Epsilon
CHAPTER UPDATES
During the Fall 2013 semester, the brothers of Rutgers Pi Kappa Phi have donated their time and efforts to a variety of volunteer programs. The fraternity hosted an outdoor charity event in September, raising money for Push America by setting up a dunk tank, and allowing students to donate a dollar or more for the chance to “Dunk a Pi Kapp”. Thanks to the hard work of the Philanthropy Committee, and the dedication of the brotherhood as a whole, the dunk tank event was a huge success, drawing a large crowd, and helping to create some buzz around campus for the young fraternity by raising over a couple hundred dollars to be donated to PUSH America for persons with disabilities. In cooperation with ENABLE, an individualized services organization operating out of the Greater New York City area, Pi Kappa Phi at Rutgers has teamed up for several volunteer day trips. On one such instance, the brotherhood helped rake leaves, and clean the exterior of a home located a town over from New Brunswick. As part of another ENABLE initiative, the Chapter spent an entire Saturday painting the interior of the same group housing facility for people with disabilities. Most recently, the brothers teamed up with the wonderful sisters of Rutgers Gamma Phi Beta to host a blood-drive, which included the provision of a heated mobile facility and medical staff to perform the donations. To celebrate our successes, the organizations held an ice-skating event where we had an excellent time together. In the near future, the brothers are excited for the prospect of receiving our national charter, currently scheduled to take place in Mid-February.