The Almicron | Fall 2022

THE

UPDATE FROM THE ALPHA OMICRON BUILDING CORPORATION

A great number of things have happened since the last Almicron The undergraduate chapter is in great shape with strong leadership And your building corporation has been active in advising them and improving the house

We recently hired Alpha Fraternity Management to organize the maintenance of the house and improve our processes They have done a terrific job of improving everything Alpha manages 26 Pi Kappa Phi chapter houses nationwide Our chapter house is in better shape than it has been in a long while, with preventive maintenance occurring on a monthly basis. In addition, our move in/move out processes have been systematized such that we have an accurate picture of the conditions of each room.

The Chevron Management group continues to be very successful in helping the undergraduate chapter with daily chapter operations. Their founder, Jake Henderson, became CEO of Pi Kappa Phi, but in his absence, Derek Knotek has continued their great work. We had another successful Rush this fall resulting in almost double the membership living in the house

Due to your donations last year, we were able to make much needed upgrades to our kitchen allowing us to hire College Chefs to prepare meals inside our house The undergraduates are raving about the quality of their food, and we once again have a chef who is engaged and supportive of Pi Kappa Phi I visited the chapter during their parent's weekend last month and can report that a significant number of parents attended and were treated to a great Friday evening meal!

Over the past several years the AOBCII has been watching closely tremendous change taking place across the Iowa State Greek community with fraternity houses being remodeled and a handful of new ones constructed. Our house is putting our undergraduate chapter at a competitive disadvantage. Last spring, we hired a local architectural firm, Accord, to assess our physical plant and provide remodeling options. The best news is that they determined that our facility

is structurally sound and recommended improvements such as central air conditioning and heating, redesigned undergraduate rooms, renovated bathrooms, and a much more welcoming front entrance off Welch Avenue We are beginning to receive renderings of their work and will share these exciting ideas in a future Almicron

The AOBCII has spent considerable time understanding the model for a modern fraternity house We conducted a visioning weekend last fall with the undergraduate leaders and have our sights set on having a 100 man chapter with a facility that will sleep about 40 brothers. This new business model is our road map for a successful Alpha Omicron chapter of the future, and we are now fully engaged in understanding the affordability of our vision. Much more will be coming on this.

Finally, you will read more about two honors bestowed upon Alpha Omicron, our AOBCII Treasurer, Brett Toresdahl, received the “Volunteer of the Year” award at Supreme Chapter and your building corporation was recognized with the Alumni Engagement Award

The AOBCII and AO undergraduate chapter, have made tremendous progress over this past year, but we still have a long way to go I’d like to thank all who have been involved so far in our journey, and I’d like to invite others to participate

Yours in Pi Kappa Phi, Bob Lane, Chairman

THE ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF PI KAPPA PHI AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

AOBCII RECEIVES THE EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGEMENT AWARD AT SUPREME CHAPTER

During the 57th Supreme Chapter in Tampa, the AOBCII was recognized with the Excellence in Engagement Award, recognizing chapters that demonstrate excellence in promoting lifelong brotherhood through communication, alumni events, sound business practices, and support of the undergraduate chapter Our recognition for the Excellence in Engagement Award made the AOBCII a finalist for the Alumni Chapter of the Year award While we did not receive this award, we are honored to be considered.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

This past summer at Pi Kappa Phi’s 57th Supreme Chapter, Brett Toresdahl (AO 613) was recognized as the National Volunteer of the Year. This award recognizes Pi Kappa Phi’s overall most outstanding volunteer The recipient often goes above and beyond the call of duty in their role as a volunteer and continues to display a lifelong commitment to the fraternity and excellence as a volunteer for Pi Kappa Phi

Pictured is Brett Toresdahl receiving the National Volunteer of the Year award from fellow Alpha Omicron alumnus, Kelley Bergstrom (AO 386) at the 57th Supreme Chapter.

Brett has served as a member of the AOBCII for over 25 years, the past 18 years as Treasurer and is a past chairman of the building corporation. Brett’s impact on the chapter goes way beyond the formal positions he has held for many years. Brett is regularly called upon by the undergraduate chapter when an immediate need arises, whether that is a financial question, a leaky faucet or what food to serve at a chapter event.

He has been known to jump in his car with no notice and drive the 70 mile round trip to Ames to help the chapter with an immediate challenge, sometimes arriving to find that there is no problem to deal with and other times finding a problem that will take hours or days of his time to assist with

Brett graduated from Iowa State University in 1986 with a degree in Political Science Professionally, Brett is the Deputy Director of the Iowa Public Information Board He and his wife Geleen reside in West Des Moines and have two daughters Haley and Hannah

Thank you, Brett, for your loyal service and commitment to Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and the Alpha Omicron Chapter!

ARCHON'S UPDATE

My name is Jack Petrak, and I am the current Archon of the undergraduate chapter Over the last year, we led a group of fine young men through a period of growth, challenges, and change I’m proud to follow a legacy of leadership and excellence and contribute to something that so many before me have enjoyed and cherished

Since fall 2021, the Undergraduate Chapter, Alumni, and Chevron worked diligently to return chapter operations to their former excellence When our terms began, I charged my executive team with several goals

Our first goal, and our priority, was to improve the live in experience to promote membership and occupancy. With some of the necessary physical improvements made, we could focus on getting the house in working order. When arriving in the spring, we went right to work. With the help of our new property manager, Alpha Fraternity Management, and Alumni we filled multiple dumpsters and began prioritizing small projects. Throughout the last year, we ’ ve re keyed all doors, established move in/move out procedures, patched and touched up all walls, cleaned all carpets, made several lighting upgrades, refreshed the library, and completely upgraded the food service. Though impactful, our minor cosmetic and systematic improvements pale in comparison to our long term plan.

As detailed in our AOBCII President’s letter from Bob Lane, the alumni members of the Building Corporation and I have been working carefully with Accord Architecture through the conceptual phases of a renovation project These improvements will once again showcase the excellence and legacy of our chapter Consequently, the chapter will remain competitive on campus and appeal to the present day Iowa Stater

Meanwhile, our chapter’s current main priority is recruitment With advising help from Jake Henderson, CEO of Pi Kappa Phi, and Derek Knotek of Chevron, our undergraduate chapter initiated a class of thirteen bright young men this fall, the last of which was AO 1419 The chapter’s dedication to recruitment during the last two terms increased occupancy from seventeen brothers living in the facility last spring to thirty this coming spring This dedication is ongoing with six new members already signed for the spring class

We, the undergraduate chapter, owe much of our recent success to the continued dedication and support of our alumni Last year ’ s improvements to the house substantially improved recruitment efforts and the overall live in experience. During my time as a brother, I’ve seen the house go from disrepair to a place I am proud to call home. Likewise, I witnessed the undergraduate chapter morale lift well beyond my expectations. I look forward to watching the chapter grow and thrive, and I have f i h i h h d bi i f the future undergraduate leadership.

Sincerely,

Jack Petrak

Archon of Pi Kappa Phi, Alpha Omicron

Christian De la Cruz / Glen Rose, TX / Accounting & Finance

Cody Johnston / Pella, IA / Finance

Ethan Walker / Lake Villa, IL / Finance

Jacob Flom / Stillwater, MN / Kinesiology

Jacob Gebis / Johnsburg, IL / Chemical Engineering

John Kovarik / Mendota Heights, MN / Marketing

Joshua West / Grayslake, IL / Criminal Justice

Liam Noonan / Prior Lake, MN / Kinesiology

Matthew McKenna / Park Ridge, IL / Construction Engineering

Nathan Johnson / Evergreen Park, IL / Construction Engineering

Owen Rassmussen / Neenah, WI / Busniess Undecided

Sean Doggett / Mahtomedi, MN / Business

Steve Orsolini / Lombard, IL / Industrial Engineering

CHAPTER ETERNAL

We express our condolences and mourn the recent passing of our Alpha Omicron brothers now in the Chapter Eternal. May their memory remain in our hearts and their families be surrounded by love.

Mr. Kirk. Frederick Colvig

Mr. Robert Allen Handelman

Dr. Kenneth Ray Hook

Mr. Roscoe Matthew Hourigan, Jr. Mr. Ralph Herman Ruedy Mr. Darren Lee Tietz

We would also like to express our condolences and mourn the recent passing of Sheryl Ann Drury, who was the House Mother for our chapter from 2004 - 2014.

LIFELONG BROTHERHOOD

It's always a great time when brothers can reconnect with one another!

Pictured top right is, Brian "Bear" Barringer (AO 619), who plays the drums in a local band, based out of Minneapolis. Brian's band is called "Gen X Jukebox."

Recently, the band performed in Cedar Rapids. There, brothers Jeff "Woody" Welch (AO 640), Tom "Caveman" Stacey (AO 638), and Brett Toresdahl (AO 613), along with their spouses rocked the night away with "Gen X Jukebox." The group is pictured on the top left.

In 2022, Paul White hosted a

Being so close to Charleston, the men took time to visit the Alpha Chapter, and

Bell Tower gift (pictured bottom right). The Bell Tower gift was gifted to

members of Pi Kappa Phi to celebrate our fraternity's 100th anniversary, showing that even a century later brothers still answer the bell's call. What a great chance to enjoy lifelong brotherhood just outside of Pi Kappa Phi's birthplace!

small group (pictured bottom left) of Alpha Omicron brothers in Isle of Palms, near Charleston, South Carolina. The group spent their time fishing and enjoying the nightlife in the area.

take a photo in front of the

the College of Charleston by