Spring Quarter 2016 Of the Zeta Sigma Chapter
Zeta Sigma as of April 3rd, 2016 Spring Rush began the following day
Featured in this Issue Year Overview Philanthropy Thirty Under 30 Alumnus of the Year Banquet Awards Rose Queen | Graduating Seniors Meet Epsilon and Zeta Class Brotherhood Snapshots Spring 2016 A bi-annual Newsletter Published by the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein. The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, nor Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity is liable for errors or omissions. © 2016
Overview In hindsight, it has been a great year for the Zeta Sigma Chapter. We’ve welcomed 12 new members (with a 92% retention rate), hosted a wheelchair basketball tournament, held our first ever Pie a Pi Kapp, elected our first ever Rose Queen, produced our first ever fraternity composites, won Greek Week and finish 3rd in Chi O’s Wish Week, had an alumni recognized in Thirty Under 30, participated in IM sports with sororities, set higher standards for our officers, and more. More importantly, we recruited quality men, each of whom can contribute and further advance our chapter. Likewise, we also had plenty of struggles and plenty of worries; it was a stressful year with large demands from all of our members. However, what began as 16 brothers soon turned into 28. We made plenty of mistakes, but we made sure to turn them into opportunities for growth. All in all, we have high hopes for next year and have already begun preparing. Now that we are allowed to customize our house, have composites to hang, a projector to show off, and plenty of other new props, as well as improved member experiences, our brothers are rolling into next year with plenty of confidence and a great deal to look forward to. “With having the house and the group of men that we do, I am confident that this chapter will achieve their goals and keep alive the views that my fellow founding fathers and I had.” – Thomas Cartwright
Spring 2016 | A newsletter from the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 2
Philanthropy
Wheelchair Basketball Tournament The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at UC Davis held their first major philanthropy on February 6, 2016. With the help of a recreational wheelchair basketball team from Sacramento, the Capitol Cagers, our chapter hosted a Wheelchair Basketball Tournament at UC Davis’ ARC Pavilion in which participants actually competed in half-court basketball while secured to a wheelchair. Twelve teams participated in this first annual, double-elimination tournament that saw the winners take home a plaque and tickets to a Sacramento Kings basketball game. All proceeds were donated to The Ability Experience and the event also served to raise awareness that although disabilities may impose many difficulties on individuals, it doesn’t necessarily have to impede them from being able to participate in competitive sports.
Pie a Pi Kapp For our Spring Quarter, Philanthropy Chair Harrison Qiu planned our first ever Pie-a-PiKapp fundraiser. Held on May 11, the event proved to be a huge success, with over $200 raised, and there were plenty of fun memories made. Brother Jake Dykeman even managed to somehow get ketchup-ed in the face. Every brother was also pied in the face by Kappa Alpha Theta sister, Alex Leiga. All in all, Pie a Pi Kapp is a promising philanthropy event for the years to come.
Spring 2016 | A newsletter from the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 3
Thirty Under 30
Alumnus of the Year Jonathan Yip “For most involved and dedicated alumnus in pushing the fraternity forward.”
Recent alumni Robert Field Oldt, Jr was recognized by Nationals as one of thirty alumni under 30 years of age who continue to excel and exhibit exceptional leadership. Bobby has worked as a genetics researcher at the UCD anthropology department and has since been enrolled at Arizona State, pursuing his Ph.D in evolutionary biology. How did it feel to be recognized among thousands of alumni? “It feels great to be recognized by the fraternity, since Pi Kapp really helped foster an ‘above and beyond’ mentality for me in college. What I got out of my experience in the fraternity is invaluable and I use those lessons every day.” What kind of research do you conduct? “I'm interested in evolutionary medicine… As a geneticist, I explore the genomes of humans and other primates to discover aspects of our species' history, and to develop clinically-useful information and tools.”
Although we may call him Peter Pan, we owe a lot to Yip. He’s invested plenty of time, money and effort into our chapter, and is always willing to help out. His aid in Philo events and in writing grants, as well as his end-of-quarter goody bags and this year’s senior goodbye gifts, all come from his good will. A huge thanks to you, especially for saving the house, and best of luck in San Francisco!
Honorary Founding Father Warden, Jason Lau During Spring Quarter, Warden Jason Lau organized a rechartering banquet for actives and alumni, with the purpose of celebrating our re-founding fathers’ accomplishment of reestablishing the Zeta Sigma Chapter. Held on April 30th, 2016, the brothers and the few alumni that were able to make it enjoyed a steak dinner at the ARC Ballroom, talked about our chapter’s accomplishments, and presented the awards below. But it didn’t end there. The chapter had anonymously agreed to present Jason with the “Honorary Founding Father” Award as well, for his inspiring efforts as a leader, his immeasurable contributions as Social Chair and Warden, and of course, for being a great brother. His commitment to the chapter, his ideas, his glasses, and his character have definitely earned him this recognition.
Also Awarded Brother of the Year: Francisco Rojas “For unparalleled commitment and sacrifice towards the betterment of our beloved Zeta Sigma chapter.” Man of Class: Jake Dykeman “For being exceptionally balanced in all aspects of fraternity, scholarship, health and personal responsibilities.” Brother of the Year: Raul Garcia “For exhibiting the most outstanding reliability, commitment and character.” Highest GPA in Science: Mengsu Alan Yang Highest GPA in Liberal Arts: Jeremy Vicario
Warden Jason Lau holds his Honorary Founding Father plaque with Secretary Kenneth Leung.
Spring 2016 | A newsletter from the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 4
Rose Queen
Graduating Seniors
With her immeasurable support and endless contributions to our chapter, we would like to announce our first ever Rose Queen, Chelsey Chen.
The time has come to say farewell to the following brothers. Thank you for all your contributions to this chapter. We know you all will continue to uphold the values of our student creed in every aspect of your lives. Best wishes, and remember, once a Pi Kapp, always a Pi Kapp! Thomas Cartwright | Founding Father | Spring ‘13 Jeremy Vicario | Founding Father | Fall ‘13 James Blake | Founding Father | Winter ‘14 Thomas Boisvert | Founding Father | Spring ‘14 Zach Elsberry | Founding Father | Spring ‘14 Jason Lau | Alpha Class | Fall ‘14 Kenneth Leung | Alpha Class | Fall ‘14 Deion Deng | Gamma Class | Spring ‘15
Meet Epsilon Class
Sevan Nahabedian | Big: Colin Kim | Warbears Originally from the Redwood City, a suburb of San Francisco, Sevan Nahabedian is a rising junior. Sevan is majoring in Genetics and Genomics and minoring in Political Science and intends to earn a JD after graduation. In his spare time, Sevan enjoys watching sports (Go [SF] Giants), being outdoors, road cycling, listening to music and spending quality time with the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi. To Sevan, Zeta Sigma is an opportunity to grow his social and professional networks and an opportunity to leave a lasting impact on something greater than himself. Nick Campbell | Big: Raul Garcia | Warbears Nick Campbell is a recent transfer student from San Jose, studying Spanish and International Relations. He chose Pi Kappa Phi because of the brotherhood he saw and the opportunities for philanthropy that the fraternity offers. He used to volunteer in an equine therapy program for foster kids before coming to Davis, and looks forward to participating in the Ability Experience events Zeta Sigma has in the future. He is also the only person Tom Boisvert has ever brought out that crossed. Daniel Hernandez | Big: Kenneth Leung | Warbears Daniel Hernandez is another international student from Tijuana, Mexico. Undeclared in biological sciences, Hernandez hopes to attend Medical School after graduation. He is currently a member of Danzantes del Alma here at UC Davis, which is a dance group of the Mexican culture. Hernandez joined Pi Kappa Phi because he wanted to improve his social skills and develop himself as a leader. He also enjoys the brotherhood, which wasn’t like anything he expected. He will be next year’s secretary as well.
Spring 2016 | A newsletter from the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 5
Mengsu Alan Yang | Big: Jonathan Yip | Yip Line The name is Mengsu, and I am proudly Chinese. I am from Pleasanton, CA and my hometown is more than likely better than yours. I am majoring Aerospace Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and I aspire to be the first man to have sex in space. I joined ΠΚΦ to embrace my role as a leader, so I may put service before self and improve the world around me. Paco He | Big: Francisco Rojas | Alpha Dynasty “My name is 何家杰, and since my real name is really difficult for people to pronounce and remember, I usually go by Paco. The reason why I call myself Paco is that I learned Spanish before English, so I picked a Spanish name when my English teacher asked me for an English name. I'm currently majoring in Environmental Science and Management and am trying to double Economics. I was born in China and came to the states five years ago for high school. I was in Washington D.C first and then I transferred to Wheeling, West Virginia. I hated east coast for its weather, so I promised myself to come to west coast for college. I never thought I would join a frat but I got a chance to see how nice and chill everyone in Pi Kapp was. I don't have any family in the US and I only get to see them once or twice a year, but Pi Kapp gave a feeling of home which I truly appreciate.”
Meet Zeta Class
Eric Lee | Big: Jake Dykeman | McCoys “Hi, my name is Eric Lee, and I am from Sunnyvale, CA. I am fluent in Korean, and I just finished the first year at Davis. Although I have not declared my major officially yet, I am interested in pursuing my dream in the field of computer science and aspire to make Maplestory great again. I joined Pi Kappa Phi to be build leadership and be part of a tight brotherhood. Proud to be a zeta (class).” Chris Lam | Big: Steven Mares | Brotherhood Elite Chris Lam is a 2nd year from Fremont, CA who is majoring in Chemical Engineering. He is the eighth person brought out by Jake, whom he met as orientation roommates, and he currently owns a bunny who has bowel movements all over the place. He is also the first initiate into the Brotherhood Elite since Steven Mares, his big. Chris has been known to be able to function without sleeping and can teleport. Krishna Basude | Big: Sevan Nahabedian | Warbears “Hey, my name's Krishna Basude, and I'm a 3rd year Biomedical Engineering Major from Fremont, CA. Before I rushed PiKapp, I really didn't think I would ever join Greek Life. But after attending a few of the rush events last quarter, I realized this organization was for me. I love the diversity of lifestyles and interests between the brothers, and the laid back nature of our events! One thing about me people think is interesting is that I love dancing: I've been doing it since I was in diapers. I'm the captain of a dance team here on campus, and I'm usually whipping and dabbing at every event I'm at. Proud to be a PiKapp!”
Spring 2016 | A newsletter from the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 6
Brotherhood Snapshots
Greek Week Champions
Pi Kapp and Theta Co-ed Soccer
Paintball
Houseboats 2016
Letter from the Historian I hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter and continue to stay up to date with the chapter. It is important that our history be kept organized, because it is only via our memories, our writing and our pictures that we may relive our experiences as Pi Kapps. Delta Dodgeball
ALUMNI UPDATES
320 Parkway Circle Website: davispikapp.com Facebook: Pi Kappa Phi at UC Davis Instagram: davispikapp
List of Officers Archon: Francisco Rojas | Vice Archon: Jake Dykeman Treasurer: Samuel Anthony Sara Secretary: Kenneth Leung | Warden: Jason Lau Historian: Raul Garcia | Chaplain: Kyle Carter
Alumnus of the Year: Jonathan Yip Thirty Under 30 Recipient: Bobby Oldt Honorary Founding Father: Jason Lau First Rose Queen: Chelsey Chen. First composites produced. Chapter house walls will be painted. 12 of 13 associate member retention rate. Alumni info database soon to be created.