CHI DELTA HOSTS 170TH CONVENTION The elegance of the Washington Duke Inn and the gracious hospitality of the host chapter, made the 170th Psi Upsilon Convention one to be remembered. The Chi Delta chapter, its undergraduates and alumni warmly welcomed Psi Upsilon to Duke University for the first Convention held on that campus. Laura King, ‘04 and Tim Zepp, ‘07 lead the Chi Delta efforts to organize the Convention, which was part of the chapter’s 40th anniversary celebrations. The Chi Delta hosted an evening in the Sarah Duke Gardens, one of the premier public gardens in the United States, renowned both for landscape design and the quality of its horticulture. On Saturday evening the Chi Delta sponsored a night at the ballpark, welcoming the delegates and guests to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The 2014 Leadership Institute included “Recruitment Boot Camp” lead by David Stollman of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Campusspeak. Psi Upsilon’s executive director Tom Fox, Omicron ‘00 lead a discussion of the factors resulting in the closing of the Phi chapter at the University of Michigan and other major incidents at college campuses in recent years, and how chapter officers and members can be affected. Tom also addressed Psi Upsilon’s new technology resources including a new website as well as a mobile app for iPhone and Android devices. Alumni attending the Leadership Institute heard Clarybel Peguero, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Duke University discuss expectations of a Greek organization from the college administration’s perspective.
6 | THE DIAMOND OF PSI UPSILON
A panel of chapter corporation officers including Jeremy McKeon, Eta ’08 (Lehigh), Greg Rupp, Phi ’81 (Michigan) and Charles Werner, Omega ‘55 (Chicago) provided a forum to discuss crisis management, undergraduate chapter outreach, fundraising, beginning a capital campaign, rejuvenating alumni interest, recruitment of board members and board governance. At the Psi Upsilon Foundation Scholarship and Founders Society Luncheon Prayson Pate, Chi Delta ‘84 Chief Technology Officer of Overture talked about principles that are simple to say, but hard to put into practice. At the closing Awards Banquet past Executive Council president David A.B. Brown, Epsilon Phi ‘66 (McGill) talked about the Psi U influences in his life and success. David was the President and one of the founding members of The Windsor Group, Inc., a strategy consulting firm located in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been involved with nearly all the major oilfield services and products companies over the last 25 years. He serves as director on a number of corporate boards including Layne Christensen (NASDAQ) where he is Chairman of the Board, Ensco plc (NYSE) and EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE). David also recognized Mark and Mariann Williams for their two decades of dedication to Psi Upsilon by presenting them with handcrafted watches with the Psi Upsilon coat-of-arms done in scrimshaw on antique ivory. The Convention elected Greg Rupp, Phi ‘81 (Michigan) and Matt Eckenrode, Epsilon Nu ‘04 (Michigan State) as alumni term members of the Executive Council. Elected to one-year terms as undergraduate members were Daniel Prospect, Eta ‘14 (Lehigh) and James Zago, Zeta Zeta ‘14 (UBC).
