Delta Upsilon 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081
July 2005
A PUBLICATION OF SWARTHMORE DELTA UPSILON
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T From L-R: Carlo Fitti ’00, Rob Buechner ’05, Mike DeFillipo ’04, Christopher Morello ’03, Matt Meltzer ’06, Darshan Patel ’05, Chris Ciarleglio ‘04
Meet Tom Elverson ‘75 – Delta Upsilon’s New Advisor By Alex Ginsberg ‘08 Fall Social Chair As many of you know, Associate Dean for Student Life Tedd R. Goundie left Swarthmore in July 2004 to accept the position of Dean of the College at Bates College in Lewistown, Maine. Since Tedd had been DU’s advisor and a staunch advocate on the Dean’s staff for as long as anyone could remember, this announcement prompted an immediate panic within the undergraduate brotherhood: what were we going to do without Tedd? Luckily for us, the silver lining on this cloud happened to be made of gold. Early in the fall semester we had the pleasure of meeting Tom Elverson '75. A DU brother—and incidentally, son of long time Swarthmore football and track and field coach Lew Elverson—Tom made his return to Swarthmore this year after working as a clinical psychologist in his own private practice in Rosemont, just a stone’s throw away from Swarthmore. In addition Continued on the next page…
TABLE OF CONTENTS Brother Articles ........................... 2 Year in Review ............................. 3 Banquet Award Winners ............. 4 Brother Articles............................ 5 Golf Outing Stats 2005 ................ 6 Hall of Fame Dedication.............. 7 New Brothers ............................... Tribute: Class of 2005 ................. 8
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to utilizing his skills as a psychologist by counseling students through the Dean’s office, Tom is also reaching out to football alumni. As a DU alumnus, he elected early on to take both fraternities under his wing, advising and acting as a strong representative, along with Associate Dean Darryl Smaw, in the administrative circles. Next year, Tom will focus exclusively on us, while Darryl Smaw will be Phi Psi’s advisor. The assistance Tom has given us this year has been invaluable. As a Swarthmore resident since 1992 and former president of the Borough’s Town Council, Tom has helped scores of students find job and internship opportunities both within and beyond the Swarthmore community. Aside from all of the help and advice he gives us, the best part about having Tom on campus is his friendship. Though we only meet with him officially once every two weeks to discuss the business of the fraternity, he always invites us in to talk when he sees us passing by his office door. This is what a true advisor should be: a guardian and a friend. Tom seamlessly combines both roles, and we are all extremely grateful to have him on board.
Delta Upsilon and Rugby By J.B. Donnelly ‘08 When I first came to Swarthmore, I was bombarded by a wide variety of new experiences. Unlike most freshmen I actually spent my high school years studying abroad in an English boarding school. Coming back home to the US and being surrounded by American students was a bit of a culture shock for me, so I was very excited to find out that Swarthmore had a rugby team. Even though rugby is a club sport here, rugby was something that I had done in England and had enjoyed immensely. I signed up for rugby at the activities fair, and it was through this team that I met several DU brothers. The team was an eclectic mix of students from all elements of campus life. While there were only a few DU brothers on the team, they still managed to dominate the scene and really helped energize and motivate the team. From the first practice I was struck by the way the team bonded with each other and was able to put in 110% without becoming overly intense or letting competitiveness get in the way of their friendly banter and congenial nature. Their attitudes were inspiring, as was the fact that they looked out for each other, yet they never came across as aloof or exclusive.
Tom Elverson ‘75, our new advisor, holds a joint appointment with the Dean’s Office and Alumni Affairs.
DU brothers on the team would take the time to help out teammates outside of practice, whether it be on ball handling or tackling stance. My experiences with DU brothers on the rugby team, their winning attitudes and concern for brothers and teammates, really made me feel like Delta Upsilon was something I had to be a part of. Meeting the rest of the brothers in DU sealed the deal for me. Going down to the DU house was always a good time, brothers always wanted to hang out and were so welcoming that I kept coming back again and again. Sure the beer was good, but DU had more than beer, it had brotherhood. The friendships I made from the rugby team and the great experience with brothers at DU made me want to join. Joining DU was the best and most important decision I made my first semester.
Save the date…
ANNUAL ALUMNI PIG ROAST Saturday, November 4, 2005 5pm Delta Upsilon Lodge
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SWARTHMORE DU: 111YEARS AND COUNTING By Matt Meltzer ‘06 Fall President By all measures, 2005 was an outstanding year for Swarthmore Delta Upsilon. We added nine members to our roster (making it the largest pledge class in three years), hosted Emmy-award winning journalist Orville Schell in November, coordinated two blood-drives with the American Red Cross, and raised money for genocide awareness in Sudan. Though our finances have improved, fee increases from the International still put considerable stress on our budget. The keys to our success in the upcoming few years will be to maintain our strong leadership in the campus community, to continue developing a close and productive relationship with our alumni base, and to astutely manage our finances so that we can afford membership in the International. Ever since I was a freshman, DU has engaged in various kinds of community service projects. In the coming semester, we are planning another blood drive in addition to throwing a paid-party to raise money for Discovery to Cure, a ground-breaking cancer research project based at Yale-New Haven Hospital. These ventures affirm our commitment to the “advancement of justice” and “development of character,” and also send a message to the rest of the campus about who we are as men in the greater community at large. While we enjoy partying (instead of studying) on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, we also recognize that as a collective entity we have the power to enhance the quality of the community around us. Combining our imaginations and creative energies last semester, we threw one of the semester’s biggest parties and raised $700 for genocide awareness at the same time. This is the essence of entrepreneurship, and these activities strengthen both our representation to the rest of campus and our abilities as creative thinkers. Besides the community service, one of the things I enjoy most about being in DU is getting to know the alumni (and I’m not just saying that in hopes that you’ll reach for your checkbook, though if you are, do not let me stop you!). As a whole, the alumni corporation gives us invaluable help in working with the administration and the International. Our connection with the alumni also builds within us a deep
respect for continuity and tradition, which makes DU unique among Swarthmore’s myriad campus groups. The fact that we have maintained this thriving continuity in the wake of the 2000 football cut, when many judged the fraternity to be at its end, is no small achievement. When I asked brothers in the classes above me who played football (all of whom are now alumni) how they felt about DU when they graduated, all of them acknowledged that the fraternity has changed – but each was quick to add that these changes have been positive. Though football may no longer be around, DU men continue to seek outlets for their energies in athletics as well as social causes, with the same brand of enthusiasm and concentration that inspired so many before us on the football field.
President Matt Meltzer and Social Chair Alex Ginsberg brainstorm ideas for next fall’s parties.
While our community service projects and connection with the alumni corporation have developed substantially, our financial position is still very fragile. Without a doubt, our partnership with Omega Financial (the accounts receivables firm we hired in 2003) has established for us a regular cash flow and a mechanism of enforcement for dues collection that makes day to day operations much easier. However, we are far from out of the woods. The International faces annual insurance cost increases Continued on the next page…
Swarthmore Delta Upsilon
Swarthmore DU Alumni News Requested! We want to hear from you. Please send us some current information so that we can share it with all of your brothers. Be sure to include your name, year of graduation, mailing address, and e-mail address with your personal news. Mail to:
Noah Cooper-Harris ‘07 Delta Upsilon Fraternity Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 The Triangle is being mailed to all DU brothers currently residing in the United States.
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2005 ALUMNI BANQUET AWARD RECIPIENTS
William F. Lee Sr. ‘33 Service Award DARSHAN PATEL ‘05 During his time at Swarthmore, Darshan served as Co-Director of the Social Affairs Committee, was a member of the 2004 Orientation Committee, and worked as a research assistant for Biology professor Rachel Merz. He also held the positions of Social Chair, Vice President, and President in the fraternity, and was the co-recipient of last year’s Anfinsen Award. He plans on working as a personal trainer in Boston next year.
Dr. Christian B. Anfinsen ‘37 Memorial Scholarship Award
Herb Taylor ‘27 Outstanding Pledge Award
MATT MELTZER ‘06
J.B. DONNELLY ‘08
Matt is an Economics major and a British History minor. No, really…
J.B. is excellent at doing what he is told.
All brothers are cordially invited to participate in all of the activities of both the undergraduate chapter and the alumni corporation.
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from their insurance carrier, which manifest in higher per-year fees for us that in total consumed almost 60 percent of our budget this year. This is money that we could be using to throw better rush events and make muchneeded house improvements. Shouldering this burden without raising dues is not easy, and as many of you know, it piqued a debate last year about the wisdom of our remaining affiliated with the International altogether. Our continued financial difficulties this year from IHQ fee increases have shown that this issue still requires a great amount of attention. Financial concerns aside, I am excited about the direction in which DU is heading. The chapter keeps growing stronger every year, and the enthusiasm of this year’s pledge class bodes well for our recruiting prospects in the fall. As many have cheered before, and I hope many have yet to cheer, Viva la Delta!
Swarthmore Delta Upsilon
An International Brotherhood By George Petel ‘05 I had a very interesting experience abroad last spring that spoke to me about the true Brotherhood that is Delta Upsilon. I was interning with the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, a program set up by the University of Edinburgh for American students. I was not attending the program with anyone from Swarthmore, so I was on my own. Or so I thought. Shortly after the start of the program, I met my colleagues and started hanging out with them. I discovered that one of them was one of the founding Brothers of the reinstated DU chapter at Washington University. We became fast friends on that basis alone and it made my study abroad experience better than I could have possibly hoped. It is the friendships that I have made through DU that I will always cherish as I graduate this spring and move through life, and hopefully I will meet and befriend many more of our Brothers as time goes on.
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∆Y Roster, 2005-2006 2006 – Seniors John Krawczyk Matt Meltzer Michael Pieropan Brandt Rakowski John R. Williams 2007 – Juniors Noah Cooper-Harris Nick Farrar Andrew Koczo Wootae Min Brandon Penix Robert Russell Alex Ryan-Bond Adam Wallwork 2008 – Sophomores Julian Harper Ben Mendelson Scott Dalane J.B. Donnelly Alex Ginsberg Chris Nana-Sinkam
Executive Council Fall 2005 Matt Meltzer, President mmeltze1@swarthmore.edu Noah Cooper-Harris, V. Pres. ncooper1@swarthmore.edu Andrew Koczo, Treasurer akoczo1@swarthmore.edu John R. Williams, Secretary jwillia2@swarthmore.edu Alex Ginsberg, Social Chair aginsbe1@swarthmore.edu Alex Ryan-Bond, Pledge Advisor aryanbo1@swarthmore.edu
An interior view of the newly erected Scottish Parliament, in the ancient city of Edinburgh, which opened for the first time in September 2004.
Ben Mendelson, Rush Chair bmendel1@swarthmore.edu Chris Nana-Sinkam, Rush Chair cnanasi1@swarthmore.edu
Delta Upsilon for Life By Scott Dalane ‘08 I have to admit that finding myself at Swarthmore was quite a surprise. It was without a doubt the best school I applied to, and I had no expectations of being accepted. Once I was accepted, the choice to come to Swat was a no-brainer. While I knew the workload would be difficult, I also hoped that I would find a group of down-toearth people to befriend—people who take their academics seriously, but who also enjoy athletics and having a good time. As it turned out, the workload was hard but manageable, and I made several down-to-earth friends with whom I have a lot in common, and we all decided to pledge Delta Upsilon. I had heard from many people that pledging would make most of the people on campus look down on me, but I have never been the type of person to change my behavior to make others happy. I decided to do what I wanted to do and went through all of the highs and lows of pledging with some of the greatest guys I have ever met. I could not have made a better choice. Pledging was a great experience and one of the best times of my life. I have come to know and love all the brothers, and some of the Alumni. I am very proud to be a member of one of the oldest groups on campus. Who wants to be just a Swattie? Not me. For me, it’s Delta Upsilon for life!
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2005 Annual DU Alumni Golf Outing By Carlo Fitti '00 and Tony Hillery '01 The Annual DU Alumni golf outing was held on Saturday April 16th at Paxon Hollow Country Club, located in Marple, PA. We had a good turnout, with a great mix of alumni from the 80's all the way up to last year's graduates. We had numerous participants as well as a generous group of sponsors for the event. The fun we had carried right over to the house for the annual alumni banquet. Last year’s inaugural event got us off to a great start, and this year’s follow up was no disappointment. It was a great chance for some of the guys to make a whole day out of the alumni banquet and play some golf with their closest buddies who they often don't get a chance to catch up with. So, again this year, we organized a four-man scramble tournament for DU alumni only, complete with prizes and some hilarious team names. The winning team, "Old But Not Out," shot a two-under-par 69 to beat the eight other teams. They then generously donated their $400 1st Prize back to DU. The Selverian Brothers threw down the gauntlet again this year for the long drive contest, but came up short as Carlo Fitti ’00 edged out Mike Boyle ’93 for the long drive title. The closest to the pin contests were won by Mike Marek ’92, Rob Ruffin’92, Mike Belfatti ’92 and Helder Melendez ’91. All followed the example of the tournament winners and donated their prizes back to DU. Way to go guys! We also had numerous takers for the Hole-in-One challenge. Unfortunately, no one was able to claim the $1,000 prize for the second straight year... perhaps maybe next year someone will be able to do so.
Hole 6: Brother Lee Hallberg ‘55 Hole 9: Swat Football Class of 2000 (Carlo Fitti ‘00) Hole 10: Fulton Mortgage Co. (Ken Pitts ’85)
A special thanks is extended to all of our participants listed below: Simply The Best Rob Steelman '92 Rob Ruffin '92 Mike Belfatti '92 Dan Fellin '92
Village People Tony Hillery '01 Axel Neff '02 Josh Klotz '01 Scott Murray '01
97929297 BMC Stud Service Kurk Selverian '97 Carlo Fitti '00 Keith Piek '97 Tom Forstik '00 Mike Marek '92 Ben Hall '98 Joe Caltrider '92 Phil Sherman '94
Hole 12: Brother Ben Hall ‘98 Hole 14: IAN Consulting (Kurk Selverian ’97) Hole 16: KKBJ Inc. (Ken Pitts ’85) Hole 17: Hole in One Challenge (Carlo Fitti ’00)
Thanks to Paxon Hollow Country Club and head pro Dan Malley for helping us organize this fun event. Thanks also to the group of undergrads who pitched in to help Old But Not Out Lodge 2 State things run more smoothly. Greg Selverian '91 Mike DeFillipo '04 With the combined sum of all of Helder Melendez '91 Steve Cook '04 our efforts, we were able to raise Rob Butch '91 Wes Sconce '04 more than $1,600.00 for DU and it Ken Leith '81 Ryan Pannorfi '04 can safely be said that we all had a great time doing it. Treefellers Chodal Warriors Without the commitment to DU Ken Pitts '85 Chris Morello '03 Brian Wall '85 S. Brandveen '03 and the generosity of everyone Ed Stockburger '85 Kenny Clark '03 involved, this event couldn't have John Hiros '85 Matt Rapoza '03 been such a tremendous success. With the increased strength of our 93 Leading The Way active alumni, in the form of our Mike Boyle '93 newly formed DU Alumni Jim Gianakis '93 Corporation, DU is now in a position Randy Keim '02 to tackle some of the most difficult Jesse Bean '00 issues we have faced in the last A very special thanks is extended to decade. With support like this, DU will no doubt continue to thrive. our generous sponsors: Thanks again, and we hope to see you all at next year’s event, if Hole 1: Class of ’85 (Ken Pitts ’85) not sooner. Hole 3: Lee Family (Bill Lee, Jr. ’60)
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H ALL OF F AME C ASE C OMPLETED
Designed and built by Chris Ciarleglio ’04, the case measures 6 feet x 6 feet and is bolted into the wall of the library across from the windows. The plaque in the center of the case was also a gift from Brother Ciarleglio.
Nick Ferrar `07
Scott Dalane `08
Ben Mendelson `08
Officially dedicated on April 24, 2004, the Swarthmore Delta Upsilon Hall of Fame showcases the winners of the fraternity’s awards, presented each year at the Alumni Banquet (as they appear left to right at the bottom of the picture): the Alumnus of the Year Award, the William F. Lee Sr. ’33 Service Award, the Dr. Christian B. Anfinsen ’37 Memorial Scholarship Award, and the Herb Taylor ’27 Outstanding Pledge Award. The most recent award, created two years ago, is the Annual Hall of Fame Inductee(s). Brother Owen J. Moon 1894 was named this year’s inductee into the Hall of Fame in recognition of his life achievements and service to the fraternity. The first two inductees were Arthur H. Scott 1895 and Barclay White 1895 who were, like Moon, founding members of DU at Swarthmore. The Annual Hall of Fame Inductee is chosen by the members of the alumni corporation, and the winner is announced at the Alumni Banquet in the spring. If you have ideas for the 2006 inductee(s), or would like to be a part of the selection process, please email the Alumni Corporation Quarterback, Ed Albers ‘02, at ed@lbmllp.com.
J.B. Donnelly `08
Brandt Rakowski `06
Alex Ginsberg `08
Chris Nana-Sinkam `08
Julian Harper `08
John R. Williams `06
Delta Upsilon Fraternity Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081
Swarthmore Delta Upsilon
CONGRATULATIONS 2005! James Andrews Brendan Bond
Benjamin Morgan Darshan Patel
Robert Buechner
George Petel
Thomas Coughlin
Alfonso Silva
Brian Cronin
John Turcik
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