W&L FIJI Zeta Deuteron Chapter ‐ Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity ‐ Washington & Lee University April 2014 Volume 2, Issue 2 EKKLESIA, ACADEMY AND CHAPTER: IT’S WHO WE ARE By: Michael Donnellan (2015) - Chapter President Over the course of my short time as a member of the Zeta Deuteron Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, the guys have changed and not much else has. I know this sounds like a platitude, but bear with me. Some of my best friends are a few years older than me and graduated not long after I arrived. The chapter has gone through what would be enough to sink other groups over the past couple years, and we recently achieved our biggest pledge class in three years. “We recently achieved our biggest pledge class in three years.” Yet the Fiji where I just ate dinner tonight constantly reminds me of the Fiji I joined two years ago. Nothing is more emblematic of this cultural preservation than my experiences at Ekklesia and Fiji Academy. I attended the 164th Ekklesia the summer after my freshman year. One of the defining traits of Fijis here at W&L is that we’re busy; I could go on for pages listing every brother’s extracurricular involvements, and that’s before we even start talking about (Continued on page 2) QUESTIONS? For questions regarding the activities or state of the Zeta Deuteron Chapter, please contact Corresponding Secretary Corey Guen. (603) 988-5562 guenc17@mail.wlu.edu 112 W Preston St Lexington, VA 24450 HARDIN MARION (1955): “A PLACE TO GATHER, A PLACE TO BE” By: Grant Cokeley (2016) - Recording Secretary One day last month, I walked downtown in Lexington and passed through an unassuming doorway just past the intersection of Washington and Main Streets. A flight of stairs, another door, two turns to the right, and I found myself in the office of Phi Gamma Delta brother Hardin Marion (1955). himself busy. One of the ways he does that these days is by auditing classes here at the university, making him a familiar sight around campus and in class for many Fiji brothers. Mr. Marion left Lexington in 1958 after seven years of undergraduate and law school study and made his way north to After rising to greet me, Mr. spend his professional career Marion leaned back in his ofpracticing law in Baltimore. fice chair and spoke with the Now retired, he lives in Lexingquiet confidence of a man with ton with his wife Heather, and experience and no need to enjoys auditing as many as three rush, although the papers classes every term. In many strewn across his large desk cases, he notes, he’s returning to and the occasional interruption the same rooms he first entered of a ringing phone indicated as a student some fifty years ago that this is a man who keeps -- and it is probably not much of an exaggeration to say that by now he has spent enough time in W&L classrooms to graduate three times over. He himself acknowledges that he has started to “run out” of classes to take in the humanities departments and has had to expand into the social science fields. This was where I first had the pleasure of meeting him in my Anthropology of American History class last fall. Having come full circle, Mr. Marion provided me with a fascinating look at how both W&L and the Zeta Deuteron Chapter have changed over the years, as well as his thoughts on the current state of the university. He says he enjoyed his time at W&L immensely, and described what a positive influence both the school and the Zeta Deuteron Chapter were for him. W&L has always had a reputation for its rigorous academics, and Mr. Marion recounted how some really excellent and challenging professors held court along the colonnade. He thinks, however, the school has gotten even better over the years and jokes that many of his (Continued on page 2) \r\nW&L FIJI Page 2 EKKLESIA, ACADEMY AND CHAPTER continued... (Continued from page 1) class. The summer is no different; brothers are grabbing internships, research grants, and studying abroad left and right. So I ended up heading down to New Orleans as a wee freshman, not knowing what lay in front of me. It turned out being a long road trip with one of my best friends, and a weekend I couldn’t imagine duplicating. I got to have immediate input on and a look at how the fraternity is governed, and how that governing process is amended. Luckily I had the right guys there to mentor me that first time around. A year and a half later, I found myself in St. Louis at Fiji Academy, except this time, I was the old guy from the chapter. It was my job to mentor, to show someone the ropes. It was in St. Louis that the enormity of our national fraternity hit me. I don’t why New Orleans didn’t have the same effect (maybe I was more mature, maybe the experience is fresher). In St. Louis, I was the “old guy” from our chapter, but also learning from older brothers and peers alike how to be a more effective leader within our chapter. I participated in my first pig dinner (something that will be back at W&L this spring, I guarantee you). Now to chisel this all down to a point: These experiences mirror my everyday experiences at the fraternity house. They are experiences that challenge me, yet are also some of my fondest memories. My brothers are men who constantly teach me valuable lessons, men who have unalterably and positively shaped who I am today. I recently started my term as chapter president. We’re happy to welcome 14 new members this year; they’re all great guys. It almost freaks me out how much of graduated brothers I see in the new members, and this coherent and continued identity is the true strength of our chapter. This job will come with new responsibilities, challenges (and hopefully some perks). Luckily, I know I’ll have my best friends at my back to constantly support me and give me guidance. HARDIN MARION (1955) continued... (Continued from page 1) contemporaries claim that they could not get into W&L if they applied today. Academics, however, are only part of the W&L experience, and I was most interested to hear how the school culture and the party scene of Washington& Lee today differ from that of the 1950s. The absence of female students on campus back then obviously makes for one major difference, and Mr. Marion says that while girls from Hollins, Sweetbriar and beyond came by bus most weekends to attend parties, staying with families in Lexington, not much partying occurred on weekdays. Although originally concerned about preserving tradition, he is now a big proponent of the school’s decision to go coeducational in the 1980s, which he sees as a major factor in W&L’s continued excellence. Another big change, he notes, is location for social events. These were typically centered on campus then, with four big dances yearly, including Fancy Dress, then held in January. Rush occurred in the fall instead of winter, and pledgeship lasted an entire semester. He recounted with relish one memorable occasion as a pledge where, dumped in the wilds of Rockbridge County with a fellow pledge brother, he hitchhiked back to Lexington, arriving back on campus before the brothers who dropped him off did! He also recalls Fiji’s iconic “Island” parties engulfing the house in sand, bamboo, and grass skirts as the basement became an island paradise. A big believer in recapturing the collegial spirit and tight community that was then a hallmark of W&L, Mr. Marion supports recent school initiatives to bring the social focus back to campus and require mandatory third-year housing for students. As was not unusual for undergrads at the time, Mr. Marion spent sophomore through senior year living at the house, including one year as chapter president. He says he did a lot of growing up during those years, and credits his experiences at W&L and the fraternity for helping him “really learn to take responsibility.” Both the school and Fiji have changed a lot over the years, but while talking to Mr. Marion I realized that a common bond of brotherhood unites all of us who have been a part of this chapter. For Mr. Marion the fraternity house was a special place when he was at school, one that he sums up simply and well: “It was a place to gather, a place to be.” It’s a sentiment that still holds true today, one that I hope will continue for many years to come. \r\nPage 3 FIJI IN ACTION Left: Spring weather for Fancy Dress brought brothers out onto the house lawn after hosting a dinner for 80 Fijis and friends. Then it was on to the “Lost Cities of Gold” ballroom at Warner. Cross-Country captain Kane Thomas (2014) (center) holds the first-place trophy with an assist from Fiji Mark Gensburg (2016) after W&L swept the Fall Invitational during the September W&L Hall of Fame Weekend. Dillon Myers (2014), seen here in the ODACs, also took first place in the 2d heat of the 2014 Carnival 400m hurdles. Fiji Zac Richey (2016) takes down an opponent from the Southern Virginia University Wildcats at the January W&L Invitational. Grant Cokeley (2016) (left) and Wally Konyk (2015) (2d from left) celebrate an autumn W&L rugby victory on the home field. Track team co-captainFiji Kevin Sullivan (2014) placed first in the javelin throw in W&L’s 2014 spring Track & Field Carnival. \r\nNonprofit Org Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 PIG DINNER - MAY 3, 2014 - RSVP NOW! The Pig Dinner tradition lives at Zeta Deuteron – reinstituted this year for Alumni Weekend, May 3 at 5:00pm. Visit the house, see old friends and make some new ones, and help us re-launch this time-honored event. Brothers are requested to make a donation of $25 to our Scholarship Fund. Guests of returning brothers dine for free. PLEASE RSVP as soon as possible to donnelland15@mail.wlu.edu – we need a head count! SCHOLARSHIP FUND CHAPTER LEADERSHIP W&L’s Fiji Chapter will be raising funds to create a New Member Scholarship that will be given to a deserving potential member with financial constraints. We believe that a person’s character, not finances, should be the most important prerequisite for joining our fraternity. With help from our strong graduate base, we hope to provide the first scholarship at the beginning of the 2014 school year. To learn more about the scholarship or to contribute, please contact myersd14@mail.wlu.edu. Michael Donnellan (2015) - President Zac Richey (2016) - Treasurer Corey Guen (2017) - Corresponding Secretary Grant Cokeley (2016) - Recording Secretary Mark Gensburg (2016) - Historian Lenny Enkhbold (2017) - Recruitment Chairman Bren Flanigan (2016) - Social Chairman Mina Shnoudah (2017) – Pledge Education Chairman Billy Fries (2016) – Philanthropy Chairman Design, printing and mailing services provided by the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta.