ace of diamonds phi gamma delta Ekklesia Returns to Indianapolis after 102 Year Absence By Joe Weist (Rose Hulman 1987, EI 2001) 170tH Anniversary of the First Telegraph Message: May 24th Epsilon Iota Open: June 7th Steve O’s 40th Birthday: June 13th In 1912 the big news of the year was the sinking of the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage to England. Also, in 1912, Howard Taft was president. 1912 also happens to be the last year Indianapolis hosted the Phi Gamma Delta Ekklesia. After 102 years we are proud to announce that Indianapolis will once again host the Ekklesia, and you are invited! The Ekklesia, the biennial convention of Phi Gamma Delta, is a gathering of Phi Gams from all over North America and provides for some of the largest social gatherings in our Fraternity. The Ekklesia will be held at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown from Thursday, July 24 through Saturday evening, July 26. Typically about 600-700 graduates and undergraduates attend the Ekklesia. Attend either the opening or closing banquet. Both the opening and closing banquets (Thursday and Saturday evening) are open to brothers and wives. Tickets for either banquet can be purchased at the link below. The closing banquet is formal - typically business suit - but is black tie optional. Banquet tickets are $100 each. National Scotch Day: July 27th If you would like to participate, there are several opportunities: Frank Norris Pig Dinner: November 15th Just come hang out. If you just want to pay a visit, there will be informal gatherings each evening. You can contact someone in the chapter and we can let you know where we will be each Attend the Friday night special event. On Friday evening. night we have a pavilion reserved for the Brickyard Grand Prix race (remember, this is Brickyard 400 We hope you can attend some part of weekend). Included in this event is entrance to the the Ekklesia either in a formal or an track, entrance to the Pavilion hospitality area, evening informal capacity. It will be a once in a picnic, entrance to the track museum, and pit passes. lifetime opportunity to take part in an This event is included for Ekklesia delegates. If you Indiana Ekklesia! wish to attend this event separately, you can purchase tickets at the registration link below. Tickets are $50 Register here: per person, and family members are welcome. Please http://www.phigam.org/EkklesiaIndy purchase tickets early as there is limited space. Spring 2014 Attend the entire Ekklesia. If you would like to attend the entire Ekklesia, including all luncheons, dinners and the Friday night event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the cost is $425 and you can register at the link listed below. Questions? jweist@gmail.com \r\npage 2 2014 Epsilon Iota Closing In It’s been more than a year since the last Epsilon Iota Open and people are getting restless. On April 27, 2013, two dozen FIJI’s and friends of FIJI’s gathered to once again decide who would hold the Epsilon Iota Cup, and who would carry the titles of Champions of the World for the next 12 months. Thanks to a later Open in 2014, the current allaround champions and the current all-FIJI champions have been able to hang onto their victories for a little longer. While they are surely grateful for a few extra weeks on top, the rest of the field has only gotten increasingly agitated that they are not the ones spooning the EI Cup as they drift off to sleep. will align on Clearcrest Pines and the heralds will trumpet the playing of the 2014 Epsilon Iota Open. Teams have been formed, boasts have been made, and prizes have been ordered, but all will be equal in Darmstadt on that coming and fateful day. An impressive 20 participants have already registered, and we have yet to hear from either the overall champs or the all-FIJI champs. Either they are waging psychological warfare on their opponents, or there will be new victors in 2014. Cost is a mere $50 to play, a sizable portion of which goes to support the Epsilon Iota community. Hole sponsorships start at $25. Registration or donation can be made with Jon Kissel (EI 2006) On June 7th , at 11 AM, the stars at jonkissel1848@gmail.com or (812) 550-4476. The Ace of Diamonds anxiously awaits the looming contest. Could this be the first year in the spring era (2012 to present) in which the overall champs and all-FIJI champs are the same team? Will friend-ofthe-chapter Nick Burch go home empty-handed for the first time since 2011? Is this going to be the first year every team completes 18 holes in a timely fashion? All these and more will be answered on June 7th. All teams must be registered by June 4th , all hole sponsorships must be in by June 5th. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in one of the highlights of the EI FIJI year. Epsilon Iota Congratulates New Graduates Adam Barga earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise Science. He will continue at UE as a member of the Physical Therapy Doctoral program. Aaron Griffin completed a BS in Electrical Engineering. He is moving to Holland, MI to work as a Production Support Engineer at Gentex Corporation. Austin Lauer will be putting his BS in Theater Performance to work in Los Angeles. Look for him as Andy Dwyer’s kid brother Randy on the upcoming seventh season of Parks and Recreation. After receiving his degree in Mechanical Engineering, Lee Pankau has accepted a job at Owensboro’s Boardwalk Pipeline Partners as an engineer. Michael Petcu earned a Psychology degree, with a Business minor. He will be moving to Nashville, TN to look for work in human resources, with the possibility of attending grad school. Austin White completed a BS in both Accounting and Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He’ll be working as an Assurance Associate for Ernst & Young in Indianapolis. John Gentry earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, and will be pursuing related jobs in the Evansville or Indianapolis area. Spring 2014 Epsilon Iota Grads \r\npage 3 Have You Heard The Good News? Ryan Ebersole (EI 2010) will be attending the University of Albany in New York in the fall in pursuit of his PhD in psychology. Peter Hanscom (EI 2010) is now the Caucus Director for the Indiana House Democratic Caucus. Dria Snodgrass, wife of Matt (EI 2005), gave birth to their third child Charlie in February. Tom Topper (EI 2004) and wife Mandy welcomed their second child Margot in Februrary. Chris Watkins (EI 2010) and Lauren Schafale celebrated their engagement in March. Tyler Tackett and fiancé Lindsay Kristine Ryan Cramer (EI 2012) was married to Hilary Fisher in April. He now works as an Affiliate Development Manager in the e-commerce division at Evergreen Enterprises in Richmond, VA. Nick Seibert (EI 2012) and Erin Copeland were engaged in March. Matt Mueller (EI 2012) and Sara Hamilton were engaged in April. In April, Tyler Tackett (EI 2005) proposed to Lindsey Kristine. Branden Horne (EI 2006) and wife Amanda celebrated the birth of their second daughter Hannah in April. Thomas Bever (EI 2008) and Kristen-Bell-doppelganger Cassie Long were engaged in April. Sam Rodriguez (EI 2013) and Elizabeth Abbott are planning their wedding, as of April. Tom Topper with son Tommy and daughter Margot Ray Baker (EI 2008) received his Master’s degree in educational policy from the University of Illinois – Chicago in May. Jordan Chapman (EI 2013) successfully proposed to Colleen Marty on Cinco de Mayo. What’s Distracting FIJI’s? This issue, the Ace of Diamonds caught up with New Albany physical therapist Scott Gurgol (EI 2003). I love tennis. I coach it and I play it and love it. From March through November my work schedule is based around my ability to hit the courts. If it’s sunny, I’m only seeing 5 patients. If it’s raining I’ll load up for 7-8 patients. Getting some volleys in is just more important than pulled hammies. I also string racquets for my players. I also try to play golf at least once a week. Blaire Birge (EI 2000) and I usually walk 9 holes on Thursday mornings, then I try to get out on weekends for 18. I might be part-hippie, because I’ve never found a tree I didn’t like. Scott Gurgol and wife Lisa. Lisa’s trying on Scott’s hat. When not partaking in outdoor sports, I enjoy playing poker online. I live 20 minutes from a casino, but I’ve found there is more action online. I joined a fantasy baseball league with several other EI FIJIs four years ago, and I probably spend 30-40 minutes looking at baseball stats/news daily. I never even watched baseball before joining. \r\nA Letter From The President Greetings Brothers, It has been a great semester for Epsilon Iota, and I’m very excited to share some of our recent accomplishments with you all. The semester started off with a bang, as 25 brothers attended Indiana State Day and accepted awards for Best Recruitment Program, Best Philanthropy Event, and Most Improved Chapter. These awards reflect the hard work and dedication of our brothers, and highlight how far we’ve come as a chapter in recent years. The chapter stayed busy and active on campus throughout the semester. Brotherhood development events were hosted weekly, highlighted by the 2nd Annual Putt-Putt Classic. The title was once again claimed by yours truly, as I coasted to an easy 5-stroke victory. The chapter also hosted successful mixers with the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Phi Mu, and participated in various intramural sports and campus philanthropies. The IM basketball team won its second A-League championship in three years and Eric Stoessel (EI 2014) won AOII’s Survival of the Fittest. The bike race team trained hard, held their heads high, and pedaled to a 5th place finish. In late April, we hosted our annual philanthropy event Hot-Tub-a-Thon, benefiting Easter Seals. Perfect weather and excellent planning by Brad Curtis (EI 2016) and Austin White (EI 2014) led to one of the most crowded and entertaining HTOT’s in recent memory. A good time was had by all, and yearlong fundraising efforts resulted in a record-high donation to Easter Seals. With your help, we were able to raise $14,000, upholding Hot-Tub-a-Thon’s longstanding position as the top philanthropy event on campus. Thank you all for your continued support of this worthy cause. The chapter has experienced tremendous growth over the past year. We are now one of the largest, most active fraternities on campus. However, when one challenge is overcome, a new host of challenges presents itself. Going forward, it is critical that we avoid complacency and continue to grow and develop as a chapter. This starts with next fall’s recruitment season, and I am confident that we have the system in place to again secure a large pledge class of high-quality young men. The chapter is motivated and enthusiastic about the opportunity to build on our recent achievements, and I am confident that our unyielding commitment to the values of Phi Gamma Delta will precipitate many successes in the coming years. Feel free to contact me personally with any questions that arise. Fraternally, Ben Broadhead (EI 2015) (812) 629-8373 Perge! Jon Kissel, Ace of Diamonds editor jonkissel1848@gmail.com Hot-Tub-O-Thon information phigamhtot@gmai.com Phi Gamma Delta 227 S. Lincoln Park Drive Evansville, IN 47714 Visit Epsilon Iota on the web at www.eifiji.org deepC is the musical alias of brother Geoff Keller. His music can be found on iTunes, and for exclusive deepC merchandise check out the new deepC shop: http://www.deepc.bigcartel.com/ 90% of proceeds will be donated to the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS)www.mhaus.org