The Chi Upsilon FIJIGRAM University of Chicago ‐ Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity ‐ Winter 2014 Edition HOMECOMING SUCCESS On Saturday, October 19, after the Maroons trounced the Scotts of Macalester in a 26-7 win, celebration and cheer poured over to the chapter house. The brothers at Chi Upsilon hosted the homecoming celebration by inviting both graduate brothers and their families and undergrads’ family members to the house after the game to celebrate the victory, eat good food, honor distinguished guests, and share stories of old and new. It was a long, cold, and windy victory, but over 225 brothers and family members attended the celebration. On arrival, parents and graduate brothers were welcomed with open arms into their old rooms so that they could reminisce about “the good ol’ times” and bathe in the nostalgia of their college days. Parents, on the other hand, were eager to satisfy their desire to compare the house to the image they had painted for themselves, based on the stories they had pried out of their boys. To the dismay of many undergrads, while crossing paths, reminiscent graduate brothers more than eagerly filled the void in parents’ imaginations with stories of the common occurrences, events, and activities of their beloved Chi Upsilon Chapter. Grad Brothers Ted Repass (1987) and Brandon Way (1999) were both inducted (Continued on page 2) EFFORTS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE HOUSE Despite efforts by both the graduate board and the undergraduates in recent years, the Chi Upsilon house remains in serious need of repair. Last years’ Chapter Treasurer Richard Schmidt (2014), created a policy: that the cost of the materials for renovation financed by the undergraduates would be subtracted from that undergraduate’s rent. This policy immediately spurred massive amounts of undergraduate work put into the beautiful, yet rapidly deteriorating, old house. This policy was first meant to give brothers living in the house an incentive to renovate their own rooms. In the 2 years that the program has been in place, an impressive 8 of the 12 bedrooms in house have been renovated in some major way. But the undergrads seeing that their house needed care if they planned to live there in a quasicivilized manner in future years put their own personal time and initial capital into improving the common areas of the house. Things to Know • The chapter finished the fall 2013 semester with a 3.22 GPA. • Chi Upsilon renewed the Homecoming tradition by inviting graduates and parents to celebrate. Plan now to attend next year. • Use the enclosed giving card and envel0pe to support Chi Upsilon. Donations are used to offset the cost of graduate communications and house maintenance. Thank you! DO WE HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS? undergrad maintenance and repairs to the common living area of the house include but are not limited to: Replacement of crumbling first floor tile, patching of all holes (Continued on page 2) This newsletter was sent electronically to those brothers whom we have a valid email address. If you did not receive it, please go to www.phigam.org/ AddressUpdate to provide updated contact information or send a quick email to address@phigam.org and provide your name, school, class year and your preferred email address. \r\nFIJIGRAM Page 2 HOMECOMING SUCCESS continued... (Continued from page 1) into the University of Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame for their remarkable football careers for the 'Roonies. Both Ted and Brandon broke career records during their time with the Maroons. Ted racked up and astounding 521 career tackles and a season high 147 in 1985. On the other side of the ball Brandon became the Maroons career scoring leader in 1998 with 208 points. Frank Brunner (1942) was given special distinction at the celebration for his 75 years of service to the fraternity. Frank received the Diamond Owl, which is given to a brother on the 75th anniversary of his initiation into the fraternity. Over all the celebration was a huge success for all parties involved. Families got to see the house and hear detailed stories about the fraternity, graduate brothers got to reminisce and share stories of Fiji days of old, and undergraduates got the opportunity to bond both with their families and with graduate brothers through stories and shared experiences. When asked whether he thinks this tradition will continue in years to come, Current Chapter President Bryan Tisdale (2015) stated, "I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for the brothers, graduate or undergraduate, to remember and celebrate their times here at the house while Brandon Way (1999) (left) with his bringing in and sharing those memofamily, including fraternity brother ries with their loved ones. For that Frank Brunner (1942) receiving his Diamond Owl certificate for 75 years of service to the Fraternity. reason, and the fact that the event was so well received by all of the members and their families, I couldn't imagine the Homecoming Parent's Weekend not being perpetuated into the future for many years to come." Austin Way (2007, right). EFFORTS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE HOUSE continued... (Continued from page 1) in drywall, replacement of every cracked window, repainting of the entire first floor of the house, sanding and sealing with polyurethane all the wood floors, rebuilding of the wood rotted basement stairs, replacement of broken lighting fixtures throughout the house. Besides the work the undergrads have done on the house they have also financed the purchase of necessary appliances though the money they collected in dues. The cabinet has in the last two years purchased a new kitchen sink, new washer and dryer (both used), and new (used) furniture for the library. The grad board is doing it’s part also with the funds it has, just this fall financing the removal of asbestos in the basement, new fire extinguishers and fire alarms throughout the house, and a new back gate which was stolen over the summer. “Chi Upsilon needs a house that brothers can gather safely in to live, bond, and create memories together.” Challenges still persist. The banister of the main stairway is missing 27 spindles and needs to be straightened, a shower leaks freely, random portions of the ceil- ings are caving in, the wiring is not up to safety codes, there are two unusable showers, the basement has moisture which needs repair. The physical house, however, is in no way a reflection of the chapter. In recent years we have boasted a record number of brothers despite the practice of increasingly intense selectiveness in who is given bids to pledge the fraternity. Chapter participation and the brothers’ cohesiveness are at recent highs but for brotherhood to continue grow and thrive, Chi Upsilon needs a house that brothers can gather safely in to live, bond, and create memories together. \r\nPage 3 GRADUATE UPDATES • John Saada (1956) - is retired from Ernst & Young and lives in Chagrin Falls. He and Delores winter in Hilton Head. He can be reached at johnmikes@aol.com. • Bill Johnson (1958) - is retired from the Georgia State University Office of Information Technology. He and Denise live in Atlanta and can be reached at wjohnson@gsu.edu. • Dr. Phil Shaw (1963) - has retired from Sybase as a programmer. He is in Las Vegas and can be reached at phil@philshaw.com. • Dr. James A. Stankiewicz (1970) is head of the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Department at Loyola University in Maywood and was again named one of the top doctors by Chicago Magazine. • Alex Pound (1985) - is Vice President at Wilshire Associates in New York City. • Ted A. Repass (1987) - U of C Atheletic Hall of Fame member is Divisional Vice President for Prudential Financial in Indianapolis. • John C. Hayek (1990) - is Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas System. • Morgan W. Wright (1997) - is Director, Management and Operations Loan Programs office in the United States Department of Energy. • Paul L. Santucci (2001) - is an Options Trader at Christopher Street Capital, specializing in foreign exchange. • Captain Timothy J. Kuhn (2002) is Senior Defense Counsel for the United States Marines. • Mark S. Benigno (2004) - is Head Trader at Volant Trading in New York City. • Michael J. Serio (2008) - is Vice President at Sterne Agee in New York City. • Captain Mark Cowett (2009) - is pursuing an MBA at Yale University, after four years in the United States Marines. • David M. Murphy (2011) - is an energy trader at Louis Dreyfus Commodities. His brother entered University of Chicago in September. • Brandon W. Meckelberg (2013) is in Marquette University Dental School. His younger sister was just admitted to the U of C class of 2018. served the Fraternity as Purple Legionnaire. His regular correspondence and great sense of humor will be truly missed. • John R. Stanek (1958) - after fighting cancer for many years “Jack” passed away May 25, 2013 of prostate cancer. Like Charlie, Jack was a native of the south side of Chicago. He was a varsity swimmer at the U of C. He started a global survey company, Internal Survey Research, and built it into a multimillion dollar firm that he sold several years before his death. He was a great storyteller and served many times as master of ceremonies at the Pig Dinner. Jack was a major supporter of the chapter’s capital campaigns and the Midway Education Foundation. He also employed many brothers at his firm and has contributed generously to the University and other worthwhile organizations. Although now gone, we’ll continue telling “Stanek Stories” for a long time. In 2013, two long-term supportive brothers passed away. • Charles Wright (1957) - received his BA at Knox College and completed his PhD at University of Chicago. He passed away October 2013. After starting his career teaching college, the C.I.A. employed him. Charlie was assigned to scrutinize the publications of the “Eastern Block” during the Cold War and assess shifts in policy and personnel to help determine future trends. He Ted Repass (1987) with his family CHI UPSILON EXCELS IN SCHOLARSHIP With a chapter GPA of 3.22, the house continues to prove it belongs in the rigorous academic setting that the University provides. The chapter’s GPA continues to be far above the all Phi Gam average GPA of 3.05. Although the university does not publish all-college, all-men’s, or all-fraternity GPAs the houses academic excellence can be quantitatively measured by observing that 43 out of the 70 current brothers hold GPAs at or above the dean’s list requirement of 3.25. \r\nNonprofit Org Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 WELCOME PLEDGES The Chapter is continuing their efforts to recruit well-rounded pledges with various backgrounds and strengths. Our current pledge class finds its origins primarily through relations to brothers in the classroom. All five men are well on their ways to becoming valued and contributing members of the Chapter and we all look forward to the completion of their process. In a few weeks a new spring class projected at 20+ brothers will be given their bids. ♦ Colin Patrick Varn - Annapolis, Maryland, Annapolis High ♦ Daniel John Varn - Annapolis, Maryland, Annapolis High ♦ Erik Nathaniel Brewer - Sleepy Holow, IL, Dundee-Crown High School ♦ Liam Thomas Ward, Jr. - Chester, NJ, Oratory Preparatory High School ♦ Benjamin Marc Shenwick - Scarsdale, NY, S.A.R. High School SAVE THE DATE - PIG DINNER 2014 The Norris Pig Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, June 7, 2014. Please save this date on your calendar, and be on the lookout for upcoming information regarding the “Sing.” This year 70+ undergraduate brothers will be in attendance. We look forward to having a full roster of support, with the intent of winning this years’ competition. Design, printing and mailing services provided by the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta.