THE cHOOT LiriE FROM LAMBDA OMEGA CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA v> - UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO The Year in Review WINTER 1989 Fall Rush 1988 by John G. Inch ('91) by Peter K. Watson ('90) Being now in the final weeks of this year's cabinet's term. President Ian William Newman speaks openly and frankly about the year in review ... Q. How do you respond to charges that cabinet should have Before any rush events took place, myself and several other brothers had an opportunity to fix up the house. We laid new carpet, painted walls,and hung pictures,to get the house looking just right for this years potential rush and visitors. New pictures were added to one of the living room walls, which is now called the Famous Wall of Fiji's. There are sixteen famous Fiji's from Jack Nicklaus to Norman Vincent Peale that have given the room a touch ofclass. given far more responsibilities to the younger brothers who will have to carry the chapter next year,especially in light of the fact that some 30 senior brothers will be graduating in the spring? With the house clean and looking sharp the Lambda Omega chapter ofPhi Gamma Delta wasready to puton oursmiling faces and have our outstretched hands ready to welcome any potential A. "Perhaps weareguiltyofthat. Unfortunately the people who rushees with great enthusiasm. wanted to be committee heads were older brothers who filled out My co-chairman.Bill H.Hendsbee,and 1 were able to lay out an eight event calender for the last two weeks of September. It wasn't until 9:15 Monday morning,the first day ofthe rush booth, that 1 had found out that the early bird gets the worm and the good Q. 1988; Has it been a good year for the Chapter? A. "Yes, so far. There's a lot of talented people in this Fraternity. Certain individuals really push and work hard. Lucan was a huge success along with pledging." reportforms. It'll certainly be tough next year,and a much harder job for the President. Basically the Fraternity ran itself this year. Hopefully if you go by the book and reports are filled out next year things shouldn't be too bad." Q. Questions concerning the Recording Secretary's role earlier on prompted the redefmement of his position as chapter effi ciency watch dog. Do you see this as a temporary measure,or one which should be further enhanced? A. "1 think that was an excellent idea. Hopefully when Bruce wntes up his portfolio he puts that in. In the past we've had so much controversy over this position. But yes, the position itself should be upgraded. There has to be more to a job than writing down and typing up minutes." Q. Concern has been raised that the success of the Fraternity's events seen over the pastfew months is unsustainable without the addition of future in-house open parties. Do you feel this is a legitimate concern? A. "No. There's no way you can have open parties unless they're 'all you can drink'. Other fraternities are having open house parties but they're charging $10 to get in the door. The trouble is 'all you can drink' parties take a beating on the house. 1 prefer the Polish Hall." Q. Have you seen any graduate relation trends developing in recent months? A. "Yes. Take Ad-Hoc...abrilliantidea. Stan and those guys havejust done so much. I'd like to see Ad-Hoc becomea standard group within the chapter." Continued on page 3 locations. The rest of the week the booth was up by 8:30 A.M. in a spot that had worked well for us in the past. We gave out a cardboard folder from international, and a letter from Bill and myself welcoming any rushee tojoin us at our events. As rush chairmans Bill and 1 urged the rest ofthe chapter, notto slam other fraternities and to be as sincere as possible. 1 did not have to push this issue with anyone, and because of that 1 would like to thank the restofthe chapter for doing a finejob. Our pamphlets, posters, and sincerity brought a lot of interest to Fiji this year with 160 names and about ICQ of those were serious rushees. This dwindled down to about65 by the end ofthe events with 45 being invited back on the Sunday. The budget the rush committee had to work with was $1400 which ended up being a little off its estimated base. Puken in Lucan and the Official Olympic Party were organized to be profit making events that brought down the total costofrush tojust over $800. The first event on the 20th was a Fiji BBQ that attracted 3 times the number of rushees we expected. This years Pukin in Lucan required three buses to take the 70 screaming Sydenham (chicks)and 80 hot guys to the Lucan Inn (once the Sclayly). We ended up making just under $400 for the night. The Official Olympic Party was at the house and went over without a clinch and even the next day 20 or 30 rushees were Continued on page 3 \r\nPage 2 THE HOOT LINE Pledge Report by Alex P. Wittenberg ('89) Pledge Class President Report The process of pledging often seems an endless test of both body and spirit. This year that test is also being felt by the pledge educator. It is difficult to balance the scholastic and WINTER 1989 by Mike Schaub ('91) differences in programs and hours of study are only super- The beginning of October brought about some dramatic changes for the men who ventured to 627 Wellington Street in the hopes ofjoining the fraternity. The preceding two week rush period had been filled with fun,frolic, free beer and fraternal commitments of 32 young men ranging in programs from Engineering to PHD Biochemistry to Economics. Their ceded in variation by their diverse personalities; but the countless warm handshakes but all this was destined to interaction of such personalities is the source of progressive change. The meaning of the word "responsibility" was soon growth in both the chapter and the individual. The individuals are some of the most personably accom plished men we have ever pledged to Af2. We are represented on the varsity soccer team(OUAA champions), the rowing team and the provincial tennis team. The class is led by Michael Schaub of Kingston who has assumed the role of president who has the kind of aptitude and determination that bodes well for the future of the chapter. to be learned. This class has been extremely active as a group. Beyond the required 2 a week 2 hour on campus study nights, and a 2 hour pledge class; they are also entering 4 teams in University Intra-miu"als(with no chance of beating the actives at any of them), completing a Christmas party for local underprivileged children and are also attempting to build a new permanent bar in the chapter house. They also organized a road trip to the Tau Kappa Chapter at U of T for the Vanier Cup and organ ized the now traditional Christmas Party. Any of you in attendance at homecoming and the Vanier Cup couldn't help but be impressed with their enthusiasm. As a class they may sound very busy, but this class has truly accepted the Phi Gam principle of scholarship, fraternity, self and lived Western's unofficial motto of"Work Hard,Play Hard." In my role as pledge educator, I have come full circle in the fraternity, and I feel this is one of the most determined group of young men we have pledged. They know we are the #1 fraternity at Western, answer challenges, by going on and proving it on a day to day basis. In the future you'll be able to Aside from our formal duties as pledges we also have been expected to help organize and attend many other events during the year. The most fondly remembered events so far have included Leapfrog from Lucan, where we ran, jumped, stumbled, and bellyflopped 26 km from a Lucan gas station to London City Hall. Through our efforts recognize a fall 1988 pledge- he'll be the one not satisfied with the thought of maybe next year. . . 36 Having now gained pledge status, we began our quest for brotherhood, taking an oath that we would remain loyal to the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta. Along with the newly found status came the necessity for self sacrifice. Many tasks included a mandatory study night and pledge class as a regular part in the weekly schedules of the members of the largest pledge class in Lambda Omega's history. we managed to raise over three thousand dollars for the Woman's Community House. Other events like our pub crawl and our Pledge Walkout seemed to bring us much closer as a pledge class. Planned events for the rest of the pledge period include constructing a new bar, the annual Christmas Party, and another charity event. When asked "So how's that Fiji thin going?" many feelings come immediately to mind but the most over whelming one is a feeling of contentment and happiness. We are having some of the best times of our lives and we assume they can only get better. \r\nPage 3 THE HOOT LINE WINTER 1989 Sports Report Leap Frog 1988 by Paul Su ('90) by Thomas Kim ('89) The Lambda Omega Chapter's annual Fall charity event was by far the most successful to date. Nearly $3000.00 was raised by both the actives and pledges in our fifth annual fundraiser for the Women's Community House, a local shelter for abused women. We were once again fortunate to receive Fiji Ball Hockey Out of a 64 team league, our team finished second losing their only match in the final. assistance from Labatts Breweries and Dominos Pizza. Media coverage was extensive, ranging from radio broadscasts to a feature story on TV-Lx)ndon, news to newspa pers - The London Free Press, The Toronto Star, even Brother De's hometown paper way, way up in Thunder Bay! Such coverage raised the profile of the Women's Community House and compelled some people to actually drop by our chapter house and donate additional money. This project involved the work of numerous brothers and pledges and it's success is a direct result of this chapter's strong commitment to philanthropy. We'll see you again next year! Fiji Volleyball After an impressive undefeated regular season, we dropped our post season game and were eliminated (we'll win IFC volleyball though). Fiji Softball An impressive victory over Delta LFpsilon with a score of 9-4. Pi Lambda Phi never played us in the final game so 1 guess we take the victory. Fiji Ice Hockey Despite the absence of a few years from IFC League, this year's team is a force to be reckoned with posting a 4-1 season thus far with and impressive 9-0 victory over Acacia and 5-0 victory over the Beta's. continuedfrom page 1 continuedfrom page 1 Q. Should the next President, in your opinion be a "hands-on" able to play football with the same number actives. Then came dress up night. On the second last event Kappa Alpha Theta was treated to one ofthe best Wineand Cheeses they ever had. Thirtysix bottles of wine and two punch bowls of a Fiji tropical punch were consumed not to mention the pounds ofcheese that were on hand. It was by far the most successful event of the eight, with or a "hands-off President? A. "Maybe a little of both. I don't think you can do either to an extreme. After all the Presidentshould be able to step outside and watch. This year 1 was fortunate because I had such a strong cabinet." (i. Hopes are running high with this year's pledge class. Do you think they'll be able to meet those expectations? A. "Most definitely. These guys are keen and Alex (Pledge Educator Alex P.Wittenberg)has done a greatjob. They've been put through the wringer. Look at the new bar... what a super project." Q. With two months to go in this term, how would you grade cabinet's overall performance? A. "I would give us a 'C'." (I. Finally the group "Concerned Citizens of London" has warned repeatedly tliat free trade will "Put a fraternity on every street comer." Would that really be so bad? A. "No. That would be excellent. And let's not forget the sororities." the girls from Theta still talking about it. Finally the last event with Alpha Omicron Pi was switched the day before, but still went over fairly well. The committee had video taped 45 rushees that made the voting a lot easier and by the end of it the chapter had taken its largest pledge class ever. There were 36 excellent guys that pledged themselves to Fiji with one more joining them a week later. Overall it was a long but successful Fall Rush. The new pledges are fun and enthusiastic and will be put through their paces by the Pledge Educator Alex D. Wittenpig. I would e.specially like to thank Bill my co-chairman and Alex for their support they gave me in times of need. Thanks go to Dave Crook, Rob Shields, Dario Priolo, and Mike Holder for doing a terrific job and the rest of Fiji for helping me do my job successfully. \r\nPage 4 THE HOOT LINE WINTER 1989 Nothing Endures But Change Heraclitus The Lambda Omega Chapter of And so it is at Lambda Omega. From improvements to the house, to the number of new faces at meetings, things have Phi Gamma Delta changed considerably sinceI leftLondon one short year ago. Particularly noticeable are the changes in cabinet. The pledges of 1986 have moved up to become the leaders ofthe fraternity,bring with them the same enthusiasm and dedica cordially invites you to attend the 21st Annual NORRIS PIG DINNER tion seen in their predecessors. For graduates these changes are sometimes difficult to accept After graduating form Upsilon Chi in 1985 and then to be held at the Park Lane Hotel leaving Lambda Omega in 1987 I noticed that many of my peers lamented the differences between "the old days" and the chapter of today. 'Things have changed" they would on Saturday, February 4th, 1989 say, "they're a different bunch." Of course they were absolutely right As we passfrom university into our careers we find new men eager to accept the rights and responsibili ties of membership in Phi Gamma Delta. Each ofthese men bring to our age old brotherhood a new spirit and personality -just as we did in our time. Their priorities, talents, and goals are as varied as their numbers and there is no doubt that they will change Lambda Omega-for the better. Underlying this constant flux,the tradition and ritual of Phi Gamma Delta continues to provide the foundation for the lives of all Fijis, regardless of their chapter or year of graduation. Since returning to Western in September I've had the good fortune to meet two other Fijis in the MBA, John Enright from Tau Kappa and Ralph Jaglalsingh from Epsilon Alpha. Although outwardly different, these two Agenda: Friday, February 3 Meet undergrads 8:00 pm Saturday, February 4 Meet at house 2:30 pm Leave for Housing Corp. Meeting at Park Lane Hotel (Grads only) 3:45 pm Housing Corp meeting 4:00-5:00 pm Buses take Undergrads to Park Lane Hotel 4:45 pm Cocktails at Park Lane Hotel Dinner men carry with them a common outlook on life founded on our sacred precepts. Thesamecan be said ofthe undergradu ates who now "run the show" at Lambda Omega. Outward differences will always exist, faith in Phi Gamma Delta will Cost 5:00-6:00 pm 6:30 pm $45.00 if confirmation* before January 28 $50.00 if confirmation* after January 28 always remain. So it seems that Heraclitus'thoughts on change are a bit too extreme to properly describe our fraternity. Perhaps a more apt quote comes from Alphonse Karr; Note: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY Please RSVF at the Chapter House 645-0700. This is critical to the efficient organization of the event. REMAIN THE SAME. Scott Hanwell Calgary '85. Western 88 Q^ad Update Douglas M. Workman ('74) Currently an Assistant Principal andTeacherin Cape Dorset,the NorthwestTerritories. Would like to hear from any brothers from the class of1974 through 1977 espyecially Pat Keaveny, Mike Woods, and Mike Sullivan. James Schumaker ('89) Currently a student at Laurentian University in the Great White North(Sudbury)and is currently enjoying the freedom to pursue, at his own convenience, the female population up in the north. Good luck! Michael Andrew Arbow ('81) Currently a credit analyst in London England. He crewed aboard "Sundance II" on the way to wiiming channel handicap division n. Extends a warm welcome to any brothers who may be in London, England to drop him a line. Lynn Campbell('72) Lynn Campbell would like to inform all brothers that his wife is expecting a baby in February. Congratulations to the happy couple in advance. Graeme A. Menzles('86) Our Canadian contact working in the Public Affairs Department at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. Graeme and Leah Koenig were married on September 10, 1988 in St. Catherine's, Ontario. He would like to thank the brothers who assisted at his wedding. Congratulations are extended to the happy couple and best of luck in the future. A warm thank you is extended to all grads who have already mailed back their questionnaires and to all other grads please send them back, we'd like to hear from you. Pellegrino('90) HootUne Editor \r\nPage 5 THE HOOT LINE WINTER 1989 HOMECOMING - A Blast from the Past by Ian MacGregor ('89) Homecom ing has come and gone but notthe memories. First and foremost our Fiji Float captured the"Best Float"award. This was the second award we have been graced with in the last three years. The first came as you may remember,three years ago when we won the best float award in the fraternity and sorority category. Two years ago the float entry fell unfortunately short of the cahbre of work that we were truly capable of producing, and this resulted in a loss to Delta Upsilon. Last year's loss was avenged in grand style this homecoming,for likened to the phoenix we rose from defeat to once again win top honor not just in the fraternity and sorority category but also best "overall" float category. What I feel was the greatest victory of this year's float entry was the admiration of London's citizens. Many times along the parade route the London spectators were so moved by our float's appearance that they broke into spontaneous applause as we proceeded by them. So news worthy were we that TV London featured our float during the 6 o'clock Saturday evening news. The motivation behind this year's work was to possibly improve the image of fraternities on campusin theeyesofLondoners and this wassurely achieved. After the parade we all returned to the house to prepare for the football game in the afternoon. Close to forty tickets were sold in the hopes of having a strong Fiji representation at the game. Once at the stadium we were not disappointed as our Western Mustangs totally dominated the York Yeo men with the final score being 49-0. Then it was back by the chartered LTC bus to return to the house to prepare for our victory party that night. I was told by many people that the chartering of the bus was money well spent because it kept brothers from drinking and driving plus provided the con venience oftransportation to the game without the horror of finding available parking. For these reasons we will con tinue the service in the future. The party which was held was in the true Lambda Omega spirit,arip roaring celebration. What was especially satisfying was the attendance of many graduates from our Toronto Ad Hoc graduate chapter as well as brothers from Windsor. The stories of these brothers that evening are still being echoed in conversation. The unexpected conclusion of the weekend's activities was the Sunday brunch at Cadillac Jack's organized by brothers Morantz and McKinnon. We were truly a handful for the waiters who had to attend to a hungry and hungover group of twenty-five. You need not take my account of the Sean Gilhuly Dave Plaxon Paul Redman Stan Morantz Wayne Pritchard Will Drope Mark Trenton Craig Duff Tim Johnston Chris Pearce Paul Butlin Brett Downs Tom Crook Mike Lawrence Dave Pierotti Mike Jones Mike Vormittag Rob Stappleford John McKinnon Scott Hanwell The Ad hoc Graduate Association of Phi Gamma Delta of Lambda Omega by John MacKinnon ('84) The Ad hoc association was started with the idea ofbringing together Toronto and area graduates,on a regular basis, for the purpose of sharing brotherhood. All graduates and undergraduates are invited to join the festivities which take place on the last Wednesday of the month, every month, promptly after work (6:00 p.m.). The meetings are held at prearranged locations,close to the downtown core ofToronto. A monthly Ad hoc newsletter is published each month. Graduate brothers write the articles whose subject content ranges from ridiculous to serious in nature. Political to personal, the Ad hoc editorial staff have a policy that if a brother takes the time to write an article they will pubhsh it, unedited. The yearly subscription charge is a mere $5.00,a bargain at twice the price. The publication is available to all grads worldwide,just send your cheque to Mark Trenton, Chief editor for the Ad hoc, 18 Gillespie Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6N 2Y6. The members of the Ad hoc association realize that there is strength in numbers, which results in cheaper beer and food prices at the restaurants we frequent. Therefore we strongly encourage any and all grads in the Toronto area on the last Wednesday of the month to attend. Information on any meeting, in the future can be ob tained by calling: weekend as truth. All that needs to be done is ask those fellow graduates in attendance. In closing I wish to thank all grads who came and made homecoming the biggest and most successful to date. John K. MacKinnon H: 221-5731 W:866-5461 Stan Morantz H: 925-2872 W:440-7839 Mark Trenton H:651-1988 W: 598-4931 \r\nrt '1; Page 6 THE HOOT LINE « JAM 18 i98^„|^gp 1989 A Graduate's Perspective of Frats and the FTA " by Graeme A. Menzies C86) Six years ago I had a summCTjob woridng on a seismic crew in the North Sea. We sailed out of Aberdeen and, with the exception of an emergency pit-stop in Esberg,Denmark,we spent two solid months bobbing around the high seas looking for oil. As you can imagine, thereisn't a greatdeal to do on a ship like the Western Arctic; no shuffleboard,no skeet shooting. The only three things we did was work, sleep,and watch videos. Mostofthe videos were vile. Ourshore manage wasintimidated by the machoimage ofsailors and,in his enthusiasm to prove himself as"one of the boys",he stocked-up the video library with pomos before waving us off from the dock. For the first week it was tolerable; butsoon even the mostperverted among uscould no longer watch the flicks. The phrase"seen one and you've seen them all" took on new meaning for me that summer. We took sancttiary in the one and only good movie on board: National Lampoon's"Animal House". From about the second week on,each shift would end with the ritual of watching Animal House. After an estimated 42 viewings ... well, if ever 1 was.subjected to brainwashing,it was then. And,from that summer until the fall thatI arrived at Western,"Animal House"remained my primary source of knowledge regarding the fraternal system. Imagine my surprise then, when 1 discovered that my old friend Will Drope was in a fraternity. Will has always impressed me with his high values and moral character; never would one compare him to"Bluto". 1 took a closer look at Lambda Omega and was intrigued. Reason dictated thatthe Animal House propaganda - while amusing - would have to be putaside in favourofa more personal and subjective evaluation of the fraternity. Shortly thereafter, 1 became a pledge. The more I gotto know the Brothers in the chapter,and the more 1 read thePurple Pilgrim,the more assurance 1 had that 1 wasjoining something of value,and certainly not an Animal House. But- cast your mind back to when you were a pledge - and remember how great the divide between being a mere pledge and a fully initiated Brother is. From the perspective of an uninitiated pledge, who has certain confidential informaticm withheld from him,the divide is large indeed. Looking back on it now,with hindsight,1 can see that initiation weekend symbolized for me,more than a bridge over that divide. It has something to do with successfully confronting what T.S. Eliot would call"the shadow"("Between the idea/And the reality/Between the motion/And the act/Falls the shadow"). Symbolism aside, the conclusion of the initiation weekend was proof that my trust in the Brothers and faith in myself was well-founded. While there are differences between Animal House and the House ofCommons(some readers may disagree),allow me to suggest the following comparison between initiation weekend and election day. In mostcases,the electorate are asked to passjudgement on the record of the incumbent government. The theory is that, if they have done a goodjob in the pastfour years then they deserve to have their contract renewed. But,this year,instead of being asked to renew the Tory contract based on pastjob performance,we were asked to make a decision about our future. Liberalized trade with the United States: Yes,or No? Between increased prosperity and the loss of sovereignty falls the shadow. As pledges we had little more than our Purple Pilgrim's and the obviously biased word of the the initiated Brothers that joining the fraternity wasa good thing. As Canadians we had little more than the text to the FTA and the obviously biased word ofnumerous partisans wither in favour of or against closer economic ties to our largest trading partner. On election day we were caUed upon to make a decision regarding the shadowy grey area between that we have and what we aspire to. what was required from the electorate was a leap of faith. On NovembCT 21,the nation took that leap. Only with the passage of time will we be able to look back and determine whether our trust was mislaid or not. I rather think the nation's choice in favour of the FTA is evidence that the Canadian psyche(recently described by a U.S.journalist as having a "superior infraiority complex")is healthy, alive, and ready for future challenges, while never a fan of Trudeau,I am pleased that the nation has chosen to follow his personal credo of"raison avant passion"(reason before passion). Canadians have a history of putting passion before reason when dealing with the United States. In 1953 J.S. Wallace wrote,"Ours is a sovereign nation/Bows to no foreign will/But whenever they cough in Washington/They spit on Parliament Hill". On serious issues we cannot afford to, and have shown that we won't,follow such false ideas be they regarding fraternal or foreign affairs. We welcome your comments and suggestions ! The Hootline Editor: Michael Pellegrino Assistant Editor: John G.Inch