\r\nImportant AI Contacts President's Address President: Colby Woodvine 641-757-2423 colbyw@iastate.edu Greetings Brothers, Treasurer: Erik Brandt 952-378-1442 mebrandt@iastate.edu The current fall pledge class (2019) is 25 members strong, which brings our total undergraduate membership to 105 brothers and pledges. Our numbers are strong, and our brotherhood is still great. Having increased membership has allowed us to better support each other in the pursuit of becoming better men and increased the diversity of the chapter. As always, it takes the whole brotherhood to recruit, so if you know a young man that is fit to be a gentleman of Phi Gamma Delta, we would love for you to reach out to us. In the pursuit of knowledge, excellence, and the betterment of ourselves as men, the chapter GPA is currently a 3.04 our next goal and milestone is a 3.15 member average, which we continue to work toward as one of our main objectives. Recording Secretary: Jorge Abascal 847-909-1707 jabascal@iastate.edu Corresponding Secretary: Jesse Katamay 773-910-1508 jkatamay@iastate.edu Historian: Nick Dohrmann 515-802-2703 ndoor24@iastate.edu BCA President: Eli Krambeer 319-310-5114 elikrambeer@gmail.com Purple Legionnaire: Kyle Vansice 515-963-8402 vansicek@iastate.edu On behalf of the undergraduate chapter, I would like to thank you all for setting a standard of excellence that we continue to pursue today. Our chapter is large and prosperous, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without the help of past generations of Alpha Iota Phi Gams. With Greek Week, Norris Pig Dinner, spring break, and another great year at Alpha Iota ahead, we are planning a busy spring semester. Greek Week traditions are continuing, and this spring we are teaming up with the women of Gamma Phi Beta and Gamma Rho Lambda Sororities as well as the men of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. We are looking forward to a fun, competitive and rewarding experience that brings the whole Greek community together. Once again, the undergraduates would like to extend our sincere gratitude for everything that the graduate members have done, and continue to do, for Alpha Iota. 109 years of success doesn’t just happen; it is due to many generations of brotherhood, determination, and persistence from proud Phi Gams. Fraternally, Colby Woodvine ‘(2017) Chapter President Pergé! Letter from the Editor Brothers, If you have any comments, questions, or requests for articles, please send them to me or Jesse Katamay (jkatamay@iastate.edu). I hope you enjoy this version of The Brainstorm and I look forward to seeing you at Pig Dinner! Caleb Bonderer (2016) bonderer@iastate.edu \r\n“We draw our Presidents from the people. It is a wholesome thing for them to return to the people. I came from them. I wish to be one of them again.” Calvin Coolidge Amherst, Class of 1895 30th President of the United States Brothers, The Chapter has made many advances during the past year. Many of these changes are quantifiable, and while this category is important, I am heartened by the qualitative views I see around me. Meaningful improvements such as raising house grades, number of new members, and amount raised for the USO are exciting; however, in this unique organization the intangibles are often the most important thing and impressed most on our memories. The bond between men and the commitment to service exist to this day, the same that united yourself to our cause. I believe the intangible, the spirit of brotherhood, is what has increased the most over the past year and I am glad to have been a part of that growth. The spirit of the Phi Gams is alive and well in Alpha Iota. Press On! Eli McKeever (2017) 2015 President of Alpha Iota Brandon Morris (2016), Patrick Gaffney (2017), Nate Burger (2016), Alex Menke (2016), and Travis Dierickx (2016) Brothers of Alpha Iota travel to Big Sky Montana for a spring break trip. Bobby Dunteman (2016), Ben Sporrer (2017), Matt Murphy (2016), Trent Purdy (2016), Scotty Cicciarelli (2016), Peter Batdorf (2016) \r\nBoard Of Chapter Advisors President's Address Brothers, I hope this edition of the Brainstorm finds you well! The undergraduate chapter is off to a great start this fall. After achieving a GPA of 3.04 last spring, the brothers are looking to continue the scholastic momentum and have goals in place to maintain their top 10 ranking. They have held two philanthropies this semester, the annual Fiji S’more Roast and Mugs for the Military, which together have raised over $2,700 for the USO. Now, with homecoming over (which included a great shutout in the football game against Texas!), the chapter can begin focusing on finals in preparation for a well-deserved holiday break. The Alpha Iota Chapter has been blessed to have consistent support from those who have passed through the halls of 325 Ash. Brothers serving on the BCA and the House Corporation have volunteered their time to improve the chapter’s activities and facilities; I don’t think the chapter house has ever looked better! There have been multiple changes and additions including exterior security cameras and a new house-marker. These enhancements could not have been possible without the support of our Alpha Iota graduates. Feel free to stop by when you’re in town for an athletic event, otherwise look forward to touring the house at Pig Dinner on April 23. One of the many ways to get involved after graduation is to join your local graduate chapter. There are over 60 Graduate Chapters, one in almost every major city. Members of the Des Moines Graduate Chapter get together once a month to catch up and reminisce about the "good ol’ days." Upcoming events include visiting a local brewery, 515 Brewing Co. on Thursday, Dec 17, at 5pm and meeting at Jethro's Bacon on Tuesday, Jan 12, at 7:30pm to watch the Iowa State men’s basketball team take on Texas. It’s a great way to meet other Phi Gams and I encourage you to attend an event with the graduate chapter near you. www.phigam.org can help you contact local grads in your area for upcoming events. With all the successes that 2015 has held, we look ahead to 2016 and the start of another great year for Phi Gamma Delta. Happy Holidays! Eli Krambeer (2013) BCA President Perge! Fijis celebrate Kyle Gaul's ('13) wedding in August of 2014. Brandon Morris, Isaac Cowan, Alex Menke, Zach Marean, Austin Prestige, Adolfo Arenas, Matt Murphy, Trent Purdy, Max Loebig, Nate Burger, Eric Graika, Bobby Dunteman, and Grant Stahulak gather for a partial Class of 2016 picture at the 2015 Norris Pig Dinner. Patrick Gaffney, Eli McKeaver, Nick Arnold, Colby Woodvine, Jake Cunningham, and Matt DeLanoit, (2017s), pose after a Fiji fishing trip. \r\nA Lost, Exiled Toast The following excerpt is taken from a speech written by Brother Russell Hopley, (1953). He currently lives in Balikpapan, the center of the oil and gas industry in Indonesia, working for Huffco. For the 2015 Pig Dinner, Russ wrote this as an introduction to the Exile's Toast but technical difficulties delayed it and we did not receive it in time. Due to its length, the full letter could not be included in this newsletter, therefore it has been uploaded to aifiji.com and I encourage each of you to read the full story of Brother Russ' life abroad since graduation! My definition of an Exile is: “A citizen of a country who leaves his home country to live or work abroad for an extended time in another country, for whatever reason or purposes.” This evening I want to briefly share some of my experiences as an Exile with you. My foreign career in the US Army in Germany, Oasis Oil Company in Libya, Huffco and several independent oil and gas service companies in Indonesia covers 35 enjoyable years working on three different continents: Europe, Africa and Asia. At first living in a foreign country is strange and somewhat daunting. You are alone in a new and different culture, people, their way of life and foreign language are totally new. Also there are fewer expatriates working in Indonesia and other countries due to increased security risks, and an upsurge in nationalistic feelings. Yes, American companies and Americans are still welcomed overseas and liked, but companies with international operations are under pressure from host governments to fill more positions with local employees, even though their knowledge lags behind that of western employees and their productivity is not as good as expatriates. By then I liked overseas living, and before returning to the US for discharge from the U.S. Army I visited Dutch Shell’s world headquarters in Holland to enquire about a foreign posting with Shell, but was told there was “nothing for a young engineer without experience working in the oilfields.” So we returned to the U.S. to work in Texas and then to New Orleans and the offshore oil boom there. When executives from other Shell foreign operations visited Shell’s offshore operation in the Gulf of Mexico I would enquire about working overseas with Shell, but with no success. After 10 years in the “oil patch” in Texas and Louisiana I left Shell to work in Libya which then was an exciting and booming area of oil activity in North Africa. However this was interrupted after only two years by U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s recall of all US Citizens to leave Libya for security and political reasons. My boss, who was an American retired after working 30 years in Libya. With his assistance he wrote his former boss now in Indonesia recommending me for a position with Roy M. Huffington Co. I was accepted and transferred half way around the world again. This resulted in my assignment spanning 32 years in Indonesia where I presently reside. This has been my most enjoyable and longest overseas assignment. My family joined me and we lived together in Balikpapan, then in Jakarta, the capital city, and back again to Balikpapan. If you are interested and want to work overseas you should discuss this with your boss or supervisor. Usually new employees aren’t eligible for an overseas assignment without first having experience in their company. Discuss this with other employees in the company who have worked overseas to get a feel if they liked it and finally talk it over with your family. You need to know if they are agreeable with moving and living overseas. If things look positive start your planning. But remember you need to evaluate the pluses and minuses of being an Exile living and working overseas. Because I am still here in Indonesia and not with you in Ames to present my Exile’s Toast, I won’t be able to meet and renew acquaintances after dinner tonight, which I would really enjoy doing. Therefore if you have any questions, seek advice, want to renew old times together or just chat, please send me an email - I am only “one click away”. Russ Hopley Class of 1953 April 11, 2015 \r\nIntroducing: The Class of 2019 As a part of the 2019 pledge class, I am proud to announce that it is full of a wide mixture of upcoming leaders, athletes, and scholars that hope to live up to Phi Gamma Delta’s high standards. Four of us hail from the Quad Cities area of Iowa, six call the Chicago suburbs home, seven love the snow of Minnesota, and the remaining ten are scattered throughout the hills of the Midwest. Unlike many other freshmen in my classes, we are involved in numerous clubs and activities, aside from Phi Gamma Delta. Eight of us, the highest number in recent history, were elected to Freshman Council, which works to make Iowa State better for all freshmen. In this precursor to Student Government, there are multiple committees and our class has worked on several different tasks regarding bettering our university. Many men in our class are majoring in supply chain management and therefore have already joined the respective professional club. Blake Rosenquist, majoring in Pre-Business from Hartland, Wisconsin, described it as “informative and helpful with making professional decisions”, and has already learned a lot about the different aspects of supply chain management and why it is the correct choice for him. Max Kuehn, majoring in civil engineering from Ellsworth, WI, was elected to be the president of his residence floor. As such, he runs weekly meetings, holds open forums for his floor, and is the main contact to the Student Government. He is committed to serving his floor and is working on getting a hot tub for their den on Fairchild floor of Roberts Residence Hall. A big accomplishment for Will Montgomery, an environmental science major from Monticello, IL, is that he won first place in the Blue Sky Days 5k. A big part of Homecoming, the annual run is a fundraiser which helps to provide programs and services to children, families and individuals in Story County and surrounding communities. This is just a glimpse of what the Class of 2019 has already accomplished, and with our time here at ISU, we hope to better the university, the Fraternity, and, most importantly, ourselves. We look forward to becoming better men with Phi Gamma Delta. Nick Costello '19 The class of 2019 poses during a tailgate. Back: Will Montgomery, Blake Rosenquist, Scott Burger, Ben Theile, Mason Niehoff, Max Kuehn, Taylor Lyons, Tate Carlson, Tommy Patton, Murphy Hanson Front: Eric Bergquist, David O'Malley, Andrew Norman, Brain Toman, Zach Williamson, Marcus Knouse, Colin Eason House Corporation Update: Current Members We would like to send a warm thank you to brothers Wes Cole (1962) and Erik King (1996) for their service on our House Corp. They have chosen to retire starting 2016 and we cannot thank them enough for their years of dedication to the Alpha Iota Chapter. In the same breath, we warmly welcome Andrew Mott (2015) and Chuck Logan (1974)onto the board. Thank you for stepping up and helping the undergraduate brothers take care of our amazing house! President: Adam Jacobs (1995) Secretary: Joe Finelli (2007) Purple Legionnaire: Kyle Vansice (2011) Directors: Mark Cowan (1986) Chuck Logan (1974) Andrew Mott (2005) Bill McElrath (1971) Dave Buck (1964) Joe Price (1986) Eric Ritland (1990) Jon Dohrmann (1983) \r\nFreezin' for a Reason This semester, we saw a big turnout to Reggie's Sleepout, an annual service event hosted by Drake University in Des Moines. Fourteen brothers and pledges raised money and awareness to help combat youth homelessness by sleeping under the stars on Drake's football field. The event raised over $140,000, and more than 1500 campers participated. Alpha Iota has participated in this event for more than four consecutive years and shows no sign of stopping. This is one of many events that we participate in to help fulfill our goal of each member completing at least 15 service hours per semester. As one of our core values, service is an integral part of being a member of Phi Gamma Delta. Steve Soko, (2018) Nolan Christensen (2017), and Tommy Patton (2019), work together. Will Montgomery (2019), playing "baseball" while Andrew Norman (2019), watches intently. Back: Steve Soko (2018), Tommy Patton (2019), Hunter Owen (2017), Nick Costello (2019), Zach Marean (2016), Michael Rupert (2016), Max Kuehn (2019), Colton Twinam (2019) Front: Caleb Bonderer (2016), Murphy Hanson (2016), Collin Plouffe (2019), Nolan Christensen (2017), Tommy Patton (2019), Dan Ackerman (2017) At the event, we got creative and decided to build a cardboard fort for everyone to sleep in. Additionally, we played baseball using a cardboard bat and a water bottle as a ball. \r\nGolden Memories Reminiscing with the Class of 1969 Brothers, My name is Caleb Bonderer, a senior here at ISU, and I had the opportunity to talk to two outstanding brothers from the class of 1969 about their college experiences. The pledge brothers, Keith Tucker (1969) and Chuck Ebann (1969), each had unique experiences which they were excited to relive. While their focus is different, the message is the same: Phi Gamma Delta is "Not For College Days Alone." When talking with Keith, I learned that they had a huge pledge class for the time, boasting 25 new members. During their first year together, they did a lot of traveling, visiting the Story County Fair and the Mayor of Marshalltown, based on the brothers’ request. He reminisced on how hard they worked during their pledging but also how much fun they had. In the 1960's, members were not initiated until the end of March so they grew very close to one another over the eight months they fought to impress the brothers. Keith remembered the social aspects of the house fondly and talked to me about the Annex, a building that once stood on the western half of our current parking lot, adjacent to Brown House. In the late 1960's, it was a house that Alpha Iota Fijis rented and frequently held parties in. To better the social scene, John Hougham (1969) and Dave Kling (1969) tore a shed apart and used the pieces to build a bar in the basement. The two entrepreneurs knew their new club needed a name, so they called it the Stagger Inn. Brothers may recall that there is a room on the third floor of 325 Ash currently named Stagger In. I believe the name for this room traces its origins to Hougham and Kling’s past endeavors but lost its history (and second n) through the decades. Another party place from the Golden Owls' day was a building simply called The Bins, based on the simple fact that they resemble grain bins. Located by the Towers, south of campus, The Bins was owned by The Knights of St. Patrick of which Keith was a member. The engineering honorary society hosted pre-game parties for the football games. A clever and opportunistic man, Keith always purchased two kegs for the pre-game parties, knowing the Knights would only be able to finish one. Right before heading to the game, Keith popped the second keg so they couldn’t return it and would then bring the keg to the Stagger Inn for the post game party. Keith happily recalls the Phi Gams’ “social environment.” Keith’s proudest moment, however, came years after his graduation when his son was initiated into Alpha Iota. Rick Tucker (2011), is a fourth generation Fiji. Rick was initiated with only three other guys and joined the house at a very rough time in its history. That all changed when Rick became the Recruitment Chair and set a personal goal to rebuild the house to the status that he heard so much about from his father and grandfathers. With so few members, there was no money set aside for recruitment, and Rick had to go to desperate measures to achieve his goal. He decided to sell his plasma weekly, simply so he could pay for gas to visit the potential new members. Rick’s persistence paid off and he brought 27 new members to Fiji, a truly amazing feat. Current brothers now affectionately refer to him as the "Fiji Who Bleeds Purple" and look up to him for his dedication to the house. \r\nBrother Chuck Ebann’s memories focused on a specific feat that he managed to tackle during his time in house writing our Local History. We have all read his work and treat it as Alpha Iota’s bible, learning from the mistakes and successes of our illustrious past. During his pledging semester, Chuck found a serious gap in knowledge of our history which, at the time, relied solely on word of mouth. Putting his nose to the grindstone, Brother Ebann looked to change this, despite not even being Historian (he held the position of Corresponding Secretary at the time). He dug through the archives held in the Memorial Union, Iowa State Library, local newspapers, Ames’ historical records and even interviewed past graduates. Chuck also consolidated all of the oral stories he could from the older brothers in the house to complete the Black Book. I asked Brother Ebann what his favorite story from LH is and he simply laughed saying that he loved knowing the history of any organization he’s a part of and that all of the stories have value. He went on to say that he got the most pleasure in learning about the factual stories, rather than the so-called “Fiji lore.” The fire of 1982, the house mothers and the story of Dennis Rodenbeck were more interesting to him because we know they actually happened rather than some of the stories the older brothers spun him, like the infamous ride of James Greer and the illusive status of becoming a member of the Quo Vadis. Similar to his pledge brother Keith, one of Chuck’s fondest memories is when his son, Spencer, pledged Fiji and then went on to pick up his father’s work, updating our Local History. Together, the father-son team repeated the process of contacting verifiable sources to discover and record what Alpha Iota had accomplished since Chuck graduated. Chuck hopes that a current brother will take the initiative and continue what the Ebann's began to keep Alpha Iota’s history alive. Nothing was more prominent during my conversation with these two gentlemen than their earnest longing for their fellow pledge brothers to join them at Pig Dinner this year. 2016 is the Class of 1969’s Golden Owl year, and they hope to see all of their pledge brothers at the annual feast. Of course, they hope to see as many brothers as possible, but strongly urge the other 1969s to join them in this monumentous reunion. I’d like to thank both of these brothers for taking time to talk to me, and I hope articles like these will become routine for The Brainstorm. If you’d like to be featured in the graduate newsletter, or recommend someone else, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bonderer@iastate.edu or Jesse Katamay at jkatamay@iastate.edu. Caleb Bonderer (2016) Frank Norris Pig Dinner Brother, you are cordially invited to attend Alpha Iota's annual Pig Dinner, the details of which can be seen below. Speaker: Brother Kevin McAdams, Class of 1992 When: Saturday, April 23, 2016 Where: Iowa State Alumni Center, 420 Beach Ave, Ames, Iowa Registration Fee: $80 online, $100 at the door Golden Owls: Brothers Initiated in 1965-1966 Silver Owls: Brothers Initiated in 1990-1991 Registration includes dinner and an Alpha Iota shirt. Copies of our Local History, written by Brother Ebann, will be sold at the event. We sincerely hope to see you there! \r\nPhi Gamma Delta Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit #540 Alpha Iota Chapter 1201 Red Mile Rd Lexington, KY 40544 Alpha Iota Ad Astra 2015 Gordon C. Barg (1953), May 26th Chandler L. von Schrader (1946), September 6 Keith B. Merrill (1946), September 11th Brother Merrill's obituary can be found on the Des Moines Registers