ROSE FIJI A publication of the Rho Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology t Spring 2006 Rho Phi pr o v i d e s h u rr i c a n e r e l i e f Phi Gamma Delta Slidell, LA Trip November 18th – 23rd, 2005 had faded from national news coverage, the effort was no where close to being finished. It seemed like every building in the town had some sort of visible damage from the outside and we could only imagine what the flooding had done to the insides. We met with the pastor and some members of the First Baptist Church of Slidell where we would be staying for the week. Their attitudes were contagious and we could immediately see their optimism in rebuilding their community and church and were eager to get to work. After the resident cook, whose skills managed to keep fifteen college students’ (along with Fifteen brothers traveled to Slidell, Louisiana to about 40-50 other volunteers staying in assist with Hurricane Katrina cleanup the church) stomachs full all week long, On Friday November 18th, 2005, fifteen served us our first of many good ol’ southmembers of the Rho Phi chapter of Phi ern style meals to start the day, we got to Gamma Delta fraternity left Terre Haute, work. IN equipped with shovels, boots, and an open mind on our way to Slidell, LA to help We divided our team into three groups of aid in the Hurricane Katrina disaster re- five guys. At the beginning of the day each lief effort. We left around 8:00 pm on Fri- group would receive work orders from the day in three SUVs and drove through the organizational team at the church. Many night to arrive in Slidell on Saturday morn- of the volunteers were skilled laborers such ing. Apart from an overestimation of gas as carpenters and plumbers taking vacaby one vehicle in our caravan on a couple tion time to offer a helping hand. We realof occasions, God blessed our group with ized that our best offering was brute force. safe travel throughout the week. Our teams set off on tasks such as clearing trees and brush. Many of the homes Upon arriving in Slidell Saturday morning experienced severe water damage and reit became immediately obvious that even quired a complete “gutting out” or “mud though footage of the Katrina’s damage out”. This included stripping the house of continued on page 3 \r\nF ro m the H o u s i n g C o rp o r a t i o n To d d H u b b e l l , R h o P h i ‘96 Brothers, It is my pleasure to report that the House Corporation is as strong as ever. The last year hasn’t been the easiest, but things are once again pointed in the right direction. The chapter continues to be the most popular fraternity on the Rose-Hulman campus. They once again had a very successful rush, taking 21 new pledges into the chapter. The chapter is very active in several aspects of the campus. From sports, to academics, the chapter continues to be very impressive. Many of you recently have been back to Terre Haute to visit the chapter. Last spring, we held a very successful Pig Dinner. Just a few weeks ago, Homecoming brought back many graduates. While these events are put on by the undergraduate chapter, the House Corporation and other graduates play an important part in the programming. On that note, we have agreed to continue the relationship with the Fraternity Management Group. They are the organization that is helps us with promotion, newsletters and other graduate activities. This year, we hope to grow the annual contributions given to the House Corporation. We started this campaign last year in an effort to offset some of the costs of managing the House Corporation and especially the graduate programming. This is extremely important in order for the HC to keep the rent and other expenses lower for the chapter. It also helps the HC offer more educational and leadership opportunities to the undergraduate chapter. Please consider donating to this year’s annual campaign. At Pig Dinner, we will once again be nominating several individuals into the Rho Phi Hall of Fame. This program has helped enhance the annual dinner. It has helped us bring back several graduates over the past few years. It truly is an enjoyable event for any graduate to attend. I am thankful that Don Mighell has once again agreed to head the Hall of Fame Nominations. continued on page 3 Rho Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta Please direct all news for the Rose FIJI to: Cody Gacek, Fraternity Management Group, 2660 N. 1st Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719 or cody@fmgtucson.com All content and pictures are sole property of the Rho Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. For questions on the production of the newsletter or for reprints, please contact Cody Gaceck. House Corporation Officers President Todd Hubbell ‘96 1896 W. Central Park Blvd. Greenwood, IN 46143 Treasurer Joe Weist ‘87 649 Franklin Court, Apt M. Terre Haute, IN 47803 Secretary Chip Bradway ‘97 7702 Hidden Ridge Fishers, IN 46038-2277 House Corporation Directors Rob Bunch ‘75 Mark Ress ‘76 Andy Gullone ‘04 Aaron Weishaar ‘97 Andy Horton ‘97 Ryan Thompson ‘04 Tim Wilson ‘07 Zach McCarty ‘08 Graduate Website www.rhophifiji.org Undergraduate Website www.rosefiji.com Photograph Archive rosefiji.smugmug.com Rho Phi House Corp. PO Box 3047 Terre Haute, IN 47803-0047 email info@rosefiji.com \r\nThe House Corporation continues to grow. As times change and the chapter evolves, we must continue to expand our activities. One example of this is the creation of a new committee within the HC. The time has come for us to examine the levels of insurance that we carry for the house, undergraduate chapter, and HC members. I am actively looking for volunteers to help the HC as a member or chairman of a new Insurance committee. Please let me know if you are interested in helping us out with this very important topic. The economy and other factors have limited any large projects by the House Corporation over the past year. We have made some minor house improvements including some electrical work and other repairs. We will be working with the chapter on what improvements need to be done this year and over the summer. If you have any ideas, please feel free to contact us. I hope all of you enjoy this newsletter and other programs and information that the chapter puts together this year. Please let us know if you have any ideas for your House Corporation of if you would like to volunteer some of your time to helping keep the chapter a success. Fraternally, Todd Hubbell President Rho Phi House Corporation Perge! Hurricane Relief continued sanctuary. They housed and fed us as well as volunteers from all over the naall its furniture, carpet, appliances, and tion. They invited all the volunteers right into their church family as we worshiped drywall. with them on Sunday morning and lisThese jobs were the most gruesome be- tened to their sermon on giving thanks cause of the stagnant water and mold. for God’s provisions. It was truly inspirAdditionally many of the homes still ing how their faith in the Lord provided had overturned refrigerators and freez- hope for a new beginning for their “comers with 12 weeks of rotting food left in munity.” them. We are grateful for the position that he At times the sheer magnitude of the de- put us in to serve and help out as much struction became overwhelming and truly as we could. The attitudes of many of humbling. To see God at work in Louisi- the local residents were truly amazing. ana strengthening the hearts and minds People who had lost everything and were of the residents and volunteers was a still really positive and willing to work. rewarding experience. The First Baptist We were reminded of our fraternity’s Church of Slidell without a doubt gave motto “Perge” which means to “Press a new meaning the term “community.” On”. Hopefully we were able to not only Their service to the neighboring families provide a helping hand but also an open and communities was incredible, even as ear and a bit of hope. they were rebuilding parts of their own \r\nP a r e n t ’s C o r n e r fun event that last two years. Take a moment to check out the chapter’s First off, let me welcome all of the new par- photo website at http://rosefiji.smugmug. ents of our 2005/2006 pledge class and say com/. There are over 5000 pictures posted that we are extremely glad to have you as a there from different years. Several hunpart of the FIJI family. As a brother, I know dred current pictures are online. You catch how hard it was to make the decision to join a glimpse of your son’s chapter activities a fraternity. Let me assure you though that there. You can also visit our website at I have not regretted my decision for a sec- http://www.rhophifiji.org/ to find out more ond. The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta of- about the chapter. Again, we hope to see fers friendships and experiences that last a many of you at these events later this school lifetime, opportunities for personal and pro- year. fessional development, and a strong set of values for which to live our lives: the five val- Brad Herman ‘08 ues. For those who are not familiar with the five values of our fraternity, they are Friendship, Knowledge, Service, Morality, and Excellence. As FIJI’s, we believe that by striving to live our lives according to these values, we will not only become better men, but also contribute to the betterment of society as a whole. While our house is always open to visitors, and we hope everyone feels free to drop by anytime, we do have a few events scheduled this year specifically for the parents. The first event we have planned is the parent’s dinner on March 25. This is an annual formal meal held on campus which is geared mainly towards the pledge class and their parents; however, everyone is welcome to attend. The second event we have planned this year is the annual Rho Phi Open “Grads and Dads” Golf Open on May 6th. This is an opportunity for father and son (and moms too if you golf) to spend a day together golfing. This has been a successful and Matt Jackson ‘04 and son enjoy a football game \r\nBrothers and Parents, The Rush period was once again outstanding as the Rho Phi Chapter as we I look forward to meeting many gradutook 21 pledges. Represented among ate brothers at Pig Dinner on March 11, these pledges were members of var- 2006. We believe that this will be one of the best Pig Dinners ever. sity football, varsity baseball, varsity swimming and many of the on camFraternally, pus student organizations. The chapDrew Lopshire ‘07 ter is looking forward to the skills and ideas that these young men can contribute to the already stellar group of men that comprise the Rho Phi Chapter. The 2009 pledge class can look forward to Rho Phi Chapter at a Glance a rewarding four years in the Rho Phi Chapter, in forming long lasting ◊ Chapter size - 87 friendships, attaining the ◊ Fall 2005 grade point average - 3.03 knowledge that will lead ◊ Varsity athletes - 41 them to be better FIJI’s ◊ Team captains - 5 and better human be◊ Interfraternity Conference (IFC) officers - 4 ings, providing service to the community, gaining ◊ IFC president and vice-president the morals that are the ◊ Student Government Association officers - 5 goal of all Phi Gams, and ◊ Sophomore & Senior class presidents striving for excellence. ◊ ROTC scholarship recipients - 6 The new pledge class will ◊ Resident Assistants - 2 not be without plenty of ◊ Total service hours - 1481 role models to follow, as we have brothers active in eleven varsity sports, 2006 State Day Awards Student Government, Class Officers, InterFra◊ Best Pledge Education program ternity Council Officers ◊ Best Graduate Relations program and members of almost ◊ Best Campus Involvement all the groups on campus. F ro m the P re s i d e n t My name is Drew Lopshire and as president it is my honor to report to you the actions of the chapter throughout this quarter. The year began on a high note with the homecoming festivities. The Phi Gam tent once again had the highest attendance of any fraternity at the 2005 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology homecoming celebration. Parents, brothers, and graduate brothers all enjoyed the food, friends, and football. After the game, all were invited back to the house to enjoy refreshments and tours of the house. The Rho Phi Chapter is pleased to report that we were above the All-Men’s fraternity average GPA in the spring quarter, and we look forward to keeping our gpa above the average. In addition to keeping good grades, the chapter strives to improve the community, and this was very evident over Halloween weekend. A group of brothers and pledges volunteered their time to a local Haunted Maze and Hayride and received a cash donation of $700 to the American Red Cross in the name of the chapter. Additionally over Thanksgiving break, fifteen brothers traveled to Slidell, Louisiana and assisted with Katrina-related storm damage. \r\nBoard of Chapter Advisors Formed Over the last few months a board of chapter advisors (BCA) has been formed to help advise the chapter’s committees. This new committee will partner with committee chairmen to help advise on operations as well as provide continuity to the chapter. To date fourteen brothers have volunteered their time and expertise. Each graduate brother is partnered with one undergraduate committee chairman. A goal has been set to document the efforts of these committees and post on the chapter’s online portal for future chairmen to utilize. Former Phi Gamma Delta archon, Mike Dockins, has agreed to chair the committee. If you are interested in volunteering for the BCA, please send an email to BCA@rosefiji.com. Cameron Hummel ‘07, Drew Lopshire ‘07, Alex Dimoff ‘08, Brad Herman ‘08, Luis Pettengill ‘07 and Steve Parker ‘04 attend the 31st Fiji Leadership Academy in St. Louis BCA Members Mike Dockings ’02, chairman Brandon Endress ‘04 Ben Giant ‘03 Scott Green ‘03 Tim Harlan, Indiana State ‘72 Charlie Holloway ‘96 Todd Melby ‘99 Eric Niec ‘02 Steve Parker ‘04 Kurtis Preston ‘04 CJ Przybyl ‘04 Andrew Tochterman ‘01 Ryan Walke ‘95 Josh Zabek ‘05 Dan Brier ‘99, Todd Melby ‘99 and Matt Kane ‘99 enjoy a demolition derby in Ft. Wayne, Indiana \r\nHomecoming The weekend of September 30 through October 2 was designated as Homecoming 2005 for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, but the graduate brothers of the Rho Phi chapter of Phi Gamma Delta did not limit themselves to these three simple days to relive past experiences. Festivities began as early as the Wednesday night before, when several grad brothers arrived in full force at the Fiji house. Stories new and old, laughter, career discussions, and general positive banter were exchanged; everyone finished the night with a greater appreciation and deeper understanding of life as a member of Phi Gamma Delta. 2005 The Phi Gamma Delta turnout was impressive for Homecoming 2005. Saturday was the most apparent, as the sidelines radiated with purple, Fijis obviously outnumbering the other Rose Greek organizations by a countless margin. The chapter would like to extend a thank you to each and every graduate brother and his family members that were able to take part in the weekend. To ensure that this outstanding trend continues, please prepare ahead of time for Homecoming 2006. All graduate brothers that can should try to travel back to Terre Haute at this time next year and spread the joy of being a Fiji. The more, the merrier. However, Friday marked the appearance of an even more diverse and broadened band of Fijis, as multiple generations of brothers made the trek back to revisit and relive. As the spirit ran high, the now prosperous graduate brothers related tales of their learning and success to the undergraduates. The pep rally imbued all to proudly and loudly support their school; the boisterous and radiant fireworks and blazing outhouse warmed memories of the quaint but enthusiastic traditions of this school. The highlight of homecoming weekend was undoubtedly Saturday, when innumerable Fijis donned their colors to cheer on the Rose-Hulman football team in a game against a fortified Trinity University. Fifteen future pledges and twentyone current brothers gave it their all as members of the team, falling short in the 6 – 24 loss. The Fiji tent, teeming with life, sound, and pleasant aromas, did not cease to stand behind the players, and everyone departed the field with a posiJordan Aigner ‘03 and Steve Fain ‘03 catch up tive countenance. at homecoming game \r\nPhi Gamma Delta Fraternity Rho Phi Chapter c/o Fraternity Management Group 2660 N. 1st Ave. Tucson, AZ 85719 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Tucson, AZ Permit #224 Return Service Requested Upcoming Events Pig Dinner & Hall of Fame Induction – March 11, 2006 The annual Frank Norris Pig Dinner will be held in the Kahn Room of the Hulman Memorial Student Union on March 11, 2006. The Hall of Fame reception begins at 5:30 pm and honors this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, Richard L. Pace ’70, Joseph Nesbitt ’74, Dennis Paustenbach ’74, Michael Cherbak ’76, and Mark Ress ’76. The dinner will begin immediately afterward. Featured speaker is Donald R. Mighell (Texas ’56, Rose 2000). Parent’s Dinner – March 25, 2006 Parents of undergraduates are invited to the annual Parent’s Dinner in conjunction with Mom’s Day at Rose-Hulman. The dinner will begin at approximately 7:30 pm. During the dinner, various brothers will be honored for accomplishments in the chapter. The dinner will be held in the Kahn Room of the Hulman Memorial Student Union. Rho Phi Open – Grads & Dads Golf Tournament – May 6, 2006 The Rho Phi Open Golf Tournament will be held on May 6, 2006 at Idle Creek Golf Course and will begin at 1:00 pm. All graduates and parents are invited to attend. More information will be forthcoming. Homecoming 2006 – October 7, 2006 Homecoming will be held October 7, 2006 at 2:00 pm. The Engineers face off against Defiance College. Plans call for a Phi Gam tent for all parents and graduate brothers with food and drink. Please mark your calendars now.