September 21 Reception - See Inside! c.'- F^' ^ x j P. r p i 1 £jP^. r' J i / pV-P/Yert/°bl Ckl Ck^ttr ojTkl^am-wji "hdta. cdJ^ckl^k Bethlehem, Pa. http://www.2stayconnected.com/fiji-Iehigh \ >I]AuKUTaiS/ September 2001 Beta Chi Association Update By Bob Davies, Beta Chi Association President TIhe Beta Clii Association Board met on August 22, tor its preschool meeting. The dinner meeting was held at Saucon Valley Countrj' Club and was attended by nine alumni and one undergraduate. There was much to discuss while evaluating the chapter performance over the past school 3'ear. The board members were most disappointed with the results of the second semester when compared to the optimism we had earlier. You may recall, last^'ear we felt that getting a good pledge class was imperative. Graduates stepped in and greatly assisted the undergrads in their rush acquiring 17 pledges. We also felt that if" we were to start a team and individual incentive to improve scholarship, our overall performance would improve. The board acted quickly and with the cooperation of a few undergrads a scholarship program was started. The results were impressive for the first semester, a 2.89 house average and a number 8 rank on the Hill. It was felt that the house should tr^' to obtain the alcohol waiver from the national, not to promote drinking but to keep us competi tive with other houses on the Hill. In addition, it was felt that it might lead to a more responsible use of alcohol. Unfortunately the performance of the undergraduates during the spring semester was decidedly' below par. The house was denied the waiver by the national because they essentially did not meet the requirements nor submit them on a timely basis. Also the house failed the UniversitjTs RER, I^high's semester evaluation of the Greeks for the second consecutive semester. What makes this so alarming is that if the house fails the RER for three Lehigh's Alumni Weekend was held in June 2001. For the first time in recent memory the house was open on Saturday morning.About 10 alumni and spouses toured the house, met classmates and friends. Pictured from left to right are CraigVulkoff '56, Bill Luce '56, Bob Davies, Bill Reid '51 and Wayne Parker '56. Areas of concern will be identified; individuals will be named and held accountable or we will find people who will do the job and provide the necessary leadership. Although we are most concerned about the house there are some encouraging signs. The house occupancy is rising and we anticipate having about 32 members in the house this fall. The sophomore brothers appear to be a group ready to take a role in the house operation. The house is financially sound with a budget that I feel will meet e.xpenses for the coming year. We also have a reserve that has served us well during the past two years when it was badly needed. Hope fully we can add a few dollars to that reserve over the next few years. It should also be noted that during the last school year there were no disciplinary problems with the University. Which, although the house was on probation, is a good indication that the undergrads know they must behave or they will be gone. I would like to acknowledge those members who have financially supported the chapter. You may recall that I recently wrote that straight semesters, we could lose our recognition by the University' and thereby lose the house. Obviously this is not a good situation. Furthermore the house failed to send a representative to the Fiji support had dropped off considerabl3'. Your positive response is most appreciated. It should be noted that we still have only about 10 percent participation, which I know can be improved. Please Leadership Academy this past month. We were one of only a consider supporting your chapter. handful of chapters that did not send anyone. We are told that undergraduate attendance was broken even as our Chapter failed to attend. The Beta Chi Association Board unanimously feel that the house leadership is not doing the job and that changes must be made immediately to ensure the chapter's survival. Since the house is under graduate trusteeship, we have the authority to make whatever changes we deem necessary. With this in mind we have notified the undergraduates that the board will meet Wednesday, September 5, with the cabinet and later with the entire house to discuss what changes need to be made. Responsibility and account ability will be the mam theme. Finally I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the active board members who have given their time and talents to help keep their chapter alive. I trul^' believe that the Beta Chi Chapter would not now exist without them. As always, 1 encourage your comments regarding the chapter. M\' e-mail address is i-wdfi|i@aol.com my mailing address is 1436 Dartmouth Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18017 and my telephone number is 610-691 -0710. Visit our new website at www.2stayconnected.com/fiji-lehigh. Perge! See upcoming events on Page 3 \r\nBeta Chi Celebrates world of pro sports and ■ his recollections of many ' i' Bigy "3 humorous events from his Norris Pig Dinner in Style time at Lehigh. He also dropped in a number of By Mike Connor '80 Our chapter hosted the 110th Norris Pig Dinner on May 5, 2001. It was certainly a night to remember. For the first time in many years, the Fiji feast took place in the opulent atmosphere of the Asa Packer Room in the Lehigh University Center, courtesy of our sponsors, the Lehigh University Alumni Association. Dinner was preceded by a cocktail reception, and many happy reunions of brothers took place at the outset. We had a terrific turnout of about 100 people, which meant that the reception and dinner were almost wall-to-wall Fijis. V pearls of wisdom for the undergrads on the general. He capped off his talk by presenting J brothers official Yankees cap (a goodl3'number of the class hails from Boston, but they all suffered in . Ceremonies Mike Connor '80 (left)Finn gree« guest speaker Wentworth. silence as the sacred lids were placed on their heads). 1 should mention that John Cullen '48 called me several weeks before Pig Dinner to ask if spouses were invited. 1 told him most definitel3f the3' were, and he took me at my word. However, he was the only one who asked the question, and therefore John's wife was the only "date " at the dinner. 1 felt terrible, but she assured me that she had a great time and that she wasn't intimidated by a bunch of loud guys. Wefinished off the evening with a casual reception at the house. Many of the graduate brothers made the trip up the Hill, and as usual a good time was had by all. Fijis enjoying the after party at the house,from left to right; Bob Malony '94,Jim Kelly '98, Bob Davles and Pete Miller 'GO. As is customary. Pig Dinner is a night for honoring the past and welcoming and cheering lor the future. Jim Perkins '38 was on hand to kiss the pig, which the pledges happily carried directly to his table to save him the trip. Jim was accompanied b3' his son, Mike, who told me that it was the first time his dad had been back for Pig Dinner in over 40 years. We also spent a good part of the night being introduced to, and cross-examining, our pledges(now new broth ers). This pledge class is 17 members strong, and they all performed admirably, despite the formidable prosecutorial skills of Brother Dave Beard '80. Seeing such a large pledge class on their (mostl3') Finally, I want to mention that many men made it back to Pig Dinner for the first time in years. It is always a wonderful night, but it is especially great when we have a good number attending and when there are lots of people returning after having been away. Do yourself a favor and call a pledge brother soon to start the ball rolling for next year's event. You will thank me for being pushy on this point,"Not for college days alone " — it's a great motto. best behavior was a great treat for all of the brothers and served as evidence of the great work done by the brothers, undergraduate and graduate, during this past vear's rush. Brother Bob Davies delivered a short report on the progress achieved at Beta Chi in the past year, which has been well-reported in the BC Fiji. Suffice it to say that it was a year of great progress, although there is still much to be done. It was wonderful to hear such an upbeat assessment from Bob, and to witness the incredible enthusiasm that he still has for the chapter after all of his years of incredible service. Thank 3'ou for another terrific year, Bob. Our speaker for the night was none other than Mr. l-'inn Wentworth, President and COO of the YankeeNets organization, l^^inn graduated from lehigh in 1980, and although he made the very grave mistake of joining another fraternit3' (f/'iiw.i it oar nii.iltikf for not B.C. Fiji is published for the members and friends of the Beta Chi ijiitiatj him?). He has made up for that (somewhat) in his accomplish ments in the business world, culminating in his current job running Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Lehigh University. Address changes, news items, photos and contributions may be sent in the enclosed an organization which owns the World Champion New York Yankees and the 2000 Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils. Finn had us rolling in the aisles with some ol his stories of lile in the Page 2 envelope or mailed to Phi Gamma Delta, Graduate Records Office, P.O. Box 2515, Southeastern, PA I 9399-251 5. \r\nGraduate News www.2stayconnected.com/fiji-Iehigh Fiji-Lehigh Website Launches Who were your best buddies in college? Probably Fiji brothers, right? When was the last time you talked with them? Over the years, you've thought of them, but where are they now? When was the last time you were called by your nickname? Muttonhead, Sawhead, Hurricane, Chinner, Bear, Shake^', Stampy, Rail, Ratso, Yami, Bru, Lippy, Ads, Sabo ... Today, you can lind^^our buddies'addresses in seconds with the new member director^' at www.2stayconnected.com/fiji-lehigh. If we have an e-mail address For your friend,3'ou can instantly' send him a note. It may be just a one-shot catch-up chat, or you may stay in touch for months or years to come. • Renew friendships. • Get together for a small reunion (in Lcbic/h ValLy ofcoiin