RhoAlpha IHUPCOIVIING EVENTS 1(1 The Homecoming 2009 ^port October 10 vs. Boston College www.vtfiiigrads.com Alpha Chapter ofPhi Gamma Delta'Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,VA Pig Dinner 2010 March 27 ^m^ncial report Despite Struggling Economy,Graduate Association Still 2009 Hokie Football Supports One of Our Most Important Values: Scholarship Special Thanks to Graduate Donations that make Scholarships Possible Sept.5: Sept. 12: Sept. 19: Sept.26: Nebraska Miami Oct. 3: at Duke This year has consisted of many improvements Oct. 10: to our financial organization. We created three Oct. 17: Boston College at Georgia Tech Oct. 29: North Carolina objectives as a Graduate Association (See chart Nov. 5: at East Carolina Nov. 14: at Maryland Nov.21: NC State Nov. 28: at Virginia Alabama Marshall By Brae Webb '05, Treasurer main budgets that help us manage our many beloiv). SfJe also moved our accounts to all be under one roof, which makes accessing funds quicker and easier. We have had many financial milestones this Home games in bold. B ON THE WEB IB Are You Receiving our Monthly e-Letter? If not, be sure to update your email address! Log in to www.vtfijigrads.com and click on the Edit Info link at the top of the page. Not yet registered on our site? Find your Member ID, required for First-Time Login, above your name and address on this newsletter. this fall. Also, thanks to a donation by Brother Michael Gidas '06 and help from the Graduate Association, we were able to award the $1,000 undergraduate scholarship at Pig Dinner. y Paid off and closed FNB loan (8.5%). This was a loan that we have been paying off for vations to the kitchen and outside doors. The many years and have finally completed! /Collected outstanding rent from last year. This helped us get back on top of our expenses this fiscal year. responsibility to undergraduate treasurers duties. Now, if rent is not paid, it is added to that brother's Omega account - the third party agency the undergrads use for dues collection. Despite our great strides this year, we did not escape without some ramifications from the current economy. Our scholarship funds nor mally come from an account with IHQ where we only use interest gained on the account, never the principal which is built-up by charita ble donations from our graduate brothers. Due to the struggling economy, IHQ informed us Operating repairs have been quoted at $8,000. A large portion of this expense will be covered by $5,000 we received from the construction ease ment from the hotel that was built adjacent to have to be borrowed from our HELOG, which has a current outstanding balance of $5,300. The hotel construction was surely an inconve nience, but we believe the undergraduates will appreciate the benefits of this extra income. Our immediate objective for next year will be to continue paying off our debt. We are hop ing to be debt free in a couple of years and are poised to start saving for the future! Find more information about our fundrais- ing efforts and make a gift to the annual fund at www.vtfijigrads.com. Primary Revenue Primary Expenses Rent, UG House day-to-day, house repair, property taxes, UG insurance, property insurance, debt payments $45,000 Graduate website, newsletters and other communications. Currently, surplus $11,000 parlor fees graduate news,stories and Graduate This summer we are planning house reno our backyard. Some of the remaining funds will y Improved rent collection by adding the We want to feature more to our editors at content@affi nityconnection.com (mention donation from Brother David Harrison 92, we will be able to award our rush scholarship year. Listed below are some of the highlights: ■ I GET PUBLISHED ■ updates in the next Rho Alpha Update and in our monthly eLetter. Send your submissions that we did not have any funds available; how- evet, this did not stop us from supporting one of our important values. Thanks to a generous Donations Communications/ Approx.Budget donations go to helping pay offour debt and costs associated to exploring new housing opportunities. Fundraising FIJI VT in the message). Primary Revenue Pig Dinner Pig Dinner event costs, catered Tickets BBQ, other event costs $16,000 \r\nHOUSE RENOVATIONS As Owners,We Have a Responsibility to Our Tenants to a Safe Living Environment Needed Renovations Made to House,Funded by Main Street Inn Easements During the winter inspection of the Chapter House, the RAGA Board of Directors(BOD) determined that it will be necessary to undertake a few renovations on the Chapter House. The RAGA BOD is trying to balance putting money into the house with our future capital plans, but as owners we have a responsibility to our tenants to provide a safe living environment. Therefore, we will be replacing the front door and the side porch door which do not seal well and allow drafts into the house. We will also be making some much needed repairs to the kitchen. The "The RAGA BOD is trying to balance putting money into the house with our future capital plans.. the waste and supply lines at the kitchen sink, and replacing the cabinets. Monies paid to the RAGA by the Main Street Inn for various utility easements that we ceded this past summer will help to fund this work. The work is currently scheduled to be completed over the summer, so that the upgrades and renovations are completed before undergraduates return in the fall. kitchen repairs will consist of replacing the subfloor and the hardwood floor, replacing VT GREEK HOUSING Could Fraternity House Corporations Lease University Property to Build New Houses? Campus Administrators Explore Concept Tested at USC By John Tabb '04, Rho Alpha Chapter Vice President Development As presented in the last edition of this newsletter, the University is in early discussion about the feasibility of expanding on-campus Greek housing through leasing University land to house corporations and allowing them John Lawson, a Sigma Phi Epsilon alumnus and the current Rector of the to build their own houses at their expense. The proposed expansion would be modeled after a very successful implementation at the University of South Carolina. Campus Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, made a presentation on this model to two committees within the Board. The groups endorsed the administration pursuing this possibility and are currently working through the legal, financial, land use, facility and services issues associated with such an undertaking. Ed administrators have already visited USC to Spencer, Vice President of Student Affairs, explore this option in greater depth. Learn more at www.sa.sc.edu/greeklife/housing.htm has vowed to keep me up to date with the project's latest developments. We will continue to do our best to convey all developments regarding this project to all of Rho Alpha's graduates. We are currently seeking Graduate Brothers interested in serving on a newly created housing task force. The group's primary goal will be to prepare Rho Alpha to strike as soon as the University gives us the "green light." Please contact me at jmtabb@gmail.com if you are interested in serving on this committee. GRADUATE EVENTS Frank Norris Pig Dinner 2009 By Hoyt Bonner'06, Rho Alpha Chapter Vice President Advisory The 37th annual Frank Norris Pig Dinner took place the weekend of April 4, and was an overwhelming success. The Rho Alpha graduate Association had its annual Pig Dinner meeting Saturday morning at the Inn. The weekend was highlighted by the roasting of a 200-pound pig at the fraternity house Saturday afternoon. The dinner took place at The Inn at Virginia Tech with Bob Baney, Graduate Development of the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, giving an emotionally charged keynote address. For the first time, live music was featured during the "Dancing and General Mayhem" portion of the evening by a local cover band. Shack Band. Overall, about 250 undergraduates and graduates took part in Pig Dinner weekend. In 2010, Pig Dinner will again take place at the Inn at Virginia Tech during the weekend of March 27. Save the Date! the Director of www.vtfijigrads.com June 2009 \r\nGRADUATE PRESIDENT REPORT Looking to the Future Rho Alpha Graduate Association Sets Sights on Long-Term Goal of New Chapter House By Mike Maret'89, Rho Alpha Graduate Association President Greetings Brothers! I hope that all of you who attended the 37th Pig Dinner had a great weekend. The Rho Alpha Graduate Association (RAGA) and the Chapter worked hard to make the experience an enjoyable one for all. If you were not able to attend, you missed a great party, and you should plan on attending next year. "The structure that we have set in place during the last two years has allowed us to communicate with our graduates, and we are getting to the point where we will be able to take significant steps to solidify our Chapter for the future." The RAGA worked hard this year, and I can truly say that we had a successful □n year. The economic downturn forced us to carefully watch the nickels and dimes. Our discussed several issues. One issue which unable to disburse funds for the Rho Alpha concerns the future of the Chapter is the planned expansion of the fraternit}' housing at Virginia Tech. In order to ensure that we are ready for the future, I have appointed several brothers to the Rho Alpha Graduate Association Future Housing Task Force, Academic Scholarship this year, due to the poot market conditions. However, the RAGA felt that the scholarship is an important RAGA meeting, the graduates indicated that they supported our long-term goal of a RAGA Treasurer, Brae Webb '05, has done a great job with the annual budget and we are in good shape. As you may know, the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation was or RAGA FHTF. I did this because at the tradition in our Chapter, so we awarded a new house for the Rho Alpha Chapter. The $1,000 academic scholarship from our funds. The winner of the scholarship this year was FHTF will advise the Board of Directors on Brother Evan Tripp. The structure that we capital fund raising, and the value of assets has allowed us to communicate with our that we currently own, and help to develop a plan for the best way to leverage our currents assets into a new facilit)'. The response from graduates, and we are getting to the point where we will be able to take significant steps graduates, both in donated time and funds has been great for the past three years. We to solidify our Chapter for the future. At the spring RAGA meeting, we continue to ask that you keep it up, so that we may all achieve our future goal. have set in place during the last tsvo years CHAPTER REPORT "Scholarship, Fraternity, Self" Rho Alpha Recognized as Chapter of the Year, Receives Awards for Top Philanthropy, Greek Man and President By Evan Tripp, Rho Aipha Undergraduate Chapter President It has been a successful year for the Rho Alpha Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. With help from graduate brothers and a lot of hard work from the undergtaduates, benchmarks in fraternity size, campus involvement and continued success in grades were met across the support of not only our own members and the Greek Community, but the school as well. FIJI was the recipient of the 2009 Hokie Spirit Award - the most ptestigious award an organization, clubs and student bodies included, at Virginia Tech can receive. the board; the Football Run Across Virginia raised more money than ever; and the chapter morale is everything positive. We have been recognized by the Intrafraternity Council and Virginia Tech for our efforts and are excited to relay our accomplishments to you [and anyone else who will listen!]. Our motto "Scholarship, Fraternity, Self" proved to hold true as, once again, we placed first in grades this past year. We also were recognized as the Chapter of the Year and for having the Philanthropy of the Year. Ethan Crockett was named Greek Man of the Year and Phil Talarico was named the Ptesident of the Year. We have been fortunate to have The Rho Alpha Report "FIJI was the recipient of the 2009 Hokie Spirit Award - the most prestigious award an organization, clubs and student bodies included, at Virginia Tech can receive." Our Football Run Across Virginia raised more than ever, as Rho Alpha contributed well over $20,000! We are very fortunate to have this success and are very grateful for the support from our graduates that made it all po.ssible. Next semester we will be looking to expand fundraising efforts by throwing www.vtfijigrads.com the first ever "Blacksburg Bluegrass Festival," which will be a Jimmy V benefit concert. Rho Alpha is continuing to grow! With over 100 members, recruitment has become much easier and allowed us to be very selective in picking our pledge classes. Our large size also gives us a big presence on campus in philanthropic competitions and intramural sports - we beat Pike in tug-ofwar this year! We are also looking to move on campus to a house that will better suit our size and are excited to start the fundraising campaign as soon as possible. With our philanthropy expanding, new programming being developed, and our hopes to move to a new house, the graduate support is appreciated now more than ever and we look forward to any and all involvement with our graduate brothers. \r\nPH\ GfVW\WVi\ DELTA PRSRT STD U.S.POSTAGE \*\RGIN» A TECH PAID Graduate Relations Processing Center State College,Pa. P.O. Box 7007 Permit No.2 Albert Lea, MN 56007-8007 Address Service Requested 852-024 SN FIJI is VT's Chapter of the Year!Read about This, and Our Other Recognitions(Including the Prestigious Hokie Award)Inside! 100054576 DANA W. HESSE 9238 MAXWELL CT LAUREL MD 20723-5836 852-024 SN MH GRADUATE NEWS Graduate Spotlight Purple Legionnaire Co-Graduates ofthe Year With a Black Belt in Karate, our Purple Legionnaire will Keep the Actives in Shape Brothers Mike Griffith '73 (PAX/Charter) and Howard Canada '76 (Epsilon) were this year's co-winners of the Graduate of the Year award. For many years, they have been the most loyal of brothers to the Rho Alpha chapter and to the larger Fraternity. The nominating committee consisted of Section Chief Dana Hesse '86 (Alpha Gamma), last year's GBOY winner Ed Weeks '72 (PAX/Charter), and undergraduate president, Evan Tripp '10(Gamma Kappa). The chapter conducted the actual vote. Congratulations to these Brothers for their many decades of loyalty to the chapter! In January, Bill Woodward '89 (Alpha Nu pledge class) was elected by the chapter to be its Purple Legionnaire. Bill moved to Blacksburg in 2008 after many years of living and working in Austin, Texas. Bill and his wife Kelly have four kids, and they have apparently survived their first winter in Blacksburg unscathed. Bill is a computer scientist by training, and currently works for Librato Software. He also teaches Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate as a 3rd degree black belt. Bill's role will be to serve as the "big brother" advisor and mentor to the undergraduate chapter, and to be the primary face of the graduates to the chapter. Bill was installed according to the Ritual during Pig Dinner weekend's events. Undergraduate Spotlight Ross Millikan '09 has been chosen as this year's Undergraduate Spotlight. As an under graduate, Ross served as the Football Run Chair, Pledge Educator, and was President in 2008. During his presidency. Phi Gamma Delta participated in a variety of commu nity events, including the Big Event, Relay for Life, Roanoke St. Clean Up, Red Cross Blood Drives, FIJI Run Across Virginia, and the Ramp of Kearah. He also worked diligently to keep our Chapter up-to-date on all Interfraternal events and made it a priority to make sure attendance was strong during the various educational seminars held throughout the year. As a result of Ross' motivation, the undergraduate chapter sent three brothers to our national leadership academy, and five delegates to Ekklesia. At the conference Ross was appointed to the National Bylaws Committee of the Fraternity, and was also recommended for the Field Secretary Program of the Fraternity. Ross focused most of his efforts on Fraternity Service. During his Presidency, he organized a fundraiser to build ADA compli ant ramps around campus for the disabled. Through his leadership, he was able to gain support from the Chapter and provide a foun dation for the Program for years to come. Ross also participated in many orga nizations outside of the Fraternity. He served on the IFC slating committee and played an integral role in the establishment and preparation for the first annual Creek community wide Administration Gala. He is also a member of Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honors Fraternity. We congratulate Ross on winning this year's prestigious Undergraduate of the Year Award. Ross is a recent graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering, and is currently pur suing job opportunities (hint hint).