The Golden Eagle FIJI THETA TAU CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA VOLUME 31, No.1 Spring 2009 All Hail the PIG! P IG D INNER 2009 A PRIL 17-18 D AVID O LIVE K EYNOTE S PEAKER AND G RADUATE S POTLIGHT \r\nTFI is proud to introduce the 2008-09 Lineup of Online Donation Programs. TFI’s online donation programs are powered by PayPal and are completely secure. All you need to get started is an email address and a credit or debit card. The 1848 Club$18.48 per month ($221.76 annually) HTTP://WWW.1848CLUB.NET The 527 Club$5.27 per month ($63.24 annually) HTTP://WWW.527CLUB.NET The Custom ClubCreate your own Club! Email MyClub@TECHFIJIINC.COM the monthly amount and the name of your personalized online donation program to establish your account. ($10 monthly minimum ) Why PayPal? Convenient Secure Easy to Use Why Donate? Foundations for the Future: Your monthly donations will help lay the foundation to form a capital campaign committee and successfully launch a campaign. So, while these monthly donations will not directly allow us to build a new house, portions of your donations will be earmarked for campaign expenses. This will help ensure that our capital campaign committee will have the funds to move forward with all due diligence. For the Betterment of the Chapter: A secondary goal of the online donation programs is to support the Chapter’s graduate relations efforts. The ability to “raise the bar” in the area of graduate relations and graduate support is paramount to both the Chapter’s goal of one day winning the coveted “Cheney Cup” and TFI’s goal of one day providing them a new chapter house. Benefits for Donors: Beyond the knowledge that you are “giving back” to the organization that gave so much to you during you college years, you will receive other rewards as well. Currently, donors receive gift certificates redeemable at Pig Dinner weekends. We are also exploring a variety of other ways to recognize Club members. Questions or Comments: please contact John Solis (2003) at: DONATIONS@TTUFIJI.COM \r\nThe Golden Eagle Fiji Spring 2009 L ETTER FROM THE THETA TAU VOLUME 31 No. 1 P RESIDENT Graduate Brothers, To open this edition of the Golden Eagle FIJI, I would like to first introduce myself as well as discuss the new cabinet. My name is Dustin Turner and this is my second term as a cabinet member. During the 2006 year, Theta Tau’s 25th year, I served as Recording Secretary. The current cabinet is working very hard to accomplish many goals that will just continue to add to the excellence that is Theta Tau. Our trip to FIJI Academy in St. Louis was an excellent trip. We learned a lot from the seminars during that weekend and it has without a doubt already benefited us as we start our term. Also, Tad Engle and Casey Tomes were selected to help lead the Model “I” that is held each year at Academy which is a tremendous honor. The current status of the Chapter is of very high morale and great anticipation for what is just around the corner. Brotherhood events such as cookouts, Thursday night Cici’s Pizza deals, and trips to watch Predators hockey games have proven to be a huge success. This spring semester also brings our annual Purple Garter formal which will be held in Gatlinburg, TN and promises to be a great experience for everyone attending. The Chapter has also been adding to the current All Sports points lead with recent victories from an undefeated, repeat IFC Basketball championship, as well as a repeat IFC Wrestling championship. One point that I would like to bring to your attention is that this past fall, Theta Tau achieved an incredible milestone. We now have surpassed the 500 initiates mark which I hope makes you as proud as it makes me. It’s incredible to think that in just under 30 years, the Theta Tau Chapter can grow to this size with the excellent quality of men that it seeks. As the 28 Anniversary Pig Dinner is quickly approaching, the undergraduates are growing more and more excited for this year’s events. Richard Knapek and Jason Benson have been working very hard to get all of the logistics taken care of to have a classy and successful Pig Dinner. With the cookouts, golf tournament, and traditional Pig Dinner, this year looks to be a very exciting venue to unveil the capital campaign. Our current Corresponding Secretary, Tad Engle, has been working extremely hard with the Purple Legionnaire, Bo Byers, to make sure that as many graduates as possible are informed. th Lastly, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support. The undergraduate brothers cannot express enough our gratitude for this support. We truly hope to see all of you at this year’s Pig Dinner and as usual look forward to the crazy stories from years past! Thank you. Fraternally, Dustin Turner Perge! Theta Tau President Dustin Turner S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST : • Pig Dinner 2009 • Graduate Spotlight– David Olive • ARC Golf Scramble Info • Intramural Successes • Scholarship Update \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE FIJI P AGE 2 28 TH A NNIVERSARY P IG D INNER Friday, April 17, 2009 Registration and Cookout at Fraternity House 5pm — 9pm TFI Board & Donors Reception (for Donors and their Guests) at the Baymont Inn and Suites' Ambassador Suite. Food and Cocktails 7pm — 10pm Saturday, April 18, 2009 Phi Gam Golf Classic at Southern Hills Golf Club - 8am Lunch (Located at the Fraternity House) - 12:30pm Phi Gam Cigar Social at Fraternity House - 5pm 28th Anniversary Frank Norris Pig Dinner @ Leslie Towne Center - 6pm Pig Dinner After-Party (Location to be Determined) - 10pm Keynote Speaker: David W. Olive, Theta Tau, '85 President of Bluefield College, VA Hotel Accommodations Provided by: Baymont Inn and Suites Phone: 931-525-6668 1151 S Jefferson Ave, Cookeville, TN “For discounted price mention Phi Gamma Delta” ♦ Wives and Dates are Invited this year for a Lady friendly Pig Dinner to celebrate the unveiling of our new chapter house plans! ♦ Baby Sitters are available upon request. Registration is now open Online www.TTUFIJI.com/PIG Sign-up today! \r\nV OLUME 31, N O . 1 P AGE 3 GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT D AVID O LIVE ‘85 David Olive ‘85 will be the key note speaker at this year’s Pig Dinner. We were able to sit down with David and ask him a few questions about his life and how Phi Gamma Delta has influenced him through the years. -What are you doing now? (What was your major and what did you pursue right after college and where has it led you to now?) I am serving as president at Bluefield College where I have been since July 2007. Bluefield College is a Christcentered, liberal arts college founded by Virginia Baptists to prepare innovative learners and transformational leaders to positively impact the world. While at Tech, I pursued a B.S.in business management. As an undergraduate, I had a great experience and had a number of opportu- nities to engage in campus life, including the fraternity, SGA and BSU. Those experiences led to my being given the opportunity to serve my alma mater upon graduation by working in the alumni and development office. Through all these experiences, they put me on a path to where I am today -- ensuring future generations the powerful transformational experience of education. The uniqueness of a place like Bluefield allows for the integration of faith and learning and a holistic transformation of the mind, heart and soul. -What are some of your favorite memories of being a Phi Gam? (As a pledge, brother and graduate) Some of my greatest memories as a Phi Gam are the weekend parties at the house -- the one on Walnut -where you could not only feel the beat of the music, but you could feel the living room floor move as well. After discovering that fact, we moved dancing to the basement. Also homecoming and the time and effort that went into building the floats and other activities as we competed to be the best fraternity on campus. Certainly, the years we repeatedly won All Sing are great memories, as well. -Why did you choose to pledge Phi Gam? (Has Phi Gam molded you into the person that you think a Phi Gam should be?) In thinking back as to why I chose Phi Gam, it definitely was because of the people. I had met Randy Wilmore, at Boys’ State, the summer before my high school senior year. Randy, in orchestration with Ken Sapp, Lee Wray and others, began a full-fledged campaign on convincing me that Phi Gamma Delta was the right fraternity for me, even before I ever stepped foot on campus as a freshman. As I arrived the following fall, I continued to meet other Fijis, like my big brother-to-be Eddie Johnson, that confirmed Phi Gam was the place to be -- and the people to be with. When I rushed Phi Gam, the Chapter was only a year or two old. I got to know all the original founders before they graduated, and I was drawn to their vision of what the Theta Tau Chapter could be and to Phi Gam's emphasis on virtue, character and service. From the outset, I felt the fraternity reflected my values and ideals. Although there were differences in others' experiences and outlooks, I never felt compelled to conform to anything that I didn't already believe or aspire to be. Thus, (Continued on page 4) \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE FIJI P AGE 4 G RADUATE S POTLIGHT my experiences in the fraternity sharpened my focus on those things that are truly important in life and helped me have a greater understanding of how to live and work with others who shared a common goal, yet with diverse identities, values and opinions. -From what you can remember, what did the other Greek Organizations think about Fiji? No question, Phi Gamma Delta was THE fraternity on campus. In almost every realm of measurement -grades, athletics, competitions -- Phi Gam was on top and an inspiration to other fraternities for which to strive. I think a big part of that was due to the phenomenal guys who had a vision for what could be rather than CON ’ T what was and had the courage and leadership to make that dream become a reality. A round of clicks to all those guys for their legacy they gave to the rest of us. -How do you think the Chapter has grown since you have left? (Where would you like to see it go?) From my distant perspective of the Chapter today, I am pleased with what the fraternity is doing to make a difference in one another's lives, as well as to enhance campus life and to serve the community. I am excited to learn that conversations are occurring concerning a new chapter house, a conversation that has been going on a long time. It's time to make something happen. -Any advice you have for pledges, new brothers, graduating brothers and graduate brothers? My only advice to those who are undergraduate brothers is to make the most of your experiences the fraternity has to offer. Enjoy the opportunities to live, serve and recreate with one another and don't get bogged down in the petty differences that occur from time to-time. Keep a wide-lens focus on the bigger picture and on those things that really matter -- friendship, service, leadership, and character. As for my brothers who have graduated, let's do our part to continue to make the Phi Gam experience only better for the next generation. AMERICAN RED CROSS GOLF SCRAMBLE This summer, ourChapter will be holding a Golf Scramble with all proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross, our international fraternity’s chosen philanthropy. This will mark the first time Theta Tau has attempted such an event in recent years and we would like to invite all our chapter graduates to help make it a success! We encourage any interested graduates to form a team with your brothers, friends or co-workers and help us give back to the American Red Cross, who will in turn be able to help many others. Scramble Details ♦ 4 Man Scramble Format ♦ $300 Donation/Team includes Greens Fees, Lunch, a New Golf Towel and a Goodie Bag ♦ Prizes to be given for: Overall Winners, Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Hole-in-One, and a Putting Contest ♦ Scramble will be held at Cookeville Golf Club ♦ Date is still TBD but approximately midSummer As summer approaches and final details are worked out, we will be passing along the Scramble date, time, and any other important details. In the meantime, be working on your swing and feel free to send any questions about the scramble to Dustin Turner at: dbturner21@gmail.com “those things that really matter -friendship, service, leadership, and character” \r\nV OLUME 31, N O . 1 P AGE 5 INTRAMURAL SUCCESSES Things are shaping up to be another very successful semester for the brothers of Theta Tau. This chapter is characterized by hard work and excellence, and this can already be seen by the success of their spring recruitment, intramural sports, and in their preparation for upcoming events. Phi Gam’s basketball team dominated this spring's IFC intramural league. Through the team’s hard work, and with the support of hundreds of fans and brothers in the stands cheering them on, Phi Gam dominated intramural basketball. The team ended the season as champions, not having lost a single game. Basketball is apparently not the only thing in which Phi Gamma Delta excels. Intramural wrestling is typi- cally one of the most exciting intramural events each year, and the team was practicing hard daily in the month prior to wrestling week. Everyone had high expectations for Phi Gam going into the event, and to no surprise, they did not disappoint. On the first night of the wrestling tournament, each Phi Gam wrestler won his match. The next two nights proved more difficult, and the brothers had to fight through some very tough matches, but overall Theta Tau crushed the competition and left the tournament as wrestling champions! With this victory as well as their basketball victory, Phi Gamma Delta is currently in good standing to win the highly acclaimed All-Sports title. OUR SHINING WRESTLING STARS 1 ST P LACE T ED F AUST –133 LBS C HRIS H ULSEY -149 LBS D ON D EGRIE –165 LBS B RAD W EAKLEY –174 LBS 2 ND P LACE TJ Y ATES - 141 LBS J EREMY G OVERO –157 LBS J IM W EAKLEY –197 LBS J OHN P ETRY –227 LBS Theta Tau’s Winning Basketball Team SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE Scholarship, Fraternity, Self. Those are the priorities we set for our chapter and ourselves. In 2008, our brothers proved that we are taking these priorities seriously and striving to perform at a high scholastic level. As you are probably aware in the spring of 2008, the Chapter finally reached its long time goal of a 3.0 combined chapter GPA! We continued into the fall 2008 semester with the hope of re- peating that success and in a way we did. Fall 2008 Actives GPA: 2.968 Pledge GPA: 2.561 Combined GPA: 2.902 There were 46 brothers and pledges who made a 3.0 or higher out of 88 men, with 4 people making a 4.0. (Six Clicks!). So how was this as successful as reaching the 3.0 mark? As it turns out, our Actives GPA for this last fall is the highest Actives GPA we have on record, going back to 1999! And it's even slightly higher than the spring’s Actives GPA of 2.965! As usual, the Chapter did better than both the all Greek average and the all male average in both semesters. We plan to stick to our priorities and continue to strive for our goal of 3.0 as we move into this new year! \r\nPhi Gamma Delta Fraternity 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 If you have any comments or suggestions about the Golden Eagle Fiji or would like to be featured in an upcoming issue, please contact: Rion Edwards Graduate Relations Chairman RHedwards21@tntech.edu 615-207-2312 (Cell Phone) IMPORTANT DATES: 28th Anniversary Pig Dinner : April 18 TTU Graduation– May 9 ARC Golf Tournament– Summer 09 VISIT US ONLINE WWW.TTUFIJI.COM PERGE! Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 A F U L L - C O L O R " G O L D E N E AG L E F IJ I " I S N OW A VA I L A B L E O N L I N E ! WWW.TTUFIJI.COM/TFI/GEFIJI