PHI GAMMA DELTA Ace of Diamonds W I N T E R 2 0 0 9 D E C E M B E R 7 , 2 0 0 9 Tenth Anniversary Pig Dinner Plans Coming Together IMPORTANT DATES: Christmas Luncheon December 27, 2009 Pig Dinner April 17, 2010 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Pig Dinner 1 E.I. Open 2 Holidays 3 Announcements 3 Tyler Condrey (Evansville 2012) In April of 2000, 37 men were initiated as the founding members of the Epsilon Iota Chapter, while the current undergraduates were stuck learning grammar and long division in elementary school. One decade and over 100 more brothers later, those same undergrads invite you to celebrate 10 years of Phi Gamma Delta at the University of Evansville. As chairman of Pig Dinner 2010, I am happy to inform you that plans for our Tenth Anniversary celebration are steadily moving forward. The dinner itself will be held on April 17, at Cambridge Country Club’s banquet hall in northern Evansville. Our keynote speaker for the evening will be Jeff Fettig (Indiana 1979), CEO of Whirlpool Corp, which has served the Evansville community for decades. We are looking forward to hearing him speak of his experience and the immense challenge of steering a huge company through a down economy. We are also planning on including a slideshow of pictures from the colony days through to the present. If you have any pictures that you would like put in the slideshow, send them to me at tc87@evansville.edu or 227 S. Lincoln Park Dr., Evansville, IN, 47714. In honor of this momentous anniversary, we are expanding the Pig Dinner event to include the entire weekend. On Thursday, April 15, the 10th Anniversary to the day since chartering, we will host an appreciation event for faculty and administration of UE. This will be open to grads, and would be a great opportunity to reconnect with your old professors. On Friday, April 16, we are planning a casino night/ poker tournament at the Fraternity house. Spouses and significant others are welcome to attend. On Saturday, April 17, a full day of events will be available. In addition to a grad golf outing and the Pig Dinner that evening, it will also be Bike Race day, the premier intramural event on the UE campus. Lastly, we are planning a send-off brunch on Sunday for grads. Guests will be welcome at this event as well. For those who live well outside of the Evansville area, we have made arrangements for your transportation and lodging. We have blocked off hotel rooms at the Casino Aztar Hotel (code 5440) and the LeMerigot at Casino Aztar (code 1450). For those flying in, we have received a discount code through American Airlines, which is A1140AF. Any suggestions, comments, or concerns can be given to me at the above e-mail address or by contacting me at (618) 554-3983. My fellow undergrads and I are anxiously looking forward to what may be the largest event in our history and we sincerely hope to see you there. \r\nPAGE 2 Return of the E.I. Open a Success On September 26, the Epsilon Iota Open made a triumphant return to the regular yearly schedule of Phi Gam events. After a three-year hiatus, brothers competed for bragging rights, gigantic golden trophies, and raised money for the undergraduate chapter. Had the participating FIJIs been using this down time to improve their golf skills, golf cart driving skills, their drinking skills, or an unholy combination of all three? Keep reading to find out! Four teams took to the links at Clearcrest Pines to test their skills against each other in a scramble-style golf-off. Chris Rafferty (EI 2001) said of his team of Alphas, “We’ve won two of the three previous tournaments, and are looking forward to reestablishing our dominance over everyone. I’m reminded of the Bible verse, ‘The first shall be first, and will always be first.’” However, able challengers were not having any of that. Purple Legionnaire Rob Smith (EI 2003) informed the Ace of Diamonds that, “My teammate Scott Gurgol (EI 2003) has been lifting weights and yelling at himself for the last half hour, so I feel good about our chances.” Meanwhile, Kevin Hay (EI 2006) said, “We’re playing golf? My team has been planning soccer formations for weeks now. No, I’m joking. But seriously, when’s kickoff?” Clear contenders. The golf action was heated through the first nine holes. The Alpha team jumped out to an early lead, albeit a slim one stroke lead. Brother Hay’s teammate Geoff Keller (EI 2008) couldn’t keep his long hipster hair out of his eyes, and their team promptly fell behind. Further ahead, Brothers Smith, Gurgol, and Matt Snodgrass (EI 2005) caught up to the Alphas on a near hole-in-one hit by Gurgol. His psych-up routine obviously worked, and we should all yell at ourselves in the mirror before golfing from now on. A team of former and current Indy residents including Tom Topper (EI 2004) played a solid game but could not close the gap. Topper remarked, “If we lose this scramble, everyone’s going to suffer a long and angry debate about healthcare in whatever bar we end up at.” After all teams had completed the ninth hole, the sky turned green and it started pouring. Unable to complete the back nine, we were faced with a conundrum. The Alpha team of Rafferty, Jim Moryl (EI 2000), Scott Newman (EI 2000), and Jeremy Tarr (EI 1998) were tied with Gurgol, Smith, and Snodgrass. The club staff graciously allowed us to have a putt-off in the clubhouse. After many rounds of near-misses, the Alpha team emerged victorious and hoisted their trophies. All participants gathered at Kipplee’s, where Topper was true to his word. Many thanks go to all who organized, participated, or donated to the event. Over $1,000 was raised for the chapter’s long-term financial stability. We hope that this event keeps growing and we add more competitors, if for no other reason than to take prizes away from the Alphas. ACE OF DIAMONDS \r\nWINTER 2009 PAGE 3 Celebrate the Holidays with Phi Gamma Delta The plans for the annual Christmas Luncheon have been finalized. We will be celebrating the holidays at the Evansville Country Club on Sunday, December 27. Those attending should plan to arrive at 11:30 for drinks and mingling, with lunch to follow. The cost of the lunch will be $20. Following the meal, the Graduate Advisory Board will be meeting. All are welcome to attend and offer advice or suggestions. If you will be able to attend, please RSVP with Chris Rafferty as soon as you are able. He can be reached by e-mail at clrafferty@gmail.com or by phone at (312) 823-4674. We hope to see many Phi Gams in attendance, and for those who cannot, we hope you have a great holiday season surrounded by friends and family! Have You Heard the Good News? • • • • • • • • • Jeremy Buente (EI 2008) is now engaged to his fiancé, Sam Smith. Michael Hughes (EI 2008) is employed as a mechanical engineer with Afco Racing Products in Boonville, IN. Matt Korn (EI 2005) and his wife Kim are expecting their first child. Erik Kummer (EI 2005) is engaged to his fiancé, Toni Gabriel. Joe Molnar (EI 2006) works for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network as a financial rep. Joe Setnor (EI 2007) was married to his wife, Laura, in September. Shane Setnor (EI 2005) successfully proposed to his fiancé, Blair Bosta. Kent Schrock (EI 2004) and his wife, Kristin, are the proud parents of their baby boy, Konner. Matt Snodgrass (EI 2005) and his wife Dria are expecting their first child. Joe Setnor and his yellow socks get crowd-surfed. \r\nLetter from the President Membership in Phi Gamma Delta involves the act of working to build a common bond between all brothers. Our sense of brotherhood within the chapter has been slipping in recent years, and at our cabinet retreat in August, we identified this as an area to devote our attentions to. We set the goal of creating a stronger sense of brotherhood and unity. We have been striving to accomplish this goal as a chapter over this semester, and we have made great improvements and continue to look forward to growth in this area. This goal began to immediately manifest itself after signing our new pledge class. Our 13 new pledges are a very diverse group of young men with a wide array of interests. They are former valedictorians and varsity letter winners who are now Division I athletes and writers for the school’s monthly magazine, majoring in everything from engineering to nursing to history to physical therapy. We have worked from the very beginning to make better brothers out of them by teaching them, guiding them, and helping them to bond. A week after Passover, we had our first annual brotherhood retreat. We had fun around the campfire and running through the woods, but we also had serious discussions about our own experiences and what it means to be a Phi Gamma Delta. events to brotherhood lock-ins, to mandatory brotherhood interviews for brothers and pledges alike, we are attempting in every way to stress the concept of unity. This is especially evident when getting involved on campus, as we have pressed members to support their brothers at every opportunity. When FIJI competes in intramurals or philanthropies, a raucous cheering section supports our brothers. Even in unpopular homecoming events, it is not pledges that compete, but rather pledges alongside brothers. This is to stress that we are all one, and even though there is something that distinctly sets these two groups apart, they need only to be shown the door in order to become who they are truly meant to be. Our goal to become a more unified chapter extends to you, also: those who have graduated from our chapter or are otherwise brothers of Phi Gamma Delta. It is with your support we are able to continue to grow as a chapter and continue to press on. Thank you for all your support, and please help us not to lose contact with you, for Phi Gamma Delta is not for college days alone. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I am available anytime at (812) 457-2308 or dr77@evansville.edu. Thank you. Fraternally, David Reidford Evansville 2011 Perge! Chapter President David Riedford We have been stressing the concept of brotherhood in every way we possibly can. From off-campus Phi Gamma Delta 227 S. Lincoln Park Dr. Evansville, IN 47714 Visit Epsilon Iota on the web at www.fiji.evansville.edu “Not for college days alone.” The Beta Deuteron Pledge Class