Kappa Tau Chapter at the University of Tennessee KAPPA TAUK Fall 2010 FIJI FOR HIRE BENEFITS RED CROSS By: Drew Shapiro (2012), Recording Secretary To kick off the new school year, a group of undergraduate brothers volunteered at the girl’s sorority dorm, Laurel Hall. They offered to help the girls and their families with an extra hand on moving day. The brothers assisted with carrying and lifting items from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. Donations totaled to over $600 and were given to the American Red Cross. This was an opportunity for our Chapter Highlights • Fiji for Hire donated $600 to the American Red Cross. • Kappa Tau had the highest GPA on campus last spring, 3.21. • The house is in desperate need of new furniture. Please consider a donation today. • Kappa Tau recently welcomed 25 new brothers. • We need graduate volunteers! Contact Morton Massey massey6932@comcast.net if interested. undergraduate chapter to start the year with our focus on one of our main values: service. It also provided a great chance to meet girls. Everyone who participated had a great experience and started off the year on a great note. GRADUATES - WE NEED YOUR HELP By: Morton Massey (1973) , Chairman for Graduate Relations In June, Steve Carr (1973) and I took a trip to Lexington and had a meeting with Bill Martin (Mississippi State 1975), Executive Director of Phi Gamma Delta. Over lunch, we asked Bill what it was going to take for Kappa Tau to work its way back to be a great chapter within the Phi Gam community. Bill was blunt. He said that it was just as important that we rebuild our alumni chapter as it was for us to rebuild our active chapter. He went on to say that many of the traditions have been lost with the current chapter and if the alums don’t step in and guide the undergraduates the true ways of Phi Gamma Delta, the undergraduates would probably never regain their former status. “We are going to put considerable effort into building a strong graduate presence and give the guidance needed to the undergraduates.” With that said, a group of graduates have accepted the challenge. We (Continued on page 3) UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday, Nov. 13 Wymer’s Chicken Tailgate Homecoming Weekend UT vs. Ole Miss \r\nKAPPA TAUK Page 2 KAPPA TAU - STRONGER AND MORE FOCUSED By: Steve Carr (1973) , House Corporation President As many of you know, Kappa Tau had an underage drinking incident during the “big brother reveal” event last fall that resulted in the hospitalization of a pledge. This event, plus various hazing incidents over the past 10 years, resulted in Phi Gam International calling for a Kappa Tau charter review before the Board of Archons. International made it clear that the chapter required a major culture change. Times have changed, and what was once tolerated is now illegal. Camp/Hell Week has been abolished as has hazing. No parties are allowed in the house (party room is now a rec room with pool and ping pong tables, card table and big screen TV). There is zero tolerance for drugs in the house and very strict alcohol guidelines. Additionally, the chapter will be holding three alcohol awareness meetings this fall, two through International and one through UTPD. Last spring, we held a brother review where each brother was interviewed by a group of graduate brothers to determine his dedication to Fraternity values and his support for the culture change. This review resulted in the suspension of six Brothers and the resignation of 11 others. It was a painful process, but it convinced the Archons of our com- mitment to change. We survived the charter review and are currently on probation for two years. We came out of the review a much stronger and more focused chapter. The chapter is better organized and has a strong cabinet. They held their first ever chapter retreat last week. The graduate chapter is also being reenergized through the efforts of Morton Massey (1973). I’m sure you will hear more from Morton in the coming months. I hope that you will have an opportunity to stop by the house and visit with the undergrads. I think you will be favorably impressed. PARENT/GRADUATE WEEKEND A SUCCESS By: Oliver Benton (2012), Corresponding Secretary On September 18, the chapter held its annual parent/alumni weekend. Over 200 attended a pregame tailgate at the house before the Vols took on the Florida Gators. Parents of both actives and pledges attended along with many alumni who were in town for the game. It was a big success and everyone had a great time. On behalf of the chapter, we’d like to give a special thanks to Rob Purvis (Hampden-Sydney 1996) for cooking the barbeque, Morton Massey (1973) for helping set up the event, and Lisa Bowland, the head of the mother’s association, for helping run the event. Brother Oliver Benton (2012) and his dad enjoying the tailgating festivities. A NOTE FROM THE CHAPTER PRESIDENT By: Trey Fitch (2010), Chapter President Brothers, First, I would like to thank you for your support, and involvement with the chapter. I feel our graduate relations have never been stronger. I am very pleased to pass on some great news from the end of last semester to the beginning of this semester. This past spring, our chapter had the highest GPA “This past spring, our chapter had the highest GPA on campus at 3.21.” on campus at 3.21. Over the summer, we had five undergraduate brothers and one graduate brother attend the 152nd Ekklesia in Phoenix, AZ. We met sev- eral other chapters there and gained useful information that will help continue our success. Before the fall semester began, we had a chapter retreat that focused on recruitment. This retreat obviously paid off because we signed 25 solid guys whom we are very excited to have. Thank you again for all that you have done for this place. Go Vols! \r\nPage 3 HOUSE UPDATE - DONATIONS NEEDED By: Steve Carr (1973), House Corporation President Brothers, I would like to bring you upto-date on the Fiji house. About 2 ½ years ago, the house was renovated adding new mechanical systems, a sprinkler system, new doors and windows and a general overhaul of the structure. While sufficient funds were donated from brothers and borrowed from the State to complete the improvements, no money was available to refurbish the public areas of the house. As you will remember, the house was beautifully furnished and decorated. We took pride in inviting family, friends and especially dates over to our beautiful fraternity house. This was possible due to the generosity of the guys who came before us. Now it is our turn to give back to perpetuate the fraternity house. Currently, the house is furnished with second-hand, mismatched furniture that is an embarrassment to the Fraternity. While the new furniture won’t be as grand as before, it will be attractive, func- “Now it is our turn to give back to perpetuate the fraternity house.” tional and, most importantly, durable. The chapter will not be hosting any more band parties due to liability issues and wear and tear on the house. Instead, the party room will have a pool table, ping pong table, a card table and a wall mounted TV. The house will also have six study cubicles similar to what is available at the University library. The former library/card deck will become a TV room with an existing big screen tv and seating for 20. We will continue to have a formal living room and need to replace the trophy case and add curtains. Tables and chairs in the dining room are the first priority and should be completed by the end of August. The House Corporation (Kappa Tau, Inc) is currently raising funds to make this a reality. Donations should be made out to the University of Tennessee for Phi Gamma Delta. Please send your donation to me. I have opened an account with the University and it needs to be credited correctly. I will acknowledge receipt of your gift and you will receive a contribution letter from the University. You will get credit for giving to the University as well as helping the Fraternity. I hope that you will give generously. Steve Carr, President Kappa Tau, Inc 865-689-3054 5305 Angeles Drive Knoxville, TN 37918 GRADUATES - WE NEED YOUR HELP continued... (Continued from page 1) are going to put considerable effort into building a strong graduate presence and give the guidance needed to the undergraduates. In particular, the graduates will be playing major roles moving forward with many aspects of the day to day running of the chapter plus: • Alumni events at the house • Pig Dinner • Newsletters • Alumni records database “The chapter needs your help and there is plenty to do.” • Monthly luncheons and dinners What we need from graduate brothers are three things. First, we need a few more brothers who are willing to contribute some time and expertise. The chapter needs your help and there is plenty to do. Secondly, we need your participation in a number of special events that are planned this year. You will be receiving more information about these events soon. Lastly, we need information. We need updated addresses, phone numbers and emails. We also need interesting news about brothers. You can send information to massey6932@comcast.net. Great things are around the corner. Please plan on being a part of it! \r\nNonprofit Org Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 Information Update - Tell us about you! Please detach and return with your contact information so we can update our records. We will feature graduate updates in upcoming newsletters. If you want to share your recent news, fill in the news section for your information to be published. Name________________________________________________ School/year__________________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip_____________________________________________________________________________ Phone (H)______________________________________(W)_______________________________________ E-mail__________________________________________________________________________________ News to share with classmates: _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Occupation ___________________________________ Employer ____________________________________ Spouse’s name __________________________________ Anniversary Date ______________________________ Children/Grandchildren Names and Ages: __________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ DONATE I am pleased to make a contribution to Kappa Tau of : $1,000 $500 $250 $100 $50 $25 Other ________ I would like my donation to be used in the following area: _______________________________________________ Donations can be sent to: Kappa Tau Chapter, 1836 Fraternity Park Dr., Knoxville, TN 37916. Please make checks payable to Kappa Tau Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. Design, printing and mailing services provided by the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta.