The Golden Eagle FIJI THETA TAU CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA VOLUME 32, No.2 Summer 2010 Pig Dinner 2010 O VER 75 G RADUATES AT TEND P IG D INNER !! T TU F RATERNITY OF THE Y EAR 2009! \r\nTFI is proud to introduce the 2010-11 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-Monthly $18.48 per month HTTP://WWW.1848CLUB.NET The 1848 Club-Annually $221.76 per year HTTP://WWW.1848CLUB.NET/ANNUAL The 527 Club$5.27 per month HTTP://WWW.527CLUB.NET 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 at donations@TTUFIJI.COM \r\nThe Golden Eagle Fiji Summer 2010 L ETTER FROM THE Brothers, I want to begin this letter with a large thank you to all the brothers who have been at the house helping with all of the renovations that we have been doing. Your help has not only given us the needed skills to complete some of the larger projects but showed us all that Phi Gamma Delta truly isn't for college days alone. The house is looking incredible and has turned into something that we can truly be proud of. The brotherhood TFI P LANS I’d like to begin this edition’s TFI update by formally introducing our newest board member. Please join me in welcoming Brother Hal Balthrop, our new Executive Vice President, to the house corporation. Hal has been very active in both graduate and undergraduate activities over the years, and will undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable asset to the board. Welcome aboard, Hal. We’ll try to make the ride as smooth as possible. VOLUME 32 No. 2 P RESIDENT that has been gained by these last few months of hard work on this house has not only given us the motivation for this summer but has turned into an incredible motivation for fall rush. The fall rush started the 13th of September and included our golf night, a county fair night, and our traditional island night. The school has brought in more freshman than have ever come into Tech before and we are more than happy with FOR THE Brothers, THETA TAU the abundance of potentials coming by the Fiji house. Seeing the younger brothers of our chapter being our leading rushers for this fall’s recruitment gives me, as a Senior here at Tennessee Tech, great confidence in the direction of our chapter. As this will be my last semester on cabinet before I graduate, I have been able to participate in two Academies, one Ekklesia, one Chartering as President, and being on Continued on page 13 S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST : • President’s Letter • TFI Plans for the Future • Pig Dinner 2010 • BCA update • Graduate Spotlight • Chapter Updates F UTURE Hal couldn’t have joined us at a better time. I have no doubt that 2010-2011 will prove to be the most exciting time in the history of TFI. We’re gearing up for the final push toward a new chapter house, and there’s still a lot of work to be done. Our first goal is, of course, the procurement of the additional property. I wish I had some specifics to report on this, but all I can tell you is that the wheels have been set in motion. With any luck, I’ll have more information to share in the near future. Our second, and perhaps most daunting, task for the upcoming year is the planned kickoff of our capital campaign at next year’s 30th Anniversary Pig Dinner. We’ll be assembling a committee for this purpose in the very near future, and we’ll need all the help we can get. Whether you have fundraising experience, or just want to help out, all comers are welcome. Contact me, or any other TFI member, for more information. TFI President Matt Leonard \r\nP AGE 3 V OLUME 32 N O . 2 29 TH A NNIVERSARY P IG D INNER We are ready to see you for the 30th Anniversary Pig Dinner in 2011! This year’s 29th Anniversary Pig Dinner was a success as always. Thanks to all for the largest turnout in years. The weekend started off with an ode to rush days with the Island Night. Nostalgia was present for all as many ate the pineapple chicken, played volleyball and simply caught up with Brothers past and present. Saturday kicked off with another chance to socialize at the Barbeque lunch at the house. Later on, the formal events commenced with the cigar social on the front porch of the fraternity house. While the rain attempted to scatter those who showed, the brotherhood was still apparent while everyone huddled under the shelter. The official dinner then kicked off with a pig presented by the Beta Tau pledge class, which had cooked up an edible pig unlike some other years. The keynote speech this year was given by brothers Randy Wilmore (1982), Lee Wray (1981), Hal Balthrop (1984), and Todd Arrants (1984) who discussed the beginning of the chapter and their experiences at the start. The Exile’s Toast this year was written by Dustin Turner, Chapter President 2009, and read by Jon Vaughn, Chapter President 2008. Three brothers received the wonderful honor of a Silver Owl which goes to a Brother who has been a member of Phi Gamma Delta for 25 years. This year, the Cheney Cup was on display as it was the first time the chapter had won this great honor. As mentioned in the State of the Chapter, this is a good sign of good things to come for the chapter if the chapter is able to stay focused. We hope to see you all next year at both homecoming and the 30th Anniversary Pig Dinner on March 11, 2011. \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 4 This Year’s attendance: Graduates: Over 80 Brothers! Total: 150 Brothers Key Note Speakers: Randy Wilmore 1984, Lee Wray 1984, Hal Balthrop 1984, and Todd Arrants 1984 Exiles Toast: Purple Legionnaire Bo Byers (TN Tech 2006) and Section Chief Brian Douglas (TN Tech 1998) Dustin Turner 2009 read by Jon Vaughn 2008 \r\n PAGE § 29TH ANNIVERSARY PIG DINNER CONT.. VOLUME 32 No. 2 \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 6 TFI and the Theta Tau Chapter would like to thank the following Graduate Brothers for their active participation in the Annual Fund Programs Ken Adcox 1848 Club Jason Jernigan 527 Club Todd Arrants HC Donor James Jett 1848 Club AJ Bahou 1848 Club Justin Jolly 1848 Club Hal Balthrop 1848 Club William Leslie 1848 Club Jay Banasiak 527 Club Michael MacIndoe 1848 Club Kyle Bush 1848 Club Justin Medlen 1848 Club John Canaan 1848 Club Allen Mullis 527 Club Logan Cardwell 1848 Club Blake Peevyhouse 1848 Club Brad Carter 1848 Club Jake Phillips 1848 Club Chris Chaffin HC Donor Alan Pippin 1848 Club Ben Clark 1848 Club Paul Polpanich 1848 Club Paul Cronin 1848 Club John Rector 1848 Club Will Crunk 1848 Club Mark Redferrin 1848 Club Brian Douglas 1848 Club John Reinhardt 1848 Club Keith Edmondson 1848 Club Mitch Robinson 1848 Club Brent Ellis 1848 Club Alex Sauls 1848 Club Todd Fairley 1848 Club Bill Scott 1848 Club Troy Fairley 1848 Club Rob Simpson 1848 Club JR Gillette 1848 Club Chad Smith 1848 Club Justin Givens 1848 Club John Solis 1848 Club Kevin Givens 1848 Club George Titsworth 1848 Club Brian Grooms 1848 Club Chip Walton 1848 Club Mason Guy 1848 Club Chris Weaver 1848 Club Matt Hayes 1848 Club Todd Weaver 1848 Club Tim Hemken 1848 Club Eric Weber 1848 Club Stacy Hunt 1848 Club Mickey Williams 1848 Club Michael Hurt 1848 Club Randy Wilmore 1848 Club Brad Jenkins 1848 Club Brandon Jennings 1848 Club \r\nP AGE 7 V OLUME 32 N O . 2 G RADUATES G IVING B ACK The Theta Tau Chapter’s Board of Chapter Advisors continues to assist our undergraduate chairmen in whatever way they can. While the time needed or volunteered by our advisors is not strenuous or overwhelming, the added advice, ideas, guidance, and encouragement that is given from these graduates is invaluable. Our graduates can often offer a different perspecBoard of Chapter Advisors tive to problems, drawing upon both their own fraternal experience as well the experience of life itself after college. Thanks to Our Current BCA We hope that the example set by these graduates can inspire others to pick Members for Volunteering up the mantle of chapter advisor and offer their time and experience to aid Their Time! our chapter. One such brother, Kyle Bush, expressed his interest in joining the BCA at our Pig Dinner and will likely become an official member this • Bo Byers ‘06, PL, Chairman fall semester. BCA • Todd Arrants ‘84, Recruitment • JR Gillette ‘05, Finance • Mitch Robinson ‘05, Grad Relations • Paul Cronin ‘07, Grad Events • Luke Denney ‘08, Pledge Ed • ...your name here Of course, we don’t expect every graduate to be an advisor nor does every graduate aspire to be one. We simply hope that if you have some interest, you will contact our Purple Legionnaire to find out more. For the rest of our graduates, our request is just as important. We hope that you can find the time to attend Pig Dinner and Homecoming, send us news to include in our newsletters, keep your contact information up to date, and most of all have a continued sense of pride for our great Chapter! Perge! Organizing the Frank Norris Pig Dinner, as many of you know from experience on the Pig Dinner committee, is a long, arduous exercise in finding out how much can go wrong over a short period of time. However, as Pig Dinner chair this year, I can say that the dinner actually went fairly smoothly, mostly thanks to the hard work of BCA members Bo Byers and Paul Cronin. In the beginning of the planning stages, Bo and Paul helped me get a list of things together that had to happen in order for Pig Dinner to be a success. Without their help, I wouldn't have had nearly enough information to work with. During the rest of the planning, they still left most of the decisions up to me and my committee, but they were always there to give advice if I needed it. Their combined experience helped in a way that a simple list never could have. Without a doubt, the BCA was extremely helpful in making the 29th Anniversary Frank Norris Pig Dinner a success! Nathan Brown, Pig Dinner Chairman How Do I Get Involved? Each member of the Board of Chapter Advisors is assigned to one of the primary areas of chapter operations such as: Graduate Relations; Graduate Events; Pledge Education; Recruitment; Community Service, Risk Management; Fundraising; and Scholarship. The Purple Legionnaire shall appoint graduate members to serve on the Board of Chapter Advisors. Such appointment shall be subject to the approval of the undergraduate chapter and Executive Director. Each advisor shall be appointed for a term of one year and may be reappointed. We are continuing to recruit Graduates to fill positions now! For more information about the specific responsibilities of each position and how you can help, please contact the Purple Legionnaire Bo Byers at byersbo@gmail.com. \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 8 T TU R UGBY TTU Rugby Fall 2010 Schedule Sept. 11 - All day training camp Sept. 25 - @ MTSU Sept. 17-19 - @ Vanderbilt Oak Leaf Tournament Oct. 2 - UT Martin @ home Oct. 9 - Sewanee @ home Oct. 16 - @ Western Kentucky Oct. 23 - @ UT Knoxville The Tennessee Tech Rugby team is growing and improving, with much of the success due to the support of Phi Gamma Delta. This past year, on a field of 15, as many as 8 Fijis have been starting at one time. With the addition of the new coach Scott Sandman, the team looks to have a very strong fall. Please come out and support your brothers and ruggers! Nov. 6 - Hopkinsville @ home Nov. 13 - Homecoming, Alumni Match If you have any questions or future players to recruit, please contact Captain/President Brooks Robinson (Corresponding Secretary) at bdrobinson21@tntech.edu. S CHOLARSHIP Chapter Reaches 3.0 Once Again!! UPDATE Scholastic achievement has always been very important to the brothers of Theta Tau. After all, scholarship is one of our fraternity’s five values. Last year our chapter performed extremely well academically, even reaching our long standing goal of a 3.0 chapter GPA again! Spring 2010: Comparatively: Chapter GPA: 3.087 Pledge GPA: 2.833 Combined: 3.075 All Campus: 2.925 This past semester we reached our always growing goal of a 3.0 as well as having the highest GPA in 10 years, or more. We also had 35 brothers make a 3.0 or better! With the Combined GPA of last year’s grades, the brothers of the Theta Tau Chapter received the highest GPA in the Interfraternal Council. Phi Gam is Excellence! All Men: 2.765 All IFC: 2.789 All Greek: 2.912 1) FIJI: 3.075 2) KA: 2.977 3) Phi Delt: 2.892 4) Sig Ep: 2.834 5) Ag Sig: 2.832 6) Kappa Sig: 2.819 7) Sigma Chi: 2.654 8) SAE: 2.600 9) TKE: 2.589 10) PIKE: 2.357 \r\nP AGE 9 V OLUME 32 N O . 2 G RADUATE S POTLIGHT — S COTT S TAPLETONS ‘93 What are you doing now? I am currently a Senior Accountant for Delek US, Energy segment in Brentwood, TN. I am married with one daughter and live in Spring Hill, TN. What was your major at TTU and how has it lead to the job you have now? I was an accounting major and have managed to remain in my field of study. What are some of your favorite memories of being a Phi Gam at Tech? Initiation trip to Lexington The one summer I lived in the house Purple Garter formals Why did you choose to pledge Phi Gamma Delta and has it molded you into the kind of person you think a Phi Gam should be? I chose Phi Gamma Delta because of the people I met during rush. They weren't about shoving a beer in your hand and pawning you off to someone else. The brothers I talked to were engaging and enthusiastic about their experience of being a Phi Gam. We all share similar ideas about what a Phi Gam should be or we would have chosen other fraternities. The interpersonal skills I learned, the focus on academics, the competitive nature of the sports in which we participated, as well as our reputation of being men of good character encompasses what a Phi Gam should be. Well-spoken, intelligent, competitive, and morally centered. My experience as a Phi Gam made me a well-rounded person. We have been and should continue to be what other fraternities on campus strive to become. From what you can remember, what did the other Greek Organizations think about Fiji? Most fraternities at that time viewed us as competition. Whether it was sports, rush, or homecoming, we always had a strong presence. We may not have always won, but we always made the winner really work for the bragging rights. How do you think the chapter has grown since you have left? (Where would you like to see it go?) The most obvious growth has been in numbers, both graduates and undergraduates. This is a double-edged sword yet inevitable due to the recent successes as a chapter within the fraternity and on campus. With the growth in numbers, I can only imagine the amount of effort it must take to try and create a strong bond between the brothers. Going forward, the chapter needs to remain focused on recruiting quality men of character. Any fraternity can grow in numbers and at the same time, destroy themselves from within. Do you have any advice for pledges, new brothers, and/or graduating brothers? The strong bonds you build with your brothers will last long after your days in college. You will hear "Not for college days alone" mentioned while you are in school but it will not have a special place in your heart until you are gone. Keep in touch with the friends you make as they will truly last you a lifetime. Never pass up the opportunity to drop someone an email, phone call, or catch them on Facebook. Lives are too often cut short. \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 10 C OMMUNITY S ERVICE Theta Tau took service to heart this past spring semester. Roadside clean-up is a great embodiment of one of our values as well as an opportunity for some great brotherhood. Some would even say that it has become a tradition of the Chapter to maintain the one and a half mile stretch of 10th Street. Below, you can see the enthusiastic group getting ready to clean-up the roadside, and, more than that, give back to the community that has given us so much. As well as picking up trash on the side of the road, the brothers wanted to do more. We had a “Cummins Falls Clean-up Day” where we hiked, climbed, and rolled down to the beautiful falls to make it more enjoyable for everyone. Littering at the falls has been a big problem because of the lack of security and services due to the nature of the land. The gentlemen of Theta Tau wanted to change that. After scouring the rocks, trees, bushes, and creek for trash, the gentlemen who went that day hauled out several large bags of trash. Community Service Chair Aaron Schaller caught wind of a large need for help by TN Tech’s Disability Services of Tennessee Tech and rallied the men to step up to the challenge. For some time now, the University has been in need of a comprehensive map of every building on campus that had all handicap-accessible parking spots, walkways, doorways, elevators, and bathrooms labeled on it. The brothers all participated and teamed up to tackle the nearly 40 buildings that needed mapping. Once individual maps of each building had been completed, Brother Schaller compiled them into one master map for Disability Services. Because of the great job that Theta Tau did for the University, Disability Services awarded Phi Gamma Delta with the Pinnacle Award at the Spring Greek Awards Banquet. The award is a perfect example of the Theta Tau Chapter striving for two of our values, excellence and service. \r\nP AGE 11 V OLUME 32 N O . 2 162 ND E KKLESIA I N P HOENIX Theta Tau’s in attendance: Undergraduates: Tad Engle – Chapter President, Jeremy Govero – Chapter Treasurer, Alfred Stewart; Graduates: Brian Douglas, Brent Ellis, and Bo Byers. On Thursday while undergrads arrived, Brent Ellis instructed experienced Purple Legionnaires and Section Chiefs on how to identify at risk chapters while Jeremy Govero and the Purple Legionnaire from Central Florida led training for new Purple Legionnaires. Bo Byers served on Nominations Committee which interviewed all candidates for the Archonate and selected those the committee felt should be our leaders. Theta Tau Awards for the Year 2009 Cheney Cup: 3rd Place Coon Plaque (Newsletter and Publications): 1st Place Jordan Bowl (scholarship): 3rd Place Brightman Trophy (grad relations): Honorable Mention Haynes: Honorable Mention (Section Chief - Brian Douglas) Durrance: Honorable Mention (Purple Legionnaire - Bo Byers) Crowder: Honorable Mention (Faculty– Jed Young) Tad Engle served on a special committee that focused on revising the origins and traditions of the chapter. This committee completed all of their work prior to arriving at Ekklesia but presented the proposed changes to the body for approval. Perhaps the biggest news: Brian Douglas was elected to Archon Councilor!! First Theta Tau to fill an Archon seat. If you like, send him a message of congrats: douglasbrian@bfusa.com And since he is now an Archon, he must vacate the position of Section Chief so our chapter will have a new Chief beginning this fall. Let’s all lend the same support to the new chief as we did to Brian. Brian Douglas is elected to Archon Councilor! \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 12 MUSIC FIJI GRADUATE CHAPTER Welcome from the recently formed Music City FIJI graduate chapter! A group of brothers has been having lunch the last Thursday of every month at Corky's in Brentwood somewhat consistently for the last few years. Why Corky's you might ask? Well, I suppose it's our little miniature version of Pig Dinner once a month to help relive some of our fond memories, and what better place to do that than somewhere with great barbeque? We decided back in the spring to form an official graduate chapter from this band of brothers, and the Music City Graduate Chapter was born. Our current officers are: works with from other chapters, Clint Southern, Gamma Tau '02 (Georgia Tech) & Rodreich Stotensburg, Beta Gamma '91 (Ohio State). We have also had a few members from the newly charPresident: Don Marsee, Theta Tau '88 tered Chi Eta Chapter at Western KenDMarsee@tractorsupply.com tucky University attend as they have Treasurer: Hal Balthrop, Theta Tau '84 time as well. HalBalthrop@comcast.net Since a lunch time meeting is not always Edmondson, moved out of state a few months ago, we have been skipping that formality as well. Our intent is to keep things informal and relaxed, so if you are in the area and would like to break bread and relive some old memories, stop by Corky's at 11:30 on the last Thursday of each month. If you can't make it one month, come on the next, some of us are certain to be there. Secretary: Derek Johnson, Theta Tau '94 convenient for some, we have recently begun to organize other events as Come and help us live up to the motto Derek_Johnson@comcast.net well. Our first attempt at this was a trip of "Not for College Days Alone"! The graduate chapter website can be to the Nashville Sounds on June 17. We found here: http://www.phigam.org/ plan on organizing more events like this Perge' in the future, so if you are interested and NetCommunity/MusicCityFiji would like to be included in our email In addition to the officers, some of the blasts, send me a note to more frequent attendees have been Derek_Johnson@comcast.net and I Bennie Copland, Joey Czarneski, Todd will be sure to get you added to our disArrants, Scott Stapleton (the good look- tribution list. ing Stapleton), Brian Douglas, Stacy Hunt, Phil Wallace and AJ Ba- Our meetings are really geared towards hou. There have been several other getting together and spending a little brothers who have been able to make it fellowship time with our brothers. The from time to time, as their schedules most formal part of our meetings so far permit. Brother Douglas has even been has been saying grace before we eat, and able to recruit a couple of brothers he since our appointed Chaplin, Keith \r\nP AGE 13 V OLUME 32 N O . 2 2009 T TU G REEK A WARDS R ESULTS Theta Tau has always had a reputation for being an upright and successful chapter on campus. However, this year the Theta Tau Chapter has exceeded all expectations. At the Greek Awards Banquet held on Tuesday, April 27, Greek organizations were recognized for their achievements throughout the previous year. This past year, Theta Tau has displayed an example of outstanding accomplishments and true excellence. Phi Gamma Delta came home with the eight following awards: • Outstanding Scholastic Performance - Phi Gamma Delta (3.12 GPA, highest in IFC and higher than all campus, all men, and all women averages for 2009) • Greek Male Scholar of the Year Award - Isaac Keebler • New Greek Male of the Year Award - Nash Fleet • Mr. Greek Life - Ben Hobbs • Funny Man of Greek Life - Patrick Wehby • IFC All-Sports Champions - Phi Gamma Delta • Pinnacle Award - Phi Gamma Delta (for outstanding service to the University) • 4 Star Chapter - Phi Gamma Delta • Fraternity of the Year - Phi Gamma Delta This is truly a testament to the values which Phi Gamma Delta holds so dear, and the hardworking brothers of the Theta Tau Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. L ETTER FROM THE P RESIDENT C ONT . cabinet for two years. I have gotten more life experiences and skills that I would have never learned at school without the great chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. I do want to take this time to thank all of the graduates who molded me and helped turn me in the Phi Gam man I am today. The chapter will be in ton of need of the graduate support this year with some of the hurdles in our way as we enter in to our 30th year as a chapter at Tennessee Tech. Once again thank you all for everything the graduate base of our fraternity does for this wonderful chapter. Be ready to see much great news in the near future for Theta Tau. Fraternally, Tad Engle Theta Tau Chapter President Phi Gamma Delta Tennessee Technological University P! F RATERNITY OF THE Y EAR 1983 1987 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2008 2009 \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 14 FIJI HOMECOMING 2010 Nov 13, 2009 We hope you make plans to attend! Check for updated itinerary online at ttufiji.com under the Homecoming Section! \r\nNonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 F U L L C O L O R E D I T I O N S O F T H E G O L D E N E AG L E F I J I A R E N OW A VA I L A B L E O N L I N E ! WWW.TTUFIJI. COM/TFI/GEFIJI If you have any comments or suggestions about the Golden Eagle Fiji or would like to be featured in an upcoming issue, please contact: Will Scheibe Graduate Relations Chairman wgscheibe42@tntech.edu 615-479-7945 (Cell Phone) IMPORTANT DATES: Homecoming 2010– Nov. 13th VISIT US ONLINE WWW.TTUFIJI.COM Phi Gam Brothers at Joshua Tree National Park. PERGE !