The Golden Eagle FIJI THETA TAU CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA VOLUME 30, No.1 Spring/Summer 2008 A Continued Excellence in Phi Gamma Delta “T HETA T AU H OMECOMING 2008 N OVEMBER 7-8 REACHES LONG STANDING GOAL OF 3.0 CHAPTER GPA!!!” \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 at donations@TTUFIJI.COM \r\nThe Golden Eagle Fiji Spring/Summer 2008 L ET TER FROM THE Graduate Brothers, I would like to open this Golden Eagle Fiji with a “Thank You” for all of your continued support, involvement, and contributions. As our chapter continues to succeed year after year, it is your support to the undergraduate chapter that aids us in our success. Over the past year we have continued to strive for better graduate relations and I hope that that you have been able to recognize our efforts and have been receiving emails in conjunction with the Golden Eagle Fiji. One of our main things we are focusing on THETA TAU VOLUME 30 No. 1 P RESIDENT this next semester is to provide you with better delivery of information, to keep you better informed on the current status of your chapter. If you have not done so, please update your current mailing and email address on the graduate section of the website. This is imperative for us to keep in contact with you. I would also like to thank each of you who attended this year’s Pig Dinner. It was great getting to see all of you again and to have the pleasure of sitting through a wonderful exiles toast from Brent Ellis with all of you who were lucky enough to be there. I don’t think you know how much we as an undergraduate chapter enjoys you coming back and to hear your stories from your undergraduate days. This past semester we have started off strong and did an outstanding job with our Spring Rush. We had a total of 11 bids returned in January, with 10 of our pledges becoming brothers. The success we are having is unprecedented. We plan to continue this success as our rush chair, Jordan Jozwik, has been working on S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST : !" President’s Letter !" TFI Update !" TFI Leadership Additions !" Graduate Spotlight !" Chapter Updates (Continued on page 4) TFI U PDATE Brothers, First off, I’d like to begin by thanking each and every one of you who contribute to our effort. Keeping this thing running is no small feat, and we truly appreciate all of you. We couldn’t do it without you. As you all know, the time between Pig Dinner and the beginning of the Fall Semester is usually a little slow for the chapter, as well as for T.F.I. We use this time to slow down, catch our breath, and begin planning for the upcoming year. This year, however, has been a bit different. As I mentioned at Pig Dinner, we are in the early stages of planning for a new chapter house. We have spent a considerable amount of time this summer planning and discussing varies aspects of this task, and it appears that some truly great things are in the works. I hate to leave you hanging on this one, but there will be more information to follow. Overall, things are going (Continued on page 3) TFI President Matt Leonard \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE FIJI P AGE 2 L ET TER F ROM THE all Rush all semester and throughout the summer. This year in sports we came in a VERY close second in the IFC division by 0.5 points in this years All Sports competition. As the Fall semester approaches I hope that you will keep in mind Homecoming at Tennessee Tech. This year Homecoming is scheduled for November 8 and the Theme has been chosen as Aloha TTU. Homecoming is a great way to come back and see how much Tech and Theta Tau has changed and stayed the same. As well as provide P RESIDENT you with another way to reconnect with your brothers, both Graduate and undergraduate. We look forward to seeing you this November! That, I hope this edition finds you well and I, and the chapter, wish you the best and look forward to seeing you soon. As was stated in your last Edition of the Golden Eagle Fiji, our current Purple Legionnaire Bo Byers, Jon Vaughn 3.0 G OAL R EACHED !! W ITH 60% OF B ROTHERS AND P LEDGES MAKING 3.0 OR H IGHER ! Fraternally, is still looking to fill a few spots in the Board of Chapter Advisors (BCA). These advisors will help the chapter in a specific area to which he is appointed. If you are interested, please contact Bo, we would love to have your help. With S CHOLARSHIP U PDATE Scholastic achievement is very important to the brothers of Theta Tau. After all, scholarship is one of our five values. Last year our chapter performed very well academically, even reaching our long time goal of a 3.0 chapter GPA! CONT AND S UCCESS Fall 2007 Chapter GPA: 2.829 Pledge GPA: 2.826 There were 34 brothers and pledges that made a 3.0 or higher out of 85 men, with 7 people making a 4.0. (Six Clicks!). Spring 2008 Chapter GPA: 3.012 Pledge GPA: 3.270 For the Spring semester there were 49 brothers and pledges that made a 3.0 or higher out of 81 men, that’s 60%! There were also 5 people making a 4.0! Six Clicks! To the chapter for reaching this long running goal! The Spring GPA is the highest our chapter has received in at least 9 years possibly longer! Compared to the other fraternities, in the Fall we finished second to Sigma Phi Epsilon who obtained a 2.975. In the Spring we finished first overall. Our chapter did better than both the all Greek average and the all male average in both semesters. Theta Tau will continue to push to stay above our goal of 3.0 as we move into this new year. We will continue to raise the bar, and strive to attain our goals! \r\nV OLUME 30, N O . 1 P AGE 3 TFI U PDATE C ONT very well for T.F.I. We recently added a few more board members, and these guys have really stepped up. Each and every one of them hit the ground running, and they have proven themselves to be tremendous assets to the board. Also, relations between T.F.I. and the undergraduate chapter have never been better. We have a great group of guys (as usual), and they have been a pleasure to work with. It was great to see everyone at Pig Dinner this year, but why should we all get together only once a year? I’d really like to see more of you guys at Homecoming this year. Graduate attendance was waned a bit at this event, and we want to reverse the trend. Get off your butts and come out! It’s safe - Brent Ellis won’t be making a speech or anything. The date escapes me at the moment, but you can find it on the chapter’s website (www.ttufiji.com). I hope to see you all there. In closing, we’re looking forward to another great year. Things have never been better, and we’ve got nowhere to go but up. Thanks again for all of your support – especially my fellow board members. You guys are the heart and soul of this team, and I’m thankful to have each and every one of you on my side. As always, any and all questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome and appreciated. I can be contacted at ttufiji@hotmail.com. Fraternally, Matt Leonard ‘01 Perge! TFI Board/Committee Members President: Matt Leonard Treasurer: Tom Caldwell VP Information Management: George Titsworth Webmaster: Justin Givens VP of Expansion: Justin Cumby VP of Fundraising: Brent Ellis Online Donations Coordinator: John Solis VP of Grad Relations: Bill Scott Councilor: Lee Wray 27 TH A NNIVERSARY P IG D INNER Thank you to all the Graduates who attended our 27th Anniversary Frank Norris Pig Dinner and helped make it a giant success! If you didn’t get a chance to make it this year, make plans to attend next year at the 28th Anniversary Pig Dinner, April 18th 2009! What did you miss this year? See this year’s Pig Dinner events outlined below! Friday: !" Cookout – Graduates reunited with old friends and reminisced about their illustrious times as an undergrad while enjoying dinner provided by the chapter. Saturday: !" Annual Golf Scramble – This year’s scramble was won by the undergrad team of Paul Swift, Alan Pippin, Tyler Ubelhor, and James Bennett. Barely edging out perennial grad favorites Mark Redferrin and Troy Fairley! !" TFI / BCA Informational Meeting – On Saturday afternoon TFI President, Matt Leonard, discussed the successes, challenges, and future plans of the house corporation. Next, the BCA, led by our Purple Legionnaire Bo Byers, discussed their experience over the last semester and started making plans for Councilor: Brian Douglas the upcoming Fall semester. !" Pig Dinner 2008 – Chapter President Jon Vaughn gave an inspiring address about the success and status of the chapter over the last year. Guest Speaker Orsen Paxton, a current Archon Councilor, Golf Tournament Winners: Paul Swift Alan Pippin Tyler Ubelhor James Bennett Pig Dinner is always a chance for “Families” to come together. \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE FIJI P AGE 4 27 TH A NNIVERSARY P IG D INNER talked about the future plans of the international fraternity and strategic goals set by the Archons. Those in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and opportunity to fellowship with their brothers again! !" Party at Vinnie T’s – The weekend concluded with the Brothers “kicking it old school” and enjoying a long night of fraternal fellowship! CONT This year’s attendance: Graduates: 62 Brothers Total: 150 Brothers/Pledges Key Note Speaker: Orsen E. Paxton III (Texas at Arlington ’71), Archon Councilor Exiles Toast: J. Brent Ellis ’99 (via Video) New Online Donation Sign-up: 8 Brothers This was a 26% Increase!! Total Online Donation Club Members: 39 Brothers WE ARE ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT 28 TH A NNIVERSARY P IG D INNER , A PRIL 18 TH 2009! 2008 Cabinet pictured with our guest speaker: (L to R) Jon Vaughn (Pres.), Bo Byers (PL), Mitchell Davis (Rec. Sec.), Orsen Paxton (Archon Councilor), Brian Douglas (Section Chief), Allen Mullis (Tres.), Kyle Bush (Hist.), and Alex Barbeau (Corr. Sec.) \r\nV OLUME 30, N O . 1 G RADUATES M AKING P AGE 5 A D IFFERENCE The Board of Chapter Advisors Revitalized with Success! In last issue of the GE Fiji you read about how Graduates can make a difference but in this issue you will read how Graduates are making a difference. Last Fall’s semester brought us the installation of a new Purple Legionnaire, Bo Byers, and the hopeful revitalization of a Board of Chapter Advisors (BCA). Thanks to Our Current BCA Members for Volunteering Their Time! !" Bo Byers ‘06, PL, Chairman of the Board !" JR Gillette ‘05, Finance !" Mitch Robinson ‘05, Grad Relations !" Paul Cronin ‘07, Grad Events !" ...your name here After the announcement that Bo was recruiting members, three graduates quickly answered the call saying they wanted to volunteer their time to aid our chapter. JR Gillette, Mitch Robinson, and Paul Cronin each realized their experiences and knowledge could help provide some continuity and leadership for the undergraduate chapter. After their appointment to the BCA they assumed responsibilities assisting key chapter committees in setting goals, developing action plans to achieve goals, following-up to see that the action plans are being followed, and ensuring the successful completion of the action plans resulting in the accomplishment of the chapter’s goals. The undergraduate chapter has certainly benefited from having these graduate leaders available to ask questions, make suggestions, and keep some of our committees on track. From the beginning of their appointment our BCA members have set out to truly be a Board of Chapter Advisors by being productively involved with the chapter and assisting the Purple Legionnaire. They’ve done an exceptional job of assisting our brothers, allowing them to think for their selves, offering advice but always letting the committees make the final decisions. The BCA members look forward to continuing this great working relationship with the chapter in future! What can you, as a Graduate, give back to the Fraternity? -Advice -Continuity -Improved public relations -Moral support -Rush recommendations -Career counseling and networking -Financial support What should you expect to receive for giving back? -Remain young in outlook and spirit -Maintain ties with old friends -Continue a meaningful part of their life -live the motto “Not for College Days Alone!” 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 as a 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! (byersbo@gmail.com) \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE FIJI P AGE 6 GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT B RENT Y OUNG ‘02 I graduated from TTU in May of 2002. I was the ‘weird guy’, choosing to pursue and obtain a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Communications. Immediately after graduation, I went to work in sales for Verizon Wireless. In just four years, I moved from sales representative to senior sales representative to operational supervisor to assistant manager and ultimately, to active store manager. I learned some life lessons from that job experience. It taught me that money isn’t everything and that people deserve to be treated with respect, no matter their walk in life. My present opportunity has moved me back into the retail field in Lebanon, TN, as the Customer Relations Manager at Prime Outlets. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with. I look forward to working my way up the management ladder. I currently still reside in Cookeville, TN. I built a house from the ground up in 2004 and have lived there ever since. I still have my passion for animals. I belong to a number of national animal rights associations. ers of Phi Gam (specifically Bro. Irwin) helped me carry all of my belongings to the top floor of my dorm. I also remember the pride of being my pledge class president and pledging with some of the best guys on this planet. My best friends in the world became Eric May, Scott DeMoss, Jimmy McGee…just to name a few. It was our moment and we proved it! I remember being scared to death in KY. I was scared out of my mind. I thought I was at a rally. Thanks to Paul and Nease, my big brother, I held my own and got it together immediately. When it came time for me to serve as a big brother, I was so excited to get my first little brother David Whiteaker (DT). Wow! I lucked up on him. What a genuine, great guy to call your little brother. I loved all of my little brothers from Matt Hayes (yes, Clark, he’s mine) to Kyle Sircy and Jesse Stout. They all are great guys and very proud to be apart of Phi Gamma Delta. I have some great memories of some of the social events and philanthropies, like Mark Morgan and I getting Nate Yant My first and fondest memory ready for his Erykah Badu perof Phi Gam is before I became a formance for the DG Anchor brother. A first-time TTU student, Splash pageant…“You Better Call I had loaded all of my clothes, furTyrone”…(smile) and yes, Nate niture, and a fish tank in the back of won! And who will ever forget my two-door hatchback, teal green the “Sexual Chocolate” perGeo Storm sports car. The brothformance? Brian Long, Brandon Hetrick, Eric May, just to name a few brothers, helped me with our Eddie Murphy/ James Brown performance for All-Sing. What a blast! I remember one of the first FIJI side houses, at the B.E.D.S., better known to the regular public as the crib of Brent, Eric, DT, and Scott. Memories of the nonsobering hide –n- go seek and the random birthday parties that we would seem to have almost every weekend will stay with me forever. I looked forward to every homecoming for the challenging events. I have that competitive streak in me that says ‘win, win, and win’. And you know what? That’s what we did almost every homecoming when I was in school at Tech. I recall seeking advice from Lee Wray on past homecom- \r\nV OLUME 30, N O . 1 P AGE 7 G RADUATE S POTLIGHT that I am today. ings. And I remember Tony Marable always taking pictures of our events. And I can’t fathom why I was always in charge of the preprally…I just don’t know (wink). FROM ing a time that was so emotional for me and my family, words just can’t express my gratitude to Fiji. I thank Phi Gamma Delta for helping me become a strong, indeI will continue being a proud pendent gentleman at home and in brother and active alumni of such a the work place. In November of 2007, my oldest brother of 43 years great family. of age passed away of cancer. I knew, at that moment, what brotherhood really meant. To have brothers show their support for me dur- I enjoyed serving FIJI as the pledge president, pledge educator, social chair, homecoming director. I valued those roles, and they have helped me become the individual I NFORMATION CONT IHQ Strategic priorities. To remain healthy and vibrant, every organization must identify its priorities and develop a plan to address them. That is one of the most important responsibilities of the Archons as the Board of Directors of the Fraternity. 1. Graduate Involvement, with the aim of developing brothers who are LOYAL FOR LIFE Mindful of that responsibility and eager to assure that their two years guiding Phi Gamma Delta would have a positive and lasting impact, the Archons met on September 28-30, 2006, on the campus of Washington and Jefferson College, just eight miles from Canonsburg and the former site of old Jefferson College. Their purpose was two-fold: to set their priorities for the next two years, 2. Growth in number and size of undergraduate chapters, to EXPAND THE and, even more important, to set a diINFLUENCE of Phi Gamma Delta. (Goal 170 chapters by 2018) rection for Phi Gamma Delta that will guide the Fraternity into our 170th year in 2018. Two Priorities The board recognized that one key in strategic planning is focus, that having too many initiatives, though all may seem important, can impede success. They therefore resisted the temptation to build a long list of initiatives. Instead they identified two vital areas of focus that will have broadest impact on the of the Fraternity: \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE FIJI P AGE 8 S PRING RECRUITMENT The Theta Tau chapter started off Spring 2008 with a bang. The chapter held rush during the second week of class hosting Mardi Gras Night, Sports Night, and Gentlemen's night. We were privileged enough to have Brother Jeff Henry come to Gentlemen’s Night to speak to us and the potentials about his experience as a Phi Gam. When all was said and done, the Beta Omicron pledge class was comprised of 11 outstanding men. The other 9 fraternities on campus were only able to recruit a total of 27 men. This just goes to show Theta Tau's continual recruitment of outstanding men to become part of the chapter. 2008 At the conclusion of the semester 10 of the original 11 men met the standards set forth by the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta. This group brings new energy and many ideas to the fraternity. Plans for the fall are also in full swing, with events planned much like the past (The South Patio Party, Slip and Slide, mixers, summer cookouts, etc.), but there will also be some new additional to rush. I will do my best to keep you filled in on the plans for the fall so we can have your suggestions and have some of you in attendance at the events to show these new brothers and potentials the Phi Gam is not for college days alone! Please contact me Jordan Jozwik A Y EAR OF H ONORS (JJJozwik21@tntech.edu) if you'd like to know more about the plans for this summer and fall. Sports Night (Top) and Mardi Gras Night (Bottom) !" 2nd overall in Greekweek !" Most money raised of any organization for !" 1st in grades with an average of 3.012 !" Greek Man of the year Matt Nisbet !" Greek Advisor of the year Jed Young The past year has been a wonderful year for the brothRelay for Life ers of the Theta Tau chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. They have demonstrated once again why they are the best. !" 1st place in Delta Gamma’s philanthropy AnThe brothers have received honors in every aspect of chor Splash greek life. This includes everything from philanthropies !" 2nd place in Kappa Delta’s philanthropy to academics. Some of the awards and honors we have received are: Shamrock Project !" Homecoming Champions with Delta Gamma !" 5 Star Fraternity: this is the highest honor in greek life \r\nV OLUME 30, N O . 1 P AGE 9 P LEDGE E DUCATION U PDATE Over the past few semesters, Theta Tau has strived to put extra emphasis on the importance of our Pledge Education Program, and we believe it has paid off. After a couple of semesters of poor pledge retention, mostly due to low grades and loss of interest, we decided to step back and truly investigate the good and bad points of our program. We had a solid foundation from past traditions and our pledge education manual, but still had areas that needed improvement. The biggest areas that we modified and focused on were pledge class unity and scholarship. We stressed pledge class unity and a “succeed together, fail together” mentality from day one, and let them realize they are only as strong as their weakest link. We wanted to get back to brothers being proud of their pledge class and believing that together they could have a positive impact on the chapter. They learned how to work together throughout the semester, but especially on their pledge class retreat working on a local brother’s family farm. Mending fences, cleaning barns, and landscaping taught them they had to depend on one another to get the job done right. They used the money they raised during the retreat and throughout the semester to improve the house by building a covered bike rack in the fall, and enclosing the trophy case with Plexi-glass in the spring. Both projects turned out well and gave them something to look at and be proud of. They were also taught the importance of scholarship and what it takes to be a successful college student. We implemented mandatory library study hours and grade sheets that their professors filled out a few times over the semester. We taught them that it is about more than just making the grade, but instead really striving to do your best and taking full advantage of each opportunity you are given. We hope this has taught them more productive study habits they can continue to use in their college career and help to improve scholarship throughout the chapter. We believe these changes are already paying off and can be seen by last semester’s pledge GPA of 3.270 which brought the fraternity’s GPA above the 3.0 threshold. Overall we believe these and other changes to the pledge education program are greatly increasing our pledge retention rates. The last three semesters have had greater than 75 percent pledge retention, and peaked last semester with over 90 percent retention. We realize retention isn’t everything, and still continue to release pledges that aren’t Phi Gam material from the program. Our goal however, is to give every worthy pledge the skills they need to succeed in the fraternity, and ensure that they have the opportunity to join us inside the walls of Phi Gamma Delta. “ WE STRESSED PLEDGE CLASS UNITY AND A SUCCEED TOGETHER , FAIL TOGETHER ” MENTALITY DAY ONE ... “ New Brothers at IHQ in Lexington from the Fall 2007 Pledge Class \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 10 T HETA T AU R ECEIVES F RATERNITY A WARDS FOR 2007 The Cheney Cup is awarded to the undergraduate chapter which demonstrates the greatest all-around efficiency in scholarship, fraternity relationships, and general collegiate activities. Third Place: Theta Tau at Tennessee Tech University The Coon Plaque is awarded to the undergraduate chapter that has produced the best chapter publication for the preceding academic year. In other words… The Golden Eagle Fiji! Second Place: Theta Tau at Tennessee Technological University The Brightman Trophy is presented to the undergraduate chapter which best demonstrates that "Phi Gamma Delta is not for college days alone" by maintaining and improving relations between the chapter and graduate brothers. Third Place: Theta Tau at Tennessee Technological University The Zerman Trophy (known as the Archons Trophy prior to 1986) is awarded to the undergraduate chapter which excels in promoting the involvement of brothers in student government, the campus newspaper, and extracurricular activities. First Place: Theta Tau at Tennessee Tech University The Jordan Bowl is awarded to the undergraduate chapter which is judged to have achieved the highest comparative scholarship among the undergraduate chapters for the preceding academic year. Third Place: Theta Tau at Tennessee Technological University The Baker Cup is awarded to the undergraduate chapter which most effectively focuses attention upon religious, ethical, and social service activities in its daily conduct. Honorable Mention: Theta Tau at Tennessee Technological University The Crowder Cup is awarded to the faculty advisor determined to be the most outstanding in the Fraternity based on personality, leadership, rapport with the chapter and assistance to the chapter in its relationship with faculty members and the host institution, as well as encouraging the undergraduate members to realize their full academic potential. First Place: Dr. Jed Young (Purdue 1984) - Tennessee Tech University The Coulter Cup is awarded to the graduate brother who has contributed the most to an undergraduate chapter through service in a capacity other than as a Purple Legionnaire or General Officer. Third Place: Robert L. "Lee" Wray (Tennessee Tech 1981) The Durrance Award is presented to the graduate brother who is judged to be the most outstanding Purple Legionnaire (chapter advisor) in the Fraternity, "judged on the basis of personality, leadership, rapport with chapter, and fraternity service." First Place: Bo W. Byers (Tennessee Tech 2006) \r\nV OLUME 30, N O . 1 P AGE 11 2007 F RATERNITY A WARDS C ONT . Theta Tau Wins Zerman Trophy! Our Brothers were pleasantly surprised at the 2008 Ekklesia when our chapter’s name was called as the first place winner of the Zerman Trophy. This recognizes the hard work the chapter brothers have put into activities on campus including Homecoming, Intramurals, Philanthropic Events, and participation of brothers in campus organizations. We are honored to have received such a prestigious award and plan to continue working hard on campus! (Theta Tau also won Zerman Trophy in 1989) 2008 Ekklesia Delegates and Attendees with Zerman Trophy: (L to R) Front: Jordan Jozwik, Bo Byers, Jon Vaughn, Brian Douglas, Tony Cherry Back: John Solis, Matt Leonard, Tom Caldwell H AIL TO THE C HIEFS ! The Haynes Award is presented annually to the Section Chief who is determined by a committee as designated by the Archon President to be the most outstanding Section Chief in the International Fraternity based upon leadership, section involvement, and Fraternity service. For 2007, Two Theta Tau graduates were recognized for their outstanding work as Sections Chiefs! Brian M. Douglas ‘98, Section Chief XVI, received 2nd Place in Haynes Award and J. Brent Ellis ‘99, Section Chief XIII, received 3rd place! Both Theta Tau graduates have volunteered many hours to aid the chapters in their sections. We know that all their chapters greatly appreciate their help and advice. Congratulations to these graduates and keep up the great work! S ECTION XIII U NIVERSITY OF F LORIDA F LORIDA S TATE S ECTION XVI S EWANEE U NIVERSITY OF T ENNESSEE T ENNESSE T ECH \r\nT HE G OLDEN E AGLE FIJI P AGE 12 TFI and the Theta Tau Chapter would like to thank the following Graduate Brothers for their active participation in the Online Donation Programs Banasiak, Jay 1848 Club Jenkins, Brad 1848 Club Byers, Bo 527 Club Jennings, Brandon 1848 Club Canaan, John 1848 Club Jett, Ricky 1848 Club Carter, Brad 1848 Club Jolly, Justin 1848 Club Cizmarik, Ryan 1848 Club Kodman, Gary 1848 Club Clark, Ben 1848 Club Medlen, Justin 1848 Club Cronin, Paul 527 Club Olive, David 1848 Club Douglas, Brian 1848 Club Phillips, Zeke 1848 Club Edmondson, Keith Polpanich, Paul 1848 Club Ellis, Brent 1848 Club Brent's Club Rector, John 1848 Club Fairley, Todd 1848 Club Redferrin, Mark 1848 Club Fairley, Troy 1848 Club Reinhardt, John 1848 Club Gillette, JR 1848 Club Robinson, Michael 527 Club Givens, Justin 1848 Club Scott, Bill 1848 Club Givens, Kevin 1848 Club Simpson, Robbie 1848 Club Grooms, Brian 1848 Club Solis, John 1848 Club Guy, Mason 1848 Club Titsworth, George 1848 Club Hemken, Tim 1848 Club Weaver, Chris 1848 Club Hunt, Stacy 1848 Club Wilmore, Randy 1848 Club Hurt, Michael 1848 Club \r\nV OLUME 30, N O . 1 P AGE 13 Plans have already begun for HOMECOMING 2008 there will be an increased emphasis on graduate activities DATES: November 7-8, 2008 We hope you make plans to attend Your Thoughts... Please provide any feedback on the Golden Eagle Fiji and Graduate Relations you might have. Also, if there is anything you would like to see in future issues or if you would like to be the Graduate Spotlight, please let us know. Quality of the articles? Good Fair Poor Graduate Communication? Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Additional Comments: Name Address Email Address Phone Please detach and return to: Phi Gamma Delta Attn. Graduate Relations Chairman 527 N. Peachtree Ave Cookeville, TN 38501 E-mail: gradrelations@ttufiji.com Topics covered? Would you like to be featured as a Graduate Spotlight? Yes No \r\nIf you have any comments or suggestions about the Golden Eagle Fiji or would like to be featured in an upcoming issue please contact: Kyle Smith Graduate Relations Chairman sksmith21@tntech.edu 931-980-8269 (Cell Phone) IMPORTANT DATES: Fall Rush: September 8th – 11th Homecoming: November 7th - 8th 28th Pig Dinner: April 18th, 2009 V ISIT U S ONLINE WWW. TTUFIJI. COM PERGE`!