Delta Deuteron of Phi Gamma Delta Hampden-Sydney College THE PURPLE TIGER Fall 2009 FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT Joe Stiles (2010), Chapter President Graduate Brothers: It is my great pleasure and sincerest honor as President to announce that the Delta Deuteron Chapter is no longer under graduate trusteeship. Everyone here at Sydney, myself and the current cabinet especially, would like to thank the recent graduates, the trustees, and the countless alums who have supported us and helped us through this process. This Chapter has proven its mettle time and time again and shown everyone we have worked with the true meaning of persistence. I said recently, in reply to a congratulations letter from Dana Hesse, that I could not have more confidence in the house's current position and in the capabilities of those who will be taking our (the current cabinet) places in a few short months. Many people have worked very hard to achieve this goal, and it is a sweet feeling of freedom from past weights to have finally accomplished it. Our work, however, is not over. We have gone above and beyond in rebuilding and reorganizing many aspects of this chapter. It would be foolish to stop now. Constantly endeavoring for improvement is the new maxim and is widely supported in the brotherhood. Over the past three years, we have: reformatted our pledge plan, installed a working disciplinary committee, immeasurably improved our standing with the faculty and deans' offices, brought focus back to community service, had executive repre- sentation in the IFC and Student Government, and improved graduate relations. The chapter intends to leave the past in the past, take the lessons we have learned, and continue forward constantly pushing the ceiling of our potential. It has been a great pleasure of mine to work closely with Richard Whitaker, Mike Luter, and the other trustees, over the past several months of my presidency. It has been a fantastic learning experience for me, and I owe them a personal debt of gratitude. The chapter greatly appreciates everything they have helped us with, and looks forward to working with many new faces as we set up the Board of Chapter Advisors. This board will be selected by the chapter with Luter and Richard's assistance. It will be a resource and support body for the undergraduates, as well as a resource and publicity facility for graduates to get more involved with the house. UPDATE ON FALL RUSH By: Taylor Sutton (2012) , Rush Chairman The Delta Deuteron Chapter started rush on September 10th, 2009. Since then, everyone in the house has been taking an active role in making this fall’s recruitment one of the best we have ever had. Since losing nearly 20 seniors in the graduating class of 2009, everyone has been keeping an eye out for quality gentlemen to make sure we have one of the best pledge classes that have ever walked the halls of our house. Since fall rush began, the house has thrown tailgates for home football games for freshmen to come (Continued on page 2) Using this body, we will be better able to coordinate graduate relations and run the business of the house. An organized, transparent network of communication is what we are after here. There will be correlating graduate and undergraduate committees to focus on things from events to community service. It will be as if every undergrad committee chair has a personal Purple Legionnaire. Anyone who has held my position should be able to appreciate how big of a help that will be. Also, the whole system will allow graduates to become as involved as they wish without any pressure, all the while building better relationships among Delta Deuterons across generational barriers. Speaking of graduate events, we are anxious to get as many of you back to Sydney as we can to show off what the house has become, not to say that it has not always been great. Pig Dinner was somewhat dampened last year because of a scheduling night(Continued on page 2) Upcoming Events: October 17 Homecoming March 27, 2010 Pig Dinner \r\nTHE PURPLE TIGER Page 2 PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS continued... mare and some publicity problems. That cock-up in no way speaks to the current capabilities or energy of the chapter. We already have a day of events and ceremony planned for graduates who can make it to homecoming this year. That date is October 17... mark your calendar! We have set Pig Dinner for March 27 in the spring. Please mark down the date early, and come back to hang out if you can. We have been working hard, and I promise we still know how to have fun. It is understandably difficult to get away for a weekend to come out to Farmville. We would be sincerely honored if you made the trip. I know you each must have stories about what this house has done for you in life (and I'm sure countless good stories about what you have done for it). The undergraduates would like to give something back to you in appreciation for the legacy you created. We now basque in that legacy, and while I know I personally will miss this place dearly next year, I hope that I can leave behind even only a tiny addition. I also know I will come back as often as life allows to witness that ever changing heritage. Come back to witness and share; build the Chapter tone so that it spreads far beyond the house and the campus. I assure that we will do all in tions are running more than smoothly; the house is running a fly-fishing raffle benefit, the proceeds of which will be split with the Red Cross; relationships with faculty, deans, graduates, IHQ, and general campus are good and always improving. Good things are hap- “The undergraduates would like to give something back to you (the graduates) in appreciation for the legacy you created.” our power make you not only proud to be Phi Gams, but proud to be Delta Deuterons. Frankly I don't feel there's much contest of personal preference on anyone's part in that area. Football season is well underway with the Tigers already at 3-0; rush is going extremely well; fall pledging will begin shortly; IFC opera- pening here, and we are energetic about the responsibilities and opportunities that have been awarded to us. We invite you to share in this success and all future triumphs. As Brothers we all share some way in our successes and failures. I am honored to give such an address at such a time. I borrow from some great quoted UPDATE ON FALL RUSH continued... down have some barbeque and hangout with the brothers. In addition to the tailgates, we also invite the freshmen down to watch Monday Night Football. Co-Rush Chair John Roberts (2012) has been kind enough to captain several outings on his boat for waterskiing and tubing. For the future, we are planning bowling trips, volunteering opportunities, and other activities to help find men with the values and common ideals that represent Phi Gamma Delta. PERGE! thinkers when I say we humbly stand on the shoulders of giants. However, as we move forward, I will quote directly Samuel Taylor Coleridge from The Friend (1828) to highlight the work that lies ahead: "The dwarf sees farther than the giant, when he had the giant's shoulder to mount on." I am DAMN PROUD to be a Brother of Phi Gamma Delta. I am DAMN PROUD to be a Delta Deuteron. I am DAMN PROUD of my Fraternity Brothers for the work they have done and continue to do, both for the house and for themselves as representatives thereof. I am DAMN PROUD of our legacy. Finally, I am DAMN PROUD to have had the opportunity to serve the chapter in this position. It has been, and continues to be, the experience of a lifetime. I humbly submit this report for the graduates of the Delta Deuteron Chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. PERGE! \r\nPage 3 GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT - NOLAN WAGES (2004) By: Matt Shankle (2011), Corresponding Secretary dissertation defense tentatively scheduled for November 12, 2009. While working to finish up my degree, I learned of an open Assistant Professor position in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science here at HampdenSydney. When I received an offer for the position, I was thrilled to be returning to the Hill, to a place that has been so special to me and my family. After a hiatus of five years, Brother Nolan Wages (2004) has returned to the Hill. Nolan has joined the elite corps of Hampden-Sydney College professors and, in lieu of his return, he is the subject of this issue’s Graduate Spotlight. Professor Wages was kind enough to answer a few questions about life in Farmville, his return to Hampden-Sydney, and his time in the house. What have you been doing since you graduated from H-SC (leading up to your return here)? Since I graduated from HampdenSydney in 2004, I have been pursuing a Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Virginia. My research, however, has been in UVA’s Department of Public Health, studying the design of clinical trials for cancer treatment. I have a Is it strange being back on the Hill in your new role as a Professor and not a student? It has been a great experience so far but, at the same time, a strange one in that I now see things from a different perspective than I did five years ago. The experience has been challenging as well, as I have been mistaken for a student several times, even by staff members of the college. Plus, I still know many students here well through my younger brother being a student here and my continued involvement in Delta Deuteron, as well as through my wife’s family connections at Hampden-Sydney. However, I love teaching at a place as unique as H-SC and hopefully will do so for many years. What will you be doing/teaching at H-SC? I will be teaching in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science but mostly I will be involved in teaching the various levels of statistics classes that the college offers. How is it living in bustling metropolis that is Farmville, Virginia? Due to the nature of my family situation (i.e. my wife’s job), I will be living in Richmond for the time being and commuting to Farmville. The commute is not so bad yet and fortunately the college and the department are flexible and accommodating with my schedule. I might eventually move to Farmville, but right now I am happy living in Richmond, especially since my wife has maintained a good job in this economy. What is one of your favorite memories from your time in the house? There are too many memories to nail down just one, but I think what says a lot about our chapter is that the friends I still spend most of my free time with are my fraternity brothers from H-SC. In fact, I was recently in a wedding for a brother that involved six brothers in the wedding party. So my favorite “memory” is that the friendships you have in Phi Gamma Delta at H-SC do not disappear after you have long graduated from the college. GRADUATE EVENT CALENDAR By: Matt Shankle (2011), Corresponding Secretary Even though we are only a three weeks into this school year, the Delta Deuteron Chapter has already had the pleasure of hosting our Field Secretary, Wesley Martin (Missouri State 2009). Wes spent three days with our chapter meeting with members of the Cabinet, Rush Chairmen, and Risk Managers. Even though Wes’ visit is right on the heels of a Field Secretary visit at the end of the spring semester last year, his visit was an extremely productive one in which we were able to really set some positive goals for the house. Under our own prerogative, one of the main areas of improvement we discussed with Wes was Graduate Relations. With that being said, we have already put together a calendar of events for Graduate Brothers for both this fall semester as well as the spring of 2010. October 17, 2009 Homecoming v. Washington and Lee. Kick off is at 1 p.m. Starting at Noon on game-day we will be tailgating behind the house. Shortly after the game ends, we will move the party up to the house where we will enjoy listening to “The Hard Promises,” a Tom Petty cover band and some good old Barbeque. During this time we will also be awarding those brothers of 25 years their Silver Owls. March 27, 2010 (tentative) Pig Dinner at the Manor Resort in Farmville, Virginia. Golf tournament during the day with dinner (coat and tie) beginning at 6 p.m. and lasting until 9-10 p.m. Live music and beverages for sale inside the tent. Formal invitations to be sent out once all details are finalized. \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 Delta Deuteron 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: Delta Deuteron of Phi Gamma Delta, PO Box 351, Hampden Sydney, VA 23943-0351. 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