December 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 What’s Inside Pet-A-Pup, Initiation and the Lambdas No Shave November pg. 3 Graduating Seniors pg. 4 Graduate Spotlight: Brad Stephens pg. 8 Clint Bacon: Phi Gam in England Pg. 10 The newly initiated brothers with the chapter at the International headquarters in Lexington, KY. By Brent Stephens (2016) Intramural Update Pg. 12 The men of Chi Eta have a tradition where every pledge class does a project that either raises money for a cause, or raises money for something in the house to be improved upon. In the past pledge classes have done anything from auctioning themselves off for a date night, to having pancake breakfasts. This semester the newly initiated Lambda class, the 11th class in Chi Eta, did a project called Pet-A-Pup. Pet-A-Pup, which took place at Centennial Mall on Dec. 3, was a pledge class project idea that was created as a way for WKU students to take a break from studying to relieve stress and at the same time bring awareness to the Humane Society. (See Lambda, Page 2) 1 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 (Lambda Continued) “As a pledge class we wanted to do something meaningful as a project not just to benefit us but to benefit the community,” said Liberty freshman Taylor Leigh (2017). “It was a success because of the happy reaction we got from people and the amount we raised for the Humane Society.” At the end of the event, the Lambda class had raised $125, with all of the money raised going to the Humane Society of Bowling Green. “I think the Pet-A-Pup event went really well,” said Elizabethtown sophomore Andrew Boyles (2016). “People would stop by and play with the dogs and you could tell their day instantly got better.” “The project was an awesome start for our pledge class and it could be a very beneficial partnership with the humane society and the community,” said Petersburg sophomore Brandon Ernstes (2016). Along with doing a pledge class project, another way to integrate the pledges into the chapter is through a Chi Eta tradition called the History Walk. The History Walk, which took place on Nov. 22, is an evening spent walking around WKU’s beautiful campus, and serves as a way for the pledges to see how and where Chi Eta started in person, and have that tied in with WKU history as well. “The history of this fraternity is what got it to where it is today, without those founding fathers and every other brother that has gone through Chi Eta since; this fraternity would not be what it is today and have the standards it does at this point,” said Ernstes. “The history walk informs you in a really cool way on how the chapter as a whole has gotten to where it is London sophomore Taylor Bowling (2016) holds one of the today.” That same weekend the Lambda class was initiated into the ranks of Chi Eta, wrapping up their time as pledges. “My pledge semester was a great stepping stone for becoming an initiated brother, and was everything I expected it to be,” said Ernstes. “As a pledge you don’t really have to much responsibility yet, so it consists of a lot of time getting to know the initiated brothers more and learning about the Chi Eta chapter.” “My pledging semester was a great time to just get to know all the guys in the Fraternity better, and really learn the History of FIJI and Chi Eta,” said Boyles. “I have absolutely loved my time in FIJI. Coming into the Fraternity, I knew that I was going to be surrounded by great men,” said Boyles. “So far my expectations have been blown out of the water. The wisdom I’ve heard, relationships that have been established, and experiences I’ve had have made this my best semester of college and one of the greatest times of my life. “ several puppies from the Humane Society. 2 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 No Shave November Philanthropy By Charlie Rhea (2015) To end the Fall 2013 semester, Chi Eta created and implemented our newest philanthropy event, No Shave November. This project brought the yearly tradition of not shaving during the month of November together with a philanthropic twist. Our benefit charity for this event was a new organztion for us called Gabe’s Chemo Duck. This charity is a unique and educational non-profit that supports children fighting cancer. In order to make this event as successful as possible, our chapter did two new things that we have not done before. First, we organized this event so that it could last the entire month to raise money and awareness for our cause. Second, we paired up with the men of WKU’s Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity to involve more men and members of our Greek community. This philanthropy featured two major events. The first being a cookout hosted at Bowling Green’s Classic Cuts and Shaves at the beginning of November. Classic Cuts was giving discounted straight-razor shaves during the event. Those who were planning on participating in the actual ‘no shaving’ part of the event were encouraged to get a straight razor shave to start out their month. For the rest of the month, we sold t-shirts and watched the breads grow on all the men participating. The concluding event was a beard pageant at the beginning of December. This would showcase our participant’s breads that they had been growing and would be given awards based on their results. Our philanthropy chair Wes Trail commented that he felt the event went well and has roughly estimated that we raised somewhere between $600800. Trail also discussed what it was like working with Lambda Chi Alpha, “it was both fun and challenging. Being able to share some of the responsibility made organizing the event less stressful, but it also created obstacles with collaboration. Overall, I really enjoyed working with them”. Unfortunately, due to inclement weather, we were unable to host the bread pageant this year. Brother Wes Trail explained, “it was very unfortunate that the beard pageant had to be cancelled, but the weather just didn’t allow it to happen”. However, thanks to the success from this year, we are already looking forward to making this an annual event. In fact, Trail detailed his ideas to involve more Greeks, “we want to modify things in order to generate more interest from other fraternities and sororities too” If you are interested in donating money to Gabe’s Chemo Duck, or want to learn more about their mission, you can visit their website at chemoduck.org. 3 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 Chi Eta Graduating Seniors Ben Aroh Age: 23 Pledge Class: Epsilon Major: Entrepreneurship & Marketing Hometown: Louisville College Activities: Gordon Ford Ambassadors, Harlaxton - Spring, 2010, FUSE Grant, Big Red Bikes, WKU Submersible ROV Marketing Team Big/Little brother: Wade Haga / Blake Newman Why did you join? I was initially attracted to the brotherhood I saw within the group. After spending a little time around FIJI, I saw they were all men of character- and I realized the impact such an organization could have on my life. I suppose my intention for joining was partially for the awesome memories to be made, and also for the chance to improve myself and the world around me. What has been one of your favorite memories? Wow, there have been so many. I have made so many incredible friendships- each with plenty of memories along with it. Perhaps my favorite memory was traveling to Haiti with a dozen of my closest friends. The trip was so fun, but above anything else we were able to directly impact the lives of hundreds of people by providing them with clean water. What are your plans for the future? I plan to move back to Louisville and continue working on a small business. Wish me luck! Scott Burch Age: 22 Pledge Class: Kappa Class Major: Religious Studies Hometown: Fancy Farm, KY College Activities: collegiate dodgeball, member of St Thomas Aquinas Center Big/Little brother: big brother is Brian Campbell and grand little is Joey Badinger Why did you join? I wanted to be apart of something greater than myself, the brotherhood among FIJI is a major reason why I joined. What has been one of your favorite memories? Being apart of the TUG team Spring 2013 and Shenanigans 2013 What are your plans for the future? Get a job in Bowling Green and potentially look into Grad school at WKU. 4 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 Alex Fahnders Age: That’s private. But I’m 22. Pledge Class: Delta (The Immovable 6) Major: Sport Management Hometown: Springfield, IL College Activities: Spirit Masters, Housing and Residence Life, Student Success Coach, SGA, Coming Home King Big/Little brother: Big Bro: Bryan Hartzell – Little Bros: Trip Carpenter and Brett Bennett Why did you join? The opportunity to start a legacy on campus was too good to pass up. Initially, I wanted no part in starting the legacy with a fraternity. My first semester of college I got the chance to see what Fiji was doing on campus and how they were changing the idea of a stereotypical fraternity. Combine those things together and you have too perfect of an opportunity to join an outstanding group of men with a purpose. I would have been dumb not to at least try it out. What has been one of your favorite memories? …Just one? Any brotherhood retreat. Hanging out with the brothers for an entire weekend and the car rides down are when many memories are made. More specifically, My Junior year, WKU made the NCAA Basketball tournament and played in Dayton, Ohio for a “First Four” game against Mississippi Valley State. Myself, Kent Jones, and John Whitaker drove 4 and a half hours to Dayton and watched WKU surmount one of the largest comebacks in NCAA history. It was an incredible trip and one of my favorite college memories, yet alone in the fraternity. What are your plans for the future?... I have accepted an internship with the Kansas City Chiefs, I will be moving to Kansas City, MO in early January and start work in the Suites and Hospitality Department for them. After the internship, I will continue to pursue a career in Sport Administration, potentially pursuing a Master’s Degree or seeking employment with other professional sports organizations. Dylan Ward Age: 22 Pledge Class: Epsilon Major: Civil Engineering Hometown: Hartford, KY College Activities: Spirit Masters, Ogden College Ambassadors, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, WKU Men’s Club Soccer Team, Bowling Green Christian Church Big/Little brother: Big Brother: Nick Serroque Little Brothers: Sam Wells, Levi McQueary Why did you join? I first became interested in FIJI when I saw several of my close friends join. I saw how outstanding these individuals were and how close they were to each other and I desired to have what they had. After meeting more of the guys, I knew that I desired to be a part of a brotherhood that would challenge me in all facets of life and encourage me to become a better Christian, friend, and man. What has been one of your favorite memories? So big surprise, but I suppose that one of my favorite memories would have to be when I proposed to Hannah Blair, my fiancé, in front all of my Brothers at the Pig Dinner two years ago. I only told a few people beforehand and I was extremely nervous, but to be able to share such a special moment in my life with all of them was incredible. The few, who knew beforehand, were making subtle eye contact with me all throughout the program and I kept getting texts during as more people found out. It was awesome to see how excited everyone was for us, and to hear so many guys tell me that they cried when I proposed, now that’s true brotherhood! What are your plans for the future? Right now my plans are to graduate and to get a job as a civil engineer where I can start working towards my Professional Engineer (P.E.) license. I’m currently in the process of applying and interviewing for jobs. 5 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 Phi Gams, Sigma KAppa, Phi Beta Sigma Get Second Overall in Homecoming Crestwood junior Luke Sparks (2015) leads the charge into the downtown square. The picture above was featured on the front page of the Bowling Green Daily News the day after the Homecoming parade, on Oct. 26. The FIJI, Sigma Kappa and Phi Beta Sigma trio placed 2nd overall for Homecoming week. FIJI placed first in Greek Events, and second in Float, and second in Parade Spirit. (Photo credit: The Bowling Green Daily News) 6 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 Fahnders, Hired by Kansas City Chiefs By Matt Lawson (2015) Chi Eta founding father and upcoming graduate Alex Fahnders (WKU ’13) has recently accepted an offer to serve as the Suites and Hospitality Intern for the Kansas City Chiefs. This excellent opportunity to work for an NFL football team comes as perfect timing for Fahnders as he was looking for an internship for his Sports Administration Major and graduates in December. “I was relieved and excited,” Fahnders said. “It took a huge weight off my shoulders and is the best way to start off a career in the industry.” As an intern, Fahnders will be managing suites for the team, holding corporate events, and getting leads for sales staff. It will also include general office and internship work. He hopes that this internship is a way to break into an industry that is often difficult to enter. “In working for an NFL team I’ve got a huge step already taken,” Fahnders said. “People wait 20 years for this opportunity.” Following his internship, Fahnders ideally wants to work on the administrative side of athletics. This includes possibilities like working as a player personnel director, football operations manager, or even scouting for a professional sports team. The Chi Eta chapter is excited and wishes Alex the best of luck as he begins this internship and takes advantage of this amazing opportunity. Neumann selected for Teach for America By Matt Lawson (2015) Chi Eta Blake Neumann (WKU ’14) was recently chosen to participate in the Teach for America program starting in the summer of 2015. Neumann is one of 4500 students chosen to participate in this prestigious program that places recent graduates in locations to teach students in low-income or high-risk areas of the United States. As a part of Teach for America, Neumann will be teaching high school science for two years in Eastern North Carolina. “I’m excited about meeting new people, sharing my experience with a group of young people and hopefully connecting with them,” Neumann said. Neumann’s inspiration for apply- ing for the program started when he was a Resident Advisor at the Governor Scholar’s Program. While there he began to know the need to help those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, teaching them the importance of learning and education. As he grew up in North Carolina, Neumann had the desire to live in a new place where he could really help people in need. “A lot of people there were passionate in giving back in terms of helping kids who weren’t in a position to want to go to college and Teach for America is a good way to go to help,” Neumann said. During his time teaching with the program, Neumann will be in charge of making lesson plans, organizing classes, and tutoring students who need help in science. He knows it will be a difficult transition but will be a worthwhile endeavor. “I’m nervous that being young they won’t take me seriously and that I won’t be sufficient to prepare the kids,” Neumann said. Following his time in Teach for America, Neumann is applying to attend graduate school at Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and Cornell to study Environmental Studies. The Chi Eta chapter is happy for this oppourtunity and wishes Blake the best of luck as he participates in this prestigious and important program. 7 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 Graduate Spotlight: Brad Stephens Chi Eta founding father and Spring 2013 graduate brother Brad Stephens is now the sports editor at the Oldham County Era. Stephens served in many capacities in his time as an undergraduate. Brad wrote for three years on the WKU Herald sports staff, and was sports editor throughout the calendar year. Stephens was the baseball, football and women’s basketball beat writer at various times, and also covered the men’s basketball team as a columnist for two seasons. Recently Brent Stephens (2016) caught up with Brad to talk with him about his current endeavors. What went into the decision making to take the sports editor position at Oldham County? It was a great situation for me. I’d interned as de facto sports editor at The Era the summer of 2011 and had a rewarding experience. My post-graduate job search was challenging. I applied for dozens of reporting jobs and interviewed for four before this position came open. The chance to become sports editor in a town with which I was already familiar was too good to pass up. Plus the three high schools I cover, North Oldham, Oldham County and South Oldham, are all competitive in most sports. As a community newspaper sports reporter, the job is a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable when you cover good teams. What challenges has this job presented to you? Brad, pictured in the middle, with legendary sports CBS broadcaster Verne Lundquist on the left, and basketball anaylst Bill Raftery on the right during the 2012 NCAA basketball tournament. I was a little bit spoiled at the Herald. We had award-winning photographers and a great design staff, so I was able to focus primarily on writing and managing my staff. Now that I’m at a community newspaper, I’m a one-man band when it comes to sports coverage. I shoot photos and lay out pages in addition to my writing. Those job responsibilities were intimidating at first, but I’ve grown more comfortable throughout my time here. Having covered high school sports throughout your high school and college years, what is it you enjoy about covering high school sports? High school is sports’ purest form. There’s something special about covering two crosstown rivals who’ve known each other their whole lives or covering a team from your community playing as an underdog against a big Louisville school. And unlike in college sports, all the kids on the high school teams are from the community they play for, so there’s a real connection. Something else I enjoy is covering high schoolers who’ll go on to notable college careers. For example I got to cover a kid named Sean Nuernberger who’s signed to be the kicker at Ohio State next season. One day when he’s kicking in front of 110,000 people at the Ohio StateMichigan game, it’ll be cool for me knowing I watched him kick for the OC Colonels. Being sports editor of the Herald, doing some high school cover8 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 age for the Bowling Green Daily News, interning at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, what have you learned from these newspapers and how can you apply them to your experience in Oldham County? All of those papers gave me good experiences. As Herald sports editor I learned the discipline, planning and work it takes to put together a solid sports section. At the Daily News I learned how to cover high school sports on a tight deadline, and how to keep stats and play-by-play when there’s not a college sports information staff handing you stat sheets every five minutes. And at the Messenger-Inquirer I learned from some business veterans how to handle the various situations that come up when working full-time on a newspaper’s sports staff. How has the transition been for you going from spending four years in Bowling Green, a fun college town, to going to living in a small town like LaGrange? It’s been a big-time adjustment. Chinese takeout and Modern Family reruns have replaced Castle get-togethers and Hilligan’s trips as my primary form of entertainment. But the great thing about Oldham County is it’s not far at all from Louisville, Cincinnati, Bowling Green or my home town of Winchester. I’ve been lucky enough to visit BG several times this fall and hope to continue being a frequent visitor. What are some goals you have for yourself in the Pictured above is Brad and six other Chi Eta at Auburn last fall break. Below left is a picture of long term? What are some Stephens at the 2013 Indy 500. goals that you have for the writer. I’ve covered three NCAA Oldham County sports section? Tournament games, two NASCAR I’m not closing myself off to SprintCup races, college football any opportunity at this point. My games at Alabama and LSU and a career goals are pretty open-ended. I bowl game in Detroit. I’ve also had want to continue covering sports in one-on-one interviews with Super some capacity. Other than that, I’m Bowl-winning executive Carmen just working hard and seeing what Policy, Deion Sanders, Rex Chapdoors God opens in my career. As for man and a variety of other interesting now, I’m totally content at The Era. people. It’s fun getting to pick the My goal is to cover our three high brains of really successful people. schools with the same dedication I What has been one thing you showed in covering Western Kenhave missed about Chi Eta? tucky. I’m also looking forward to The better question may be what covering some UK and UofL baskethaven’t I missed about Chi Eta. I ball, the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky really miss the constant brotherhood Speedway NASCAR races and next that came within living in the same fall’s PGA Championship at Valhalla few-block radius as all of my best in Louisville. friends. But the fact I’ve been welBeing a sports writer you have comed with open arms when I come had some pretty incredible sports back to visit and that I still talk with experiences and got to witness various brothers in different capacisome awesome things. What has ties every day shows our fraternity been some of your favorite experitruly isn’t for college days alone. ences and moments during your time as a sports writer? I’ve been incredibly lucky during my short career as a sports 9 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 4 Issue 4 Clint Bacon Travels to Harlaxton So what or who inspired you to go to Harlaxton? My two majors are International Affairs & Religious studies. The biggest thing that a companies and organizations look for when hiring someone for an “International Affairs” related position is international experience. After doing research and looking at all of my options Harlaxton gave me the best opportunity to get the most experience traveling to many different countries which is exactly what I was looking for. Being able to make the most out of my semester studying abroad. I feel like I was successful in doing so. What were your expectations for what your semester would be like, has it surpassed or met your expectations? What has your experience been like? I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I had never been out of the country prior to this semester so this has been a completely new experience for me. I hoped that I would make many new friends, travel around Europe and experience the cultures of the countries I travelled to. My expectations have been shattered as I have done all of that and more. After a semester abroad I now have a new sense of independence that you don’t have while being at home in the states. At home you are in your comfort zone, it’s your home country and you know the expectations and precedents of how to act, what’s acceptable and what isn’t. In a different country that is all out the window, there are new expectations, new rules to follow, and a completely different set of laws to abide by. Because of this you are out of your comfort zone entirely, it’s a scary thing sometimes, especially the first time you experience it. I remember riding the metro (subway) in Paris, the first time I got on that I was confused as to where to go, what train to get on, what stop to get off at, it was nerve-racking. After a couple times on the metro I learned what to do and where to go. That is only one example, I could give you 10 more, and point being is that, as I said, you have a newfound independence, a confidence that you didn’t have before, you grow immensely as a person. Living in England for a semester has been a wonderful experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I would highly recommend it to anyone who even has the slightest interest. What are some adjustments you’ve had to make in your life living overseas? There have been many things I have had to adjust to being in a different country. Like I said above, you have an entirely different set of rules and laws to follow. Expectations are different, restaurant atmospheres are not like the U.S., your sleep schedule gets thrown off for many reasons and currency exchange the language is quite a bit different than you might expect too. Those are just a few things that I have experienced over here. I’ll tell you the very first thing I experienced that was different from the states, it happened within 30 minutes of landing in London, I was trying to get to the terminal where all the students were supposed to meet and I had to get to terminal 3, well the sign said to use the “lifts,” and I said “What the heck is a lift?” Luckily the arrows pointed towards the elevator. Immediately after using the lift I had to hop on the London Underground to get to a different terminal. You immediately feel like the loudest 10 \r\nDecember 2013 4 Volume 4 Issue 4 person in the room when you are here because everyone is so quiet. People don’t talk as loudly over here, it’s not polite, but it’s normal for Americans. Although I did have trouble understanding the accents of the British at the beginning of the semester, now it’s almost like they don’t even have one, it is like listening to anyone else at home talk, it sounds normal now. I know you love your football and American sports, tell me about some of the sporting events over there and how sports in Europe differ from the U.S. I have been able to go to a couple of different sporting events while I’ve been here. I went to a cricket game and a rugby match. The biggest difference by far is the atmosphere of the games, specifically the fans. There is still beer and food and all that good stuff but the attitude of the spectators is so much different. People in the stands don’t stand up at rugby games like you would see at football games; everyone stays seated for the most part. Cricket is a very slow game, similar to baseball but slower. It lasts 4 days, which is entirely too long for such a boring sport. Also, fans are quiet and respectful during a kick at a rugby game or when the ball is bowled (pitched) at a cricket game, which I found extremely weird since at any stadium in America it never gets completely quiet. I have not been able to make it to a soccer game though, which I have heard can get quite rowdy, so that may change my overall perspective but as of now American sports > British sports. You’ve been able to travel to a lot of beautiful places, what have been some of your favorite destinations and why? I would definitely say that the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland were the most beautiful place that I’ve been able to visit. The view and scenery from the cliffs is something that I couldn’t do justice by trying to explain it to you. Another very interesting place that I have been was in London, and it wasn’t so much beautiful in the sense of scenery or surroundings but instead by its historical significance. I was able to visit the Churchill War Rooms exhibit, which was underneath Winston Churchill’s house during World War II. This is where he would have meetings with his cabinet and he even lived during the more difficult and violent parts of the war. It was unexplainably awesome to see the room he slept in and where his cabinet members stayed and strategized. It was definitely something I would go see again and the best exhibit of any type that I have ever been to. Compiled by Brent Stephens (2016) Photo above taken at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. The picture beneath was taken at the Louvre in Paris, France. 11 \r\nDecember 2013 Volume 44 Issue Issue 34 Volume Graduate News General Updates Jordan Minton (WKU ‘11) released his debut album “Let Us Get Away” on iTunes on Oct. 22. 2014 cabinet members President- Kyle Stewart (2015) Treasurer- Ryne McMullen (2015 Recording Secretary- Seth Bland (2016) Corresponding Secretary- Wade Weatherholt (2015) Historian- Evan Pennington (2015) Intramural Update The Chi Eta chapter is continuing on in their strong tradition of excellence in intramurals. Chi Eta leads all fraternities in intramural play through the first semester with 2900 points, over 500 points ahead of second place Sigma Chi at 2,345 points. Here is all what Chi Eta achieved this semester alone: • • • • • • • 1st- Ultimate Frisbee Tournament 1st, 2nd - Kickball Mini League 1st, 2nd- Co-Ed Flag Football 1st, 3rd, 4th- Spikeball Tournament 1st- 3v3 Basketball Tournament 2nd Dodgeball Mini League Sam Knott 2nd, Matthew Lawson 3rd, and Jordan Kassel 4th in the Intramural 5K • 3rd- Men’s Volleyball • 2nd- Singles Badminton • 3rd- Co-Ed Softball Tourney Chi Eta By The Numbers 79 Initiated Brothers 1 Brother Abroad 60 Graduate Brothers 2008 Chi Eta founded at WKU Have graduate news? Send an email to graduate@wkufiji.com! Learn about the WKU Excellence Fund and how you can support Chi Eta at www.wkufiji.com/donate Current Supporters Bob Anderegg (USC `71, WKU GA `10) Jeff Baynham (WKU `10) Ray Blankenship (Kentucky `84, WKU GA `10) Brandon Bowman (WKU `10) Dr. Craig Cobane (WKU Faculty `10) George and Janie Pennington (Parents) Blaine Routt (WKU `11) Josh Wiseman (WKU `12) Friendship. Knowledge. Service. Morality. Excellence.