ALPHA UPSILON NEWS PHI GAMMA DELTA AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY ISSUE: SPRING 2017 STATE OF THE CHAPTER INTRODUCING THE CABINET The Alpha Upsilon Chapter had another strong year by excelling in academics, philanthropy and athletics. At the recent Greek Life Banquet, our chapter was awarded the 2016 Martin Award for Best Overall Chapter. The award acknowledged our dedication to the three areas I listed previously: academics, philanthropy and athletics. Academically, we achieved an average chapter GPA of 3.34, which ranks first among fraternities on campus. Additionally, our pledges earned the highest GPA among pledge classes on campus, also achieving an average GPA of 3.34. Athletically, we were the 2016 intramural basketball champions. Philanthropically, we donated over $10,000 to various organizations, including $7,000 to Filter of Hope, which was raised by our annual Phi Gam Open golf tournament. At over 200 members, we are very proud of these accomplishments and look forward to improvement in the future. • William Cole (2018) - President Mountain Brook, AL Business finance major “During my time as president, I would like to increase internal respect for the Fiji house and all it stands for as well as further improving graduate relations.” jwc0036@auburn.edu • Wright Draper (2018) - Treasurer Montgomery, AL Business finance major “I’d love to reduce the budget down for the fraternity. Cutting the bill in certain areas or even changing the company we use to help manage our budget could do that.” gwd0002@auburn.edu Continued on page 2 Perge! Joe Timberlake (2017), Former President TABLE OF CONTENTS Philanthropy and Service...................................2 Recruitment..........................................................3 Brother Spotlight.................................................3 Martin Award........................................................4 Cabinet (left to right) Sam Sturdivant, David Harrison, Jack Hutcheson, Wright Draper, William Cole, not pictured Joe Bersson (2019) \r\nINTRODUCING THE CABINET CONTINUED • Sam Sturdivant (2019) - Recording Secretary Alexander City, AL Chemical engineering major “My main goal for the year is to improve communication and involvement within the chapter. If we have everyone on the same page and up to date on fraternity information along with the majority of our guys involved with fraternity activities, our chapter will have no limits to its potential.” srs0045@auburn.edu • Joe Bersson (2019) - Historian Roswell, GA Civil engineering major “As the Historian, I am hoping to facilitate a renewed sense of pride in our chapter’s values and traditions.” jwb0056@auburn.edu • David Harrison (2018) Corresponding Secretary Nashville, TN Building science major “As Corresponding Secretary, I hope to get graduate brothers of all ages and from all spectrums of life to be involved and feel welcome within our great chapter.” dgh0011@auburn.edu • Jack Hutcheson (2019) - Rush Chairman Hoover, AL Accounting major “As Rush Chairman, I plan to pursue rushing guys who will continue the values that Fiji’s have worked so hard to instill and obtain. Please, if you have any questions pertaining to rush or the rush process, feel free to send me an e-mail.” jph0037@auburn.edu PHILANTHROPY AND SERVICE WITHIN THE CHAPTER One of the values that we pride ourselves in as a chapter is our call to service. Two of our brothers, Tommy Barrow (2017) and Madison Rieke (2017), embodied that when they co-founded the Auburn Chapter of Filter of Hope. They will be assisting in leading mission trips to both Haiti and The Dominican Republic during spring break. chapter, as well as several sororities to host the resurgence of the Peachtree basketball tournament, a crawfish broil/ chili cook-off and the possibility of having more events as decided on by the chapter. We will also reach out to local vendors and businesses to sponsor these events so that all the earnings can be used for charity. Filter of Hope is an international non-profit organization based out of Alabama that makes and distributes inexpensive point of use water filters to individuals and families in desperate need of clean drinking water. These simple $40 filters last over 10 years, can produce 150 gallons of clean drinking water a day, and more importantly, they save lives. Last year, five members of our chapter went on these mission trips and distributed 450 filters to families in need. This year we have seven brothers going on these trips, who plan on giving even more people access to clean drinking water. They will use this as a platform to spread the gospel and cultivate meaningful relationships within the local communities. To donate filters for our fraternity brothers to take to those in need this spring break, visit www.filterofhope.org - on the Give page select Auburn University. For more information on our fraternity's involvement and Filter of Hope contact Madison Rieke at madisonrieke94@gmail.com. This April, the Chapter will host our annual golf tournament, benefitting Filter of Hope to help bring clean water resources to communities living in poverty. Philanthropy Chairman Stewie Austin (2017) will be working with the 2 Filter of Hope Mission trip, 2016 \r\nRECRUITMENT The Phi Gamma Delta chapter at Auburn always prides itself upon recruiting new members that represent the Fraternities five core values: Friendship, Knowledge, Service, Morality and Excellence. The same can be said for the 47 new members FIJI is welcoming as part of its 2016 fall pledge class, which was under the leadership of Pledge Educator Bram Duke (2018). “New members were taught the history and values of the fraternity. They were able to get to know all of the brothers during the eight-week pledgeship program, and they have made a smooth transition into the fraternity,” says Duke. “It seems to be a great pledge class and I look forward to seeing what they can accomplish for the fraternity in the future.” At last year’s Auburn Interfraternity awards, FIJI took home four of seven major awards, including best recruitment. With this new addition of pledges, we hope to achieve this accomplishment once again! GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT: CONNER The Alpha Upsilon chapter is honored to recognize Conner Lee, who just recently deployed to the country of Jordan. Specialist Lee deployed with the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and will be serving overseas for nine months to a year. His brigade provides protection from aerial attacks, missile attacks and surveillance. The ADA’s role is pivotal in that it provides the safety necessary for other units to proceed with their tasks and missions. Conner is the radio communications expert, also known as 25 Charlie. He is in charge of making sure all of the equipment is working properly, and he prepares, transmits and receives messag- es for his unit. It is a challenging job that requires great mental and physical strength, but we have no doubt that Specialist Lee will excel at it. Conner is most known around our chapter for his humor and loyalty. He is an outgoing man that many of the younger members look up to. Those looking to write Conner please do not hesitate to contact Andrew May (2017) at 205-616-4703 or arm0049@ auburn.edu to get Conner’s mailing address. Conner has brought great honor not only to our chapter, but also to our country. 3 \r\nPHI GAMMA DELTA FRATERNITY ALPHA UPSILON AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40544 MARTIN AWARD The Alpha Upsilon Chapter is proud to announce that we have received the Interfraternity Council’s (IFC) prestigious James E. Martin Award for 2016, which is presented to the best all-around chapter on Auburn University’s campus. The award considers academic success, on-campus involvement, recruitment, athletics and service. Fiji led all Auburn fraternities, boasting a collective 3.34 GPA, while also claiming SGA’s Vice President, as well as its Treasurer. On the athletic fields, Fiji claimed runner-up in both football and basketball, and placed 3rd in intramural soccer. The Chapter is humbled by IFC’s selection of FIJI as the best fraternity on Auburn’s campus, and we hope to build upon this momentum in pursuit of greater Fraternity excellence: The Cheney Cup. Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540