FIJIGRAM CHI UPSILON CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SPRING 2017 HOUSE UPDATE P rogress is coming along nicely on the newly renovated FIJI house. While the outside of the house remains the same for now, the inside has undergone massive renovations. The second and third floors are now finished, complete with three personal bathrooms, one communal bathroom and 16 bedrooms housing a number of brothers. The contractors have finished repainting the walls and fire escape, in addition to refinishing the railings, floors and door frames of the two completed floors. Wi-Fi, universal cable and central heating are also among the new features of the house. For many brothers, this is something they have never experienced within the Fraternity. When asked what he was most excited about in having a new house, John Gormlet (2017) replied, “I’m most excited about the new house for the fraternity brothers who haven’t experienced having a chapter house during their time here. While the people in the chapter are what makes it special, the new house gives us a space where every brother can convene for chapter meetings and social events, something that has been missing for about a year and a half. I think the fraternity experience isn’t quite complete without a chapter house. I look forward to the extra camaraderie the house is sure to provide and the opportunity to see my brothers on a much more frequent basis than I likely would have before.” he impact of the new living quarters on the daily lives of the residing brothers is clear. When asked how it felt to finally have a livable house again, Tim Veselik (2017) had this to say, “Without the house last year, we could see how powerful it was and what we were missing. It brings everyone together. Now that we’ve moved back in, we’re always together. It’s great to have a space for everyone again”. The renovation of the house has brought the already tight knit fraternity even closer together. T TABLE OF CONTENTS Brother Studying Abroad....2 Awards...................................2 Philanthropy Update...........3 Job Spotlight........................3 Brother Spotlight.................4 S till to come is the much-anticipated first floor, basement, and library. Brothers in the house have been given a rough timetable of about a month until the first floor is completed. Landscaping and planting will begin in the spring. In addition, the FIJI house will be given a brand new lawn, where housemates can relax and hang out with their fellow brothers. While the house still has a way to go, the help of graduate brothers and the Phi Gam community as a whole has been indispensable in reinstating the Chi Upsilon chapter house. \r\nBROTHER STUDYING ABROAD Greetings from Morocco! My name is Owen Moore, and I am a third year brother of the Chi Upsilon chapter. This quarter, I chose to study Middle Eastern civilizations through the University’s study abroad program in Rabat, Morocco. In a rapidly changing world, I thought it would be a great time to gain a new perspective and to better understand one of the largest cultures in the world by spending time and studying in an Islamic country such as Morocco. This has been an excellent opportunity to challenge myself in many ways, such as adapting to cultural differences, overcoming language barriers and challenging myself to seek out great new opportunities for exploration and learning outside of the classroom. I have been able to visit many new cities, each with thousands of years of history to discover, as well as adventure into the beautiful Moroccan countryside including the mighty Atlas Mountains. I am immersed in the Moroccan culture everyday through my Moroccan host family, from whom I have learned many new phrases in Darija (Moroccan-dialect Arabic) and I also have prepared many delicious traditional Moroccan dishes for dinner each night. One of the great benefits of being a Phi Gam is the worldwide network of brotherhood. When I left the United States, I thought I was leaving my brothers behind until I returned in the spring. But, to my delighted surprise, I ran into a brother, Eric Kim (2016), while I was touring Chinatown in Casablanca, Morocco. I couldn’t believe that of all the places in the world, and of all the people with whom I could come into contact, that I was able to meet a brother I knew from home while abroad here! He insisted that he take me out for dinner to his favorite Chinese restaurant, and we ordered many traditional Chinese cultural dishes while sharing in some of our greatest memories of being a part of the Chi Upsilon Owen Moore hiking a mountain chapter. It really is great nearby Rabat, Morocco while to have a network as studying abroad extensive and amazing as we have in FIJI. While I am enjoying my time here, I still miss my brothers back home in Chicago. I am so excited that they are finally able to enjoy the outstanding new house and even more so when it is completed in the coming weeks. Spending a quarter away from my brothers has really shown me just how much the brotherhood, friendship and support system they provide to me really impacts me as a person. I hope to use this time abroad to re-examine what it means to be a brother of Phi Gamma Delta so when I return I can be a greater positive influence on the chapter. Thanks, and I hope to see you all soon! Fraternally, Owen Moore (2018) Perge! AWARDS Football All-UAA Andrew Beytagh-First Team Jackson Garrey-First Team Eddie Giannina-First Team Jeremy Vincent-First Team Burke Moser-Second Team Trevor Anderson-Honorable Mention Syd Reynolds-Honorable Mention Max Schumann-Honorable Mention Nick Zimmerman-Honorable Mention All-SAA Jackson Garrey-First Team Eddie Giannina-Second Team Andrew Beytagh-Honorable Mention Burke Moser-Honorable Mention Max Schumann-Honorable Mention Jeremy Vincent-Honorable Mention Nearly 60% of brothers were named to the Dean’s List for the 2015-16 academic year. Prestin Barnett: Employee of the quarter for the intramural department UAA All-Academic Trevor Anderson Sean Bloks Cristen Bublitz Grant Byrne Will Capitani Nate Chandler Jonathon Dobie Stowe Eighmy Jackson Garrey John Gormley Hayden Harrow Henry Imburgia Dave Kerr Austin Kochheiser Vlad Korobkin Huan Liang Reid Martin Alec Miller Owen Moore Burke Moser Michael Perry Tyler Pierce Syd Reynolds Stash Rowley Macalester Schmidt Charlie Shifman Tim Veselik \r\nPHILANTHROPY UPDATE The Chi Upsilon Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta is committed to giving back to our community and enriching the lives of those less fortunate. Our brothers have supported a number of causes aimed at improving overall quality of life around the Chicago area. Brothers Dominex Kovacs and Matt Galloway are also helped with a clothing drive in conjunction with The Order of the ‘C’, the organization for male athletes at the University. They collected clothes, which were donated at the end of February. In January 2017, the Chapter participated in Arrowfest with the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. Arrowfest is an event that helps raise money for the Pi Beta Phi Foundation, which is a non-profit that seeks to create a more literate and productive society through literacy education initiatives, scholarships and book donations. The Chapter team, led by brother Dominex Kovacs (2018) helped raise thousands of dollars as well as awareness for Pi Beta Phi. There were a few other events in February. The first being Polar Plunge in mid-February. The event supports the athletes of The Special Olympics and included a jump into Lake Michigan for those who donated enough. The event was led by Dominex Kovacs and William Capitani (2018) and took place on February 18. Around the time of the Polar Plunge, a Blood Drive was also organized by the Chapter to help donate blood to the University Hospital. A new program organized by brother Nate Chandler (2019) is set to start at the Ronald McDonald’s House soon. RMH provides resources and care for families in dire need and has welcomed over 24,000 families across the world over the last three decades. A different group of brothers will help serve at the house by preparing meals, cleaning or just generally entertaining the families each week. Jumping a bit into the future, we will have a St. Baldrick’s event where people will raise money for cancer by shaving their heads to raise awareness. This will be led by brother Nate Chandler on April 18 to help organize funds for the St. Baldrick’s foundation, which helps find cures for children with cancer. Dozens of brothers have already signed up to participate in the event. The chapter recently organised a 50/50 raffle led by Matt Galloway (2018), who organized the ticket sales and promotion for the event. A two-week window was set to sell the tickets with the winner being drawn on February 13. The tickets were priced at $5 and total fundraising neared a total of $1,000. The money raised in the raffle is going towards clinical trials and research in adenocarcinoma. As we move into the spring, the Chi Upsilon Chapter looks forward to exploring several other philanthropic activities including, but not limited to, a Crawfish Boil, a Bubble Soccer game and a Flag Football tournament. The Chi Upsilon Chapter is dedicated to giving back to the community that has provided its brothers with the opportunities to be a part of this special brotherhood as well as receive a world-class education. JOB SPOTLIGHT The Fiji senior class is off to a great start to their post college careers, as many have already secured full-time positions upon graduation. Kelton Anderson (2017) has a job with a law firm in Minneapolis before he plans on attending law school next year. Rob Hall (2017) has been accepted into several medical schools, including Tufts University, which sits at the top of his list. Mitch Hufnagel (2017) is slotted to be the membership and communications coordinator at the Chicago Innovation Awards. The financial sector is where the majority of Phi Gams launch their careers upon graduation. Three Phi Gams have confirmed their plans to begin their careers in New York City: Tim Veselik (2017) as an investment banker for Berkshire Capital, Tyler Pierce (2017) as a credit trader for BNP Paribas and Hayden Harrow as a private banker for JP Tyler Howard posing outside of his Stout Risius Ross office building Morgan. Staying in Chicago is Chris Kessling (2017), who will be returning to JP Morgan as an investment banker after interning with the bank this past summer. Accompanying him in Chicago is Tyler Howard (2017), who will also work as an investment banker for Stout Risius Ross, focusing on sell-side mergers and acquisitions. Two brothers are set to move out to the west coast. Michael Hinkley (2017) is headed to San Diego to be an associate at Malk Sustainability, and Greg Marshall (2017) will be in San Francisco as an investment banker at Piper Jaffray in their healthcare group. Congratulations to all and best of luck in your careers! \r\nNonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 Chi Upsilon Alumni Assn. 5620 South Woodlawn Ave. Chicago, Il. 60637-1623 BROTHER SPOTLIGHT Hayden Harrow (2017): Tyler Howard (2017): Fiji has taught me how to handle responsibility, deal with people and understand what people want and how to deliver it to them. I’ve had a great experience as a member of the fraternity, and it has impacted me tremendously both career wise and as a person. Fiji has opened up doors for me and has already set me up for success in the future. The fraternity has given me, as well as many of the other brothers, many opportunities, and I’m excited to continue to be part of such a close network. In the future, my goal is to make a lasting impact on the world. I want to be great at what I do and continue to grow to be a successful person. Phi Gamma Delta has and will help me do so. As a brother of Phi Gamma Delta, I’ve had the privilege of building lifelong relationships with an incredible group of people. The success and determination of the brothers in this chapter has pushed me to achieve more than I ever anticipated before coming to UChicago. I credit much of the success in my life to the graduate brothers who instilled in me the values of the Fraternity and were always there to help with career advice. After college, I’ll be working as an analyst for SRR’s investment bank. However, I would love to go back to school in a few years to further my education and pursue an MBA. Outside of my career aspirations, my goal in the next year is to backpack around Europe and hike The King’s Trail in Sweden.