WKU FIJI Letter from the President Brothers, My name is Chaz Vittitow and I am the president of the Delta Colony of Phi Gamma Delta at Western Kentucky University. I want to thank you for taking the time to read over our newsletter and see the new and exciting things that are going on with our colony. We started in the Fall of 2008 and after a year and a half we are making great strides and have submitted our petition to charter. The charter was accepted by the Archons and we are now awaiting approval from all the other Phi Gamma Delta chapters. We are all very excited to initiate into the International Fraternity and are encouraged to see our efforts pay off. We will be chartering on the weekend of May 1st, which is extra special as it is the founder’s day of Phi Gamma Delta. We will be holding the chartering banquet in the Topper Club, which is the luxury building on the home side of our football stadium. The brothers of the Delta Colony at Western Kentucky University are continuing to strive for excellence in all things and are working hard to have a successful chartering weekend. We thank you for taking interest in reading this newsletter and we hope you can be a part of our chartering experience as we approach this pivotal moment in our lives with much anticipation. Press On, Chaz Vittitow Phi Gamma Delta President February 2010 \r\nSpring Recruitment The Delta Colony at WKU brought in a strong 10 man pledge class during Spring recruitment in early February. These men will be the last class of founding fathers that are initiated into the Colony before we receive our charter in May. The recruitment committee is currently working to begin generating a names list for our Epsilon class for the Fall 2010 semester. We strongly encourage and appreciate graduate support with our recruitment efforts. If you know a high school senior that plans on attending WKU in the fall and who you think would be an excellent addition to our group here, please feel free to send a recommendation to our recruitment chairmen Josh Wiseman, joshua.wiseman117@wku.edu, or Erin Pennington, erin.pennington963@wku.edu. Thank you for your continued interest and support for our Colony here at WKU. Brothers of the 2010 Delta Class Nick Burnett- Louisville, KY Kyle Dahl- Bowling Green, KY Alex Fahnders- Springfield, IL Chris Heil- Winchester, KY Daniel Jackson- Bowling Green, KY Jordan Kassel- Louisville, KY Chris Kinney- Louisville, KY Jordan Scott- Greensburg, KY Brad Stephens- Winchester, KY Tyler Wittmer- Evansville, IN February 2010 \r\nFIJIs Across America W ith a goal of raising $75,000, five WKU Fiji Colony brothers will bike across America this summer from late May until mid-July to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. The trip will start in Oceanside, Calif. and end in Yorktown, Virginia, covering a distance of over 3,200 miles. The ride is in memory of Fijis Across America founder Tyler Jury ‘s late grandfather, Barrett Cummings, who passed away in July 2009 from Alzheimer’s disease after suffering with it for over four years. Along with raising money, the brothers want to help raise awareness for the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and fight for other families who suffer from the effects Alzheimer’s. They are looking for help and assistance from Fiji Colonies and Chapters, as well as Graduate Brotheres, along the way to assist by riding along for a few days, offering lodging or meals, and providing connections to media outlets in their respective cities. To learn more how you can help out with the cause, view the anticipated route, meet the riders, donate in support of the ride, and follow the blog, visit www.fijisacrossamerica.com. February 2010 \r\nCommunity Service One hundred and sixty-two years ago, six men founded this fraternity on five values: knowledge, morality, excellence, friendship, and service. Here at Western, the men of Fiji have begun to embrace the ideals of true servanthood towards our campus and our community. 2009 was a huge year for this colony in particular. In it, our colony experienced its first spring and fall recruitment sessions, a huge philanthropic undertaking in the first Rivalry Run, and winning our second football homecoming in as many years. All of these events took a huge amount of time out of all the brothers’ schedule; yet we managed to accumulate 653.75 hours of community service during the 2009 calendar year. This averaged out to a little over 16 hours of community service for each of the 40 initiated brothers in Phi Gamma Delta. 2010 is shaping up to be an even more involved year than the previous ones for Fiji. We are looking into teaming up with several prominent organizations here in Bowling Green and the surrounding areas to show this campus that we are committed to humbling ourselves and reaching out to those who need it the most. This list of organizations includes, but is not limited to, the American Red Cross, The Center for Courageous Kids (located in Scottsville), St. Jude’s hospital, and the Alzheimer’s Association. We are hoping to not only reach the tops among for fraternities on campus for hours serving our community, but we also want to show Bowling Green that the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta are here for the betterment of this campus and community. \r\nFIJI Academy Joshua Amos Fundraising Chairmen When attending meetings as a pledge, it’s really hard to get a broad perspective of Phi Gamma Delta. When I was provided the opportunity to attend the 35th FIJI Academy, I took it and what I saw and learned added on so much too my beautiful perspective of this amazing fraternity. So many things will be etched in my memory forever; such as the adventure to St. Louis, the hotel (which was formerly a train station) The presentation of awards, the info sessions, and pig dinner. On the way to academy, I strengthened the bonds of brotherhood with Thomas Cameron, Zack Ryle, and Jeff Baynham. I learned so much about each of them that I could not previously fathom. Through them, I learned how to not only deal with the struggles as a college freshman, but how to deal with problems in the fraternity as well. Because our President was on a study-abroad trip, I filled in his spot at the information sessions. Although I am not President, I learned so many useful protocols and tips that I could use just as a member of the fraternity and not a cabinet member. The bright spot of the info sessions was meeting presidents of the many different chapters. Many of them were so friendly and so helpful on how to handle business and one thing I admired the most was that they all conducted themselves as men. Fiji men. Ever since the words, Norris Pig Dinner, escaped my pledge educator’s mouth back in our first pledge-ed meeting, I’ve been intrigued with the whole ceremony. Attending the pig dinner at Academy was probably one of the best memories I have thus far as a Fiji. When the well-roasted pig was carried out and the youngest and oldest delegate kissed the two opposite ends, all I could do was live in the moment. There will never be a Norris Pig Dinner like your first. Going to Academy felt symbolic to a pilgrimage. By going, my feelings for Phi Gamma Delta were rejuvenated fully. I returned to our colony with a go-getter attitude from our info sessions, a greater deal of determination to win cups and awards, and a powerful wave of brotherhood. I cannot wait to go to the 36th FIJI Academy. \r\nGraduate Relations The men of Phi Gamma Delta on the campus of Western Kentucky University are dedicated to establishing a successful chapter with the fraternity’s core values at heart. While we have made great progress in our short time on campus, we must rely heavily on the support we receive from graduates of other chapters, as we do not have many graduates of our own to turn to. We value the support that we receive from graduates not only out of appreciation for aid to our colony, but also to encourage brothers to stay involved because Phi Gamma Delta is not for college days alone. There are many different ways to involve yourself in the growth of our colony and soon to be chapter, including Graduate Mentorship. Through this program you will be able to connect with a member of our colony and build a relationship with them that is similar to that of a Big Brother/Little Brother relationship, helping shape men and our colony. If you are interested in aiding our colony in any way, please express that interest by responding to this newsletter or contacting us at Western Kentucky University. Brian Campbell Graduate Relations brian.campbell217@wku.edu brian.campbell217@gmail.com (505) 303-3396 For more information on the Delta Colony at Western Kentucky University go to http://wkufiji.com/