SPRING 2010 THE OMICRON CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA - UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA WWW.UVAFIJILORG GREETINGS FROM ™ THE TEMPLE This spring was an eventful and pro- ductive time for Omicron. The semester began with another successful recruitment with over 450 individuals walking through the doors of the Temple during Open House. The Brotherhood selected fourteen 4 outstanding individuals to bid and pledge. y After a thorough pledge process, these new members finished off the semester by putting together an extraordinary Fiji Island at the old Lodge House on Rugby Road extended. Brothers continued Omicron’s strong record of service throughout the semester, volunteering well over 1,000 hours for various causes. Two days per week, a group of brothers volunteered their time at the HOPE Community Center. Pledges and brothers also par- ticipated in SOCA’s “Hot Shots” program, serving the Char- lottesville community as youth soccer coaches. This March, the Chapter participated in a cleanup and construction of the Rivannah Trail. In April, we hosted a successful philanthropy event at The Biltmore in support of the Run Across Virginia. Our efforts did not go unnoticed and Fiji’s Run Across Virginia was awarded the Inter-Fraternity Council’s Most Outstanding Philanthropy this past spring. Planning and publicity initiatives are already underway for next year’s Run and we ask for your continued support in Continued on Page 3 Brothers and dates pause for a photo on the Lawn before heading to Formal Fourth-Year FlJI’s take a picture at the House before walking the Lawn 14 BROTHERS JOIN THE CHAPTER Omicron completed another successful Recruitment this spring, initiating 14 new Phi Gams at the end of the semester. The Spring ment activities. Hilarious stand-up comedy made for an outstand- ing Rush event, and Omicron’s own Jason Rowe (11) was called from the audience to join Comedy Central entertainers on stage for the grand finale. Third round activities included a semi-formal date 2010 pledge class was extremely well-rounded, including two Omi- cron legacies, two varsity football players, two Hullabahoos, and the First Year Council (and newly elected Second Year Council) President. All of them are true Fiji Gentlemen. With the contribu- tions of these newly initiated brothers, Omicron is sure to maintain its place as one of the most respected houses in the Greek system and within the University community. Of course, it took an excellent Recruitment to attract such ex- cellent young men. Highlights from January’s formal Recruitment include a first round evening at Boylan Heights on the Corner, which provided a “guys’ night out” atmosphere for brothers to in- teract with rushees while shooting pool, watching basketball, and enjoying snacks from a burger bar. Dodgeball at Memorial Gymna- sium was another first round event, where brothers demonstrated a commitment to athletic prowess as well as a devotion to continued success in the Highpoints Championship. A Friday night trip to ‘The Improv in Washington, D.C. headlined second round Recruit- function at Trinity Pub on the Corner and a steak dinner in down- town Charlottesville. A local snow storm could not prevent brothers and the new lings from celebrating at the annual Bid Day party. \r\nGRADUATE NEWS William R Easton (’65) hopes all the brothers from the class of 1965 return to Charlottesville in June for our Class Reunion! John K. Pegues IV (71) is retiring in June after 38 years in the schools. Looking forward to lots of travel with Kathy and lost of play with new grand-daughter, Siena. Bill Armistead (’75) stopped by during Reunions and was very im- pressed with the guys in the House and what they have achieved — keep up the great work! Neil H. McPherson (’87) is living in God's country- Huntington LI, and working in NYC as a Managing Director in Structured Finance of a financial data and analytics provider called Markit af ter 20+ yrs on Wall St. Married to Sheila, wife of 19 yrs who I met in my 2nd yr of UVa, and have 3 daughters Emily 14, Katherine 11, and Siobhan 9. Just had 2 dinners with several of my pledge brothers and others from my era in NYC on 1/28 and also 2/2 in DC- 27+ yrs we've been pals now and we all keep in touch a LOT-- emails/texts/facebook, etc-- Tim (Posa) Ward, Bill (Bruno) Kenny, Doug (Toast) Milman, Jack (Julian) Bowles, Todd (Weedy) Schwanawede, Gene (Geno), Andy Herz (a lawnie and editor of the U-] in his day no less), Walter Preston, Aaron (Chili) Chilcote, and Billy (Buzz) Schactel too- and thats just a start of guys I've seen lately-- amazing how strong Fiji friendships endure when watered (1!) regularly! Life's good, look me up in NYC-- and if there’s smart financelengineering types looking to network for jobs in finance they should definitely be calling me. John Cachero (’01) welcomed the birth of his first child, Zoe Claire, on May 23, 2010. Mother and daughter are both well. Robbie Subasavage (02) and his wife Elizabeth welcomed their first child into the world on Dec 15, 2009, Joseph Donald has been vith his dad’s encouragement. Rob and Elizabeth purchased their first growing strong and has already been learning how to do ‘shups single family home this past August and reside in Springfield, VA. Any and all beans are welcome to stop by and visit and/or crash anytime as basement rackspace is available. new Nick Feakins (’05) and his wife Allie just bought their first home and are relocating to Richmond following Allie’s graduation from Darden. David Walrath (’05) is stationed in Hawaii and will be deploying to Japan in the fall. He recently got qualified as a Naval Aircraft Com- mander and hopes to move back to the D.C. area in the winter. Graduates and Brothers together at NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in Baltimore hanks to Albert Huntington IV for hosting 25 Gr the Nationals opening game against the Phill SUBMIT GRADUATE NEws! Send us your updates: hetp://www.uvafiji.org/alumni/newsletters. php Update your address information and let your pledge brothers know how you are doing! \r\nGRADUATES AND RUSH been entertaining discussion about the futur wer and fewer houses have elected om Te) Ce TICS Ecce yet Ce neers Mtereates ies en teeta te Pir ccc les come ntec men item men Corti Rigel eee hte aenter cer este er ieen nese ther formally or informally. Along those lines, please consider reno ent aan init ae PH ge from current Recruitment Chairman Rick Graduate Brothers, Our goal, as outlined and influenced by the IHQ Re- uitment guidelines, is to have a comprehensive, 365 In that spirit, we're asking ing along contact information CWA aR LLL Aaa for your assistance in pa OLE cle ROM SMALL Each Cee eR LR LLL OL that we ultimately initiate. As Phi Gamma Delta is not NMA for your help as we persist in LA ea Uae a daz) TO a aD a Please submit any candidates to rush@ Rick Forshaw "12 Recruitment Chairman OMICRON EXTENDS ITS REACH ON GROUNDS With the initiation of the most recent spring lings, Omicron is continuing its record of excellent involvement in student groups around Grounds. Two spring 2010 initiates, Jimmy Howell (’12) and Logan Spangler ('13) are members of the Virginia Football team. Charlie Miller (’13) will serve as President of the Class of 2013 for the second year in a row starting this upcoming fall. Both Charlie and Sanford Williams (’13) are members of the Hullaba- hoos - the University’s nationally-renowned a cappella group. ‘These newly initiated brothers are joining a brotherhood at 128 that already prides itself on its strong involvement. Matthew Aronson (’11) heads-up Greek Intervarsity, an all-Greek Christian Fellowship, and Shane Gallagher (’11) provides musical accompa- niment for the group. Josh Jolissaint (’11) and Brian Kinslow ('11) devote time to Building Tomorrow - an organization that raises funds to build schools in Uganda. Building Tomorrow puts on an event called Bike to Uganda to raise money and awareness for its cause - over 20 Phi Gams participated in the event this year to help support Josh and Brian. Brother Rick Forshaw (’12) also serves on the executive board of Mentoring International Exchange - a group that helps assimilate international students into life at Virginia. Four brothers are involved with Virginia’s Honor System, and Jack Valentine (12) was elected as one of two Honor Representa- tives for the Engineering School. Omicron also regained a foothold in the IFC this spring with the election of Dom Rinaldi (12) to ‘Greetings’ Continued from Cover keeping our tradition of excellence alive. Omicron welcomed our new faculty advisor, Robert Burnett, to replace Professor and Brother Justin Holcomb. Holcomb currently serves as Guest Professor of Theology at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Seattle. Dr. Burnett is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and was the top choice of the Brotherhood to fill this role. Burnett is the 2010 winner of the Inter-Greek Council’s Out- standing Faculty Member award and we look forward to working with him next year. The Chapter continues to engage in activities to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood. In April, the Chapter hosted a brotherhood event at the NASCAR raceway in Martinsville, Virginia. All who attended had a great time camping out despite the race being can- celed due to rain. We were also heavily involved in strengthening our relation- ships with graduate brothers this spring. In April, the Chapter host- ed a tailgate for graduate brothers for the Virginia vs. Duke lacrosse game. The Graduate Relations Committee also organized several dinners with local graduate brothers to exchange stories and learn about the Chapter’s history. We look forward to our next graduate event, Omicron’s annual Frank Norris Pig Dinner during Home- comings Weekend. Lastly, please join me in congratulating Omicron’s recently graduated brothers from the class of 2010. Their presence will be missed but their influence and passion for the Chapter will surely be passed down to the next generation of Phi Gams. Ross Jacobson ’11 | Chapter President PERGE! Phi Gams participate in “Bike to Uganda” Chair for Membership Education and Scholarship. Fijis also main- tain a strong commitment to service at Madison House - Virginia’s official student volunteer center - with several brothers serving as program directors for tutoring and athletic programs. The chapter is very proud of its commitment to University in- volvement and the efforts of its brothers outside the Temple. Broth- ers’ involvement helps spread the detes around Grounds and aids in our effort to Recruit 365. Kevin Dowlen ’10 Former Chapter President \r\nw | ¢¢ Many of you who were at the University during the 1980's will remember that in the early days of that decade the House was in pretty poor physical condition, a result of years of good times and less than perfect maintenance. In 1985 a major renovation was un- dertaken that resulted in the House being the jewel of the fraternity system. New floors, walls, mechanical systems, plus fresh paint ev- erywhere- it really looked great! That achievement was made possible by our formation of the Phi Gamma Delta Renovation Associates limited partnership which raised $125,000 from Graduate Brothers and borrowed additional money to put more than $400,000 into the project. In order for the partnership to use historic renovation tax credits, legal title to the House was transferred from the House Corporation to the partnership. All of the partners have now agreed to give their partnership interests to the House Corporation and to terminate the partnership so that the House Corporation will again own the House. Many thanks to those Brothers from the ’50s, 60s and ’70s for their steadfast devotion to Omicron! In 2002 the Chapter re-colonized and the House Corporation organized another round of renovations. The third floor was fin- ished into bedrooms so that more Brothers could live in the House, the electrical systems were updated, and central A/C was installed upstairs — and again, fresh paint everywhere. At the completion of these renovations, the House was once again the jewel of the frater- nity system. This series of renovations was only possible because of A HISTORY OF RENOVATIONS generous donations from Graduate Brothers and the taking out of a construction line of credit. This spring, the remaining balance of that construction loan was converted into one mortgage — decreas- ing the Chapter’s overall payments. With all these successes, you might think the House Corpora- tion could take a break, but there are a number of critical repairs that must be made. This summer, we will be repainting the roof and repairing some plumbing. ‘The front steps are in desperate need of repair and thanks to the dedication of many ’60s and ’80s donors will get finished this year. Unfortunately, the Deck dormers have deteriorated to the point where residents can see through to the out- side — making it uncomfortable in both winter and summer — and the basement is suffering from a number of past water leaks. Although in the past we have relied on large “capital campaigns” to get major repairs done, we are now in a position to make repairs before they become major renovations. For that reason, thanks to all the Graduates who continue to give on a regular basis — and we ask that the rest of you join us in ensuring the House remains the jewel of the fraternity system and not for college days alone! Guy Tripp ’62 Bob Krout ’80 Nick Feakins ’05 A view of the House during the December 2009 record snowfalls \r\nINTER-FRATERNITY NEws & AWARDS Omicron’s Dominic Rinaldi (’12) was elected Inter-Fraternity Council Chairman for Membership Education and Scholarship for the current term. Rinaldi co-led an IFC ad hoc committee that fo- cused on improving the safety, liability, and image of the fraternity em, When classes resume in the fall, the IFC Presiden cil will be voting on several changes proposed after three weeks of discussion by the ad hoc committee. In particular, these changes include a revamping of Open House—the first two nights of for- mal Rush—policies, a restriction on out of town travel, and a new set of guidelines regulating the abil y men to interact years in the fall semester. Additionally, several proposed law changes are expected to pass at the first IFC President's Il—the most significant of these proposals is a new door policy for fraternity parties as well as an explici what constitutes a fraternity party. Under this new pol ties will be required to check IDs at the door in order to reduce the ‘ociated with underage drinking and to improve the long- bility of our student-regulated fraternity sy Above: Brothers bonding during this semester's community service event. BARRY M. GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO 2 FiJI BROTHERS! Matt Aronson and Stuart Keech ‘The scholarship is awarded to about 300 college sophomores and juniors nationwide. Competition for the Scholarship is excep- tionally intense. Universities are allowed to nominate only four un- dergraduate students per year to receive the final Scholarship. As a result, the Scholarship is widely considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. conferred upon undergraduates studying the ences. INTER-FRATERNITY COUNCIL AWARDS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNIVERSITY Matt Aronson (Brother) OUTSTANDING FACULTY MEMBER Robert Burnett (Chapter Advisor) OUTSTANDING PHILANTHROPY PR Run Across Virginia \r\n UPCOMING GRADUATE EVENTS October 15-16, 2010 Frank Norris Pig Dinner & Homecoming Football Game Please join us Oct 15%" - 16" for the Annual Frank Norris Pig Dinner and Homecoming Football Game against North Carolina. More details available on www.uvafiji.org. The Spring Lings gather to begin building Island GRADUATE ANNUAL GIVING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010 To DATE JAN. 1 - JUNE 29) Special thanks to the following graduates for their gifts to the Omicron Chapter’ annual fund over the last 6 months. We hope you will continue to support FIJI and encourage your fellow Brothers to join in the effort! $5,000 + $128 + $2,500 + William M. Ballard °50 ‘Adam G. Swann 03" A. Colquitt Shackelford, J. °51 Kyle A. Sturgeon 04" $1,000 + David M. Wakelee 51 Christopher W. Anderson °05* > , Charles H. Rohrer 55 Andrew D. Garrahan 05* Johit Mi. Sceware 165 William C. Childress 58 Christopher T. Walters 05" Jeffrey R. Anderson 69 Edward T. Bedford 64 Nicholas P. Feakins 05 Jack William Burkare 73 William R. Easton 65 Kyle S. Fuschetti 06" Neil H. McPherson "87 David Livingston 65 Jesse C. Lund 06 Llewellyn P. Haden, Jr. 66 Kevin Simmons Dowlen "10 $500 + R. Michael Sorensen 70 Robert K. Krout °80 Jon C. Butler 72 28 + Timothy E. Martorella 87 Robert B. Goss 73 $ . Douglas E. Milman 87 Tan S, Lawton °80 Carroll M. Berndt, Jr. ‘36 Michael H. Dillon 84 John K. Pegues IV 7 $250 + Frank F Pets ah Michael L. Petretich 93 . Eugene Paul Kenned; 90 Jamison T. Driver 99 cone 7 sa 2g Matthew S. Daniel 1 Daniel W. Schear “10 arles W. Ran : f > Seo s i sn c Caan - % Tiago D. Bezerra 10 sous un Mo Kim Jeremy D. Hogg oe Albert H. Huntington IV °00 * Indicates a Club 128 member Greg A. Dolinsky 04 ; po. (cisoing manthty does) Jonathan Tyler Ziefle "05" Christopher S. Johnson 03 ongoing monthly donor; Please join your pledge brothers in making sure the Fiji Temple remains strong for generations to come. Many thanks to the Graduates who prove that Phi Gamma Delta is not for MAKE AN ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION college days alone! Gifts to the FIJI Annual Fund sponsor alumni communications, reunions and house improvements. If we have mistakenly forgotten your name, please contact us at: 22 2 Make a gift online at: www.uvafiji.org giving@uvafiji.org.