Spring 2013 Lehigh University Letter from the President Inside this: Letter from the Trustees 2 Members Update 3 Chapter Update 4 Photos 5 Contact Info 6 Matthew P. Lyons ‘14, Chapter President The brothers of Beta Chi have continued to extend our progress from the fall into the spring semester. We successfully recruited 21 new members during the first few weeks of the semester; one of the largest pledge classes in recent years. We are confident these men have much to add to the brotherhood and know they are equally enthusiastic about the impression FIJI will undoubtedly have on their lives. FIJI has continued to develop our service initiative with the Victory House in South Bethlehem, we have assembled a team to participate in the campus-wide Relay for Life event, and are actively planning the third annual Squash Tournament in memory of our late brother, Bruce Bogenrief. All graduate brothers should have received a postcard detailing the location and date for the upcoming Frank Norris Pig Dinner on April 27th at the Comfort Suites in Bethlehem. In light of all that has happened this year, we hope to see a large turnout so that we may celebrate all that FIJI has accomplished over the years. The undergraduate brotherhood would like to thank Doug Paige, the Beta Chi Trustees, and all other alumni for their unswerving support as we continue to reaffirm our faith in FIJI’s values and traditions. Please help us keep on fighting the good fight and remember “FIJI is not for college days alone!” Save the Date! For all of the brothers that attended the 2012 Norris Pig Dinner, thank you! For all who couldn’t make it, we missed you and cannot wait to see you this year. The date has been set and scheduled for April 27th, 2013. This year’s Norris Pig Dinner will be held at Comfort Suites in Bethlehem. We are honored to host our special guest speaker Ted Muendel ‘64 (co-founder of Stanton Chase International). Once again, mark your calendars for April 27th, 2013 and we hope to see you at this year’s Pig Dinner! To the brothers who are unable to attend the event, you are always welcome stop by the house and we hope to see you at the next one. \r\nPage 2 THE BETA CHI CHAPTER REPORT Communication from the Board of Trustees Graduate Brothers, The Fiji Men are marching again. They have made great progress and shown significant improvement this academic year. The Fall GPA was over 3.0 and Fiji ranked 12th among 18 fraternities. Obviously, further gains are expected, but last spring they were 18th so this interim achievement should be applauded. Similarly, the whole house was active during the successful January Rush which resulted in the addition of 21 new members. There will be no occupancy issue next year, but more importantly these are all quality men who make us proud to be a Fiji. The recent Phi Gamma Delta Field Secretary report highlighted a number of areas where improvement was noted and we continue to receive positive updates from the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs. The feedback I get in my discussions with OFSA staff has been consistently complimentary of both the effort and the results of our undergraduate brothers. However, the fall semester was a difficult time for us all. The chapter is still in Graduate Trusteeship status and in November we completed a Member Review which resulted in 6 Brothers being expelled from the House. These were difficult decisions the Trustees felt were necessary to move the House forward, but the separations were nevertheless painful for many of the remaining brothers. I hope with the passing of time the men better appreciate why these actions had to be taken. The annual Fraternity Accreditation process is underway. A panel of Lehigh officials use multiple, specific criteria to judge the progress and achievements the fraternity has made during the year. While we are in a much stronger position this year, an improved accreditation rating is a critical milestone for Fiji. Last year the panel rated Phi Gamma Delta as “Poor.” Two consecutive years at this level is cause for being removed from campus. I know the brothers have worked hard to put together a comprehensive report and to prepare for the upcoming presentation. We are confident things will be much better this year....Good luck, men! This Newsletter is being distributed both digitally and through the regular mail. We are doing this to ensure we reach the broadest audience possible, but we also want to manage the expense. You’ll find in this issue a way to “opt in” and request to continue receiving a paper copy of future Newsletters. Thanks for your support to let us know your preference. I hope to see as many of you as can make it to the upcoming Pig Dinner on April 27th. It will be a great opportunity to meet a fine group of young men who have worked hard to ensure the continued success of Phi Gamma Delta at Lehigh. Of course, it is also a chance to renew old friendships that are “Not for College Days Alone.” Fraternally, Douglas Paige ‘71 PERGE! The BC Fiji will be produced twice annually. The preferred distribution method is via email, but we recognize that this is not the best option for everyone. If you want to continue to receive the paper-based Newsletter, please let us know using the contact information below. Timur Chernykh ‘14 Corresponding Secretary (813) 409 7280 tvc214@lehigh.edu \r\nSpring 2013 Page 3 Distinguished Members          Paul Baxter Lanius IV From New York, NY Class of 2013 Major: Finance GPA: 3.68 Member of Fiji Standards Board Defenseman on the Lacrosse Team Member of Lacrosse Leadership Committee Dean’s List (2009-2013) Ground ball specialist           Hayden A. Harrell        From Charlotte, NC Class of 2014 Major: Mechanical Engineering Minor: Economics GPA: 3.21 CoOp with BMW in Fall 2012 Tour Guide         Nicholas R. Barr From New York, NY Class of 2013 Major: Finance Minor: English GPA: 3.40 Treasurer (2011-2012) #1 on Lehigh Squash Team Nationally ranked in squash Representative of Fiji on the FMA Board Dean’s List (2010-2013) Mitchell F. Petersen From East Grand Rapids, MI Class of 2015 Major: Finance and Accounting GPA: 3.50 Rush Chairman Member of the Varsity Tennis Team Second Team All Patriot League Emerging Leaders Program New Cabinet Member In order to replace the Historian who has been let go, the brothers of the Beta Chi chapter elected a new Historian, Reid Chisholm. Reid hasn’t been at Lehigh for a year and a half because of severe medical issues. He has always been a passionate brother and an active member of the Fraternity. Reid was supposed to be a Corresponding Secretary for 2011-2012 academic year but was replaced by Matt Lyons when it became clear that he wouldn’t be back in time. The Beta Chi chapter is proud to introduce the new Historian. Reid H. Chisholm        From Shaker Heights, OH Class of 2013 Major: Accounting and Finance Minor: History GPA: 3.18 Creative editor of the Accounting Club Hobbies: Squash and golf \r\nPage 4 THE BETA CHI CHAPTER REPORT Chapter Update Recruitment This semester, spring 2013, the Beta Chi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta invited 21 gentlemen to go through the fraternity’s new member process. The new members are a very outgoing group with great backgrounds that lead the brothers of Beta Chi at Lehigh University to believe that they will be great members of the chapter and Phi Gamma Delta as a whole. These guys formed a mix of freshmen and sophomores, and came from both within and outside of the United States. One new member is from Argentina and two are from Canada— this adds to the great diversity that we already have in the house today. All of these gentlemen have good grades, and experiences from high school including employment, student government, athletics, and volunteer opportunities. These guys have a wide variety of interests and are all involved in different activities at Lehigh. Fifteen of our new members are on the varsity lacrosse team, which greatly increases the amount of athletes that we have in the house. Throughout our new member process these men have proven to be great future members. As the pledge class of 2010 prepares to graduate this spring, the Beta Chi chapter gained 21 outstanding gentlemen to continue the success of the chapter and contribute to the well being of the Fraternity. Please welcome the pledge class of 2013: Chris Appell, Steve Brodeur, Julian Copeland, Patrick Corbett, Alex Eaton, Casey Eidenshink, Corey Eppley, Kyle Garland, Julius Heftler, Klay Heston, Kurtis Kaunas, Sam Lawrence, Ray Mastroianni, Will McKee, Jason Pitonyak, Nick Santamarina, Dan Taylor, Tripp Telesco, Nick Urban, Ben Warren, Reid Weber. Community/Philanthropy Service My name is Samuel S. Reznik ’15 and as the current Community Service Chairman of Phi Gamma Delta’s Beta Chi chapter, I am proud to report a successful continuation of the previous semester’s community service and philanthropic endeavors. We have continued our participation in the Reading Rocks program—a university-sponsored event, through which Lehigh students teach local elementary school children the fundamentals of reading and writing. So far this semester, we have successfully sent at least five brothers to help out every Wednesday afternoon that the program was in session. I am also pleased to report our continued contribution to the Victory House homeless shelter. Through this semester-old initiative, we have sent 10 brothers to prepare and serve dinner to the men residing at the shelter once a month. We also remained a part of the University’s efforts (in conjunction with Lehigh Valley’s Habitat for Humanity) to raise money to build a home in Easton for hurricane Sandy victims, later this spring. Now, it is my even greater pleasure to report our new community service and philanthropic initiatives for the spring semester. Our Philanthropy Chairman, Stormont R. Mahoney, kicked the semester off right when he set up our Relay for Life event, “Keep the Goose Open Late,” with the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Members from both Greek organizations were encouraged to grab a sandwich at Bethlehem’s popular Goosey Gander Delicatessen. Proceeds went to cancer research and topped $1,000! Next, we participated in Alpha Chi Omega’s fundraising Dodgeball tournament. We paid $25 to enter a team consisting of five of our brothers and, although we did not come out victorious, I can confidently say that our participants thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with members from other fraternities and sororities. Benefits for this event went to the Turning Point Foundation—a non-profit organization that supports women and children in states of domestic crisis. Our most recent undertaking was our entrance into Gamma Phi Beta’s “Crescent Classic Volleyball Tournament.” For $30 we entered a team to participate in the event along with other houses on the hill. All proceeds went the Girls on the Run Foundation—a program that strives to promote self-esteem and healthy living for young girls. While we are excited about all that we have accomplished thus far, we continue to look forward. Brother Mahoney and I have been in contact with members of our sister sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, in an effort to set up a jointphilanthropy or service event in the near future. Scholarship A firm scholarship plan has been established to encourage young brothers to pursue excellence through scholarship. The chapter has displayed continual improvement throughout the previous semester and got above 3.0 GPA. But we believe that there is still room for improvement. With a firmly implemented scholarship plan, the brothers hope to recruit more quality young men who exemplify the fraternity’s emphasis on scholarship. \r\nSpring 2013 Page 5 Photos Brothers at Adopt-A-Family event at a local elementary school Scholarship, Fraternity, Self Brother Christmas Party Warm welcome back for brother Chisholm Brothers playing Jeopardy! \r\nPhi Gamma Delta FRIENDSHIP, THE SWEETEST INFLUENCE. Congratulations to our graduating seniors Send stories and updated contact information to this postal and email address: Nicholas R. Barr David W. Root Aidan J. Fennelly Daniel J. Rosen Bowman B. Johns Ernesto Vargas Paul B. Lanius IV Brendan E. Ambrose Wyatt A. Linder Mark A. Nasby 104 Hill Road Bethlehem, PA 18015 Corresponding Secretary Timur Chernykh (813) 409-7280 tvc214@lehigh.edu www.fijilehigh.com www.phigam.org Remember your undergraduate days and share your stories with us! As an undergraduate: What was your Fiji experience like? Currently: Where are you? What are you doing? Have you met with any chapter brothers lately?