Psi Chapter at Wabash College - Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity The Little Giant Fiji Spring 2010 THE MOVE OF PSI CHAPTER By: Cameron McDougal 2012, Chapter Historian It was a brisk yet bright autumnal morning: September 19, 2009. The Wabash campus was celebrating Homecoming, and the Phi Gam pledges have done an excellent job with the decorations in the north parking lot. Later, as the day progresses, the Little Giants prove victorious on the gridiron, and the FIJI pledge class of 2013 has dominated the Homecoming competiPsi 414 with remnants of Psi 213 in the background during demolition. tion by winning first place overall. A Joyous crowd zardini, Kevin O’Shaun(1976), Fred Miller of Phi Gam undergraduates nesey, Rob Kunkel, Steve (1976), John Porter return to Psi 414 after the Rockwell, Mike “Mac” (1978), Dudley Miller Homecoming victory. McCulley, Matt Hunter (& (1978), Clay Robbins At Psi 213 next door, son), Pete Trybula (& son)] (1979) & others…many of a seemingly solemn tone is are gathered on the front the “old guys” enjoying some noticed; a group of graduate porch of Psi at 213 West Jefcelebratory TWR and apbrothers, including a “miniferson along with graduate pearing to savor the many reunion” of the Class of 1977 brothers Eric Cavanaugh proud achievements of the [(Jeff Gunning, Dan Riz(Continued on page 3) (1976), Randy Berta LETTER FROM THE FACULTY ADVISOR • Make plans now to attend the Annual Meeting of the Association and Norris Pig Dinner on October 9, 2010. • Graduate involvement and support is always welcome. Contact Rick Cavanaugh if you are interested. • Please support Brother Carlos May this fall in his candidacy for congress. Inside this issue: Quality of Life Brotherhood Retreats 2 A Trip to FIjiland 4 Psi Association Update 5 Graduate Spotlight By: Dr. Dan Rogers When the cabinet asked for a brief biographical sketch to tell the chapter more about myself as a Professor, I couldn’t help but think of the many FIJIs throughout the years who have been instrumental in Highlights my Wabash career. I learned, from my first days on campus (back in the last century!) that at Wabash, something different and quite unique was going on with respect to fraternities. Although there are the inevitable ups and downs, when fraternities are at their best here at Wabash they help bring students and faculty together. Of course, this is very beneficial for students. We even do research (Continued on page 2) Class of 2013 6 7 \r\nThe Little Giant Fiji Page 2 QUALITY OF LIFE BROTHERHOOD RETREATS By: Cameron McDougal 2012, Chapter Historian The brotherhood of Psi Chapter is further enhanced by weekly “Quality of Life” (QOL) events. The first weekend of the semester, we took our pledge class to a ropes climbing course down in Bloomington. If there wasn’t already a bond between guys, climbing a fifty five foot vertical tower and repelling off the top via a zip line creates a sense of unity relatively quick. Of the eight paths to get up the tower, none can be accomplished with fewer than six guys. It commands teamwork and cooperation. The following weekend, our house took a trip to Turkey Run State Park. We grilled out, played football, ultimate Frisbee, and hiked. As a house, we talked about what we want to accomplish in the coming semesters. In a relaxed environment such as Turkey Run, we were able to have a great discussion and introduce our pledge class to our way of managing our chapter. During that weekend, we all went on a five mile canoe trip down sugar creek. This again, was a great scenario to learn more about the brotherhood at Psi Chapter. During a five hour canoe trip, it is inevitable that the bonds between us will proliferate. Other scheduled QOL events include: rifle shooting range, Indiana Pacer Brothers Cameron McDougal (2012) and Gregg Schipp (2011) on “The Ladder.” games, driving range, IU football game, snow ski trip, and other involved and motivated class. Teamsmaller events. Regardless of what we work and brotherhood are a strong do, QOL events create an immediate focus of our chapter, and QOL events sense of brotherhood. Our pledge class provide an opportunity to work on is very quickly included in the activities these things. of our chapter, which creates a more Perge! LETTER FROM THE FACULTY ADVISOR continued... (Continued from page 1) that documents the importance of strong student-faculty engagement. But we shouldn’t forget about the other side of the equation. It’s also good for professors. We are better educators when we take learning beyond the confines of the classroom. One of my enduring memories about Psi Chapter occurred back in 2005 after Peteris Silins, a longtime professor of Russian and German at Wabash had gone ad astra. I attended his memorial service in Pioneer Chapel and was moved by the tributes given by his former students, now middle-aged men (or older!). But one of the most moving things I saw was the arrival of the FIJIs. Most of the house showed up, in suits and ties, for Professor Silins memorial service and sat silently in two long rows to honor him. I was baffled. None of those FIJIs back in 2005 had ever had a class with Pete, who had long since retired. I didn’t even know that they knew who he was. It wasn’t until I asked after the service and discovered that Pete was initiated by the Psi chapter in 1962 and served for some years as Purple Legionnaire. Robert Bracken’s history of Psi (1966-1991) indicates that Pete felt this to be the highest honor Wabash had bestowed on him. Psi Chapter has a long history of initiating faculty and I would discover later on that Pete was one of a number of superb professors, including Ben Rogge, to have become faculty initiates of Psi Chapter over the years. A FIJI alum played an important role in my decision to come to teach at Wabash College. In 1998, Phil Mikesell (1963) was serving as a Division Chair at the college. Phil has a long -term interest in Latin America and was directly involved in my hire. I was a professor at IU Bloomington at the time and Phil drove down to have lunch and convince me to come to Wabash. Later serving as my department chair, I learned more through Phil’s mentorship about how to be a Wabash professor than any other single person at the college. And so I was very pleasantly surprised back in the spring of 2007 when Ben Gonzalez (2007), and Neal Monroe (2008) showed up at my office door in Detchon and told me that the cabinet had voted to extend me the honor of becoming a faculty initiate. I have to echo Professor Silins’ words from half a century ago: a high honor indeed. \r\nPage 3 THE MOVE OF PSI CHAPTER continued... (Continued from page 1) day…while undoubtedly regaling in many memories (at least as they could best recall!) of life at 213 West Jefferson Street. A group of undergraduate brothers, myself included, ventured over to the graduate brothers. We soon realized that this was not the sulky, sad scene that we had thought we were walking into. If it was, the “grad bros” changed the tone of that gathering into the most memorable of my Phi Gamma Delta days to this point. It quickly turned into a celebration of the “old house.” We heard stories of Randy Berta, as a Rhine, messing with the call board during Senior Comps (thus causing the biology majors to miss their wake up call), and Eric Cavanaugh telling of putting Volkswagens in the courtyard. Kappa Sigma golf was mentioned quite a bit as well as tales from pledgeship that ought to be turned into a movie. Purple Legionnaire Dudley Miller took us on a tour of 213. The glass was all shattered and the ceiling tiles caved in…think “rubble gone wild” and you get the picture. An image of that House was re -created for us however; an image which I believe personifies 213 West Jefferson. We walked into the back living room to hear the graduate brothers singing in concert about “Bernice” “Lupe,” the “sisterhood of Beta Theta Pi,” and numerous others. Dan “Rizzo” Rizzardini started an ongoing limerick song “There Once was a Man from Nantucket…” that had more verses than Carter has pills (OK, OK…Dudley added some editorial license here). I can remember looking at the faces of the other undergraduate brothers while this was going on. We looked on in envy as we saw a small glimpse of what Psi Chapter at 213 West Jefferson must have been like. I looked on with a sense of pride in Psi Chapter. The Fraternity’s motto, “Phi Gamma Delta is not for College Days Alone,” was exemplified and thriving in that room. As we continued to watch, we were invited into the room and got to experience a little piece of that tradition ourselves. P.L Miller started taking pictures of brothers in front of the old fireplace; the Greek letters long since ground down to the point where they were no longer visible. But in the flash of the camera, our Greek letters had shown through. What a powerful imagery for this celebratory gathering. The mood changed as everybody walked out of that The street sign, with both the new and old house for the last time; an emohouse in the background, shows a symbolic tional, unwelcomed goodbye to move in Psi’s address switch from the house which stood from 1924 Jefferson St. to Grant Avenue. to 2006 as Psi Chapter of Phi other items were collected as the procGamma Delta. As our group stepped onto ess went on. Each day the structure the lawn of what is now Psi Chapter, a became less and less, and on October symbolic shift in mood occurred. I be14, 2009, everything was finished…213 lieve Dudley Miller said it best: West Jefferson was now just a mem“Different building, same House.” We, as ory. undergraduates, took notice of the graduA chapter marker is being ate brothers “acceptance” of the new designed for the lot of 213 which, if all house, and this was important to us. It goes according to plan, will be dedishowed us that we could build the brotherhood and legacy that the men of Psi 213 cated at this year’s Norris Pig Dinner on Saturday, October 9, 2010. built. It showed us that this awesome PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDERS legacy, which we had just seen a small NOW FOR THIS IMPORTANT but extremely impactful portion of, was EVENT!!! not going down with the house and that The undergraduates of Psi we could work to continue the rich hishave been blessed with a gorgeous new tory of Psi Chapter. house that is commonly referred to in We gathered at the new Psi the Dean’s office as “Taj-ma-FIJI.” The Chapter house and continued hearing of legacy of Psi did not halt with the move Psi 213; stories which I know none of us into the new house. Phi Gamma Delta undergraduates will forget; stories which at Wabash College continues to lead we would like to hear more of. The Frathe campus in scholarship and many ternity, for many of us undergraduates, other areas, and the undergraduates had just taken on a new meaning that are making strides that will undoubtday, Saturday September, 19, 2009. We edly add an even greater light as the watched with eerie feelings the next couwhite star of PHI GAMMA DELTA, Psi ple of weeks as that house was torn Chapter, 414 South Grant Avenue, down; especially eerie for those of us who burns bright. had gathered with the graduate brothers inside on the 19th. The doors, some limestone slabs, hundreds of bricks, and Perge! \r\nThe Little Giant Fiji Page 4 A TRIP TO FIJILAND: IHQ By: Cameron McDougal 2012, Chapter Historian On February 20, President Gregg Schipp (2011) and I took a group of the freshmen class down to the Phi Gamma Delta International Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky. This trip to Headquarters is designed into the freshmen’s Post Initiation Education program, and is useful in that it gives them a bigger picture of Phi Gamma Delta, and not just Psi Chapter. So at seven in the morning, we piled into a couple of cars and started our four hour trip to Fiji land. Just pulling into the parking lot of Headquarters provides an accurate “snapshot” of the prestige of our Fraternity. The building sits on a hill in the “bluegrass” country outside of Lexington. The tall brick structure abruptly rises out of the ground; supported in the front by six massive white columns…the number six is symbolic. On all four sides of the building, the roof meets in a point, and in the middle of each point is a stained glass purple circle with a white star in the middle of it. In the front lawn is a bold black sign with white letters baring the official name of the Fraternity. The landscaping is extremely well done, and out of the ground at the base of the stairs are three towering flagpoles holding massive Canadian, American, and official Phi Gamma Delta flags. The climb up to the door is impressively long…I did not count the number of stair sets but there might be some significance there too. The front door is tall and pure white with intricately designed frosted glass: a warm welcoming to all of us FIJI brothers. The first glance inside the building is remarkable. Even to a non-brother, the towering ten foot great grandfather clock (rivaling Psi’s Martin clock) flanked by large, sharp portraits of the immortal six (three on each side of the clock) is impressive. The generous donations from Brothers during the building of headquarters provide a luxuriously furnished and painted room. The Coat of Arms of the Brothers Gregg Schipp (2011), Cameron McDougal (2012), Rob Dyer (2013), Derek Fritz (2013), Michael Carper (2013), Jamen SuterDonaldson (2013), and Patrick Alston (2013) at Fiji Headquarters. Fraternity are displayed in large proportion on one of the walls. To the right of the grandfather clock is a hallway leading to the offices of our outstanding Executive Director, Bill Martin, and our tour guide and director of Chapter Services, JB Goll. To the left of the grandfather clock is a hallway leading to a very impressive Phi Gamma Delta Museum. In the museum are original pieces of correspondence from the Immortal Six, fifty some versions of our badge (which before 1923 were often decorated with rare diamonds and other stones to signify one’s successes), and artifacts from famous FIJI’s such as Secretary of War Newton D. Baker. It would take me pages and pages to describe everything else in the museum, so I will refrain from doing so and you will have to make a trip to see for yourself. Down the hall from the museum is a large conference room…decorated with a sizable portrait of our own Thomas Riley Marshall. While in the conference room, JB retrieved a box of records of the History of Psi Chapter for us to look through. The original minutes from the founders of Psi Chapter in 1866 are included. In this same book, minutes from Thomas Riley Marshall’s Psi days are written, and all intricately signed by TR himself. Minutes from most of your tenures at Psi are in the box as well… very entertaining!!!! It was very humbling to walk around the hallways in the building and see so many great FIJI’s; including some Psi’s like John Collet (1924) and Bob Welch (1980). Being that we were at our International Headquarters, specifics of our trip cannot be mentioned...but these specifics are something that every brother of Phi Gamma Delta should be aware of. I strongly encourage all of you to make a trip to our Headquarters in the near future. The Fraternity is currently thriving, and there is no better way to celebrate this than to visit the awesome gift that so many brothers have put immeasurable time and effort into for the betterment of our brotherhood. For those of us who went, the experience was inspiring and really enhanced our vision of the Fraternity. If you would like some specific details from our visit, don’t hesitate to call me at 260-515-3222 and if you would like to schedule a visit to International Headquarters, you can email JB Goll at jgoll@phigam.org. Mighty Proud to be a FIJI! \r\nPage 5 PSI ASSOCIATION UPDATE By: Rick Cavanaugh (1976), President of the Psi Association Board The Annual Meeting of the Association was held on October 10 with Annual Norris Pig following in the evening. Some of the key developments this year have been: Jim Riddle Leaves Association board Jim Riddle (1985) had previously indicated his intention to rotate off the Board of Directors at the expiration of his term in 2009. Jim has ably served the Association as a Board member and most importantly as the architect of the new Chapter House. We thank Jim for his service to Psi Chapter and hope that he gets over to campus to see how his cousin Chet Riddle ‘13 is doing in the new House. Ron Covington Elected Director Three directors agreed to serve another three year term and Ron Covington (1975) was elected to his first term on the Association Board. Ron is a General Partner with Edward Jones investment firm in Bluffton, IN. In addition to Ron, Phil Ramos (1964), Kevin Meyer (2005) and Rick Cavanaugh (1976) were elected to new three year terms on the Association Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting. John Culley Rotates off as Treasurer of the Association Board Long time Association Treasurer, John Culley (1969) rotated off and continues to serve as a Director. John has served Phi Gamma Delta and Psi Chapter in many capacities over the years as Purple Legionnaire, Section Chief and as Treasurer of the Association. During John’s tenure as Treasurer the Association’s endowment grew substantially. He also provided valuable leadership in the planning and construction of the new Chapter House. As a result of John’s stewardship, the Association was able to furnish the new Chapter House with all new furnishings when Psi moved from 213 West Jefferson. Please pass on your thanks to John for his many years of service. New Officers Elected at Annual Meeting of the Association Also at the Annual Meeting the following officers of the Wabash College Phi Gamma Delta Association, Inc. were elected: President, Rick Cavanaugh (1976); Vice President, John Bridge (1972); Treasurer, Randy Berta (1976); and Secretary, Phil Ramos (1964). 213 West Jefferson Comes Down We closed a page on Psi Chapter at Wabash College. 213 West Jefferson is gone. Under the terms of our agreement with the College related to the construction of the new Chapter House at 414 South Grant, once we moved into the new Chapter House, the College would use the old house as transitional housing during the remainder of the Fraternity Partnership build-out. When the need for transitional housing was satisfied, the old House would come down and the site would be used as green space. Demolition began in October and was completed by Thanksgiving. Plans are under way to place a marker on the corner of Jefferson and Grant to mark the former location of the Chapter House. The Martin Clock Has Been Refurbished In the old House, the large mahogany floor clock donated by Brother John A. Martin (1927) took quite a beating in the finals days the Chapter occupied 213 West Jefferson. In addition, when the Chapter moved to the new house at 414 South Grant, one of the chime tubes disappeared. Late last fall, the Association sent the Martin Clock to Indianapolis to have the mechanism thoroughly examined and repaired, a new “There’s plenty of room for graduate involvement and support of the Chapter, just let me know of your interest and we will get you involved.” set of Westminster chime tubes installed and significant repairs made to the ornate columns and filigrees of the mahogany clock case. A master woodcarver spent weeks repairing and replacing broken woodwork on the case. Finally, on April 10, the Martin Clock returned to the Chapter House looking and sounding great. The clockmaker delivered the clock and spent some time giving Brother Cameron McDougal (2012) a tutorial on the care of such a fine timepiece. Psi Chapter is on the rise. Please plan on stopping by the Chapter House when you visit Crawfordsville during the school year. There’s plenty of room for graduate involvement and support of the Chapter, just let me know of your interest and we will get you involved. Please also plan to attend the Annual Meeting of the Association and Norris Pig Dinner on October 9, 2010. The undergraduates living in the House have been working hard to achieve excellence in scholarship, service and leadership at Wabash College, in the community of Crawfordsville and within Phi Gamma Delta. It is great to see these young men learn about living in a fraternity and taking their place in the long chain of successful Fijis from Psi Chapter. Mighty proud to be a Fiji! \r\nThe Little Giant Fiji Page 6 GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT- CARLOS MAY (2001) CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS By: Michael Carper (2013) Before you stepped down to campaign full time, you were a Mayor's Neighborhood Liaison. What did you do, and how has that experience affected your view of this district, and the job of an elected official? Generally speaking, as the Mayor's liaison, I represented the mayor to the community and the community to the Mayor's office and the city government in general. Now on a day-to-day basis, what that means is I was out in the communities and neighborhoods with boots on the ground helping citizens with their daily issues. This could range from getting a chuckhole fixed in front of their house, helping them form new neighborhood associations to helping them resolve zoning issues or quite simply help them navigate the bureaucracy of city government. I helped these citizens regardless of gender, age, race or political affiliation. My job was to help them because they were constituents and I did so happily. This job showed me that what I thought were the major problems in this city were not actually the reality. All though most of the problems are the same anywhere, ie jobs, the economy, quality of life, interestingly I found that drainage issues were the number one concern of property owners in the city. Second highest concern were animal care and control issues. What that taught me was that you never really know what the citizens are thinking and needing unless your ear is to the ground, unless your feet are on the ground, unless you are in the communities on a daily basis. As Congressman, I pledge to continue doing these things, so I can understand and not just assume I know what their needs and concerns are. People need their elected officials close to home. They need to have open and accessible representatives. But most importantly they need to have elected officials that want to do what is right and not just what is easy. How did you go from pre-med to working for the Mayor? What's the link between those two occupations? I wouldn't go as far as to say I was premed. I had hopes of becoming a doctor throughout high school and when I first got to Wabash. But Bio 1 and 2 spearheaded by Dr. Thomas Cole showed me that I did not have the aptitude for that field. All though I finished those course and enough for a minor in biology, my grades in that field were not up to par. I could have worked my way through medical school but would have been a mediocre doctor at best. So I decide I would rather excel in a different impactful field. There is a tie-in between medicine and politics and that is they are both methods of public service. Obviously they are different types of public service. But with the shared goal of helping the every day person. How did life at Phi Gamma Delta benefit you? What was the biggest lesson you took away from this fraternity? No man is an island, I need good hard working intelligent support staff to help me win this election and these same people will be continuing these supportive roles in my congressional office. Also persistence, nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Those are the two key things I took away from Phi Gamma Delta and will carry with me to the halls of Congress and throughout all of my life. What advantage do you think comes with a Wabash education? Wabash teaches us how to think, first Carlos May with his wife Risa. and foremost. It tells us, you don’t walk up to something and immediately make up your mind on it, until you’ve heard all sides of that thing, whatever the issue is, or topic is, or concern is. The mark of a true learned man is someone who can be swayed by a strong argument, a correct argument, and allow his mind to be changed. I think that’s something that Wabash instills into all of us. You know, we might come to this school for one reason, but we stay here because we like what we get out of it. Why do we seem to put out so many people, specifically into government or public service? It’s because we get that instilled into us—that you need to do something that is larger than yourself, you need to do not just for yourself, but for others. And obviously, you’re going to help yourself out at the same time. So why can’t we do both? I mean, we’ve got multiple different Wabash men running for U.S. Congress, which is a good thing. Our current Secretary of State is a Wabash man. President of the Indianapolis City-County Council is a Wabash man. Many people in the mayor’s (Continued on page 7) \r\nPage 7 CLASS OF 2013 RAISES THE BAR By: Gregg Schipp (2011), Chapter President The FIJI class of 2013 is a very diverse group of men who derive from many different backgrounds. Their pledge class is comprised of twenty-one very unique and talented individuals. Among the FIJI class of 2013, there is an individual who hails from the Ivory Coast of Africa as well as those that come from the very home of Wabash College, Crawfordsville. Also, many members of the freshman class have already become greatly immersed in the extracurricular opportunities offered at Wabash College. FIJI ’13 is represented by two members of the soccer, a member of the basketball team, a member of the wrestling team, members of the track team, a member of the baseball team, and a member of the football team. Also, Michael Carper of Indianapolis, Indiana has taken on the role as a blogger for the Wabash College website where you can check out his exciting weekly blogs. The FIJI class of 2013 has also been able to accomplish something that none of the current FIJI classes can claim. FIJI ’13 was able to outshine all other living units to claim the Chapel Freshman Nathanial Borden enthusiastically sings Old Wabash for all Sphinx Club members to hear. Sing championship this past semester. Also, while placing in other categories such as float, banner, and queen, the freshmen were awarded the crown as 2009 homecoming champions of Wabash College. This was an extremely proud moment for the class of 2013 and the entire FIJI brotherhood. As always, Psi Chapter is not for college days alone and we are extremely elated to say that the homecoming victory resonates in our hearts and makes us all proud to be Phi Gams. The FIJI banner overtook the track as the crowd erupted with cheer. GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT continued... (Continued from page 6) office—which I was kind of surprised at—are Wabash men. Mayor Ballard's Chief of Staff Chris Cotterill —graduated a year before I did. We knew each other here. We worked together in the mayor’s office. Wabash turns out gentlemen. We put out people that do what’s right, do what’s necessary, and do it because it’s right and necessary. And I think that’s a testament not only to the school, but to the teachers, and even to the students. I mean, we have one rule at this college. One rule. Every other college that I’ve known or gone to has got a book of rules. Often times thick with small print. We consistently put out top-notch individuals. I mean, that last statistic I heard when I graduated here in ’01 was that something to the tune of like 90% of students go on to a graduate school. Is that because we’re inherently the most intelligent people on the planet? No. It’s because Wabash puts a work ethic into us that is unequaled at any other school, really. And we get in there, and oftentimes graduate school is easier than Wabash. That’s a real testament to our system, and to our College, and to our teachers. Finally, the most important question you will answer this campaign: You may be aware that our owl is missing. It's rumored to be hidden in Chicago. As Congressman, what will you do to return our beloved mascot? I will do everything within my power to put the full weight and might of the federal government behind the immediate return of our beloved mascot. But first, I need all FIJIs across the nation to support my candidacy... So that I have the means to get our owl back. \r\nNonprofit Org Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 Information Update - Tell us about you! Please detach and return with your contact information so we can update our records. We will feature graduate updates in upcoming newsletters. If you want to share your recent news, fill in the news section for your information to be published. Name________________________________________________________ School/year__________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip_____________________________________________________________________________ Phone (H)______________________________________(W)_______________________________________ E-mail__________________________________________________________________________________ News to share with classmates: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Occupation ______________________________ Employer _________________________________________ DONATE I am pleased to make a contribution to Psi of : $1,000 $500 $250 $100 $50 $25 Other $_______________ I would like my donation to be used in the following area: _______________________________________________. Send your donations to: Psi Chapter, 414 South Grant Ave, Crawfordsville, IN 47933-2820 and include this form. Please make your checks payable to Phi Gamma Delta. Design, printing and mailing services provided by the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta.