MIAMI UNIVERSITY • PHI GAMMA DELTA • FALL 2019 “New FIJIS” Move into 130 East High! A big welcome back to the undergrad FIJI Brothers to 130 East Street as they start the 2019-2020 school year. Miami just announced the largest freshmen class of 4400 who are on campus and ready to start classes on Monday, August 26. The streets of Oxford are bustling again. Can you remember those days? The graduate FIJI brothers of Brian Gravitt, Mike Bevis, Rick Graeff, Matt Kuchers and Kirk Jones welcomed the all hands meeting on Sunday, August 25 and grilled more than 150 burgers and hot dogs for the 60 in attendance. The house was in great shape and all met the new house director Roosevelt Jackson. Welcome, Rosie! It’s always a good day when the Oxford and Miami police stop by for a social visit. We were honored to have three of Oxford’s finest visit with us and provide recommendations for our behavior. All of the undergrads listened intently as the police shared stories about how to stay out of trouble. They stayed for more than 30 minutes and their presentation while casual was well received. New House Corporation President Brian Gravitt headed the meeting as we moved into the White Star Café for a forty-minute business session. This meeting followed an undergrad session headed by the President Jay Jones. Brian introduced Board of Chapter Advisors Kirk Jones, Matt Kutchers and Mike Bevis. Also introduced was the new house director Roosevelt Jackson and Jim O’Donnell, the man who keeps the house clean and presentable. Roosevelt did very well in telling the brothers about how to live in the house. Be smart and pick up after yourselves. We are here to help you but be smart. Continued on page 2 \r\nAll Hands Meeting Our house is a “dry” house meaning no alcohol. So, do not be walking down the halls with a can of beer or walking around on the first floor with alcohol. Having Rosie living in the house will surely assist us grow and prosper at 130 East High. Kirk Jones talked about the potential for the new kitchen. We have hopes to have it up and cooking before Pig Dinner assuming the fund raising is successful. He received a great round of clicks. One of the key issues facing the house is the need for a large (and smart) pledge class next spring. We have less than 30 living in the house now and due to financial constraints, we need to fill the house. All brothers were asked to start the recruiting process now so that we are out in front in January and February. Thanks to all the undergrads and the graduate brothers for showing up and participating in the 2 Sunday afternoon all hands meeting. It was an excellent kick off to the new school year. "Alphonse" Allan Payne (1969) Purple Legionnaire \r\nBack to School Brothers, It is with great joy and excitement that we ring in yet another great year to be a FIJI. As members of the newest class move in to 130 E. High Street we are all reminded of perhaps the greatest year(s) of our lives. Our new class is smaller in numbers but strong in character. I am confident that these men have what it takes to be leaders not only within our chapter, but on our campus as well. Each year brings positive changes. Among other things this includes the welcoming of our new live-in advisor, Roosevelt Jackson. We are excited to have him as apart of our team and I believe he will provide resources to our entire chapter to ensure the continued success of Phi Gamma Delta at Miami University. Additionally, for those that were not able to attend Pig Dinner 2019, you were deeply missed and we hope you all can make it in 2020. For those that did attend, on behalf of the entire undergraduate Mu Upsilon Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta I wanted to extend our deep appreciation for your dedication to this chapter well beyond your college days. I know that the entire undergraduate chapter had an amazing weekend and hope you did as well. I wanted to give special thanks to Al Molina (1980) and Matt Wynveen (2021) who worked very hard on making the weekend go smoothly. Lastly, if you have any questions about the current undergraduate chapter please do not hesitate to reach out and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Again, thank you to all for the continued support to the undergraduate chapter and I hope to see you all at pig dinner next year. Jay Jones Chapter President Gratitude and the 2019-20 Outlook As I begin the term as House Corporation President, I want to start with some recognition for a few brothers and men that have given an extraordinary amount of time, resources, and love to our fraternity chapter. First among equals is Mike Bevis (1970) who served for the past 6 years as HC President starting during the planning for the house rebuild through to the present. Mike is a great leader who keeps everyone positive and focused on driving improvement with Phi Gamma Delta. Mike will continue to share his talents and passion as he leads the Board of Chapter Advisor. I would like to thank a number of brothers who recently rolled off of House Corporation into Emeritus status including Clay Barnard, Chuck Goodwill, Joe Takacs, Mike Wagner, Steve Unger, and Warren Soare. Your contributions have been enormously impactful and we appreciate your years of leadership. I would like to express appreciation to Purple Legionnaire Allan Payne (1969) who has carried a disproportionate share of the load for many years and his impact with our undergraduates is immeasurable. We appreciate that “Alphonse” will remain in position and we will work to expand our resource base to enable a more manageable work-life balance. While Property Manager Jim O’Donnell was not formally initiated, he has proven to hold every virtue of a Phi Gam in his service to our chapter. And finally, thank you to Roosevelt Jackson, our new House Director, who has taken a leap of faith and Mike Bevis, Kirk Jones, Matt Kuchers, Brian Gravitt, Roosevelt Jackson, Rick Graeff brotherhood to provide leadership and support for our chapter in this new era. With the addition of the House Director and the renewal of the Board of Chapter Advisors, the chapter will experience more graduate resource and attention than it has felt in decades and that is crucial at this time in a fraternity. Miami University Continued on page 4 3 \r\nRecruitment Chair My name is Hugh Meyer and I am a senior. One of the reasons I volunteered to be recruitment chair was that I felt supported and involved here when I was a freshman being recruited by FIJI. I am extremely excited about the prospect of PNMs and starting my job. One of the main problems we’ve had in the past few years is participation in the recruitment process as a whole fraternity. In the past, much of the recruitment has been brought upon the members of the recruitment board and the executive committee. This year, we are pushing actives to become more active by organizing houses and groups together to take turns in spending time and engaging with potential new members. As the semester begins we will have daily communication with the entire fraternity about gentlemen that they’ve met who exemplify a potential man of Phi Gamma Delta. These names will be added to a list and communicated with as soon as possible and brought around to the fraternity house and annex homes to engage with the members of the fraternity and build bonds before the second semester. This engagement will leave us in a great spot come the start of recruitment in the second semester. That said, we plan on hosting multiple recruitment focused events where active participation will be required in an effort to bond and share experiences with PNMs. Some of these invents include a golf outing, paint ball, a recruitment cookout, bowling, and a shooting outing. As the recruitment chair looking back at being recruited myself, I feel that these events went a long way for landing me at FIJI and I hope to share my experience with PNMs. I look forward to the rest of the semester and year. Hugh Meyer Proud to be Continued from page 3 has initiated its “Honoring Fraternity” strategy which aims to: • Create a fraternity culture which develops and rewards student leadership • Insures academic excellence and student success through the undergraduate experience • Holds chapters and student accountable in facing the challenges and risks of hazing, alcohol and drug use, sexual violence, and general conduct In collaboration with our undergraduate cabinet officers and the chapter at large, the graduate brothers have aligned on the strategies and drive execution on the Miami plan, we have additional priorities: • Build sustainable capabilities in the execution of housing leases and operation fund stewardship • Grow membership with the highest quality of new members through strong recruitment plans 4 • Raise funding to invest in house upgrades and enhancements to deliver best-in-class undergraduate experience • Communicate and build our brand by promoting the many positive aspects of Mu Upsilon life with all of our key constituents (MU, City of Oxford, parents, IHQ, graduate brothers, etc) We will provide updates at regular and frequent intervals throughout this important school year. Meanwhile, let me close by thanking you, our graduate brothers, for your enduring support and interest. It is clear that you truly believe in the FIJI mantra “not for college days alone” and your sustained commitment will remain vital to our success. Perge! Brian Gravitt (1990) House Corporation President briandgravitt@icloud.com 513-309-8526 \r\n“Back to School” In 1986, Rodney Dangerfield starred in a film titled BACK TO SCHOOL. In that comedic gem, Dangerfield’s character, a late middle aged father, finds himself living and interacting daily with typical college aged students. How could I not draw parallels to his situation and the role I have taken as House Director? As I watched the Brothers move into the house, most of whom had spent the prior 2 semesters in the university managed dormitories, I sensed their anticipation for a less strict environment. I quickly discovered that I was having an intensified awareness of the importance of my role in helping them manage their new found freedom. As a former athletics coach, I am confident in my abilities in that regard. Therefore, I am comfortable, pledging my commitment to leading this group of young men. I, in conjunction with other members of the leadership team, will be implementing some new personal development strategies that will to be an extension of the education our young men receive on campus. Collectively, we feel there has been a gap in that space and we intend to fill it with an organized and at times intensive program. Ultimately, the goal must be for our brothers to learn leadership, accept responsibility, and create lifelong friends with lasting memories. This will be fun! Roosevelt Jackson, Jr. House Director WWW.MUFIJI.COM Please check out the new Miami FIJI website designed and developed by Brother Matt Deevers (and House Corporation Trustee.) This new site is to serve as a communication hub for stronger chapter communications. Graduate and undergraduate brothers are working on a new website for Phi Gamma Delta at Miami University. The site, mufiji.com, will eventually become a place where anyone connected with FIJI at Miami can find valuable information about what’s happening with the current chapter, and how they can support the success of undergrads and the house at 130 East High Street. The current mufiji home page shares basic information about Phi Beyond keeping graduate brothers informed, we want the site to showcase the contributions our undergraduates make in the community. Parents of current and prospective brothers will also be able to access information about informal and formal recruitment, pledge education, active brother expectations and rental agreements on the site. Gamma Delta’s values and leaders in the undergraduate chapter. There is also a section reminding brothers about Pig Dinner 2020. Over time, the site will also incorporate feeds from Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, so that everything you need to know about the Miami FIJIS can be found in one place. 5 \r\nPhi Gam Parents, Greetings & welcome from the Mu Upsilon Graduate and Undergraduate Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. For some of you this may be your first connection to Greek life and for others you may have been involved as a college student. Please know that you are not in this alone. We want to be a resource for you and your son(s) as they are involved in fraternity life with Phi Gamma Delta at Miami University. Our number one priority is to keep your student SAFE while providing a great experience of personal growth and academic success. Phi Gamma Delta is aligned with Miami University’s “Honoring Fraternity” strategies to: • Develop student leadership for the future by providing leadership experiences • Focus on academic excellence and student success • Work to mitigate the challenges of hazing, alcohol and drug use through a positive culture of accountability We are off to a great new year. I am enclosing some resources for your review and use. • A copy of the housing agreement for living in the fraternity house. • A list of Undergraduates, Graduates and University contacts related to Phi Gamma Delta. • A copy of the most recent Phi Gamma Delta Newsletter, “The End Of The Slant” We are excited about the new year and some significant changes that have taken place and are planned. Here is a quick list: • We now have a full time, live-in, house director, Roosevelt Jackson. Yes, he will live in the house and add a real sense of direction for those brothers residing there. He is an employee of Miami in the Farmer School of Business. He has been the assistant track coach and has real business experience at Dow Chemical and James River since he graduated from Miami. • We are finalizing plans to add a House Director Suite, and a full service kitchen and food service provider so that the young men can take meals in the house. When the house was rebuilt in 2014 and 2015, we did not finish a kitchen or a House Director Suite. Now we realize that there is a real need to do both. Brothers living in the house currently have to eat uptown or within the university’s food plan. We think we can offer better food at very competitive pricing while increasing brotherhood at each meal. Plans are underway and fundraising efforts have 6 started, and we hope to have both of these projects underway very soon. • We are planning to offer some leadership development programs to aid the men in developing as leaders and help them to identify and develop future leaders. As a whole, Miami University’s Greek System is very strong with 47 fraternity and sorority organizations and more than 5,100 students involved (30% participation). The overall GPA of Fraternity men is a robust 3.16 cumulative grade point average which is higher than the all male average (3.04) and the non-affiliated men’s average (3.01). The Greek system raised $257,955.99 last year alone for various philanthropic ventures and contributed 25,140 hours in community service. (Reports compiled from data obtained from chapters and Miami University) One of our great mottos with Phi Gamma Delta, is that it is “Not For College Days Alone”. We have a large number of graduate brothers that are actively involved in the Undergraduate Chapters, Graduate Chapters and Miami University as a whole. We believe that your son has set off on an adventure that has the potential to truly impact his life for many years to come. While we have a large number of graduates involved, we are ALWAYS looking for more, we welcome FIJI and non FIJI alums, Miami University graduates and others to contribute and get involved. If you have an interest in helping out, just let us know. If you have any questions, concerns or just want to talk, we are available and we always have an open door – we believe that our goals are the same as yours. You can reach us via our contact information (attached), Please view our website at MUFIJI. com and check us out on Facebook at Phi Gamma Delta Mu Upsilon Chapter - Miami University or on Instagram at miami_FIJI. We are looking forward to an amazing year. Brian Gravitt – President, House Corporation (Miami University 1990) Mike Bevis – President, Board of Chapter Advisors (Miami University 1970) Allan Payne – Purple Legionnaire (Miami University 1969) Kirk Jones – Board of Chapter Advisors (William Jewell 1989) \r\nLetter from FIJI Parent Thanks Kirk for the nice letter from your FIJI Board of Chapter Advisors. I can say with confidence that our son is having an awesome experience with Phi Gamma Delta... one that he, his mother, and I all hoped he would have. He’s made some great friends, and Phi Gamma Delta is giving him great opportunities to develop his leadership skills and demonstrates a strong commitment to service. His Mother had a wonderful time last spring at Mom’s weekend, and I am certainly looking forward to Dad’s weekend. During the move in, our son introduced us to Roosevelt Jackson (your house director) and we were immediately impressed. Great addition. His mother and I also strongly support the idea of a kitchen and food service at the house. I believe most other parents would support the idea as well. Have a great day and thanks again for the communication. A concerned but happy FIJI Father Fund Raising Marching Toward 2028–Two Hundred Years Old at the End of the Slant Mu Upsilon is launching a new campaign to raise capital in support of major upgrades and enhancement projects (kitchen, House Director suite) and other needs for the long term competitiveness of the chapter. Our house is only a few years from being 200 years old. Our campaign will begin soon and the graduate brother team leading the campaign, including campaign chair Al Molina (1980), is finalizing the scope of projects, planning outreach and communications, and working through giving options and other logistical aspects of the campaign. The campaign will operate in two phases including Phase 1 to secure funding to begin kitchen construction before early November and Phase 2 to drive participation, target attainment, and completion ahead of Pig Dinner in April, 2020. While our first step of the campaign will be to raise $200,000 to install a much needed kitchen for the undergrads and to make many other needed improvements. Class leaders are being solicited at this time and your involvement would be appreciated. Initially the classes of 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981 have pledged more than $50,000 to get us started. The kitchen will be in the name of David B. Bowen. If you are ready to pay it forward, please contact Al Molina class of 1990. All graduate brothers know the impact and value of their Phi Gamma Delta experience on their personal and professional lives. Our chapter is thriving right now with a great membership of undergraduate brothers living in a new chapter house in the best location on campus. With additionally investment, we can secure our future atop the Greek organization roster and provide the best fraternity experience at Miami University or anywhere else. Thank you to all who have participated and put us in this enviable position and thank you to all who will continue to “Pay It Forward” with their gifts in the upcoming months. Look forward to further communications or reach out to anyone on House Corporation or Board of Chapter Advisors to start the process. We look forward to securing our future at the end of the slant as we move towards 200 years in Oxford. Thank you for your generosity and involvement. Perge! Alan Molina House Corporation Board of Trustees Almo322@aol.com 7 \r\nThe Return of the Kitchen Brothers, many of you have fond memories of breaking bread together with your brothers in the house. The camaraderie, the brotherhood, tales told and yarns spun at dinner time. We are excited to be moving toward the option for the brothers to enjoy meals in the house once again. We believe that it is not only a time of bonding but it will be a great enticement to encourage the undergraduates to live in the house. It appears that we can provide daily quality meals for less than what the men would pay on campus or when eating out. We have developed the first round of design and layouts. Initial estimates for equipment and dinnerware have been gathered, and initial discussion have been 8 had with a quality food service provider. We are now in the process of seeking preliminary approval from the City of Oxford Historical and Zoning organizations. The biggest hurdle is still ahead, raising the necessary funds to see the Return of the Kitchen! Kirk Jones William Jewell College FIJI (1989) \r\n“FIJI Mountain” The brothers from the class of (1971) decided it was high time to get together. They traveled from Maine, San Diego, Oregon and various locations in between to meet in Breckenridge, Colorado for a “FIJI Mountain” reunion on August 2831. This was truly “not for college days alone” as they hiked, biked and drank a few brews together as they endured the 9400 feet of elevation. Brothers shared pictures of FIJI Island, Purple Garter and numerous other eclectic moments as they reminisced via digitized photos and a classic video (which will remain hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar by brothers Seger and Steiner). Keels Perge! Tom “Kals” Kaloupek, Marc “Dief” Diefenberger, Tom “Forbsie” Forbes (1970), Craig “Augie” Augsburger, Dick “Olies” Olinger, Greg “Keels” Keeley, Brent “Brento” Steiner (1970), Dewey “Dudley” Harris, Fred “Seegs” Seger, Jeff Torrence (1973), Jim “Rosie” Rosel and Chip Barton. 9 \r\nPhi Gamma Delta Fraternity Mu Upsilon at Miami University 1201 Red Mile Road P.O. Box 4599 Lexington, KY 40544 Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 THE END OF THE SLANT FALL 2019 MU UPSILON CHAPTER AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY MU UPSILON OF PHI GAMMA DELTA PRESENTS THE Frank Norris Annual Pig Dinner Plan on the weekend of April 24, 25 & 26, 2020 Book rooms now at the Elms Hotel in Oxford, 513-524-2002 Special 50 Year Anniversary for the Graduating Class of 1970