BETA SIGMA BRIEF Phi Gamma Delta • Ball State University Dear Brothers of the Beta Sigma Chapter, It has been an award-winning spring semester for our chapter. The hard work of our brothers, past and current, has begun to pay off and it hasn’t stopped us from having another productive semester. Utilizing our dynamic recruitment techniques, Beta Sigma welcomed its’ biggest spring pledge class ever with the Alpha Kappa pledge class consisting of 14 pledge brothers. The size of this pledge class brings our total membership to 84; the biggest our chapter has ever been, and the second largest Fraternity on campus. As you can see by the amount of awards listed, we have had a successful year at Beta Sigma. The highlights include being named the best IFC Fraternity on campus, being named one of the top three student organization on campus, and of course, bringing home the Beta Cup for the first time in our chapter’s history as the best Fiji Chapter in the state. We are proud of all the awards our chapter has received this semester and we are looking forward to Ekklesia in Indianapolis for a chance to gain more international recognition. We are excited about this summer’s opportunities as we hold our annual Ride Across the Purple Valley, beginning July 20th and ending July 24th, as we ride into the opening dinner at Ekklesia to present our donation to the United Service Organization. Lastly, I would like to thank all Graduate Brothers who came to our fall initiation with us in Lexington, spoke at our Purple Pride Night, or came back to Muncie this February in celebration of Pig Dinner. Beta Sigma appreciates all of your contributions to and participation with our chapter. Our chapter would not be where it is today, in experiencing all of the current successes we are, without all of the hard work which came before us. If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me using the methods below. P! Contact Jacob: Jacob D. Cash 724-316-1478 Chapter President jdcash234@gmail.com Generated by CamScanner Fun Facts About the Chapter • 84 total members • 21 brothers initiated during the 2013-2014 school year • 18 brothers graduated this spring Awards Student Organization Awards Ceremony (SOAR) Awards: • Our Chapter was named a top three student organization on campus out of more than 300 student organizations (the only Greek Organization in the top three) Grand Chapter Awards: • Our Chapter was named the Best IFC Fraternity on Campus • Jason Fry (2014) named the IFC Council Member of the Year • Riley Holkan (2016) named the IFC Most Outstanding New Member State Day Awards: • Awarded the Beta Cup for the Most Outstanding Fiji Chapter in the State of Indiana • Brother Sean Ratkus (2014) was named the Most Outstanding Member in the State • Awarded First Place for Outstanding Graduate Relations • Second Place for Best Campus Involvement • Second Place for Best Pledge Education • Second Place for Outstanding Community Service • Recognized for our Capture the Flag Outstanding Community Service Event \r\nFIJIs on Campus Phi Gamma Delta • Ball State University Andrew Bennett (2014) • President, Versa Studios Internship Program Chris Block (2014) • President of Navigators Association Luke Boyer (2014) • Vice President of IGNITE Zach Brown (2014) • Executive Director of Media Relations, BSUDM Will Kuhn (2015) • Ball State Power wheelchair soccer team Dylan Stone (2014) • Executive Director for Cardinal Communications Austin Zehr (2014) • 2014 Lickety Split Coordinator Alec Immordino (2016) • VP of Scholarship and Academics for IFC Chris Winslow (2016) • Video Director for Cardinal Communications Riley Holkan (2016) • Senator, Student Government Association, Credentials Board Member Graduate Brother Spotlight Jamie Manuel (2008) Traditionally, this space has been utilized as a way for graduate brothers to reflect on the impact that their time in the chapter has had on their professional careers. There is no doubt that the skills that I have developed and the experiences I have had played an integral role not only in my employment and tenure with Eli Lilly & Co., but also in my pursuit of graduate study at the University of Oxford. However, in digging a little deeper, I have discovered a more organic effect Fiji induced. The Fraternity helped me to shape values— namely service and stewardship—that act as a keystone for areas proximate to my professional life. As an undergrad, service initially meant community service hours mandated by the chapter, usually so that we might be a contender for an award. As the years progressed, I understood the deeper meaning. It was a reminder of the opportunities afforded to me through privilege, not necessarily by my own merit, and it called me to relinquish expectations of reciprocity. Indeed, one of my mantras—“Give 100% and expect nothing in return”—has served as the foundation for interpersonal relationships, both nascent and mature. And it’s not always service by action; sometimes service means setting the phone aside and being present, truly present, in order to listen, learn, and love. Though, most significant has been the value of stewardship: being a part of something bigger than myself and protecting its brand. As Fijis, our actions reflect our values, and each action adds to or subtracts from our brand. So how do you know whether your actions add or subtract? The answer lies in the Ritual. If we are our Ritual and its inclusive values, our reputation grows. With misalignment comes deterioration. And if you think no one is watching, you’re wrong. Like, really wrong. This sense of stewardship and constant guard of the Fraternity’s reputation are not exclusive to Fiji. They have been transferable to all organizations of which I have been a part: Lilly, CrossFit NapTown, Green Templeton Rowing Crew, to name a few. Actions, no matter how small, affect these organizations. I must constantly remind myself that neither the aforementioned organizations, nor Fiji are completely mine. They are collectively owned, and intrinsically part of an implicit organizational contract to safeguard and build. Simply: Serve selflessly. Protect relentlessly. \r\nService Phi Gamma Delta • Ball State University For 2014, our chapter set separate goals for both Ball State’s voluntary service program (OSL) and for our International Headquarters of Phi Gamma Delta (IHQ). The goals we agreed upon for each brother were 20 hours and 30 hours a semester, respectively. So far, we have recorded 965 for OSL and 1500 for IHQ and the semester is not even over. With 78 of our 84 brothers contributing toward this total, we believe this semester has been very successful in terms of service. We are shooting to reach 1000 hours for OSL by the end of this semester and for zero brothers to have zero service hours. This past semester, we have worked very closely with Habitat for Humanity and other charitable organizations. Organizations include Second Harvest Food Bank, Friends Memorial Church, and Boy Scouts of America. Brothers have not only donated cans to Second Harvest Food Bank but many have also volunteered their time to sort and repackage food for those in need. We have worked at multiple food banks during the winter months to provide groceries to less privileged Muncie citizens. Brothers have made several trips to Habitat for Humanity to help repair and build homes for Muncie locals. We have built a close relationship with this organization over the past semester and they continue to ask FIJI to help with the building of homes in our community. For our spring service retreat, a group of brothers and pledges traveled down to Turkey Run State Park to participate in a weekend of camping and park cleanup. 23 brothers completed over 400 hours of service that weekend, doing tasks such as invasive species removal, pool cleanup, parking lot cleanup, and nature center cleanup. Overall, we believe we have recorded a high amount of service hours this semester for the chapter and we hope to continue to see a rise in outreach for the Beta Sigma Chapter. -Austin Zehr and Jason Conn, Outreach Chairmen Interfraternity Council Update This year we had many different things go on in the IFC world. The first was Alec Immordino was elected as VP of Academics for the 2014 year. So far this year he has paired with Resident Hall Association to create a better study environment during finals week. We also welcomed a new fraternity to IFC, Phi Mu Alpha, a music fraternity on campus. This was not their first time trying to become apart of IFC but they persisted through and are now full members. IFC also welcomed its newest associated members of Pi Kappa Phi, who are now in the colonizing stage and are hoping to become a full member of IFC within the next year. IFC is also trying to increase membership next year by hosting a Meet the Greeks fair, to showcase all the fraternities on campus. Currently Ball State has a 12.5% Greek presence on campus and has continuously grown over the past year. Ball State Greek Life is also pairing with Ball State Athletics to increase the attendance at athletic events and to build an overall better relationship between the two. - Tucker Hecimovich, IFC Delegate \r\nRecruitment and Pledge Education Phi Gamma Delta • Ball State University Recruitment for the Spring 2014 semester was a huge success. The Alpha Kappa pledge class contains 14 members, which is the largest Spring semester pledge class in Beta Sigma’s history. Recruitment Chairmen Jim Zheng and Riley Holkan worked diligently day and night in order to secure that the Alpha Kappa pledge class would succeed. Our main focus this year within pledge education was to teach the pledges how to hold true to our motto: scholarship, fraternity, self. We are accomplishing this by giving every pledge opportunities within their pledge class, that will result in the betterment of the fraternity and themselves. We then encourage them through positive reinforcement to achieve these opportunities resulting in the pledge class pushing themselves to fulfill their full potential. This outstanding pledge class has been excelling in both service hours and academics. The Alpha Kappa pledge class has already accomplished more that 200 service hours. The pledges also understand the importance of academics, as their average GPA is a 3.33, which is almost two tenths of a point higher than the chapter’s average. The Alpha Kappa pledge class will stop at nothing short of perfection, they are capable of not only meeting, but also surpassing any goal that is put in front of them. There is no doubt in my mind Beta Sigma will have a very bright future with the influence of the brothers in the Alpha Kappa pledge class. - Riley Holkan, Co-Recruitment Chairman Alec Immordino, Head Pledge Educator Donate to the Chapter Yes! I want to invest in the future of the Beta Sigma Chapter! Name Phone Address Email Signature I wish to donate: For: $25 $50 $100 Black Diamond Scholarship $250 Other:________________ RATPV Other:___________________ Send form with check to: Phi Gamma Delta 900 W. Riverside Ave. Muncie, IN 47303