TEXAS H FIJI The Longhorn Fiji–The University of Texas at Austin Established 1883 Spring 2015 CHANGES ABOUND AT TEXAS FIJI Texas Fiji Named Top Fundraising Team for Race for the Cure Austin I t is an exciting time to be a Texas Fiji. The new facilities are the talk of the University, the Chapter remains strong, and is the top fraternity on campus. Unfortunately, the current environment for being in a fraternity is not so encouraging. The media and many groups have been critical of fraternities in general. Our Chapter has been met with some negative press and has been attacked by known and unknown organizations/ individuals with the intent of discrediting our good name. That said, I am proud to state we are in good standing with the University. The current cabinet and several BCA members have developed an excellent working relationship with the Interfraternity Council, the Office of the Dean of Students, and International Headquarters. Much collaboration is taking place between these organizations, the current and next year’s cabinets, and significant and substantial change is being implemented. Effective April 1 the Chapter hired Betsy Clements and Jason Kuhlman. They both will be taking over for the retiring Sue Raymond (July 31). Betsy is well known to our Fraternity family and throughout the Austin community. She will be the new finance manager and is working closely with Sue to get up to speed with the finances, budget, and what it takes to run the Fraternity. We look forward to leveraging her experience and talents. Jason has accepted the newly created role of chapter coordinator, created to take some of Sue’s tasks but also to build relationships with the young men and help instill personal responsibility and peer accountability. Jason is a student development professional with fraternity leadership experience and is thoroughly trained to encourage and help develop our young men in leadership, character, and values. He is passionate about helping college men develop the life skills necessary to be leaders in college and beyond. We are also working with Josh White, our excellent chef for the last 10 years, to take on additional responsibilities of House Dad. The plan is for Josh to live in the house to assist the young men 24/7 and be the front line security The Chapter raised $37,300 for Austin’s 2014 Race for the Cure. I n 2013, Tau Deuteron formed its first Race for the Cure team. And just one year later, they were named the top fundraising team for Austin’s 2014 Race for the Cure. The Chapter raised $37,300 total, which is $26,335 more than they raised in 2013. The fundraising initiative was led by Matt Luna PC ’11 and Zach Dorflinger PC ’11. The 2014 team made fundraising a major focus of their efforts, setting their goals high. Texas Fiji hosted a benefit concert that raised more than $20,000. The 2013 Race for the Cure team was formed in honor of Matt Luna’s mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier that year. This year she was able to walk with over 115 Texas Fiji team members as a one-year breast cancer survivor. The Susan G. Komen Foundation has become a meaningful cause to Texas Fiji. They were proud to present the foundation with a check for $37,300. Their efforts were honored during the alumni dinner and were featured in a story on April 24 for KVUE (ABC affiliate). Tau Deuteron is making plans to form a 2015 Race for the Cure team and continue their fundraising efforts. for the house. He will be working in conjunction with the chapter coordinator. A new job description matrix has been put in place with a calendar allowing the cabinet and staff to clearly understand roles and who does what and when. Special thanks to Mark Winter PC ’79 for his help and assistance in this process. Please stop by the house and meet our new team. The BCA continues to work with the Chapter leadership and the new chapter coordinator and Purple Legionnaire to implement the new pledge education program, encourage improved understanding of the Fiji rituals, increased academic focus, philanthropy, and to establish a strong “vertical” bond within the Chapter. Thanks to David Duke PC ’84 and Parker Brody PC ’08, Purple Legionnaire, for their hard work with the Chapter on improving the rituals and the initiation service. Four new members were initiated in the spring ceremony. Well done and a round of clicks to the current cabinet. I look forward to seeing you at the house or at one of the alumni recruitment fundraiser events this summer. Special thanks to William Griffin PC ’83 for taking on the role of alumni recruitment chairman. GTBO, Tom W. Shirley PC ’78, BCA President tom@twshirley.com Perge! \r\nH Page 2 Phi Gamma Delta TAU DEUTERON MAKING A DIFFERENCE Spring Semester Focused on Philanthropy and Improved Academics A s we began another spring at 300 West 27th Street, the active Chapter looked forward to our first whole semester inside the newly constructed addition. Completed in September, Buen Fiesta houses 22 additional junior brothers, as well the majority of Chapter events. We are thankful for the continuing support of the Purple Owl House Corporation as we settle into our new home. Recruitment on the Horizon We are excited to begin yet another season of recruitment. The recruitment team, consisting of David Duncan PC ’13, Luke Hart PC ’13, Bennett Campbell PC ’13, Brian Bell PC ’13, Clayton Comeaux PC ’13, Harrison West PC ’13, and Luke Gholston PC ’13, has begun rushing the next group of young men joining the 40 acres. Assistant Recruitment Captains Robert Sjoberg PC ’14, Scott Uhl PC ’14, and Max Canon PC ’14 are excited to join in the process of recruiting the next Fiji pledge class as well. One major focus of this year’s recruitment captains is to increase alumni participation in our state-wide fundraising events, which will occur in late May and early June. Please see the box below for the recruitment dates, and we look forward to seeing you in your hometown. Nearly 40 brothers attended the Shipe Park Restoration Philanthropy Project in early March. Top-Notch Academics Some of the most exciting news is the Chapter’s recent academic successes. Last fall, the Chapter attained a 3.23 cumulative GPA as a whole, with new members procuring a 3.24 individual pledge class GPA! As we stated last semester, a completely revamped academic policy aided in this great success, a benchmark that has not existed in Tau Deuteron for the past few years. In order to continue this trend, the Chapter has increased the amount of study hours for actives and has even adopted an iPhone app that records time spent at the library for individuals. The app, called MyGreekStudy, eliminates the need for several of our formal study halls, and has truly assisted in ensuring members get to the library. Philanthropy Focus Zach Dorflinger PC ’12, along with a few other members of the senior class, organized a team for the second year in a row in the annual Race for the Cure. The team was the largest of the entire race and raised more than $37,000 for cancer research! Continuing the focus of the Chapter’s increased participation in philanthropic opportunities, many members of the sophomore and junior classes participated in Clean Austin Parks day. Nearly 40 actives helped clean Shipe Park in north campus with many other local residents. The Chapter also has a team in the annual Longhorn Run and plans to partner with members of the Latino community to create a joint team for the event. Many thanks go to our hardworking philanthropy chairmen, Evan ChangTung PC ’13, Ryan Baumgartner PC ’13, Walker Shirley PC ’13, and Brian Bell PC ’13. Exciting things are happening at Texas Fiji, and it is in large part due to such generous graduate support. Thank you! We hope to see you back in Austin soon. GTBO, Andrew Campbell PC ’12 Chapter President andrew.campbell457@gmail.com Brothers enjoy the annual sophomore spring break canoe trip through Big Bend. 2015 Recruitment Underway A s the seasons change and we head into summer, the recruitment period has started once again. The Texas Fiji recruitment team is hard at work! It is our pleasure to take on the responsibility of recruiting new members to ensure the strength and longevity of our Chapter for years to come. As a graduate, your job is to inform us of potential new members. It is very helpful to know when you recommend a man for recruitment; after all, you know what we’re looking for and it makes our job that much easier. We also hope you’ll join us for our recruitment receptions when they’re in your area. Here are the dates of our events: Dallas: Occurred on Wednesday, May 20, Dallas Country Club Houston: Wednesday, May 27, Molina’s Cantina Austin: Tuesday, June 2, Shoal Creek Saloon San Antonio: Thursday, June 4, The Argyle Please join us for these events and contact one of us if you feel there is someone we need to meet. We hope you are all doing well and look forward to meeting you soon. Perge! Texas Fiji Recruitment Team Brian Bell PC ’14, Austin, brianbell1994@yahoo.com Bennett Campbell PC ’14, Dallas, bennettcampbelltx@gmail.com \r\nTexas Fiji Page 3 Pig Dinner and Parent’s Weekend Success H The new Adirondack chairs in honor of Sue Raymond’s retirement. Ed Clements, father of Ferris PC ’10 and Ben PC ’13, emceed the annual Frank Norris Pig Dinner for yet another year at Tau Deuteron. his year’s Pig Dinner was a whopping success. Once again, thanks go to Robert Canon PC ’72 for organizing the event and DeWitt Waltmon PC ’76 for the invitations. The classes of the ’50s with more than 20 members in attendance were the best part of it all. Delano Womack PC ’52 and Brad Fowler PC ’52 topped the night off by leading us in song. We had more than 325 attend and the new facilities handled the event perfectly. Parent’s Weekend was the following weekend with over 270 attending a mother/son dinner at the house. Josh once again did an excellent job with the meal and preparation. This year there was a new twist; when the dinner was over the floor was cleared and a band set up to play. The dads joined the fun after dinner and the party went on late into the evening. to a standing ovation and was presented a plaque for her service of 15 years. She was also recognized at the mom’s event during Parent’s Weekend. She was given a beautiful necklace and scrapbook of letters, notes, and pictures put together by the Dallas Mom’s Club, and in Sue’s honor, the Chapter was presented with 10 white Adirondack chairs to be used in the yard of Buen Retiro. We are so thankful for Sue’s loyal service to the young men of Tau Deuteron Chapter. Hank Howard PC ’13 leads the Chapter and graduate brothers in his rendition of The Exile’s Toast. The oldest alumnus present, Judd Miller PC ’53, and the youngest active present, Max Canon PC ’14, kiss the pig before the meal. Grant Hatzmann PC ’14, John Snodgrass PC ’14, Patrick Elliott PC ’14, and Ford Albert PC’13 in the patio area between Buen Retiro and the new addition. T Additionally, Sue Raymond is retiring as of July 31. Sue was recognized at the Pig Dinner Brian Bell PC ’13 and Ruben DeLong PC ’13 celebrate Pig Dinner underneath the porte cochere of the new addition. AD ASTRA Edgar O. Bottler PC ’47 of Greenwich, Conn., passed away on March 1, 2014. Robert G. Farris PC ’49 of Harlingen, Texas, passed away on September 24, 2013. Howard Bagby Jr. PC ’77 of Fort Smith, Ark., passed away on May 30, 2013. We had a superb showing of PC ’55 graduate brothers, many of whom received their Gold Owl pins for continued involvement in the Chapter and Fraternity. Visit www.texasfiji.com for all things Texas Fiji! \r\nGoing the Extra Mile for Buen Retiro I t’s an exciting time to be a Texas Fiji. Spring has sprung and we’re ready to head into the summer recruitment season. We have an excellent house to tout to our prospective new members and the undergraduates are thrilled about that! TEXAS H FIJI Phi Gamma Delta Buen Retiro Committee P.O. Box 4769 Austin, TX 78765 Address Service Requested To add to the excitement, thanks to the nearly 800 alumni and friends, we’ve raised more than $5.5 million for our capital campaign. To all those who have generously given of your time and treasure, you have made us successful! Turning Our Attention to Buen Retiro Because of the success of the new addition, we are now turning to Buen Retiro. We originally budgeted $250,000 for work to Buen Retiro that included installing a new roof, new gutters, exterior painting, and enlarging the Chapter room. There is $300,000 in the House Corporation account to do that. With the tremendous success of the campaign and all the work that is needed to make Buen Retiro the historical masterpiece it should be, we would also like to do the additional work required to honor the history of Buen Retiro and improve the facility to make it more useful and efficient for our Chapter members and alumni. Our goal is to do as much of this work as we can this summer. As a two-phase project, the remaining work will be completed during the summer of 2016. Fortunately, now that we have the new addition, wear and tear on Buen Retiro is lessened and this extra work can be preserved. Texas Fiji Needs Your Help Once More—Go the Extra Mile In order to complete all of the necessary work to Buen Retiro, we need to raise an additional $1 million by December 31. To truly do this entire project, and to do it well, we’ve got to go the extra mile. Pledges are welcome, but cash is even more helpful. We really need $1 million cash by the end of the year. You can make your donation online at http://texasfiji.kintera.org/campaign, or e-mail one of us for a pledge form. This campaign represents the opportunity to preserve for future generations the incredible legacy and history we received in Buen Retiro. It is time to join together; our goal is achievable and within sight. We need all Texas Fijis to make a pledge today to support Buen Retiro. GTBO, Campaign Chairmen Bobby Orr PC ’75 (832) 428-8595 borr@orrinc.com Kevin R. Snodgrass PC ’78 (713) 254-1315 kevin.snodgrass@cushwake.com ATTENTION: This newsletter is intended for alumni and parents. If your son is still attending the University of Texas, he will receive a copy at the Chapter House. If he has graduated, please send us his permanent address to update our records. Thank you. Class Participation Update T hank you to all who have helped push our campaign to this point by participating in the class participation challenge! Here is an update on where the top three classes of each decade stand as of April 2015. Thank you again for your support! 1940s_____________________________________________________________________ 1948 42.86% 1940 36.36% 1947 33.33% 1950s_____________________________________________________________________ 1954 100.00% 1955 66.67% 1957 41.38% 1960s_____________________________________________________________________ 1961 25.93% 1960 23.08% 1965 20.00% 1970s_____________________________________________________________________ 1978 71.43% 1974 69.70% 1976 66.67% 1980s_____________________________________________________________________ 1983 53.33% 1989 52.63% 1982 35.14% 1990s_____________________________________________________________________ 1994 50.00% 1992 45.45% 1991 35.90% 2000s_____________________________________________________________________ 2000 37.21% 2003 29.41% 2001 26.09% Give today at http://texasfiji.kintera.org/campaign