Mu Upsilon Chapter at Miami University The End of the Slant Winter 2015 FIJI House Rapidly Rising from the Ashes By: Duncan Hutchings (2016) Coming Soon: With the arrival of 2015 Mu Upsilon’s moral has never been higher as construction on the new house continues. The tragic day of May 2013, when the house became engulfed in flames, will soon be a distant memory. The Chapter also plans to see increased involvement in Fraternity and campus activities this year. As the walls of the new house continue to rise, brothers walking along High Street are now able to distinguish the grand fraternal edifice. In addition to the house construction, numerous aspects of the chapter are improving as brothers are becoming more involved with campus organizations, such as: writing for the Miami Student, New House Dedication (October 2015) Inside this issue: participating on athletic teams and serving as ambassadors for FIJI on the Interfraternity Council (IFC). The Chapter’s cumulative GPA is now 3.0, the highest it has been for several years. As the undergraduates eagerly await the opening of the new chapter house, the brothers are mindful of Phi Gam’s humble beginnings, the contributions of its esteemed graduates, and our principal values. A Message from the Academic Advisor By: Rocco Manzo As academic advisor, two of the ways I support FIJI are by helping to ensure the Chapter Rocco Manzo meets Miami’s Community Advancement Program (CAP) requirements and by serving as a resource to help brothers succeed academically. There is some good news to report on both of these fronts. posted a collective 3.08 grade point average in the fall 2014 semester. This performance raised the cumulative chapter GPA to an even 3.0. We think the chapter can do even better in 2015, and we are in the process of setting goals for both the current active brothers as In the fall 2014 semester, the well as the new members who fraternity successfully comwill be joining the fraternity pleted the programming (in the areas of leadership, diver- later this month. The brothers sity, philanthropy, service etc.) have been making very good required for the CAP program. use of my support and other resources available to them, This is critical in order to remain in good standing with the and I look forward to helping FIJI have another successful University. I am also very semester! pleased that the fraternity Clay and Wynette Barnard 2 Gordon and Mary Harnett 3 George and Mickie Simonds 3 Brothers on IFC 4 A Letter from the Purple Legionnaire 5 A Trip to FIJI Academy 6 Information on the Fundraising Effort 7 \r\nEnd of the Slant Page 2 Miami Mergers: Clay ‘69 and Wynette ‘71 Barnard Interview By: Duncan Hutchings (2016) Clay Barnard, chairmain of the Fundraising Steering Committee, graduated from Miami University in 1969. His wife Wynette, who was a proud member of Tri Delt, graduated in 1971. As Clay and Wynette reminisce on their years at Miami, one can see how FIJI influenced Clay as a man and as a husband. During the interview, Clay and Wynette shared many loving memories. They frequently visited a bar called The Purity, which was a large social hub for Miami students. The bar served low alcohol beer (3.2 ABV), which was legal for 18-yearolds back then. One of Clay and Wynette’s favorite FIJI functions was the Purple Garter party, which had a 1920’s dress theme. Men sported old fashioned tuxedos; ladies wore flapper style skirts, and most importantly, garters. On Sundays, Wynette would go to the library and then head to 130 East High to watch the Smothers Brothers and Laugh In. Clay and Wynette also cherished “Blankies,” a traditional activity many brothers participated in. This involved a brother taking his date to the western campus with a bottle of wine and a blan- ket to enjoy a romantic evening. Clay has several fond memories from 130 East High Street. Clay enjoyed the brotherhood dinners. The brothers would dress up in a sports coat and tie and sing grace. Clay recalls, “Dinner was just pretty cool. You really had a chance to communicate with the brothers.” Clay also reminisced about the night he, along with 70 brothers, serenaded his soon-tobe wife in Porter Hall. When asked what FIJI’s greatest impact on him was, Clay said, “FIJI served as a foundation for having a group of great guy friends that are there for life. After 45 years, I can pick up the phone and talk to a brother I haven't spoken to in 45 Since graduating from Miami, Clay and years, and we can cover those years in Wynette have attended numerous social half an hour.” events with other Fijis. Wynette stressed, “There is this instant friendship among One principle that Clay learned through brothers and wives, even though I wasn’t his Phi Gam counterparts was respect. a Fiji.” He said, “Brothers had an incredible respect for other brothers’ dates, and a Wynette also shed light on why she chose group of brothers even showed up at our to be such an integral part of the Barwedding and performed a serenade.” nards’ campaign to rebuild the chapter Another value the Chapter imparted on Clay was FIJI hospitality. Clay said, “Anyone who walks in the house, whether they’re a stranger or not, you extend your hand in a genuine way, introduce yourself. You try to help them with what they need, and you carry that with you the rest of your life.” house. She said, “Not having the experience of a sorority house myself, I think that a house is really a key part to the development of peoples’ character. So, I have been very supportive of this, and glad that Clay has been involved. And glad to give financially, too.” Clay emphasized how much of an aid Wynette has been to him and the camWhen asked how FIJI impacted Clay as a paign. He stated, “Wynette and I are a husband, Wynette replied, “The values team, and the reality is that I could not that he learned at the Chapter, like hosdo it alone.” pitality and respect for others, definitely impacted him. We both also learned how to have a great time with other Fijis, and things like hospitality, service and loyalty are still with him today.” \r\nPage 3 Miami Mergers: Gordon ‘64 and Mary ‘64 Harnett Interview By: Duncan Hutchings (2016) Gordon Harnett graduated from Miami University in 1964 with a degree in economics. After graduating from Miami, Gordon went on to work for IBM and earned a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from the Harvard Business School. When asked to speak about their influences, Gordon said, “The combination of FIJI and the business school helped me get a good start for my future.” Gordon and Mary celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. As a large donor to the fundraising campaign for the new house, Gordon Chapter. He stated, “I’m hopeful and was asked to share his opinion of the optimistic that the house really becomes a place for a very strong chapter to emerge. The brothers I met at Pig Dinner last year demonstrated a lot of poise and maturity, and I’m hopeful that the new house gives young brothers something they can be more proud of and leads to a really strong chapter. Hopefully, we will keep reaching out to graduate brothers who have gone off doing their own thing and lost touch. I hope they can regain connections and know that the Chapter is strong and growing… [The new house] will help in many ways including fundraising.” Gordon also stated that “brotherhood and leadership” are the most important values for brothersto live by. Miami Mergers: George ‘59 and Mickie ‘63 Simonds Interview By: Duncan Hutchings (2016) George Simonds graduated from Miami in 1959. He met his wife, Mickie, in March of 1963. Mickie was a member of Pi Beta Phi, and she graduated in May of 1963. After getting married in September of 1963, George and Mickie traveled the globe for a year, visiting locales such as: London, Calcutta, Australia and New Zealand. After their fantastic trip abroad, the Miami Merger returned to Oxford and established its first travel agency. George recalled his college years in Oxford, and his time as a Fiji. George said one of the most obvious lessons he learned was, “Hospitality [means being gracious] at all times.” In addition to teaching him about hospitality, the most prominent impact FIJI had on George was his friendships. He declared, “Friendship [is] the sweetest influence. Friendship in the house had an incredible impact on me and has con- house corporation treasurer for over 40 years! tinued to do so. I am much older now, but I still have so many young friends who are Fijis. When you get guys who are together for four years, they establish some bonds which just have incredible impacts.” Mickie, George’s spouse for over five decades, also spoke of FIJI’s impact on George. She said, “Knowing that FIJI has done so much for George means a lot to me, and I really like all the Fijis. Everyone who has come to visit has been super nice.” Moreover, Mickie communicated what she believed FIJI ultimately did for George. She affirmed, “The lasting friendships of fraternity life are the key thing that he gained from it.” George is an exemplar of our moto, “not for college days alone.” He has served as \r\nEnd of the Slant Page 4 Undergraduate Brothers on IFC Mark Bennett (2016) My official job title is VP of Fraternal Conduct. I am responsible for handling all fraternity misconduct at Miami. I head a committee that conducts investigations of allegations, holds hearings and issues sanctions to chapters found guilty for any misconduct. I wanted to do this because I find it very interesting, and it is a job I am passionate about. It is easy to work hard for something you really enjoy and this is exactly what this job is for me. I aspire to attend law school, so I definitely see the IFC position as a parallel with possible jobs I would like to have in the future. So far, I have learned how important it is to maintain our Greek system as an overall beneficial opportunity to incoming members. In order to keep our Greek life as valuable as it is for everyone involved, we must stress safety and good decision-making. I plan to increase transparency between fraternities and IFC, making clearer paths for fraternities to operate safely and without liability. In doing so, we will make Miami Greek life an even more productive environment. Leonard Awuah (2016) lieve, at heart, I can assist IFC in its mission for Greek life, which is to continuously improve as a Greek system and to have a positive impact in the community. Within my position, I've learned not only am I responsible for myself but I have an extended amount of responsibilities that affect a wide range of people. From this  Regularly sponsoring meetings/ experience I've gained an understanding round tables of chapter service of what it takes to complete and follow chairs and philanthropy chairs  Compiling records of chapter service through on tasks that will impact others. I intend to help the Greek community donations for Council publications through my position by ensuring that the  Informing chapters of available serrelationship between the Greek commuvice opportunities nity and the Oxford community is always  Coordinating Spring Clean Oxford in good standing. I work towards this goal  Serving as co-chair of the Communi- by actively seeking service opportunities ty Relations Committee within the community and meeting with community leaders to address and solve I see this position as an opportunity to be problems. involved in the Greek community. I beMy job title is VP of Community Service and Philanthropy. My responsibilities include:  Providing outreach assistance to community members by matching needs of the community with Greek volunteers \r\nPage 5 A Letter from the Purple Legionnaire By: Allan “Alphonse” Payne (1969) My latest update on 130 E. High St. is a stream of brief topics: 1. January, 2015 FIJI Academy: Three members of our current Cabinet – Andrew Karle (President), Duncan Hutchings (Corresponding Secretary), Jack Onulak (Historian) – and I went to St. Louis for this year’s Fiji Academy. We joined over 700 Fiji brothers there. It was two days of in-class learning, great food, and Fiji brotherhood from the U.S. and Canada. You just cannot beat top-of-the-line filet mignon. 2. The Archons’ Presentation: As part of my educational track as the PL, I was in a session with the Archons, who laid out their future strategies: #1 Growth – 170 chapters by our 170th year (2015 is year #167). This will include more national branding and stronger individual chapter support. #2 Stronger Graduate Involvement – building more and better graduate Allan Payne (1969) chapters and having a strategy to more strongly lock in the young graduates. #3 Values – Embedding Phi Gamma Delta’s values much more strongly into each Fiji brother. 3. Risk Management: More than ever, risk management is the primary concern on college campuses today – the safety of students, the physical safe-keeping of the fraternity houses, and compliance with all university and state & local laws covering risk. Emphasis will be heavy as we proceed, and Section Chiefs, Field Secretaries, House Corporations, BCAs, and PLs will be giving considerable emphasis to this critical area. As a result, 130 E. High St. will be adding specific risk management requirements into our Bylaws and the Cabinet, as well as the PL will be handing out the Risk Management information so that all undergrads see the critical importance. 4. Communication: A more significant effort will be made with the Cabinet and PL meeting quarterly with Miami administration and the Chapter’s Field Secretary. Subjects will be reviewing university expectations for fraternities, getting updated on changes in university policies, gaining feedback on anything specifically related to 130 E. High St, and emphasizing transparency in all relevant communications. 5. Undergrad Bios: Many of you know of the undergrad bios at http://miamiphigam.weebly.com/. I encourage you to go there and see the caliber of men holding up and advancing our long heritage. 6. Grad Bios for Mentoring: In keeping with the undergrad bios, we would like to solicit graduate Fijis to let us know if you would like to be involved as mentors to undergrads in your specific field. If this gains traction by your response, we will create a graduate brother site of bios for undergrads to access and contact you. 7. Off-Site Leadership Retreat: The Cabinet will be setting aside two consecutive Saturday mornings, off-site, for leadership training. A few of the topics will be a) Leadership - leading with the three simple skills of Vision, Alignment, and Execution; b) Creating a Vision for Fijis at 130 E. High St.; c) Reviewing targeted goals for 2015; d) Reviewing the current chapter status; e) Cabinet succession planning. 8. FIJI “Branding”: Using our history, values, and distinctions to identify a strong 130 E. High St. “FIJI Brand.” Allan “Al”/“Alphonse” Payne (1969), Purple Legionnaire Perge! \r\nEnd of the Slant Page 6 Save the Date Mu Upsilon 58th Pig Dinner Weekend April 24-26, 2015 A Trip to FIJI Academy By: Duncan Hutchings (2016) In January, I ventured to St. Louis, Missouri for the annual FIJI Academy along with Chapter President Andrew Karle (2016), Chapter Historian Jack Onulak (2016) and Purple Legionnaire Allan Payne (1969). Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Fijis from across the country, and we were treated to hospitality at its best. The first event was an introductory dinner where the 700 leaders of Phi Gamma Delta exchanged names and stories, quickly making friends in the process. Over the course of the weekend, Andrew, Jack, Allan and I attended sessions for our respective positions. We learned how to become better leaders and how to perform our duties as best as possible. Our final dinner at FIJI Academy was an unforgettable experience. FIJI Academy will always be a fond memory for me, Andrew and Jack, and we will work with Allan to implement what we learned in St. Louis into our Chapter at Miami. L to R: Duncan Hutchings (2016), Andrew Karle (2016), and Jack Onulak (2016) AD ASTRA Mu Upsilon would like to extend our deepest condolences to the families of our deceased brothers. Mark B. Bailey (1978) John H. Gunst, III (1974) Gerald W. Munson (1961) Richard L. Bird (1961) Norman L. Hayes (1963) Murray F. Peters (1942) Daniel K. Brown (1973) James L. Henle (1968) David C. Spriggs (1957) Robert C. Brown, Jr. (1990) Jeffry P. Hoogerhyde (1963) Dennis J. Vari (2000) Douglas E. Gealy (1982) Eric B. Longsworth (1990) \r\nPage 7 Information on the Fundraising Effort Who is on the current Mu Upsilon Association Board - commonly called House Corporation? Mike Wagner 2010 President Dick Hutchinson 1969 Treasurer George Simonds 1959 Asst. Treas Clay Barnard 1969 Mike Bevis 1970 Michael Schlabig 2010 Jim Secor 1967 Steve Unger 1975 203. 770. 3759 203. 676. 7056 513.523.2298 843.384.5874 937.439.3801 216.870.6002 989.430.6785 937.623.6284 mwmwagner13@gmail.com hutchRIA@RCN.com simondsg1959@yahoo.com barnardclay46@gmail.com mbevis@strategicsalesmmp.com michaelschlabig@gmail.com jimsecor@gmail.com steve@roseliusinsurance.com Who is on the campaign steering (fund raising) committee? Clay Barnard 1969 (chair) Cory Foster 1967 Jim Secor 1967 Steve McLane 1969 Mike Bevis 1970 Jeff Torrence 1973 Dave Cook 1975 Tom Slusser 1988 Brian Gravitt 1990 843.384.5874 308.633.1164 989.430.6785 614.327.5263 937.439.3801 678.618.3456 740.361.5015 614.406.8111 513.309.8526 barnardclay46@gmail.com coryfoster@allophone.com jimsecor@gmail.com sbmclane@aol.com mbevis@strategicsalesmmp.com Jtorrence@southpro.com dfc089@yahoo.com tslusser@gmail.com briandgravitt@icloud.com Mu Upsilon Founders - In Memoriam Glenn R. Barr (Allegheny 1919) Harmon C. Darrow (Denison 1936) John S. Davis (Ohio Wesleyan 1936) Phillip C. Ebeling (Ohio Wesleyan 1928) Robert A. Howell (Purdue 1912) William G. Payne (Denison 1926) Harold H. Staff (Colorado College 1925) John A. Thiele (Denison 1914) Dwight H. Thompson (Virginia 1916) Carl D. Werner (Wittenberg 1021) We are being guided by Sinclair, Townes & Company, a professional fundraising firm in Atlanta, Georgia. Mark Wilkison (1983), Senior Vice President of the firm has kept our feet to the fire and helped provide structure for this funding effort. Additionally he is a Fiji from the University of Vermont and the former Executive Vice President of the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky. He knows our Fraternity! What percentage of association members and steering committee members have made commitments to the Campaign? 100% of our board members and steering committee members have made their commitments to this effort. How can I help with the campaign? Please consider a generous financial donation. We will be in touch to provide details on how you can make your pledge. In addition, if you would like to volunteer your time, services or expertise, please contact Clay Barnard at 843-384-5874 or barnardclay46@gmail.com. \r\nNonprofit Org Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 From all of the Undergrads at the Mu Upsilon Chapter, thank you Brothers! Design, printing and mailing services provided by the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta.