THE NITTANY FIJI The Gamma Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta Winter 2016 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Hello Brothers, As I begin my term as the President of the Gamma Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, I am excited to see how much farther I can lead this fraternity. In 2015, we raised over $32,000 for the IFC-Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON), $3,000 for the USO, through our FIJI Push philanthropy and $1,500 for Read, Lead, Achieve, we reached a cumulative GPA of 3.38 during the fall semester and excelled in intramural sports, community service, and sustainability. We also participated in Homecoming again for the first time in years, and initiated over 20 new brothers. On top of that, we became the Interfraternity Council’s 2016 Chapter of Excellence and won the 2015 award for Most Improved Chapter. These prestigious awards and accomplishments can be attributed to 2015 President Sergio Mazzini (2016) and a brotherhood that consistently strived for excellence. With so many milestones met and accomplishments behind us, I wonder how can I maintain our positive momentum and make FIJI the unquestionably greatest fraternity on campus. First on the agenda is THON. We hope that despite setbacks that affected the entirety of the university, our total this year will rival that of years past. FIJI is also being represented by three brothers during the event, a greater amount than ever before. We also have numerous brothers participating in the Greek Sweep and State Day of Service community service events, spreading our influence in a positive direction. IN THIS EDITION: Notes from the Corresponding Secretary.......... 2 A Dark Lodge in April 2015!...................................... 3 Class of 1965 50th Reunion..... 3 Graduate Brother Spotlight......................................... 4 Also this semester, Phi Gamma Delta is delving into more philanthropic efforts than previous semesters. We have teamed with the Delta Zeta Sorority to host the first-ever Phi Gam Puppy Jam in late March, where students can come visit the Lodge to play with dogs and raise money for Centre Country PAWS. Following this, we have our annual Norris Pig Dinner on April 2, which is being hosted at the Nittany Lion Inn with Brother Bruce Clark (1980) as the keynote speaker. The very next day, we plan on hosting yet another FIJI Push, pairing with the Pi Beta Phi Sorority to yet again raise money for the USO. After this, we will be participating in Relay for Life, a 24-hour event benefiting the American Cancer Society. With so much on the agenda for this spring term, it seems like the undergraduate brothers will have their hands full. However, I have the upmost confidence that we will yet again excel academically and socially. The opportunities ahead of the Chapter are vast and I cannot wait to see what 2016 holds. Fraternally, Nicholas DeLibero (2017) Chapter President Perge! \r\nNOTES FROM THE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Graduate Brothers, The spring 2016 semester has gotten off to a fast and eventful start. Both socially and academically, the undergraduate brotherhood was been busy to say the least. With 34 in-house brothers, The Lodge has been constantly active over the past few weeks. I wanted to highlight a few of our accomplishments so far this semester. First of all, Gamma Phi was honored this week at the annual Greek Column Awards in multiple areas. We were named a Chapter of Excellence for 2016. As one of only 3 recipients of this award, Gamma Phi has positively separated itself from the rest of the Fraternal community. In addition to Chapter of Excellence, Gamma Phi was also named the Most Improved Chapter of 2015. This award is a testament to the persistence and determination showed by the brotherhood over the last few years. Lastly, Gamma Phi was presented with an award signifying our 5th place finish in 2015’s Greek Sing. Secondly, the spring rush season produced another solid class of young men. Rush chairman Matt McDermott (2018) organized another successful rush filled with many events which allowed the brotherhood to meet and get to know prospective new members. The rundowns of Gamma Phi’s newest potential members are as follows: Kwabena Asamoah Germantown, Maryland Economics and Finance, Sir Lucas Dallas Elliot Baltimore, Maryland Kinesiology, Sir Aaron Sturm Collegeville, Pennsylvania Finance, Sir Mitchell James Wootten Alexandria, Virginia Political Science, Sir As you all know, recruitment is a 365 day a year process. The undergraduates are constantly on the look out for potential Phi Gams. If any graduate brothers have prospects they would like to recommend, do not hesitate to contact me. The Lodge decorated for Christmas Lastly, Pig Dinner is quickly approaching. This year’s event will be held on April 2nd at the Nittany Lion Inn. Invitations with the event’s details have already been sent out to all graduate brothers. If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to Pig Dinner, please contact Bill Reeves (2018) at pigdinner1888@gmail.com. While the undergraduates are thrilled with the success they have endured so far this year, we cannot do it alone. We continue to urge any graduate brother with the time and initiative to get involved with either the House Corporation or the Board of Chapter Advisors. If either of these positions are of interest to you, please contact me so I can get you in touch with the correct leaders. Gamma Phi is excited for the success that lies ahead. I hope to see all of you around the lodge over the coming months. Fraternally, Timothy J. Chwal (2017) Gamma Phi Chapter, Corresponding Secretary Perge! Ryan Hudec Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Sir Pig Dinner April 2, 2016 at the Nittany Lion Inn with keynote speaker, Bruce Clark (1980), Penn State football team, All American and Lombardi Award winner. 2 \r\nA DARK LODGE IN APRIL 2015! Late afternoon while studying for final exams, the lights and all power in the house went dark! Gamma Phi lost all electricity! House Manager, Tim Chwal (2017), called grad house manager, Bill First (1968) in Florida and an emergency plan was put into action. Bill called an electrical contractor, and a contractor who does work at the house and explained the loss of power. A power failure was caused by a major failure of our main line coming into the house. The power company was alerted and shut down the line. To our surprise the feeder line originates from a pole in the ally behind Sigma Nu fraternity, approximately 350 feet from the house. The university was also notified and since the line was underground, through a university park where Sigma Chi used to sit, Gamma Phi and our contractors were not allowed to work on university property! (This is a good thing because we were never invoiced by the university for their work!) The power line ran under North Borrowes Street and the short circuit occurred just as the power line entered our side of the street under the sidewalk. Due to the age and condition of the power line, it could not be repaired and the entire line had to be replaced, underground! This work entailed excavation, conduit for the new wire, removal of some of our drive, and a new entrance into the house with an updated and approved electrical box. This work took over a week to complete and during this time we had to rent an electrical generator large enough to power the entire house! Total cost to the House Corporation was $29,800. We pursued our insurance carrier for coverage and they sent an electrical engineer to the site. The conclusion was that since the damaged line was outside of our house and mainly off our property, coverage we could claim would be less then our deductible! To our surprise, during the 50th reunion of the class of 1965, more than $7,000 was donated to help offset our unexpected costs (see class of 1965 article). The impact to our brothers was minimal as their studies continued. CLASS OF 1965 50th REUNION The first weekend of June 2015, 10 members of the 1965 pledge class attended their 50th reunion at PSU. This trip, including most wives, also had them arrange a luncheon at Gamma Phi. This photo includes (from left): Cal Burgart, Jack Curtis, Nevin Mann, Dana Pickup, Mark Knipe, Rich Dannerth, Dick Lampman, Dave Titus, Dick Stover. Chad Moore was also in attendance. When these Brothers were told of our major power failure in April, they got together and contributed more than $7000 to help the House Corporation offset the costs! 3 \r\nNonprofit Org U.S. Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 Gamma Phi Chapter of PHI GAMMA DELTA PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY 1201 Red Mile Rd P.O. Box 4599 Lexington, KY 40544-4599 Design, printing and mailing services provided by the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta. Graduate Brother Spotlight David Necker (1966) with wife, Anne, and Bill Oliver (1967) with wife, Donna, on a bicycle trip in Vietnam, Nov. 2015. The four of them also ski together in Colorado and hope to meet up with brother Mark Knipe (1965) and Cal Burgart (1965) for some skiing in March. 4 Roy Bertolet, Sr. (1944) Celebrates 75 years of membership. Congratulations Roy!