January-February 2016 THE COMET FIJI Phi Gamma Delta at The University of Texas-Dallas | Est. 2010 Tau Delta Cabinet President Josh Manning (2017) Treasurer Nick Reina (2018) Recording Sec. Connor Christina (2016) Corresponding Sec. Phillip Plymell (2017) Historian Victor Ron (2017) Tau Delta BCA Dave Harben (Ball State 2004) Aaron Maestes (Texas-Arlington 2005) Charlie Barker (Emory 1967) Tom Fitter (Texas-Dallas 2012) Jai Sondhi (Texas-Dallas 2011) utdfiji.alumni@gmail.com A New Standard of Excellence in Scholarship for Tau Delta S ince being appointed to the position in fall of last year, scholarship chairman Danny Trevino has been committed to improving the chapter’s average GPA rank amongst student organizations on campus. With a majority vote, the chapter recently raised its standard from a 2.5 grade point average up to a 2.8. All brothers who fall below this standard are put on academic probation, and a new 3-strike system has been implemented upon which a brother on his third strike of probation will be asked to sign a letter of resignation. Spearheaded by Brother Trevino, he hopes these new policies will hold brothers accountable for our first priority of scholarship. However his contributions haven’t stopped there. He holds bi-weekly study sessions on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and for those on AP, he manages a strict point system in which probationers must report their exam scores, monitored study hours, and tutoring lab hours on a weekly basis. When asked about his expectations of the future of Tau Delta scholarship, Trevino stated, “I hope that in the near future, we will attain a chapter average of 3.2 making us number one amongst IFC fraternities.” With this goal in mind, Tau Delta has its work cut out for it as we currently stand at a 2.95 cumulative GPA. Fun-Raising at Mooyah It is always difficult to think of good fundraisers that will attract many students and still make money for the chapter. With these requisites in mind, fundraising chair Kusha Abdolahi set out to find the most popular local restaurants among students that would be willing to share profits in exchange for our on-campus marketing. His endeavors led to a deal with Mooyah which resulted in a day of food and fun with friends of the chapter, potential new members, and of course, the wonderful ladies of various sororities who dropped by to show their support for Fiji. 1 \r\nJanuary-February 2016 What, No Pledges?! This Spring’s recruitment season was truly a challenge for everyone involved. While the recruitment events themselves ran smoothly and had great attendance, all of the potential members could not accept a bid or be extended one due to a myriad of circumstances. Freshman Recruitment Chair Michael Dean got a firsthand experience of any and everything that can go wrong during the recruitment process and had this to say about the season. “It was definitely a huge learning experience. Looking forward, we will be headstrong on 365 recruitment leading to the fall where we hope to attain our goal of achieving the largest recruitment class for that semester.” Tau Delta Grads Still Active This semester, many of the brothers have been delighted to see old faces around the area. Whether it be at a scheduled event or a random encounter in public, us Tau Deltas are always pleased to see those who have passed the reigns on to us. Though we are still a young chapter, we do not want to forget or graduates. Therefore, the chapter as a whole has been actively seeking ways through which we may not just stay in-touch, but actively engage with one another on a regular basis. Though our Bi-annual Not for College Days Alone Dinner was not a success recruitment wise, we noticed exceptional graduate brother attendance especially for a Spring dinner. We also recently hosted an Allen Americans Game night where brothers Jeep Kursimongkol and Dave Schallert lent their rowdiness to the atmosphere of a thrilling game of hockey. Though the spring semester is halfway over, we still have a couple graduate events planned before we finish. (Shown right) Donate Today! Your generous contribution to the Tau Delta chapter will be greatly appreciated, as having financial security ensures our operations continue without a hitch. Donations to FIJI will go towards the White Star Scholarship and the Capital Campaign, as well as help us in our recruitment efforts. Visit legfi.com to make your donation to the Tau Delta chapter today. Every penny counts! utdfiji.alumni@gmail.com Upcoming Graduate Events: Norris Pig Dinner April 16th Fiji’s annual graduate dinner where members can catch up with old classmates and celebrate the history and future of Immortal Phi Gam Graduate Barbecue TBD Come celebrate the end of the semester with the brothers of Tau Delta chapter for some great food and refreshments. 2