WINTER 2017
Enhance
need our help today, right where they are standing? These young men, who feel today what we did when we were 18-22, deserve every opportunity that we had. These young men who we are preparing to be tomorrow’s leaders need our support now.
By Patrick W. McGovern, Indiana ’99
Isn’t it possible for a thing to have positive as well as negative tendencies, and still be worth trying to preserve? This fall we are in an interesting position. Fraternity membership is at one of the highest levels of all time (around 380,000 members undergraduate men). There has never been a more relevant time for young men to join fraternities. Yet we are also living in a day (as I’ve mentioned before) when it seems like every week we hear of another fraternity-related incident on a college campus; and a day when the occurrence of temporary “system-wide suspensions” of fraternity activity is taking place at an unprecedented rate. While I won’t focus here on Acacia’s perspective on these situations, I go more in-depth on the newly-created Acacia Executive Directors blog – acacia.org/ exec-blog/ As of this fall’s chapter roster process, to determine who is a current active member, Acacia has approximately 1110 active members (before pledging and initiating for the year), our highest number of members in the past 24 years (we had 1259 in 1994-95), and 35% higher than our membership low (during that period) of 824 in 2005-06. We will initiate approximately 500 young men during the academic year, & our membership at the end of the year should be approximately 1600 active members. As a brotherhood and as an organization, some would suggest that we’ve never been stronger. Yet there is so much we can do to improve. What will we do to continue to adapt? We stand here today, with our agency still in hand. How will we adapt to ensure that the positive aspects of the fraternity experience remain available to young men who need what the fraternity provides as much as you and I did when we were undergraduates? How will we let go of our personal perceptions such as “when I was in school, it was like this… and if it’s not like that anymore, I’m not going to be involved…”, in enough time to have a positive impact on the young men who are students now? How will we let go of “until the chapter starts doing X, I’m not going to be involved”? How will we remember that young men
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To me, my undergraduate Acacia experience (extra-curricular) was far more influential than the academic work that I did. Perhaps I’m a somewhat unique case study, but I’ve talked to more Acacians than not that have the same perspective. I’m asking for your help. Somewhere between 1-3% of alumni Acacians are either engaged in volunteering as an advisor or house corporation board member, or are a donor to the Acacia Fraternity Foundation. That’s not good enough if we believe that Acacia has some value for young men going forward. We have a very talented, hardworking HQ staff and we need more resources to create a progressive model of what Acacia can be today. The most direct way you can support our International Fraternity is to donate to the Annual Fund of the Acacia Fraternity Foundation. Donations to the Annual Fund help our organization provide programs, services, and staff support to all of our chapters. It makes sense to also give to your chapter’s Chapter Fund, to support the local chapter, and I am asking everyone to consider a gift to the Annual Fund this year. Donate at acacia.org/donate. Brothers, we have many reasons to be proud of Acacia Fraternity. We also have challenges ahead. I hope that you find some enjoyment in this edition of the Triad. As the year closes out, I am grateful to serve as your Executive Director and wish you and yours a happy holiday season! Again, I would also invite you to go to acacia.org/exec-blog for more of my thoughts as well as a list of positive stories about Acacia! Fraternally,
Patrick McGovern, Indiana ‘99 Executive Director Acacia Fraternity
CONTENTS
Executive Director Patrick W. McGovern Indiana ’99
Director of Communications & Education Benjamin B. Turconi California ’12
International President Jeremy N. Davis Iowa State ’00
International Treasurer Robert W. Mickam Texas ’87
First Vice President Scott H. Meyer St. Cloud State ’89
International Counselor George A. Ray Penn State ’10
Second Vice President Justin M.M. Kaplan Carleton ’07
Judge Advocate Maximilian J.B. Hopkins California ’80
Undergraduate Counselor Graham A. Pedregosa Carleton ’15
Undergraduate Counselor Ryan N. McDowell Oregon State ’14
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17
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ACACIA FRATERNITY FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2017-2018 President Amos D. Meyers Jr. Shippensburg ’66 Vice President William M. Riley Kansas State ’60
Executive Director Darold W. Larson Washington State ’81
Secretary James Katsaounis Ohio ’95
Treasurer William A. Utic Cornell ’74
Directors Dr. John C. Barber Kris R. Lutt Purdue ’58, Emeritus Nebraska ’90 John F. Beering Purdue ’88, Emeritus
Roger A. Nealis Indiana ’63
Dwyte E. Brooks Northwestern ’69
John B. Pugh Iowa State ’50, Emeritus
John “Chip” Brueckman Cornell ’76
Robert E. Roberson Illinois Wesleyan ’74
Gerald C. Cook Shippensburg ’66
Michael L. Rollins Washington ’87
Aaron P. Darcy Indiana ’95
Larry E. Schroeder Georgia ’77
Brian R. Durst Wisconsin ’87
L. Dennis Smith Indiana ’56, Emeritus
David L. Ferguson Indiana ’74
Donald W. Solanas Jr. Louisiana State ’68
Scott C. Graham Penn State ’98
Robert G. Travnicek, M.D. Kansas ’59
Mark R. Guidry Jr. Louisiana State ’57
Michael C. Tu California ’91
Ronald T. Hopkins Syracuse ’69
Dewayne E. Ullsperger Nebraska ’82
Andrew Jee Oregon State ’87
John W. Wedgwood Purdue ’60, Emeritus
Dr. John B. Lane Vermont ’57, Emeritus
Harold D. Zarr Jr. Iowa State ’73
CONTACT ACACIA HEADQUARTERS AT: communications@acacia.org or at (317) 872-8210 acacia.org
8 CHAPTER NEWS AND UPDATES
Our chapters are doing amazing things! From high GPAs to record human service hours, see what your chapter has been up to this last semester.
17 PLANNING PERFECTION
Planning is an important part of chapter operations and is essential to operate at the highest level possible. Read about how Purdue chapter held a chapter retreat and planning session and how it led to vast improvements.
19 AN ACACIAN’S PLEDGE
Last Februrary, the unthinkable happened and a pledge at Beta Theta Pi’s Penn State Chapter lost his life during a pledge event. Read about what the Acacia chapter is doing to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.
3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 8 EXPANSION AND COLONY OUTLOOK 9 CHAPTER NEWS AND UPDATES 18 ALUMNI NEWS AND NOTES 20 CHAPTER ETERNAL 21 AFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LETTER ADDRESS CHANGES, CORRESPONDENCE AND MATERIAL FOR PUBLICATION MAY BE MAILED TO: TRIAD Editor, Acacia Fraternity, 8777 Purdue Road, Suite 225, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or emailed to: communications@ acacia.org. All submissions are subject to editing for space and clarity. Standard postage paid in Indianapolis, IN.
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PRESIDENT’S LETTER
We Continue By Jeremy N. Davis, Iowa State ’00
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” -Sir Winston Churchill Welcome to the Winter 2017 TRIAD of Acacia Fraternity! Just as the World around us continues to change; we too, at Acacia, continue working toward building a better, stronger, and more effective Fraternity that enhances brotherhood, educational opportunities for our undergraduate brothers and chapters, and are working to strengthen alumni engagement at the local chapter and with the International Fraternity. Since our Summer 2017 TRIAD, we’ve had many exciting developments which I’ll now share with you. Acacia International Council and Acacia Fraternity Foundation Joint Meeting In addition to the undergraduate programming at Acacia Leadership Academy, two other meetings also occur—the summer in-person meetings of the International Council and of the Acacia Fraternity Foundation Board of Directors. Traditionally, the two entities meet each summer (whether at Conclave or ALA) for their respective International Council or AFF Board meetings and then jointly meet for a short-time, as well. But, this past summer’s meetings in Bloomington were different. Instead of the typical hour-long, joint meeting that traditionally had been held between the two governing entities; the boards felt it was important that we not only meet jointly for more in-depth discussions, but also to determine strategies in which both organizations (the Acacia International Fraternity and the Acacia Fraternity Foundation) would be able to more effectively maximize/leverage our resources (financial, personnel, volunteer leadership, etc.). Over the course of two separate, half-day joint meetings during ALA between the International Council, AFF Board, and Headquarters staff, a common question was posed: “What does alumni engagement ‘look’ like?” While we all agreed alumni engagement
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can take-on many forms; however, from the Fraternity’s perspective alumni engagement is often in the form of volunteerism through serving as a member of a chapter advisory team, as a housing corporation board member, alumni association volunteer or volunteer leader with the International Fraternity. From the Foundation’s perspective, alumni engagement is often in the form of attending alumni gatherings in various regional areas, being a financial supporter of scholarships or educational programming for the Fraternity underwritten by the AFF, or serving as an AFF Board or committee member. This lead to a further discussion about how both the Fraternity and the AFF can enhance alumni experiences, to which we all agreed begins with increased communications between the Fraternity and Foundation, with our broader stakeholders and within our Fraternity and AFF headquarters operations. The joint meeting discussions also provided an opportunity for the Fraternity and Foundation to discuss how the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is changing its operational model and its impact on Acacia (more information regarding the NIC 2.0 initiative can be viewed online at: http:// nicindy.org/about/2-0/), issues that are occurring on college campuses and the need for developing additional educational resources for our undergraduate and alumni volunteer leaders on how to address challenges/issues at their campus, and how to better meet the needs of our undergraduate chapters. While it would be great to share that through our joint meetings at ALA we identified the necessary solutions to address all challenges and issues, that would be erroneous and irresponsible on my part. However, both the International Fraternity and Foundation have recognized and identified several challenges and issues facing Acacia and now the hard work begins to develop resources and solutions, which we are committed to do going forward.
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
The joint discussions between the International Fraternity and Fraternity Foundation proved to be much-needed and it was further agreed-upon that having a unified Strategic Plan (to be approved at the 2018 Conclave) will be beneficial for both the Fraternity and Foundation, rather than a solely Fraternity-driven strategic plan, which was the basis for the past three strategic plans. Acacia Strategic Planning Committee In the coming months, and in preparation for the 2018 Conclave, several of the goals and strategies identified during the joint meetings of the Acacia International Council and Acacia Fraternity Foundation will be more clearly defined as we develop our next Strategic Plan that will guide the Fraternity and Foundation in the coming years. To do this, we’ve jointly-appointed brothers (representing various stakeholders of Acacia: undergraduate brothers, undergraduate chapter leadership, alumni brothers, chapter advisors, local corporation boards, Headquarters staff, AFF, and International Council) to serve as members of the Acacia Strategic Planning committee. The Acacia Strategic Planning committee will be surveying our brothers (both undergraduate and alumni) for feedback and input, as well as to evaluate our metrics (where we’ve been, where we’re at, and where we’re going) for both the Fraternity and Foundation. While both the governing entities recognize the challenges ahead, we believe the Strategic Planning process we’ve embarked upon will allow us to build a stronger, more effective Acacia Fraternity. If you’d like to learn more about our current metrics, visit: http://www.acacia.org/strategicplan. We’ll also update this webpage with our draft 2018 strategic plan (early summer 2018, prior to Conclave).
Educational Resource Development As our International Fraternity endeavors to develop and deploy educational resources to our undergraduate brothers and chapters, this would not be possible without the support from our alumni brothers, as either volunteers or through tax-deductible financial contributions to the Acacia Fraternity Foundation, or both. Inside this issue of The TRIAD, you’ll find an envelope pre-addressed to the Acacia Fraternity Foundation. As you’re planning your next year’s gift, we humbly and sincerely ask you to consider making a tax-deductible gift to the Acacia Fraternity Foundation. Your financial support today will allow the Fraternity to continue its work in delivering top-notch educational resources to our undergraduate chapters. As Acacians, we have a responsibility to ensure the next generation of Acacia undergraduate brothers have an enjoyable and fulfilling undergraduate experience with our beloved Fraternity. As such, I ask you to join me in making a contribution to the Acacia Fraternity Foundation this holiday season either online at acacia.org/donate or via the enclosed envelope in this Winter 2017 edition of The TRIAD. And so, have a safe and Happy Holiday Season and best wishes for a successful and prosperous 2018!
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Jeremy Davis, Iowa State ’00 President International Council of Acacia Fraternity 4
ARIZONA STATE CHARTERING
The Newest of Our Roll
Arizona State Chapter Receives Their Charter!
Arizona State Members holding their charter with International President Jeremy Davis, Executive Director Patrick McGovern, and Director of Expansion and Recruitment Jerod Miles.
On Friday, November 3, 2017, several members of the International Council, Directors of the Acacia Fraternity Foundation, and Headquarters Staff traveled to Tempe, Arizona where we presented the 40 undergraduate brothers of the Arizona State Colony with their Charter! The Chartering celebration had over 170 individuals in attendance, representing 13 different chapters of Acacia (including 11 undergraduates from our Oregon State Acacia Chapter who drove 20+ hours to attend). Past National President John Hoffner, Purdue ‘66 and
International President Jeremy Davis, Iowa State ‘00, International President Jeremy Davis, Iowa State ‘00 said: “It was truly an awesome experience to see the excitement in the ASU undergraduates when they were presented with their Charter!” This event exemplified that the brotherhood is a family as many parents of the undergraduate brothers attended. This allowed the parents, as well as the undergraduate brothers, to better understand the ‘global’ nature of our Acacia brotherhood! Truly, Acacia at Arizona State has created a home away from home for its members. The ASU Chartering celebration’s keynote speaker was Past Acacia National President Brother John Hoffner, Purdue ‘66. Brother Hoffner delivered a strong message to the ASU Acacia undergraduate brothers and reminded them that their new Charter didn’t give them an excuse to ‘rest on their laurels’ and to keep working hard for the betterment of Acacia. It’s a message all Acacians need to be reminded of from time to time! This charter is much deserved after multiple semesters of campus involvment, philanthropy, and successful recruitment. The Arizona State Chapter exemplifies everything that it means to be a part of Acacia and we look forward to what they will continue to accomplish. Congratulations Arizona State and welcome to the rolls of Acacia Fraternity! 5
UW
WSU CARLETON
UVM
SCSU
OSU
RPI CORNELL
UWM MORN. UI
ISU UNL COL KSU
IUP
TRINE IWU
OSU
PUR
ISU UI
MU
BLOOM U
PSU
CUP
MIL U
OU IU UNC
UCO
AU
ASU
LSU
CHAPTER
COLONY
FUTURE EXPANSION
HQ
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CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES
CURRENT EXPANSIONS 20 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA Without a new expansion project this fall, Acacia has focused on internal growth with our chapters in colonies. Every chapter and colony has been challenged to initiate 47% more members then they had the 2016-17 Academic year. We know our chapters can meet this goal if they stay focused on valuesbased recruitment and making strong relationships during the recruitment period. This fall, Acacia Headquarters added a new Chapter to our numbers with our Arizona State Colony Chartering! They are now focused on growing their membership as they move into their new housing next fall. Our remaining 3 colonies are at the University of Iowa, University of Vermont, and University of Washington. The Iowa Colony has seen significant success on campus and hopes to continue this once they charter. Our Washington Colony has developed a stronger relationship with our Headquarters office this Fall and our hope is to continue this relationship in the upcoming year to help them be put in a position to charter. Vermont has continued to maintain strong communication with the Headquarters office and are aiming to grow this year as well. For future Expansions, we are in the process of finalizing our calendar for the next couple of years. Next Fall, we return to Louisiana State University! The following semester, we will be starting a new colony at LSU’s SEC rival, Auburn. Additionally, we are planning to return to Miami of Ohio as early as next year, but the date for the return has yet to be finalized. For the 2019-2020 year, we have three projects that are in the beginning stages as well. Our goal is to return to both the University of Texas and the University of California-Berkeley by as early as Fall 2019. We have also finalized an agreement with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, to return to campus in 2020. The future growth of Acacia is on the upswing as we begin to return to campuses and start at new ones. If you know of any recent or upcoming graduate that would like to play a part in our expansion projects, please send their name to our Director of Expansion and Recruitment, Jerod Miles. If you personally would like to apply for these positions, please send your name and résumé to jmiles@acacia.org.
FUTURE EXPANSIONS 52 LOUISANA STATE UNIVERSITY FALL 2018
VENERABLE DEAN GERRIT VAN MAANEN gerrit-vanmaanen@uiowa.edu 2017 has been a huge year for the Iowa Colony of Acacia Fraternity. This marked the start of our third year on campus since our refounding and each one of our twenty-three men had high hopes for what lay in store. After two successful rounds of recruitment we’ve grown this colony to forty-six active members, all of whom do a great job of representing this organization in all that they do. We’re happy to say that we are leading the campus in intramurals, achieving our academic goals, and becoming a more active presence on campus. Additionally, we have reclaimed our chapter structure! Through careful diligence on behalf of our corporation board we were able to seamlessly transition back into our chapter house at 202 Ellis Avenue, and are proud to say we have one of the nicest fraternity houses on campus thanks to an extensive remodel orchestrated by our corporation board. A house does not make an organization great, but it is certainly beneficial to have a home base for all of our goings-on. It has been a fantastic year for the Iowa Colony and it is my deepest hope that our momentum carries into 2018 as younger members step up into leadership roles, and we bid several founding fathers good-bye. 2017 has been a time for growing – and growing pains – and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. So Live.
23 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON VENERABLE DEAN COREY ROGERS coreyrogers53@gmail.com
The University of Washington Acacia Colony is currently sitting at 28 actives after initiating 2 great new brothers in December. For our version of Acacia Claus, we partnered with the Toys for Tots drive held by the local masons. For the third year in a row we raised toys and money, and attended a dinner together. For the upcoming quarter, we are really focusing on recruiting a new class of men to usher in our next generation of actives.
48 UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
NEW AUBURN UNIVERSITY
VENERABLE DEAN JAMES WEISBECKER jweisbec@uvm.edu
32 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
The Vermont colony has continued to live out Acacia’s Motto of Human Service by participating in serving meals at the Hope Lodge in Burlington. This semester we add two new members to our ranks and are aiming for a successful Spring 2018.
SPRING 2019
SPRING 2020 7
CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES
CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES (as submitted by chapters)
94 ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY VENERABLE DEAN RYAN OZENBAUGH theohzie@gmail.com
We are now a chartered chapter! After countless hours of effort from active members, alumni, and headquarters staff, we can now officially count ourselves as a chapter of Acacia Fraternity. We held a chartering banquet in the beginning of November where we had over 170 people present! This has been an amazing journey so far and we look forward to the great things that our chapter will accomplish.
61 BLOOMSBURG
VENERABLE DEAN ZACHARY KNOX zmk71349@huskies.bloomu.edu The Bloomsburg chapter has made great strides to promote women’s health and awareness about rape culture. All of our members have attended two women’s health/ rape culture seminars in order to gain knowledge about rape culture since it is such a prevalent topic on college campuses. The chapter has also been a leader with community service. Last year we were in the top three fraternities for the most community service hours. This year we will attempt to lead all fraternities by having the most community service hours on campus. We were able to recruit 10 more brothers this semester and attempt to duplicate these numbers in the spring. Overall, this semester has been great and we hope to continue to have a positive effect on our campus.
85 CARLETON
VENERABLE DEAN ERIC NEWCOMBE acaciacarleton.com This semester, we have put all of our attention on restructuring operations and focusing on what our purpose as a fraternity should be. We look forward to growing more in the coming months.
61 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA VENERABLE DEAN PETER SHEETZ centralacacia.com
The University of Central Oklahoma Chapter of Acacia Fraternity had a successful 2017 summer and fall semester. After attending the Acacia Leadership Academy in July, our executive leaders returned home with the training and fire they needed to bring the light to our chapter. We began the school year with a fantastic barbeque put on by our favorite chef “Mama Spells” (mother of active member Charles Spells). Alumni, active, and potential new members all gathered to enjoy delicious food and lots of laughs over classic stories of years past. Throughout the school year, we strove to create positive change in our chapter. Senior Dean and longest standing active member, Zach Gill, worked countless hours on revamping our pledge education process with a new emphasis on bringing the ritual to life. Robert Smith, our Athletic Director, led our team to several victories that would not have been possible without his skills as a coach and player. Charles Spells, our Treasurer, implemented a structured dues payment program that guides members
83 CALIFORNIA OF PENNSYLVANIA VENERABLE DEAN MARK SANTUCCI san9995@calu.edu
Unfortunately, due to deferred recruitment we had a poor rush season this semester, but we are optimistic for next semester as we have six to ten potential new members dedicated to joining in the spring semester. As for chapters activities we managed to win our Homecoming float building competition for the fourth time in five years. One of our brothers did a carnival themed fundraiser at our house for his senior seminar, and it was a success. We managed to bring our GPA up to the second highest social fraternity on campus. Our chapter goals for the next year includes increasing our philanthropic efforts, as we lacked in the past year, and boosting our recruitment numbers exponentially.
towards making timely payments, while holding them accountable. Charles accomplished this while upholding his duties as the Executive Director of Bronchothon, a massive philanthropy event well known in colleges across
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CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES the U.S. as “Thon.” There is no doubt that this executive team has worked their tails off to create a fine fraternal opportunity to the men of our chapter. On November 12, 2017, the Central Oklahoma chapter initiated seven new members into our ranks. We have high hopes and expectations that they will exemplify the teachings of Pythagoras and the values of Acacia. Notable alumni who went above and beyond this semester to help our chapter reach its goals include Brian Downs, Jarrett Jobe, Jerod Miles, Chris Covey, and Chip Daniel. There is no doubt that the combined efforts of the alumni and active members over the past year have resulted in the positive change that the chapter wished to see. It has been a great honor to work alongside all of them!
14 COLORADO
VENERABLE DEAN CONNOR BRAMLEY acaciacolorado.org This past year has been a really great one for the Colorado Chapter. This Fall we hosted a Dad’s Weekend for the first time, which will now be an annual event held every Fall. During the event we had a poker tournament and a tailgate with a barbecue for CU’s homecoming football game. We hosted a new campus wide philanthropy called “Acacia’s Pick of the Patch”, where we sold pumpkins for $5 to benefit relief efforts in Puerto Rico after the recent hurricane. People then had the opportunity to carve or smash their pumpkin with a sledgehammer. We held Sorority mixers with Gamma Phi Beta and Alpha Delta Chi and our formal this semester was held in Snowmass, just outside of Aspen, CO. This Fall we look forward to initiating ten pledges. The executive board and chair positions of 2018 were recently elected, and with Nathaniel Llewellyn as the next Venerable Dean the future leadership is extremely promising. It is also very exciting to have a new chapter advisor, one of our recent chapter alumni, Kieran Edstrom. We are looking forward to starting an alumni advisory board under Kieran’s leadership, so please reach out to him if you are interested. Follow us on Instagram @acaciacuboulder to stay updated with what we’re up to. We are very excited for the next year, and we welcome you for a visit at any time!
14 CORNELL
VENERABLE DEAN JOSE COVARRUBIAS cornellacacia.org This Fall semester things have been slowly improving. With the help of Gio and his culinary talent, and the incredible effort of our recruitment chairmen, Brother
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Kim and Brother Wainaina, we were able to recruit 4 new brothers this semester; something completely unheard of in recent years for Fall New Member classes. This semester we have been pushing the Actives to become more involved on campus. I started working at Cornell Health (formerly known as Gannett) as a Cornell Social Consultant this semester. The purpose of CSCs is to influence groups and organizations on campus through environmental interventions to prevent sexual assault. I also started serving on the Orientation Steering Committee for next year’s Orientation Weeks (both January and August). Additionally, Brother Penichet started serving on the Interfraternity Development Committee this semester, which influences the decisions the IFC makes during the semester. I’m confident to say that we are in a better position than we were a year ago.
9 ILLINOIS
VENERABLE DEAN CRISTOPHER HERRERA rushacacia.com This semester has been big on philanthropy and professional development as it is job recruitment season. We are happy to announce that, thanks to our philanthropy committee lead by Evan Lovell, we held our first annual Acacian Vacatian. Acacian Vacatian is a philanthropy womens volleyball tournament. We raised over $750 for the American Cancer Foundation. We had over 50 participants and had a great time hosting our first tournament. On the professional end, we have a lot of our members signed to top firms around the Chicagoland area. We have brothers working at PwC, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, West Monroe Partner, ZS Associates, Aon, JP Morgan Chase, etc. We pride ourselves on being a brotherhood that helps people reach their professional goals and hope to have a high percentage of brothers secure full time offers or internships.
73 ILLINOIS STATE
VENERABLE DEAN ERWIN CORNELIUS III edcorne@ilstu.edu The Illinois State Chapter has had a productive first semester of the 17-18 school year. We are happy to announce that we moved into a larger house located at 608 Broadway Street near campus. This was a big step up in regard to the number of men that can live in the house. This is particularly important given that the Chapter had its largest initiated class ever with 23 new Brothers taking the oath at the Normal Masonic Lodge #673 on November 10th. The hard work of Recruitment Chair Bert Lucenti and Sr. Dean Eric Deck will certainly show up in the future as the Lambda class of 2017 steps into their active role within the Chapter. Acacia also has three active members serving on the Executive Board of the IFC at Illinois State. Incoming officers are Ramiro Jimenez, President; Bert Lucenti, V.P. of Leadership; and Shobhit
CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES Bhaskar, V.P. of Operations. The Chapter placed second in the Greek Mens GPA ranking with a most recently reported 3.12 GPA just .05 off the first place ranking. The men have also been increasing their involvement in on-campus philanthropies and showcasing their athletic prowess by winning the Alpha Sigma Phi flag football tournament. Acacia Claus is in full swing for its fifth year and we hope to increase our donations over last years amount to a great cause. So Live.
54 ILLINOIS WESLEYAN
VENERABLE DEAN BRENT BAUGHN brentbaughan1@gmail.com We celebrated our 60th anniversary this semester and had a wonderful celebration in town. Numerous alumni from all over attended and it was amazing to experience the brotherhood of multiple decades. Congratulations to Bro. Steve Aves for receiving his Award of Merit that night!
30 INDIANA
VENERABLE DEAN MARSHALL FARREN mfarren@umail.iu.edu Hello Brothers! We’re off to another great start at 702 East Third. The first few months of classes have gone smoothly as we all prepare for midterms. A little over a month ago we had our first annual 3.45 Scholars Dinner. This event, set up by our academic advisor Michael Oakes, recognized our brothers who achieved a GPA of 3.45 or higher during this past spring semester. The recognized brothers were treated to a steak dinner and received a medal (pictured below).
This past July, the Indiana Chapter hosted the Darold W. Larson Acacia Leadership Academy. Brothers from chapters all over the country and Canada came to Bloomington for four days to engage in leadership discussions. I, along with Jeb Drew and AJ Neu, represented the host chapter. We came away with better practices for motivating and leading our group of young men to be the best chapter we can be. Thank you for all that you do as alumni members of Acacia Fraternity. We would love for you to stop by the house if you’re ever in Bloomington!
27 INDIANA OF PENNSYLVANIA
VENERABLE DEAN TY STOKES therealtystokes@yahoo.com This semester we initiated one member, so we are looking to focus on recruitment in the Spring. If you are interested in serving as an advisor, please reach out and let us know!
19 IOWA STATE
VENERABLE DEAN JAKOB CROGHAN stuorg.iastate.edu/acacia This semester has seen the Iowa State chapter develop and grow in a number of different ways. In late August, with the start of classes, a new scholarship plan was put in place. Under this new plan, we require our big brothers to serve as academic mentors for their little brothers. This has served to not only increase the success of their academic transition to Iowa State, but also to help focus both individuals on their academic goals and challenges each week. Our chapter is now poised to reap the positive effects of this and is looking to have one of its best semester GPA’s in years! But don’t let that fool you; our chapter has done more than keep our noses in books all semester. We held a hiking social with our Kappa Alpha Theta chapter, hosted the Iowa chapter for the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game, and finished the semester with a semi-formal dance social!
This semester, to support the Youth and Shelter Services of Ames, we sold hot chocolate and I am proud to say that we sold almost 500 cups of hot chocolate over the course of our philanthropy! Our chapter evaluated this and many other changes that have been made over the course of the last year by holding a chapter-wide retreat in mid-October, that lasted just over 18 hours. We were able to evaluate not only the progress we’ve made in the last year, but where we
TOP 10 CHAPTERS BY ROLL (up to date to 6/15/2017)
1 Indiana (2611)
6 Texas (1481)
2 Illinois (2541)
7 Nebraska (1350)
3 Purdue (2045)
8 Colorado (1272)
4 Penn State (2003)
9 New Hampshire (1263)
5 LSU (1731)
10 Kansas State (1257)
CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES wanted to see the chapter go in the next year and how we want to get there! The fall semester could not come to an end without homecoming, and this year was an exciting one! For the first time since re-chartering, our chapter hosted a lawn display in our own front yard. This display (pictured above) took four weeks to build and served as a set for a 10-minute play describing Iowa State and our many traditions. Our chapter is now looking to a new set of officers to lead us to greatness in the next year, and we couldn’t be more excited to see what will happen!
27 KANSAS STATE
VENERABLE DEAN SHANE TORREY kstateacacia.org From raising more than $1000 to help struggling K-State students stay in school, to swing dancing date parties, to finishing in the top grade quartile of all K-State fraternities for the 23rd straight semester, what else is to be expected from typical Young Men of Pythagoras? After our Proud to Be Purple 5k philanthropy, where we raised money for K-State Proud to aid students struggling to remain at the school we love, K-State Acacia is excited to keep making positive impacts in our community with Acacia Claus this semester. And to balance with that hard work, we are also packing our bags in November and taking formal to Chicago for an evening cruise around the harbor. Fall 2017 has brought K-State Acacia a lot of growth, as we welcome many new faces into our organization and many old faces back. We are not only excited to call two more men our brothers (bringing our role to #1272), but we are also excited to be joined by eighteen new Young Men. We
84 MILLERSVILLE
VENERABLE DEAN NATHAN CHILDERS, nathanchilders2015@gmail.com This semester we hit the ground running by volunteering for a program called “Movers and Shakers”. Our Millersville Chapter helped move the incoming freshmen and transfer student’s furniture/belongings into their dorm rooms. Just last year we adopted Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as our local philanthropy in honor of our fallen brother Stephen Daverio. On September 17th, we attended the Walk Like MADD event (see picture below) at the Philadelphia Zoo with friends and family of Stephen. All of us represented Team Daverio and we managed to raise over $3,900 for MADD, which gave us the award of Top Team.
Our first blood drive of the semester was also very successful. We exceeded our donation goal by 20 units and were able to save hundreds of lives. We volunteered at a university held event called “Breast-a-Ville”, where we helped educate and spread awareness of breast cancer. This semester our chapter has also been strengthening our ties with the local Masonic lodge. We helped them reconstruct a flowerbed and wall in front of their lodge to make it more presentable. Acacia Claus is in motion as well this semester. We have several different boxes set up around campus and in local stores off campus. Our chapter is hoping to receive a greater amount of donations than last year. By the end of this semester the Millersville Chapter will have contributed a great deal to our community. We are going to be ending this semester with six new members and are hoping to grow even more this upcoming semester.
are also excited to welcome back brothers Ross Allen as our Chapter Advisor and Scott LaMunyon as our Faculty Advisor. Last semester, we celebrated the years of dedication Mom Ann Domsch gave to Acacia, and we have had enormous joy in having our new Housemother Trisha Cash bring her own vigor and flair to the house.
13 MISSOURI
All in all, this year has started off fantastically and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down for the next. We’ve been thrilled with the year so far and are always looking forward to what the coming semester will bring.
Missouri’s chapter is a determined one, looking to make changes large and small to benefit its brothers and the fraternity’s reputation. This
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VENERABLE DEAN MICHAEL BENDER acaciamuvd@gmail.com
CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES past year our academic program was revamped, our new pledgeship process was introduced, our recruiting presence was increased and our philanthropy was newly focused. The improved academic program intends to give brothers the tools they need to be able to thrive in their classes. Brothers helped brothers put together a schedule of their time to find when they can study for upcoming quizzes and tests, and built a grade calculator that allows our members to know where they stand in a class. This program has increased brothers’ GPAs so far and we will continue to improve it where possible. Thirteen men were newly initiated into the Mizzou chapter, completing Dr. Bob’s 47 percent challenge in one semester. The new class will continue offering a fine fraternal opportunity in mid-Missouri. On top of these efforts, our yearly Acacia for the Troops philanthropy saw donations to Homes for our Troops double after moving the event to Mizzou’s campus. This year’s Acacia Claus is moving forward with the same focus on improvement seen in all other aspects of the chapter.
90 MORNINGSIDE
VENERABLE DEAN DAKOTA DRENTH djd007@morningside.edu The Fall semester has been going well for the Morningside Chapter, however our numbers are still low. We have chosen Dave Madsen to be our new faculty advisor. Our campus is being more proactive to help clubs and organizations thrive and be more successful. We have revised our pledge classes and are still fixing our financial situation.
4 NEBRASKA
VENERABLE DEAN DANIEL THOMAS danielthomas1312@gmail.com The Fall 2017 semester has been a fun time for the Nebraska Chapter. We have seen the initiation of nine new brothers, the development of a successful philanthropy and growth among our members. Our philanthropy “Huskers Against Breast Cancer”, raised funds for a local non-profit, Pink Ladies of
Risk Management Corner
Lincoln. During the semester we welcomed brothers from the Missouri Chapter for a great weekend. We plan to meet more brothers across the country in the future. With the assistance of our alumni, parents, university, and aid from out leadership consultant visit, we plan to continue to prepare the leaders of tomorrow and are looking forward to what the future has in store for this chapter.
42 OHIO
VENERABLE DEAN COLIN DEL VALLE ohio.edu/orgs/acacia It has been another successful semester for the Fightin’ 42nd! As of late, Acacia Ohio has been focusing on three major goals of improvement: academics, chapter programming, and alumni relations, and has seen improvements in all three. Our academic draft is heating up, as Team Kevin Ryan took the midterm competition with a team average of 95.7% on midterms. We have incorporated several keynote speakers into our weekly Sunday chapter meetings, including financial expert Alan McMillan. Additionally, we are over half way to our $10,000 alumni contribution goal, with our campaign renewing in April. We are very focused on improving in the areas we have lacked. Additionally, our chapter has remained highly competitive this semester. We finished 1st in Gamma Phi Beta’s Kickball tournament for Girls on the Run, 1st in Chi Omega’s Wish Week to benefit Make-a-Wish, 2nd in Pi Beta Phi’s philanthropic lip sync battle, 2nd in Alpha Xi Delta Football to benefit Autism Speaks, and 2nd in both Homecoming Football and the overall Homecoming Week Competition. As of writing this, we are the #1 seed heading into the IFC Intramural Football Playoffs with our eyes set on our 2nd straight championship. All is well in Southeast Ohio!
6 OHIO STATE
VENERABLE DEAN STUART CALKINS osuacacia.com The Ohio State Chapter has been making great strides this most recent semester. We have put a concerted effort towards recruitment and communications this semes-
Chapter closure: California This semester, the International Council voted for the closure of the California Chapter due to a failure to function as a chapter of Acacia. The chapter chose to behave in a manner incongruent with the values of Acacia and was also unable to maintain a sustainable size. Over the past few years, the chapter has been given numerous opportunities to improve operations and provided substantial resources by both the housing corporation, local alumni, and the International Fraternity but chose to continue on an unproductive path. Due to this and other factors, the International Council voted to revoke the charter of the chapter. This step was not taken in response to external influences but was an internal decision taken after lengthy debate.
This should not be viewed as the end of the chapter by any means, but rather, an important step towards the revitalization of the second oldest chapter still operating in our fraternity. We have already begun productive discussions with the university for our return, with an eye on a recolonization effort in 2-3 years. During this period, the housing corporation will be able to raise funds through the rental of the facility and accrual of interest on existing funds. We are confident in a successful return and that this is the most positive step for a successful chapter in the long run. The California chapter will return.
CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES ter. On the recruitment front, we have been working hard to recruit more members and had 9 quality pledges this semester, a vast improvement over previous years. Regarding communications, we started a newsletter called “The O’Cacian” and have been in better contact with alumni. We look forward to what the future holds for our chapter. Stop by if you’re ever in Columbus!
35 OREGON STATE
VENERABLE DEAN JACK LEHMAN acaciaorstate.com Hey all, my name is Jack Lehman, and I am the Venerable Dean for the Oregon State chapter. This fall we signed on one of our biggest classes in recent memory, with 29 pledges. Our recruitment chairs, Jon Weinberg and Joey Orton, did a great job organizing the efforts of the chapter in order to find this great group of guys. They are adjusting to Greek Life extremely well, and have already begun to prove themselves as invaluable future members. They will be initiating in the first week of next term, and are very excited to do so! Our new executive council was just elected, and we have begun to plan our executive retreat in order to transition these new officers. In the next year, we hope to maintain our growth, as we have been consistently climbing the ranks of Oregon State fraternities and now find ourselves with about 75 total active members and pledges. Our philanthropic efforts have been outstanding this year as well. We adopted a local park, and have multiple service projects there every term. Additionally, the Oregon State chapter won the Blood Drop award, which is given to the fraternity with the most hours volunteered at our campus Blood Drives. This award is particularly near and dear to our hearts, as we donate those hours in memory of Loren Hill, who is a brother from the 90’s who died due to an inability to get a blood transfusion. We also placed first in Color Me Chi O, a 5k to raise money for Make-A-Wish, and Greek Week, which combined competitions, service projects, and other community work. I speak on behalf of the Oregon State chapter when I say that we are excited to see what the next year has in store for us, and to all our brothers across the world. So Live.
21 PENNSYLVANIA STATE
VENERABLE DEAN BRANDON BRODSKY bpbrodsky@gmail.com The Penn State active chapter currently has 111 brothers including 14 new members initiated in Spring 2017 after handing out 17 bids. The pledge class also included the 2000th initiated member of the Shin chapter. Despite the new recruitment restric-
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tions placed on the Greek Community, the active members of Acacia saw 120 out of the 325 students eligible to rush on their designated Zone Day. To conclude the fall 2017 recruitment process, the Penn State chapter’s pledge class consists of 6 new members after handing out 9 bids. All new members are sophomores per the new Greek Life policy. The Biscoff Trophy is awarded to the overall Fraternity Intramural All-Sports Champion at Penn State. After winning the previous year, we secured the Bischoff Trophy again in 2016-2017. This was last accomplished in 2005-2006 while also extending our record to 13 overall titles which is the most of any fraternity at Penn State. The Spring 2017 overall semester GPA was 3.32, placing Acacia with the second highest GPA amongst the Penn State Interfraternity Council chapters. This is the highest semester GPA since at least 1990 according to the office of Greek Life records. The chapter boasts majors from Finance to Biomedical Engineering and Pre-med to Security, Risk & Analysis, and has consistently maintained a GPA of 3.20 or above in the recent past. The actives are very excited to continue fundraising for The 2018 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. With the final canning weekend in history behind us, head THON chair Joe Dolce is finding innovative ways to raise money to help kids with pediatric cancer. As always, THON weekend will take place the third weekend in February from Friday, Feb. 16 - Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Bryce Jordan Center. We are excited to be paired with Gamma Phi Beta for the 10th consecutive year. Finally, we would like to congratulate the chapter’s outstanding alumnus and former President of Square & Compass Herb Andrews for receiving the Award of Merit during the Annual Meeting at alumni weekend. The actives and alumni converged at the chapter house to watch the Penn State football team beat Northwestern in the club room and enjoyed dinner at the chapter house. We look forward to seeing everyone in New Orleans at Conclave 2018.
15 PURDUE
VENERABLE DEAN TREY JAGIELLA purdueacacia.org A warm hello to Acacians everywhere from the Purdue Chapter! This past semester, we pushed for an increase in membership and changed our pledge education to be closer to the headquarters standards. Many of our brothers were in constant contact with headquarters to help increase membership. We also lead all Greek life on Purdue’s campus with total service hours per capita with nineteen more hours than the next closest other Greek house.
CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES Last semester we finished 6th in the Purdue Grand Prix Cart race and we were the highest placing fraternity in the race. Over the summer, our Senior Steward, upgraded our library and sunporch. This was done using some donated office chairs, tables, and supplies. Over the course of the semester some parts of the house needed to be replaced or fixed, namely our aging alarm system which stopped working. During the time the alarm was being fixed, Brothers had to participate in a 24-fire watch, which mandated having at least one member awake at all times and surveying the house for fires. This semester, a Leadership Consultant from Headquarters is spending about half of the semester with us to help us grow as a chapter and be the light. Some of this growth comes in the restructuring of various leadership positions and getting the chapter to continue to progress. Despite a less than ideal rush season, we have recruited nine fine young men that we are excited to add to our brotherhood. We look forward to what the coming semester brings as we continue to grow as Acacians and fraternity men.
28 RENNSELAER
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE VENERABLE DEAN KEVIN BRENNAN kbrennan78@gmail.com
The Rensselaer Chapter is steadily improving its operations. This fall semester we had a successful recruitment and signed seven new members. This pledge class is a good group of young men that will become great assets to the chapter. We continue to strengthen our campus presence and community involvement. All of our brothers are involved in a club or organization on campus and several of them hold leader-
runners where to go. This summer was also a productive time for the chapter. We helped Moxie’s Ice Cream, a local ice cream shop, set up and run an event for national ice cream day. We assisted TASP, The Animal Support Project, move various furniture and items to help prepare for a tag sale. Brothers Kevin Brennan and Adam Kredar attended the Darold W. Larson Acacia Leadership Academy and had a great time meeting other Acacia brothers and learning ways to better the chapter. This is an exciting time for the Rensselaer Chapter as we continue to improve our house and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood.
28 SAINT CLOUD STATE
VENERABLE DEAN JARED MOSICH jaredmosich@gmail.com This has been a year a growth for the St. Cloud State Acacia chapter. Having a young chapter has been a challenge but has allowed promising leaders to have a great impact. Philanthropy events like Feed My Starving Children and Trick or Canning has brought the chapter closer together and allowed the brotherhood to thrive. The Chapter is proud to welcome four new brothers into the fraternity this semester. These gentlemen have potential and are expected to be great Acacians. We are also looking forward to having our Seven Days of Service event coming up in April. This will be the second year in a row that the chapter will be completing this event and we expect it to be even more successful than last year.
28 TRINE
VENERABLE DEAN AUSTIN BAKER bakeraustin62@gmail.com The Trine chapter initiated two Brothers this Fall. Due to deferred pledging at Trine, we cannot initiate Freshmen in the first semester. We are, however, expecting a large pledge class this Spring. Also, the Trine chapter has gained a house of sorts on campus. It has been a huge boon to both rush and brotherhood. If you are ever in the area, please contact us. We would like to pay back the hospitality other chapters have given us at their houses in previous years.
38 WASHINGTON STATE
VENERABLE DEAN DYLAN CALVERT wsuacacia.com ship roles. We participated in Greek Week at RPI to help promote the greek community and helped our team win several events. Several of our brothers volunteered at a local marathon helping to hand out water bottles and direct
The Washington State chapter has seen a lot of growth and improvement recently from expanding our recruitment efforts and bringing in a new member class of six people this fall. As well as raising our GPA above the all men average on campus
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CHAPTER NEWS & UPDATES and putting us in contention for the top ten fraternities on campus. Our philanthropic efforts have also been outstanding with over 300 hours of community service and being one of the leading chapters overall on community service at WSU. We are continuing all these efforts and looking to even more improvement in various ways. WSU Acacia was also honored to have one of our own members Kodjo Awadjie be nominated for and accepted as the IFC delegate of the year this semester during the annual Arete Awards. Most importantly, we want to thank all of our Alumni for the constant support they have been providing over these times of growth and consistently coming out to the Palouse for Homecoming, Alumni, and Initiation weekend it means a lot to all of us here.
animals. Our leadership on campus is second to none amongst other fraternities on campus. The leaders of the IFC Executive board, the largest University of Wisconsin Philanthropy, and a myriad of other student organizations all hail from Acacia. We look forward to developing more leaders in our fraternity and continuing to set the example for the Greek Community.
12 WISCONSIN
We have also begun a partnership with the Masonic lodge here in Madison. The first event was a scholarship dinner where potential new recruits, members of the chapter, and Masons talked about similar interests ranging from the sciences to the arts. During our Seven Days of Service in November we will help spruce up our local lodge to help them build a clubhouse for Masons and Acacians alike. Finally, this spring we are working on a career development program for our members. Masons will help review resumes and conduct mock interviews to help prepare our Acacians for the future. I am very thankful to Commonwealth Lodge #325 and Hiram Lodge #50 for all the efforts with the Wisconsin Chapter.
As 2017 comes to close I could not be more proud of the effort of the Wisconsin Chapter. We have 13 new pledges this fall, and look forward to see their progression into strong active members. Our chapter was 3rd last fall in the IFC GPA rankings and in the spring of 2017 our chapter GPA was 1st among all IFC fraternities on campus with a 3.45, how fitting. In addition to our strong academic work, our Dogs for Dogs event in the spring raised a record total for the training of service
I have spent the last three years in the leadership of the Wisconsin chapter, and as my time as an undergraduate comes to a close I could not be more proud to be an Acacian. Time and time again I have been impressed by the quality of men we have recruited and their ability to grow into the leaders of tomorrow. Now that we are on the verge of being the largest in the history of our chapter, the future of our beautiful house is secure and Acacia men are succeeding in and out of the classroom. I feel pure and unfettered pride in the Wisconsin Chapter.
Go Cougs and so live from the Acacia Washington State chapter!
VENERABLE DEAN MICHAEL FOY mpfoy@wisc.edu
The Foundation awarded numerous scholarships over the past year from chapter scholarship programs and the General Fund. The following major scholarship recipients were announced during our 2017 Darold W. Larson Acacia Leadership Academy on July 30, 2017: George F. Patterson, Jr. Foundation Scholarship ($3,000) Andrew T. Ritts, Iowa ’15 Duncan McPherson Fraternityship ($3,000) Seth C. Chance, Central Oklahoma ’15 AFF General Scholarship ($1,000) Kyle M. Fleming, Kansas State ’15 Connor R. Tinker, Purdue ’16 Robert O’Hara, Penn State ’16 15
David J. Allen Scholarship ($1,000) Conor Wiegmann, Indiana ’15 Jakob Croghan, Iowa State ’14 Ryan Hussey, Carleton ’15 Ling-Stout Scholarship ($1,000) James Lehman, Oregon State ’16 Jarrod Bailey, Arizona State ’16 Corey Rogers, Washington ’14 Jonathan Weinberg, Oregon State ’17 Brandon Michelena, Arizona State ’16
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
CALIFORNIA BENJAMIN B. TURCONI, #1096 – I recently married my (too good for me) wife, Alexandra, and bought a house in Indianapolis! Still working for the fraternity headquarters and was recently promoted to Director of Communications and Education. Happy to continue being of service. INDIANA MAX H. GOLLMER, #685 – My grandson, Andrew Elmendorf, was just initiated into the ‘new’ Indiana Chapter. I’m so proud! CLIFFORD E. HUNT, #554 – After 63 years of marriage, my wife, Linda, and I are now living in an assisted living center in Kokomo, Indiana. RICHARD J. LAPORTE, #2006 – My second child, Ryan, was born on March 9, 2017. Future Acacian!
DR. DAVID R. PARKS, #1144 – I’m very proud to see that 50 Acacians achieved over a 3.45 GPA. Too bad Joyce wasn’t there to cook their steaks! MILLERSVILLE KEITH A. NAGLEY, #27 – I was named Pennsylvania AAAA Girl’s Soccer Coach of the Year for 2016. NEBRASKA JUSTIN E. CARDISCO, #1231 – Wife graduated with her doctorate and found a great job in Tampa, FL. So we uprooted from our Kansas City, Missouri, home for the better part of a decade to try a new adventure. Enjoying the great weather and lifestyle in Florida. Additionally we just had our first child in late August 2017!
PENN STATE MARK P. RUZOMBERKA, #1499 – Excited to announce we finally moved into our house! PURDUE PAUL R. COLLIER, #637 – I was in the USMC for eight years as a pilot flying jet fighters. 1953-1962. GEORGE E. GILLESPIE, #869 – My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary at Captiva Island, Florida with our daughters and seven grandchildren. VERMONT ROBERT W. CHUTTER, #72 – Dr. Neil H. Pelsue, #98, was honored by the University of Vermont’s College of Agriculture & Life Sciences in May. Also attending were Ray A. Allen, #70, Robert W. Chutter, #72, and Austin C. Cleaves, #106.
ALUMNI GATHER ACROSS THE NATION! This year has seen a significant uptick in Alumni Gatherings. From Atlanta to Anaheim, alumni have gathered at various locations to enjoy good food, good fellowship, and especially to Strengthen the Ties...At these gatherings, in addition to hearing about what is new in each other’s lives, an update on the fraternity is provided and success stories are shared. Here are a few pictures from some of the most recent gatherings. If you are interested in holding or hosting a gathering in your area, please contact the AFF Director of Alumni Engagement, Jeff Boaz at jboaz@acacia.org.
Atlanta, GA
Anaheim, CA
Columbus, OH
Atlanta, GA
Carmel, IN
Columbus, OH
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FEATURE STORY
PLANNING PERFECTION
Someone once said, “Good luck is the result of good planning.” I think there are few who would argue whether or not it is a good idea to plan things in advance. But how many of us actually do it? While we can get by in life without making plans, the key to strong chapter operations – as in any organization – is proper planning. Planning allows us to do far more than just determine the things that we are going to do – it creates possibilities beyond the initial idea. Planning something together gives ownership to all those involved in process. There are many ways that this ownership is distributed through the planning process. First, individuals can contribute suggestions, which may make the initial plan even better. Second, responsibilities can be parceled out, giving each person a stake in the ultimate accomplishment and making the task more manageable to accomplish. At a minimum, all those involved in the planning process know that they could have spoken up if they didn’t rather than just being told, “This is happening.”The chapter 17
retreat is a practice that all chapters should take part in. While an important aspect of the retreat should be about planning, it also accomplishes a lot more. It is important to take a step back to gain perspective on the organization. This allows you to gain insight into individual members’ strengths and weaknesses, the desires that everyone has for the future of the organization, and a chance to rekindle some of that brotherhood that can be lost in day to day operations. The chapter retreat is essential to any chapter that wants to operate at the highest level of efficiency. They are how you make a good chapter great, and a great chapter even better. Working with the headquarters, the Purdue chapter held a chapter retreat at the beginning of Fall semester. Plaid, an organizational management firm, administered Birkman personality tests and facilitated the retreat for the chapter. Sometimes it can be invaluable to get an outside perspective and Plaid provided just that. During the retreat, the chapter had
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the opportunity to learn about each individual’s personalities and how they fit together as a chapter. They also spent time planning out their goals for the next semester and what path they wanted to be on for the next year (such as increasing their GPA and exemplifying “Human Service”). By the end of the two-day retreat, the chapter understood each other better, had their eyes on their goals for the future, and was ready to work together to accomplish their goals. Purdue Venerable Dean, Trey Jagiella, had this to say about the change that has occurred:
"It became clear to me early on that the chapter was in dire need of change. While it was hard to implement change at first and I faced many obstacles throughout my first semester, it became easier and easier to get the chapter on the right path. Many of the members that frequently caused problems at the beginning of my term are now actively working with me to create a better chapter." Since the retreat, the results for Purdue chapter so far have been amazing. They have begun to implement the Cornerstones program in the chapter, held their first philanthropy event in quite some time, improved their GPA, had the most service hours per man of any Greek organization on campus, they have re-started their newsletter The Hourglass, and they have reworked their entire pledge program. While the work at Purdue Acacia is by no means done, there are good signs of progress. The big takeaway from this experience should be that by doing the work at the beginning to determine where you want to go, everyone will be more inclined to help reach the goal. There is an old African proverb that states, “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” By holding a chapter retreat and a planning session, you can ensure that the chapter can achieve more than what was previously thought possible by having everyone get there together. Chapter Retreat resources can be found in the Chapter Resources dropbox or by contacting communications@acacia.org.
FEATURED STORY
2017 Penn State Venerable Dean, Brandon Brodsky, at the 2017 Acacia Leadership Academy
On Thursday, February 2, 2016, no one in State College could have predicted what was about to happen and how a death would change the atmosphere of not only the campus, but the fraternal landscape as a whole. It was that evening that the alleged “Gauntlet” event held by the Beta Theta Pi chapter at Penn State would lead to the death of Tim Piazza, a sophomore at Penn State who was pledging the fraternity. This event would lead to a 65-page report from a Centre County grand jury with 1,098 criminal charges against 18 members of the fraternity and against the fraternity itself. The media has covered Tim Piazza’s death on a daily basis – which is appropriate for such a preventable tragedy. What has not been discussed is how other fraternities have continued on in the wake of this event. In the wake of a tragedy, it is up to chapters like Penn State Acacia to ensure fraternities continue to provide 19
FEATURED STORY
a “fine fraternal experience” for any students interested in claiming Pythagoras as a mentor. Chartered in 1909, Acacia has had a long history at Penn State, operating continuously for over a century. Consistently recognized as one of the best chapters of Acacia and at Penn State, this group has raised nearly $2 million for THON, a student-run philanthropy for children and families affected by childhood cancer. The chapter consistently places in the top third of GPAs - this year they were second – and they have won the Bischoff Trophy for being the All-Sports Intramural Champion a record 13 times, the most of any fraternity on campus. With more than 2,000 initiated members, many distinguished alumni have walked through the halls of the Acacia home in State College, Pennsylvania. But a record like this compares little to the loss of a life, so a better discussion encompasses what the Acacia men at Penn State are doing to ensure an incident like what happened at Beta never happens again on their campus.
Penn State Chapter has raised nearly $2 Million for THON since partnering with Gamma Phi Beta.
in the grand jury’s report and following police report – about what happened to Tim in vivid detail that the chapter was shocked. “We thought it was common knowledge that you don’t do those things.” By “things,” he was referring to forced consumption of alcohol, physical abuse, and waiting hours to get help for Tim after he was injured. Brandon went on to say that “the failure of Beta was an internal issue, not a result of the external environment. Every chapter culture is different. It’s like saying that every ‘frat boy’ is the same… Painting everyone the same color for someone’s actions isn’t the best way to describe a community,” which is what has happened for all members of fraternities at Penn State.
Upon hearing about the incident, Penn State Acacia decided to take proactive steps to ensure it was acting as a positive part of the community. They decided to suspend all social activities before Penn State President Eric Barron hit the pause button for the Greek life community. They told all members that if they didn’t follow the guidelines, that they would be removed from membership or pledging.
“It makes us know we are doing the right thing.”
I talked with Penn State’s 2017 Venerable Dean, Brandon Brodsky, about what it was like to lead a large, successful chapter in the midst of a crisis. Brandon said that when the chapter first heard –
Many changes have occurred on the State College campus since Tim Piazza’s death. By Brandon’s own admission, many students seek out and attend 20
FEATURED STORY
Penn State for the social atmosphere. However, since Tim’s death, the campus is a bit more “uptight” and the rules at social events are much more strict. Hard alcohol is frowned upon and is not allowed in the Penn State Acacia house, and all social functions have a strict guest list. “Some chapters [on campus] have a reckless disregard for the rules,” Brandon says, “and three have been kicked off this semester alone. When that happens, it makes us know we are doing the right thing.” It is here that we see what has stayed the same for Acacia at Penn State – the feeling of family and pride in accomplishments. I asked Brandon what has stayed the same and without hesitation he replied, “The brotherhood.” He continued on to say that “Brotherhood and education for our chapter
to make the necessary changes to their socials and overall environment. Brother Brodsky was always transparent with alumni and was prepared to answer any question they had. He would tell them that despite the setbacks, they were going to devote themselves to their academics, their philanthropic endeavors, and other campus commitments. Brandon said that “when you have strong support from your upper level alumni, then you have a backing and that is huge in a situation like this. This was an example of why alumni, if anything, should donate to the chapter and not the university.” Brandon had a final piece of advice to the active member that finds themselves in a similar situation: “When something like this happens, it is your re-
“When something like this happens, it is your responsibility [as VD] to “be the bad guy.” Make adjustments as you go along and if you realize there are major adjustments that need to be made, then you were doing something wrong from the beginning.”
Brandon Brodsky, Penn State Venerable Dean are pretty huge.” They have made adjustments when it comes to recruitment and social events, but the core of what makes the brotherhood has remained the same. The obligations of an Acacian, are to academics, fraternity, and other campus obligations, in that order, and Penn State Acacia has held true to an Acacian’s pledge.
sponsibility to “be the bad guy.” Make adjustments as you go along and if you realize there are major adjustments that need to be made, then you were doing something wrong from the beginning.” That is, as the leader of the chapter it is your duty to address problematic behaviors and make decisions that may not be popular.
Brandon owed their success in navigating the campus tragedy to the quality of members in the chapter and to their alumni support. From the beginning, the Chapter Council knew what they had to do and decided to bear down and do the right thing. Were there some bumps along the way? Of course. They had to gain their chapter’s buy-in
Greek life in State College will never be the same, Tim Piazza’s death will continue to reverberate throughout the community for years to come, but the purpose of fraternity has not changed. Penn State Acacia has had a great history and now possesses an inspiring future: being a leader on campus to create a better community in the wake of a tragedy.
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ACACIA FRATERNITY FOUNDATION
AFF Grows Professional Staff
A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
By Jeff Boaz, Illinois Wesleyan ’89 Thirty-Seven years ago, I had no idea what an impact the men of the Illinois Wesleyan Chapter of Acacia would have upon my life. Those Brothers, who were from the beginning great friends, shared our life’s joys over the decades and, became a source of strength in the challenging times we all face as we travel life’s pathway. Acacia is symbolic of the everlasting and of eternal life. The bonds we all share in our association with Acacia Fraternity are with us until we wrap the draperies of our couch about us. Those ties have remained strong and have opened many doors to make even more lifelong connections with Brothers beyond Wesleyan. Because of Acacia, I have had the opportunity to give the light to a new generation of Acacians as I serve as Chapter Advisor for the Illinois State Chapter. What started as a core group of 7, a few short years ago, has grown to a fifty-man chapter and continues to strive to set in place the cornerstone values of Acacia as the next standard of leadership development for young men. Working closely with college age men has sustained in me a great deal of optimism for the future of not only the Fraternity but, our society in general. Their idealism, and motivation to make a difference in the world they are about to inherit is inspiring. Stepping into my new role as Director of Alumni Engagement for the Acacia Fraternity Foundation, I draw upon that optimism. I sincerely believe, if you are reading this you probably do too, that we all desire to build upon the solid foundation that has been set before us. A lasting institution built by the many Brothers who have gone before us and made this Fraternity what it is today. To those ends I will set out to maximize my background in sales and marketing and leverage that with a strong desire to serve both Alumni and the undergraduates of our beloved Acacia. More importantly, I bring a steadfast belief that we, as
an organization, can provide a positive learning experience for all who are willing to accept the challenge of becoming an Acacian. As the newest staff member of the Foundation, I will be working closely with Executive Director Darold Larson to improve upon our outreach and opportunities for Alumni to be involved with all the exciting happenings in Acacia Chapters around the country. Often the difference between a good Fraternity and a great Fraternity is the existence of a supportive alumni base. This is true at every level from the Chapter to International. If you have not found a way to provide that support, whether it is time or treasure, please ask. There are many opportunities where we can work together to bring about a lasting Fraternal experience to all that seek it. Give generously of yourself to show your endorsement of our ideals and the men who also say, I am an Acacian. I am proud of it! Fraternally, Jeff Boaz, Illinois Wesleyan ’89 Director of Alumni Engagement Acacia Fraternity Foundation 22
FOUNDATION DONORS
Acacia Fraternity and the Acacia Fraternity Foundation express their sincerest thanks to the following donors for their support during the last fiscal year. Your contributions to the Foundation ensure that the Fraternity realizes its vision of providing training, support and guidance to every undergraduate member.
ANNUAL FUND, PYTHAGORAS FUND - JULY 1, 2016 - JUNE 30, 2017 2016 ACACIA CONCLAVE AND LEADERSHIP ACADEMY $70,000 and above Robert G. Travnicek, Kansas #ALA
John C. Barber, Purdue Robert J. Barlow, Indiana #ALA Wayne A. Beeder, New Hampshire #ALA $20,000 - $25,000 Albert M. Donato III, Indiana Dewayne E. Ullsperger, Nebraska Paul A. Feeger, Ohio State * David A. Fruchey, Purdue #ALA $5,000 - $9,999 Guy G. Gebhardt, Illinois Wesleyan Mark R. Guidry Jr., Louisiana State # Hal D. Hanes, Indiana #ALA Thomas S. Hartman, Washington State * Mary Hill, Friend of Acacia Daniel R. Lang, Northwestern #ALA Per Hilmo, Washington State Larry E. Schroeder, Georgia # Destry W. Hood, Nebraska ^ William A. Utic, Cornell #ALA Ronald T. Hopkins, Syracuse #ALA JCPenney, Inc ^ $2,000 - $4,999 Paul G. Ingram, Oregon State #ALA Gerald C. Cook, Shippensburg Eric B. Johnson, Missouri David L. Ferguson, Indiana # James N. Katsaounis, Ohio #ALA Gregory J. Hamer, Sr., Louisiana State Michael A. Koler, Ohio State ALA Leonard W. Kearney, Oregon State #ALA Curtis A. Krizek, Kansas State Kris R. Lutt, Nebraska Paul A. Larson, Northwestern #ALA Amos D. Meyers Jr., Shippensburg Woodrow W. Mann, Arkansas David R. Quick, Rensselaer ^ Tomislav A. Marincic, Michigan #ALA Paul E. Ruby, Illinois #ALA Patrick W. McGovern, Indiana Michael C. Tu, California # W. J. Neal, Kansas State #ALA Scott A. Neslund, Indiana $1,000 - $1,999 Bradford K. Oxford, Washington State John F. Beering, Purdue Hollis W. Rademacher, Minnesota Travis J. Bowie, Kansas State #ALA Allan F. Rucka, Northwestern Jack R. Burchfield, Central Oklahoma George W. Sorrells III, Indiana # Mark A. Christiansen, California ALA Paul V. Stevens, Southern California Albert S. Conly, Texas ^ Brian S. Strayer, Ohio State #ALA Aaron P. Darcy, Indiana L. D. Waibel, Purdue #ALA Brian R. Durst, Wisconsin # James D. Weaver, Indiana #ALA Michael P. Fillman, Western Ontario Alik Welyn, Friend of Acacia John F. Hoffner, Purdue # Daniel B. Williams, California John B. Lane, Vermont #ALA Bernal R. Woodward, Syracuse # Darold W. Larson, Washington State #ALA James T. Wormley, Illinois #ALA Roger A. Nealis, Indiana # John H. Peper, Texas $250 - $499 Eugene B. Pflughaupt, Northwestern #ALA Jackson H. Aaberg, Missouri # John B. Pugh, Iowa State George T. Abed, Oregon State #ALA Frank E. Reeder, Shippensburg Daniel D. Bayston, Illinois #ALA William M. Riley Jr., Kansas State #ALA Thomas J. Boagni, Louisiana State Robert E. Roberson, Illinois Wesleyan # Thomas E. Bolman, Miami of Ohio †(4) Michael L. Rollins, Washington # Ralph F. Braun, Louisiana State Donald W. Solanas Jr., Louisiana State #ALA Mark J. Brown, California ALA†(6) Arland T. Stein, Purdue ALA Brandon W. Brunner, Kansas State ALA
“ACACIA GAVE ME LIFELONG FRIENDS AND LIFE SKILLS THAT HAVE MADE ME A BETTER WORKER, A BETTER PARENT, AND A BETTER MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. I JUST WANT TO ENSURE THAT OTHERS CAN HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCES.” -David R. Quick, Rensselaer Polytechnic ’93 William H. Strong, Purdue Lowry L. Tims, Texas John W. Wedgwood, Purdue Jay W. Williams, Illinois Wesleyan #ALA Knox Williams, UCLA Kevin R. Wills, Nebraska Bert T. Wion, Oklahoma State Margaret Wood, Friend of Acacia Harold D. Zarr Jr., Iowa State # $500 - $999 Robert L. Andring, Washington State Glendon Arthur, Ohio
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* First-time AFF Donor
James J. Chancellor, Louisiana State Brad D. Cleeton, Missouri Thomas C. Crews, Colorado State ALA Arthur B. Curtis III, Long Beach State Alan C. Eachus, Syracuse #ALA Jeffrey J. Eller, Washington State #ALA Jeffrey C. Farren, Indiana #ALA Michael D. Findley, Indiana # Larry B. Forsland, Minnesota # Amazonsmile Foundation, Non-Acacian Richard T. Freije Jr., Purdue # Randolph S. Friedman, California #ALA Michael J. Grace, Nebraska ALA
# Donated to Multiple Funds
Ronald M. Hamelberg, Illinois # Brian S. Hamilton, Rensselaer #ALA David K. Haviland, Indiana #ALA Joseph A. Homans, Washington State # Samuel R. Lolan, Louisiana State Andrew G. Long, Indiana #ALA Robert K. McDonald, New Hampshire Paul A. Meschler, Franklin #ALA Scott H. Meyer, St. Cloud State # John W. Morgan, Indiana Lawrence A. Morton, Shippensburg #ALA Michael I. Nabel, Rensselaer #ALA Michael J. Oakes, Indiana # Cory S. Oakley, Ohio ALA Joseph M. Orlesh Jr., Louisiana State #ALA Allen E. Parker, Syracuse Dr. William A. Peterson, Minnesota ALA David A. Prosser, Shippensburg #ALA Robert L. Reeves, Louisiana State John A. Rosso, Arizona #ALA Richard L. Routh, Indiana # Wilbur G. Sandbulte, Iowa State ALA Patrick A. Smith, Colorado #ALA Ralph N. Straley II, Penn State #ALA William E. Swigart, Indiana John P. Wagner, Purdue # Donald S. Wilson, Northwestern James A. Witkop, Rensselaer Mack E. Wootton, Indiana #ALA Lance K. Yokota, California #ALA $150 - $249 John P. Bahr, Iowa State # Thomas J. Balcerski, Cornell #ALA Mark L. Barba, Illinois * Terry R. Black, Illinois Wesleyan #ALA Lanny R. Brent, Kansas State Neal E. Brown, Washington State #ALA Thomas J. Brown, Iowa State Christopher B. Carpentier, Indiana Richard E. Carver, Missouri School of Mines #ALA Donald C. Clagett, Penn State #ALA Wesley G. Clark, Colorado #ALA Neil R. Cole, Nebraska Jeremy N. Davis, Iowa State # Scott W. Dudley Jr., Vermont #ALA David G. Dunlap, Texas #ALA John R. Ebensberger, Iowa #ALA William R. Epcke, Northwestern James F. Essman, Northern Colorado William T. Etheredge, Alabama Robert W. Felsburg, Penn State #ALA Burnett G. Firstenberger Jr., Northwestern Donald F. Friend, Ohio #ALA Berge F. Garabedian, Texas #ALA Richard S. Garard, Purdue Rene A. Garza, Texas Robert E. George, Nebraska #ALA James S. Grant, Washington State #ALA United Way of Greater Atlanta # Robert A. Haiges, Oklahoma State Richard R. Halderman, Purdue F. H. Halderman, Purdue #ALA David Hall, Iowa #ALA Marshall J. Harper, Louisiana State * Richard W. Hegarty, Penn State
ALA Acacia Leadership Academy
Alan R. Hirasuna, California Tommy K. Hughes, Eastern Illinois Jason P. Jeffords, New Hampshire #ALA Gerald E. Kahler, Ohio #ALA Carl F. Kantner, Wisconsin #ALA Donald R. Lambert, Central Oklahoma #ALA Alan K. Leahigh, Illinois Wesleyan #ALA Jon O. Long, Missouri #ALA Paul A. Malarik III, Indiana #ALA David L. Mari, Illinois #ALA Joseph H. Marshall, California Jerry L. Mayes, Indiana # Randall M. McCullough, Illinois Wesleyan Robert A. Milani, Illinois #ALA Brian C. Montgomery, Miami of Ohio #ALA James A. Moore, Ohio State Michael J. Moore, Central Oklahoma * John R. Moritz, Colorado Aaron L. Morrow, Iowa # Dallas L. Nelson, Kansas State Elbert E. Oliver, Indiana # Gerald K. Orrison, Missouri School of Mines Joseph L. Prior, Cincinnati Mary L. Reid, Friend of Acacia # Raymond J. Rogers, Rensselaer Charles H. Sadek, Purdue #ALA Jose R. Sanchez Jr., UCLA #ALA Andrew K. Sherman, Iowa State Harrison W. Sigworth Jr., Oregon State #ALA Michael C. Smith, Northwestern James F. Smith II, Purdue #ALA James R. Speece Jr., Shippensburg #ALA Roger K. Stewart, Southern California #ALA James W. Sutton, Indiana ALA Robert J. Svatos, Illinois Robert C. Trezise, Northern Colorado #ALA Benjamin B. Turconi, California Jarrod N. VanZant, Central Oklahoma Paul A. Weglage, Ohio State #ALA Andrew J. Wertz, Ohio State #ALA Howard L. White, Purdue #ALA Nevin R. Williams, Ohio $100 - $149 William G. Alexander, Ohio State ALA Martin E. Amundson, Michigan Alan B. Anderson, Washington Warren L. Anderson, Washington State ALA Daniel M. Arnold, Michigan Robert A. Babbs, Friend of Acacia * Gary A. Baines, Washington State #ALA Nathaniel V. Baker, Rensselaer * Charles A. Barnett, Indiana Sterling L. Benz, Iowa #ALA Wallace E. Bernard, Nicholls State ALA Matthew J. Bielaska Jr., Rensselaer Carl F. Billhardt, Rensselaer Paul M. Bingaman, Shippensburg Peter M. Blagaich, Long Beach State * David A. Blocker, Indiana William Bowers III, Penn State Harold E. Bowman, Indiana # Donald W. Brice, Indiana * Eric F. Brown, Nebraska James P. Buckner, Missouri School of Mines Paul J. Burke, Minnesota ALA Keith M. Bushey, Indiana Allan C. Campbell, Illinois *
^ Corporate Matching Gift
†( ) Memorial Gift
FOUNDATION DONORS Melvin L. Capell, Louisiana State Edward J. Cardinal, California Charles B. Carroll, Indiana #ALA James V. Castro Courtland, Houston ALA Brent D. Cherry, Purdue Robert L. Childers, Northern Colorado John C. Chipperfield, Millersville James P. Clark, Indiana # Ronnie L. Coons, Illinois Wesleyan Henry C. Cox II, Southern California Mark D. Cranston, Wyoming Donald W. Dauterman, Oregon State #ALA Dennis E. Davis, Purdue ALA Robert M. Davis, East Texas State John N. Davis, Penn State Stephen R. Deal, California of Pennsylvania Brent R. Dechert, Indiana ALA Allan B. Decker, Syracuse * Chad M. Dickerson, Purdue * Leonard J. Dow II, Miami of Ohio ALA Christ Drossos Jr., Indiana ALA
Tandy E. Jackson IV, Louisiana State * Paul A. James, Northwestern Robert O. Jesberg, Illinois Allen N. Johnson, Washington State Anthony A. Jung, Purdue Robert J. Keller, Illinois * Albert C. Kemper, Colorado State ALA Charles W. Kennedy, Illinois Wesleyan Pierre A. Kern, UCLA ALA Edward Kirklin, Friend of Acacia John C. Klinsing, Northern Colorado Christopher W. Knapp, Iowa State #ALA James T. Kolbe, Northwestern Michael L. Kuta, Illinois * David S. Kyner, Kansas ALA David A. LaGraffe, Syracuse ALA E. A. Larson, Friend of Acacia C. T. Lechner, Penn State ALA Robert J. Lieblein, Shippensburg Brant E. Lieske, Indiana # Anthony D. Little, Oregon State #
“BEING ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN MYSELF HAS MADE ACACIA TRULY WORTHWHILE. I CONTINUE TO STAY INVOLVED IN HOPES THAT THE ORGANIZATION WILL PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS TO GROW AS I HAVE HERE.” -Harrison G. Ingold, Missouri ’14 Richard Eimas, Colorado Ernesto Espinoza, California Andrew R. Etter, California of Pennsylvania ALA Frederick R. Faxvog, Minnesota Ralph L. Fearon, New Hampshire Martin R. Fischer, Washington State # James C. Fish Jr., Texas ALA Richard H. Fjeldheim, Wisconsin Stephen G. Flaming, Central Oklahoma Warren M. Flodin, Miami of Ohio #ALA Michael P. Fogarty, Indiana # The GE Foundation, Non-Acacian *^ Robert T. Franson, Cornell H. B. Funk, Kansas State #ALA Steven A. Gamble, Georgia * John K. Gardner, Arizona #ALA Fredrick C. Garrott, Illinois # Alan M. Gold, Penn State Stephen M. Golden, Boston Max H. Gollmer, Indiana #^ Paul B. Goodman, Washington State # Richard V. Goodwin, Syracuse * Joel F. Grachan, Illinois * James G. Gregory, Washington State Steven P. Gress, Purdue Myron E. Grizio, Missouri School of Mines B. D. Groff, Penn State ALA Edgar H. Grubb, Penn State ALA Richard A. Gump Jr., Texas Dale O. Hackett, Syracuse William A. Haines, Purdue Robert R. Halderman, Purdue Arif Haq, Cornell * Harley A. Hartman, Southern California Edward G. Hempel, Rensselaer Dean J. Hewitt, Missouri #ALA Greg M. Hilbert, Iowa ALA Charles C. Hill Jr., Arkansas Jerry R. Hilligoss, Indiana George A. Hinkel, Oregon State #ALA William A. Hoisington Jr., Northwestern *†(2) Richard E. Holloway, Texas Bill C. Hott, Missouri Stephen W. Houser, Kansas State Robert D. Howlett, Iowa State # Shelby D. Hunt, Ohio ALA Robert L. Hurni, Ohio State # Blake J. Hutchison, Wisconsin #†(1) George B. Jackson, Penn State ALA Wayne O. Jackson, New Hampshire
* First-time AFF Donor
Gene D. Lucht, Iowa State # Adam F. Lutostanski, Illinois * William M. Lynn, UCLA ALA Thomas C. Macy, Nebraska Kevin C. Maguire, New Hampshire James P. May, Washington State # Kevin T. May, Wisconsin # James M. McCandless, Penn State * John G. McDonald, Iowa State #ALA James L. McFarland, Wisconsin #ALA Rodger L. Merz, Nebraska Ray E. Miller, Shippensburg ALA Richard P. Milne, Vermont Anthony M. Mitchell, Illinois * Kenneth A. Moore, Illinois Wesleyan * Michael J. Morgan, Washington State *# Thomas E. Mueller, Indiana Brian E. Munin, Illinois * Richard K. Neil, Michigan Jeffrey M. Nelson, Nebraska Gregg C. Nelson, Washington State Robert D. Nelson, Washington State James S. Nichols Jr., Oregon State Brock P. Nolan, Indiana #ALA David E. Ozvat, Ohio State P. R. Pankey, Arizona ALA Brian E. Parsons, Washington State Amit B. Patel, Illinois * Samuel A. Peak, Illinois # Bradway F. Phillips, Ohio State ALA Donald A. Pizer, Penn State ALA John W. Plattner, Northwestern Richard E. Porter, Long Beach State Jeffrey R. Powers, Purdue Howard G. Pratt, Illinois #ALA Thomas M. Putnam III, Colorado Mark W. Quebe, Purdue Dennis C. Rasmussen, Oregon State John S. Redding, Illinois James N. Reichard Jr., Louisiana State Mark E. Richards, Shippensburg Dennis G. Richards, Shippensburg Kevin C. Robert, Louisiana State Charles L. Roberts, Georgia Hans M. Roensch Jr., Missouri Joel Romaine, Shippensburg #ALA James L. Rose, Wisconsin Philip G. Rowe, New Hampshire * Arthur K. Rue, Wyoming Robert C. Rupe, Oregon State
# Donated to Multiple Funds
David L. Schoon, Indiana ALA Charles L. Schroeder, Southern California Charles F. Schwab, New Hampshire Ralph E. Schwein, Colorado * W. S. Seaboyer, Purdue William T. Siegle, Rensselaer Roy A. Silver, Southern California Richard N. Skadan, Washington State ALA Terry W. Smith, Illinois Wesleyan Thomas A. Smith, Purdue ALA L. D. Smith, Indiana †(3) Zilmon F. Smith, Texas Merrill G. Smith, Miami of Ohio ALA George Snider, Rensselaer Gary L. Stansbery, Ohio John C. Stevens, New Hampshire #ALA Duane L. Stowe, Washington State ALA Samuel J. Strayer, Arizona State *ALA Charles F. Switzer, Oregon State Byron A. Tabor, Iowa #ALA William J. Tinnell, Texas Thomas F. Treat, Arkansas Ron K. Tsukamaki, Oregon State ALA William E. Turner, Miami of Ohio Bruce A. VanSkiver, Washington State Mark P. Variano, Illinois * Raj N. Vora, Illinois Daniel T. Walker Jr., Illinois # Todd D. Wallin, Illinois Jeffrey B. Warner, Iowa Michael S. Weber, Iowa State # Dale W. Weber, Iowa State # Kent L. Wegrzyn, Illinois * Eric D. Wheeler, Northwestern Oklahoma State Spencer B. Wien, Ohio * Tyler M. Wien, Ohio Edward A. Wilson, Michigan Warren D. Wilson, Wyoming Phillip T. Wilson, Illinois Wesleyan William R. Wise, Indiana John H. Witmer Jr., Penn State Kenneth W. Wong, Purdue # James A. Youngquist, Illinois ALA William J. Zeligson, Cornell John E. Ziegler, Penn State Howard S. Zwiefel III, Cornell # $50 - $99 Richard C. Abrams, Washington #ALA Lawrence N. Allen, Purdue Richard A. Anderson, Miami of Ohio * Robert L. Billin, California #ALA
David E. Conner, Purdue Barry L. Corson, Ohio ALA Robert A. Crane, Long Beach State Jean A. Creek, Indiana Richard E. Curp, Miami of Ohio Thomas W. Cypher, Shippensburg George H. Devaughn, Mississippi State Michael S. Dimenstein, Syracuse Ira S. Dubnoff, Syracuse John A. Durnin Jr., Louisiana State Kirk A. Eggebrecht, Indiana John W. Ellenwood, Ohio #ALA William J. Feth, Cornell Gayle E. Fitzsimons, Colorado John B. Forder, California Michael P. Foy, Wisconsin * Frederick N. Fritsch, Oregon State #ALA Sam E. Gibson, Arkansas * Herbert W. Gilbert, Wyoming Carl E. Gookins, Purdue David A. Gorelick, Cornell ALA David T. Gowans, New Hampshire * James G. Graham, Purdue Leroy C. Graham, Colorado ALA James K. Grant, Illinois Elbridge Griffy III, Oklahoma ALA H. V. Grumbling Jr., Michigan # Kyle A. Haines, Pittsburgh-Johnstown * Ronald A. Hankins, Colorado William D. Hansen, Minnesota William G. Haugan, Minnesota * Albert O. Haynes, Purdue William C. Hepler II, Indiana #ALA Carmen N. Hesselberg, Wisconsin William L. Heubaum, Morningside Richard H. Hoffelt, California * Glen L. Hower, Washington State G. D. Hubbard II, Cincinnati ALA Michael T. Huber, Miami of Ohio Robert D. Hurrell, Wyoming ALA Bart D. Iaia, Vermont ALA Nicholas M. Inserra, Illinois * Robert E. Jacobsen, California Frank T. James, Northwestern ALA Jerome P. Kaster, Indiana * John R. Kaufman, Penn State #ALA Garrett A. Kennedy, Kansas State * Dale A. Kjack, Washington State Douglas E. Klaus, Illinois # Edwin P. Kohler II, Penn State ALA Richard J. LaPorte, Indiana #ALA Susan Larson, Friend of Acacia *
“OUR FRATERNITY IS COMMITTED TO BRINGING TECHNICAL INNOVATION TO CHAPTERS AND ALUMNI SO WE MAY BE MORE EFFICIENT IN OUR BUSINESS AND CONNECT WITH BROTHERS FROM EVERY CORNER OF NORTH AMERICA. I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ACACIA BECAUSE THROUGH THESE EFFORTS, I BELIEVE WE ARE STRENGTHENING THE TIES OF FRIENDSHIP AND BUILDING GREAT INFLUENCE IN EVERY COMMUNITY!” -Brian S. Downs, Central Oklahoma ‘99 Richard W. Blowers, Central Missouri State Paul J. Boget, Ohio William T. Bradford, Long Beach State Aaron L. Brenneman, Oregon State * Roger H. Brent, Kansas State Zachary J. Brooks, Illinois * James T. Bruther, Purdue Pat D. Bryant, Oklahoma State * Vernon E. Buck, Emporia State Timothy J. Campbell, Colorado ALA Michael D. Carleton, Louisiana State Jeffrey D. Cary, Illinois Wesleyan Roger N. Cavitt, Illinois Wesleyan Paul R. Collier, Purdue #ALA Robert E. Combs, Purdue #
ALA Acacia Leadership Academy
James M. Lasher, Oregon State Earl E. Lego, Shippensburg Michael J. Lembo, Rensselaer ^ Timothy H. Lewis, Missouri School of Mines Thomas C. Lindberg, Washington State Lewis M. Lubarsky, Shippensburg Jacob F. Luftman, Rensselaer ALA Stephen D. Luthye, Kansas Gordon E. Malick, Franklin Michael J. Mansfield, Stephen F. Austin Charles F. Martin III, Purdue #ALA Douglas McCan, California George H. McCurdy III, Central Florida James L. McGough, Louisiana State
^ Corporate Matching Gift
†( ) Memorial Gift
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FOUNDATION DONORS James B. McNay, Northern Colorado Fred H. Merrick, UCLA Stephen G. Meyer, Indiana # Joseph L. Mikan, Houston ALA Jonas B. Miller, California Christopher P. Minardi, Rensselaer #ALA John H. Morrison Jr., Michigan ALA Edward A. Moss, Missouri School of Mines #ALA Michael T. Nasatka, Cornell # Kenneth C. Newman, Purdue John D. Newton, Rensselaer Edgar A. Owre, California Michael A. Pastko, Purdue # Jeffrey L. Peil, Iowa State Anthony M. Perrino, Illinois * William R. Picard II, Louisiana State #ALA Jack A. Pore, Ohio John A. Powers, Illinois * Neil C. Ray, Penn State Jack V. Robertson, Purdue ALA James E. Robinson, Oklahoma State #ALA Daniel A. Roby, Indiana # Carl D. Rogge, New Hampshire Frank R. Roper, Southern California ALA James R. Schaffer, Louisiana State * Bruce E. Smith, Northern Colorado Jacob P. Strayer, Arizona State *ALA William M. Sturdevant, Kansas State James M. Symons, Cornell Robert M. Tanem, California ALA Charles R. Tass, Iowa State John M. Taylor, Louisiana State * John G. Thagard, Texas ALA Derik M. Thieme, Illinois Wesleyan * Ryan J. Thornburgh, Indiana Walter R. Tingley Jr., California Dean R. Vickstrom, Iowa #ALA William Z. Way, Purdue Gene H. Wegner, Wisconsin ALA
William H. Gearhart, Colorado State Rubio R. Gonzalez, Cal Poly-Pomona * William D. Hayes, Nebraska Harold E. Heath, Central Oklahoma Robert Hobe, Purdue Michael A. Homsey, Shippensburg Clifford E. Hunt, Indiana ALA Robert E. Hunt Jr., Washington Sho Iketani, Cornell Richard H. Johnston, Missouri Cody M. Kahl, Oregon State * Jay S. Kallor, Missouri School of Mines ALA Brian P. Keenan, Nebraska ALA Roger V. Kelley Jr., Indiana * Donald L. Kerste, Northwestern * Walter R. Kolbe, Iowa State #ALA Walter L. Kutscher Jr., Ohio Howard P. Lambert, Penn State Gregory J. Lary, Ohio David V. LeMone, Luther A. Smith #ALA Toby R. Madison, UCLA ALA Robert C. Madsen, Southern California Donald D. Mattox, Nebraska ALA James R. McCormick, Michigan Ryan N. McDowell, Oregon State Brent S. O’Rear, Central Oklahoma Darren J. Petillo, Penn State * Thomas A. Pick, St. Cloud State * Robert A. Pugh, California William D. Reeder, Missouri #ALA Anthony W. Riepma, Iowa State * Thomas F. Rippere, Rensselaer Jack M. Robinson, Iowa State Steve A. Roelle, Colorado * Gary L. Rogers, Purdue Douglas A. Rowland, Shippensburg Jack R. Sandridge, Central Missouri State Steven R. Sawyer, Texas ALA Nicholas A. Seibold, Iowa State #^ALA George K. Seitz, Kansas #ALA
"I HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING ACACIA ACTIVELY SINCE I RETIRED IN 1997. MANY OF THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS THAT DID ME WELL IN MY CAREER WERE DEVELOPED DURING MY FRATERNITY YEARS." -Lee W. Kearney, Oregon State ’59 Wade J. Weichel, Nebraska William H. Weiskopf II, Northwestern James R. White, Mississippi State Donald L. Williamson, Shippensburg Brian V. Yager, Illinois Wesleyan * Robert A. Young Jr., California ALA $49 & below Stephen H. Achtenhagen, Colorado Peter K. Anderson, Rensselaer Steven J. Armenia, Syracuse #ALA Daniel R. Barr, Michigan S. J. Briggs, Wyoming Richard D. Brotzman, Texas * Allstate The Giving Campaign * G. R. Chancellor, Northwestern ALA Milton C. Clarke, Northwestern *†(7) Brian J. Consiglio, Missouri * Robert S. Cumella, Rensselaer Gregg A. Cummings, California William H. Cushman, Oregon State # David L. Czyzewicz, Washington State *ALA William R. Day, Bloomsburg Russell C. Dionne, Syracuse Cayd E. Erickson, Oregon State * James C. Fetterman, Mississippi State Arnold L. Flottman Jr., George Washington James A. Frost, Cincinnati ALA
* First-time AFF Donor
Christopher R. Sherman, Purdue Harold D. Stephenson, Georgia ALA Alan V. Stevens, New Hampshire Thomas B. Stryer, Miami of Ohio Burt E. Swanson, Minnesota Arne E. Swenson, Washington State Paul M. Swinney, Evansville * Hiko Takeda, Iowa State * Benjamin J. Terry, California Craig M. Theriac, Indiana Richard S. Thomason, Louisiana State David M. Townley, Arizona Noah R. Trobe, Missouri Thomas A. Vojir, Ohio * Daniel S. Watson, Washington State Richard W. Whyte, Illinois Wesleyan Clyde A. Williams, Kansas
SPECIAL FUND DONORS Acacia Leadership Academy Endowment ($1,000-$3,000) William A. Utic, Cornell #ALA Harold D. Zarr Jr., Iowa State #ALA Cornerstones ($500-$2,000) Destry W. Hood, Nebraska Alan S. Tai, Washington State # Donated to Multiple Funds
Eric V. Zwigart, California of Pennsylvania #
Scott H. Meyer, St. Cloud State # Justin M. Kaplan, Carleton
Corpus ($200+) Bernal R. Woodward, Syracuse #
Ling/Stout Western Growth ($5,000+) Dr. Leonard & IIona Ling Foundation
International Council Speaker ($100-$500) Jeremy N. Davis, Iowa State # George A. Ray III, Penn State
Scholarship Endowment ($2,000+) Larry E. Schroeder, Georgia #
TOP 10 CHAPTERS BY DONATIONS 1 $229,457 - Iowa State 2 $47,486 - Indiana 3 $44,556 - Kansas State 4 $34,815 - Louisiana State 5 $19,733 - Illinois 6 $16,875 - Purdue 7 $16,227 - Washington State 8 $12,960 - Oregon State 9 $6,885 - California 10 $4,168 - Penn State TOP 10 CHAPTERS BY DONORS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Indiana - 131 Donors Purdue - 71 Donors Iowa State - 61 Donors Washington State - 54 Donors Oregon State - 53 Donors Kansas State - 48 Donors Illinois - 47 Donors Louisiana State - 27 Donors California - 26 Donors Penn State - 25 Donors
The AFF would like to thank the following companies for their corporate giving programs to support organizations like Acacia: Adobe GE Foundation Hallmark Corporate Foundation JCPenney Microsoft United Way of Greater Atlanta † We would also like to recognize those Brothers, families and friends who gave in memory of a loved one: †(1) George F. Patterson Jr., Cincinnati †(4) Dr. Irving M. Field, Missouri & David J. Allen, Indiana †(5) Walter Russell Scott Jr., Penn State †(2) George W. Bechtold, Northwestern †(6) Duncan McPherson, California & John W. Phillip, Northwestern †(7) Milton C. Clarke, Northwestern †(3) Robert B. Townsend, Indiana
ALA Acacia Leadership Academy
^ Corporate Matching Gift
†( ) Memorial Gift
FOUNDATION DONORS
Making Sense of Your Dollars and Cents A BREAKDOWN OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURES FOR THE AFF
Breakdown of Your Dollar For every dollar you give, 12 cents will go to chapter support (educational grants to chapters from their chapter fund account for the educational portion of their houses and attendance at leadership events); 10 cents will go to fundraising efforts, 9.5 cents will go to scholarships; another 9 cents will go to program services (educational grants to Acacia HQ and ALA, as well as the Foundation Scholarship Luncheon at Conclave), and less than 3 cents will go to management of the fund. That means that for every dollar you give to the AFF, 87 cents will go directly to making our fraternity better and providing educational opportunities for the next generation of brothers. Highlights for the Year The Foundation received $618,587 from over 1218 donations during the past fiscal year ending June 30, 2017. At year-end, the Foundation has assets of $3.1 million. The Foundation received $182,401 in Annual Fund contributions and an additional $25,686 to support the annual Acacia Leadership Academy. During the past fiscal year $399,893 was contributed for chapter accounts. The Foundation awarded 151 scholarships to undergraduate Acacians totaling almost $149,000 and distributed $330,567 in educational grants to the Fraternity and its chapters.
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CHAPTER FUND DONORS
CHAPTER FUND DONORS July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017 Chapter accounts have an important role in fulfilling our mission, “Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders.” There are accounts for each Acacia chapter and colony. Many chapters have established additional accounts for special projects, such as chapter renovations and named scholarships endowments. Arizona State Fund ($1,000+) Brian S. Strayer, Ohio State # ($300-$999) David J. Bolger, Texas Robert L. Hurni, Ohio State # William C. Schmitt, Ohio State ($200-$299) Lawrence L. Andre, Kansas State Louis J. DiMuro * Gary J. Haag, Kansas State ($100 & below) Jackson H. Aaberg, Missouri # Daniel M. Caruso II * H. B. Funk, Kansas State # H. V. Grumbling Jr., Michigan # Robert E. Jepson, Kansas State Darold W. Larson, Washington State # Martin T. McKnight, Oregon State # Marcus W. Mountford, Kansas State Michael T. Nasatka, Cornell # Roger A. Nealis, Indiana # Michael L. Rollins, Washington # Nicholas A. Seibold, Iowa State #^ Michael C. Tu, California # Michael S. Weber, Iowa State #
Curtis W. Voges James T. Wormley # ($175-$299) Joseph M. Cook Kevin J. OLeary Richard K. Price Timothy J. Sullivan Joel A. Winick ($100 & below) Dennis C. Bone * James A. Carr Steven A. Davidson, Wyoming * Fredrick C. Garrott # Ronald M. Hamelberg # Douglas E. Klaus # David L. Kuhn James M. Kurtzweil Morgan J. Lynge Jr. Samuel A. Peak # Howard G. Pratt # Max N. Schmidt * Daniel T. Walker Jr. # Illinois State Fund ($200+) Robert E. Roberson, Illinois Wesleyan #
California of PA Fund ($75+) Travis G. Haberjak Guy R. Holmes
Illinois Wesleyan Fund ($300+) R. L. Christie James C. Fleming Jr. Robert E. Roberson #
California of PA Scholarship Fund ($3,000+) Eric V. Zwigart #
($100 & below) Steven J. Aves Alan K. Leahigh #
California Fund ($50+) Hugh I. Ellis D. E. Williams
Indiana Fund ($10,000+) Khozema Z. Shipchandler
Central Oklahoma Fund ($100+) Randall L. Clark Colorado Scholarship Fund ($10,000+) Colorado Acacia House Corp. ($100 & below) Walter A. Clark Joseph G. Dillon, Friend of Acacia * Carroll J. Washington Jr. Cornell Fund ($50+) William L. Dearcop Howard S. Zwiefel III # Illinois Fund ($100+) David L. Mari # Illinois Building Fund ($5,000+) Paul E. Ruby # ($2,500-$4,999) Daniel D. Bayston # Illinois Scholarship Fund ($1,000+) Illinois Chapter Acacia Fraternity * Robert A. Lincicome ($300-$999) John R. Bandy * David L. Mari # Paul E. Ruby #
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($1,000-$1,999) Richard A. Bush Michael L. Carmin Scott A. Daugherty David L. Ferguson # Steven K. Haines George C. Mansfield IV * ($300-$999) Jeffrey C. Farren # United Way Greater Atlanta #^ Brant E. Lieske # Paul A. Malarik III # Roger A. Nealis # George W. Sorrells III # Zachary M. Vietri James D. Weaver # ($100-$299) Kevin T. Cannon Thomas C. Cornwell James R. Dreesen Michael D. Findley # David P. Fogler Robert E. Garrow Kris I. Kallembach John K. Kidd Michael B. Kupper Matheau P. Luers ^ Stephen T. McDonald Arthur H. McElwee Michael J. Oakes # William G. Osbach Taha Z. Shipchandler Kenneth R. Whitelaw Roy S. Whiteman Mack E. Wootton #†(3) ($100 & below) Daniel M. Bade Daniel L. Barnett William B. Borst III Harold E. Bowman # Brett A. Buxbaum *
Charles B. Carroll # Gregory S. Carter James P. Clark # John W. Clark †(3) Stephen Clevenger Mark D. Cole David C. Dale Joel W. Davenport Andrew J. DiMarzio Jeffrey W. Elder Gregory Emily * Thomas S. Everett Ronald M. Finnigan Michael P. Fogarty # Brandon S. Freyberger John H. Gentle Max H. Gollmer #^ Mark E. Hackbarth Scott A. Hackett Brian M. Hall David K. Haviland # Justin M. Hendricks William C. Hepler II # David J. Herbert James F. Hillestad, Friend of Acacia * Robert L. Holloway * Scott J. Houston Charles W. Jarrett Jr. Calvin L. Kemp Shaun M. Kirkwood Ryan A. Korte Earl L. LaCounte Richard J. LaPorte # Benjamin P. Livermore * Andrew G. Long # Robert D. Lucus Troy E. Lutes * Joseph L. Manson Jerry L. Mayes # Stephen G. Meyer # Michael W. Miller Dyke A. Minix II Scott G. Minnig * Robert G. Mooth Brock P. Nolan # Elbert E. Oliver # James A. Palmer David R. Parks Glenn S. Pate Robert E. Peterson Jose R. Rivas Daniel A. Roby # Daniel J. Rodgers Richard L. Routh # Kerry T. Ryan * Adam F. Saad Ted B. Shuel Robert D. Smith Scott A. Swogger * James S. Tomoda * Leo W. West John R. Westby Lowell R. Wilkins Indiana - Kyle P. Simcoe Memorial Scholarship ($10,000+) Indiana Alumni Association ($1,000-$1,999) Tobias J. Cohen * Jerome A. Gordon III ($200-$999) Joseph & Caitlin Alerding Jr., Friend of Acacia * Randy & Jennifer Barry, Friend of Acacia Indianapolis F. Company, Inc. The Whitsett Group LLC * Enviro-Max Inc. Prosource Indianapolis * Gerald A. Palermo, Friend of Acacia Innovative H. Real Estate LLC * D’Zynes H. Salon, Non-Acacian ($100 & below) Andrew T. Boots * Tuley L. Office, Non-Acacian R. T. Patterson Company *
Michael J. and Joyce C. Vietri, Friend of Acacia Iowa Fund ($150+) Jeremy M. Fortier Aaron L. Morrow # Iowa State Fund ($20,000+) Robert L. Carstens ($1,000-$1,999) William G. Pearcy David E. Wolfe ($250-$500 ) Robert K. Borcherding Philip C. Larson Donald G. Lyon Nicholas A. Seibold #^ Richard W. Taylor Douglas R. Whitney Daniel G. Wisner # ($200 & below) Jeremy N. Davis # Gary D. Harter Nicole Heyd, Friend of Acacia * Christopher W. Knapp # Austin S. Locke Dennis G. McComber # John G. McDonald # Lynn R. Pendry Gary L. Ruegsegger Ezra L. Shields Howard V. Speer David M. Strom Dale W. Weber # Anonymous Iowa State - Edwin Drdla Educational Endowment ($100 & below) Walter R. Kolbe # Iowa State - Harold D. Zarr Jr. Educational Scholarship ($1,000+) Harold D. Zarr Jr. # Iowa State - New Chapter House Fund ($50,000+) David H. Fifield Dennis G. McComber # ($10,000-$20,000) John P. Bahr # James H. Davis James M. Hanson ($5,000-$$9,999) Laury E. Decker Donald L. Good John T. Lynch Terry L. Thoem Dale W. Weber # Harold D. Zarr Jr. # ($1,000-$4,000) James K. England John R. Fulkerson Robert D. Howlett # Larry A. Wogahn * Neil H. Woodley ($250-$500) Matthew B. England James L. Hinkeldey * Bernard J. Kolp Dr. Ronald M. Larsen Gene D. Lucht # George A. Robinson Jr. Benjamin J. Schneider
CHAPTER FUND DONORS Daniel G. Wisner # ($200 & below) John W. Bridenstine Robert A. Cramer Michael E. Gano * Elizabeth B. Gehring, Friend of Acacia Glenn S. Goodenow * Roger W. Kingery * Walter R. Kolbe # Wayne W. Nowlan Richard K. Perrin Kansas State Fund ($500+) Bradon S. Nelson # Kansas State - Acacia Century ($3,000+) Lynn R. Johnson Fred W. Loseke # W. J. Neal #^ ($1,000-$2,100) William K. Barnow Travis J. Bowie # Charles H. Busch Rick C. Elliott Hallmark C. Foundation *^ H. B. Funk # John C. Haas Robert L. Hampton James M. Hoenscheidt Nathan C. Mentzer Edward F. Prosser Donald M. Rasmussen # ($250-$999) Roger D. Brannan Timothy I. Franklin Kurt C. Guth Curtis R. Hapgood Michael L. Meyers # Chad C. Miller Brian T. Murphy George A. Nelson Cecil W. Pearce Terry L. Resseguie # Kansas State - Samuel G. Unger Memorial Scholarship Fund ($500+) Brent B. Bayer Fred W. Loseke # Bradon S. Nelson # Donald M. Rasmussen # Terry L. Resseguie # ($250-$499) Stephen P. Collins ^ Alan S. Davis Derek D. Dawes Daniel C. Dolezal Christopher D. Dolezal * John R. Fralick Larry L. Ihrig Brandon E. Litch * Matthew R. McHenry Michael L. Meyers # William M. Riley Jr. # Kansas State - William M. Riley Jr. Leadership Fund ($1,500+) William M. Riley Jr. # Louisiana State Fund ($7,000+) Mark R. Guidry Jr # Louisiana State - Building Fund ($5,000+) Mark R. Guidry Jr. # ($1,000-$1,999) Henry P. Mounger ($50 & below) David Crane Harold A. Moise * Juan C. Nogueira * Mark W. Schellhaas *
Louisiana State - Charles L. ‘Chief’ Sartain Jr. Scholarship ($10,000+) Mark R. Guidry Jr. # Minnesota - Donald H. Arvold Memorial Scholarship ($250+) Larry B. Forsland # Scott H. Meyer, St. Cloud State # ($100 & below) Gary C. Applequist, St. Cloud State * Chad K. Olson, St. Cloud State Missouri ($50+) Rodolfo Cedre, Friend of Acacia * Robert W. Seney Missouri - Anthony R. Olson Memorial Scholarship ($200-$500) William J. Gust Andrew D. Lloyd-Smith * ($100-$199) Jackson H. Aaberg # Jason C. Fossella, Louisiana Tech * ($99 & below) Robert E. Adams III * Christopher S. Cannon William D. Reeder # Nebraska ($100 & below) Robert E. George # Stephen R. Gold Ohio Fund ($150+) Christopher J. Laker Ohio - Library Fund ($100+) James N. Katsaounis # Ohio State Fund ($1,500+) Brian S. Strayer # ($500-$999) Jeffrey H. Jordan ($100-$199) Richard R. Bauer * Dale R. Downie * Charles P. Guy * Jeffrey R. Harmacek * Aaron D. Holly * Gregory M. Horvath Steven A. Nocera * Joshua M. Quicksall Oregon State Fund ($1,000+) David W. Zier ($250-$500) Martin T. McKnight # Oregon State - Richard S. Reid Scholarship Fund ($1,000-$2,000) James B. Goritsan Mary L. Reid, Friend of Acacia # ($250-$500) George T. Abed # Paul G. Ingram # Leonard W. Kearney # Martin T. McKnight # ($100-$199) Deane E. Allin Charles E. Buxton Donald W. Dauterman # Ian C. Hawes Donald R. Hoskins Kenneth J. Manning Curtis E. McCann
Tony R. Miller Kenneth E. Roberts Jr. Harrison W. Sigworth Jr. # Robert L. Springer Paul D. Tamura Britt W. Thomas Mark D. Twietmeyer Ernest W. Wakeham Dale M. Wells
St. Cloud State Fund ($500+) Scott H. Meyer #
($50 & below) Antranik Barsamian Roger B. Bowman Brian J. Bowman Keith E. Brown William H. Cushman # Gary S. DeVoe Frederick N. Fritsch # William S. Gaughan Robert B. Hardin Jr. Eric C. Hawkes George A. Hinkel # Alan M. Jesse Lloyd D. Johnston James W. Kelley Anthony D. Little # Philip W. Newman Wayne V. Roberts Keith M. Seymour Robert O. Weed William G. Wu Michael D. Zumwalt
Trine (Tri-State) Fund ($50 & below) Zachary M. Brown * Charles J. Van Antwerp *
Penn State - G. Kenneth Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fund ($1,000+) Jonathan Woods * ($150-$300) Scott C. Graham Patriot E. Supply, Non-Acacian * ($149 & below) Richard R. Harro Alan G. Keller Stacey Shanahan, Friend of Acacia * Penn State - W. Russell Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund ($50+) Leland J. and Martha Adams Jr., Friend of Acacia †(5) Purdue Fund ($1,000+) Richard T. Freije Jr. # ($250-$500) Derrick J. Kraus Matthew G. Lerzak Thomas Stieglitz John P. Wagner # ($100-$200) James E. Baynes John T. Gall Richard T. Harris Jr. Steven R. Hill John F. Hoffner # Paul E. Householder Angelo M. Marasco Michael L. Miller Richard D. Miller Jr. David S. Moorman Mathias Pfaendler * Charles H. Sadek # Mark J. Schnarr James E. Southwood Kenneth W. Wong # ($99 & below) Ronald C. Boller Robert E. Combs # Robert A. Corson John E. Hagelskamp James W. Munden Michael A. Pastko # Anders S. Platou Devin R. Slagle Rensselaer Fund ($50+) Richard L. Fowler Jr. Kim Rood, Friend of Acacia * Lynn Wenger, Friend of Acacia *
Texas Fund ($500+) Robert C. Thames
Vermont Fund ($1,000+) John B. Lane, Vermont # Washington Fund ($1,000-$2,500) Talcott J. Franklin * Craig A. Hubbell * Michael L. Rollins # ($250-$500) Richard C. Abrams # Scott A. Beckman * Robert A. Hofstatter ($200 & below) Michael J. Dunn David L. Mari, Illinois # Washington State Fund ($200-$400) Marc J. Bachmeier Aaron R. Beattie Robert K. Hampe Jayson D. Hicks Joseph A. Homans # Patrick D. Sheehan ($100-$199) Court A. Andreas Mark W. Berry Neal E. Brown # John P. Byrne Kenneth A. Christenson Martin R. Fischer # Paul B. Goodman # Douglas J. Grant * Robert W. Hentges John M. Hinshaw Darold W. Larson # James P. May # Alex Merlich Michael J. Morgan *# Mark D. Murray Gordon D. Olson Craig A. Paulson Tracey S. Ramirez Peter S. Sechler Michael S. See Scott N. Settle * Helmuth Siemer III * Scott M. Valley Sidney G. Watson, Friend of Acacia * ($99 & below) William C. Goolsby, Luther A. Smith Nicholas M. Montanari Jeffrey A. Olson Wisconsin Fund ($500+) Matthew C. Dunning James L. McFarland # ($200-$499) Brian R. Durst # Paul K. Hurlbut Alan B. Scher # George W. Sorrells III, Indiana # ($100 & below) Kevin T. May # Brian Wilson * Wisconsin - Michael S. Hannes Memorial Scholarship ($100-$250) William C. Andrae David J. Engeldinger Blake J. Hutchison # Alan B. Scher # George W. Sorrells III, Indiana #
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CHAPTER ETERNAL
CHAPTER ETERNAL ARKANSAS Thomas Earle Richardson, #13 BOSTON William J. Butts, #24 CALIFORNIA Richard P. Evans, #455 CAL POLY-POMONA Robert L. Streett, #64 Mark Renfrow, #89 COLORADO Richard G. Irwin, #452 COLORADO STATE Dr. Charlie A. Martinson, #53 CORNELL David J. Hower, #526 ILLINOIS Steven M. Bartz, #1290 INDIANA Dr. James A. Huston, #287 Roy S. Whiteman, #589 Jonathan L Forgey, #924
IOWA STATE Harold L. Skerritt, #421 Charles K. Peterson, #568 Calvin O. Hultman, #638 (Past Leadership Consultant and National First President) KANSAS William G Kamberg, #636 KANSAS STATE Clare G. Hamilton, #258 William M. Sturdevant, #335
NEBRASKA Charles I. Slagle, #470 Larry D. Cole, #591 NEW HAMPSHIRE Richard H. Field, #251 Douglas H. Dartnell, #261 NORTHWESTERN Milton C. Clarke, #367 John M. Ehrenberg, #537 OHIO Rodney K. Bennett, #211
RENSSELAER Robert L. Reiner, #47 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Richard H. Gatley III, #125 Ralph Ross Williams, #156
OHIO STATE Paul A. Feeger, #548 Dr. Kenneth L. Rosengarten, #743
SYRACUSE William Grandy Foster, #204 Fred E. Lott, #253 James R. Roy, #383
OKLAHOMA Max H. Beasley Jr., #711
WASHINGTON William F. Davis, #492
MINNESOTA Stephen W. Erickson, #758
PENN STATE Arthur C. Woodard, #422 CPT William E. Pelton, #664
WASHINGTON STATE Willard A. Zellmer, #33
MISSOURI Michael K. Hackleman, #803 Alexander M. Jenkins, #975
PURDUE James E. Baynes, #467 Duane H. Williams, #517
WISCONSIN Justin Michael Perez, #1086
LONG BEACH STATE James D. Barlau, #17 LOUISIANA STATE Charles Lenton Sartain Jr., #27 MICHIGAN Rollyn L. Storey, #492
Charles Lenton “Chief” Sartain Jr., Louisiana State ’56 Founding member of the Louisiana State Chapter and past Judge Advocate of the National Council, Judge C. Lenton Sartain Jr., fondly known as “Chief” by his brothers, passed away peacefully November 15 at the age of 97. He was born September 19, 1920 and was a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge. He was proud of earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Lenton graduated from Catholic High School and attended LSU. While at LSU he was a member of ROTC. Throughout his life he participated in the community and church affairs. He was a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Dr. James Alvin Huston, Indiana ’38 Born in Fairmont, Indiana, Bro. Huston earned two degrees at Indiana University and a Ph.D. at New York University. He served in the Army for four years during WWII, where he served in various capacities in the United States as well as in Europe. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Nancy, France, among other experiences he shared with the News & Advance in 2014. After teaching history at Purdue University for 26 years — with interim years teaching at the National War College, Naval War College — he came to Lynchburg,
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Herschel R Hadley, #675 David A. Eastman, #681 Max Joseph Cork, #750 Norman R. Glass, #897
Mason and Past Master of St. James Lodge. In his 80’s he was instrumental in founding the Scottish Rite Early Learning Center serving children with special needs. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Peggy Lou Huddleston Sartain, brother and his wife Elwood and Peggy Landry Sartain. Lenton is survived by two daughters and their husbands Lynn and Len Kilgore, Charlotte and Paul Provenza; six grandchildren Parker and wife Erin Kilgore, Evan Kilgore and wife Michele Arms, Covey Kilgore, Sam and wife Luella Provena, Ben Provenza, and Charlie and wife Alison Provenza. “Pop” had 4 great grandchildren.
where he had a profound impact on the academic life of the institution. Dr. Huston is the namesake for an annual award that honors faculty for their research and scholarship. Dr. Huston created the Lynchburg College Senior Symposium and helped create the College’s nursing program. He also instituted a unique commencement tradition, in which the faculty leading the procession form two lines through which the graduating seniors walk for final congratulations and farewells. The tradition is often called “the Huston Maneuver.”
AFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LETTER
It’s (not) Déjà vu all over again By Darold W. Larson, Washington State ’81
While attending an anniversary celebration of the Saint Cloud chapter, I purchased an autographed picture of Yankee Hall of Famer, Lawrence (Yogi) Peter Berra. Hanging in my office, the photograph is titled “He Was Out” and shows a sliding Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers stealing home in game 1 of the ’55 World Series. I agree with Mr. Berra – he was indeed out! Commonly referred to as Yogism, Berra was known for his malapropisms as well as pithy and paradoxical statements, such as “It’s déjà vu all over again,” while speaking to reporters. He once simultaneously denied and confirmed his reputation by stating, “I really didn’t say everything I said.” During the last year, from Boston to Los Angeles and from Seattle to Atlanta and all parts in between, the Foundation has held alumni events commonly referred to as Gatherings to create awareness and enthusiasm, and to familiarize the purpose of the Foundation and how it can assist with Acacia’s mission – Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders. However, recent press coverage has been damaging to the point where many of our alumni believe the Greek communities are inconsistent with our core values. There have been several high-profile incidents in the Interfraternity community that have made national headlines in the last calendar year that might lead to the casual reader that, like Jackie Robinson, “Greeks are out.” Yes, some regretful behavior, but overall Greeks conduct themselves with honor across North America. With 24/7 news cycles and the plethora of social media outlets - not to mention a camera in every phone - we are tuned in more than ever, or so we think.
and inform makes a difference. This is the Fraternity’s second largest budgetary item so to help defray these costs, the Foundation has THE GREEK EXPERIENCE established the IS FAR FROM “OUT.” THAT Fraternal and Communications EUREKA MOMENT IS ALIVE Fund and we NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. now seek your ACACIA FRATERNITY - NOT support.
FOUR YEARS BUT FOR LIFE!
Acacia’s communication methods include traditional print media such as our magazine - the Triad, our membership manual – the Pythagoras, and our educational leadership series – Gold Books. There are new technologies such as the Fraternity’s e-newsletter that communicates at the chapter level at no cost and is directed to their alumni. The Fraternity also provides for chapter websites, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Fraternity is very proud of our programming events, including our Biennial Conclave and Leadership School, the Darold W. Larson Leadership Academy and our annual mid-year forum, the Lee Kearney Venerable Dean Summit. Our goal is to ensure our message is consistent, timely and appropriate to the brothers and friends of Acacia Fraternity. To assist and ensure that these programs are properly funded, the Directors of the Acacia Fraternity Foundation and members of the International Council encourage our alumni and friends of Acacia to make a leadership gift to the Fraternal & Communications Fund. I encourage you to utilize the remittance envelope in this issue of the Triad or visit our website at acacia.org/donate and from there select Acacia Fraternal & Communications Fund.
One of the fallouts of the social unrest of the late ’60s was the perceived death of Greek life. Perceived is the key word. “It’s (not) déjà vu all over again!” Many alumni are surprised to hear that Greek life is celebrating a renaissance, that Greeks are more engaged, that this generation has taken philanthropy to a new level, that Greeks out-perform their counterparts academically, are more apt to graduate and upon graduation get involved in their local communities.
The Greek experience is far from “out.” That moment of self-discovery, that Eureka moment that you experienced as an undergraduate, is alive now and will be into the future. Acacia Fraternity - not four years but for life!
Our leadership programming and communication has improved greatly over the past seven years. This quality programming and our timely communication to educate
Darold W. Larson, Washington ’81 Executive Director Acacia Fraternity Foundation
Fraternally,
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Acacia Fraternity International Headquarters 8777 Purdue Road, Suite 225 Indianapolis, Indiana 46268
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A re you an A cacia Mom or Dad rece ivin gd? this is sue of T he Tria
If your son has recently moved, we’d love to have his new address to keep in touch with fraternity publications like The Triad. Please send us (or ask him to send us) a quick update at communications@acacia.org or 317-872-8210. Feel free to keep and read this Triad! We’ll send him another copy.
Join us for the 60th Biennial Acacia Conclave!
August 1st - August 5th, 2018
At the Loews Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana
Get details and register online at acacia.org/conclave or call the Headquarters office at 317-872-8210.