PURPLE LEGIONNAIRE REPORT
CHRIS HUPE '94
I continue to believe that fraternity done right, fulfills a significant need for our collegiate men, now more than ever. This newsletter is chock full of evidence Chi Deuteron is doing fraternity right these days, successfully navigating a wildly changing collegiate and social landscape to produce winning results These results are produced by quality young men who are hungry for success and want to get things done, possess the social intelligence needed to communicate and navigate the environment, and are willing to put the team’s objectives above their own self-serving interests when necessary. Our chapter’s growth system and recruiting model is consistently locating and bringing these men into our midst thanks in part to outstanding metrics, reputation, and chapter performance putting FIJI near the top at Kansas State University I cannot understate the importance of graduate support through contributions of both time and treasure have played in achieving success. Continued strong alumni engagement and support of chapter culture through housing projects, scholarships, and programing that deliver verifiable results have fueled our men and chapter to new heights
One of the critical programs in the new member onboarding process is called business of the fraternity, and as the name implies, it is a module that provides our new members with the information they need to understand what the chapter is about, how it operates, diving into the nuts and bolts of chapter responsibilities, member expectations, and the processes that provide the backbone of how our fraternity operates both at the international, university, and chapter levels We have been working the past couple years to develop this interactive program into one that is impactful and enables our newest members to go make a difference with confidence.
Sunday the 17th of February, we hosted the session with members of the Fall ‘24 class, and we covered a lot of ground over the three and a half hours we were together Of the many insightful discussions we shared, I wanted to highlight our discussion about culture We dove into an understanding that organizational culture boils down to the accepted and rejected behaviors within a group, and talked about how courageous leadership is the key to strong and real fraternal bonds.
When asked what elements of our current culture they are most proud of they shared: our ritual, chapter size and family environment, positive reputation at Kansas State, quality of men in the chapter, and academic reputation
I can’t tell you how pleased I was to hear these responses from our freshmen members. We have been driving toward this for many years with the chapter and these elements should make everyone very proud to be a K-State FIJI Thank you again for your engagement and support of our chapter – the results are real, and preparing men to lead the world post college with the best that is in them
Mighty proud to be a FIJI.
PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
DYLAN MICK CHAPTER PRESIDENT
The 2024-2025 academic year has been another successful term for the Chi Deuteron members. The chapter has been hard at work achieving its goals and reaching new heights. To start, the brothers propelled themselves back into the top three Kansas State fraternity GPAs, achieving a 3.48 for the third time in three years. This achievement follows the implementation of a revamped scholarship policy led by Scholarship Chairman, Drake Augustine
Philanthropy and community service have also maintained strong momentum We hosted our annual Beach Bash philanthropy event with Delta Chi and the FIJI Car Wash to benefit the USO In community service, the chapter accumulated 625 total hours of service, including our semesterly highway clean on Bill Snyder Highway just outside of town.
The chapter has also made its mark on the international fraternity. Before the fall semester, three brothers (myself, Alec Hupe, and Ben Abraham) attended the semiannual Ekklesia in Chicago, IL. During these sessions, we observed changes to the fraternity, including one of our brothers (Zach Berard) successfully proposing an amendment to the fraternity bylaws! Overall, it was a very informative trip where Chi Deuteron demonstrated its strengths This momentum continued into the winter, with 11 brothers attending the annual FIJI Academy, where they gained valuable leadership skills to utilize in their future years of membership Chi Deuteron was the most represented chapter at the Academy
Currently, the chapter is preparing for a busy spring semester, packed with our week-long philanthropy event (Island Week), Pig Dinner, Scholarship Awards Banquet, Moms Weekend, and Formal.
My fellow cabinet members and I are working hard to implement changes that will further strengthen our chapter. This includes an adjustment in the room selection process, and the creation of an out-of-house member expectations document. Overall, the brothers are focused to make Chi Deuteron better every day and are excited for the semester to come!
RESIDENT ADVISOR UPDATE
GREG NELSON ‘79
The fall semester was a whirlwind – we blinked, and it was over. The new members class of Fall ’24 is an exceptional group of young men that I have I have come to know on a personal level. They bring a high level of leadership potential to Chi Deuteron and will be integral to our continued success.
The chapter navigated some effective crisis management as well as handling the transition from pledges to new members, and I was able to provide advice and feedback where it was requested I also act in an advisory role to Judicial Board and can report that the undergrads are dedicated to upholding the values and laws of PGD
I have witnessed the high level of involvement that the Chi Deuteron moms and ads provide From HUGE auction results to Christmas decorations and goodies during finals week, they are on fire! And most of all, YOUR continued support is highly valued – whether donations to the Kite’s box (which is used for much more than just brotherhood at Kite’s) or your presence at Wednesday dress dinners - graduate support has never been more important. As we transition to the new model, the “noise level” has never been higher in regard to all of the demands placed on our undergraduate brothers. Proud to be a FIJI!
Click to see Fall ’24 around the house - FIJI Photos Album
2025 FIJI ACADEMY
CHRIS HUPE '94
Greetings! As we are nearly three months into 2025, I reflect on the speed with which time seems to move these days and another fast-paced year in the life of our chapter As is a traditional marker to start the new year, the Fiji Leadership Academy is held the first weekend, and Kansas State, once again, brought the largest delegation of any FIJI chapter to the St Louis event Eleven undergraduate brothers were able to attend thanks in part to generous scholarships from our Excellence Club donors that defrayed half of the $500 per member cost to attend for members who meet the requirements. I am convinced the knowledge and experiences gained each year and brought back to Kansas State are a key element in our continuing pursuit of excellence as a chapter This year was another great academy and memorable for many reasons, not the least of which was being stranded for an extra day by the great blizzard of 2025.
Academy keynote speaker David Marino (California at Riverside 1985) and former field secretary 1985-87 was also unable to leave the Union Station as planned, and that presented an interesting opportunity for our men We were able to coordinate a private sit-down Q & A session Sunday with the senior executive director of Hughes Marino, and our undergraduates had full access to ask and discuss whatever was on their minds. Questions covered the gamut from learning about employee expectations, the company’s performance management and onboarding programs, to qualities they are looking for in new hires, where David related their recruiting model to the chapter’s rush process, and he emphasized the importance of carefully selecting members based on core values, alignment, and effective communication. The men asked how he handles underperforming employees, where he related the importance of the onboarding process, setting clear expectations and ensuring employees understand the company’s core values, training for success, and providing performance metrics He shared the concept of building skills through practice and continual feedback
and the relevance of fraternity and lessons learned David shared how the fraternity develops skills such as strategic planning, project management, conflict resolution, negotiation and relational intelligence, the ability to manage many tasks simultaneously while performing at a high level, and financial acumen, among others. The value of the fraternal experience, done right, he stated, will have substantial impact on your future trajectory not only in business, but in your personal life as well He related the importance of seeking excellence and not getting hung up on perfection
As the session concluded he was asked his advice for undergraduates… he emphasized the importance of “doing the work” in college, attending class and studying to achieve academic success. He encouraged the men to balance academic and social responsibilities stating, “you are going to spend about 5% of your life in college why not knock it out of the park!” As we parted, he offered the men his personal contact information and made himself available should they wish to reach out in the future I am thankful to brother Marino for making the time to visit as it was arguably one of my most unique Academy experiences. I also gained insights observing the discussion, and I am happy we were able to make lemonade from the proverbial lemon of being stuck by a blizzard
A brother asked about the transition from collegiate to professional life,
AN EXILE’S TOAST GESUNDHEIT!
At each Phi Gamma Delta chapter’s annual Pig Dinner, graduates and undergraduates alike gather to rekindle the ties of brotherhood. “An Exile’s Toast” by Frank Norris (California 1894) is traditionally read before the banquet. A fake German accent, arcane terms, and names of brothers long gone?? Many a brother has wondered exactly what it means.
Besides the inside jokes and the sentiment of this toast, what made it funny? And why the parody of a German accent?
The source appears to be “The Katzenjammer Kids,” a popular comic strip distributed nationally through the Hearst papers. The protagonists were Hans and Fritz: two mischievous, rebellious boys with this same accent. The cartoon began in 1897 and continues today as the world’s oldest syndicated cartoon strip. We can imagine that the antics of the “Kids” reminded Norris of the pranks and ‘stunts’ practiced by his Delta Xi brothers in the 1890s, as explained in the articles about Pig Dinner Origins and Norris as an undergraaduate.
Not a small part of the pathos of this poem is the fact that Frank Norris would die in October, 1902, less than two years after writing this poem
In the spirit of brotherhood, we asked Brother Greg Stuart to share his thoughts and history and how he so eloquently performs “An Exile’s Toast” year after year and how he came to be the voice of the toast.
In Brother Stuart’s own words...
In about 1976, I was cornered at Pig Dinner by Section Chief Bob Radcliffe, who asked me to join the House Corporation. I was single, living in Emporia, working a union clerical job on the Sante Fe Railroad. As I had not been a particularly ‘productive’ undergrad (didn’t date, barely made grades, no campus activities, didn’t graduate), it seemed a fraternal responsibility that I needed to step up and accept
Alongside my pledge brothers, Barry West and Terry Meyers, for the next 40 years, I served on the Houe Corp filling various roles as member, Chairman, Secretary and recruiting the initial Board of Chapter Advisors I have been pleased to participate in six Ekklesia and one FIJI Academy alongside thousands of duly initiated brothers of Phi Gamma Delta.
In the 80s, I volunteered to give the Exile’s Toast in brother Dave Schreck’s absence. David had a credible German accent...me not so much, but I believed I could imitate the Katzenjammer Kid’s accent which was more than likely the model Frank Norris used in responding to the homecoming invitation of 1900.
Extended history and background on the Pig Dinner are available at www.phigam.org, which flesh out characters and locations mentioned in The Exile’s Toast. For 125 years, the Pig Dinner has drawn graduate brothers back to their respective chapters to renew friendships and fealty to Phi Gamma Delta It has truly been an honor to recite The Exile’s Toast for Chi Deuteron FIJI’s for 40 some years and to help create the largest annual fraternity reunion on the Kansas State campus
Mighty Proud to be a FIJI, and I love all my brothers, Greg Stuart ‘70
The Original Exile’s Toast
2025 CHI DEUTER 2025 CHI DEUTER
We're excited to welcome brothers from across Fijiland back to Manhattan to celebrate Chi Deuteron’s 57th Pig Dinner!
Our Pig Dinner is consistently one of the largest among all Phi Gamma Delta chapters internationally, and we plan to do it all again this year with a weekend packed with Brotherhood.
Registration is Open! Visit the link below to register
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, April 25
7:00PM Kick-Off Reception (Berney Family Welcome Center, 705 N MLK Jr Drive)
Saturday, April 26
9:30AM Excellence Fund Update Meeting (Membership not required to attend)
K-State Union - Big 12 Room, 2nd Floor South End
10:30AM Manhattan FIJI Chapter House Corporation Update Meeting
K-State Union - Big 12 Room, 2nd Floor South End
12:00PM Chapter House BBQ Lunch
FIJI Chapter House
5:00PM Group Photos - Memorial Stadium
5:15PM Cocktail Hour - K-State Alumni Center - 1st Floor
6:00PM 56th Frank Norris Pig Dinner - K-State Alumni Center - 1st Floor
Aggieville After Party (Alcohol prohibited at the Chi Deuteron Chapter House)
RON PIG DINNER RON PIG DINNER
PARTNER HOTELS
Courtyard Manhattan - 715 N 12th Street (785) 587-1972
Block Rate: $139/Night
Holiday Inn at Campus - 1614 Anderson Ave (785) 539-7531
Block Rate: $140/Night
NEW in 2025!
This weekend’s activities are al a carte!
While purchasing your Saturday night dinner ticket, you can add tickets for the Friday Evening Welcome Reception and the Saturday Lunch at the Chapter House. You can visit the Pig Dinner website any time before registration closes to add or change your registration and RSVPs.
EVENT TICKETS
Saturday Evening Pig Dinner: $80
Friday Evening Welcome Reception: $25
Saturday Chapter House Lunch: $25
Registration Ends Monday, April 21st
Late and Walk-up Registration is not Available
Attendance at all events require a puchased ticket
SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE
DRAKE AUGUSTINE SCHOLARSHIP CHAIR
Our chapter is proud to announce an outstanding academic performance this past semester, securing 3rd place among all fraternities at Kansas State with an impressive 3.48 GPA. This accomplishment not only reflects the dedication of our members but, more importantly, highlights our collective focus on putting scholarship first
Further setting us apart, our chapter achieved the highest GPA increase among all Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) organizations compared to the prior semester Notably, 15 members, including 4 seniors, 4 juniors, 3 sophomores, and 4 freshmen, earned a perfect 4 0 GPA, showcasing the hard work and discipline across all classes To add to this success, no member fell below a 2.0 GPA, a critical factor in yielding these results.
Another contributing factor was a significant revision of our scholarship policy, which included eliminating the online study hour program and transitioning to in-person study hours. Additionally, the policy was updated to align with the house's previous practices by removing outdated sections and enhancing others to better support our members None of this could’ve happened without the supportive environment we have created among both our undergraduate and graduate brothers As we celebrate these milestones, we are motivated to continue raising the bar and building upon this momentum in the semesters ahead
2025 FIJI SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS LUNCHEON
Please consider joining us Sunday April 6th as we celebrate undergraduate scholarship and awards at a luncheon from 11:30 to 1pm, Kansas State Union - Main Ballroom. This new annual event will bring together parents, families, and alumni to recognize the achievements of our brothers. The format will share the values of our fraternity at work by recognizing outstanding individual and collective achievements, and a recognition of our outstanding senior members who complete their undergraduate membership in good standing. To learn more, or reserve your spot, please visit https://fijischolars2025.rsvpify.com/
RECRUITMENT REPORT
BILL GILTNER '89 MITCH KEATING‘13
The beginning of the Spring Semester kicks off a high level of activity at Chi Deuteron to recruit the Fall 2025 Class The target number of new members is 18-20 with the goal of having all signed by mid-April Chi Deuteron currently has had 5 accept with 15 outstanding bids. We have a solid pipeline of 70 recruits in consideration. Recruitment is now a year-round effort and involves the entire chapter. The chapter delegation attended the FIJI Academy with some of the delegates attending the Recruitment Track that provided sharing of best practices and concepts. Additionally, all undergraduates have been trained as Certified Recruiters and also completed a Recruitment Retreat that equips each brother to provide complete assistance in identifying and recruiting young men that will add value to Chi Deuteron
Referrals from graduates and parents continue to be extremely helpful! We target potential referrals that are leaders with at least a 3 4GPA in high school If you are aware of great candidates, please forward them to rushksufiji@gmail com for consideration Please include name, hometown, cell number, GPA, major, and any additional background information Your help is greatly appreciated and will ensure we have quality young men in place to take our chapter to even greater heights.
Upcoming planned Recruitment events include Bowling, Paintball, Casino Night, Football/Basketball Watch parties, Axe Throwing, and a number of dinners with candidates. The entire chapter is committed to bringing in another stellar class!
FIJI DADS WEEKEND
COLIN HIRNER DADS WEEKEND CHAIR
Dads Weekend this year was hosted on September 27th and 28th This year, we raised over $23,000 at the auction on the 27th at the Manhattan Country Club
Some items that were auctioned off included a Michelob Ultra golf bag, a FIJI string art sign, and some Chiefs tickets for any game of the winner’s choosing On the 28th, the dads went to the K-State vs Oklahoma State game and enjoyed donuts and drinks for the early morning game at
MOMS CHRISTMAS DECORATING
TY ROCHAU RECORDING SECRETARY
On the 17th of November, the brothers had the joy of decorating the FIJI house for the Christmas holiday with their mothers The moms came to the house with enthusiasm and excitement to turn the FIJI house into a Christmas wonderland
Decorating for Christmas always sets the Christmas mood amongst the brothers. It creates a lively environment that allows the chapter house to feel even more "homey" as winter break approaches
The Moms Club generously donated money this year to update our Christmas decorations. Two highlights of the decorating were the beautifully decorated Christmas tree next to our fireplace in the formal living room and the tree on the living side with ornaments with each brother's baby photo
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On!’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”
Calvin Coolidge 1894
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Gradate Brothers, we want to feature you in a section of future newsletters titled “Where Are They Now?” This is a great opportunity to highlight what you’ve been up to since graduation and reconnect with your brothers.
We’re looking for a brief paragraph or two to include information such as: professional achievement and career milestones, personal updates, current location, and of course, favorite memories from your time at Chi Deuteron.
Please send your information along with a photo to Scott Wilson at scottwilson2387@gmail com
@fijiatksu
facebook.com/KStateFIJI fijiatksu.com
@FIJIatKSU