Spring 2016 Carnation

Delta Sigma Phi | Spring 2016

BALANCE OF LIFE IN SILICON VALLEY BROTHER CELEBRATES AVIATION MILESTONE

farrow to

finish How a small-town pig farmer became the face of the pork industry

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Volume 109, Issue 1

Brothers, Parents & Friends of Delta Sigma Phi, LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT At the core of every Delta Sig, there is history. In the fiber of our men’s being, there is a legacy. For 117 years, the men of Delta Sigma Phi have been building that history. We have cultivated that legacy.

Our fraternity began by making a mark on the past; by becoming the first all-inclusive fraternity, we ignited a flame that continues to burn.

When a new member places his membership badge on their body, they are accepting a weight. Not a weight that holds them down, but one that pushes them forward into the future. A weight of history that pulls each man that passes through our ranks towards a brighter future. The history and legacy of who we are becomes them.

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That is what we talk about when we say, “that the world may ever be convinced of the sincerity of our purpose.” Our fire that was lit by Charles Tonsor and Meyer Boskey continues to grow, spreading like wildfire. When we are committed to the ideals of the Better Man, it fans that same fire, shining its light onto all who we encounter.

In this issue, we see many examples of people living up to the title of the Better Man. While they did face adversity, they displayed extraordinary purpose during ordinary times. Brother Jim Ford is about to receive one of the highest honors a pilot can receive after 50 years of flight. The men of our Delta Mu chapter took a stand for an alumnus and his wife, giving them hope in the face of illness. These are only a few of the several stories we have for this issue of our brothers, living and past, who have furthered the purpose of Delta Sigma Phi. In this issue, we also begin to take the fraternity back to its roots with a historical perspective piece.

These segments will tell the story of how the many traditions and standards of Delta Sigma Phi took shape during the first several years. This new segment will appear in future issues as well.

We all have a part to play. Whether you are a new member, an upperclassman, a volunteer or our oldest member, this fraternity only grows with the support and action of everyone. You have an important part to play; an important story to tell. What you have to offer is the next big thing that will grow the history and legacy of this fraternity.

Please don’t hesitate to let me hear your story at communications@deltasig.org.

YITBOS, Tom Cycyota, University of Illinois ’77 Grand Council National President

Contents

CARNATION THE

Volume 109, Issue 1

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From Farrow to Finish

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Historical Perspectives

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Brothers Until The End

Executive Editor Micah Christensen Contributing Writers Casey Dwyer, Kansas State University, ’08 Loren Mall, Kansas State University ’58 Bart Ankney, Bowling Green State University ’01 DJ Koessler, Grand Valley State University ’05 Michael Wims, University of North Texas ’65 Russell Williams, Wittenberg University ’13 Nik Koulogeorge, Stetson University ’08 Art Director Shelle Design Incorporated Address publication materials and correspondence with national office to: Delta Sigma Phi 2960 N. Meridian Street P.O. Box 88507 Indianapolis, IN 46208 317.634.1899 FAX: 317.634.1410 E-mail: communications@deltasig.org Web: www.deltasig.org THE CARNATION OF DELTA SIGMA PHI (USPS 091-020), official publication of Delta Sigma Phi, 2960 N. Meridian Street, P.O. Box 88507, Indianapolis, IN 46208, is published semiannually. Publication postage paid at Indianapolis, IN and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to THE CARNATION OF DELTA SIGMA PHI, 2960 N. Meridian Street, P.O. Box 88507, Indianapolis, IN 46208. Subscription price to non-membersis $8 per year. Single copies $3.

Copyright 2015 by the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity; 2960 N. Meridian Street, P.O. Box 88507, Indianapolis, IN 46208. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner.

THE CARNATION® and Delta Sigma Phi® are registered trademarks of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, Inc.

IN THIS ISSUE 5 Pause for Applause 6 Delta Sigs in the Military 16 Alumni Profiles 16 Charterings

Editor Adam Lowe

28 Fraternity Growth 36 Fraternity Giving 47 Bond Eternal

/DeltaSigmaPhiHQ @DeltaSigmaPhiHQ @DeltaSigmaPhi

Mission: The Carnation is a lifestyle magazine meant to entertain, educate and inspire the members of Delta Sigma Phi to become better men and lead better lives, while also educating and entertaining other readers who may not be members.

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Tech Talk

techtalk Delta Sig uses social media to connect with our students and members across the world.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to join in the fun!

Our 2nd Day of Giving generated a lot of talk on our social media pages.

Check out what your brothers had to say in memory of the founding of our Fraternity.

ALPHA IOTA CHAPTER Join the Conversation!

“Like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/ DeltaSigmaPhiHQ, follow us on Instagram @DeltaSigmaPhi and and follow us on Twitter @DeltaSigmaPhiHQ for your chance to have your name appear in this section.

After 116 years, we continue to strive to be “Better Men” Happy Founder’s Day from all of us at Alpha Iota! #YITBOS

MISSOURI STATE ’15 “I will be forever grateful of the ideals and values my brothers in Delta Sig have lived to uphold for the past 116 years. Our founders made a commitment to abolish the status quo and to diversify a fraternity while welcoming all men, of all creeds. That commitment is still strong today... I know the 6,000 undergraduate members and over 111,000 alumni TWITTER POLL making that happen are committed until the end Our members chimed to ensure “that the world may ever be conin on Twitter to settle the vinced of the sincerity of our purpose.” old debate of the pronunciation Happy Founder’s Day to all of of YITBOS. (237 votes) my brothers. YITBOS!”

CHAD CRABTREE, IU SOUTH BEND ’12 “116 years ago, a group of students at City College of New York came together to build Better Men and formed Delta Sigma Phi. As member of this great Fraternity, I encourage you to reflect on the impact Delta Sig has made in your life. Please join me in the Delta Sigma Phi Day of Giving and support the next generation of young men. YITBOS and Happy Founders’ Day!”

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BLAKE SHEPHEARD,

How do you #yitbos?

83% “o” as in “grow” 17% “o” as in “gloss”

Pause for Applause DELTA SIGMA PHI LIBRARY AUTHOR Dr. Frank Wood Wittenberg University Beta Iota ’81

ALUMNI Clint Pudenz, Morningside College ’99, was named the Iowa Junior High Wresting Coach of the Year Austin Jack, Arizona State University ’13, began a nonprofit focusing on mental health for the public, Minds Matter Frank Basile, Tulane University ’58, was named the interim president of Heartland Film Kirk Dillard, Western Illinois University ’75, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

by Western Illinois University.

Thomas Donoghue, University of Missouri ’66, released a prominent photo taken of Bob Hope before he passed.

Nathaniel Bozarth, Kansas State University ’09, is producing the PBS-based nationwide documentary series, Re:Dreams. The series details the evolution of the American Dream since its birth.

Ben Hopper, Kansas State University ’09, was named as the Fraternity’s 2015 Distinguished Interfraternal Leadership Award recipient.

Pudenz

TITLE “Thriving With Stress” WHERE TO BUY Amazon

Donoghue

Hopper

UNDERGRADUATES Connor Greenwood, The Ohio State University ’15, is taking part in an internship at U.S. Senator Rob Portman’s office.

Jesse Scheinman, University of Indianapolis ’14, was re-elected for a second term on the IU Interfraternity Council.

CHAPTERS Iota Delta (James Madison University) and Kappa Delta (Virginia Tech.), the chapters teamed up in March to raise money for the American Red Cross. The duo recreated the Pyramid fundraised that Iota Delta used in the spring of 2015.

ABOUT THE BOOK “Thriving with Stress” is not rocket science or some kind of magic black box that instantly and secretly transforms people.

It’s also not a form of self-help therapy. It is a straightforward and easy-toimplement concept that helps you understand what stress responses feel like in the moment. In this book you will learn that stress is like the wall between you and the solutions you seek.

“Stress does not have to be a negative thing.

Stress can be productive. Look, I have kids and kids are stressful. I wouldn’t ever want to have that stress removed from my life. But I can recognize when it’s starting to get to me and I have a choice: I can choose to thoughtlessly react and lash out at my kids, or I can choose to divert that energy into something productive, and respond to the situation by telling them that they are pushing my buttons instead of letting them push my buttons. Choose to respond rather than react.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Frank Wood, PhD is the founder and CEO of Thriving with Stress. Dr. Wood and his team of certified trainers have engaged clients, from C-suite executives in multi-national corporations to small teams in non-profit organizations to individuals involved in demanding personal relationships. In 2016, Dr. Frank participated as an invited speaker in the TEDx series in Cincinnati and released this, his first book. Both mark the culmination of many years of clinical psychology study, life experience, professional coaching, speaking and training as he shares his unique perspective on stress and what he deems the real issue—the stress response lifecycle.

Do you have an item to submit for Pause for Applause or the Delta Sig Library? Please email us at communications@deltasig.org.

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Delta Sigs in the Military

For years, this publication tracked our brothers who either volunteered or were drafted into military service. As a National to those who fought for their country. In each issue we will continue to highlight brothers who have served. Tell us your sto

American citizens and interests around the world, which we take very seriously. I am proud to serve our great nation and to do my part to help shape a better world for my children.

What do you like most about your current position?

As a member of the Air War College class of 2016, it’s all about the relationships you make during the short year we are together. It’s the daily interaction with officers from all the services as well as our National Guard and Reserve components. Especially intriguing are the discussions with our international officer, hearing about their countries, national issues, and how they view the United States. It’s mostly positive but we can learn so much from others.

J COL. DAVID G. HANSON, USAF BETA ALPHA (IOWA STATE) ’90 CURRENT KAPPA (AUBURN) CHAPTER ADVISOR Tell us about your current military responsibilities and your role I am currently a full-time student attending the US Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

I am part of a class of 239 officers and government civilians from the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard including officers from 44 partner nations. We are studying international security, strategy, joint warfighting, and regional/ cultural studies. We read lots of books and articles, research and write papers, take tests, and discuss various national security issues. After graduation, we are better prepared to serve in senior leadership positions across the government.

My career specialties are space and missile operations and have served as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch officer, satellite operator, satellite tracking station commander, staff officer and instructor.

Why did you enlist?

I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force in 1994 after graduating from Iowa State University and completing the ROTC program there. I originally joined for the ROTC scholarship but soon realized this was my calling, to serve others.

Why do you continue to serve?

I enjoy what I do and feel I make a difference for our nation.

It’s about a higher calling, a desire to serve in something bigger than yourself. The Air Force and the Department of Defense are tasked with the awesome responsibly of protecting 6

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What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned because of your service?

Take care of others – servant leadership. For example: work for your boss, not against them. Support their agendas and goals. Also, expand your influence by assisting your peers with their needs and help solve their issues. Most importantly, take care of those who work for you. The military has incredible weapon systems (aircraft, ships, tanks, satellites) but they are not effective without high quality, well trained personnel to operate and maintain them. How are their families? What are their interests outside of work? What drives them? Get to know those around you and develop a true team.

In my last assignment as a Squadron Commander, I was entrusted to lead a satellite command and control mission found at 6 locations in 3 countries, across 4 times zones and with 285 military, civilian and contractor personnel. It certainly was a diverse team. I learned to take the time to get to know those squadron members both at my home station and abroad and to entrust them to get the mission done. It was awe-inspiring and I learned a lot about myself and a lot about leadership.

How does your membership in Delta Sig affect your role in the armed forces, or how do they relate?

It all started back in college at Iowa State and I tell this story often. I learned a lot about leadership in ROTC. We took classes on leadership, read about past great leaders and the battles they won, listened to guest speakers, and watched it in action. However, I practiced leadership through my Delta Sigma Phi experience. Consider leading the recruitment committee to help recruit prospective new members or leading a group of college men to something greater than ourselves…that was the real deal. I took the best of military training and fraternity life and ran with it. They definitely complement each other.

Fraternity, we take tremendous pride in the work our brothers do for the world and would like to extend a special thanks ory or provide the name of a brother or brothers who have served by emailing us at communications@deltasig.org.

J COL. ALAN “AL” BAKER, USAF ALPHA PHI (UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA) ’75 Tell us about your military service and your current position I am fortunate to have served a very satisfying and successful 27 year military career in the United States Air Force. The aviation experience I gained piloting the C-5 Galaxy and C-130 Hercules aircraft made for an enjoyable experience as well. That aviation background and the opportunity to command paved the way for my transition to work military aviation business development for The Boeing Company after my retirement in 2007. My military service provided an excellent venue for learning and mastering aviation skills and an unmatched opportunity for leading airmen in difficult and sometimes very challenging environments. Skills which translated directly to the civilian world and my second career.

Why did you enlist?

I didn’t enlist; I was lucky enough to earn a military college scholarship after which I was commissioned as an officer in our great Air Force. I was always intrigued with airplanes and flying from my early childhood, so it was an easy choice to make when the Air Force offered me a college scholarship at the University of Southern California and the promise of becoming an Air Force pilot after graduation. As an ROTC cadet, I also learned a deep appreciation for service to our great nation, and considered it a great honor to have served alongside other great men and women in the defense of our freedom and way of life.

What did you like most about your position in the military?

There were lots of positive aspects to my many military positions. Not only was I challenged in each and every one of them, they also provided a variety of interesting experiences that few other careers could offer. Besides the thrill of learning how to fly and then piloting two different aircraft over 5,000 hours, I was also given the opportunity to command young airmen in several assignments. There is nothing more satisfying and rewarding than being able to shape and influence the lives of the brave men and women who defend our great nation every day all around the world.

What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned because of your service?

The Air Force motto espouses the three most important lessons I learned during my military career. “Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all I do” are values that

military service instilled in me, and goals I strive to live each and every day. For civilian society, these lessons are optional; however, they were expectations of all who serve in the Air Force. It was a pleasure to live and work among such a conscientious and respectful group of people. I must admit that I miss that aspect now that my civilian comrades are not all committed to the same high standards as those I expected from my fellow service members.

How does your membership in Delta Sig affect your role in the armed forces, or how do they relate?

My fraternity experience was the perfect precursor to entering military service. As new members, we were taught the valuable lessons of teamwork, service and camaraderie, all of which made my transition to a military way of life much, much easier. Delta Sig also provided some very important opportunities to begin practicing and honing leadership skills, all of which were invaluable later in military service.

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Alumni Profile

How a small-town pig farmer became the face of the pork industry

BY CASEY DWYER, KANSAS STATE ’08

L

ess than 30 yards from his farmhouse, in a quiet room at the back of a modest office, Keith Schoettmer has a problem; he’s running out of wall space. Wood paneling runs vertically up each wall, covered with awards and certificates, separated by the occasional bookcase or family photograph. In a sea of mounted accolades, two items stand out. The first, a wooden paddle with three Greek letters and a green crest at the top. Next to it, complete with a matching crest and proclamation of lifelong membership, is a framed certificate from Nov. 20, 1977. Keith Schoettmer, an initiate of the Delta Delta chapter at Purdue, is the founder of Schoettmer Prime Pork. In October, Schoettmer received perhaps his biggest honor to date—the inaugural Pig Farmer of the Year Award, courtesy of the National Pork Board.

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Alumni Profile “The announcement was made on The Highway, an XM Radio channel,” noted Schoettmer. “I got an email from a pledge brother—James Wilkerson—that I’ve had no contact with since 1980. He heard my name and sent an email. That’s one example of how Delta Sig never really goes away.”

Purdue, Pigs & Pork

Growing up in a rural area, Schoettmer always had a strong interest in learning about crops and livestock. As a high school student, he worked with cattle on a local farm. In his first semester at Purdue, Schoettmer knew he wanted to study agriculture. He took a job on a pig farm in Otterbein, Indiana, to make money during his freshman year. Together with his wife, Darla, they moved to southcentral Indiana after graduating, where he managed a farm until 1987.

Schoettmer was hunting for an opportunity to start his own business and found what he was looking for, thanks to an ad placed in the Indianapolis Star. His family purchased a farm in north central Indiana that had sat dormant for several years. The land, 83 acres in total, falls just two miles outside of Tipton, Indiana. It’s a short, one-hour drive from downtown Indianapolis; straight north of the city. While existing infrastructure supported about 400 sows, Schoettmer has nearly tripled the size of his operation since purchasing the farm in 1988. Today, on average, his operation cares for 1,100 pigs at a time and sells 23,000 each year.

“It’s enough to keep everybody busy; we’re happy with it. We’ve always been more interested in efficiency and animal welfare, more than the growth of our business.”

Schoettmer runs a “farrow to finish” farm—industry lingo for “we do it all.” Each aspect of the pig-raising process—from breeding and farrowing to feeding and finishing—is handled locally on the farm. One of the reasons that Schoettmer decided on pigs, instead of other livestock, was the speed at which breeding adjustments could be made. Cattle, for example, reach two or three years of age before they’re sent to harvest. In contrast, pigs have a much quicker turnaround. Schoettmer says most of his pigs are harvested around the nine-month mark.

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“Genetic changes and improvements can be made very rapidly, because of the fast turnover you have with pigs.”

Schoettmer enjoys the dynamic nature of pig farming; in the time it takes cattle to go through one production cycle, his team can iterate through two or three cycles with their hogs and see the impact of their decisions in the finished product. The efficiency of pig farming also affects the financial side of Schoettmer’s operation, as money isn’t tied up as long.

Farm employees also handle the process of feed production and rationing. As a pig matures, it will progress through as many as 29 different rations, dependent on its stage of life. Over the course of a year, Schoettmer says the farm will process about 225,000 bushels of corn, grinding 180 tons per week.

By grinding the corn down to a finer size, the pigs are able to utilize more of the nutrients which, in turn, maximizes efficiency for Schoettmer’s finished product.

Delta Pigma Phi

When Keith Schoettmer landed his first job as a college student, he wasn’t alone.

Along with a handful of brothers from the Delta Delta chapter, he went to work for a pig farmer named Delmer Guard in Otterbein, Indiana, just 15 minutes west of the Purdue campus. Schoettmer estimates that five to ten members worked on the farm during his time as an undergraduate.

A collection of awards and certificates hang on Schoettmer’s office wall, along with his Delta Sig paddle. Schoettmer poses at the entrance to one of his barns.

“Even after I left, they kept that going.

Delta Sig turned into a labor pool for Delmer, and I still talk to him. He called me a few weeks ago, to talk about this award, and he said, ‘I want to tell you something.

That period of time, when you and the Delta Sigs worked on our farm…I don’t know if they were the best times, but they were the least stressful, the most happy times we’ve ever had on this farm, when you and all the guys from your fraternity were working here.’

He was very sincere about that. Here we are, what, 35 years later, and he remembers that period of time—and remembers it in such a positive light.”

After moving back to Indiana from his first job in Illinois, Schoettmer reconnected with the chapter almost immediately. He served on the Delta Delta ACB for several years and noted how much he enjoyed his involvement with the chapter as a young alumni.

Throughout his career, Schoettmer says that Delta Sig has been a part of the journey— sometimes by way of his own decisions, but often in a more unexpected way.

“When I started buying stock in the farm out in Illinois, I went to see a banker. He was

“This role was meant to tell our story, to put a face on pig production and talk to consumers. We haven’t been good, as an industry, about telling our side of the story–we let other people tell our story for us.

If we want it told accurately, we’ve gotta do that ourselves.” a Delta Sig from the University of Illinois.

Was that why I got the loan? Probably not.

But did it hurt? No. All of a sudden, there’s a Delta Sig connection. That has happened several times over the years; that connection never seems to really leave.”

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Alumni Profile

Telling a Story

After receiving a nomination for the Pig Farmer of the Year Award, Schoettmer says he felt a sense of obligation to complete the application. Support from their community and extended family was tremendous, from start to finish. Together with other finalists, Schoettmer flew to Chicago and went through an extensive interview process, meeting with a variety of industry professionals including a representative from the American Humane Society. As the first ever Pig Farmer of the Year, Schoettmer says his job is to serve as a public spokesman, humanizing the pork industry and representing more than 62,000 pig farmers across the country. One of his first engagements after winning the award was a trip to New York. Together with Chris Soules–a pig farmer from Arlington, Iowa, and prior contestant on ABC’s The Bachelorette and The Bachelor–Schoettmer participated in more than 30 interviews that would air on television, radio and internet channels.

Selecting a metropolitan area like New York was an intentional decision; for Schoettmer, it was a great way to reach people who otherwise had little or no exposure to modern agriculture.

“This role was meant to tell our story, to put a face on pig production and talk to consumers. We haven’t been good, as an industry, about telling our side of the story— we let other people tell our story for us. If we want it told accurately, we’ve gotta do that ourselves. Farmers really are engaged, and they really are concerned about these things. The industry is well aware of what people have seen, and they’re trying to show that poor behavior is the exception, not the norm.”

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“The issues fraternities and pig farms deal with are very similar... we both have to put a positive message out there.”

There are a number of parallels between the fraternal realm and pork industry—none more important than the ongoing struggle with self-imposed black eyes. How do organizations, and the industry as a whole, control the narrative? What can we do to minimize incidents that impact our members and our brand in a negative way, while emphasizing all the positive aspects of Greek life? As the inaugural Pig Farmer of the Year, it’s Schoettmer’s job to help address these issues for the pork industry.

“I never really thought about that, but the issues fraternities and pig farms deal with are very similar. The same way that we have to put a positive message out there, fraternities and sororities have to put a positive message out there.”

A Worker Through and Through Several students of Alpha Theta chapter at the University of Michigan made a special connection on Feb. 22, when they visited Henry “Hank” D. Stricker, Jr. at his nearby home. The undergraduates were some of the charter members of the recently reinstated chapter, and they wanted to have a personal meeting with Stricker, an alumnus of Alpha Theta and an illustrious leader of the national fraternity.

In 1944, when Hank Stricker was 18, World War II was raging in the European and Pacific theaters. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and transported to the Philippines for duty. The war ended in 1945, and Stricker’s military service was complete in late 1947. He hitchhiked from the port in California to his home in Michigan and entered classes at the university.

The prewar students of Alpha Theta chapter had also served in the Armed Forces during the war, and without members, the chapter had closed. Stricker and two other freshmen joined four Delta Sigs at Ann Arbor who had returned to complete their college degrees and revitalize the chapter. All seven of them were former GIs. Stricker was elected treasurer of the chapter before he was initiated in Jan. 1948. While he was still a student, he was instrumental in the purchase and financing of a fine fraternity house for the chapter.

When Hank Stricker attended Delta Sigma Phi’s leadership training school in 1949, he became interested in the national fraternity. After he graduated from the University of Michigan, he began his career as a bank loan officer in Detroit. The Delta Sigs of the Detroit chapter immediately elected him president of their alumni corporation board. He served in that role for eight years.

During 1953, he led that chapter in the purchase of its fraternity house.

In the fall of 1953, Stricker drove his car to the national convention in Colorado. He took along three undergraduates from the Detroit and Ohio State chapters. These students noticed his leadership abilities, and they surprised him by campaigning to elect him to the national Board of Gov-ernors. It was an easy sell. Stricker’s genuine nature, ebullient personality, and skills at advancing the

Fraternity always made him popular among Delta Sigs. He was reelected at each national convention.

By 1955, the other governors relied on Hank Stricker for financial guidance. They left it to him to explain at national conventions why it was necessary to increase membership fees.

The student delegates invariably resisted, but he managed with logic, financial mastery and late night committee meetings to persuade them it was essential. It was impossible to be angry with the ever-cheerful financial sage.

Stricker was the leading member of the Delta Sigma Phi’s Endowment Fund Committee for the next 18 years. He helped dozens of chapters finance their fraternity housing projects.

Later he served on the executive committee and was elected national treasurer.

In the early 1960s, Delta Sigma Phi boasted 12 chapters in Michigan. Stricker visited each of them at least two times a year. He extended his trips to other chapters in the Midwest and Northeast. He continued to moderate at the Fraternity’s leadership schools.

The National Fraternity granted its prestigious Hebert Award to Henry Stricker in 1967. He was elected national president in 1971, and he continued to serve on the national board until 1977.

His 24 years of tenure as a national officer is a near record within Delta Sigma Phi. The grateful Fraternity honored him with its highest award in 1979 when he was named Mr. Delta Sig. Hank believes there are two kinds of fraternity men: the talkers and the workers. He has always been a worker.

Hank with John Leech ’01, Alpha Theta Chapter Advisor

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Historical Perspectives

Historical Perspectives

BY LOREN MALL, HISTORIAN

Delta Sigma Phi’s earliest national conventions began as celebratory year-end meals. Starting in 1903, the first chapters came together once a year for memorable annual dinners.

After they feasted, the students finished the evenings with discussions of fraternity business.

The three founding chapters were all located in New York City, not far from one another. Insula Chapter was organized in 1899 at City College of New York. One of its students transferred to Columbia University and formed the second chapter there in 1901. A second CCNY member transferred to Columbia, and these two continued to feel they were part of the original chapter. This kept the first two chapters operating closely, almost as one unit.

They held their weekly meetings together at CCNY. To expand the fraternity, a member of the Columbia chapter contacted a friend at New York University in the fall of 1903. The third chapter developed quickly there that semester. The first opportunity for all three groups to meet arrived after classes ended in December.

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Year-end annual dinners were a cherished custom in New York City when Delta Sigma Phi was young. Men’s clubs, civic organizations and many other social groups followed the practice. Beyond the pleasures of good food and pleasant company, these evenings were opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of the year.

Meyer Boskey, leader of the CCNY and Columbia chapters, was familiar with the tradition of annual dinners.

The alumni association of CCNY held its first one in 1880 and its 135th in 2015. In addition, the three upper classes at CCNY held class dinners each year. Boskey, one of the co-founders of Delta Sigma Phi, knew the occasions were costly. He cautioned fellow members to save some of their scarce funds every month so they could afford the expense of the dinner party at the end of the year.

Charles Tonsor, the principal of the NYU students and the other co-founder, was equally aware of the cost.

He was a member of the NYU glee club. It earned tips by performing for churches and civic societies, and the club used the money to stage its annual dinners. To pay for Delta Sigma Phi’s year-end festivity, the NYU students

(Left) The College Building of City College of New York at 23rd and Lexington Avenue where Delta Sigma Phi was founded. The first Delta Sigs met to organize the fraternity in one of the corner tower rooms. After we were founded here on December 10, 1899, CCNY moved from this site in lower downtown to the present campus in Hamilton Heights along Convent Avenue from 130th to 141st Streets. The move to Uptown was accomplished in 1907. This building, the original College Building where Delta Sigma Phi was founded, was demolished in 1926. The founding location is now part of Baruch College of City University of New York, the successor of CCNY.

also sacrificed by spending frugally in the preceding months.

Members from the three groups gathered on Saturday, December 26, 1903, for the Fraternity’s first annual dinner.

They selected Moguin’s Restaurant, located downtown at 20th and Fulton. It was a fine dining establishment, and it reserved its private room for the students. A meal at Moquin’s cost $1.00, and the special selections of the Delta Sigs probably increased the cost to $1.25. That same amount in 2016 would be well above $50.

The CCNY chapter arranged the affair, and more than 30 members from the three schools arrived to enjoy the elaborate meal. The menu was printed by a fraternity stationer. On it the courses were listed, interspersed with witty verses by the great poets. Midway through the sevencourses, the waiters brought the palette refresher. It was a glass of shaved ice infused with the green hue of melon juice.

It was specially ordered to display the green and white the first chapter had already selected as the fraternity colors.

The business session was brief; the evening was joyful; and the bond of brotherhood grew.

The second annual dinner was held on Saturday, December 31, 1904. This time, it was presented by Muncheim’s Arena.

The Arena building was located one block south of Greeley Square at 31st and Broadway. Surrounded by other stylish restaurants, it was in the middle of the theater district of the time. As before, the dinner was a gourmet’s delight of seven courses. It started with hors d’oeuvres and Blue Point oysters.

The soup course was green turtle soup, and the fish course featured filet of sole with pommes croquettes and an 1899 white wine. The entrée was filet mignon with béarnaise sauce and pommes Parisien. The green and white frappé reappeared, and the members called it Delta Sigma Phi Sorbet. It was followed by a salad of green lettuces served with thin slices of roast duck, fried hominy and a vintage 1896 red wine. For dessert, the Arena served “fancy ice cream,” assorted cakes, fruit and cheese, with coffee.

After two more annual dinners at Mucheim’s Arena, the New York chapters chose the luxurious Astor Hotel on Times Square for the 1907 dinner. The banquet was another epicurean adventure of seven courses. Oysters on the half shell were served with special toast. A gourmet chicken soup was followed by hors d’ oeuvres of olives, radishes and a newly introduced luxury, strips of celery. The fish course was bass sautéed in Chablis, accompanied by Parisine potatoes. The entrée was filet mignon with truffles, stuffed tomatoes and mixed beans, accompanied by a pastry shell filled with braised meats. Another Sorbet Delta Sigma Phi pleased the students.

The seasonal salad was enhanced with bits of roasted plover, a game bird. The dessert plate featured fancy ice cream, petit fours and assorted fruits. Café Noir finished the extravaganza.

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In the United States in 1900, only six percent of 17 and 18-year-olds graduated from high school. A mere three percent of the total population entered college and remained long enough to graduate. The early Delta Sigs were becoming members of the educated elite. They expected to enter the middle class when they graduated, and they hoped to reach the upper middle class. The annual dinners were the etiquette training they needed to advance in life. /////////////////////////////////////////////////// At the annual dinners, the Delta Sigs dressed in dark suits, white shirts and ties. The tables were beautifully set with white tablecloths, classic china and crystal glassware.

The silver place settings included as many as five knives, five forks and four spoons. The scenes glittered in the candlelight as waiters served the gourmet dishes at tableside. In the elegant atmosphere, the students comported themselves as gentlemen.

The annual dinners of Delta Sigma Phi were not an exercise in vanity, and they were more than a celebration of fraternity. The students considered them part of their education. Most of the young men did not come from middle class families, yet they had high expectations. In the United States in 1900, only six percent of 17 and 18-yearolds graduated from high school. A mere three percent of the total population entered college and remained long enough to graduate. The early Delta Sigs were becoming members of the educated elite. They expected to enter the middle class when they graduated, and they hoped to reach the upper middle class. The annual dinners were the etiquette training they needed to advance in life.

In 1905, the fraternity elected Charles Tonsor the first national president and Meyer Boskey the first national secretary. Starting that year, the co-founders organized one-day business sessions before the annual dinners. By then, the Delta Sigs recognized the annual dinners of 1903 and 1904 as the first national conventions.

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Alumni Profile

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THE LONG JOURNEY TO

brotherhood I

n 1940, when World War II was rampaging in Europe, Britain was the only country holding out against the German and Italian onslaught. The U.S. military consisted of less than 245,000 on active duty. After the U.S. was attacked in late 1941, the number of Americans joining the armed forces expanded rapidly and would eventually result in 16.1 million Americans serving in the military. When the U.S. entered World War II in late 1941, Jim Wims, like thousands of other young men in college at that time, left college and joined the military. In those days, most of the men who had some college were sent to officer training. Jim was sent to Maxwell Field, Alabama, for officer training in the Army Air Corps, eventually becoming a navigator.

BY MICHAEL WIMS

In World War II, while he served with the U.S. Army Air Force in England, he married a local young lady. They had a son together, born during the war.

After the war, the U.S. kept a strong overseas presence, first to help stabilize and rebuild both Japan and Europe, and later, during the cold-war, to protect the free world from a very large and aggressive Soviet presence. With such a large overseas presence, the military developed on-base overseas education which enabled those serving and their families to pursue their university degrees by taking on-base courses. In the FarEast, the courses were accredited by the University of Southern California; in Europe by the University of Maryland.

Jim stayed on active duty after World War II. He plugged away at his college

credits at all seven of the Air Force bases at which he was stationed after World War II. He eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland in the early 1960s. He retired as a Lt. Colonel from the Air Force in the late 1960s.

His son, Michael, went to college in the 1960s, joined Delta Sigma Phi and served as the chapter President before graduating. Mike went on to law school and following his father’s example, entered active duty with the Air Force in 1970. While he was on active duty, he continued his involvement with Delta Sigma Phi, serving as a District Governor first in the South-East region and then the mid-Atlantic area. In the 1980s, Mike was stationed in the Washington D.C. area and made frequent visits to the chapters along the Atlantic coast, including the University of Maryland,

which lies in College Park, Md., just outside the District of Columbia. Mike went on to serve on the Grand Council.

While he was still in the D.C. area, his father, Jim, decided that he would spend Christmas of 1989 with his son in the Washington, D.C., area. While planning that visit on the telephone, Mike asked his father, “What would you like to see while you are here?” Jim replied, “I’d like to see my campus, the University of SPRING 2016

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Alumni Profile

Maryland. I never got the chance to have a collegiate experience like you, or to join a fraternity, which I know you have enjoyed so very much. I wish I had had an opportunity to join.”

The next morning, Mike called Bill Steele, the Chapter Advisor at Alpha Sigma Chapter (the University of Maryland) and explained what his father, Jim, had said. Bill immediately said that he would arrange an initiation over the Christmas break at the Alpha Sigma house in College Park.

Even though the chapter house at the University of Maryland was closed for Christmas break, two days after Christmas Bill Steele and several Alpha Sigma alumni opened up the house. Bill had hand-picked the alumni brothers for this initiation – all World War II vets.

They built a fire in the fireplace and conducted an initiation for Jim. A dinner at a local restaurant followed where the 18

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vets were joined by their wives. They presented the new brother with his own University of Maryland mug and a Terrapin cap. During dinner they all told war stories – real ones.

A couple of months later, Jim called Mike to tell him that he had received his first copy of the Carnation. “I was so proud,” he said “to see your name listed as being on the Grand Council. So I took the Carnation with me to band practice.

I’m first trum-pet in a band of retired guys. I showed it to my friend, the second trumpet and said, ‘I just got my fraternity magazine and here’s my son’s name as he’s on the Grand Council.’ That guy looked at my magazine and said, ‘Oh yes, the Carnation. I just got mine in the mail today, too.’”

Jim passed into the Bond Eternal in 1991. He is buried at the Fort Douglas Military Cemetery near the campus of the University of Utah. On Memorial

Day, 2015, in remembrance of those who served, brothers from Iota Kappa chapter at the University of Utah gathered to lay carnations on the grave of a Delta Sig, Jim Wims.

For five days, you can bid for brotherhood on unique Delta Sig memorabilia and collector items. There will even be vacation packages!

One hundred percent of the net proceeds generated from the sale of these items will be donated to the Foundation. You won’t want to miss out on your chance to make a difference in the lives of brothers everywhere, while snagging some one of a kind Delta Sig swag!

BID FROM ANYWHERE FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN BID BRAGGING RIGHTS TO THE WINNER MORE BIDS = MORE IMPACT

AU G U S T 1 - 5 SPRING 2016

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Alumni Profile

The Balance of Life in Silicon Valley

BY MICAH CHRISTENSEN ’08

T

he concept of success is often painted as wealth and fame in ample measure. The faster the car, the bigger the house, the more people you manage at work; all of these things tie together to create an equation resulting in a sum of success. There are few places where this vision of success is so viciously pursued as it is in Silicon Valley. Even if you find your wealth and fame in the valley, it may not always add up to the success you’ve dreamed of.

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Krishna Subramanian, UC Davis ’99, was a med school student in the big city of New York, but his nights weren’t spent buried in his textbooks.

His face was more often seen in the reflection of his computer screen.

Krishna spent his evenings building websites and apps as odd jobs from Craigslist. He soon discovered that the world of technology was more to his liking, and he soon dropped out of med school entirely to move out to California and start a business in tech.

The University of California, Davis grad would go on to found his own company called Burrp. Burrp is essentially Yelp for businesses in India. After building up his company, he sold it and began on his next tech

venture. Krishna then co-founded BlueLithium, one of the first digital ad networks. He went on to sell BlueLithium to Yahoo for $300 million. His success only fueled a desire for more.

Krishna’s life was work. He slept on his office floor and left his laptop open in his passenger’s seat to make sure he never missed a chance to work. Even eating and sleeping took a back seat to the pursuit of getting more done. Remembering to eat more than one meal a day was a success.

His third business took advantage of the burgeoning mobile market by bringing his ad network idea to the world of smartphones. Mobclix exploded, and his business was once

again acquired. Instead of leaving his business in the hands of its new owner, he stuck around and helped bring his new employer, Velti, to the public trading forum, NASDAQ. Starting a business from scratch is taxing on the body and mind. Building and selling three businesses takes a toll that can’t be remedied with a little R&R. During his time with Velti, he was invited to dinner with President Barack Obama. What should have been the pinnacle of success became a moment of reflection.

This moment forced Krishna to take a step back and analyze what life was really about. His health was suffering, his relationships were strained, and he knew it was time to make a drastic change. That change came in the form of an Iron Man triathlon.

Although he never did finish the Iron Man, the first step towards finding the success of a balanced life had been taken. His physical health improved, Krishna began to feel better about himself. He began to invite friends to exercise with him, and worked to participate in charitable runs and other events. Physical exercise was the beginning to rebuilding personal relationships, and giving back to the community.

A healthy body is only half of the equation; however, the mind needed to follow suit. Krishna began practicing meditation regularly. He found meditation to be a great way to rest his mind, and refresh his focus. It soon became a big facet in maintaining his well-being.

With his life falling back in place, Krishna knew his sabbatical was coming to a close. Soon, he began recruiting his friends for his fourth

Finding the right mentor is better than any book... a mentor shouldn’t be exactly like you, but has a different perspective. I’m an optimist at heart, so I want people I trust with different personalities and perspectives to serve on my ‘cabinet’. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// and current business venture: Captiv8. Captiv8 is a platform that connects businesses with social media content creators to make collaborative works.

Through his adventure starting and operating his fourth business, Krishna is not losing sight of what he learned in the past.

A balanced life is key to finding real success. Work can be priority #1, but priorities #2 and #3 still deserve time and attention. This balance is making all the difference for Krishna.

College was a true launch pad for what was in store for Krishna. He got his first taste for starting something completely new as a member of Delta Sigma Phi. Krishna was one of the founding members of the Gamma Sigma chapter at the University of California, Davis.

“It was an awesome opportunity to build something,” said Krishna.

While in college, he took the opportunity to lead and network

extensively. He served in leadership roles at Gamma Sigma, and he made connections with other students who would go on to become tech giants as well. David Hahn, a former VP at LinkedIn, became a personal friend while at UC Davis. These friends would also come to serve as helpful advisors and mentors throughout his career.

“Finding the right mentor is better than any book,” said Krishna. “A mentor shouldn’t be exactly like you, but has a different perspective. I’m an optimist at heart, so I want people I trust with different personalities and perspectives to serve on my ‘cabinet’.”

While his success is undeniable, Krishna wants to make sure that those who follow a similar path through the Silicon Valley—or any other high-level business sphere—know how to stay healthy emotionally, mentally and physically. Because from his personal experience, success is only as sweet as the rest of your life.

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Alumni Profile

Jim Ford approaches milestone in the world of aviation

BY MICAH CHRISTENSEN

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rue passions are a curious amalgam of success, hard work, and joy. They must be worked at, given time to grow, and protected like your own. It becomes an integral part of the person; a part that they can’t live without. For one alumnus, he found that true passion high above the surface of the earth.

Jim Ford, a Delta Mu chapter initiate, is celebrating 50 years of being a pilot. A lifetime spent in the realm of the birds. He is on track to receive the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award this July. The award, given for 50 years of safe flying, is one of the highest honors a pilot can hope to achieve. This, in tandem to his celebrated career with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), marks Ford as a master in the world of aviation.

We spoke with Ford about his career in flying, how he got started, how it became his career, and onward.

“My fraternity brother and good friend, Bruce McCaslin, earned his private pilot license, and then one day suggested I go flying with him. It sounded like fun to me. As we went down the runway for takeoff, I hoped that this experience was not going to be the end of me. However, once we got airborne, that thought vanished and has never returned. It was great fun!

I asked Bruce what was involved in obtaining a pilot license, how long it took, what it cost to acquire, and where to train.

I worked from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. so I could fly after work; even during the shortened winter days. I flew every other day for a year. I flew with John (my flight instructor) beginning on June 15, 1966, first soloed on July 13, 1966, obtained my private pilot’s license on Nov. 3, 1966, commercial pilot’s license on Jan. 23, 1967, instrument rating Feb. 23, 1967, multiengine rating April 6, 1967, and flight instructor certificate on Aug. 30, 1967. To pay for more flying, I sold my Corvette and my fancy high-powered ski boat and maxed out my credit cards – expensive but great fun. Aviation has been my career ever since obtaining my flight instructor certificate.”

Once he was airborne, he still spent his time and money trying to find access to a plane to fly. In both his professional and private life, Jim was flying as often as possible. Although he never owned his own pair of wings, he was never without a cockpit to crawl into.

“I have not owned a plane because my employers before the FAA made planes available to me for very little cost. Since I joined the FAA, I have flown with friends on weekends who have their own planes and instructed them in their getting additional ratings. These friends have made their aircraft available to me for very little cost. I have flown about 200 different kinds of planes. The one I enjoy most is the one I am flying that day.”

Even with his head in the clouds, Jim has always held Delta Sig close to his heart. He remains an active member today with regular attendance at reunions and events.

“I am on committees for reunions of my college, high school, and also elementary school. It has been very easy

for me to want to stay connected with my fraternity. Loyola Marymount University has an alumni barbecue every year, and I have attended it nearly every year, even during the 17 years we lived in San Francisco. Delta Sig has always had the highest attendance of fraternity members at the barbecue, with about 30 brothers from my era. These are brothers that I have known since I was nineteen years old – what could be better than that?

I recently attended our prospective new member’s night where I spoke to the assembly (54 active, 44 prospective) about the fraternity history going back to when we were the oldest fraternity on campus, Sigma Phi Zeta. We had a wonderful fraternity house right on the beach, probably the only one in the whole country. I continued with our joining Delta Sig in 1958, and what a wonderful time we had.”

After years of teaching people how to fly aircraft, Jim has this advice for anyone who is interested in a career in aviation.

“Go on an introductory flight where you handle the controls and see if you like it. Then fly a few more flights and determine if this is something you really want to do as the cost is substantial. You need to develop a passion for it due to the time, energy, and money needed to be successful” Jim’s heartfelt wish is that everyone on earth could experience the joy of flight at least once.

“The view and the freedom to go somewhere is unlike any other activity that there is. When you are flying along on a gorgeous day seeing beautiful panoramas – what could be better?”

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Alumni Profile

Brother without a Chapter

BY BART ANKNEY, BGSU ‘01

D

uring my countless travels around the country to various fraternity events, I am often met with a look of confusion and subtle interest as brothers examine the lack of a chapter designation on my name badge. Often, they inquire as to why my nametag reads Bowling Green State University, as opposed to a chapter location written within the Greek alphabet to signify a home establishment.

In the fall semester of 2001, my life took a dramatic change. As a social work major at Bowling Green State University, I was strongly encouraged by many of my mentors to get involved in an organization that would allow me to grow both as a person as well as a student.

Bowling Green flourished in the early 1940’s with the emergence of Greek Life initiatives, and today the

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campus has produced roughly 8% of men and 12% women being involved with fraternities and sororities. Greek Life at BGSU promotes academic excellence, community involvement, philanthropic events, and the university remains actively involved with each national organization.

My journey began in 2001, when I found myself in a meeting at Founder’s Hall with a person, who to this day I credit for assisting in making me a Better Man. The individual that I first met with was Brother Nathan Wight, Illinois State University ’97.

Nathan introduced me to the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, and it was during this conversation that I began researching the ideals and traditions offered by the fraternity. Delta Sigma Phi offered me an invitation, and to this day

it is one that I remain most grateful for!

I initiated at the Taggart Mansion with several of my founding father brothers from the BGSU Chapter. I then began my leadership role as the first elected Sergeant-at-Arms of the chapter, and follow-up with being nominated as the Brotherhood Chairman prior to graduating. Following graduation, I assumed the role as the Chapter Advisor where I took an active part in assisting the chapter with the development of the Alumni Corporation Board.

At the time, we were starting to struggle as a chapter, and we were unclear as to the culture and direction to navigate towards. The genesis of our ACB was made up of initiating fathers who had no previous connections to Greek Life, but provided sound advice with the

sole desire to assist their sons and the brotherhood with getting off the ground.

Chapters often lose motivation, direction, and become complacent with the status quo, and this was starting to occur with our chapter. I found myself starting a career, thinking of graduate school, and trying to assist the chapter only to place my self in the same ambivalent state of success verses demise as the chapter.

I postponed my acceptance to graduate school in order to focus my direct attention to the organization that earlier assisted me. This was perhaps my first way of trying to “pay the debt”.

I called on the National Fraternity staff for assistance, and received feedback including numerous visits and phone calls from brothers: Nathan Wight, Bruce Hammond, Carl Miller, Brett Henry, Jeff Yurcan, and Scott Wiley.

While we were all excited and euphoric at times following these visits, we as a chapter started regressing once again. The turmoil between brothers started. Brothers were leaving the chapter, we were losing quality men to other organizations, and we started to segregate amongst our values that we had originally agreed to uphold.

I then received a phone call as well as a visit from Grand Brother Chris Northern, who challenged me not to give up. He assisted me with an introduction that I will never soon forget. I called on Grand Brother Johnny Knowles, who without hesitation, got into a car and drove to Bowling Green State University on an early Saturday morning to facilitate a colony strategic plan in hopes of restoring the chapter.

I recalled reading about how challenging it was for Delta Sigma Phi during the late 1960s and into the early 1970s, as many students across the nation protested against the Vietnam War. Several chapters became dormant during these difficult times, and as I read about this in the Gordian Knot, I was hopeful that our challenges would not meet the same fate as did for some chapters during that time

period. I was wrong, and our chapter at Bowling Green State University was eventually closed.

Although we experienced our own problematic behaviors, I was left wondering if this would be the end of my journey with the fraternity. I was more emotional than intellectual during this time period, and I became overly critical of myself, wondering what I should have done to better advise our brotherhood.

I also was left with tough feelings of never being able to charter the colony at BGSU, and I felt as though I let my chapter brothers down for not making more supportive suggestions.

I have the deepest and most humbling appreciation for Delta Sigma Phi. Just as I was ready to walk away, a brother reached out to me and he extended a challenge for me to stay involved as an alumnus.

I took a vacation that summer and talked with my wife, Candise, about my opportunities to develop as well as to perpetuate something different.

Delta Sigma Phi was not done with me, and little did I know at that time that I had a greater mission to see though. On the advice from the brother who challenged me, the summer dialogue with Candise, coupled with reflections within the ritual of our fraternity; I commissioned myself to “make it my own.”

I started becoming a volunteer for the fraternity, serving Brother John Knowles in the Ohio Valley Region as a Deputy Commissioner. It was here that I received my start as an active alumni trying to pay the debt all while sharing my mission.

The only convention I have missed came in 2007 due to the birth of my son Charlie, who was born at 1:12 am.

The very first message I received came from Grand Brother Chris Northern, “Congrats sailor, consider the pledge fee paid” (true story).

I have also been asked to consider running for the Grand Council by some.

Although I consider that an honor, and I know my family would encourage me,

I still have not accomplished my mission.

I love Delta Sigma Phi, and perhaps after BGSU is when my training as a fraternity man started to begin.

Nevertheless, I will always work to pay the debt to the fraternity. I long for the day that my son follows the legacy and finds the same ideals, values, friendships, and bonds of brotherhood that I have.

The fraternity will always invest in our brotherhood perhaps more than you realize. Candise was in a terrible automobile accident in November 2015. Without hesitation, Patrick Jesse, Executive Director of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity sent a personalized note as did many others. That’s the reward I receive from this organization.

I was very humbled and honored as the 2013 recipient of the Russell T. Roebuck award. It hangs in my office where I reflect on its significance each and every day. The award means so much to me, and it is in large part due to the brother I referenced earlier for opening up his chapter to me during my difficult times.

I am forever in debt (and it’s a great debt) to the brothers that attended the fall semester of 1899 at CCNY for their willingness to meet after classes and enrich the foundations that created what we have today. Even though I am a brother without a chapter, I am very honored and proud to be a Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity Man! YITBOS, Bart Ankney (BGSU ’01) SPRING 2016

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Charterings

Iota Lambda V

ision and commitment combined are the lifeblood of any successful organization. This is doubly true for an organization that is just starting out.

The Founding Fathers of Iota Lambda at Appalachian State University took a dive into what it means to find a common cause to unite a group of men and start something new.

Delta Sigma Phi’s first introduction to Appalachian State University could have been pulled from a tourist magazine. In the fall 2011 academic term, Appalachian State’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) had formally opened for expansion and Delta Sigma Phi was one of the finalists chosen to 26

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present to the university and IFC. App State calls the mountains of North Carolina home. Delta Sigma Phi staff left campus that day, knowing there was a significant opportunity to create the atypical fraternity experience at App State and that a segment of men needed that Delta Sig experience.

The initial men came from all walks of life. Men of different religious beliefs, from different socio-economic standing, from different interest groups, these were the people who set out to found Iota Lambda. They soon discovered that it can be very tricky to find common ground between those unique individuals.

CHAPTER

“Our initial goal with the chapter was that no matter what walk of life you came from, you had the ability to call Delta Sigma Phi home”, said Kirby Oscar, former chapter president of Iota Lambda. “We wanted to hone in on what it really means to be a Delta Sig.” Kirby Oscar and the rest of the Founding Fathers were determined to make the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity a home for men from all walks of life.

During that first year, that vision was put to the test. The new chapter group would eventually dwindle to nearly half of their original numbers.

But those who remained were truly committed to the ideals set forth by the

R Fraternity and Iota Lambda. Those men carried the resolve that brought the new chapter from the brink to the pinnacle of Greek Life at Appalachian State University.

Delta Sigma Phi staff members, David Kuczmanski, Iota Gamma, and Ross Klein, Iota Alpha, conducted a five week recruitment in the fall of 2012. The remaining men found a common bond in improving their community. That first class of members truly learned how to work together through their efforts in cleaning the Appalachian Mountain trails.

They learned that it takes time and constant communication to determine the path and identity of a chapter. In

that first year, they experienced a common challenge that all of our chapters and members face: accountability. They learned that some men are not ready for the commitment of Fraternity, the commitment expected of all Delta Sigs.

Through that challenge, their identity and strength increased. The Founding Fathers learned that group accountability and dedication are required to achieve chapter goals.

As the Founding Fathers’ leadership skills evolved, the new chapter progressed along its new chapter development plan. Prior to chartering, the new chapter achieved the highest recognition available by the Appalachian State University Fraternity/Sorority Life office. The new chapter truly demonstrated a high level of engagement with the university and national Fraternity, and acted upon receiving feedback.

Iota Lambda was chartered on August 22, 2015, by National Vice-President, Jim Larson, and CEO, Patrick Jessee, and celebrated with a banquet that was filled with family and friends. Nearly all of the members had parents and friends in attendance with them, as they celebrated three years of diligent work to become a part of Delta Sig’s effort in becoming America’s leading fraternity.

“Being at Iota Lambda’s chartering celebration last semester, with the members surrounded by family, friends, significant others, and alumni, it was clear to me that this chapter was far more than a group of like-minded men; the event, and the culmination of experiences leading up to it, embodied the very essence of ‘Why Fraternity in 2016,’” said Patrick Hall, the chapter’s Chapter Support Specialist. “In that exact moment, through the challenges the chapter overcame, and the impact made by each and every one of them, Iota Lambda was extension of the very best that lifelong, membership-based organizations strive for.”

Among the speakers at the chartering event was the former chapter presi-

dent, Kirby Oscar. Remembering the difficult first year that the new chapter endured, he had the audience participate in an exercise. He asked all of the Iota Lambda brothers to stand, resulting in over 50 attendees standing together.

He then had the group take their seat based on their initiation year, until only the Founding Fathers stood. There were only 11 left on their feet. The exercise demonstrated perfectly how the vision and commitment of a few men can grow into something so much bigger.

“I knew so many people, other students, administration members, and more who thought that we would never make it,” said Oscar. “To look out at all the people in the audience and know where we started; there were definitely happy tears in my eyes.”

Iota Lambda now consistently has the largest new member groups of all the fraternities at App State.

“When new members want to join Delta Sigma Phi, they know exactly what they are getting,” said Oscar.

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Charterings

Beta Iota

BY RUSSELL WILLIAMS, WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY ’13

T

he Beta Iota Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi at Wittenberg University was founded on April 9th, 1932—a day every member of Beta Iota holds with great importance. In our long history, Beta Iota has achieved many great feats. Along with other achievements in our own fraternity’s history, Beta Iota has made its mark upon the entire Greek system.

Beta Iota was active for decades sharing the brotherhood of man with many great members. Unfortunately, the chapter entered a state of dormancy for a four-year period. However, in 2012, when that time period was up, Delta Sig was eager to recolonize a chapter that was once one of the strongest in the fraternity. With the

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CHAPTER

overwhelming help and support of the national recruiting team, 24 men came together to become Beta Iota’s new founding fathers.

Rob Everett, the chapter president following the dormancy period, has this to say about his time as an undergraduate. “Before I joined Delta Sigma Phi, I never felt like Wittenberg was my home. I was an average college student working to get my degree. But then I joined this new organization; one that changed my life forever. Becoming a Delta Sig, as well as leading a group of men as President, completely changed my experience on campus. I began to be more social, make myself more prominent in campus life, and take on challenges that I would not have before. The Fraternity and the chapter in particular gave me an opportunity to develop skills that could use for the

rest of my life. I am forever grateful for the men in the chapter for giving me that opportunity, and for creating a home away from home.”

Above anything else, Beta Iota is proud of the home it has created on Wittenberg’s campus, and the brothers that embody that home.

Every brother of Beta Iota can share a similar story about how much they have gained from joining a family of brothers dedicated to bettering themselves and each other. During our early years back— being a new chapter—brothers had the opportunity to come together and make lasting decision on how our chapter would operate and define chapter expectations of its members. Building this fraternity, and keeping it sustainable and meaningful, has created a life-long bond amongst its members.

Just four years ago, Delta Sigma Phi fraternity was absent from Wittenberg’s campus. But now Delta Sigs stand among the top fraternities at Wittenberg, being very active in campus life and influencing the experiences of both members and non-members. From 2012 to 2015, Beta Iota worked hard to restore the chapter to its former glory, and is still working hard to meet the high bar raised by so many incredible alumni throughout the years.

This dedication for chapter improvement did not go unnoticed

by Headquarters. The National Fraternity saw within Beta Iota not a group of men who we’re the top men of their school, nor men who had achieved perfect marks on their accreditation form. The Grand Counsel of Delta Sigma Phi saw a group of hardworking men dedicated

to improving their chapter - men who refused to give up in on their way to establishing a long lasting chapter, like so many other great chapters of Delta Sig. From our consistent improvement and refusal to stop asking, Beta Iota was approved for chartering in the spring of 2015.

The chapter was elated to say the least, and immediately launched into preparations to host a banquet worthy of such an honor. On September 26th, 2015, the brothers of Beta Iota came together with representatives of Wittenberg, Greek Life, National, and honored guests and celebrated the goal we have strived to reach since recolonizing.

Jamison Shriver, the president at the time of chartering, shared these words in his speech. “This day has been on our minds for a very long time. And, yes, at points

it has almost seemed like a goal we were never going to achieve. But here we are. The group of men that took the leap of faith to join this fraternity during it’s initial re-colonization are some of the best men I have ever known, as are the men who have joined us since. Despite the hardships along the way every single man in our chapter has come together and helped build this precious brotherhood, a brotherhood we have the privilege of celebrating today. And I can assure you that these men are not done. We will continue to grow, we will continue to improve, reaching to make what was once a ceiling a floor. But most importantly, I can assure you we will continue to be the Better Men of Delta Sigma Phi.”

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Charterings

Alpha Theta G

etting back up is all about improving. You take the lessons taught by falling down and use them as fuel to pull yourself back up better than before.

Re-establishment as a chapter is no different – just ask the men at Alpha Theta on the campus of the University of Michigan.

The Alpha Theta new chapter was initially re-established in the fall 2014 academic term over a five-week period. 60 founding fathers took part in the rebirth. In the time since, the chapter has quickly developed into a well-respected and active member of the campus community. Alpha Theta’s members have rallied behind the vision of creating an atypical fraternity experience, bucking the negative

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stereotypes that have plagued Greek Life across the country, and particularly at the University of Michigan.

From initial re-establishment, Alpha Theta has worked closely with the National Fraternity staff to establish and improve chapter operations. From financial management and budgeting, to bylaws development and running effective meetings, the chapter has excelled in the operational side of running a Delta Sigma Phi chapter. The chapter’s leadership has been highly communicative with Headquarters staff.

Alpha Theta has a full Collegiate Chapter Advisory Board (CCAB), and the chapter works closely with them.

The chapter regularly sends a newsletter

CHAPTER

to Alpha Theta and Detroit-area Delta Sig alumni each semester, and has recently hosted its first successful parent/alumni event.

“During the university’s recent Homecoming weekend, the members coordinated a highly successful pre-game tailgate brunch that welcomed parents, siblings, and alumni,” said John Leech, Alpha Theta’s chapter advisor. “It is a humbling experience to have fathers and mothers of college-aged men express gratitude for our involvement in their son’s lives. Based on conversations with parents and visiting alumni, they were extremely supportive of the atypical and transparent fraternity experience Alpha Theta is providing.”

Recruitment has also been an area of strength for this group, which has dedicated itself to a valuesbased, dynamic recruitment process as coached by National Fraternity staff. The chapter boasts a diverse membership made up of men from different home states and countries, an array of majors and interests, and a variety of belief systems.

Alpha Theta has hosted multiple service and philanthropy events, including “Dunk a Delta Sig,” benefitting 7 Mile Music, and Red Cross 50/50 ticket and wristband sales. The chapter has also held a Holiday Ball benefitting the Red Cross, as well as hosting a day of the “Blood Battle,” a major blood drive

through the Red Cross on campus.

The chapter is also hosting a joint event with the University of Michigan Police Department to strengthen campus awareness of the department’s role in protecting students.

Academically, the chapter has performed solidly with sights set on raising the bar. In fall of 2014, the chapter registered a 3.247 GPA. That increased to 3.278 in the spring. While this is slightly below the campus average (3.35), it is well above the Fraternity’s national average and is likely to rise given full implementation of the chapter’s Academic Plan.

The chapter has worked to develop an extensive new member

education program in line with the Fraternity’s 8-week new member timeline. Through their program, Alpha Theta “honors the mission and values of our chapter by educating members on the importance of leadership within the fraternity, preparing them for an immersive fraternity experience while an undergraduate, and stressing the importance of paying the debt once they transition into their roles as alumni upon graduation.”

An initial struggle the chapter has since improved is in the area of membership engagement and fostering a close sense of brotherhood. Alpha Theta initially experienced some members feeling the focus was “all business and not enough fun”. However, changes to meeting structures and more intentional brotherhood, service, and recruitment events have changed this dynamic. General members report feeling engaged and connected within the chapter, with strong attendance at Fraternity events and high interest in upcoming elections for executive board and chair positions.

To ensure continued success, the chapter is developing a 5-year strategic plan. Headquarters staff will continue to work closely with the chapter, particularly with upcoming officer transitions and to ensure the chapter continues to “rise above” the high-risk culture present on the University of Michigan campus. Placing an ACB is of high priority for continued support moving forward.

“The members have displayed an exceptional ability to address concerns between each other through constructive debate,” said John Leech.

“The chapter is rapidly establishing itself as a model of leadership, sustainable recruitment, community engagement, and a chivalry towards guests that is too-often uncommon in collegiate organizations.”

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Fraternity Growth

FRATERNITY

GROWT

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BY NIK KOULOGEORGE, STETSON UNIVERSITY ’08

T

here are few feelings like those during the chartering ceremony of a once-dormant chapter. In our 116 years of existence, 225 charters have been granted at colleges and universities across the United States (and some in Canada). Of those 225 charters, 105 are held by chapters operating today.

In an ideal world, Delta Sig could re-establish all of those 120 chapters no longer in operation, and part of the fraternity’s strategic plan, Vision 2025, incorporates the establishment of new chapters and re-establishment of dormant chapters. In previous issues of The Carnation, we’ve discussed what it’s like to establish a new chapter as well as what it’s like to be a founding father. We also want to share the process of deciding which campuses to partner with in any given year.

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What did it mean for a local fraternity to forgo their group and become a part of Delta Sigma Phi? Local fraternities, some older, would occasionally visit a college or university other than their own, meet some students, and initiate them into Delta Sigma Phi as a new chapter. Most of the Fraternity’s adolescent growth, from 1920 until just after 1980, consisted of local fraternities petitioning to join the national organization of Delta Sigma Phi. Delta Sigma Phi saw expansion in the form of established organizations choosing to forgo their group and become a part of the fraternity. Local fraternities, some older than Delta Sig itself, would retire their letters, their rituals and their prospects of becoming a national or regional organization of their own, all to become a part of our special movement.

Most of our members recognize that fraternity today is not what fraternity was in

1899 or even 1999. Whereas a single staff member would maintain correspondences with all chapters of Delta Sigma Phi in our earliest days, seven professional staff members visit each chapter one or more times each academic year visit each chapter regulary. Fraternity Growth has similarly, and more recently, gone through a shift.

Interest groups and local fraternities are not nearly as prevalent as they once were, and we must look for different avenues to develop new chapters and re-establish dormant chapters. Those opportunities now come through intentional partnerships with colleges and universities which are proactively measuring the value that a Fraternity would bring to their fraternity and sorority community. They expect that trained, professional staff will lead the efforts to recruit students and train them to effectively operate a highperforming chapter.

TH

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// If you’ve read recent issues of The Carnation, you know that Delta Sigma Phi has developed a process such that we are one of the best groups in the nation for schools to partner with for their fraternity community growth.

There are several ways in which colleges and universities evaluate and invite fraternities to join their institution, and each institution operates differently.

If you are interested in re-establishing your chapter, your institution likely falls into one of these mindsets: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Open Expansion Open Expansion is the preferred model of the Fraternity and the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), of which Delta Sigma Phi is a founding member. Open Expansion is a recognition of a man’s First Amendment

right to associate as he wishes, and schools that follow an Open Expansion policy place no barriers on whether or not Delta Sigma Phi can establish a chapter. A recent example would be our re-establishment of the Eta Upsilon chapter at Indiana State University. The principles of the First Amendment are enforceable at public institutions, so there is a higher likelihood that they will abide by the NIC’s open expansion policy than a privately funded institution. Even still, many public institutions are choosing not to adhere to the Open Expansion model in favor of more restricted access. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Semi-Open Expansion More popular at institutions than Open Expansion, Semi-Open Expansion is a model in which there is not a fully formalized approval process, but a series of formalities exist that must be in place in order for Delta Sig to secure a spot at an institution.

Some may require that the Fraternity send a staff member to present to the IFC before a formality vote (NIC member organizations are expected to vote “yes” in favor of another fraternity petitioning to develop a chapter). Some may require that a housing plan be put in place prior to the development of the chapter. Others simply require a letter of intent or that fraternities restrict themselves to expanding to campus one at a time. Delta Sigma Phi will develop a chapter at the University of Iowa in 2017, which came about through the simple submission of a letter of intent, placing us just after fraternities that had submitted letters for 2015 and 2016. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Proposal Expansions In these instances, institutions or InterFraternity Councils (IFC) are only open to expansion at certain periods decided upon by the IFC or school administra-

tion. They require that any interested fraternity submit a proposal including information regarding its programming, recruitment techniques and support for new chapters. From these proposals, the IFC or administration will select which organizations are to establish a chapter and when. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Presentation Expansions This is a model more in line with the women’s sororities, but has become increasingly popular among institutions in its application to fraternities in recent years. Organizations submit proposals, and from those submissions a smaller group is invited to present to the campus staff, IFC and any number of other stakeholders who then choose which fraternities establish new chapters and when.

Many factors play into the selection.

Selection committees regularly look at our volunteer support in the area and any risk management issues that the Fraternity has experienced recently or at a school in which our chapter has been closed. There are some institutions that may choose never to invite Delta Sig back to their community, while others have asked Delta Sig and only Delta Sig to establish a chapter on their campus.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every alumnus has a chapter to go “home” to, and the Fraternity has worked diligently to establish or re-establish more than 30 chapters since 2010. We continue to monitor the growth policies of colleges across the United States as we look for new ways to connect alumni members back to their chapters and new ways to grow our brotherhood so that men from any chapter have a bigger network and better opportunity to convince the world of the sincerity of our purpose.

For more information regarding fraternity growth, contact David Kuczmanski at kuczmanski@deltasig.org.

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Upholding Our Standards

A Guide to Fraternity Initiatives and How to Get Involved O

ur commitment to Vision 2025 and building the Better Man has taken the form of several new initiatives. These programs are the vehicle that will take our mission in directions that it was not able to go before; offering services to our undergrad and alumni brothers that aren’t available anywhere else. These major initiatives are The Lamp, the Mentoring Program and GreekLifeEdu.

BY MICAH CHRISTENSEN, ALBERT KOTCHISH, AND CAMERON WARNER

THE LAMP The Lamp is the Fraternity’s first online member education and resource center. The educational courses offered through the Lamp are the primary focus of the initiative.

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all of our undergraduate executive offices, chairs and new members, with additional courses for the training and development of our volunteer advisors. All of the Fraternity’s in-person educational offerings like the Leadership Institute, the Bruce J. Loewenberg Summit, Presidents’ Academy and RLAs will have pre and post courses helping to set

members up for a more in-depth, on-site experience as well as providing continuing education on the topics discussed at the programs.

In addition to the courses focused on Delta Sigma Phi operations – at the chapter or advisor level – much of the content to be delivered will be focused in areas that benefit all members as individuals. Delta Sig is

Fraternity Initiatives

creating content on fiscal literacy, career and professional development, civic engagement, etiquette and gentlemanly conduct, as well as topics like mental health and personal wellness.

Outside of the educational course offerings, the Lamp will serve as the hub for headquarters and member generated resources. Everything from officer descriptions, the Fraternity’s constitution and by-laws to programs, workshops and other print resources previously available only through contact with a national staff member.

Additionally, members will also be able to create specific groups within the platform. For example – Delta Sig will have the ability to create a specific group within the Lamp for all Leadership Institute graduates. They will be able to connect, share ideas, files and discuss topics as an “unofficial” group within the Fraternity.

One last function includes, for the first time ever, a way for members to update their information with the national office. From their profile page, members can update their contact and demographic information in real time, as well as access information from our membership.

Any member or volunteer with Delta Sigma Phi has access to the platform, at no cost to the individual. All they need to do is log-in through the Delta Sig website. Once they have done that – they have 24 hour access to anything within the system.

MENTORING PROGRAM The Mentoring Program and online platform will change how Delta Sigs interact as a brotherhood. One of the most impactful components of fraternity are the individual relationships we build with one another as brothers. This online platform allows Delta Sigs to find, create and build mentoring relationships with other Delta Sigma Phi brothers – especially those outside of their individual network, regardless of location or distance.

After completing the application and registration processes, men will be able to use this searchable database to identify and reach out to a mentor.

Brothers can search the database for potential mentors based on location, career field, and personal or professional experiences. Once a member finds a mentor or mentee he would like to work with, the platform will prompt both parties to setup their first three mentoring sessions. From there, is it in the brother’s hands to connect and build the relationship. It is a minimum 1 hour a month, 3-month commitment from both parties; after that time, mentees are able to look for additional mentors and/or continue building the relationship they initially established.

Every fraternal organization boasts of their national brotherhood, but that connection was limited by the members could meet and the networks of other individual brothers. This platform gives our members access to men across the country, who are ready to help other Delta Sig achieve their personal and professional goals. This will be the first way members are able to truly access and utilize the national brotherhood to continue to better ourselves as men – both as an undergraduate, but also as alumni.

Through the website, members can click on the Mentoring Program signup. After watching the informational and training videos – members can create a profile in the system. Within 72 hours, their profile will be active and have full access to the platform. The training provides both mentors and mentees best-practices for building a mentoring relationship, including where to start and how to subsequently foster the relationship. From there, mentees and mentors can search for potential counterparts.

Delta Sigma Phi is the first fraternal organization to offer this kind of platform to its members. The program on the cutting edge – truly modeling what it means to be America’s Leading Fraternity.

GREEKLIFEEDU GreekLifeEdu is an evidence-based, online learning program designed to introduce new members to both basic prevention education and the Fraternity itself. Similar to how the Gordian Knot provides uniform information about the history and purpose of Delta Sigma Phi, GreekLifeEdu provides uniform information on the Fraternity’s policies and risks facing Fraternity men to all new members.

This is the first time that Delta Sigma Phi is offering a uniform educational experience direct from the National Fraternity Headquarters to each individual member. It is an impactful way to introduce new members to the basic expectations of membership, the Fraternity’s policies and personal conduct standards, and strategies to address risks associated with alcohol/other drug abuse, sexual violence, and hazing.

GreekLifeEdu is exclusively for new members joining the Fraternity. New members can access GreekLifeEdu through The Lamp. Step-by-step instructions on how to create accounts and gain access to the programs are available on the Fraternity’s website. New members must complete both part one and part two of the GreekLifeEdu course prior to initiation.

Over the next five years of our strategic partnership with GreekLifeEdu, every man that joins Delta Sigma Phi will receive standard education on the three behaviors that pose the biggest threats to our undergraduate members’ success – alcohol/other drug abuse, sexual violence, and hazing. For the first time, all undergraduate members will receive the same training on these high-risk behaviors and techniques to minimize such behaviors’ effects on individuals and the Fraternity.

GreekLifeEdu is a critical component in our member health and safety education initiatives.

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Fraternity Giving

Brothers Until the End //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I

t is easy to think of undergraduate brothers and alumni as different categories of Delta Sigs. At the heart of it all, there is only one kind of member: a brother. The Delta Mu chapter out of Loyola Marymount University has stepped up to prove once and for all that brotherhood truly transcends age and time.

Paul and Kalei Mendiola met during their undergrad years at Loyola.

Paul was a member of the Delta Mu chapter, and Kalei was his Delta Sig sweetheart. The happy couple was married shortly after college, and started a family in the sunny state of California.

Kalei suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which she had diagnosed five years ago. She had been experiencing symptoms for over 12 years.

It hasn’t stopped her from being a super mom to her and Paul’s six children. However, the past few years have seen the disease progressing and the symptoms worsen.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s include: tremors/shaking, loss of smell, trouble sleeping, difficulty moving, soft/low voice, dizziness, and difficulty stooping.

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As the prescribed medications began losing their effect, they knew it was time to try something new.

After much research, Paul and Kalei settled on adult stem cell treatment as their best option. It showed the most promise in relieving her symptoms without the dangerous side effects of some other treatment options. Adult stem cell treatment is also fully ethical. The only issue is cost, as insurance does not cover it due to its label as experimental.

The Mendiola family would have to shoulder the financial burden for the treatments in full. That was what inspired Paul and Kalei to start a GoFundMe campaign.

This GoFundMe campaign caught the attention of one of Paul’s brothers in Delta Mu from his time on campus, Erik Nordquist. Erik Nordquist, the current Chapter Advisor for Delta Mu, saw an opportunity to help a brother out.

Loyola Marymount University Greek Life hosts a lip sync competition, known as Lip Sync and Stroll Off, on the second week of school for cultural and social fraternities and sororities. The winning team takes

home a prize to donate to a charitable organization. The Delta Mu chapter performed a choreographed rendition of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies”, which took home first place for the men.

They received the money at the end of November, and had planned to donate the money to the American Red Cross. However, Erik Nordquist saw a different opportunity.

Erik presented the idea to members that they donate the money to Paul and Kalei instead of the American Red Cross. The men voted on the idea at their next meeting, and the motion was passed. The amount donated was $4,800.

“It was not so much a discussion as much as a unanimous decision,” said chapter president Kevin Dwyer.

“We felt very connected to the story.”

Erik Nordquist reached out to Paul to notify him of the donation.

They planned to bring Kalei to LMU to surprise her with the donation news with all of the Delta Mu men. The donation was planned for the evening of Jan. 19. Unfortunately, the element of surprise had to be lost to get Kalei on LMU’s campus, but it didn’t lessen the impact and emotion of the evening.

“It was refreshing and nice to see the campus and how much it changed and grew, seeing the current brothers and how genuine they were,” said Paul.

“I was so impressed by the current chapter members,” said Kalei.

Kalei began the adult stem cell therapy in January. Treatment schedules have Kalei going back on a monthly basis to continue the therapy.

The donation money will help to extend the duration of the treatment.

“At Delta Mu, we are just really happy to be able to do this for Kalei, Paul and their whole family,” said Kevin Dwyer. “Even though we all couldn’t be there … it was definitely something that brought us all closer.”

When you are a Delta Sig, you are a brother until the end.

“Joining a fraternity as a young man, you don’t think about the long term, but when you join a fraternity, you truly join a brotherhood for life,” said Paul.

THE GIFT OF A LIFETIME S

ome things can’t be fully shared in words. Some things in life must be experienced to be understood. As humans, we thrive off of storytelling – it is in our DNA. The need to share experiences that have molded and shaped us is what helps keep us advancing as a society. Sometimes, the best way to tell a story is to preserve it for future generations.

That’s what Kevin Lynn is hoping to do.

Kevin and his wife, Maureen, have set up a special planned gift that will serve to preserve the Delta Sig experience for future generations. This particular gift is coming in the form of an estate donation. The Delta Sigma Phi Foundation will be a beneficiary of a monetary gift upon their passing.

An estate gift is one of the numerous ways that our members can make a donation without writing a check. As more and more members express interest in these alternate routes, the Delta Sigma Phi Foundation has begun to explore more avenues for turning gifts into brighter futures for brothers.

One such major change came in the form of a new law passed in December of last year.

On Dec. 18, 2015, Congress passed the PATH Act, a permanent law that makes it possible to give individual retirement account (IRA) assets to nonprofit organizations, free from federal tax, annually. Prior to 2006, all lifetime distributions from IRAs were taxed—even those given to charity. Using IRA assets to make a gift during your lifetime, as opposed to giving via bequest in your will, provides the unique opportunity to see the lasting impact of your investment on the lives of young men everywhere.

Making the donation process convenient is a big priority as the Delta Sigma Phi Foundation continues to look for ways to enrich the fraternity experience.

Kevin and Maureen, felt it was important to give back to the societies and organizations that had a positive effect on them both. They made sure that Delta Sigma Phi got a fair share, as well as the Epsilon Chapter at Penn State.

“We are committed to societies and organizations that have shaped and help us succeed professionally and personally,” said Kevin.

The fraternity experience is unique to every brother, but the staples of brotherhood, leadership and honor are shared.

To tell that story requires more than memories recounted in word. People need to live, eat and share with fellow brothers to understand what the fraternal bond truly means.

For Kevin, his time in the Epsilon chapter at Penn State were some of the most formative years of his life.

“The fraternity experience and Penn State in chorus played a large role in my development,” said Kevin. “I know that the fraternity helped me build character, confidence, responsibility, memories, and wonderful friendships. I remember the day I accepted my pin with 16 other guys.

I was told by our New Member Educator that these men will be your best friends through your life…I couldn’t believe how right he was. Even other guys in other fraternities; there is a bond there. It is tough to verbalize, but you feel it.”

As a member of the Epsilon chapter, Kevin was elected and served as the chapter president. During this time, he was taken aback by the magnitude of things he was responsible for. In addition to representing the chapter in Greek matters on campus, Kevin got his first taste in managing a large budget and how to maintain a healthy spending total. One of the harder roles he had to play as president was as a disciplinarian for his chapter.

“I learned that I could lead. I have the experience now,” said Kevin. “You learn a lot about people in that role.”

After graduation, Kevin continued to serve his chapter on the ACB. He held his position on the board for 14 years.

Reflecting back on his time in college, he could see just how profound the college experience was.

“You really need to come to a point that this is bigger than you know, but try to know it. Become involved, become a leader on campus. This is the chance to get leadership role experience, and friendships that last,” said Kevin.

Kevin and Maureen are making this gift out of a desire to give someone else the chance to have the college experience they had.

“I don’t think it is about the legacy, we aren’t looking to get something named after us,” said Kevin. “It is an understanding that we were helped by these organizations in a way that we need to give back.”

That leadership spirit is alive and well now as Kevin and Maureen spearhead new grounds with their generous gift.

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Fraternity Giving

T

he Delta Sigma Phi Foundation hosted its second annual Day of Giving on December 10, 2015, shattering all of the previous records set in 2014. After $50,000 in matching donations, the second annual crowd-funding event raised $133,057 – more than $80,000 beyond the goal. The Foundation team more than doubled individual contributions, from 384 individual donors in 2014 to nearly 950 in 2015. And for the second time, staff at headquarters practiced what it preached, raising donations from 100% of staff members. Funds raised on the Day of Giving go to support the Fraternity’s educational initiatives, including Presidents’ Academy, Regional Leadership Academies and Leadership Institute.

WHY I GIVE ////////////////////////////////// “Supporting the Foundation ensures that the fraternity can continue developing programs dedicated to training and equipping our brothers with lifelong leadership skills.” – Bill Tilghman, Barton College, ’84

2nd Annual Day of Giving Raises $133,057 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// MATCHING

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“I can see the positive impact our Foundation’s funding has on the undergraduates at my chapter and among the young men I meet at our National Conventions. That’s very gratifying.”

– Don & Denise Chandler, The University of Texas, Austin, ’78

“The seeds of leadership were planted the day I joined Delta Sig. Giving to our chapter through the Foundation is my way of supporting our drive to produce outstanding campus leaders and men.”

– Jay Dade, University of Missouri, ’83

DONORS ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Azeem Dhalla

Tim Gentry

Rodney Gould

John Jenkins

Larry Lundberg

California State University-San Bernadino, ’91

University of Missouri, ’81

Eureka College, ’84

University of Virginia, ’84

San Jose State University, ’66

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UNDERGRADUATES GOAL:

$50,000

$133,057

You helped raise 266% more than our goal!

GOAL:

250 DONORS

471 Donors 44% of Total

RAISED:

ALUMNI

439 Donors 42% of Total

NON MEMBERS

37 Donors 4% of Total

CONTRIBUTED:

947 DONORS

You helped us beat our donor goal by 379%!

100% STAFF PARTICIPATION!

HQ

For the second year, Delta Sig receives donations from 100% of staff.

TOP CHAPTERS BY DONOR COUNT 1.) Kansas State 2.) George Washington 3.) Purdue 4.) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 5.) Georgia College

CHAPTERS WITH 100% PARTICIPATION 1.) Florida International 2.) George Washington 3.) SUNY Plattsburg

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Upholding Our Standards

Upholding Our Standards – Closings, Corrective Actions, Successes

2015 proved to be a difficult year for Delta Sigma Phi as many of our chapters’ paths on campus came to an end. While fall 2015 did not prove to be as turbulent as previous terms, two chapters were closed after continued violations of Fraternity and campus policies.

GAMMA SIGMA CHAPTER – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS Over the past four years, the Gamma Sigma Chapter undergraduate members engaged in inappropriate social behaviors that violated university regulations, Fraternity policies, and alumni expectations.

Most recently, in 2014 and 2015, a series of incidents highlighted behavior inconsistent with the high standards that Delta Sigma Phi demands. The Gamma Sigma Chapter was placed on conditional registration, meaning the fraternity was required to adhere to a set of requirements agreed upon by the university. Gamma Sigma still failed to adhere to laws regarding the underage consumption of alcohol.

Despite the chapter’s strengths in recruitment, poor decision-making and repeated disregard for the University’s policies on alcohol use ultimately led to an indefinite loss of campus recognition from the university.

While the Fraternity staff worked with undergraduate officers and the chapter advisor to appeal both the decision itself and the length of the sanction, the university remained firm in its decision to separate the chapter from UC Davis – specifically citing the chapter’s continued violations of alcohol policies dating back to 2011. After reviewing the university’s decision and the chapter’s inability to change social event practices to conform to the laws regarding underage consumption of alcohol and Fraternity policies governing the use of alcohol, the Grand Council voted to revoke the Gamma Sigma Chapter charter. The chapter was closed on August 24th, 2015.

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ETA XI CHAPTER – TOWSON UNIVERSITY In October 2015, reports of serious and repeated hazing activities – later confirmed by a university investigation – highlighted behavior inconsistent with the high standards that Delta Sigma Phi demands. The Eta Xi Chapter accepted responsibility for harassing and humiliating men seeking membership within the Fraternity, and for hazing activities that included forced calisthenics and personal servitude.

Hazing has no place in Delta Sigma Phi, and the National Fraternity determined together with Towson University that it was not in the Fraternity’s best interest to continue operating Eta Xi Chapter. The Fraternity cannot, and will not, tolerate blatant disregard toward our policies and standards for members and chapters. There are good men from Eta Xi Chapter who now must pay a great price for the actions of rogue brothers.

After close coordination and thanks to the efforts of many Eta Xi alumni, the National Fraternity and university have agreed to an initial period of suspension and disbandment of Eta Xi Chapter limited until the end of the 2017.

Delta Sigma Phi is committed to providing a premier, values-based fraternity to Towson University and will utilize its resources to recruit new men who—upon our return to the university—will uphold our mission of Building Better Men. We are confident that we will once again have a chapter of men who are committed to the ideals of Delta Sigma Phi. MOVING FORWARD 2016 is now well under way, and the Fraternity is pleased to be making great headway in our ongoing prevention initiatives. All new members are now expected to complete GreekLifeEdu, online education on alcohol/drug abuse, sexual violence, and hazing prevention. Many chapters have already received visits from staff members introducing the Social Strengths Essentials Workshop, an introductory component to our sexual violence prevention initiatives. This summer, the Fraternity will debut a Risk Management Advisor training program to equip local volunteers with skills and resources to better support undergraduate chapters. While the Fraternity will continue to provide resources and education for all, we must be steadfast in our individual roles to preventing mis-conduct and chapter closures. Each Brother plays a part in keeping Delta Sigma Phi safe for future generations of men.

DeltaGraphs

AUBURN UNIVERSITY Kappa Last week the chapter held their 53rd annual Miss Fall Rush beauty pageant. The pageant sees freshman members of Auburn’s sororities compete against each other for the crown. The winning lady is crowned Miss Fall Rush. Miss Fall Rush is entirely charity-based, with all of the proceeds being spilt between the Red Cross and the March of Dimes.

The event was held on January 21, and raised a total of $7000 split between the Red Cross and The March of Dimes. Over the past 53 years, this event has raised over $140,000 for charity.

The event has been a Delta Sigma Phi tradition on the campus.

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA Theta Chi The Miss Sorority Row pageant at the University of Georgia, hosted by the Theta Chi chapter of Delta Sigma Phi, raised over $21,000 for Extra Special People, which empowers children with developmental disabilities to cultivate skills, self-confidence, and relationships through recreational therapy, community involvement, and the arts.

The pageant itself is a three-part contest: Gameday attire, Talent, and Evening Wear rounds. The philanthropy is supported by the PanHellenic Sororities on campus, who each enter a contestant. Before pageant night, every sorority has the opportunity to help their contestant by attending multiple events at local restaurants, where a percentage of sales benefit Miss Sorority Row. They are also scored on a banner they paint, hang outside their chapter house, and mount around the stage on pageant night. On the 17th, a panel of judges scores the contestants on their stage performance. Those rankings are coupled with the percentage night and banner scores to crown the 2015 Miss Sorority Row. Over 800 people attended the annual event, including students, families, members of various UGA sports teams,

Miss Georgia, and Miss University of Georgia. The money raised will supply funds for a years’ worth of activities for ESP’s 360 program! To learn more, please visit www. extraspecialpeople.com.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY / GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY / STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT PLATTSBURGH These three new chapters set a new precedent on the 2nd annual Day of Giving last December. Each of these chapters had 100% of their members contribute a monetary donation during the campaign. They not only beat out the other new chapters, but had a higher donation rate than established chapters!

These three new chapters serve as a shining example of the values at the core of Delta Sigma Phi. *Items submitted prior to March 1, 2016

SPRING 2016

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bond eternal

Chapter News Brothers are listed by chapter, with the following dates being of initiation and then of passing.

GAMMA Thomas A. Sullivan, 1/1/16 EPSILON Robert E. Campolongo, 10/29/52, 12/15 Paul Hubert Fickenscher, 2/16/36, 9/16/14 Guy Francis McCracken, 12/6/42, 1/16 ETA James McCollum Bolding, 12/6/59, 12/2/15 NU Thomas Vance Brown, 4/13/56, 4/5/15 OMICRON James Earl Martin, 1/30/49, 9/2/11 RHO Roy Edwin Fuller, 2/10/45, 12/6/15 Gabriel L. Santore, 5/1/40, 1/16 SIGMA Robert M. Brennan, 4/18/82, 12/6/15 Donald Lee Schweingruber, 12/23/59, 1/16 TAU Thomas Keith Clay, 3/3/40, 1/16 Millard A. Ferguson, 2/15/42, 9/19/15 L. Minton Heermans, 4/23/50, 10/14/15 James A. Merner, 4/3/56, 1/1/16 UPSILON John Richard Wagner, 5/19/47, 1/7/16 PHI Daniel M. Del Grosso, 5/22/66, 1/16 CHI Morris McBaker, 5/11/29, 1/1/10 Michael David Cochran, 2/28/60, 3/20/16 Emil Edward Krafft, 4/9/49, 1/16 Robert Emile Rougelut, 5/31/29, 1/1/16 PSI Clarence H. Fitzgerald, 10/15/48, 1/1/16

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ALPHA GAMMA Henry L. Patrick, 11/26/69, 10/25/15

BETA GAMMA Charles J. McLucas, 5/7/42, 1/6/16

ALPHA EPSILON Kenneth Lewis Sperling, 4/3/77, 12/3/15

BETA EPSILON John Oliver Lathrop, 10/29/50, 1/1/11

ALPHA ZETA Lewis C. Butler, 11/30/41, 8/26/15 ALPHA KAPPA Theodore Charles Peterson, 11/4/51, 7/1/14 ALPHA LAMBDA Orie J. Ballion, 2/25/51, 1/9/16 Paul Leander Heyduck, 2/22/53, 1/16 Joseph W. Hopson, 2/25/40, 1/21/16 Ronald Eugene Miller, 5/4/96, 12/13/15 John A. Schneiter, 2/17/52, 1/21/14 ALPHA XI William Reginald Schmidt, 11/5/60, 9/30/14 ALPHA PI Barry Buchoz, 4/30/50, 1/14/16 Arthur S. Fetters, 4/30/50, 3/1/16 Thomas Walter Olson, 2/4/51, 1/16 Ronald R. Rubinoff, 2/7/64, 11/22/09 David Paul Young, 3/8/56, 12/5/15

BETA MU James Horner King, 4/26/56, 12016 William Gregory May, 1/30/05, 4/14/16 Lindsay M. Wigginton, 1/23/68, 12/4/15 BETA XI David Lokke Runquist, 3/25/62, 1/1/09 BETA PI John Gage Heindel, 5/22/55, 1/16 BETA UPSILON Milo Michael Vujnovich, 6/6/48, 3/4/16 BETA PSI Rex Burton McConaghy, 2/24/63, 6/1/98 Dale Kite Polenske, 3/1/53, 2/3/16 Robert L. Relling, 9/21/50, 3/31/14 GAMMA ALPHA Zachary John Shrieve, 11/22/87, 3/24/16

ALPHA RHO Robert M. McGrew, 11/6/48, 1/1/08

GAMMA EPSILON Donald Allen Eldridge, 6/19/49, 2/7/16

ALPHA SIGMA William Herburt Furr, 3/19/66, 3/30/16 John B. Gregg, 3/20/65, 1/14/16 Joseph Michael Scalco, 8/20/76, 11/1/15 James Robert Schneck, 10/8/53, 3/16/14 Alfred B. Spamer, 3/27/47, 2/11/13

GAMMA THETA Ernest John Chinavare, 4/1/66, 1/29/16 Roman Stanley Gribbs, 1/8/55, 4/5/16 James Ronald Oravec, 3/29/69, 3/31/16

ALPHA TAU Joseph J. Panella, 12/2/42, 5/29/14 ALPHA UPSILON Dean Eldon Gigstad, 3/31/57, 10/19/15 Cecil Eugene Tracy, 3/26/61, 10/2/15 ALPHA PHI Stanley C. Morrish, 2/22/53, 3/14/87 Hans William Vogel, 3/12/50, 6/19/15

OMEGA Earnest G. Barta, 2/13/48, 1/26/16

ALPHA CHI George Borysewich, 3/24/48, 1/1/14 William E. McCall, 10/15/54, 1/16

ALPHA ALPHA Harold Richard Huebner, 3/26/50, 1/18/16

ALPHA PSI James Joseph Petsche, 9/29/68, 12/1/15

ALPHA BETA Wesley Harwood Eaton, 5/27/40, 11/22/15

BETA BETA Michael David Schubert, 3/7/71, 3/27/13

THE CARNATION | DELTASIG.ORG

BETA IOTA Donald W. Conrad, 9/16/56, 1/16

GAMMA KAPPA Dennis Lubbs, 3/14/73, 4/16 Ian Thomas Pinkerton, 12/7/08, 9/26/12 GAMMA XI Thomas Calvin Bryan, 12/21/57, 1/16 Barry Neil Dees, 1/8/56, 2/16/16 GAMMA SIGMA Mark L. Breckner, 9/17/84, 12/9/15 Richard Russell Smith, 2/27/66, 12/27/15 GAMMA TAU Joseph W. Komarzec, 5/4/58, 11/19/15 GAMMA PHI Jake F. Messman, 5/2/54, 1/16 GAMMA CHI Daniel J. Sandman, 5/15/60, 3/4/16 GAMMA PSI Randall Earl Hinkel, 11/29/76, 12/20/15

GAMMA OMEGA Michael Dale Hudson, 6/17/62, 1/21/16 DELTA ALPHA Peter Michael Ebbe, 11/7/64, 12016 DELTA DELTA William A. Schrader, 2/27/60, 1/1/16 DELTA EPSILON Earl Eugene Anspach, 5/27/56, 8/3/15 Carl Martin Herren, 5/27/56, 8/29/15 David Owen Cox, 3/8/58, 10/20/15 David Lamar Oakley, 2/14/68, 9/10/15 DELTA IOTA Marion Eugene Williams, 3/15/58, 9/15/14 DELTA LAMBDA Rodney Carson Freer, 4/23/65, 8/25/14 DELTA OMICRON Fred Madison Arrowood, 12/6/59, 1/16 DELTA RHO Willis A. Duffey, 4/10/65, 2/16/16 DELTA TAU John Patrick Short, 1/13/67, 1/1/16 DELTA UPSILON David Hunter MacKenzie, 6/4/66, 12/15 Gene J. Perry, 2/11/84, 2/21/16 EPSILON ETA Larry Lee Schroeder, 4/22/67, 4/1/15 EPSILON KAPPA George Spero Goumas, 2/22/70, 9/1/15 EPSILON OMICRON William Carl Kellner, 10/26/68, 7/11/11 EPSILON PHI Larry David Miller, 12/11/69, 3/18/16 HILGARD Thomas W. Borden, 10/5/47, 1/16 ZETA KAPPA Michael C. Lindell, 5/25/83, 1/16 ZETA PI Daniel Abose Dadgar, 11/22/09, 10/22/15 THETA EPSILON Andrew William Katko, 4/24/92, 11/15/15 ETA ZETA Andrew J. Cabrera, 6/3/92, 4/24/16

MICHAEL D. HUDSON, former member of Delta Sigma Phi’s Grand Council, passed away in Houston, TX, on Jan. 21, 2016 after a courageous fight against cancer. Born Aug. 26, 1941, he was 74 years old.

Mike was initiated into the fraternity at the University of Houston chapter in 1962.

He soon transformed it to a large and strong group and was instrumental in lifting his chapter mates to many accomplishments on campus. He was elected president of the chapter and vice president of the senior class in 1963. He graduated from the university in 1964, served in the Texas Air National Guard and returned to Houston.

Mike was one of the first alumni members the National Fraternity selected in 1967 for the new role of District Governor. The volunteer position enabled him to take his special enthusiasm and advice to chapters across Texas. He gave seminars on recruitment at campuses, regional fraternity meetings and national conventions. He was also a founding member and officer of the University of Houston alumni chapter, and in 1967 the students of his undergraduate chapter named him their Outstanding Alumnus.

Mike was elected to Delta Sigma Phi’s national board in 1969. He was elected vice president of the national fraternity in 1971. He retained that office and remained on the board until 1973.

Indicative of his love for and loyalty to Delta Sigma Phi, when notifying Delta Sig Headquarters of her husband’s passing, Geri Hudson relayed that in his final days Mike reminded her to mail his annual donation to the Delta Sigma Phi Foundation.

“The fraternity meant everything to Mike, and he felt it was important to give whatever he could,” said Geri.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Geri Hudson, daughters Dena Hudson and Jana Johnson, son-in-law Mike Johnson, grandchildren Cole and Lily Johnson, Brother Jim Hudson and wife Mary, sister Talley Hudson and husband David Sowers, sister-in-law Adelene Hohlt, numerous nieces and nephews, and many Brothers of Delta Sigma Phi. SPRING 2016

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CARNATION THE

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