Unique chapter ini a ve is designed to “Build a Be er Brother”
A er seven Miami fraterni es were cited for hazing viola ons last spring, Alpha Delta Phi moved to completely redesign its new member educa on program. The "Build a Be er Brother" ini a ve replaces tradi onal pledging with an educa onal experience focused on personal growth and brotherhood without hazing.
A commi ee of undergraduates and alumni worked together over eight months to design a program that's transparent about its goals. New members receive a wri en pledge that they won't be hazed, along with clear ways to report any problems to chapter leaders and alumni.
Every new member ac vity comes with an explana on of its purpose and what new members are intended to learn. Their parents, too, receive a le er describing their son’s program.
"We wanted to move past secrecy and the old 'it happened to me, so you have to suffer too' mindset," says Ben Hambleton ‘26, who, with Johnny Kearns ’26 and Owen Winters ‘26, served on the commi ee and will act as New Member Educators come February.
Culture Change on the Agenda
The redesign is driven by increased intolerance for hazing, but also by differences in today’s fraternity culture at Miami. As always, freshmen are eager to join and move into fraterni es in their sophomore year, but these days most juniors and seniors move out to private rentals and “annex” houses. The result: nearly all house live-ins and chapter officers are inexperienced sophomores who must lead outof-house upperclassmen. “This cultural challenge makes a strong educa on program for (see page 2)
This fall, the undergraduate chapter commissioned a half-day training session from the Hazing Preven on Network, led by professional presenter Todd Shelton.
Redesigning new member education for a new age
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new members more important than ever,” said Doug Diefenbach ’80, an Alumni Council member who served on the BaBB Commi ee.
Building Real Connec ons
Many parts of the new program are improvements on the old. Tradi onal fun ac vi es sports compe ons, trivia nights, and social events con nue, but with ac ve brothers parcipa ng alongside new members, avoiding the us-them power imbalances that can lead to hazing. Instead of making pledges memorize useless facts or perform pointless tasks, the program builds genuine rela onships. New members engage in both one-on-one and group dialogues where they tell personal stories, build trust, and break down any class cliques. As always, each new member is paired with a "Big Brother" mentor and interviews every ac ve to deepen his chapter connec ons. Weekly Zoom calls with Alumni Council leaders show that fraternity involvement extends beyond college. Community service projects give new members ways to contribute to chapter and community.
As always, every new member must demonstrate his commitment to the fraternity leading up to ini a on. But the chapter explicitly rejects using threats of non-ini a on to force compli-
ance recognizing that as psychological hazing.
Learning Responsibility
Totally new to the program is an online training course meant to teach new members fraternity values and personal responsibility. “The course will let us pack a lot of learning into a short me,” said Johnny Kearns ‘26. “That’s important, since Miami requires ini a on to happen just four weeks a er rush.”
Developed exclusively by the Miami Chapter, the course uses real-life scenarios to teach accountability. New members answer ques ons anonymously to encourage truthful responses without fear of judgment, then discuss the lessons at weekly mee ngs. The training isn't pass/ fail it's about s mula ng honest discussion about expecta ons and values.
“Whether about hazing or something else, we want brothers to understand that when they act without thinking about the wider consequences that come with fraternity membership, they can hurt themselves and the chapter,” said Diefenbach.
To Build a Be er Brother
The chapter’s redesign will show that a purpose-driven training experience will not only educate each new member but build a be er brother and brotherhood in the process.
Can you pass the chapter’s new online training course?
What would it be like to be an Alpha Delt pledge today? Find out!
The chapter’s online training course poses ethical scenarios about fraternity life. Responding anonymously, new member candidates explore concepts of personal responsibility, brotherly interven on, and accep ng cri que from others.
The survey challenges new members to make real-life decisions: Intervene when a brother skips his house du es? What if rowdy brothers are disturbing families at a hockey game? When does "brotherhood" enable bad behavior?
Want to explore the ques ons yourself? Follow this link Then watch for our report detailing how alumni values differ from those of today’s undergrads!
Is fraternity forever? Ask these reunited alumni!
Miami Alpha Delt alumni reunions covered at least two con nents in 2025. Want to plan your own? Let us help with contact info...
Sco Pelfrey ’82 and Craig Ring ‘82 joined up for a 10-day hiking tour in the Dolomites of Italy where they also entertained four tall blondes!
Alumni Weekend in June drew groups of alumni to Oxford, including this house party bunch (le ) and Jerry Wissman ‘65, Kurt Olt ’65, Dick Hirsh ’65, and Tom Lillich ’65 (right).
The Alpha Delt biker gang rebooted (re-pedaled?) the Oxford-to-Boxford ALS charity ride of a couple of summers back, this me from Oxford, Maine to Boxford, Mass: Li le Sis Ann Brown Miller ‘81, Doug McIlvaine ‘81, Jim Jorling ‘81, Jim Venezia ‘78, Sco Golan ‘80, Dave Foster ‘81.
(Below le ) Steve Whitlatch ‘75, Amy Whitlatch, Mary Ann Webb and Tom Webb ‘73 toured Portugal with the Miami Explorers group.
(Below) Doug Taracuk ‘75 made the rounds in Hilton Head, mee ng with Denny Lieberman ‘75 and Ralph Han-
“The house has become my home away from home. As someone that did not go the college or fraternity route, the ADP family has welcomed me into their home... Kinda keeps me feeling young and not like this old chef that's been doing this for over 40
Cooking up some new chapter leadership
The last few months have seen key leadership transi ons on both the alumni and undergrad side of the chapter.
Adding to his current role as house chef, James Wasney will also serve as the on-site House Director, providing counsel and supervision to the undergrads. Chef James started working in restaurant roles at 14 and, except for a four-year s nt in
s for lunch?
Brendan Harkins in other execuve roles. Congrats to the outgoing officers. Welcome and thanks to all those who keep the chapter thriving. Xaipe!
Host an internship to help a young Alpha Delt succeed
world experience that helps to launch o en thanks to the connec ons of alumni and family.
put his Business Analy cs skills to work at Design Collec ve by Cintas. A family connec on helped open the door, and he sharpened his Excel skills while thriving in a profound his internship at Gibbs Insurance Associates through a mutual contact, where he learned the ropes of client service and insurance licensing. Colin Fix connected with Fastenal through a Miami alumnus, applying classroom knowledge to real-
migra ng financial data at Falvey Insurance Group to Carter Young managing fan rela ons for the Cincinna Bengals, these undergraduates turned connec ons into opportuni es. Ben Hambleton and Jack Metzger did the same in finance and marke ng, while Colin Lasek gained invaluable experience at Medpace through alumni es.
These stories proved the power of a helping hand from those who came before. Could your company offer an internship to a Miami Alpha Delt? Your support not only builds resumes it builds futures.
HOST AN INTERNSHIP: “Experien al learning” is an increasingly integral part of higher educa on but opportuni es are in short supply. Want to help slingshot a young Alpha Delt's career? Host an internship in your company or organiza on! To see if your business or organiza on could benefit from hos ng an intern, visit the FAQ on our website or scan this QR code.
Whitlatch ’75, Harrelson ‘21 and Kearns ‘22
22 South Campus: keeping up with the upkeep
Alumni gifts are key to many projects
While maintenance projects rarely make headlines, they are essen al to preserving the comfort, safety, and historic charm of 22 South Campus. Over the past several years, thanks to generous alumni support, we’ve made steady progress addressing the less glamorous but cri cally important physical plant needs.
Recent projects include $45,000 to extend the sprinkler system to the whole house (only 12 fraterni es have that safety feature), $25,000 over the past 3-4 years for carpets/ plumbing/stairs work, the installa on of a new boiler in the Old House ($20,500), pa o privacy fence ($8,000), and a dedicated air-condi oning system for the kitchen ($9,700). We’ve also regrouted and sealed showers in both houses to prevent leaks, replaced soffits, repaired gu er joints and exterior grout, and refinished the front porch and main entry door its first refresh in 20 years. New carpe ng now brightens the second and third floors of the old house, and the parking lot has been fully repaved and lined. Indoors, the stained-glass “Jeff Pandora” window in the Front South room now shines again, faithfully restored to its 1881 design.
As we look ahead, several high-priority projects await: repain ng the house exterior (last done in 2004–05), replacing the aging hot water tank, air-condi oning the new house basement rec room, and refreshing worn furniture in the front rooms. Landscape replacement is also needed following winter damage.
Adding to costs that stretch our opera ng budget each year: Butler County property taxes have skyrocketed from $14,000 to $20,000, and property insurance is now $18,000.
Bo om line: every gi from alumni and parents directly enables us to keep the house safe, func onal, and welcoming. Thanks to all who help keep our grand old home looking her best.
From top: 22 South Campus, new kitchen air conditioning, restored Old House stained glass windows, refinished basement floor with inset Alpha Delt crest, new $20,000 boiler, house entryway, plumbing
THE NEWSLETTER OF MIAMI’S ALPHA DELTA PHI
ALPHA DELTA PHI ALUMNI COUNCIL
Ross Wason ‘73 President
Ralph Herda ‘75 Treasurer
Will Hack ‘21 Secretary
Joe Brezny ‘ 95
Fred Carmean ‘78
Keith Chapin ‘ 74
Stefan Davis ‘71 emeritus
Doug Diefenbach ‘80
Don French ‘53 emeritus
Logan Harrelson ‘23
Drew Kearns ‘22
Matt Labuda ‘11
Ben McDonald ‘28
Mike McGrath ‘76
Tom Paquette ‘16
Scott Pelfrey ‘83
STAR CRESCENT
C : Doug Diefenbach ‘80 200 Indian Creek Court Fox Point, WI 53217 miamiadphi@yahoo.com
Make an ongoing difference for the chapter with your financial pledge to join the alumni Loyalty Society. Visit our website, or contact Doug Diefenbach at miamiadphi@yahoo.com
spot. The 70s brothers above followed their golf with a barbecue feast: Mike McGrath, Charlie Walter, Steve Fleischer, Ralph Herda, Frank Powell, Leonard Fecko, Doug Taracuk, Jim Barre, Charlie Kolodkin, and Tom McGrath. Dave Brown and Joe Klunk also a ended. Not to be outdone, the Class of ‘85 celebrated 40 years with a Charleston reunion hosted by Kevin Walsh and including Jim Hickok, Nick LaMagna, Joe Buehler ‘86, Mike Hackman ‘87, Dick LeBlanc, Todd Ronning, Joe Marous, Don Goodman, and Jim Huskisson.
CONSIDER A PLANNED GIFT
Several alumni recently told us they have made estate gi s to the Chapter. Vehicles like bequests, life insurance policies, trusts and re rement plans helped them make substan al contribu ons. If ADPhi has been important in your life, consider a gi that will impact our Chapter for years to come. Direct gi s to “Miami Realty Associa on of Alpha Delta Phi” (dba the Alumni Council). For more informa on, contact Stefan Davis at stefansdavis@gmail.com.
