The Colorado Gamma Rams Connection by Phi Delta Theta

WINTER 2020

THE COLORADO GAMMA

RAMS CONNECTION Official Newsletter of the Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Colorado State University

COLORADO GAMMA WINS BIG FROM GHQ AND CSU

COLORADO GAMMA SERVES AN ALS FAMILY

n Saturday, September 12, Colorado Gamma men helped Bob and Peggy Porter move into their new home. Diagnosed with ALS in 2019, Bob has battled the ramifications of the disease ever since. Before retiring, Bob worked as an engineer in Fort Collins. After receiving his diagnosis, Peggy and Bob decided to move to a new house that was more wheelchair accessible and requested assistance in moving. Thirteen Colorado Gamma members answered the call to service and assisted with the move. Bob connected with one member, Cody Hyman, who is currently studying engineering at CSU. They worked together to dismantle and move Bob’s medical bed while having fruitful conversations about their mutual interest in engineering. Bob and Peggy have been married for forty-eight years. During that time, their family has multiplied from two to twenty, including four kids and ten grandchildren. Their beautiful family is spread worldwide, but two of their children are still in Fort Collins. The men of Colorado Gamma are honored to serve Bob and Peggy.

olorado Gamma is pleased to announce that General Headquarters awarded the chapter the Oxford Trophy for the third year in a row. This award recognizes the most outstanding chapter at a large institution of over 20,000 students. After winning the trophy for the second time, the chapter wanted to keep from falling into complacency. The chapter edged out their competition because of their focus in the following three areas: (1) finalization of their five-year strategic plan; (2) creation of a membership development chairman who oversees a committee that focuses on membership development, community service, and philanthropy, and brotherhood wellness; and (3) development of a new signature philanthropy event, Phi Delt Fry Out, which in its inaugural year raised $3,000 for the LiveLikeLou Foundation. General Headquarters also presented the chapter with eight awards. The university with five awards for Excellence in Academic Achievement, Excellence in Community Service and Philanthropy, Excellence in Harm Reduction and Risk Management, Living the Ritual, and Chapter President of the Year. Congratulations, Colorado Gamma, for winning the Oxford Trophy for the third time consecutively.

UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO! Please visit https://phide.lt/2rCXsf4 to update your contact information.

Rams Connection » Winter 2020

Colorado Gamma

HOUSE CORPORATION UPDATE

ver the past year, the Colorado Gamma House Corporation made multiple remarkable improvements to the chapter facility. The house’s interior and exterior have seen significant upgrades, including a complete renovation of the facility’s second and third floors. These improvements have resulted in the house being safer and more energy-efficient while still maintaining its true history. The upgrades this summer were made possible by the City of Fort Collins Historical Preservation Society and the Walter B. Palmer Foundation through Phi Delta Theta. One of the main focuses of these improvements over the past year has been the safety upgrades. Some of these safety improvements include new fire sprinklers and systems and more fire precautions. The fire safety measures consist of fire-rated doors and drywall, a newly installed fire alarm panel, which allows the fire department to know exactly where a fire may be triggering the house’s system. The fire safety exits were

also upgraded and are identified by new signage throughout the facility. Additionally, the electrical and plumbing systems on the second and third floors were completely redone and brought up to code in the facility. All of this has made living in the facility safer than ever before for the brothers. Next, we reorganized the second and third-floor plan, allowing for more living capacity in the house and better use of the facility’s space going from twenty-three to twenty-six live-in members. As demonstrated from these photos, both the house’s interior and exterior are in the best condition they have been in for a very long time. We would like to thank all the members of the current house corporation as well as those who previously served on it for making these improvements possible. Finally, all of this would not be possible if it was not for the current members’ hard work. Our brothers’ success and hard work have paved the way for these improvements to the 200 East Plum’s living facility.

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

n light of the changes that COVID-19 created, our chapter has made the most out of the opportunities available for chapter operations and life at CSU. This past fall semester, our chapter’s priorities consisted of three main focuses: brotherhood, community service, and philanthropy. This fall, our chapter took home a total of eight awards offered by Phi Delta Theta’s General Headquarters. These awards consisted of: The Oxford Trophy, The St. Louis Trophy, Gold Star, Excellence in Community Service, Excellence in Risk Prevention, Excellence in GHQ Reporting, Recruitment Campaign Award, Excellence in Ritual Award. Our chapter facility also underwent a major renovation this summer, which completely updated the chapter house’s second and third floors. Read the details of the renovation in the article provided by our house corporation. Recruitment this semester occurred mostly virtually and was the biggest challenge we had faced up to this point. Our process consisted of online Zoom info sessions, followed by small-scale events/meetings, which led to one-on-one interviews. During the fall semester, we had twelve Phikeias initiated. Our Phikeia education program also had to move to a virtual setting with multiple meetings a week over Zoom. Small scale group meetings are conducted throughout the week to ensure the class still receives face-to-face interaction and chapter members. For our members’ safety, we made COVID-19 adjustments this

ABOUT US The Colorado Gamma Rams Connection is published two times per year by the Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Colorado State University for alumni and parents. ©Copyright 2021 Colorado Gamma. All rights reserved. Send news, address updates and photos to: Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta 2 South Campus Avenue, Oxford, Ohio 45056

STAY UP-TO-DATE /PhiDeltCO1920 @csuphidelt COLORADO AREA ALUMNI CLUB Glenn Jacobsen

semester. We implemented policies surrounding gathering sizes, a strict guest policy within our chapter facility, and other considerations to ensure that we are doing our part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. With the semester looking a little different this fall, we did not hold a large-scale philanthropy event. Instead, we participated in the Iron Horse Campus Relay, an event created by our General Headquarters. This relay started on the East Coast and ended on the West Coast. Every participating Phi Delta Theta chapter runs a leg of the race, and to do so, is asked to run eighty-one miles as a chapter while raising money for LiveLikeLou and the Iron Phi program. We decided to split the chapter into each of its big brother families and challenged each family to run eighty-one miles and raise $81 per member individually. After completing the relay on Saturday, October 17, our chapter collectively raised $5,272 for our fundraising efforts, and members completed over four-hundred miles in that one day. The chapter donated the money to support the fight against ALS. We hope that you are doing well and will see you again soon. Yours in the Bond, Nick Beith 1245, Chapter President Nsbeith@gmail.com CHAPTER OFFICERS Nick Beith, President William Long, Vice President Maxwell Stelpstra, Treasurer Liam Brumley, Recruitment Chairman Cody Christofferson, Phikeia Educator Josh Ridgeway, Risk Management Chairman Matt Payne, Secretary Taj Goldsmith, Warden

CHAPTER ADVISERS Keith Lopez, Chapter Adviser/CAB Chairman Leanna Biddle, Academic/Scholarship Advisor Robert Gilliam, CAB Member Jonathan Rust, CAB Member Trevor Ivan, CAB Member HOUSE CORPORATION Nathan Flynn, President Eric Lawson Austin Hayes, Secretary Isaac Scott

Rams Connection » Winter 2020

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #248 DAYTON, OH Colorado Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta 2 South Campus Avenue Oxford, Ohio 45056 Address Service Requested

PHILANTHROPY UPDATE Last month, our brothers biked and ran over 400 miles in one day and raised over $5,000 for the LiveLikeLou Foundation in one week. All of the money raised is going directly to helping research ALS and to supporting families affected by ALS. Thank you so much to everyone for your generous donations and for hopefully helping us get one step closer to finding a cure! Top photo: Caden Jones 1268 and his father Bottom photo: Connor Murphy 1291 (left), Tyler deAsis 1288 (middle), Max Neuhaussel 1293 (right)

WE WANT YOUR NEWS! In preparation of the next edition, we are looking for any news and updates in your life. Please email any content to Coloardo Gamma Chapter Advisory Board Chairman Keith Lopez at lopez.keith@gmail.com.

Spring 2020 Phikeia Class

Fall 2020 Phikeia Class