Theta Rho (Western Michigan) Fall 2013

NOTHING SHALL EVER TEAR US ASUNDER

THE THETA RHOSE

Current Executive Board Archon – Tyler Sauer

Table of Contents

Vice Archon – Victor Tran

Pg 1 - Officer Reports

Treasurer – Adam Peterson

Pg 2 - Officer Reports Cont.

Secretary – Todd Wilson

Pg 3 - Alumni Spotlight

Warden – Robert Neff

Pg 4 - Update from the Alumni Advisor

Historian – Luis Coronado

Pg 5 - The Fall 2013 Lambda Class

Chaplin – Jamal Epperson

Pg 6 - Advisor Position Openings

Push America Chair – Michael Lane

Pg 7 - Other Notes and Historian Update Pg 8 - Blast from the Past

Current Justice Board Chief Justice – Michael DeVito Associate Justice – Logan White Associate Justice – Adam Randall Sargent-at-Arms – Gregory Frechette

The 100th initiate of Theta Rho was Michael DeVito from the Iota Class of Fall 2012!

Scribe – Matt Poleo

Letter from the Archon This semester was an eventful one, filled with lots of great things here at Theta Rho. We kicked off the semester with getting back to the old tradition of tailgating with the other students, and even though our football team let us down, we still held high spirits while upholding the traditions and activities of our college. As the semester continued we had the pleasure of welcoming in the Lambda associate member class, and we are positive that they will continue to drive our fraternity to be the best it can be. With the planning from Jacob Rowe, we had a phenomenal No Boundaries Week that set up a template that will be used for years to come. We kept pushing through the semester holding strong on our scholarship and our involvement in RSOs. We are excited to announce the development of a 5-year plan, and also the welcoming in of a new Executive council that will make this plan a reality. It has been a great semester at Theta Rho, as we keep in mind our goal to become the best fraternity on campus. With 42 active members, we keep moving forward and keep focused on our personal and fraternity goals. Hopefully you all will come visit the chapter soon!

Truly, Jared Szymanski

Push America Update

Want to contribute to Push?

Click the link and help people with disabilities today!

http://support.pushamerica.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=1440&team_id=2136

This past semester was really successful for Push America. We raised $1,200 this year, which is the most we have raised in 2 years. We also brought back War of the Roses, which is a big reason why we had so much more success than in the past 2 years. Alpha Xi Delta came in First Place, with Alpha Omicron Pi coming in Second Place and Pi Beta Phi came in Third Place. The biggest event in War of the Roses was our first ever Date Auction. The Date Auction Raised $350 dollars alone, with Victor Tran being the highest sold brother at $70. The other big accomplishment this year was our 56 hour Pedal for Push, our longest ever. It rained for most of Pedal and our canvas broke half way through pedal, so it’s a good thing we have very committed brothers.

I personally want to thank all the Active Brothers and Alumni that helped this year make this past semester so great for Push America.

Jacob Rowe

Fall 2013 Recruitment Report This semester saw WMU’s first structured IFC recruitment week, and Theta Rho loved it! We got to show our values and our brothers off to over 80 men on Western Michigan’s campus. One of our recruitment chairs, Adam Peterson, held several recruitment workshops at the beginning of the semester which helped the brothers to learn better ways to spread the Pi Kappa Phi Brotherhood! Altogether, we started the Lambda associate class with 17 men signing bids, and we initiated 12 men at the end of the New Member Process, making it our largest class ever!

Theta Rho’s success and continued growth rest on the efforts made by the chapter in recruitment. I am proud of the accomplishments of the brothers of Theta Rho, and I am excited to see where we go next!

ODH Tyler Sauer

Theta Rho in WSA Over the past semester Theta Rho brothers have increased the amount of campus involvement for our chapter. Pi Kappa Phi at Western Michigan University have taken to heart our motto of “We Will Lead” and are making an impact around campus. Six different brothers currently hold Senator seats in the Western Student Association with a member on the executive cabinet as Speaker Pro Tempore.

Brother Chris Rettich was elected to the position of Election Control Board Chair for WSA and will be organizing and leading the next campus election in the Spring semester. He and brother Jared Szymanski currently reside on the allocations commission for WSA and passed over $100,000 to organizations on campus through the use of a general student fund. On top of that brothers Szymanski and Tyler Sauer are both Vice-Chairs on their respective committees within the organization. Pi Kappa Phi has made a commitment to make a difference within WSA and will continue to provide solid leadership within the Senate, Cabinet and other areas of the organization.

Colin Engel

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate our newest Theta Rho brothers - the Lambda Class of Pi Kappa Phi. I was fortunate enough to speak with many of them this semester, and I know they are going to do great things for the chapter.

My time as a student at WMU was simply amazing. I don’t know how else to put it. I know its cliché, but I lived four of the best years of my life there in Kalamazoo. Without question, a big part of that was the opportunity to join a group of men and start a Pi Kappa Phi chapter. In those years, we transformed from a small group of about fifteen strangers meeting in the Bernhard center to an established group of thirty brothers focused on building the best fraternity on campus. I watched Theta Rho thrive into an award-winning chapter filled with members I am proud to call brothers. After graduating in 2010, I’ve moved back to metro Detroit to accept a job which eventually turned into an offer with the FBI. When I’m not working, I generally spend my time exercising, drinking good beer, going to sporting events, photography, and learning how to shoot well with a Glock .22.

I’ve learned many lessons from my time as a Pi Kapp that have helped me after graduating, but here are three that really stand out for me. First is to take advantage of your opportunities. I think back on how different my life would have been if I had said “No thanks” to our Pi Kapp Leadership consultant. By accepting that random opportunity, I had opened up for myself even more opportunities during my undergrad experience including but not limited to fundraising hundreds of dollars for disability awareness, volunteering in a Give-a-Push weekend, and attending leadership conferences. This philosophy of “leaders by choice” carried into the other student organizations I was involved in and still continues to this day.

I’ve learned how important it is to be well rounded. It’s great that many of the active brothers today are involved with groups outside of Greek life. This is what makes Pi Kapp men outstanding. They can lead in many different areas of life outside of the Greek bubble, whether it is WSA, CAB, in the classroom, or in professional organizations. It goes a long way to impress future employers when they see more than a GPA and a Greek letter organization on your resume.

Finally, and most importantly, is being able to exercise leadership. I learned in a fraternity some of the best ways to improve myself socially and professionally. I learned to address the perennial challenges set by the chapter such as fundraising and recruiting. When I wore my letters in public, I knew my actions or inactions would reflect on more than just myself. In a chapter with many different styles of leadership, the unique opportunities afforded by Pi Kapp allowed me to develop my own leadership skills into a confidence that still carries on long after I accepted my diploma.

The hotel I stayed at during homecoming this year was hosting another fraternity’s event. This fraternity was celebrating 40 years of brotherhood. I have no doubt that Theta Rho can continue to attract the type of men who will sustain the principles of C.L.A.S.S and lead Pi Kapp as the best fraternity on WMU’s campus for decades to come. I’d like to share a quote with you guys that still maintain its relevance. I dug up an old e-mail from spring of 2007. It was from Billy, one of our Leadership consultants to the first group of potential founding fathers before he left Kalamazoo. It references something a girl from a sorority had mentioned to him when he was gathering references for potential Pi Kapps.

“Remember what that girl said, ”it will only be a year before they are just like everyone else.“ It is up to you guys now to keep yourselves above the rest of the pack.You can do it and there will be great rewards for doing so. You’ll see.”

Lets continue to stay above the pack.

In brotherhood, Joseph Peeples

Fellow brothers and friends of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity,

Many great things have been accomplished within the proceeding year along with high hopes and expectations for years to come! As stated within this newsletter, the Theta Rho Chapter is constantly striving to redefine fraternity at Western Michigan University; however, this means little without the support of those who matter to us most! Without your help, a positive legacy is even harder to maintain and goals once prevalent may fall to the wayside. The insight and worldly experiences you can provide our Active Members can never be understated! Realizing your value, the chapter has decided to make an investment in its family and friends for the future. A newsletter like this is to be expected every semester along with monthly updates on the Alumni Facebook page. Our Twitter and Chapter Facebook page will also allow you all to have regular insight into chapter news! Please be sure to check out all the links that this newsletter provides in order to stay up to date. Many future events are still to come that we would love to see you attend!

Bradley Patrick Kaczmarek Alumni Relations Advisor Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity – Theta Rho Chapter

I ask all of our members to think back to their moment of initiation. The link that connects us all together in a common brotherhood was being draped in those initiation robes and stepping from the known to the unknown. I personally was unaware of what was in store for me that night but I did know I trusted those who surrounded me, those who recruited me, and those who would now initiate me. This brotherhood is meant to build men into leaders not only on their campus, but in their communities as well! We are connected to each other long past our college years for we know the oath we have taken towards our Fraternity’s letters is a life long commitment. The chapter is in a position where those sacred robes have become tattered and worn from years of creating leaders and need replacement. We are now asking for your generosity at any financial level in order to purchase new ones.

Thank you for your continued commitment to Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity!

Bradley Kaczmarek (586) 817-0493 Kaczmarek.bradley@gmail.com Tyler Sauer (618) 979-9826 Tyler.j.sauer@wmich.edu

Cash, check or money orders can be made out to Pi Kappa Phi - Theta Rho Chapter and mailed to 1714 Fraternity Village Dr., Kalamazoo MI, 49006 Any questions can be directed to Brad or Tyler.

Brandon Hart Brown 113 Major - Aviation flight science Britton, MI Birthday - December 4th, 1987 Big - Riley Richards I like long walks on the beach

Ian Rudd Graves 119 Major - Geology Tecumseh, MI Birthday - December 24th, 1993 Big - Logan White I’ve been to South Africa

This is the new Fall 2013 Lambda class! Here are some quick bios of each of them.

Peter Christian Littlefield 114 Major - Integrated supply chain management Birmingham, MI Birthday - April 23rd, 1995 Big - Michael DeVito I played water polo

Quincy John Sadro 118 Major - Aviation Flight Science Bad Axe, Michigan Birthday - February 15th, 1993 Big - Colin Engel I grew up on a farm with 100 steers

Michael Allen Resto 121 Major - Aviation maintenance Wyandotte, MI Birthday - July 12th, 1994 Big - Scott keppler I was on my schools rowing team for a year

Brian David Schoonover 115 Major - Computer Engineering Novi, Michigan August 11th, 1995 Big - Ty Spitzer I was on the robotics team for 4 years

Andrew Scott Moshier 117 Major - Biomedical sciences and Spanish Portage, MI Birthday - July 8th, 1993 Big - Greg Frechette I am a state champion in Forensics

Tyler Blaze Hulet 122 Major - Aeronautical engineering Charlotte, MI Birthday - March 4th, 1992 Big - Florian Kollment I have two tattoos

Maxwell Lloyd Miller 116 Major - Business Tecumseh, MI Birthday - August 27nd, 1994 Big - Jamal Epperson I have been to 5 other countries

Luis Eliseo Coronado 120 Major - Biomedical science Adrian, MI Birthday - March 26th, 1993 Big - Andrew Sagonowsky I lived in Colorado for 7 years

Ryan Francis Mazur-Baker 124 Major - Criminal justice, minor in business Warren, MI Birthday - December 1st,1993 Big - John Kalmink Only 5 Mazur-Baker’s in the world

Top Row: Brian, Luis, Ian, Mike, Peter, Ryan.

Bottom Row: Quincy, Tyler, Max, Matt, Brandon, Andrew.

Blast From The

Present WANT TO BE AN ADVISOR?

We are still are looking to fill some more advising positions. It is a fantastic way to give back to the chapter and we are always looking for ways for alumni to get more involved.

So why not give it a shot? You may already be an expert in the advising position that is needed.

Advisor of Housing Advisor of Recruitment Advisor of PUSH America Advisor of Public Relations Advisor of Member Development Advisor of External Affairs

Interested? Give Tyler Sauer a call or email at...

(618) 979-9826 Tyler.j.sauer@wmich.edu

Our Chapter Advisor, Rick Whitney and Jared Szymanski at the Strategic Planning Retreat

Know of any men who would make great Pi Kapps either active or alumni initiate?

Contact Victor Tran or Florian Kollment!

We are always looking for men of C.L.A.S.S. who would be a great part of our chapter. A lot of these men come from recommendations from alumni like you so feel free to give one of us a yell if you know of any!

Florian Kollment (248) 376-7283 Luis.e.coronado@wmich.edu

Victor Tran (517) 677-7926 Victor.t.tran@wmich.edu

Clear your calenders!

Theta Rho is going to have a Chartering Day celebration on April 12th, 2014. More updates will be posted as the following months go on. If you have any questions, contact Luis Coronado.

Luis Coronado (720) 987-6271 Luis.e.coronado@wmich.edu

FOLLOW US! FACEBOOK.COM/PIKAPPWMU TWITTER.COM/PIKAPPWMU PIKAPPWMU.ORG

ďżź It has been a great year for us here at Theta Rho. I am honored to have served as the Historian for the 2012-2013 term. As my position comes to a close, I shall now be transitioning to Vice Archon and turn the reins over to Luis Coronado.

We really appreciate all of you alumni who do what you can to keep in contact with us. Whether it be occasional visits, letters, or giving thoughts or concerns, we are always open for any kind of information or help from you guys.

I would also like to take a moment to thank those alumni who were able to make it to the Mem-ed event to meet the new class. The new guys really found it to be great to meet some alumni and it was great to see the old meeting the new members of the chapter.

Please feel free to contact Luis, Coronado (newly elected Historian), Brad Kaczmarek (current Alumni Relations Advisor), or Tyler Sauer (newly elected Archon) whenever you want to get information on what is going on or if you want to throw us an update on your contact information. Thank you guys for making this position grow more and more. I cannot do a thing without your guys help and support.

In Brotherhood, Victor Tran Vice-Archon Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity - Theta Rho Chapter Luis Coronado Bradley Kaczmarek Tyler Sauer (720) 987-6271 (586) 817-0493 (618) 979-9826 Luis.e.coronado@wmich.edu Kaczmarek.bradley@gmail.com Tyler.j.sauer@wmich.edu