UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CHAPTER ALUMNI
THE GOPHER SEMESTERLY FALL 2026
UPCOMING EVENTS OCTOBER 3, 2026 Informal Rush New Member Ceremony at 10 a.m.
MINNESOTA CHAPTER
TRIANGLE FRATERNITY
President’s Letter ANDREW HERMES MINN24
OCTOBER 25, 2026 Minnesota Chapter Founders Day at 4-7 p.m. Join us for a Southern crawfish boil. NOVEMBER 21, 2026 Initiation at 8 a.m. Join us for brunch at Tony's Diner. DECEMBER 6, 2026 Alumni Professional Development Panel at 2-4 p.m. Snacks and refreshments provided. All events are hosted at 521 12th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN. Keep an eye out for updates and additional events.
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2026 National Convention
School is back in session! With the beginning of the fall semester, it's a great time to highlight all the amazing things that our brothers have been doing at the Minnesota chapter. Our members made the most of the summer, with some holding internships in industries such as medical technology, semiconductors, construction, and solar power. Additionally, over the summer myself and our VP Finance, Matt were able to attend the 2026 Triangle National Convention, where we were able to spend an entire weekend learning about leadership within our chapters and engage in the brotherhood that has made our organization so strong. Even throughout the summer, people were hard at work for fraternity operations, getting ready for a great fall experience and rush.
Our VP Recruitment Nick put in lots of work making sure that the entire recruitment committee was coordinated and ready to hit the ground running with fall rush events and advertising, and our VP Internal Brian continued to lead projects such as updating our outdoor fire space and continuing to plan a retaining wall project. VP Membership Adam planned an entire semester of activities, including an out-of-town cabin formal and themed dinners, and VP External Clayton started planning and ideating events for this fall while our VP Finance Matt kept everyone in check. These are just a few of the people who have been hard at work to uphold the longstanding brotherhood of our Minnesota chapter, but every single member has truly contributed to these efforts. We are looking forward to this upcoming year and can't wait to see what adventures it brings! 1
FALL 2026
Alumni Engagment This summer was a landmark for alumni engagement, and the chapter only sees it improving from here. First, an exciting announcement: this past year we doubled our Triangle Education Foundation Chapter Endowment Fund, from around $2,000 to roughly $4,000 available to the chapter each year. It doesn't seem long ago that I was writing the last newsletter asking for donations to this fund, and I credit the brotherhood bonds Triangle has
Summer Events On the events side, summer had its share of setbacks, but we still pulled off two official alumni events along with several impromptu ones. The earliest was building a brand new firepit area for the chapter. With the help of Austin Ramos, Jared Schultz, and Mark Snyder alongside the active chapter, we installed a beautiful new firepit at the house. It tackled a muddy, long-standing eyesore and delivered well beyond expectations, and it turned out to be a great brotherhood project too.
TRIANGLE FRATERNITY
built for helping us reach such a monumental milestone. As I mentioned then, we plan to put the increased funds to work: sponsoring two freshman-specific scholarships, backing one or two FIRST Robotics teams, covering our chapter education fees, and expanding our engineering spaces by adding a soldering station to the existing circuit electronics station in the study. I can't express enough appreciation to every alumnus who has donated and continues to donate.
A piece of advice I got when I joined has stuck with me: by the time you graduate, you should be able to look back and honestly say the chapter you first joined isn't good enough for the person you've become, because you helped make it better. Leave it better than you found it. Thanks to your generosity, we've done exactly that, and supported the local STEM community along the way. Thank you.
Our second event was a more relaxed social hour at Surly Brewing Company in Minneapolis, where four alumni joined me for an evening of connection and nostalgia. Swapping Triangle stories, and comparing the traditions they took part in to what has stuck around and what has changed, is always a good time.
We also had an alumnus stop by to round up a group of actives and dig up a time capsule at the annex, which we replaced with one of our own. We love having alumni around, so please stop by whether you're in town for work, a Gopher game, or just passing through. To make sure we're expecting you, email triangle@umn.edu ahead of time; the doorbell isn't working at the moment.
On the informal side, we recently had eight alumni back at the houses to see how things are going. The consensus: things have only improved, which is great to hear.
Matt Huesman minn23 Alumni Relations Chair
The current state of the chapter is strong. We're heading into one of our largest recruitment efforts in years, aiming to bring in at least 10 new men this school year, with our sights set on 40 for long-term sustainability. Our connections across campus, in research, student organizations, student government, the Inter-Fraternity Council, and with other Greek organizations including ASK, have never been stronger and keep growing with every new member. 2
FALL 2026
TRIANGLE FRATERNITY
Brotherhood is solid, the energy is high, and we're confident in where the chapter is headed after a few tough years of organization and recruitment. On a lighter note, we also have a new temporary Frat Cat, Casey, living at the house this semester.
BROTHER SPOTLIGHTS Andrew Hermes minn24 “When joining Triangle, I was excited for the brotherhood and support that the fraternity experience would provide. I quickly learned how much more there is to being a Triangle and I never could have expected how much it would grow me as a leader, student, and professional. With the support of my Triangle brothers, I know that I can achieve any goal I have in life, and I am able to assist my fellow brothers in their own goals as well. I am thankful that I said yes to joining this brotherhood and family we know as Triangle Fraternity, and couldn't imagine my life without it.” Major: Mechanical Engineering Chapter Roles: Secretary (previous), President (current) Career: Structural Heart R&D Engineering Co-op at Abbott and undergraduate researcher in precision optics mechanisms. Previously a Mechanical Engineering Intern at Ergotron. Matt Huesman minn23 “Triangle has fundamentally changed the trajectory of my college career. When I joined, I didn't recognize how much social experiences would matter for an engineering student. Now it's what sets me apart from a crowd of engineers whose experience is purely technical. It rounded out my education and pushed me to become a better man, even when that wasn't the easy thing to do. I'm proud of the chapter I've helped build, and as I look toward graduation, I'm eager to see where it goes next and who it helps develop along the way.” Major: Computer Engineering, minor in Entrepreneurship Chapter roles: Secretary and President (previous), VP Finance and Alumni Relations (current) Career: Software Engineering Intern at Tokyo Electron. Previously an Engineering Intern at Medtronic Structural Heart R&D. Maxwell Tuzinski-Dashe wis2019 “When I joined Triangle in the fall of 2019, I had no idea how significant an impact the Fraternity would have on my professional life. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to serve in several leadership roles, including House Manager, Vice President of Recruitment, Chapter President, and Interfraternity Council President. The experiences I gained through these positions have proven invaluable in my career. Time management, conflict resolution, interpersonal communication, and leadership are all skills that I developed through Triangle and continue to use every day. Today, I oversee the daily operations of a skilled nursing and assisted living community. I remain incredibly grateful for the experiences and opportunities Triangle provided me.” Interim Administrator, Monarch Healthcare Management Executive Chapter Coach, Minnesota Chapter of Triangle Fraternity Greek Life Alumni Board Member
SUPPORT MINNESOTA’S LEGACY
BY CONTRIBUTING TO OUR CHAPTER ENDOWMENT FUND Over the last fiscal year, our Chapter Endowment Fund doubled in size, leaving nearly $4,000 in available educational funding. That growth lets us support STEM education in the community, fund Building Better Men scholarships aimed at first-year students, and improve the chapter's educational spaces so our members keep succeeding. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a direct impact on the future of the chapter. All CEF gifts are tax-deductible, and we are grateful for your support. Thank you for everything you do for the future of this organization.
Or Visit tinyurl.com/Triangle MinnesotaCEF
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HOUSING UPDATE
Current rendering
Thanks to connections made at this year's National Convention, the chapter has started working with the Triangle Building and Housing Corporation (TBHC) to finally plan the long-fabled retaining wall project. With their support, and with direct oversight from the Minnesota Triangle Alumni Board, we are preparing to launch an official fundraising campaign. Our current estimate puts the project around $40,000. That covers removing and disposing of the old railroad ties and replacing the wall with a permanent brick structure built to serve future Triangles for many more years. The existing wall has been patched and worked around for a long time, and this is our chance to do it right rather than kick the problem down the road again.
Idealized rendering
One of the things we are most excited about is reconnecting with the chapter classes involved in the original construction. If you helped build the original wall, we would love to honor that contribution and bring you into this next chapter of it. This project is a big one, and it has been in talks for years, but we want to be the group that finally gets it done.
If you are interested in getting involved, whether through the fundraising campaign, sharing history from the original build, or lending a hand, please reach out to triangle@umn.edu, and we will follow up with you directly. Keep an eye out for updates as the project takes shape over the coming months. If you haven't already, please subscribe to our newsletter at https://triangleumn.org/newsletter-signup/ so you don't miss updates on this monumental project.