V OL UM E 9
IS SU E 6
M AR 2014
UNI VE R SI TY O F C ON NEC TI CU T F RA TER NI T Y & S O RO RI T Y C O MM U NI TY NE W S LET TE R
GREEKLIFE.UCONN.EDU In This Issue: Page 1: NGLA 2014 in Pittsburgh, PA Page 2: HuskyTHON 2014 Page 3: ’s 4th Annual Noche Dorada Gala Page 4: Greek Week 2014; SigEp Presentation; ’s “These Hands Don’t Hurt”; Panhellenic Extension Page 5: IGC Hosts “Neo Nite”; Order of Omega Spring 2014 Initiates Page 6: 2014 Arête Awards Results Page 7: 2014 Arête Awards Results (cont.); Important Event Planning links Page 8: flier; Greeks of the Month Page 9: —Kappa Chapter Upcoming Events Page 10: Senior Spotlights
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life staff and 20 student leaders will be traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (February 27-March 2) for the annual Northeast Greek Leadership Association (NGLA) Annual Conference. NGLA’s annual conference is an event that features more than 900 guests from our region. Students, campus based professionals, national fraternity and sorority professionals and volunteers, as well as vendors and speakers attend this event full of educational opportunities. In addition to keynote speakers, showcase speakers, and a variety of educational program blocks that attendees select to attend, there is a store featuring Greek merchandise, an opportunity to sit with brothers and sisters from the region at the affiliation luncheon, and a Friday evening opportunity to attend dinner with our own delegation before returning to the hotel for NGLA planned entertainment. The weekend culminates in the closing banquet on Saturday evening during which the NGLA Awards are presented. This is the first time in a few years that NGLA has not been in Hartford and we look forward to a 10 hour bus ride with some of our fraternal friends at Quinnipiac University. There will be lots of lessons learned and memories made.
2014 HuskyTHON 2014 broke various records this year. Most visibly, the organization raised $457,581.04 for Connecticut Children's Medical Center, which is over $100,000 more than last year, and all of the funds will be used to help renovate the new Cardiovascular Care Center at Connecticut Children's. Furthermore, HuskyTHON was recognized by Children's Miracle Network Hospitals as one of the few six-figure dance marathons in the country to achieve 35% growth; according to the regional director of dance marathons, this kind of fundraising growth is "unheard of" in the dance marathon world. HuskyTHON recruited almost 2,000 participants from across the campus and the UConn Community, involved more families from the hospital than ever before, and coordinated "mini-marathons" at an elementary school and high school in the local community. Perhaps most importantly, however, HuskyTHON leveraged the entire campus to achieve these goals. With representatives from Greek life, residence halls, student organizations, and community partners, HuskyTHON showed that the UConn community is capable of accomplishing incredible things - and the lives of children and families at Connecticut Children's have quite literally been changed as a result. In fact, many families admit that their kids believe that "HuskyTHON is better than Christmas." So, while students, both Greek and otherwise, were having a great time dancing the night away for 18 hours on a snowy February weekend, they were also learning about philanthropic efforts, and experiencing the unique pleasure that only service learning can provide. HuskyTHON 2014 helped empower the UConn community, and showed our campus that UConn Huskies can make miracles happen.
Take a look at some pictures from the event below and click here to see a 1-minute video of the last hour until the reveal!!
The Beta Iota Chapter of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. hosted their 4th annual Noche Dorada, or Golden Night. The event is a yearly event that commemorates the chapters efforts within the last year, and ties in the focus and themes used throughout the past semesters. For the 2013 year, the Chapter had a theme revolving on social justice and the many components of it. Dr. Robert Colbert from the school of NEAG at UConn was a guest speaker and spoke on the many aspects social justice that he has experienced in life. Attendees of the gala were also able to enjoy Latino influenced food and see the performance held by the Brave New Voices poetic group. The gala ended on a positive note with a video showing the many accomplishments that have been reached based off of the 5 years that the Fraternity has been on the UConn campus.
Greek Week 2014 Greek Week is a time where the UConn Greek community can come together to participate in a week long celebration of ideals, values, brotherhood, sisterhood, and scholarship. It is a time to remember that we are all a part of a bigger picture than just our individual organizations and Greek Week is a time to celebrate our unity. The Greek Week Management Team is an extremely outgoing bunch of individuals who genuinely care about Greek life here on campus and are very dedicated to hosting the best Greek week yet! Events:
Sat. April 12th, Student Union – Greek Week Late Night
Sun. April 13th, Husky Village – Greek Games
Tues. April 15th, Jorgensen – Guest Speaker: TJ Sullivan
Wed. April 16th, Jorgensen – Greek God/Goddess Pageant and Greek Sing Competition AKL Hosts “These Hands Don’t Hurt”
Sigma Phi Epsilon Presentation
These Hands Don't Hurt is a fundraiser hosted by the Last Tuesday, February 25th, two Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers of Alpha Kappa Lambda that raises money (SigEp) representatives made a presentation to some 60+ members of our Greek community, including for people suffering from domestic violence. We will members across 3 councils. Joe Langella, CT Alpha be selling $1 pledges against domestic violence that ’83, and Trevor Bullard, a Chapter Service Director will be displayed on our "promise wall" in the union for SigEp, broke down and addressed, “Why during the dates listed above. We will also be giving UConn?”, “Why now?”, and spoke of an action plan out bracelets to anyone who donates more than $2 to possibly re-establish their CT Alpha Chapter here as a gift to show our gratitude. The brothers of AKL on campus. The OFSL would like to thank those will be holding this fundraiser from March 24 members of the community who came to ask questhrough April 4th. Let’s show our support for their tions and listen in. We appreciate your feedback! first annual philanthropy fundraiser!
Panhellenic Extension The Panhellenic Council and OFSL are proud to announce the finalists for Fall 2014 Extension! Below are the three organizations and respective dates of the presentations that will be held in the Dodd Center (Konover Auditorium). We encourage representation from all councils and organizations and we wish each of the three organization the best of luck in the remainder of the process!
Tuesday, March 25, 7:30pm: Delta Delta Delta ()
Friday, March 28, 5:00pm: Alpha Chi Omega () Wednesday, April 2, 7:30pm: Alpha Omicron Pi ()
On February 20th 2014, the Intercultural Greek Council (IGC) hosted their first event called "Neo Nite." Neo Nite was attended by all new members from their respective organizations of Fall 2013. The night consisted of meeting their "syands" (same year and semester crossed), and educating them about other councils which included a small presentation of the resources that they are able to use, knowledge of the other councils at UConn, and opinions of their goals and expectations. We had a great turnout with 30+ new members that made new connections while having fun finding commonality playing games. IGC e-board members: Steven Lean (President) , Lilibeth Tapia (VP of Administration), Kenyi Silvia ( Executive Vice President), Valerie Po ( VP of internal affairs + Event Coordinator), and Muhammad Chowdhury (VP of Finance), hosted this event to help the future generation of all organizations in the council to see all their syands. Food, games, and prizes made this event successful and the feedback we got from the new members gave us more insight to continue on making this event happen again with better ideas and more room for improvement.
The OFSL would like to congratulate the following members of our community for being inducted into the Kappa Iota Chapter of Order of Omega this Spring semester. Great work!
Ernie Abreu—Lambda Alpha Upsilon Marykate McNulty—Delta Zeta Sara Antonicelli—Delta Gamma Kayla Perkins—Gamma Phi Beta Alicia Benjamin—Delta Zeta Lauren Sauer—Alpha Epsilon Phi Lindsay Bohling—Delta Zeta Zachery Sena—Phi Gamma Delta Alexandra Cambra—Alpha Epsilon Phi May Stern—Alpha Phi Makayla Davis—Delta Gamma Maria Torraco—Kappa Alpha Theta Taylor Leach—Alpha Phi Melissa Windover—Gamma Phi Beta Xiao Jie Li—Kappa Phi Lambda
Award
Recipient
Academic Achievement Awards Most Improved Chapter GPA
Lambda Upsilon Lambda
Academic Achievement Program (F)
Beta Theta Pi
Academic Achievement Program (S)
Kappa Alpha Theta
Outstanding Scholar (F)
Ernie Abreu, Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc.
Outstanding Scholar (S)
Jillian Kowalski, Gamma Phi Beta
Outstanding Faculty/Staff Member
Danielle Sosias, Center for Students with Disabilities
Recruitment & Retention Awards Outstanding Recruitment & Retention Program (F)
Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc.
Outstanding Recruitment & Retention Program (S)
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Excellence in New Member Programming (F)
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Excellence in New Member Programming (S)
Gamma Phi Beta
Outstanding Greek Alumnus/a
Alexandra Addabbo, Delta Gamma
Greek Emerging Leader (F)
Vincent Bonaparte, Kappa Sigma
Greek Emerging Leader (S)
Eliza Conrad, Kappa Alpha Theta
Lindsay L Sell Outstanding Panhellenic Woman Award Stephanie Luczak
Delta Zeta
Campus & Community Involvement Awards Outstanding Community Involvement (F)
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Outstanding Community Involvement (S)
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Outstanding Greek Volunteer
Megan Ganzenmuller, Delta Zeta
Outstanding Campus Involvement (F)
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
Outstanding Campus Involvement (S)
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Outstanding External Relations Program (F)
Beta Theta Pi
Outstanding External Relations Program (S)
Delta Gamma
Membership Development Awards Excellence in Risk Management & Reduction (F)
Beta Theta Pi
Excellence in Risk Management & Reduction (S)
Delta Zeta
Excellence in Membership Education (F)
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Excellence in Membership Education (S)
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Excellence in Ritual & Values (S)
Phi Sigma Rho
Excellence in Leadership Development (F)
Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc.
Excellence in Leadership Development (S)
Alpha Phi
Outstanding Membership Development Program (F)
Sigma Chi
Outstanding Membership Development Program (S)
Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.
Award
Recipient
Membership Development Awards (cont.) Outstanding Advisor
Kira Pierce, Delta Gamma
Outstanding Auxiliary Group Member (Female)
Lisa Maresca, Greek Peer Ambassadors, Alpha Phi
Outstanding Auxiliary Group Member (Male)
Daniel Bolson, HuskyTHON, Alpha Epsilon Pi
Outstanding Auxiliary Group Member (Male)
Erik Holtz, HuskyTHON, Beta Theta Pi
Outstanding Greek Senior (F)
Colin Treanor, Phi Gamma Delta
Outstanding Greek Senior (S)
Alison Burke, Alpha Epsilon Phi
Chapter Management Awards Outstanding Council Officer (Female)
Christine Campbell, Panhellenic Council, Alpha Epsilon Phi
Outstanding Council Officer (Male)
Steve Clement, Interfraternity Council, Kappa Sigma
Outstanding Chapter President (F)
Benjamin Buchanan, Tau Kappa Epsilon
Outstanding Chapter President (S)
Chelsea Woicekowski, Delta Zeta
Outstanding Chapter Management (F)
Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc.
Outstanding Chapter Management (S)
Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.
Most Improved Chapter (F)
Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
Most Improved Chapter (F)
Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, Inc.
Greek Man of the Year
José Figueroa, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
Greek Woman of the Year
Dionna Denée Jackson, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Chapter of the Year (F)
Beta Theta Pi
Chapter of the Year (S)
Gamma Phi Beta
Congratulations to our entire community for its successes this past year. Here’s to yet another year of excellence! Event Planning (UConntact & Community Calendar) Is your chapter planning events for the Spring/Fall? Do you hope to publicize your event through the OFSL? The OFSL encourages all officers to register their events on our UConntact page, here, under forms. Also, please make sure to make use of our Community Calendar, available here! The OFSL wants to help unify the community and make sure that everyone is aware of each and every organization’s events and this is a wonderful way to achieve exactly that. Events can be submitted to our community calendar via the google doc form which can be found under the Resources tab at www.greeklife.uconn.edu. Thanks to all officers and organizations who are submitting information for events.
“Maggie, I believe, embodies all aspects of the four pillars of Greek life. Maggie is an exceptional student who was just accepted into Master of Public Health Program at Yale University. Throughout her four years at UConn, she has always kept up a stellar GPA and put school first. On top of this, Maggie held two major leadership position in Kappa Kappa Gamma. She also was a pivotal part to the Club Figure Skating Team here at UConn. As a new member, Maggie was always someone to look up to, as she seemed to really live the values of Kappa and Greek life in general in her everyday life. Maggie was always willing to help a sister, giving guidance and advice whenever necessary. She constantly has a warm smile on her face, combined with a positive outlook on life. Maggie is one of the best sisters Kappa Kappa Gamma could ever ask for, as she is willing to do anything and everything to help out those around her. She is never afraid to take things on, and excels in everything she puts her mind to. Maggie is the epitome of what a model Greek should be.”
Maggie Mayer,
“Cynthia Torres became a sister of LTA – Kappa Chapter in the Fall of 2011, as just a sophomore. As an undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut, Cynthia has accomplished many things. From being an outstanding leader on campus to adding an essential puzzle piece to her chapter, Cynthia has shown the true meaning of dedication to many. Currently, Cynthia holds the Community Service position of the chapter, is a SSS Senior Peer Advisor, and is president of Students Without Borders, an organiza-
Cynthia Torres,
tion that she started on campus, to bring awareness on Immigration and Undocumented Students here in Connecticut. Cynthia is a current member of Order of Omega, an honors society for student Greeks at UConn. On top of her many accomplishment here at UConn, Cynthia has been accepted to be a 2014 Corps Member for Teach for America, Connecticut. As a student leader, a role model, and an outstanding Lambda Lady, her chapter cannot be more proud of her. She will amount to many great things; this is just the beginning to her successful life!”
The Lovely Ladies of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. – Kappa Chapter, will like to cordially invite you all to thier 7th Annual Greek Showcase , themed Once Upon A Time, on April 19th, at the Student Union Ballroom. Every year, the sisters of LTA raise money to donate to their chapter philanthropy, Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. This is a camp that serves children and families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions. Last year, thanks to all the attendees and their donations the sisters were able to donate $1,500 to the camp; this year, their goal is to raise and donate $2,500. Please come enjoy the show and support the sisters of LTA – Kappa Chapter as they raise funds to support Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and all they do. Doors will open at 5:30pm, show begins at 6:00pm. Ticket Prices: Pre-Sale Ticket: $5.00 | Door: $7.00 Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/ events/1374742202795839/
The Lovely Ladies of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. we like to invite you all to join them, as they welcome well known motivational speaker, Rob Hills Sr., with his talk on Love and Relationships. Event Details: Date: March 13th, 2014 Time: 5:00PM Location: Student Union Ballroom More about Rob Hills Sr.: http://robhillsr.com/
“For the past four years, Aimee Batuski has been an amazing sister of Kappa Alpha Theta. She is majoring in Communications and is very involved on campus. She is an RA this year on North Campus, and is very close with all 37 of her residents. She also works at the UConn Foundation as the Leadership Giving Assistant. Her work is important for having the Leadership Giving Office run smoothly, which contributes greatly to our campus and the opportunities we each have as students. Aimee shows her support for the Panhellenic community as a trained facilitator for The Body Project, a positive body image program for sorority women. Aimee, along with 11 other facilitators, will be leading program sessions starting this month. She is also passionate about working in the Natural Food Industry for vegan and organic food companies, in order to promote healthy, cruelty-free, environmentally friendly eating. She spent this past summer in New York City working for a Healthy Eating Guide website and also interned for an almond milk company, while working at a vegan café. Aimee is an excellent role model and always encourages her sisters to get involved. She brings positivity to the chapter, and will be greatly missed when she graduates.”
Aimee Batuski,
“I would like to nominate Sarah Melore for Senior Spotlight because of her amazing achievements recently. Sarah was just accepted with a full scholarship to Saint John's School of Law. On top of this, Sarah has been accepted to every single law school she has applied to thus far. Throughout her time at UConn, Sarah has been an active member in Kappa Kappa Gamma. Sarah was an academic excellence tutor freshman year through our academic excellence committee. Sarah is always willing to extend a helping hand to a sister in need. This past year Sarah interned for woman's Personal Injury Attorney in Queens, NY as well as and worked for IME WatchDog, working closely with injured women, and constantly doing all she could to help them. Although school has always been her top priority, Sarah has always made a point to stay involved in Kappa and UConn. Sarah is truly an inspiration to the rest of our sisterhood, as well as all of Greek life.” Sarah Melore,
“Yomarie Diaz became a sister of LTA – Kappa Chapter in the Spring of 2013. Transferring from the University of New Haven was no easy task but she managed to make UConn her home. As an undergraduate student here at UConn, Yomarie has been constantly involved and connected through the Puerto Rican and Latin American Culture Center (PRLACC), as the Mentor coordinator for the METAS program, which fosters relationships with upperclassmen, incoming freshmen, and transfer students. Along with her immeasurable dedication to Lambda Theta Alpha as Chapter Orientation Advisor she is also a part of Leadership Legacy; a program that recognizes the university’s exceptional student leaders. As a current senior, she hopes to attend graduate school and begin a career in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Yomarie has been the support system and heart of our chapter and lives out our principles of Unity, Love and Respect every day. We couldn’t have asked for a better sister! We wish nothing but great things for her and everything she has set her mind to. We have no doubt that she will make a great impact wherever life takes her.”
Yomarie Diaz,