The Future for Social Events / Introduction to Greek Affairs and Governing Positions

Extreme optimism leads to two new, important positions!

by Kevin Haslam ‘10

After a successful 2006, it’s time to look into the future of our house’s social agenda. To clarify our situation, we have successfully increased brotherhood and the amount of events we hold, and have begun to get our name out as one of the leading social organizations.

As for the future, we plan on continuing our success with social events involving sororities and other organizations. While maintaining already established associations and events, our sights are set on elevating the level of quality and scope of our Social Program.

Instead of having a single social chair with an assistant, we will be creating more of a committee-type atmosphere. The team will consist of a leader, but also include more brothers to do certain duties – this will even include a Phikeia, who will learn from the knowledge and experience of elder social chairmen.

Plans are also in the works to revive the infamous Bowery Ball as well. Standing Social Chair Josh Phillips is working diligently to devise a way to make it happen while meeting compliance standards imposed upon social functions.

Continuity and expansion are not the only goals for the future of our social agenda. The chapter has recently created two new Committees in order to better PA Theta’s relationship with other Greek organizations and PSU.

The first of these committees is called Greek Affairs. The Greek Affairs Chairman (currently Eli Bohémond ’09) has a similar job to the Social Chairman. Greek Affairs will work with Social in order to think of new ways to become more involved in the Greek community.

The job will include everything from contacting friends from other fraternities to set up away functions and/or social combines. It would also include setting up fun events for the Greek community to participate in on campus, that may benefit our philanthropic organization, such as a date auction or speed dating.

“We’d just like to start talking to more fraternities again – trying to resume the relationship that we held with other fraternities in the past.” Bohémond stated.

The other committee is the Governing Positions Committee. Held by Kyle Thomas ’09 and Greg Koch ’10, and overseen by recent graduate, Adam Dahr ’06. The GPC researches opportunities almost every waking hour of the day.  The mission of this committee is to expand PA Theta’s influence throughout the Greek Community, the University, and the Borough of State College.

“In my mind, the major organizations for brothers to hold executive positions are: IFC (Inter-Fraternity Council), UPUA (University Park Undergraduate Association, the currently recognized Student Government), THON (Penn State’s Dance maraTHON), Homecoming, Greek Week, Greek Sing and Lion Ambassadors,” Thomas explained. “I have made it my duty to inform the brothers of upcoming opportunities and have done my best to help prepare them for filling out applications and handling interviews.”

So far, Thomas, Josh Phillips ’09, Henry Hillmann ’09, Dennis Thompson ’09, Will Walton ’09, Jeff Dunning ’10, Joey Boyd ’10, Tim Pawloski ’10, Chris Moss ’10, Colby Wesner ‘08 and Brandon Hill ’10 have applied for positions which include Homecoming, THON, Greek Week (Phillips was selected for Special Events Captain) and Greek Sing.

Plans are also in place to attend State College Borough Council Meetings to foster a better relationship with the town and change the negative stereotype of fraternities held by many permanent residents.

Optimism is at an all time high with the implementation of these new positions and the new chairmen are excited and motivated to get things moving here on campus!

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New Positions Allow for Maximum Involvement

As the house grows, so does the executive board!

by Kevin Haslam ‘10

After such a successful year with new member recruitment, the actives realized the potential power-house that they could be if they strived for maximum involvement.

This called for some new positions to be made.

Formerly,there was no positions which paid attention to scholarships and awards, and the actives made no internal attempt at fundraising.

Now these two things are part of the main focus for PA Theta.

This year, 7 new positions have been implemented! Read all about them below…

Kyle Thomas ’09 and Greg Koch ’10 Governing Positions Chairmen This position, as highlighted above, is a very important part of the house’s plan to become more involved at Penn State in a drive to expand the influence of Phi Delt. Kyle Thomas ’09 (left) and Greg Koch ’10 (right) plan to get brothers involved on Penn State committees that include THON, Homecoming, UPUA (student government), etc. They have succeeded already, with 7 brothers and counting being elected to different committees.

Chris Moss ’10 and Tim Landers ’10 Awards Chairmen The Awards position was one of the first one implemented in 2006/2007. In an effort to gain recognition and also allow deserving brothers to receive rewards, the Awards Chairmen have been working hard. This position calls for the title holders to present the chapter with available awards that it can receive, and also inform individual, deserving members of scholarships that are available through Penn State and Phi Delta Theta. Aleady, Chris Moss ’10 (left) and Tim Landers ’10 (right) have been working to enter us into the Greek Oscars (Penn State Greek Awards Ceremony) and are looking into a Film & Video Scholarship through General Headquarters for Tim Pawloski ’10. They are also contemplating the development of a unique set of awards to honor and recognize the men of PA Theta!

Eli Bohémond ’09 Greek Relations Chairman Also highlighted earlier, this position deals with getting back in contact with other fraternities at Penn State. Eli Bohémond ’09 (pictured) has made it his personal goal to get us in good standing with more fraternities. He plans on holding a date-auction for fraternities and sororities in the near future, and has already gained contacts in a number of quality fraternities on the Penn State campus.

Grant Stephens '10 Scholarship Chairman Although scholarship has always been important at PA Theta, the manpower to devote a Chairman to it has never been available. Thanks to the successful recruitment program, we are proud to announce the revival of the Scholarship Chairman with Grant Stephens at the helm. His prime focus will be on monitoring and advising the academic endeavors of the Phikeia, to make sure they start their college and Phi Delt careers off on the right track. He is also hoping to organize and compile a set of classwork records to pass knowledge learned from prior Phis to new members, as well as setting up an incentives program for excellent or improved Scholarship.

Dennis Thompson ’09 T-Shirt Chairman If pictures aren’t worth a thousand words, then we have an alternative solution – T-Shirts! Dennis Thompson ’09 was elected as the T-Shirt Chairman in the Spring semester. The job includes designing t-shirts for big events, such as Homecoming, Greek Week and other social activities. Along with his mastery of Photoshop and other key computer programs, Dennis also has an uncle that owns a t-shirt printing business (Triple D). His work has all ready been beneficial to us – he has designed our first t-shirt of the year.

Mike Schriver ’10 Fundraising Chairman Over the years, the actives have received many donations from generous alumni. Words cannot describe how much we appreciate your donations. However, now that we have the man-power, we have decided that we can begin fundraising on our own, as well. Mike Schriver ’10 (pictured) has all ready held a successful fundraiser with MTV-U (MTV’s College Station), which raised about $600. This solidified his position as Fundraising Chairman.

Jeff Coyne ’09 Auditor Most flourishing businesses have a finance department of some sort. PA Theta has had a Treasurer since its birth, but now that the organization is growing in record amounts, the Treasurer needs an assistant. This was a beneficial opportunity for Jeff Coyne ’09. Handling this much money can be troublesome at times, which is why Eli Bohémond (Treasurer) requested an Auditor to check over the spreadsheets and funds. This position can be considered as an apprentice position, as well – Coyne wishes to run for Treasurer at the end of the semester.

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As We Say Goodbye, We Cannot Help but Say Good Luck

A look back at the times of some of our most respected brothers

by Kevin Haslam ‘10

After a rewarding year, the actives are in high spirits to proceed with our Return to Glory campaign into next year.

However, a short time of sadness ensues towards the end of the year; we must say goodbye to those moving on to bigger and better things.

We said farewell to three actives in the Fall semester: Adam Anderson ’06 (Civil Engineering), Grant Anderson ’06 (Civil Engineering) and Joe DiRenzo ’06 (Finance)

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Joe DiRenzo '06 Major: Finance Company: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Position: Business Department (finance and accounting) Location: Pittsburgh, PA

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Grant Anderson '06 Major: Civil Engineering Company: Gordon L. Brown & Associates, Inc. Position: Civil Engineer Location: York, PA

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Adam Anderson '06 Major: Civil Engineering Company: Gordon L. Brown & Associates, Inc. Position: Civil Engineer Location: York, PA

As for the Spring, we prepare to send off four more actives: Nick Wagner ’07 (Computer Engineering), Matt Quirin ’07 (Political Science/History), Mike Bernabe (Supply Chain Information Systems) and Grant Bacharach (Economics).

One thing the house collectively noticed about this group of men is work ethic. Nick Wagner ’07, just like other Computer Engineers in the house, has been working hard to finish his final project – the Robot Competition (read more about this in State College to SoCal: Close-Up with Adam Dahr ’06).

Others, like Matt Quirin ’07 have taken up other languages. Quirin is currently working with the Chinese language. Quirin also plans to attend law school after graduation. “My plan is to become a corporate attorney and work for a firm in New York City,” Quirin said.

Future plans mold well with Phi Delta Theta, as many believe this is where goals and aspirations are born and harnessed. It doesn’t stop there, however. This also leads to hard work in the house.

“My freshmen year in the house was the year when the house was sold. I moved into the house my sophomore year at onset of the 5 Year Return to Glory Campaign,” Mike Bernabe explained. “Since then, in every semester beside this one, I have held an Executive position, including President for a year. I have learned from the people before me and continued to perpetuate the knowledge and skills to the younger members that are necessary to continue in our campaign.”

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Nick Wagner '07 Major: Computer Engineering Company: Intel Corporation Position: Validation Engineer Location: Portland, OR “The outlook of the fraternity was very grim when I pledged in the Spring of 2003. Things only got worse from then until about three years ago, when the sale of the house was overturned. Since then, I’ve seen nothing but positive attitudes and huge improvements. I’m eager to see what the future holds for PA Theta. Proud to be a Phi!”

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Matt Quirin '07 Major: Political Science & History Company: Has applied to various Law Schools Position: Student Location: Somewhere in New York City “I came into this house when it was about to go under. There were very few brothers and we were in terrible debt. When I finally got in the house was sold to Penn State. Our house was at an all time low. However, the brothers and alumni came together and we were able to get our house back and now our house is at an all time high. It was great to see the brotherhood and alumni come together even when it looked like all hope was lost. I feel that the Phi Delt brothers of the future will be able to emulate what we did to project us to new heights.”

Some of these graduates have dreams they wish to fulfill as well.

“We used to play the Stock Market game in 8th grade. I liked it then. I don’t know, I just thought economics would be the best place to go,” Grant Bacharach ’07 recalled. “I think I may head in the Stock Market direction. You really don’t need to do finance to be a good stock broker, you just need to be in touch and know what people like and what’s going on in the world. You just have to try to find the best way to make money, basically.”

Most of all, this is a sentimental time, for not only our graduates, but our active members, as well. We’ve shared great conversations, suffered trials and tribulations and most of all, created the some of the most memorable moments of our college careers with these men.

So, as we bid them farewell, we cannot help but wish our aspiring leaders good luck. With these leaders in mind, we will continue our efforts to become the best fraternity in the nation.

Thanks for the memories, guys – All for one and one for all!

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Grant Bacharach '07 Major: Economics, Real Estate Company: Undecided Position:   Location:   “It’s been fun. I enjoyed my time here – the brotherhood, and everything. I enjoyed living here, and it’s just really been a nice time in my life.”

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Mike Bernabe '07 Major: Supply Chain Information Systems Company: Boeing Position: Supply Chain Procurement Agent Location: Ridley Park, PA “Throughout my college career, I have learned many things here at Penn State. However, the most important things I have learned did not come from the classroom. They came from the experience I gained from being active in Phi Delta Theta. The skills and traits I have learned from taking part in running this business are an invaluable set of skills. The leadership ability, collaboration and team skills and problem solving skills that I have learned here are skills that I will use every day in my career. I am grateful I have been a part of this house for the past 4 years and look forward to remaining an active alumnus for many years to come. Proud to be a Phi!”

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Alumni Corp President, Randy Thompson '83 and Alumni Corp Treasurer, Bill Overlock '63 help us prepare for Blue/White '07 Stockholders Meeting

To our Alumni:

Thanks for believing in us and supporting us...

We owe much appreciation to many people who have been tireless in their support of PA Theta and maintaining our legacy as we move into the next phase of our Return to Glory campaign.

Support has come from many different avenues over the past three years. Many Alumni pitched in to save the house at our Centennial, many Alumni gave of their time to work on house projects or to mentor actives, many Alumni provided money for supplies for the house and the kitchen, many Alumni gave to the Annual Fund which enabled us to remain afloat until we could bring in enough actives to operate financially and many Alumni gave of their time to serve on the various boards. We wish we had enough webspace to recognize each person individually for all of their individual efforts during the past three years and for many years past.

Thank you to the current Board Members for believing in us and for their support, guidance and research in everything from insurance to financial matters. They have also made strides by reaching out to the Greek community and Penn State officials.

We also wish to thank those of you who ran the fraternity for many, many years giving us the opportunities we now enjoy - specifically Tom Smith '54, Dave Thiel '65, and Jack Cosgrove '38. We now stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We will provide the shoulders for those who follow us.

Board Members Bill Overlock '63, Pete Culp '61, John Carnwath '63, and Adam Dahr '06 with Eli at a meeting with Omega Bank to refinance our Mortgage

Bill Overlock '63, Harry Allen '63, THE LION, and Jim Ensley '61 at the house during Blue/White Weekend 2007

We wish to thank each of you for having the vision to believe we could be leaders if given the opportunity. The Active Chapter plans to make our Alumni proud of their support by continuing their quest to return PA Theta to Glory as the top fraternity on Penn State campus and eventually the nation.

Thank you for the Torch,
We will hold it high

The Actives 2007-08

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