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Mike Bernabe '07, President Chapter is thriving with its new responsibility showing real results in all areas! Great Job All! Since being elected President, I've been keeping the chapter focused on our main goals: rebuilding our membership, maximizing the capacity and filling the house, and gaining control of our finances and returning our chapter to profitability - all while enjoying a full social calendar, record participation in Philanthropic events, continued success in athletics, and having a whole lot of fun! I'm happy to report that our brotherhood has really come together and has done some great things in all areas. We're especially proud of our Rush Teams that have set a new chapter record - 20 new Pledges, all Freshmen, all very involved - many have already run and been elected to an office for next year, and most plan to live in the house next year! Please enjoy our progress report and please join us at the Blue-White Stockholders meeting for a complete update!
Shane Goodenough '07, VP Assisting Executive Team and Focusing on Housing Contracts for next year - already have 37 signed! As Vice President, I've been assisting Mike and our Executive Team whereever needed. All our officers have a lot more responsibility now and a lot to learn now that we're running the chapter. My main focus has been on meeting our goal of 40 people in the house next year. This involves improvements to our Physical Plant to ensure it will hold 40 and then obtaining 40 signed housing contracts - we already have 37! Looking forward to seeing you at Blue-White Weekend!
Nate Killough '07, Treasurer Work continues on gaining control of our chapter's finances and returning PA Theta to profitability! I think it may be safe to say that my position has probably changed the most under our new Leadership Initiative. Before, our Treasurer had no real duties except for collecting bills. Now, I along with the Exec Team, have full P&L responsibility for the chapter. As everybody knows, things really got out of hand before the Actives had control - declining house condition, declining membership, and heavy financial losses that eventually lead to the sale of our property in Spring '04. Now under our new Leadership Initiative, the Actives have taken charge and have made incredible progress in the last two years. I believe that our turn-around will be complete at the end of this semester and our chapter will then continue to grow and thrive as we continue our Return to Glory! Please join us for the Blue-White Stockholders meeting for a complete financial report.
Kevin Haslam '10, Historian Top-Bond in Fall Pledge Class, Freshman Sports Broadcasting Major plans to get the word out! One of our main goals this semester is to publish more up-to-date information on the actives in our chapter. As the only journalism-based major in the house, I have been working with Randy Thompson, to create an informative environment that is ProudToBeAPhi.com for both the actives and the alumni. With this large update, you will be informed about Homecoming ’05, The Newly Inducted Brothers from Fall ’05, an introduction to the new Spring 2006 Phikeia class, a recap of Phi Delt’s trip to the Orange Bowl, a recap on THON, brothers with internships or co-ops, and of course, frequent updates with officer reports. Along with these articles, you are now able to view the newest composite, and there are updated composite photos for the newer brothers in the house. Randy and I will be working very hard to keep you up to date about the chapter, and I encourage you to e-mail me if you have any comments, questions, requests, or concerns that you would like to address. In this report...
Our Fall Rush Chairman Set a New Standard! The Program nets a record 20 new Freshmen Pledges! by Paul Silber '06 In an intense election before the end of the 2005 Spring Semester, the chapter elected 3 new brothers for the critical position of Recruitment Chairmen - Paul Silber '06, Mike Bernabe '07, and Guy Bacco '07. Everybody in our chapter realized that our current recruitment program was inadequate and that we had to make some major changes to reach our goal of 20 new pledges this year. Mike, Guy, and I declared recruiting priority number one and set out to create a new interactive, exciting, and compelling targeted recruitment program. As summer came to a close the three of us finalized our plan and came to school early, eager to implement it. Our goals for the recruitment period were to attract as many freshmen as possible, make an individual bond with each new person, and have a program filled with enough activities to keep the “rushees” coming back to the house. One thing that we did was sign up to help the freshmen move in, giving us immediate contact with new Penn State freshmen. While helping them move in, we talked with them and also gave out our contact information on personalized business cards. Moreover, we came up with new rush events, for example, “Poker Night” and “Kegs and Eggs” to entice new members. Another major improvement from previous years was the formation of an official recruitment schedule that was distributed at every event followed by constant telephone contact.
Since the weather was so beautiful we tried to use it to our advantage. We played volleyball everyday as students walked by, and also had barbeques multiple times a week. At the barbeques we would cook hamburgers and hot dogs, and became better acquainted with everyone. As the first few weeks of the semester passed, it seemed as if our new program was working quite well. Not only was the house filled with potentially new members, but we also realized that the active brothers were more involved in the recruitment process. In order to gauge the true interests of each new person we made all “rushees” sign in at each event. We felt this gave Mike, Guy, and I a true indication of who was in fact interested in joining the house. After a wild five weeks, the recruitment period was coming to an end. On bid night we confidently handed out our bids to each man we wanted to call our brother, knowing that our new program was a success!
Fall Pledge Class: Fourteen Boys Become Fourteen Men Top Bond, Kevin “Rabbi” Haslam #1446, reflects on his pledge program The newest group was inducted in the first week of October of 2005 – fourteen Phikeia; one of the largest classes in recent history. After this week, the pledge-process began. The pledges proved themselves worthy early when they helped with homecoming (which scored 1st place Mad Hatter, 2nd place Float and 3rd place [1st Greek] Air Band), decorating for Halloween and Christmas, and among other tasks that helped to improve the image of the house and the chapter around campus.
It was projects like these that created a tight bond – and along with being one of the largest pledge classes in recent history, this class also proved to be one of the closest classes in recent history. “I wouldn't want to spend the pledging process with anyone else, because the thirteen people I spent it with were strangers at the beginning, but when we went through everything, we became best friends. They’re thirteen people that I wouldn’t have expected to be my friends until I became a brother in the fraternity, and it really meant a lot to me on the night I became a brother after going through this process.” said new brother, Rob Leo. Dennis Thompson adds, “[One thing that brought us closer was] being with each other 24/7, basically – Rabbi [Kevin Haslam], I’m pretty good friends with him, because he lives right down the hall. But we’re all great friends.”
After a long and tiring pledge process, the Phikeia finally became NIB’s (Newly Inducted Brothers) – the huge jump from the learning process to the brotherhood, and it doesn’t stop there. Already, the newest brothers are taking positions and most have high aspirations for next year. Kyle Thomas, Kevin Haslam and Rob Leo all took main positions for the Spring semester of 2006. Kyle is the new Secretary, Kevin is the new Historian and Rob is an assistant to the Social Chair (Grant Bacharach). Other new brothers with positions include Josh Phillips (apprentice to the Treasurer – Nate Killough) and Dennis Thompson and Eli Bohemond (Formal Event Chairmen). That is the true meaning of fraternity life. It is not what you have done throughout your pledging process; it is what you do for your fraternity once you are inducted as a brother. This class of fourteen will not distance itself from this theory. This class will strive to keep the house on top and proceed the only way that Phi Delta Theta knows – with excellence. And now, introducing the newest brothers of Phi Delta Theta:
Spring Pledge Class adds Another Six to Our Ranks! Spring Rush Chairmen build on the success of the Fall Rush Program Shortly after the new brothers had been initiated, the brothers looked forward to rushing new Phikeia. The new brothers, along with Spring Rush Chairmen, David Dunn '08 and Mayur Aras '08, were eager to find another six phikeia to reach our goal of 20 for the year. It was time to work hard! Using the Fall Pledge Program as a model, David, Mayur and the Actives ran another successful rush program full of events, parties, cook-outs, and of course a number of Sharon's great meals! And once again we hit our goal of six new pledges for the Spring! Our new pledges, under the guidance of pledge master Marc Celler '06, have been busy getting the house in shape for Blue-White Weekend. Please join us and meet all our new members!
Twin House Managers Rebuild our House A sincere thanks from our entire brotherhood to Adam & Grant Anderson '07 for all their hard work over the last year! After some years of neglect, our Twin-House Managers, Adam & Grant Anderson '07, have done an incredible job improving the condition and maximizing the capacity of our house! When they pledged just last year, only 21 guys lived in the house. Now thanks to all their hard work, the house is ready to hold 40 next fall. Having twin House Managers worked so well that we decided to try it again. Starting next fall, two of our brand new brothers, twins Rob & Todd Leo will be taking over for Adam & Grant. Good luck Rob & Todd - you've got some big shoes to fill!
Here is a partial list of the projects that Adam and Grant were able to accomplish this year...
The only time that Adam & Grant weren't working on the house this year is when they took a week off to help design & build our award winning Homecoming Float!
Super Phi Delt Brothers Hit Tri-Fecta in Homecoming '05 1st Place Mad Hatter! 2nd Place Float! 3rd Place Air Band! At 5 AM on a cool Friday morning, the brothers of Phi Delta Theta and the sisters of Theta Alpha Pi (now Omega Phi Alpha) stood in awe as they gazed at their “Super Mario Brothers” float. The drawbridge flew down as the giant King Koopa loomed over the castle. Toad rode his go-cart towards the castle, and Big Boo flew back and forth above the scene while the Piranha Plant shone a beam of light from its mouth. With heavy eyes and cut up hands, everyone was very happy to see it was finished and ready to prepare for what would be a very important homecoming for the chapter. Homecoming chair and Vice President of the PA Theta chapter, Shane Goodenough, was very impressed with the final outcome. “After its completion, I was kind of amazed, because, I mean, while taking the float up to the actual parade grounds, we had no clue what we were up against with other fraternities. Then just hearing everyone else’s views, after seeing the other floats, it was definitely all positive. I was pleased because everyone chipped in and put forth their best effort.”
Everybody pitched in. The Brother, the Pledges, and the sisters of Theta Alpha Pi gave their best in what would be a grueling week of building. House Manager, Grant Anderson believed that the group hit most of their obstacles more towards the beginning of the week. “Basically, [one of the main obstacles was] planning it out, because we had so many chiefs and not enough indians. The brothers definitely came together Thursday night to pull the mad hatter together, especially [Warden] Steve [Feight] and [Historian] Dave [Dunn].” Sleep was never an option for most of the people working – especially the pledges. Phikeia, Eli Bohemond, was very proud of how well he and his fellow pledges worked. “I was quite impressed with the outcome, after all the hard work and commitment we put into making the float. I’m not going to lie, it was definitely a challenge. It took a lot of our time and effort, and we were definitely sleep deprived. After seeing the final product, it was definitely worth all the effort and time we put into it.”
Shane Goodenough also added, “I was actually amazed at how well they [the pledges] took everything. Especially the Leo’s [Todd and Rob] in Air Band, because to me – it seemed like I was dealing with them, directly, all week – that they all enjoyed it and had fun in homecoming and interacting with the girls." "I gave a majority of the guys [pledges] a five minute tutorial on how to work with the chicken wire, which is kind of like an acquired skill, and I was just amazed. I was like, ‘Here, make us some characters,’ and the ones that they actually built were all great and they were all used on the float. It was definitely a huge contribution to have. And they all had fun, which I think is a big thing.”
As the float left the field, on its way to the parade, the Super Mario Brothers theme music began to play, and everything came together. The moving parts and very impressive mad hatter character, controlled by Phikeia, Rob Leo, produced a great reaction from the crowd. Overall, the mad hatter (main character, Mario, sitting atop the popular green dinosaur, Yoshi) placed first. The float placed second behind engineering fraternity Triangle, and Air Band performance placed third behind two dance teams. Optimistic as always, the Phi Delt brothers strive to make a continuous effort in placing very well in Homecoming for years and years to come. This year simply proves that we’re back and ready to remain on top for a long time. This year’s effort was amazing and didn’t go unappreciated by the House Managers, Grant and Adam Anderson or the Homecoming Chair and Vice President, Shane Goodenough. “Great job by everybody!”
Another Great Homecoming Tailgate and Dinner! Just like last year, Sue Shields, Bill Corbett '88 and Sandy Deveney '70 sponsored the official Phi Tailgate. And once again, Sue Shields’ father, Lee Shields, kindly donated his incredible RV to the cause. Special thanks to Sue, Bill, and Sandy for all their hard work. As usual, some went into the game while others remained at the Tailgate. The Nitany Lions even decided to cooperate this year! After the win we all met back at the house for Sharon's Second Homecoming dinner.
Thanks Sharon & Jake - we hope to enjoy many more Homecomings together!
Homecoming '05 Stockholders Meeting - History is made as a new tradition begins! After a very successful Friday evening open-house, Saturday morning tailgate, and Saturday evening open-house and dinner, we met at the house Sunday morning for a pre-meeting breakfast prepared by Sharon and Jake. We then walked next door to the Sate-of-the-Art Cybertorium in the new IST Building and made history! No more typical Alumni Corporation Meeting run by our Alumni, no more presentation by Alumni Corporation President Randy Thompson telling us what we're going to do in the future. Instead our Active Leaders took the stage and ran the first ever Pennsylvania Theta Stockholders meeting.
Based on the Actives exceptional performance at the Meeting and the incredible results they've achieved in the last two years, it's clear that our plan is working and that PA Theta is on-track to emerge as one of the best run fraternities in the country and the top fraternity on the Penn Sate Campus. Please join us for our upcoming Blue-White Stockholders Meeting and see for yourself. Our meetings are now fun, fast-paced, informative, productive, inspiring and will make you Proud to be a Phi!
Dance Marathon '06 The Actives continue the tradition and help raise money for kids with cancer THON 2K6 set a new record when it raised $4,214,748.18 for the Four Diamonds Fund - the fund that raises money for children with cancer. The evening of February 17th, 2006 marked the beginning of the annual 48-hour dance marathon that we know as THON. However, the dance marathon would be nothing without hard work, motivation and dedication from all who contributed. The actives of Phi Delt worked their hardest this year to earn a little over $8000 for THON 2K6. THON Chair, Nate Killough reflects upon this year’s canning trips. “This year, we had a slow start to canning, because of some inclement weather. We had to cancel one or two trips a while back. Usually we have a big trip that goes out to Pittsburgh, PA. However, it snowed when we were on our way there and half of us turned around. We didn’t make out too bad. We could’ve done a little better. We worked hard on corporate sponsorships this year, instead of just canning, because we get more money out of corporate sponsorships. The corporate sponsorships take a lot more hard work, so it’s a little hard to get those.”
The canning experience started out with low spirits, because of the inclement weather; however, one group of guys was able to make it out to active brother Guy Bacco’s house for a day of canning in Pittsburgh, PA at an intersection. Mifflinburg, PA was the next stop for the Phi Delt’s and they stayed at active brother Colby Wesner’s house. They were able to can out in front of Walmart for two days, and also had enough people to can at the local Country Cupboard. Finally, Phi Delt’s last stop was in York, PA. The actives stayed at Adam Dahr’s house and canned at both an intersection and out in front of Walmart. Along with the satisfaction of earning $2,200 on that canning trip, the brothers welcomed a new member to the fraternity that weekend.
Her name is Riggley, and she is the new house dog – a mix between a German Shepherd and a Black Labrador. Throughout the canning experience, the actives spent time with their THON family – The Hammakers – and were able to play with six-year-old Kallan, who is recovering from brain cancer, and her four year old sister, Krystian. “When you see a six year old smile at you and you realize you are making her life all the better, you can't help but want to do all that you possibly can. Whether it is going door-to-door to solicit donations, or standing out in 20 degree weather and running out in traffic to earn that extra dollar. It really makes you feel like you are having an extremely large impact on this family's life.” THON Chair Colby Wesner claims. And the actives have had a large impact on the Hammakers, which was shown at the 48-hour dance marathon, when the family spoke on how wonderful the Four Diamonds fund and their THON group has really been.
“I think dancing in this year's THON was especially memorable since our THON family spoke on behalf of all the Four Diamonds Families. It made me realize even more how much of an impact we are having on ours, and other THON family’s lives.” Colby continues. After the canning process was over, the actives looked towards the dance marathon and prepared for a great experience. Like last year, the fraternity was granted four dancers. The dancers this year were Colby Wesner, Nate Killough, Michel-Ray Davis and Adam Dahr. Some, like Nate Killough, were able to make few preparations for the marathon. “Most people do stretches with their legs, but I really don’t need to. One thing that we have done is buy some new shoes and new equipment, such as baby powder for our feet and other things to stay comfortable.”
At 7 PM on Friday, February 17th, the festivities began, and THON was underway. For 48 hours, live bands (including Phi Delt’s own, Ryan Estrada’s band, Candyflip), games and dances were happening all around Penn State’s Rec Hall. Dancer, Colby Wesner felt that it was an experience of a lifetime. “Being on my feet for 48 hours wasn't as bad as I anticipated because there were a lot of things to do to keep my mind preoccupied, such as the bands and overall entertainment.” The festivities ended at 7 PM on Sunday, February 19th, and students were excited to see that last year’s record had been broken and collectively, $4,214,748.18 had been earned. Phi Delta Theta’s four dancers re-entered the house soon after 7 o’clock, and were greeted with applause and pats on the back. Colby reflects upon THON with a smile, “Overall, it will probably be my most memorable experience I take away from Penn State, more so than this year's Ohio State game.” Full Social Calendar enhanced by Football Road Trips!
The Actives hit the road to watch Penn State take-on Michigan! An R.V. and some food were all the actives needed to get the show on the road and drive out to Michigan to watch Penn State and Michigan play. The annual brawl between these two Big Ten rivals was in Michigan this past year and the actives were ready to raid Michigan and help Penn State cheer on their undefeated football team. With a long trip ahead, the brothers had many preparations to make; however, they first had their sights set on getting great seats for the game. For hours, the brothers rotated. While some were watching their camp-out spot in line, others slept for a few hours (or longer). The aim for great seats was a success and the road trip was the next thing on the list, when the brothers dreamed of entering the stadium with tickets for 9th row seats. |
