alumni

ALUMNI ALUMNI magazine spring 2007 inside this issue: president‟s letter pr innovation fellowship update service activities anniversary event conferences pledge program 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 case western reserve university alpha phi omega, theta upsilon magazine FIFTEEN years Welcome to the alumni newsletter! I hope you find this issue filled with fascinating and relevant information about the Theta Upsilon chapter and our activities this past semester. When I originally ran for the position of alumni secretary, I really just wanted an excuse to mess around with design software. I had never met any alumni other than the ones Colin brought in as speakers to our pledge meetings. After attending the Fifteenth Anniversary event, however, I now have a tiny grasp of the hundreds of brilliant, compassionate individuals that have contributed to our chapter. kristen dreisig We are what we have become because of your influence. Thank you for contributing your brilliant ideas, your quirky personalities, and your unparalleled kindness to this chapter. I have only begun to appreciate the history of Theta Upsilon, but I can already recognize what a rich history that is! ALUMNI magazine page 2 letter from our PRESIDENT From rush season to Family Olympics, Formal to the Fifteenth Anniversary Party, March for Marfan to Mural Painting, the brothers of Theta Upsilon really outdid themselves this semester. We started the semester out sending over 14 active brothers to Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. Our chapter was given the honor of leading an initiation ceremony at the opening ceremony, with Stephanie Davis acting as president and Nikki Frankenstein representing the pledges and neophytes of Region V. After four awesome days and nights, our chapter was further surprised when we received the National Earle M. Herbert Friendship Award for the second consecutive time, acknowledging our fellowship program as the best in the country. We sent over 15 brothers to OU for sectionals later in the semester. There we received the Chapter of the Year award and the Man Mile award. But awards cannot begin to represent all that our chapter has accomplished this semester. The executive board drew on active committees and appointed officers to fulfill many of our goals and to develop the leadership skills of many other brothers. Despite some rocky points during the semester, we managed to pull together an erin gallagher awesome Fifteenth Anniversary celebration. The weekend‟s events culminated with the initiation of seventeen pledges and the presentation of our twelfth Distinguished Service Key to Liz Pund. Many thanks to everyone who helped our chapter throughout this ambitious semester, from our dedicated officers, actives, and associates to our eternally helpful advisors and alumni. It has been an amazing experience to contribute my own small part towards leading and representing Theta Upsilon this past semester. I am so proud of being part of this diverse and talented (and awesome!) group of brothers. spring 2007 “This semester we resurrected the Family Olympics, with each family competing against each other in various events for bragging rights.” ADVISOR corner Why did you decide to become an APO advisor? I believe teaching is not limited to the classroom, and education is not limited to academics. If I could impart on practical subjects from my own life‟s experiences, then I would want to do it where it will be most effective. The one organization on campus which I felt matched my philosophy was APO. What might you say to anyone who is considering becoming an APO advisor? Be open-minded, be ready to absorb ideas from some of the brighter minds of the future, be prepared to be challenged, and be able to enjoy every minute of it. What is one admirable quality of this chapter of APO? It‟s the fun, laughter, and yoram daon serenity, the mix of service with friendship and leadership, the diversity and uniformity. It‟s the total opposites that create a wholesome entity. It‟s the Theta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, and it‟s never just one quality, it comes at you in multiples! And what a year this has been! I thank you all for the time of my life. The fifteen Theta Upsilon brothers who attended the sectional conference at OU. BYLAWS committee highlights The bylaws committee made some sweeping reforms this semester. Through the hard work of members Maya Brown, Kevin Davis, Amber Taylor, Jared Shaffer, and Sid Venkatachalam, Alpha Phi Omega made an effort to increase efficiency and add a new leadership opportunity for the members. Thirteen changes were proposed by the committee, including some larger changes. The chapter voted to make formal the office of Interchapter Relations Coordinator, who would be in charge of communicating with other chapters and planning events with them. The chapter also voted to add in a procedure to take care of serious judicial offenses by adding in a procedure to handle the suspension dan myers of brothers if necessary. This is one change that the chapter hopes not to use, but recognizes that a procedure needed to be written down. The committee has done a great job in improving the chapter and tackling the hard issues that any chapter must deal with. Amber Taylor and Maya Brown, two members of the bylaws committee. page 3 PR innovation The PR program for this semester has created a combination of new and old ideas. While maintaining some of the traditional methods for campus PR, such as flyering, chalking, and use of the electronic billboards, we've begun a few new projects in an effort to provide more creative marketing. We created two sets of pin-on buttons, one for APO in general, and another for March for Marfan, that could be seen floating all over campus. We prepared t-shirts over the semester for March for Marfan, Jail „n Bail, and plan on making shirts based on a t-shirt contest that didn't work as well as we had hoped. We also created two sets of business cards that were intended to increase the PR performed by the brothers themselves by enhancing the word of mouth method. The first set were intended for Rush and were given to prospective pledges with a space on them to write the next upcoming event. The second set were for adam sumey the chapter in general, and were intended to be passed from person to person by way of random acts of kindness. After helping someone else out over the course of the day, the cardholder was to give this card to the person they helped. The cards hosted the humorous phrase, "You got served!" playing off of the common phrase in modern lingo. Our final PR project was a six -foot diameter globe, which was a painted inflatable beach ball. The continents of the world were formed by participants at Spring Fest, who contributed photos, letters, drawings, phrases, and any other art that they could contrive to put on paper. These submissions were shaped into the form of the continents and displayed for the whole of campus to see. This daunting project was a very visible and eye-catching PR opportunity for the chapter, and we look forward to taking full advantage of the potential to show off. President Erin Gallagher with Theta Upsilon‟s twelfth DSK recipient Liz Pund at our initiation Our muscular PR coordinator, Adam Sumey, displaying the APO “serve the world” globe. “It has been an amazing experience to contribute my own small part towards leading and representing Theta Upsilon this past semester.” Anna Wieser and Paul Rockwell with the APO service globe at Springfest. Pictures from the spring 2007 formal, Superheroes & Supervillains. FELLOWSHIP update This semester has been jampacked with fellowship events! From the traditional Tommy‟s Milkshake run and bowling rush events to weekly lunches, Theta Upsilon brothers have always managed to find ways to kick back and relax throughout the semester. Laser tag and weekly lunches have been some other popular events. But probably the most anticipated event was the annual spring formal, Superheroes & Supervillains. We had almost 40 brothers and guests attend this eventful evening at the Farm. This semester we also resurrected the Family Olympics, with each family (S&M, the Boehms, and the New Pham) competing against each other in various events for bragging rights. One such events was Assassins, where brothers “killed” each other with post-its. Though the overall winning vicky sutak family is yet to be determined, I can tell you that the Boehms got a victory in Assassins, with yours truly winning! Most recently we held another Kindergarten party, where brothers colored in coloring books, munched on orange and apple slices, sipped out of juice boxes, and, of course, finger painted. With the end of the year picnic currently in the works, there is still more fun times to look forward to! Intense coloring at the kindergarten party. ALUMNI magazine page 4 you got SERVED This semester we‟ve had a very exciting service program. We‟ve collected letters and money to buy supplies for soldiers stationed overseas, cooked for the homeless, decorated windows at Rainbow Babies and Children‟s Hospital, and helped out with the Maple Sugaring festival. Brothers really stepped up to the plate and helped make this semester‟s service program productive as well as fun for all involved. For the rest of the semester we‟ve still got Thwing study over coming up - a favorite project since the people serving the food often get the first plates - and a service mural that should be a ton of fun to paint. This semester we baked almost 400 sugar cookies to give away to department secretaries to show our appreciation for the work they do for the university, a feat that would have not been possible without lots of help of brothers, some of whom fearlessly tried their hands at baking for the first time. March for Marfan was a great success this year. We had over 70 people register for the event, Aces High provided great live music, and it didn‟t rain! Everyone who attended had a wonderful time, and Theta Upsilon katie schaub raised $2095.95 for the National Marfan Foundation. Still to come is the second part of the pledge class service project. The first consisted of a workday renovating the floors at Magnolia Clubhouse. The second part is a collection for their thrift store. The new brothers are organizing pick-up dates and handling the PR for the project. It has been a great experience for them to plan a service project that incorporates campus participation. Three brothers volunteering at March for Marfan. spring 2007 Seven of our second annual March for Marfan runners. “Everyone who attended March for Marfan had a wonderful time, and Theta Upsilon raised $2095.95 for the National Marfan Foundation.” HISTORY in the making This was a very exciting semester to be historian! History was re-made with the Second Annual March for Marfan and our wonderful Fifteen Year Anniversary event. The anniversary event was a rousing success with 30 alumni and guests and 19 brothers and pledges attending. We celebrated with cake, muggings, a rededication ceremony, and by catching up with old friends. Five Distinguished Service Key winners (including Liz Pund), two founders, and nine past presidents were in attendance. The next day, Theta Upsilon was excited to welcome seventeen neophytes as brothers into the chapter, and Liz was anne lloyd awarded the twelfth Theta Upsilon DSK. I would like to personally thank both the History/Alumni Committee and the Alumni Event Committee for their work this semester. We were excited to honor history, proud to make history of our own, and we are thrilled to experience the future that lies ahead. MEMBERSHIP review The most exciting thing I can think of from the membership world of APO was our amazing rush this past winter. With terrific turnouts to events like the ever popular Tommy's run and snow football, we were able to meet many rushies (many of whom are now brothers). The combined info session and marinda mitchell game night was able to draw a large crowd of rushies. What was once one of the less exciting parts of rush turned into one of the best attended events! Many of those who attended rush made it to inductions, and overall, it was the best rushing season I have seen yet in my time in APO. The spring 2007 pledge class at initiation with the pledge class namesake Rosanne Rohana. page 5 FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY ALUMNI EVENT and five dollar muggings various alumni donated $5 to the chapter in exchange for a chance to share what they‟ve been up to! From: David Dinwoodie and Rebecca Mays Fall 1997 and Fall 1998 Enjoy this time in your life, and don‟t be too shy to talk to the people you meet. The chapter has always welcomed with open arms, and has parted ways with a sigh. You will remember these experiences for a lifetime and make friends with wonderful people. The chapter has meant so much to us. From: Elyse Heyman Fall 2001 I enjoy coming to initiation every semester to meet the new brothers and see the older ones. This semester is the twelfth initiation that I‟m attending. Thanks to Jen S. for getting me to join and to Kerri for helping me to decide to be a social worker, a fulfilling career I enjoy. From: David Kaelber Fall 1987 After much anticipation and hard work, my wife, Kristin, and I are expecting our first child, a girl, in July. All of the alumni. Past presidents. Cake … yum yum! Three beautiful alumnae: Charlie, Sarah, and Ginny. All present at the Fifteen Anniversary Alumni Event! Six of Theta Upsilon‟s pledge class namesakes. From: Jason A.. Aring Fall 1999 I married my sibling, graduated from law school and moved to the Westside. I work downtown. I really miss you guys. And if it comes up, I had nothing to do with it. From: Yoram Daon Advisor Well, my son said I looked a mess and gave me a haircut. The March for Marfan was awesome. I‟m looking forward to the next one! I have an issue with pledging for the next century!!! From: Shruti R. Aring Spring 1999 I currently work at Hyland Software, and in my spare time, I borrow other people‟s children and teach them to sing. I gave a one-hour concert at CSU this past week. ALUMNI magazine page 6 INTERCHAPTER relations We had terrific experiences at two great conferences this past semester. Over winter break, we sent a group of about twenty brothers down to Louisville to celebrate another APO National Convention. Our two voting delegates were Katie Schaub (our new president), and Erin Gallagher (our outgoing president). Although they were able to spend a lot of time on the floor, they were unfortunately unable to experience a lot that the conference had to offer. This convention was a special one for our chapter since it was hosted by Region V. Theta Upsilon sent four brothers—two alumni and two active—to help plan the convention. Gian Chung stepped into the position of website advisor and Matt McShane worked directly under him designing the website for the convention. Ginny Wright was the active in charge of putting together all of the almost one hundred workshops for the entire convention! And I had the honor of directing the convention choir that sang the toast song, as well as handling the music during banquets and ceremonies. All in all this was a great experience for all that attended, including Howard Wolf, who was able to convince a large amount of people to join the 1925 club (a club that encourages active members to financially support the fraternity by donating $19.25). For his efforts, he was publicly, yet tastefully embarrassed in front of many brothers, some of whom were dressed in drag. For the second convention in a row, Theta Upsilon was awarded the Earle M. Herbert Friendship award, making this the third Convention in a row that Theta Upsilon has been the recipient of a National Award! In early April this year, we sent fifteen brothers to the Sectional Convention at OU. This was another great Inter-Chapter experience for the Theta Upsilon. This was the first time that the current chapter has seen brother housing used effectively. Most brothers that attended the conference stayed with brothers from OU, which gave us all the chance to broaden our horizons and meet new people. It truly was an eye -opening experience, especially seeing what a true college town looks like. In simply walking down the street, you would see stores advertising college housing and stores selling Greek apparel. It was at this conference that we once again won the Section Chapter of the Year Award, as well as the Section Friendship award. We also saw the long awaited return of the colin milne Man Mile Award, and as per traditional form we were awarded this prize too. At this conference, brothers explored workshops ranging from PR to planning a service trip to providing aid for big projects such as the Katrina clean up. We also enjoyed the opportunity to do large-scale service projects, further developing the fraternal bond of fellowship through service and leadership. This conference was special yet again, because a recent alumna (aka my fiancé) Ginny Wright of our chapter was elected to serve our section as Section Chair! She has embraced the role without hesitation and with much delight. Ginny is now the third Theta Upsilon brother to become Sections Chair, the first two being Howard Wolf and Jeff Cicerchi. All in all this has been a great semester for developing InterChapter relations for Theta Upsilon. We‟ve sent many brothers to conferences, gone to other chapters‟ meetings, and attended Mount Union's initiation. Several brothers from other chapters also volunteered at our March for Marfan event. Our relationships with other chapters in our section are now stronger than ever, and hopefully they will continue to prosper as the years go on! spring 2007 Kevin wrapped up in green duct tape at sectionals. “The fifteenth anniversary event was a rousing success with 30 alumni and guests and 19 brothers and pledges.” Robert with his date at formal. At the semi-annual initiation dinner, Kevin proposed to Vicky! Emily Pentello and Marta Worwag at Springfest. The New Pham brothers at March for Marfan! Paul Rockwell and Ilya Yakubovich at formal. compiled by pledge ed robert klayman ALUMNI magazine alpha phi omega, theta upsilon good luck to all of theta upsilon’s graduates! steph davis fall 2003 colin milne fall 2003 spring 2007 yegvenia baron spring 2004 maya brown spring 2004 amber taylor spring 2004 kevin davis fall 2004 victoria sutak spring 2006 here’s to alpha phi omega stephen lionetti fall 2006 From Alpha to Omega, with the qualities of Phi, You bring sunshine to overcast sky; Warmth and happiness follow in your wake Forever striving without a break! You Spring into the miseries of Winter, Melting cold hearts everywhere; No one remains the same thereafter I am so proud to have been there! So, here‟s to Alpha Phi Omega, a brotherhood so rare; The beacon of hope, the lighthouse that guides; The birthplace of leaders not afraid to declare Fellows, Service is foremost on our minds. Sisters and brothers of Theta Upsilon I remain humbly yours, Yoram Daon Check out our website at www.apo.case.edu. A special thanks to Ginny Wright, Maya Brown, Nicole Jacobson, and Facebook for their pictures.