Chakett Club Vol 18-2 December 2015

Chakett ClubAlumni Association of the Rho Delta ChapterVolume 18, Issue 2  December 2015 Fall semester ends with An interview with Alpha- eleven new members Elect Elias Castro’17… added to the ranks, An unusual “first” for Rho looking forward to Spring Delta, and for the Chi Phi Fraternity Chris Fernandez’17 Recruitment Chair Chakett Club: You were on Exec as Zeta last semes- For the first time in several years the Rho Deltachapter will be participating in spring recruitment. This ter, which was your first elected office - and nowis an endeavor that only excites our brothers as there isalmost no downside to opening our house and attract- you’re the Alpha. Did you see yourself in that positioning the best Oglethorpe has to offer. after only a semester as an Officer? Informal rush is beneficial for many different rea-sons. The first and most obvious reason being that we Ever since I pledged, I always had the desire to be-can rush (and maybe pledge) men who we may havemissed during the fall. Secondly is to prepare us for the come the Alpha of Rho Delta. As I became more in-stiff competition we will face in the fall. Having an in-formal rush, we are able to test the effectiveness of new volved in other organizations on campus, along with myrecruitment events and tactics. tenure as Zeta last semester, I gained the leadership For these reasons and more we are excited for thepotential pledges this spring may produce. As always, skills and vision necessary to even be considered quali-we look to attract men with a desire to lead both withinour Chapter and the Oglethorpe community. fied. I definitely always saw the possibility of becoming Alumni play a large part in recruitment by demon- elected. I just always knew that it would require workstrating the importance of brotherhood after college. Ifyou have any interest in attending any of our recruit- and dedication on my part as I was (and still am)ment events, we would be more than happy to have youparticipate. Please contact me at growing as a [email protected] for more information. CC: What has being a member of Exec taught you as a ~Meet our new Brothers on Page 5~ Brother? Being a member of the Executive Council has defi- nitely been a rewarding experience. While I currently only hold one semester under my belt, I have truly learned what it means to “Be There” for your fraternity. You are expected to be there at every meeting. You are expected to be there mentally and participate in the determination of the chapter’s trajectory. It’s a huge re- sponsibility that ultimately teaches you how to be there for your brotherhood, and it’s one that I hope others will aspire to undertake. Continued on page 3...

2 The Chakett ClubThis year, Chi Phi had more inductees to Omicron Delta Coming off last Spring’sKappa than any other campus organization. Pictured Greek Week Championship,below are Joseph Johnson’17; Andrew Spann’17; Rho Delta seeks moreAlumnus Edmund Smith’15; and Elias Castro ‘17 Intra-Mural actionpreparing for the Boar’s Head Ceremony Parker Toland’17 Athletic Chair This fall our first intramural sport was football. Un- fortunately at the end of the season we weren't able to come away with a win in the three games we had so we couldn't attend the playoffs, but we did have the league leader in touchdown catches, Brother Bryce Thomas. Second was dodgeball where we were 1-1 regular season, due to other teams not having enough players to compete. Going into the playoffs we were an under- dog but pulled off two upsets to come away with the championship, thanks to some great teamwork. Our third and final sport of the semester was Soccer, where our first game we defeated SAE's pledge class. Our final record was 2-2 and we finished 3rd in the playoffs, after beating the volleyball team and then beating SAE's pledge class once more. On a side note in our free time we have been playing some inter-fraternal football with Delta Sigma Phi, and we have just acquired hockey goals and sticks which have been used generously.Right, Joseph Johnson’17 will be study-ing abroad this Spring at Oxford CollegeBelow left, Collins Estock’17 at the fallBlood Drive; Below right, Brotherscatch some Van Halen while raisingmoney for the Chapter this fall at theMusic Midtown Festival Above, Chi Phi cap- tures the OU Intra- mural Dodgeball Championship, and Third Place in Indoor Soccer. Left, Spike Ball Champions Chris Fernandez and Alan Smith

The Chakett Club 3Interview with the Alpha, from Page 1 New fields like Biochemistry, Psychology and Sociology were recently added to the test, making it an 8 hour exam. So, pleaseCC: Being an Officer requires a lot of time. How do you manage wish me luck, everyone!to fit that work in with your studies as well as have some “fun CC: You had a pretty interesting experience with your summertime?” internship this past summer. Tell us a little bit about that: I definitely have had to learn (sometimes the hard way) to prior- Of course! This past summer, I secured a pre-medical surgicalitize and manage my time effectively. First, since my schedule internship with the Department of Surgery at UC Davis Medicalchanges every semester, I write out my schedule and figure out my Center in Sacramento, California. There, I was able to shadow at-free times. From here, I block out times for studying, finishing up tending surgeons, fellows, surgical residents and medical studentsclasswork, etc. Then, to make sure that I am productive, I make a in a number of surgical specialties such as Burn Surgery, SurgicalTo Do list of all the things I want to accomplish each day. I some- Oncology, and Cardiothoracic Surgery to name a few. I also hadtimes get ahead of myself, but, for the most part, I am able to cross the privilege of observing about 30 surgical procedures. For me,out every task. This then gives me time for this “fun” you speak the most interesting case was a rare rib resection that was per-of, but I typically have to take care of things that come up last formed on a patient for treatment of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.minute. Nevertheless, once everything is accomplished, I make When I was not in the OR, I shadowed surgeons as they worked insure to hang out with brothers, attend a mixer or just simply do the clinic and observed patient care first-hand, as well as the statenothing to prevent burnout. of our health care system. All in all, it was an amazing experienceCC: A lot of our Brothers have lived off campus. Has being a and a summer I will never forget!commuter student had an impact on your ability to participate in CC: Your election is a “first” for Rho Delta – in that you are theChi Phi, or other campus activities for that matter? first Alpha of our Chapter who is not a U.S. citizen. In fact, ac- cording to the National Office, you may be the first Alpha in the For me, being a commuting student has not really affected my fraternity elected as a foreign national. Can you tell us a little bitability to participate in Chi Phi activities, or those for any of my about the circumstances that brought you and your family to theother organizations for that matter. Since my classes usually start U.S.?at 8 am, I am at school early and, due to my involvement withmany organizations, I am on campus for most of the day. This Sure! Back in the mid-1990s, Honduras was severely hit by aallows me to be present at every function when I don't have any major hurricane that decimated most of the little infrastructure itwork to catch up on. The most that I have to deal with is Atlanta had, greatly impacting its economy. This led the U.S. to grantdrivers and that has only taught me to be incredibly patient. Honduras and many Central American countries with TemporaryCC: Let’s back track a bit…. tell us a little bit about how you Protected Status (TPS). This benefit allowed many Central Ameri-ended up at OU, and why you joined Chi Phi: cans, including my family, to immigrate to the U.S. I was only a year old at the time, and the States have been my home ever since. When I was applying to schools, I initially set my sights to CC: Has that experience taught you something that maybe othersattend Emory University. Despite being accepted, I ended up not could benefit from? What words of wisdom would you impart tobeing able to attend because of the $60,000 cost of attendance. other Chi Phi Brothers?Fortunately for me, I applied to Oglethorpe and earned a scholar-ship during Scholarship Weekend that pays for about 90 percent of As a result of immigrating to the States and building a life here,my tuition. Without Oglethorpe’s generosity and my achievements my family and I have learned to never be shy in the face of adversi-at the time, I wouldn't be where I am today, nor would I be a ty. There will always be tough times. However, they never last;brother of Chi Phi. As to why I joined Chi Phi, I first have to tell only tough people do.you why I went Greek. The moment you step foot onto any CC: In addition to Chi Phi, you are involved in several othercollege campus with a Greek community, you hear a lot of rumors campus organizations. Tell us a little about some of those andand talk about the nature of the community. With so many con- how does this kind of involvement develop leadership qualities inflicting opinions being thrown at me, I set out to determine for a Brother?myself what this community was all about. And what I found withChi Phi was simply astonishing. They were more than just a group Prepare yourself for the alphabet soup. In addition to Chi Phi, Iof guys with a house. I had stumbled upon a group of brothers was recently elected President of Phi Delta Epsilon, the Pre-who were (and still are) incredibly intelligent, inclusive to all, Medical fraternity on campus, and I was just inducted intogenuine, and—most importantly—each other’s best friend and Omicron Delta Kappa, Oglethorpe’s leadership society at the annu-keeper. It was something I had never experienced before, and, al Boar’s Head Ceremony. I am also a tutor for the Academic Suc-ultimately, it was something I knew I wanted to be a part of. cess Center here at Ogle. Lastly, off-campus, I visit patients atCC: What is your course of study, and your career goals? Hospice Atlanta. By being this involved, you learn skills that simp- ly cannot be taught in a classroom. You learn how to time manage. I am currently a third-year Biology major and Chemistry minor, You learn how to be productive with others, and even lead them.with aspirations of becoming a physician. Since I am just about These skills are universal in that they can be applied towardfinished with all of my pre-med requirements, I have started anything in life.studying for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Continued on Page 4…

We want to hear from you! Send your comments, questions, news & notes to [email protected] Aften '14 Kenneth Lederman ‘75 Alumni listed at left are considered “lost” due to aAlan Aguirre '14 DJ Ledet ‘00 lack of a valid email or postal address… While someIvan Annikov '99 Murray Lichter '76 of them may be on Facebook or known to otherMichael BelleIsle '74 Donald Macy '80 members, we need a valid email address to updateSamuel Beloff '77 Christopher Martin ‘85 our records and insure distribution of future news-Beau Berthelot '12 Robert McGee '08 letters. Please send updates and information to us atRobert Berrent '76 Ronny Mercer '72Saye Braucht '08 Michael Mills '82 [email protected] Brown '76 Kenneth Mogell '77Michael Browoleit '82 Russell Montgomery '83 Interview with the Alpha, continued from page 3...John Burdakin ‘81 Robert Moore '99Jimmy Burke '88 Scott Mordue '86 Ultimately, it’s these experiences during your time as an under-Cristin Calle '92 Pat Mulhearn '96 grad that will prove to be most beneficial when the time comesBoyd Calvert '95 Jerry Mundy '94 to tackle the “real world.”Craig Campbell ‘92 David Murdico '87 CC: Looking ahead to 2016 what are some of your thoughtsJacob Camp '09 Andrew Murphy '06 on the direction of the Chapter or a few things you would likeDominick Cannatella ‘80 James Nye '87 to see accomplished?Dario Commuzi '86 Jeffrey Petree '86Chris Cooper ‘03 Dalton Pierce '14 Despite the fact that I have only been a brother of Chi Phi forMichael Corcoran '86 Ronald Policella '82 a little over a year now, it is apparent that the chapter has comePatrick Daniel '90 Ryan Rees '93 a long way and, yet, still has much ground to cover. For 2016,Jason Day '99 Michael Reeves '00 expect for the chapter to make considerable improvements withPatrick Dean '87 Gerald Renoe '92 overall chapter operations, alumni relations and scholarship. WeWesley Desselle '92 Mason Richey '00 have a great Brotherhood that is eager to further improve theGeorge Dippel '84 David Rigdon ‘06 chapter, and I am eager to work with them in making our chap-David DiVita '92 Timothy Riner '00 ter the best it can be.Carlos Duque-Estrada '88 Douglas Roberts '74 CC: What would you say to our Alumni who are reading thisRyan Dykes '08 Johl Rotman '73 newsletter now, about reconnecting with other Alumni and theDylan Evans '06 David Sanders '97 Chapter in the future?Christopher Failing '96 Eric Sechrist '79Lee Falk ‘73 Nick Shapiro ‘00 The chapter is currently in the process of reaching out to allJeff Farge '98 Andrew Sherry '90 of our Alumni, rebuilding our Alumni Association and planningRobert Findley '14 Noah Siclari '14 for the 47th Anniversary that will be April 15-17th. I encourageArnold Gale '77 Matthew Smith '99 all of our Alumni to attend this event over OU Alumni Week-Michael Gates '87 Charles Stephens '00 end, as this will be a chance to not only meet current activeSteven Geiger '79 Lukas Strasser '14 Brothers and catch up with other Alumni, it will also be an op-Gary Hand '89 Glenn Streidel '77 portunity to embark on new adventures and start forming newChristopher Henry '03 Paul Strizhevsky '97 memories with Chi Phi. Chi Phi does not, and should not, endRobert Irving '91 Christo Taoushiani ‘13 with graduation. It, along with your Brothers, will walk withBrad Isaacson '97 Ian Trimble '05 you for the rest of your life. There will always be new horizonsJames Ivey '83 Forrester Vosburgh '14 to explore, especially when you walk with Chi Phi. I lookRonald Jones '76 Steven Weber '90 forward to seeing you all at the 47th!James Kaye '88 Eric Weinman '93John Kontoghiorghes '15 Alvin Yarborough '99

The Chakett Club 5Meet Rho Delta’s Newest Brothers...Connor Knotts Jared McSwainSophomore, San Marcos, TX Sophomore, Stockbridge, GABiology Major English MajorPediatric Nurse or something similar College Professor or Sellout Writer“I’m a cancer survivor who just wants to “I like to live by the poet Dylan Thomas’smake the world a better place…” last words: “I’ve had 18 straight whiskies. That’s the record.”Arman Niknafs Connor Van HosenFreshman, San Diego, CA Freshman, Roswell, GABiology Major Dual Degree EngineeringCardiologist Design and build robots to help the“Once you go Persian, there’s no other daily lives of those in needversion…” “If it ain’t broke, don't fix it.”Ronald Dill Andy VuongFreshman, Phenix City, AL Freshman, College Park, GAPsychology Major Biology MajorNaturopath/Holistic Medicine Dentist, or, the next Biggie Smalls“The world is, of course, nothing but “If I were to give you a quote, most likelyour conception of it.” ~ Anton Chekh it would have been from Google, so I did this in the attempt to feel creatively different from others.”Benjamin Hopper Newton StricklandFreshman, Adairsville, GA Freshman, Canton, GABiopsychology Major Dual Degree EngineeringCardiologist A Job that provides me with time to“Much love and may the Force be spend with familywith you.” “If you don’t make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a big mistake.” ~ Frank WilczekAndy Houghton Bridges BrantleyJunior, Peachtree City, GA Freshman, Savannah, GAEngineering Major Chemistry MajorBuild cars, make ‘em go fast, and join Earn my PHD and make a mark in thethe Illuminati scientific community“Why does Andy keep taking my girl?” “Living on Earth may be tough, but it~ everyone includes a free ride around the sun every year.”1970s Alumni Photos: (Page 7) William Lovelace 1990s Alumni photos: (Page 6)1-Dana Philips; 2– John Burdakin; Freshman, Suwanee, GA 1-Chopper Johnson; 2-Kevin3-Barry Brody; 4-Paul Cross; 6- Engineering Major Huitt; 3-Jeff Pyron; 4-GlennDennis Wheeler; 7– Karl Burgess; There may be politics in my future Booth; 5-Mike Willis;8-Richard Tabas; 9– Thomas “There she blows! There she blows! 6– David Wuichet; 7– DougCioffi; 10– Joel Shapiro; 11- Gary A hump like a snow hill! It’s Moby Leventhal; 8-Mike Rowe; 9–Greenbaum; 12– Dr. Jones & Volf; Dick!” ~Herman Melville Chris Ballar; 10– Jon Shiley;13– Kenny Richter; 11– Jason Reese; 12– Pat14– John Fittipaldi DiCicco; 13– Ryan Queen

6 The Chakett Club1Spring ExecAlpha, Elias CastroBeta, Alan SmithGamma, Collins EstockDelta, Bryce ThomasEpsilon, Brad FlaggZeta, Grey TorkingtonEta (Risk Manager)Parker Toland90’s Flashback...12 12 4 13 113 Picture 10 5 Key on 9 Page 5 67 8Photo Credits to The Yammacraw, Courtesy of the University Archives, Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta Georgia

The Chakett Club 7 Save the Date Chapter donates TV for Alumni Office “Petrel Vision” 47th Anniversary & OU Alumni Weekend The Chapter found a new home for the old TV in the social room by answering the call from the OU Alumni April 15th—17th staff, who were seeking the donation of a TV for the 2016 hallway at the Alumni Office in Lupton Hall. Shane Pruitt, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, remarked “We are excited to showcase a lot more dynamic content to welcome more alums and students to the Alumni Office.” The Alumni Office installed a plaque thanking the Chapter for their gift. details to follow in the spring Newsletter Left, Brother Estock puts the finishing touches on the new Chapter TV just prior to the start of Fall Rush. 2 3 9 10 111 4 125 6 14 7 Picture 13 Key on Page 5 8Photo Credits to The Yammacraw, Courtesy of the University Archives, Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta Georgia

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION E-MAIL: [email protected] (Coming Soon): www.chakettclub.orgFACEBOOK GROUP : Chi Phi—Rho Delta Alumni THE CHAKETT CLUB The Rho Delta Alumni Association P.O. Box 52997 Atlanta, GA 30355 Please help us reach more alumni more efficiently and at reduced cost send us your email to [email protected]