The Brothers of Sigma Phi have hosted a series of “Teaologies” in which they invite faculty and/or administration members to discuss issues that interest them in a comfortable setting, with Tea and snacks, or wine and cheese served. These events serve as excellent opportunities for students to develop their relationship with teachers outside of the classroom, as well as providing faculty with an interested group of students to discuss their academic interests. This term, Teaologies were with Professor Taylor from Mathematics and Professor Joule from Engineering.
Delta Kappa Epsilon has been busy this term. The Brothers have hosted two faculty dinners; one with President Ainlay on the topic of “Issues in Higher Education,” and one Keynoted by Professor Clifford Brown (Political Science) on Gerald Ford. Gerald Ford was a brother of DKE from Michigan, and the dinner included a discussion led primarily by students, which focused on his life. Professors Morris (History), Lewis (Economics) and Hodgson (Engineering) also attended and contributed to the discussion. Additionally, DKE instituted a fraternity-wide recycling program, which has already yielded great results, and will hopefully serve as a model for every organization to follow. Lastly, DKE recently participated in the Jump Rope for the Heart event, which focused on educating local schoolchildren about the benefits of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Brothers manned a football table, organizing fun football games that left everybody, including brothers and children, feeling tired but accomplished.
Brothers in Theta Delta Chi volunteered every week at the Kenney Center in Schenectady to help elementary school children with their homework, and to provide needed mentorship. Two brothers, Pat Mulrooney and John Greklek, started their own non-profit organization called the “New York Patriots Foundation” to benefit wounded soldiers. TD Chi has hosted a fundraising party and a campus-wide “Casino Night” to raise funds for NY Patriots, for which they secured donations from a number of local businesses. TD Chi has also participated in canned food drives, hosting one this term to benefit local organizations.
Alpha Delta Phi brothers participated in a large Maple Ridge Ski-athon event in which they skied for 24 hours to raise funds for the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign to combat rising heart disease among women. In addition to some skiing, AD brothers worked as organizers at the event, keeping track of teams’ runs and times and helping to event to flow smoothly. AD also hosted an organized discussion with Andrew Feffer from the History Department.
Sigma Chi sponsored a blood drive during the first week of winter term. The event was a great success, and the American Red Cross was very impressed by the brothers’ ability to quickly organize the event, and get a large turnout. Sigma Chi is looking to build on this term’s blood drive with a larger one this Spring that can get the whole campus involved. The brothers are also getting ready for the largest single fraternity philanthropy event, “Derby Days,” to take place this Spring, when they hope to raise over 3,000 dollars for local charities.
The newly recolonized Fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi participated in Snowball, an annual event with Hillel that is best described as a gathering and social event for the elderly. They helped to set up, and spent the evening serving food and coffee, and even dancing with some of the women at the event. AEPi brothers worked closely with Hillel again when they hosted the Friday night services at their house on Seward. They also sponsored a very informative discussion about US relations with Iran at Golub House, led by Professor Berk from the History Department. Finally, we congratulate AEPi for getting a space on campus in Davidson North for next year.
The Brothers of Psi Upsilon have been involved in a mentoring program through Big Brothers Big Sisters in the Schenectady area. They meet with local children 5 times a term and do fun events like ice skating and other activities. Keeping with the theme of local improvement, Psi U has been working on a fundraiser for the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation and has participated in the Adopt-a-Highway Program.
When they aren’t sharing their excellent view of the football field, the brothers of Phi Delta Theta still offer good opportunities to the campus, including hosting a fun-filled snow football game during the two-foot snow dump. Also, Phi Delta Theta hosted Professor David Baum from the History Department for an evening discussion at the end of the term. Expanding into Schenectady, brothers had a great time volunteering at a local retirement home, where they spent an evening playing games and serving food and drinks.