Phi Kappa Psi - Pennsylvania Epsilon

Weiser and Miller Halls were the scene of a wonderful reunion weekend for Gettysburg Phi Psi’s on Saturday May 30th, 2009.   The day started with an open house at Weiser Hall around noon and there were many happy reunions of Phi Psi’s who had not seen each other for quite a few years, especially among the class of 1989.

There were the usual refreshments at Weiser Hall and alums from the class of 1989 were quick to break out the beer pong table and show two undergrads how beer pong is really played with two paddles, a net and one cup per player.   (Apparently modern beer pong is played without paddles or net and an absurd number of cups on the table.)  Alumni Brothers Czuba and Siefert  were spotted playing pool on the new pool table graciously donated in May by Alumni Brother Charlie “Chuck” Fox (1970).  

There was a traditional Miller Hall meeting at 3:00 pm led by Alumni Brother Dee Wahlers (1959) who presided as GP.   Brother Wahlers was GP in his undergraduate days and had not sat in the GP’s chair since he graduated.  He did a wonderful job of leading the meeting which included hearing an Alumni Corporation update on the State of the Fraternity and discussion about improving the heating system in Miller Hall.   The alumni in attendance were extremely pleased to hear that the fraternity was in good standing with the college and to note that Weiser Hall was being well maintained.   Many alums from the 1950’s recognized there was great improvement from a few years ago when they last visited and expressed renewed interest in supporting the work of the Alumni Corporation.   The Miller Hall meeting ended with a very hearty round of the Hi Hi’s on the doorstep of Miller Hall.

Alumni then gathered back at Weiser Hall for further refreshments and snacks and enjoyed each other’s company, reminiscing about when they were undergrads .    Alumni in attendance included the following:

1953: Ned Brownley
1954: Bob Etter, John Martin, Paul “Pete” Henning
1955: Ed Penry
1959: Dee Wahlers
1964: Robert Emrich
1977: Dave “Chet” Czuba
1978: Steve Sheaffer
1982: Gregg Siefert
1983: Doug Brouder
1984: Dave Crandall
1989: Pete Morse, Doug “Fresh” Nicholas, Tim Mikuta, Marc Buckley, Dan Polizzotti, John Finegan
1990: Peter Wahlers
2002: John Pontius

The brothers of Phi Kappa Psi take a brief break as they enjoy Spring 2009 and a wide range of activities.    Among the many activities in April 2009 were King of Wings (details below), Midget Boxing, and Springfest 09.   They are planning to finish the semester with a bang by hosting a Formal in May.   Extensive plans for Fall Rush are already under way and needless to say the brothers are looking forward to summer break.

King of Wings - April 18, 2009

The men of the Pennsylvania Epsilon Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi continued to uphold a tradition of philanthropic excellence by celebrating their third annual King of the Wings event on Saturday, April 18th, 2009.  Held on the lawn of Weiser Hall, Penn Epsilon’s chapter house, the wing eating contest brought both Greeks and non-Greeks together in an effort to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis awareness.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack the central nervous system.  The disease most commonly appears in young adults, and females are typically more susceptible than males.  Researchers have discovered many of the inner workings of the disease, but the cause remains unknown.  Currently, there is no cure.

In the spirit of the strong bond of brotherhood we all share, the men of Pennsylvania Epsilon have always tried to aid organizations that deal with issues that personally affect our brothers.  Several of the current brothers have relatives who suffer from MS and understand what a trying experience it can be.  When it became known that the community of Gettysburg was holding its “Walk for MS” event the day after King of the Wings, the choice seemed to have been made for them.

Not content to just deliver an impersonal check to a charity, the men of Pennsylvania Epsilon also participated in the “Walk for MS”.  Joining other students and many members of the community, the brothers walked in an effort to burn off the wings, support MS survivors and raise money to continue research for a cure.

Taking place on one of the first perfect days of spring, the King of the Wings event involved students participating in a two round wing eating contest.  Contestants were given one three-minute round and one two-minute round to eat as many wings as possible from a pre-weighed plate.  The plates were weighed again after each round and contestants were eliminated based on the difference between the starting and final weights.  The winning participant was awarded a gift certificate and was crowned “King of the Wings.”

One of the most successful philanthropies that the men have had in years, King of the Wings 2009 was also one of the most enjoyable thanks to the perfect weather, large campus participation, alumni involvement and support and the amazing dedication of our brothers.

Pictures of the event can be found at

http://www.pbase.com/dds/20090221_lt_doane

 Below is the plaque that was placed outside Miller Hall in Honor of 1st Lt. Doane

Weiser Hall Lights Up for the Holidays

The undergraduate brothers of Phi Kappa Psi and the Alumni Corporation wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  We look forward to an outstanding year in 2009.   Here's a quick update as we close out the year:

New Officers Elected

The undergrads convened recently to elect new officers.  A fine slate of young men were elected for 2009.   They are:

GP    Alex “Dale” Stockdale,

VGP  Tommy Hilperts

P      Andrew Holstein
AG    JD Mazzocco
BG    Mike Shoolbraid
Hod   Matt Manzi
Hi      Sam Frey

Thank you to the 2008 Officers for a job well done and for leading the brotherhood this past year.    Congratulations to retiring GP Jay Hagerman who is also graduating in December 2008 (one semester early). 

New Pledges Greet Alumni at Homecoming 

In late August the undergrads returned to campus and quickly jumped into the demands of rush and planning for homecoming.   Five outstanding young men pledged Phi Kappa Psi in mid September.  While these numbers were smaller than hoped for, it was clear that significant effort was put into rush by the undergrads.   There are plans to court additional pledges in the Spring and there will be a lot of planning for next year to assure a larger pledge class. 

The new pledges worked hard to prepare the house for the weekend and they eagerly greeted those alumni who visited on homecoming weekend which took place on September 20th  - 21st.  

On Saturday Weiser Hall was open all day to returning alumni and highlights of the day included beautiful weather, munching on a six foot sub before the Bullet football game, a Miller Hall meeting with the undergrads followed by refreshments back at Weiser Hall.   Alumni in attendance numbered 10 – 15 and were predominantly from the most recent graduating classes; however, there were unconfirmed sightings on campus of Alumni Brothers John Kendig and Geoff McDermott (both 1980) .   

Brothers,

The undergraduates are back to school and it has been a busy summer for the Alumni Corporation.    Here’s a quick highlight of what has been going on:

• In June, the Pennsylvania Epsilon Alumni Corporation kicked off a brand new scholarship program using the Chapter Scholarship Fund maintained by National.     This is a Pennsylvania Epsilon fund for just our chapter that is managed by National.     Further details about this fund can be found under the scholarship section of this website and will be highlighted in future communication to the Alumni.  We were pleased to issue three scholarship awards to our undergraduates for their performance over the Spring 2008 semester.    The winners were: 

•      Jay Hagerman, GP, earned a $1500 Chapter Leadership Award for his strong leadership as GP and on campus coupled with a cumulative GPA of 3.67
•      Adam Ortiz, AG, earned a $1000 Chapter Commitment Award for his commitment to Phi Kappa Psi as AG and his cumulative GPA of 3.75   
•     Andrew Holstein, House Manager, earned a $500 Award as the sophomore with the most improved GPA while demonstrating commitment to the chapter as House Manager

These awards were paid directly to the student’s account at the college and are intended to defray the cost of tuition.  

• In July a new website was launched.  We are at the same address:  www.pennsylvaniaepsilon.com, but with a whole new look.   Further details about the new website will follow in the next issue of The Torch, but check out the new website and register as an Alumni.    

• Over the summer, the TV set in Weiser Hall was stolen, most likely by a contractor during some routine maintenance of Weiser Hall performed on behalf of the College.    We are pleased to report that after a brief dialog between the College and the Alumni Corporation, the College committed to purchasing a new TV set.   During discussions about this matter the College recognized that our undergraduates were well respected on campus and that because Weiser Hall has not been damaged by our undergraduates (damage is not an uncommon occurrence at other houses) it was clear that Phi Psi’s respected the facility and the college recognized that immediate replacement of the TV set was the right thing to do.   Our hats are off to the College on doing the right thing and to our undergraduates for earning the respect of the College!

• The undergraduates have been busy planning for Rush which is in early September and Homecoming Weekend which is September 20 -21.    You should be receiving a separate email with all the details about Homecoming and you can also check the website for further information.   We hope to see you at Homecoming Weekend!

We would welcome additional members to the Alumni Corporation Board to help us carry on the activities of the Alumni Corporation.    Please consider volunteering a few hours of time each month.  

Fraternally,

Nick Modha, 2001, President
Harry Wiggins, 1970, Treasurer
Tony Elar, 1975, Secretary
Doug Brouder, 1983, Chapter Advisor
Gregg Siefert, 1982, Board Member