THE ARCHERTheta Xi Fraternity

Spring 2012 Edition

ALPHA IOTA

What’s

Inside:Summer Plans

Two Brothers have big summer plans // Page 5

Soccer CoachingNine house members coached youth soccer this semester for Manhattan Parks and rec // Page 4

Big BrotherBrother Colboch has donated his by signing up to be a big brother for the big brother big sister program. // Page 4

President’s ReportBrothers,

Let me be the first to say, this year has been above and beyond all of my ex-

pectations and I can only thank all of the guys here at 1803 for their hard work and their ac-complishments. The very beginning of the se-

mester, my vice-president and I pushed for more campus and community involvement. That involvement is grown

considerably over the past semester and our

house is re-growing that “work hard, play hard” mentality that keeps us as one of the top fraternities at Kansas State.

Academically, we placed third last

semester with a 3.28 grade point av-

erage, being narrowly beaten by Farmhouse

and Acacia. This semes-ter, we are looking to beat our goal of a 3.4 house GPA, as all of our grade checks have been above that goal. I’m convinced that our GPA and involvement corre-lates because it teaches us how to budget our time better so we can still do well in all we

are involved in. This year’s 6294 Formal was held on April

28th, 2012, in Manhattan, KS at the Holiday Inn just off campus. I want to thank every alumnus that I met at formal. We had a great turnout this year with over 20 alumni make the trip back to Manhattan, and I hope all of them had as enjoyable time as I did. I really enjoyed all the stories shared and I hope to reconnect with all those I met in the future as well as see more alumni at the golf tourna-ment coming up in August.

Thanks to our a awesome rush chairmen, Derek Feist and Stanton Weber, we have only one more spot to fill after finals week out of 17 spots to fill total. Our future associate class is filled with legacies and good friends from all over the state and some from out of state. Some of the focuses in studies have changed over that past few years. I feel like we had a large number of engineering students when I first moved in three years ago, but now we have developed to a well rounded house with guys in pre-med, pre-physical therapy, pre-pharmacy, pre-law, political science, food science, economics, business, engineering, dietetics, kinesiology, education, construction science, geography, psychology. Although our studies have grown more diverse, we’re still here to get the best education possible and help each other succeed.

I’d also like to give recognition to all of our seniors that lived in their last year: Cody Best, Bobby Daniels, Cody Dodd, Daniel Mulder, Tegan Nusser, Nick Reed, Trent Yakle, and Blaine Warden. Their leadership has been

unparalleled by any other senior class and they are definitely a group of guys we will miss. Most of them will be around next year as fifth year students and we hope to see them around as much as possible. This next year marks yet another year with upcoming changes. Not only will we have new associated faces, but also our food service will completely switch, this time to a catering company.

The chapter voted to invite Chartwells, the food service provider for the K-State Student Union, to offer catered meals five times per week from Sunday dinner through Thursday dinner. We will still have our current meal plan of eating at the Union, with some slight modi-fications. However, dinner will now include a salad bar, a choice of two entrees, a choice of two vegetables, a starch, and desert every meal. We’re excited to be offered a much more varied menu as well as high quality food. Over the summer, we’re also hoping to renovate the guest bathroom and the Alpha room bathroom and make them new like all the others.

Overall, I’d say we’ve had a great semester. As finals are concluding, guys are starting to pack their belongings and say goodbye for now, but after three short months of summer I’m sure we’ll be back for another awesome year of great memories, academic success, and growth of new and existing friendships. I hope everyone has a great summer, and I can’t wait to come back to the place we all call HOME.

YITBJacob MuellerAI 937

House Mom’s ReportThe K-State 2012 Spring Semester is rushing to its conclu-

sion. What an exemplary year it has been! This has been my first year as House Mom and I am feeling less like a rookie now. Plus, I have to say, I love these guys and I love this job! I have found that I have learned so much. Ask the guys, I always say, “Study Hard; Learn Lots.” Truly the most impressive les-son I have learned is the strength of the Men’s character. From studying those additional hours and raising the House GPA, to trying their hands at new intramural sports, these guys are ready to go the extra mile and excel for the good of the House.

I believe a valuable lesson in life is to “Put Others First.” The Men of Alpha Iota are willing to help one another and they are more than willing to give back to our community. I am so proud of these guys! They have worked and shared many hours volun-teering as Manhattan Recreation Commission youth coaches, as Big Brothers, as Habitat for Humanity volunteers. Theta XI Alpha Iota Men are represented on many campus organizations.

They know how to solve problems and get work done.As K-State finishes up Spring, 2012, thank you, Men of Theta

Xi, for a whole lot of things! Thanks for your seriousness, your sense of humor, your grades, your community service, your demanding work schedules, your strength of character and your commitment to Theta XI.

Love, Mom Rose

2 // Spring 2012 // The Archer

IntramuralsBrothers,

As the Intramurals end this spring, our Theta Xi Fraternity finishes strong along with a bright future. At the start of the semester Theta Xi was in 6th place out of 24 in the intramural standings.

Some of the biggest moments this se-mester came from the main sports. The all-out hustling basketball team made it to the final four in the Fraternity bracket while the swift hitting softball team earned their way to the quarterfinals. It was great to see our main sport teams achieve such high goals this year because it takes so many members of our house to make it all hap-pen.

Peeking into a couple tremendous per-formances during the basketball season we would find the triple overtime win against Farmhouse and the first round playoff win against ATO. For the softball team a big win over Sigma Nu during the season and the first round playoff win against DU highlight their season.

There is no forgetting the individual and duo sports. Highlighting some our great success would be our champion in wrist wrestling with Derek Feist and our free throw champion team of Drew Kersh-ner, Austin Davis, Devin Feist, and Gabriel Noll.

We also had a fantastic final four in the horseshoe bracket with two teams ran by the great handiwork of Brenton Wright and Austin Davis along with the long toss-ers of Chris Davis and Alex Burnett.

Theta Xi men have experienced solid results in all the intramural sports they have participated in this semester. Now, it is clear to see that with a little experience and confidence under our belts, we can improve and take our athletic abilities to the next level in the upcoming semester.

The 5-2 basketball team will be return-ing their whole line-up, while the 5-2 softball team will be losing a couple players but should still be holding strong with the main core coming back.

YITB,Gabriel NollA.I. 963

Brothers,We are ending this semester on a very

high note! Each committee has been able to make all the expenses they wanted to while staying under their budget. Our balance at this semester will be well over what our executive board had originally planned it to be; the house has saved a substantial amount of money this semes-ter, even though the house lacked some income, after three brothers moved out at semester. With the increased funds, the house will be set for future projects and for the busy fall of 2012.

This semester we were not able to car-ry on with refurnishing the dining room tables, rewiring the electrical system of the house, or replacing windows for the house. However, the house now has the funds to see those projects through if our executive board decides to continue to pursue them.

This semester, we ordered new chairs for the conference room, purchased a new A/C unit for the house, and will be planning on installing a mop sink in the kitchen. Other possible future expendi-tures include a new dishwasher for the kitchen as well as a new drink dispenser. To end the year, our chapter decided to make a contract with Chartwells from the Union to cater for us for next year. By making this contract with Chartwells, our Chapter approved of a $200 increase to house bills for next year to cover the added costs. We all feel this was a wise decision as food is becoming more expen-sive every year and we will all be able to enjoy outstanding meals with this new service!

YITB,Derek SurdezA.I. 961

Brothers,I had the distinct

pleasure to serve as the Philanthropy Chair this semester for Alpha Iota. However, I certainly did not do it all on my, or even come close. Brother Chris Davis, AI 969, served as a co-Chair alongside me, and we were aided by Brother Adam Huff, AI 939, who served as Philan-thropy Chair last year and our mentor this year.

This spring, we decided to create a new spring philanthropy, one that would hopefully grow and become as successful as any other on campus here at Kansas State. Brothers Huff and Davis and myself got together, and after a lengthy brainstorming

session in which many light bulbs were lit above our heads. We decided to start a March Madness Tournament Bracket pool across campus.

In our first year of our March Madness Brackets, we raised over $600 for the Multiple Sclerosis So-ciety. We know that in the upcoming years, as word spreads about this phi-lanthropy, the amount of money we raise will con-tinue to increase. It was a stupendous opportunity to work with my brothers to start something that we hope will continue to be a part of our house for years to come.

We were very for-tunate to have a fellow Alpha Iota looking out

for us, Brother Jeff Levin, AI 463, the co-owner of Varney’s Bookstore, who generously donated mer-chandise off the shelves and coupons for his carwash for us to package up and give to the winner of the bracket competition along with some other donations from Manhat-tan businesses.

It is always a good feeling to help out our community, and we look forward to enhancing our philanthropic ties to both the MS Society, as our national philanthropy, and our community here in Manhattan.

YITB,Spencer Low AI 959

Philanthropy

Finances

Committee ReportsSpring

The Archer // Spring 2012 // 3

On April 1st the Alpha Iota lodge helped Habitat for Human-

ity put on an Adult Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter egg hunt was a fundraiser for the Manhattan area Habitat for Humanity.

Gordon Harton, head of service committee, was responsible for orga-nizing this event. “We helped Habitat for Humanity with this project, because it was Theta Xi National Service Week, and it is always good to give back to the community” said Brother Harton.

“We sold tickets for the hunt and participants collected eggs, some filled with candy; some with coupons for prizes. With 19 members helping with the project, the house earned 37 hours of service for the day.

The guys in the house were respon-

sible for unloading prizes from a truck, setting up, distributing prizes, and cleaning up. We even had a couple of our own participate in the hunt. Jacob Mueller, Travis Snyder, and Gabriel Noll all participated in the hunt.

We were very fortunate to win a few large prizes including a crock pot, some candles, a free oil change, a $250 gift card to a local thrift shop, and lots of melted candy.

Brother Snyder explained “I love giving back to the community. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction and pride, and it helps spread the word about Theta Xi in the community.”

The house looks forward to staying actively involved in the community, thanks to efforts of the new service committee.

Easter Egg HuntWritten By: Gordon Harton | AI 968

Travis Snyder and Jacob Mueller get

ready to start the Easter egg hunt

Connor and his little brother Izaic open the door and walk into the Theta Xi fraternity house. They are headed to the dining

room to play some board games, and on the way are greeted by several Theta Xis wanting to play and hang out with them.

Connor, who is a junior in Theta Xi decided to be a big brother for the program over the summer. He knew that he wanted to give back to the Manhattan community, and while he was searching for ways to help he came across the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Immediately, he knew it was a perfect fit because he loves kids. He “knew that lots of kids don’t have a male figure to look up to, and wanted to help out a younger kid from the community”. He decided to apply and interview with the program, went through the process, and now is assured that he made a great decision.

Izaic (8 years old) and Connor were matched in September of 2011, and have been “brothers” now for around seven months. They hang out once a week, and enjoy doing everything from playing board games and hanging out at Theta Xi to playing sports like racquetball, basketball and tennis at the Rec. They also love getting ice cream, playing at the park, insect hunting, and going ice-skating. Connor remembered the first time they went ice skating, “it was fun to try and teach him how to skate, and be there for his first time on skates, but it was my first time on skates too so I was stumbling around. It was funny to see us together, we were falling all over the place.”

When asked what the best part about being a big brother to Izaic was, Connor thoughtfully responded, “a lot of bad things in the world are happening, and kids get mixed up and lost in these bad things. I think it’s cool to be a positive light for a young kid to help them develop into something, to show them attention and see how happy they get to see that someone truly cares about them, (not that Izaic’s family doesn’t). I just hope to give him the extra motivation to push him to be the man that he can be. And meanwhile, from hanging out with Izaic,

I have learned to be more of a kid again and appreciate the little things that he is so entertained with.”

When Connor first brought Izaic to Theta Xi, he wasn’t sure how the rest of the boys in the house would respond to having a little kid walking around, but Connor says that they have done amazing with him! The men of Theta Xi always wrestle and play with Izaic, give him attention, and most importantly watch him break-dance. Connor says that they have been so welcoming to the program, excited about Con-nor’s decision to become a big brother, and have been there to support Connor and help entertain Izaic.

After being matched with Izaic, Connor now realizes “how impor-tant it is to help a child in that developing stage, to show them that you can have fun while making school a priority, and being a responsible citizen. Seeing how much a kid appreciates your impact in their life is reward enough for those who may want to get involved with the program, because kids love hanging out and having a person to look up to. College-aged guys [and girls] should definitely get involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program because they will know that they are helping a young child develop.”

Serving the CommunityBig Brother, Little BrotherWritten By: Meg Swagerty

Brother Colboch and Izaic

4 // Spring 2012 // The Archer

Youth CoachingMany brothers represented the house as youth soccer coaches for Manhattan Parks and rec.

Written By: Gordon Harton | AI 968

This spring we had 9 brothers in the house volunteer to coach youth soccer for Manhattan Parks and Rec. Those nine broth-

ers included sophomore Derek Feist, freshman Devin Feist, sophomore Joel Morgan, senior Trent Yakle, sophomore Jameson Nyp, freshman Matt Brill, freshman Jonathan Pyle, freshman Gordon Harton, and sophomore Alex Burnett.

The Feist brothers teamed up together and coached 1st and 2nd graders. Brother Morgan and Brother Yakle teamed up to coach a 5th

and 6th grade team, and were placed in the same division as Brother Nyp and Brother Brill. Brother Pyle and Brother Harton teamed up to coach a 3rd and 4th grade team. Brother Burnett teamed up with his girlfriend to coach a 3rd and 4th grade girls’ team.

Coaching was nothing new to the Feist brothers. Earlier in the semester, both of them coached a youth basketball team with Brother Spencer Low. They did fairly well, winning 2 more games than Derek Feist and Low did the previous year.

Some of the teams were very successful during the season, while others were not. Brill and Nyp’s team ended up winning their division, as well as Burnett and his girlfriend’s team. On the other hand Harton and Pyle, had a difficult season, as they were unable to score a goal all 7 games.

Devin Feist said “Coaching 1st and 2nd graders was a challenge, but was very exciting. We struggled to keep the kids attention, which just happens at that age, but it made me feel like a little kid again.”

Pyle and Harton also had multiple obstacles. Their challenges came more from the boys’ lack of experience playing and the parents’ nega-tivity. Pyle said “I learned a lot about perseverance and leadership, and how to properly manage people who are unsatisfied.”

All the coaches enjoyed the season and learned a lot. All together the coaches earned 360 service hours. Almost everyone plans on doing it again in the fall.

Theta Xi has been showing off its smarts in the form of re-search. This semester we have had three brothers spending

countless hours in the lab performing studies and experiments.One of those brothers is Bobby Daniels, AI 931. Brother Dan-

iels has been very involved with a team that is designing and test-ing a new drug for Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a life-limiting gene disorder characterized by chronic lung infections and mucous buildup in the lung tissue. He has been working on the project for the past six months now, and has come very close to a break through. He is excited to continue his research over the summer, and hopefully have some groundbreaking results.

Also on cutting edge of research is Aaron Smith, AI 935. Smith has been conducting behavioral neuroscience research in the psychology department. His main focus is on decision making. Over the semester he has piloted a new behavioral therapy for impulsive disorders such as ADHD, pathological gambling, and substance abuse. He has learned a lot this semester and hopes his research will be beneficial to those in need.

The third brother is Gordon Harton, AI 968. Harton has been working with 3 other students on a food development team. They have developed a carbonated drinkable yogurt for a competition and are awaiting the results. They are one of six teams left in the competition from the United States and Canada. As this is Har-ton’s first product development competition, he hopes his team can finish in the top three, and be awarded scholarship money and a chance to explain his product to producers.

Brother Chance Berndt, AI 974, and Brother Dan Mulder, AI 922, will not be experiencing another boring summer at home this year.

Both are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to travel abroad. Brother Berndt was given the opportunity to travel to Kenya with four

other students in the Leadership Department. He will be in Kenya for 10 weeks, all of summer break but three weeks. His main goal while in Kenya is to help with The Children and Youth Empowerment Center (CYEC). CYEC is an organization that gives orphan kids a place to stay, food to eat, and teaches them vital life lessons.

Berndt has taken a three credit hour class all semester and has met with his team about 8 hours a week to prepare for his trip. He has been working very hard to learn Swahili, the native language in Kenya, and has been preparing himself for many other culture differences. He hopes this is just the start of many international trips to come.

Brother Mulder will be traveling to India with a group of 10 other K-State students. His team will be there for seven weeks. Their goal while in India is to meet Hindu college students, and to learn about their tradi-tions, family, food, education, and faith.

Mulder and his team will hold workshops and individual meetings with some of the college students to get to know each other better during the seven week period. These workshops will consist of learning about their way of life and comparing it to our culture in America. After living in the states so long “Sometimes I think I get so caught up in my little ‘bubble’ here” that I don’t realize how good we have it” said Brother Mulder. He hopes to grow a “bigger heart” and broaden his worldview this trip.

We wish both of them the best of luck on their adventures, and will being thinking of their health and safety as they represent Theta Xi across the world.

Theta Xi’s ResearchWritten By: Gordon Harton | AI 968

Summer PlansWritten By: Gordon Harton | AI 968

The Archer // Spring 2012 // 5

Recruitment for the fall of 2012 is com-ing to a close with 16 of the 17 spots

in the house filled. The men of Theta Xi are excited to welcome new members Jack Dunn (Rockhurst), Tyler Wright (Marysville), Neal Adams (Council Grove), Chandler Nyp (Stock-ton), Chris Leonard (Olathe East), Jordan Thomas (Maur Hill), Jacob Yingst (Holton), Phillip Loughman (St. Thomas Aquinas), Matt Micmillen (Ness City), Kevin Klein (St. James), Anthony Delcorral (Ulysses), Will Schneider, Corbin Phrang (Jackson Heights), Blake Evans (Shawnee Mission Northwest), Derek Nold (Wathena), and Logan Fortney (St. James).

It is very apparent that these men will bring strong academics and great leadership to Theta Xi. We are confident that they will bring diversity and success to our beloved fraternity in the years to come.

The recruitment process was an all house effort; we have many thanks to give to broth-

ers who took time out of their busy schedules to help make this year a success. It was full of phone calls, dinners, and house visits.

During spring break, we went on a total of eleven dinner visits in only 7 days. Our signees span across the state of Kansas and as far away as Chicago, Illinois.

The recruitment chairs, Stanton Weber, freshman, and Derek Feist, sophomore, have already learned a lot this spring. The speaking and people skills have already had an impact on their future since both men were compli-mented multiple times on their interview skills late in the semester by different school-year and internship opportunities.

Recruitment this year has been a lot of fun for these two, they have enjoyed car rides visiting new members and have enjoyed their time working together. They have encour-aged other young men to take this awesome opportunity to improve their speaking skills, give back to the house, and just have fun.

Nine months ago, I walked into this house anxious to learn what the college life was all about. After rushing, I knew I liked Theta Xi, but wasn’t for sure what being in a fraternity was like.

After living here for nine months, I can honestly say, Theta Xi is the best fraternity on campus.

We are an academically based house, but are also known for many other things. When we tell visitors that we are an academically based house, they are surprised how well we balance our time between grades, social events, and com-munity involvement. This past semester, the house made a big movement towards more community and campus involve-ment.

Being a great house isn’t just about how good you look on paper. I’ve learned that this house has something special. It has something that many houses don’t have, and that is brotherhood. When you need someone to lean on, you can always count on your brothers at Theta Xi.

For example, one night I wasn’t feeling very well, and started to feel re-ally dizzy. Brother Mueller and Brother Burnett told me to lay down on the couch in their room so they could keep an eye on me. I ended up laying there past midnight, and they both were very concerned for me. They offered to take me to the hospital and asked if I needed anything. They were not worried about getting their work done or who was at the house, they were concerned about my safety.

Along with being able to lean on one another, we all act like a family, as one unit. Learning about other houses, I can tell that what we have is special. Not ev-ery house interacts as a whole, like we do. Many of the other houses create “cliques” within the house. Since, we don’t have cliques in the house, I feel comfortable enough to talk to anyone in the house about almost anything.

We have had an excellent year between the academic success, social events, community involvement, and great brotherhood connections. Theta Xi, continues to prove why it is the best house on campus.

YITBGordon HartonA.I. 968

Letter from the Editor

6294

Rush Report

April 29, 2012 marked the 148th birthday for the Theta Xi fraternity. It

also marked the 80th year since the Alpha Iota lodge was founded at Kansas State University. On Saturday, April 28th, the house celebrated the annual 6294 Formal in Manhattan, Kansas.

If you were unable to make it, you missed out on a great time. We had 20 or more alumni present at formal. There was even a good turn out for alumni with role numbers in the 300 and 400 century marks.

We were pleased to include Dennis Marstall, our National President, A.I. 587 as one of our guests. Marstall spoke about the history of the house and how honored he was to have such a great turn out at formal.

Our current President, Jacob Mueller, gave his annual report to the fraternity. He mentioned all the great involvement in which the house has been involved, and how well the house is succeeding academically.

We honored the annual winners of the Outstanding Senior award and the Unicorn Service award. Cody Dodd received the honor for outstanding senior and Cody Best received the Unicorn Service award. On top of that we announced our new sweetheart, Adrienne Pauls.

After the awards and speeches were given we enjoyed a memorable slide show of the house put together by brother Dodd, leaving plenty of time to dance the night away.

If you were unable to make it this year, we would love for you to try and join us next year. We are currently looking at new locations other than Kansas City and Manhattan. If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact us.

YITBGordon HartonAI 968

Written By: Derek Feist | AI 957, Stanton Weber | AI 977

Formal

6 // Spring 2012 // The Archer

First off, I want to thank you all for everything you’ve done for Theta Xi. Without you, this house would not exist.

I have created a new e-mail for the house that will be passed down to the next secretary year after year. If you ever have any questions, comments, kids for rush, or ideas, please feel free to e-mail us at ksuthetaxi@gmail.com.

I have also updated the alumni database, and am still in the process of doing so. If you did not get to see the alumni database and would like to, or would like to update your information don’t hesitate to e-mail us.

Having up to date contact information will be beneficial for every-one. With your current information you will continue to receive formal invites, the biannual newsletter, and other invitations to such events as the alumni golf tournament.

When: August 11th, tee times start at 11 amWhere: Manhattan, KSHow much: $36.50 per person, includes cartDue: Must have money in by August 1st, mailed to 1803 Laramie St. and send an e-mail to jmule@ksu.edu or agb@ksu.edu to confirm RSVPWhat to Send: Mail your money, name, AI, phone number, and pre-ferred group to be with, max of four per groupExtra: We will e-mail you August 4th with your group and tee time

YITBGordon HartonAI 968

Attention Alumni!

The Archer // Spring 2012 // 7

Year in Review

Alumni Golf Tournament

This semester we have 4 outstanding seniors graduating. All have brought a lot to the

house and helped in grow in their own way. We wish them the best of luck as they move forward to the next chapter of their life. The four seniors include:

Shawn George -- AI 897Greg Thiessen -- AI 909Ben Woner -- AI 916Mike McIntire -- AI 918

I’m sure they will go own and represent them-selves and Theta Xi well.

CongratulationsLast semester Theta Xi finished with a 3.25 GPA,

this placed us third in grades among other fraternities. Theta Xi had the second highest new member GPA for all fraternities, with a 3.42. Eleven brothers achieved a 4.00 GPA, and we had thirty-eight brothers finish above all Greek GPA.

This semesters grade checks have been far above the usual GPA with the last one being a 3.415 going into finals week.

We hope we finish the semester close to this last grade. Last semester a 3.74 would have finished first in fraternities, and we, as a house, would like to bring the honors of first in grades back to Theta Xi.

GPA ReportWritten By: Graham Redelsheimer | AI 972

8 // Spring 2012 // The Archer