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Alumni and actives gathered at the 62nd annual Norris Pig Dinner at The Texas Tech Club on March 7, 2015. The Pig Dinner is the longest-running chapter-based annual graduate event in the Greek world. Everyone in attendance couldn't stop talking about this year's event, staged by Michael Uryasz '12.
Glenn Moor '84 delivered the main address. Brother Moor is currently serving as the Archon Treasurer after completing one term as an Archon Councilor. He is the second Lambda Tau brother to serve as an Archon, and it is the hope of all his brothers that he will become Archon President in the future.
Barry Orr '78 and Ryan Bigbee '02 reported on the status of the chapter. Their report focused on the university's response to incidents which occurred during Spring Break 2014. After delivery of the report, the chapter presented the following undergraduate awards:
Shane Collier - Purple Heart Award Ryan Doyle - Donnie Baker Intramural Award Corey Fogle - George Nelson Purple Heart Award Charlie Mitchell - Terry Grantham Brotherhood Award Chris Mitchell - Alton Griffin Community Service Award Stewart Park - Marlis Smith University Service Award
Lambda Tau Alumni Travel to Lubbock for 62nd Norris Pig Dinner
Alumni gather for great food and fellowship at the 62nd annual Norris Pig Dinner.
On September 1, 1954, eleven brothers met at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles to petition the 106th Ekklesia for a charter. By unanimous vote, Phi Gamma Delta created the Lambda Tau Chapter.
(L to R): J. Morris Womack, Jr. '58, Charles Edwin (Big Ed) Wilkes '55, Billy Jack (B.J.) Fraley '55, Eldon Lawrence Smith, Jr. '56, Joe Floyd Lynch '55, Jerry W. Slats Jackson
'55, Charles M. Currie '55, Guy Robert (Bob) Beckham '56 and Benny Joe Bedford '57 (Not Pictured Charles A. Holmquest '55 and James Bradford Wilde '55)
techfijigrads.com Fall • 2015
The newsletter for alumni and friends of Lambda Tau Chapter • Fall 2015
Brother Bigbee received the Tom Parks Outstanding Graduate Award for his service as Chairman of the Board of Chapter Advisors (BCA) and then as Purple Legionnaire. Bigbee took over the position of Purple Legionnaire when Brad Rieger '06 left Lubbock to move to the Dallas area. Also recognized was Brother Orr, who took over from Brother Bigbee as Chairman of the Board of Chapter Advisors. The leadership of Bigbee and Orr, other graduates serving on the BCA and the strong leaders elected to the new cabinet give rise to a positive outlook and productive future for Lambda Tau.
techfijigrads.com Fall • 2015
2015-2016 Cabinet Officers
President Charlie Mitchell
TreasurerAndrew Heitkamp
Corresponding SecretaryChris Mitchell
Communication support and assistance provided by:
OmegaFi • 800.276.6342omegafi.com
Chapter Scholarship Remains High
Outstanding Cabinet Elected to Lead the Chapter in 2015-2016
The Fijis continued to make high marks in the classroom in the fall of 2014. The 88-man chapter made a 2.95 GPA, ranking third among the 20 IFC fraternities on campus. Sigma Phi Epsilon (3.05) and Farmhouse Fraternity (3.01) placed just ahead of the Fijis. Lambda Tau's GPA exceeded the All-Men's average of 2.64, the All-Greek Male average of 2.71 and the Tech Undergraduate (male and female) average of 2.80.
At the Joe Ray Goodin Scholarship Banquet, held each semester to honor brothers for outstanding grades, the chapter recognized 44 brothers for making a 3.0 GPA or better and awarded scholarship checks from the Jerry S. Rawls Scholarship Foundation. Those recipients not only had to make a 3.0 or better on a minimum of 12 hours, but also had to perform a minimum of 15 hours of community service, not have over three unexcused absences from chapter meetings and otherwise be in good standing with the chapter and university.
In addition, the chapter presented trophies to several brothers recognizing them for their outstanding effort in various scholastic areas. Those trophies include the Jerry Rawls Trophy (Highest Active GPA); Jack Henry Improvement Trophy (Most Improved Grades); Kary Mathis Trophy (Highest Pledge Grades); and the Paddle Tramps Manufacturing Scholarship ($250 presented each semester by Ken Abraham '63 and his wife, Renee). The chapter gives the Glenn Moor Trophy each fall to the brother having the highest cumulative average at the end of the previous spring semester.
The 2015 spring semester saw the Fijis rise to first place among 22 IFC fraternities in scholarship with a 2.96 GPA. Almost 60% of the chapter made a 3.0 GPA or better. At the scholarship banquet held on August 25, the Jerry S. Rawls Scholarship Foundation awarded 42 brothers cash scholarships.
Brother Charlie Mitchell, Chapter President, received the Jerry Rawls Trophy and the Glenn Moor Trophy for the highest active GPA (4.0) and the highest cumulative average GPA (also a 4.0). Wesley Cole Cumbie received the Jack Henry Improvement Trophy and Victor Lopez was given the Paddle Tramps Manufacturing Scholarship. Since the spring of 2001, the Rawls Foundation has awarded total cash scholarships in excess of $3 million to members of Lambda Tau.
The chapter ended the 2015 spring semester with the election of an outstanding cabinet. All five brothers carry outstanding cumulative grade point averages. Charlie Mitchell (President) and his brother Chris Mitchell (Corresponding Secretary) carry a perfect 4.0 and 3.95 GPA respectively. Both Andrew Heitkamp (Treasurer) and Cole Mozjesik (Recording Secretary) had a 3.55 GPA and Garrett Thompson (Historian) had a 3.24 GPA. Their first order of business was to assign various members to the Executive Committee, assuring strong leadership in every area of chapter operations.Scholarship Chair
Blake [email protected]
Public Relations Chair
Ryan [email protected]
Risk Management Chair
Kyle [email protected]
Recruitment ChairWilliam "Bill" [email protected]
Pledge StaffHarrison [email protected]
Social Service ChairStewart Park
Intramural ChairConnor Doyle
Campus Involvement Chair
Chris [email protected]
Recording SecretaryCole Mozjesik
HistorianGarrett Thompson
Financial BoardBailey Tawil
Graduate Relations Chair
Case [email protected]
Social ChairWilliam "Bill" [email protected]
Homecoming ChairParker McCollum
House ChairTrey Morgan
ChaplainBrooks Johnston
Brotherhood ChairVictor Lopez
Media and Communications Chair
Victor [email protected]
2015-2016 Executive Board
(L to R): Andrew Heitkamp, Chris Mitchell, Cole Mozjesik, Charlie Mitchell and Garrett Thompson
(L to R): Will Bryant, Carson Rice, Kendall Stacks, Chris Mitchell and Joseph Jarke proudly display their trophies.
ParliamentarianKyle Grubb
Service to the community and university remains an important part of fraternity life for Lambda Tau. Every Fiji is required to complete 20 hours of community service per semester. Since giving back to the community is valued in the chapter, brothers view this as less of a requirement and more of a chance to bond with fellow brothers. Chapter President Charlie Mitchell stated, "We would like the public to see Greek life in a better light. Sometimes the media tends only to focus on negative events that happen within the Greek community. Our strong presence at community service projects demonstrates we are here to help."
Fijis complete many service projects throughout the year, from canned food drives around the holidays to assisting in litter removal along highways and inside parks. One of the main projects undertaken in 2014-2015 was working at the South Plains Food Bank at the beginning of the fall semester. This event involved apple picking and sorting for the food bank. "It is great to be a part of an organization that places so much value on giving back to the community," said Mitchell. "This makes me truly proud to be a Fiji."
Despite being denied a pledge class by Texas Tech officials in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015, the chapter remains very strong, ending the 2015 spring semester with 79 active members. The events of the past year placed an emphasis on gaining a quality pledge class this fall, with a focus on "quality" rather than "quantity."
The undergraduates worked hard, had a great rush and took a strong pledge class of 59 outstanding men, 21 of whom classify as sophomores. As a result, the chapter ended up with both quality and quantity. The chapter paid close attention to grades which should lead to a continuation of scholastic leadership on the Tech Campus.
Fall saw some rather important changes in the way the chapter brings in pledges. The chapter shortened the pledge period and patterned it after the model promulgated by the
International Fraternity. There is a "no exception" rule concerning hazing of any sort and failure to report hazing. Hazing is a thing of the past, and any violations will result in immediate removal of membership.
The chapter is placing emphasis on development of friendships, excellent scholarship, knowledge of the fraternity and chapter history, performance of service to the community and university and adherence to the values of Phi Gamma Delta. The objective is to maintain and further develop the unquestioned best fraternity at Texas Tech.
As an alumnus, you can be an important part of the recruitment process by spotting and recommending the best possible candidates for membership. Please make recruitment recommendations to Recruitment Chair Bill Snyder at [email protected].
Lambda Tau enters the 2015 fall semester with excellent representation in campus activities. The Student Senate elected seven brothers, comprising 11% of the total senate membership, by far the largest contingent of any fraternity on campus. In addition, the Student Government Association elected Stetson Whetstone as External Vice-President. Three brothers are among the IFC leadership this fall. Austin Studebaker will serve as IFC Treasurer, Brooks Johnston as IFC Chairman of Risk Management and Corey Fogle as Student Service Fee Committee Chairman.
Community Service Remains a Priority for Tech Fijis
Chapter Experiences Successful Fall 2015 Rush - Changes in Pledge Program
Chapter Continues a Strong Presence on Campus
techfijigrads.com Fall • 2015
(Back Row, L to R): Stewart Park, Charlie Mitchell, Parker McCollum and Trey Morgan (Front Row, L to R): Chris Mitchell, Chris Sims and Cole Mozjesik
Brothers give back to the community by sorting apples at the South Plains Food Bank.
Board of Chapter Advisors
Committees
ChairmanBarry Orr '78
Purple LegionnaireRyan Bigbee '02
WebsiteGeorge Nelson '58
Faculty AdvisorBobby Gleason '[email protected]
IFC Faculty AdvisorMike Uryasz '12
ScholarshipKen Abraham '63George Nelson '58
Purple LegionnaireRyan Bigbee '02
Clayton Palmer '13Chris Scioli '02
FinanceHoward Bailey '81Bobby Gleason '72
Barry Orr '78
Judicial BoardJaret Greaser '98
Barry Orr '78Eric Thomas '89
Risk ManagementRyan Bigbee '02
Dan W. Hurley '75Barry Orr '78
Chapter Operations/ AdministrationRyan Bigbee '02
Barry Orr '78
HousingMonte Hasie '59Mike Uryasz '12
Graduate Relations/ Pig Dinner
David Henry '97Mike Uryasz '12
Help us keep our alumni records up-to-date! Edit your member profile online at techfijigrads.com, or clip this form, place it in a stamped envelope and send to: Phi Gamma DeltaTexas Tech University (728)
PO Box 2187Columbus, GA 31902.
Name
Graduation Year
Address
City/State/Zip
Phone
Phi Gamma DeltaTexas Tech University (728)
PO Box 2187Columbus, GA 31902-2187
Address Service Requested
PRESORTEDFIRST CLASS MAILUS POSTAGE PAIDGREENVILLE SC
PERMIT #113
techfijigrads.com Fall • 2015
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Lambda Tau alumni gathered on April 24-25, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas for a mini reunion hosted by Brother Don Pope '61. Charter members of Lambda Tau Chapter attended as well as other members of several pledge classes from the fifties. They spent a couple of days renewing friendships and sharing memories of their undergraduate days together. "It is great to see that, even after all these years, Fiji brothers can easily pick up right where they left off," said Pope. They all agreed there is nothing quite as heart-warming as Fiji friendships.
Not For College Days Alone
Charter members of Lambda Tau Chapter as well as alumni from the 1950s reunite in Fort Worth, Texas on April 24-25, 2015.
