In what might be considered thegolden age of modern Pi Kapp Phihistory, the Omega chapter has beenrecognized as the top fraternity inits league nationally.

At the July 25 Pi Kapp Collegechapter awards ceremony inCharleston, SC, the Purdue chapterwas rewarded a Founders Award –the Kroeg – the highest fraternityhonor for a chapter.

In his comments revealing thewinner, Mark Timmes, nationalCEO, lauded the chapter.

“This chapter’s devotion to a col-lective excellence garnered it theChapter of the Year Award on itscampus,” Timmes said. “And, fortheir many successes, we arepleased to announce the Omega

chapter at Purdue University as our2009 Kroeg Award recipient.”

Omega was cited for its No. 2grade ranking out of 41 Purdue fra-ternities with a 3.05 average GPAfrom 98 men. Also noted was itsseven (of nine possible) differentchapter-related awards in variousPurdue IFC categories.Furthermore, in the last two acade-mic years, the chapter received indi-vidual awards for Purdue GreekMan of the Year (Steve Holsclaw),Greek Scholar of the Year (JoeSchaefer) and Chapter Advisor ofthe Year (Pat Kuhnle).

Omega received recognition forbeing Level III, the highest rating,in each of Pi Kappa Phi’s SevenObjectives of Chapter Excellence,

which led to one of 29 ChampionMaster Chapter Awards at Pi KappCollege.

Omega also won the PushInnovator’s Award for innovativeprogramming with the Pi Kapp 100-Mom’s Day event. An Omega under-graduate, Jim Vasil (Omega 1677),won the 2009 Push Chairman of theYear Award. The chapter was recog-nized as the top chapter of 146nationally in Sound ChapterOperations.

The Kroeg Award is given to thetop chapter with 18+ fraternities onits campus. There are 46 Pi KappaPhi chapters in this league. Thereare two other Founders Awards –the Mixon and Fogerty – given to

OmegaliteAUGUST 2009 PURDUE UNIVERSITY

THE • PI • KAPPA • PHI • FRATERNITY

Pi Kappa Phi bestows highest honor upon OmegaThe 2009 Kroeg Award, signifying the top Pi Kappa Phi chapter in its class, graces 330 N. Grant St.

Continued on Page 2

OMEGALITE AUGUST 2009 PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Omega ofPi Kappa Phi, Inc.Housing CorporationP.O. Box 2700West Lafayette, IN47996-2700

Chapter Web address:http://www.purduepikapps.com

CorporationOfficers

JAY SEEGER

PRESIDENT

3817 Old Farm RoadLafayette, IN 47905765/742-4529, work765/474-1986, homejay@shf-law.net

BRANDT HERSHMAN

VICE PRESIDENT

6142 Maderia LaneLafayette, IN 47905574/581-2000, cellb.hershman@comcast.net

STEVE BOHNER

TREASURER

194 Twin Springs Ct.Carmel, IN 46234317/846-3008, home317/844-2250, work317/844-2296, faxsteve@langdonandcompany.com

PAT KUHNLE

SECRETARY

720 Chelsea RoadW. Lafayette, IN 47906765/743-1111 ext.

205, work765/743-6087, fax765/743-1256, cellpkuhnle@purdueexponent.org

The Omegalite is pub-lished at least twice ayear by the Omega of PiKappa Phi HousingCorporation for its alum-ni. Address correctionsshould be mailed to usat the contact informa-tion listed at the top ofthis box.

chapters in other leagues (one in the eightor less fraternities on their campus andthe other for 9 to 17).

Pi Kappa Phi has 132 chartered chap-ters nationwide and 14 associate chapters,making it the 10th largest national frater-nity.

The Kroeg recognition has beenapplauded by many.

Dan Cronin (Omega 1702), Fall 2009archon, has received several emails fromalumni offering their thanks.

“My sincere and utmost congratulationsto the entire Omega chapter on yourreceipt of the many annual Pi Kappawards this year,” Jack Berlien (Omega722 wrote). “The entire active chaptershould be very proud of your successes.”

Jim Thompson, (Omega 1404) who

lives in Charleston, was able to attend theawards ceremony.

“Great job and many thanks to thebrothers for their hard work and focus onbeing true leaders,” Thompson wrote. “Iwas fortunate to be there at a greatmoment in the chapter’s history. Fifteenyears later, the lessons I learned from thechapter are far beyond what I ever learnedin the classroom. Continue to push theguys to focus on making every hour count.”

Continued from Page 1

Chad Coltrane, executive director ofPush America, presents Jim Vasil the2009 Innovator’s Award for Omega’s PiKapp 100-Mom’s Day event.

Pi Kapp volunteer Frank Wrenn poseswith undergraduates Jim Vasil, TJTomasik and Dan Cronin after Omegawas named the nation’s best in ChapterOperations.

CEO Mark Timmes poses with undergrad-uates Dan Cronin, Jim Vasil, TJ Tomasikand alumnus Jim Thompson in front ofthe banner carrying Omega’s name as the2009 Kroeg Award winner.

A complete list of 2009 Pi Kappa Phinational awards includes:• KROEG AWARD, signifying the best chapternationally in its class.• CHAMPION MASTER CHAPTER, recognizes chap-ters that achieve a composite Level 3 on theSeven Objectives of Chapter Excellence. A totalof 29 of Pi Kappa Phi's of 146 chapters nation-ally won this award.• MASTER CHAPTER AWARD, OBJECTIVE 1,Recruitment Success.• MASTER CHAPTER AWARD, OBJECTIVE 2,Superior Associate Member Education.• MASTER CHAPTER AWARD, OBJECTIVE 3,Academic Achievement. The chapter rankedNo. 2 of Purdue 41 fraternities with a 3.05 GPAin the most recent reporting period.• MASTER CHAPTER AWARD, OBJECTIVE 5, Livingthe Ritual.• MASTER CHAPTER AWARD, OBJECTIVE 6,Commitment to Service from Push America.• MASTER CHAPTER AWARD, OBJECTIVE 7,Effective Chapter Alumni Relations.• CHAPTER MANAGEMENT AWARD, top chapternationally for Objective 4, Sound ChapterOperations.• INNOVATOR’S AWARD, most innovative PushAmerica Event: Pi Kapp 100-Mom's Day event.• VOLUNTEER RELATIONSHIP AWARD, top chapterwith most outstanding philanthropic effortsindependent of Push America, by volunteeringmore than 100 hours with a special needs classat Lafayette Jefferson High School.• CORE VALUES AWARD, recognized as a topchapter with best overall understanding of PushAmerica's four core values – “Abilities,Teamwork, Empathy and Integrity.”• GOLDEN STAR AWARD, for raising $75 per mantoward Push America fund raising.• THOMAS SAYRE AWARD, Jim Vasil, outstandingPush America chairman.

OMEGALITE AUGUST 2009 PURDUE UNIVERSITY

“I'm an alumnus and past archonfrom the Omega Chapter. I just gotword that the Chapter has won theKroeg Award – that's fantastic! I'mglad to hear that the leadership hasbeen going strong and I love hearingall the good news coming out ofthere!”

Stephen Hilker, Omega 1585

“Having spent two years workingfor the national fraternity and hav-ing traveled to dozens of Pi Kappchapters across the country, I takegreat pride in the accomplishmentsof the Omega Chapter. Shortly afterOmega was presented with theKroeg Award I received many phonecalls and text messages from nation-al staff members, past consultants,and undergraduates from many dif-ferent chapters sharing their con-gratulations to the men fromPurdue. This award not only con-firms Omega as an example of asuperior chapter within Pi KappaPhi – it affirms the Omega Chapteras the standard to which others willseek to follow.”

Tom Harzula, Omega 1619

“Receiving the award only a fewmonths after taking office and beforebeginning my term while at Purdueis a great honor and provides a chal-lenge. We are now faced with theopportunity to raise the bar evenhigher and continue to provide agreat structure for the future leadersof the fraternity as those before ushave. It is definitely a good day to bean Omega Pi Kapp.”

Dan Cronin, Fall archonOmega 1702

“As an alumnus, I had a greatsense of pride in the chapter to getthe news. When you graduate, youhope you've left the chapter betterthan you found it. From there, youcan only hope the chapter uses thatas a solid foundation to continue themomentum and build on the success.

When you look back you never wantto leave the chapter at the highpoint because a valley follows apeak, but I'm pretty confident wehave a solid group that wants futuregenerations to have even betteropportunities.

“As a past archon, it was almost asense of relief because the awardhelped accomplish one of our majorobjectives of the Spring 2008Strategic Plan. We wanted to be rec-ognized as the top chapter at Purdueand within Pi Kappa Phi not for thehardware, but because we could usebeing in contention for a Kroeg as ameasuring stick that we were pro-viding the best opportunities for ourmembers. It's amazing to see thegrowth in the last few years but hav-ing members riding in Journey ofHope, serving as leaders on campus,achieving in the classroom, andremaining at the top of intramuralsreally show the balance in the chap-ter and make all of this possible.Personally, I had a memorable senioryear but the RB Stewart and KroegAward easily meant more to me thanany recognition I received last year.”

Steve Holtsclaw, Omega 1666

“Congratulations to all. You makeus old guys proud.”

Bob Sills, Omega 723

“This is a ridiculously good list ofawards. Sounds like Omega stolethe show this year.”

Phil Leslie, Omega 1506

“That is fantastic. I am very gladto hear this.”

Travis Conley, Omega 1497

“Omega did not become Chapterof the Year on 7/25/09, it becameChapter of the Year the very momentit decided to do things right andmake continuous strides in the direc-tion of success.”

Phil Sharon, Omega 1652

“Tell the guys we're all very proudof their hard work. It makes the PiKapp journey all the more worth-while.”

Matt Stuve, Omega 1168

Postive reactionsregarding chapterreceiving Kroeg

Kitchen receivesoverdue makeover

The chapter kitchen received amuch-needed partial makeoverduring the summer.

As part of its ongoing mainte-nance, the Omega of Pi Kappa PhiHousing Corp. replaced the cook-ing equipment during 2009.

Three ovens – one with burnertops, another with a grill top andthe third a combination convec-tion/standard oven – along withthe deep fryer were all replaced.Most of the equipment, believed tobe circa 1960s, had ongoing prob-lems such as uneven heating andthermostats that couldn’t main-tain a constant temperature.

All the old equipment wasunderwater for more than threedays after the 1987 fire. Someelectrical rewiring was done atthat time, but for the most part itwas the same as what was sub-merged more than 20 years ago.

The new equipment, which isstainless steel, cost $19,182. Morethan 10 percent of that amountwas paid by alumni donationsthrough the last Omegalite($2,170 to date). The equipmentincludes two convection ovens, onestandard oven, with the top sur-face being a charbroiler, grill andfour burners. The deep fryer wasalso replaced.

The chapter funded a newrefrigerator replacing one believedto be 40 years old. The bottom ofthe refrigerator had deterioratedto the point that there were holesin it. When the compressor gaveout in March, it was replaced.

The remaining kitchen equip-ment that predates the ’87 fireincludes the dishwasher and freez-er. Ongoing maintenance is doneof both machines nearly everyyear.

The housing corporation hopesto fund a custom-made walk-infreezer in the pantry area behindthe stoves next summer.

Alumni donors who helpedmake the project possible deservea big thank you from the housingcorporation.

OMEGALITE AUGUST 2009 PURDUE UNIVERSITY

other organizations,” he said.“Finally, I have made many greatfriends through the chapter that Iwill stay in touch with for life.”

Kevin will be pursuing a chemi-cal engineering Master’s degree atthe University of Pennsylvania thisfall.

Craig said the chapter’s influ-ence on him has been multifaceted.

“Overall, the fraternity haschanged me immensely,” he said. “Ican say that I am a better friend,student, brother and son because ofthe experiences I had had over thelast four years in Pi Kappa Phi.”

The influence these two identicaltwins have had on their chapter hasbeen significant.

“Both brought a disciplinedapproach to academics, a ‘can-do’attitude and a work ethic that verymuch epitomizes where the chapteris today,” chapter advisor PatKuhnle said.

“Certainly, the unequaled recog-nition Omega received recently isbeyond any two guys’ impact, butthese two reflect the true meaningof being a Pi Kappa Phi as much asany others I’ve been associated withover the years.”

The achievements of the Vargo

brothers has also been felt by theirpeers in the chapter.

“The Vargos are both very moti-vated individuals,” Jim Vasil,Spring 2009 archon, said. “They’vetaken their strengths and usedthem to better the chapter in differ-ent ways. Kevin has been a leaderon the executive council for quitesome time and actively participatesin Push activies. Craig has actedmore of a resource for brothers. He’shelped them prepare for the real

world by critiquing resumes, doingmock interviews and finding jobopportunities.”

The Vargos are not the only setof twins who were members of thechapter this year. Fraternal twinsPeter (Omega 1707) and AdamMiklius (Omega 1719), of Quincy,IL, are both undergraduate mem-bers. Peter was a Fall 2006 pledgeand Adam joined the followingsemester.

AlmanacDIED:541Edwin K. Henry5/19/08

1320John R. "Hoss" Foltz7/12/09

BIRTHS

Larson Mitechll Szulc,son of Toni and TadSzulc (Omega 1239), ofAlbuquerque, NM

Clancy Ellis Fehrman,son of Erica and Jake

Fehrman (Omega 1491)of Lexington, KY

MARRIED

Shaun Gilday (Omega1595) and AshleyAlenciksMay 17, 2009

Alana and Joe Soeka(Omega 1665),Lafayette, INMay 17, 2009

Tom Moretti (Omega1495) and ErinStaniszewki, South Bend,INJune 6, 2009

Jon Dora (Omega 1623)

and Kelli Brady, Dyer, INJuly 11, 2009

Jacob Rohleder (Omega1278) and Angie Beland,Chicago, ILJuly 11, 2009

Todd Weatherwax(Omega 1529) and JessieFix, Columbus, INJuly 18, 2009

Dan Rusnak (Omega1499) and Kelli Cronkite,Brookfield, ILAug. 29, 2009

Alumnus Brent Buroker along with some Omega undergraduatespose with Journey of Hope participants David Stinette (center, in asling due to an accident on the ride) and Kevin Vargo (behind bike)on the IUPUI campus. Craig Vargo (second from left) will follow histwin brother Kevin as a Journey of Hope rider.

Continued from next page

Brothers sing “TheRose” at Jon Dora wed-ding in July.

Jake Furhman poseswith the family after thebirth of his newest son.

OMEGALITE AUGUST 2009 PURDUE UNIVERSITY

They share the sameexact genes, fraternity,and in many cases, thesame successes.

Identical twins Kevin(Omega 1674) and CraigVargo (Omega 1676) havetaken slightly differentacademic paths, yet theyhave lots in common.

The Carmel, IN,natives have both beenPurdue honors students –Kevin in chemical engi-neering and Craig inpharmacy. Kevin’s natureis more serious and Craigis more of a practicaljoker. Both, however,share of love of Pi KappaPhi.

The Vargos had twoolder brothers who gradu-ated from Purdue, butneither were Greek. Twoother guys who weremembers of their 20-mem-ber Fall 2005 pledge classwere also from Carmel.

“When I rushed, I wasunsure about the Greekcommunity,” Craig said. “Iwas not sure exactly whatI was looking for whilerushing, but I knew aftergoing to a couple of placeswhat I was not lookingfor.”

Craig said Pi Kappa

Phi was more welcomingthan other chapters.

Kevin, meanwhile,sought a fraternity with apurpose.

“I was seeking a frater-nity that offered balance,”Kevin said. “Sure, I want-ed a social life, but I waslooking for an organiza-tion that offered leader-ship and service opportu-nities as well. Pi KappaPhi fit my criteria firstand foremost with PushAmerica.”

Kevin, along withpledge brother DavidStinnette (Omega 1689),were members of theTrans-America Journey ofHope team for PushAmerica.

The pair became the12th and 13th Omegachapter members to par-ticipate in the nearly 70-day, 4,000-mile cyclingtrip across the county.Craig will be on the 2010Journey of Hope team.

Kevin also participatedin the first local volunteerrelationship with a specialneeds class at LafayetteJefferson High School.

In fact, Kevin said hismost memorable Pi Kappevent came at the close ofthis school year’s with thespecial needs group.

“My most cherishedmemory was going to the(Indianapolis) zoo withthe partnership class,” hesaid. “I helped set up thepartnership and to see itlast for a year with astrong final event at thezoo was very rewarding.”

Both Vargos cited lead-ership opportunities asskills gained while withthe chapter.

Craig, who will be

starting his fourth of sixyears in Purdue’s Ph.D.pharmacy program, wasthe person behind thescene compiling data anddocumentation for the twomajor awards the Omegachapter won in the lastyear. The recognition wasthe 2007-08 RB StewartAward winner (as the topPurdue fraternity) andthe 2009 Kroeg Award (asthe most outstanding PiKapp chapter in its class).

“I have significantlyimproved my leadershipand communication skillsbecause of being a PiKapp,” Craig said. “The

decisions you make as aleader in a chapter affectseveryone in the organiza-tion and everyone whoyou live with.”

Both brothers agreethat the chapter haschanged them personally.

Kevin, who graduatedin May, was archon lastfall. His, and his chapter’ssuccess, led him to be afinalist as the IFCPresident of the Year.

“The chapter hasallowed me to networkwith many leaders oncampus, which has led meto be involved in many

Identical twins leave their mark on Omega chapter

Twin brothers Kevin and Craig Vargo stand outsidethe Omega chapter house in May. Kevin, who grad-uated in the spring in chemical engineering, isattending graduate school in the fall. Craig willstart his second year in Purdue’s professional phar-macy program.

Continued on previous page

Craig and Kevin Vargoat July Journey of Hopeteam arrival inIndianapolis.

OMEGALITE AUGUST 2009 PURDUE UNIVERSITY

The chapter will host alumni onOct. 3 for a traditional homecom-ing pre-game fare at the Omegachapter house.

New coach Danny Hope’sBoilermakers will faceNorthwestern for the noon kickoffin Ross-Ade Stadium.

Alumni can still order ticketsand be part of the Omega block,but we need your check by Sept.20. Tickets are $46 each and youcan order them through the hous-

ing corporation. Make checkspayable to: Omega of Pi Kappa Phiand mail them to us at PO Box2700, West Lafayette, IN 47996.

You may use the self-addressedenvelope provided in this mailingand include your ticket order formslip included in this mailing. If youmisplace the envelope and orderform, you may simply indicate howmany tickets you want and mail itto our Post Office Box.

The Oct. 3 homecoming sched-ule includes:

• 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., pregamelunch provided at the chapter

house.• 11:30 a.m., leave the house for

the Purdue-Northwestern game. Ifthe weather is frightful and youwant to watch the game at thehouse, there are large screen tele-visions set up in the Great Hall.

• Noon. Gametime.• 6 p.m. to ?, pick your favorite

near-campus watering hole andtake your alumni brothers along.Of course, the 21-year-olds fromthe chapter can show you the wayand be the beneficiary of your hos-pitality, too.

The Omega chapter continued itscommitment to Push America in2009 and was rewarded for it.

During the school year, the chap-ter participated in three major cam-pus events raising awareness andfunds for the disabled for Push. Thefall Greek Open, co-sponsored withAlpha Phi sorority, has all-Greekteams competing in golf and tennis.The Fall 2008 pledge class rakedleaves in the city to raise money forPush. Four members of the fallclass also assisted alumnus KelleyCarr (Omega 448) in moving furni-ture for his mother-in-law. Carr andhis wife Pat, in turn, made a dona-tion to Push America on theirbehalf.

The spring had two high profileevents.

The first, as reported in the AprilOmegalite, was the War of Rosesevent. Nine sororities participated

in various activities includingempathy training, a talent showand an on-stage impromptu ques-tion and answer session. Zeta TauAlpha won that competition.

The other spring event – the PiKapp 100-Mom’s Day – receivedacclaim from the national fraterni-ty, as Omega won the Innovator’sAward for it. The Pi Kapp 100 por-tion is a cycling event fromZionsville to the chapter house (100kilometers) with undergraduatesand alumni alike. Riders and crewgain sponsorships, which raisesmoney for Push. When the teamarrives back on campus, they aremet by chapter parents as part ofMom’s Day activities that includes abuffet, auction and social.

Two chapter members – KevinVargo (Omega 1674) and DavidStinnette (Omega 1689) – partici-pated in the 2009 Journey of Hope,a cross-country cycling event rais-ing awareness and funds for PushAmerica. The pair became the 12thand 13th Omega men to ride in theevent. Two other Omega chaptermembers have been accepted to beon the 2010 team – alumnus JamesLoy (Omega 1673) and CraigVargo (Omega 1676).

Jim Vasil (Omega 1677) wasnamed the national Push Chairmanof the Year at Pi Kapp College.Under Vasil’s leadership, the chap-

ter established a local volunteerrelationship with a special needsclass at Lafayette Jefferson HighSchool. The chapter raised $7,500for Push America during 2008-09under Vasil’s leadership.

“Jim was very good with the stu-dents and never complained whenasked to pitch in and help,” AlyssaJenkins, special education teacherat Lafayette Jefferson, wrote in herletter nominating Vasil. “He wasalways willing to help with any-thing that was needed from theclassroom teacher. The studentsreally enjoyed free time with Jim.”

The Omega chapter also won thenational Push America’s VolunteerRelationship Award. The recogni-tion is for the more than 100 manhours to the Lafayette Jeff HighSchool relationship.

Make plans for Oct. 3homecoming events

Push America recognizes chapter numerous times

Omega Journey of Hope mem-bers David Stinnette and KevinVargo pose with alumnus ScottBeatty (Omega 1184) in Denver.

Jim Vasil receives the ThomasSayre Award as the top PushAmerica chairman for 2008-09.