The Friday Letter

All Brothers

The 174th Ekklesia will elect at least three graduate brothers and one undergraduate brother to serve on the Archonate (board of directors). The Permanent Committee on Nominations requests your nomination of qualified brothers to serve. Nominations should be submitted no later than May 1, 2022 to be considered. Learn more here.

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Officers, Advisors

There are two ways Phi Gamma Delta recognizes its graduate brothers for their contributions and/or accomplishments:

Individual Awards for Volunteers
The Fraternity's annual awards competition also provides individual awards to recognize deserving brothers for their contributions as graduate volunteers. Anyone may nominate graduate brothers for these awards:
 • Coulter Cup: Graduate brother who has contributed the most to an undergraduate chapter through service in a role other than Purple Legionnaire or general officer
 • Crowder Cup: Outstanding Faculty Advisor
 • Durrance Award: Outstanding Purple Legionnaire
 • Haynes Award: Most effective Section Chief

Individual Award nominations are due March 31 at 11:59 pm PT (April 1 at 2:59 am ET).

William A. Martin III Distinguished Fiji Award
Each year, the Archons select up to six accomplished graduate brothers for their faithful and unselfish service to Phi Gamma Delta or their special contribution to nominate deserving brothers by May 1, 2022 for consideration this year. Additional information and past Distinguished Fiji Award recipients are listed at www.phigam.org/DistinguishedFijiAward.

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Treasurers, Officers

Invoices for liability insurance will be emailed in mid to late February. The charge is based upon the number of brothers and new members. The early estimated base rate is $200/member, with the final base rate based on policy premiums charged to Phi Gamma Delta. Chapters with a risk management violation during the 2021 calendar year will be charged up to a 20% surcharge.

February 4, 2022, is the deadline for roster changes prior to the billing. To update, log-in to www.phigam.org. Here are instructions to update your roster. If you you questions, email Amy Watson or call her at 859-255-1848.

*The Fraternity is offering insurance incentives and surcharges to encourage chapters to participate in the Fraternity's programming efforts. For more information about these incentives/surcharges, CLICK HERE.

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Officers, Service & Philanthropy Chairmen

Please report service hours and philanthropy dollars raised for the fall 2021 semester.

If you need assistance with planning a philanthropy event, or if you are looking for new ideas, review the USO's Philanthropy Event Planning Toolkit or contact Director of Education Lauren Tanner-Leif.

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Officers, Advisors

As of September 30, ONLY 40 of 148 chapters/colonies submitted news for the fall 2021 magazine. Because of that, we decided to extend the magazine submission deadline until Monday, October 4 at 11:59 pm PT. 

Please submit news & photos to Director of Communications Erica Carlson to get your chapter's brothers' news included in this edition.

All Members

National Hazing Prevention Week (NHPW) will be held September 20-24, and the Fraternity will continue our #JoinTheFight Against Hazing campaign. This year, we will share some of the ways our brothers are Leading the Fight Against Hazing in their chapters.

We also invite our members to participate in NHPW. Visit phigam.org/FightHazing to view Hazing Prevention Resources and Sign the Pledge to Join the Fight Against Hazing.

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The Wilkinson Award is presented annually to the Fraternity's most outstanding undergraduate senior member based on scholarship, personality, Fraternity service and extra-curricular activities.

Each Wilkinson Award Application should contain the following:
1. The nominee's official college transcript.
2. The nominee's fraternal, collegiate and professional resume including all campus, professional and volunteer activities.
3. Letters of recommendation from each of the following categories: a) College/University: University President, Dean of Students, or Dean of the College preferred (other high-ranking university officials may be accepted); b) Purple Legionnaire, BCA President or House Corporation President; c) Section Chief.  

Applications should be sent via email to Lauren Tanner-Leif.

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Earlier this semester, Alpha Omicron at Akron hosted their second annual FIJI Bark Madness Tournament philanthropy, supporting One of a Kind Pet Rescue (OKPR). Through this virtual event, Akron fraternities and sororities competed to raise money for a dog in a bracket-style tournament. Over $4,800 was raised for OKPR, which will help the organization purchase a new animal transport vehicle for sick and injured pets.

Alpha Sigma was awarded Outstanding Philanthropic Endeavor for their fall philanthropy, Shave to Save, from Arizona State's Fraternity & Sorority Life Office. They also received the Phoenix Award as the chapter with the most improved operations.

On April 2, Beta Pi at Bradley held their 40th annual Pig Dinner. It was their first in-person Pig Dinner since the pandemic began, and they had a record-breaking turnout with nearly 100 graduate brothers in attendance.

Omega Phi scored 4 out of 5 stars on Central Florida's Standards of Excellence for the 2021 calendar year, the highest the Chapter has ever scored. The Standards of Excellence are designed to compile and present a chapter's accomplishments and impact on the Greek community over the previous calendar year.

On February 19, Chi Omicron at Cincinnati hosted their Pig Dinner at the Mill Race Banquet Center. There were approximately 20 undergraduates and 40 graduate brothers in attendance, including Executive Director Rob Caudill (Akron 2004), who was the keynote speaker. In his speech, Rob talked about the future of Phi Gamma Delta and what it takes to be a fraternity man.

^ Chi Alpha at Clemson has been heavily involved with the ClemsonLIFE (Learning Is for Everyone) program this semester. This includes hosting a day of basketball at the campus Recreational Center. ClemsonLIFE is a program that helps young adults with intellectual disabilities obtain the life skills necessary to gain employment and live independently.

Gamma Kappa at Colorado School of Mines hosted the Shave to Save 2022, supporting the St. Baldrick's Foundation for pediatric cancer research. This was the Chapter's largest philanthropy in several year with over $13,000 raised. The brothers who participated raised money for St. Baldrick's by reaching out to their families, the community and graduate brothers.

On April 4-8, Lambda Pi at DePaul hosted their Island philanthropy, raising over $17,700 for NoStigmas. All event proceeds were donated in memory Collin DuQuet (2021), who passed ads astra in August 2021 after a battle with addiction and mental illness. During the week-long event, the Chapter hosted a kickoff event, a dodge ball tournament and a surfboard painting competition to raise awareness for the cause. NoStigmas is a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate the days of silence, solitude and stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide.

Brothers from the Pi Nu Chapter at East Carolina pledged to keep Eastern Street beautiful by regularly cleaning and picking up trash. Eastern Street is in a neighborhood off campus.

From January to March, Epsilon Rho at Embry-Riddle completed 215 community service hours through a partnership with Daytona Dream Center (DDC). DDC is a homeless intervention and prevention organization playing an invaluable role in the Daytona Beach community. Every week, brothers bagged groceries and served meals to those in need.

^ In February, Phi Sigma raised over $33,000 for Florida State's Dance Marathon, supporting the Children's Miracle Network. Over 25 brothers participated, spending 30 hours on their feet between two shifts.

On February 24, Mu Deuteron at Iowa brothers wore blue to support suicide prevention and awareness.

During the spring 2022 semester, Alpha Iota at Iowa State worked with several sororities to host their Phi Gam Football Jam philanthropy event. All proceeds were donated to the Garden Gate Ranch, an organization that provides safe housing and restorative and transitional services for sexually-exploited women and their children.

On March 5, brothers from the Iota Pi Chapter at IUPUI volunteered at the six-miler event of the 500 Festival Miler Series. Brothers were stationed at two of the six mile markers, handing out Gatorade and water and ensuring the safety of the runners.

Twelve Upsilon Kappa brothers participated in the University of Kentucky's DanceBlue philanthropy in March. By participating, brothers helped the University raise over $1.43 million for For the Kids, an organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research and supports children with cancer.

^ Gamma Deuteron at Knox welcomed 10 new members during their winter 2022 recruitment process.

Several Beta Rho brothers attended Louisiana State Greek Life's Empower Greek Leadership Retreat in March.

On March 5, Omega Mu at Maine hosted FIJI 3v3 Crossover for Red Cross, a basketball tournament supporting the American Red Cross. Registering teams for $15each, the Chapter raised over $300 for the Red Cross disaster relief fund.

The Mu Tau Colony at Memphis welcomed nine new members to their Alpha Class in December 2021 and five new members to their Beta Class in February.

Sixteen brothers from Sigma Mu at Mississippi State earned a 4.0 GPA for the fall 2021 semester.

During the spring 2022 semester, Nu Eta at Northeastern resumed their community service partnership with TD Garden to raise money for the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation (BCSF) during Celtics games. BCSF supports programs that directly benefit children in need by forming key partnerships with New England-based nonprofit organizations that provide vital services and support to youth.

^ Sigma Omicron participated in Oklahoma State's Varsity Revue, an annual Greek life competition show. The Chapter won 2nd place overall, and two brothers won awards. Wyatt Smith (2023) was named Best Male Performer, and Gage Gibbs (2024) was unanimously named Best Male Vocalist, an award that has not been unanimously awarded in 93 years.

On February 25-26, Kappa Omicron at Oregon State partnered with the Chi Omega Women's Fraternity to clean up the Porter Park in Corvallis. Both chapters cleaned the playground, raked leaves and spread mulch throughout the park, completing over 45 community service hours.

Lambda Iota at Purdue partnered with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity for their Casa Carnival philanthropy, benefiting the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program. Together they raised $3,650 for CASA.

Kappa Phi at South Florida participated in Sigma Delta Tau Sorority's POTH philanthropy. POTH is a lip-syncing competition that supports Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA). The Chapter won the People's Choice Award and received 3rd place overall, helping Sigma Delta Tau raise over $41,000 for PCAA.

The Tau Beta Chapter partnered with Delta Zeta Sorority and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in Tampa's annual Greek Week. During the week, all fraternity and sorority teams competed to raise the most money for a charity of their choice, and they competed in the Greek Variety dance competition. The Chapter's team won the overall event by winning the dance competition (pictured) and raising $16,000 for Relay for Life and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

After a long hiatus caused by the pandemic, Tau Chi at Texas Christian was excited to bring back two of their annual philanthropies in April: FIJI Futbol, supporting The Front Row Foundation, and FIJI Fabrics, supporting Union Gospel Mission.

Rho Alpha at Virginia Tech's fall 2021 semester GPA ranked 4th out of 24 IFC chapters.

On March 1, Chi Eta participated in a stadium recycling program, organized by Western Kentucky Facilities Management's Environmental Services & Resource Conservation Office. Brothers cleaned up after a high school basketball game, sorting 33 pounds of recycling, 36 pounds of trash and 84 pounds of liquids, for a total diversion of 76.8%. The Chapter earned a $750 donation for participating in the program.

^ Rho Tau at William & Mary hosted a sandwich-making philanthropy event. During the event, members made over 150 sandwiches, which were donated to House of Mercy, a poverty assistance organization aimed at ending hunger and homelessness in the Williamsburg area.

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With COVID-19 restrictions easing, Epsilon Alpha at Alberta was able to host their Annual Graduate vs. Undergraduate Hockey Game in January. The game allows the Chapter's undergraduate members to bond with their graduate brothers with some healthy competition. The undergrads won the game with a final score of 11-10.

During the fall 2021 semester, brothers from the Pi Chapter at Allegheny participated in several different service projects, totaling in 342 community service hours (with an average of 18 hours/brother). Two of these service projects included: Make a Difference Day, where brothers renovated a wheelchair ramp, and the annual French Creek Cleanup, where brothers volunteered at the weigh station.

In December 2021, Beta Nu at Appalachian State received the Blue Ridge Parkway Volunteer Group Award from the National Park Service. The Chapter received the award, because brothers have been an important part of volunteer operations in the Boone and Blowing Rock areas of the parkway. Brothers have contributed hundreds of service hours ranging from trail maintenance and construction to campground maintenance.

Beta Psi at Boise State created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help support Jacob Peters (2024) and his family. Jacob was recently diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the nerves. Because of this, Jacob was admitted to a hospital and spent several weeks in a clinical rehab center. The diagnosis and unexpected medical expenses came at an inopportune time for Jacob's family, so the Chapter decided to help raise money to cover these expenses. Currently, the Chapter raised over $6,000, and they continue to raise money on GoFundMe.

^ Brothers from the Pi Gamma Chapter at British Columbia held their Wreck Beach Cleanup community service event last weekend. The event was held in partnership with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup Project and the City of Vancouver and the local parks board. Brothers and women from some of the UBC sororities spent the day cleaning up the beach to help keep their city beautiful.

In November, Delta at Bucknell raised $15,825 for their Movember Fundraiser for men's health, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. The top three fundraisers for the event were: Henry Selvala (2024), raising $2,100; Will Scott (2024), raising$1,475; and Michael Fulling (2023), raising $1,035. Additionally, brothers grew out their facial hair to help support the cause.

Iota Chi at California Irvine sold stuffed Teddy bears for Valentine's Day to raise money for their end of the quarter Puppy Day.

This semester, Gamma Kappa at Colorado School of Mines resumed their Monday Night Dinners after a long break due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each week, the Chapter cooks and offers free food to the campus community. Dinners have included enchiladas, fried rice, chicken cacciatore and other home classics.

On October 29-31, 2021, over 50 brothers from the Zeta Chapter participated in Indiana University's Dance Marathon benefiting Riley Children's Hospital. Brothers raised over $115,000 for the cause, which contributed to the over $3 million raised by the entire Dance Marathon.

^ Gamma Deuteron at Knox once again hosted their annual St. Baldrick's philanthropy event. This year, six brothers shaved their heads, raising $2,504 for the event. The Chapter donated an additional $1,500, bringing their total to $4,004 donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which supports childhood cancer research.

Sigma Mu at Mississippi State reached their academic goals for the fall 2021 semester. The Chapter had the highest new member GPA, percentage of brothers above a 3.0 GPA and overall chapter GPA among IFC fraternities.

Mu Lambda at South Carolina hosted the Karaoke for Cancer philanthropy event, which consisted of a karaoke competition and head shaving. The Chapter raised over $10,000 for the American Cancer Society, and 13 brothers shaved their heads.

Kappa Tau at Tennessee welcomed 32 men to their fall 2021 new member class and 14 men to their spring 2022 new member class.
The Chapter will also partner with the USO for their annual FIJI Island philanthropy event later this semester.

^ The Theta Tau Chapter hosted a water balloon throwing fundraiser supporting the Tennessee Tech Children's Miracle Network Hospital (TTU Miracle) on February 10. From 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, brothers set up a tent on campus, where water balloons were sold $3 for one balloon and $5 for two balloons, and balloons could be thrown at the Phi Gam of choice. All proceeds were donated to TTU Miracle.

This semester, Chi Eta at Western Kentucky welcomed eight new members during their recruitment week.

Lambda Omega at Western Ontario shared a variety of mental health resources on January 26 for Bell Let's Talk Day (BLTD). BLTD is a campaign designed to raise awareness and combat the stigma surrounding mental illness in Canada.

^ On February 6, the Mu Chapter at Wisconsin participated in the Langdon Invitational Pond Hockey Tournament, a philanthropic event that raises money for the Special Olympics. The Chapter competed in the tournament along with all campus fraternities and won first place.

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On September 7, Alpha Omicron at Akron hosted their annual Puppy Party supporting One-of-a-Kind Pet Rescue, a local animal shelter. The Chapter set up the event at the center of campus to ensure the most foot traffic. And shelter staff brought seven puppies to campus for students to play with for a donation to the shelter.

^ On November 14, Alpha Sigma at Arizona State hosted their Shave to Save event, where 47 brothers shaved their heads to raise money for TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders at the Transnational Genomics Research Institute (The Center). By agreeing to shave their heads, brothers raised over $58,0000 for The Center, far surpassing their fundraising goal of $50,000.
The Chapter chose this philanthropy for two reasons: 1) Jim Harris (1974), who passed away from a progressive neurodegenerative disease in 2020. Jim asked that any memorial gifts be donated to The Center. 2) Braden Belnap's (2023) cousin, Seth, has a rare disease that dramatically affects his quality of life and his life expectancy. The Center successfully diagnosed and prescribed treatment for Seth, allowing him to live with fewer complications and restrictions to his life. For more information, click here.

Lambda Beta at California State Long Beach held a few brotherhood events this semester, including a poker night on September 21 and a bonfire at Bolsa Chica on September 29.

Undergraduate brothers from the Chi Upsilon Chapter at Chicago raised money from their graduate brothers to install a new turf backyard.

During fall 2021, Chi Nu at Christopher Newport welcomed their first new member class as a chapter with 15 new members.

After a year of isolation, Phi Kappa at Colorado State was thrilled to invite their graduate brothers to celebrate Pig Dinner on Founders Day, May 1. There were 80 brothers in attendance, including 50 undergraduates and 30 graduates. The highlight was keynote speaker and distinguished naval historian Joseph Callo (Yale 1952), who received the Distinguished Fiji Award in 2010.

^ Lambda Pi at DePaul recently created the Lambda Pi Chapter Awards to recognize the contributions of individual brothers. The highest honor is the Howard J. Schultz Excellence Award, which was named in honor of Purple Legionnaire Howard Schultz (California State Long Beach 1995), who is an inspiration to all the Lambda Pi brothers.

Delta Deuteron at Hampden-Sydney is starting a scholarship fund for Thomas Salamon (2021) who recently passed ad astra. The Chapter is currently in the process of raising $50,000, which is the minimum amount needed to start a scholarship fund at Hampden-Sydney College. For more information, contact Corresponding Secretary Franz Gilbert (2023).

^ Chi Deuteron at Kansas State held their 3rd annual Scholarship Luncheon, where members who achieved scholastically in the previous term were recognized for their hard work and dedication to the pursuit of knowledge. During the lunch, awards were given for beating the all-fraternity average, perfect GPA and Triple A Scholarships.

Upsilon Kappa at Kentucky had a very successful fall recruitment. All 40 of their potential new members accepted bids during the pledging process to become new members.

Sigma Mu at Mississippi State welcomed 52 men to the fall 2021 new member class.

Pi Chi at North Carolina Wilmington organized an island cleanup with the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority. The cleanup was located at Shell Island, which is adjacent to Fort Fisher in Carolina Beach. Volunteers paddled in kayaks (courtesy of Kayak Carolina) to Shell Island to collect and remove trash from the coastline.

This semester, Sigma Omicron at Oklahoma State partnered with the women of Kappa Delta Fraternity for Homecoming. Scotty Dunham (2022) was the head director of Homecoming, which was held on October 30.

The Tau Beta Chapter was named Outstanding Fraternity of the Year by the University of Tampa at their annual Leadership Awards Night for the 2020-21 academic year.

^ On November 11, Psi at Wabash initiated its new member class, which included the addition of four families to the Sires and Sons Club.
Pictured (L-R): Nate Plake (2025) with sire, Tom (1988); Tommy Minkler (2025) with sire, Josh (1985); Jehan Boyers (2025) with sire, Jim (Hanover 1994); and Nathaniel Oakes (2025) with sire, Tim (1986).

On October 28, Pi Iota at WPI started to demolish their 122-year-old chapter house, which was built in 1899. The Chapter plans to break ground on their new chapter house on November 20, which is on the 130th anniversary of their chartering.

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Epsilon Rho at Embry-Riddle received the Paul Bell Outstanding Chapter of the Year and Outstanding Campus Involvement from the University's 2021 Fraternity & Sorority Life Awards.

Mu Iota at Idaho was awarded Fraternity Excellence in Membership Development and Fraternity Excellence in Scholarship at the Greek Awards for the 2020-21 academic year.

Mu Deuteron at Iowa won several Fraternity & Sorority Life Awards for the 2020-21 academic year. They won the Outstanding Program Award and Highest GPA: Fall 2020 from the IFC. Additionally, Mason Miller (2023) won the Outstanding Community Service Award.

Mu Chi at James Madison is hosting a Food Drive for the Patchwork Pantry, a local food pantry. The Chapter set up several donation collection bins on campus for nonperishable food, and they are collecting food until September 25.

On April 16, Gamma Deuteron at Knox brothers celebrated the 100th anniversary of their chapter house. The house is now the oldest chapter house of any fraternity in the state of Illinois. The house has been home to over 1,000 of the 1,700+ Phi Gams initiated into the Chapter.

After Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana, brothers from the Beta Rho Chapter at Louisiana State traveled throughout the state to help the communities impacted by the hurricane.

On September 3, Pi Chi at North Carolina Wilmington hosted the Island Experience 2 philanthropy event supporting the Live Fearlessly Foundation (LFF), a Cystic Fibrosis charity. The event was held at SeaGat Bottle Shop's outdoor concert venue given COVID-19 protocols, and it included live local bands, vendors, and a raffle to raise money for LFF. The event reach capacity, and hundreds of raffle tickets were sold. Additionally, each vendor donated a percentage of their earning from the night directly towards LFF. Overall, the Chapter helped raised over $2,200 for LFF, which will be used to help kids with Cystic Fibrosis around the country.

Earlier this month, Rho Phi at Rose-Hulman volunteered for the Farrington's Grove Neighborhood Beautification project by cleaning up the neighborhood around the main house.

^ Sigma Eta at Sam Houston State received the Most Philanthropic Award and the Bearkat Cup, for outstanding performance in the intramural league, at The Pantheon 2021: Greek Awards showcase.

On September 14, brothers from the Theta Tau Chapter at Tennessee Tech participated in one of their regular roadside cleanups of 10th Street in Cookeville.

^ On September 9, the Sigma Alpha Chapter co-hosted a pledge signing event with Set the Expectation (STE) on Texas San Antonio's campus. From 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, the Chapter invited all UTSA students to sign STE's pledge. There were separate pledges for student, members of Greek life and athletes. By signing the pledge, it means a person agrees to be an active bystander against sexism and violence against women, practice consensual sex, hold themselves accountable for sexual harassment and acknowledge the problem of sexual assault and relationship violence.
The Chapter first partnered with STE to create a pledge for fraternities and sororities across the nation during the spring 2019 semester. Since then, the Chapter works with STE at least once a year, and every member of the Chapter has signed STE's pledge to help prevent sexual and interpersonal violence. For more information about STE, visit SetTheExpectation.org.

During the 2021-21 academic year, Delta Mu at Wayne State raised over $500 for COVID-19 relief through an e-sports tournament. The Chapter also collected and donated over 350 cans of food for the Gleaners Food Bank.

Chi Eta at Western Kentucky welcomed 17 new members during the fall semester.

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Officers

As chapter officers, it is your responsibility to educate all brothers in your chapter on the Fraternity's Risk Management, Hazing and Alcohol-Free Housing policies. Review these policies during your first meeting of the term. We suggest the following:
 • Invite your Purple Legionnaire and/or other graduate brothers to participate in (or lead) the discussion with questions or for suggestions.
 • Provide a copy of the policy to each brother.
 • Briefly explain each item of the policy and each member’s related responsibilities.
 • Review the Responsible Action Protocol.
 • Review Phi Gamma Delta's Stance on Hazing and New Member's Bill of Rights, and address any concerns in the New Member Education program.

Additional resources, including the Fraternity's Social Event Planning Guide and other event planning resources, are available on the Education Resources page. Contact Assistant Executive Director Todd Rotgers or your Field Secretary with questions or suggestions.