ΛY 592 OUT

Delta News

Delta News

The summer is up and running and freshmen orientation has started. We are working very hard to make this falls class the biggest class we have had in a very long time. With the first orientation done we have have a bunch of names. There were a few guys after just talking with them for a few min I knew they would make a good brother. I am trying to recruit quality brother’s not just bodies. And that is what is going to rebuild our brotherhood. If anyone is interested in coming to an orientation and helping recruit; alumni or undergrad, you’re more than welcome. They are held on Tuesdays at 730pm in the Den. We meet at the house around 630 and set up at 7. If you have any ideas about what we can do for rush week or any other events please let me know at mhammoud@nmu.edu or by phone 313-333-3334. Moe Hammoud

Theta News

This article comes from Brother Zach Fairchild, High Theta.


This next semester we have a lot going on for the external side of the chapter. We will be bringing Watermelon Bust back as the kick off to this years North American Canned Food Drive. It went on a year hiatus in favor of Lambda Jam, but the brothers have decided it was a terrible shame that the event didn't happen. It is one of my personal favorite events of the year. This year we will be coupling with Women 4 Women to hold the event. They are the largest organization on campus, consisting of 250 women. We are also going to be holding it on campus, outside of the Payne residence hall. This is going to be the biggest Watermelon Bust NMU has ever seen.

The North American Canned food drive this year is also going to be huge. We are going to hit the, always just out of reach, 10,000 pound food mark this year because of the commitment of the brothers. We will be supermarket sitting and doing the regular door to door. To get the lofty goals done WE need YOUR help. Any donations of food or money for either events would be greatly appreciated. If you are so inclined, send a check to 619 N. 4th street, Marquette, Mi, 49855. These events will provide excellent exposure for the chapter will be amazing for recruitment. The chapter has been rejuvenated and we are going to kick some ass this summer. As Brother Kohler said, “We party hard, but we philanthropy harder!”. We are living by this.

Graduation and life beyond the chapter

This article comes from graduating brother Chris Grigas

People say college is the best four years of your life, and most of the time they are right. While in college we define who we will be for the rest of our lives through the friendships we make, the events we participate in, and how we prepare ourselves for the adult world. As one of the 3,000 or so people that will be graduating this semester I am proud to say that I will be graduating as a Brother of Lambda Chi Alpha.

I came to Northern without knowing anyone. I was seven hours away from home and five hours away from the closest person I knew. My college experience was not the best when it first began. Like a lot of people I was homesick and beginning to reconsider my decision to attend school here. However, that all changed when I became involved with Lambda Chi Alpha. I was brought over to the house by Brother Jeff Hodge, and my life would never be the same. What I witnessed when I entered the chapter was truly amazing. I saw two brothers cooking an entire chicken parmesan dinner for all the guys that were at the house. This was amazing, because first of they were cooking, and second because they had did it out of the goodness of their heart and out of their own pocket for their brothers. I eventually came around more and was embraced by the brothers that I met. As time went on I decided to associate and looking back on it that decision was the best one I have ever made. It was the best decision because it put me on the course to joining a brotherhood that I have come to cherish and love with all my heart, along with the brothers that I now have. It made me a better man by teaching me responsibility, leadership, and courage.

Lambda Chi Alpha has been my life for the last four years. I have slept it, I have breathed it, and it will never leave me. As I prepare myself to enter to leave the safety of the college world, I am not as scared as I thought I would be. Lambda Chi Alpha has taught me not to fear the unknown, but to embrace it head on. I do not know where my life will take me upon graduation, I do not know what I will do as a profession for the rest of my life, but I do know one thing. I know that I will have an undying love and passion for Lambda Chi Alpha.

I would like to end this blog with a lesson that an alum gave to me when he graduated from school. He told me that we come to school and make friends for four years, however, when you joined Lambda Chi Alpha, you didn’t join for four years, you joined for life.

Relay for Life

This entry comes from brother Mark Updegraff.

This past weekend the Lambda Upsilon chapter participated in NMU's annual Relay For Life. For those who aren't familiar this a cancer research/ awareness fund raiser that takes place nation wide. The Lambda's showed up in full force, and had a strong presence at the event! The chapter participated in most events that took place and even won the dodge ball tournament that took place through out the course of the night. We also had several on sight fund raising activities such as Guitar Hero (this years theme was tuning out cancer) and Bags. It was a great event for a great cause, and also made us that much better known through out the campus!


Brother John Wroblewski


Brother John Wroblewski and Katie Reed


Brothers Ryan Williams and Patrick Digneit


Brothers Mark Updegraff and Ryan Bell


Brother Mike Moran


Brothers Moe Hammoud, Patrick Digneit, and John Wroblewski


Brother Moe Hammoud



Brothers Jordayn Fischer and Ryan Williams


Brothers in Jail


Brother Chris Grigas


Brothers Chris Grigas, Nick Layo, Mark Updegraff, Associate Joe McAuliffe, and John Wroblewski


Chris Grigas, Joe McAuliffe, and John Wroblewski

Alumni/Active Relations

Thanks for the entry Simon. Remember I will put up any entry an Alumni or Brother wants to write.

Active brothers, lately there has been a rekindling of brotherhood amongst the alumni of our chapter. I don't think I have ever sent so many emails in my life!!! Though they are daunting to wade through they give me a renewed sense of brotherhood and how much this chapter means to so many generations! A few actives have expressed some concerns regarding the Alumni Association and I wanted to address some of those here in this blog.

For years and years Lambda Upsilon Zeta has suffered from a non existent alumni program, it is one of the great failings of our chapter. Brothers that shared so much and had such a tight bond seemingly disappear from view upon graduation. Leaving not only their lives a little emptier but letting down the generations of brothers yet to come. The only experience most of you have is through your limited exposure to either Housing Corp or the alumni control board. The alumni brothers that have participated in these two entities have done a thankless job. Needless to say the relationship between these two organizations and the chapter is usually contentious at best. Leaving actives with a skewed perception of the role alumni play in their lives. On the other hand Alumni involved in either organization generally don't see eye to eye with the actives. It is an unfortunate by product of having no alumni association.

What Dave Pickering, Mike Greer, Nick Kilduff and myself, among others to long to list here represent is a new approach to the alumni/active relationship. An association that has a more "positive" and active role with the chapter. The principle members of this group represent a changing of the guard so to speak! Our fundamental philosophy is to continue the brotherhood we shared as actives. Through that continuation of our brotherhood we can lend support to the active chapter not control. The alumni of the chapter should be a resource for the actives not a parent. We should be available to all members of the chapter for advice and support, not an organization to be viewed with distrust.

As I look back on my active years, I would have loved to have some alumni to talk to and get advice about chapter operations or school or life in general. The only alumni input we got was when something wasn't being done right in their eyes. That is wrong and needs to change and will. Brotherhood shouldn't end when you cross the stage for graduation! The great thing about an organization of our nature is the wealth of knowledge it provides us with. Brothers have gone on to do amazing things in all different career fields, that is something we can all benefit from especially in today's economy! Bottom line is brotherhood is for life. Your life as an active should be filled with memories of the greatest times of your life. But why let that end? Lambda Chi Alpha and Lambda Upsilon in specific is a special thing that never dies in your heart. Speaking from experience it is amazing when I see bro's I haven't seen in years. We pick up right where we left off 10 years ago, like no time has passed at all. That is the magic of our bond! Over the past two weeks I have had amazing conversations with brother I never even knew prior to that. I am meeting people I would have never met if it weren't for our brotherhood. I have also reconnected with brothers I haven't spoken to in years. My goal for you guys is that you never have to go through that heartache of not speaking to brothers you were active with for years!

Once again, I have gotten long winded!!! Anyway, I am looking forward to meeting all of you soon. Then I can tell you the crazy stories from "Back in the Day"!!! Till then keep up the good work and if ever you need someone to chat with, call me up! I am more than happy to chat with bro's either on the phone or email or Facebook! Till then Zeta Alpha Chi Brothers!!!

Simon Durocher
Owner
Bella Terra Landscaping, Inc
(612)720-3080
www.bellaterrainc.com

Happy 22nd Birthday Chris Grigas

Today is the birthday of Brother Chris Grigas. He's a Criminal Justice major and will be attending graduate school at Michigan State University in the fall.

Hockey Game: Choppers vs The Mighty Ducks

Some pictures from the intermural game tonight (Sunday, March 22).


Brother Nick Layo


Brother Alex Ratliff


Bring it in


Game


Game


The Bench


Brother Ryan Bell


Bench


And that's the score we ended with. Tie game (We were the guests)





Some Videos

Around the House

I snapped a couple of pictures on Saturday around the house because of the visit from the Compliance Manager from Nationals, Thomas "TR" Roberts.

The Chapter Room: Brothers Jameson Redden and Patrick Covey


The Chapter Room: Paddles and the Charter


The Chapter Room: Paddles


For those who haven't seen the paddle, Rest in Peace Dr. Z



The Chapter Room: The Mantle



Brothers Ryan Williams and Moe Hammoud chillin in the Chapter Room


The Kitchen: Brothers Jordayn Fisher, Nick Layo, Mark Updegraff, and Zach Fairchild



The Kitchen: The African and Polish race conflicts are finally over with

White Rose

I just obtained a copy of the White Rose invitation from Ryan. Anyone who wants to come please do! We're very excited to welcome back any alumni who wants to attend and we would definitely like to reestablish connections.

Ice Station Zebra

Here's the latest Ice Station Zebra courtesy of our High Rho, Ryan Williams. Send me an email if you'd like to get in touch with him about attending White Rose this year.

A Letter from an Alumni

I am excited to say that I have already received a response to this blog from an alumni. It's always fascinating to see the perspective of a brother who has been out of the "system" for a while as this is what each undergraduate brother eventually faces. Simon brings up some excellent points in the following letter, some of which are a bit unsettling at this point in my college career. Looking around it's hard to imagine that I might drift away from the people I surround myself with right now but I certainly can foresee it once the real world really kicks in. Thanks again for your letter Simon, I do hope to read and publish some of the stories you mentioned in the future.






Hi Sean, Though we have never met we share the common bond of brotherhood and experience! It is refreshing to hear stories(and see pictures) of recent memories being made by active brothers. I have heard very little of the troubles that have plagued the chapter over the past several years. I understand how hard it is to have those kind of restriction placed upon you by a university board that would rather see you disappear than acknowledge the good you bring to the campus and community! It has been almost 10 years since I graduated, in some ways a lot has changed and in others nothing really has at all. Every generation of actives faces adversity, for my generation we had to cope with the embezzlement of our funds by a brother and check fraud! It just about ended the chapter, I was alpha at the time and it was discovered the week before school began. Worst of all I had to expel by best friend and classmate from the chapter and Lambda Chi Alpha. It was what needed to be done because the chapter and traditions were more important than personal feelings and relationships. That is part of the commitment to the brotherhood. The brothers refused to let the flame of brotherhood be extinguished on our watch. We pulled together and dedicated ourselves to that task and with a lot of hard work and sacrifice we restored our name in the community. The other part was that we made sure our brother got the help he needed, which he did and him and I are great friends to this day!

Turmoil and challenge are part of being a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha, that is why we take the oath that we do. It would be easy to go through college and not be an active. There are plenty of parties to go to, Friends to make and other organizations to join! We set ourselves a part from the average college student, we strive for challenge and endure hardships because of our commitment to a greater purpose. Each generation wonders and agonizes over how to preserve the brotherhood and traditions that have been handed down to them, I know we certainly did. Subsequently each alumni wonders if his legacy will endure. Some how it always does, sure there are rough spots along the way and some traditions come and go. But the fundamentals remain the same, a group of brothers dedicated to the teachings of Lambda Chi Alpha and the brotherhood those teachings provide.

When I joined Lambda Chi in the fall of 1997 there where 10 of use in my class( Beta Rho). I did not know very many of the guys because I had not gone through the rush that semester like the others, nor did I want to get to know them. I viewed "help Week" as a competition that not all would make it through, I saw the other 8 guys in the green room as the enemy! By the end of that week I had been transformed...it was inexplicable. How could these guys I didn't know or like just 5 days before hold a place inside my heart forever. I knew right then and there that this was more than just partying, having fun and going to meetings!

As you graduate you can't wait for the transition to "the real world", you say to yourself "I'm coming back every year to hang out with my Bros" and for a few years you do. Sooner or later the daily rigors of family and work take over and the brother of Lambda Chi Alpha fade from view. You will talk to a couple of bro's here and there but its not the same. You will think back fondly on your days as an active and smile when you remember stupid exploits done usually while extremely intoxicated! Although the lamp burns faint it never extinguishes. It will start to burn a little brighter when you hear from old Bros or you get a newsletter. Right now with the interest in the Alumni Association my flame is growing as bright as it was when I was an active! I don't want that flame to dim again. The chapter meant to much to me not just for the great times I had there but what it did for me as a person. I want others to experience that brotherhood that me and those other 9 guys experienced.

As I read your blog I was struck by a sense of pride! Every alumni fears that those who come after will drop the lamp and the chapter will vanish! A two year probation is a long time to keep you nose clean, it is easy for guys to give up and say "screw it lets have a party tonight!!". But you didn't, you understood that the consequence had a greater overall impact on people you have never even met! That is impressive and to that I personally thank all of you guys. I know that Alumni probably don't have that great of a presence in your lives. They certainly didn't when I was an active, other than show up, drink our beer and tells us how we don't do it like they did "back in the day"! Just because we don't show up on a regular basis doesn't mean we don't care, that is something we need to do a better job of and will. Thank you once again for having the dedication to open these line of communication. Next time I post I'll tell some fun stories I promise!!!!

Yours in Zax,
Lambda Upsilon 461
Simon Durocher
Owner
Bella Terra Landscaping, Inc
(612)720-3080
www.bellaterrainc.com

A beginning to a blog and a (slight) end to tyranny

This chapter’s been through a lot in recent years but thankfully things are getting more towards normal. We’ve recently come off of probation with the university after a long and arduous period where no alcohol was allowed in the fraternity house (and therefore no fraternal partying minus the always epic White Rose) and already spirits are being lifted (in more ways than one). We’re finally starting to relax and enjoy our brotherhood again and, to be perfectly honest, thank god. We’ve needed that stress gone since that whole mess started and it did nothing but eat away at our patience and our tolerance for the frat and each other. Much thanks is owed to the Alpha’s that carried us through it all (Andy, Jesse, and Jeff) and really the entire chapter. How hard was it to not have a drink with your best friends at the focal point for all of our work, dues, and brotherhood? Let me be the first to say it tested the limits of my self control and there was many a time I heard a brother say “I just want to drink a damn beer” with a frustrated look on his face.

Of course drinking isn’t the focus of the fraternity and it’s not near to being the most important aspect of our brotherhood. It’s the restrictions placed upon us that I feel made us more antsy and uptight rather than the ban on alcohol. The fact that this was our house, our time, our money and our brotherhood and someone else was placing the restrictions on us is what I feel really caused us to work harder at just being who we are. In the end we endured and came through and now here we are so enough of that.