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Alpha Gamma 2015-2016

Brotherhood Report The Ralph L. Saroyan

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2015-2016 Social and Brotherhood Events

Introduction This past year, the Brothers of the Alpha Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Chi aimed to make the Brother-hood stronger than it’s ever been. Although we have a large Chapter, there are many opportunities for Brothers to get together, have a little fun, and strengthen our Brotherhood. Many events were held this past year to further brotherhood in our fraternity: including those events that allowed us to be-hold brothers, become brothers, and be brothers. We felt as a fraternity our duty to hold events dur-ing rush that would find valuable members, during pledging that would educate them on the meaning of brotherhood, and continuing this brotherhood experience throughout our time in this fraternity.

Beholding Brothers...

Rush Information Session: With the

curriculum transition changes that were imple-mented this year at UNC Eshelman School of Phar-macy, there were a number of necessary changes to be made with the Phi Delta Chi recruitment schedule. Recruitment was on a delayed schedule and we felt it best to work closely with the other Greek organizations on campus to ensure that we had the best schedule possible. This is why we chose to have our rush information session as a collaborative effort with both Kappa Epsilon and Kappa Psi fraternities. At this session, we provided pizza to the potential new members as they learned about the recruitment process for each organization as well as the similarities and differ-ences between the three Greek groups at the school. It was a great idea to work together to set the stage for the academic school year as these or-ganizations worked together instead of competing against each other. It was beneficial for the poten-tial new members that had an interest in more than one of these organizations so that they could use their time efficiently by hearing from all three organizations at once. This event was a great way to kickoff our recruitment for the Fall of 2015 and we are looking forward to continuing this tradition in the future.

Amazing Race: The Amazing Race event

is one of our most popular recruitment events year after year. For the past two years, it has strategical-ly been placed as the first recruitment event after the Information Session for a few reasons. First, it is a budget friendly event that is normally held around the school, thus making it extremely con-venient for everyone involved. Secondly, potential new members as well as current brothers are ran-domized into predetermined groups making intro-ductions less intimidating than a recruitment event with a one on one setting. Lastly, the fast pace of the event prevents uncomfortable interactions and helps form fast bonds between brothers and rushees through the team based exercises. This event is modeled after the TV show with clues leading to areas of the school where a task must be completed before continuing on to the next event. The first team to complete all of the events is the winner. Snacks and drinks are provided and it has proven to be a very successful and fun event!

Appetizer Night: For one of our recruit-

ment events we headed to a local Chapel Hill es-tablishment, Fitzgerald’s, for some appetizers. This event was for brothers and potential new members to come together to socialize and enjoy some food. Potential new members were allowed to go through the line first, so that it was emphasized the event was planned for them. After an hour or so of socializing, one of our brothers who used to emcee

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trivia led us in a trivia event. Each table made its own team, and brothers bonded with potential new members as they answered questions about history, sports, and pop culture. Next year we are going to plan for more food because it was such a success!

Field Day: Field day was a new recruit-

ment event this year. It was a dreary morning in Chapel Hill, and it looked like it was going to rain that afternoon. Luckily, the clouds cleared out, and it turned into a beautiful afternoon as brothers and potential new members alike made their way to Hooker Fields. We split everyone into four teams at the beginning, and they remained in these teams throughout the day. The first event was kickball, and it was a nice relaxed way for everyone to mingle on their teams. After that, the teams competed in dizzy bat, tug-of-war, and water bal-loon toss. One potential new member was so into tug-of-war that he even ripped the sole off his shoe. Those who were not participating in the team events and wanted to socialize enjoyed ice cream and cornhole on the side, which allowed something for everyone to do. Everyone had a great time, and it was a great way for the brothers to get to know potential new members.

Cookout: The cookout was our final event

of the recruitment process and was held at a club-house and pool area at a nearby apartment com-plex. At this point in the recruitment process, many brothers had formed friendships and special bonds with rushees that had attended the previous recruitment events. The event this year was special as it was the same night as the South Carolina/UNC football game and the location where we had the event had TVs where we could watch the first game of the season. Food was provided for all of those in attendance and our “Sailing” recruitment theme became extremely appropriate as people swam and lounged around the pool. We were for-tunate enough to have been blessed with excellent weather and the event went off without a hitch. The brothers were excited to welcome the new members after the completion of recruitment.

Pinning/Bid Day: Bid Day is a day filled

with excitement and nerves as the brothers of the Alpha Gamma chapter eagerly awaited the ac-ceptances of the new pledges. Our publications committee created beautiful bids that were passed out to the rushees that were voted on by the chap-ter. At the end of the day we ended up having 40 wonderful new members that were eager to begin their pledging process, which began with the for-mal Pinning Ceremony. The ceremony was held at the school, where each pledge received their pledging pins and a “Pinning Buddy”, who was a current Alpha Gamma brother, to help guide them through the first steps of the pledging process. Often times, these buddies become bigs to these pledges and the bid day allows them to have a unique first interaction that welcomes these new brothers to the organization.

Becoming Brothers…

Friday on the Front Porch: The first

event of a new pleducation initiative titled “Pledge-Brother events” was Friday on the Front Porch at the Carolina Inn on Friday, September 11th. The event was incredibly well attended by both new members and active brothers. The Carolina Inn provides a great environment for socializing and it sits in perhaps one of the most picturesque parts of campus. There was live music, food, and drinks, all while everyone bonded during a beautiful late-summer afternoon. Even Ramses, our University’s mascot, stopped by long enough for our brothers and new members to snag a quick photo!

Here brothers socialize with rushing members while enjoying great food during our Cookout!

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Maple View Ice Cream: After the

pleducation meeting on Thursday, September 17th,

both brothers and pledges were encouraged to

attend an ice cream social event at Maple View Ice

Cream. Dozens of brothers and new members alike

came to taste some delicious hand-dipped ice

cream and socialize amongst each other. Everyone

enjoyed the best ice cream in town while taking in

the gorgeous farmland scenery. There was much

bonding to be had while sitting out watching the

sunset, relaxing in the rocking chairs on the porch

that evening. This event not only helped brothers

get to know their new members, but also helped to

perpetuate a growing comradery between new

members.

Tailgate: As part of the new member edu-

cation process, the Pleducation Committee decided

to host a tailgate to the UNC vs. Illinois football

game for both the new members and the brothers

on September 19th. Despite a last minute audible

on the tailgate location, the committee was able to

put together a fun and successful event. Both new

members and current brothers attended and

brought breakfast items to share. For many of the

PY1 new members, this was their first opportunity

to see a Carolina sporting event and engage in the

Tar Heel spirit! Many brothers engaged in friendly

competition by playing corn hole while bonding

over breakfast foods.After the tailgate, the group

attended the game and got to see an impressive 14

-48 win for the 2015 ACC Coastal Division Champi-

on Tar Heels.

Monterrey’s Dinner: The fourth Pledge-

Brother event was a group dinner at Monterrey

Mexican Restaurant in Carrboro on October 1st.

This event provided everyone the chance to sit

down and talk to get to know each other a little

better while enjoying one of everyone’s favorite

meals. It was easy to see how many brothers and

new members had bonded with each other over

the previous weeks with how easily conversation

followed and the amount of laughter that filled the

room. Overall, this was a hugely successful event

that showcased the brotherhood of the Alpha

Gamma chapter at its finest.

Soccer Tournament: The final Pledge-

Brother event was a soccer tournament for new members and brothers. A hurricane forced the Pleducation committee to postpone the event but we were able to squeeze the event into the later part of the pledge process on October 25th. The participants signed up ahead of time and were di-vided into three teams to compete. The tourna-ment had two teams playing each other with one team on the side-lines. As soon as one team scored, the losing team would sit out and the team on the side lines would come in and play. This al-lowed some time for bonding while the other the two teams engaged in the game. Despite the wide range in skill level, everyone had fun being outside and kicking the ball around for a while. side-lines. As soon as one team scored, the losing team would sit out and the team on the side lines would come in and play. This allowed some time for bonding while the other the two teams engaged in the game. Despite the wide range in skill level, every-one had fun being outside and kicking the ball around for a while.

Big/Little Reveal: The Big-Little Reveal

this past semester was an incredible success. The

weeks prior to the event, both new members and

brothers submitted preferences for who they

Brothers posing with our University’s mascot, Ramses, at Friday on the Front Porch.

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would want to be their big and little, respectively.

On October 29th, the reveal took place in Kerr Hall.

After the pleducation meeting had concluded, the

Big brothers handed the pleducation committee

members a puzzle piece they made that had

written on it their little’s name and clues for the

little to follow to find their big somewhere around

the pharmacy school. These puzzle pieces were dis-

tributed to the littles and they were asked to follow

the clues to find their big who would be waiting for

them with their own puzzle piece that would fit

perfectly with their little’s. Afterwards, everyone

returned to Kerr 2001 where each big presented a

slide for their little and gave them their pledge

name. Once that concluded, everyone attended a

local restaurant which PDC had reserved to watch

the Tar Heels take on the Pitt Panthers in football.

Big brothers and their new littles were excited for

the chance to unwind outside of the pharmacy

school and have some fun.

Being Brothers…

Retreat: Before the start of another hectic

school year, the Alpha Gamma chapter made its annual retreat to Boone, NC, a small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. Over half of the brotherhood made the three hour drive to partici-pate in a weekend of bonding and preparation for the new semester. Faced with transition to a new curriculum, a day was dedicated to planning for rush and playing minigames that emphasized build-ing leadership and trust. When not in meetings, brothers took the opportunity to partake in two famous Boone activities: hiking and touring brew-eries. Taking advantage of perfect weather, broth-ers reunited with a long hike at the beautiful Lin-ville Falls and braved the rocky paths to take in some stunning views. Another group of brothers went to Blowing Rock Brewery, where they were able to learn about the craft beers that the area is known for. As in years past, the night was ended in “candle time”, where a candle was passed around the circle as each brother shared and remembered what Phi Delta Chi means to each. The weekend

was a perfect way to strengthen the brotherhood before the school year.

Design Night: A group of our brothers

ventured to an art class on a Friday night to explore our hidden artistic talent. We had all decided to paint a picture of the Old Well, the most iconic and beloved symbol of our University. The canvases were already sketched out with the structure of the old well, but we still had the chance to add our own individual touch with the background and col-ors. While laughing all night with our brothers was by far the most entertaining part of the night, the most rewarding was watching all of us embrace our creativity with no abandonment. What does it mean to be a brother? It could be considered en-couraging and promoting each other to color out-side the lines. In this situation, we did this figura-tively and literally. So many of us rarely use all of our creativity when approaching problems, wheth-er for fear of being judged or that the ultimate out-come will fail. This night allowed us to embrace our creativity and embrace our brothers as they embarked on creating their own idea of a master-piece. All of our paintings turned out different, a subtle reminder each and every one of us can bring a different outlook to the table. It is nice to remind ourselves that we have the opportunity daily to embrace this type of creativity without judgment within our brotherhood.

Durham Bulls: The recruitment process is

one of the most stressful times of the Fall semes-ter, so the brotherhood jumped at the chance to take a night off and head to the ballpark to watch the Durham Bulls, a local minor league baseball team. With over 40 brothers in attendance, the game was one of the most successful events of the year! Brothers took advantage of a College Night special to enjoy cheap hot dogs, popcorn, and soda as they sat in a big outfield section hoping to catch a homerun. Since this was the first social event of the semester, brothers took the chance to catch up and bond with some people they hadn’t seen since the summer. Unfortunately, the Bulls were unable to get the victory, but perfect weather and a great bonding experience made it a successful night!

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Semi-Formal: One of the highlights of fall

semester is Phi Delta Chi’s Semi-Formal. On Friday, November 13th, we all put down the books, dolled ourselves up, and treated ourselves to a night of dancing and singing with our brothers. Semi-formal was held at R&R Bar and Grill, an old Chapel Hill favorite, so it was fun to go back and reminisce on all of our glory days from undergrad. We had over 70 brothers and their guests there showing off their dance moves, which was truly an entertaining sight. Many fourth year brothers came back from rotation, and it was so good to catch up with them all. Being the first big event after initiation, there were also a lot of new brothers there. It was so en-couraging having so many new brothers there, which gave us insight on how fun and successful Alpha Gamma will be in the years to come. It was great to have both the old and the new together, and it was amazing to see how much has changed and how far we have come over the past few years.

Thurston Thursday’s: This past year, the

Alpha Gamma Chapter continued their commit-ment to brotherhood by developing a new event termed “Thurston Thursday”. The ultimate goal of this new event was to further develop brother rela-tionships and connections. This event brought brothers together at a local restaurant of the chap-ter’s choice for an evening of entertainment, relax-ation, and brotherly bonding. Thurston Thursdays were held immediately following every chapter meeting, and provided brothers with the oppor-tunity to unwind after a difficult week of course-work and other obligations. In addition to dinner and brother interaction, brothers were also quizzed on national, regional, and local Phi Delta Chi trivia and history. The highest scoring Brother received baked goods of their choosing for displaying contin-ued effort and commitment to fraternal knowledge.

Crazy for the Canes: Despite being in the

midst of UNC basketball madness, a group of 15 hockey-loving Alpha Gamma brothers took a trip over to Raleigh, NC, to watch the Carolina Hurri-canes take on the Philadelphia Flyers. It was Col-lege Night at the PNC Arena, meaning that this

group of brothers was able to score seats near cen-ter-ice, even though they were in the upper level. Not phased by the upper level, the brothers cheered every hit and shot as the Canes skated hard the whole game. The group mostly consisted of major hockey fans, so everyone had a great time watching an exciting game with fellow brothers. All of the great support from the brothers paid off as the Canes managed to pull out a big 3-1 victory over the Flyers. This is the second year in a row that the brotherhood has taken a trip to see the Canes play, and this looks like a tradition that will continue for years to come!

Friends-giving: Thanksgiving is such a

special time of year. It’s a time to relax, stuff your face, and reminisce on all there is in life for which to be thankful. This year, we decided who better to do these things with than with our brothers! As we all stood around the table waiting to gobble down the feast before our eyes, you couldn’t help but look around the room at all the people laughing and loving one another and be overwhelmed with thankfulness. It’s an awesome feeling to be sur-rounded by fifty people packed in one house who you know you can always count on, and who would do absolutely anything to help you out. At such a high stress point in the semester, it was an amazing opportunity to sit back, relax, and enjoy the people around (and the turkey, stuffing, and chocolate chess pie). One of the highlights of the night was watching the guys gobble around in the turkey feathers one of the brothers had made out of con-struction paper. They were such a hit, they even made an appearance in class the next Monday! We also spent hours engaging in some friendly compe-tition games like “Ninja” and “Wop,” which were absolutely necessary to burn off all of the calories we had consumed. At the end of it all, there was a house filled with crumbs, cats eating leftovers off the porch, and a car that smelled like turkey juice for months, but it was worth it to remind us of how grateful we should be to be a part of such an amaz-ing organization like Phi Delta Chi, with the best friends and brothers anyone could ask for.

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Jordan Lake: Even though the beach is a few hours away from Chapel Hill, the Alpha Gamma

had its own beach cookout on the shores of nearby Jordan Lake. Despite the threat of rain looming over-head, brothers found some picnic tables, a charcoal grill, and plenty of beach space to have a good time. It didn’t take long to get the grill fired up as brothers indulged on hot dogs, hamburgers, and plenty of chips and desserts. While some brothers enjoyed the food, others took part in a variety of beach games. The biggest attraction was Spikeball, a variation of volleyball in which teams try to spike the ball off a mini trampoline to get the ball past the other team. It didn’t take long for the competitive spirit to kick in, as brothers were diving left and right to keep up the rallies. Rain ended up cutting the event short, but not before the present brothers had a great time. Some PY4’s even took time away from their rota-tions to make a surprise visit and come join the fun.

End of Year Banquet: At the end of every school year, the Alpha Gamma brothers come to-

gether to celebrate the year’s accomplishments and send off our third year brothers on to their year of rotations. This year, our chapter developed a point system based on splitting the fraternity into four different houses. At this event, we awarded the house that accumulated the most points with a beauti-fully designed house cup, made by one of our brothers. It not only recognized these brothers for their dedication to the fraternity throughout the year, but also celebrated their ability to succeed when work-ing together. The third year brothers were also recognized with superlatives and parting gifts as we sent them off with the best of wishes while hoping to see them in some of next year’s events. We will surely miss having these brothers so close by, but look forward to seeing the great things they will do!

Outcomes of Brotherhood Number of Brothers Location

Brothers who visited other

Chapters 3 Beta Kappa

Brothers who hosted other

Chapters 12

Beta Kappa

Alpha

5 Grand Council 2015

Brothers that attended

Phi Delta Chi meetings 4

Mid-Atlantic Regional

Gathering 2015

14 interested LDS 2016

There is no better way to further brotherhood than by taking the opportunity to travel to Phi Delta Chi meetings

and to other Chapters. Five of our brothers came back from Grand Council filled with passion to better our fra-

ternity. Brothers from other chapters, such as Beta Kappa and Alpha, visited for rush events and also during our

Initiation. Brothers from Alpha Gamma also attended Beta Kappa’s, a buddy chapter’s, initiation. Brothers also

socialized with our other buddy chapter, Beta Omega, at the SNPhA hiking social. “It was my first time meeting

brothers from this chapter. We had a great time discussing the different activities that makes our chapters

unique. I hope to meet up with them again at future PDC or SNPhA events!” - Brother Seyram Fudzie

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A Brother’s Reflection B Y : R O B E R T C R A W F O R D I I I

I could define my Phi Delta Chi experience in the following three

words: brotherhood, foundation, opportunity. Growing up with a little

brother, I was never able to truly appreciate our relationship until I went to

college. The distance and time away from him compelled me to try to find

a similar relationship among my friends. I found this easily in PDC.

Anyone coming to pharmacy school can appreciate the culture shock going from undergraduate studies to

a graduate level program, whether that change is in the classroom setting, change in level of difficulty in the class-

room, or change in geographic location. I was blessed enough to be able to stay on the same campus from under-

graduate to pharmacy school; however, that didn’t make the transition much easier. I had to leave my undergradu-

ate fraternity brothers due to the strain of school and also due to the financial and time burden associated with the

fraternity. I was nervous to let go, and I was also nervous to jump into something right after having developed such

a tight bond. Stuck in limbo, I almost didn’t reach out to create those similar relationships. Luckily the time I spent

with students ahead of me in the program, such as Ben Ahlers, helped me overcome my hesitation and I began to

immerse myself in the pharmacy school culture by joining Phi Delta Chi.

The relationships developed faster than I could have imagined. When I reflect on my bond with Ben, it be-

gan when he would take time out of his day to check up on how I was doing, whether it be about school or things

going on outside of the classroom. Although calling him my brother didn’t happen overnight, we slowly started

spending time out of school day dreaming about the years to come in our pharmacy careers. Those nights devel-

oped into us playing pool, meeting up for dinner habitually, and now he is one of my closest friends from pharmacy

school. All I can think about is how appreciative I am of him as a brother because he fostered the kind of relation-

ship that helped me grow as a pharmacy student and within Phi Delta Chi’s brotherhood.

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Alpha Gamma Brother since November, 2013

Without a good foundation, the world’s largest and strongest buildings cannot stand. Although there were

countless all-night study sessions spent with my fellow PDC pledge brothers (and later brothers), I will remember

most the nights out de-stressing after a tough week or our meetings to gather and bond while reflecting on our ex-

citement to join PDC. I cherish consistently this change from friendship to brotherhood. As I mentioned above, every-

one experiences a form of culture shock leaving the undergraduate level and mine revolved around confidence. It’s

tough going from top dog in a room, to a top dog amongst 150 other top dogs. I wasn’t the smartest anymore, I was-

n’t the center of attention anymore, and I had to work much harder than ever just to keep up. But throughout all of

those experiences, I grew. I matured and allowed the new relationships to build on one another. I was building my-

self up in PDC, and that developed into something I could depend on. This foundation helped me stand up through

the adversity associated with leadership, reflecting on philanthropy, and maintaining the highest academic standards.

All these things are pillars of focus in PDC which created a foundation that pushed me to become a better person, a

better brother. I know I would not have been as successful in pharmacy school had I been without my new family.

What a better way to describe pharmacy school than by opportunity. Every decision is an opportunity and

deciding whether to take them defines your experience. I almost didn’t take the opportunity to join PDC and I would

have regretted that for the rest of my life. Within PDC, I not only had the opportunity to grow as a leader, serve my

community by raising money for St. Jude’s, but also the opportunity to find mentors, life-long friends, and more im-

portantly family. The selflessness I see daily amongst this group of individuals is astounding. Whether it is a ride from

the airport at 4:00am, providing guidance on decisions to what leadership and organizations to seek out, or simply

grabbing dinner to catch up on what has happened amongst a hectic week. I see it every day. The closer I get to my

fourth year, the more nostalgic I get. I am sad that I will not be wandering the halls of Kerr and Beard looking for a

PDC brother to accompany my study session. However, it makes it easier because I am happy to know that these

friends I now call brothers will not fade away. They will always be there supporting me and helping me. The opportu-

nities do not stop here as this fraternity is a nationwide brotherhood that is constantly at work. It is exciting to know

that there are people out there who would stand up for me just because we share the same core values of PDC.

Regardless of any decisions I have made to date, I’ve appreciated that PDC has given me a brotherhood

that helped build the foundation for my pharmacy career and expanded my opportunities and, for that, I will forever

be grateful.

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Appendix

Field Day

Big/Little Reveal

Rushing members pictured with current brothers during one of Field Day, one of our rush events. On far right, Brother Tiffany visits from one of our Buddy chapters—Beta Kappa at Campbell.

Big/little reveal traditionally involves revealing your little by presenting their pledge name and the reason behind your choice (to the right.) This year, we added a new part to the event by using clues on your puzzle piece to find your big at

their hidden location (to the left.)

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Gatlinburg Retreat Ice Skating

Brothers embrace the cold on our Gatlinburg retreat and also at home at the local skating rink.

Crazy for the Canes

Nothing like a selfie to capture how much our Brothers love to support the nearby hockey team—the Hurricanes.

Jordan Lake

Brothers participate in “Spikeball” during our cook out at nearby Jordan Lake.

Durham Bulls Game This was one of our first times heading over to

the city next door, Durham, to watch the Durham Bulls play some baseball and it ended

up being one of our biggest events of the year!

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End of Year Banquet

Formal

To the left, first year brothers enjoy their first formal while, to the right, fourth year brothers enjoy their last formal as a collegiate student.

Brothers join together to take a silly picture and celebrate another amazing year!