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by Brian Bendett, Phi Kappa Psi Philanthropy Chair

This Spring Break some of the brothers at Phi Kappa Psi had the unique and extraordinary opportunity to attend the American Leadership Academy. The American Leadership Academy is held annually in Cabo, Mexico and open to all Phi Psi's.

While there, Phi Psi's enjoy a free stay at the Marbella Suites, courtesy of Brother Jerry Nelson, entrepreneur and founder TicketMaster.

During the day brothers hear and network with many famous Phi Psi alums, and during the night, enjoy the city of Cabo San Lucas. It is quite an amazing experience not only to listen to some of the country's most successful men, but also to meet and form relationships with brothers from around the US.

 
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by Ben Figoten, Lambda Chi Alpha Philanthropy Chair

On Saturday April 3rd the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity sent roughly two dozen brothers into Tompkins County to volunteer and plan an Easter Egg Hunt open to the local community. The hunt featured over 6,000 eggs and attracted thousands of local parents and kids celebrating the holiday. 

Other events included a 50/50 raffle, a jelly bean challenge, a rubber duckie prize station and a photography shoot. 

The brothers volunteered in a variety of roles in order to help make sure the event ran smoothly. Brothers of the fraternity reported having a great time and plan to run a similar event with the Ithaca community for Halloween next fall semester as well as Easter in 2011.

 
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by Steven Wald, Tau Epsilon Phi President

Tau Epsilon Phi (TEP) and Sigma Delta Tau (SDT) held their first joint philanthropy event on April 20th, called Eat All Day With TEP.  The event took place on the Ag Quad during the day and in Collegetown at night. 

While the bake sale originally had been an SDT event in years past, they agreed to share the event with the brothers of Tau Epsilon Phi who have been striving to improve their philanthropy under the current Philanthropy Chair, Ryan Afari. 

The proceeds from the event, collected through the work of members of TEP and SDT in baking and tabling on campus and at night in Collegetown, will go to the Prevent Child Abuse America organization.

 
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In Early April, the Beta New York Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon at Cornell University officially regained its charted with its national corporation.

Alumni and Fellow Greeks,

Sigma Phi Epsilon has made some great strides over the last five years. We have gone from a chapter of 20 men with significant financial troubles to having a manpower that rivals the top chapters on campus, a solid GPA, and for the first time in a long time, financial stability. This change could not have happened without the help and moral support of a number of people. The relationship we have developed with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs has allowed to easily and seamlessly integrate ourselves back into the Cornell Fraternity and Sorority community. Furthermore, the open relations we have with a number of chapters both on and off campus have allowed us to learn a number of best practices to improve our brotherhood.

However, none of this would have been possible with the tremendous support of our Alumni and Volunteer Corporation. While David Roman (President of our A&VC) and Kevin Baradett (VP for Finance of our A&VC) have been the leaders of this group, the contributions of Ron Ronsvalle (member at large), Harry Elliot (member at large), Walt Geggis (member at large), Tony Egner (member at large), and our recent graduates Matthew Freeman and Greg Mezey, cannot go without praise. All of these men have dedicated a significant amount of time to reestablish Sig Ep as a presence on campus. From improving our fraternity house both inside and out to holding monthly meetings to improve the leadership skills of the undergraduates, these alumni have done it all.

Finally, the undergraduate body has done a great job of striving to be the best. While the current undergraduates have the luxury of basking in the glow of our accomplishments, everything we have now is due to the vision of those recruited five years ago by the National Fraternity. We have worked hard as a brotherhood to create an environment for undergraduates to develop themselves in academia, improve their leadership skills by running an organization, and still enjoy the life of a college student.

Moving forward we will again focus on the vision our brothers had five years ago. We will continue to grow and mature into young adults. Regaining our charter was not the culmination of our work, but the first step. Now we will strive to get a Buchanon Cup, an award given to only the most select Sig Ep chapters in the nation. With the help of the University, our strong alumni base, and the determination of our brotherhood this goal is well within our grasp.

With Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love,
Evan Caruso
President Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity
Cornell ‘11

 
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The follow excerpt is from a front page story on the April 4 edition of the Cornell Daily Sun.  Read the entire story at www.CornellSun.com:

After four years of work, Cornell’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity will regain its charter in the upcoming fall semester as the New York Beta chapter.

In order to gain formal recognition as a chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, the members had to undergo a recolonization process, in which they proved to the national fraternity their ability to thrive.

“It was a pretty straightforward process but it’s not easy,” said Evan Caruso ‘11, current president of Cornell’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. “The national fraternity has high standards because they want to ensure that the chapter is going to be successful.”

 The requirements for regaining their charter include a brotherhood of at least 70 members and a grade point average higher than 3.3…continued
 
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by Ginny Johnson, Alpha Phi Panhellenic Delegate

On Saturday, April 17th,  Alpha Phi held their 3rd annual Red Dress Gala with all proceeds benefiting the Alpha Phi Foundation.  As designated by the American Heart Association, the Red Dress is a symbol of women’s cardiac health, which is the Alpha Phi Foundation’s main philanthropic cause. Heart disease is the most dominant killer of women in the United States, as statistics show that 1 in 6 women die from Coronary Heart Disease.  Money donated to the Foundation goes on to fund research and educational programs that support women’s cardiac care.

This year, the Gala was held at the Ithaca Yacht Club, featured a full dinner catered by Joe’s Restaurant, and was sponsored in part by Diet Coke.  Diet Coke, in partnership with The Heart Truth, also has a campaign funding women’s heart health initiatives.  The event featured a silent auction with generous donations from parents and local businesses such as Just a Taste, Best Buy, Moosewood, EMS, and The Cornell Store.

Last year, the Cornell chapter of Alpha Phi made the largest donation to the Alpha Phi Foundation in the entire Northeast Region, much thanks to the success of the Red Dress Gala.  We hope to continue this trend, as this year’s Red Dress Gala raised $4,300 for the Foundation. Money was raised through the silent auction as well as the sale of event tickets, wristbands, and T-shirts.

Over 150 sisters, parents, and alumni attended and next year we plan to open the event up to the entire Cornell community in hopes of raising awareness about women’s cardiac care and donating even more money to the Alpha Phi Foundation.

 
by Marissa Frieder, Alpha Xi Delta Sorority

On March 7, 2010, the sisters of Alpha Xi Delta gathered for a self-defense workshop. Two women's self defense experts from Ithaca Karate came to the house to teach our sisters the basics of protecting themselves. Not only did all our sisters have a good time, we all learned crucial self-defense tactics. The workshop was very informative and interactive, and we even learned how to break wood! 


 
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On Sunday, April 18, 2010, 40 members of Alpha Epsilon Phi and Sigma Alpha Mu went to volunteer at the Tompkins County SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). 

The volunteers spent the afternoon helping out in a variety of ways, including laying mulch, washing windows, building tables and chairs, cleaning animal rescue cars, organizing the back of a trailer, washing dogs, and more. 

Everyone put a lot of effort into the tasks they were assigned, and made a noticeable difference by the time they were done.  Even though it was hard work, the fraternity and sorority members really seemed to have a good time working together and making a difference. 

As a treat, when all of the work was done, the volunteers were given some time to play with puppies and kittens, and some were even able to take a few dogs for a walk.  It ended up being a really fun afternoon and was a great way to help out a noteworthy cause.

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