Edition 2 Issue 1

7
The Jaguar Press SUMMER 2 013 The Official Newsletter of Tau Psi Omega – Alpha Chapter

description

 

Transcript of Edition 2 Issue 1

The Jaguar Press

S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f T a u P s i O m e g a – A l p h a C h a p t e r

2

THE JAGUAR PRESS SUMMER 2016

Agua Prieta 19 Tau Psi Omega b rothe rs went to Agu a Pr ieta, Sonora on July 12 , 2013. This g roup of young men h elp ed bui ld houses for the p oor wi th the Rancho Feliz Char i table Foundation. Af te r see ing the imp act the b rothe rs cre ated wi th these fami lie s in 2012, th ey dec ide d to vo lunteer a second tim e. Michael Ke ll er and Sa lvador Camacho f i r s t imp lem ented th is s erv ice to Tau Psi af ter going to Agua Pr ieta through th e Arm strong Schola rs Program in 2011 . Sin ce then, this f raterni ty has adopted to spend an ent i re weekend dur ing th e summ er bui lding houses. Af ter a quick s top at Wal -M art to purchase sun p rotec t ion —like ha ts and sun block—brothers f i l l ed two large vans and made th ei r t r ip towards Agu a Pr ieta. The dr ive to S onora took about s ix hours, and they a rr ived a t a res idence owned by Rancho Fel iz a t 1 :00A M. Th ey woke up the ne xt morning ready to work and were spl i t into four d i fferen t g rou ps by chape rones. These ch aperones t rans porte d the bro thers o f Tau Psi to s eparate loca tions in Agua Pr ieta . The bro thers had a long day wh ere th ey helped bu ild h ous es and pe r formed st renu ou s jobs, l ike mixing cement for the f loors by laying br icks for the wa ll s . They helped at abou t f ive di f ferent houses on Sa turday and S unday , and e ven helped finish one o f th e hom es by ge tt ing i t ready for a new fam ily to move in. In addi t ion to bui ld ing hom es, th ey helped reconst ruct a gree n hou se that was b lown ap ar t by a thu nderstorm .

Th e two days spent in Agua Pr ieta by Tau Psi Omega were fu l l o f h ard work and commitmen t. The bro thers l i s ten ed to com pell ing s tor ies f rom the fami l ie s in which they bui l t the house s for , ackn owledging the harsh condi tions in which th ese fam i lies l ived in. Af te r thankin g a fam i ly for g iv ing them the opp ortuni ty to help them, Os car Sal inas sa id, “Es a lgo que nu nca podemos en tende r h asta que estam os p resente. La v ida aqu í es m uy d i fe rente a l a v ida de haya .” Th is t ranslates to : L iv in g here i s very di f ferent f rom l iv ing over the re, and we can’ t truly unders tand what l ife i s l ike here unt i l we expe r ience i t ourselves. Af ter making an impact to th e Agua Pr ieta commun ity , the b rothers o f Tau Ps i Om ega cam e back on Sunday nigh t. Every b rother went to thei r resp ected fami l ie s keeping in mind that due to thei r hard work , a few m ore p eople now have what they can cal l a “home .”

Tau Psi Omega brothers who participated in this event were Jibran Martinez, Michael Keller, David Moreno, Fernando Vasquez, Jose Giron, Angel Giron, Salvador Camacho, Angel Martinez, Amador Chavez, Jonathan Acosta, Haris Podrug, Kevin Salazar, Jose Mejia, Oscar Salinas, Danny Chi, Juan Reyes, Robert Jacobson-duteil, Javier Yepiz, and Carlos Valentin.

3

THE JAGUAR PRESS SUMMER 2016

Minority Male Summer Bridge Program

2

about Greek life and the university life. This gave the young college students better knowledge of what to expect on the university level. The brothers were also invited to attend a Success Wednesday, where they heard a second motivational speech on how to become successful. Everyone was broken up into different groups and they shared who they thought they were, what their purpose in life was, and if they were everything they ever wanted to be. The purpose of the speech was to “learn yourself, know yourself, and be yourself.” This helped the students learn more about themselves as well as to figuring out what their identity was. Amador and Juan were invited to the award ceremony at the closing of the summer classes. The participants of the summer program received certificates for finishing the program and even got a 100% retention level. Some awards included were the most improved and the best worker. Amador was given the chance to take the podium and he congratulated them for completing the program and also wished them good luck on their fall semester. He also stated that he looked forward to staying in touch for future workshops and events with them. Future plans with the men’s club are to have an ASU tour for them and to initiate a mentor

system.

1

Due to the low rate in which male minority college students actually obtain their degrees or certificates, the Minority Summer Bridge Program was created to help these minority males stay in school and reach success. Christopher Erran, alumni of Tau Psi Omega Fraternity, is the coordinator of this summer program and reached out to the undergrads of Tau Psi Omega to become mentors for freshmen minority students. Gladly to take the proposal, Tau Psi Omega adopted the program as its philanthropy to help students achieve a higher education and success. Last summer became their stepping-stone into this program and many brothers volunteered as mentors. The program ran throughout June, and Tau Psi participated in five key event days. Brothers introduced themselves to the students on the opening day. They explained what the fraternity was like, the purpose for each brother joining, and they spoke of Greek life in general. Before attending their first college course, everyone in the room got the privilege of hearing an inspirational speech by Chris Maybrooks, a former NFL player who has cancer. The speech focused on taking advantage of the present time and to accomplish as much as they possibly can in life. Two weeks into the program, another group of 6 brothers provided lunch for the freshmen students, and spoke about brotherhood and college life. Alumni brother Jose Giron spoke about the meaning of brotherhood and answered questions

Brothers who participated: Christopher Erran, Juan Reyes, Amador Chavez, Jorge Arellano, Angel Giron, Jose Giron, Victor Corral, Salvador Camacho, Bryan Soto, Javier Yepiz, and Ivan Escalera

4

THE JAGUAR PRESS SUMMER 2016

Founder’s Week Percentage Night

Alcohol Awareness Workshop Salsa Workshop

Hazing Workshop A second workshop was conducted later that same day. It was strictly about hazing and the possible disciplinary actions taken as a result of hazing within an organization. Fraternity & Sorority Life gave us a revelation about hazing in universities across the entire nation. They shared tragic events that occurred due to hazing. The goal of the night was to promote anti-hazing activities by being aware of the consequences that can occur if they are caught hazing other individuals.

The start of the 2013 Tau Psi Omega Founder’s Week was on Monday, September 9, with an Applebee’s percentage night. The gentlemen of Tau Psi Omega filled an entire row of tables and were able to enjoy quality time with each other. The lovely ladies of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. also stopped by and showed their support to them.

The next event on the agenda was an alcohol awareness workshop conducted by Detective Daniel Hermann on Tuesday. 26 undergraduate brothers, along with other Greek organizations and students from ASU, gathered to learn about the hazards of alcohol and its effects on a person’s health accompanied with the legal restrictions when it comes to alcohol abuse within Greek life. After his presentation, he opened the floor for any questions relating to the Tempe law. The detective gave a plethora of examples relating to law regulations, such as MIP’s (Minor in Possession), MIC’s (Minor in Consumption), and Tempe traffic laws.

Wednesday night featured a Salsa workshop with fellow Sun Devil students: Diana German and Jesus Cisneros. As the instructors for the night, they demonstrated a brief lecture on Salsa techniques. The ladies and gentlemen of the night were paired up with a partner and had an opportunity to utilize their newly acquired dancing skills.

In celebration of Founder’s Week, Tau Psi Omega had a DJ set up on the MU stage to promote awareness of their organization to future interests. They played a variety of music for everyone to enjoy, which created a harmonious environment for the college students walking

Tabling

5

THE JAGUAR PRESS SUMMER 2016

Founder’s Day Community Service

Barbeque

Ocean 7

Legacy of Founder’s Week

Ultimately, the goal of Tau Psi Omega’s Founder’s Week was to celebrate their 17 years of excellence as an organization at Arizona State University. They take great pride in their goals, which are to incorporate unity, diversity, faith, servitude and knowledge in everything they do. They wish to continue their legacy, which began in 1996, by growing as an organization while preserving their values.

Brother Dr. Gabriel Escontrías put the first carne asada on the grill at about three in the afternoon. Brothers were able to stop by and enjoy his delicious carne asada and grilled chicken. They hung out under the porch and even jumped into the pool to get refreshed from the warm weather. This Founding Father’s night seemed like it could not get better with the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Canelo Alvarez fight along with the ASU vs. WIS (Wisconsin) football game. The brothers were sitting down in the living room shoulder-to-shoulder cheering for their designated sides. The barbecue was a great brotherhood event where they caught up with each other while having a good time.

As a way of ending Founder’s Week, a club event at Oceans Seven was arranged. Brothers and friends were able to enjoy a night filled with dancing. Fernando Estrada showed off his skilled dancing moves while Fernando Vazquez practiced his talented way of dancing banda music. The ladies from Theta Nu Xi and Gamma Alpha Omega

As the final day of Founder’s Day, we celebrated with community service, a barbeque, and club event. We started off in the morning of Saturday, September 14 with a community service event with Central Arizona Shelter Service (C.A.S.S), which is the largest homeless shelter in Arizona that serves about 10,000 homeless people each year. Undergrads along with the help of alumni organized two closet rooms filled with clothes. By doing so, they made it easier for C.A.S.S. to provide clothing for those who are underprivileged. After three hours, they managed to finish organizing both closet rooms then proceeded to La Tolteca as a reward by enjoying delicious Mexican food.

6

THE JAGUAR PRESS SUMMER 2016

Service and Internships Spring of 2013 came to an end with a new Alpha Gamma class and with 12 graduating brothers. After so much hard work and stress, the beginning of their summer vacation began. Many brothers moved back with their parents over the summer and others stayed, but they all continued to serve the community and strive for their career goals.

Bryan Soto During the summer, Bryan volunteered as a resident assistant during the Annual AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute Symposium, where he was assigned a familia of 6 diverse high school students to work with. During his time there, Bryan helped build motivation for the students to pursue a higher education and gave them the skills needed to be successful in college. In addition Bryan went on a two weeklong pilgrimage to South America where he got to visit Brazil and Paraguay. The final destination of this trip was Rio de Janeiro, where he got to see the Pope. After Bryan returned to the states, he was selected as one of 4 undergraduate students at Arizona State University to partake in the yearly Obama Scholars report. Under this report Bryan got the opportunity to share his story on his current success and future aspirations. This report was published and then sent to the White House to be read by the Obama Administration.

Duane Moreno Duane served a total of 60 volunteer hours during the semester with Banner Desert Medical Center. Thoughout his time in the hospital, he ran errands, filed medical charts, submitted daily paper work, and transported patients to designated areas throughout the hospital. By performing these various duties, not only did Duane impact the hospital, but he also developed skills that are needed in the hospital setting, which are necessary as a Medical Science student.

Mensur Hussein Make-A-Wish Foundation gave Mensur an opportunity to work for them as an intern this past summer. He worked full-time for eleven weeks by assisting the I.T. department within the foundation. Some of his duties were to run software and hardware upgrades throughout the office, assist help desk requests by answering client questions via phone and in person, and to create instructional guides for installing software and setting up conference visuals.

7

THE JAGUAR PRESS SUMMER 2016

Service and Internships

Jorge Ambriz Jorge got the opportunity to work in congress as a Congressional Intern in the Office of Congressman Ed Pastor. This was a full time intern opportunity that was held four weeks throughout July. He worked on constituent casework with federal agencies, reported that casework to the staff, and attended local federal agency congressional briefings. He even got to meet Steve Gallardo, a current Arizona State Senator and the President of the Cartwright School District Governing Board.

Haris Podrug Haris went to Istanbul, Turkey during the summer for an internship with Surat Teknologi. He created small computer designs for Surat and was taught how to hack into networks for security purposes. He also went on job shadowings with senior employees and was shown how to perform their daily task step-by-step. Not only was he in Turkey for an internship, but also taught intermediate English to 25 fifth and sixth graders in Hakkari. As the closing of his time in Turkey, he flew to Sarajevo, Bosnia to see his family. After three long years, he got to see his grandparents and uncles once again. Overall, Haris got to experience a lot of new things in Turkey and the opportunity of visiting old customs in Bosnia.