The Drake Fiji

The Drake

Fiji

December 2012 | Phi Gamma Delta | Delta Iota | Drake University

Table of ContentsA letter from the EditorPg. 3: Joey Gale

The 2013 CabinetPg. 4-5: President Ben SloanPg. 6-7: Treasurer Justin JacobsPg. 8-9: Corresponding Secretary Sam PritchardPg. 10-11: Recording Secretary Andrew BellPg. 12-13: Historian Tony Froelich

Graduate BrothersPg. 14 Pig Dinner 2012Pg. 15 The Fiji Legacy Campaign

Service and FundraisingPg. 16: 2012 Service ReportPh. 17: The (Fiji) ‘Can-Man’

MusicPg. 18: SAMPOL

A big thanks to Carter Oswood and Sam Pritchard for their photogarphy, and too Riley Willman for copy editing.

A Letter from the Editor

Brothers,

It is my honor to introduce you to the new Drake Fiji newsletter called “The Drake Fiji.” Clever I know. My name is Joey Gale, I am a sophomore from Plymouth, Min-nesota. In my free time I enjoy saving Drake University as a Student Senator, and Planning Welcome Weekend 2013 on the Peer Advi-sory Board. For the brothers in the house I am ‘Buckaroo,’ To grad-uates, I am indeed Mike Gales little brother, or the “cooler Gale” as I have been told. I hope you enjoy the new layout of “The Drake Fiji.”

Fraternally,Joey Gale

A big thanks to Carter Oswood and Sam Pritchard for their photogarphy, and too Riley Willman for copy editing.

Phi Gamma DeltaDelta IotaDrake University2012/2013

A letter from the PresidentBy: Ben SloanDelta Iota President

My name is Ben Sloan and I am the newly-elected Chapter President. My FIJI journey began the day I stepped onto Drake’s campus in the fall of 2010; the very first student I met end-ed up being the FIJI historian. As the semester progressed I found myself becoming friends with many current and future Phi Gams, so by the time I went through recruitment my decision was an easy one. Since signing my bid card, my FIJI journey has included time as my pledge class’s Brotherhood Representative and most recently the Recruitment Co-Chair. Knowing your brothers is certainly an important part of being a Phi Gam, so allow me to share mine. I am a junior actuarial science major from Dubuque, Iowa and I am a proud member of the Alpha Lambda class. My father’s name is Steve and he is an optometrist. When I’m not crunching numbers, I can be found golfing, playing soccer or hanging out with friends on the front porch (RIP: Couches 1848-2012). Simply put, Delta Iota is as strong as ever. With the house in such strong

condition, I am very excited to step up and lead this house forward by build-ing on the successes of the past. From athletics, the arts, and academics, to throwing the best events on the street, FIJI has always been an innovative house that sets the standard for Greek Life at Drake. Over the next year we plan to con-tinue fostering the culture of involve-ment that has made FIJI one of the most influential forces on Drake’s cam-pus in recent years. We are also very excited at the upcoming opportunities for strengthening relations between graduate brothers and undergraduate brothers. The next time you find yourself in the Des Moines area, please stop by the house and say hello. I can promise you the brothers and I would sincerely enjoy sitting on the porch, sipping on a few beverages, while taking about your favorite Phi Gamma Delta memo-ries.

Fraternally,Benjamin J. Sloan

By: Justin JacobsDelta Iota Treasurer

A letter fromthe Treasurer

My name is Justin Jacobs and I have recently been elected as the new Treasurer to the Delta Iota chapter of Phi Gamma Del-ta. I was lucky enough to be on cabinet this past year, which provided me with some great knowledge and experience. I plan to use and build on my ex-periences over the next year as Treasurer. As an accounting/fi-nance major at Drake, I am well prepared for this task. The rest of cabinet as well as myself are looking to improve the chapter in every foresee-able way throughout the next year. As Treasurer, I will be do-ing my best to collect dues as promptly as possible so that paying the bills our chapter incurs can be done well in ad-vance. Keeping our debt as close to zero throughout the year will give our chapter more financial flexibility, so that we

can work with House Corp. to make physical improvements to the house. I am also very ex-cited to be able to give some input come Island Week, and try to make that week even bet-ter (if possible). Although the new cabinet has just recently been elected in its entirety, I feel extremely lucky to able to work with four other intelligent and motivated brothers. We all have high aspi-rations and look forward to fac-ing some challenges through-out the next year. I have no doubt that the FIJI house will be better than ever by the end of our term with the help of all our outstanding brothers.

Fraternally,Justin Jacobs

Perge!

By: Sam PritchardDelta Iota Corresponding Secretary

A letter from the Corresponding Secretary

My name is Sam Pritchard and I am the newly-elected Correspond-ing Secretary for 2013. Beginning with crayons and finger-painting before moving on to college-ruled paper and word processors, I have over 21 years of corresponding practice, so it’s great to have final-ly found a suitable outlet for my skills. Allow me to share a little about myself. I’m currently a junior study-ing marketing and politics, and I hail from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My resume would tell you I’ve been involved in everything from Stu-dent Senate and SAB to Drake Choir and an acapella group, but my true hobbies include farming the FIJI papyrus plot, beat-boxing in the 3rd floor bathroom, and leading the Duff basketball team to (relative) victory. My overarching goal for the next year is to craft our chapter’s image

as the leading chapter at Drake University and communicate the story of our success to the campus community and beyond. I have a passion for public relations and will seek to improve our relations with our respective publics, wheth-er they are graduates, parents, or community members. Addition-ally, I will continue to guide the growth and development of our current funding effort, the Legacy Campaign, as it matures. This is a great time to be involved in the house, and I only have the highest expectations of the year to come. We have a great group of guys, great passion, and a real desire for our house to live up to all its potential. I hope to send correspondence of our good news soon.

Fraternally,Sam Pritchard

A letter from the Recording SecretaryBy: Andrew BellDelta Iota Recording Secretary

My name’s Andrew Bell and I am excited to be Delta Iota’s Recording Secretary. I am currently a sophomore and am proud member of the Alpha Mu class. Currently I am a finance and market-ing double major, but as a sophomore, I still have some time left to decide what my degree will be in. On campus I have been involved with the Times Delphic Newspaper serving as the Advertising Sales Manager along side my fellow Alpha Mu brother Joey Gale. I am quite excited to be-come an incoming member of cabinet. The previous cabinet did an excellent job of putting our house in a position to be successful, and I am confident that this new cabinet will only exceed expectations. As Recording Secretary I look forward to maintaining and managing our internal communications. I plan on taking extensive minutes to keep our chapter

updated, and will manage our WebGreek site that has been throwing us for a loop lately. I am looking forward to running meetings effi-ciently and working with the other members of cabinet to make sure meeting are run quickly and concisely. I’m also excited to oversee the Philanthropy Chair position, and add philanthropic events to our Island week. While on cabinet I intend to assist all the other cabinet members in any other way I can. From helping Ben Sloan with any presidential work, or helping Sam with the awards report, I want to not only make sure the chapter is communicating efficiently but that cabinet is in sync as well. I am excited to continue to update you on the state of the chapter be-cause we have a ton of great things going on here at the Delta Iota chapter.

Fraternally,Andrew Bell

A letter fromthe HistorianBy: Tony FroelicDelta Iota Historian

My name is Tony Froelich and I am the new historian for the 2013 calendar year. I am a ju-nior history and writing double major from Green Bay, Wiscon-sin. I could not be more excited to serve FIJI this year in such an important and, must I say, his-torical way. Phi Gamma Delta has such a rich history and although Delta Iota is yet a rather young chap-ter, we have a great history and it is truly a rewarding experi-ence having the opportunity helping make history for my beloved chapter every day. Along with the duties of pre-serving the history of FIJI, I also get the honor of serving on cabinet with four of Phi Gam-ma Delta’s finest leaders. As one of the top fraternities on the street, our goal is to con-tinue our success and continue to achieve a high level of our greatest and most important success—strong brotherhood. One thing I have learned in my time at 1236 34th St. is that

success on paper and success in the form of accolades, are nothing without brotherhood and friendship. I look forward to the opportunity to preserve this chapter’s rich history, while helping to set us up for future success, all the while, keeping the richest Drake FIJI tradition of all—brotherhood. A few quick facts about me: I am the twin brother of fellow FIJI brother Andy Froelich. I am an avid Green Bay Pack-ers and Brewers fan and along with those themes, I am always down with Wisconsin cheese. My grandfather was a cheese maker so I like to believe that a little bit of cheese is always run-ning through my veins. As for the rest of my family, my father, Dan, is the executive chef at St. Norbert College and spends his summers cooking for the Pack-ers. My mother, Mary Anne, is a Spanish teacher.

Fraternally, Tony

Pig Dinner 2012By: Nick Oestreich Delta Iota (former) Graduate Relations Chair

This is Nick Oestreich check-ing in here, former graduate re-lations chair, to give you a little update on this past year’s Pig Dinner. I am junior member of the Alpha Lambda pledge class and am a current accounting and finance double major hail-ing from Bettendorf, Iowa. This year’s 18th annual Frank Norris Pig Dinner was enjoyed by many and a step in the right direction for the house as a whole. The dinner was at-tended by sixty-three graduate brothers, continuing the trend of an increased presence from year to year that attends our celebration of brotherhood. A new idea that is beginning to take form is having a rep-resentative for each class. We feel that this can help us con-tinue to improve the turnout for years to come, as the represen-tatives will continue to increase not only attendance, but also communication between the graduate brothers and current undergraduates. The keynote speaker was the newly elected Archon Presi-dent, Scott Mikulecky. He gave

a passionate speech that re-lated to undergrads and grads alike. Another highlight of the night was the introduction of the Fiji Legacy campaign – a fundraising project that our brothers Sam Pritchard and Eric Baker had spent a ton of time on and it got off to a rous-ing and successful start. Our chapter advisor Lou Ann Simp-son was presented with the Crowder Cup, which she has now won two times in the past three years. As always though, the fun was had back at the house. Brothers were able to relive their college days with old friends and new brothers, even if just for one night of the year. As announced at this year’s dinner, the 2013 Pig Dinner will be held on November 9th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We would love for everyone to be able to make it back and continue to see what a fine state our chap-ter is in.

Fraternally,Nick Oestreich

In the spring of 2012, broth-ers were gathered on the FIJI porch, chatting about the up-coming 20th chapter anniversa-ry, when conversation turned to the status of the chapter. We are all obviously very proud of the successes that the chapter has achieved in recent years, and more importantly the chapter’s reputation on campus for being a house that is built on the foundation of brotherhood. And yet the brothers on the porch that evening had a greater vision; one that extends well beyond the status quo. In essence, that vision is to honor our chapter’s esteemed past, while guaranteeing the future success of Delta Iota. While an emphasis lies on the improve-ment of the physical structure of FIJI, the goals of the chapter go further. The brothers of Phi Gamma Delta want to push the

chapter to new heights in every facet of fraternity life, and se-cure that legacy for decades to come. And that is what the Leg-acy Campaign is all about. The catalyst for the Legacy Campaign was a challenge set forth by our House Corp to raise $10,000 toward house improve-ments. For every dollar raised, they will match it up to that

$10,000 mark. While the bond of brotherhood is as strong as ever, the FIJI house is in need of significant renovations in order to reflect the quality of the chap-ter that resides inside. Without significant improvements, our house risks losing our distinct rush advantages to the other houses on the street that have recently undertaken impressive facility makeovers.

The Legacy Campaign was kicked off at this year’s Pig Din-ner following an inspiring key note by Archon President Scott Mikulecky. Brothers in atten-dance pledged over $1,300 and with the help of parents and other friends of the Frater-nity, the campaign passed the $2,000 mark a few short weeks later. With all of this in mind that

I ask you to con-template what you can do to help us accomplish these

goals. Whether you’re able to give $500, $100, or even $25, your donation will go a long way towards securing the integrity of our chapter for many years to come. Feel free to check out FI-JILegacy.com for more informa-tion about the campaign and to find out ways to give.

Fraternally,Sam Pritchard

Leave Your Legacy.

What service means to us at Drake: The men of Phi Gamma Delta - Delta Iota hold service very highly, it being one of our five core values. The chapter served almost 2,000 hours in the last ten months throughout the Drake and Des Moines communities, helping with events ranging from the Belize Dance Marathon, a fun-draiser event put on by Drake students and faculty to help build schools for children in Be-lize, to working with Iowa Public Television, where brothers get to donate their time answering calls on live television. We like to participate in many different types of service events to show our many different interests and involvements in the community

2012 ServiceReportBy: Justin Kochanski

Why do we do service? To make an impact. We choose our involvements to show that we are capable of changing lives and helping to make the world a better place. Brothers volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club and local high school wrestling programs with the intent of being a role model. These brothers help younger individuals with schoolwork to build upon their education, and help in their personal lives, aiding to get them on the right path. This is meaningful service that we feel will make our world a better place.

We just do service be-cause we have to, right? This statement is 100% false. We don’t just go along with the status quo for service at Drake University; we have a culture of dynamic service and activism in this fraternity. This year marked our second ever FIJI Haunted House, an event that started as a spur of the moment idea from brother Carter Oswood in 2011. Now, our haunted house is one of the most popular phil-anthropic events in the Greek community, raising over $600 for the Easter Seals of Iowa. It’s events like these that we are proud of and want to continue to do. Not only are they fun and inclusive for all brothers, but also they deliver so much back to the community.

At the FIJI house, we are always looking for ways to become more sustainable environ-mentally, while still saving money. This semester we have offi-cially implemented our house wide-aluminum can, plastic, and glass bottle recycling pro-gram. As some you may know, in Iowa, most cans and bottles can be returned for 5 cents each, and we have greatly taken advan-tage of that this semester. With house wide co-operation, we have managed to increase our re-cycling 100%, becoming more environmentally friendly as a house and using the money from the recycling towards our fundraising Legacy Cam-paign. To date, we have raised over $150, and are on target to reach $200 by semesters end.

While this may not seem like a substantial amount of money, it is a simple way for the entire house to contribute in our FIJI recycling program and our fundraising cam-paign while still keeping our environment in mind.In the upcoming semes-ter, the house has further plans to increase our sustainability and save even more money. We have plans to drastically

cut our waste, especially in terms of single use paper and plastic products (i.e. plates, cups, bowls, plastic ware). Furthermore, a plan is in the works to advance our recycling program to include paper products. Although recycling pa-per will not give us any financial returns, it is just further proof that Delta Iota cares about our en-vironment and our ecological footprint.

MoreThanJustCans

By: Andy Froelich

SAMPOL

My name is Sam, and this is Po, together we make SAMPOL. Shar-ing Another Message, Pursuing Our Love. Our love for music and per-forming brought us together in an attempt to give the world a sample of a new style of music. We per-form all types of music, from hip-hop to slow rock and everything in between, including styles that we created ourselves. We also enjoy performing original songs that we write together, and always encour-age audience participating during our shows. We strive to entertain audiences not only through our music but also through portraying

our goofy and unique personalities while performing. When we first started playing mu-sic together, we would just jam out in our free time. The random late night jam sessions eventually turned into every-day rehearsals. Before we knew it we were playing the gui-tar and Cajon, singing, dancing, and rapping in front of an audience. We performed our first show this past month on campus and we plan to do many more in the future. Our next planned performance is going to be in front of many of our brothers and peers at the Belize Dance Marathon in the spring.

Through implementing the values and lessons Fiji has taught us into our songs, we hope to use our music to change the mindset of our gener-ation. If you LIKE even a little bit of the information given above, please take the time to LIKE our Facebook page as well! We appreciate the sup-port of our friends, family members, and especially our brothers as we continue to share our music.

Fraternally,Sam DornNapoleon Douglas Proud!

By: Sam Dorn andNapoleon Douglas

ServiceMorality

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