Author: Chi Phi DZAA

President’s Report

David

Brothers,

As I have become accustom to, I have good news to report. Our Association is as strong as ever. Just to recap for you what has been accomplished since the April general meeting:

  • Dues Challenge: We successfully collected dues from 50 Brothers for this year! This number represents nearly 4 times as many dues paying members than ever before. On top of the dues, we were also given a gift from Brother Alex Bosco directly to the operations fund. We all owe Brother Bosco a hearty yell. On a similar note, Brother Ryan Suarez and I will be joining Brothers Woodward and Harff for a day of Crossfit soon. We will keep you posted.
  • Budget Passed: We were able to adequately use an online voting system to capture the dues paying members votes for the Fall general meeting. This included an affirmative vote on the Budget for 2015-2016. In that budget was a line item for the rebirth of the Mancation! We will be sending out a survey soon to capture some ideas on where to hold the Mancation, but as of now, we know that dues paying members will be given a discount on any attendance fee associated.
  • Scholarship Scramble: We held another successful Scholarship Scramble this October. We can’t thank those of you that participated enough. We are in the process of planning next year’s outing. If you have any questions or comments, please refer them to Brother Kyllan Purdon.

In addition to the several successful events we’ve held, there are quite a few events still on the horizon:

  • Holiday Party and Secret Santa: The party will be held at Brother Millsap’s house in Wesley Chapel on Saturday, December 13 from 6:30-10:00 PM. The event will be a pot luck, please post what food item you plan on bringing on the Facebook Event Page that will be set up soon. Also, we will have our annual Secret Santa as well. The Facebook Event Page will have a poll where you can enter the Secret Santa and tell us your beverage of choice. Again, this should be posted in a day or two.
  • 32nd Reunion and Founders Day: During this upcoming April, we will hold a reception to honor the chartering of the Delta Zeta Chapter 32 years ago. Also, we will have another Scarlet and Blue Classic Softball Game! The Alumni are undefeated, so we need to keep the streak alive!
  • Elections and Spring Meeting: On the weekend of the Founders Day events, we will hold the Spring general meeting which will include elections. If you are interested in running for a DZAA Board position, please contact me (dzaa1983@gmail.com) for more information about which position you are interested in. Some of the board will be seeking re-election, but vacancies will need to be filled as well. We hope that there are some of you willing to volunteer a few hours a month to making our organization the best it can possibly be.

In all, I couldn’t be happier with the work being done by our board and all of our alumni to make the DZAA the best Alumni Association in Chi Phi!

Fraternally,

David Ebner
DZAA President

Happy Birthday, Alumni!

The Delta Zeta Alumni Association wants to extend to all of our Brothers who have birthdays in December the warmest and happiest birthday wishes for a wonderful day!

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Those celebrating this month are:

 Kyle Schlenker – December 4th
Alex Petriliak, III – December 8th
Brandon Peterman – December 8th
Matthew Flannagan – December 27th
Andrew Schultz, Sr. – December 27th

 Best wishes to each and every one of you, as well as all of our other Brothers who are celebrating birthdays in December (and who we may have missed in the above list)!

Mr. Clutch – The Newest Name in USF Football

While Marlon Mack may have become a household name because of his breakout season, USF fans are discovering that the Bulls have other players with star power in the backfield – one in particular being freshman back, D’Ernest Johnson.

“We call him Mr. Clutch,” said head coach Willie Taggart. “When the game gets tight, he gets excited and fired up and really wants to make plays.

Mr. Clutch sure came through in the recent draRUEOJCAKRDATTEV_20141119230146matic 14-13 comeback win at SMU that kept USF’s post-season hopes alive. With the offence needing a boost, Johnson carried defenders with him to the end zone during his 12-yard touchdown reception that helped cut the deficit to 13-7 with 8:02 remaining.

“You just watch those runs and that catch when he scored,” Taggart said. “He was determined to score and do whatever it takes to help this football team.”

SMU punted after Johnson’s score, and the Bulls headed back to Tampa with a win after putting together a 21-play scoring drive. Johnson’s accounted for 37 years on the longest scoring drive in program history from a plays-standpoint, with a 20-yard catch on third-and-12 from the USF 33. Mr. Clutch came through again with a 4-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the USF 38.

“That was great to see, especially from a freshman coming in and making those big-time plays,” Taggart said.

“We’re lucky to have him,” running backs coach Telly Lockette said, “because he had his choices.”

The former Immokalee (Fla.) High School standout racked upDGRFDSXHHHMFYGP_20141018213142 1,855 yards, 19 rushing touchdowns, and 28 total scores in his prep career, all the while showing his versatility in the process. Johnson made 28 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns as a senior, and he also served as the team’s punter. Additionally, he gave football fans in his hometown a lot to feel good about in 2012, when he helped lead the Indians to the Class5A state championship game. Johnson helped Immokalee reach the title game by rushing for 113 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-21 state semi-final victory over Miami Jackson High School, led by USF true freshman QB Quinton Flowers.

“The future looks good here at the University of South Florida,” Lockette said.

For more about “Mr. Clutch” and to read the entire article, check out the USF GoBulls website at http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=209776512