Tag: Alumni

Memory Lane – Has It Really Been 30 Years?

For those of you who were not able to make the 30th Anniversary Celebration last month, you may not be aware that during the banquet on Saturday night, there was playing in the background a montage of Delta Zeta memories from the past 30 years.

As a way of making each and every Alumnus feel like he shared in the occasion, here is that montage (in PowerPoint format) for you to enjoy.

 30th Anniversary SLIDE SHOW

Did you see yourself?  Brothers you haven’t thought about in years?  Memories that make you nostalgic?

Brothers to the end, and beyond – Delta Zeta, 30 years later and still going strong!

Did You Know … ?

Chi Phi is known for not only strengthening the bonds of Brotherhood, but for also producing some of the finest gentlemen this country has ever seen.  But did you know that some of those gentlemen went on to become quite well known?

Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite – yes, THAT Walter Cronkite – was a Chi Phi from the University of Texas.  The longtime nightly news anchorman learned sound journalistic practices both in college and while working for United Press International. “Cementing bonds of life-long friendship that can be a source of happiness through life” was his testimonial to his Chi Phi Fraternity experience.

 Mark Ordesky

Mark Ordesky, an Oscar-winning producer who is now the president of the Fine Line division of New Line Cinema, is a Chi Phi from the University of Southern California.  He was the executive producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as a number of other films you may have seen.

 Chris Hardwick

Chris Hardwick,  a name quickly recognizable to anyone who is a fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead and its follow-up talk show, The Talking Dead, is a Chi Phi from the University of California, Los Angeles.  He has also hosted MTV’s Singled Out, he has appeared on Attack of the Show, and has had brief appearances in a number of television shows and films.

 Dan Bakkedahl

Dan Bakkedahl, a former correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, is a Chi Phi from Florida State University.  He has made guest appearances on numerous television shows, as well as had recurring roles on shows such as Community, Veep, and Legit.

And these are not the only famous Chi Phi.  Adam Larson of MTV’s Road Rules 10: The Quest is a Chi Phi from Boston University, and Gabriel Cade, a participant in CBS’ hit series, Survivor, is a Chi Phi from the University of NC, Wilmington.

You never know where the path of a Chi Phi will lead, and you just never know whether that television show or movie your are watching might just star a Brother!

Recognizing Our Heroes: Quincy Banis

Many of you know Brother Quincy Banis.  Having pledged Chi Phi back in 2005, he served the Delta Zeta Chapter in many capacities – as Gamma, Beta, Delta, Zeta, Pi, and Recruitment Chair.  But since leaving USF, Brother Banis has gone on to serve not just his fellow Chi Phi Brothers, but the entire country in the United States Army.

Currently a Captain, Brother Banis has had the privilege of serving in Fort Drum, NY; Fort Jackson, SC, Fort Bragg, NC, Quincyas well as overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Whether here in America or on foreign soil, Brother Banis has never shirked his patriotic duty of serving this country and protecting the many freedoms and liberties that we enjoy and so often take for granted.  Recently, he returned to Florida and is stationed in Miami, which leaves him close enough to visit his fellow Delta Zetas (and once again serve the Fraternity, this time on the Chapter Advisory Board).

Brother Banis is quick to acknowledge that his time as an Active Delta Zeta Brother helped him while serving the military.  “As an officer in the Fraternity, Quincy in Iraqit gave me my first experiences with real leadership,” he says.  “In ROTC, you train at a platoon, squad, and sometimes, at a company level.  But training is different from real life.  The Fraternity showed me leadership and the real-world consequences.  It gave me confidence to go to my first unit, and it gave me experiences that I could relate back to when I was starting I the Army.”  He does admit that while the military and the college fraternity have similar types of Brotherhoods, in that both Chi Phi and the Army brought him together with people I felt he could trust and are still connected with to this day, they do have some very distinct differences, with different focuses.  He does wish he had met more people in the active military who are in Chi Phi.  “We are a pretty small Fraternity in comparison with other organizations,” he adds, “but Chi Phi did a pretty good job of getting me prepared for the future, regardless of what I was going to do.”

Thinking back over his time in the Army, Brother Banis recalls one of his best experiences was when he came back from his first deployment.  “My friend Aaron (Poidevin) had won a credit card contest and won a free trip with some spending money (I think it was something like $2,000),” Banis shares.  “So he, Eric Dixon, and I decided to go visit one of our friends from Chi Omega, Chelsea Spalding.  I don’t want to tell all of the details here because it would be a long story, but the summary is that we had a great time.  It was such a great feeling coming back from deployment and having my friends from college there to greet me and welcome me back (including a friend from one of my favorite sororities).  To me, that was part of being a Brother – having Brothers there through everything, through the year of being away and welcoming me back when I returned as if no time had gone by at all.”

To those Brothers who may currently be in the ROTC program, Brother Banis has some advice to share.  First, you should stick with it.  “ROTC and Chi Phi are two great organizations,” he states, “and they have helped me develop so much.”  Quincy RaftingSecond, you get what you put into it.  “If you take a lot of leadership positions, and you are willing to learn, and you have the right intentions in mind,” he adds, “these organizations will take you far.  But if you don’t put anything into it, then that’s what you will get.”   Third, soak it all in and enjoy it.  “These times go away,” Brother Banis says, “a lot quicker than we’d like them to.  I can’t count how many times I have said that I miss college and I miss the Fraternity.  Some day, you will end up out in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country, surrounded by people who don’t speak the same language with nothing but the equipment you are wearing and the Soldiers to your left and right, and I guarantee you will miss the days when you could sleep in until five in the afternoon, wake up, and party until the sun came up with your Brothers.”

Finally, Brother Banis simply encourages everyone to stay in touch with your Brothers in Chi Phi.  “Some of the best experiences I have had with my Fraternity Brothers have happened after I graduated college.”

The DZAA would certainly like to thank Brother Quincy Banis – not just for his sage advice, but for his willingness to put his life on the line in service for this country and each and every one of us that live here.