Tag: News

50 and Still Going Strong…

As many of you will recall, when the DZAA website was re-launched this year, 50Jubilaeumwe made the promise of regular updates and news items that are relevant to the Alumni, to Chi Phi, and to all of our Brothers.  With 50 web-postings now under our belt, the website continues to grow – not just in appearance and postings, but also in readership and online hits as well!  With well over 200 hits in the past month alone, the website has become a steady check-in for many of the Alumni!

The website offers new posts to the front page every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and after some miscellaneous articles in the beginning, we’ve created a regular schedule of articles – including the latest_news1Where Are They Now? features, the every-Monday Chapter News and Alumni News updates alternating each week, the DZAA Heroes spotlights, the Fundraiser highlights, the Around the Peninsula newsflashes, the President’s Message, the Social Events, and others.  Your Board has been working hard to keep you informed, updated, and occasionally reminded of days past, and if the positive feedback we’ve been receiving is any indication, you – the Alumni – appreciate the constant feed of posts.

Now, after four months and 50 articles, we’d like to see what you have to share.  If you have stories you’d like to tell, memories you’d like to share, news you would like to post, or perhaps even a little self-promotion you’d like to get out there, now’s the time to do it!  update-2Whether it’s a one-time article about something either you or another Brother has achieved, or an on-going series of articles related to the Alumni or Chi Phi in general, just let us know and we’ll be more than happy to work you into the schedule.  Remember, the DZAA and this website is not just about the Exec Board – it’s about ALL of the Alumni, and the more you participate, the closer those bonds of Brotherhood will grow.  Feel free to contact any member of the Board – David Ebner, Kyllan Purdon, Todd Latoski, or Ryan Suarez – and let them know you want to write.  Who knows?  The next posting you see on here could be yours!

In the News – Recognizing the DZAA

Every year, Chi Phi’s National Office recognizes Chapters and Alumni Associations across the country in many different areas.  Each spring, applications for the awards are posted to the Chi Phi website, and the applications are reviewed and awards are presented each year at Congress.  Below are some of the awards for which an Alumni Association can be recognized:

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI NEWSLETTER AWARD:  outstanding2This award is given annually to no more than three Chapters based upon the following criteria – (1) at least two newsletters published annually; (2) content timely and appropriate; (3) positive alumni response to the newsletter; and (4) quality organization, accuracy, and arrangement.

OUTSTANDING WEBSITE AWARD:  This award is given annually to the Chapter with the best website.

THE WILLIAM M. BYRD ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD:  This award, named for Brother William M. Byrd, Nu 1953, a former Grand Zeta and Trustee, is presented each year to the Chi Phi Alumnus who has best distinguished himself in activities and service on behalf of the Fraternity.

CHAPTER ADVISOR OF THE YEAR AWARD:  Awarded annually, this award recognizes the top Chapter Advisors of all Chapters within the Fraternity.  Nominations come from the Chapters themselves.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR AWARD:  This award recognizes the Chapter Alumni Association that has done an outstanding job in supporting an undergraduate Chapter, providing benefits of membership to that Chapter’s Alumni, and promoting the mission of the Chi Phi Fraternity.

ServiceCHI PHI FRATERNITY – DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD:  This annual award recognizes Chi Phi Brothers who have demonstrated an extraordinary level of service to the Fraternity in terms of numbers of years and throughout the previous year.

CHI PHI FRATERNITY – CRONKITE CONGRESSIONAL AWARD:  The Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. Chi Phi Congressional Award is the most prestigious individual honor the Chi Phi Fraternity can bestow on an Alumnus.  It is given for humanitarian, social, or political achievement which benefits our country, educational system, or society.  The Cronkite Award is reserved for Alumni who have made a profound impact on humanity while exemplifying the highest ideals of the Fraternity.

There are a number of opportunities for our Alumni Association to be recognized, and while spring is still several months away, it’s never too early to begin thinking about what awards the DZAA may be eligible to receive.

As we near the end of 2013 and look back over the year, 1659563let’s consider the ways that the Alumni Association has grown…the ways that the Alumni have given back to the community…the ways that the DZAA has reached out to its members and kept them updated and informed…the ways that the Association has supported and encouraged the Active Chapter – then, let’s look forward to all the opportunities we will have in 2014 to do all of that and more!

In the News – Adam Feinberg and Todd Latoski

“Young Donor Makes Lasting Impact on Chapter and Chi Phi.”  This is the headline to an article in the Fall 2013 printed issue of The Chi Phi Chakett which highlights Delta Zeta alumnus, Brother DSCN2132Adam Feinberg and his more than generous donation to support Chi Phi and Delta Zeta.  Brother Feinberg joined the MacLean Legacy Society this past spring with a $50,000 life insurance gift to the Fraternity, and he sat down for an interview with Senior Director of Development, Elizabeth Knott, to discuss his life with Chi Phi and the reasons for his donation.   So, with the three other DZAA mentions in this issue of the Chakett, Brother Feinberg’s article  raises it to a total of four nods to our Alumni Association in just one issue!  To read the full article, check out the inside cover of the Fall 2013 Chakett, or you can read the entire article online at http://www.chiphi.org/chakettonline/educational-trust/2013/10/young-donor-makes-lasting-impact-on-chapter-and-chi-phi/.

On the lighter side of things, fellow alumnus, Brother Todd Latoski, has been involved in his community theater for the past four years, and this weekend was the opening weekend of his latest play, “Drinking Habits.”  Brother Latoski DSCN2233plays an investigative reporter sent to uncover the truth behind a rumor that nuns are making award-winning wine at the local convent.  A hilarious farce, the play finds Brother Latoski changing identities, changing costumes, and changing stories so much you’ll need a score card!  The play is at the Shoestring Theater in Lake Helen (just outside of Orange City and Deltona) and runs for two more weekends.  For more info on the play, go to the website at http://shoestringtheatre.net/.  If you’re in the area, come out and support Brother Latoski and enjoy more than a few laughs!

If you’ve got news or an announcement, please don’t forget to let us know so that we can post it here and let all of your Brothers share in it!