On December 9th Santa made an early appearance at Lafayette! Through the efforts of DKE and Alpha Phi Lafayette students were given the opportunity to take pictures with Santa and Mrs. Clause for a small donation. All the proceeds went to the Alpha Phi Foundation for Cardiac Care and the Jeremy Saxe Foundation. The event was a huge success and closed out yet another semester of Dekes giving back to the community!
A collection of pictures from yet another illustrious semester of intramural sports! Congratulations on your championships DKE!
Wiffleball Champions: Brandt, Schwartz, McGuigan, Mullin
Outdoor Soccer Champions: Roberts, Deir, O’Brien, Tufts, Nguyen, Phillips, Block, Toutoungi
The summer of 2011 is ending, and the new year is almost upon us. Here are a few changes we’ll all see in the fall.
The face of Greek life will be markedly different on the campus of Lafayette this year. First, there will only be four recognized fraternities on campus: DKE, Zeta Psi, Phi Kappa Psi, and Delta Upsilon remain while Kappa Delta Rho has lost its recognition.
Interestingly, Chi Phi has been making moves to return to campus, and is currently waist-deep in a lawsuit against the school alleging that their chapter has the right to recolonize. It seems unlikely that any official recognition will be given by the college this fall, though. That being said, DU was still driven out of Chi Phi’s house, which they had been occupying; they will be moving into the refurbished P.T. Farinon building adjacent to sororities Alpha Phi and Pi Beta Phi.
Affecting everyone, also, is the appointment of a new Fraternity and Sorority Advisor whose position stands to replace the former Residence Life Assistant to Greek Life position. Stuart Umberger has the honor of taking this position, and we all look forward to working with him.
Within our own house, Brothers and visitors will notice that the college has made many improvements during the summer. Most noticeably, the dining room, foyer, living room, and all three stairwells have been repainted, giving a new look to the dingy walls of the past.
Concerning membership, you’ll notice several returning faces and the absence of others. Mike McCulloch ’12 has returned from his year of studying around the world. JJ Houldin ’12 and Ben Paro ’12 have also come back from their study abroad trip to Rome. Additionally, we welcome the return to campus of Mike Brazell ’13 and Billy McCarrick ’12. On top of all the recently graduated seniors, well on their way to becoming distinguished alumni, Chip Morel ’13 will be leaving us for a semester to study abroad in London and intern for the British Parliament.
“And when in happy years to come I sport my children three,
I’ll mark them each with a stencil plate: one D! one K! one E!”
Congratulations to the Dekes of the Class of 2011 on their recent graduation! It’s been quite a journey, and your class will be missed by everyone here at Rho Chapter. We’ll (try to) take good care of the house for your imminent Homecoming return! Best of luck to you all in the future! Kηρόθεv Φίλoι άεί.
DKE mourns the loss of Brother Duncan Andrews, a Rho DKE who contributed greatly to the fraternity over his lifetime.
Andrews served as President and Executive Director of DKE International, as well as the editor of the DKE Quarterly. He was known for his whole-hearted DKE spirit and his general embodiment of the phrase “gentleman, scholar, and jolly good fellow.”
Andrews passed away on March 17; he was 75 years old. Read more here.
Delta Kappa Epsilon is pleased to announce that it has received an “excellent” rating from the administration for its successful completion of the COMPASS chapter development program for the 2010 calendar year.
Started in 2004, COMPASS exists to help chapters bolster their performance in the categories of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Community Building, Management & Development, and Educational Programming. Chapters are rated excellent, satisfactory, or marginal based on the performance they exhibit in the report filed at the end of each year.
According to Laurel Peffer, the Lafayette Fraternity and Sorority Advisor, this year’s report was the best submission DKE has had in terms of formatting, organization, and professional quality. DKE received an “excellent” rating for the 2009 calendar year as well.
The Rho Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon continued to push the limits of its success on Saturday, April 9th when Lafayette Dekes, bolstered by copious alumni and campus support, coordinated the 3rd Annual Jeremy Saxe Memorial Basketball Tournament. This charity sporting event has served two purposes since its inception in 2009: to honor the life of Brother Jeremy Saxe who passed away during his senior year due to an undiagnosed heart condition, and to raise money for the Jeremy Saxe Foundation as it builds a school in Nepal.
DKE-on-DKE: Brother Phillips Goes in for a Shot
Twenty-four teams from all across campus competed in the 3-on-3 tournament. Players, for the first time this year, could choose to compete in either a competitive or recreational bracket, encouraging students who aren’t as skilled to join in. The bleachers were filled with fans that came to support their friends, leading to the cheery environment that filled the gym for the whole afternoon.
By the end of the tournament we had raised over $1,000 from donations alone. Other alumni who couldn’t attend were eager to contribute, with one gracious Deke even pledging to match all game-day donations. Mr. and Mrs. Saxe, who drove down from Connecticut for the tournament, were thrilled at the love and support they received from the chapter. During the reception held after the event, Mrs. Saxe said she looks forward to the continuing partnership between DKE and the Foundation.
Brother Saxe Watches from Above
Though the classes who knew Jeremy have come and gone, the lasting impact of the Jeremy Saxe Foundation will continue to drive the Rho Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon to host this memorial tournament for years to come.
DKE Rho Stands Strong
Just a collection of intramural championship pictures from last semester. Way to go DKE!
2-on-2 Over 6′ Basketball Champions—Jeff Marver & Josh Tufts
Outdoor Soccer Champions—Toutoungi, Morel, Lambie, Miglietta, O’Brien, Shrager, Phillips, Brandt, Tufts, Nguyen
Whiffleball Champions—Schwartz, Casey, Rupolo, Lennon
Dodgeball Champions—Alpert, Montecallo, Brandt, Tufts, Spieler, Casey
Come show your athletic skills (or lack thereof!) at this year’s 3rd Annual Jeremy Saxe Memorial Basketball Tournament.
Proceeds from the tournament will go to the Jeremy Saxe Foundation in honor of DKE’s brother Jeremy who passed away unexpectedly in 2008.
The tournament will be 3-on-3 style with round-robin and single-elimination rounds, with a $5 per head ($15/team) donation going to the Foundation.
Come out and support DKE and the Lafayette community! Please email your 3-person team to piettej@lafayette.edu so you can reserve your spot in the tournament BY NO LATER THAN APRIL 1st!
If there’s one thing the Brothers of Rho Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon have, it’s worldly flair. With three brothers currently abroad and many others having just returned from interim sessions in Europe and beyond, our chapter sure has some awesome stories to share.
Most recently, Brothers Ross Lambie ’11, Conrad Shrager ’11, and Andrew Vrachimis ’11 ventured to France on an interim study abroad trip. Their journey started in Strasbourg where the trio visited the European Parliament. In Paris, the boys toured the Louvre and Notre Dame alongside Lafayette College President Daniel Weiss who, according to Shrager, “has an extensive knowledge of art history.” Their trip brought them to Toulouse and Frankfurt, Germany, where they got to sample some fine local cuisine, including duck and sauerkraut.
Brothers Baldwin and Stern Fraternize in Scotland
Two other Brothers went to slightly more exotic destinations with the school over winter break. Andrew O’Brien ’13 toured New Zealand, walking through crevasses in glaciers as he made his north-to-south trek across the island nation. Scott Gordon ’12 had similar striking experiences on his trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. “It was amazing to climb a snow-capped mountain one day and then go snorkeling the next,” said Gordon.
This semester we’re thrilled at the return of three Brothers who were abroad for the entire fall semester. Andrew Citron ’11 studied in Geneva, Switzerland. His time spent in and around the Swiss Alps was an extraordinary adventure. Meanwhile, Greg Baldwin ’12 and Will Stern ’12 studied at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Speaking on his excursion to the Scottish Highlands, Baldwin said “Words and pictures truly cannot do justice to the beauty and grandeur of the landscapes found in Glencoe. … [It] makes you, as a single human being, feel so small and utterly insignificant in the grandness of the physical size and age of the world.” Overall, Baldwin said that the experience was “action packed and full of memories.”
Brother Paro Relaxes above the Streets of Rome
With the return of some Brothers came the departure of others. JJ Houldin ’12 and Ben Paro ’12 are currently studying in Rome. The DKE duo has toured much of their region of Italy, and has also made time for a trip to Barcelona. Also abroad is Mike McCulloch ’12, whose study abroad experience has been anything but dull. His studies began in Rome this past fall, and he is currently in Delhi, India. Dubbed DKE’s “World Citizen,” McCulloch has travelled from London to Munich and everywhere in between.
We’re excited that we’ve fostered so much global integration over the past year. It’s always a shame to lose a Brother for a semester, but for the memories to be made, the experiences to be had, and the stories to be told, we look forward to the continuing trend of Dekes Abroad.
