fall 2008 carnation

Delta Sigma Phi | Fall 2008

UNLOCK YOUR LOVEOF VOLUNTEERISM

Profile of Wal-Mart Vice ChairmanMike Duke

Joe Tiller, Leaving a Winning FootballLegacy at Purdue University

DELTA SIGS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

2 T H E C A R N AT I O N | D E LTA S I G . O R G

Hello readers!

I’m excited to bring you the Fall 2008 issue of The Carnationmagazine, and I hope you enjoy what you are about to read!

This issue’s feature story delves into volunteerism, something that most brothers across the country took part in while undergraduate members of their chapters, and manyhave continued as alumni. We will profile five Delta Sigswho have found tremendous value, and also a good amountof fun, in their post-graduation volunteerism. Their storiesand causes are all different, which shows that volunteerism is not a one-size-fits-all effort. It’s how you decide that youwant to make a difference that is important.

While I don’t remember the first time I volunteered forsomething, I know that personally I get a tremendous amountof value out of giving back in my community. I have foundways to volunteer that are fun, allow me to meet interestingpeople, and help the community all at the same time. As youwill read, our featured brothers have done the same.

When I think of volunteerism, I think of a quote I onceread attributed to Abraham Lincoln:

“As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands – one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

That quote has stuck with me, and definitely articulatesthe fact that being willing to give back and help others isincredibly important. Think of the victims of the Midwestfloods from the early summer, or the victims of the hurricanesthat occurred in September in southeast Texas and southern Louisiana. They needed help following their ordeals, andmany people stepped up to volunteer their time to assist.

Also in this issue, we bring you a number of stories aboutDelta Sigs excelling in business, journalism, the ArmedForces, and sports. You’ll read an alumni profile of a brotherin each of those areas throughout the magazine.

In our Health & Fitness section, we discuss the importanceof organ and tissue donation, and how this subject touchedthe lives of the family of one of our brothers during the 2007NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

You’ll also read stories about what employers are lookingfor in today’s job market, tips for traveling on the cheap inour tight economy, and the importance of renters insurance.All of these stories are meant to help educate you on impor-tant topics that might affect you, and prepare you should youneed information in these areas.

As always, if you have any questions, ideas for stories,want to provide feedback (both positive and negative), or if a particular story touched you in some way, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected], or give me a call at (317) 634-1899 x425.

Thanks for reading!

YITBOS,

Bruce HammondEditor, The Carnation

letter from the editor

EditorBruce Hammond, Ohio Northern ’98

Contributing WritersBrian Beaupied, Grand Valley State ’06Scott Clark, Grand Valley State ’01Chris Cannon, Shorter ’06Mike Hart, Arizona State ’81Chris Linden, Millikin ’05

Art DirectorShelle Design Incorporated

Address publication materials and correspondence with national office to:Delta Sigma Phi1331 North Delaware StreetIndianapolis, IN 46202(317) 634-1899FAX: (317) 634-1410TTY: (317) 687-3593E-mail: [email protected]: www.deltasig.org

THE CARNATION OF DELTA SIGMA PHI(USPS 091-020), official publication ofDelta Sigma Phi, 1331 N. Delaware St.,Indianapolis, IN 46202, is publishedsemiannually. Publication postage paidat Indianapolis, IN and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes toTHE CARNATION OF DELTA SIGMA PHI,1331 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN46202. Subscription price to non-membersis $8.00 per year. Single copies $3.00.

Copyright 2008 by the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity; 1331 N. Delaware St.,Indianapolis, IN 46202. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted inany form or by any means, mechanical,electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner.

THE CARNATION® and Delta Sigma Phi®

are registered trademarks of DeltaSigma Phi Fraternity, Inc.

3F A L L 2 0 0 8

www.deltasig.org

CARNATIONTHE

62009 Convention Preview

12Volunteerism: Delta Sigs Making aDifference in Their Communities

25Alumni Profile: Mike Duke, Georgia Tech ’68,Vice Chair International, Wal-Mart

Contents

DEPARTMENTS

2 Letter from the Editor4 Letters to the Editor8 News Feed22 Health & Fitness25 Business & Finance32 Sports40 Government & Politics

42 Leadership & Education46 Travel & Tourism49 Books by Brothers50 Technology Trends52 In Their Own Words55 Bond Eternal

The following Letters to the Editor cameto The Carnation following the Spring2008 issue.

General Comments

The Spring issue of The Carnation

was absolutely the best, head and

shoulders above the rest, of any

previous edition of The Carnation.

I glanced through previous issues

looking for news of interest and

usually found only fluff pieces of little

interest. I read the latest issue nearly

word for word and found lots of infor-

mation. Congratulations on making

what has been a complete remake for

the better. I’m impressed with your

publication. Keep it up.

YITBOS,

Karl Engleka

IUP ’55

I wonder if I hadn’t been paying

attention before, or was I just in

the mood to read about the many

astounding and outstanding Delta

Sig Brothers as highlighted in your

Spring 2008 issue? As I scanned -

and then went back to flesh out the

reading of the articles - I was really

impressed by the way you captured

the essence of Delta Sigma Phi. All

of it together made a great impact,

just as you had planned. Seemingly

each article “topped” the one before

it. The legacy of distinguished Delta

Sigs in fine buildings that honor

them; the informative article about

the auto industry that carried things

I had never known before; the stories

of medical breakthroughs; finding jobs

for members; the Delta Sig pilots;

coaching phenom Sam Boghosian,

and even something on looking for

a greener way to help save the

planet. And as a dedicated internet

surfer I particularly enjoyed Steve

Banfield’s piece on “The Web that

Became a Cloud” and his eight web

sites that show how networking has

changed. I already have been experi-

menting with Zoho Writer, which

promises to help me update from my

old MS Office 97 which is getting

pretty clunky by now.

I was a charter member of Alpha

Upsilon Chapter at Kansas State

in 1947 when it came back from a

suspension. I actually veered into

journalism before getting my degree

at K-State and my BA is from a

private school. But that time I spent

as a Delta Sig member in Manhattan,

Kansas 60 years ago was one of a great

awakening and helped round off the

rough corners of a Kansas farm boy.

I am most proud of my fraternity.

Your Spring Carnation is a “keeper”

and deserves careful reading by all.

YITBOS,

Lafe Williams

Kansas State ’47

San Antonio, TX

Just a quick note to say how much

I enjoyed reading the Spring 2008

edition of The Carnation.

From the articles about the

Airline Pilots and the Chef who

lost so much weight to the warnings

about skin cancer (and the kidney

donor/recipient) and the article on

Mortgage 101, I was thrilled to see

such relevant and useful content

in our publication. I have re-read

several articles as well, in particular

the article on our Brothers serving

in Afghanistan, as we have several

veterans in our chapter who have

served in the military both stateside

and overseas.


Letters to the Editor

Delta Sigma Phi | Spring 2008

MAKING AN IMPACT

Delta Sig a Finalist for National Teacher of the Year

Delta Sigs Fly the Friendly Skies

DELTA SIGS LEAVE LEGACIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

5F A L L 2 0 0 8

I particularly enjoyed the articles on

Phil LeBeau and Matt Espe - I watch

Phil often as he reports on the auto

industry and Matt had very easy to

follow advice on how to maximize the

workweek. Often, young people come

to me and ask how a person gets to a

position in upper-level management -

Matt‘s words have reinforced what I

have been telling our Brothers for years

and his position speaks for itself. I’m

thrilled so many of our finest invested

the time to share their collective

knowledge with our membership.

In short, the magazine talked

about what matters to Delta Sigs.

We try to stay healthy, help each

other and mankind, and we are

successful in our endeavors.

Thanks again for a job extremely

well done. The content made me

proud to be a Delta Sig.

YITBOS,

Scott Bucklin

UW Oshkosh ’87

Comments on the Feature Article

I’m an Alpha Zeta Chapter alum,

class of ’71, and I’d like to applaud

the cover picture and article you did

on Joe Fasano. I’ve known Joe since

I got out of the Marines and went to

school at Alfred, and he was a major

influence on me joining Delta Sig

(he was like a big brother to me).

Joe has TONS of friends that were

not brothers, but would love to see

the cover and article that was so well

written in The Carnation. I plan on

sending my hard copy to his daughter

to show his grandchildren.

YITBOS,

Jim Grillo

Alfred ’69

The Use of Stock Photography

I find it offensive you took a picture

from an advertisement for your

Mortgage article. The picture on

page 31 is used over and over on the

Home Page of Yahoo.com to advertise

mortgage insurance.

By the use of the picture in your

article, you imply that the man

pictured is a Delta Sig.

Larry Burritt

Eastern Illinois ’69

Editor’s Note: We certainly did not

mean to imply that the gentleman in the

photograph on page 31 was a Delta Sig.

As far as we know, he is not.

There are certain stories where we

must utilize stock photography to enhance

the story that we have written. To accom-

plish this, we utilize stock photography that

is available online, and by doing so, we

cannot guarantee that all men who are in

photographs within The Carnation each

issue are Delta Sigs.

To close, we do our best to identify all

Delta Sigs who are in photographs within

the pages of The Carnation, which will

hopefully help to alleviate these concerns

in the future.

Making an Impact

After our Spring issue, we were alerted

to a number of additional things named

after Delta Sigs:

• Lee O. Hills Hall, University

of Missouri

• Sidney H. Taylor Field, DeLand

Municipal Airport

• Black Engineering Building,

Iowa State University

After reading this issue, we

would enjoy hearing your

comments. Please send

letters via e-mail to

Bruce Hammond at

[email protected],

or by mail to: 1331 North Delaware

Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202.


Join your fellow Delta Sigs from across the country at the 56th andBiennial Convention of Delta Sigma Phi, which will be held July 22-26, 2009 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark in St. Louis, Missouri.

ST. LOUIS!!!Meet Us In

‘‘I have attended every

National Convention since

1963. I continue to be

amazed at the content

of our Conventions and

the very excellent leader-

ship training and chapter

management skills being

taught to our undergradu-

ates. For the upcoming

Convention in St. Louis,

I will again look forward

to reconnecting with both

alumni and undergradu-

ates from across the

country. In addition, I

look forward to learning

the very latest information

on our growth and success

in both our alumni and

undergraduate chapters.

Lee DueringerIllinois ’60, Scottsdale, Arizona (25-time attendee)National President 1975-1979

Attending the Convention allows you to re-engage and connect with the Fraternity, meet new friends, andexperience the camaraderie of being a part of the national fraternity. Youhave a say in the way your Fraternity is governed and where it will go in the future, so come let your voice beheard in St. Louis!

In addition to the business sessions,many exciting and fun things are beingplanned for next summer’s event. Andas the date nears, more detailed infor-mation will be made available on theFraternity’s Convention web site at www.deltasig.org/convention. Below is a tentative agenda for the week’s events.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22• Registration Opens• Afternoon Pre-Convention

Educational Sessions• Evening Welcome Reception with

Entertainment

THURSDAY, JULY 23• Morning Delegate Orientation• State of the Fraternity Address

• Grand Council Candidate Forums• Afternoon In Convention

Assembled business session and Grand Council Elections

• Awards Dinner and Keynote Address by a Delta Sig Alumnus

• Pilgrim’s Degree (Ritual for First-Time Convention Attendees)

• Brotherhood Event

FRIDAY, JULY 24 (Educational Day at Convention)• Morning Service Project in St. Louis

and Educational Programming• Afternoon Free Time to Explore

St. Louis• 1899 Society Dinner sponsored by

the Delta Sigma Phi Foundation• Evening Free Time to Explore

St. Louis

SATURDAY, JULY 25• Morning Interfaith Service and

Bond Eternal Ceremony• Morning In Convention

Assembled business session• Afternoon Educational Sessions• Evening Convention Photo• Evening Cocktail Reception

and Closing Banquet

7F A L L 2 0 0 8


News Feed

Fraternity Appoints Two New Grand Council Members

Jim Larson, Cal Poly SLO ’72, has been unanimously appointed to serveon Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity’s GrandCouncil through the 2009 Convention,to be held July 22-26, 2009 in St. Louis.His appointment will fill a vacancy lefton the Board by Bob Dudolski, whoresigned to pursue other professionalopportunities.

Larson’s involvement in the Fraternity began as an under-graduate and has continued in many ways since. He servedthe Epsilon Rho Chapter at Cal Poly SLO as Rush Director,Engineered Leadership Director, Treasurer and Presidentwhile a student as well as President of the InterfraternityCouncil. Upon his graduation and up until his appointmentto the Grand Council, he served as an active member of thechapter’s ACB and as a Deputy District Governor, attendeda number of Fraternity Conventions and is a member of theDelta Sigma Phi Foundation’s 1899 Society.

In addition to his extensive Fraternity volunteer experience,Larson has enjoyed an extensive career in human resourcesworking around the world for a number of Fortune 500 companies. He currently serves as the Senior Vice Presidentof Global Human Resources for JohnsonDiversey, Inc. a $3billion world leader in sustainable industrial safety, health and hygiene services with 12,000 employees in 70 countries.

According to Mike Hoffman, Delta Sigma Phi’s NationalPresident, “We are extremely happy to have Jim Larson servingon the Fraternity’s Grand Council. His past Fraternity service,plus his extensive and impressive professional background,will make him a tremendous asset to the Board as we continue to work on our mission of building better men.”

Seto Appointed as Second Undergraduate Member of Grand Council

On August 7, 2008, the Fraternityannounced the appointment of TomSeto, a 2005 initiate of the Delta DeltaChapter at Purdue University, to theGrand Council as the second under-graduate member. Seto will serve a two-year term that expires May 30,2010, and joins Jared Thomas, Kentucky ’04, the current undergraduatemember whose term expires at theconclusion of the Fraternity’s 2009 Convention.

Seto’s leadership experiences on campus and in the fraterni-ty community are extensive. He has served as both the vicepresident of operations and vice president of administrationfor Purdue’s Interfraternity Council, as an intern at both the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) and theMid-American Greek Council Association (MGCA)Conference, as a lobbyist during the North-AmericanInterfraternity Conference’s (NIC) Day on the Hill, and asthe vice president for the Fraternity’s Delta Delta Chapter atPurdue. In addition, prior to his appointment, Seto servedon Delta Sigma Phi’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee(UAC), and graduated from the Pi Class of the Fraternity’sLeadership Institute in early August 2008.

National President Mike Hoffman said, “The GrandCouncil is happy to have Tom Seto join our ranks as ournewest undergraduate member. He will join Jared Thomas,our current undergraduate member, to continue to ensurethat we are keeping the undergraduate membership’s needs at the forefront of our conversations and decision-making process.”

A pharmacy major at Purdue expected to earn his Doctorof Pharmacy degree in 2011, Seto is a proven leader not onlywithin the fraternity community, but also on campus at Purdue.He has served as a senator in the campus’ student senate, thepresident of the Pharmacy Student Council, a team leaderand supervisor for the campus’ new student orientation program called Boiler Gold Rush, and as a student researcherfor the Center for Authentic Practice in Education. He wasalso named Purdue’s 2007 Homecoming King, and has volunteered extensively in Greater West Lafayette, Indiana.

Delta Sig Hires New Staff Members

In June, the Fraternity hired five new staff members toenhance the organization’s chapter and colony service team. They include:

Paul Lawson, Stetson ’89 – Paulserves as the organization’s AssistantExecutive Director, a position in whichhe is responsible for managing all of theFraternity’s undergraduate operations,including chapter services, expansion,and local volunteer management. Hehas worked for Delta Sigma Phi on twoprevious occasions, and has a tremendous background inthe Greek world, having worked for three other fraternalorganizations during his career.

Larson

Seto

Lawson

9F A L L 2 0 0 8

Ry Beck, NorthTexas ’04, and KyleLibra, Transylvania’05, were hired asRegional Directors.In this role, they willtravel to chaptersand colonies in theirspecific regions to provide support and training to thosegroups’ members. Beck will travel the Ohio Valley andPlains Regions, and Libra will travel primarily in theSoutheast, Mid-Atlantic and Northwest regions. They joinBeau Hanger and Chris DeMartino who remain on staff asSenior Regional Directors, and Matt Katsaros, who remainson staff in a new role as Director of Chapter Development.

Matt Kearney,Stetson ’05, andJohn Regner,Millikin ’05, werehired to serve asExpansionCoordinators.In this position,they are responsible for leading the development and redevel-opment of Delta Sigma Phi chapters and colonies on collegeand university campuses across the country.

Four Colonies to Become Chapters This Fall

Four of Delta Sigma Phi’s colonies will be granted chapterstatus in installation ceremonies this Fall.

The Delta Epsilon Colony at the Missouri University ofScience & Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla)will be granted its charter on November 15. Originally char-tered in 1957, the current colony formed in spring 2006, andhas a 2.97 Grade Point Average, which beats the All Men’sAverage on its campus.

The Shorter College Colony will become the Theta PsiChapter of Delta Sigma Phi during its chapter installation ceremony on November 22 in Atlanta, Georgia. The colonywas formed in the spring 2003 semester, and has doubled insize each of the last two semesters.

The Georgia Southern Colony will become the ThetaOmega Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi during its chapter instal-lation on November 22 in Atlanta, Georgia. The colonyformed in the fall 2004 semester, and has initiated 55 under-graduate members. The new chapter annually volunteerswith the American Humane Society, and hosts a blood drive

for The American Red Cross each year in conjunction witha volleyball tournament.

The colony at Georgia College and State University willbecome the Iota Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi duringits chapter installation on November 22 in Atlanta, Georgia.The colony formed in fall 2006, and has had the highest GPA of all NIC fraternities on campus since its beginning. In addition, they raised $1,300 for The American Red Crossin the last academic year.

Congratulations to the new chapters of Delta Sigma Phi!

Fraternity Expands to Oklahoma State,Recolonizes at Northern Colorado

This Fall, Delta Sigma Phi returned to the Sooner Stateby expanding to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater,Oklahoma. This is the first time the Fraternity has beenon campus at this institution, but the beginning of theexpansion process has shown that there is a great deal ofexcitement for the organization’s presence.

According to John Regner, Expansion Coordinator forDelta Sigma Phi, “We have had great success in our expan-sion efforts thus far. In our first four weeks on campus, wehave successfully pinned 31 new members, all of whom aregreat leaders both on campus and off. We are continuingto recruit, and are hopeful that our efforts will continue toproduce great results here at Oklahoma State.”

Oklahoma State is a campus of approximately 26,000students, and is located around 60 miles from Tulsa andOklahoma City. The new group is currently looking foralumni involvement and participation, so if you are in oraround Stillwater and are interested in assisting, pleasecontact John Regner by e-mailing [email protected] orby calling (317) 634-1899 x442.

In addition to the expansion to Oklahoma State, theFraternity returned to the home of its Zeta Kappa Chapterat the University of Northern Colorado this Fall. With theassistance of the very active Colorado Alumni Associationand the chapter’s alumni, the new group has tremendousalumni support and has gotten off to a great start in itsinaugural semester.

This Spring, the Fraternity is expanding to Kent StateUniversity in Ohio, and is in the process of finalizing otherexpansion opportunities.

Beck Libra

Kearney Regner


Fraternity’s Online Presence Grows

As social media and the use of social networking technolo-gies continue to expand, Delta Sigma Phi has entered thearena by providing outlets for brothers to not only connectwith one another, but also learn about the Fraternity’s updat-ed news and information quickly and easily.

Delta Sigma Phi Circle online community – TheFraternity launched its branded online community forundergraduates and alumni in March 2007. Since itlaunched, the Delta Sig Circle has had over 3,800 brothersjoin to network and connect with one another in a socialatmosphere. With groups ranging from Delta Sig Travelersto Sports Enthusiasts, there is literally a way for any brotherto connect with someone with similar interests throughthis site. Take advantage by signing up today athttp://deltasigmaphi.affinitycircles.com.

LinkedIn – The Delta SigmaPhi Group on LinkedIn, anonline professional network-ing site, has grown to over 900 members since it waslaunched in early 2008. The brothers who have joined havebeen able to make connections with their fellow Delta Sigsin a professional space, connected for job opportunities, andexpanded their network of professionals by leaps and bounds.For more information on joining the LinkedIn Group, checkout the Delta Sig web site at www.deltasig.org.

Twitter – Delta Sig developeda presence on the microblog-ging site Twitter early this pastsummer. The Fraternity utilizes the service to get its newsout to alumni and undergraduate followers who have askedto receive it by posting links to the Fraternity’s Headlinessection of its web site on the service. Once a link goes liveon the Fraternity’s web site, it is also posted on Twitter,which makes it the best and quickest way to find out thelatest news of the Fraternity. We hope you will go towww.twitter.com to join, and upon doing so, make sure you follow DeltaSigmaPhiHQ to receive the Fraternity’smost updated news.

Upcoming Kappa Chapter Centennial Celebration

The Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi at AuburnUniversity will be holding its Centennial Celebration theweekend of February 6-7 in Auburn, Alabama. Brothers from the chapter and area are welcome to attend the eventto share in the excitement surrounding the chapter’s first 100 years on campus.

The main event of the weekend will be a dinner held on Saturday night, February 7, where members from thechapter, alumni, and special dignitaries from the nationalFraternity will speak to the crowd and congratulate the chapter.

For more information or to RSVP for the events,please contact Matt Furin, ACB President, [email protected] or by phone at (256) 682-1838.

Upcoming Event Dates Set

Dates for some of the Fraternity’s mostanticipated events have been set for 2009.See below for additional information onthe events and their dates.

The Summit – The second annual Summit will be heldJanuary 9-11, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The program,which trains undergraduate presidents and recruitmentchairmen effective recruitment techniques, was attendedby 170 undergraduates representing 83 chapters and coloniesin its inaugural year in 2008. Registration will open soon atwww.deltasig.org.

Regional Leadership Academies (RLAs) – TheFraternity’s 2009 Regional Leadership Academies will beheld throughout January and February in five cities acrossthe country. In their seventh year, the RLAs are held to helpparticipants increase their knowledge and skills in areas suchas alumni relations, finances, risk management, and otherareas of chapter operations. The 2009 dates are below, andregistration will soon be available at www.deltasig.org.

January 17, 2009 – Atlanta, Georgia

January 24, 2009 – Chicago, Illinois

January 31, 2009 – St. Louis, Missouri

February 21, 2009 – Los Angeles, California

February 21, 2009 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

News Feed

11F A L L 2 0 0 8

Alumni Executive Roundtable (AER) – The third annual Alumni Executive Roundtable, presented by theDelta Sigma Phi Foundation, will take place February 5-8,2009 at the Omni Orlando at ChampionsGate. Thethree-day program’s relaxed schedule allows time forcasual, meaningful dialogue and opportunities to networkand connect with fraternity leaders and brothers fromacross the country. Gain new insights that will enhanceyour business, relax in a luxury resort location, and learnmore about the accomplishments and vision of yourFraternity. For more information, check out www.deltasig.org,or contact Foundation Executive Director Randy Peterson [email protected] or (704) 907-9815.

Delta Sigma Phi Convention – The 56th and BiennialConvention of Delta Sigma Phi will be held July 22-26,2009 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark in St. Louis,Missouri. The Convention is Delta Sigma Phi’s largest gathering of undergraduates, alumni, spouses, and friends. At the event, the business of the Fraternity is conducted,networking and relationship-building happens among members, professional development and life skills are provided, and the accomplishments of the Fraternity’s undergraduates, chapters and alumni are celebrated. It is a great opportunity to connect, or re-connect, with DeltaSigma Phi! Registration will be available in December atwww.deltasig.org.

Delta Sig Alumnus Becomes Board Presidentof International Association

Bob Herbert, Youngstown State ’69, has become the president ofNACE International’s board of directors. NACE International,formerly known as The National Association of CorrosionEngineers, is the 20,000 member leader in the corrosion engi-neering and science community and is recognized around theworld as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions.

A 27-year member of the organization, Herbert mostrecently served as the vice president during the 2007-08term, and his goals for his term as president include makingNACE the technical society that is the most efficient, themost effective, the most energetic, and the most envied.

Herbert has extensive volunteer experience in the organization, initially serving in the Pittsburgh Section, then moving up to the Northeast Section, and finally as aNational Director. He has also received a number of awards,including the Pittsburgh Section Outstanding Service Awardin 1985 and the NACE International Distinguished ServiceAward in 1996.

Professionally, Herbert has 35 years of experience in corrosion engineering, including 27 years with a large international engineering, procurement, and constructionfirm specializing in services to the chemical process industries, where he was Manager of Materials Science and Corrosion Technology. Currently, he serves as a consultant for Ashland Performance Materials in Dublin, Ohio.

Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate February 5-8, 2009

Bring a spouse or guest and join your brothers inOrlando for a relaxing weekend in February. The AERprovides time for casual, meaningful dialogue and

opportunities to network and connect with fraternityleaders and brothers from across the nation. Gainnew insight that will enhance your business, relax

in a luxury location, and learn more about theaccomplishments and vision of your Fraternity.

For more information or to RSVP please contactRandy Peterson at [email protected].

THE THIRD ANNUAL ALUMNIEXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE


the face ofvolunteerism

DELTA SIGS MAKE A DIFFERENCEHow often are you sitting around saying “I’m bored” or “I wish therewas something better on television today”? Think about that for asecond… We all have said or thought it before. Now, how often haveyou decided that instead of sitting there thinking how boring it is orwishing there was something better on TV, you would go out and dosomething to make the world around you a better place?

Used with permission from The American Red Cross

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Inour Spring 2008 issue’s Feature story, The Carnation discussed the legacy that has been leftby Delta Sigs across the country in terms of having buildingsnamed for them. The efforts and accomplishments of ourbrothers, which led to the recognitions we highlighted beingpossible, are to be commended and applauded.

Now, six months later, the Feature story of this issue ofThe Carnation will talk about the dedication and selflessnessof our brothers in a different arena – volunteerism and doinggood for our communities through service.

Across the country, Delta Sigma Phi’s undergraduates andalumni are taking to the streets often to make an impact ontheir communities through service. Each and every chapterand colony is doing community service in one way or another.Whether it is working with the local American Red Crosschapter in their area on a blood drive, or doing a neighbor-hood clean up co-sponsored by another campus organization,our undergraduates are out there making a difference.

In addition, many of the Fraternity’s alumni are doingcommunity service or volunteer work in their local communi-ties that is desperately needed. Whether it is answering thephones during a telethon raising money for charity, sponsoringa clothing drive for local homeless men, or even just gettingout and being a volunteer coach for a team in their local community, the alumni of the organization are also puttingthemselves to work to better the world around them.

Community service and volunteerism are not onlyencouraged at the local level, however. At the 2007 DeltaSigma Phi National Convention, a community service projectwas included in the program, and a number of brothers fromacross the country came together to assist a local organizationthat provides assistance to boys placed by the juvenile justiceand child welfare systems. This was a great opportunity forour organization to showcase our dedication to service.

Finally, the Fraternity’s Blood, Sweat and Cash project inconjunction with The American Red Cross is another waythat nationally, Delta Sigma Phi is encouraging members to get involved in volunteerism and community service. One of the aspects of the project includes giving 75,000hours nationally to The American Red Cross in service tothe organization. It is an audacious goal that Delta SigmaPhi is excited about working toward.

So, as you can see, Delta Sigma Phi is committed toencouraging volunteerism and community service – and our

brothers are responding. On the upcoming pages, you willread about a number of Delta Sig Volunteer All Stars, brotherswho are taking volunteerism and community service to anamazing level in their areas. You’ll also read about brotherswho have figured out ways to make volunteerism fun, andhave chosen to be involved in activities that engage notonly themselves, but also family members and friends.

As we found out by writing this story and speaking with these brothers – the key to unlocking your love of volunteerism is to take something you already enjoy, andmake it a regular part of your life through volunteerism.

Hopefully, the subsequent stories will encourage ourbrothers who don’t find joy in volunteerism to head out and make a difference today, and leave the complaints about being bored behind – for good!

Delta Sig Volunteer All-Star #1

John Andre, Purdue ’90Volunteering: Doing Something for Which You have a Passion

On the weekdays, John Andre is a Manager of RegulatoryAffairs for the global specialty pharmaceutical and medicationdelivery company, Hospira. He prepares data/documentation,and writes that into a comprehensive submission to beapproved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fornew generic drugs or significant changes to existing generic

John Andre, Purdue ’90, standing outside the Caribbean ReefExhibit at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

© Shedd Aquarium/photo by Heidi Zeiger


drugs. As he jokingly put it, “at social events when beingintroduced to people, I give them this explanation as towhat I do at work, and the look they have is like they aretrying to divide 237 by 13. I tell the next person I meet thatI’m a professional diver at the Shedd Aquarium, and theirface lights up as they tell me their childhood memories ofvisiting the Shedd for the first time.”

That’s right – when the weekends come, Andre “sheds”his business suit for a wet suit, where he serves as a volunteerdiver at the Shedd Aquarium in downtown Chicago. TheShedd Aquarium is a facility that opened in 1930 and thathouses nearly 22,000 aquatic animals representing some1,500 species of fishes, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates,birds and mammals from waters around the world.

For an average of 20 hours per month, Andre volunteersin the Caribbean Reef exhibit, where he is a part of a threeperson dive team that prepares food for the fish and sea turtles,performs in-water maintenance of the habitat, performs animalcare duties like administering vitamins or medications, andfeeds the animals in the water during a dive.

The group also gives an in-water presentation during thefeedings – something he remembers seeing the first time hevisited the Shedd on a school field trip in 7th grade.

“I remember seeing the Caribbean Reef exhibit and thediver’s presentation. I actually said to myself I would do that

one day. I still think and smile about that when I enter thatsame tank and fulfill my childhood goal.”

For Andre, volunteerism has been an important part ofhis life, and since he loves diving and sharing his knowledgeof the animals in the exhibit, it makes the experience fun aswell. “To see a 12-year old kid going crazy at an event sayingthat he remembered reading about the fish, or seeing the fishon television, you can see your efforts come to fruition.Everyone at the Shedd, myself included, has that love andconnection for why we’re volunteering and giving our time.”In fact, he and other volunteers routinely make 40-50 milecommutes just to do their volunteer work – an amazingtestament to the value they see in what they’re doing.


Brent McCurdy, Indiana State ’98Volunteering for Fun

The key word for our next Volunteer All Star is dedication.You’ll see why below…

Have you ever been the champion of something? Felt theexhilaration of winning on the biggest of stages? Understoodwhat it takes to help others have that same feeling?

For Brent McCurdy, Indiana State ’98, he never was ableto become the champion rugby player when he played for

Andre in the water giving his presentation to attendees of the exhibit. He regularly provides maintenance services, feeds the animals,and provides educational presentations during his volunteer shifts.

© Shedd Aquarium/photo by Heidi Zeiger

15F A L L 2 0 0 8

Indiana State’s Club team as an undergraduate. However, hehad a love and passion for the game, and decided to continuethat as the volunteer coach of the Noblesville (IN) HighSchool girls rugby team.

In just four short seasons as the team’s coach, in 2008McCurdy’s dedication and outstanding coaching led theteam to its first state championship since 1999, as theydefeated the two-time defending state champions in the title game, a team they had never previously beaten.

For an average of 15-30 hours per week, McCurdy iscoaching his team. That is on top of the time he spendsworking at his day job for Principal Financial Group. “Wehave 2-2 ½ hour practices every night Monday throughThursday, plus travel time on Saturdays and Sundays when we go play,” he said.

As the team’s coach, he is not only dedicated to theirsuccess, but he has seen the tremendous dedication theyhave put into being the best as well. His greatest pride is seeing the kids achieve something that they otherwise might not be able to.

“A lot of these kids might not be athletic enough tomake a varsity team here because the school is so big, butthey are able to get out on the field, take their frustrationsout and get great exercise. For me, it’s great to take somethingthat I know and that I love, and teach them this game that alot of people in the United States don’t understand,” he said.

The players also find pride in winning, but also in justhaving the opportunity to play and achieve. According toMcCurdy, “They get so much out of it, including gettingexposure to other states where they play and meeting thoseother kids. They know people from all over the countrybecause of this, and they have been able to broaden theirhorizons through playing this game.”

Speaking about the state championship win, McCurdysaid that it was an unbelievable experience. Taking over ateam nearly four years ago, and seeing them succeed was agreat feeling. In fact, his pride in the fact that nine members

of his team were selected to play on the U-19 Select-SideTeam of Indiana (essentially an all-star team), one of whomwas picked to play on the U-19 Select-Side Team for theMidwest, was completely evident in a recent conversation.

So why volunteer? Why is it important to him?“I love the game of rugby – I think it’s a great sport –

and that’s why I volunteer to coach because watching theplayers excel is what makes it worth the time.”


Fred Pheiffer, St. Francis ’62Volunteering to Help Animals

For Fred Pheiffer, volunteerism has been something he’sdone for many years. As a retired state government workerand campaign manager, Pheiffer has a lot of time to devoteto his two passions – volunteer work and writing poetry.

In fact, he even put his two loves together after writinghis third book of poetry, as he began going to his local nursinghome in 2004 once per week to read poems to its residents.He calls the time he spends Talk Around with Fred and said,“It’s very rewarding.”

“I visit the residents on Monday mornings,” he said. “I read some prayers to them, poems, articles of interest from old TV/radio shows, like Red Skelton, Don McNeilBreakfast Club, and Milton Berle. Recently, I brought in an old RCA 45 rpm record player and records from the late1940s and 1950s. I simply try to give the residents an houror so of laughter and joy and to make it different from theirnormal day to day.”

Not only has he continued to read the poetry and makevisits to the nursing home on a weekly basis, but he and hiswife Maryellen have devoted their time to also helping our

Fred Pheiffer, with two of the Springer Spaniels that he hassaved, Flip and Raisin.

Brent McCurdy (far right back row) and his team afterwinning the state championship earlier this year


furry friends – specifically springer spaniels and horses boundfor slaughter.

Nearly 11 years ago, Pheiffer’s wife had seen an articleabout the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which rescues and provides adoptive homes for off-the-trackThoroughbreds, many of which would be slaughtered without this organization. The Pheiffers currently have five horses that were bound for slaughter, one of which was bought by a veterinarian off a meat truck that was going to slaughter in Texas.

The interesting thing is at that time, they had just recentlyapplied to adopt two thoroughbreds on their 30-acre propertyin upstate New York, and this horse ended up being one ofthem. For Fred, it was interesting because as a young Boy Scout,he had been thrown from a horse and broke ribs, and was neverput back onto the horse. “All those years, I lived with a fear of horses, but now, I take care of them.” He was able to getover his fear and they have been caring for five of these horses since, although he has still not gotten on one to ride.

The Pheiffers feel so strongly about this cause that Fredserves on the Board of Directors of Spring Hill Horse Rescue,a 501-C3 non-profit equine rescue organization dedicated tosaving unwanted and abandoned horses from slaughter.

In addition to the horses, Pheiffer and his wife have beeninvolved with rescuing dogs – springer spaniels to be exact.Throughout his life, dogs had always been around Fred andhis family, mostly mutts. They were a part of his family’s life,and Fred and his wife purchased a springer spaniel from a co-worker a number of years ago. Springers have been theonly breed in his life since, and he and his wife have devoteda great deal of time and effort to making sure that dogs ofthis breed are cared for in the Northeastern part of the US.

As volunteers for English Springer Spaniel Rescue ofLong Island, they transport the springers who are found in“kill shelters” to their foster or adoptive homes, and theirrescue territory extends from Maine down to Pennsylvaniaand New Jersey. “There is a huge connective activity amonga lot of volunteers in the Northeast. Maryellen does all ofthe interviewing to screen people whether they should havea dog, and we will transport these dogs to the approved owners,” he said.

In general, volunteering is important for Pheiffer for anumber of reasons. “It has been fulfilling for me, first. It hasdeepened something inside me, and when I walk out of thenursing home especially after an hour or an hour and a half,I thank God that I am able to give a little bit to make themhappy for a little bit of time. Life’s so short, and it reallygives me energy to give of my time to help others.”

Recently, Pheiffer was dealt with a blow to his volunteerismwhen he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL). However, he has worked hard to overcome that, andis even planning on doing a marathon as a race walker –something he has taken up to stay in shape and to stayhealthy so he can continue the outstanding volunteer workhe’s already done.


Jason Kalis, Grand Valley State ’94Volunteering for a Cause

When Jason Kalis found out that two of his friends had lost their homes due to a fire in April 2008, he sprang intoaction and decided to become a volunteer for The AmericanRed Cross’ Disaster Action Team so he could be there toassist people in their times of need.

“It’s about preparedness for me,” he said. “Our localAmerican Red Cross has been doing an initiative where they have been installing smoke detectors in different neighborhoods in the city, and I volunteered for that a fewSaturdays talking to people and installing smoke detectors so that every house in the city has a working smoke detectorand is prepared.”

While the 1994 initiate of the Epsilon Tau Chapter atGrand Valley State doesn’t have a great deal of experiencein his role as a case worker during disasters, Kalis literally gothis feet wet in volunteering earlier this year from June 12-26when in Wisconsin during the floods that ravaged a numberof Midwestern states.

His role, which took around five days total of trainingplus the need to be first-aid and CPR certified, is to assistthose affected in getting aid and services while they are trying to recover. In this disaster, he was assigned to thesmall town of Beaverdam, Wisconsin where the Red Crosshad set up a service center in an elementary school. “A serv-

Pheiffer with rescued Thoroughbred Boez at the stable on hisfarm in upstate New York

17F A L L 2 0 0 8

ice center is a place where affected residents can come tomeet with people like myself called client case workers totalk about what happened, and what their immediate needs were in terms of housing, food and shelter,” he said.

In addition to the counseling that people like Kalis provid-ed, there were bulk products like mops and bleach that wereavailable to help people clean up, and health services staffincluding doctors and a mental health worker to providenecessary medical assistance.

According to Kalis, his responsibilities included talkingwith the people affected, and providing them the necessaryassistance they needed, including client assistance cards,which are pre-loaded debit cards. “For the financial assistancefor meals and replacement of things like clothing and bedding,I would determine based on the size of their family and howthey were affected how much financial assistance the RedCross could provide them,” he said.

Being that this was the first national disaster that heworked, the emotion was evident to him as he talked to thepeople affected. “It sometimes took a stiff upper lip,” he said.“You’re sitting there empathizing and sympathizing with peo-ple, some of whom had lived in their homes for 50 years, andeverything including their keepsakes and memorabilia was

lost. We had people who weren’t able to get within a mile oftheir house to see what the extent of the damage was as thewater was coming up. That sense of not knowing was reallyhard on people, and I needed to just do a lot of listening tolet people get things off their chests.”

For Kalis, his experience in Wisconsin was incrediblyrewarding to know that he was making a difference. “It’s a great feeling to be involved,” he said. “We were goingaround in marked vehicles, and the people in Wisconsinwere very appreciative. Most everyone I worked with saidthank you, which is always great to know that you’re making a difference.”

Volunteering actually had a lot to do with him joiningthe Epsilon Tau Chapter of the Fraternity at Grand ValleyState. “Members were involved in volunteerism and campusleadership, and I kept running into them as I was doing thesame thing on my own. I thought that they really had theiract together, and that was one of the big reasons I wasinvolved in Delta Sigma Phi.”

Kalis closed out his thoughts on volunteerism this way:“Volunteerism is the way we live our values, not only asundergraduates on campus, but also in our adult lives.”

The American Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters annually, including the floods that happened this summer inthe Midwest.

Used with permission from The American Red Cross



Bob Carroll, Michigan State ’59Volunteering to Lead the Way

The volunteer efforts of Bob Carroll are truly amazing. The retired, three-time cancer survivor who resides in SugarGrove, Illinois, spends the majority of his time volunteeringfor a variety of organizations and causes. All the while, he isdoing something more than just helping these organizations– he is getting his grandchildren involved in volunteerismfrom their early lives.

His volunteerism in his area started after his initial bouts with cancer when he and his wife had moved to Sugar Grove to be closer to their daughters and their fami-lies. They decided to drive around to see what was in thearea, and while on that drive, they saw what’s called theFabyan Windmill in Geneva, Illinois.

“After seeing an ad in the newspaper talking about thewindmill needing docents to lead tours, I called to volunteerand we arranged for me to go get some training,” he said. “Inthat conversation, I had mentioned being a cancer survivor,and the woman training me asked if I went to the Relay forLife. I said I didn’t know what it was. So, through that oneconversation, I got involved with the windmill and theAmerican Cancer Society with the Relay for Life.”

His volunteerism with the American Cancer Society is extensive. He is responsible for the Patient NavigationServices for the Fox Valley ACS, which provides currentcancer patients with several things: “rides to doctors or treatment centers; Look Good - Feel Better sessions forfemales, providing make-up lessons and wigs; Man to Man -survivors talking to men recently diagnosed with prostate

cancer; and Reach for Recovery - talking with someone who has survived the same type of cancer you have recently been diagnosed with.” In addition, he is heavily involved in the Relay for Life each summer.

As if those groups didn’t take enough time, Carroll, whois an Eagle Scout, got involved with his grandsons in thescouting movement in his area. He is a committee chairmanfor Cub Scout Pack 341 in Sugar Grove where one of hisgrandsons is a member, and is on the committee for BoyScout Troop 7 in Elburn, Illinois, where two other grandsonsare striving for their Eagle Scout rank.

In 2007, Carroll served on the committee to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sugar Grove’s incorporation, a rolein which he helped plan the two-day event. In addition, heintroduced the area to something new – a Medallion Hunt.“I designed and hid a Medallion commemorating the event.Then I had clues to its location published in several of thelocal area’s media,” he said. The Mediallion Hunt was such asuccess that this year, he was recruited to do another for thecommunity’s annual festival, now in its 41st year.

He also serves as his home owners’ representative to thevillage board meetings, is a member of the Lions Club partic-ipating in their many charitable activities, and belongs tothe Sugar Grove Historical Society and Genealogical group.‘‘Volunteerism is the way we

live our values, not only as

undergraduates on campus,

but also in our adult lives.

Jason KalisGrand Valley State ’94

Bob Carroll stands in front of the Fabyan Windmill inGeneva, Illinois, one of the many causes he gives histime to throughout each year.

19F A L L 2 0 0 8

While he’s not volunteering outside the house, he gets hisgrandsons off to school in the morning and off the bus afterschool, and is the caretaker for his wife of 45+ years who is a polio survivor.

As you can tell, his family and grandsons are extremelyimportant to him, and as was mentioned above, he is engagingthem in volunteering as well. “When I first started goingover to the windmill, one of my grandsons would go withme. He was 8 years old at the time. We got him an officialbadge and a shirt as a junior docent. He is 11 now, is readyto lead groups through on his own, and is learning the valueof volunteering because he enjoys it. His cousin, who is a fewmonths older, wants to get involved also at the same level ifpossible, and has gone with me as well,” Carroll said.

His dedication to his family, his community, and his causesmake Bob Carroll a fantastic ambassador for volunteering.“One of my philosophies is that my day is not complete unlessI have learned something new or taught someone else some-thing new. I have tried to live that for many years. I wantedto meet people and to more or less pay back all of the thingsthat have been set up for me in the past.”

Mission accomplished.


Delta Sig Undergraduate Chapters and Alumni AssociationsDuring the 2007-08 academic year, many chapters and alumniassociations also took part in community service events, someof which are outlined below.

•In May 2007, Delta Sigma Phi received national exposurethanks to the Alpha Chi Chapter at Stetson University.Three members of the chapter were featured on the frontcover of USA Weekend editions distributed in Florida,Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina standing atthe edge of a lake in Hontoon State Park, where the chaptertook part in a clean-up project for Make a Difference Day.

• At the Fraternity’s 2007 Convention, many brothers tookpart in a community service project at the Boys House inPhoenix. The brothers took on a painting project at thehouse, which provides shelter, counseling, job development,educational services, tutoring, and skill building for boysplaced by the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare systems.

• The Eta Kappa Chapter at the University of Michigan –Dearborn volunteered and played an integral role in the October 9, 2007 GOP Presidential Debate held inDearborn, MI. Their roles included directly assisting theNBC crew set up their audio and video equipment on thestage, and standing in for the candidates at a pre-debatesound and systems check at the Arts Center. In addition,

the University administration had secured 12 debate ticketsfor 12 distinguished student leaders on campus. Out ofthese 12 students, 4 were Delta Sigs.

• On November 18-19, 2007 the brothers of the DeltaOmega Chapter at Cleveland State participated in twoevents sponsored by the LeBron James Family Foundation,called Meal and a Movie. These events includedThanksgiving dinners for homeless families in theCleveland and Akron, Ohio areas, appearances andspeeches by NBA basketball player LeBron James, and a premiere of the new Alvin & the Chipmunks holidaymovie. The brothers helped staff the event, which includedguiding traffic, serving food, and handing out giveaways.In all, Delta Omega provided 32 volunteers for theseevents, including local sorority women and friends of thechapter. In addition, on Tuesday, November 27, the chapterworked along with the Cleveland Browns and TysonMeats, to help distribute over ten thousand pounds ofchicken to different churches and shelters around thegreater Cleveland area. This helped feed many families in the Cleveland area.

• The Shorter College Colony gave back to the Shorter com-munity on Saturday, December 1, 2007 as part of their FallSemester Service Project. The fraternity came together torenovate the 24-hour Student Computer Lab, a projectthat consisted of cleaning walls, windows, and trim; paint-ing walls, cabinets, trim, and the door; and finished withfinal touches to make the room more appealing. In total,the brothers spent a combined total of 66 hours workingon the project, arriving at 3:00 am to begin cleaning andpriming the walls. A second team worked from sunrise tolunch, and a final group finished the project in the lateafternoon. Bryan Goresh, colony President, said, “Thebrotherhood really came together to impact ShorterCollege by restoring a room that has been neglected fora long time. We had a great time working together andthe project really looks great!”

• On Sunday, January 13, 2008 the Washington, DC AreaAlumni Association sponsored a charitable men’s clothingdrive. The brothers collected a total of 300 pieces of clothing, which included coats, shoes and boots, businessclothes, socks and other men’s clothing. They deliveredthe items, using a box van provided by alumnus BobO’Toole, IUP ’71, to the New York Avenue HousingAssistance Center, which in addition to clothing, also provides professional career and development servicesincluding career counseling and IT/computer training.They provide clothing items to enable the shelter residents to not only live and survive the elements, but to go for job interviews and other employment meetings.


ANNUAL REPORT

As the past year began, the leadership of Delta Sigma PhiFraternity – its elected board of directors known as theGrand Council – set forth a bold vision to become America’sLeading Fraternity by 2025. To accomplish that vision, theypublicly articulated key metrics by which organizational performance would be measured and reported on a regularbasis. The report that follows is presented as an update onperformance for the year ending June 30, 2008.

Growth of Delta Sigma Phi FraternitySince the start of the current strategic planning cycle threeyears ago, the number of men initiated into Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity has grown by 26% – this rate outpaces ourinterfraternal peers and is the highest in over two decades.

At the same time the average size of Delta Sigma Phichapters has grown by +4 men/chapter during that sameperiod. To further emphasize the importance of strengtheningthe base of existing chapters in Delta Sigma Phi new resourcesand training initiatives were launched in the previous year –including the inaugural Summit, a three day recruitment andleadership training program developed for chapter presidentsand recruitment officers designed to build the skill sets neededto lead dynamic recruitment programs on campus.

Building Men, Building LeadersDuring the same period of time, the Fraternity has launchedan unprecedented campaign to reach undergraduate memberswith the leadership training that will give them the edgeover their peers on campus, and that they will need in anincreasingly competitive global economy. During the lastthree years these efforts have more than doubled the reach of sponsored leadership training initiatives and now reachmore than 1,200+ men annually.

These efforts would not be as far-reaching, nor wouldthey be positively impacting as many young men, if not for the support of the Delta Sigma Phi Foundation and its thousands of loyal supporters. Due to their commitment and generosity, sponsored leadership training initiatives have increased by 875% (an additional 1,100 men trained

per year) since the completion of the Leadership for SecondCentury Campaign.

Increasing the Ranks of our Volunteer ArmyThere is no one indicator more telling of a strong, successfulchapter than that of strong, actively engaged alumni support.Specifically, that of an alumni corporation board (ACB), com-prised of volunteers representing multiple eras of membershipwho provide the consistency, advisory support, guidance, men-toring and support needed by today’s college students. This isan area where progress has been made, but there remains sig-nificant room for continued involvement and improvement.

While some 80% of our undergraduate chapters andcolonies have alumni support, nearly 1 in 5 chapters andcolonies do not. The pie chart on the opposite page illustratesalumni support at the chapter-level for all chapters andcolonies of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity.

• 34% of chapters/colonies have an actively engaged, functioning ACB that provides counsel and advice to undergraduate members and the chapter/colony.

• 46% of chapters/colonies have some type of ACB structure that is at least passively involved in the daily operations of the chapter/colony.

• 20% of chapters/colonies have little or no volunteer support.

By 2025 our aim is to triple the ranks of alumni volunteersto more than 2,500. In the last year, we have seen 10%growth...a good start.

Sound Financial OperationsFor the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2008, the Fraternityoperated on revenues exceeding $2.2 million. That representsrevenue growth of 46% in the last three years. The pie chartson the opposite page illustrate Fraternity operating revenueand expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.

We’d welcome your involvement in the year ahead as wecontinue advancing our mission of building better men as we seek to become America’s Leading Fraternity. To learnmore, visit us online at www.deltasig.org.

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” – Theodore M. Hesburgh

21F A L L 2 0 0 8

Building America’s Leading Fraternity: Membership Growth

0

500

1000

1500

2000

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08

FY08 Operating Expenses

22% general &administrative

20% riskmanagement& insurance

8% communications

6% programs

4% alumni services2% foundation

19%education

19% chapter& colony services

FY08 Operating Revenue

54% dues& insurance

15%initiation

fees

9% grants

7%programs

6% pledge fees

5% other income 4%foundation

Increasing our Volunteer Army

20%little or no volunteer support 46%

some type of ACB structure that is at least

passively involved in the daily operations

34% actively engaged, functioning ACBthat provides counsel and

advice

Developing Strong Leaders:Undergraduates Trained

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY080

300

600

900

1200

1500


THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGAN AND TISSUE

DONATION

It was March 23, 2007, and theUniversity of North Carolina men’sbasketball team was in New Jerseypreparing to play the University ofSouthern California in an NCAATournament game when tragedy struck.

The Tar Heels’ mascot, Jason Ray,had walked along a divided highwaynear the team’s hotel to a local convenience store for a snack whenhe was struck by a car and badlyinjured. The motorist immediatelystopped and called 911, and the 6 foot5 inch devout Christian, known forhis intelligence and incredible zest forlife, was transported to the local hos-pital with multiple injuries including a traumatic brain injury and fracturedskull. Upon arriving, he was in a coma.

Halfway across the country inDenver, Jason’s half brother EmmittRay, UNC Wilmington ’86, got a callfrom his father that Jason had been inwhat they thought was a car accident.At that point, they were unaware thathe was a pedestrian and was hit by a car. From his father’s demeanor on

the phone, Emmitt knew that it wassomething serious, and he immediatelywent to the airport, got on a plane toNew Jersey, and arrived at the hospitalby 1 am.

“When I got there, I realized rightaway that Jason was hurt really badlybecause his head was incrediblyswollen,” Emmitt said. “When we gotthere, the doctor said ‘I’m not God, soI’m not going to tell you he’s not goingto make it, but he’s hurt very badly.’”

Over the next two days, the doctorswere giving Jason many tests, includingbrain scans to see if there was any brainactivity. After those two days of tests,the doctors realized that the pressureon his brain following the accidenthad caused fatal damage. Jason did not have any brain activity. At thattime however, they had yet to tell thefamily because they were finishing upadditional tests.

With his parents being incrediblydistraught, Emmitt had been the family’s go-to person, and followingthe tests, someone from the Sharing

Network came to speak with himabout organ donation.

“I said, ‘absolutely not. We’re goingto see if Jason can make it.’ At thatpoint, we still had hope that he wasnot brain dead, and that he was goingto make it,” he said. “The lady asked ifthey could at least test his blood to seeif he would match for organ donation.”

Emmitt told the woman that aslong as the blood being tested couldnot be used to help Jason, she couldtest his blood. The family was stillpraying for a miracle, but the realiza-tion that the blood could not be usedto help Jason made it easier for him to allow the testing to happen.

The following day, the family wastold that Jason had no brain activity,and that he was, for all intents andpurposes, dead. However, if the doctorsdeclared him officially brain dead, hewould be taken off the ventilator andmachines that were keeping his bodyalive. The doctors asked again if thefamily would consider organ donationfor Jason.

Health & Fitness

The Story of How the Family of a Delta Sig Was Affected

23F A L L 2 0 0 8

“At that point, my step-motherspoke up and said that Jason was anorgan donor,” Emmitt said. “He had a conversation with her when he gothis license and told her that ‘if I’mdead, why bury me with all of my partswhen they might help people?’”

Up to that point, Emmitt’s fatherdidn’t like the idea of his son havinghis organs removed. However, sincethe family knew that being an organdonor was what he wanted, they askedone more time if he would be able tolive with any quality of life. Whenthey were told that he would not, theyagreed to allow Jason’s body to be usedfor organ donation.

After returning to North Carolina,they conducted the services, notknowing whether the surgeries to

remove the organs for transplant were successful. They had no ideahow many people Jason’s organs hadhelped or were going to help, but theyfound out soon thereafter.

“About two to three weeks later,the people from the Sharing Networkcontacted us, and told us that the peo-ple who had received Jason’s organs all lived,” Emmitt said. “They all hadfigured out who Jason was and wantedto get in contact with our family.”

One of the doctors remarked to one of the patients before he wentinto surgery to receive one of Jason’sorgans, “I’m not sure if you’re a basket-ball fan, but you should be rooting forCarolina.” One had figured it out bythe timing and seeing the stories inthe paper.

After this happened, ESPN pickedup on the story, and set up a reunionbetween Jason’s family and three ofthe recipients of his organs. The con-nections that were created betweenthe recipients and Jason’s family areamazing. The recipients have visitedthe Rays in North Carolina, and insome cases have become their friends.

“One of the things I like about the story is that Ronald couldn’t get aheart transplant because they couldn’tfind a heart big enough for him,”Emmitt said. “He’s a big man, about 6 foot 4, 260 or 270 pounds. Literallyand figuratively, they had to findsomeone with a big heart for Ronald,and Jason had it.”

Another man, David, had diabetesfor years and years. He was nearly blind

(L-R) Jason Ray, his father Emmitt Ray, Sr. (holding Emmitt Jr.’s son Brady), and Emmitt Ray, Jr., UNC Wilmington ’86 (holding his sonJack) eight days before the accident that took Jason’s life took place.

‘‘24 T H E C A R N AT I O N | D E LTA S I G . O R G

and had been on dialysis for so longthat he had requested to be removedfrom it, which would have meant hisdeath. “He’s no longer on dialysis at all.Jason’s one kidney is functioning wellenough that he almost has normal kid-ney activity in the tests,” Emmitt said.

The fact that the family and thedonors have become close is notuncommon according to Tom Cycyota,Illinois ’77, who serves as the Presidentand CEO of AlloSource, a non-profitorganization in the area of organ andtissue donation. “Donor families havetheir lives instantly changed with theloss of a loved one. Those who chooseto donate their loved ones’ organs andtissues seem to gain a great sense ofpeace and purpose knowing that theirloved one was able to help others upontheir death. Many donor families andrecipients meet and correspond andtheir lives are changed in ways theynever thought possible and organ andtissue donation helps people makesense of the tragic event.”

Jason has literally been a life saverfor a great number of people who wereon the waiting list for organs, a waitinglist that as of September 8, 2008,included 99,435 people according to The Organ Procurement andTransplantation Network.

According to Cycyota, “One organ and tissue donor can save andenhance the lives of about 60 people.Approximately 1,500,000 tissue graftsare transplanted each year for a varietyof life-saving and life-enhancing surgeries, including bone grafts forpatients whose bones have degeneratedfrom cancer, cornea transplants tohelp people restore sight, skin grafts to save the lives of burn patients, and tendon, meniscus and soft tissuereplacements to help people leadactive lives. Just imagine having bonecancer and being told that you needto have a limb amputated. Donatedbone can take the place of the diseased tissue and will allow for fullmobility following the operation.”

Right now, there are fewer donorsthan there are people on the waitinglist, and each time someone passesaway who is not a donor, a chance ismissed to help save lives. Accordingto the government’s web sitewww.organdonor.gov, “Each day, about 77 people receive organ trans-plants. However, 19 people die each day waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage ofdonated organs.”

As we have told you in past issuesof The Carnation, organs are not onlydonated by people who have passedaway. In our Spring issue, we told thestory of Patrick Handrahan, SaintLouis ’97, who received a kidney froma chapter brother earlier in 2008. Bothare doing well. There are opportunitiesto be a donor and help others whileyou’re still alive to see their benefits as well.

If you take away anything from thisstory, we hope it is that organ and tissuedonation saves lives. Being a donorcan help numerous people who arestruggling to live better lives. JasonRay has helped countless people,something that his family is happyabout, even though they lost a friend,a son, and a brother.

As Emmitt said, “The only goodthing to come out of Jason’s death wasthe organ donation side of it. Knowingthat the lives of those who havereceived his organs have been posi-tively affected by Jason’s passing makesit a little easier to take.”

For more information on the storyof Jason Ray go to www.espn.com andsearch “E-Ticket: Ray of Hope.”

The family has set up the JasonKendall Ray Foundation, which has been set up to endow scholarships atUNC Chapel Hill for business studentswho complete a semester of study abroad,something Jason did the summer beforehe passed away. Go to www.jasonray.orgfor more information.

Health & Fitness

The only good thing to

come out of Jason’s death

was the organ donation

side of it. Knowing that the

lives of those who have

received his organs have

been positively affected by

Jason’s passing makes it a

little easier to take.

Emmitt RayUNC Wilmington ’86

25F A L L 2 0 0 8

Business & Finance

According to New York Times colum-nist Tom Friedman in his book TheWorld is Flat: A Brief History of the 21stCentury, the world is becoming moreinterconnected every day. Globalization,for better or worse, is the norm intoday’s economy, and if you are a busi-ness leader, you have to be thinkingabout the nearly limitless possibilitiesthat are available outside the bordersof the United States to sell your product or service.

One company that is embracingglobalization (as well as every othertype of growth opportunity) is theworld’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart. And the man who is heading all international operations for the com-pany is one of our own, Mike Duke,Georgia Tech ’68.

Duke is the Vice Chairman incharge of all international operationsfor Wal-Mart, a job in which he headsthe fastest growing segment of thecompany’s operations, with sales thisfiscal year approaching $100 billion(25% of the company’s total sales) andmore than 620,000 associates (nearly1/3 of all of the company’s associates)in 14 countries. The company is currently also exploring entering the Russian market, which will be the15th country to be able to take advan-tage of Wal-Mart’s mission of savingpeople money so they can live better.

Since starting at Wal-Mart in1995, Duke has worked his way upthrough the company’s logistics andadministration areas to become the #2 executive in the company. Notonly have his responsibilities grown,but the company itself has as well.Wal-Mart has quadrupled in scope to its nearly $400 billion in sales and 2 million associates since he beganthere, and interestingly, the interna-tional segment of the company is larger than the entire company waswhen he started.

So how did Duke get to where heis today?

As a child growing up in a ruralarea south of Atlanta called FayetteCounty, an area he referred to as “asmall town environment, and I didn’teven live near the small town,” hisparents instilled in him a tremendouswork ethic that he has carried withhim to his position today. They also

emphasized the importance of educa-tion, which led him to do well in high school.

As a high school senior, he met aphysics teacher named Mr. McDanielwho ended up becoming one of hismentors, and who gave him threepieces of advice for the future that he took to heart.

1. Go to Georgia Tech.2. Major in Industrial Engineering.3. Upon graduation, don’t go into

manufacturing like everyone else. Go into some type of servicebusiness such as retailing.

As for the first piece of advice, Dukewas already an avid fan of Tech’s sportsteams, and he was so interested inattending Georgia Tech that he didn’teven apply to another college. As hesaid, “It was a good thing I got in!”

Duke did end up majoring inIndustrial Engineering just as the second piece of advice instructed. In fact, while many other students,both in the 60s and today, changemajors a number of times throughoutschool, Industrial Engineering was hismajor throughout his undergraduateexperience.

As for #3, it’s pretty obvious thatDuke has excelled by following thisexcellent piece of advice. He said,

MICHAEL DUKE, GEORGIA TECH ’68

ALUMNI PROFILE


“He (Mr. McDaniel) said it’s all about people, and that service is the futureof the economy in America, not manufacturing.”

As he looked back on the advicegiven to him by Mr. McDaniel allthose years ago, you could feel hisadmiration and affection for the manhe called “a smart guy in the late 60s.”

He followed Mr. McDaniel’s advice,went to Georgia Tech, majored inIndustrial Engineering, and while oncampus, took a little detour by joininga Fraternity – the Alpha GammaChapter of Delta Sigma Phi – a groupof men he referred to as “balancedwith a focus on athletics, academicsand social.” After visiting other frater-nities on campus, Duke recalls feelingas though Delta Sig was more balancedthan the other fraternities, and havingclicked with the members and havingmade good friends prior to pledging,he decided Delta Sig was right forhim. As a bonus, during his time inthe chapter he married his wife of 38years, Susan, with whom he has threegrown children and five grandchildren.

After graduating from Georgia Tech,he once again followed Mr. McDaniel’sadvice by going into retailing – a sectorhe has not left since.

He started upon graduation withRich’s Department Stores in Atlanta,which is a division of FederatedDepartment Stores, now called Macy’s.

A fellow Georgia Tech alumnus was hisfirst boss, and as he was determiningwhether to take the job, he was toldthat it would be a 90-day probation to determine whether he could addenough value so that he could keephis job, his offer would be 20% lessthan the other offers he was going toreceive, and that he would probablywork a lot more hours.

Duke said, “When I told my wifethat I wanted to take this job in retail-ing that paid 20% less for more hoursand very high risk, she said ‘why?’ Itwas all about people. Retailing is apeople business and a very competitive,fast paced, high energy career, andthat’s what I enjoy doing. I acceptedthe role, and it has worked out reason-ably well for me.”

After working for eight years inAtlanta for Federated, he was offered aposition with May Department Stores,a company for which he spent 16years being promoted several times tonumerous positions. He then receiveda call in 1995 from Lee Scott, the cur-rent CEO of Wal-Mart, to join theirteam, which he did after having severalmeetings, visits and discussions.

As was mentioned above, the com-pany was not the same in 1995 as it istoday. It was a quarter of the size andwas virtually a fully domestic business,with a very limited international foot-print. In 13 years, it has grown toinclude service in 14 countries, andemploys more than 620,000 workersoutside of the borders of the U.S., animpressive fact that Duke does nottake lightly. “It is interesting. I have to pinch myself at times to think thatI get to be a part of this internationalgrowth,” he said.

Before he was a part of the interna-tional growth however, Duke made hisway up through many different areasof the business, which all gave himthe skills to lead the overall interna-tional operations of the company.When he started in 1995, he washired as the Senior Vice President of

Distribution, where he only spent afew months before being promoted to lead all of the logistics of the company. As he put it, “Logistics atWal-Mart is really one of the corecompetencies. It’s one of the founda-tions of the strength of our company.How we move product from supplierand manufacturing to the consumer, isthe behind the scenes core competency,so getting the chance to lead that wasa great thrill, and was a big operation.”

Following that appointment wherehe stayed for two years, he was promot-ed again to Executive Vice Presidentof Administration, a position in whichhe maintained responsibility for theLogistics area, but also picked upresponsibility for other administrativeareas like real estate, corporate affairs,legal, and a number of others.

After that position, where he stayedfor three years, he was promoted againto become the President of Wal-Mart’sUS business, a position he held fortwo and a half years before assuminghis current position as Vice ChairmanInternational for the company in 2006.

The international side of the busi-ness for Wal-Mart has grown througha mix of acquisitions of companies inthe different areas in which they haveexpanded, and organic growth by set-ting up shop and developing a founda-tion in the country from which theycan grow through organic means orthrough acquisitions that are layeredon top of their foundation. “We havehad two great acquisitions in Brazilthat layered on top of our foundationthat we had built ourselves. We alsohad a major acquisition last year inChina called TrustMart that was simi-lar. That was a company about as big aswe were in the country, and we layeredit on and more than doubled our size.”

The company also puts a great deal of effort and attention at growingtheir comp sales, which are the salesat the same stores that were open ayear earlier, at a rate higher than themarket itself is growing. As Duke says,

Business & Finance

‘‘When I told my wife that I

wanted to take this job in

retailing that paid 20% less

for more hours and very

high risk, she said ‘why?’

It was all about people.

Retailing is a people

business and a very

competitive, fast paced,

high energy career, and

that’s what I enjoy doing.

I accepted the role, and it

has worked out reasonably

well for me.

Michael DukeGeorgia Tech ’68

comp sales are really the true measureof the health of the organization, andare the most significant way the com-pany measures growth. “What’s reallypleasing is how much more rapidly ourinternational comp sales are growing,”he said.

One of the major aspects of thecompany’s continued growth andexpansion internationally is the factthat the Wal-Mart culture is maintainedacross the world. In his position ofresponsibility, Duke works with thecompany presidents of the differentcountries to ensure that the company’sculture makes its way down to theassociates on the floor of the individ-ual stores through training, teachingand communicating about it regularly.He actually said that the hiring of thepresident who runs the business ineach country is one of the most criti-

cal decisions he makes in his role.Although there are some societal cul-tural differences between the US andsome of the regions Wal-Mart serves,there is little difference in the compa-ny’s culture in these different areas.

In his role, Duke travels interna-tionally approximately half the weeksof the year for varying amounts oftime in those weeks. In his travels, as he puts it, “I do a little of a lot ofthings.” He visits presidents of countriesand government officials, and anyother stakeholders who have a majorpart in the business of Wal-Mart, likesuppliers. He also meets with associatesand customers, even visiting customersin their homes.

“Some of my greatest experienceshave been in India visiting some middleand lower income customers that canbenefit from a company like Wal-Marthelping to improve the supply chainin India. That’s a thrill to get to see

how we can help people in India livebetter in the future,” he said.

In addition to helping the customerswith prices, the company has embarkedupon a sustainability and environmen-tal initiative that is meant to improvethe areas that it serves, and the world.Each country’s division of the companyhas an environmental or sustainabilityprogram in place, which has stemmedfrom both top-down directives andbottom-up desire of the associates.Duke said, “The great thing about oursustainability program is that our asso-ciates are really excited about it. Andwhen you get 2 million people excitedabout something, you can change theworld. It’s been easy for me to drive itin the international areas because ourinternational associates and manage-ment around the world are so excitedto be a part of it.”

As Duke also says, it’s not only theright thing to do for the world, but it’sgood for the shareholders, as it savesmillions of dollars in utility costs andin elimination and reduction of pack-aging. That makes the environmentalinitiatives that the company hasundertaken a win-win.

As you could imagine, no two daysof his are ever the same, nor are twotrips ever the same – both of whichexcite him about coming to workeveryday. And when he’s not working,he gives of his time serving on severalboards of directors, spends time withfamily, and occasionally plays golf.

From a small town boy growing up in the rural area south of Atlanta,to a high powered executive for theworld’s largest retailer, the decisionsMike Duke has made, including joining Delta Sig, have served himexceedingly well!

27F A L L 2 0 0 8

The Importance of an Often Overlooked Type of Insurance

What happens if the apartment orhome you’re renting catches on fire?Floods? Lightning hits it? While theowner of the apartment should becovered by their own insurance for the structure itself, many times, the importance of having rentersinsurance is overlooked.

Renters insurance is a type of insurance that provides relief torenters for the contents of their livingarea should something happen thatcauses the contents to be no longerusable or viable. In most cases, rentersinsurance only costs a few dollars per month, which is a very goodinvestment should something unfortunate happen.

It should be pointed out that manyapartment complexes are now requiringrenters insurance to be carried prior toallowing tenants to move in. However,in some cases like when it is an indi-vidual house or single apartment thatis being rented, it is not required bylandlords. It should be.

In addition, many undergraduatesare covered by their parents’ homeown-ers insurance while full-time college students, which helps in case somethingwould happen that would require cover-age. These types of situations are moreprevalent than one would think, andinclude fire, water damage, natural disasters like tornados, etc.

According to insurance giant StateFarm’s web site, there are a number of common myths when it comes torenters insurance.

“Renters insurance is expen-sive.” – It’s not. For a minimalmonthly payment, you are covered for your personal property and in most

cases, a liability lawsuit that comesfrom something happening to whereyou live.

“The landlord’s insurance cov-ers me.” – Your landlord’s insurance generally only covers the buildingwhere you live - not your personal

belongings and your liability.“I don’t need personal liability

insurance.” – Your landlord’s policymost likely does not include liabilityfor something that happens in yourrented residence. You could be heldresponsible for injury to another person or damage to another person’sproperty if an incident occurred withinyour rented residence, or elsewhere.Without liability coverage, your current and future earnings could beat risk. Renters insurance may alsoprovide legal defense costs.

“I don’t own very much.” – Mostpeople’s belongings are often worthmore than they think. That’s one reasonwhy you need Renters Insurance.Everything you personally own, youcan claim. Each piece of clothing,your dresser, your CDs and CD player,

etc. can be claimed. You own morethan you think!

In an effort to show a couple of real life examples of the importance of being covered by insurance, wehave come up with two stories frombrothers who have been dealt withtremendous losses from fires, and howhaving insurance affected them in thefires’ aftermaths.

The first story comes from BrianBeaupied, a 2006 initiate of theEpsilon Tau Chapter at Grand ValleyState University, whose house thatwas being rented near campus caughtfire in the Fall semester of 2007, andwho happened to be covered underhis parents’ homeowners insurance.

As September rolls in and classes getunderway, brothers across the nation willbe settling in to a new school year’s routineand place of residence.

As fraternity men, our lives get prettycrazy this time of the year to say the least.Recruitment, community service, andphilanthropy work are a few things thatoccupy our time.

But I urge you all to take a coupleminutes to look into protecting yourselfwith renters insurance, a low cost policythat could potentially save you thousandsof dollars and plenty of headaches.

As some of you may recall, lastNovember a house that I lived in withfour other brothers caught fire. One poorlydiscarded cigarette butt, rolling seeminglyharmlessly across the porch, found acrack between porch boards, dropped intoa nest of dead leaves and ignited the house.

It took minutes for the front of thehouse to go up in flames, and just asquick to throw off five young men’s lives.


Business & Finance

RENTERS INSURANCEBy Bruce Hammond, Ohio Northern ’98

What you don’t realize is what hap-pens after the fire fighters clear out andmedia outlets vacate the premises – whenthe alumni and local aid agencies leave.

It takes a couple hours for it all to settle in. Your house burned down.Where are you going to sleep? How areyou going to eat? What are you going towear? What are you going to do?

I, fortunately, was covered under myparent’s homeowners insurance because Iwas a full-time student. Despite beingcovered, it took weeks for insuranceagents to inspect the house and personalproperty damaged by the fire and cut mea check. It took over a month to find anew car, mine was a casualty to the fireand because I had basic coverage a re-placement would be out my own pocket.

I was lucky that I was at least cov-ered to an extent. One brother who livedwith us but was not in school was not so fortunate.

He recently purchased a brand newPlay Station III in addition to a 40+ inchhigh-definition television. He had pet rats,paintball gear and an old chest full ofbooks and other possessions of great sentimental value.

In minutes it was all gone, and reimbursement was out of the question.

Not to mention the psychological effectof being the last man out of the house,having been soundly asleep while flameswere peeking up through a vent in the floor.

Being insured will help alleviate thepain and ease the inconvenience.

After reading Brian’s story, it isprobably evident that insurance is agood thing to have. Although Brianwas covered by his parents’ homeown-ers coverage, it is always a good ideafor our undergraduates to check withtheir parents to see if they are coveredin the same way. If not, considerrenters insurance.

Brian’s experience of essentiallycomplete disbelief as the incident washappening was much like one that Ihad while working in my previous job.

In 2005, I was living in Ada, Ohio,working as the Assistant Director of

Alumni Affairs at my alma mater,Ohio Northern University. A fire hap-pened in the downtown building thatwas attached to the building in which Ilived, and looking back, having rentersinsurance was the best investment Ihad made to that point in my life.

It gave me piece of mind while Iwas without a place to live for a whileand during the aftermath of seeing the remains of my personal propertyfollowing the fire. I knew I would bereimbursed, even after seeing thatmuch of what I had was severely dam-aged by smoke and the water that waspoured on our building to keep it fromgoing up in flames like its neighbor.

I wasn’t as prepared as I shouldhave been for the process of filing myclaim, and really wasn’t as educatedon the policy itself as I should havebeen. There are a number of things Iwish I would have known, and I haveoutlined those below.

1. You should have an inventoryof what you own. As you moveinto your apartment, be sure to havean inventory of what you own thatyou can easily access should an inci-dent happen where you will need touse your policy. In addition, havingphotos and videos of what you havein their present condition is also agood practice. It will make theprocess of being reimbursed a loteasier following the incident.

2. Check your deductible to besure it’s not too high. If you onlyhave $2,000 worth of things in your

apartment, having a $1,000 deductibledoesn’t make any sense. Be sure youhave a good ratio of deductible towhat you own.

3. There are different ways youmay be reimbursed – actual cashvalue or replacement cost. Actualcash value essentially means that ifyou bought a television five years agofor $500, it does not have that samevalue today. You would be reimbursedthe actual cash value as it stands todayof the type and model of your televi-sion. Replacement cost is essentiallyjust what it says – you will be reim-bursed (minus the deductible) of whatthe replacement cost of what you ownis. In my situation, I believe therewere some things that my insurer gaveme actual cash value for (my electron-ics), and some were replacement cost(like my clothes.)

4. You can be reimbursed foradditional living expenses shouldyour place of residence be unlivable.I wish I would have known this so Ididn’t have to sleep on someone’scouch for a month! In most policies,you are able to have the company payfor your rent somewhere else andessential other things for you to live,like food.

I believe Brian and I would bothurge you to be as educated as you canabout renters insurance, and if you arerenting and don’t have it, pleasecheck it out. Believe us – it’s worth it!

29F A L L 2 0 0 8


10 STEPSTO A MORE SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH

The competition for top jobs has become fiercer as morewomen, senior citizens, and non-Americans have emergedinto the job market with extremely high qualifications. Withmore people and less jobs due to outsourcing, an individualmust work hard to obtain the American dream. However,anyone can earn the job of his dreams by understanding theemployment process and what employers are looking for.

Alumni have identified 10 steps required to understandthe game of employment and find career success.

STEP 1 – IDENTIFY YOUR NEED FOR CHANGEThe first step in the employment process is deciding if youare ready for a change. Have you reached your potential atyour current company? Are you looking for a change inatmosphere? Are you simply tired of your current job?

Identify the reason that you wish to begin a job search.Knowing your desire to leave your current company candrastically improve your success by allowing you to immedi-ately identify companies that offer what your last job did not.

Ensure that it is the right time to leave your current posi-tion. According to the US Department of Labor, the averageAmerican will change careers as many as seven times duringhis lifetime. With these facts, employers are looking forsomeone who will commit to a job.

Jake Smith, Grand Valley State ’02, a Recruitment Specialistfor Glotel, Inc., said, “We avoid hiring people who switch jobsevery year. I want someone with stability - someone who hasstayed at a company for longer than a year or two.”

If you do not have many years behind you in your currentjob, consider waiting until you build up a standing.

STEP 2 – COMPLETE A SELF-ANALYSISBefore you begin the search for a job, understand youremployment past. Harry Thompson, NC State ’62, said“The past is the best indicator of future performance.”

On paper, identify your strengths, weaknesses, successes,and failures of your past jobs. If you understand where you had

trouble in your career, you can find jobs that center on yoursuccessful traits and do not require your weak traits as often.

STEP 3 – IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL JOBIf you could do anything in the world, what would it be?“Decide what job you want and find out what path you needto take to get there,” said Thompson.

Research which entry level jobs will offer the promotionsyou need in order to reach your dream. Mike Forbes, SaintLouis ’64, said “Looking for a job with advanced possibilitiesis more important than looking for a job.”

STEP 4 – NETWORK“The people I have known have provided me with 75% ofmy clients and employees,” said Forbes.

Networking is a key part in finding the right job. JasonWelch, Stetson ’92, a Managing Partner for RIC ExecutiveSearch, recommends developing a personal employmentcampaign. “Make a list of everyone from your professionaland personal life that might have a lead for you. Schedulemeetings and see if they know of any career opportunities.”

Once you have a solid list of career options, you canbegin to understand if they are the right positions for you.

STEP 5 – RESEARCHThe most important element of the job search is research. Inorder to find the right job, you must understand companiesin your field, potential jobs, and market trends.

Your local library will have many career resources includingthe Peterson’s series, Career Opportunities Directories, and otherlistings. The internet provides many research opportunitiesincluding wetfeet.com, online.onecenter.org, and monster.com.

Decide what companies are best for you by looking attheir core values. Just as a college man chooses Delta SigmaPhi based on the alignment of values, a business man shouldchoose his work based on the same mission. “What is thecompany’s creed? Look at the company philosophy and see ifyou fit in with their mission,” said Thompson.

Business & Finance

“If people can’t understand the employment process, they can’t perform it.” Truth prevails in this statement from an alumnus who understands that the employment process is a game that only a small amount of individuals have mastered.

By Chris Cannon, Shorter ’06

31F A L L 2 0 0 8

If the company’s goals do not line up with your personalgoals, then that organization is not a good fit. “Look for acompany where your work will be worthwhile,” addedThompson.

STEP 6 – KNOW WHAT PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERSWANT FROM YOUAlthough each employer is going to differ in their desiredtraits, some core values are found in almost every company.

According to Harvard and Dartmouth studies, companiesthat hire people with the traits of strategy, culture, structure,and execution out perform every other company. Be sure tounderstand these top business traits and how you live outeach one in your work. Furthermore, understand the specificdesires for your position. An entry-level position will entaildifferent work and responsibilities than an executive position.

For Forbes, who primarily works with small businesses, thekey is retention. “You have to show a commitment to theemployer. Small companies do not want turnover.”

Welch, who primarily recruits for top executive positions,said “Overall, I am looking for someone who can put togethera strategic plan for any company.”

The key to understanding the company’s needs is research.If you research a position and gain an understanding of itsduties, you will have an advantage in providing the employerwith their desires.

STEP 7 – CREATE A UNIQUE IMAGE OF YOURSELFThe resume is considered to be one of the most importantemployment documents, so make it a priority in youremployment work. “Your resume is your face to your employer.Make sure to highlight unique qualities,” said Smith.

Highlight your accomplishments, not your previous jobduties. Show the employer your success in the past, so that theycan envision your success with their company in the future.

Don’t be afraid that you don’t have the right qualifica-tions. “You don’t have to have a specific degree if you canshow them that you are worthwhile,” said Thompson.

Work hard to develop your positive image and you willhave a greater chance of being hired.

However, be careful not to create a false image of yourself.A recent report from Forbes.com states that over 40% ofrecent college graduates lie on their resume in order to gainan upper hand. As a result, recruiters are spending more timechecking references and facts on resumes.

“Honesty is the most important [quality] and a goodinterviewer will immediately pick up if you are lying,” saidForbes. Therefore, save yourself and the employer trouble bynot including any white lies in the process, no matter howsmall they are.

STEP 8 – DEVELOP A CAMPAIGNOnce you know what companies are right for your goals andadvancement, develop a plan for applying to companies. “Just

don’t blast your resume. Know the company and position youare applying to,” said Smith.

Would you market one of your company’s products throughspam email? Just as you wouldn’t use such a negative form ofadvertising for a product, only use reputable sources for your-self in the employment process.

“Make sure that when you do a job search, you protectyour brand. Don’t let anyone throw your brand around.Market yourself,” said Welch.

Do not post your resume to every website on the internet.Use the connections you have made to reach out to potentialemployers and personally create a positive, successful imageof yourself.

STEP 9 – BE PREPARED FOR THE INTERVIEWWithin the interview, “be cordial, be professional, and beprepared,” said Thompson.

Do not stray from the interview norms of being early,shaking hands firmly, and remaining standing until asked to be seated.

Be prepared for the questions that will be asked. By doingprior research, you will understand the company and feel atease answering questions about your future with the organi-zation. “All questions in the interview come back to the coreof ‘What have you done in the past that would be a value tous,’” said Thompson.

Thompson went on to add that remaining positive isextremely important within the interview. “Never talknegatively in an interview. If you are willing to talknegatively about any company, then you will be willingto talk bad about the company you are interviewing for.”

STEP 10 – FOLLOW UPAfter your successful interview, continue to create apositive image with the interviewer by sending a thank-you letter. “Only 5% of interviewees write a thank youletter following the interview,” Thompson said.

With this small step, you will set yourself apartfrom the standard applicant who fails to reach out toprospective employers.

By following the key steps presented here, the employ-ment process can be reduced from a stressful, unorganizedprocess into a successful plan for career advancement.

Thompson presented his final words of advice as “Themthat work the hardest has the most luck.” In the game ofemployment, the only luck available is preparation anddetermination to follow through on each step of the process.If the process is completed, luck will come to all those work-ing hard to earn the job of their dreams.

Thank you to all brothers who assisted with this story. For moreinformation, contact Bruce Hammond at [email protected].


When many people think about professional athletes, theythink not only about their tremendous ability and athleticism,but also the staggering salaries that many of them make annually.

As The Carnation was thinking about different topics forthe Sports Talk portion of this issue, we decided it might be interesting to delve into the business side of professionalsports, and have enlisted the help of folks from both sides of the field, a former certified sports agent and a current NFLGeneral Manager.

Todd Newman, Louisiana Monroe ’84, is an attorney by trade. Currently, he has limited his practice to personalinjury, workers compensation, domestic law and criminallaw, but has done many different things over the years.These include being the owner of the Monroe Moccasins, a minor league hockey team in his hometown, and being a part-owner of a Bingo Hall that raises approximately $1million a year for charity.

But back before these other pursuits, in the late 1990s andearly 2000s, Newman tried his hand at being a sports agent,which was an up and down experience. During those sixyears, he represented such clients as NFL third-round draftpick Steve Foley, NBA second-round draft pick Mike Smith(who happened to be Michael Jordan’s first draft pick whenhe was with the Washington Wizards), and Arena FootballLeague quarterback Raymond Philyaw, in addition to others.

Getting into the BusinessHe became an agent after meeting Foley while he was teachinga class at the University of Louisiana Monroe in the mid-90s.Having gotten to know Foley and his mother, he felt stronglythat he could make a difference for him. So, he went throughthe process and got certified as an NFL and NBA agent.

To become an NFL agent, there is an exam on the collectivebargaining agreement, and the agent must attend a seminar andpay the requisite fee. For the NBA, Newman mentioned thatall you had to do was pay the money and you were an agent.

When he first went to the seminar in Indianapolis for theNFL, he felt naïve about the process, “I thought Good Lord,who in the world would want to pay $1,500 or whatever itwas back then on the chance that they might get somebody,”

he said. “I had just assumed everyone there had a client, butwhen I went the first time and they asked how many of ushad someone that we expected to go in the Draft, I raisedmy hand. Out of 400 people, there may have been 50 thathad a client that was going to go in the Draft.”

Finding ClientsWhile most people think that being an agent is all aboutnegotiating the best deal for their clients, many people forgetthat there is a step before that – finding the clients in thefirst place! Apparently, for the many people who were at hisseminar back in the mid 90s, that was easier said than done.

Newman’s experience was that all of his clients were localto his hometown – Monroe, Louisiana. As someone whotaught on campus at the University of Louisiana Monroe, he knew some of them from classes. Others he knew aboutfrom talking to the coaches. He always followed all rules,and never lured a potential client with money and “toys” to get them to be his client.

However, he saw some other agents who used differenttactics, even on players who ended up as his clients! A veryeasy example of this was evident when he helped SteveFoley move to Cincinnati after being drafted. They moved100 pairs of high top sneakers that were gifts from otheragents trying to get him to become their client. “They liter-ally followed his mother at the Senior Bowl, would stay inthe same hotel as her, and would call her before she went tobed at night to talk to her about how I had never been anagent before, that it was my first time, and all of that stuff.”

While one would think that it would take more thandeveloping relationships to land an athlete as a client,according to Newman, all he had to do to land Foley wasmake his mother feel comfortable. He was a like a collegefootball coach going into the player’s home to sell him andhis parents on going to school, but instead was selling themon him and his attributes to be the player’s agent.

And once he landed Foley, he began getting all of theULM football players who were potential professionalprospects. The same happened once he got basketball player,Mike Smith. “There were a lot who called wanting me to be

Sports

BEING A SPORTS AGENT

WHAT IT’S LIKE

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their agent, but the chances are that if it’s the player callingthe agent, they probably don’t have a very good chance,”Newman said.

Getting Ready for the DraftAfter recruiting his clients, then came the opportunity toassist them in getting ready for the Draft. In Steve Foley’scase, the first step was the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.Newman helped prepare him for it, and his philosophy forFoley was “do it all.” A lot of times at the Combine, playersdecide not to do certain aspects of the workouts becausethey don’t want their draft stock to drop, but for Foley, whowas being projected anywhere from the late first round tothe end of the fifth round, Newman knew it would be in his best interest to do it all and show them what he had.

Following the Combine, around ten coaches came throughMonroe to see him work out, and Newman oversaw this andset up all of the workouts. Following those, it looked like hewould be picked by the Green Bay Packers, as Newman hadreceived a call from a Green Bay television station askinghim questions about Foley.

When Draft day arrived, Foley and his many friends andfamily members gathered at Newman’s house for the event.While they were watching, Green Bay got through their firstround pick, but it was not Foley. Then, Newman saw thatthey had traded their second round pick, so the likelihood of him going to Green Bay was close to zero. All of a sudden,Cincinnati was on the clock, and they were one of the teamswho worked him out. But Newman knew that they hadalready picked Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons in the firstround, two players at Foley’s position. However, the phone

rang, and they did end up picking Foley as the 75th pick inthe 1998 NFL Draft.

The NegotiationAfter the Draft the next step was negotiating the contractand getting him the most money possible. Cincinnati hadanother pick four spots later in the third round, and thethought was that Newman would not allow Foley to sign acontract until the player picked four spots later signed. Hadhe done so, the other player’s agent would have been able tosay that he could have signed his player for more money hadNewman not signed early at a lower price.

So, the other player’s agent who worked for IMG, one of the top agencies for athletes, was calling Newman seeingwhat he was going to do. Newman held strong and told himthat he was not signing until the other player did.

So, they moved Foley to Cincinnati without a contract,had him report to camp and do all of the workouts on timewhile other players were holding out, and Newman met withthe team. Nothing was getting worked out the first day. “TheNFL Players Association will let you know what everybodysigns for, and there is a rookie salary cap. It’s really not asmagical as people like to make it out to be, but you still haveto know what you’re doing to do the best job for yourclient,” he said.

He knew where the numbers were and where he neededto be, but he had the other player’s agent continuing to callhim trying to make sure he knew what he was doing. “Hewas being very professional and just making sure I knewwhat I was doing. He was essentially making sure I wasn’tgoing to short-sell Steve so his client wouldn’t then get lessmoney. But I had already made up my mind that I wasn’tsigning before he did.”

So, Foley and Newman went to a Reds game and heended up calling the other agent while there to make surethings were still moving along. The other agent told himthat his client had just signed, and so Newman was free tosign Foley the next morning. He went in, and with theinformation on what the other player made, he negotiated a salary for Foley higher than the other player.

He did that all without putting himself in a positionwhere others could say that he made a mistake, and actuallyat the time he signed Foley, he had negotiated the highestsigning bonus in the history of the third round of the draft.Pretty good for a first-timer!

Once the Player Makes ItIt seems as though Newman’s biggest responsibility once hisplayers made it to the league was almost being their babysitter.As he brought them into the fold, he had to try to educatethem on the process of becoming a player, the biggest part of which was financial. It didn’t always sink in.

Todd Newman, Louisiana Monroe ’84, and his son Ty attheir home in Monroe, Louisiana. Ty is proudly wearinghis Dad’s 1987 E. Allen James Outstanding UndergraduateAward medal.


“Take Mike Smith for example. He goes up there and ismaking the rookie minimum, which is less than half a milliondollars. That’s more money than he has ever had or that hethought he’d ever have. They really don’t have a concept ofhow much money that really is. Then, they turn around andthink that they can’t ever spend all of it. But guess what?You can go through that money mighty fast,” Newman said.

He had all of his players set up in a trust, and a financialinstitution would manage all of their money. That arrange-ment included paying all of their bills, setting up investmentopportunities, etc. The player would then be able to call andtell them what they wanted to get and Newman and theplayer would make the determination of whether the purchase should happen.

At one point, Smith had called him after having boughta $25,000 necklace, (mind you, he was making the rookieminimum) and asked Newman to have a check cut to payfor it. Newman returned the necklace, because it was not inSmith’s best interest. What was it really worth? About$7,500 according to a local jeweler in Monroe.

“They literally have these caravans of people going intothe locker rooms who sell clothes, jewelry and everythingelse. You have guys like Juwan Howard in the Wizards lockerroom making $11 million per year buying $10,000 worth ofclothes. Guys like Mike feel the pressure to keep up with theother guys, and I had to try to help them understand how tomanage their money.”

Leaving the FieldAfter losing Foley to another agent who was wining and dininghim all the time, Newman decided that it was time to goback to the law practice. He felt as though the players hadthe philosophy of “what have you done for me today,” and itended up that his initial thoughts on the field were differentfrom what it turned out to be for him.

In fact, while he was Foley’s agent, the player was arrestedfour times in one year, three of which Newman got dismissed,and the fourth, Foley pleaded to a probation offense andnever missed a game. Foley’s career ended (with anotheragent) after he was shot by a police officer who had tried tostop him for DWI, but he led the officer on a chase throughSan Diego.

“I had this vision of one of my guys getting into the Hallof Fame, and I would be able to present him, and he wouldbe happy that he had someone who had guided him,” hesaid. “The bottom line was, you can’t save someone fromthemselves, and they are going to blow through that moneyunless they have enough sense not to.”

Todd Newman received the 1987 E. Allen James OutstandingUndergraduate Award from Delta Sigma Phi, and currently coach-es three girl’s softball teams, two basketball teams and two soccerteams, where he makes a difference in kids’ lives.

Sports

The Thoughts of an NFL General Manager

The Carnation: Talk a little about the GM/agent relationship. In general, is it usually positive, or are the talks and negotiations always tense and adversarial?

Heckert: The relationship that I have with agents is gen-erally a very positive one. I’m not saying that we agree on everything during a contract negotiation, but we cannormally find a common ground and get a deal done that is both acceptable for the player, as well as for ourorganization. In the more complicated contracts, therewill always be times that both sides may need to agree to disagree and just move on from a certain point and try to work things out, but I can say that most deals aredone with a hand shake afterwards and there are no hard feelings no matter how tense the negotiations get.

The Carnation: What is your personal philosophy inyour work with players and agents surrounding contractnegotiations?

Heckert: My personal philosophy regarding players andtheir contracts is pretty simple. We try to only sign andre-sign players who we think are going to be good playersfor a long time. The mistakes that are made in the NFLare usually ones that are made because of a situationwhere a team thinks that they HAVE to have a playerand are willing to do whatever it takes to get that player.That can be a disaster if it doesn’t work out so you haveto be willing to walk away and let that player go.

The Carnation: As the GM, how much of your job isdealing with agents and players on salary and contractissues, and how much is evaluating talent?

Heckert: My primary responsibility is evaluating players.That is where we earn our money and what makes ourteam what it is and this has to be the main focus of myjob. That being said, I do have many other responsibilitiesthat go hand in hand with how our team performs. Thesalary cap is a huge part of our game and managing that isa day to day necessity that we meet on almost every day.We have to not only be in compliance with the salarycap every day, but we also have to play for the future. We are always looking at current and future contracts and deciding how they will affect us not only today butalso up to three years from now. Most of my dealing withagents is done in the off season so that does not play areal big role during the season.

35F A L L 2 0 0 8

It’s that time of year. Getting to theparking lot at 8 am to stake out yourspot before a 4 pm kickoff, firing upthe grill to cook brats and burgers for not only you, but everyone elsearound you, and tossing the footballbetween the rows of cars – that’s righttailgate season. Better yet, it’s collegefootball season, and Delta Sigma Phi is lucky to have a number of coachesstalking the sidelines on an annualbasis. However, the distinguishedcareer of one of our brothers is comingto an end at the end of the 2008-09season, hopefully on a winning note!

As the final seconds tick away offthe clock at Ross-Ade Stadium inWest Lafayette, Indiana on November22, they will also be ticking away onthe career of Joe Tiller, Montana State’63, the all-time winningest footballcoach in Purdue University’s history.Tiller will retire at year’s end, leaving a legacy of winning on a program thathad only one winning season in the 13 years prior to his arrival.

To say Tiller’s impact on the program was large is a tremendous understatement. Not only did he turnPurdue’s program into an upper levelBig Ten contender year after year, healso introduced a new way of playingthe game to the Big Ten Conference.His spread offense is more reminiscentof the Houston Oilers’ old run andshoot with Warren Moon at the helm,than the typical smashmouth footballyou see week after week in the Big Ten.

Tiller’s offensive scheme was honedas he was working his way up the

coaching ladder, most recently servingas the head coach at the University ofWyoming, where he had a respectable39-30-1 record in six seasons for theCowboys. During his 42-year career,he spent time at his alma mater, andeven in Canada, before becoming amajor Division I head coach in 1991at Wyoming.

However, his greatest success hasbeen at Purdue, as he has led theBoilermakers to 10 of the school’s 15bowl appearances, including the RoseBowl in the 2000-01 season. He hasalso coached a number of great playerswho have made it and have been quitesuccessful in the NFL, including Saintsquarterback Drew Brees, Patriotsoffensive tackle Matt Light and Bearsquarterback Kyle Orton.

While Tiller wasn’t ready to talkabout the one player who was themost talented that has ever played forhim during a recent conversation withThe Carnation, for fear that he wouldexclude or offend former players, hewas very willing to talk about the play-er he thought was the most athleticthat has ever played for him – formerSteelers great Rod Woodson.

“Rod was a unique guy in thatwhen I was an assistant here atPurdue, I came in the same year Rodcame in. He started for us as a truefreshman against Notre Dame in theopener as an 18 year old. When theseason was over that freshman year, heleft the football field after the lastgame of the year and went over to ourindoor track, where he practiced for

one week and then set an all-timerecord for the low hurdles. He was ahold out for the Steelers after theydrafted him in the first round, andactually went over to Europe and ranprofessional track and made a goodliving,” Tiller said.

While Woodson was the best ath-lete, Tiller has a great deal of love andadmiration for all players who haveplayed for him, whether at Purdue orpreviously. In fact, one of his greatestaccomplishments of his long career is when his players become successfuland return to talk to him about theircareers and families. “The singlebiggest reward in coaching is theimpact you can have on the playersthat play for you. I find a great deal of joy in a guy that comes back whowants me to meet his wife and hischild and reminisce, and tells me thathe remembered when I told him a specific lesson that he now takes andteaches to his employees. To me, thoseare the real rewards in coaching. It’snot the wins and losses. The biggestthing I am charged with is to developproductive citizens. That’s my goal.”

Not only has he developed productive citizens, but much like the Fraternity, Tiller has succeeded atbuilding outstanding leaders during hiscoaching career. So what traits makeup a great leader in his eyes? Havingtremendous work ethic, outstandingcharacter and principle, having avision and providing a vision for othersmake up his definition. He also said,“It was General Eisenhower who said

JOE TILLER, MONTANA STATE ’63

ALUMNI PROFILEPhoto Credit: Purdue UniversitySports Information

What He’ll Miss – “Game days,particularly here at the Big Tenlevel. These are all very largeuniversities and all have large sta-diums. The excitement and noisein the stadium can be deafeningat times, and you will miss thatadrenaline rush.”

Favorite Games He’s Coached –One of the many he mentioned“We’ve had some great gamesover the years. We beat theUniversity of Minnesota inMinnesota when we were down bythree. They punted with 17 sec-onds and downed it on our sevenyard line. The very first play, ourleft tackle jumped offside. Thenwe completed a pass to a guy whoran out of bounds, then anotherand the guy slid down whichstopped the clock. Our field goalteam sprinted on the field andwhen they blew the whistle, ourcenter who was a managementmajor, snapped the ball to theholder, who was also a manage-ment major, who held the ball forthe kicker, who was also a man-agement major. So there werethree smart guys down the mid-dle, but to get that play off, tie itup and win the game in overtime,I have never been around a gamelike that.”

How He’s Going to Feel as TimeWinds Down on the Season – “Imade a comment multiple timeshere locally that maybe the verylast game of the year it will hit mebetween the eyes that I’m notgoing to do it anymore. I avoidedthinking about it from the time Iannounced it until April for ourSpring game, and as I was walkingout onto the field, I got to thinkingthat I was only going to be doingthis one more Fall. I thought ‘lookat this field and at this stadium.This is going to be kind of tough towalk away from.”


Sports‘A leader is someone who gets a personsomeplace that they couldn’t get to by themselves.’ In other words, if theycould have gotten there by them-selves, they wouldn’t need a leader.”

Tiller’s leadership certainly hasmoved Purdue’s football program to aplace that it likely wouldn’t have beenable to get to by itself. And as Tillercontemplated his future during the2007 season, not only was he thinkingabout his own future, but he also wasthinking about Purdue’s future success.He decided that it was time to hang it up after much thought and consid-eration, and after realizing that the24/7/365 time commitment was beginning to be more than he wanted.

As he put it, “I started out as acoach 42 years ago, and am finishingas a manager.” As the head coach, hiscommitments include not only hiscoaching duties, but also coordinatinga large staff of support personnel,spending time with the academic assis-tants, doing speaking engagements andmedia interviews, and everything thatgoes into recruiting the best playersthroughout the year.

In exploring the idea of recruitment,as the undergraduate members of theFraternity must do this everyday, Tillergave some great advice on what tolook for and how he has been able toeffectively recruit players – a talentthat not everyone possesses.

“The number one thing aboutrecruitment is the fit. Does the personfit the Fraternity and does theFraternity fit the guy. Whether it’s afraternity, a team, an organization oran Army, if it’s not a good fit, it’s notgoing to work. The other things thatenter the picture are whether the person is going to add value to wherewe are today, and what kind of valuecan we offer the person? Everybodyultimately has to answer the one bigquestion in my mind ‘what’s in it forme?’ If they can answer that positively,you have a good chance of recruitingthat person. In my particular case, I

wanted to improve my social skills.My primary motivation was beingaround good people and developingsocial skills, and when it came to meanswering the ‘what’s in it for me’question, I was able to positively withDelta Sig.”

As he finishes off his career, and nolonger has to be on the road recruitingfor much of the year, Tiller’s plansinclude spending more time with hiswife and family – something he wasn’table to do as much as he had wantedearlier in his life. “For 42 years I havenever done a single thing on a Sundaywith my family. I’ve always beenwatching the game tape from the previous day and the game tape of our next opponent for next week.”

He’s also planning on kicking hisfeet up on the porch of his new homein Wyoming, relaxing and taking awell deserved break from the game offootball. “I’ve had people ask me whatI am going to do next season, and Isay I’m not going to do a darn thing.People tell me that the Falls areabsolutely beautiful and that theleaves on the trees actually changedifferent colors. (laughs) I’ve neverseen that for 42 years.”

While he wants to relax, he’s alsolooking forward to taking advantage of something he has never been ableto do – getting to the parking lot at 8am to stake out his spot before a 4 pmkickoff, firing up the grill to cook bratsand burgers for not only him, buteveryone else around him, and tossingthe football between the rows of cars.That’s right, he’s looking forward tothe ritual that the 70,000 around himfor his 42 years have done on a weeklybasis – the tailgating. “They tell metailgating is fun, but I’ve never beenable to partake,” he said.

So, if you happen to be at either a Wyoming or Montana State gamethis season, watch for Tiller in theparking lot and give him a heartyYITBOS for his outstanding career on the sidelines.

37F A L L 2 0 0 8

Joe Tiller, Montana State ’63, head coach of Purdue, and Mike Bellotti, UC Davis ’70, head coach of Oregon talk prior to the game onSaturday, September 15, 2008. This is believed to be the first time two Delta Sig head coaches took to the field against one another inany sport since the Fraternity’s founding.

On Saturday, September 13, two DeltaSig college football coaches took tothe field to battle it out in what is afirst in the history of Delta Sigma Phi.

Joe Tiller, Montana State ’63, thehead coach of Purdue, and MikeBellotti, UC Davis ’70, the head coachfor the University of Oregon, battledthroughout the game and into over-time, before Bellotti’s Ducks rallied forthe win 32-26.

For Tiller, he was denied the oppor-tunity to become the Boilermakers’all-time winningest coach, but he

ended up getting that title the nextweek in a win over Central Michigan.

This event was one for the recordbooks in Delta Sigma Phi, and thebrothers of the Delta Delta Chapterat Purdue took it upon themselves tocreate commemorative paddles to pres-ent to each coach prior to the game.

As you will see in the photoson the right, the coaches were excitedto receive them, and for the opportu-nity to make Delta Sigma Phi historyin playing this game!

A FOOTBALL FIRST IN...

DELTA SIG HISTORY!

Photo Credit: Purdue University Sports Information


For Marty Snider, UNC Charlotte ’89, a once in a lifetimeopportunity was presented to him in August when he coveredThe Olympics in Beijing, China for NBC Sports.

Upon his return from Beijing, Snider sat down with TheCarnation to share some of his experiences and thoughts onthis amazing experience.

The Carnation: Can you tell us aboutyour trip?Snider: I went out August 1 and was therefor 26 days. The first week was neat becauseI was there with my wife and we were ableto travel around to see all of the sites like theGreat Wall and the Forbidden City. We alsowent to the silk markets to go shopping andthings like that. After that first week, I reallygot down to business.

The Carnation: Tell us about the sportsyou broadcasted, and what that experiencewas like.Snider: We were the very first thing on the air. We did men’sroad race cycling, which was one of the first events. I did alittle bit of everything, and there was a lot of publicity for thethings I did. I did cycling for men and women, both the roadraces and time trials, five or six different events in whitewaterwhich were kind of crazy, the triathlons for men and women,and BMX for men and women.

With another team of announcers, I did fencing, men’s andwomen’s volleyball, women’s softball and the closing ceremony.I was quite busy while I was over there, all the way up untilthat last night and then I left the next morning to come home.

Throughout my time there I had two scheduled days off,and both days before them, it rained and the events werepushed back to our days off. We never wound up getting aday off while over there.

The Carnation: Obviously, some of the sports you coveredaren’t your normal sports. What was that like?

Snider: It was a lot of fun to learn all of those new sports, the people to cover, and even just how to cover those sports.I have certainly grown a lot by having that experience anddealing with those people and sports. I certainly widened myhorizons a little bit.

The Carnation: What was it like just beingin Beijing itself? How were the safety andlogistical things handled?Snider: Certainly any time you’re in aforeign country you have to be safe, andthere was a large language barrier in China.They just don’t learn English when they’reyoung, and there are very few people whoare native to China that speak English.With the Olympics coming over, a lot ofthe signs were written in English, whichmade it a little easier.

NBC took tremendous care of everything.Our hotel was very secure, and they wentway out of their way to make sure everything

was safe. The way the Beijing Organizing Committee workedeverything around, it was very safe to get from point A topoint B. When I was traveling on the road, there were 26 peo-ple on my team. They just went to make sure everything thatwe did at the venue technically, logistically, and safety-wisewent well. We also had translators with us.

When everyone showed up, we all got cell phones, andthere was a book published with everyone’s China cell phonenumber in it so it was easy to communicate with anyone atany time. All of the communication, safety, and logistics werevery smooth, and really there were no issues at all.

The Carnation: What other events were you able to checkout during the time you weren’t on air?Snider: I got to catch a number of other sports. Obviously, Icovered the NBA for Turner, so I went to go see the NBAplayers a few times. We saw two American games and I sawArgentina play a couple times. We also went to boxing one

Sports

THE OLYMPICSTHROUGH MARTY SNIDER’S EYES

39F A L L 2 0 0 8

time, because one of my close friends was the producer forthat event.

Our crew call was at different times each day, and I got tosee Michael Phelps win his fourth gold medal. I recordedthat on my little handheld camera, so that was good. I sat upin the booth with Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines to watchthat. And then I also saw Usain Bolt break the 200-meterworld record since one of my close friends is also the trackproducer, so we were right on the finish line. It was really aspecial thing to be able to see those things.

While we were busy, we weren’t working 24/7 so I wasable to take in some other events. We tried to maximize ourtime to be able to go and see all of these events.

The Carnation: What was it like for you to be with thoseathletes as they were competing in the biggest sportingevent in the world?Snider: It’s pretty amazing being around the athletes becausemost of them have either been through an Olympics or havehad some sort of exposure. But then there’s the group of peoplewho have never seen this before and are wide-eyed about allof the things that go on. They are really happy to be involved.

The one thing that really struck me is that you learn thatthere are a lot of sports that aren’t as important in the US.We think we have done a lot of sports here, and that we’vecovered a lot here in the States, but some of the sports thatwe don’t cover are really big in different parts of the world.Take the whitewater event that we had for example. That’snot an A-level sport in the US, but in Europe, it’s every-thing. Some of these guys, like Fabien Lafevre, who carriedthe French flag in the opening ceremony, is tremendous fig-ure in France. He is like the biggest icon in French sports,and he is a paddler in whitewater. I took a picture of himafter he won the silver and he was crying because he wasupset that he didn’t win gold and was worrying about whathis country would think. The reporters were stacked 15 deepto talk to him from Europe.

You get a different perspective and see that there are a lotmore sports outside the US. You turned on the television,and on ESPN there was cricket. They love cricket. We don’tget cricket here. They don’t get the NFL in China and don’tunderstand it.

The Carnation: What were the best and worst parts of thetrip for you?

Snider: The best part was that being there, it wasn’t justthe Olympics, but there was something special about thisspecific Olympics. We were getting reports from back homeabout everyone watching, and that the opening ceremonywas through the roof rating-wise, and that everyone waswatching Phelps. I just had the feeling that this was a special

time beyond the norm. It was great to just be a part of it, andthe great team that we had put together for NBC.

The worst part was being away from home for so long.The food over there actually wasn’t too bad. Everybody wasworried about the food, but we found some outstanding food.That was never an issue. The language barrier was some-times difficult and being gone from my kids, but that was it.

The Carnation: What was the thing that you take awayfrom the experience that you will never forget?Snider: The Chinese people were really spectacular. Theyreally enjoyed having everyone there in their country. It wasneat because early on, my wife and I were at the SummerPalace, this enormous place spread over all these acres wherethe emperor would go in the summer on vacation, and wehad a group of school children walk by us and say “hello.”They were all so proud that they all knew a little English,and that was just a neat process. Overall, the Chinese peoplewere so warm and embracing, and they not only enjoyedhaving Americans around, but everyone else.

Also, the ability to go see some amazing sporting eventsat the same time and take those in, and to witness a MichaelPhelps gold medal and Usain Bolt winning a 200-meter raceand setting a world record in the process. Those things, andthe ability to be a part of all that was really cool. HavingThe Olympics in China was unprecedented obviously.Having The Olympics with such a big delay was unprece-dented but it worked out. Just being a part of that specialmoment was really worthwhile.

To read the full interview, check out www.deltasig.org/olympics.

Marty Snider, UNC Charlotte ’89, (back row center) along with histeam at the Beijing Olympics in August 2008


Government & Politics

The Carnation: What made you decide to get into journalism?Fainaru: I have asked myself this question a lot. It comes up, especially now, and I must have been 14 or 15 years old when I made the decision, but I don’t know why.Newspapers were always around me. Everyone in my familywas an avid newspaper reader, and when I was young, I havevivid memories of my Dad reading the Los Angeles Timessports section, particularly Jim Murray. Once I moved up to San Francisco, I just remember it always being around.

I also have some family lineage. My grandfather on myDad’s side was a journalist. He was a Romanian-Americanjournalist, and edited a Romanian-American newspaper outof Detroit. I never knew him, but perhaps it was generationalosmosis! My grandfather on my Mom’s side was a songwriter,so we have writing in my family. I also have a younger brother,Mark Fainaru-Wada, and he is also a journalist who alongwith his partner, Lance Williams with the San FranciscoChronicle, broke the BALCO steroids scandal and wrote the book Game of Shadows.

In addition, I played baseball in high school, and therewas a guy from the Chronicle who used to cover our games,and I was always fascinated with what he did. I just thoughtit would be the coolest thing that you could write a story,and it would appear in the newspaper with your name. It isto this day, the best decision I have made in my life. It hasgiven me years and years of happiness and fulfillment, and I just feel very fortunate that somehow I knew when I was a teenager that this is what I really wanted to do.

The Carnation: Tell us a little more about your PulitzerPrize winning entry.Fainaru: They submitted ten stories that were representativeof the work we had been doing all last year on private securitycontractors in Iraq. I had started covering Iraq in 2004, and Icovered the military mostly. While I was there, these privatesecurity contractors were everywhere. I didn’t really knowwhat they did, but I’d see them everywhere. They were

always dressed informally, but were always carrying guns.There was always this curiosity about what these people didand who they were.

At the end of 2006, I went back to Iraq and started tryingto do stories on the private security industry. We started outjust trying to look at one company and its culture, and try tounderstand how many there were, who they worked for,what the contracts were like, how much risk was involved,how much combat they were seeing, and then it expandedto be something more investigative. We kept hearing aboutundocumented shootings of civilians that these security con-tractors had been involved in, huge amounts of money beingspent to support these guys, and the lack of regulation thatsurrounded the industry.

There weren’t enough troops in Iraq, so these things juststarted organically. There weren’t enough troops, so theydidn’t have enough people to do the jobs, like convoy protection, protecting military installations, or guardingdiplomats, so they needed to hire these security guys to do it. Since the industry grew up on the fly, there were literallyhundreds of companies and tens of thousands of armed menrunning around with zero regulation coming out of the mili-tary and the US Government about how they should bemonitored, prosecuted if they committed a crime, and allkinds of other things. None of that existed.

So we did all kinds of stories that got into those issues,and those were the stories that ultimately were submitted for the Pulitzer and that ultimately won.

The Carnation: Can you give us a perspective of what itwas like for you reporting from the war zone in Iraq?Fainaru: There has been a lot of criticism about the mediafrom both sides. People have said that the media had portrayed the war too negatively, and other people have feltlike it has been glossed over.

The one thing I would say about it is that I always felt asbad as it seemed over here, it was always like a hundred

STEVE FAINARU, MISSOURI ’81

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTSteve Fainaru, Missouri ’81, a reporter for the Washington Post, received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in April 2008 for his series of stories on private security contractors in Iraq that operate outside most of the laws governingAmerican forces. The stories can be found online at www.washpost.com.

Fainaru spent some time with The Carnation talking about the award and his reporting career in early May 2008.

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times worse when you were there. The pervasive violenceand the militarization of a culture, it’s really an awesomeand humbling thing to behold. To me, there is no realsemblance of a country left in Iraq. It’s a war culture whereeveryone’s world is basically dictated and controlled andlived in response to the reality of the violence aroundthem. The profound ways in which that affects your lifecan’t be overstated.

People would say to me “it’s just isolated bombings” andmy response would be that Baghdad is a city of 7 millionpeople. There were times when I was there that there wouldbe four, five or even six bombings in a day. Imagine four, fiveor six bombings per day in downtown Chicago, and whatthat would do to a society. It affects the way you take yourkids to school, the way you socialize, the way you shop, andevery single aspect of your life. Not to mention that thereare now very few people in Iraq that don’t know someoneclose to them who has been killed.

I think what’s it’s like being there is living with thisoppression of violence. It’s a culture that went from theoppression of Saddam Hussein to the pervasive oppression ofviolence. The irony is that a lot of Iraqis would prefer to goback to Saddam just because it was somewhat peaceful in itsown weird way. There’s not anything even remotely glam-orous about it, like it is sometimes glamorized or glorified inthe movies and in literature.

The Carnation: What’s it like to know that now andforever you will be called “Pulitzer Prize Winning WriterSteve Fainaru?”Fainaru: It’s surreal basically. It doesn’t seem quite real, evennow after it has happened.

The Carnation: How did you find out that you won?Fainaru: It was actually kinds of sad how I found out. One ofthe stories we did included me following around a privatesecurity company, and in particular four Americans whowere working for this company. And shortly after I left, allfour of them were kidnapped on the main road in SouthernIraq, and I ended up writing two long stories. One was aboutthe company that they worked for, and one was about them.They had been missing for almost a year and a half, andfinally their bodies were recovered in Basra. Nobody hadknown what had happened to them, but finally it was sus-pected that they weren’t alive. The US authorities were ableto recover their bodies.

So, I had gone to a funeral for one of these contractors inLees Summit, Missouri outside Kansas City, and the funeralwas over, but I had gone back to the reception at one of hisrelatives’ houses. There were a lot of people there, and all ofa sudden my phone started ringing. I thought I had turned itoff, but I saw it was the office and walked outside to get it,and that’s when they told me. So, it was this really sombersetting, but at the same time, I had just been told something

that was completely inconceivable to me. I was kind ofnumbed by the news, and it was so mind blowing that itwas hard to compute at the time.

It really started to hit home when the Washington Posthad a big celebration after they had won a record sixPulitzers this year. I went back with my son, Will, and broth-er for the official announcement, which was two days after Iwas told, which was really quite amazing. To be surroundedby your friends and colleagues and to be honored for anaward that doesn’t seem like it would have ever happened toyou, it was amazing.

The Carnation: Talk about what the best part about ithas been.Fainaru: Since it’s happened, by far the best thing about ithas been that I have heard from hundreds of friends, includ-ing lots and lots of Delta Sigs that I hadn’t really been intouch with in years, the old high school math teachers. Ithas been so amazing to be able to share with these peoplewho you have these connections with throughout your life.The fact that my mother is so incredibly thrilled is great aswell! (laughs)

The Carnation: Tell us about the book you’re working on.Fainaru: It’s about private security contractors in Iraq. It’sabout the four Americans who went to work for the privatesecurity company, and were kidnapped and ultimately killed.It’s in a context of the explosion of the private securityindustry in Iraq, how that happened, and what it meant tothe war. It’s a look at mercenary life in Iraq.

Steve Fainaru is an international reporter for the WashingtonPost, and resides in El Cerritos, CA. To read the full interview,check out www.deltasig.org/pulitzer.

Steve Fainaru, Missouri ’81, (right) stands with RichardOppel, Pulitzer Board co-chair, as Fainaru was presentedwith his 2008 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting

Photo Credit: Eileen Barroso/Columbia University


Three soldiers stealthily ascend thesunlit stairwell, gently, quietly, toavoid detection. They reach a doorand surround it, signal a code, thenorganize for the assault. Closest to thedoor, one soldier painstakingly turnsthe knob. He looks back at the others,double-checking his backup, his gripon the M-16 rifle tightening. Hethrows his weight into the door and itflies open. A lone enemy scampers tonew hiding as the soldiers storm theroom. The lead soldier, a tall, gangly,overconfident young man, rushes tothe back of the apartment. One companion follows as backup; theother lingers to clear a perimeter.Shouts ring out as the soldiers ambush the startled insurgent.

“Get down,” they shout. “Orwe’ll shoot.”

More shouting from the lone gun-man. “Stop it – not today,” he says,followed by the rapid pop-pop-pop of the M-16 and a series of shatteringricochets. Everything in the room,including the insurgent, is sprayedwith a merciless clamor of munitions.

In the imagination, this is awar zone.

In reality, three friends stage a warin their apartments using plastic BBguns, one of which looks like anauthentic M-16 made of clear plastic.In their imagination, they practice forthe real thing. It’s an unsettling realityas David Cluver, Millikin ’04, bides hisfinal weeks until he begins boot campwith the U.S. Marine Corps. By this

time next year, he might re-enact asimilar scene in the neighborhoodsof Baghdad.

Cluver has always been fascinatedwith war. As a boy, he imagined himself in the jungles of Vietnam and the sands of Normandy, in an epic battle. Sure, he played sports likebaseball, basketball and football, butCluver’s long, narrow body framealways made him a bit awkward. Heenjoyed sports but when it came towar, he was in his element. Back inelementary school, when he lived insuburban River Grove, Illinois, Cluver and his friends swapped strategies and teams as they dueled with Nerfguns in the schoolyard.

He was inspired watching warmovies with his father, who served inVietnam. Cluver played Army withhis friends, wore camouflage clothingto school and begged his father to visitthe Army surplus store every weekend.It was not uncommon to find Cluverat the library, engrossing himself inany book he could find on World War II and Vietnam.

His mother, though, was lessenthusiastic. Never one for violenceor guns, Ellen Cluver discouraged herson’s military dreams. “My mom hatesweapons and guns,” Cluver said. “Shewas worried I’d become a serial killer.Her brothers always played sports, andI did that too, but I loved playingArmy more.”

The games continued until the ter-rorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

When a Marine recruiter called himthe next day, he skipped classes toenlist. His parents convinced him toattend college instead, and he agreed.By the summer of 2007, Cluverapproached Staff Sgt. Brian Zeifang, a Marine recruiter in Decatur, Illinois.

About a year before boot camp,he began a strenuous physical regi-ment in preparation. Bare minimum,Marines must do at least three pull-ups, 44 crunches in two minutes andrun a mile and a half in under 13minutes. Cluver and his fellow“poolees” also spent one night a weekpracticing calisthenics and trivia tofurther prepare them for the most rigorous requirements of the nation’sfive service branches.

Their weekly poolee meetings beginwith the same routine. Entering thestorefront office where the Marines,along with the Army, Navy and AirForce recruiting stations operate,Cluver approaches the office door,stiffens his poise and waits for his staff sergeant to begin. The tall, lankyofficer steps outside the office andmutters, “Motivate me.”

Cluver pounds on the door frame. “Good evening, gentlemen. Poolee

Cluver requests permission to enterthe office, gentlemen.”

Zeifang, standing opposite Cluver,wrinkles his eyes and analyzes everyminutiae, then mutters in his lowvoice, “Get in there.”

Cluver lumbers to the desk andstands at attention, rigid as a soldier

Leadership & Education

A DELTA SIG PREPARES FOR

BOOTCAMPBy Chris Linden, Millikin ’05

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awaiting orders. “Poolee Cluverreporting as ordered, sir.”

“Get down,” Zeifang orders. Cluver drops to the ground and

pounds out 10 Marine pushups, whichmeans he must go down-up-down-upto have done one. The other poolees,already prepared for the day’s workout,mock Cluver’s technique and his long,lanky frame, which takes up most ofthe small office.

Since the ground is covered in aspring snow, Zeifang tells his pooleesto stay in the building for drill, so themen practice their Physical FitnessTest requirements and additional calisthenics. Everyone begins withpull ups. Sizemoore, who looks like alumbering linebacker, jumps on thebar and pumps out 14. Then Cowboy,a thin teenager little taller than 5 feet,jumps up to the bar. The guys rilehim: “How many this time, Cowboy?”Cowboy makes the first 14 pull upslook easy. He struggles through twomore as the poolees rile him and tellhim to finish more than the 15 he didlast week.

Then Cluver steps up. He’s so tallhe can reach the bar without effort.He barely finishes six, then quits. Pullups aren’t his strong point. “I shouldn’thave worked my arms yesterday,” hesays. The others nod, agreeing that anarms workout was a bad idea. Theylaugh at him.

Despite all their preparations,there’s only so much a Marine pooleecan do before boot camp. “It’s a totalreality check,” Zeifang tells the menlater in the evening. “It’s going toopen your eyes a lot. Boot camp istough; it’s hard. But it’s all about heart and drive and determination.”

There’s a long road ahead ofCluver, and his father, Dan, is one toknow. Dan received his draft noticethe day he graduated from high schooland served in Vietnam. “I don’t thinkthe boy understands what’s ahead ofhim,” he said. “They are going to

break you down. Boot camp, I think,will be a shock to him.”

During the 12 weeks, his only communication with the outsidecomes through letters home. It’s achallenge with a high price. He callshome several times a week and main-tains a strong bond with both of hisparents, especially his father. It’s simi-lar to the relationship Dan shares withhis own father, a veteran of WorldWar II. As his son embarks on a famil-iar journey, he’s learned some startlingtruths about himself.

“You’ll find me with a mixed bag,”Dan said. “I’m proud of him that he’sdecided to do this, but I know I willlay awake some nights just thinkingabout him. Now I’m learning what it’s like to have a son in that situation.I’m beginning to feel how my fathermust have felt when I went away.”

David looks up to his father as abest friend, a father and a hero. Inspite of his admirations, he is alsokeenly aware of the price that comeswith the military. One thing Danalways told his son, through all thewar movies, all the games, the cloth-ing and the books was to respect thesobriety of war. “I want to go to war,”he said. “My dad served, my grandpaserved, so why should I get off easy?I don’t want to take the high road.”

Cluver left for the San Diego train-ing base June 23, and the likelihood ofhim seeing combat is almost certain,Zeifang said. Despite a lifetime ofpreparation, the impending reality of Cluver’s dream slowly sinks in, eachday becoming an ever more presentreality. “My whole world is going to be turned upside down,” Cluver said.“Everything you wanted to be you arenow. I don’t know how you can beready for that.”

David Cluver, Millikin ’04, with his parents on a trip to Washington, DC in March 2008.


BOB CONWAY, ST. FRANCIS ’69

Bob Conway, St. Francis ’69, neverthought he’d be where he is today –the Vice Admiral in charge of all USNavy Installations around the world.In fact, in a recent interview, he said,“I never in a million years thought Iwould get to where I am today.”

A native of Wilkes-Barre,Pennsylvania who attended the smallSt. Francis College (now St. FrancisUniversity) in Loretto, Pennsylvania,his post-graduation life has been awhirlwind full of travel and immenseresponsibility, all from his choice ofcareers that he made as he was finish-ing up college.

Conway was an education majorwith an emphasis in history at St. Francis and was preparing tobecome a teacher and football coachupon his graduation, when the influ-ence of his father helped him look at adifferent career path with the UnitedStates Navy. His father, who hadserved active duty in World War II andthe Korean War, was a reserve NavyCaptain during Conway’s childhood,and his son grew up seeing him doinghis weekly drills with the reserves.

“As I was finishing up school, Ilooked at the Navy options because of that affiliation, took some tests, and ended up getting accepted to the Navy Officer Candidate School.Come graduation, I started my train-ing and my Naval career,” he said.

While Conway was in college andwhile as he was beginning his Navalcareer, the Vietnam War was still goingon, which caused many of his classmatesfrom the Officer Candidate School,and Conway himself, to go to shoreduty because there was no room on theships since the war was winding down.

His first stop on his career-longjourney was on shore duty at a Navalfacility in Cape Hatteras, NorthCarolina. “I had the influence there ofsomeone who said ‘what are you doinghere? You’re a designated surface guyso why aren’t you at sea?’ So, I went tosea about 18 months later,” he said.

His first ship was from Charleston,South Carolina where he served as adesignated surface warfare officer. Hisprimary expertise is on both cruisersand destroyers. In fact, most of hiscareer has been spent with those ships.

He began as a division officer, theentry-level position where he accumu-lated leadership skills, managed budgetsand for the first time, had men to lead.This was the first time he learned themaxim “You manage things, but youlead people.”

From there, he continued on moreships as he moved forward in hiscareer, leading to positions of

increased responsibility. His character-ization of them – “they were like lillypads leading to positions of increasedresponsibility within the Navy.”

Within the Navy, the increasedresponsibilities are recognized in acouple ways – first, through promotionin rank, and second, within the ranksare various competitive assignmentsthat lead to command at sea.

After a number of promotions, hewas selected for his first command ona ship that went over during the firstGulf War in the Middle East in 1990.Upon returning from his first com-mand, Conway bounced betweenshore and sea positions, includingcommanding the first ExpeditionaryStrike Group in the current Iraq War.“That group took a whole bunch ofships, including Marines, over to theGulf, and in the other places in theworld where you have the terroristsoperating right now,” he said. “In thatcommand, I actually went ashore inBasra in Iraq doing a couple patrolswith the Brits and the Marines. We were also patrolling the Al-FawPeninsula on the border of Iran, whereall of the oil is,” he said.

His current command, which is hisseventh, is a shore command where heserves as the Vice Admiral in chargeof all US Navy Installations aroundthe world.

The scope of his position is huge,mammoth, amazing, (insert yoursuperlative here). He oversees 80Navy bases worldwide, which are separated into 13 Navy regions. “Whatthat means is that we’re in charge ofabout 60,000 people with a PRV, orplant replacement value, which meansthe value of all the stuff we have on

Leadership & Education

ALUMNI PROFILE

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those bases, of about $104 billion. Ihave an annual operating budgetexceeding $9 billion,” he said.

With that type of scope andresponsibility, Conway frequently visits those installations around theworld to support the fleet, the fightersand their families – the main responsi-bilities of his command. How do theyaccomplish that?

“We support them as I say fromsoup to nuts on all of the bases,” hesaid. That soup to nuts approachincludes properly maintaining theinfrastructures on the bases so thesailors have a good place to work.

In addition, there are things thatyou might not think about that are in Conway’s command, including sup-porting the families through the childcare centers that they have on thebases. “We do child care in one formor another, from the ages of 3 monthsto 18 years old, in terms of providingrecreation and infrastructure for thisto happen. That is because our sailors,both men and women, are involved injobs and there is an insatiable demandfor child care that wasn’t there 10years ago,” Conway said.

Also in Conway’s command isdeveloping the infrastructure for providing educational opportunities to the sailors, where off base collegescome onto the base to educate thesailors so they may get additional college credits.

The command also provides themorale, welfare and recreation, whichincludes providing fitness facilities,gyms, ball fields and intramural sports,as well as training facilities for theNavy’s world-class athletes.

His role and command is also incharge of the galley support and messhalls on the bases, the utilities on allof the bases worldwide, salaries of thecivilians who work on the bases, theplanning for operating with agenciesand interagencies for humanitarianassistance and disaster relief, security,training, and housing for all of thepeople.

“There are a lot of different movingparts here that we do on a daily basisworldwide,” Conway said. He doesn’tdo it alone, and like the Fraternity,there are different levels in place tohandle the different aspects of thelarge scope of the responsibilities ofhis command.

“We can break it up into three lev-els. The bases operate at what we callthe tactical level. That’s the executionof everything we have talked aboutlike keeping the lights on, running theplace, entry control points, etc. Whenyou roll those bases up into those 13regions we talked about, the regionsare at the operational level where theyare doing the overview of the bases in their region. Then, here at theHeadquarters, we are at the strategiclevel, which is like the umbrella overall of this.”

All of the efforts that are undertak-en by Conway on a daily basis stemfrom his tremendous leadership andmanagement abilities. As he said, heleads people and manages things, anddoes each very well.

Around the time this interviewtook place, Conway had given a talkto the graduates of the ROTC pro-gram at the University of Notre Dameabout his thoughts on leadership. Hetold them that leaders are taught andnot born, something that flies in theface of what is often heard. In addi-tion, he said, “Real leadership getsdown to being truthful, havingintegrity, taking care of your peoplealways, executing the mission, andtaking the responsibility and account-ability that goes with being a leader.When you’re leading people andthey’re looking up to you, there is amodicum of respect that goes bothways. You’ll get the respect when yougive the respect.”

His success in his leadership hasbeen plentiful, as have the commen-dations and awards that he has won.They include the Defense SuperiorService Medal, six awards of theLegion of Merit, four awards of the

Meritorious Service Medal, the NavyCommendation Medal, and manymore. As a true leader however, hegives all the credit to others, “Theyrepresent the hard work of other peo-ple. All those ribbons mean thatsomeone else was doing a lot of work,and I got the credit for it,” he said.

Going back to his days as anundergraduate member of Delta Sig,he was as humble as he is now, andalso honed his leadership skills.He served as the Pledge Educatorwhere he led the new members tobrotherhood, a pre-cursor to hisleadership of the men he commandstoday. He has a great deal of positivememories about his time in the chap-ter, and what has come out of thetime he spent while at St. Francis asa Delta Sig.

“I think the four years in college,three of which in Delta Sigma Phi,were very, very positive. In fact, theFraternity is still a big part of my life.Some of my closest friends today areDelta Sigs, and we get together withthem every year. We’ve kept in touchover the years, and I am probablymore friendly and more in touch withmy fraternity brothers than others.That’s because of that bond we struckup while in school,” he said.

As Vice Admiral Bob Conway pre-pares to retire from the Navy in 2009,the leadership and passion for his jobover the years make his retirementlikely bittersweet for the people in hiscommand. They’re likely happy thathe is able to retire, but will miss hisoutstanding leadership going forward.As he leaves his position, he has somepieces of advice for the brothers acrossthe country.

“Jump into your job with a passion.Always tell the truth. Know your busi-ness. Have fun with what you’redoing. That’s infectious with thoseyou’re leading, and when they pick upon that, they’ll do whatever you needto get done and you’ll have a greattime doing it!”


Travel & Tourism

Airlines are cutting back flights andcharging for everything they possiblycan – including checking luggage andin some cases even sitting in an aisleseat. Pretty soon, they’re going tobegin charging you for each piece oftoilet paper you use, or each napkinyou are required to have to put underyour cup for your soda. (Not really,but that seems to be where this isheading…)

Gas is hitting the roof. To drivefrom home to work is becomingincreasingly expensive due to the continued rise in the cost of gasoline.On the news, you see that more andmore people are beginning to bike or take public transportation – bothgood moves if feasible!

In this down economy, our brothers,and everyone else, who used to travelregularly are taking more and moretime off from hitting the roads/skies.However, when travel is necessaryfor business or pleasure, we hope thatyou will find value in the resources out-lined below that are intended to assistin helping you travel more cheaplyand efficiently.

AIRFAREWhen booking airfare, there are anumber of ways and places to look tofind the best fares. If you look online,there are hundreds of sites that giveyou travel ideas and tips for findinggood airfares. We tried to consolidatethe main tips below to help you.

TIPS:1. Buy early – With airlines continuing

to cut down on service and groundplanes, it is best to look for yourfares early. If you can book fourmonths ahead of time, you are likely to easily find a flight and seat that you want, and you lock in your fare in case it rises as yourtrip gets closer.

2. Know When to Buy – Use the web site www.farecast.com to see a history of when airlines have thecheapest fares. In my research, I didan example search from O’Hare inChicago to San Diego for a trip Iwas taking about a month and ahalf after I wrote this story. The siteadvised me to buy, as it was likelythat the cost would rise within thenext seven days by between $26and $52. There was a high level of confidence using their historytracking technology.

3. Be Flexible – According toRickseaney.com, a travel blog led by travel expert Rick Seaney, thecheapest day of the week to travel isWednesday. If you can book yourtrip for a Wednesday, you are likelyto find cheap airfares. The next bestdays are Tuesdays and Saturdays.Rick also says not to travel on holidays or major events to findcheap fares.

4. Sign up for all of the FrequentFlyer Programs – While these days,it’s harder and harder to find non-

blacked out seats when you want to use your miles, you might as wellsign up for all of these free programsto get something for traveling onthe airlines. If you happen to flyenough to earn a free flight, you’llbe glad you signed up originally.

WHERE TO LOOK:1. Online sites like Orbitz, Hotwire,

Expedia and Travelocity are allgood for comparing prices of themajor carriers. However, when yougo to buy the tickets, you are betteroff going to the carrier’s site specifi-cally to avoid the service charge(usually $5) that are charged by the aforementioned travel sites.

2. Don’t forget to check out discountcarriers like JetBlue and Southwestwhen booking. While most timesthey are not included in the com-parisons you’ll find on Orbitz,Expedia and Travelocity, you canfind some great deals on flying onthese airlines, AND in the case of JetBlue, they have newer planesand some additional perks like livetelevision that the other carriersdon’t have.

HOTELSHotels are another part of the travelexperience whose price can be cut,even slashed, to allow for cheapertravel. Check out a few sites on page48 that can be excellent opportunities for finding cheaper hotel travel, but

HOW TO TRAVEL ON THE

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TIPS FROM BROTHERS

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Delta Sig asked brothers on theDelta Sigma Phi Circle for someof their tips on traveling cheaplyand efficiently, and here is whatwe found out:

TRAVELINGINTERNATIONALLY

• Be wary of the money chang-ers. Never EVER change yourmoney with someone on thestreet or at the border, no mat-ter how often they tell you thatyou can’t change your currentcurrency in the next country.The same should also be saidfor ForEx stands in the airport.Go to a bank, or use an ATMcard to take out local currency.

Ken April, Penn State ’89

• Research the public trans-portation and stay at a hoteloutside of town and close to amain train, tram or bus sta-tion. We stayed at a nice hotelin the business center ofParis, La Defense, for $75 anight. It was 3X less expensivethan in the city center and onlya 10 minute direct tram ridefrom the major attractions

If you travel frequently, lookinto opening an account at abank with no foreign transac-tion fees. Some banks goldplate their toilet seatsoff the fees they collect fromthese transactions. ManyCredit Unions and banks willallow withdrawals and purchas-es for little or no charge(e.g. Capital One Bank).Also, some banks have foreign

partner banks that you canuse their ATMs for no charge(e.g. Bank of America andDeutsche Bank).

John Hooker, New Mexico State ’96

TRAVELING TO VEGAS

• If you are traveling to LasVegas, some good resourcesare a couple of web sitescalled cheapovegas.com(they are also a good link forcoupons and other deals) andA2ZLV.com.

I found good deals on monorailpasses by buying all day pass-es earlier in the summer whenthey were on sale. They aregood for up to a year after theyare issued.

Ron Willer, Central Michigan ‘85

BOOKING HOTELS

• Through my work, I am able touse a government/military ratefor hotels and other things.Some may not know they haveaccess to this discount. I mayget an initial hotel rate of$175, but when I “click” ongovernment/military, the ratecould be cut in half or at least$20 cheaper.

Nathan Wight, Illinois State ’97

• Two tips to bring down theaccommodation prices in thefuture are stay at the samechain and more importantlysame hotel. They all havecomputers and like to see

you have visited before, andbecause you are coming backthey will be even better withcustomer service.

John Dandin, CSU East Bay ’93

TAKING THE PATH LESSTRAVELED

• Traveling for me has alwaysbeen the free and easy way,camping. There are so manylocations along the unbeatenpath that may not be main-stream, but offer a more beau-tiful and enjoyable experience.You do need to bring along allthe essentials and leave thecamp as clean as when youarrived, but there is nothingbetter than waking up withnature and hearing the soundsof a river alongside your camp,tent or travel trailer.

I typically do not pay and seekthe more primitive camp-grounds. There are camp-grounds with reasonable ratesand they offer water and thebasics such as restrooms for$10 - $15 per site if you usenational forest or BLM camp-grounds. But traveling an evenless traveled road offers evenless expensive camping adven-tures, which typically offermore wildlife and greaterunspoiled splendor.

Dane Zahner, Central Michigan ’86

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Travel & Tourismbe careful – by using these sites, youwill not get your valuable hotelrewards points!1. Priceline.com – Priceline boasts

that you can save up to 50% on 4-star hotel rooms in cities acrossthe country by “Naming Your OwnPrice.” In my experience, I havebeen able to get discounts that areeven better than that – sometimesas much as 60-70% off the publishedprices on the hotel sites themselves.Imagine this – on my frequent business trips for the Fraternity, Ihave often stayed at 4-star hotelsdowntown in cities across the coun-try for between $50 and $60 pernight. Even with the taxes, servicefees and parking costs added tothat, I always pay less than I wouldat a Hampton Inn, and get four-startreatment. A few drawbacks arethat you don’t know the hotel atwhich you are staying until youhave already accepted the price,you have to pay up front so if yourplans change you are out of luck,and you don’t accrue hotel rewardspoints since you are purchasing yourroom from an outside vendor. Toavoid the latter, you can pay with a credit card tied to hotel rewardspoints, and get one point for everydollar you spend, which allows youto continue bringing in hotel pointsduring your stays.

2. Hotwire.com – With its catchy,twangy commercial jingle, this site boasts “4-star hotels at 2-starprices”, a claim that is hard to fath-om considering most times, you canfind better prices for 4-star hotelson Priceline by naming your ownprice. However, one of the positivethings about Hotwire is that you areable to see the general area of thehotels they are promoting for thelow prices, even though they do nottell you the exact hotel on whichyou are bidding. If you know thecity, you can likely figure out whichhotel it is without them telling you,

which is a nice addition to the lowprices you receive.

Driving Cheaply/Car RentalWith the gas prices out of control, areyou always checking out the signs atthe stations trying to find the cheapestprice as you are driving and burningyour gas away? How about findinggood rental car deals? Where are thebest places to find those, and what aresome tips for the rental car experience?See below for your answers.

FINDING CHEAP GAS1. Gasbuddy.com – This web site has

an amazingly robust database of thelowest gas prices in your county andeven city – all the way down to theexact store and location of thecheapest gas. When I went to thesite, I searched in my county andthen my town, and found the low-est gas price is at the store at whichI usually do all of my grocery shop-ping – lucky me! You too can findout the nearest low gas prices byheading online to this web site.

2. Autos.msn.com – On this web site,you can also find the cheapest gasprices in your area. While it didn’tshow all of the stores and didn’tseem as robust as Gasbuddy, it isanother option when checking outwhere the best place is to fill ‘er up.

RENTAL CAR TIPS 1. Take the gas option if bringing your

car back empty – At most car rentalagencies, they charge you at a muchlower price per gallon to fill up the carupon its return, so make sure to takethe gas option, and bring back the carbone dry. The drawback is if you stillhave gas in the tank when you returnthe car, you have essentially given thecompany free gas since you alreadypaid for a full tank up front.

2. Make sure to bring your car backfull of gas (if you don’t take thegas option) – If you don’t buy a fulltank up front, and decide to fill it

up yourself before returning, be sureto bring it back full or you will becharged heftily upon your return. Inmost cases, rental companies chargedouble the cost of gas at the localstation if you don’t bring it backfull, so be sure to do so, or you willpay the price, literally.

3. Know your insurance policy –Check to make sure with your carinsurance company that you arecovered while driving rental cars. Ifso, you don’t need to purchase thatpolicy for $13/day that the compa-nies try to sell you.

RENTAL CAR RESOURCES:1. Priceline.com – Going back to

Priceline here, as you can also“Name Your Own Price” for rentalcars and save a bundle – up to 30%according to their site. This worksbest if you are renting at an airportas opposed to it being a local rental,so keep that in mind as you thinkabout utilizing this resource. You goin, put in your airport, put in yourarrival and departure times, andplace a bid. It’s that easy, and youget a response in seconds onwhether your price was accepted.Again, you pay up front and don’tget your rental car points, but yousave a good chunk of change.

2. Rentalcars.com – This site providesyou a list of the cost of cars at yourlocation for at least seven of the toprental car companies that serviceyour destination. It provides per dayand total fees, and different fromPriceline, allows you to not payuntil you pick up the car. Thisoption is another good one for renting a car in your destination at a cheap rate.

We hope that the ideas and resourcescontained in this story will be able tohelp you in your quest for cheapertravel on your next trip. May youhave safe (and cheap) travels aheadof you!

KAPU ‘AINA By Terry Fritts, Kansas State ’70ISBN: 978-0979151439

TERROR RIPS AT THE SOUL OF HAWAII.Tourism grinds to a halt as a series ofcatastrophic attacks isolate the islandsfrom the world.

In Russia, four suitcase nukes are missing and the Russiansare blaming the United States for the theft. On the mainland,a deadly Ebola strain has begun to claim its victims. CouldAioka Matsuura, the mastermind behind the terrorist groupthe Red Summit, be responsible for all these acts? Jotty, Jim,Haruko, and Eddie, agents with the NCTC believe he is,and now they must stop Aioka before he stops them. All leadspoint to the Big Island as the center of this firestorm of terror.

Viktor, a Russian FSB agent, joins the NCTC team tofind the nukes before another city is destroyed. Not everyoneis happy about it. It is a chilling fast-paced race to save mil-lions from death and destruction.

And could a tsunami really cover the entire island?

WARBIRD ACE: THE GREAT WAREXPLOITS OF CAPT. FIELD E. KINDLEYBy Jack Ballard, Arkansas ’49ISBN: 978-1585445541

Captain Field E. Kindley, with the famous EddieRickenbacker, was one of America’s foremost World War Iflying aces. Like Rickenbacker’s, Kindley’s story is one offierce dogfights, daring aerial feats, and numerous brusheswith death. Yet unlike Rickenbacker’s, Kindley’s story hasnot been fully told until now.

Field Kindley flew with the famous “War Birds” whotrained in England and gained experience with the RAFbefore providing leadership for the U.S. Air Service. FlyingSopwith Camels throughout his war career, Kindley was thefourth-ranking American air ace, with twelve kills in close,air-to-air combat. His exploits earned him a DistinguishedService Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster from the United Statesand a Distinguished Flying Cross from the British govern-ment. By the end of the war, Kindley was showing signs offlight fatigue, but he declined leave in order to assure a post-war career in the Air Service. He was called to testify beforeCongress about the need to maintain aerial preparednessafter the war.

He died in 1920 after taking over Rickenbacker’s famous94th Aero Squadron, and Dr. Jack Ballard has told at lastthe story of this little-known hero from the glory days ofaerial warfare.

LANGUAGES OF THE HEARTBy Keith Davis, Eureka ’05 and Kevin Davis, Eureka ’05ISBN: 978-1604746655

Sometimes our hearts speak to us in alanguage which we do not recognizeand rarely attempt to translate. It isthe ultimate foreign language of love,hurt and pain that we all come in con-tact with on a daily basis. Languages ofthe Heart is the interpretation of allfeelings and emotions that life brings in fifty poems. Eachpoem symbolizes how the heart feels when it comes in contactwith certain situations and allows you to understand the heart’sreaction. Written in love, the heart’s pen strokes delicatelydefine our lives from beginning to end while never liftingthe pen from the page. Through the situations expressed inthese poems, you will be able to apprehend every situation,every dialect, spoken by your heart.

A MORE VALUED SUCCESSBy Paul Spitale, Eastern Michigan ’83ISBN: 978-0595713899

Live your values. Make your decisionsbased on who you are and what youwould like to be. Create a less compli-cated, more value-driven life. A MoreValued Success fills a void in the self-help market with a simple five-stepprogram to help you assess your valuesand do the necessary work in order toact on those principles. The program helps you define whatis important in your life and what impact these values haveon your everyday decision making. By placing your values at the forefront of your decisions and actions, you will have a much more enjoyable, satisfying, and fulfilling life. You will start to feel more important because what you say anddo will represent who you are. People will notice and reactpositively because you will have become one of those peopleyou used to admire from a distance-a person who takesactions based on their true values.

Brother Spitale is donating 20% of the proceeds from eachsale of his book to four noble causes:Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation National Association for Autism Research The Rodman Ride for Kids Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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Books By Brothers

If you were ever to sit around the lunch table at the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity Headquarters, you would hearconversations that cover a myriad of topics. From politics to sports to travel to current events, the staff members at the Fraternity Headquarters delve into one or more of themevery day.

One day during the Fall of 2007, a conversation startedabout how on February 17, 2009, all televisions would needto be able to capture digital signals, or they would be dark.Each person around the table had a different idea of whatwas actually going to take place, which led the Fraternity’sDirector of Finance, Carol Arenstein, to say “this would

make an excellent Carnation article.” After thinking about it for a while, it seems that Carol was right on target.

While many of us probably already have digital cablethrough our cable providers, for a number of us who don’t,there is a lot to learn. Basically, all cable television providerswill stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin toONLY broadcast on digital airwaves on February 17, 2009.Below is more detailed information on how Delta Sigs canbe prepared for this changeover.

Why is this happening?According to FCC, the main government entity taking the lead on this changeover, the analog airwaves are beingallocated for public service and advanced wireless services.Plus, with the digital spectrum being more efficient, digitalprovides better television picture and sound, as well as theability for more programming options such as multicasting,which essentially allows digital TV providers to show morethan one show on a channel at once – (one digital show on channel 7-1, another digital show on 7-2, another on 7-3, etc.)

So, essentially the reason this change is happening is to allow for more efficiency and for a more robust viewingexperience for television viewers. In addition, it allows additional space for public service organizations like thepolice and fire departments to communicate effectively. As we all have seen with what happened on 9/11/01, efficient communication was desperately needed for our law enforcement communities.

How will this change affect those who use an antenna?According to www.dtv.gov, the federal government’s web sitededicated to the DTV Changeover, you won’t be affected if


Tech Trends

THE FUTURE OF HOW WE SEE

TELEVISION

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you have a digital television with an internal digital tuner, or a box from your cable company. However, if you have ananalog television, you will need to get a digital-to-analogconverter box.

“If you have one or more televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming (with a roof-top antenna or“rabbit ears” on the TV), the type of TV you own is veryimportant. A digital television (a TV with an internal digitaltuner) will allow you to continue to watch free over-the-airprogramming after February 17, 2009. However, if you have ananalog television, you will need a digital-to-analog converterbox to continue to watch broadcast television on that set. Thisconverter box will also enable you to see any additional multi-cast programming that your local stations are offering.”

How does the digital-to-analog converter box work, and is there any assistance in paying for one?The digital-to-analog box works to convert the digital signalthat will be utilized after February 19 that is captured by yourantenna to analog, so the televisions that only have analogsignals can view broadcast television. It will allow these people the opportunity to not have to go out and buy a newtelevision set, but to continue watching broadcast television,as well as the multicasting that will be available, on theircurrent televisions. You will still need your antenna hookedup to receive the signal on these televisions, however.

Manufacturers say that the digital-to-analog converterboxes will cost between $40 and $70 at electronics retailers,and the government is offering a coupon program to helpthose who need to purchase these boxes. Again, according to www.dtv.gov, “The National Telecommunications andInformation Administration (NTIA), a part of theDepartment of Commerce, administers this program. EveryU.S. household is eligible to receive up to two coupons,worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. Beginning in January of 2008, theNTIA has begun accepting applications for coupons. Thecoupons may only be used for eligible converter boxes sold at participating consumer electronics retailers, and thecoupons must be used at the time of purchase.”

How does someone apply for the coupon to assist in purchasing a digital-to-analog converter box, and where can I purchase a converter box?It will be easy to find a retailer who sells the digital-to-analogconverter boxes, as the government will send you a list oflocal retailers when you send in your application for one of

the aforementioned coupons. As of July 2008, the followingnational retailers were selling the boxes:• Best Buy • Circuit City • Kmart • RadioShack • Sears • Target • Wal-Mart

Due to the overwhelming desire and demand for thecoupons, the number available is limited and applications for coupons must be received by March 31, 2009. Couponsmay be requested in one of four ways:1. Call the Coupon Program’s 24-hour hotline at

1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009), TTY: 1-877-530-2634 (English TTY) or 1-866-495-1161 (Spanish TTY)

2. Apply online at www.dtv2009.gov3. Mail a coupon application to PO Box 2000,

Portland, OR 97208-2000 4. Fax an application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632)

In statistics released by the TV Converter Box Coupon program, by June 30, 2008, there were already 18,876,620coupons ordered. In June itself, there were 2.83 millionrequests for coupons.

The moral of the story – if you need to request a couponfor a converter box, do so soon so you aren’t shut out!

So, as we wrap up this story, we hope that you are a littlemore knowledgeable about the upcoming changeover to digi-tal television. If you are using a cable provider, you’re likelyfine, but you should check with them to be sure. If you’renot, it’s in your best interest to check your television to see if it has an internal digital tuner. If it doesn’t, get yourself aconverter box so on February 19 when you go to watch yourfavorite show, you aren’t watching a blank screen instead!


THE PREAMBLESCOTT CLARK, GRAND VALLEY STATE ’01

For some of us, it is a group of words.For others, it is something we memo-rized. For a few of us, it is a way of life.So what is it? It is the Preamble. Theopen creed that exemplifies the idealsof our Fraternity. It is our purpose andbeliefs written in 296 words for theworld to see. It is everything DeltaSigma Phi stands for. It is who we are as Fraternity men.

The Preamble has endured throughtwo world wars, a civil rights move-ment, and eleven Executive Directorsof Delta Sig. Yet, with such a histori-cal past and deep meaning, how oftenis the Preamble talked about? When isthe last time you looked at it? Whatdo the words in the Preamble mean?Maybe the most important question ofall is how can we as Brothers live upto the ideals that the Preamble pre-scribes on a daily basis?

In an effort to begin the discussionof what the Preamble means, I breakdown the Preamble into six distinctparts. I will then provide my owninsight to what I think the statementsand words in each part means. Myhopes are that you too will do thesame and share your thoughts and sentiments with the Fraternity.

Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity in Convention assembled declares andaffirms the following principles

SC – Two very important points inthis simple yet deep in meaning state-ment. First, it shares with the worldfor the first time who we are, DeltaSigma Phi Fraternity. The otherimportant aspect of this statement is that it prepares every Brother andevery individual for the values andbeliefs we will stand for each time weintroduce ourselves as a Fraternity man.

That the belief in God is essential to our welfare

SC – Delta Sigma Phi’s founding wasbased on Christian and Jewish beliefs.The basic concept of our organizationwas simply to embrace brotherhoodand congeniality without regard toreligion or race. Thus far in my eyes,this one straightforward statement hascaused more controversy in theFraternity than any other. Considerthis; at one point in our history hav-ing beliefs other than Christian idealscaused our Jewish members to leavebecause of a change in our criterion

for membership. Furthermore, thisnotion of only allowing those with a belief in Christianity caused ourfounders to not communicate for 38years. This statement in the Preamblehas also caused controversy as itrelates to race and sexual orientation.As we progress into the end of theyear 2008, how are we promoting thisnotion that God is essential to ourwelfare? What does it mean to have a spiritual foundation on our organiza-tion? What does this statement meanto you?

That loyalty to the constitutedauthority of our nations and theirsubdivisions is a cardinal virtue ofour Brotherhood, the pledged faith of which shall never be broken andthat our Brotherhood, receiving theblessings of liberty, education, andfraternity, shall ever support, foster,and defend our universities, colleges,and school systems, founded underthe dispensation of our governmentsand constituting the bulwarks ofdemocracy for us, for our posterity,and for all men.

In Their Own Words

AN INTIMATE LOOK AT

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SC – To me I believe this paragraph issaying we must continue to uphold ourcore principles in every environment.Whether that environment is on acollege campus, in the corporateworld, in the military or in Congress,we must continue to be humble in theopportunities and privileges we havereceived as members of Delta SigmaPhi. As Brothers, we must understandthat it is a freedom to be part of anorganization that supports individual-ism and promotes a non-authoritarianstructure. We must strive to create a better world for ourselves, ourFraternity, and for all mankind. Howhas your chapter committed itself todefending the institution in which youpreside? How have you remained loyalto this thought?

That the sanctity of the home andthe sacredness of the family bond, thehearthstone of our enlightened civi-lization, and the chivalry of mantoward woman, shall be maintainedand protected by us, not only for our-selves and our posterity, but also for the good of all mankind.

SC – Family should always remain at the forefront of bringing harmonyto our life. We all have our variousstresses – class, work, and society ingeneral – yet we must always remem-ber to continue our focus on the purityof our home. We must remember thatthe Pearl of Great Price is not just in the realm of brotherhood, but alsoin respect to our families. We mustremember where we have come beforewe can make progress forward. Indoing so, we are shedding positivelight on the world and rememberingthat we are Fraternity men holdingourselves to a higher standard. We are gentlemen and scholars. We arebecoming better men and in return,building better lives for ourselves andthose who will follow after us.

That a symmetrical culture, a frater-nal communion among the colleges ofthis country, and a brotherhood ofmen, whose ideals and beliefs are thoseof modern civilization, are essential tothe welfare of our college men.

SC – According to Wikipedia, to besymmetrical means to have an impre-cise sense of harmonious or aestheti-cally-pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty orperfection. This should be true in ourpurpose as a fraternal organization. Inorder for us to prosper, we must find asense of symmetry in the culture thatsurrounds us. A sound body, a soundmind, and a sound soul are essential.For any imbalance will create stressand hardship. What does imbalancelook like in Delta Sig? It shows its facein the form of hazing, binge drinking,stereotyping, drug use, not living theRitual, and the closing of chapters.Much like the Sphinx, we must beable to withstand the external forcesof society without fear or anger,because within the Sphinx is theessence of Delta Sigma Phi. It’s easy to make excuses for becoming unbal-anced but the Sphinx reminds us tofocus on the internal strength, notexternal secondary excuses. How isthis done? It is done by living yourRitual. Not once a semester, not oncea year, but daily. If you do that, youwill find complete symmetry, whichwill reflect beauty in all that you do.So how are you remaining balanced?How is your chapter living the Ritual?Where is the imbalance in your chap-ter or life?

In furtherance of these aims, thisFraternity has recognized certainstandards of attainment and gentle-manly conduct, expressed in theideals symbolically represented by the three Greek letters, Delta, Sigma,and Phi; and it shall be the constant

endeavor of the Brothers who may becalled to preside over and govern theFraternity, or its component chap-ters, to further the precepts of theFraternity by every reasonable meanswithin their power, and they, andeach Brother of the Fraternity shallexemplify those principles, by conductas well as enforcement in order thatthe Fraternity may grow and prosperwith honor to itself and that theworld may ever be convinced of thesincerity of our purpose.

SC – Culture, Harmony, Friendship– the three words that bind us all

together as one entity. No matter if you are a President, Treasurer,Alumnus, Foundation member,Regional Director, Grand Councilmember, Chapter Advisor, ExecutiveDirector, or new member of DeltaSigma Phi; you have a duty to uphold.That duty is to build better men, to becourageous, to take a stand on anissue, to believe in the ideals set forthon December 10, 1899, and to live theRitual. Why is this important? It isbecause that is what separates us fromevery other fraternal organization. Thethree Greek letters, Delta, Sigma, andPhi are special for a reason. That rea-son is our Ritual. Thus, if we don’t liveit, we are just another social organiza-tion with no meaning or purpose. Wemust conduct ourselves by way of theRitual, every man, every day. If we dothat, we will become the premiereFraternity nationwide. We will growand prosper. We will show the worldthat Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity ismeant to be here. What are you doingto build better men? How are you con-tributing to the betterment of the Fraternity? How are you living the Ritual?

YITBOSScott Clark, Grand Valley State ’01Epsilon Tau chapter


In Their Own Words

Alcatraz Island, or the Rock as it’sknown in movies and folk lore, wasclosed as a federal penitentiary morethan 45 years ago. But that hasn’tstopped thousands of people from tryingto recreate the mythological escapeattempts across San Francisco Bay.

An adventure that now includesthree brothers of Beta Psi.

Arizona State University alumsMike Hart, Arizona State ’84, TomHart, Arizona State ’85, and Bob Hart,Arizona State ’85, left the desert toplunge into the icy waters on May 1,2008 as part of a fund raising effort for drowning prevention awareness.

The event, put on by SwimNeptune of Scottsdale, AZ, was the2nd annual crossing that brought outnearly 100 swimmers. More than halfof the escape artists were under 18,which required an adult chaperone tomake the swim with them. Enter theHart boys.

The motivation for the escapeattempt was provided by Tom’s son,Colin Hart, who was making his 2ndcrossing. He became the secondyoungest child in history to make theswim in 2007, which provided hisuncles with the drive necessary tomake the approximately 1.5 mile trek across the bay.

The swim is notorious for two mainreasons: water temperature and cur-rent. The distance isn’t that forbid-ding for a trio of former high schoolcaliber swimmers, it’s the 52 degreewater and the tide. The 40-somethingbrothers started training in the latterpart of 2006 to build up enough stami-na to complete the trek. The toughestpart was adapting to the temperature.A process made a bit easier by taking

part in a handful of cold water swimsin January and February.

It’s Go TimeA flotilla of boats rocked in the earlymorning swells on the day of the event.An array of yachts, row boats, zodiacsand kayaks surrounding the group asthe horn sounded and swimmers from7 to 63 took the plunge for the start ofwhat might be the challenge of theirlives. The trip over to the island wasfilled with half-hearted jokes aboutsharks and keeping our wetsuits warm,but that quickly turned to anticipationas we neared the drop zone.

I never felt the water as I submergedbeneath it. My wetsuit brought meswiftly to the top, reminding me thatif I wasn’t successful, at least I would-n’t drown in the process. But it was afantastic day.

The timing for our drop on thesoutheast corner of Alcatraz was

crucial. Bob Roper with the SanFrancisco Bay Rowing Club, whohelped organize the event and manyothers like it, timed our start to coin-cide with the current, so we wouldreach our destination in Aquatic Parkin less than 90 minutes.

The fastest swimmers would com-plete the distance in about a half anhour. We were not in that group. It was-n’t until we reached the half waypoint that I stopped to turn aroundand take in the moment. The Beta Psibrothers had managed to stay togetherin a sea of swimmers.

Golden FinishThe Golden Gate was glistening to the west, with Alcatraz getting smallerbehind us, as concern over finishingthe swim transformed into whomwould get there first. The taste of salt water, petroleum and some otherchemicals I couldn’t quite identify, pro-vided a little boost to try and completethis odyssey as quickly as possible.

All I know is the swim ended fartoo soon. We walked ashore about 45minutes after it began, with the satis-faction of overcoming something mostpeople wouldn’t even dream of, whiledoing it for charity.

The legs were a bit rubbery, thebody a tad hypothermic, but the spiritfirmly in tact. Three Sons of Sphinxleaving the desert to swim across thisoasis. Several other Beta Psi brothershave pledged to join the group in 2009.

Mike Hart is an anchor/reporter forABC-TV in Bakersfield, Californiawhere he lives with his wife and two sons.He’s currently training for a return trip toAlcatraz next year with his 10-yr old son.

ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZMIKE HART, ARIZONA STATE ’84

Tom Hart, Arizona State ‘85, MikeHart, Arizona State ’84, and BobHart, Arizona State ’85, stand withTom’s son Colin, following theAlcatraz swim to raise money fordrowning prevention awareness.

bond eternalNAME CHAPTER JOIN DATE DECEASED DATEHubert R. Stewart ETA 2/3/51 4/24/08Francis L. Reed LAMBDA 10/23/48 1/17/07Robert E. Baldwin NU 3/22/50 2/6/08Carl Arthur Shumaker RHO 2/2/64 10/29/07Robert W. Nash TAU 11/2/52 12/30/07William Jennings Bush CHI 2/28/60 6/10/07Edward R. Estes CHI 11/25/44 3/30/08Orville Cody Thomas CHI 5/31/34 4/13/07James Paul Nasti ALPHA ALPHA 8/25/75 7/4/08Russell B. Stein ALPHA IOTA 11/14/54 4/27/08Charles David Peters ALPHA LAMBDA 2/8/54 3/12/08Robert C. Davis ALPHA XI 2/1/64 6/20/07Duane Lynn Kosht ALPHA PI 2/2/41 5/1/08Raymon Mark Jones ALPHA RHO 2/28/54 4/23/08John Ronald Scott ALPHA UPSILON 4/15/51 2/26/08William Leroy Becker ALPHA PHI 10/2/49 3/13/08Richard C. Roe BETA ALPHA 10/29/50 11/13/07Andrew Robert Morrison BETA THETA 10/29/54 4/12/08Michael Phillip Cauchy BETA OMICRON 9/22/60 12/20/07Victor Paul Sinclair BETA OMICRON 12/12/48 8/27/08Jeffrey H. Johnson BETA PI 4/29/62 12/26/07Fred S. Bailey BETA TAU 1/9/49 12/5/07Mitchell J. Cagalj BETA PSI 11/20/55 8/28/08Harold I. Purcell BETA OMEGA 10/9/49 12/26/07Robert Coe Spackeen BETA OMEGA 9/6/53 11/30/07Clinton N. Charlson GAMMA DELTA 5/1/49 4/25/08John Richard Lathrop GAMMA DELTA 5/1/49 4/23/08Ken Metherell GAMMA EPSILON 7/7/08Richard Soto GAMMA EPSILON 10/2/65 7/29/08Kenneth Wayne Kramer GAMMA THETA 9/28/58 8/30/08William Bernie Patterson GAMMA KAPPA 2/10/57 8/31/07Michael Jay Metersky GAMMA XI 12/1/90 5/14/08John C. Wellington GAMMA SIGMA 9/21/80 4/1/08James G. Bauman GAMMA UPSILON 4/10/61 4/1/08Ronald Angelo Cetrone GAMMA UPSILON 5/2/54 4/1/08Robert Lloyd Davies GAMMA UPSILON 5/2/54 4/1/08William R. Hill GAMMA UPSILON 12/11/55 4/1/08Herbert Allen Kelly GAMMA UPSILON 5/2/54 2/27/07Dennis Malwitz GAMMA UPSILON 5/2/55 4/1/08Harrold H. Swarm GAMMA UPSILON 5/2/55 4/1/08Roger Glen Wolff GAMMA UPSILON 4/28/56 4/1/08David Milton Sneary DELTA BETA 5/14/56 12/2/07W. Oliver Stinchcomb DELTA ZETA 3/2/69 6/1/08Clyde King Cleveland DELTA ETA 12/12/59 1/31/08Clyde A. Barnwell DELTA OMICRON 12/6/59 12/31/07Tony Wayne Sims DELTA OMICRON 3/5/61 8/17/08Clyde F. Staton DELTA OMICRON 12/6/59 12/31/07Bruce Roger Martin EPSILON ALPHA 2/13/66 3/23/08Edward C. Beach EPSILON RHO 3/12/71 5/30/08Donald Anton Walker EPSILON RHO 2/12/56 5/23/08Larry Adomaitis EPSILON TAU 3/7/71 6/13/08John Jacob Burns ETA BETA 1/5/02 7/22/08Nicholas A. Erickson ETA BETA 4/15/89 3/28/07Joshua Douglas Hankins THETA OMICRON 11/15/03 7/9/08

Due to incomplete information, deceased dates may not be exact.

Obituaries

James Nasti, Illinois ’75July 4, 2008

Jim Nasti, a 1975 initiate of Delta SigmaPhi’s Alpha Alpha Chapter at theUniversity of Illinois, passed away onJuly 4 after making it to the summit ofAmerica’s highest peak – Mt. McKinleyin the Denali National Park in Alaska.Nasti had a lifelong goal of making it tothe summit of the highest peak in all 50states. Mt. McKinley was #49.

Nasti leaves a wife and three sons whoreside in Naperville, Illinois. To view the local news story on his passing, go tohttp://video.nbc5.com/player/?id=273515.

Major Perry H. Jefferson, SMU ’51April 3, 2008

The remains of Major Perry H. Jeffersonwere laid to rest with full military hon-ors at Arlington National Cemetery onApril 3, 2008, 39 years after he vanishedduring an observation flight over thejungles of south Vietnam, during theVietnam War.

Jefferson was a 37-year old major inthe Colorado Air National Guard whenhe left for what was supposed to be athree-day mission. He went missingApril 2, 1969 after he and his pilotnever returned from an observationflight, and was listed as MIA until hisremains were identified in 2007.

Major Jefferson’s wife, Sylvia, passedaway in 1992 after being involved withother military wives who were activelypetitioning the Vietnamese Communistgovernment to increase their efforts tolocate and identify MIAs.

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‘‘ NONPROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDGREENFIELD , OH

PERMIT #286

OF DELTA SIGMA PHI

1331 N. Delaware StreetIndianapolis, IN 46202

SHOULD THIS MAGAZINE BE DELIVERED TO A DIFFERENT ADDRESS? UPDATE THE ADDRESS AT WWW.DELTASIG.ORG OR CALL 317-634-1899

CARNATIONTHE

‘‘My experience as a first-time attendee at the 2007 Convention isone that I will remember forever! Not only did I have the chanceto give back and begin to “pay the debt” as an intern, I also had theopportunity to learn, grow, and engage in conversations with broth-ers from across the nation. What better way to make connectionsnot only with active alumni, but also brothers my age whom I willstay in contact with and use as resources forever.

DJ RobinsonMillikin ’05, East Boston, Massachusetts(first time attendee in 2007)

Being a first time pilgrim, I am thrilled to have established manynew friendships with Brothers new and old alike across this country.I’m very proud to be a Delta Sigma Phi initiate and am strivingmyself to do whatever I can to help attain our goal in becomingAmerica’s # 1 Fraternity! I look forward to attending the next onein St. Louis, Missouri, and future conventions.

Hoang DinhLa Verne ’91, Ontario, California(first time attendee in 2007)

EXPERIENCE BROTHERHOOD!SAVE THE DATE! 2009 DELTA SIGMA PHI CONVENTIONJuly 22-26, 2009 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark

fall 2008 carnation

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