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PHI GAMMA DELTA – MU UPSILON CHAPTER __________________________________________________________

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Coming Soon! Dedication of the New House

Fall, 2015 More Info to Come!

THE END OF THE SLANT Construction of the New House Begins!

With the beginning of another year comes a surge of excitement and energy from all of the undergraduate brothers at the Mu Upsilon chapter. This past spring, the Chapter initiated one of its largest classes in recent history of 33 fine FIJI gentlemen.

Going into recruitment season, our recruitment team has already held the annual Phi Gamma Delta Fall Recruitment Cookout. The event was a massive success as 100+ freshmen attended the event, excited to meet the Phi Gam brothers. The Chapter intends on finding a great class of men to keep the strong core values of FIJI alive as the chapter progresses.

Since the fire on May 25, 2013, the concerted rebuild effort has been put forth from both the undergraduates and the graduate house corporation. Due to all of this hard work, we are happy to announce that we were able to overcome one of our greatest obstacles and have secured a bank loan for the rebuilding of 130 E. High, and since then crews have begun pouring the cement for the houses foundation.

This has been a critical focus for both the Executive committee and House Corporation (HC). It has been amazing to see everyone work together as a collective team to reach our goals. This great win for the chapter has served as a reminder for all of us as to what we are working towards.


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Index Page 3……………………………………………………..Brother Bob Coletti Interview

Page 4,5……………………………………………………Brother Gerry Bird Interview

Page 5………………………………………....Faculty Advisor Rocco Manzo Interview

Page 6…………………………………………………Brother David Lindner Interview

Page 7………………………………………..A Letter From the President: Andrew Bell

Page 8…………………………..A Message From the Purple Legionnaire: Allan Payne

Page 9……………………………………………………Thank You Graduate Brothers!

Page 10………………………………………Update:1828 FIJI House Rebuilding Trust

This newsletter was created by the Corresponding Secretary of Phi Gamma Delta

Contact Info • Andrew Bell – President

o 440.554.5934 [email protected] • Eric Eschliman – Treasurer

o 614.270.7135 [email protected] • Matt Smith – Recording Secretary

o 614.580.1457 [email protected] • Andrew Karle – Corresponding Secretary

o 513.227.8940 [email protected] • Ian Huron – Historian

o 513.295.0433 [email protected]

With this newest installment of the End of the Slant, we would like to focus on those who have made substantial contributions to the rebuild effort A dedicated team of undergraduate brothers has interviewed these key individuals and the following pages hold short summaries of each of these interviews.


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Graduate Brother:

Bob Coletti ‘79 Interview conducted by: Jack Onulak and Andrew Karle

Brother Coletti is a partner at Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL where his practice is concentrated in the corporate, securities and financing areas where he has extensive experience in forming joint ventures, initial public offerings of securities, and mergers, acquisitions and divestitures representing both public and closely-held corporations.

From the Bronx, New York, Bob Coletti attended Miami University after hearing about the school through family connections. Having been initiated into Phi Gamma Delta in 1976, he held the position of President of the Chapter during his time at Miami. He reflects on his opportunity to serve as President and being involved in Greek life as pivotal experiences that have helped him become the successful man he is.

Coletti lived in the house at 130 E. High St. for 3 years, and lived in “East”, “West”, and later “Room D”. Among others, some of Brother Coletti’s fondest memories include meeting his wife Brynn, a Gamma Phi Beta. The two had their first date at the coveted Fiji Island party.

Bob was a Business major here at Miami, but his decision to attended law school was actually directly impacted by his FIJI

experience. He shared a story of how he realized his skill in the subject area while helping a fellow brother study for his law school entrance exams. He went on to graduate from the University of Cincinnati College Of Law.

Brother Coletti has made a very generous contribution to the 1828 Fiji House rebuild fundraising effort, and when asked why he believed that 130 E. High was a good investment he replied with a strong and concise answer: “I could never repay FIJI enough.” For him it was an easy decision; He has gotten so much out of being a Mu Upsilon FIJI and feel an obligation to give what he can to the fraternity that had given him so much.

Brother Coletti currently resides in Kenwood, Ohio and is still very closely tied to Miami as he currently serves on the Miami University Board of Trustees.


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Graduate Brother:

Gerry Bird ‘71 Interview by: Jordan Cook and Kyle Sheahan

Write up by: Jordan Cook

Phi Gams of the Mu Upsilon chapter believe that being a member is “not for college days alone.” Gerry Bird ’71 embodies this phrase with the integral role he has taken in the rebuilding and planning of 130 E. High Street. Bird participated in Fall Rush in 1966 and was initiated in the Spring of 1967. Gerry was drawn to Greek life because of its strong presence at Miami University. When asked why he chose Fiji, Bird replied, “As an architecture major, which required a significant time commitment outside of class, Greek life was difficult to join simultaneously. But when I met Ron Filson, who had the same major and was a Fiji, I found that not only was it feasible, but that Fiji was where I wanted to go because it was a smart, talented, and diverse group.” Bird lived in the house in Gamma room and enjoyed the energy, brotherhood, and especially the location of the house. Greek week, bike race, and serenades are memories that he and many other past and present members of Fiji all share. A true entrepreneur and architect at heart, he began an ambitious project with two friends by borrowing $1000 from the property owner of 112 S Main Street, pooling $1800, and constructing a small home in the summer between his sophomore and junior year to reside in the remainder of the time in Oxford, Ohio. Bird rented the property in the summer to help pay for tuition. The structure still stands today and continues as

a rental property. This extraordinary feat was Gerry’s first real world building development experience and has helped shaped him into the professional that he is today. Gerry’s experiences as a Fiji and at Miami brought him to further his education with an MBA from Capital University and a Masters of Architecture from The Ohio State University. Never forgetting his college days, Bird has now returned to lead the single most important endeavor that Mu Upsilon has undertaken since its chapter founding over a half century ago. With a vision to preserve the historical design and feel of 130 while creating a multidimensional product to keep the house flexible and relevant for generations to come, Bird is very optimistic and confident about the new construction. Designing for the community rather than the approval and satisfaction of other architects, the new home to Mu Upsilon will be practical yet traditional. His plans call for updated features such as an expansive west


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wing of semi-private upperclassmen units while restoring the Barr room, huts, and front balcony. With concrete currently being poured and construction well underway, Gerry Bird’s efforts have come to fruition as 130 East High Street and Phi Gamma Delta rises from the ashes. Bird now resides in Buckeye Lake, Ohio and has an architectural development firm in Gahanna. He has three stepdaughters and a son, Justin, who is 37. Gerry recently became a grandfather with the birth of Justin’s two sons, Cohen and Hudson.

Rocco Manzo, now in his 7th year of teaching at Miami University, is a professor in the Management Department of the Farmers School of Business. Prior to that, Manzo worked for 18 years in Human Resources at Xerox, in Rochester, NY and in Pittsburgh.

He attended Miami University, graduating with a Finance degree in 1986. As a very active student body member, Rocco served as an RA, and was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He later earned an MBA at Indiana University. Professor Manzo has had a number of FIJI brothers in class, and several were very persistent in asking him to join us as our faculty advisor

Academic Advisor:

Rocco Manzo Interview by: Sawyer Kuck and Kyle Sheahan

After some initial concerns about time commitment, he decided to give FIJI a try on a temporary basis. Since then, Rocco has really come to enjoy working with the undergraduates.

“I really like the personalities of the brothers and of the chapter as a whole. There’s a strong group of leaders serving on the chapter’s Executive committee, and both ‘Exec’ and the chapter as a whole seem willing to consider suggestions to make more effective, and individuals more successful.”

Rocco has since committed to become the chapter’s full time academic advisor and looks forward to making a difference with brothers who are struggling academically. In addition to that, he will assist in making sure FIJI meets the various programming requirements that Miami has in place for fraternities, and will ensure that the chapter builds solid relationships with the University, alumni, and the Oxford community.


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.Graduate Brother:

David Lindner ‘88 Interview by: Ian Huron

Brother David Lindner is an owner and the VP of Retail Marketing at the Cincinnati based United Dairy Farmers (UDF). He directs the retail division of UDF, and is involved in marketing and operations of the gasoline side of the company.

From Cincinnati, Lindner attended Miami University starting 1984 until he graduated with a Finance degree 1988. He was initiated as a brother of Phi Gamma Delta in ’86 and lived at 130 E. High Street for two years. Some of his fondest memories of the house include watching the world go by from the house’s balcony.

He asserts that his years spent at Miami as a FIJI brother helped him to become successful because of the opportunity to get to know different kinds of people from all different types of backgrounds. “A lot of it had to do with living in the house together. 50 guys in close quarters, eating dinner together, hanging out on the balcony, playing pool in the basement… …Learning to get along with everyone made me a better people person.”

David still keeps in touch with good friends from his pledge class. They held a twenty year reunion at Hueston Woods, featuring a reggae band that they used to listen to back during their Miami Days.

Brother Lindner has pledged a very substantial amount of resources toward the rebuilding of 130 E. High St. His efforts are fueled by his belief that “there is something special about that location”. He says “thinking about all the people that have come through there, and how special that house made my experience” were some of the reasons that he invested so whole heartedly in the project.

The “leisure king”, as he was nicknamed, still resides in Cincinnati and frequently visits Miami for hockey games. He and his wife intend on returning to Oxford for alumni weekend this year.


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A Letter from the President

Andrew Bell ‘15 Brothers, It is my delight to render another issue of “The End of Slant Walk” full of the exciting news surrounding the Mu Upsilon Chapter to our alumni and support networks. The undergraduates are truly appreciative of the support and selfless contributions made from our graduates and because of this it really is a great time to be a FIJI at Miami University. As we start the 2014-2015 academic year, the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta at Miami University are proud to look back and reflect on the great successes of a chapter determined to press on through one of the most trying times in Mu Upsilon history. The past six months has brought forth a reoccurring theme of wins for the chapter, starting with formal recruitment in the spring. We were able to welcome a well-rounded group of 33 gentlemen, holding a 3.3 average GPA, including two of Miami University’s own intercollegiate football players. We believe it is imperative to continue to recruit high caliber individuals who possess the qualities and leadership necessary to represent FIJI and impact the community around us. The next success came when Professor Rocco Manzo from the Management Department at The Farmer School of Business committed to becoming our full-time faculty advisor. Professor Manzo has been a great resource to the undergraduates and we are sincerely grateful for his service and support. We place high value on our philanthropic efforts and I am pleased to see the impact that we have on our community. During our annual Mother’s Weekend we were able to display the strength of our brotherhood by donating the proceeds of our silent auction to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the name of an undergraduate brother’s mom who is affected by such cancer. Our philanthropic efforts continued to shine throughout the semester hosting our annual Monday Night Football flag football tournament, cooperating with Skippers Pub to raise funds for the Oxford Fire Department. and selling formal cooler supplies to benefit Nourish International. Closing out spring semester, the brothers enjoyed a weekend of reminiscing and preparation for the road ahead during our annual Pig Dinner. We were overwhelmed to see the amount of graduate support and were proud to display how strong we are as a chapter. To all who attended, it was clear the brothers of the Mu Upsilon chapter have continued and will continue to press on through adversity. Every day, when I see the construction at 130 E. High, I am reminded about the journey we have taken in the past few years and I am very proud to see a chapter that has remained resilient even when the future was plagued with uncertainty. I believe in the amazing things happening in our chapter and community and it is my honor to be able to make a lasting impact here.

Fraternally,

Andrew M. Bell

Perge!


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Purple Legionnaire: Allan Payne ‘69 Brothers of Phi Gamma Delta:

Over a year ago, 130 E. High St. was torched by someone throwing an incendiary device into the side of the House in the old dining room area. After I saw the actual video of the House burning on local Cincinnati TV, and being agonized over how the fraternity could continue, my mind quickly shifted to seeing this as an opportunity.

Why? Two reasons: First, the insurance money would get us to “1st and 2nd base” in rebuilding the House. Second, and more importantly, I felt sure this would be a rallying cry for all of us who walked the halls of 130, to do what we’ve always done – band together to accept a big challenge, in this case, getting us from 2nd base to Home.

The original early 1800’s House is standing and has been saved, in solid condition. “Them guys really knew how to build stuff.” The rest of 130 E. High is but history – gone – removed by the pick and shovel, which any building campaign would have had to do anyway. So, therein lies a providential gift – the part of the House we wanted to remove, as part of a planned building campaign, is gone, and we have almost $1,700,000 in insurance money with which to begin bringing 130 back!

Brother Gerry Bird (Miami 1971, President, Bird Houk Collaborative Architects) has been working on the design of the new House since long before the fire, when we were then planning 130’s new look and renovation, and keeping the old portion. He has given us hundreds of hours of his architectural expertise and designs and has worked with local Oxford authorities to get all requirements and permissions resolved. Brothers – this was painstaking, but Bro Birdie got it done! We are going to have THE premier property in Oxford!!!

Recently, Brother Dick Hutchinson, on behalf of House Corp, asked me to be the new PL. I had been at the House quite regularly prior to the big 50-year celebration, overseeing some upgrading of the physical plant. Likewise, since then I had been part of the BCA (Board of Chapter Advisors) whose purpose is to stay in tune with undergrads on a monthly and even weekly basis.

Obligation alone was not enough to get me to consider the PL position. What clinched it for me was having met many of the undergrads over the last few months. They are bright, talented, and enthusiastic, and they exemplify Fiji hospitality. They are now some 90 strong in Mu Upsilon membership. And, they’re doing this even though they’re temporarily living in the Sigma Chi house, which is way out of mainline “traffic”.

130 E. High St. is rising! All you need to do is meet these young men to know this is true. They have a great faculty advisor, Rocco Manzo (Miami 1986, Indiana University Bloomington, IN 1989, Clinical Professor), who has been working with them regularly. See him on LinkedIn or go to http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1041963 and you will see the stellar comments on him working with students at Miami. I have met Rocco and we will be working together with Mu Upsilon.

Likewise, Brother Phil Cagwin (Miami 1975) is joining me in working with the undergrads. He has been superintendent of the Talawanda and Monroe school districts in southern Ohio. You will see accolades on Bro Cagwin on the internet and you can find him on LinkedIn. Should anyone desire to know more about me, I am also on LinkedIn.

With Pig Dinner coming in April, this will be the perfect time to see 130 Rising! I invite you to see for yourselves the caliber of these young Fijis and to see the progress on rebuilding 130 E. High.

Allan Payne, MU 1969

Perge!


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“130 Rising!” 1828 Fiji House Rebuilding Trust Campaign Clay Barnard ‘69 Chair, Fund Raising Steering Committee October 7, 2014

What is the objective of the campaign? The Mu Upsilon Association is seeking funds to rebuild 130 E. High! The plan is to preserve our historical 1828 House while creating a space with up-to-date amenities for 45 brothers. Rebuilding and furnishing the House will cost about $4.5MM, and is covered through insurance proceeds ($2MM), debt financing ($1MM, 20 year mortgage) and philanthropic support. What is happening with the campaign? We are in the silent/major gift portion of the campaign. To-date we have received cash and pledges totaling more than $600,000. Brothers David Lindner ’88, Gordon Harnett ’64, and Bob Coletti ’79 have pledged generous anchor gifts. In addition, FCN Bank of Indiana has agreed to finance a $1.4MM construction loan which consists of a four year $400,000 building loan and a $1MM 20-year mortgage. Will I be asked to support the campaign? YES! Every member of the Mu Upsilon Chapter community will be asked to support the campaign, including graduates, parents of current undergraduates, and selected past parents. We will be contacting you in the future with specific pledge commitment detail. Will my gift be tax deductible? A certain number of gifts of $25,000 or greater can be made to a restricted fund administered by the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, and will qualify for a charitable tax deduction. When the total amount of donations to the Foundation reach approximately $1MM, gifts will be directed to the Mu Upsilon Association and will not be tax deductible. The actual limit for funds (now estimated at $1MM) accepted through the Foundation will be calculated by a Fraternity law expert based on the portion of the House used for educational purposes.

Gifts less than $25,000 are to be paid to the Mu Upsilon Association (House Corporation) and are not tax deductible.


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How long is the pledge period? A pledge period of up to five years has been established to facilitate the generous levels of giving necessary for the success of the campaign. May I/we make a contribution other than cash? Yes, a certain number of $25,000+ gifts of appreciated stocks and bonds will be gratefully received. A planned giving expert will be made available upon request to help you understand the benefits of different methods of giving. How will I/we be recognized for my/our gift? Named gift opportunities have been created allowing donors to be permanently recognized for their contributions. In addition, it will be possible to remember other brothers and/or family members with your giving. Why doesn’t Mu Upsilon create its own 501 (c) (3) instead of having donations go through the International Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky? The Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation is set up to work with individual chapters and is able to assure donors their gift will be used for the purpose designated and that donors will be allowed the greatest level of tax deductibility. The Foundation was established in 1945 and raises charitable contributions for fraternity programs, scholarships and fellowships, leadership training, and restricted chapter funds. It has paid employees who are experts in their field and most importantly, it has the support staff needed to run a 501(c)(3) organization. The leadership team of Mu Upsilon is made up of brothers serving as volunteers and often changes annually. Additionally, if we were to try to gain 501 (c) (3) status, it would take a minimum of 12 months, which does not meet the needs of this campaign, and once established, requires legal and accounting work on an ongoing basis. We have established a Mu Upsilon Restricted Fund with the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation thereby allowing tax deductibility of gifts and ensuring that all contributions are used as the donor intended. Working with the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky guarantees Mu Upsilon brothers full accountability for all funds raised. Are there pro-formas for the first five years of a new chapter house? Many cash flow pro-formas have been run based on levels of debt and undergraduate occupancy rates. In all scenarios there is a positive cash flow. At least $1MM of donations must be raised in order to finish enough rooms to make this project viable. Ideally, if we raise $1.5MM we can create a capital reserve fund and fast-pay a portion of our mortgage. It is thus incumbent upon us to step up to the plate and stretch to raise the $1.5MM.


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Who is on the current Mu Upsilon Association Board - commonly called House Corporation? Mike Wagner ’10 President 203.770.3759 [email protected] Dick Hutchinson ’69 Treasurer 203.676.7056 [email protected] George Simonds ’59 Asst. Treas 513.523.2298 [email protected] Clay Barnard ’69 843.384.5874 [email protected] Mike Bevis ’70 937.439.3801 [email protected] Michael Schlabig ’10 216.870.6002 [email protected] Jim Secor ’67 989.430.6785 [email protected] Steve Unger ’75 937.623.6284 [email protected] What percentage of board members has made commitments to the Campaign? 100% of our board members have made their commitments to this effort. Who is on the campaign steering (fund raising) committee? Clay Barnard ’69 (chair) 843.384.5874 [email protected] Cory Foster ’67 308.633.1164 [email protected] Jim Secor ’67 989.430.6785 [email protected] Steve McLane ’69 614.327.5263 [email protected] Mike Bevis ’70 937.439.3801 [email protected] Jeff Torrence ’73 678.618.3456 [email protected] Dave Cook ’75 740.361.5015 [email protected] Tom Slusser ’88 614.406.8111 [email protected] Brian Gravitt ’90 513.309.8526 [email protected] Mu Upsilon Founders - In Memoriam Glenn R. Barr (Allegheny ’19) William G. Payne (Denison ’26) Harmon C. Darrow (Denison ’36) Harold H. Staff (Colorado College ’25) John S. Davis (Ohio Wesleyan ’36) John A. Thiele (Denison ’14) Phillip C. Ebeling (Ohio Wesleyan ’28) Dwight H. Thompson (Virginia ’16) Robert A. Howell (Purdue ’12) Carl D. Werner (Wittenberg ’21) We are being guided by Sinclair, Townes & Company, a professional fundraising firm in Atlanta, Georgia. Mark Wilkison, Senior Vice President of the firm has kept our feet to the fire and helped provide structure for this funding effort. Additionally he is a Fiji from the University of Vermont and the former Executive Vice President of the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky. He knows our Fraternity! How can I help with the campaign? Please consider a generous financial donation. We will be in touch to provide details on how you can make your pledge. In addition, if you would like to volunteer your time, services, or expertise please contact Clay Barnard at 843-384-5874 or [email protected].

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From all of the Brothers at

The Mu Upsilon Chapter, Thank you Graduates!

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