SP 2024 Alumni Report

Happy Anniversary!  It was 100 years ago that local fraternity Alpha Delta Sigma officially became part of Chi Phi with the help of then President of The Pennsylvania State College, Dr. Edwin E. Sparks who was a Chi Phi himself.  We joined Chi Phi at the fraternity’s centennial, so as brothers around the world celebrate 200 years, our chapter enters our next 100 years with great optimism. We will have an informal gathering at the house following this month’s Blue-White Game that will include a cookout, fellowship and concluding with the chapter broadcasting the UFC300 PPV event that will feature former Penn State Wrestling standout Bo Nickal. A committee has been formed to plan a larger anniversary event this fall, so stay tuned for details!

The chapter has diligently worked through their suspension and restrictions over the last few years to emerge stronger than ever heading into Alpha Delta’s centennial year. You will read updates from the Alphas who with their leadership, persevered and pulled us through.

The Greek Life environment at Penn State (and across the country) has shifted to increased scrutiny by students, the university, local community, and general public. Three major houses are now operating independently because of suspensions. It has become a regular occurrence where chapters must defend allegations, oftentimes anonymous, that rules concerning socials or hazing were broken. For Chi Phi Alpha Delta, there were two reports in the fall, and two more at the beginning of this semester that were untrue. In the current environment, it is our obligation to provide evidence that Chi Phi Alpha Delta operates with Truth, Honor, and Personal Integrity. We have so far been able to prove that we were following all the rules and were exonerated of all charges.

In response to the shifting environment, we will be upgrading our external video surveillance systems to provide a 360-degree view of the property, and hired a private security company, Standing Stone, for 24/7/365 roving patrols and oversight at each of the chapter’s registered social events. These tools have proven to be successful at other houses and now seems to be the standard operating procedure to head off trouble before it begins while having a professional firm ready to provide support should we face untrue allegations in the future.

We would like to thank Matt Lasher ‘16 for his service on the board and as the Alumni Advisor who guided the brothers through the most difficult four years we have faced as a chapter. As Lash turns to focus on his growing career in law, Nick Margay ’19 has joined the board and will be stepping into the role to advise the chapter. We are also pleased that Rick Wagner ’89 has also joined the board and will be a valuable part of supporting the chapter locally, since he lives in nearby Loganton.

Please consider supporting the annual campaign or making a pledge to our upcoming Centennial Capital Campaign. We are 10 years into the renovations that last took place, and some of the major categories were not addressed including the roof and maintenance escrow fund. More details will follow, but your annual giving is extremely important – if everyone just pitched in $50-100-200 each year, what a difference it would make!