Being Authentic In Our Application of Brotherhood

by Doug Dilling
Kansas State University, ‘84
National Treasurer

Fraternity President, Adrian Gonzalez (University of Texas Austin, ‘78) (right) presenting a Charter to the University of Iowa Chapter President, Colton Miller (‘20), alongside National President-Elect Doug Dilling (Kansas State University, ‘84) (left).

I am just returning from a very exciting and proud visit to the re-installation of our Iowa Delta chapter at the University of Iowa. Just thinking about the DELTA in its name is a little humbling… the fourth chapter of our legacy organization Phi Kappa Fraternity carries with it some serious history. I can only imagine the original founding brothers’ commitment to Phi Kappa’s ideals and purpose – not significantly different than those of today’s Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity – actively developing men to be effective leaders who passionately serve society, Fraternity and God.

The committed and inspiring leaders of the new Iowa Delta Chapter are strong examples of the best of our fraternity… dedicated to the ideals we espouse and committed to living a life that ultimately makes a difference to society. It truly is invigorating to witness the enthusiasm and allegiance to our lofty ideals from our newest brothers.

I’ve been fortunate to witness this many times in other installation ceremonies over my 35 years of national fraternity involvement. The energy and passion the brothers of new chapters embody is infectious and inspires me to continue serving as a volunteer leader of Phi Kappa Theta. These experiences continue to reinforce my belief that we truly do make a positive difference in the lives of our brothers. I only wish more post-collegiate brother (alumni) could share in these enlightening moments so that they, too, could be reminded of the good work our brotherhood does.

I’m reminded that the commitment to the ideals of Phi Kappa Theta do not end at graduation. But also how easy it is to be diverted from these important principles as we evolve with jobs, family and the many distractions of adulthood. Hopefully your collegiate experience was sufficient and authentic enough to live on within you and that you can and do apply the ideals and lessons learned in your collegiate life well beyond your academic days. This to me is the ultimate test of our fraternity experience.

I am also pragmatic. I know how the energy and enthusiasm of a new chapter can wane over time. I have seen once-strong collegiate chapters falter, forget or ignore our ideals and get distracted by the many pitfalls lurking in the background. Sadly, I have participated in far too many decisions to close once-proud chapters due to improper treatment of new members, abusive or illegal use of controlled substances or just plain lethargy. It happens.

The one, key difference I have seen consistently prevent such demise is a steadfast commitment to being an authentic chapter which constantly strives to remind itself of the ideals of Phi Kappa Theta in everything it does as a fraternity – from it’s recruitment activities to it’s alumni events. Those chapters who ensure that the recalling of our purpose… the retelling of our ideals… is always a part of everything we do. Even if it’s no more than a minute to reflect on who we are at the alumni homecoming gathering, it is crucial that we place our reason for existing – our relevancy – somewhere in the mix, lest we forget what separates us from just any group of friends.

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About Doug:

Doug Dilling joined Phi Kappa Theta at Kansas State University, where he graduated in 1984. He went on to earn his MBA from the University of Indianapolis. He is currently a real estate broker in central Indiana and leads a team of Mortgage Brokers, Appraisers, Inspectors and Contractors. Doug loves music and singing.

A.P.R.E.S. Ski

RPI Alumni Brothers Create Event Subsidies Program

by Justin Sines
Duquesne University, ‘11

The Board of Trustees of the New York Sigma Chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created an Alumni Program for Regional Event Subsidies, or A.P.R.E.S. Ski, to help establish and fund alumni programing for graduated RPI brothers and their families. With the creation of this four year pilot program, members of the RPI Alumni chapter hope to establish a strong and engaged alumni base.

Brother David Fogg (RPI, ‘00) states that APRES Ski “incentivizes brothers to organize events in their areas by removing the financial burden of event costs.” He believes that by creating more alumni social opportunities, not just in the New York region but across the country, that his brothers will continue to be connected to and value the Fraternity and be more inclined to “Give, Expecting Nothing Thereof.” APRES Ski founders also hope that they can use this momentum to create a series of annual or recurrent events outside of the Troy, NY area and ultimately increase total annual donations.

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Event logo from 1996.

Since the unveiling of the program in May 2018, they have already exhausted the first allotment of semi-annual funding. Within the first few months, events have been held in Boston, MA, Newport, RI, Portland, OR, and the San Diego area, with a regional Alumni Weekend in Austin, TX and a pledge class reunion for the class of ’96 scheduled in the upcoming months. The program is forecasted to see an increase of 50% attendance to alumni chapter sponsored events over its first year.

The pilot program is funded through the Board of Trustee’s Alumni Chapter General Fund, and Fogg believes this to ‘represent an investment in ourselves.’ A four year commitment to the pilot program provides stability until the program becomes established. Members of the Alumni Chapter trust that the program will continue to be funded by alumni donations, whether to the general fund or via ear-marked donations to APRES Ski. Fogg states, that “based on the early success, we expect alumni to continue their enthusiastic support of the program.”

The APRES Ski program hopes to increase brother participation in Alumni-sponsored events, and create a larger group of alumni who continually participate in those activities.

Brothers interested in sponsoring events in their areas can find additional information and applications on the NY Sigma Chapter website: pktskilodge.org/apres-ski, or contact the program administrators at apres_ski@pktskilodge.org

The Chapter is known on campus as “The Ski Lodge”. Après is French and means “after”, so although A.P.R.E.S. is an acronym for “Alumni Program for Regional Event Subsidies”, the name A.P.R.E.S. Ski means “After Ski”, or how brothers become alumni after the Ski lodge. Brotherhood extends past the time spent as a collegiate member in college.

Does Your Chapter Have What It Needs To Complete Ritual?

As a brotherhood, it is the Ritual that bonds us all together. However, not all of our brothers are able to experience our Rituals the way they were meant to be experienced.

We recently surveyed our chapters and only twelve of them said they had the tools needed to complete the Ritual properly.

Below are those chapters.

1. Arizona State University

2. Eastern Illinois University

3. Georgia Institute of Technology

4. Iowa State University

5. Missouri University of Science and Technology

6. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

7. Trine University

8. University of Illinois

9. University of San Diego

10. University of South Dakota

11. University of Texas at Austin

12. University of Wisconsin

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Are you an Alumnus interested in helping your Chapter with Ritual supplies? Please complete the form below:

Addressing Mental Health in Your Chapter

by Dan Bureau, PhD
University of New Hampshire, ‘95
Board of Trustees
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Memphis

You call him brother.

You call him friend.

You look out for him when it comes to lots of things, but do you look out for his well-being? In particular, do you look out for his mental health?

It can be tricky to identify if someone you care about in the fraternity is experiencing a mental health problem. Particularly for men, there is so much pressure to appear to have it calm and together. Pressure to come across like things do not bother you. The reality is that very few people can manage this pressure well. As the pressure becomes too much, it may be an indicator that your brother has a problem with his mental health.

Now, feeling stressed is a natural thing. Stress is the body’s response to managing all that is going on and sometimes when too much is going on, you are going to feel tense, stressed, upset. So, having some stress is not a problem and could potentially be good for you.

But when stress does overwhelm someone and it goes unchecked, there is potential for a number of mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, thinking problems, personality changes, problem behaviors (think overuse of alcohol or demonstrating a lack of concern or civility to others), and even suicide ideation. Student debt can also play a factor. The reality is that even with the very minimal differences in actual mental illness between men and women, men are far less inclined to seek help. This results in a number of issues for us in Phi Kappa Theta.

You call him brother.

You call him friend.

You look out for him when it comes to lots of things, but do you look out for his well-being?

In particular, do you look out for his mental health? If you don’t look out for his mental health, there’s a good chance you’ll miss an opportunity to be the best brother you can be.

Your obligation is to find the resources on your campus that can help. This may be having the Counseling Center conduct a stress management workshop for the chapter. It could be walking your brother over to the Counseling Center. Whatever it is, find out on your campus who you can turn to in order to address mental health in your chapter.

Phi Kappa Theta is launching a partnership with the JED Foundation. A number of other fraternities including Alpha Chi Rho, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Delta Upsilon, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Sigma Chi have announced national partnerships with the JED Foundation. The JED Foundation’s website provides a number of resources that can be helpful in learning about mental health and mental illness. Check them out today! Look for a launch of the partnership between Phi Kappa Theta and the JED Foundation launched sometime by the end of this year. In the meantime, “seek him with hours to kill and reach out to him with hours to live”, can guide you. A meaningful statement within the ritual and an explanation for why looking out for your brother is so important to his well-being and yours.

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About Dan:

Dan Bureau joined Phi Kappa Theta at the University of New Hampshire, and graduated in 1995. He later earned a PhD. in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Indiana University. Dan works for the University of Memphis as the assistant vice president for student affairs. He also volunteers for the Council for the Advancement of Standards through the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors. Dan enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis and staying fit.