Alpha Beta Chapter

From PhiSigmaPiWiki
Revision as of 19:33, 31 August 2009 by Sreckert30 (talk | contribs) (→‎Early Years)

Alpha Beta Chapter (Founded 5 March 1988) is located at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. The Chapter was founded by Sigma Chapter alumnus Mike McQueney (Σ 787) and is a member of the Capitol Region.

Alpha Beta Chapter, 2006

Chapter History

Founding

In the late 1980s, four dedicated graduating Sigma brothers made a pledge to do their share in helping the fraternity expand. Each brother continued their education at a new university and they pledged to each other and the fraternity to start new chapters at these schools. Since no new chapters had successfully chartered and remained active in 50 years, you can imagine the excitement when all four of these brothers accomplished their mission. Alpha Beta was the first successful Alpha Chapter and started the rebirth of the fraternity. The founders (in order) were Mike McQueney (AB), Jeff Johnson (AG), Jamie (AD), and Dave Eschelman (AE). According to Mike, Jeff wanted to be the first one to start a chapter in the new wave and the competition was fierce, but Mike won by 14 days with the Alpha Beta Chapter at the University of Maryland at College Park! GO TERPS!

Mike McQueney came to UMD to pursue his graduate degree in Biochemistry. Amazingly he had time to induct 16 brothers on March 5, 1988 and guide them through their first few semesters. Alpha Beta started out as a colony, meaning it started with a small number of brothers and grew outward instead of starting with enormous numbers and shrinking downward. The 16 charter brothers then expanded greatly the following semester into such numbers that the chapter had a very difficult time defining its identity and creating a sense of brotherhood. The fraternity began to question what it meant to be a brother and many brothers did not take the Tripod seriously. Something had to be done.

Early Years

In the Fall 1991 semester, Alicia Feddor, the President of Alpha Beta, called in a special group counselor to work with the chapter. Enough people believed in Phi Sigma Pi to make it into something great, but the chapter needed help defining goals and expectations. The counselor worked wonders for the group and some major decisions still in place in Alpha Beta came from these sessions. For instance, we switched the term of office from academic to calendar years so that officers would have access to the past officers and have better training. The fraternity also established a membership cap of 70 brothers with the hopes of preventing fragmentation and loss of identity.

During the spring of 1993, AB put together the first ever large interchapter event (the brain child of Dave Fries) with the volleyball tournament. Visiting brothers paid less than $5 to attend and stayed over for a huge party. Each year the party's theme changes and each year more and more brothers attend as the event becomes a "don't miss" in the fraternity. In Spring 1996 Omicron unseated the Alpha Beta team who had won the coveted title since the first tournament.

During 1994, AB experienced a consolidation of its institutions and the feelings of brotherhood. While Christy Razzano was president, fraternity spirit was realized, and a chapter pride developed. We expanded our traditional interchapter ties and created new friendships among other chapters as we expanded our national recognition. AB also assisted Derek Simmons, a Rho brother who also started Alpha Tau, in chartering two new chapters in Washington, D.C - Beta Lambda at American University and Beta Mu at George Washington University. Christy, Katy Razzano (her twin and VP) and Suzanne Moore (Chapter Historian) helped Derek with the colonization process, including interviews, meet nights, and chapter involvement. AB brothers took littles from these new chapters to guide them into Phi Sigma Pi. AB lines still run through Beta Mu (and Gamma Pi from similar work of Sharon Lilly in 1997).

The end of Spring semester proved to all the brothers that AB was truly something amazing. Attendance was the highest it had ever been and active brotherhood reached its cap. Initiation became more intense and selective and service and fundraising took on new meaning to the chapter. The service chairs Chris Reynolds and Adrienne Tinana created service handbooks explaining the purpose of each service project and we all learned not only to do it for the hours, but because it meant something. During this time, we also expanded the scholarship aspect of our tripod. WE wanted more than just good grades and we established the cultural event criteria to encourage brothers to get involved in the arts, lectures, theater, and other scholastic and cultural opportunities in D.C. This "cultural event" criteria would later evolve into the scholarship committee and semester requirement, which would spread nationally to chapters everywhere.

We also created the scholarship award, the Richard V. Durand Outstanding Scholarship Award. This award is only given to someone who excels dramatically in their academic field while also maintaining active and consistent brotherhood. Several new positions were created or expanded on. VP Katy Razzano, who was secretary under Nicole, proposed changing the secretary position into three separate positions. The secretary position split into three separate entities with individual, manageable, responsibilities. Christy, who had served as Historian under Nicole, also pushed to increase the role of Historian by adding more responsibilities to ensure that the chapter doesn't lose site of the past. The Outreach Committee got underway with starting alumni newsletters and interchapter relations. AB was one of the first chapters to formalize an interchapter relations position. Not all the suggestions and decisions were popular, but they effectively consolidated AB as more than an institution, it was a brotherhood.

By Fall 1994, AB had reached top 5 status nationally and was informed that we would be hosting National Convention. We increased our name on campus through intramural sports and other activities. The bonds of brotherhood were so incredibly strong. By convention, AB was at one of the highest points in history. AB received its first national award. We won the McClure Single Service Award for our work with the CHOICE program. The chapter tutored and mentored DC area adolescents whom had gotten into some trouble. At the end of the semester, the chapter wanted to do something special for them. Chris Renyolds put together an incredible carnival, complete with games and guest athletes from a variety of sports at UMD. However, the most famous and influential were Joe Smith (of the Golden State Warriors) and Mark Mason (of the Dallas Cowboys). The project intended to inspire these students to stay in school. These athletes were their role models and their opinions meant a lot. The athletes played with the children, took pictures, and signed autographs. When AB won this award, brothers broke down and cried. Not because we won, but because the project had meant so much to us, especially those who directly took part in the mentorship program. The recognition of something that meant so much to us filled us all with great emotion and pride.

Another highlight from this convention was a homecoming of sorts. Two extremely dedicated AB brothers had transferred to other universities. Jon Pinto, and Alpha Beta service chair and motivator extraordinaire transferred to UCONN and started Beta Pi. Denise Barnes, another AB service chair, transferred to UNC-Wilmington and started Beta Omicron. Or AB brothers, along with our new chapters in DC, received their charters at the 1993 Convention in Baltimore. AB took pride in their achievements and great joy in sharing this day with them. Additionally, Towson University (Gamma Pi) received a charter in Spring 1997 thanks to AB brother Sharon Lilly. Also, Christy Razzano started the Chesapeake Area Alumni Chapter soon after her graduation in Spring 1995.

Alpha Beta Chapter Car Wash, 2006

Alpha Beta increased its name recognition nationally and locally in 1995 under Adam Feinburg. In the Spring of 1995, AB hosted the first ever regional conference during our Founder's Day weekend. AB invited presidents from other chapters to speak on topics in which their chapters excelled. The National Vice President of Chapter Development Lindsay Fernandez and then chapter consultant Betsy Robinson (now Jaquith) also spoke at the seminars and banquet. The National President Jeff Johnson spoke at our formal that year and AB presented two alumni awards to alumni not of AB. Phil Morrison of Alpha Lambda and Colleen Dougherty of Alpha Theta provided a great deal of support for AB and created role models for graduating AB brothers to follow. Coincidentally, both of these brothers received the National Distinguished Service Key at the Convention in the fall of 1995 in Norfolk, VA.

The summer of 1995 Grand Chapter meeting gave AB the opportunity to really speak out against several issues that we felt were detrimental to the fraternity and the concepts of brotherhood. In conjunction with Tau and Alpha Rho, we spoke out for chapter rights, influenced votes, and created an important precedent for critically thinking about the proposed changes to the nation Constitution. Because AB brothers were pioneers in the road tripping phenomenon, many chapters present already knew us and respected our opinions.

During the Fall of 1995, Adam Feinburg also chair Maryland's Homecoming committee giving Phi Sigma Pi a big boost in exposure on campus. His involvement with so many other campus groups helped place Phi Sigma Pi members in leadership roles all over campus. He was instrumental in setting up the Professional Fraternity Council here at UMD and the first president was an AB brother. He was also awarded the Richard C. Todd and Claudia Pennock Todd Tripod Scholarship at the National convention in Norfolk. He was the third brother to receive this honor, which is the only national ward that a single brother can win for his or her chapter.

Unfortunately, during this period, AB focused too much on the outside and not enough on the inside. Chapter cohesion began to slip and many brothers felt alienated from the fraternity. It was also almost impossible to sustain and many of the leaders graduated in the spring leaving the chapter to rebuild with new leaders. Realizing the leadership gap, AB selected Sharon Lilly for a semester term as President. Having served as Initiation Chair, she then guided her former initiates through the leadership phase as committee chairs. Although she only fulfilled one semester, she was able to help rebuild morale and provide a historical perspective for the brotherhood that lacked after the mass graduation from 1993-1994 years.

AB alumni support has drastically increased over the years. The recent graduates of AB are still active in Phi Sigma Pi in alumni chapters and national committees. Whit AB alumni and active brothers on national committees, AB is one of the most respected chapter nationally. AB Alum Christy Razzano is also one of the first brothers to have served on the National Advisory Board. The Board's purpose is to act as a voice for the chapters to National Council because brothers are often afraid to address National Council directly and Council often feels out of touch with the chapters due to this lack of communications.

Matt Johnston finished Sharon's term as president for the fall 1996 after she graduated. Matt led the fraternity through a reevaluation period, where many amendments were introduced to the bylaws. A new document that Matt had done the groundwork on and was passed a semester later was the Chapter Governance Document (now called the Chapter Operating Procedures). This was created so that many policies and details of bylaws could be laid out that did not necessarily belong in the bylaws. As Initiation Advisor in the Spring of 1997, Brian Smith was able to turn a good program into a great program. He institute an initiate class lock-in where the initiates would learn more about their classmates early on during the program, required the class to make a class paddle to be with an initiate at all times (no matter how hard brothers from AB and other chapters would try to take it) and making a class chant. To use his own catch phrase, he "took it to the next level."

While there were no major setbacks in the Fall 1997 semester, aside from lengthy debates on t-shirts to sell at convention, there was at least on great accomplishment. Renee Wood, as Vice President, not only brought baked goods to the first meeting every month to celebrate brother's birthdays and other occasions, which fostered a sense of closeness, created the Scholarship Committee. Seeing that scholarship is one of the legs of the Tripod, the Scholarship Committee was long overdue. Alleviating some of the workload from the Public Relations Committee the Scholarship committee took on cultural events and educational and entertaining speakers and workshops. In addition to this, brotherhood tutoring programs were conceived along with a test file, although neither of which succeeded. The Scholarship Committee has since been able to expand the horizons of the fraternity and show that scholarship is more than a GPA.

The Spring 1998 semester was a turning point for Alpha Beta. With a drastic turnover of leadership roles, meetings became more efficient and productive. One reason for this was an Executive Board Retreat over winter break, which allowed the new E-board to begin working together and defining goals for the upcoming year. This left more time for the 36 active brothers to socialize with 22 new initiates (Phi Class) and find the "Phire" or meaning in the fraternity. It was during this semester that the first chapter composite was made and will continue to be done in the spring semesters. The Fall 1998 semester proved to be a semester of High spirits for Alpha Beta. At the National Convention, Christy Razzano became the second AB brother to receive a Distinguished Service Key (the first being Mike McQueney in 1992). Alpha Beta was also recognized by Beta Mu (George Washington University) and Alpha Tau (Howard University) for continued support. After over a semester of debate, the chapter created a Brother At Large who would arbitrate conflicts within the chapter and help increase the feeling of brotherhood.

The Spring 1999 semester seemed like a struggle of identity, trying to figure out exactly what we stood for as brothers, and what needed to be revised in the chapter. Open forum discussions on hour requirements and the roots of attendance problems allowed every brother to voice their beliefs. While changes were not instituted until the Fall 1999 semester, that semester was critical point in our chapter's history. A Brother of the Week Paddle was created to showcase brother's whose dedication and strength provided invaluable service to the brotherhood. Keeping up with technology, the chapter web page was revamped and a Rush Video was created by Historian, Heather Bustard, to keep Phi Sigma Pi on the cutting edge.

Fall 1999 began with an officer and chair retreat in Rehoboth Beach, a tradition to plan the semester’s activities. Here goals were established to maintain strong connections with inactive brothers, accomplished during the semester through email and contact by the Attendance Secretary. Another goal was to encourage better committee involvement, a problem that has always plagued Alpha Beta. While some progress was made, more needs to be done. An oath of secrecy was established to be taken before selection and elections to reinforce the importance of subrosa. Alpha Beta worked on diversity awareness, changes our requirements from hours to numbers and overall we had more fun. Also, we started snapping this semester to indicate agreement during meeting. Lastly, this semester Alpha Beta had webmaster and rush chair positions on a trial basis but these positions did not work out and were ultimately decided against. This semested Alex Sarau received the Richard V. Durand Award for his achievements in electrical engineering. The Spring 2000 semester saw a major shift of power. The Executive Board sought to take an active role. Meetings were held twice a month to discuss concerns held by brothers and problems within the chapter. Alpha Beta was finally recognized at National Convention for all of our work. AB was named one of Phi Sigma Pi's Top 10 Chapters for promoting the tripod of scholarship, leadership, and fellowship. Our chapter was also given the Jeffrey L. Johnson National Chapter Fellowship Award. Nominated by another chapter, this award recognizes chapters that promote interchapter relations. The chapter also awarded two chapter service keys to Heather Bustard and Brian Smith for their contribution to the chapter.

Fall 2000 semester saw its share highs and lows. The semester began with a brotherhood retreat to bond new and older brothers together and to rejuvenate the fire. Despite these attempts to improve brotherhood energy, attendance to meetings and events had fallen brotherhood morale had reached a new low. Nevertheless, the chapter was able to institute bylaw changes regarding probation and defining the positions of Brother at Large and Webmaster. AB’s spirit soon improved. At National Convention, Alpha Beta was honored with three national awards: Charles W. Chance Alumni Award, C. H. McClure Single Service Award, and Jeffrey L. Johnson Fellowship Award. This semester also saw stronger bonds with the National Office and Staff. The Spring 2001 semester represented a paradigm shift for Alpha Beta. Brothers worked hard to further incorporate inactive brothers and those on probation but decided that brothers who do not pay dues are a burden and so expelled numerous people. This semester, the chapter also decided to take the Alpha Delta initiate class of 25 people (24 became brothers) in order to make up for the one-third of the brotherhood that would be graduating. The inner-chapter relations committee was implemented for the first time this semester to pull brothers back in. The tradition of the annual volleyball tournament was continued with success. Other notable events included a trip to the National Zoo, a book club, KEEN (an organization for disabled children) and Best Buddies. Alpha Beta presented the Richard V. Durand award to four graduating seniors this semester – Heather Allen, Ron Eidelman, Dan Becker and Pat Hooper.

The Active Chapter

The current chapter...

Past Chapter Presidents

Initiate Classes

We are currently inducting the Alpha Phi class. Main Article: List of Alpha Beta Chapter Initiate Classes

Honorary Brothers

  • Anja Kiraly
Inducted Spring 2009

Chapter Events & Activities

Volleyball Weekend

Alpha Beta's annual volleyball tournament and weekend of activities has become a staple in Phi Sigma Pi. Started in 1993 by Alpha Beta Brother Dave Fries, it was the first inter-chapter event, and remains one of the largest in the nation. In 2008, over 250 Brothers from other chapters, from Gamma Epsilon at the University of Florida to Beta Epsilon at Syracuse University, attended the event. It is held in the Spring semester each year.

5K for Teach For America

In the spring of 2008 Alpha Beta held its first 5K. The race was to raise money for Phi Sigma Pi's national philanthropy, Teach For America.

Other Event or Activity

This activity is...

Notable Alumni

Founding Member
DSK 1992
Richard C. Todd and Claudia Pennock Todd Tripod Scholarship recipient, 1995
DSK 1998
Rolla F. Wood Graduate Scholarship recipient, 2006

Chapter Honors and Awards

National Awards

University Awards

Other Awards

  • Key of the City of Havre de Grace, MD (1999)

Further Resources


Retrieved from "https://wiki.phisigmapi.org/pspwiki/index.php?title=Alpha_Beta_Chapter&oldid=34526"