Michael Covin

Michael Covin, Jr.
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Name	Michael Covin, Jr.
Chapter	Alpha Theta Rutgers University
Date Inducted	Fall 2006
Roll Number	ΑΘ 286
Alumni Chapter/Assoc	NYMAAC
Honorary Member
Major	History, Political Science
Birthdate	December 21, 1986
Spouse
Nicknames	Covinator
Awards

Michael L. Covin Jr. (born 21 December 1986) is an Alumni Member of Alpha Theta Chapter (ΑΘ 286) at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He served as the President, Recruitment Co-Chair, and Alumni Advisor of Alpha Theta. Michael was one of 17 members of the Tau class; the first official pledge class since re-colonization. During the 2012-2013 year, he is serving in the role of Region Consultant for Chapters in the Northeast, Western Pennsylvania, and the Upper Midwest regions.

Early Fraternity Life and Career

Michael decided to attend Rutgers University in the Fall of 2005. In the Fall of 2006, Michael received an invitation to join the Alpha Theta Chapter. Michael was not sure at first what the fraternity was all about, but the more he heard, the more he realized that the tripod of this fraternity were important aspects to him. On December 1, 2006, Michael officially became a Brother of Phi Sigma Pi and the Alpha Theta Chapter as a member of the Tau class. In the Spring of 2007, now as a Brother, Michael was part of the Initiation Committee. Being in this committee allowed Michael to help foster the ideals of the fraternity in a new class. Also in the Spring, Michael was elected the Service Committee Chair for the 07-08 Academic School Year. In March of that year, Michael attended the Brother Bowl at the Alpha Pi Chapter. Chapters from Maryland, Towson, Syracuse, Drexel, Rutgers, and Penn State were all in attendance. In the summer of 2007, Michael attended National Convention in New Orleans. National Convention became a turning point early in Michael's fraternity experience. Seeing the fraternity at the national level unlocked all the potential that Alpha Theta and himself could achieve in the future. It created the sense of Brotherhood for life in him and that has only strengthened each year since joining. The tripod truly was shown at its finest for him and it spearheaded his outlook for the unexpected year ahead.

Collegiate Years at Alpha Theta Chapter

In Spring 2007, Michael was elected the Service Committee Chair of Alpha Theta. He was, in the summer of 2007, elected as an alternate to National Convention. He, along with Alpha Theta's delegate Elizabeth Matusiak, attended National Convention in August 2007 in New Orleans. In Fall 2007, upon the resignation of the current president, Paulina Grabczak, Michael was elected the new president of the Alpha Theta chapter. Like National Convention in August, becoming president provided him with a bigger picture prospective of the Chapter and the fraternity. He became the third president of the Alpha Theta Chapter since its recolonization. He served in this role until May 2008, when he handed the reigns of the presidency over to Ramona Perry. Michael would serve as an elder statesmen during his senior year offering advice and perspective to the Brotherhood while serving as the Recruitment Committee Co-Chair. Over his five semesters as a Brother, not only did Michael attend National Convention, but he also attended and helped plan a Regional Conference hosted by Rutgers University (Alpha Theta) in Spring 2008. Moreover, he has attended Brother Bowls, Philly Cups, and miscellaneous Phi Sigma Pi gatherings.

Michael graduated in May 2009, but since; he has remained involved and attended various Brotherhood events as well as several weekly meetings. In May 2010, he was selected along with Gabrielle Guzman to serve as an Alumni Advisor for the 2010-2011 academic year. Michael continued to serve the chapter as Alumni Advisor during the 2011-2012 academic year. In August 2011, Michael attended his second National Convention in Washington, DC. This was his first as an alumnus and provided the same excitement and joy as his first in 2007. Michael would return to National Convention in August 2012 this time as a member of the National Staff as a Region Consultant. This was another great experience for him and being on staff truly provided him with a greater perspective of all that truly goes into executing such a big event. While traveling and working for the National Office, he will take his experiences and bring that to several Chapters while still being a resource for Alpha Theta.

Alumni Years

• Alpha Theta Alumni Advisor 2010-present
• NYMAAC
• Capital Alumni Chapter

National Involvement

• Brother Bowl at Alpha Pi, March 2007
• 2007 National Convention in New Orleans, LA; August 2007
• Philly Cup at Gamma Xi and Alpha Lambda, November 2007
• Brother Bowl at Alpha Pi, March 2008
• East Regional Conference at Alpha Theta, April 2008
• Philly Cup at Gamma Xi and Alpha Lambda, November 2008
• Capture the Flag at Alpha Theta, April 2010
• 2011 National Convention in Washington, DC; August 2011
• National Staff; Region Consultant 2012-2013
• 2012 National Convention in Orlando, FL; August 2012

Bigs and Littles

Michael's Big Brother is Brian Cabalo, a member of the Colony Class.

Michael's Little Brother is Jenny Tran, a member of the Phi Class.

Michael's Grand Little Brother is Katie McGuinness-Grimes, a member of the Omega Class.

Michael's Great Grand Little Brothers are Yuli Noah, a member of the Alpha Delta Class, Katie Ruffer, a member of the Alpha Epsilon Class, and Erika Hinson, a member of the Alpha Epsilon Class.

Michael's Great-Great Grand Little Brothers are Veena Rathakrishnan, a member of the Alpha Zeta Class, and Colleen Grimes, a member of the Alpha Zeta Class.

Further Resources

rutgerspsp.com phisigampi.org

Other Interesting Facts

• Michael enjoys traveling, especially going to historical places.
• He has been to 45 out of the 50 states as well as Canada and Mexico.
• He can name all the U.S. President in under 1 minute and has been to all Presidential gravesites.
• He writes for the National Examiner as the Newark Independent Examiner analyzing political events important to New Jersey and the nation.