Alpha Star - Spring 2008

University of California, Berkeley

Spring 2008

Baseball and Beer: Cal Alpha Alum’s Atypical Preoccupations By day, Scott Bonzell, Bond #1037, is a highly successful lawyer, running a law office in downtown Oakland which specializes in civil litigation. After work, however, he focuses on his two other, highly-rewarding passions: baseball and beer. In 2006, Bonzell (whose brother, father, and uncle are also Phis) founded the East Bay BALL (Baseball After Little League) Summer Camp after trying in vain to find an affordable, moderately-intense baseball camp for his three sons to participate in during the summer. A Little League baseball coach for years, Bonzell was at first skeptical that he would be able to plan all the logistics of the camp and employ a sufficient number of young camp counselors. However, his initiative became a reality after soon discovering that camp insurance was relatively inexpensive, a field was available in the Caldecott area of Oakland, and all but one of the 25 young players he approached jumped at the chance to be counselors. “It was nice to have the vision validated,” Bonzell said. “[I thought] this could really fill a need.” In its first summer, the camp received about 175 boys and girls, ranging in age from 7 to 12. Additionally, the paid counselors, who were junior high school or high school players whom Bonzell knew, were highly competent and did not require his constant presence at the camp, though he still visited every day. Bonzell attributes much of the success of the camp, whose operations are greatly helped by his wife, Debbie, to its “perfect blend between skill-building and fun.” During the morning, the young players are drilled with various baseball exercises, but in the afternoon they break off into teams and play games, allowing them to test their newly-acquired skills. And though at times balancing the camp with his law career became challenging, Bonzell never com-

promised on his vision of a summer baseball camp that would greatly benefit the East Bay community.

“I just love baseball, so coaching has been fun, and running the camp has been highly gratifying,” he explained. “It has also been rewarding to provide fun summer jobs to so many great young people.” Bonzell was not only content with his contribution to local baseball players, however. In 2006 he teamed up with a pair of microbiologists – Lewis “Chip” Lambert, an expert from a previous case, and Raul Cano, a professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo – to make a distinctive contribution to the global beer community. Lambert and Cano were internationally known for their work in isolating about 1,500 ancient microorganisms from amber, or fossilized tree sap.

2726 Channing Way • Berkeley • California • 510-540-9036 • www.calphidelts.org

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Bonzell, continued Phi Delta Theta Fraternity Current Officers 510-540-9036

President David Ginsberg #1310 Vice President Matt Dally #1305 Alumni Secretary Kevin Amirehsani #1318 Secretary Adam Woo #1313 Treasurer Marius Lungu #1293

In fact, Cano’s groundbreaking scientific work in the early 90’s was the premise for the hit movie “Jurassic Park.” What is more remarkable is the fact that seven of the microbes were ancient yeasts – three of which were suitable to produce beer. Some years, several patents, and many positive reviews later, the team created Fossil Fuels Brewing Company from a 45 million-year old strain of yeast, with the fitting slogan “We bring good things back to life.” Bottles of the “prehistoric” pale ale are tentatively scheduled to be available in June, with a larger consumer distribution slated for late 2008. “It is truly the most unique beer on the planet,” Bonzell said. In spite of essentially having three jobs during the year – lawyer, baseball camp organizer, and partner in a promising beer

company – Bonzell routinely reminisces about his countless enjoyable memories of the fraternity. In fact, he is still very close to many of his fellow brothers, including Brother Kevin Kevorkian (Bond #1032), whom he actually worked with for several years at a law firm in San Jose, and Brother Rodney Pimentel (Bond #1050). The three are Silver Legionnaires this year. “When I see these guys, even if it’s been several years, you pick up right where you left off, there’s nothing awkward about it,” Bonzell said of his meetings with fellow Cal Alpha alumni. “It’s nice to establish those kinds of lifelong friendships and connections.” Yours in the Bond, Kevin Amirehsani #1318 Alumni Secretary

President’s Report California Alpha Association Board of Directors President Dennis Sidbury #1150 415-902-5834 Vice President Adam Garfinkle #1203 Secretary Terry Maiken #1060 Treasurer King Tuck #860 Chapter Advisor Adam Garfinkle #1203 Directors Rodney Pimentel #1050 Derek Molnar #1191 Greg Byard #1178 Decker Flynn #1139 David Ginsberg #1310

This past Fall semester marked another period of vast improvements for the California Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Continuing the trend of recent semesters, we had a larger pledge class than a year ago. After a highly successful rush led by Recruitment Chair Patrick Cento (#1290), 11 bright young men crossed Phi Delt’s letters. Each of these new members (Bond Numbers 1322-1332) exemplifies the qualities of a good Phi, as they maintained a group GPA of 3.11 and were major contributors to the house’s social events, philanthropy work, and housing improvements. Their diversity, involvement in other clubs, and leadership skills will be an asset to California Alpha for years to come. One of the most notable achievement’s of the Phi Delt house for this past semester was significantly improving our house Grade Point Average. Our house GPA of 3.29 ranked 13th of 26 fraternities and bested the average of Cal’s male students. This academic progress should be applauded and continue throughout the year. Another area of great improvement within California Alpha is in the house’s overall brotherhood, primarily through the efforts of our past Brotherhood Chair, Benjamin Altieri (# 1298). Ben took the reigns of his new position and planned creative and fun events with the intent of bringing brothers together outside of normal house activities. Some of the highlights from the semester included a day at the race track, a day-long video game competition, and an intense game of kickball at Clark Kerr field. The house is looking forward to see what our future brotherhood chairs can come up with to continue Ben’s vision. California Alpha has also seen a rededication to maintaining the physical cleanliness of the chapter house. Through the hands-on work of brothers, our House manager Robbie LaBare (#1317), and our Chapter Advisor Adam Garfinkle, as well as the financial backing of our Housing Corporation, the Phi Delt Chapter house is becoming a much safer and cleaner place to live. The great strides the house has made under our past President Evan Basakis (#1301) have helped set a great standard for Phi Delta Theta. In my upcoming year as President I hope to see the house through an even greater period of growth. By working with Cal Alpha’s Housing Corporation, the University’s Greek Advisors, Phi Delta Theta’s GHQ, and other members of the Greek community I hope to lead our brotherhood to the pinnacle of fraternal excellence. I think with dedication to Phi Delta Theta’s cardinal principles, combined with the continued recruitment of outstanding young men, anything is possible for the future of the California Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Yours in the Bond, David Ginsberg #1310 President

House Furnishings — Got Junk? The Chapter House is constantly in need of new supplies and we graciously accept donations of furniture and other equipment in working condition. We are continually trying to improve the appearance of the house and would gladly accept any donations. If you would like to make a contribution, please contact Kevin Amirehsani at (510) 552-9454 or at [email protected]. We could use the following items: Tools/Hardware Kitchenware Cleaning Supplies

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Founder’s Day Golf Tournament and Awards Presentation Please mark you calendars. Phi Delta Theta recognizes our 25, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, & 75 year legionnaires. The Brothers of California Alpha that will receive these awards are listed below. When: April 26th Where: Tilden Golf Course Yes, I will be attending the golf tournament. Enclosed is my check payable to California Alpha Association for $ 70. First Tee Time will be at 8:00 AM. Yes, I would like to attend the BBQ and Legionnaire's Award Presentation at Tilden. Will begin at 1:00 PM Name:

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Handicap:

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Phi Delta Theta recognizes our 25, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 & 75 year legionnaires. 75 Year Legionnaires #456 Dr. Richard A. Forney

#457 Francis J. Conlan, M.D.

70 Year Legionnaires #509 Mr. Robert T. Petersson #514 Mr. John C. Obermuller

#510 Mr. Karl O. Fox #517 Mr. William A. Beal

#513 #519

Mr. William H. Rogers Mr. James H. L’Hommedieu, Jr.

#578 #591 #602 #613

Mr. Edwin S. Anderson Mr. Newell D. Mitchell Mr. William G. Robinson Mr. James H. Stewart

#579 #594 #604 #615

Mr. Joseph A. Woods, Jr. Mr. Charles F. Gray Mr. Theron L. Prentiss, Jr. Dr. Walter M. Bowman

#676 #686 #693 #698

Mr. Virgil R. Butler Mr. Eric H. Nielsen Mr. Ronald E. Hubbard Mr. William W. Reinhard

#683 #687 #694 #699

Mr. Donald H. Kincaid Mr. Guy E. Watson Mr. Bert M. McCabe Mr. Charles R. Way

#770 Mr. Jack C. Lockhart #775 Mr. Roy W. Burkett #779 Mr. Herbert M. Kennedy

#772 #776 #781

Mr. Phillip E. Peterson Mr. Thomas J. Coakley Mr. Lavern T. Vilhauer

#855 Mr. Peter H. Melvin #858 Mr. Murray H. Hutchison #862 Mr. James F. Ernst

#856 #860 #863

Mr. James S. O’Leary Mr. William K. Tuck Mr. Rory Rudy

#1027 #1030 #1033 #1036 #1040 #1044 #1047 #1050 #1053 #1056

#1028 #1031 #1034 #1037 #1041 #1045 #1048 #1051 #1054 #1057

Mr. John S. Hoover Mr. Kimble D. Goodman Mr. Edward E. Walsh Mr. Scott A. Bonzell Mr. Eugene J. Chen Mr. Christopher J. Wolpert Mr. Donald W. Hoard Mr. Russell A. Lehman Mr. Matthew Grimes Mr. Louis M. Casabianca

65 Year Legionnaires #577 Mr. Robert K. Arnold #582 Mr. Robert F. Teddy #595 Mr. George M. Brodrick #606 Mr. Oakley M. Hall, Jr. #616 Mr. Richard F. Backman 60 Year Legionnaires #674 Mr. James L. Anderson #685 Mr. Gordon C. Nash #688 Mr. Ellsworth P. Anderson #696 Mr. Manning W. Park, Jr. 55 Year Legionnaires #769 Mr. Richard E. Johnsen #774 Mr. Mark J. Bain #777 Mr. Dennis T. Cutland #782 Mr. Charles J. Whyte 50 Year Legionnaires #854 Mr. Glen L. Cureton #857 Mr. Frederick R. Daulton #861 Mr. Richard R. Scrivner 25 Year Legionnaires #1026 Mr. Douglas J. Schenk #1029 Mr. Russell A. Robinson #1032 Mr. Kevin B. Kevorkian #1035 Mr. Peter J. Llorente #1039 Mr. William P. Coleman #1043 Mr. Walter D. Birnbaum III #1046 Mr. Brian R. Dowd #1049 Mr. Roger G. Vaishville #1052 Captain John S. Walsh #1055 Mr. Mehdi Ganjeizadeh #1058 Mr. Matthew L. Wilson

Mr. Michael S. O’Brien Mr. Andrew N. Roberts Mr. Christian A. Lafountaine Mr. David W. Krauter Mr. Eric G. Poerio Mr. Edgar H. Sevilla III Mr. David A. Sofaer Mr. Rodney S. Pimentel Mr. Jonathan C. Groh Mr. Michael I. Froch

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Duck Dinner For the 85 alumni and active brothers in attendance, last Fall’s Duck Dinner will be remembered as one of the most successful in recent history. To start off the evening, the current inhabitants of 2717 Hearst Avenue graciously allowed us to tour our grand old chapter house. Later, the Faculty Club’s Great Hall was host to a crowd of Phis from every era, followed by a great feast of roast duck, and then the equally-enjoyable sound of Phikeia singing “Warrior Greeks of Old.” Evan Basakis received the Phi of the Year award for his tireless efforts as Chapter President, and Greg Byard (#1178) took home Alumnus of the Year for his dedicated work on Housing Corp. Additionally, Brother Jed Crane (#572) was the oldest Phi in attendance, and Brother Andy Grunes (#1230) traveled the farthest distance to see his brothers (from Shanghai). After dinner was concluded, many Phis departed for their neighborhood bar of choice to continue catching up on old times. We sincerely thank all alumni who could attend and hope to see you next year! Yours in the Bond, Matt Dally #1305 Vice President

California Alpha Recycling Works! Started several years ago, the Phi Delta Theta Recycling Program is still a thriving program within the house. With the firm foundation constructed by Benjamin Altieri #1298, I am excited to take over the role of Recycling Chair and continue this excellent and innovative way of thinking and living. With recycling bins placed all around the house, the act of recycling is easily ingrained into the brothers’ daily lives. It’s great to know that Phi Delt is doing its part for the environment by doing something as simple as recycling aluminum cans, plastic, paper, and

glass. I am excited to see the brothers setting an example for each other, fellow Greeks, and classmates about the simplicity of living green and taking a responsible approach towards the future of our planet. Our recycling bins, as always, are located at various locations on the first floor, and judging by last year, we should be able to make a fair amount of money off it as well.

Yours in the Bond, Matt LaCoste #1323 Recycling Chair

Recruitment Spring 2008 Rush for California Alpha is underway! We have had some of our best Rushes in recent memory due to the hard work of Pat Cento. Unfortunately, Pat is in DC this semester serving his country by working at a Congressional office. I have taken over, but Pat first took me under his wing and taught me some recruitment techniques. The brothers are working hard with me in the goal of getting new members – students that we would be proud to call Phis. The Hog Roast went very well; we had a very nice pig, and those that came were excited by it. Fight Night was impressive; brothers were evenly matched and the bouts were neckand-neck. We had many come to watch, and it seemed that they enjoyed the fight very much. One popular event is “Iceblocking” down 4.0 hill, which will hopefully boost our grades even more (as we have recently moved up several places in academic rankings among fraternities, to a very respectable 3.29 average). Another is Game Night at the house, which includes foosball, pool, as well as some video games on our large TV (most likely Madden Football ‘08, as

it seems to be the most popular game among the brothers). In addition, we will have our very popular Kabobs and Hookah Night, which was instrumental in attracting people last semester (as well as just being delicious). To end the process, we will have a formal dinner at the house, prepared by our incredible cook. It will consist of ribs, potatoes and vegetables. I predict that this event will be very popular, not to mention especially useful in attracting new members; our chef is one of the best cooks that I've ever known, so all should be well. All signs are pointing towards a very strong pledge class comprised of guys that will fit in with our chapter. The brothers that are involved in carrying out Rush have been incredibly helpful, so I have had some of the best help possible in preparing these events. The Spring 2008 Pledge Class will be fantastic! Yours in the Bond, Chadd Hollowed #1316 Recruitment Chair

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Philanthropy Having surpassed even our most hopeful expectations for last semester’s philanthropy in both money raised and participation from brothers, I am looking forward to beginning philanthropic activities immediately. Last semester we participated in a great number of events. For the Walk to D’Feet ALS, we raised money and awareness by walking a sponsored route around Lake Merritt. Additionally, many brothers volunteered for the Berkeley Project in order to help clear the flammable brush in and around the Berkeley hills. We renovated a student-run garden as well during the community reparation project of the Malcom X elementary school. As usual we also supported the Greek community’s many collective philanthropic efforts such as Trick or Greek (a fun haunted house for young Oakland students), Mr. Gamma Phi (a talent show/beauty competition), and Strike a Move (a dance competition in the style of Dancing with the

Stars). We obviously will not let the celebrations of our accomplishments prevent us from improving upon them this semester. Already in the planning phase is the annual Spring Music Fest for the ALS Association. Two of the most popular acts from last year will be making an encore appearance and we are constantly scouting emerging Bay Area artists. In addition to this great event we will participate in various city-cleaning projects and also a fair amount of Greek-wide events. Overall, I am confident that our chapter’s resurging philanthropic spirit will allow us to make more of a difference in our community than ever before. Yours in the Bond, Konrad Knusel #1309 Philanthropy Chair

House Improvements Spring is shaping into a new and exciting semester with house improvements. Following the condemnation of our rear fire escape by the City of Berkeley last summer, and the erection of a monster scaffold instead, it appears that Cal Alpha will finally lose the eyesore and regain our back deck with the installation a new fire escape, scheduled tentatively for Spring Break. Unfortunately the cost of this new fire escape has temporarily pushed aside former plans to replace our aging roof, so minor ongoing repairs will be performed in the meantime. In the spirit of keeping the inside of the house as attractive as the outside, we have repainted the third floor bathrooms, replaced any cracked or damaged window panes throughout the house, installed new blinds in the bathroom windows, and replaced the numerous damaged or missing balusters in the stairwell. Furthermore, plans are in progress to redesign the basement

layout to favor a more social and dance-floor oriented “dungeon.” Periodically over the semester, the men of Cal Alpha will meet for work-days designed to maintain the neat and tidy condition of our house, as well as to work on any minor projects as they come about. We appreciate the help of the Cal Alpha Board of Directors as well as every alumnus for helping us maintain and improve the house we live in. Thank you to everyone, and please consider making a donation to the Cal Alpha Building Fund to help us in our efforts to leave the house even better than when we joined it. Yours in the Bond, Robbie LaBare #1317 House Manager

Building Fund We would like to thank the brothers listed below for their generous gifts to the Building fund last semester. We hope that you will consider a contribution to the California Alpha Building Fund as part of your annual donations. Your contributions will go directly towards replacing our fire escape (show below)! Please return the enclosed card with you generous gift.

Before

After #578 Mr. Edwin S. Anderson #851 Mr. Henry M. Giudice #558 Mr. Curtis H. O’Sullivan #554 Mr. Robert T. Coats #849 Mr. Bob R. Henrich #722 Mr. Sidney R. Petersen #854 Mr. Glen L. Cureton #733 Mr. Fred C. Hawkins #840 Mr. Joe E. Richardson #1203 Mr. Adam Garfinkle #657 Mr. Charles H. Manning, Jr. #1050 Mr. Rodney S. Pimentel #550 Mr. Robert S. Shoemaker #1150 Mr. Dennis D. Sidbury #662 Mr. Dick W. Strong #526 Mr. Ed F. Willi #1242 Mr. James G. Zoulas

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Lost Phi Delts PLEASE HELP US LOCATE THE FOLLOWING PHIS. IF YOU KNOW THEIR CURRENT ADDRESS, PLEASE SEND IT IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE OR EMAIL IT TO [email protected]. 341 390 396 442 509 511 512 520 541 553 566 589 627 632 645 648 649 651 652 661 667 669 673 691 710 721 736

Mr. George L. Taylor Mr. Thomas Greene Mr. Lytell V. Brown Mr. Merritt N. Vaughn Mr. Robert T. Petersson Mr. Demott Modisette Jr. Mr. Laurin F. Tolman Mr. George W. Shipley Mr. James E. Hug Mr. Richard W. Steere Mr. Richard E. Baum Mr. Charles S. McDonald Mr. Jack D. Griffith Mr. Richard C. Apman Mr. Henry A. Kinnison Jr. Mr. Marion E. Willson Mr. Gordon W. Nelson Mr. Warren E. Davis Mr. Roger H. Ransom Mr. Richard W. Henley Mr. George A. Leatherman Jr. Mr. George W. Smith Mr. Jack R. Howell Mr. Ben E. Foster Mr. Ruben L. Navarro Mr. James R. Payne Mr. Nathaniel M. Ball

749 757 777 792 800 801 818 829 832 839 856 868 890 892 896 897 902 918 946 954 957 958 959 960 964 965 966 968 969 970

Mr. Richard N. Peterson Mr. Robert A. Smith Mr. Dennis T. Cutland Mr. David K. Brown Mr. Curtis K. Townsend Mr. Robert M. Watkins Mr. Donald B. Shea Mr. Donald M. Howard Mr. James D. Rhoades Mr. Laurence D. Oliveri Mr. James S. O'Leary Mr. John B. Nance Mr. Richard B. Griffin Mr. James J. Kennington Mr. Mark C. Covington Mr. William E. Dempsey Mr. Thomas J. Seed Mr. Jeffrey M. Brennan Mr. James E. Richards Mr. Joseph A. Wharton Mr. Richard A. Potts Mr. John Wisnom IV Mr. Alan C. Doscher Mr. Steven C. Morrell Mr. Clayton T. Rowley Mr. Craig S. Nelson Mr. Michael P. Schelp Mr. H. D. Roebuck Mr. Robert L. Johnson Jr. Mr. Dennis J. Fitzgerald

976 977 1001 1002 1031 1042 1055 1068 1070 1075 1079 1085 1086 1092 1115 1125 1128 1132 1134 1142 1144 1149 1161 1164 1189 1200 1201 1211 1233 1234 1254

Mr. Richard L. Armstrong Mr. Carl A. Northcraft Mr. William P. Leary Mr. Mark R. Thorp Mr. Kimble D. Goodman Mr. Matt E. Clark Mr. Mehdi Ganjeizadeh Mr. Timothy E. Salter Mr. Stephen D. Machado Mr. Mark D. Fowler Mr. Bradley W. Coburn Mr. James W. Fannin Mr. James M. Hirst Mr. Dennis G. Lee Mr. Eric C. Hoffmann Mr. Jeffrey T Han Mr. Lasse B. Kjelsaas Mr. Frank R R. Avenilla Mr. Felix A. Torres Mr. Christopher S. Brown Mr. Lee S. Roberts Mr. Vladimir Douhovnikoff Mr. Jason M. Redd Mr. Philip S Mah Mr. Manuel R. Lozano Mr. Jason Shuster Mr. Alex B. Szeto Mr. Jay Panchal Mr. Nicholas Cravalho Mr. Neil H. Ogimachi Mr. Ryan Carney

We very much appreciate the feedback we receive regarding lost Phi Delts. If you sent in updates, please be sure that we received them. If you have provided information on a brother who continues to appear on this list, it means the information that was provided is either the same information we already have as their most recent address which is no longer valid, or that we confirmed that the new information provided is out of date. Thank you.

Please look closely at all the names. The list gets smaller every year. Let’s make sure every Phi is found.

External Social Report This last semester was great for Phi Delta Theta in terms of our social standing. First, we had many exchanges which built solid relationships with a number of sororities. Our pumpkin carving exchange with Kappa Alpha Theta was a great success. The girls were very impressed with our carvings, but more so with our sound learning, friendship and rectitude. Our other exchanges with Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Sigma Omicron also went very well. Along with these, we also had a number of brotherhood-building events, including a chapter kickball game and a trip to

Golden Gate Fields racetrack. Next semester clearly looks promising – a number of sororities have expressed interest in planning social functions with us, and there are several brotherhood-building events planned as well. Currently on our schedule is a camping trip, an excursion to the chapter house of the Sonoma State Phis, and much more. Yours in the Bond, Zachary Moore #1312 External Social Chair

The SF Alumni Club holds a luncheon on the first Friday of every month (the next one will be on March 7) Lunch is served at the famous Schroeder’s Restaurant, which is located on 240 Front St. in downtown SanFrancisco. The lunch is informal and begins at noon. Alumni are encouraged to attend.

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING TO: Members of California Alpha Association Please take notice that the annual membership meeting will be held at the chapter house, 2726 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA, on Monday February 25, 2008, at 6:00 P.M., for the following purposes: 1.Election of directors. 2.To consider reports of the affairs of the corporation. 3.To transact such other business as may come before the meeting. If you do not expect to be present in person and you desire to appoint a proxy, please fill in the information below and return in the enclosed envelope. I appoint Dennis D. Sidbury, President CAA . Or (strike through if you fill in another name) __________________________________________my agent and proxy for the purpose of voting at the annual membership meeting. Dated: _________________, 2008 __________________________________ Signature __________________________________ Please print your name

Yes! I would like to make a lasting commitment to the Brothers of Phi Delta Theta, Cal Alpha! Please accept my contribution of: $500

$200

$100

Other $_______

Please make your check payable to the California Alpha Association, with a memo entry of “Building Fund” and mail to California Alpha at P.O. Box 4338, Berkeley, CA 94704. Thank you for your generous support.

What are you doing? Has something interesting happened to you in the past year? If so, please contact us and let your brothers know what’s new. We are always curious to learn about the various experiences or accomplishments of our fellow brothers. Please contact Kevin Amirehsani at 510-552-9454 or [email protected].

New Website! California Alpha's website, www.calphidelts.org, has been redesigned! If you have any suggestions for making the website better, please send an e-mail to [email protected].

GHQ Conference Over winter break, hundreds of the nation’s best and brightest Phis converged in St. Louis, Missouri for Phi Delta Theta’s Presidents Leadership Conference and Recruitment Boot Camp. We were privileged to join them. The PLC featured many distinguished orators who spoke on a variety of topics. These lectures touched on subjects including liability insurance and being a good leader, as well as providing hints as to how to effectively run meetings and Initiation. Another of the most rewarding portions of the conference was the interactions with other Phi Delts from around the country. During breakout

sessions we met with students from other Pac-10 Phi Delts and discussed various facets of chapter activities, including Rush. By listening to the ideas of other Phis, we were able to take away a wealth of information that should make the upcoming year a highly successful one for California Alpha. Yours in the Bond, David Ginsberg #1310 Chadd Hollowed #1316

Building Fund Contributions Tax-Deductible? Think Again.

PHI DELTA THETA

The effort to make contributions to fraternity housing and infrastructure improvements (such as our Building Fund) tax-deductible has been ongoing in Washington, D.C. for some time. In fact, the Capital Fraternal Caucus, a lobbying group for the interests of fraternities and sororities, has especially been pressuring the U.S. Congress of late to enact legislation which addresses this issue. With more than 160 Representatives and Senators with a Greek background, it would seem this is something that can be quickly agreed upon by both parties. However, this has not been the case. Two years ago a bill that would indeed have made these contributions tax deductible passed the House, but was

PO Box 4338 Berkeley, CA 94704

essentially ignored by the Senate. Moreover in last year’s session of Congress, both the House and the Senate had similar bills with a substantial number of co-sponsors, but the legislation got stuck in Committee. In the current (110th) Congress, these bills have been reintroduced in both houses. But based on the staggeringly slow progress made thus far, this issue doesn’t look like it will be taken seriously by Congress anytime in the near future. Yours in the Bond, Kevin Amirehsani, #1318

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