Alpha Gamma Rho - Penn State University

ΑΓΡ gamma crescent Gamma Chapter of alpha Gamma rho fraternity at penn State I fall 2020 Inside 2 alumnuS SpotliGht 3 Gamma Chapter thankS you 4 new leaderS look forward 5 welCome, new memberS 5 alumni update I t has been a strange year. The undergraduates have been thrown into a situation unlike any of our college years, that's for sure. When trying to open the chapter house this fall, the amount of uncertainty and new requirements made it hard to plan for anything. The rules changed every week, but Gamma was one of the few chapters that navigated the new standards placed on us without incident. The alumni board has come away massively impressed by the leadership and level of responsibility shown by these brothers. Cam Gallagher '19 (Γ1834) as M&O deserves tremendous praise; he stepped up to the plate to ready the chapter for the new safety protocols. As a public health major, he successfully challenged some of the more nonsensical restrictions being placed on Greek life and kept the chapter following all university guidelines. It's been interesting talking to the active brothers because despite the lack of news coverage, it sounds like COVID- 19 flew through the student body. They think between 30-80% of PSU students got COVID this semester, but avoided getting tested because of the repercussions. If diagnosed with a positive test, the university required students to totally isolate for 14 days in a special "jail-like" dorm and have their social lives combed over and contact- traced. Right or wrong, the prevailing student mentality was to go undiagnosed to avoid the restrictions, so COVID spread all over campus without being reflected in the PSU statistics. Naturally, our brothers followed all COVID-19 regulations. Of those who caught it, they reported one day of sickness and then recovered; none of our members have had any medical complications. Ah, to be young. Unfortunately, due to the mandatory university closure at Thanksgiving and the added costs of weekly cleaning and Plexiglas, the chapter budget is $35,000 short of what was expected—even after major cost-cutting. Currently, the spring is projected to be significantly short as well. Please consider donating to help Gamma navigate through the spring; we could really use some alumni support right now. Thanks, and I hope everyone is staying safe. Fraternally, Jon Tabolt '06 (Γ1522) Alumni President (267) 568-4790 | jonathan.tabolt@gmail.com Weathering the Storm Gamma Chapter Exemplifies Top Leadership During Pandemic Jesse Hallowell '97 (Γ1392), Bob Wilson '73 (Γ1028), Ken Gross '73 (Γ1024), Bob Lauffer '73 (Γ1031), Pen Hallowell '73 (Γ1030), Jim Hallowell '73 (Γ1025), and Penny Hallowell gathered for a family funeral in November. Strong bonds carry brothers through tough times. John Infantino '96 (Γ1373) buys milk from Jesse '97 (Γ1392) and Jim Hallowell '73 (Γ1025) in Bucks County!

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