Pi Kappa Alpha - Purdue University

Fall 2021 CANDLELIGHT BETA PHI CHAPTER OF PI KAPPA ALPHA • PURDUE UNIVERSITY Published by the Beta Phi Foundation 9 9 Y ea r s at Pur d u e Continuing a Better Education Congratulations to Our Beta Phi Brothers W e had a great day at the Chapter House for our annual reunion weekend and football game versus Illinois. Several alumni joined at various times during the morning and afternoon, and the 3 p.m. kickoff allowed for plenty of time to socialize. Mark your calendars for October 7-8, 2022; we will be celebrating Beta Phi's 100- year anniversary! We have several events and presentations planned. If there is a year that you want to make sure to come back to West Lafayette, make it 2022! In preparation for our 100-year anniversary, we have undertaken a fundraising campaign to fully endow the tutoring program. We are very thankful to those who have already donated. It is our goal to announce the donation totals at our 100-year celebration. As part of that fundraising campaign, you will be able to purchase commemorative items using our upcoming online stores—we will announce and remind you as they open. A portion of each purchase will go toward the tutoring program. The Beta Phi Foundation continues its work to create a better educational experience for our undergraduate. Supported by our generous alumni, the foundation has been able to give out four scholarships each year. Due to COVID -19 concerns in 2020, however, the Rain and Bowes Scholarships could not be presented. This opened the door for a total of six scholarships to be awarded in 2021, which included two Rain and two Bowes scholarships. The Bowes Scholarship has always been closely tied to GPA, and the two recipients in 2021, both with a perfect 4.0 GPA, were obvious: Jason Mair '24 is from Jasper, Indiana, and studies biomedical engineering, and Bora Taspek '24 is from Ankara, Turkey, and is studying aerospace engineering. The Bob and Marylou Rain Scholarship was originally endowed through PIKE National. The foundation took over the management of this scholarship two years ago. The 2021 scholarships have been awarded to the following two members: Gus Rupp '23 is from Elkhart, Indiana, has a 3.56 GPA, and is studying supply chain information and analytics, and Ben Hartley '23 is from Fishers, Indiana, has a 3.56 GPA, and is studying industrial engineering. Charlie Kent was the alumnus primarily responsible for creating the Most Improved GPA Award. He was the original alumnus who worked to create the tutoring program. This scholarship goes to Tom Placzkowski Joe Conti '85 and Bora Taspek '24. Charlie Hetrick '63 and Sean O'Sullivan '23. Joe Conti '85 and Jason Mair '24. From left to right: Sean O'Sullivan '23, Gus Rupp '23, Ben Hartley '23, and Jason Mair '24. Joe Conti '85 and Ben Hartley '23. Joe Conti '85 and Gus Rupp '23. Our Pike Scholarship Winners '22, a senior from New Berlin, Wisconsin. He has raised his GPA high enough to have been awarded an internship with NASA. Our most recently endowed scholarship is the Charlie and Charlotte Hetrick Scholarship. Charlie is one of the original Beta Phi Foundation members, but he would not have been able to make such a tremendous commitment without the support of his late wife, Charlotte. This scholarship is given to a brother who exemplifies leadership inside the house over a period of time. Charlie was present at the Chapter House to personally present the first Hetrick Scholarship to Sean O'Sullivan '23, a junior from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who is studying mechanical engineering. I hope you will join me in congratulating our 2021 scholarship recipients. The chapter currently holds a 3.16 cumulative GPA, which is the highest we have achieved since the tutoring program began several years ago; at that time our GPA was 2.6. The program is successful, and with your assistance, we can provide our undergraduate members with even more support as they make their journey through Purdue. In the bonds of ϕϕκα, Joe Conti '85 President Beta Phi Foundation joe.conti@construcks.com (715) 498-4498

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