Alpha Gamma Rho - Penn State University

ΑΓΡ gamma crescent Gamma Chapter of alpha Gamma rho fraternity at penn State I fall 2014 Gamma Pays Attention to Details F or the past few years at our undergraduate retreat in August, we have a lot of discussion on a theme for the year. Two years ago our theme was "Making Big Strides" and I can confidently say our undergraduates did. Last year it was "Getting to the Next Level" where the undergraduates spent a lot of time fine tuning the practices at Gamma. This year we decided on "Attention to Detail." Each vice noble ruler has specific areas where they want to improve. SCHOLARSHIP In the spring of 2014, Gamma Chapter had 25 brothers who achieved a 3.5 or higher GPA, three brothers who had a 4.0 GPA, and an overall chapter GPA of 3.18. These are phenomenal results; I am so proud of their accomplishments. MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT The undergraduates want to develop a solid program that can be tweaked each semester rather than be re-written. The ΑΓΡ Connect technology program provided by our home office will be significant in making this a reality. Greg Surine '12 (Γ1603), our VNR member development, will be implementing a semi-annual brotherhood review program to take membership development to a new level where it incorporates all brothers in the house. RECRUITMENT Fifty brothers living in the house this fall is a huge jump from the 13 in 2006. This year our emphasis is to increase our agriculture majors. Jesse Hallowell '97 (Γ1392) has worked hard this past summer with the national fraternity and the undergraduates to get agriculture students to apply for two Alpha Gamma Rho $1,000 scholarships. We received 12 applications and invited them all to dinner at the house. Each applicant was contacted by a Gamma alumnus. BYLAWS VNR Planning Andrew Saba '12 (Γ1621) will be working with Corey Simmons '04 (Γ1504), our alumni board secretary, to review and revise the chapter bylaws. RITUALS Corey Simmons will be spending time with Brad Nixon '12 (Γ1597), noble ruler, to ensure Gamma is following all ΑΓΡ rituals for initiation. They plan to purchase new robes. FOOD SERVICE Over the summer the undergraduate executive team decided to hire Happy Valley Home Cooking, a company which provides food service, including a cook, for fraternities. Happy Valley promises to increase quality, satisfaction, and reduce cost substantially. Brothers are coming to dinner as a brotherhood, five to six tables per evening, and they are thrilled with the new program. NEW FURNITURE The alumni board had to purchase additional beds and wardrobes to accommodate an increase of 15 brothers living in the house. The cost of the new furniture was $19,434 and we are now focused on finding a way to fund new furniture for the great hall. Please help us purchase the new furniture by sending in the enclosed pledge card or visit http://agr.kintera.org/annual to donate. I hope you can see there are a lot of positives happening at Gamma. As I have said repeatedly over the past few years, support from alumni is needed and always appreciated. If you haven't been back in a while, please do so. Mark your calendar for March 21, 2015 to join us for our Founder's Day. We would love to see you. Fraternally, Brian "Greek" Sarris '69 (Γ1589) Gamma Alumni Association President (215) 872-4517 briansarristraining@gmail.com GIVE ONLINE TODAY! http://agr.kintera.org/ annual Save the Date Founder's Day March 21, 2015

• Cover