Phi Delta Theta - DePauw University

Phi DelTa TheTa 3 T he spring semester did not end with a typical move-out, as the brothers of Indiana Zeta were required to leave campus early while COVID-19 spread across the U.S. The members rose to the challenge and adjusted accordingly. Everyone quickly got a taste for online remote education, and the executive committee maintained communication with the members while managing other crucial operations, such as holding our spring officer elections and conducting rooming assignments virtually. We made heavy use of Zoom and Google Meets to get these things done and are developing more efficient methods for these tasks in the future. We also utilized technology during this extended time apart to stay connected to our brothers, who spread all over the country and around the world. It was not uncommon to witness the members hopping on Zoom calls with their friends. Although these virtual get- togethers were great ways to keep up with each other, we all looked forward to getting back to campus and to the Chapter House. Even before the semester's end in May, we knew our goal of getting back on campus was going to be met with significant challenges. Our Chapter's house corporation, chapter advisory board, and executive committee worked diligently the entire summer to help accomplish this goal. The house corporation, led by Darrell Johnson '85, and advisors on DePauw's Greek Community Board spent countless hours on calls and months of working with the University and health department protocols to prepare our home for the fall. Our CAB, chaired by Andrew Miller '13, was also hard at work this summer figuring out ways to implement the health guidelines and changes needed to bring the brothers back. Personally, my time this summer was filled working with our leaders, the other members of DePauw's IFC leadership, Phi Delt General Headquarters, and DePauw's new COVID-19 Task Force. Thanks to the hard work, effort, and dedication of all these parties, the Chapter House opened in August with a few changes. Due to the University's requirement that all students live in single rooms, the house was able to open with 23 members living in, including the majority of our executive committee. Among the changes this semester was a heightened focus on cleaning and upkeep through an outside maid service, internal modifications to prior house management and risk plans, and slight changes to the house food service to help ensure the safety of our members. While we are not gathering in our Chapter room, which doesn't allow for adequate psychical distancing, since coming back on campus we have heavily utilized the large outside space of the courtyard to hold different Chapter and committee meetings. About half of the student body at DePauw lives on campus, while the other half is taking classes remotely. Therefore, every class has to have a virtual/remote option. For those students living on campus, it has been up to individual professors if they wish to hold some sort of mixed in-person class while still giving the remote option for off-campus students. As for the many athletes in our Chapter, it was sad for everyone to hear that regular fall sports would be canceled. Fortunately enough, after following NCAA guidelines, athletic teams have been completing different phases and working their way up to full practices. These phases started with no-contact small groups practicing together, followed by no-contact meetings in bigger groups, and finally large groups doing full-contact practice. Many of our member-athletes have taken on leadership roles on their teams, including some juniors who unexpectedly now find themselves as the veteran athletes currently on campus. We were all disappointed to cancel events, including the annual Lund Scholarship Banquet. However, the Lund family and scholarship committee still graciously named three of our members as 2020 Lund scholars: Jack Omstead '21, Wilson Graves '22, and Yousaf Khan '22. We look forward to sharing our thanks in person and continuing this incredible Indiana Zeta tradition. Despite the many changes, Indiana Zeta continues to stand out as a leader on campus as well as among Phi Delt chapters. The Chapter was recognized by General Headquarters for growth and new member retention as the largest Fraternity on DePauw's campus. We were also awarded for excellence in ritual and received the highly competitive Silver Star. Our goal for next year is to thrive and demonstrate the character of our members and the support of our alumni by winning the GHQ Gold Star! Yours in the Bond, Justin Brinegar '22 Chapter President MAINTAINING A STRONG YEAR THROUGH ADVERSITY Brothers Succeed in Adapting to New Procedures Brothers gather for a group photo pre-COVID.

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