Alpha Gamma Rho - Penn State University

3 alpha gamma rho Y ou may remember me from the spring newsletter as the former VNR activities. Before I proceed with this report, I would like to formally thank Brother Patrick Fitzsimmons '19 (Γ1817) for guiding me last semester and showing me the ropes of what it means to be Noble Ruler. I couldn't have stepped into this role without him, and he deserves all the respect in the world for his efforts. As normalcy somewhat returned to campus, we capitalized on the fall semester and made it a good one. We had an exciting Penn State football season with several fun tailgates, and I would like to thank the many alumni who joined us and shared their stories. I encourage any alumni to come and visit anytime! The chapter house, as it stands, is being kept up and cleaned. The Great Hall ceiling, and more specifically the portion under room 202, is being redone. I'm pleased to say we welcomed 15 brothers this fall. Members new and old have used the house to come together and cultivate strong bonds, even as these strange times continue. Members have participated in IFC meetings, IM sports leagues, THON, and various other events. They have also enjoyed golf, fishing, hiking, and other outdoor activities as a break from school. I'm thrilled with this semester in terms of grades and our relationship with the university. As it stands, we are in the best position with the school that I have seen since I joined the house. Overall, we are excited about the future of Gamma Chapter, and I hope that everyone stays safe. Please feel free to reach out to me whenever, and I hope to hear from you all soon. Fraternally, Dylan Patrick '20 (Γ1850) Noble Ruler dpat6669@icloud.com Our Positive Momentum Continues GAMMA IN STRONG STANDING AT PENN STATE RECRUITMENT REPORT M uch like tailgates and other activities, recruitment regained a sense of normalcy this fall. Potential new members (PNMs) were able to tour our beautiful chapter house in person. We all missed in-person recruitment, and many brothers were thrilled to volunteer in the process. This made my job a lot easier and fun to do, as we can agree that doing anything over Zoom is certainly not the same as in person. With the help of all brothers, and especially my recruitment committee, we ran a successful process and connected with potential recruits in the best way possible. On our Zone Day, about 250 people showed up to our house, which was pretty good compared to last fall. From there, we narrowed our PNMs to about 140 and invited them to the house for different events such as dodgeball, poker, and a bid dinner to get to know them. In the end, we extended 20 bids and 15 accepted—a great return. Overall, this was a great recruitment process—especially considering it was the first time I had been part of a "regular" one since my own recruitment. Fraternally, Jack Fascowich (Γ1845) VNR Recruitment Scholarship Report T his semester, Penn State switched back to in-person learning with only a limited number of classes still being taught virtually. This improved brother morale greatly. Masks remain mandatory in all buildings. Looking at the academic statistics from the spring, our chapter continues to excel in academic performance. The spring 2021 class achieved a semester GPA of 3.55, while the entire chapter had a 3.5. This chapter GPA is above the all-men's average of 3.39 at the university. Starting this fall, we no longer have the option to pass/fail a class, meaning GPAs for both the chapter and the school will likely drop in the foreseeable future. With pass/fail being an option in the spring semester, many of our brothers made the Dean's List. We are glad to say, however, that scholarships have been brought back! The Newt Comley award and James Rockwell award recipients will be chosen by the end of this semester. The Modliszewski application was sent out to all brothers and should be given out as well. Finally, I have been reaching out to the freshman agriculture scholarship applicants. As we continue readjusting to life on campus, I look forward to seeing our academic success next year! Fraternally, Bronson Kilroy (Γ1849) VNR Scholarship

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