Alpha Delta Phi - University of Washington

Washington Alpha Delt Washington Alpha Delt e e A PUBLICATION OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ALUMNI OF ALPHA DELTA PHI • FALL 2024 A fter eight years on the Alumni Executive Board, it has just started to sink in that this organization, noted for its stature amongst other Greek communities and its duration on the Washington campus, is always going to be a work in progress. There is no finality, no finish line to mark the point where "we've made it." We are not surprised, considering 30 new undergraduates walk through the front door as we prepare to witness our graduating Brothers depart in the spring. Is this a Sisyphean task, starting over every 12 months with new undergraduate leaders, new pledges, new juniors, and new seniors? Are we on a modern form of the same mythical uphill treadmill? I say no. We continue to build on the foundation that has been consistently added on to by our Brothers over the past 100 years! Shortly before the start of fall quarter, board member Chris Clarke '89 hosted a small group of undergraduate leaders and a handful of alumni on his cabin cruiser for a perfect (but informal) sunset "retreat." The group included representatives from the '60s, '80s, '10s, and '20s as well as Jen, our mom/chef/ property manager. On the spur of the moment (and, perhaps, after a cruising beverage or two) we divided up into four mixed groups and discussed four questions in separate segments. The topics were: 1) Your first memory as a pledge at Alpha Delta Phi. 2) Your favorite memory as an undergraduate in the house. 3) The hardest thing you had to deal with while living at the house. 4) What do you want ADPhi at Washington to be known for in 5 to 10 years? After discussing each question individually, we came back together to share our answers and discuss them as a larger group. Considering this was a totally unplanned activity, one must assume the answers also were not contemplated in advance. With that in mind and, in spite of the 60-plus year gap between our youngest member and the oldest alumnus in attendance, virtually every answer matched up at least in principle, if not in specifics, with each of the represented decades. From this ad hoc exercise, the most profound takeaway may have been that despite the gap in ages and the assumed differences in culture amongst the participants young and old, the values and principles that guided our members "back in the day" are very much the same principles and values at their core that our undergraduate Brothers are nurturing today. This signals to me that even if a Brother hasn't been to the Temple in years, the core of who we are as a fraternity, the experiences we share, and the values that define the men who are Alpha Delta Phi at the University of Washington have not changed over all this time. Over the years, and especially post-pandemic, many other Greek houses on campus have come and gone. It is worthwhile, therefore, to appreciate that it can be incredibly uplifting that we are still here, we are still building and improving our membership, and we still have this very high-value thing in common that is referred to as our "brotherhood." This was in the back of my mind as I walked up to the Temple for our Homecoming pre- function. The front yard had moms and dads and siblings and girlfriends, and it was a merry bunch, just as the Homecoming chairman envisioned. As I stepped inside the (original) front door, I could see the dining room was full and rockin', the bar was full and really rockin', and the formal and the library were full and barely quiet enough for a reasonable conversation. It was an impressive display of family, community, and brotherhood, and it took a couple of hours to break away from all the conversations with strangers- no-more, alumni, undergrads, and visitors. It was an awesome demonstration of what the Chapter brings to this organization and how it represents ADPhi to the Greek community as well as to the community at large. Even if someone hadn't stepped a foot inside the door in years or decades, they would have felt immediately at home socially. And by virtue of this story, you will also have confidence to know that you share with the members this core of shared values as well. Yes, we as Alpha Delta Phi will always be a work in progress. We are maintaining an environment and culture that advances our members' self- improvement, selflessness in assisting our Brothers in need, and supporting growth, in all its forms, of our brotherhood. There will always be social and academic variables to account for. But at its heart, this organization continues to nurture and develop our core values through mentorship, leadership, and the strengthening of the ties that bind our brotherhood. When your schedule allows, come back to the Temple—for dinner, for Homecoming, or for a casual sit-down with some interesting undergraduate Brothers. The Temple will always be a work in progress, and you will always be welcome to help lay a few more bricks in that foundation. Xaipe, Michael Derr '84 Alumni President mjderr962@gmail.com | (425) 749-2900 Always a Work in Progress The Strength of Our Brotherhood

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