Alpha Epsilon Phi - The Ohio State University

AEF A l p h A E p s i l o n p h i A t t h E o h i o s t A t E U n i v E r s i t y Spring 2014 • Rho Chapter Strand of Pearls A Walk Down Memory Lane I n September 2013, a special group of 35 women descended on Columbus, Ohio, to regroup, get reacquainted, and celebrate the special sorority that brought us together roughly 30 years ago. The women who attended were mostly from the 1982-83 pledge classes, with a few other classes in attendance as well. Sisters came from near and far. There was an instant connection the moment we all got in the same room on Friday night and remembered how special AEPhi was to us all, how it brought us together and formed some forever friendships in the early '80s. We ate, drank, and laughed until the wee hours of the night and enjoyed each other's company as we walked down memory lane and shared stories about our busy and active lives of today. Some of us had kept in close touch while others picked up like they had seen each other yesterday. We all enjoyed a special brunch with the active AEPhi members at our house at 211 E. 17th Avenue on Saturday morning. We were happy to see that AEPhi continues to thrive today with smart, motivated leaders on a course of happy and fulfilling lives much like it did a "few" years ago. Multa Corda, Una Causa…Many Hearts, One Purpose! LML, Elyse Weintraub Gilbert '84 House Corporation Works to Provide a Safe and Pleasant Living Environment W elcome to the latest edition of Rho Chapter Strand of Pearls! The chapter members and House Corporation are very pleased to share with you our chapter and House Corporation updates. I hope you enjoy the alumnae and chapter news included in this edition! In January, I was able to attend the second invitational and preference round of formal recruitment. The actives did a wonderful job recruiting potential new members, pledging 47 wonderful ladies! Providing a safe living environment for our collegiate members is of utmost importance, and I am happy to report that we are planning on installing an automatic whole-house fire suppression system over the summer break. The presence of a fire sprinkler system virtually eliminates the risk of a fire fatality and reduces the property damage caused by a fire by roughly 85%. The House Corporation's goal is to ensure that the chapter house provides a safe, pleasant living environment that meets the needs of our members while properly maintaining the house. It is becoming increasingly challenging to ensure that the facility is competitive with the other sorority houses (many groups have completed or are planning major remodeling and construction projects). Maintaining a competitive living environment is an essential component to attracting new members and keeping the house at minimum occupancy requirements. The House Corporation has identified several major areas that need upgrading: v Complete remodel of the second- and third- floor bathrooms v New bedroom furniture for all 20 bedrooms v New wireless Internet infrastructure v Adequate meeting and dinning space v Remodel of first-floor study room We will share more plans in future newsletters, along with opportunities for our alumnae to assist in our efforts to keep the chapter house a pleasant and well-appointed home for our members for many years to come. Be sure to visit the house and meet our wonderful members the next time you are in Columbus. Please remember to send in your updates so we can share your news in the next newsletter! LML, Andrea Cronig Mindell '79 House Corporation President amindell@live.com Left: The 1983 pledge class on Bid Day. Right: Rho Chapter's 2014 new member class. Alumnae at the Sunday morning brunch hosted by the actives. RHo CHAPtER ExCELS on CAMPuS - Chapter Ranks Fifth in Academics - Sisters Log More Than 1,000 Service Hours - Members Raise More Than $2,500 for Philanthropy M y name is Elissa Lowenthal '13 and I am the new Rho Chapter president. I am so excited to be elected into this role, and cannot wait to see what this year has in store. We had an extremely successful end to our fall semester and a busy start to this semester as we jumped right into recruitment. Last semester, we achieved a chapter GPA of 3.42, which ranked us fifth among all Panhellenic sororities on campus. This was an improvement from last semester, as we were ranked seventh. Our sisters continue to work hard academically and attend study tables. During October, we had a number of successful philanthropy events to support the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF). We held our first annual Phitober Fest, a fall carnival that included fun games, food, and AIDS awareness stations. That same week, we held the LF Trunk Show, where portions of the proceeds were donated to EGPAF. In total, combined with our Parent's (Continued on back) Members bond during a workout party.

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