Alpha Epsilon Phi - The Ohio State University

Rho Chapter Strand of Pearls Hassell-Goodman, the Director of Fraternity and Sorority life at Ohio State, also joined us for the event and shared updates from the university. We even remembered the words to "From Atlantic to Pacific!" Thanks again to House Corporation President Andrea Cronig Mindell '79 and the active chapter for a wonderful day! We plan to get together again, so watch your e-mail and social media for details. If you or someone you know did not get word of this reunion, it simply means that we did not have correct or updated e-mail addresses. Please send that information to amindell@ live.com. If you know of an alumna who does not receive this newsletter, please forward mailing information as well. Hope to see you soon! LML, Terri Gersman Gordon '79 Chapter Adviser Alumnae Brunch Bonds AEPhi Sisters (Continued from page 1) Alumnae and undergraduates celebrated the completion of the new room addition with a brunch and house blessing on November 2. RHO REFLECTIONS Denise Smuckler Nielsen '82 Appreciative of AEPhi Experience F or Denise Smuckler Nielsen '82, her membership in Alpha Epsilon Phi has extended well beyond her years in Columbus. From meeting President Reagan to landing her first job, Rho has been a lasting source of pride and inspiration. " M y c o l l e g e s o r o r i t y experience has really helped to shape so much of my life," Denise said. "I think of those days fondly and cannot believe it has been 30 years since I graduated from Ohio State." While at Ohio State, Denise served as Rho's treasurer, chapter president, and was on the fraternity management board. These leadership opportunities prepared her for life beyond the classroom by working with people of various backgrounds and learning to run a business from the ground up. "My undergraduate experience at Rho was wonderful. At first, I wasn't sure sorority life was for me. But once I got involved, like anything else in life, I began to really love the sorority experience," Denise said. "Rho Chapter provided me with a group of friends. As we all know, on a campus the size of Ohio State, it is wonderful to be a part of a smaller group. AEPhi was a home away from home for me." Some of her favorite college memories are of representing Rho as chapter president. Through this role, she met President Reagan when he visited the TKE house her senior year. The TKEs invited all of the sorority presidents to have lunch with Reagan, giving Denise the chance to shake his hand and sit at the table next to his. "I remember the controversy over which sorority presidents were going to get to sit at his table. But quite frankly, it was a thrill as a 21-year-old to just meet a president in an intimate setting," she said. After graduation, Denise continued her commitment to AEPhi by serving as a chapter advisor to Wayne State in Detroit and Washington University in St. Louis. She was also hired by Bank One, now Chase Bank, because a human resource officer from Bank One also served on the fraternity management board and remembered her. Denise now works part-time as a professional relations coordinator at Jensen Endodontics in Canton, Ohio. But she considers being a mother of two her most important role to date. Her son, Eric, is a 2014 graduate of Ohio State, and her daughter, Heather, is a sophomore at OSU. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her children and husband, Steven. She can be reached at nielsends@att.net.

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