Alpha Gamma Rho - Penn State University

4 Gamma Crescent Game Day Traditions Make Positive Impact on Gamma Brotherhood W hat brings together fraternity brothers better than sports? That's right, nothing. That is why I love fall at Penn State so much. Ev- eryone knows fall means football season at Penn State, and nobody knows that better than the brothers of Alpha Gamma Rho. Every game day, home or away, brothers in the chapter house will be woken up by the sound of a brother running up and down the hall with a cowbell. At 7 a.m. every game day, whether you like it or not, you're getting up at 7 to get ready. By 8 a.m., all brothers are in the shower or getting dressed in whatever Penn State attire they have become accustomed to wearing over their years here. This can be a smelly time considering that several brothers have jerseys or socks that they refuse to wash because of superstition. By 9 a.m., it is time to combine all of our efforts on our beloved patio. This is a great time to see all the brothers gather on the patio as we begin to play our game day pump-up songs to get everyone in the right mindset for game day. This is the best day of the week for me. I consider it part of my job to bring the brotherhood together as much as possible. It is things like this that re- ally tighten and strengthen our bond as brothers. Once we have gone as far as we can on the patio, it is time to head to the fields to tailgate. We all gather in the front of the house and make the long walk down to Beaver Stadium. As Penn State student's we take tailgating very seriously, espe- cially in our fraternity. Finally when the sun starts to set, we know it's time to head back. Saturdays give us all a break from school and any kind of stress that is fol- lowing us from the week. It's our day to stop worrying and focus on being Penn State football fans. It's an honor to wake up every football Saturday with my brothers and make memories that I'm sure we will all share to- gether one day, and we hope in the tailgate lots years from now as alumni, bound together by brotherhood. Fraternally, Michael Santa-Maria '15 (Γ1696) Noble Ruler msantamaria1492@gmail.com Brothers gather in front of the chapter house on game day. brotherS advanCe Career exploration opportunitieS and maintain hiGh Gpa T he year of 2017 has been one full of trial, growth, and success at Gamma Chapter. Brothers at the house have been working hard these past two semesters in academics and in the professional field. Through attention to detail and some Gamma man charisma, broth- ers have landed interviews and jobs with top companies. Perhaps even more impressive are the brothers who own their own businesses, rang- ing from lawn care to iPhone repair. In regards to academics, our chap- ter boasts a 3.13 overall GPA on a 4.0 scale. This is higher than both the IFC average of 3.09 and the Penn State men's average of 3.08. Fraternally, Timothy Smith '15 (Γ1710) VNR Scholarship Bryan Beato '15 (Γ1694) and Timothy Smith '15 (Γ1710) with Penn State President Eric Barron after winning the IdeaMakers competition. I t has been another eventful semester at Gamma Chapter this fall. One of the highlights of this year has been our new partnership with Phi Sigma Sigma for THON. We have added two new families, in- cluding the Bertram family and the Hollister family. In addition, on November 10, our rock 'n' roll-themed float was featured in the annual Homecoming parade. During the month of November, our chapter participated in a blood drive in an effort to boost our community service hours. As for the seniors, there will be none graduating after the fall semester. We will have a big graduating class after the spring semester with more than 20 brothers. Fratnerally, Erik Feeney '15 (Γ1709) VNR Planning Chapter Remains Active on Campus and Philanthropically

• Cover