Alumni Advisor-elect:
Timothy Stapleton

Graduating Seniors:
Enjoyed an ice-water bath
Awarded “A History of Kappa Sigma” (The Pharr History)

New Capital Challenge for House Repairs:
$1,000 match challenge from Brother Dan Middlebrooks – contact Alan Haworth to lend your support.

photo courtesy Heather Hanson

When you arrive at the house, please register at the registration table where we will take your name, contact information, and $10 weekend contribution.

Friday April 9^th

- Registration table opens on front porch @ 8:00 pm

- Friday evening there will be a casual gathering at the house.  Come on by!

Saturday April 10^th

- Registration table opens on front porch @ 9:00 am

- Active/Alumni chapter meeting @ 11:00 am

- Lunch @ noon

- Softball from 3:00-6:00 pm * (field: Leader-Cedar Park Youth League Park)

- Return to the house for Saturday evening fun

* Maps will be provided on Saturday to the field.

See who’s coming from Facebook.

On behalf of the Iota Alumni Association and six years of recent Iota actives, we’d like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Marshal.

Beginning now and through Alumni Weekend (April 9-11), we will be taking nominations and actively seeking out candidates for consideration.

If you’re interested in this role, please join us next weekend or contact any alumni/active brother or leader who submit your name as a nominee. Marshal will play an important role in selecting and training his replacement.

Program details will follow, but you can probably count on the following:

• Friday Night Poker Tournament
• Coffee & Doughnuts
• A General Active & Alumni Meeting
• Lunch on the Lawn
• Babies, Toddlers, and Kids
• Softball (field TBD)
• Your PB’s kids one year older since you saw them last year
• Dinner at your favorite spot around town
• Instrumental music and singing on the porch
• Lots of fun and fellowship
• A live band that you can dance to
• A surprise visit from someone you’ve not seen in years

You can count on a lot more too…

Mark your calendars. Make the case to your wife now. It may help to ask her to come. The kids too.

See you in April!

Brothers,

During the 2009 Alumni Weekend, the Alumni Association formed a committee tasked with assisting actives in preparing for life after college.  In support of this effort, the Iota Chapter AA will be holding a Career Day event on February 6th.  Several alumni have collaborated to plan this day of presentations and discussions addressing professional topics (see attached agenda) for the benefit of the undergraduate chapter and recent graduates.

We encourage brothers who can spare the time to join us for any or all parts of the day.  Alumni attendees can assist by participating in discussions and sharing their own experiences throughout the day. We specifically encourage alumni in the Austin area to make time for the evening networking event at Fish City in Georgetown, which will be a great chance for these guys to practice networking strategies discussed during the day.

This is the first event of this kind for the chapter and for Southwestern.  In fact, the Career Services Center will participate in the event and has graciously provided the venue and the food and beverages for the day.  If this proves successful, the CSC is considering a similar event on a larger scale for the entire university in the fall.

When we typically gather with the active chapter, we spend much of our time talking about our life in college.  This is an opportunity for us to speak to them about our lives after college and, hopefully, to help them get off to a great start. 

Please mark your calendar and RSVP to Scott Hanson (j_scott_hanson@yahoo.com) by Wednesday February 3rd.  We look forward to seeing you there.

AEKDB,

Scott

Dear Kappa Sigma Friends & Brothers,

I am proud to announce that the 2010 National Student Peace Alliance Conference will be held at Southwestern University on February 26-28. This conference will focus on evidence-based programs that are effectively reducing and preventing violence both at an international and domestic level. The conference will bring together 500 pro-active, pro-peace and solution-oriented young people from across the country to unite around a common, and practical, goal — peace.

Such a prestigious honor for our University could not have occurred without the hard work of the recently deceased Rob Atkinson, the national legislative director for SPA, and the hard work of many other active Iota members involved in Student Peace Alliance at SU. This Conference will most certainly make an impact in Texas as well as on Kappa Sigma nationally.

As we want to make this conference as effective and impactful as possible, Kappa Sigma actives are launching a fundraising campaign to support the conference with the goal of raising $1000 by the date of the conference. We are one month away.

Please consider making a contribution to help provide the proper resources and financial support students need to make this conference exceed the University’s expectations and make a difference in Student’s lives.

You can donate at: http://www.studentpeacealliance.org/give/give or mail a check payable to “Student Peace Alliance” at The Peace Alliance, PO Box 27601, Washington, District of Columbia 20038. If you are interested in sponsoring the conference or would like more information please call 325-518-5889.

Sincerely,

Martin Fergus A.E.K.D.B.

President Student Peace Alliance Southwestern Chapter

325-518-5889

fergusd@southwestern.edu

http://www.studentpeacealliance.org/conference

Saturday Nov. 7:

• Active/Alumni meeting 3pm
• Open house at Sigma 4pm
• Kappa Sigma Reception at the  Alumni Hospitality House 6pm

Notable reunion events:

• 60^th reunion for Roger Davidson’s class
• 40^th reunion for Harry Crenshaw’s class

If you’ve got a reunion year celebration or other group event to announce, post a comment to this post.

I am happy to report to you that your delegates at the 67th Grand Conclave had a great experience. I am so proud of our active brothers Lance Turri and John Burden for their enthusiastic participation in this important event. As our delegates they represented our order with honor and that distinct style that is all Iota.  John met with Michael Wilson and the new Worthy Grand Treasurer and has their assurance that Iota is in good standing. They also expressed their respect for our chapter and it’s long and important history. I left the conference with a better understanding of our national operations and a greater love for our amazing chapter.

It is with great excitement that I would like to invite all alumni officers, and any others that are interested, to our annual E.C. retreat at my home in Walburg on August 29th at 10:00 a.m.

We will be helping our young brothers with officer transitions and setting goals for the up coming year.

Thank You,

AEKDB…

Marshal Crenshaw
Alumni Advisor

Our active brother Martin Fergus is running for Student Congress President. For those of us who can’t vote, we wish you the best of luck on election day, April 8, 2009!

Martin’s running on a robust platform…

• Martin will enforce transparency in Student Congress activities, policies, and resolutions. There is no reason why information about our initiatives as Student Congress should be difficult or a challenge to find. Student Congress has an obligation to represent its constituents in a clear and professional manner.
• Martin plans to develop more effective and efficient organizational practices for Student Congress. As President, Martin will move our Congress in to the 21st century of student government by using centralized information with electronic and internet tools like Wiggio, Twitter, blogging, and websites in order to create a stronger Congress that responds quickly to problems and allow the voice of the campus to be heard.
• Martin will facilitate public exposure for Southwestern’s Congress. Our student Government is a body that is supposed to work for the students. He will work to make Congress well recognized and promoted on campus so that students are energized about the issues that matter.
• Martin will revitalize partnerships between Student Congress and Student organizations. There are a lot of strong organizations around campus that make up the life and energy of Southwestern and Student Congress should be there to help work alongside these organizations. Martin will promote policies that will help give all student organizations the resources they need to fulfill the initiatives they are striving for.
• Martin will strengthen communications between representatives and the Executive Council.
• Martin will work with the administration of Southwestern University to allow for greater autonomy and freedom among the student body.
• Martin will launch strategies to help alleviate the financial burden on students in this time of economic struggle.

About Martin:
Martin hails from Abilene, Texas, and he graduated from Abilene High School in 2006. Throughout his high school career, Martin was active as an Eagle Scout, a lifeguard, he served as Captain of the AHS swim team, and he worked as a summer camp counselor at Camp Rio Vista in Hunt, Texas.

Martin is a Political Science major with a Sociology minor, and he is active at Southwestern as President of the SU Student Peace Alliance, and he also serves as the National State Organizer for SPA. Martin is a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and he currently serves as Philanthropic Chair. Martin has served as Senatorial district 24 democratic Chair. Martin spent his summer working as a campaign field organizer fort he Dwight Fullingim Political Campaign for Congress, and he also has experience in the legal field having worked as a Legal Assistant for a law firm in Abliene.

Martin is a Dean’s List student with a passion for serving the Southwestern community. He strives to listen to all student concerns, has strong relationships with members of the Southwestern administration, and Martin wants to be YOUR Student Congress President for the 2009-2010 school year.

Feature stories

Alumni Weekend 2009, March 27-29
Taking place over the weekend of March 27-29, the advanced planning for Alumni Weekend 2009 is in full effect. Come join us at 1 PM on Saturday for the Alumni/Active meeting and learn the latest news on active chapter achievements, alumni and active philanthropic activities, and much more. Lunch and Softball will take place immediately following. Saturday night live music plans are in the works as well…[Read more]

Chuck Merrill Peace Scholarship inches toward $100,000 in donations 
Since being officially launched in 2007 with the support of Trish Merrill and Brother Bruce Barrick, the Southwestern endowed scholarship in the name of Chuck Merrill as captured the imaginations and support of the many friends and brothers of late Brother Chuck Merrill. The campaign continues to solicit contributions to Southwestern in the name of the “J. Charles Merrill Endowed Scholarship.” [Read more]

Iota Chapter joins Fisher House project in support of military families
The Fisher House program is a private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The Fisher House Foundation has given Kappa Sigma the unique opportunity of naming rights to one these “comfort homes” for a minimum donation of $100,000. The active chapter of Iota Chapter has set a goal to raise between $1,000-2,000 toward this national fraternity goal. [Read more]

Assistant Alumni Advisors announced
Working in conjunction with Alumni Advisor Marshal Crenshaw and the national fraternity, three Assistant Alumni Advisors (AAA) were recently appointed: Stephen W. Butler, AAA/gp, William C. Mathers, AAA/gt, and Jonathan B. Goodman, AAA/gs. The role of the AAA is to work collaboratively with the active chapter leadership and individual office holders to support their leadership development and execution of their roles. The AAA will also help to provide additional continuity of knowledge through active leadership transitions. [See all alumni leaders here]

Alumni Association Business

Join the “Alumni Dues” effort in 2009 and these generous donors from 2008:

Thomas Hambleton
Roger Davidson
Scott Clearman
Brian Walsh
Bruce Barrick
Mark Rangle
Chet Lofgren
Charles Bedard
Matt Lawrence
Mohammed Raheem
Matt Browning
Steve Butler
Robert E Lee
Joe Abel
Paul Bakouris
Russell Ramsey
Danny Middlebrooks
Tanner Garth
Erik Harpst
Perry Zigbly
Chris Mathers
Ben Orgain
Mike Orsak
William McCall
John Schmidt
Lee Boyle
George Morrison
Dylan Wood
Mitch Brownlee
Pat Sparks
Tim McGarity
Matt Barnes
Jeremiah Jarrell
Blake Stanford
Alan Haworth
Marshal Crenshaw
J.L. Love

Thanks to all of our alumni who have donated time, money, and their expertise these past years!

(Please send us a note if we wrongly left your name off this list.)

Membership dues to the Iota Chapter Alumni Association are a suggested minimum contribution of $60 per year. Many brothers, especially younger alums, have opted for a monthly credit card donation. Contact Alan Haworth, Treasurer, by phone (214) 536-6268 or email to set-up a regular donation.

You may also send a check, payable to Iota Chapter Alumni Association to the address listed below:
Alan Haworth
9135 Drumcliffe Ln
Dallas, TX 75231

News & Notes

Brother Brad Francis and his wife Kerri announced the birth of their baby son [note: editorial correction made 5/2/09] Kepler on Novermber 17, 2008.

The parents of our late Brother Rob Atkinson visited Southwestern campus in January for the memorial service honoring their son, tragically killed on December 4, 2009 while walking from campus across University avenue where he was struck by an oncoming car. [See the video celebrating Rob's life here]

Brother James Grace completed another marathon to raise support and awareness for autism research. He finished the Chevron Houston Marathon and raised $7,985 for the Organization for Autism Research (OAR). [Read more]

Brother Bret Starr was featured in the online edition of Business Week in an article titled How SaaS Helps Cut Small Business Costs. [Read the full article here]

Actives Andrew Ivy, Martin Fergus, and Jack Frazee joined alumni Jonathan Goodman at the Lone Star Conclave in Richardson, Texas. [Read more]

The Grand Conclave of Kappa Sigma will take place in San Antonio, Texas, July 22-26. All actives and alumni in good standing are encouraged to attend. Iota Chapter will be sending a delegation. Contact any active or alumni leader if you’re interested in joining. [Read more]

Alumni on the Web: On the Iotachapter.org Web site, check out the “Links” section to Alumni on the Web. Many Iota brothers are active online, personally, professional, academically, and charitably and we’ll take advantage of the Iota Chapter Web site to serve as a hub for this rich collection of online content.

Next Issue of Iota Alumni News:
To submit news, notes, or ideas for Iota Alumni News, please contact Jonathan Goodman at 817.923.1997 or jbgoodman (at) alumni (dot) southwestern [dot] edu