Omicron Chapter Crescent

Transcription

1 ALPHA GAMMA RHO FRATERNITY University of Kentucky Fall 2001 Omicron Chapter Crescent Noble Ruler s Report Greetings again from the Omicron Chapter. The Fall 2001 Semester has quickly passed by in Lexington, KY. Our Wildcats will most likely not see a bowl game this year, but Tubby is ready to bring back the National Championship in basketball. I plan to be there to see him take care of Louisville. Several changes have been made to our campus including the leadership of our university. The University of Kentucky has taken a positive step forward by hiring Lee Todd as the new President. Mr. Todd has positioned himself as Pro-Greek and has been more than willing to speak with Greek organizations. I believe his next few years at UK will be very beneficial to Alpha Gamma Rho and the community. The Omicron Chapter has been very busy as well. After an active Summer Recruitment and Fall Rush, we were able to bring 17 new men into our brotherhood. The size and quality of our Fall 2001 New Member class makes it undoubtedly one of the best groups we have had in several years. Our chapter only graduated three members last Spring, so our membership has risen to its highest total in five years. Last semester, the Omicron chapter challenged itself to achieve academic excellence campus-wide. This goal was achieved with a 3.04 Cumulative GPA and a 3 rd Place rank among all other fraternities on the UK campus. We beat both the All-Fraternity Average and the All Male Average. It was the first time in five years that we had captured this honor. I was very glad to see a wonderful turnout to this year s Ag. College Roundup and Founder s Day. The actives always enjoy meeting with brothers of past years. Although our years of active membership differ, the common bond of brotherhood and love for AGR exists in each of us. A supportive Alumni Foundation will definitely benefit the active chapter in the new Millennium and as we prepare for a new chapter house. I know our membership has had the opportunity to live at Alyseford Place, Rose Lane, and currently at Woodland Avenue, but within in the next 3-4 years we will once again establish ourselves continued on page 2 A Tribute to Fallen Brother Billy R. WallsIII At the printing time of this crescent, Omicron chapter lost Brother Billy R. Walls III in the line of duty. Walls was a Deputy Sherrif for Jessamine County. On November 13, 2001 he lost his life while serving a warrant in rural Jessamine County. Two other deputies were wounded in the line of fire. He was initiated into Alpha Gamma Rho in the fall of 1991, and served as VNR-Activities chair as an undergraduate. Few other details were available at press time.

2 continued from page 1 at a new location. The University has expressed its desire for all of the property surrounding our new library, which involves the relocation of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Chi, and Alpha Gamma Rho. Fortunately, the University is currently building houses for Sig Ep and Sigma Chi and will soon be working on a New AGR House. There are a lot of details left unanswered about the construction of a new chapter house, but we do know that the more alumni involvement we can get in our fundraising efforts the more voice we will have in the negotiations. Spring 2002 will be my final active semester, but I plan to help the active chapter in my years to come because I know outstanding Alumni leadership is always needed. AGR is founded on leadership and brotherhood, thus I call on all Alumni to pave the way for the Omicron Chapter s future and help in our relocation efforts. If you have any questions and would like to get reconnected to the active chapter call me at (606) or send an to jcroar0@uky.edu. The Omicron chapter will continue to work hard to keep it spot at the top on UK s Campus and to keep our membership thriving. I encourage you to visit us at 701 Woodland Avenue or even stop in for dinner. Last, I would like wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and to stay safe. Alumni of the Year Phillip Pratt As many of you know from past Crescents, Phillip Pratt has been more than gracious to the Omicron Chapter. Two years ago Brother Pratt was invited to speak at a chapter meeting. He noticed while at the house that some yard work was a little overdue. He started right away by donating plant material, equipment and labor to help the exterior looks of AGR. Since then he has attended other meetings, given friendly advice and other yard improvements. The Omicron Chapter has decided to start an Alumni of the Year award. It was an obvious choice to have the first annual award go to Phillip Pratt. We presented Brother Pratt with a plague at a Monday night meeting and also placed his name on a plague that will also carry future AGR Alumni of the Year winners. Brother Pratt graduated from UK in He started out working for Southern States, then Cargill followed by TrueGreen. Realizing that he could do what these companies were already doing he started his own business, Pratt s Lawn and Landscape. He and his wife, Martha Jane have three children, Ryan, Tyler and Mariah. They currently reside in Georgetown, Ky. Fraternally, John C. Roark #1469 Noble Ruler Brother Pratt receiving his Alumni of the Year Award.

3 Homecoming The Omicron Chapter at UK made another impressive showing in this year s Homecoming festivities. AGR made its presence known in every event of the Kickin it in the CATribean theme of the 2001 Homecoming. Omicron had the most participants in the 5k run for cancer and competed in all other events. What topped the whole week off was the announcement at halftime of the UK/LSU game stating that AGR won the homecoming float honors. It was quite relieving after several years of placing in the top three. AGR and the Alpha Delta Pi sorority paired together to construct a pirate ship complete with full sail, crow s nest and even a shooting cannon. It was quite exciting once again showing what the Omicron chapter is capable of pulling off. Recruitment Report Greetings from the Omicron chapter. Brothers of the Omicron chapter have been very busy with a variety of fraternal activities including recruitment. We have had many brothers attend the Kentucky State FFA convention, where we have had the opportunity to meet and greet with many potential brothers from across the state. Two summer retreats were held, one at Lake Cumberland and the other at the House, were potential recruits would come and meet the brothers. At the conclusion of fall rush I am proud to say that the Omicron chapter has 17 new brothers. Omicron new additions represent Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. The fall 01 represents every major that the college of agriculture has to offer. They are involved in every activity Omicron has to offer has well has extremely involved scholastically. We are very proud of our new brothers and the great potential that they possess. As VNR Recruitment, I realize that the recruitment process never really ends. I would like to thank the brothers of Omicron Chapter for their dedication to the recruitment process. I would also like to thank Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni for their interest in the Omicron chapter. The brothers sincerely appreciate your recommendations and work to make Alpha Gamma Rho the best brotherhood on the UK campus. Fraternally, Brian Brammell VNR Recruitment Pictures from Homecoming 2001

4 Faculty Adviser s Report We have been actively involved with the Omicron brothers for a little over a year. One of us tries to make it to every meeting. We have made about 95% of their meetings over that time period. From our perspective the brothers of Omicron have been doing very well. We see their leadership skills improving. They are becoming more effective at dealing with their everyday decisions. The reader should be clear, we take none of the credit for their successes, but we do think that it is important to report them to you. A representative from National, Warren Nichols, conducted a chapter visit last March. His report showed many strong points including, the house appearance and a few opportunity areas including scholarship, finances and recruiting. As academicians we are most proud of our actives Spring Semester grade point average. They not only turned around a series of declining grade point averages but also surpassed their goal of a 3.0 by achieving a This is no small task for a group of gentlemen as active as these. They do not always win the Greek and other competitions but always field a team for an impressive showing. They are also taking a unified and planned approach at getting AGR s into important University roles (e.g., College Ambassadors). The brothers responded equally well in recruitment. Currently we have 17 new initiates! They are also working to improve their financial management functions in cooperation with, and under the guidance of, the Alumni board and the Alumni Association. Dr. Nichols and Nationals will surely be pleased with the Omicron s response to the Spring Chapter Visit. Keeping the facilities in top shape, given the age of the house, is no small task. This success is also a team effort between the actives and the Alumni Association. Congratulations to both the actives and the Alumni Association. Last year was a success. We look forward to an even better Fraternally, Angelos Pagoulatos and Lynn Robbins Tell Us About Yourself The Purpose of the Crescent is to keep the Omicron Alumni informed of the activities of the chapter. Even more important, we want to keep you, the alumni, informed about happenings with other alumni. Please fill out this form. We would be very happy to hear from you. Name Wife s Name Address Employer Occupation Address Home Phone Your Pin # Year Married Family Members Additional Information/Comments/etc. Work Phone FAX Please send form to: Alpha Gamma Rho, 701 Woodland Ave., Lexington, KY 40508

5 Membership Development Jackson Tucker, VNR- Membership Development The Omicron chapter is proud to welcome 17 new guys. They all have been hard at work Juniors learning the chapter history, national history, and the ever-popular songs. Ryan Thomas Lebanon, KY Natural Resources and Conservation Chris Pierce Nancy, KY Agriculture Economics Brandon Howard Georgetown, KY Forestry Travis Buchanan London, KY Plant and Soil Science Sophomores Jason Turpin Nancy, KY Agriculture Undeclared John Burnett Nancy, KY Agriculture Engineering Chris Wheeldon Somerset, KY Civil Engineering Freshmen B. J. Jones Cynthiana, KY Landscape Architecture Kyle Crager Flemingsburg, KY Agriculture Engineering Tracy Taylor Nancy, KY Agriculture Engineering Aaron Burke Harrodsburg, KY Animal Science Eric Nickel South Shore, KY Agriculture Undeclared Chris Barkley Knoxville, TN Landscape Architecture Brandon Price Mt. Olivet, KY Agriculture Education Quinton Nation Taylorsville, KY Agriculture Economics Brent Wilson Batesville, IN Animal Science Brandon Kruchinski Harrodsburg, KY Agriculture Education CRESCENT PUBLISHING SERVICE This issue of the Omicron Crescent was published through the Crescent Publishing Service (CPS). This is a special project of the AGR Home Office to assist chapters in improving communications with alumni. Chapters pay a small fee for the service, below the actual production cost, to encourage regular contact. This project is made possible by donations from alumni like you. Please consider contributing using the enclosed card.

6 Greetings brothers from the Omicron chapter in Lexington! Omicron is coming off an excellent academic semester. With the hard work and dedication of our active members we have risen to the third highest G.P.A. of all fraternal organizations at the University of Kentucky with a grade point average of We had 15 brothers make the Deans List in the spring semester, 4 of whom performed perfectly. Once again, this fall, the Omicron chapter has set high expectations and are striving to be the best on campus. The omicron G.P.A. of 3.04 placed us well above the all-male Scholarship Report average of 2.87 and the all-university average Our strong class of 17 New initiates is also learning the necessary academic habits with help from our active brothers. It is our goal to achieve a 3.0 for this fall. With the help of study hours and strong support from our active members the New Initiates will strengthen our academic performance. The Omicron chapter is looking forward to another great fall academically. We plan to outperform previous semesters and continue to strive for academic achievement. Fraternally, Brad Davis VNR of Scholarship Spring 2001 Dean slist Matthew Bacon Chad Conway Brad Davis Marcus Dean Todd Holbrook John King IV Corey Maggard Michael McCain Jason McIlvain Mikel McKinley Richard Nation Doug Schwemlein Matthew Tyler Mark Wade Jess Weade ΑΓΡ Chapter 2001

7 Parents Day On September 29 th AGR held its annual parents day. Over 40 of the brothers had parents in attendance. Mom White had a meeting with them to share stories about the brothers and most parents took a tour through the recently cleaned house. Mom White prepared an extravagant meal and then many took the walk over to C.M. Newton Field for the UK/ Ole Miss ball game. It was an enjoyable day for all. Pictures from Parents Day 2001

8 Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity North Ambassador Drive Kansas City, MO NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Kansas City, MO Permit No RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Omicron Chapter Crescent AGR New Member Recommendation In the spaces provided below, please list the names of prospective new members in your community or area who might attend University of Kentucky. It would be helpful to tell them about your experiences in AGR. Let them know you are enthusiastic about the Fraternity. Remind them that we are a social/professional fraternity, stressing agriculture, scholarship, leadership, and a well-rounded program of campus and community activities, intramural sports, etc. Your efforts on this background information will help strengthen our new member program. Name Home Address Parent s Name(s) High School Activities Curriculum Recommended by Home Phone AGR Relatives Have you discussed joining with him? Date Please return to : VNR Recruitment 701 Woodland Ave. Lexington KY, 40508