Tau Talks- October 2009

Introduction

As the season starts turning from fall to winter, the world around us changes. Brightly-colored leaves make way for bear trees, the weather continually gets colder, and the possibility of snow is suggested every week. Tau Zeta also continues to change. Whether it’s the induction of new members or the installation of a new study lounge, the change witnessed at Tau Zeta can be viewed as positive. As Tau Zeta’s numbers continue to improve and the transformation from a small chapter into a bigger one ensues, current members are reminded of the importance of alumni relations. The presence of Tau Zeta alumni is crucial to the future success of our fraternity.

Study Lounge

A room commonly referred to as D-Hill was turned into a study lounge. The room, located beside the laundry room, has been used as a sleeping area in the past and most recently for storage. Over work week D-Hill was repainted. Three weeks ago, new carpet was laid over the cement floor and study portals were set up. Finally, a generous donation from Jim King led to leather chairs that complete the lounge. Furthermore there are plans to buy motivational posters to place on the walls above the study portals and an additional router to provide a stronger internet connection. The conversion from a musty storage room into a comfortable study lounge is an accomplishment which the Lambda Chi men are proud of.

The study lounge is open to all members of the Tau Zeta house. Freshmen, however, have priority over other members if the lounge is fully occupied. The lounge serves as the ideal place in the house to find a quiet place to study and complete homework. It is not uncommon to find a large group of members in the lounge working diligently on their studies at any time of the day. Strict rules have been put in place to preserve the cleanliness of the lounge. We hope the lounge will continue to help members excel in academics.

Homecoming

On a Fall Saturday before the WSU, ASU homecoming football game, current Tau Zeta members and alums converged to eat BBQ, meet others, and reminisce about tales from the past. The showing of alumni was impressive to say the least. The alumni who toured the house had many encouraging comments to say about the progress and future of Lambda Chi.

Meeting with several different generations of Lambda Chi’s during Homecoming weekend reminded me of the importance of the relationship between current Tau Zeta members and alumni. For those of you who attended the BBQ, I would like to personally thank you for coming and hope you had a fun time. For those of you who didn’t attend, I’d highly recommend coming next year.

Associate Members

In early October, Tau Zeta celebrated its second associated member’s ceremony of the year. The ceremony marked the signing of five new freshmen into this year’s Fall AM class. These five freshmen join eight other freshmen who signed with Tau Zeta over the summer. The AM’s are currently going through AM education where they learn the seven core values of Lambda Chi (loyalty, duty, respect, stewardship and service, hone, integrity, and personal courage.) Every week the AM’s will be participating in activities that will bring them closer together, teach them about a different core value, and prepare them for initiation.

The newest AMs include:

                -Douglas Wu (Kirkland)

                -Anthony Aebi (Bellevue)

                -Justin Harber (Bellevue)

                -Allan Louderback (Issaquah)

                -Joey Mitchell (Bellevue)

Invitation to Initiation

Trevor Sodorff, this year’s ritualist, is encouraging alumni to take part in this semester’s ritual

Brothers,

The time for initiation of the new Associate Members of the fall class of 2009 is nearly here, and I would like to personally invite any and all alumni who wish to see exemplification this year. We have planned the exemplification of the ritual for December 4th, 2009 (a Friday night). So far, a few alumni have expressed a desire to come back and I would encourage you to get in touch with brothers in your area and consider returning to see ritual this year. There is nothing in our brotherhood that draws us closer together than the ritual does, and as we move towards better alumni-undergraduate relations, I believe there to be no better way to establish these connections than to reestablish a connection with our secrets and teachings.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me, either by email ( t.a.sodorff@gmail.com ) or by phone at (206) 949-8021. I look forward to seeing many of you this December!

In Z.A.X., 

Trevor Sodorff, 1704

Last Word

In addition to keeping contact with alumni through Tau Talks, one of my main goals is to expand the alumni contact list. Looking back at previous publications of Tau Talks from ten, twenty, or thirty years ago I see that Tau Zeta had a much broader alumni connection. Those editions of Tau Talks contained a section on the last page which alumni could mail back to Tau Zeta to receive contact information about brothers who were once a part of the house. Since then, Tau Zeta’s contact list has become much smaller. I’d like to expand the list once again. I know there are perhaps hundreds of alumni out there who would enjoy receiving updates through Tau Talks. If you know any alumni who would like to receive updates please forward me their e-mail address at tauzetarho@gmail.com.

Finally I would like to thank alumni for their continued support. Seeing new and old faces at the Homecoming BBQ reminded current Tau Zeta members that as we continue with our college experience we are supported by a broad array of previous Lambda Chi’s from all different generations.

In ZAX,

Andrew Talevich

Alumni Correspondent

Tau 1731