the crescent - DePauw University

THE CRESCENT
The Beta Beta Chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity at DePauw · Greencastle, IN · June 2012
2012 Spring Pledge Class:
Sam Henderson (Glenview, IL)
Vladimir Stankov (Chicago, IL)
Nick Freund (Northbrook, IL)
Eric McMechan (Indianapolis, IN)
Sam Summers (Louisville, KY)
Alex Layden (Milan, IN)
Matt Jenkins (Glenview, IL)
Tom Semba (Hinsdale, IL)
Ben King (Terre Haute, IN)
Nick Jansen (New Palestine, IN)
Dan Howard (Frankfort, IN)
Andrew Tourney (Columbia City, IN)
Drew Seaman (Scottsdale, AZ)
Kyle Daigle (Lantana, FL)
Brandon Bekkering (Clinton, IN)
Chad Hale (Lebanon, IN)
Raven Xie (Brooklyn, NY)
Forrest Kunkel (Brookeville, IN)
Nick Nunley (Chicago, IL)
Spencer Strup (Lexington, KY)
ANOTHER YEAR IN THE BOOKS
Well, It is now July and the
whirlwind 2011-12 school
year has come to a close.
While the Delt house’s
doors may be closed for
the summer, this shouldn’t
prevent us from recapping
some important events
that occurred at 1 Taylor
Place over the last few
months.
Anticipation loomed large
in April as Little 5 weekend
approached. Following
Delt’s participation in the
2011 bike race for the
first time in ten years ,
Troy Stratford ‘13 (Carmel,
IN), Calvin Sullivan ’13
(Indianapolis, IN), and
Forrest Kunkel ‘15
(Brookeville, IN) continued
the legacy by taking part in
the 2012 race. In dominating fashion, Kunkel and
Stratford surprised many
and placed 1st and 3rd in
the time trials, respectively. The house was buzzing
as Delta Tau Delta suddenly became the upstart
favorites to dethrone perennial champions Delta
Upsilon and Beta Theta Pi.
crash and Stratford’s
chain broke. Kunkel was
forced to withdraw from
the race the following day
leaving Troy and Calvin to
fend for themselves.
Stratford charged early on,
but collided on a pass for
first with eventual champion Will Gleason. The
crash caused mechanical
issues with the junior’s
bike and he took himself
out of the race a few laps
later . Similar issues
caused Calvin Sullivan to
also retire shortly after.
While the race did not pan
out as hoped, the three
riders etched Delt’s name
into the list of contenders
and present a legit threat
for the years to come.
After Little 5 weekend,
Delt ventured to St. Louis
for the annual Spring Formal. We stayed at the
Hilton at the Ballpark
across the street from the
new Busch Stadium and
had an outstanding view
of downtown. Fine dining,
a great DJ, and an energetic bar district provided
a fun night for all the guys
and their dates. It was
definitely a formal for the
books.
We returned from St. Louis
to begin focusing on finals
and to say goodbye to our
seniors. The Delt class of
2012 contained 12 members and while they might
be one of the smaller classes in recent history, they
certainly left a large footprint in their wake. Like
the year before them , this
senior class placed all of
its members either in a job
or graduate school; a feat
many houses cannot
claim. They were a hard
working class whose commitment to the classroom,
athletics, and Delta Tau
Delta never wavered. We
will miss their leadership
and guidance around the
house and on campus, but
wish them nothing but
luck with all of their future
endeavors.
However, bad luck struck
during the Street Sprints
when Kunkel sustained
damaging injuries after a
Oskar Kane (Nashville, TN)
Mike Pagan (Bronx, NY)
Delt Seniors ‘12: Lewis Brown, Ben Brandstatter, Mitch
Turnbow, Graham Wilkerson , Mike Harris, Steve Valdiserri, Michael Fultz, and Jon Ellis. Not Pictured: Chris
Collins, Scotty Hunt, Dave Church, and Matt Meyer
THE
Page 2
CRESCENT
DELT DOES RELAY
In what has become a
yearly tradition at DePauw,
Delta Tau Delta continued
its participation in the
Putnam County Relay for
Life event. On Saturday,
April 21, Beta Beta chapter members took to the
track to walk for a cause
against cancer.
From noon on Saturday
until noon on Sunday, Delt
had at least one member
walking for the entire 24
hour period. Throughout
the day and night, themed
walks and special performances served as remem-
brances for ones lost and
courage to keep up the fight
against this horrific disease.
the house together though and led
to contributions that would have
made Jimmy Costin proud.
Relay for Life hits home especially hard for Delt since Wanda Costin’s (house mother)
husband succumb to the illness a few years ago. Furthermore, Taylor Wagner ‘13
(Carmel, IN) was chosen to
give a speech about the impact cancer has had on his life
after his older sister was diagnosed when he was a kid.
Fortunately, Wagner’s sister
has since made a healthy recovery and is back to living
life. These hardships pulled
Altogether, the Putnam County
Relay for Life raised more than
$129,000 for cancer research this
year and over $2 million since DePauw started hosting it in 1996.
Beta Beta chapter was proud to be
a part of the event and look forward to participating in it again in
2013.
If you would like to make a donation to Relay for Life on behalf of
Delta Tau Delta Beta Beta, please
contact our philanthropy chair Jack
Quinn at: [email protected]
ALUMNI UPDATES
Congrats to Marc
Hoeppner, Class of
2009, for marrying
fellow DePauw alum,
Kristen Ellis of Pi Beta
Phi Sorority!
Blackstock Stadium is lit up at night by the luminary bags during the 2012 Putnam County Relay
for Life Event at DePauw University.
M E E T T HE H O U S E
Nick Foglton
Max Guenther
Tim Connor
Jake Konovsky
Bobby Coburn
Scott Mason
Austin Elsbury
President
Vice President
Vice President
Treasurer
Social Chair
Social Chair
Honor Board President
English Writing
Economics
Economics
Economics
English Writing
Communications
Communications
New Lenox, IL
Floyds Knobs, IN
Monrovia, IN
Lyons Township, IL
Lake Forest, IL
Zionsville, IN
Columbus, IN
Page 3
VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
1
E X C E L L EN C E I N T H E C L AS S R O O M
On May 4th, the Beta Beta
Chapter held its annual
scholarship dinner to recognize actives who have
excelled in the classroom
over the past year. Over
$22,000 in scholarships
were awarded from House
Corps. as an appreciation
for academic success at
one of the most prestigious universities in the
nation.
This year’s Stuart Watson
Award Winners, which
highlights the best overall
GPA in each class, were
James McMechan, Eric
Malm, and Mitchell Vonderau. In addition, Zach
Price received the George
Mendenhall award. Both
of these awards total over
$12,000 in scholarships
and are a gift given to
DePauw, specified strictly
to Delt, from the Watson
and Mendenhall families.
The Beta Beta award winners, which recognizes the
top three GPA’s in each
class, were as follows.
Seniors Graham Wilkerson, Scott Hunt, and Lewis
Brown. Juniors Cody
Crook, Jake Konovsky, and
John Quinn. And Lastly,
Sophomores Eric Malm,
Austin Good, and Alexander Sroka.
The most improved GPAs
in each class were also
recognized. Seniors Steve
Valdiserri, Lewis Brown,
and Graham Wilkerson,
Juniors John Quinn and
Cody Crook, and Sophomores Sergio Ossoiro,
Garret Arnold, and Timothy
Connor.
In addition to the awards
given by the house, over
half of the members made
Dean’s list during the past
year and Steve Valdiserri
was named a finalist for
the Phil Eskew Award,
which is the most prestigious all-around award a
student-athlete can win at
DePauw. While he was not
selected as a winner, Valdiserri still is surrounded
by incredible company for
just being nominated. He
joins Phil Eskew Award
winners Alex Fitch ‘09 and
Jonathan Lambert ‘11 as
Delta Tau Delta members
who have made the final
round and makes it 3 out
of 4 years that Delt has
produced either a winner
or a finalist.
Delt has always placed a
high priority on academics
and its members continue
to shine in the classroom
and in their distinctive
programs. Currently, there
are 2 members in the
Management Felllows
program as well as members in Student Senate,
ITAP, Inter-Fraternity Council, and Honor Scholars.
The house thoroughly encourages actives to get
involved in programs
around campus, which is
one of the main reasons
Delt continues to produce
experienced graduates
capable of obtaining jobs
right away. Delt knows how
to have a good time, but
parties and athletic events
always come second to our
drive to succeed in the
classroom.
Phil Eskew award finalist, Steve
Valdiserri, during 2012 commencement ceremonies. Delta
Tau Delta has produced either a
finalist or a winner the past 3 out
of 4 years.
U P C O M I NG F A L L 2 0 1 2 E VE N T S
August 2012

8/22: First day of classes.
September 2012

9/28-9/30: Family Weekend
October 2012

10/5-10/7: Old Gold Weekend

10/13-10/21: Fall Break
November 2012

11/10: 119th Monon Bell Game @ Wabash
ALUMS COME HOME
DELTA
TAU
DELTA
1 Taylor Place
Greencastle, IN 46135
Phone: 317-979-9645
E-mail: [email protected]
Whether they had just left
the house a few weeks
prior to enter the “Real
World” or if they hadn’t
been back for 55 years,
Beta Beta alumni converged on our beloved
home during the 2012
DePauw Alumni Weekend
(June 7-10) to reminisce
about the good old days
over a steak dinner and
some drinks.
House Mother, Wanda
Costin, and her team of
cooks and assistants prepared the house beautifully in order for returning
members to feel as though
they never left. Several
active members were
around to serve as pledg-
If you have a story or update
about an alum that you would
like published in The Crescent,
please contact Eric Malm at
317-979-9645 or by e-mail at
[email protected]
es for the alumni by
providing tours of the
house, serving dinner, and
giving insights about the
recent happenings of the
Beta Beta chapter.
Many brothers from the
classes of 1962 and 1987
were on hand to celebrate
their 50th and 25th anniversaries and were
amazed by the shape and
condition of the house.
Said one alum, “It is as if I
had never left.” It was
estimated that over 40
alumni from the past 60
years came back to the
house where it all began.
If alumni would like to
make donations to Delta
Tau Delta Beta Beta,
please contact Jim Palmer
at [email protected].
Moreover, during the steak
dinner celebration, over
Generations of Delta Tau Delta members gather in the dining room of the house
to get ready for the annual steak dinner during Alumni Weekend. Alums conversed with one another and toured their old stomping grounds during the four
day celebration. Over 40 Beta Beta alumni showed up for the festivities.
Find us on Facebook and Twitter!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dtdbetabeta
Twitter: @DPUDelt
$1,000 were collected in
donations to House Corps.
to help sustain annual
upkeep and maintenance
of the property. House
Corps. actives, Jim Palmer
and Tom Yeo, greatly appreciated the generosity
and hope that more Delt
Alumni continue to give
back. As we all know, having the nicest house on
campus isn’t always the
cheapest.