Fall 2007 Philings Issue 1

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September 2007
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FALL
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RUSH
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Syracuse University/SUNY-ESF * Alpha Phi Omega- Phi Chapter * apophi.org
STAFF
PR Chair:
Tori Hornstein
Staff Writers:
Clifford Cassis
Sarah DiGiulio
Sarina Fiero
Jenna Passmore
Courtney Pew
Special to this Issue:
Kristen Adams
WITHIN
Rush and Inductions
Fall ‘07 Eboard
Fall Service
Summer Service
APOLLO conference
Phi Fear Factor
...and more!
2007
ERVICE!
THAT’S WHAT I CALL S
The volume was turned way WAY up for this year’s
rush meetings themed “Now That’s What I Call Service!.” Facilitated by the Vice
President of Rush and Rentention, Jackie Herbert, and Pledgemaster, Jana Barnello,
the rush meetings were creatively designed to start conversations between those
thinking of rushing and brothers of Alpha Phi Omega. Herbert printed out pictures of
a variety of musicians and then instructed brothers to each pick one. Meeting
attendees then formed casual groups surrounding the pictures based on what singer
or group they most wanted to chat about. The resulting conversations were both
hilarious and informative, and allowed brothers and non-brothers to get to know each
other.
For a week rush meetings were held in a variety of places around campus, and
concluded with a celebratory ice cream social on the last day. The meetings
enlightened those interested in pledging about what would be required of them during
the pledging process, and about the diverse fellowships and service activities Alpha
Phi Omega participates in.
by Sarina Fiero
AFTER THE PARTY
KIMMEL
LOBBY
IT’S THE
by Sarina Fiero
INDUCTIONS
This year the Fall ‘07 pledge class THE ACTION PHI
NEWS TEAM was inducted into the Alpha Phi Omega
brotherhood on Friday, September 14th at 6:30pm in
Grant Auditorium. The small size of Grant Auditorium
allowed for a cozy and personal atmosphere. Coming
from family dinners, Brothers arrived at Grant eager to
meet the 29 new pledges.
Brothers being Bigs this
semester lined up below the
stage both nervous and excited
to meet their new little. In
addition to carrying the
pledgebooks they had for their
little, each Big continued with
the “Now That’s What I Call
Service!” theme and made their
little a mixed CD.
When the moment came for Big to meet
Little, the auditorium instantly exploded
with enthusiastic greetings and laughter.
Photographs were then taken of Big-Little
pairs and families. Additionally, the
composite was taken at the Induction
Ceremony, followed by an after-party
(fellowship) at Kimmel.
And there was cake! Yum!
Pledges posed with their bigs in
the tradional Phi Photo shoot.
This year there was a moment
of panic when at the end of
inductions, the phi was missing!
Some devious alumni pulled a
quick one on the brotherhood.
No need to worry though- the Phi
was returned safe and sound.
09/04/07
12/01/07
INITIATIONS
1st Rush meeting
7:30 Hall of Languages
7:00 Nifkin Lounge
09/05/07
Rush meeting
7:30 Physics Building
09/06/07
Rush meeting
7:30 Moon Library
09/07/07
Rush meeting
7:30 Physics Building
PLEDGING PERIOD
09/10/07
Rush meeting
7:30 Moon Library
09/11/07
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
7:30 HBC Gifford
Auditorium
09/14/07
INDUCTIONS
6:30 Grant Auditorium
E-bored?
...not this semester
by Sarah DiGiulio
PRESIDENT: Sara Covino
Year: Senior Major: French and Biology
Hometown: Cumberland, RI
Birthday: July 9, 1986
APO Goals? Get organized, get connected,
boost morale!!!
Dream job? International High School
Superintendent and camp owner in the
summer with a bed and breakfast!
World travel: where and why? Nice, France.
Celebrity crush? Ben Stiller.
If you were a candy, what/why? Whatchamacallit
Anything else? I’m sassy, sensitive, short and sweet! S for Sara.
VP of R&R: Jackie Herbert
Year: Senior Major: Television, Radio and
Film Hometown: Farmington, NY
Birthday: August 11, 1986
APO Goals? To bring the brotherhood closer
together, make sure everyone is getting
everything they want, having a good time.
Dream job? Editing Hollywood’s BEST
MOVIES! World Travel: where and why? Vienna because I
haven’t been there yet and it looks so gorgeous. Celebrity Crush?
Jude Law!! If you were a candy, what/why? I don’t want to be
candy. It’s not healthy. I wanna be good for you. Anything else? I
have never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Do you know which e-board member dreams of becoming
a Victoria’s Secret Model? Do you know which e-board
member has met Daniel Radcliffe? Do you know which
e-board member has never had a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich? Sure you may know who to call if you can’t
log on to PhiServe or who to call if you end up in the ER
and can’t make it to chapter on Sunday. And we probably
all know who is going to be giving us a call if those dues
weren’t paid. But, take a minute and learn a few well-known
and some not-so-well-known facts about the people who are
keeping APO up and running this semester.
VP Of SERVICE: Christopher Robin
Luczkowiak
Year: Junior Major: Environmental Studies
Hometown: Wind Gap, PA
Birthday: September 20, 1986
APO Goals? Big projects, advertising and
meeting with all the brothers.
Dream job? Cake taste-tester.
World Travel: where and why? London,
because I love London. Celebrity crush? Kelly Huth.
If you were a candy, what/why? Milky Way, it’s spacey good fun.
Anything else? I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500
more.
VP of Fellowship: Nicole Stanek
Year: Junior
Major: Math and Biology
Hometown: Cupertino, CA
Birthday: June 7, 1987
APO Goals? To organize well attended fellowships and have tons of fun.
Dream job? Actress on Broadway.
World Travel: where and why? Italy—to eat gnocchi and other
yummy Italian food.
Celebrity Crush? Johnny Depp
If you were a candy, what/why? Jellybeans because they are unique.
Anything else? I am obsessed with the color teal!
VP of Pledging: Jana Barnello
Year: Senior Major: Broadcast Journalism
Treasurer: Kate Desisto
Hometown: Solvay, NY Birthday: August 5,
Year: Junior Major: Music Education
1986 APO Goals? To bring in an LFS minded
Hometown: Georgetown, MA
pledge class! And do lots and lots of service
Birthday: November 9 APO Goals? Fundand fellowships!! Dream job? Oprah.
raising lots of moolah and organizing all
World Travel: where and why? Back to Lonfinancial paperwork. Dream job? Teaching
don! I went abroad there last semester and
pre-school/middle school music and lovabsolutely want to live there again. Celebrity
ing it! World Travel: where and why? Bora
Crush? Matthew McConaughey. He is SLAMMIN.
Bora—because I love water it sounds cool.
If you were a candy, what/why? I would be Nerds because I am
Celebrity
Crush?
Jeff
Corwin
(Yah Animal Planet!).
clearly not hip. Anything else? I met Daniel Radcliffe. I have been to
If
you
were
a
candy,
what/why?
Snickers—because I’m a little
the Parthenon and hold a world record.
nuts but overall I’m really soft and smooth on the inside.
Anything else? Lovin’ is what I got! APO + music = My Life
Rec Sec: Stephanie Ecklekamp
Year: Junior Major: Magazine Journalism
Hometown: North Brookfield, MA
Birthday: July 23, 1987 APO Goals? My personal goal
is to stay organized and on top of my duties. I also hope
we can put on a really big, fun service event like last
year’s senior citizen prom. Dream job? Being the editor
of a helath/nutrition section of a magazine like Shape.
World Travel: where and why? Italy—Maybe because
I’m currently craving a really good pizza and a nice
view of the Mediterranean.Celebrity Crush? Hmm…
David Beckham. Too bad he’s got a wife and kids!
If you were a candy, what/why? A blue peanut M & M—the perfectly balanced treat.
Salty, sweet and crunchy! I suppose because I try to be a balanced person.
Anything else? My obsession with funfetti cake and kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal is
unhealthy.
SAA: Kristy Blakely
Year: Senior Major: Natural History and Interpretation Hometown: Arcade, NY
Birthday: March 26, 1986 APO Goals? Streamline
the legislation process, keep order with food and
fun, and have an excuse to bake a lot of cookies and food. Dream job? Working at a botanical
garden or arboretum as a naturalist and explaining
how cool moss is. World Travel: where and why?
Back to Ireland. The mosses and other plants are amazing. Everything else
is too. Celebrity Crush? Johnny Depp. Yay pirates! If you were a candy,
what/why? Pop rocks!!!! No explanation needed, I think…jumpy hyper
candy. Anything else? I like the color green. That was kind of obvious
though. A fuzzy special guest may join us at chapter in the near future…
ESF Liason: Matthew Martino
Year: Senior Major: Chemistry
Hometown: West Point, NY Birthday:
September 7 APO Goals? Somehow making
ESF appear cool. Dream job? Fighter pilot,
just think Top Gun. World Travel: where
and why? New Zealand, to follow the trail
of Frodo and Sam. Celebrity Crush? Vince
Vaughn If you were a candy, what/why?
Everlasting gobstopper: I have a hard exterior, candy inside, and if
you like me we could be friends forever. Anything else? If you like
beach volleyball, challenge me while its still warm. I can never find
people to play 2v.2 with.
Historian: Sarah Leahy
Year: Senior Major: Marketing and
Advertising
Hometown: Saugerties, NY
Birthday: August 25, 1986
APO Goals? More brotherhood bonding and
enthusiasm for service.
Dream job? Marketing for Habitat!
World travel: where and why? Back to Sicily
to hang out with my family and practice my ITA 101 skills.
If you were a type of candy, what would you be and why? Skittles,
slightly rough on the outside but a softie on the inside.
Anything else? I love crafts and power tools!
PR chair: Tori Hornstein
Year: Junior Major: PR/Spanish
Hometown: Dalton, MA Birthday:
January 28, 1987 APO Goals? Make
Philings fun to read, get new gear and
organize clip sets. Dream job? Work PR
for the Red Sox foundation. World Travel:
where and why? Italy, for the food, the
Pope and of course the “sights.” Celebrity
Crush? Currently Zac Efron. Is that creepy? If you were a candy,
what/why? Everlasting gobstopper—so many surprises to
encounter the longer you know me. Anything else? I own a pet
gecko. I am really into Dixon-Ticonderoga pencils.
Alumni Secretary: Caitlin Kelley
Year: Senior Major: Political Science and ETS
Hometown: Farmington, NY
Birthday: November 24 APO Goals? To create a
stronger relationship between the current brothers
and the alumni. Dream job? To become a Victoria’s Secret Angel or, more realistically to wrok on
education reform.
World Travel: where and why? I would travel to
Thailand because my uncle just married a woman
from there a few years ago and I’m interested to see where she is from.
Celebrity Crush? Tyson Ritter (the singer of the All-Amerian Rejects). If
you were a candy, what/why? I would be the Necco candy hearts that you
get on Valentine’s Day because I’m a sucker for the corny little sayings
on them.
Corresponding Secretary: Rachel Cook
Year: Senior (This is her last semester!)
Major: ETS Hometown: Edinburg, TX
Birthday: December 5, 1985 APO Goals?
To build a stronger relationship with another
chapter (Gamma) and to beat that chapter
down at kickball. Dream job? Court Justice.
World Travel: where and why? Tom Ryan’s
room, because I miss him. Celebrity Crush?
Brian McBride, Fulham Football Club. If you were a type of
candy, what would you be and why? An everlasting gobstopper—
because I’m everlasting. Anything else? I like Dr. Pepper—a lot.
I’m moving to Fort Collins, Colorado next semester.
Webmaster: Scott Mastin
Year: Senior
Major: Forestry Engineering
Hometown: Binghamton, NY
Birthday: August 7, 1986
APO Goals? To get Phi using the web
more.
Dream job? Acoustic Engineering.
World Travel: where and why? Australia,
to study down under, amazing opportunity.
If you were a candy, what/why? Gummy, tasty.
Service Center
Your updates on the brotherhood’s Summer projects,
September Projects, and Projects yet to come!
Onondaga Creek Clean-Up
by Jenna Passmore
Where can you find televisions, bicycles, street signs, and a phone
booth all in one place? Forget the local dump; try the Onondaga Lake
and its connected creeks. Onondaga Lake is one of the most polluted
lakes in the United States due to years of domestic and industrial
pollution, says the Onondaga Lake Partnership’s website. Thanks to
the volunteers, including some Phi Brothers, who participated in the
5th Annual Onondaga Creek Cleanup sponsored by the Onondaga
Lake Partnership on Saturday, September 15th, the Onondaga Creek
is just a little bit cleaner.
Nicole Stanek, a junior and Phi’s VP of fellowship, said that her
land-crew, which was responsible for cleaning up the banks of
the creek, found everything from snack wrappers to old car parts
scattered along the banks. Stanek also explained, “We found almost
all the parts (i.e. hard drive, monitor, cable cords, etc) to assemble
an entire computer! The most interesting thing that I found was a
television screen that a tree branch had grown through. It was the
perfect illustration of how man has imposed on his environment.”
The volunteers at the Onondaga Creek Cleanup certainly gotten
rid of some of man’s imposition upon Onondaga Creek, as seen in
the photo below. Stanek said, “While picking up each piece of trash
it didn’t seem like individually I made that big of a difference, but all
together we filled an entire dumpster in just a few hours. Looking at
the creek before and after, you could see what a difference we’d all
made.”
Loads of garbage being
removed from the river.
In the Next Issue:
• Light the Night
• Aids Walk
• Breast Cancer Walk
• Crop Walk
• International Young
Scholars
• and more!
Photo courtesy of: http://www.onlakepartners.org/p2204.html
Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap
by Tori Hornstein
Brother of Phi Jeremy Eldridge got down and dirty this
summer volunteering at a local Boy Scout camp. Along with 30
Boy scouts, he set to work rehabing the camp’s long neglected
trails. The camp opened in 1931 but in the mid 1990’s the trails
were left to nature’s whim. That’s over a decade of Syracuse
rains, snows, melts, and heat to destroy the trails. Eldridge
said that the trails were cut out of a hillside. To rebuild them
all they had to move plenty of dirt for hours. “We had to do
some serious digging,” he said. But the project is well worth it.
Eldridge is a Life Scout, and for him it was great to work with
some older scouts. Sometimes scouting falls by the wayside
for older boys, but with the positive influences of brothers like
Jeremy we hope to continue inspiring generations of leaders
to come.
Erosion can really take a toll on a simple
footpath. Image courtesy of answers.com.
The Impossible Cube: APO’s new “office”
by Courtney Pew
Attention all brothers and pledges: if you have any spare time during
the day and want to look for a way to help out the finest community
service fraternity, stop by the newly relocated Alpha Phi Omega office
in the Schine Student Center OSL cubicle J. Despite the clutter and
tight conditions, the efforts of Kristy Blakely and her helpers- Jackie
Herbert, Sara Covino, Jeremy Eldredge, Christopher Robin, Kate DeSisto
and Nicole Stanek- have made the new office a more comfortable
working environment. Although three dedicated hours have already
been contributed to the project, there is still more remodeling to be
done. However, all are welcome to do work or even to just say ‘hi’ to the
hardworking officers. If you feel too cramped inside the office itself,
recline on one of the cozy couches outside the office and get to know a
fellow brother.
Stopping by the office can give you an idea of the inner-workings of
Alpha Phi Omega, especially if you are considering running for an office
for the spring semester. Some of the officer’s hours overlap so you can
learn about two very important people and their executive positions
in just one trip! If you’re interested in stopping by to see the office’s
progress to learn more about a specific executive position, check out the
list of office hours.
PHI Chosen to Pilot APOLLO Program
by Kristen Adams
As a pledge, we are taught that service to the community is one of our
key principles. This is why we often find ourselves at Sedgwick Heights
playing bingo with the old folks, on the streets of campus cleaning up
trash, and at the Plymouth Day Care Center reading to preschool-aged
children. But, rarely before have we made a presence within the high school
community. It is for this reason that our chapter should be extra excited to
be hosting one of the four nation-wide APOLLO conferences!
The APOLLO conference is aimed to target high school juniors and
seniors who exhibit advanced leadership skills and have a keen interest in
community service. By running this conference it is our hope to not only
promote early interest in APO, but to also help make Alpha Phi Omega a
household name. It is a huge honor for Phi to be chosen as one of four
chapters to help launch this pilot project. Not only does it go to prove that
the national office sees us as a leading chapter, but it also shows that we
are capable of helping instill our values on those younger than us—those
who look up to us.
On Saturday, October 27th, we are going to host the half-day conference
in Huntington Beard Crouse (HBC). Different events that will occur
throughout the day will consist of guest speakers from advisors, to
university officials, to business leaders in the community. We will also host
some really great leadership workshops and even run a service project for
all forty students to participate in. Something like this is not only a great
opportunity for our chapter, but also a great opportunity for Syracuse’s
public high school students.
While it may seem like just another little event that we are getting
ourselves involved in, it is really so much more. And for that reason we
should run this conference in stride! Being one of four chapters nation-wide
to host this conference is really such a compliment. It just goes to show how
our chapter is in the lead and how we really do such great things within the
community. Be proud Phi!
OFFICE HOURS:
Sara Covino:
M 10:00-11:00 am
Sarah Leahy:
M 2:30-3:30 pm
Rachel Cook:
Tu 9:30-10:30 am
Steph Ecklekamp:
Tu 11:00am-12:00pm
Jackie Herbert:
Tu 12:30-1:30pm
Jana Barnello:
W 11:30am-12:30pm
Nicole Stanek
W 11:30am-12:30pm
(at People’s Place)
Kate DeSisto:
Th 11am-12:15pm
Matt Martino:
Th 1:00-2:00pm
Tori Hornstein:
F 10am-11am
Kristy Blakely:
F 11am-12pm
Christopher Robin:
F 12:30-1:30pm
Caitlin Kelley:
F 2:00-3:00 pm
My Trip to Costa Rica
by sarah digiulio
It sounded like a great opportunity: Spanish and
service. This summer I spent three weeks in Costa
Rica in a small neighborhood just outside of San Jose.
I took Spanish classes, volunteered, and traveled. And
probably the best part was getting to know the host
family I stayed with.
Last spring, Jessica Jacobs, a representative
from Sustainable Horizons came to talk to APO and
organize a service trip for our group. The combination
of service and travel sounded like a great way to
spend summer break. Unfortunately the dates of the
Nicaragua trip coincided with a family wedding, so I
thought I was out of luck. But, after talking with Jessica,
I found out the organization arranged trips for individual volunteers as well.
So, she helped me set up a trip where I would live with a host family, take
Spanish classes, volunteer, meet other volunteers from around the world and travel
through Costa Rica. I was apprehensive about traveling alone, but thrilled at the
opportunity.
My nervousness subsided when I landed in San Jose. Marco, a rep from the
program met me at the airport. He took me to my host family, who welcomed me with
open arms. They had three
children (ages three, five and
seven) who spent every minute
they could with me. Our favorite
pastime was Chinese Checkers.
My host mother and I had coffee
breaks together almost every
afternoon. She cooked me
three meals a day—my favorite
was the huevos revueltos and
plantanas (scrambled eggs and
fried bananas) she made for
breakfast. She wanted to learn
as much about the United States
as she could. She made me feel
right at home.
Along with my host family, I befriended volunteers and students from all over the
world—England, California, Ohio and even a familiar face from APO (Jane Mulcany,
who was on a similar volunteer trip at the same time).
I was close enough to the city of San Jose to explore the vibrant city with other
volunteers during the evenings. One night we saw a symphony concert at El Teatro
Nacional and another night we spent shopping in El Mercado Central.
Now, the service work. For the second two weeks of my trip I volunteered during
the days (the first week, I brushed up on my Spanish skills in classes). The second
week I volunteered in a soup kitchen in a small neighborhood called Barrio Jesus,
just next to the neighborhood where I was staying. The woman who ran the kitchen
lived in a house just next-door. Each day of the week a different volunteer from the
neighborhood came in to cook
lunch for the children of Barrio
Jesus and their mothers.
So, for a week, I played
the role of sous-chef. I
chopped onions, peppers and
lots of cilantro. I helped serve
the children when they came
in. And my favorite part was
talking with the kids—they
had so much to say!
During the third week
of my trip I worked with more
kids. I taught English classes
to local children. Sustainable
Horizons had a program
center in Barrio Jesus where
they offered English classes to the neighborhood children. It was back to my preschool
days, teaching the children the abc’s, colors and days of the week. They were so
excited to learn.
Another highlight of the trip was traveling through Costa Rica. The weekends
offered the opportunity to see the landscape of the country. I relaxed on the beaches
at Guanacaste and Manuel Antonio. I hiked through a national park and saw monkeys,
lizards and many many palm trees. And half of the adventure was taking the bus ride
through the enormous green mountains to get to these exotic destinations. The views
were breath taking.
All in all, I had an unforgettable experience. I spoke more Spanish than I ever
have in my life, made many Tico friends and learned about an entirely different culture.
I was incredibly fortunate to have the great experience that I did.
APO STYLE!
by Clifford Cassis
Is FEAR a FACTOR for our brothers of Phi?
Four contestants have been randomly
chosen from each brotherhood family to
compete for $50,000; let’s meet them now!
HE: Ashley Kingsford
Major: Psychology and
Sociology
Biggest Fear: Snakes
$50,000: I would give
some of my winnings
to the Eating Disorder
Foundation/ American
Cancer Society
Mafia: Justin Selle
Major: Policy Studies
and History
Biggest Fear: Nancy
Cantor
$50, 000: Pay off
student loans
BL: Alex Johnson
Major: History
Biggest Fear: Not
succeeding in life after
graduation.
$50,000: Put it in
the bank and let it
sit there or if not all
to charity if I really
didn’t need the money.
Sal: Nicole Vogel
Major: Advertisement
and Design
Fear: Having surgery
again
$50,000: Traveling to
Fiji or Australia