thanks to you! - Phi Sigma Delta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi

www.pennstateaepi.org
SAVE THE DATE
Watch for details on events we
are planning for Blue-White
Weekend — April 17, 2015.
It’s going to be an unforgettable time, so save the date
NOW! Ask for a day or two off
from work, get a sitter (although she might ask you why
you want to sign her up this far
in advance) and get your car
serviced now so you can make
it to Penn State in the spring.
More to come in our monthly
eLetters!
ON THE WEB
Calling all AEPi alumni!
Join our Facebook group to
stay connected even more
with all of the latest news and
events impacting Penn State
AEPi alumni. Join right now
by going to www.facebook.
com/groups/psuaepialumni/.
Once we confirm you are of
alumni status, we’ll confirm
your membership in the
group! Enjoy!
Official AEPi Alumni Website:
www.pennstateaepi.org
CHAPTER ETERNAL
We have recently learned of the
following deaths in our AEPi
brotherhood. We would like
to send our condolences and
regards to their families and
friends. They will be sorrowfully
missed.
Floyd Selbst ‘48
Leon Lock ‘49
Robert Lazar ‘50
Marvin Schiller ‘51
AEPi news
December
2014
Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity at the Pennsylvania State University
CHAPTER SUCCESS…THANKS TO YOU!
Letter From Jon Shahar Brother Master
Whether you called yourself a Pi Deutron
or you spent any of your memorable college
experience at the coveted address of 240 East
Prospect Ave. in the great town of State College,
this is a fraternity of fine gentlemen, and we
have continued to be a leader in campus life.
Following in the traditions set before us and
embracing our values, we continue to build and
unite our brotherhood. We have successfully
raised over $100,000 for the kids as a part of
the Penn State Dance Marathon. Six successful
pledge classes, two consecutive years with a
full house, a top GPA and a rapid acceleration
to the pinnacle of campus social life has every
active member more the thrilled for the present
and even more so for the future. With all of
this energy building amongst the undergrads,
it has become obvious to me that I don’t want
this to end. I want to
continue to give my
wisdom and advice. I
want to continue to
empower these young
men. I know we as
undergrads have had
a bumpy road to this
point, but the future
is looking bright. We want now, more than
ever, to have partners, to have guidance, and to
have brothers. We would love to invite you to
our home, hear your stories, heed your advice,
and continue to build what currently is the best
brotherhood at Penn State.
Thank you so much for all you have done in
the past and we look forward to having you as
part of our college experiences.
COLLECTING PHOTOS PAST AND PRESENT
We are looking for photos past, present, and future to preserve the Alpha Epsilon Pi history
at Penn State. Help us
build our archives! Send
us your composites,
photos from tailgates
and homecoming, Jungle
Week, Blue-White
Weekends, other formals
and social events from
your era, reunions,
you name it! Upload it
directly to our website by
logging into our website,
going to Connect >
Photos, and then clicking
“Create Photo Album.”
www.pennstateaepi.org
1
ALUMNI PROFILE
Richard Sokolov ’71, President and Chief Operating Officer at Simon Property Group
Thank you to Richard Sokolov ’71, President
and Chief Operating Officer at Simon Property
Group, for taking the time to answer a few questions about where life has taken him since his
years at Penn State.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your career.
You graduated from Penn State in 1971.
Tell me where life has taken you since.
A: “After graduation I attended law school
at Georgetown University. I then went into
private practice in Baltimore where I specialized in real estate. As a private attorney one
of my clients was the Edward J. DeBartolo
Corporation. After I had been out of law
school about eight years, a partner in my firm
DeBartolo asked me to come in as general
counsel. That was an exciting opportunity
that I could not pass up. DeBartolo was the
largest owner of retail property in the United
States and also owned racetracks, the San
Richard Sokolov ’71 (far left)
Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I stayed with DeBartolo for 15 years,
moving up in the organization to become
head of development. In 1994 the DeBartolo
Corporation went public with its shopping
center business and I was the CEO. In 1996
DeBartolo merged with the Simon Property
Group and I became its president and chief operating officer and that is what I am doing today.” What would you say are your life’s biggest successes/achievements? Biggest
failures or regrets? What did you learn
from it?
“There is really no one thing that I would say
is life’s biggest achievement. I am very proud
of all the things that have been accomplished
at both DeBartolo and after the combination
of DeBartolo with Simon. Simon today is the
largest real estate company in the world and
it has been very satisfying to be part of that
growth and success. As for regrets, I really do
not look back on those things. I just try and
stay focused on the opportunities and the
challenges at hand.” What is your advice for future generations of brothers?
“The relationships that are developed in
ALUMNI UPDATES
Marv Daley ’55
(Lancaster, PA; [email protected]) I was a
past Master of Pi D and graduated from Penn
State in 1955. Now retired from the practice of
urology, I am spending my winters in Venice,
FL. Home is Lancaster, PA for now.
Company. My daughter, Emily, is now a freshman at Penn State and she is a partner on our
Advocare Team - EmilyChertowNutrition.com.
Milt Weisman ’73
(New Smyrna, FL; [email protected]) I
am retired from Fullington Bus Company and
moved to New Smyrna Beach, FL. My wife,
Aerial, passed away a couple years ago from
ovarian cancer. After her passing, I met another
woman and she is now my partner in Florida.
Andrew Kaye ’99
(Brooklyn, NY; [email protected]) It’s been
an amazing week for me as my wife, Jackie,
gave birth to our first future Nittany Lion, Reid
Henry Kaye! Mom and baby are doing great! We
are living in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn and enjoying
all the spoils (and chaos) city life has to offer.
Professionally, my law career is progressing nicely
and I look forward to seeing everyone at PSU in
the coming years!
Ken Chertow ’89
(Boalsburg, PA; [email protected]) I made
our U.S. Olympic Team while I was an AEPi
brother at Penn State and also won two
Macaabiah World Championship Gold Medals.
Since then I have developed the largest wrestling camp in the nation while also building
a successful Advocare Health and Wellness
David Ari Hulnick ’02
(Cherry Hill, NJ; [email protected]) I
graduated in May 2002 (Eta Deuteron). I got
married to Jill Regen on October 27, 2013. I
moved to Cherry Hill, NJ this past August and
we are expecting our first child any day now.
By the time you get this, we’re probably already
new parents!
2
www.pennstateaepi.org
college remain enduring over the years. The
experiences that you share while at Penn State
will provide a common bond that really does
not fade with time. I am still in contact and
friendly with many of the people that I met
during my years at AEPi.” Make sure to keep up to date on our website www.pennstateaepi.org for more
profiles just like this one!
HONOR ROLL
Thank you to the following
donors for their generous support
of our annual fund since its
inception this past summer. We
can’t do this without the support
of our alumni!
Gold and Blue Society
($1,000+)
Marc Katzen 1961
1913 Founders Society
($500-$999.99)
Richard Saul Sokolov 1971
Jungle Club (Up to $239.99)
Stanley R. Zimmerman 1952
Eugene L. Grumer 1962
Elliott W. Weinstein 1974
Richard U. Perosa 1986
David Rosenblatt 1987
Todd P. Levin 1994
Evan N. Wolkofsky 1995
Sean Pollock 1996
With all of the negatives associated
with fraternity life these days,
our chapter is not surrendering.
We continue to make a positive
difference in the Penn State and
State College community, and in
the lives of the current and alumni
members. We’ll prove it to you.
Make sure your email address
is updated on the back of the
enclosed form to make sure you
receive our emails. And join our
efforts by making your annual
fund gift today by mail using the
enclosed form or online via PayPal
at www.pennstateaepi.org.
December 2014
THON UPDATE
AEPi Approaches $11,000 in THON Fundraising This Fall!
THON 2015 is quickly approaching! This
past month, we had an extremely successful
first canning trip, raising nearly $11,000.
Thank you to all who came out to support
us! Additionally, we held a fundraiser with
Coldstone Creamery. We had an impressive
turnout as we continued to raise money for
THON.
Coming up, we have a bonfire bash with
Trilogy where we
will have s’mores,
live music and a
toasty bonfire. We
are currently looking
for anyone interested in matching
opportunities — in
part or fully — to
further advance our canning trip, bonfire bash
and total fundraising efforts. If you or your
business are interested and would like more
information, please email THON Chair Alex
Small at [email protected]. We would love to
talk to you!
If you want to donate today, please go to
http://tinyurl.com/aepipsudonate to submit
a direct donation to the AEPi THON group!
CONCLAVE 2015
PSU All Set to Host 2015 Conclave
By Brother Aaron Sherman
It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for!
Pennsylvania State University is hosting the
2015 Mid-Atlantic Regional AEPi Conclave!
Many chapters are making plans to attend,
and we expect hundreds of brothers to be
setting foot on the Penn State campus. Also,
for the first time, alumni are invited to come.
This change in policy could make this the biggest Conclave we’ve seen to date. Penn State
is a prime location for Conclave this year; our
chapter exemplifies the four values as well as
continues to hold a strong brotherhood.
There are several impressive events lined
up for the
weekend
including
a Shabbat
dinner on
Friday night
for anyone
who arrives early enough. On Saturday
morning, there is a basketball tournament to
see which chapter has the most skills. After
the tournament, there will be an opening
ceremony and interesting sessions to inform
us about various aspects of fraternity life. After
the sessions, everyone is free to enjoy Happy
Valley and everything that Penn State has to
offer. 2015 Conclave is shaping up to be an
excellent weekend! Watch for more details.
FALL 2014 RUSH
AEPi Welcomes 16 New Brothers to the Chapter
Congratulations to our undergraduates for a
successful fall 2014 recruitment season. Across
the span of four weeks, we held six different
rush events. We welcome 16 exceptional
kids who contributed much as a pledge class
and will continue to add value as brothers.
The pledge class as a whole fits in with the
brotherhood and seems to have acclimated
seamlessly, led by Pledge
Class President Todd
Goldstein. We are very
excited to see them step
up over the next few
years in various roles on
the executive board and
minor board.
The rush process was
extremely competitive
this year, and as a house,
we are quite pleased with
the new pledge class.
As we look forward to
AEPi news
spring rush, we are hoping to add around
13 new brothers in the spring semester. This
would by far be our largest spring pledge class
since returning to campus. If you know of any
potential candidates, please feel free to email
Brother Master Jon Shahar at
[email protected].
www.pennstateaepi.org
Josh Freeman
Wyckoff, NJ
Alex Cohen
Lower Merion, PA
Todd Goldstein
Weston, CT
Josh Axelband
Wayne, NJ
David Leibovitz
Deerfield, IL
David Haller
Caracas, Venezuela
Matt Levenkron
Manalapan, NJ
Rob Breslow
Wyckoff, NJ
Mike Coulston
Pittsburgh, PA
Blake Birns
Miami, FL
Cory Weinstein
Roslyn, NY
Alex Cimring
Scotch Plains, NJ
Max Zach Yoffee
Pittsburgh, PA
Brett Feldman
Lafayette Hill, PA
Aaron Rawdin
Abington, PA
Adam Greene
Yorktown, NY
3
504-006 MH
SHOOTING FOR THE MOON
Brothers Create EXEC Card to Aid All PSU Students
Their names are Aaron Bell and Ryan Joffe.
Aaron is an accounting major, and Ryan is
a marketing major. They started a business
called the EXEC
Card. The EXEC
Card is a metal
discount card
catered to Penn
State students that
awards discounts
and special deals
when this card is
presented at the
Ryan Joffe ’16
more than 25 participating local businesses.
As brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi, Ryan
and Aaron have worked very hard to create a sustainable and profitable business in
State College. As future businessmen, Aaron
and Ryan created this card to help students
save money in a college environment where
expenses are always adding up. Their success
can be attributed to financial organization
and successful marketing techniques, both of
which have helped them create a recognizable
brand on campus. “Our brotherhood has been
very supportive of our business,” says Ryan,
“which has only helped us reach our shortterm goal of profitability.”
Aaron interned at RSSM LLP last summer
where he gained valuable experience in a
regional accounting firm. “It is beneficial
as an accounting
major to manage
cash flows and
inventory in your
small business,”
he explains. “One
of the things
both of us have
really improved
at is public
Aaron Bell ’16
speaking. We have
been presenting the card to various Greek
organizations, and each time it only seems to
get easier and easier.”
The goal of these brothers is to continue
operating at profitability while also focusing
their interests on helping the fraternity and
doing well in school. While running this business is one of their main focuses, they still are
both looking for internships in business for
next summer.
To get your own EXEC Card, check it out
at www.exec.cards.
SURVEY RESULTS
We Know What You’re Thinking…
We sent out a survey recently via email to
our alumni asking what they want from their
alumni experience. Here is what you said…
A night out in the nearest big city
Networking night with alumni
and current active members
When is the best time to have an alumni
event check all that apply?
During Homecoming
7.14%
Football Weekends
50.00%
Fall weekends when there is no
PSU football going on
7.14%
Summer when the students are gone 14.29%
Blue and White weekend
14.29%
Springtime before the students head
home for the summer
50.00%
Over the holidays
7.14%
What sets your fraternity experience
apart from other fraternities at Penn
State?
✓✓We are a fraternity of men who share the
common values that are also the core values
of Judaism which bonds us. We aspire to
great leadership, great brotherhood, and
great fun. No problem cannot be solved
when the passion and dedication of our
brotherhood focuses on fixing it
✓✓Being part of a group of diversified personalities and abilities that worked together to
accomplish major objectives
✓✓The enduring positive relationships I have
had with my brothers.
What would be some ideal alumni reunions check all that apply?
Golf outing and a weekend of
activities on and around campus 21.43%
Bus tour of local wineries, breweries,
distilleries0.00%
Fishing or camping trip with
beer and stories around a fire pit
0.00%
Homecoming or Founder’s Day banquet 21.43%
Casual Saturday night with burgers in the
backyard78.57%
4
35.71%
42.86%
Describe the unique impact that being a
part of AEPi had on your college experience and on your life since you graduated from Penn State; for instance, your
career, family, or philanthropic choices.
✓✓AEPi Penn State has been the place where I
have been able to learn the true meaning of
www.pennstateaepi.org
leadership and community. I have been able
to actualize the idea of being a part of the
greater good and working towards something that benefits all.
✓✓I lived in the fraternity for three years and
did numerous projects for the house. The
major affect on my life is that a fraternity
brother introduced me to a student at U.
Michigan who introduced me to my wife
of 55 years. It also kept me involved with
Judaism during college which helped me
keep a lifelong commitment to helping
Jewish causes.
✓✓Everything I know about running a meeting at my law firm, managing a practice
group, the importance of philanthropy, I
learned from my days in the house.
Note: these percentages represent the number of
respondents who selected each item; in most cases,
respondents were able to select more than one.
Well, your voices have been heard! To
view full survey results, go to
www.pennstateaepi.org later in
December! Thank you for all who have
responded!
December 2014