Gamma Rho's Largest Rush Class in History |
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| A group of Gamma Rho's 34 man rush class, the Chapter's largest ever |
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36 Bids Dropped in Highest Bid Acceptance Rate Ever
Recruitment Chair, Matthew Kienzle (’15), shattered previous Chapter records and his own goals as he led the Chapter to a record setting 36 dropped bids, the most at Northwestern this year. President Keaton Sullivan (’15) and Kienzle were shocked to hand out a remarkable 37 bids within the first hour and a half alone. Only one man did not sign his bid, an unprecedented 97.3% bid acceptance rate. “All the impressive men we were looking to steal [from other fraternities] showed up to our house first and things could not have gone any better that night,” remarked Kienzle.
He was forced to make the remaining events of the week ‘Invite-Only’ as PIKE was the only fraternity that stopped giving out bids after the first day of rush week. Since rush week has ended, two members have dropped on their own accord due to athletics and time commitments, leaving Gamma Rho with a final number of 34 remarkable men to begin the new member process. The diverse class from 16 different states with majors ranging across the board. It is considered to be the most elite new member classes for Northwestern fraternities this year. New Member Educator Matthew Johnson (’15) will be facilitating the young men as they study the values, traditions, and rituals of Gamma Rho. The Chapter looks forward to initiating these scholars, leaders, athletes, and gentlemen in due time. | | |
Future Chapter Leaders Attend PIKE U |
| | Brothers (from left) Stafslien, Engelken, and Hunter with PIKE Director of Health & Safety, Kim Novak, at the Chapter Executives Conference |
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Brothers Ben Stafslien (’16), Jay Hunter (’16), Matt Engelken (’16) journeyed to Memphis, TN earlier this month to attend the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity’s Chapter Executives Conference, a program of PIKE U. This three day conference presented seminars, workshops, and powerful speakers which worked to specifically train chapter presidents, treasures, and recruitment chairmen. The men were honored to hear from Pi Kappa Alpha’s CEO and Executive Vice President, Justin Buck, who discussed the impact that a single brother can have on his chapter through effective leadership and passionate dedication. “It was humbling to see over 600 fellow Pikes from all across the nation, all committed to learning from each other in order to better their own chapters”, said Stafslien.
Chapter members are able to attend conferences like this due to your generous contributions to the Gamma Rho PIKE U Endowment Fund which is used exclusively for PIKE University costs. These conferences provide valuable information and teaching on efficiently running a chapter as well as lifelong personal development skills. If you are interested in donating to the endowment fund please click here and designate it to Gamma Rho. | | | |
This is our monthly installment featuring prominent PIKE seniors who have contributed greatly to the Chapter. Each profile includes their plans after graduation, student activities outside of PIKE, personal interests & hobbies, and favorite PIKE memory. | | Cooper Holmes - Ridgewood, NJ Major: Economics Minor: Business Institutions, Asian Studies Post-grad: Analyst, Performance Trust Capital Partners
Cooper has graduated 2 quarters early and is currently travelling through Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia before coming back for official graduation. He served two years on the Executive Board as Recruitment Chair and Member at Large. He also played club lacrosse and served two years on its executive board. He coached an Evanston Youth Lacrosse team, was an executive member for two years for China Foresee student group (keeps students up to date on important China/US relations topics). His favorite PIKE memory is winning the purple soccer IM championship. |
| Jacob Kerr - Branchburg, NJ Major: Biological Sciences & Psychology Post-grad: Talent Management & Consulting
Jacob served first as the Scholarship Chair and as a member of the Judicial Board within PIKE before becoming the Chapter’s Membership Vice President. His favorite memory from his time in PIKE is Dance Marathon freshman year when the team raised the second highest total. Outside of the Fraternity, Jacob is finishing up his term on the Interfraternity Council as the Vice President for Administration. In the past, he served as the President of Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault and sat on the Leadership Council of Peer Health Exchange. |
| Adam Jalali - Naperville, IL Major: Industrial Engineering & Economics Post-grad: Analyst, BofA Merrill Lynch, Global Transaction Services
Adam served as PIKE's Philanthropy Chair his sophomore year and also participates in Dance Marathon. His favorite PIKE memory was Gone Greek Night his freshman year. On campus, he is involved with Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations and Northwestern University Information Technology. |
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Gamma Rho Scholarship Endowment Continues to Grow
The Gamma Rho Endowment Fund which is used for student scholarship and expenses for Pike University is now in its second year. The fund is managed by a highly qualified team at the PIKE Foundation. The fund, which exclusively benefits Gamma Rho, is comprised of two accounts, the PIKE University Fund which has a balance of $100,000 and the John Jones Memorial Fund which has a balance of $38,000. The PIKE U fund is used to offset the expenses of sending Gamma Rho undergraduates to three unique PIKE U events each year including the summer conference. Fees for registration, travel, lodging, and meals can exceed $10,000 annually for the chapter. The Alumni Association has set out with a goal to achieve a balance of $250k in the PIKE U fund in order to fully cover these costs as the annual dividend is typically 4%.
To donate to the "Pi Kappa Alpha Building Fund" through NU click here. Be sure to note the fund in the "Other Designation" box.
To donate to the "Gamma Rho PIKE U Endowment" through the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation click here. | | |
Contact Info Update Please forward this message to brothers who may not be on the email list!
If any of these interest you please click the button below to update your contact information. Everything is stored on the Alumni Association's servers and only accessible to board members.
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Alumni Association Dues
Annual dues for the Alumni Association are $30. Dues can be paid here. Dues paying members receive the following benefits:
- Discounted event prices - Free quarterly newsletter mailed to your house - Voting privileges - Your name listed in the newsletter and website
Dues are used to pay for general operations including website hosting, newsletter production, planning future events, and annual dues to Memorial Headquarters. |
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Monday Feb. 6
Gamma Rho's 85th Chapter Anniversary
Wednesday March 1 Pi Kappa Alpha's Founder's Day - 149th Anniversary
TBD Founder's Day
Friday March 3-5 Dance Marathon
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A special thanks to those alumni that have donated to the Chapter either through Northwestern or the International Fraternity this past year (as of Q3 2016).
Shield & Diamond Society H. Brandon Guest Dean Dean
Gamma Rho Society Robert Armacost Jr. Greg Graves Asa "Geordie" Herald
Society levels are based on lifetime giving to Gamma Rho's Scholarship, Building, and Alumni funds. Founders | $50,000+ Jr. Founders | $25,000 Sabre & Key | $10,000 Garnet & Gold | $5,000 Lily of the Valley | $2,500 Shield & Diamond | $1,000 White Horse | $500 Gamma Rho | $250
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Check out the photos of the Chapter House here. This page will be constantly updated as improvements are made. |
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Highlights from the winter issue, including their event benefitting Mothers Against Drunk Driving and volunteering at the local animal shelter can be viewed here. |
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Gamma Rho alumni are encouraged to use this form to report updates about their own lives or the lives of their Gamma Rho brothers. Old stories or memories of your time as a PIKE at Northwestern or after graduation are also encourage. Report your update here.
We look forward to hearing from you! |
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