Josh Newman ’14
The spring semester picked up right where the fall semester left off for Chi Phi. At the end of the fall semester, the brotherhood felt extremely confident about the coming formal rush. In a unified effort, the house was able to recruit 24 quality new members this year. I believe that this is the largest pledge class that the Alpha Chapter has ever taken. These young men are great additions to the house, and will serve well in preserving the house’s reputation on Grounds, as well as ensuring the continuity of Chi Phi at UVA.
Additionally, Chi Phi has added a new spring semester philanthropy event. The new event, known as “Bonnahoo,” was co-sponsored by Chi Phi and Pi Beta Phi on April 26th. The event was an all afternoon music festival, and between ticket and t-shirt sales, I believe that both Chi Phi and Pi Beta Phi will be able to donate a significant amount to our charities, Ronald McDonald House and Read, Lead, Achieve respectively. We hope to make this philanthropy into an annual partnership with Pi Beta Phi in future years. With summer approaching, we will be sad to see another class of brothers graduating and finishing their time here in Charlottesville, but hope that they will return frequently. The Chapter is at an extremely healthy size, and we anticipate another strong year of recruiting to follow. The brotherhood is always delighted to hear from our alumni, and we hope that the recent alumni, as well as those a few more years removed, will continue to contact us and keep us up to date with their lives and endeavors. Thank you for everything you do for us and for the Chapter. Please do not hesitate to contact us and let the brothers know if we can be of service.