Zeta Chapter Alumni,
As the spring semester has drawn to a close, we want to provide you with updates on what the house has been up to. Read on for information about our spring rush, philanthropy events, recent social events, and continued capital campaign efforts.
Rush
The Zoo is excited to announce the addition of 17 young men from 8 states across the US to the house. The incoming pledge class study in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, with many on pre-med and pre-com tracks. These men excelled in and out of the classroom as high school students. They were Cum Laude Inductees, National Honor Society members, National Merit Finalists and semi-finalists, AP scholars, and Jefferson Scholar nominees. On the field, they participated in numerous varsity sports, with awards including a lacrosse state championship, AAA all-region football players, and an all-state punt returner.
The 2023 class has continued to excel in their studies and extracurricular achievements here at UVA. In the classroom, they have excelled in their courses with many of them receiving Dean’s List honors in their first semester at the University. They are also involved in a multitude of extracurricular activities including club lacrosse, club bowling, the Lighting of the Lawn Committee, University Guide Service, First Year Council, numerous Madison House organizations, self-made non-profit organizations, and the Cavalier Daily.
We are excited to welcome this class into the fraternity. As they continue their spring semester, they look forward to strengthening their bonds as a pledge class while also forming a relationship with the rest of the house.
Philanthropy
In the fall semester, the chapter found ways to remain active in the Charlottesville community. We hosted two philanthropy events benefiting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and Toys for Tots. As we stepped back while on social probation, we looked to replace our fall semester parties with events that would support our community. As a chapter, we decided to make a difference by donating to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank before the Thanksgiving break. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is one of the largest in the state and is an important resource for those in Charlottesville who find themselves unable to afford food. In conversations with the food bank, we agreed with their core belief that hunger is unacceptable, and that is why we were excited to donate $2,603 to help feed families for Thanksgiving.
Our second event of the semester benefitted Toys for Tots and took the place of our usual Christmas Formal. As most know, Toys for Tots provides new toys for less fortunate children during the Christmas season. Together, we decided this was the appropriate organization to support as our fall semester ended in December. With the donations from the brothers in the chapter and the generosity of our friends in the UVA community, we raised $2,060. After a fall characterized by giving back to our community, the house decided to throw one more philanthropy event in the spring which benefitted the CKG Foundation in Richmond. We are happy to share that we raised $1,000 for the foundation and hope to continue working with them. In our coming newsletters, expect to read about more ways the house plans to support the surrounding Charlottesville area and raise money to help causes important to us.
Social Events
We made the best of our fall semester on suspension helping out in the Charlottesville community, but the fraternity is finally back in full force, and we’ve wasted no time getting back into the social scene. One of our most recent exploits was our annual KZoo party. With the brothers determined to show our superior party-throwing abilities compared to the other top houses, we were prepared to go all out. Armed with 500 goldfish, 2 DJs, and animal onesies we set out to throw one of our best events of the semester. With the help of the ducks’ decorating skills, the party was a success, judging by the lack of goldfish left in the aquarium the following day. And after a challenging fall semester with no social events, we were back. After spring break, we wasted no time filling up our social calendar thanks to the hard work of social chair Nelson Lamkin ’24. With plenty of mixers and late-night parties, the highlights of the semester were our Parent’s Formal and our annual outing to the Foxfield Races. These two big events capped off a triumphant first semester back off suspension. We look forward to updating you on the house’s future ventures into the Mad Bowl social scene in our upcoming newsletters.
Capital Campaign Update
On the back of the work of Thomas Awad ’23, the chapter continues to work towards the goals we set forth with the launch of our capital campaign in the fall of 2021. As we’ve set out to ensure the safety of our brotherhood, alumni, and guests of the house and restore McCormick Hall to its former glory we have found the need for a designated fraternity member to head our efforts. Out of this need, we are excited to announce the addition of the Campaign Chair as an elected position within the house. The Campaign Chair will demonstrate dedication to the Zeta chapter and will be integral to our efforts in restoring the house in the coming years.
Along with the addition of this elected position, another goal we have set forth this year is to grow our alumni board, the Bologna Society. As we strive to reconnect with our alumni to strengthen the connection between current and past brothers, the necessity of frequent communication makes the alumni board an indispensable resource. If anyone is interested in becoming a member of the Bologna Society, please do not hesitate to contact Alumni Chair, Cooper Wyatt ’25 or Bologna Society President, Michael Amrhein ’89. As we continue our mission to build a strong relationship with our alumni, we hope you can all take a moment to complete our alumni involvement survey outlining opportunities for you to become involved with the proceedings of the Zeta chapter. We’re excited to keep you up-to-date on what’s going on here on grounds. Stay tuned to our future newsletters as we begin planning for ways to connect with the chapter in the fall.
If you’d like to learn more about Kappa Sigma or make a donation to the Capital Campaign, please visit our website.
All the best,
Cooper Wyatt (’25)
Alumni Chair
pmq4zx@virginia.edu
Will Clemens (’25)
Grand Master
Michael Amrhein (’89)
President, Bologna Society
sellwithmike@gmail.com
Charles Westfall (’89)
Bologna Society
Dane Ferré (’12)
Bologna Society