2013 Beta-Rho Bulletin

BETA-RHO BULLETIN Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity

California State University, Northridge

Volume 41, Issue 1

Features

The 2013 House Corporation. John Bonilla, vice president of activities; Brinton Marsden, High Rho; Rob Press, secretary; Spencer Schmerling, president; Justyn De Leon, 2012-2013 High Alpha; Steve Shapiro, treasurer; Chris Dyer, High Pi, Scott Press, director; Rick Childs, vice president of communications, Hamid Jahangard, director.

2013 Annual Meeting:

There’s No Place Like Home After five years of Chinese food and chopsticks, the corp. board moved the Annual Meeting to a place that was virtually guaranteed to increase participation among the actives: the Lindley House. Asian food-averse alumni rejoiced too: on Dec. 3 the usual suspects and a lot of new faces trekked to Northridge for the housing corporation’s feast and detailed discussions about the chapter’s exploits and current situation with the property.

A total of 44 brothers and guests attended. Nineteen alumni, 23 undergrads, one graduate student and a cook convened for refreshments, appetizers, barbecued chicken and sides served by the actives. Since Campus Police was strictly enforcing parking in the lot across the street, alumni who pulled up to the driveway handed over their keys to a few of the actives who doubled as parking attendants. In exchange for having their dinner costs waived, every active in attendance helped out with setting up tables, serving food, cleaning up or parking cars.

Alumni from as far away as the Oregon coast and Chicago joined in the celebration.

Maury Sanders (BP 29) commuted from Florence, Oregon to take care of family business— which coincided with the Annual Meeting date. Rick Childs’ (BP 83) uncle, Ernie Norrman (AB 550), had flown in for a family Thanksgiving dinner in the Coachella Valley. Earlier that afternoon he and Brother Childs had toured Watts Towers and visited one of the most obscure tourist attractions in Los Angeles County: the Beach Boys monument in Hawthorne.

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2013

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2 Corp. Board Annual Meeting

4! Spring 2013 Chronicles 6 Spring 2013 Class Initiated with Fresno State Colony’s Newest

7 Graduates of 2013

8 Alumni News

10 Stead Leadership Seminar 11 Obituary Notices 12 Christopher Aston: Change Agent 20 Skip Sonksen: Principal 24 Alumni-Active Softball Game 26 Fall 2013 AM Ceremony 27 Campus Leaders/Big Show 13 28! Fall 2013 Chronicles 30 Pumpkin Bash 34 Fall 2013 Class 36 Editor’s Journal www.lambdachinorthridge.org

Photos by Rick Childs

ANNUAL MEETING Brother Norrman, who hadn’t attended a Lambda Chi event since the Seventies, accepted an invitation to become an affiliate so that he could vote during the corp. board elections.

Ballots were unnecessary since four candidates ran unopposed for the four open corp. board seats. Spencer Schmerling (BP 288), Rob Press (BP 495) and Hamid Jahangard (BP 479)—who filled an open seat in September—were re-elected, and John Bonilla (BP 593) joined the corp. board for the first time. During the corp. board’s impromptu meeting in the backyard after the banquet wound down, members agreed to let Brother Schmerling serve for one year while the three others took two-year terms.

Brother Schmerling asked distinguished alumni who were among the original charter members to be recognized. In order Tom Lawrence (AI 620), Howard Brightman (EΣ 528), Mark Eskander (BP 18), Robert Kacik (BP 23), Dennis Crain (BP 22) and Brother Sanders stood up.

Re-chartering members were asked to stand up next, followed by all the past High Alphas: Rob Press, Brother Crain and Chris Dyer (BP 500).

In his report, Brother Schmerling wasted no time complimenting the president and chapter adviser for the highly successful fall rush.

Night at the Lindley House. Chapter Adviser Chris Dyer (clockwise, upper right) mentioned that there were extra Pumpkin Bash t-shirts for sale as Mark Eskander looks on. Housing Corporation President Spencer Schmerling talked about the live-in situation.

Dennis Crain and Robert Kacik paused momentarily from their discussion. Rick Childs took a selfie with Maury Sanders. Brothers recited the Creed before the meeting began.

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Photos by Rick Childs

Volume 41, Issue 1 Version 2.7 Editor, reporter & designer: Rick Childs The Beta-Rho Bulletin is the official publication of Beta-Rho Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha, Inc. at California State University, Northridge. Article ideas, directory revisions, weddings, births, anniversaries, and career info should be snail mailed, e-mailed or sent via Facebook to the editor. His mailing address is 44044 Engle Way Apt. 65, Lancaster, CA; 93536-6660. Email: rc4x4profit@ verizon.net. All other correspondence should be sent to P.O. Box 280311, Northridge, CA 91328.

Made on a Mac Mini with iWork Pages ’09 v.4.1. Originally published on Sept.

3, 2014. Last revised on Dec. 3, 2014.

Editor’s phone number: (661) 948-3260

Fall 2013 Housing Corporation Board of Directors: President VP, Communications VP, Activities Secretary Treasurer Alumni Director Alumni Director Chapter Adviser High Alpha High Tau High Rho House Manager On the Web: Headquarters Chapter Website Facebook Instagram

Spencer Schmerling Rick Childs Scott Press Rick Childs Spencer Schmerling Steven Shapiro Hamid Jahangard Chris Dyer Justyn De Leon Brinton Marsden Daniel Ramos Eric Roberts

www.lambdachi.org www.lambdachinorthridge.org CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha CSUNLambdaChiAlpha

Another Annual Meeting that went by too quickly. Why not get the brothers to take a group picture in the kitchen? (Ernie Norrman is on the far right next to Howard Brightman and Mark Eskander.) Brother Brightman discusses capital fund drive ideas with Hamid Jahangard. A few Pumpkin Bash decorations were still being displayed in front of the Lindley House as Robert Kacik offered some words of encouragement to Efosa Omorogieva towards the end of the evening.

“I don’t want to steal Justyn’s and Chris’ thunder,” Brother Schmerling said, “But, wow, 22 initiates—you guys are doing great!

“When the corp. board went to the chapter and said, hey, we have this Annual Meeting at a restaurant every year, and it’s a shame that our brothers don’t see the house. I really wanted to have this at the house, but we knew that we couldn’t afford to bring in help. So, the chapter stepped up and [all] of them signed up to volunteer. I just wanted to say thank you to the chapter for serving us tonight.

You parked our cars. For cleaning up before and after. I am so thrilled to be able to do this at our house!”

He also thanked Tao Chang (BP 294) for handling the catering.

After Brother Childs recapped his work on the membership directory, mini-bulletins, newsletters, social media and dues drive, Justyn De Leon (BP 602) gave his High Alpha report.

“Overall, the chapter is having a great year,” Brother De Leon said. “It’s not just the officers that are doing work full-time, it’s everyone in the house. This spring, we won a couple of awards. The most important one to us at the time was winning Outstanding Fraternity of the Year given out by the Matador Involvement Center.”

Brother Dyer followed with a brief High Pi report.

“What I was going to say has already been said,” he told the audience. “Basically, you guys have really stepped up this semester. I was really concerned as of the end of last semester of where we were going to be as a chapter. The ELC came, and I am proud to say that the chapter went from being below average to an average chapter. It’s better than the entire conclave that’s out here.”

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

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CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

Chapter Chronicles: Spring, 2013 Philanthropies, fundraisers & fun. Clockwise from upper right: Brothers ran a carwash on the Lindley House driveway on Feb. 2. The Brotherhood Retreat convened in the Santa Ynez Mountains north of Santa Barbara on the weekend of Feb. 23. Brothers who conducted the AM Installation on Feb. 17 were, from left, Max Eberle, Luis Canton, Jacob Holmes, Justyn De Leon and Glen Probst. At the March 3 chapter meeting, membership certificates were handed out to brothers from the fall 2012 class including, from left, Myke Davis, Max Eberle, Brinton Marsden, Chris Burgos, Can Ergen, John DeVaughn, Richard Strobel, Devin De Leon, Eric Planas, Zareh Baboomian and Cody Raschella. Study session before finals on May 8. The rush table during Clubs Fair on Jan. 30. At the L.A. Marathon on March 17, runner John Leynes chomped on his medallion after finishing the race in Santa Monica.

CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

Courtesy of John Leynes Rick Childs

Rick Childs

Rick Childs

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

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Courtesy of Steven Zavala

Liane Mitchum

CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

At the top of our game. Alpha Omicron Pi dropped by for an exchange on March 1. Steven Zavala (lower right photo on the right) was part of the Model United Nations delegation in New York on March 21—and they picked up an award while they were there. The Intramural Softball Team was ready for their close-up on March 1. At the Clubs and Organizations Ceremony on May 1, the chapter was selected by the Matador Involvement Center as CSUN’s Outstanding Fraternity. The brothers who were there included, from left, William Medina, Alex Ferman, Luis Canton, Dylan Connolly, Steven Zavala, Eric Roberts and CSUN staff Assistant Director Christopher Aston.

The Class of SprinG, 2013 Phtos by Rick Childs

Dylan J. Connolly

Brian Carcerano

Class Level: Senior Major: Kinesiology-

Applied Fitness Big Brother: Mychal Davis BP 645 Age: 22 BP 646

Alex Ferman

Class Level: Senior Major: Broadcast Journalism Big Brother: Brinton Marsden

Class Level: Sophomore Major: Psychology Big Brother: John DeVaughn

Age: 22

Age: 22

BP 647 Ages were based on date of initiation.

WHEN BETA-RHO MK II’S COLONY NEEDED HELP with its first class’s initiation in February of 2002, Fresno State sent a delegation for the occasion. After the chapter received its new charter in 2004, Fresno State’s chapter fell into decline and disappeared for a few years. Now Beta-Rho was returning the favor as Fresno State had re-colonized in the fall of 2012.

On the night of May 3, the chapter initiated three of its own members along with two from the Fresno State colony. Six out of the colony’s seven current initiates carpooled from the Central Valley to Northridge with its two associate members.

Dylan Connolly, Brian Carcerano and Alex Ferman brought the initiates total for Beta-Rho up to 647 for the spring. They were joined by Eric Lopez and Chris James from Fresno State.

Other brothers who drove down from Fresno State were Daniel Menez, Victor Valdivia, Christian Ibarra, Ryan Skolls, Jacob Rayburn and Jonathan Holt.

Brother Holt said that the idea of having Beta-Rho help with their initiation resulted from a suggestion by the ELC, David Walthius (Indiana 2010) to High Alpha Justyn De Leon. Brother Holt spoke highly of Beta-Rho stepping in and combining their associate member class with Fresno State’s.

“It was perfect,” he said. “We were welcomed with a lot of hospitality, so the experience here was great. I loved meeting all the brothers over here. I learned a lot today.”

Post-Initiation and the Fresno State brothers. Brinton Marsden admires the paddle Dylan Connolly gave to him. Two associate members from Fresno State’s colony were accompanied by six brothers.

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Rush Chairman: Mychal Davis Fraternity Educator: Zach Payne Ritualist: Jacob Holmes 2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Beta-Rho’s Graduates of 2013

Jonathan A. Bonilla BA: English - Literature Age: 24

Age: 23

Andrés J. Dominguez

BS: Business Administration - BA: HIstory

Business Law BP 593 Age: 24 BP 553 Age: 31

Cory Hanh BA: Urban Studies

Douglas A. Centeno

BP 628

William F. Lloyd III BS: Political Science - Public Administration Rutgers University BP 574 Age: 26

BP 538

John Leynes

Joseph D. Solano

Steven Zavala

BS: Kinesiology

BA: Music Education

BA: Journalism

Age: 23

BP 590

Age: 23

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

BP 597 Age: 21

Grad Steven Zavala with Brinton Marsden (left) and Can Ergen.

BP 581

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Photos courtesy of John Bonilla, Douglas Centeno, Andrés Dominguez, John Leynes, Billy Lloyd, Joey Solano and Steven Zavala.

Jen May Photography

Alumni News

Courtesy of Alfonso Stogden

Sometimes weddings are simple affairs, and Adam Salgado (BP 518) offered a textbook example. Brother Salgado married his longtime significant other, Yolie Vasquez, on April 26 in the registrar recorder’s office of the L.A. County Department of Human Resources & Public Social Services.

“It was during my lunch break,” he wrote on Facebook. “I was working at the department of public social services at the time. I could not request a vacation because I was on my one-year probationary period. Add the fact that L.A. County DHR was running their county employment check on me. [It] meant that I could not miss a single day of work. We wanted the promotion. Additionally, Yolie was working on finishing her first year in a PhD in developmental psychology at UCLA. As you can imagine, our schedules were hectic.”

At the picturesque Camarillo Ranch, Alfonso Stogden (BP 477) married Janet Morales on May 11. Shortly thereafter, the couple honeymooned in Jamaica.

Yosemite is technically archeologist Paul DePascale’s (BP 198) backyard, but few of the brothers from Beta-Rho have ventured to California’s most renowned national park to visit him. However, Rick Childs (BP 83) and his family caught up with him on May 19. They spent the day visiting Glacier Point and eating pizza at the River Restaurant in El Portal on a patio along the shore of the Merced River.

After being a together for more than ten years, Cesar Ayllon (BP 453) married Kristy Nevarez on June 15 at the Vineyards in Simi Valley. Among the alumni in attendance were groomsmen Mike Press (BP 455) and Rick Trevino (BP 451). Sam Renbarger (BP 463), Hamid Jahangard (BP 479), B.J. Bingham (BP 480), Tonee Sherrill (BP 469), Anthony Pinkett (BP 484), Scott Press (BP 55), Rob Press (BP 495), Josh Lodolo (BP 459), Jason Barner (BP 490), Jessie Arciniega (BP 516) and Christopher Aston (BP 452) also attended.

“We all had an amazing time,” Brother Ayllon wrote. “Doing the ‘Cha Cha Slide’ and ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ one more time with our friends was a great way to relive our college days when we first met.”

Brother Childs and his wife Debbie caught a performance by musician Dan Ryan (BP 26) at El Paso Barbecue in Tarzana on June 29. They shared a table near the front with Dave (BP 92) and Melanie Nelson, Rob (BP 45) and Diane Harburg and Dennis (BP 22) and Kathy Crain.

On July 16 Lt. Col. Christopher “Chip” Huisman (BP 369) finished his command tour for the 315th Training Squadron at the Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas. In August he relocated to the outskirts of Dayton, Ohio where he currently serves as Deputy Commander, Air and Cyberspace Intelligence Group at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. [Note: he was promoted to the rank of colonel on April 17, 2014.]

Another brother who tied the knot this summer was Mahdiar Karamooz (BP 549). He married Michelle Rhea Chetwynd on Aug. 10.

Devin Letzer (BP 471) and his wife Jennifer welcomed their second child, Saoirse, on Dec. 16 at 12:13 p.m. She weighed in at 7 lb., 11 oz.

One of the alumni has wedding bells on his mind in the not-toodistant future. On the beach by the Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego, Michael Paris proposed to Samantha Simons on Dec. 21.

Courtesy of Cesar Ayllon Megan Childs

Three weddings and a Yosemite vista. Adam and Yolie Salgado had one of their post-wedding photos snapped on Nov. 19 in Chinatown where they first dated.

Alfonso and Janet Stogden wedding entourage took a leap after their ceremony. Cesar and Kristy Ayllon’s groomsmen were, from left, Alex Marrujo, Rick Trevino and Mike Press. NPS archeologist Paul DePascale paused momentarily for a photo opp with Rick Childs looking out from Yosemite National Park’s Glacier Point toward Halfdome.

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Courtesy of Diane Bercea Harburg

Courtesy of Stacy Allsbrook Huisman

Courtesy of Mahdiar Karamooz (2) Courtesy of Jennifer Letzer

Courtesy of Michael Paris

Life’s rich pageant. Mahdiar Karamooz married Michelle Rhea Chetwynd on Aug. 10 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Simi Valley. A reception followed at the North Ranch Community Center in Westlake Village. Alumni from Beta-Rho in attendance (inset picture) were his brother Kamran (BP 610), Tim Gibson (BP 509), Drew Singer (BP 545) and Jessie Arciniega (BP 516). The couple honeymooned for three days in the Sequoias and two in San Francisco. Col. Chip Huisman took part in a closing ceremony on July 17 marking the end of his tour of command at Goodfellow Air Force Base near San Angelo, Texas. Dan Ryan (second from left) posed with Rob Harburg, Dave Nelson, Dennis Crain and Rick Childs after he and members of his family performed at El Paso Barbecue in Tarzana on June 29. Michael Paris presented an engagement ring to his fiancée, Samantha Simons, on the beach near San Diego’s Hotel Del Coronado on Dec. 21. Devin Letzer and his son Ruairi are joined by his daughter Saoirse on Dec. 17.

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Among the dozens of chapters represented at the 2013 Stead Leadership Seminar on July 25-28, Beta-Rho sent two representatives to the University of Memphis, Tenn. Wesley Lamphere (BP 611) and Adrian Morales Jr. (BP 642) were among the hundreds in attendance.

At the time, Brother Lamphere served as the chapter’s High Iota.

Beta-Rho received an award for its chapter website along with UCLA (Epsilon-Sigma) and Wabash (Alpha-Kappa). The chapter also earned an honorable mention for Alumni Publications. This award recognized the chapter’s newsletters from May 1, 2012 through April 30, 2013.

At the Aug. 14 corp. board meeting, Brother Lamphere said, “I was surprised because I didn’t think we were going to win anything. I thought we were going to win it for the newsletter because that’s what we’re known for.”

Both of them attended several of the seminar workshops. The alumni involvement session piqued Brother Lamphere’s interest, and he wanted to share what he learned with the chapter’s High Rho. “I gave Daniel Ramos a couple of ideas that I think might be helpful,” he said, “[Like] having a logbook for alumni [to sign] who come over to [visit the Lindley] house.”

Some of the sessions Brother Reyes attended concerned chapter finances, ritual and recruitment.

CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

Chapter Wins 2 Awards at Stead Leadership Seminar

An unexpected award. Adrian Morales (left) and Wesley Lamphere display the website award they received at the University of Memphis in Tennessee during an afternoon of Olympics-style games with the various conclaves near the “Memphis tigers”.

Attending the banquets with brothers gave Brother Lamphere a lot of opportunities to meet members from other chapters. “Getting the chance to eat dinner with hundreds of other Lambda Chis…,” he noted, “I had a conversation with the guys from ASU (Arizona State University), and they were explaining their whole Kappa program to us. They have events for each of the seven Core Values.”

Brother Reyes particularly enjoyed spending time with the guys from Fresno State. “We were talking about how we wanted to do more stuff [with them] like brotherhood events. They contacted me after that [Spring 2013] initiation to see if we could initiate their brothers again.”

Each Beta-Rho rep. visited with members of the Grand High Zeta.

According to Brother Reyes, “the only member of the Grand High Zeta I met was the Beta [Kenneth Greenman, USC 1965]. Brother Lamphere also talked briefly with the Grand High Alpha [Drew Hunter, Denver 1980].

When they received the plaque for the website award, it was after an Olympics-style series of recreational events. According to Brother Lamphere, “Each conclave competed against each other. There were a whole bunch of different basic games like popping toilet paper through hula-hoops. Just random, fun carnival games. Whoever had the most points at the end of them – they won an award.” Brother Reyes added that each conclave group wore team t-shirts, and the Pacific Southwest Conclave competitors were given orange ones.

Since the university was too far for participants who flew in to visit the city’s most famous tourist attraction—Beale Street—the attendees mostly stayed close to the dorms after hours. However, Brother Reyes took off on foot one afternoon and walked almost three miles around the neighborhoods, but he didn’t make it to Beale Street.

Other attractions beckoned. “We rode the Memphis Tigers,” Brother Lamphere observed. “There’s a hundred tiger statues spread out on campus. After we were done with everything, [we went out with] a group of about 15 brothers and took pictures on some tigers.”

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Passings Steven Eric (Steve) Hartwig (BP 168) passed away on Oct. 9, according to his close friend and fellow brother Paul Bowen (BP 144).

He was 56. The cause of death was undisclosed, although he had been in declining health in recent years.

Brother Bowen had been taking care of Brother Hartwig in Tuscon, Ariz. between Aug. 12 and Oct. 1.

No obituary was published.

Brother Hartwig joined Lambda Chi Alpha in the fall of 1979 and was initiated on Dec. 2 that year. After transferring from CSUN, he graduated in 1981 from the University of Arizona and did postgraduate work at Cornell University.

Although he had been out of contact for decades with the chapter, he phoned Rick Childs (BP 83) in 2009.

Brother Hartwig responded to a letter sent by Brother Childs in November of 2008 in an attempt to reconnect him to the chapter.

Oct. 4, 1957

During that conversation Brother Hartwig mentioned that he had been placed on permanent disability after injuries sustained during a dog attack. Despite Brother Hartwig’s hardships, his penitent tone and deeply felt spirituality left a lasting impression on Brother Childs.

Brother Hartwig patched up his (minor) suspension issue with the housing corporation a few months later, and his contact information was restored in the directory beginning with the 2010 edition.

On or about Oct. 26 Brother Bowen posted a photo of Brother Hartwig on his Facebook page (pictured) along with a short statement: “This is my friend Steve Hartwig in 1991. This is how I remember him. I can never accept the way he declined in physical health.

As a Christian he knows the final Peace from this life, and enters the Lord’s Service in the Next. If anyone’s soul was ready for Oct. 9, 2013 the change, it was Steve.”

Steve Hartwig

Harvey Kent Malkin (BP 319) passed away on Sept. 16 in Savannah, Ga. of undisclosed causes. He was 45 and a CSUN graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business.

Survivors include his parents Stewart and Marlene Malkin of Sherman Oaks, and sisters Julie Fluegel and Leah Williams.

An obituary notice was published in the Los Angeles Times at this link - also in the print edition on Sept. 24. Howard Sapper (BP 257) found the article.

Brother Malkin became part of what has been historically the largest class of initiates to date. He and 28 other brothers were initiated on Dec. 5, 1987.

Professionally, Brother Malkin worked as a production accountant. According to the Times article, among his movie credits were Dodgeball, Shallow Hal, Never Been Kissed, Leaving Las Vegas and Me, Myself and Irene.

The picture of Brother Malkin originated during the chapter’s composite photo session circa 1988 when he was 20.

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

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Harvey Malkin Nov. 24, 1967 – Sept. 16, 2013 11

Change Agent Christopher Aston is one of BetaRho’s two CSUN staff members who work for Student Affairs.

Many of the chapter’s actives work for him each spring and summer.

If you ever wondered how Lambda Chi Alpha keeps producing (and attracting) student leaders, here’s a big reason why.

Interview by Rick Childs A few things stand out in conversation with Christopher Aston (BP 452). One is his ridiculously full slate of job responsibilities.

Another is his passion for whatever he’s talking about. (He has a lot of tough love observations about the chapter he dearly loves.) And then there is his penchant for affecting change and that droll sense of humor.

What piqued my interest about sitting down with Brother Aston for an interview started out as casual phone chats concerning some of the chapter’s recent academic challenges and other pet peeves. He first drew my attention during the White Rose Formal in 2002 when he was about to graduate. During the lineup for a group photo of the brothers and their dates, Brother Aston nonchalantly pulled off an athletic move that I could never manage during any of my high school and college years while practicing and performing ballet or modern dance: a split. To demonstrate that move in business attire is one of his many unique abilities.

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Photos by Rick Childs

Over the years Brother Aston has become a fixture at many of the initiations. But he’s not sitting idly watching it; he is actively involved behind the scenes helping to keep the associate members comfortable.

As one of the Beta-Rho colony’s founding fathers for its second act, his initiation in January of 2002 coincided with the same semester that he earned his bachelor’s degree in communication studies. He didn’t stray far, however, because he spent the next two years at CSUN working past graduation on his MA degree in communication studies.

After post-graduation in 2004, he took a similar career trajectory to the one this correspondent had pursued: a job on the CSUN campus in Student Affairs – one that had nothing to do with dancing.

Brother Aston’s office in the University Student Union’s Student Involvement and Development area is set close to the lobby, and it’s not unusual for him to work well after 5 o’clock (and occasionally past midnight). He is second in command among his office staff. (His boss is longtime Director Tom Piernik.) When he’s not in his office, Brother Aston could be involved in any number of things. During the spring semester he oversees the university’s six commencement ceremonies’ preparations and supervises staff and volunteers at each of the events. If it’s summer, he is tasked with heading the New Student Orientation leader operations. Many students seek him for advisement, and he mentors brothers in the chapter individually and makes occasional appearances at chapter meetings to lecture on topics like harm reduction and anti-hazing. On top of all that, he works part-time on the faculty teaching communication courses.

Hardly a minute into our meeting on March 13 had passed when Brother Aston corrected my grammar. “Who’s we? You and I!” This wasn’t an isolated case. He pays close attention to language in conversation.

“I have quite a bit to say about it and, unfortunately, it would all be scattered. Where do we even begin? How can I start zoning in on specific challenges that I see plaguing not only fraternity men in general, but our fraternity [chapter], Beta-Rho? There are so many challenges that are hitting… Greeks on campuses. Something’s missing —they’re becoming more popular, but they’re not accomplishing, from my perspective, what they were set out to do.”

The stakes were even higher when Lambda Chi started out here at what was then San Fernando Valley State College. Dave Trimble is the

guy who was essentially the founder of our chapter. But the Greek system was so unpopular here at Northridge in 1968. The Vietnam War was at its zenith. The culture just wasn’t that accepting of fraternity and sorority life in America in the late Sixties. Here in Southern California, we had several Lambda Chi chapters come and go already in our state college system. I didn’t know until a few months ago that there were Lambda Chi chapters at places like San Jose State. But Northridge was this little engine that could that, despite all its problems, managed to survive and grow in this somewhat hostile environment. It’s a little bit different now culturally. Right now, the chapter has this luxury of this wonderful home that has been a project of the housing corporation president: Spencer [Schmerling]. I’m just curious to see if the chapter can get to that next level of proficiency.

You were involved right from the get-go when the chapter was recolonized back in 2001. What was that like? Weren’t you in that first class in 2002 where we went to Buca di Beppo [in Encino] after initiation?

The chapter was on fire back then, and I’ve never felt that same sort of energy since that time.

“I think I felt that same energy when we hit our 2004 Charter Banquet, but it was shortlived. I think it was still permeating the chapter based on the… original ‘refinding fathers’ energy.

“I was definitely part of that group, and came in as the High Beta. I was pleased with the way the fraternity felt, but we had a lot of interesting variables that I know that At Beta-Rho’s first White Rose Formal of the 21st Century. When the brothers lined up for a group picture at Dakota’s in Simi Valley on May 17, 2002, Christopher Aston owned the front row with his impromptu split. Other initiates standing in the back row from the left were Tonee Sherrill, future fellow CSUN staff member Kevin Mojaradi (BP 462), Colton Stenke, Christopher Farrar (BP 458), Devin Letzer (BP 471), Sean Sievik (BP 464), George A l aye v ( B P 4 6 8 ) , D u s t i n Mirochnik (BP 461) and Randy Mendez (BP 460). Brother Aston (shown above) in an unguarded moment during the Housing Corporation’s Annual Meeting on Dec. 7, 2004 at CSUN’s University Club near Monterey Hall.

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

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Christopher Aston

Photos by Rick Childs

the current population of students coming in don’t have to face. New members that come in now, it is still new and exciting, but the apathy that hits a general student who stays for a second semester or even third, fourth, fifth year on campus: there’s an apathy that kind of all of a sudden sets in. We see it all over the campus. Getting involved in clubs and organizations should uplift them, and I think that did it doubly for us as new members back in 2001. We came in energetic; it was a fairly young group of students. We stayed excited because we couldn’t judge ourselves off of anything else.

So it was constantly a discovery – a game – it was different, frankly. It was awesome. So that’s what I can attribute a little of this to.”

When Brother Aston stalled for time to address my questions, I wondered aloud about the chapter’s academic problems. At a chapter meeting that I had attended two Sundays earlier, there had been a discussion about GPAs. The High Sigma, Can Ergen, (BP 632) asked, “How many in the room are Chapter visitation. Christopher Aston dropped by to discuss harm reduction during the chapter meeting on Nov. on academic probation.” Almost half of the 17 in Sierra South 184. Seated from left are Ozzy Robledo, Alex Espinoza, Paul Gritsch and Devin De Leon. brothers raised their hands, including some of the High Zeta members sitting at the table in front of the group. In brothers graduating than the academics issue. my George Takei voice in my head, I was thinking, “Oh myyy.”

What if you had a few minutes in front of the chapter meeting, and Then Brother Aston chimed in, “I’ll say as an attachment under you probably couldn’t talk to them again for ten years? What would that: being on probation is different for the fraternity than it is for the be the three or five life lessons that the chapter should be focusing on university.” right now to make itself better?

But we have a canary in a coal mine mentality about academics.

“A lot of my message to any student would be similar: some things “You’re right.” are applicable to an interested fraternity member or a current fraternity We are trying to get our brothers’ acts together before the university member—a learner—someone who is learning, questing and thirsting clamps its iron fist down and says, “You’re not cutting it here for some kind of structure to establish education on a specific subject academically.” We have our standards, and they are a few tenths of a to unify them in some way to become a community of thinkers. I point higher than the university’s [all men’s average]. General would be telling any student and most sincerely my own fraternity Headquarters has been ratcheting up this academic proficiency: the brothers that you must remember to seep into the context of why you minimum acceptable academic standard. It’s going to rise a bit more are here and what you’re doing. in the coming semesters. The chapter did really well in the spring, and “I’ll focus on that one word: context. Looking at the past, where then this fall it fell on its face. This academic probation business is did you come from? Start to become aware of who you are because it going to clobber us eventually. And yet they were more worried about will help inform your decisions and why you make decisions. That’s one piece of advice. You can also use the who, what, when, where, why and how under each of these umbrellas. If you are looking at context and you’re looking at the past, ask yourself how, what, who when, where, why. If you are looking at the present, what are you currently doing? What is your current method? Most obviously your students today: you have made a similar decision as a person who is not anywhere close to your path of thinking, or a brother of yours.

Everybody is doing the same thing. So become aware of that. What’s the context? You’re in a university. Your university has rules and policies, procedures and things that make it tick. You must know who you were in the past so that it can inform how you go about things.

And if you don’t like what you see, then you have to change it. And if you do like what you see and you’re fine, then great. Keep going at it.

You might have to adapt and adopt new things. The last thing is the future. You need to establish some goals in your life and you need to Finals session. Luis Canton (left) listens to Yesai Fstkchyan as he unpacks his bag for want, also, the goals of your institution, or your country, or your a finals study session on May 8 before the corp. board’s meeting got underway. Behind them are Paul Gritsch, John Leynes and John DeVaughn (behind Brother Leynes). family. You have something [even if] it’s just to exist, well, that’s a goal 14

2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Courtesy of Christopher Aston

too, to take the next breath. But ask yourself: what are those goals? to learn how to learn. They want to invest in you more than you had And they hopefully are in alignment with the area or the group that when you started. They want to give you stuff to take away. It’s easy to you’re involved with. If there’s not a synergy there, you must leave, or say, ‘What’s a university’s purpose?’ Well, to get you a degree. But it’s you should consider getting with what happens within that time the program.... frame: the experience that you get.

“Looking at it in a fraternal It’s all about experience. That’s the sort of way is looking at our past. secondary thing. Because taxpayer Okay, the fraternity: it is a device, dollars [speaking as a parent]: ‘I it is a system within a system. It don’t wanna hear that my son is exists to help facilitate an additional going to the university just to get an experience to enhance your time experience! I wanna make sure that here. Fraternities and sororities are he’s getting a degree.’ Fine! But playing nice with the rules. They what happens in life: it’s all about have their own rules, but they have the destination as part of the similar rules of the overall structure bargain; [however, it’s] the trip that [of] 1: our country; 2: our faith; 3: really is the enriching part. It’s the our institution—our university. memories that you hold onto.”

Those are three areas that I would That’s what I hold onto much say, if they’re not in alignment—if more than the degree…. Most of you don’t have an interest in that was the fraternity opening learning, then Lambda Chi might doors for me, so I was a sponge. I not even be the right space for you. was trying to learn these other skill If you don’t have an interest in sets: the becoming more sociable, your own country, in stewardship taking on some leadership and service—and sacrifice—then responsibilities: learning how to those are things that are built on It’s all about context. Christopher Aston jokes around with fellow brothers fundraise, learning how to write the premise of this country and the Eric Roberts (left) and John Bonilla during Commencement Week. grants [and recording some of the state of California. And those are chapter’s history]. I think that most things that are hopefully being enthused upon you in this education people who are attending a college like this should be branching out that you’re going to receive. and taking advantage of all those little side trips that are only dangling “Again, the future. That’s something you’re going to create within in front of you for a very short time. It’s like a series of doors that yourself, but you must have a goal, and if your goal is to succeed, is open and shut, and if you don’t get there and get through that door this fraternity going to help you get there? And if so, then that comes really quickly, it’s gone. You have to move on—and you may not even into a how question. How do you want to see it secure your future, or recognize that door again. I think to some extent the chapter is getting help you? some of the doors, but it’s missing a lot of them right now too.

“Those are usually how we base our recruitment efforts. This “Well, sure, they’re different doors that they’re getting. They’re fraternity is great for you because XYZ. It hasn’t happened yet, but learning one thing: it’s how to juggle a lot of different time wasters. you will get all this stuff. You will be part of this awesomeness. Well, This is an age that is incredibly quick at processing, yet incredibly tell me, what is that awesomeness? And more importantly, tell me ignorant on other things. With the introduction of social media, it how it relates to you? So, let’s use something simple: it’s a great just became something where they really didn’t have to be in front of networking opportunity. How do you feel you want to be networking? each other to get fraternity experience anymore. What happened? I For what overall goal? You want to network because it will help you only see all of you all together once—and that’s almost—at initiation. get jobs. It will help you connect with people who will be making That’s frightening.” money or you will be making money. It’s just a good time. It makes …Time moves really quickly, and if I don’t at least get into that you feel good and sociable, and like minds think like ways. We’ll have room and spend at least a certain amount of time each semester… a better time enjoying your experiences with people who are similar then I don’t feel quite that connected [with the actives]. I also feel to you…. In the fraternity you must find something that will unify all more connected by going to a chapter meeting once in a while. It’s a of you or see what it’s established for you that is its own primary goals really good way to get a pulse on what’s going on. I get to see what’s —so that you could see yourself saying, ‘Okay, this fraternity is built working and what’s not. on wanting to network with people. If that’s its primary goal, and The one thing that the alumni I talk to want to go to the most is that’s what they’re pushing out at me, okay, we are like-minded.’ But initiation. They all miss that. that’s not even what it’s for. It’s not [just] about networking. If it’s for “The current chapter does a very poor job in letting us know about something different, and it’s for something beautiful, and something it. I find out about it usually three days prior.” that you would be able to buy into, well then great. Keep going with I have pestered them about this. it. Let those be your goals.

“And I’ve been to every one of them, just so you know—well, excuse “I’ll use a different example and move away from the fraternity for me, 92 percent of them.” a second. One of the bigger goals for a university is to get a degree, You’ve been to way more initiations than I have [in this century].... right? No university would say we don’t want you to graduate. But if The chapter does a pretty decent job with initiations. They do waste you look at their mission statements, and if you look at their diversity some time on them, but generally they fall together pretty well. statements, and if you look at their values, a lot of them just want you “Yeah. As I mentioned, I have been to [nearly all of them in the to become educated, want you to learn critical perspective, want you last ten years]. There were some issues of—not hazing—but that gray BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

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Christopher Aston line of types of things that we don’t love… I had to really administer it [to fine tune aspects of our exoteric mysteries to align it better with how Headquarters would want our chapter to perform it].”

It’s not a big problem for them right now.

“Not anymore. It fell away probably about three years ago. I’ll take some credit for it inasmuch as saying that I really worked with the fraternity chapter at that time and they were able to [take my advice and implement changes to its ritual activities].”

You are usually working hard in the background.

“Thank you. I’m pulling strings in this area. I am where the rubber hits the road for students, [but] I am very focused—mono-focused—on academics. That’s just my job and my function.”

Could you tell us what your role is here in Student Development?

And how has the office’s role on campus evolved in the past few decades since I worked for the Associated Students? When I was in A.S., your office was known as Campus Activities in the ‘70s and Campus Activities and Residential Life, or CARL, in the ‘80s.

“I’ll go ahead and pick up where you suggested. Around the 1980s and ‘90s it became Student Development, and then they merged it with the International Programs Office. It was supposed to be a little bitty merger, and it became SDIP. Tom Piernik oversaw the office merger. He also oversaw the Campus Activities world back in the day.

Working towards that merger, we never saw the boom coming of international interest. We are very impressed that so many international [students], both us going and people coming into, this campus. It grew and it kept growing. So now we are currently standing at, as of November last year, …three centers with one overseeing office.

The central office, which oversaw the programs—and this is the one I’m manager of—New Student Programming and Transitions, kind of the bookends of a university experience. The orientation all the way through the commencement. And within those two very different types of programming, there are lots of activities and sub-programs and leadership programs that help facilitate those and get them done on a student level. So, again, Student Development is a central office.

Then we have the International Exchange Student Center which was the IP portion of that, and the IESC—the International Exchange Student Center found themselves in another campus location across the way. Bigger than their britches, just huge with their version of what I am for this center. They have an assistant director for that

Photos courtesy of Christopher Aston

office too. Finally, we move to the Matador Involvement Center, which is also overseen by another manager. She is the assistant director for MIC, and they oversee Greek relations—fraternities/ sororities, leadership opportunities, clubs and organizations as well as volunteer opportunities, and something called Time, Place & Manner. “[For Time, Place & Manner] we are the book where people are able to set up shop, ticket, advocate, pass out flyers. We are the ones because we oversee Clubs and Orgs. It makes sense for us to maintain the scheduling book of spaces and places for people to have these experiences. Although we’re a public institution, we would like to keep order and be able to articulate policy the way the university would like us to. We are that hub, so to speak.

“So, again, those three centers. The International Center, the Matador Involvement Center—which is Clubs and Orgs, Greek Life, etc.—and then finally the Student Central Office or the Central Office which is the bookend: ceremonies and transitions, orientation and commencement. I, again, oversee the Central Office aspects. I have five professional staff that work for me: four professionals plus the director that oversees the three offices. He happens to be anchored in this office as well. I also oversee seven para-professional staff or student assistants, two grad assistants, and then finally 150 volunteers at any given time for our orientation programming and

2013 NSO Leaders with some chapter reps. Christopher Aston posed with Corey Davis near his USU office. Standing behind them, from left, are Eric Roberts, Daniel Chukhman, Daniel Ramos, Jorge Reyes, Justyn De Leon and Zach Payne. Brother Aston, along with NSO leader Brittany Tanner, riff on Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic’ painting (top).

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commencement programming.”

When I was in the Associated Students, I was always looking over my shoulder and going, ‘what are they doing over there in the Student Activities Office?’

“Student housing and residential living—all those things [formerly CARL]—they’re in their own office now. It’s probably better suited to have those administrative offices and staff offices over in the dormitory area. Unfortunately, there’s a silo mentality people feel because they’re so far [away]; we don’t really do a lot of bridge building. But actually, there’s a lot of collaboration and a great working relationship that all Student Affairs divisional offices do.”

How did you get into a job like this?

“Nobody goes into college thinking, ‘I want to be a Student Affairs professional.’ There’s really no formal education for it.

“Going back to Student Affairs: where did I get my start? I got my start through working as a student assistant/student volunteer, kind of like an orientation leader back in the community college days when I started at COC [College of the Canyons]. I was involved in their Associated Students, their student government. That student leadership is couched in a Student Affairs-like realm at any institution you go to. Student Affairs fell upon me just by circumstance. I found that I could stay involved in being involved. Being involved was always a passion for me; it became easy, so I worked with my strengths there.

How can I continue to do what I’m doing and stay not as a college student for the rest of my life? I paid homage to the very meaningful experience I found in transitioning. Finding myself bopping in and out of universities, even as a transfer student, and trying to find a home, was necessary for me. I think latching onto clubs and organizations, there’s a lot of studies that show that being able to find [one] …makes your overall university experience better, and therefore you do better in courses. That’s why Student Affairs exists because they help with retention. They help get students to the next level and all of the extras—the ‘co’ in the curricular. The stuff that is not just

important, even more important: their life skills.

“So, I was a student volunteer for a year. The next year I became a student assistant. I stayed with it. I hadn’t quite known what I wanted to do, so I stayed a while longer, I got the degree and went to grad school and picked up a TA-ship in psych; let’s start flexing our muscles in the classroom. But the common denominator was student transition. I really had passion for teaching and learning at the same time. A cyclical give forth information receive information. I found that I could help make meaningful transactions occur often, and my influence in the orientation program is really just playing out all the values I found when I was a student.… Having the time to have that space to learn and discover one’s own person. I found myself at a university. Gosh, it took me a while, but I did. So my hope is that my role here will help students know that they need to take the blinders off, perhaps. Firm up your context of what you’re doing, where you came from, what you’re doing right now, how you’re gonna get there, and what goals you have for yourself.”

It’s a hybrid of like being a guidance counselor.

“You know, in some ways I am in charge of transitioning in and out. Sometimes transitioning is very difficult for people. They don’t do it gracefully. Or, if they’re doing it very successfully, that’s awesome.

Let’s spread that. Let’s make that infectious. What we find is that’s not always the case. Somebody needs to get a person there. Someone to orient you. Someone who also allows you to see the next step and magically launch you into the next, which is commencement.

“I stayed teaching. I teach a University 100 course, and sometimes I’ll teach communication studies depending on the semester—because it goes along with my job. It makes sense.”

Tell me a little about this award you received in November [the Don Dorsey Excellence in Mentoring Award]. What do they look for in that particular award? [This was also featured on page 14 of the Fall 2012 Beta-Rho Bulletin.]

“The Don Dorsey Mentorship Award. He was a vice president, and he was an excellent mentor. I don’t think anyone wants to self-proclaim themselves as a mentor. So it was a very beautiful, unexpected surprise.

There are very few who are selected and they are nominated by students.

[He pulls the proclamation out from a file cabinet and reads it to me.]

People were saying that my recipe for grooming students for success for them in a mentor-like way was working and effective for them.”

Later during the interview, he brought out some commentaries originating from letters by students and fraternity brothers.

TAKE XXV. Part of the New Student Orientation experience, the all-volunteer TAKE cast members periodically perform theatrical pieces about various aspects of college life.

Members of TAKE XXV in 2013 from Beta-Rho shown in the shadowbox are Daniel Ramos and Zach Payne, Onstage at right, Cody Raschella is among the ensemble.

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

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Christopher Aston “Sometimes you get two people who didn’t know they were nominating each other, or nominating the same person….

Approximately 200 people voted for me this year. They organized themselves and all wrote a piece on why they felt I would be a good recipient of the award. I get so much love from my fraternity brothers.

They don’t talk much about the fraternity [in the letter], but I see that they interlace it with fraternity-like terms. It’s quite lovely. I’m very lucky to receive these.”

His discussion reminded me of the Associated Students Honorary Life membership card that I had received in the mail a few weeks earlier, and I talked a bit about all the photography I had done while I was their publicity specialist in the ‘80s and early ‘90s.

“Something you had said, how you were able to capture little pieces of evidence to show that, hey, I was here, and it was a considerable amount of your life. I’ve been here since 2000, 13 going on 14. It’s been a considerable amount of my life. I was here for four years only as a student—two years as a transfer student when I came in. So I’ve been here longer in a professional capacity than as a student. I love the experience. It’s very enriching and very powerful.”

After discussing how I became involved in A.S. as a yearbook editor, the conversation segued into his work with student orientation.

“I serve in so many ways as a tether to a lot of students who have been involved in the orientation program, and perhaps you can say this with your Associated Students relationship. Or we can both say that about our Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity relationship because we are still so involved. Me, as far as the leader of this orientation world…

I can never explain to you how profound it might be. I’d even say that they are similar to that of a fraternity as an enriching experience, except everyone’s very much on it. There’s a very big purpose for orientation: it’s in and out and you’re done. The year that you are in it, it’s like a magical summer. You go on a romping wilderness trip and you bond with [each other].”

Has there been an increase in the number of Lambda Chis involved in orientation in the last few years? Are they putting more emphasis on that again? Brother Aston indicated that interest level within the chapter in student government and positions in his office has swung like a pendulum, but currently a considerable number of actives have been holding jobs, elected posts and volunteer assignments in A.S. and his office.

“With the integration of new fraternities and sororities on campus, you’re going to see less and less just by the virtue of how many positions are available. But at the same time, our fraternity specifically has had key people at the top of the administration. So Kevin [Mojoradi, BP 462] over yonder in Associated Students and my overseeing orientation program—[there’s] no better way to solicit the fraternity to new freshmen. If you want to make an initial stand, why not do it as a leader who knows [stuff] about this place? Who can tell you, ‘hey, by the way, there are two visions here: one is your fraternity, a vision that is mine and I want it to be yours too.

“They could go hand in hand with the other vision which should be you getting a degree and having a great experience at this institution. I’ve always wanted to see Greek letter organizations [as opposed to the Animal House stereotype, they should be associated with] knowledge. You would think beautiful, traditional co-curricular involvement that aligned itself with a university. Why shouldn’t it be?

Now, there’s that social element. That part is where the experience kicks in. It doesn’t have to be you getting bombed or overly indulging in hookah with a frickin’ iPod Mini in your hands for hours on end.

It shouldn’t be about that. It should be about ‘let’s have big

Commencement staff inner circle. Among Brother Aston’s key assistants during the 2013 Commencement were Eric Roberts, Brittany Tanner and John Bonilla.

discussions. Not about Chaucer and Aristotle, but about stuff you you’re gonna get done and plan to accomplish.’ We could intersect fraternity and academics. That’s always been my merger. Anyway, I serve as that tether to people who came to orientation.”

Can you explain a little about what TAKE is all about? It wasn’t around when I was an undergrad.

“Its 25th year is this year. Its casts have brought a certain something to an orientation experience. It’s like a fraternity within this organization.”

What does TAKE stand for?

“It’s not an acronym. It started off with being an orientation element to promote awareness of changes that a student is gonna see. It started off as ‘Changes’. [He sings] Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, that David Bowie song. Tom Piernik is the one who spearheaded it. He had come back from some orientation-centered conference where he saw some groups of students teach them through acting. Very communication studies-oriented, if you will, and he’s also got his degrees in communication studies. So he wanted to center it around Changes….

People really understanding alcohol awareness issues: how this can impact a student. And it was only a 30-minute series of skits. This really took off. Second year they called it TAKE 2: People Are People.

So, what it was centered around was a clapboard: Action! They also spun a dramatic feeling to its ‘take two minutes. Think about what you are doing. Think about where you are going.’ Those types of things.

Slowly they stopped centering it around songs and they started to center it around TAKE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... So it lost its TAKE 2 minutes kind of understanding and became, ‘Freeze, action!’ Those kinds of things —where there’s a stage performance where ten to 12 university students would understand their own transition to the university, and be able to articulate how the university’s resources and services can really help you with your issues transitioning in. They take their experiences: so it could be their own stories on their issues with drunk driving and they are going to share it now with all the freshmen, but with the intention of highlighting specific ways that they could go to get help and resources on campus should they face a similar situation. We’re having a 25th year reunion and bringing everybody back who’s ever been a TAKE cast member.”

Who have been Lambda Chis that stand out in this program?

“In TAKE or orientation I would say John Bonilla (BP 593) comes to mind because he was a [NSO] coordinator with me just recently. He was able to understand the overall picture and see why fraternities 18

2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The calm before the Commencement. For this picture taken on May 22 on Christopher Aston’s Facebook commentaries, he wrote: “Yet another typical day doing the most amazing stuff in the world. Bonus points if you can spot me in this picture!” Below: Brother Aston with Qundeel Kh on May 21.

Courtesy of Qundeel Kh; all others courtesy of Christopher Aston

and institutions really melt together. Tony Sherrill (BP 469), Cesar Ayllon (BP 453), Beau Fournier (BP 486), Anthony Pinkett (BP 484), Ronald Reyes (BP 510), Yesai Fstkchyan (BP 598): those are some from back in the day that are all TAKE cast members.

[Brother Fstkchyan was a more recent member.] Hundreds and hundreds of people apply for this. Ten get it a year… and I’m the one who selects them. This year Cody [Raschella, BP 637], he’s a new [TAKE] member, [and he] just got initiated in the fall.”

Although we didn’t get into an extended discussion about his work as the chief commencement supervisor, you could tell from the pictures on his computer and around the office that it takes up a huge amount of his time, and he’s immensely proud of his work.

After perusing the Fall 2012 chapter newsletter, Brother Aston returned to BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

19

the topic of academics and made a point of mentioning one particular fraternity on campus that consistently excels in this area as well as good chapter communications.

“The other huge fraternity that does [newsletters like ours] is the ΣAEs [Sigma Alpha Epsilon]. I’ve grown quite fond of them because they’re actually talking the talk and walking the walk.

They are consistently first in grades next to the Sig-Eps. They are ones that I want our fraternity to [emulate insofar as scholastics is concerned]. If I could ever mention it clearly, if they want to know a group of men who also can get good grades and still maintain a very high status of popularity on campus, it can be done. And it’s being enacted often through ΣAE to which I am very good friends with.”

It’s time to catch up, academics-wise, with the guys with that other lion.

A Principal’s Story Forty-one years ago, Skip Sonksen, one of Beta-Rho’s original charter members, played piano for the guests before the first banquet.

A Lambda Chi legacy, he is a recent retiree of a school district in Tulare County. He still keeps up with his piano playing and enjoys life in the Sierra foothills.

Interview by Rick Childs It’s not that easy finding Paul “Skip” (BP 13) and Cheryl Sonksen’s place on the outskirts of Springville—about an hour’s drive north of the Highway 99/65 split in Bakersfield—but it’s well worth the trip.

And highway resurfacing on the 190 just outside of Porterville added about a half hour to the last eight miles. Their five-acre spread isn’t far from Lake Success, a reservoir that was already showing signs of the drought that had settled into the state. But he does still fish there.

When Debbie and I picked up our daughter Megan shortly after she had finished her first of two senior years at UC Merced, the three of us dropped by for a visit to the Sonksen home on May 21. Once we brought in our overnight bags, Brother Sonksen took my daughter and me on a ten-cent tour around downtown Springville, a span of about two blocks just past the rodeo grounds. We drove along the north fork of the Tule River until we crossed a bridge and checked out some nice neighborhoods on the north and east sides of town.

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Photos (except the ones above) by Rick Childs

The original piano man. Skip Sonksen entertained guests as they entered one of the downstairs ballrooms at the Sheraton-Universal Hotel on Sept. 2, 1972 for Beta-Rho’s original Charter Installation Banquet. Skip’s parents, Paul Sr. and Loretta Sonksen, were among the couples on the dance floor that evening. Skip mentioned later that his parents met at a UCLA Lambda Chi party. Among the revelers at the banquet were Bill Greene, Tom Lawrence, Henry Lederman, Dave Trimble, Jan Van Muyden, Brother Sonksen and Mike Ehrlich. The north fork of the Tule River (below) flows about a mile or two north of the Sonksen home in Springville.

After a leisurely dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with a salad that Cheryl had prepared for us, Skip and I settled into the living room on the couch next to his piano. His memories of the time he spent with the chapter were sketchy, but I was able to sift through some of his recollections of those years in stops and starts.

You were initiated with four other guys in December of 1969, right?

“Trying to have a memory of any of that stuff is a challenge. I remember it was at UCLA. We didn’t have a chapter house at that point.”

You were with Carl Ashton (BP 12) up to Bill Greene (BP 16).

“Yeah, that sounds right.”

Did any of the guys back in the late 1960s have big brothers?

“Officially, Joe Coyne (BP 6) was my big brother. I feel close to Joe, but Joe was [the late] Jim Wirosko’s (BP 27) big brother too. My impression is that they had a stronger big brother-little brother relationship.”

The chapter takes big brother-little brother relationships very seriously. It’s a big deal after any initiation.

When you were involved, it must’ve been interesting for your dad.

He’s a Lambda Chi initiate. What chapter was your dad a member of?

“He was originally initiated at Simpson College in Iowa.” [With the assistance of Chapter Adviser Brannon Wright at Simpson’s Theta-Lambda Zeta, Paul Sonksen Sr. was initiated on March 3, 1943 as ΘΛ 313. He graduated from Simpson in 1946.]

“I’m thinking that someone in his community, a doctor or somebody, had been a Lambda Chi, so when he started college he encouraged him to get involved. After a year or two in Iowa, he moved to Los Angeles with his parents and went to UCLA and joined the chapter there.”

Epsilon-Sigma.

“Yeah. So when it came time for me to go college, at that point there was no Lambda Chi at Northridge. There were some guys that he knew—Lou Federly, I don’t know who else—that had this kind of loose association as none of them were from the California BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

area. I don’t know how he found out; maybe it was just from asking around, you know, ‘Is there anything going on at Northridge for my kid?’ So he got involved, and I actually went to my first fraternity party, I think, before I even started college. It was probably summer right after I graduated from high school. Dad hosted, I guess, a rush party at our house. [Among the guys] there were Tom [Lawrence, AI 620], Howie [Brightman, EΣ 528], Mike [Ehrlich, BP 1], Henry [Lederman, BP 5], Ben Gafford [BP 2].”

You were living in Simi Valley at the time?

“No, Sepulveda. Simi is where Cheryl and I moved after we got married….”

At that moment Cheryl’s voice boomed over the house intercom.

She was in the loft above the garage and asked him to come upstairs and fix the TV audio. After a few minutes, Brother Sonksen returned and apologized for what turned out to be a series of brief interruptions.

It came to my attention that your dad was really instrumental in helping the chapter get its first house on Cantara Street in Reseda.

What was his role in helping to find that house?

“I honestly don’t know. I was a kid coming out of high school. He was being this involved, responsible alum, and I didn’t have a clue about what was going on… I just kinda got in there by osmosis.”

Brother Sonksen peered out from his living room window as we both heard a number of trucks driving up the street.

“There’s a fire going on somewhere, a bunch of fire trucks going up.

They were up yesterday. There were about a dozen of them.”

Did you hold any offices in the chapter?

“I think I was the ritualist at one point, and then I had the associates.”

So you were the Kappa?

“Yeah. I did that for awhile.”

Was Cheryl one of the first little sisters?

“No. They had been going on for awhile. She and I had been really good friends several years before we ever went on our first date. She had dated other guys in the fraternity and I dated other girls. I was getting tired of doing the dating game, and I just wanted to go 21

Skip Sonksen out and have a good time with my friend. And one thing led to another.”

(He looks over and jokingly tells Cheryl to quit smiling.)

Did you graduate from CSUN? “Yeah, ’73. And then the following year I got my Masters.

What did you get your bachelor’s degree in?

“Poli sci.”

I love poli sci. I don’t know why I didn’t major in it.

“Because there aren’t a whole lot of job opportunities!” (Laughs.)

It’s like you graduate and say, ‘Now what am I gonna do with this degree?’”

From political science, how did you make the leap to becoming an educator and administrator?

“Probably like the way I joined the fraternity. My dad was an educator. He was a principal. So I had the poli sci degree, and then started scratching my head. At one point when I was starting college, I was thinking maybe law school. One of the jobs I’d had during college was as a P.E. teacher at a Lutheran school in Northridge. And I liked working with the kids. I’d had all my units in, so I started taking some education classes, thinking maybe teaching would be interesting. I was able to complete my professional ed. classes early and I applied to L.A. city schools and got a job. So I kind of fell into it. It wasn’t like a particular passion of mine; it was more like ‘I need a job.’ I taught in L.A. city schools for six years and then Cheryl and I decided to leave the L.A. area. I came up here because it was more affordable, basically.

“We had one little girl and another one six months old at the time when we moved up here. I got a job in one of Porterville’s small school districts—it wasn’t part of the [main] district—and taught.

“Before we had moved I took one semester off and immediately got into a Masters program down there at Northridge in education administration.

I completed that before we moved, always thinking that being upwardly mobile in a career, regardless of what it is, they need administrators.”

What year did you graduate with your Masters degree?

“It was probably around ’78 would be my guess… It was convenient because where my school was and where I lived, the university was right in between. So it was convenient to get off work, go do my classes, and then get home. I already had my administrative credential when I moved up here. I taught for four years [at a] middle school, and then I asked to apply for a job as a school vice principal.”

What attracted you to the Porterville area? You mentioned that as you were driving Megan and I around town today.

“Initially, it was more housing prices than anything else.”

Didn’t you come up here when At home in Springville. Skip and Cheryl Sonksen.

you were in high school to check out the region?

“I was familiar with the area. One of my friends at about the same time [around 1980]—he was on the LAPD—he was finding the same thing. It was just expensive to live down there. And he had bought a partnership in a ranch that you can actually see from here. A 48-acre ranch with a guy that he had met down there who was from here originally. They went partners on this ranch. So he already had property up here. He was one of my best friends, and he had a little girl too; he’d been married about the same time. We kind of all moved up together because it wasn’t too far away from home.”

Did you live in Porterville below the lake first?

“Yeah, right in the city of Porterville.”

What year did you move to Porterville, and when did you transition up here to Springville?

“We moved from L.A. in ‘80. Then we moved up here… it’s been around twenty years in this house.”

Weren’t you attracted to the older homes? You said this one was built in 1932.

“That was Cheryl’s doing. We had bought one down there [in Porterville] that was a newly built, small 1,500 square-foot house. We lived there for about two years and then we bought a lot and built a house of our own and we were in that one for a number of years. Then we decided we wanted to leave that neighborhood, partly because it was too close to my school. At that point I was an administrator [of a middle school]. We had a lot in another nice community down there, but then Cheryl found this place for sale and it sounded good. Actually, when we first moved up here, coming up here [to Springville] was what I wanted to do. But we weren’t adventuresome enough with a little baby to leave conventional, suburban-type living yet.”

What administrative jobs have you had? How did you ultimately wind up becoming a principal?

“Down in L.A. I had a couple of adjunct jobs. In addition to being a classroom teacher, I was a bi-lingual coordinator at Pacoima Elementary School. And I was a staff development coordinator.

“So I brought that with me coming up here. And then when I was up here I’d done other things. I’d done coaching… some in-service trainings.

The first real administrative job I had was middle school vice principal, and I also had a job called project director which meant I was responsible for state and federal funds coming into the district and overseeing all those programs.

“Then I became a middle school principal. In addition to that I kept going back and forth with that state and federal projects job. Some years I had it, some years I didn’t.

“At one point I was a principal of two elementary schools. I was in charge of a school that was to be built, so I was the principal of that.”

What do you do as a principal of a school that is being built?

“Well, I had another school in 22

Photos by Rick Childs

The Sonksens’ Springville home.

place at the time, so I was principal of that school. That was Oak Grove Elementary. [As far as the other school went]: that was complicated, So, I was involved a year prior with things going out to bid, property acquisition, architect selection process, being on-site as things were being built. Talking the ed. specs: putting that stuff together with the architects. Selecting school staffs, school colors, everything that goes into it.”

What is the school’s name now?

“We were [William R.] Buckley Elementary School. It was named after the gentleman who was the superintendent when I was first hired up here. Then he retired and went on to be a kind of supervisor, and he died about a year after that. He was a revered guy throughout Tulare County, so they named the school after him.”

You had mentioned to me that you were told by your employer to become involved in a social organization. You’d been in the Lions.

How did that work out?

“It’s a good club. They do a lot of service activities: scholarships for kids, different fundraisers where they turn the money back over to the community. That was an expectation of the administrators that you were involved in some sort of community organization, so that was the one I chose to join.”

How many years were you involved with them?

“Well, I was an official member for probably twenty-some years. At the time I retired I got out of it. It’s hard to get to it from up here, and it’s down in Porterville—and it’s a morning meeting at 6:45. After I retired I was just still sipping my coffee and getting out of bed at that time.”

Out of all these career experiences, what was your favorite accomplishment?

“Being involved in that new school, I guess, in terms of something concrete. Probably more than anything the satisfaction of working with the people that I worked with. And the kids. That’s the most important. That’s what I miss the most now.”

What were the classes you taught when you were teaching?

“I taught all the elementary grades. I even taught kindergarten in summer school... The middle school grades [up through 8th]. And I coached… basketball, soccer, track, softball, volleyball—at junior high level.”

When I worked in education, I had some serious challenges working in the Antelope Valley for the high school district as a teacher and substitute. What kinds of professional or personnel issues did you have while you were teaching or working as an BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

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elementary and middle school administrator?

“That’s kind of the key is location and where because I know that there have been people that I’ve had to let go that I know have gone on to be successful elsewhere. And in turn, I’ve hired some people who had not been successful in another district or school. They came to me and things worked out well. Sometimes… it’s a combination of factors.

Probably more important than anything else is the people you’re working for—your own bosses—and then the context of where it is. ”When I left Pacoima [Elementary] I was just worn out. I mean, I would take days off, sick days, [even though] I wasn’t sick. It was out of my context. I wasn’t comfortable, I wasn’t successful. That’s when I was willing to tell Cheryl that I wanted to get out of L.A. So when you get into a different situation, things work out better sometimes.”

Did you have any emergencies on your watch that were particularly memorable, or was it a pretty quiet place to have a career?

“There’s always stuff going on. There’s the big events like 9/11, although it didn’t happen here. That morning when it was occurring nobody knew what was going on, and I had a middle school. Nobody knew what to think, so I had to get a staff together before class started and tell them ‘here’s our game plan’ for what we’re going to do to deal with this unknown thing…. Then our superintendent had the staff together and the school board members were talking about how they’re going to handle it. They looked to me and I said, ‘Here’s what I’ve already done’….

“Students dying. They’re there one day and not the next day. That’s always traumatic. Their parents dying. You’re trying to nurture these little kids when that kind of stuff happens. That’s the worst. [Also] when you get reports of somebody making attempted abductions in the neighborhood. Dealing with that is traumatic. I had to do that.

Taking a gun away from a little kid on campus. That got to be a big media thing. It was blown way out of proportion… but that was a pain.

“And then all the special needs kids that we’d get on a regular campus. They require all kinds of special attention. Your heart goes out to them… you try to do as much as you can for them. Sometimes they act out. I’ve been bit. I ended up in a hospital as the result of trying to get a kid to be where he needs to be.” (Laughs.)

As an administrator, what do you think was your biggest contribution to your school district out here in Porterville?

“That’s tough to ask. The district was the Burton School District, not the Porterville District. I guess I hope I was a role model for the other younger administrators and teachers. Because one year I was a runner-up—I didn’t get the final nod—but I was in the running for the administrator of the year for Tulare County.

“The people that I mentored. I told them you can learn the academic stuff, but the important part of making a successful school is your relationships—in terms of as the boss and your employees, the kids’ part. Caring about the people and getting to know the people and developing those relationships as opposed to being the boss. I never liked being a boss, but I enjoyed working with the people and being a colleague. And the fact that I happened to be the principal, that was the chair I sat in, but we were colleagues, and I liked that. I’ve had some other people tell me in their careers that they learn from that kind of a model… that made me feel good. I like mentoring new teachers to the profession; I thought that was exciting.

"And then there’s the little kids. There’s nothing like starting the school day and getting 30 or 40 hugs because the kids are going to class every day. That’s not bad. Of course, being in a cafeteria with 500 little kids at 7:30 in the morning... that could be kind of nuts!

But it was satisfying. You were feeling like you were doing something important.”

Photo by Sue Press / All others by Rick Childs

Another Close Game for Actives as Alumni Continue Winning Streak had missed the game in recent years returned. Beta-Rho’s Chapter An early start time and what ended up as a record-setting ten-inning alumni-active softball game on Aug. 18 didn’t change the Adviser Emeritus and former umpire Tom Lawrence (AI 620) was actives’ luck as the alumni squeaked by with the win. The alumni back in the bleachers for the game and barbecue. Sam Renbarger (BP barely kept their winning streak alive with a final score of 24-21. The 463), who had transferred back to Los Angeles from Boston, brought his teams returned to familiar terrain at the Northridge Park, and the earlier wife Naomi and daughter. Douglas Centeno (BP 553), Rick Childs (BP start time meant that the game would beat some of the summer heat.

83) and Matt Ahmadi (BP 551) also abstained from batting or fielding.

At first it looked like the alumni would turn the game into another Brother Childs shot photos and videos and wrote stats for the undergrads home run derby. By the top of the fifth inning, the alumni lead had while Sue Press kept records of the alumni at-bats and runs scored. stretched to 12-2. But two innings later, the actives temporarily shut Batting order for the alumni (mostly) in initiation order was: Scott down the alumni batters and evened the game with a score of 14-14.

Press, Roger Marte (BP 201), Brother Widawer, Howard Sapper (BP Unfortunately for the actives, the tie score evaporated as the alumni 257), Tim Pena (BP 264), Brother Schmerling, Rich Ohlberg (BP 356), piled up four more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and more Rick Trevino (BP 451), Cesar Ayllon (BP 453), Mike Press (BP 455), in the ninth. The actives added two runs apiece at the top of the ninth Gio Pernudi (BP 473), Pat Duffy (BP 493), Rob Press (BP 495), Chris and tenth innings, but everyone agreed to call Dyer (BP 500), Darren Arrieta (BP 533), Neil the game at 1:08 p.m. and head back to the Sanchez (BP 535), Steve Shapiro (BP 575), John Lindley House for a barbecue and reception for Leynes (BP 590), Anthony Pinkett (BP 484), Jay alumni, guests and prospective members.

Friedman (BP 249) and Matt Rice (BP 567).

As usual the alumni reserved a few barbed Undergrads in batting order were Wesley comments for their younger opponents. “I Lamphere (BP 611), Arturo Olvera (BP 599), thought we were playing the Angels,” Mark Brinton Marsden (BP 636), Myke Davis (BP Widawer (BP 220) observed. “It turned out the 633), Eric Roberts (BP 617), Justyn De Leon (BP undergrads showed up.”

602), Daniel Chukhman (BP 638), Daniel Sarcasm could also become self-deprecating.

Ramos (BP 608), Chris Burgos (BP 644) and Case in point: pitcher Spencer Schmerling (BP Corey Davis (BP 596). Richard Strobel (BP 640) 288) asserted that Scott Press (BP 55), one of also attended. the alumni’s most dependable sluggers of the This was the chapter’s first time coordinating last few decades, could sometimes minimize RBI the alumni-active softball game and alumni opportunities with his base running. “Scott, only reception/barbecue. During prior years, the you can turn a run into a double,” he quipped. housing corporation’s vice president of activities, More than 50 brothers and guests convened Scott Press, had been in charge of the event. for the game and/or barbecue.

Brother Marsden, the High Rho, and Myke Pinch hitter. Giovanni Jr. gets some batting While several of the usual suspects showed Davis took care of booking the playing field and tips from Dad Gio Pernudi during one of the first up early for batting practice, some alumni who few innings of the game. organizing the barbecue for the chapter.

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Sunshine daydream. Clockwise from upper left: Mark Widawer, Jay Friedman and Howard Sapper sit back and wait to see if the actives can catch up. Daniel Chukhman slides into third base. It’s 1:10 and the teams congratulate each other for playing another great game. Brothers and guests relax at the Lindley House basketball court during the barbecue. Actives and guests made up one of the more vocal cheering sections along with Myke Davis’ two dogs Layla and Bambi. Wesley Lamphere at bat with catcher Tim Pena and umpire Roger Marte. Scott Press is standing behind Brother Lamphere.

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Fall Associate Member Ceremony

Beta-Rho’s biggest AM class since the fall of 1987. The chapter’s overflow crowd for the AM installation ceremony was too much for Sierra Hall 184, so the entourage headed to an open classroom in Richfield Hall 313 (formerly Sierra North).

Parents posed with Frankie Castanon (1), Keshon Robinson (4) and Daniel Rodriguez (5). Kevin Mojaradi (2, at right) with his cousin, Shawn Showkati. The 24 fall AMs (6) stepped outside Sierra South’s southeast entrance for pictures.

Sept. 22, 2013 Jerome Richfield Hall, 3rd Floor

Photos by Rick Childs

1

4

2

3

5

6

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

5

Rick Childs

Rick Childs

4

2 Courtesy of Shawn Showkati

1

Rick Childs

Liane Mitchum

Eric Roberts (1)- team captain & Brian Carcerano (2): CSUN Ice Hockey Team; Zareh Baboomian, Eric Roberts, Daniel Ramos, William Medina, Cody Raschella, John Bonilla, Jacob Holmes, Adrian Morales Jr., Kevin Mojaradi, Christopher Aston, Wesley Lamphere, Justyn De Leon and Chris Burgos (3): New Student Orientation Leaders (NSO); Luis Canton (4): A.S. Chief Justice; Jacob Holmes (5): InterFraternity Coucil (IFC) Chief Justice; Jorge Reyes (6): A.S. Senator- Mike Curb College of Arts, Media & Communications; University Student Union (USU) Events Assistant for Lectures and Culture; Shawn Showkati (7): Iranian Students Association Vice President; Justyn De Leon: IFC Vice President; Brinton Marsden: A.S. Finance Committee member.

3

Kim Goupille

CSUN Athletics

Campus Campus Leaders Leaders & & Athletes Athletes

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Big Show 13 Oct. 5, 2013 Oviatt Library Lawn

© Associated Students, CSUN, Inc. / Flickr (4)

Afrojack (Dutch DJ & music producer Nick van de Wall) headlined the 13th annual Big Show at CSUN on Oct. 5 in front of the Oviatt Library. Opening acts Bobby Burns & Shermanology (a Dutch house trio) warmed up the 9,000-strong crowd. It was the first time the sold-out annual outdoor concert featured an all EDM (electronic dance music) line-up.

Eric Planas (BP 630), Associated Students’ senior producer for its production department, supervised the show’s planning and operations. Ticket sales brought in just over $300,000 to offset the program’s $200,000 production budget and security costs.

Brother Planas has been actively involved with A.S. Productions since 2010, and this was his first year overseeing the Big Show’s committee of 16 producers and assistants, plus a staff program adviser and about 60 additional volunteers at the event. Daniel Ramos (BP 608), Jorge Reyes (BP 618) and Luis Canton (BP 615) were among the staff and volunteers.

What Brother Planas remembers most was Afrojack’s last-minute arrival in his Ferrari and the DJ’s shock at seeing the sea of glow sticks that were waving among the crowd. “That’s the biggest... glow stick party I’ve ever seen,” Afrojack told him. “It was my idea for the glow sticks. It ended up being amazing to look at.” Afrojack was so impressed, he posted images and comments on his Instagram page.

About 90 percent of the chapter attended the Big Show. “They all walked down [to the event] from the house and had a great night,” Brother Planas added.

—Additional reporting by Andrew Martinez, Daily Sundial

Eric Planas (left) Daniel Ramos with Jorge Reyes (right)

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Rick Childs

CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

Chapter Chronicles: Fall, 2013

CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha / Facebook

Rick Childs

Luis Canton

Rick Childs Courtesy of Celia Harrow

Legends of the fall. Team Bambi (clockwise from upper right); fall rush t-shirt; Big Bear Retreat on the weekend of Sept. 27-29; Tony Ball, Daniel Ramos Jacob Holmes and Justyn De Leon at Big Bear; Celia Harrow rounded up the Beta-Rho attendees at the billboard during the Delta Desserts charity event on Oct. 4; Dylan Connolly displays his initiation certificate during the Sept. 22 chapter meeting; John Leynes, Nick Volkov and Eric Roberts debut the chapter’s long-delayed 2103 composite on Sept. 19.

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Nick Volkov Rick Childs

Rick Childs

Rick Childs

Rick Childs

CSUN Delta Zeta / Facebook

What we do. Clockwise from left.: High Kappa John DeVaughn gives his report during the chapter meeting on Sept. 22.

Alumnus Yesai Fstkchyan pitches AIDS Walk L.A. volunteerism during the Sept. 29 chapter meeting. The laptops are running full tilt for a finals study session at the Lindley House on Dec. 12. After High Zeta elections wrapped on Dec. 15, the brothers took a group photo. High Alpha Justyn De Leon takes a question at the Sept. 22 chapter meeting while High Gamma William Medina takes notes. Several brothers took part in Delta Zeta’s Penny Drop & Photo Booth on Oct. 15.

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Pumpkin bash 2013 ) h s a m s a s (i

Having a bash. Delta Zeta’s and Delta Delta Delta’s teams take turns heaving pumpkins on the basketball court. Coach Chris Burgos (BP 644) helped with painting. Kyle Shaver (BP 648) impaled a pumpkin. Judge Brittany Tanner with Tony Ball (BP 644) and Devin De Leon (BP 639).

Photos by Rick Childs except the pumpkiin truck by Michael Menefee

More than 80 brothers, associate members and sorority women took part in Beta-Rho’s tenth annual Pumpkin Bash on Nov. 17 at the Lindley House.

Sorority teams were entered by Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Zeta and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

The chapter raked in nearly 700 “units” of canned foods for Lambda Chi Alpha’s Feeding America philanthropy from participating sororities. Beta-Rho raised $293 in additional funds for the food drive from an auction that featured various gifts of talent, most notably by the associate members. As one of the auction prizes, the AMs agreed to build the Tri-Delts a new set of Greek letters.

As announced by Event Organizer Corey Davis (BP 596), Delta Delta Delta Sorority won first place. Following close behind for second place was Alpha Phi. Kappa Kappa Gamma took third place.

Alpha Phi’s pumpkin notched first place followed by the Tri-Delts and Delta Zeta.

Although the event has gone by the name of Pumpkin Bust since its first appearance in the fall of 1975, the t-shirt printer misread the instructions and the artwork wound up saying Pumpkin Smash above the truck design. The chapter’s organizers and coaches didn’t seem to mind, but brothers tended to refer to it as a bash this year like the one in 2012.

Brother Davis took on the Pumpkin Bash arrangements for the second year in a row. This year he aligned the chapter’s charity with General Headquarters’ official philanthropy, Feeding America. Previously, the chapter had worked with MEND, a local charity in Sylmar that distributes lightly used clothing to low income families.

Instead of running various events during the week leading up to the games,

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Kappa Kappa Gamma

Alpha Phi

Delta Zeta

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

Delta Delta Delta

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Pumpkin bash 2013 Photos by Rick Childs

Brother Davis came up with a scaleddown tournament to attract more sorority participantion and tacked on a light dinner for everyone. The chapter trimmed events held on campus for award points like 2012’s Miss CSUN and Find A Lambda Chi. “I went through Panhellenic to get the most participation from the sororities,” he said. Normally held immediately after Halloween, the Pumpkin Bash was scheduled later in the fall to avoid most sorority initiation weekends. “[But] that’s why two of them didn’t participate,” he added.

After the teams registered and dropped off their boxes of cans, everyone headed to the basketball court for the pumpkin relay. Each team member rolled a pumpkin the length of the court and back to the next one in line. Once the points were tallied and the winners named, each team took turns splattering the basketball court during the pumpkin toss. A pumpkin pie eating contest preceded the dinner hour. During that time, each sorority’s decorated pumpkins were added to the points total. For the grand finale, each team demonstrated their talents at creative pumpkin demolition. In one instance, fans of Barbie dolls would be best advised to avert their eyes.

The festivities wound down by around 5:30. After the brothers and AMs did some house cleaning, it was back to business as usual at the 7 p.m. chapter meeting in Sierra Hall.

More pumpkin pie, anyone? Each sorority’s contestants put forth their best efforts to wolf down pie slices as quickly as possible for points—maybe too quickly for at least one of the participants. The best-dressed pumpkin entries of 2013. Corey Davis (right) and Eric Planas (BP 630, far right) took turns working as tournament announcers. Kyle Shaver takes batting practice.

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2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

A great day for all, especially the Tri-Delts. A not-so-great day for a Barbie doll that took a ride on a pumpkin destined for a good thwacking with a tree.

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The Class of Fall, 2013

Christian Anderson

Daniel Bermudez

Sarkis Khaioian

Skyler P. Lee

Class Level: Junior Major: Computer Science

& Engineering (CSE) Big Brother: Nick Volkov Age: 22 BP 649

Class Level: Sophomore Major: Business Admin.

Marketing Big Brother: Zareh Baboomian Age: 22 BP 650

Photos by Rick Childs (except Henry Vasquez) / Sarkis Khaioian photo courtesy of Celia Harrow

Ages were based on date of initiation.

Francisco Castanon Class Level: Sophomore Major: Psychology Big Brother: Eric Planas Age: 19

BP 651

Deivid S. Lopez

Alexander Espinoza Class Level: Freshman Major: Undeclared Big Brother: Brinton Marsden Age: 18

BP 652

Jonathan Gavidia Class Level: Freshman Major: Biology Big Brother: Luis Canton

Class Level: Junior Major: Psychology Minor: Economics Big Brother: Justyn De Leon BP 653 Age: 21 BP 654

Age: 22

J. Donovan Martinez Aaron Navarro

Class Level: Freshman Class Level: Senior Major: CTVA - Film Production Major: Environmental Health Big Brother: Jorge Reyes

Industrial Hygiene Big Brother: Paul Gritsch Age: 18 BP 656 Age: Undisclosed BP 657

Class Level: Freshman Major: Business Admin. Management Big Brother: Devin De Leon Age: 18 BP 658

22 34

Class Level: Freshman Major: Theater Minor: Musical Theater Big Brother: Luis Canton Age: 18 BP 655

Efosa M. Omorogieva Jeffrey L. Perez de Leon Class Level: Freshman Major: Computer Engineering Big Brother: Brinton Marsden

Class Level: Freshman Major: CTVA - Film Provisional Big Brother: Jacob Holmes

Age: 18

Age: 18

BP 659

BP 660

2013: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Rush Chairman: Mychal Davis Fraternity Educator: John DeVaughn Ritualist: Jacob Holmes

Keshon A. Robinson

Class Level: Freshman Major: Business Admin.

Management Big Brother: Mychal Davis Age: 17 BP 661

Kyle J. Shaver

Class Level: Senior Major: Computer Science Big Brother: Cody Raschella Age: 22

BP 648

Osvaldo Robledo Class Level: Freshman Major: Undeclared Big Brother: Eric Planas Age: 18

BP 662

Shawn Showkati

Class Level: Senior Major: Liberal Studies Big Brother: Daniel Ramos Age: 25

BP 666

Steven M. Robledo

Class Level: Freshman Major: Bio-Chemistry Big Brother: Brian Carcerano BP 663

Age: 18

Tyler Trinh

Class Level: Junior Major: Kinesiology Big Brother: Zareh Baboomian BP 667

Age: 20

Daniel E. Rodriguez

Jonathan S. Salazar

Class Level: Freshman Class Level: Freshman Major: Mechanical Engineering Major: Biology Big Brother: Adrian Morales Big Brother: Dylan Connolly BP 664 Age: 18

Age: 18

Eric A. Valentin

BP 665

Henry Vasquez

Class Level: Senior Class Level: Sophomore Major: Mechanical Engineering Major: Psychology Big Brother: Eric Roberts Big Brother: Justyn De Leon Age: 18

BP 668 Age: 22

BP 669

Special thanks to Celia Harrow for assisting with research.

It was a SRO crowd for the fall initiation on Nov. 22. Fresno State’s colony called in brothers from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to help out with their initiation (again), so they did not make a return trip to Beta-Rho this semester.

To go with the day, 22 brothers were initiated. About ten alumni dropped by to join the actives in the audience.

Everything ran smoothly. Caffeinated drink of choice remained Rock Stars, and more than a few pies were enjoyed.

This was Corey Davis’ (BP 596) first semester as ritualist. House Manager & Intramurals Chair Myke Davis (BP 596) served as rush chairman and John DeVaughn (BP 643) took on the role of fraternity educator.

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BETA-RHO BULLETIN BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA FRATERNITY P.O. BOX 280311 NORTHRIDGE, CA 91328-0311

Address Service Requested

Editor’s Journal Since when did 2014 precede 2013? In the case of this newsletter, I went out of order when it became obvious that I had waited too long to start writing out its contents before the chapter wanted a publication that highlighted the spring 2014 semester. That was around the middle of March. So here it is, the late summer of 2014, and I’m playing catch-up.

Although I take great pleasure in writing about chapter history, this is an extreme example of it. So this is my make-up issue, and my sometimemuse Mike Cooperman didn’t need to nudge me at all about doing it.

Nevertheless, my wife Debbie sure wasn’t thrilled when I told her that I was starting another newsletter right after I polished off the last one.

I came pretty close to renaming this edition the Beta-Rho Chronicle.

It’s not the first time the chapter has published a newsletter for a single year. The last time that happened was in 2002. It looked like that newsletter had anticipated a second edition later in the year, but it wasn’t until 2005 before another one appeared. This was during a period when I had relinquished my editor’s chair to others who were dealing with the colony/newly rechartered chapter’s growing pains.

After publishing two newsletters for 2012 in January and March of 2013, I had a pretty nasty case of writer’s block until the middle of the fall semester. Then I hit on the idea of producing quickie newsletters that were christened the BetaRho Mini-Bulletin(s). Editions were posted online at the chapter’s various Facebook pages in October through December. Printed copies of the November edition were distributed at the Annual Meeting and its follow-up went out with the 2014 directories.

While I wrote the second draft of the storyboard for this 

BETA-RHO BULLETIN 2013 edition

The chapter’s alumni loyalty fund could use your first-time or continuing help! Newsletters are a vital part of keeping in touch with what’s going on with the chapter and our alumni. This newsletter has evolved into an e-zine due to the prohibitively high cost of printing and mailing them.

Digital PDF file copies of Beta-Rho newsletters since 2010 are now posted at www.issuu.com where they can be streamed or downloaded. If you would like a printed copy mailed to your address, either send the editor, Rick Childs, $10 to cover printing and shipping costs or order one online at Issuu.com. Contact the editor at (661) 948-3260 or rc4x4profit@ verizon.net for address, phone number or email changes. Any financial support you could provide in these fiscally restrictive times would help too! Make checks payable to Beta-Rho Zeta Inc. Use the P. O. box address at the top of this page. Thank you in advance for any support that you can offer. And please, visit your brothers at the next alumni event!

edition, my heart skipped a beat when the page count ran up to 36(!)

A couple of years ago, I thought I would never publish a newsletter bigger than 20 pages. Ha! Then I realized that my semi-annual or thrice-yearly newsletters had averaged 16 pages beginning with the winter 2011 edition. It didn’t make sense for me to split up the 2013 issue into two, so producing something more like a magazine felt right.

I could’ve found an excuse to supersize this newsletter even more; there was enough material to spend a few pages on big brother charts and anniversaries. Something I have left for a future edition is an as yet to be designed family tree displaying big and little brothers. My list is up to over 200 initiates, and I pick up a couple more from alumni each month. There could’ve been a wedding anniversary list too: I have recorded around 80 of those. In 2011 I published the listings of all the undergraduate and postgraduate degrees I was aware of. That list has grown; however, a few of the alumni weren’t thrilled when I inquired about their degrees because their years at CSUN had not resulted in a trip to a commencement ceremony. I also listed birthdays over the course of a few newsletters. So those are some of the features that have been among the things I have data-mined these past seven years.

To keep track of newsworthy items for 2013, I took screenshots on Facebook and reviewed some of my corp. board meeting minutes and mp3 recordings of chapter meetings and interviews. Those provided a bread crumb trail for me to revisit 2013 in words and pictures. If I hadn’t, well, I could’ve just thrown together a 4-page newsletter like the ones that were done in the early 2000s and called it a day. But that’s not my style. Just ask my wife.

Beta-Rho Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity Alumni Loyalty Fund

$25

$50

My big brother is

$75

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