As your Phi Alpha, a major priority of mine and part of our operations plan for Zeta Psi has been to encourage Zeta Psi’s staff, our Board, and volunteers to visit chapters more often and to drive home this simple message to our undergraduates: the major reason today’s Zete-worthy man goes to college is to get an education to be successful in life. As alumni, most of us realize the truth of this, as most Zetes are the men we are today because of our collegiate, and particularly, fraternity experience. I sense that most Zetes fully realize the part Zeta Psi plays in that equation – after all, we all know that being in a fraternity provides a world of skills, experiences, and knowledge that can’t be learned in the class room. That’s what Zeta Psi gave to each of us as alumni, and continues to do for this generation of undergraduates.

Above all else, Zeta Psi is about the friendships we’ve made. I’ve often told undergraduates that if they look around the room, they see more than just friends. They see their doctor, lawyer, banker, accountant, business partners and future clients. They see their groomsmen, best man, and likely their pall bearers. They see friends for life through thick and thin. They see Brothers. That is the enduring heart of our 160 year old organization – that intimate bond that we call Brotherhood.

One of my major responsibilities within Zeta Psi—both as its Executive Director for a quarter century and for the past decade as a Board officer of the Fraternity and Educational Foundation—has been to help generate the largest single source of revenue for our many operational and programming functions each year. This takes the form of the Zeta Psi Annual Fund. On behalf of the Annual Fund, I ask Zetes each year to support the Fraternity and Foundation. Hundreds provide their support year after year. If you haven’t been one of them in recent years, I hope you will reflect on the importance Zeta Psi has had in your life, your career, your family and closest friends. If it has been as significant to you as it has been to me and the scores of Zetes I have known over the years, please consider becoming a part of the financial support team that allows the International to fulfill its mission and goals from one year to the next.

Please consider whether NOW is the time to give back, and ensure that our Brotherhood in Tau Kappa Phi continues to endure!

The math is easy: if each of the 10,000 brothers who receive our monthly UpZete newsletter were to donate an average of just $100 to our tax-deductible Education al Foundation it would create $1 Million in scholarship-generating funds – nearly doubling our current annual scholarship output! If you did not need a tax deduction and instead donated $100 to the Fraternity Endowment, we could annually generate enough additional revenue to support the costs of at least one more staff person to better service all our chapters, brothers, and alumni! For those who can do more—donating $250, $500, $1000, and beyond— you are making a signature commitment to help drive Zeta Psi forward and maintaining our legacy. It’s really easy to do this online, by clicking here to donate via PayPal on our Website.

I ask you—especially at this time of year when many people support their favorite charitable and institutional causes—to think about your time in Zeta Psi. Think about the skills & experiences, the good times, the great stories, and above all, the deep personal friendships you forged and still enjoy, and help us continue that tremendous legacy by donating to Zeta Psi today!

Thank you as always in Tau Kappa Phi,
Gregory E. McElroy, Phi Alpha CXXXI

The Delta chapter hosted it's annual Veterans Day program this past Saturday, with Phi Alpha Greg McElroy, Phi 1970, speaking at the event. This year the chapter paid special recognition to Brother Mike Davidson who was killed in the September 11th terror attack on the World Trade Center. The Chapter honors Brother Davidson with a scholarship in his name and annual philanthropic efforts.

Pictured here is Phi Alpha Greg McElroy with Brother Mike Orozco, Delta's Alumni President, and the mother and brother of Michael Davidson. The Davidson family has contributed $10,000 towards the Scholarship in Mike's name at the Veterans Day Ceremony. We applaud the generosity of the Davidson family towards this important scholarship program, and commend the chapter for keeping alive the memory of our and their Brother.

Nov. 18 (THIS SATURDAY) - Zeta Psi Boston Alumni Club Event. Join us for a casual lunch at Rock Bottom at 115 Stuart Street in BostonDetails & RSVP here

Dec. 1 (FRIDAY) - Zeta Psi New Orleans Alumni Event. Join us for cocktails at the Tulane chapter house as we kick off the N'Orleans regional alumni club - for Zete's from all our Chapters in the area!Details & RSVP here on Friday

Dec. 14 (THURSDAY) - Zeta Psi New York City Alumni Club Holiday Reception. Our second annual event, this Holiday Classic is a great opportunity for all our NYC metro-area Brothers - young & old, active & Alumni to come together for social, personal, & professional networking! Details & RSVP online here in 1-2 weeks

On November 4th, some 50 Brothers & pledges of the Alpha Pi (Virginia Tech), Upsilon (North Carolina), Phi Epsilon (Maryland) - and the interest group from North Carolina State University - joined the Brothers of the Beta (Virginia) Chapter in Charlottesville, Virginia for the first ever Southern Leadership Training Institute. This second of our four planned regional LTIs was a major success.

Executive Director Dave Hunter, staff members Dan Backer and Anthony Shibata were joined by LTI Faculty members Maurice Ducoing (Cornell ‘03), Will Wright (Virginia Tech ‘02), and Lauck Walton (Rensselaer ’84). The general sessions included information about IHQ and the State of Zeta Psi, risk management, and chapter planning. There was frank and open discussion about the need

The chapter planning session gave each of the chapters the opportunity to do a brief “S.W.O.T.” analysis - defining a problem statement and outlining a plan to improve on a Strength or Weakness, exploit an Opportunity, or to prevent a Threat. The analysis and plans were then presented to the entire group for questions and feedback.

Breakout sessions were tracked into pledging, chapter operations, and an upperclassman track for those getting ready to graduate. Six pledges attended the pledging session and left with a better understanding of the International fraternity and its mission. The chapter operations session was a nuts and bolts program on the roles of chapter officers and addressing key areas of attendee-chapter

UPCOMING LTI SCHEDULE The Midwest Regional LTI will be held on March 23, 2007 at the Nu Chapter at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Representatives from all mid-western chapters should reserve this weekend and plan to attend.

The Kirby Foundation Future Leader's Conference & Northeast Regional LTI will be held on March 30, 2007 at the Tau Chapter at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. Representatives from all Mid-Atlantic and New England Chapters should reserve this weekend and plan to attend.

The Ritual Committee is pleased to announce the acceptance of the first two applications submitted for the Ritual Improvement Program. This program was created in direct response to interest for ritual knowledge at recent conventions specifically to address chapter needs. The RIP activities occur during the academic year and are particularly valuable for chapters that may have difficulty finding a local Brother sufficiently knowledgeable in the mystic secrets of the fraternity.

The RIP applications from the Alpha Mu (Dalhousie) and Alpha Psi (McGill) Chapters plans have been accepted. Their assigned facilitators are in the process of contacting the Chapters. Congratulations to those Chapters for stepping forward to improve their knowledge and utilization of the Ritual.

If your chapter missed the deadline, you may still submit an application to Lauck Walton, Chairman of the Ritual Committee, at lwalton4@usa.net. The Ritual Committee may be able to add one or two Chapters to the initial group.

If you hold a Gold Escutcheon award and would like to serve as a Ritual Improvement Program volunteer, please contact Lauck Walton using the link above.

Winter/Spring Washington Scholar Internship Applications Due by 30 NOV: We're in the midst of selecting applicants for the Winter/Spring Washington Scholars Intern Class [i.e. Feb - April], so this is a reminder to all Seniors who are graduating in January that, if you'd like a shot at a career in the nation's capitol, THIS is your chance to get your foot in the door. We have openings for guys interested in careers as attorneys, journalism, public relations, international trade, Congressional Staff, government relations, transportation, law enforcement & criminal justice, etc., etc.!

We've also got a new opportunity for Canadian Brothers in the Canadian Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.

Because time is short, we suggest a simplified approach with you sending an "e-mail of interest" to Darren Littell at darren.littell@g mail.com with a copy to Admiral Carey at RADMCarey@aol.c om indicating your interests, college major, etc. Those that meet the standards for these positions will be invited to submit applications for the available Winter/Spring internships.

Pictured (L to R): Trevor Ilse with fellow Nu chapter Zetes Jim Organ and Andrew Mathewson after their 'twister-party' fundraiser in honor of the late Brother Stephen Donnelly, with proceeds going to Rainbow Babies.

Usually when people speak of the “five-year” college program, images of six-packs and video games come quickly to mind; this is certainly not the case with Trevor Ilse, whose five year Chemical Engineering program at Case Western Reserve includes two interspersed semesters of real-world immersion on top of an already rigorous courseload. Trevor, current Phi of the Nu chapter, recently finished his first internship semester. “The experience was amazing; it really reinforced my desire to pursue the field and gave me some invaluable insights as to the real-world application of my knowledge,” Trevor said of his recent internship with Invensys Foxboro, a local process-control systems manufacturer.

In addition to his academic and professional aspirations, which include a possible MBA and the pursuit of his entrepreneurial inclinations, Trevor has stepped up as a leader within his chapter. In his own words, he has evolved from a self-ascribed “shy type” to the position of Phi through a learning process that included developing social/networking skills within the fraternal environment and stepping up to take on new responsibilities when the opportunities arose. After proving himself as Gamma, Trevor took the position of Phi and has not looked back; since the beginning of his term, he has developed a more efficient mechanism for the transition of the chapter’s institutional knowledge, and has helped restart the chapter’s alumni association through regular active chapter communications and fostering of alumni-centered events. Though running a fraternity might seem a bit different from polymer synthesis, Trevor seems to be putting his engineering skills to good use for Zeta Psi as well.

After the Vietnam war, fraternity involvement took a major downturn; multiple fraternities struggled with campus presence and membership across the nation, but where many saw potential demise, Dave Busacca saw potential. During his senior year, 1973, Dave founded the Tau Delta chapter at Lehigh University. Working with Greg McElroy, Dave arranged the acquisition of a house that had previously belonged to one of the failed fraternities on campus, and a chapter was born. Dave graduated that same year with a BS in Social Psychology and a minor in Industrial Engineering.

Dave then began a career with the Chrysler Corporation, enrolling in their “High Potential” track and moving to Maryland to begin his career. That same year, an oil embargo forced him to return to Chrysler’s headquarters in Detroit, MI, where he lives to this day. Dave built a reputation within Chrysler as someone who would always get the job done well, and quickly ascended the corporate ladder in varied fields such as accounting, finance, and marketing. In 1979 he began studying to receive a JD, and moved into Chrysler’s legal department in 1985, where he worked with anti-trust litigation, dealer relations, and warranty litigation until his recent retirement earlier this year. In the future, Dave, the Gamma Alpha of Zeta Psi, plans on either beginning a new career in legal consulting or working with a firm full- time.

When asked about the benefits of Zeta Psi, Dave is quick to emphasize the real world implications of fraternal relations, he feels that “the fraternal world is a great place to learn about the delicate balance between friendships and business expectations; someone can be a great friend and you can love them like a brother, but if they don’t follow through on their obligations they won’t get very far, just like in the real-world”. He’s certainly a man who knows how to succeed in life, and also seems to have mastered the retirement aspect, short lived as it may be.