Alpha’s Letter (June 2012)

Brothers,

The 2011-2012 school year brought great things for our Chapter. In the fall, we recruited and initiated another six men, bringing the size of our Brotherhood to 36 and successfully ensuring that Lehigh’s occupancy standards would be met. Additionally, we turned our philanthropic efforts to raising money for Fisher House, an organization that assists military families. We held a fundraiser where we sold pancakes off the front porch of the house at night and raised over $600 for the cause.

January brought with it a change of officers. The new executive board hit the ground running with freshmen recruitment starting right away, as well as the 140th Anniversary of Psi Chapter approaching soon. Recruitment was a great success. We initiated what has turned out to be by far our strongest group yet in conjunction with the 140th Anniversary Celebration. The new Brothers got the opportunity to meet and talk with Grad Alpha Jim Soderquist, as well as meet over 100 alumni and guests at the Hotel Bethlehem. As the semester drew to a close, attention shifted to preparing for Lehigh and the National Offices’ accreditation program. I am happy to report that the Chapter is accredited with the National Office; results of Lehigh’s accreditation will be available over the summer.

The Spring 2012 semester brought with it an increased focus on academics for the Chapter. I am happy to report that through continual efforts to recruit new Brothers who are strong academically, as well as help actives who were struggling, in four semesters have moved from having the lowest average GPA to having the highest on the Hill.

Looking forward, the Fall of 2013 will bring with it the gradual reintroduction of alcohol into the Chapter House. This is a semester earlier than originally sanctioned, and was made possible through cooperative work with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and the Office of Student Conduct.

As always, if you are in the area, feel free to stop by the house anytime. If you have not been back in a while, the renovations are truly stunning and are only possible through generous alumni donations. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Best regards,

Patrick Lee
Alpha
(267) 221-2768
patrick.lee@chiphilehigh.org