The Deltan: 2010
Tau Epsilon Phi, Delta Chapter Alumni Newsletter
SLOPE DAY 2010
As I’m sure many of you fondly (and perhaps also hazily) remember, Slope Day is an annual tradition at Cornell. It is held on the last day of undergraduate classes, which typically falls out on the first Friday of May, and Libe Slope is its official venue. As members of a nearly 100-year old institution, we at Tau Epsilon Phi value and safeguard tradition—particularly when said tradition involves drunken debauchery to celebrate the conclusion of a successful school year. This year’s Slope Day was no exception.
TEP’s Slope Day party this year was held at 127 Catherine Street in Collegetown, a TEP annex that is home to ten brothers. For the third consecutive year, the sisters of AEPhi Sorority joined TEP for the party; however, attendance was not restricted to members of Greek Life. Several members of the three-time defending Ivy League Champion basketball team joined us as well, including star center, Jeff Foote. After enjoying the music, beer, and wine at 127 Catherine for a couple of hours, everyone headed to the slope to join the rest of the school and enjoy the musical guests Cornell had brought in for the occasion.
This year’s Slope Day entertainment featured several talented musical artists of different genres and was headlined by Drake, an R&B artist who received several Grammy nominations after a successful first album, which included his chart-topping single, “Best I Ever Had.” With Slope Day attendance nearing 10,000 people, it was easy to get lost in the commotion; but our aptly colored purple TEP jerseys helped us find each other once on the slope. Overall, a great time was had by all who participated, and TEP’s Slope Day party proved to be an excellent way to conclude the year. Robert Solaski ’10 summarized the day’s events well in saying “TEP[‘s party] has earned a reputation over the past couple of years as one of the best Slope Day parties on campus. The fact that the basketball team chose [to attend] our party, when obviously they’re welcome at any party on campus, really shows they have some respect for TEP and know they’ll have a good time with us.”
Alumni Letter
Dear Alumni,
As Spring arrives, it seems as though new beginnings abound on campus. The ground has thawed and flowers are blooming, and we are reminded that the Ithaca skies are not always gray. At Tau Epsilon Phi, we are experiencing new beginnings of our own. We have our sights set toward the future and what we truly believe is the ascension of the fraternity on campus. We have made a name for ourselves this year with brothers assuming leadership positions on the Student Assembly, Inter-fraternity Council, and the Cornell Daily Sun, and with parties like “Teptation Island” that brought more than 500 people to the house. Our goal is to continuously improve our fraternity and afford the memorable experiences that you all shared to as many future brothers as possible. To do this though, we need your help.
Over the summer we will be undertaking an initiative to make desperately needed repairs to the house. Now over 60 years old, the house is in a state of disrepair and is widely regarded as one of the most dilapidated houses on campus. This summer we hope to make key improvements to our first floor bathroom and chapter room, both of which are in poor shape. The first floor bathroom is nearly unusable and has serious plumbing issues. Calling the bathroom an utter embarrassment is no exaggeration. Additionally, our chapter room contains a carpet that is frayed in sections, three different colors of paint on the walls, and three different colored couches. The chapter room is hardly conducive to living in, let alone projecting respect for ourselves and our fraternity on the Cornell campus.
That said, we have a plan to make economical, yet practical and aesthetically pleasing repairs. We plan to fix the plumbing problems in the bathroom, replace the broken mirrors, plaster the cracks in the walls, and purchase a door for the stall. Further, we intend to install a synthetic wood floor to replace the decrepit carpet in the chapter room, purchase drapes and coffee tables, and repaint the walls a uniform color. According to preliminary estimates, we need to raise $20,000 to fund the renovations. Toward this end, we are raising dues in order to defray some of the costs of this necessary work. Still, the success of this project and the vitality of Tau Epsilon Phi in the future depend on the generosity of alumni like you. We need your assistance to make these necessary repairs possible. Any donation is greatly appreciated, and every little bit helps.
We invite you to come back to the house and stay involved with the brothers of Tau Epsilon Phi. If you have any questions about this year’s alumni weekend, visiting the house, or getting involved with TEP in any manner, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email at sam444@cornell.edu or by phone at (201) 394-9174.
In order to donate, please click on the following link (which can also be found on the left side menu of our website, tepcornell.com):
https://secure.chaptertools.net/payment/tepcornell_donations.php?page_id=121167
Alternatively, if you wish to donate via check, they can be addressed to Sam Mark and sent to the house address (306 Highland Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853).
As we enter what will surely be exciting years, we look forward to new beginnings made possible by your devotion and generosity.
Best Wishes,
Sam Mark
Alumni Chair
A Lineage TEP Can Be Proud Of: Ben and Adam Gitlin Take Cornell by Storm
Our fraternity always takes great pride when a fellow Tau Epsilon Phi brother ascends to an important leadership position on or off campus. This semester, we are especially proud of a particular TEP lineage that has given our brotherhood real reason to be proud. What’s more is that these TEP brothers are actually—you guessed it—brothers! Ben Gitlin ’12 and Adam Gitlin ’13 hail from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and have already made impressive contributions to the campus community.
Ben, a Government major in the College of Arts and Sciences, was named News Editor of the Cornell Daily Sun at the start of the Spring semester. His editorial fingerprints are all over the Sun, as he meticulously manicures the premier campus newspaper into the early hours of the dawn. Ben’s handiwork is read by thousands daily—in print and online. “I’ve always had a passion for journalism,” said Ben, “editing for the Sun has been an amazing, eye-opening experience.” TEP brothers were especially delighted when a front-page article about one of Ithaca’s signature blizzards featured a handful of TEP brothers as quoted eyewitnesses. “The Sun drains a lot of my energy,” Ben admitted, “but my TEP brothers are really supportive.”
Adam, an ILR major, has enjoyed much success in the student government realm. Most recently, Adam was appointed Vice President of Internal Operations, a position in charge of committee outreach. Despite his standing as a freshman, Adam has been able to achieve quite a lot as a member of the Student Assembly (SA, for short). His winning campaign slogan—“GIT SOME!”—hoisted him into his first official position as Class of 2013 Representative; his politics, charisma, and ideals propelled him further. “Adam has always been ambitious,” remarked his doting older brother, “but who knew he was this good?” Adam has chaired many SA subcommittees, enacting real change around campus. “Social action is something I’m committed to,” explained Adam, “I care about my brothers, classmates, and fellow Cornellians; and I want their voices to be heard.” Recently Adam was awarded the Outstanding Contribution by A FirstYear Student Award by the Student Activities Office.
It is rare to have such influential members of the campus community in one fraternity house, and it is even more rare for them to be biological brothers. The Tau Epsilon Phi brotherhood applauds the Gitlins, and hopes they will continue to make our fraternity proud through their devotion to excellence and public service.
Former Chancellor’s Parting Address
Distinguished Alumni,
As I sit here, with my graduation rapidly approaching, I can’t help but reflect on these past four years spent at Cornell. Both this fraternity and I have grown during this time; I have done my best to help TEP grow in my years as a member, and TEP has certainly returned the favor. As a senior, I have begun to understand the nostalgic feeling that all of you must feel toward TEP, the hope that the people living where you once lived are doing the same things you used to do. I am proud to tell you that TEP has firmly established itself as a top fraternity, and we are reliving the glory days of old. We continue the TEP Cornell traditions of debauchery and partying while maintaining our high academic standards. I’ve heard stories from those of you who have come back to TEP in the past couple of years, and I always love hearing about the antics of previous TEP generations (e.g., one returning alumnus recently quipped, “Things look great, but where’s the hard alcohol?”).
I do not mean to paint a picture of us as crazed college students who do nothing but party and cause trouble. We retain our reputation as the smart, cool house, where we not only hit the bottle hard, but the books hard too. Each semester, we have one of the top fraternity GPA’s on campus, and we all take great pride in our academic achievement. Many of the members of my pledge class have great prospects for next year, whether it’s a top law school, a prominent medical school, or a prestigious offer in finance.
As I am soon to become an alumnus I realize that, while the vitality of a fraternity depends on continued new membership, a house’s alumni play a critical role as well. We'd love to host an alumni weekend in the spring next year to promote increased alumni participation and ensure our fraternity’s ongoing success. We thank those of you who have generously donated thus far, as your contributions enabled us to re-pave our once-crumbling driveway this past summer. I implore each of you to continue contributing whenever possible and I sincerely hope to see many of you at 306 Highland in the near future.
Wishing you all the best,
Scott Silverberg ‘10
Former Chancellor
Relay For Life: “Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.”
Brothers of Tau Epsilon Phi participate in the fight against cancer
For the second consecutive year, Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity participated in Relay For Life, the main volunteer-driven fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. The event began on Saturday, February 27th at 6 PM and concluded at 6 AM on Sunday, February 28th. During this time, each of the 106 teams participating, from both Cornell and Ithaca College, had members walking around Cornell’s Barton Hall track to raise money from sponsors. The all-night event included health promotions, fundraising events, and entertainment. Many of Relay’s activities were meant to honor and remember those who have been affected by cancer. Walkers wore stars with the names of friends and family members who had suffered through cancer and lit luminaries to commemorate those who have lost their battle with cancer. TEP was well represented throughout the night, as several brothers were actively involved in the proceedings for the duration of the 12-hour period. As David Lavian ’12 stated, “Everyone is affected by cancer, whether personally, through a loved one, or a distant relative…. I was happy to participate in this great cause.” The event was exceedingly successful, both from an entertainment and more importantly, a fundraising and awareness standpoint; Cornell and Ithaca College combined to raise over $150,000, all of which was donated to the American Cancer Society. Mike Greene ’13 summed up the night well in saying, “The event was entertaining as well as effective in its objective of raising cancer awareness. I look forward to participating again next year.”
Chancellor’s Report
Dear Alumni,
Each year the Chancellor of the Tau Epsilon Phi Delta chapter is afforded the opportunity to reach out to our alumni. This year, I want to recount some of the exciting goings on at the house. We have re-organized the governing system and the budgeting process to hasten repairs needed in the house; our burgeoning house has over 70 active members and a growing trend of membership; and, as seen elsewhere in this issue, we have also increased participation in on-campus philanthropy events, which we hope will become a perennial tradition. The purpose of this letter, however, is not to give a grocery list of accomplishments, but rather to send you, our alumni, a message from the leadership.
As Chancellor, I would like to convey a current and pressing desire to improve contact with the alumni of our fraternity. In doing so, we hope that you will be able to look back on your days at TEP and know that someone is proudly carrying on the tradition of brotherhood you cultivated. We want to hear back from you in any way possible. Come for a visit, write a letter, or just make a phone call. Visit tepcornell.com, and you will be able to view pictures of the current membership and follow the activity of the fraternity. By registering as a member, you will also be able to access alumni contact information. Which brings me to my final message: Another important desire that we have, as current members, is that the alumni maintain their lines of contact (or revive long-lost friendships) by getting back in touch with each other. Get your brothers on the phone and reminisce about TEP and discuss just how much fun it would be to do a reunion up here. We would be more than happy to host.
We hope to see all of you at this year’s reunion weekend in June. Please email me at smw255@cornell.edu or call me at (914) 715-4727 at anytime to discuss the details of this year’s alumni weekend. We look forward to hearing from all of you.
Sincerely,
Steven Wald
Chancellor
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