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University of South Florida Initiation
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During the spring semester of 2017, our chapter was asked to perform the Rite of Iris and Ritual ceremonies for the men of our crescent colony at the University of South Florida. Our Ritual team traveled to Tampa, FL and, on the morning of April 22, performed these two ceremonies for the 43 students who were refounding the Epsilon Pi chapter on their campus. Sincerest congratulations on our performances were offered by several alumni, including International President Jim Garboden and Great Southern Division President Tiger Edwards. A special shoutout is owed to our guide John Kleess for his preparations in advance for this event, which was universally deemed a success. The excitement of the event was very palpable in the faces of the room’s newest brothers, and we wish a long future of growth and development for Epsilon Pi chapter.
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The Charge is a five-day experience currently taking place in Chicago. Throughout the week, brothers look at what goals they want to accomplish professionally and personally and analyze what roles they want to have in the community. Each day at the Charge, men are given tasks to complete in the city of Chicago. Similar to the NBC show, The Apprentice, participants are given a budget, objectives they need to meet, and a time frame to complete each task. This year, our brother Eric Mcsheehy attended the Charge.
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Brotherhood Spotlight
Patrick Johnson
Community Service Chairman
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Patrick Johnson, a senior studying Aeronautical Science with Flight and a minor in Aviation Management, worked for a private surgeon based out of Charlotte, North Carolina this past summer. Patrick flew the surgeon to and from work in West Virginia on the surgeon's private airplane. Patrick also piloted the flights of his employees and family members. Most recently, they have trained to take on a separate role as a corporate flying service. This will continue to be Patrick’s full-time job for the foreseeable future.
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2017 Fall New Members
Seth
I’m Seth Goldman, I’m 18 and a freshman. My major is Aeronautical Science with Flight. I was originally born in California but then moved to Tampa, Florida. Some of my hobbies are fishing, playing games, going to Disney World, and just hanging out with friends. As for the interesting stuff about me, there’s not much, but I fly planes.
Miles
I'm Miles Medearis, and I am a freshman. My major is Mechanical Engineering. I am from Kyle, Texas. My hobbies are chillin', playing basketball, doing outside activities, listening to music, thinking, and playing video games.
Matthew
I’m Matthew Miller, a transfer student majoring in Ocean Engineering. I’m from Chicago and playing pool is my hobby.
Francisco
I’m Francisco Zalles, a transfer student from Guayaquil, Ecuador. My major is Mechanical Engineering. My hobby is Jiujitsu.
Jonathan
I’m Jonathan Blackshear, and I’m a Freshman. My major is Business Global Management and Finance. I was born in Atlanta and raised in London. I play real futbol.
Joe
I’m Joseph Uva, a freshman majoring in Aeronautical Science with Flight. I’m from Westfield, Massachusetts, and I play hockey for FIT.
Donta
I’m Don’ta Whitley, and I’m a Freshman. My major is Civil Engineering. I’m from Ruston, Louisiana. My hobbies are basketball, video games, and chillin'.
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Alumni Spotlight
Mark Montero
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For those of you that do not know me, I am originally from Downey, California, and I joined Delta Tau Delta the spring of my sophomore year of college (2014). While at school, I studied Aerospace Engineering and held executive positions in some organizations on campus which unfortunately prevented me from taking a more active role in our fraternity’s leadership, but I did serve on Honor Board the entire time I was at school. In more unofficial roles I was a charge of the grill for all Delt events and was, of course, the friendly neighborhood IT guy (with appropriate compensation in food). With that, my memories with the Delts of Florida Tech are among the best that I made during the four years that I lived in Florida and will be cherished for all of my life. Nowadays, I am working for the U.S. space program— in a role as a Raytheon employee contracted to N.A.S.A. I am part of two teams working on instruments on the Aura satellite, which is part of the Earth Observation System and is used to study our planet’s atmosphere. My goal is to eventually work on deep space missions to help push the boundary of our understanding of space. I wish much good fortune to my brothers in Florida and hope you will look me up if you are in California one day.
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Ignite
Jahleel Gomez-Womack
Vice President of Programming
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My Ignite Experience
Joining the Iota Xi chapter in February 2017 was something that I was looking forward to since my freshman year. However, what exactly I wanted out of the fraternity, I wasn’t quite sure. Yes, it satisfied the basic things I was looking for such as family, brotherhood, and transforming as a man who can call himself a Delt. This year, I got more than I bargained for, and I had the opportunity to go to the Ignite leadership conference in Indianapolis. This experience was something that I honestly did not expect. With aspirations of wanting to someday become President or Vice President, I quickly noticed that Ignite would be beneficial for leadership experience.
On the first day there, I realized that Ignite had brothers from schools in Michigan, Nebraska, and Ohio (to name a few). I thought to myself: Yeah, we're all Delts, but we were so different regarding chapter size and problems that affect our chapters. In my group, we did the usual introductions and ice-breakers, but when we shared our stories and some local traditions, we gelled together as brothers. This was good for me because I got to meet new brothers; hopefully one day I will get to visit their chapter houses and have worthwhile experiences. We had sessions on what leadership means and how to build it, which helped me identify the fears that I had thinking if I should be a leader in my chapter or just an active brother. In any case, it showed me that everyone has a part to play, regardless if they hold a position or not.
We even had a rock climbing session; ironically, even though I'm a pilot, I have a fear of falling, which made it hard for me after I got halfway up the wall. I wanted just to give up because it was the easy thing to do, but my brothers cheered me on and motivated me to keep going, and that is my main takeaway from Ignite. We must not give up just because we see problems in our chapter, and we can't ignore them just because it’s the easy thing to do. We must stand by and motivate one another to keep persevering. Awards are nice to have, but that doesn’t define a solid chapter in my eyes. It’s how we push each other to do better, how we lift one another up when we’re down, how we keep the family together.
I learned a lot about being a leader at Ignite, but I also learned what it means to be a Delt and to be a brother. It was an experience I will never forget because it has made me a better student, a better Delt, and a better man. This was one of the highlights of my summer, and I would recommend it to any of the younger members. Ignite truly shows you what we mean when we say “Committed to lives of excellence.”
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Upcoming Events
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October 22: Soap Hockey JDRF Philanthropy
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October 23-26: I-Week
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October 27: Initiation
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October 29: Brotherhood Retreat
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November 1-4: Homecoming
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November 5: Elections
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November 10: Veterans Day/Alumni Day
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November 22-26: Thanksgiving Break
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December 7: White Elephant
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