1

BETA DATA

The Official Newsletter for the

Beta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi

Volume 6, Issue 2

Inside This Issue: Executive Board:

Master’s Address…2

Lieutenant Master Report…3 Master: Steven Hyde

Social Events…4 Lieutenant Master: Max Schechter

Sorority Relations…4 Scribe: Michael Mallon

Philanthropy…5 Exchequer: Matthew Baron

Brotherhood…6 Rush Chair: Michael Cline

Athletics…7 Pledge Master: Steven Grant

Rush…7 House Manager: Jeff Sussman

Kappa Pledge Class…8 Sentinel: Jason Fenwick

House Report…9 Brother-At-Large: Jonathan Lesser

Jewish Life…10

Parents Weekend…11

Alumni Relations..12

Alumni Advisor Report…13

Brothers Abroad…14

Donations/Contact Form…15

2

Master’s Address

Steven Hyde

Dear Brothers,

The spring 2012 semester has been one of growth, progress, and

development for our ever-improving chapter. Our brotherhood has put

in countless hours of effort to strengthen our fraternal operations in a

number of different realms. As a result, we

continue to shed our status as a young chapter. These days we have

taken on a new identity and have become a cornerstone of the Cornell

Greek system.

I wish to take a moment to address some of the highlights of the past

semester. The spring started off with a bang, as we had our strongest

Rush Week in recent memory. More rushes walked through our doors

than ever before, and we could not be prouder

of our newly initiated Kappa pledge class. Additionally, our philanthropic and civic endeavors

have reached unprecedented heights. Our annual philanthropy event, the “AE-Pie Toss,”

generated over $6,000 in donations for Sharsheret, an organization dedicated to serving the

unique concerns of Jewish women facing breast cancer. Of the 160

chapters of AEPi worldwide, our chapter raised the third most in philanthropy donations.

We also have the distinct honor of co-sponsoring an event with Hillel in New York City,

commemorating Beta alumnus and Civil Rights movement hero, Michael Schwerner ’61.

I would like to conclude by saying what an honor it is to serve as Master of such an

incredible brotherhood. My tenure here has granted me the best collegiate experience I

could imagine, and nothing I could say could do it justice. As Master, I have undergone

growth as a person as well as a leader, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.

Our future together is bright, and I hope you are all just as excited as I am to witness it.

Fraternally,

Steven Hyde ‘14

Master

shyde8@gmail.com

3

Lieutenant Master Report

Max Schechter Wow, what a semester it has been in the life of the Beta Chapter.

Thurston Manor has been teeming with activity, from our

brotherhood pong tournament in the first week of the semester to

our formal and slope day in the last, there has been nonstop action.

Some particular highlights have been the water gun fight mixer

with Alpha Xi Delta, the Mr. AEPi pledge competition with

Kappa Kappa Gamma, our brotherhood ski trip, and of course our

most successful AEPi-Toss ever. However, in my report I wanted

to touch upon a few things that might be overlooked elsewhere in

this Beta Data.

One great time in the past semester was the trip we made to

the Delta Deuteron Chapter of AEPi at the University of Maryland

for conclave. We took a delegation of nearly 30 brothers and

pledges. For some it was their fourth conclave, for others their

first, but everyone learned fresh skills and made new friends. At

night, brothers explored the majesty of the D.C. memorials. It was

a fun bonding experience (particularly driving 12 hours in the car with Fenwick, Hyde, Henick,

and JRob!).

Another highlight of the year was our successful parents weekend. Nearly

100 people sat comfortably in the common room and enjoyed a delicious banquet

prepared by Chef Dave D’aprix. Families came from all over to see the brotherhood

put through our paces. Co-chairs of the event Eden and Jon did an amazing job

coordinating the whole production. Parents left very happy with the state of the

house and brotherhood, something we can all be proud of.

A final event I wanted to touch upon that might not get recognized was the

fantastic serenades the Kappa pledges presented to every sorority on campus. The

Kappa pledge class performed the LMFAO song “Sexy and I Know it” to rave reviews.

One sorority’s social chair texted our social directly after seeing the serenades

demanding a mixer right away. It was a proud and entertaining moment for our fraternity and

for the Kappa pledge class.

Looking at the pages of this one can clearly see the strength and

fullness of our schedule. I wanted to highlight these few examples but the semester

has been a whirlwind of activity overflowing with AEPi events. I could not be more

excited for the future of our fraternity, this semester has set the bar remarkably

high, but I am confident in our ability to clear it in the fall.

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Social Events and Sorority Relations

Jeremy Gilston

This semester, we continued to make great strides in our Sweet-E-

Pi program. Likewise, our Date Night in February was a huge success,

and we are looking forward to our upcoming Slope Day celebrations and

Cayuga Lake Cruise Formal.

We initiated 7 new house friends into the Sweet-E-Pi program,

bringing the group up to 22. We are sad to see off our senior sweethearts,

but excited about the possibilities for next year’s program. Our first

group signed a paddle, which hangs over our fireplace to remind us of

these great girls as they move on and graduate from Cornell University.

We incorporated this program into our pledge program this semester by

holding an etiquette dinner during which our pledges were paired up with a Sweet-E-Pi to

practice good manners and proper conversations. This was a fun and successful pledge

event; the Sweet-E-Pis loved it too!

Date Night was a unique and special event that our, at the time, pledges attended. It was

a memorable time and we even had the all-male acapella group, The Hangovers, perform for us.

The common room was decorated to the nines, and everyone had a fun time.

Finally, our Sorority Relations have never been better. With new Cornell regulations on

Sorority Relations during pledging, we made do with creative activities for those particular

mixers. We had a brunch with Kappa Delta, a Mr. AEPi Pageant with Kappa Kappa Gamma,

and a Water Gun Fight with Alpha Xi Delta. In the midst of these Cornell regulated events, we

also had a Jersey Shore themed mixer with the Cornell Cheerleading team. After our pledges

were initiated, we had a Halloween II mixer with Alpha Xi Delta, a Wine Tour with Alpha Chi

Omega, hung out with the Co-ed Fraternity – Alpha Zeta - and had a Barbeque with Kappa

Delta among other events. The brothers love how involved the house has become in the larger

Greek and Sorority system.

5

Philanthropy

Jeremy Cohen

This semester in philanthropy we had unbelievable success with

AEPie-toss. The event benefitted Sharsheret, a nonprofit

organization supporting young Jewish women with breast cancer.

The idea of Pie-toss is that we sell whipped cream pies to throw at

prominent Cornellians. To raise money in addition to what we

earn by selling pies we mailed out letters to over 500 friends and

family to asking them to buy a pie from afar. In our fundraising

efforts, we shattered our goal of raising $4,000 several weeks

before the actual event and have currently raised over $6,000 for

charity. This unprecedented success has now put us as the third

best fundraising AEPi chapter in the world as the amount that we

have raised continues to grow!

In addition, the event itself was a huge success as we pied Cornell athletes, club

presidents, sorority presidents, and of course brothers who looked like they could use a nice pie

to the face. We also got a lot of publicity from the event, including coverage on the front page

of the Cornell Daily Sun! But the obvious highlight of the event was Matt "Fattush" Baron

getting pied in the behind as he headed to class.

We look forward to future philanthropy success as we continue our fundraising efforts for

this semester, and for future philanthropy in years to come!

6

Brotherhood

Steven Grant and Jason Haas This semester has been a rewarding one for me

and my Co-Brotherhood Chair, Jason Haas, as we

worked together to provide the Brotherhood with

a wide range of activities. After a long fall

semester of rushing, I always think of the spring

as the time to settle in, sit back, relax, and enjoy

"Bro Time," and Brotherhood events provide the

perfect means for us to accomplish our goal of

increased quantity and quality of this time.

A staple of the Brotherhood programming this

semester has been food.... lots of it. Between

Brotherhood trips to local Ithaca eateries (Five

Guys and Chili's are always favorites), weekly grilling (thanks to Grill

Masters Jeff Sussman and Michael Cline), pizza and wings to the house for dinners and the

Super Bowl, Insomnia Cookies by the dozen, and our annual trip to Syracuse's legendary

Dinosaur BBQ, we ate more than we ever thought could be stuffed into Baron's belly.

We weren't only putting on the pounds this semester - we also tried to work them off. Our

trip to Greek Peak for a day of skiing was a success, and the 2nd Annual Gold and Blue

Football game was a great time. We also gambled on Super Bowl Squares, watched the NCAA

Tournament Finals (congrats to Alex Adler for winning the AEPi Beta Pool!), and took in

television as a group, with Brothers devotedly watching Mad Men, Game of Thrones, and Parks

and Recreation.

A highlight of the semester - and a new addition to the Brotherhood slate - was a rousing

fraternity-wide game of Assassin. Each Brother was given another Brother to "target" and

eliminate (simply whisper the phrase "Bang Bang You're Dead") until only Brian Green

remained standing.

On the whole, it was a fulfilling and fun semester. As a graduating senior, I hope to see

the level of Brotherhood cohesion and camaraderie rise even more in the coming years despite

my absence.

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Athletics

Michael Sobel

AEPi has made a name for itself in the Cornell intramural sports

program. Although this semester started off rocky with a

relatively weak performance in 5-on-5 basketball, we have

bounced back and clinched playoff berths in both Softball and

Bowling. In Bowling we were led by senior Eden Ellis and

freshman Brian Green to a deep run into the playoffs. In

Softball under my careful coaching and the big bats of

sophomore Michael Mallon and junior Brandon Zipper, we were

able to make a post-season appearance. If this semester is any

sign of the future, AEPi will continue to excel athletically.

Rush Chairman Update

Michael Cline This past semester the brothers of the Beta Chapter had a very busy and enjoyable rush week.

Due to the new IFC regulations, the rush week schedule was severely changed this year, with

the entire week being completely dry, smokers occurring late at night, and

events occurring during the day. One of the highlights of our past rush week was the creation of

a new event, AEPi Top Shot. This event allowed brothers and rushes to participate in target

shooting using air-soft and paintball guns. Everyone had an excellent time, and contributed to

the signing of 11 total bids for the Spring 2012 Kappa Pledge class.

Looking forward, everyone is very excited for next Fall. With the help of the new rush

committee and the rest of the chapter, we have a very strong schedule planned, and a very large

list of potential rushes. Next Fall, we also are planning on starting a new annual event: AEPi

Splash Bash. Splash Bash recently became an event that many AEPi Chapters around the world

throw, and the event consists of a completely dry paint-party. Under the guidance of our newly

formed Splash Bash Chair, Justin Schindler, I am confident this event will be one of the largest

events our chapter has thrown. All of us are looking forward for next Fall, and I look forward

working with the rush committee and the chapter in improving and advancing our rush efforts.

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Kappa Pledge Class

Steven Henick, the Pledge Class President, is from

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and is a Biology and

Society major in the College of Human Ecology. Steven

is a big lacrosse fan, and on campus he is involved in

Hillel, the Student Ambassador Program, and the Ivy

Journal of Ethics.

Solomon Park, called Sol by his friends and those too

lazy to say Solomon, is from Lawrenceville, NJ. He is

studying Materials Science and Engineering, with a

minor in Fun In The Sun from Ithaca College. He is

proud to be a member of the Kappa pledge

class.

Daniel Chazen is from Manalapan, New

Jersey and studying Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences.

He is spending the summer doing biomedical research and hopes

to attend medical school in the future. His hobbies include skiing

and biking. He is also involved with Cornell Hillel. Daniel is

excited to serve as exchequer for the upcoming school year.

Daniel Seth Lewis is a hippy-dippy ultra right-wing liberal

extremist from Saratoga, CA. He doesn't have a college, major,

or anything else similarly important. He reads about a

book a week, and is currently the Executive Editor of the

Cornell Lunatic.

David Streitman is from Syosset, New York and is

studying Biological Engineering in the College of Agriculture and

Life Sciences. David is currently a member of the Big Red Marching

Band, and enjoys exercising and watching the Dallas

Mavericks in his spare time.

Robert Guber is from Jericho, New York and is

studying Biology and Society in the College of

Human Ecology. Robert enjoys working in a research lab,

and loves playing sports.

Joseph Schertzer is from Weston, Florida and is majoring in

Human Development. He is very active in the Hillel, serving as

the Co-Chair of the Freshman Engagement Committee and on the

Hillel Orientation team. He is an avid soccer enthusiast, piano

player, and hopes to one day become a doctor.

Justin Schindler is a rising sophomore in the college of engineering, planning

to affiliate in chemical engineering. He loves to sing

(both in and out of the shower) and play the

saxophone. Although he is not in any musical

ensembles on campus, he plans on auditioning for

an a cappella group next semester. He participates

in research on mesoporous silicon nanofibers with

Dr. Joo’s group. His favorite character in mario

party is Luigi.

Brian Green is a biology major with a

minor in business. He is an animal

enthusiast, child psychic and ghost

whisperer, and plays baseball. On

campus, he enjoys partying, hanging

out with friends, watching television,

eating

omelets,

and being a ladies man.

Alec Bernard is a biology major from

Westport, Connecticut. He is soft-spoken,

enjoys skiing, pistachio ice cream, and

crocheting. He is part of EMS and spends a lot

of his time saving lives

while maintaining good

grades.

Sam Lester is a sophomore transfer from Michigan

majoring in Information Science. He is from Irvine and

California. Famous for wearing Hawaiian shirts and his

catchphrase, “Well…,” he is always a pleasure to talk

to. He has been to every Major League Baseball

stadium and is a huge Mets fan.

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House Report

Jeff Sussman

This semester Thurston Manor retained its position as one of the most

well kept fraternity houses on campus. We continued to enjoy the

wonderful food prepared by our new chef Dave D'aprix, and hope to

enjoy his cooking for years to come. If you have visited the house in the

past few months you might have noticed that the foyer has been

completely transformed. AEPi Nationals provided us with beautiful blue

curtains to hang in front of the windows. They allow for more privacy

and also insulate the foyer well. Other improvements to the house include

the Kappa pledge class project, which focused on improving the

backyard. The Kappas purchased and put together a brand new basketball

hoop which actually extends to regulation height! Brothers have been

known to "ball so hard" that AEPi basketball hoops rarely last more than a semester, but this

sturdy hoop should last at least a semester and a week. The Kappas also installed and painted a

fence which protects part of the infamous Putzer Falls, and built a blue and gold hammock in

the backyard.

Over the summer brothers will continue to improve the house. Michael Cline and Jeremy

Gilston have already transformed the common room, splitting it into a dining room and living

room. We also started to create a house gym, purchasing a bench, barbell, and over 250 pounds

of weights. In addition, Nationals will be helping us build a new storage shed, as well as

repaving the driveway this summer.

10

Jewish Life

Michael Cline and Mickey Katz

This semester our calendar was packed

with various Jewish life events.

Throughout the semester, the brothers of

AEPi held semi-regular Shabbat dinners

for the brotherhood, friends, and Cornell

community. People came to the house to

enjoy some delicious Challah, grape

juice, and a filling dinner provided by 104

West - the Cornell Jewish Living Center.

On the first night of Passover, the majority of the brotherhood flocked to

north campus for Cornell's annual Super Seder where some of our own

brothers led Seders at multiple tables. For the second night of Passover,

we held our annual Second Night Seder, where we invite friends and guests to come join us to

retell the story of Passover, sing the four questions, and schmooze with the brotherhood.

Everyone had an amazing time, and the food was delicious. Later in the semester, the brothers

commemorated Yom Hashoah by participating in AEPi and B'nai B'riths "Walk to Remember".

For this event, we had over 20 brothers dress up in all black, wear signs saying "never forget"

and walk around campus in complete silence handing out informational quarter cards to the

Cornell Community. It was a very moving event for those who participated, and it helped raise

Holocaust awareness amongst the Cornell community. This semester was very busy with all the

events, and I'm sure the next Jewish Life Chairs, Joseph Schertzer and Daniel Lewis, will do an

amazing job making next semester just as exciting and fun.

11

Parents Weekend

Eden Ellis and Jonathan Lesser This year, the Beta Chapter hosted perhaps its most successful

AEPi Parents Weekend yet. From April 20th

– 22nd

, parents

gathered to celebrate the health of our fraternity with endless

food, drink and entertainment. With approximately eighty

percent of brothers’ parents in attendance, the house’s

common room was exceptionally packed throughout the

weekend. Highlights include the annual awards ceremony and

dinner banquet with a cocktail hour featuring esteemed House

Sommelier Eric Scheiner, and a four-course meal cooked by

our beloved Chef Dave D’Aprix. The evening’s awards were

delivered complete with Bar Mitzvah-style entrance music

dedicated to the winners, which brought countless laughs. The

following morning, Chef Dave followed up with a

scrumptious buffet brunch that our parents thoroughly

enjoyed before heading home. On the whole, the parents of the Beta Chapter were beyond

impressed with the improvements we have made over the past few years, and thrilled by the

positive direction of the chapter’s future.

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Alumni Relations

Jeremy Roberts This semester has led to another giant leap forward in terms of Alumni

Relations and as a result, it was a rewarding semester. Beta Chapter Updates

were provided more frequently to let alumni know what was happening on a

monthly basis. Our scribe, Michael Mallon, updated the blogs on our AEPi

website www.aepibeta.org to provide more details on chapter events.

Overall, it was great to continue building connections with our alumni.

I also started a new initiative, contacting active alumni to provide more

information on our past history to give current brothers a better understanding

of Beta Chapter lore. This was quite successful and I heard stories from all eras of AEPi. It

was great to find out that college has changed so much, yet brotherhood, friendships, and

personalities have remained the same.

The Impact and Legacy of Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney

event was also fantastic. The martyrs’ brothers, Stephen Schwerner, David Goodman, and Ben

Chaney, respectively, recounted the events of 1964 with members of AEPi, Cornell Black

Alumni Association, and other various Cornell alumni. They answered questions about their

own actions on the evening of June 21, the current state of racial affairs, Jewish/Black tactics in

civil rights, and factual inaccuracies of Mississippi Burning. It ended on a touching note when

they imagined what the martyrs would be doing if still alive today.

There were also many AEPi Beta alumni at the event. Conversations with Brothers

Hecht ‘11, Grossman ‘11, and Tananbaum ’11 picked up right where they left off. It was also

cool to hear from some older Beta alumni such as Peter Sherman ’61, a roommate of Mickey

Schwerner’s, Bruce Gitlin ’77, and David Hoffman ’58, as they recounted their times in AEPi

prior to Thurston Manor. Jared Hakimi ’07 and David Chipurnoi ‘00 played a huge role in

putting the event together and it would not have been successful without their work.

Finally, Mazel Tov to Joe Vulih ’08 on his marriage! It was awesome to hear that many

of his brothers were also in attendance. AEPi really does forge friendships for a lifetime.

Reunion Weekend is going to be a blast and it will be great to meet some brothers who

have made AEPi what it is today. Hope to see you there!

Stephen Schwerner

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Alumni Advisor

David Chipurnoi ‘00 Dear Brothers, This year has been another eventful one for the Beta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi! The undergraduates had a successful intramural sports campaign, a packed social calendar, a tremendous philanthropic push that should put the chapter in the top 5 of all chapters this year, and our partnership with Cornell Hillel for educational programming in the NYC area and available worldwide on the internet - the Legacy of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney (please read the story on that amazing event). AEPi is continuing it's leadership on campus with brotherhood involvement in student activities at an all-time high, including a second year of representation in a row on the Inter-fraternity Council executive board. In a year that saw Cornell's Greek system consistently making the national media headlines for hazing and other poor decisions, it was wonderful to see our chapter provide a prime example of student leadership and all the benefits that fraternity membership provides an undergraduate man. Congratulations to our newest alumni - the Class of 2012! For the first time this year is also your Reunion Zero, the most recent alumni class is now officially a part of Cornell's Reunion Weekend. As this program grows, I look forward to seeing the newest alumni up in Ithaca during Reunion weekends. For all those other alumni coming back to Ithaca, feel free to stop by the Beta house at 140 Thurston Avenue for our official Reunion events on Friday June 8th from 4-6pm and Saturday June 9th from 4-6pm. If those times conflict with other Reunion activities, you are more than welcome to come to the house at any other time but to ensure someone is there to show you around, please contact Jeremy Roberts at jeremyr639@gmail.com . As Alpha Epsilon Pi approaches its centennial in 2013, I would like to announce a few projects I have been working on to better improve alumni affairs and relationships with AEPi International and Cornell University. The Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation now has an individual account set up for the Beta Chapter. If you are making a donation to the AEPi Foundation, and want those funds to be earmarked for our chapter, please contact Jay Feldman, the Operations Director of the AEPi Foundation at jfeldman@aepi.org . If you were planning on making a 2013 Committee level donation, the funds will be split with our new Beta Chapter fund. Also, it is about time that Beta Chapter has an official Alumni Association to not only assist the undergraduate chapter with alumni programming. To ensure this new Alumni Association has a connection to the current brotherhood on campus, Jared Hakimi '07 (a Founding Father of the current iteration of Beta, a former AEPi International employee, and an all-around great guy) will be partnering with me on re-establishing a Beta Chapter Alumni Association. It will take more than just two men to do this justice, so any brother who has the time to donate in undertaking this start up, please email me personally. Finally, I have been working with the Director of Affinity Programs in Alumni Affairs to partner with Cornell in our plans to celebrate our own personal centennial in 2017 - the first time our chapter will attempt a massive celebration since 1997's 80th anniversary. As I said, this has been an eventful year for Beta chapter, but I can't help but think it is only the beginning of something bigger and better! Fraternally, David Chipurnoi '00 david.chipurnoi@gmail.com

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Brothers Abroad

Alex Adler, Micah Freedman, Jay Wexler Alexander Adler

I spent this last semester completing a credit internship in New York City. I worked at

Viacom in the Human Resources department, planning employee events, contact

employees regarding disability leaves, and organizing flexible work arrangements. While

in the city, I was fortunate enough to live with Brother Alumnus Adam Putzer '11 in an

apartment off Park Ave. Over the summer, I will be working in the mailroom at United

Talent Agency in Los Angeles. During this internship, I will work as an entrance level

employee on the track to become a talent agent.

Micah Freedman I spent this past semester doing a study abroad program in South Africa. The majority of the program took place inside of the Kruger

National Park, which is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. As such, my semester was basically a big safari replete with lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, baboons, and pretty much every other African animal you can think of. I also spent some time living in a small village near the border with Zimbabwe, where I was kept busy with entertaining children, slaughtering chickens, and collecting water. There was also a brief stay in Cape Town and along the Indian Ocean coast. The South African summer provided a welcome break from the bleak Ithaca winter, and the program as a whole was a welcome relief from the formality and structure that I've grown used to at Cornell.

Jay Wexler This semester I decided to study in Berlin to work on my German reading and speaking, learn new things from different perspectives, and just generally see the "old world" and have fun. True to my ILR background I have devoted a lot of my classwork and outside activity to studying labor relations in Germany, as well as the philosophical works that have come out of Germany over the centuries that lead them, and many Europeans to see things differently than those of us who grew up in the USA. I have also been traveling around Europe heading in pretty much every direction. Most recently I returned from a program through the Auschwitz Jewish Center to Krakow, Poland and Auschwitz where I was fortunate enough to see and learn things that I had previously only experienced through books, history channel documentaries, and when very lucky first hand retelling. It was not an experience I expected to have during my time here but I couldn't be more happy that I had it, and that pretty much summarizes this semester; one filled with expected and

unexpected great new experiences in this old and interesting city, country, and continent.

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Beta Donations

The Beta Chapter would like to thank the following

alumni for their generous donations:

$250 - $299 ~ Gold

$100 - $249 ~ Silver

Adam Schneider

$25 - $99 ~ Pearl

Leonard Gang

Donation levels are based on semesterly giving. If you donated

and your name is not listed above, we apologize for this

mistake, and you will be recognized in next semester’s

newsletter.

Help Keep Us Up To Date: Fill out this form and return to: Steven Hyde, Master 140 Thurston Ave. Ithaca, NY 14850

Name:_________________________________________ Year:_______________

Do you need to update your information? y / n

Do you have an announcement you would like to place in the next issue? y / n

Would you like to be put on the alumni email list to receive announcements form the chapter via email

or to connect with other brothers?

email:_________________________________________

Please accept my enclosed donation of _____________ to be used for ____________________________________

Announcement______________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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