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The Jaguar PressThe Official Newsletter of Tau Psi Omega- Alpha Chapter

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THE JAGUAR PRESS FALL 2013

It is a great honor to be voted brother of the month, especially when I haven’t been in Tau Psi Omega for a whole year. It just shows that someone noticed the hard work I have been putting into this fraternity since I crossed over. I still remember the first time I met some of the brothers of Tau Psi Omega. I had no intention of going Greek but when I saw Alex Sainz and Jesus Navarro at the MU wearing their letters and I asked them what Tau Psi Omega was about, they said “We aretabling upstairs you should come check us out.” Next thing I know, I was at the first

informational, found out that this was the fraternity for me, and the rest is history. I crossed over that semester with the Alpha Betas.

When I crossed over, I knew I wanted to make an impact right away and be like the brothers I look up to the most, Amador Chavez , Hairs Podrug , and Jorge Ambriz. The opportunity came when Salvador Camacho wanted me to run for community service chairman in the start of the spring semester. I was a bit nervous but Bryan Soto and Frank Garcia gave me the boost by believing in me, and I ended up winning the election. Today, I am still the community service chairman of Tau Psi Omega and continue to love the position! I love the impact the fraternity is making to the community today. From the service in Agua Prieta, the Minority Male Program in the summer, the Founders day service at C.A.S.S (Central Arizona Shelter Service) and the service we had at Hermosillo, Mexico.  

My goals are to continue to do a good job at community service and raise the average of community service hours per brother and plan services that are meaningful. My next goal is to accomplish more community service hours I did last academic year and complete about 120 hours this school year.  Right now, my plans are to graduate with my B.S in Mathematics & Statistics and a degree in Secondary Education. Then, I would like to join the Peace Corps for a few years by helping other people in need around the world. My hopes are to then become a statistician for a baseball teams and later become a high school math teacher to help kids make it to the college level. For now, I am going to enjoy my undergraduate years and the brotherhood as well as continuing to make my brothers, family and friends proud. Tau Psi 4-LIFE!!!!!!

Brother of the Month for August

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registration process to the delivery of the pizza at the end of the service.

Lock-inOn Friday, September 20, the brothers of Tau Psi Omega joined to have a lock-in at Amador Chavez’s (Chi class, Fall 2010) apartment. Video game tournaments were played and midnight snacks were eaten. Not only were the brothers bonding by socializing and playing video games together but also by showing off some dance moves on the kitchen floor. Overall, this brotherhood event was a nice way to enjoying themselves before waking up early in the morning the next day to do community service.

Fall Service Plunge

service was going smoothly from the the sure that make helped and leaders as team brothers from Tau Psi Omega also worked

After a long night of games, laughter, and socializing, the brothers attended the Fall Service Plunge, which was sponsored by Changemaker Central and hosted by gentlemen of Tau Psi Omega. Their community service chairman, Juan Reyes (AB class, Fall 2012), took lead and helped host the community service event for over 125 volunteers. Several

SpainBefore studying abroad I knew I had to expand my horizons mentally. I did not need to get away but experience a different lifestyle. One I haven’t been exposed to before. My first thought was… why not? The only thing that was holding me back was the cost. While being enrolled in summer school, I decided to work in two different jobs to raise money for a trip to Spain, but I was still not going to be able to cover the full cost. I was not about to give up I kept looking for alternative options and managed to receive a grants from Financial Aid. Some people may say it’s luck, but I’ve proven that if you believe in something and persist, you can accomplish anything. The time to leave my country arrived, and I was honestly quite scared of what was to come. The most important thing about studying abroad was actually studying…. right? My classes were fun and I didn’t have to stress over my assignments. I attended classes like International Business and Cross Cultural Management. It was not until I left Spain when I realized that I grew as an individual. I became a lot more confident in my decisions as well as developing as an independent person. I am fully aware of myself as an individual and as part of a collective society and feel very comfortable with myself. Things I miss.. are pretty much everything. I just fit in with the way of life in Barcelona, Spain. I miss walking everything for the siestas to the coffee shops. Studying abroad in Spain was literally the best decision I’ve ever made. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and have evolved and seen the world through a different perspective. The investments are not the memories I gained but who I have become.The world is small and full of excitement and discoveries waiting to be experienced. When you get the opportunity to travel out of your comfort zone, take it. For those that are still studying… you can always visit a place… but remember, it’s harder to experience a new culture for over 3 months after graduation.Everything is possible and you have to let things work out by seeking what you desire the most.

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Brother of the Month for September

Sedona"I came into college not knowing what to expect because I am a first generation college student. The first year was sort of harsh and it only consisted of work, school and then going straight home. I needed a social life so I decided to try something I never thought I would do. After crossing over in Fall 2011 with Tau Psi Omega, I felt that my college life had changed. Tau Psi Omega helped me find who I truly am and made me feel comfortable being myself.

This year, I was given the opportunity to give back to the fraternity by being elected as the Treasurer and the Special Events Chairman. I am not a business major but I was able to make business with a club and was able to get them to help sponsor Tau Psi in return of helping them promote their events. During that time, I was setting up the 17th year anniversary’s founder’s week, which consisted of workshops that were open to the ASU community to help promote alcohol awareness and hazing prevention. To finish off and celebrate Founders day, after a nice barbecue and game night which consisted of the Mayweather vs. Canelo boxing match and the ASU vs. Wisconsin football game, everybody headed to Oceans 7 club to release some stress.

My parents have done so much for me, and I felt that it was my way to return the favor. I started falling in love with the automobile industry but didn't want to be just a technician. I saw that ASU offered an automotive engineering program and decided to go for it. With a career like this, I see myself working on and improving the current vehicles to better for the environment. My main manufacturer to work for is Nissan but I would be happy to work with any company.

Since people have taken their time to help me get to where I am today, I saw how good it was to give back so I’m glad I decided to join a community service based fraternity. Every semester I volunteer more than 30 hours and help more than just small service events. I have done services in Agua Prieta helping build homes and in Managua, Nicaragua I helped build fences, finish a basketball court, and plant flowers in a community center where children study and play. This semester, we will be going to Merida, Mexico to help nearby villages to engage with the youth in after school activities in order to promote higher education."

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” – William Morris

The tradition of going to Sedona every semester to camp took place on the evening of Friday, October 4. The brothers departed from Tempe late in the day causing most of the trip to be after sunset. Regardless, the group managed to find the old campsite with no problem and started the campfire. Robert Jacobson’s (AG class, spring 2013) great survival skills helped them start the fire right away. The brothers huddled around the campfire for the rest of the night telling stories and simply having a great time with each other. They also took advantage of the time and went through affirmations. It was a good time to process how they had been doing since the semester started and looking for ways to improve. They got the chance to express their thoughts and receive constructive

Be A Leader Foundation works with students as young as seventh graders to help them become college bound. One of their yearly events is the Be A Leader Walk, where middle and high school students can go and learn from a variety of different colleges and organizations to help them achieve their career goals. The last Be A Leader Walk was held on October 20, 2013 in Downtown Phoenix. Juan Reyes (AB class, fall 2012) and Jesus Navarro (Psi Class, fall 1011) represented Tau Psi Omega by tabling and talking to people about Greek life and what TPO stands for.

Nonprofit organizations like he Salvation Army and Red Cross joined together on Thursday, October 24 to have Community Day at South Mountain Community College. Last year, it took place on Thursday, October 24. Similar to tabling for the Be A Leader Walk, a group of Tau Psi Omega brothers tabled and spoke about the community service that we do. Services like the ones they do at Agua Prieta and Hermosillo just a couple of examples talked about to people who stopped by to learn about their

another event called Academic Day, where multiple colleges and organizations from around the state got the chance to speak to the general public about themselves. Similar to the previous events, a group of Tau Psi Omega brothers spoke to the people about multicultural fraternities and sororities, and informed them about the benefits of joining a

Two days after, SMCC hosted

Be A Leader WalkBe A Leader Walk

Community Day

Academic Day

TournamentKappa Delta Chi Football

Kappa Delta Chi hosted a flag football tournament on October 28, 2013 and Tau Psi Omega was one of 9 teams that played. After beating the team named Average Joes, they made it to the semifinals against Bootylicious. Unfortunately, the Jaguars lost by two touchdowns and Bootlylicious ended up winning the championship against Breast Around. Even though Tau Psi did not take the championship title, they were happy to participate in the Breast Cancer Awareness flag

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THE JAGUAR PRESS FALL 2013

The brothers of Tau Psi Omega and the ladies of Kappa Delta Chi got together on the evening of September 24, 2013 and had a park night. They met at Meyer Park for a lovely game of volleyball and a friendly game of

October was a month full of socials with a variety of different organizations. The first social was with Lambda Theta Nu on October 18, 2013. The gentlemen of TPO and the ladies of LTN spent that evening in Tempe Town Lake. They socialized on the shores of the lake and enjoyed playing the game of charades. Much laughter and good vibes were shared among the members of each organization.

TPO and LTN, along with Omega Phi Chi, got together the next morning for a homecoming tailgate. With lots of organizations stopping by, they all enjoyed the burgers and hotdogs cooked by Jose Mejia (Psi class, fall 2011). Despite the warm weather, everyone had a good time socializing and eating before the big Arizona State vs. Washington football game.

Prior to the beginning of the game, the brothers of Tau Psi Omega met up with ladies of Delta Chi Lambda to enjoy the football game at Jose Giron’s (Sigma class, fall 2008) house. Haris Podrug (Chi class, fall 2010) had the grill going for everyone to feast while watching the Homecoming football game.

In the end, Tau Psi Omega attended four different socials where new connections and friendships were made. Meeting new people and talking to other organizations made these socials worthwhile towards building new relationships.

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Brother of the Month for October "When I first transferred to ASU I

was overwhelmed with how big the school was, both the student body and the campus itself. I was worried that with a school this big I wouldn’t have a support system and end up falling through the cracks. Fortunately, one day while walking past the Tau Psi table, I was approached by some brothers and was stuck from there on. There was nowhere I would rather be than at the rush events or the informationals. As a pledge, the big world of University life became smaller and easier to handle. Since

brother, I have had an amazing academic record, social life, and support network for any and everything I need.Currently, I hold the position of social chair for the fraternity. A common misconception of the position is that as social chair you just plan parties and such, but I look at the position as a bridge builder between organization relations. The best way to foster relationships between fraternities and sororities is by getting to know each other and finding common ground. The other main goal of the events we come up with is to get a chance to show other organizations how great the brothers of Tau Psi Omega are. When coming up with social ideas, I try my best to choose events that show that just because Tau Psi is the biggest multicultural fraternity, it doesn’t mean we loose sight of how important our brotherhood is to ourselves. In the past, we have had just a couple socials per semester and I thought to myself we could do better. This semester Tau Psi has had a number of socials including three social events in two days with three different orgs that turned out to be a huge success. Seeing this, has shown me that my brothers can undertake bigger events and hopefully the socials to come will be as such.My parents are the biggest influence in my life. Having been adopted by my parents, I received more opportunities in life that would have other wise been absent. Both of my dads contribute in their own way to the man I am today. Although we don’t always see eye to eye, my parents will never know how much I appreciate all they have given me in life. Hopefully upon finishing my degree, I will be everything my dads want me to be. I want to show them I can support a happy and healthy lifestyle for myself and that they no longer need to worry about me. As they grow older together, they will be able to look back and say “we raised a boy to be a man, and damn we did a great job!”In life I just want to be a teacher and live a comfortable life. Large amounts of money is not what defines happiness for me, seeing students I work with grow and learn is what truly makes me happy. I want to be a positive influence on my students. Every student has one teacher that stood out to him or her in one way or another. I would like to coach sports while teaching as well either soccer or tennis or both. Hopefully I will get to pursue a master’s degree in special education and secondary education."             “There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our

the food bags were given out, toys for every child and tortas for every person were handed out. To close thing up, the children from the community gathered to break three piñatas.

a member of every family from the community. After rice, pasta, oil, canned foods, and sugar were given to food bags, which contained basic needs like beans,

this year’s chosen community met us to receive the goods.

Lines were formed outside of the school gate at the arrival of Tau Psi Omega an Amigos Paz y Bien. The

and piñatas were taken to an elementary school where 1,000 tortas. Once made, the tortas, food bags, toys, They woke up early on Sunday morning to prepare

with enough toys and food bags for over 250 families. a poor community in Hermosillo. The group traveled

everything with Tau Psi Omega to meet on Saturday, November 9, 2013 for the delivery of foods and toys to

Gricelda Borbon with Amigos Paz y Bien arranged

Sin Fronteras

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THE JAGUAR PRESS FALL 2013

Tau Psi Omega and Omega Delta Phi have a tradition of getting together every fall semester for a friendly game of flag football. Last semester, they got together on the Cesar Chavez High School football field on November 18. It was a cool Saturday morning, and the day began with the alumni game. Despite being kicked off the main field, the game was moved to the back field, where the alumni finished their game. The undergrad game was then kicked off as the jaguars played with quick offense and stellar defense. The game ended with the Jaguars on top as we look ahead to this semester’s Brown Ball Classic.

Menudo Bowl

Holiday DinnerAt the closing of the fall semester, the brothers of Tau Psi Omega got together for a potluck dinner on Saturday, December 7. A variety of foods were enjoyed while watching the ASU vs. Stanford football game.

The tradition of having a secret Santa gift exchange did not fail to take place at this holiday dinner. The participants of the exchange got the chance to receive their gift from their mysterious secret Santa. Excitement and anticipation to open their presents was felt amongst everyone in the room.

After all of the gifts had been given out, the event for which the dinner was made for took place. The newly graduated brothers of Tau Psi Omega, Paul Choe (Phi class, spring 2010) and Jonathan Acosta (Chi class, fall 2010), received their stolls in representation of going from an undergraduate to an alumni jaguar."Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela 

individual and as a leader. 

I can’t thank my brothers enough for their support in helping me grow as an

U.S. Department of Education. 

onto the federal level.  My ultimate dream career would be to land a position at the

 Upon graduating this spring, I hope to begin my career as an educator.  I want to further my studies in the field of education and work toward a Master’s program in Educational Leadership or Education Policy.  I envision myself as becoming an educational leader in and out of the classroom.  As a future teacher, I want to make content accessible to all my students and firmly believe that all children can learn with the right support and guidance.  Outside the classroom, I want to work with the administrative level to enforce change for the benefit of our schools, and most importantly our students.  I have invigorated a strong desire to work with the laws and policies that affect education.  In the future, I would like to run for an office position beginning at the local level like serving on a school board and then moving

confident that this was a great step to uphold our academics.

our brothers.  I wanted to implement new ideas to leave a mark in hopes to guide future academic chairmen to do the same.  I took the responsibility of creating an academic handbook as a way to track and document our progress while making better use of our resources.  Though there is always room for improvement, I felt

upholding academics and setting high standards for

Brother of the Month for October It is hard to believe that I

crossed over into Tau Psi Omega over two years ago now.    Since then, the fraternity has been nothing but a positive experience.  I have learned much about my brothers, others and myself.  Over the course of this time, I held the position as the Academics Chairman for three consecutive semesters. The position as the Academics chairman meant change.  Change in the sense of moving the fraternity toward upholding academics and setting high

will tell you that without this organization I

few paragraphs but I I really cannot explain everything that Tau Psi Omega has done for me in just a

my head. From that point on, I started thanking God every day for the little things I have. Most people take things for granted and it is not until they see others who have little to nothing that they realize they have a lot to feel grateful for. The one experience that I really enjoyed was when some of the guys and I went to Vegas and all I can say about that is,“ What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…” well except for the claps.

Tau Psi Omega Fraternity Incorporated has made me.Before I started pledging, I was the type of person that thought was tough and

had all the confidence in the world but not in the best way. I can honestly say that I was not the best person. Once I became a brother, I started to see life very differently. I say this because of the experiences that I had with the guys as an undergrad. Growing up, I didn’t have a big brother back home to give me advice until I met Tau Psi. It was nice to have older guys give me advice on anything and everything that you can think of from how to party the right way and how to act, talk, dress, and improve over all. This organization is full of great guys who come from different places and who have helped me think and see things that I would have never experienced without them. Volunteering and making a difference in other people’s lives are some of the best experiences I got out of Tau Psi, and it has helped me see things a lot clearer from a humble perspective. My favorite volunteer experience was going to Mexico with some of the brothers and building houses for the unfortunate. I used to be the type of guy that complained about every little thing, but it was not until I spotted the faces of the people we helped that got engraved within

before I was a brother, then some of the experiences that I have had as an undergraduate brother of Tau Psi Omega. Finally, I will tell you the type of person that

My Tau Psi Omega Experience

ByJonathan AcostaMy name is Jonathan Acosta and I am one of nineteen Chi-

class brothers who crossed Fall 2010. After a lot of hard work and dedication at Arizona State University, I was finally able to receive my bachelor’s degree in sociology and recently started working for Pepsi as a pre-sales representative. Now, I would like to share my story as an undergraduate. I will first tell you the type of person that I

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committing to this whole "frat" thing, we stuck through it for better or for worse and crossed in the Spring semester of 2010.

In December of 2013, I achieved the ultimate goal set forth by our Founding Fathers which was to graduate from ASU. Not only did I graduate, but I was able to proudly wear my letters as I crossed the stage in front of my family and closest Brothers. The most important lesson I learned from my time as a Jaguar was the importance of networking. I understand now that whatever aspirations I have for my career, chances are there is a Brother who has "been there, done that" so to speak. As I keep these lessons in mind, my plans for the future are to go back to school for my prerequisites and eventually apply to physical therapy school. It is with this goal in mind that I hope to one day open a door for future Jaguars who may be pursuing a career in the health field.

My time as a Sun Devil and Tau Psi Omega gentlemen was a great experience, but I know that I could have definitely made it a lot better. Some Brothers could probably attest to the fact that life threw me a lot of curveballs during my four and a half years at ASU. At times, my lack of motivation to participate in school or extracurricular activities made it difficult for me to make my own experiences truly unforgettable. Despite my personal struggles however, Tau Psi showed me that this "Brotherhood" we like to promote did actually exist and wasn't something that could be bought; contrary to popular belief. To the Brothers who took the time to listen, give advice, and overall just comfort me during those hard times,

Starting my collegiate career in a new state where I didn't know anyone was a very exciting, yet scary time in my life. Unsure of how I would fare in my first year at ASU, I quickly became close friends with my roommate and suitemates (C.K. and our departed Brother Chris). C.K., Chris, and I eventually met Fernando through a mutual friend and the four of us found

-Paul "Pepito" Choe

Phi Class 2010