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FLORIDA NUS A PUBLICATION OF SIGMA PHI EPSILON AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Spring 2014 INSIDE: MOMENTUM CARRIES INTO 2014 2 ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT 3 ALUMNI EVENTS 4 THE AVC President Reflects on 2013 LOOKS FORWARD TO A YEAR OF GROWTH B rothers, in 2013 your Florida Nu Alumni Volunteer Corporation (AVC) contin- ued to expand and reengage with our undergraduate Chapter and you, our beloved alumni. We strongly believe that 2014 will be filled with even more growth and look forward to working with all of you. Our undergraduate brothers once again demon- strated what it truly means to be Balanced Men. Through a variety of efforts, our brothers raised and contributed $12,000 to the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. We couldn’t be prouder of Florida Nu. The AVC continued its outreach to our alumni brothers by hosting a brotherhood event at the Chili’s on the Maidique Campus prior to the fall semester’s Meet the SigEps recruit- ment event. The AVC also hosted an alumni cigar night on December 27, and our inaugural flag football tournament was played in January. The tournament was an initiative of Chapter Counselor Sean Gazitua ’03. Six teams, four made up of alumni and two of undergraduates, with 12 players each competed for the championship trophy. In the end, Team G.O.A.T., which was made up of Florida Nu alumni brothers, was victorious. We look forward to making this an annual event that brothers can either participate in or attend with their families and friends. The AVC hosted a one-day retreat with the Chapter’s newly elected executive board. Our facilitator was former FIU Greek Advisor Karen Katz. She was also the advisor to our Chapter from 2005 to 2009. In addition to welcoming back Karen, the AVC is happy to report that our Chapter Sweetheart, Natalie de Rojas (1995-96), has agreed to work closely with Vice President for Development Alex Zarut ’03 to strengthen the Balanced Man Program (BMP). Natalie will help broth- ers entering their junior and senior years with career planning and professional development. This is a key part of the BMP and an area the AVC is working to strengthen. What makes Sigma Phi Epsilon different is the BMP. When used cor- rectly, it is a tool both for Chapter recruitment and retention. We will continue to reevaluate where the program is, how it can be improved, and what the AVC can do to help guide our undergraduate brothers in the right direction. Finally, the AVC has agreed to initiate a brother reinstate- ment effort. What this means is that the AVC will work to have brothers who have been expelled from the Chapter reinstated if they were expelled due to financial difficulties, lapsing in the BMP, or for having left FIU prior without graduating. Of the 818 brothers listed as “alumni” of the Chapter, 39% were expelled. Many continue to contact AVC members expressing interest in assisting the under- graduate Chapter and/or AVC. We feel this is a worthy effort given their interest in offering their time and talents to the Chapter, and due to the unique nature of the FIU student experience in which many struggle to balance their studies, long work hours, and commitments to Greek organizations. All brothers requesting reinstatement will need the AVC’s approval. Our recommendations will then be forwarded to Headquarters for consideration. Many brothers may not be aware that they are in fact, expelled. If you have any questions about your status, please send an e-mail to any member of the AVC. Our contact information is on page 4. Thank you all for what you do on behalf of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Florida Nu! Best of luck in 2014! Fraternally, Mike Hernández ’04 AVC President [email protected] Florida Nu alumni at the inaugural flag football tournament.
Transcript of Florida Nus - Amazon S3€¦ · Florida Nus a publicatioN oF sigma phi EpsiloN at Florida...
Florida Nusa publicatioN oF sigma phi EpsiloN at Florida iNtErNatioNal uNivErsity
spring 2014
iNsidE:momENtum
carriEs iNto 2014
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alumNusspotlight
3
alumNiEvENts
4
thE
avc president reflects on 2013Looks Forward to a Year oF Growth
brothers, in 2013 your Florida Nu Alumni Volunteer Corporation (AVC) contin-ued to expand and reengage with our
undergraduate Chapter and you, our beloved alumni. We strongly believe that 2014 will be filled with even more growth and look forward to working with all of you.
Our undergraduate brothers once again demon-strated what it truly means to be Balanced Men. Through a variety of efforts, our brothers raised and contributed $12,000 to the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. We couldn’t be prouder of Florida Nu.
The AVC continued its outreach to our alumni brothers by hosting a brotherhood event at the Chili’s on the Maidique Campus prior to the fall semester’s Meet the SigEps recruit-ment event. The AVC also hosted an alumni cigar night on December 27, and our inaugural flag football tournament was played in January. The tournament was an initiative of Chapter Counselor Sean Gazitua ’03. Six teams, four made up of alumni and two of undergraduates, with 12 players each competed for the championship trophy. In the end, Team G.O.A.T., which was made up of Florida Nu alumni brothers, was victorious. We look forward to making this an annual event that brothers can either participate in or attend with their families and friends.
The AVC hosted a one-day retreat with the Chapter’s newly elected executive board. Our facilitator was former FIU
Greek Advisor Karen Katz. She was also the advisor to our Chapter from 2005 to 2009. In addition to welcoming back Karen, the AVC is happy to report that our Chapter Sweetheart, Natalie de Rojas (1995-96), has agreed to work closely with Vice President for Development Alex Zarut ’03 to strengthen the Balanced Man Program (BMP). Natalie will help broth-ers entering their junior and senior years with career planning and professional development. This is a key part of the BMP and an area the AVC is working to strengthen. What makes
Sigma Phi Epsilon different is the BMP. When used cor-rectly, it is a tool both for Chapter recruitment and retention. We will continue to reevaluate where the program is, how it can be improved, and what the AVC can do to help guide our undergraduate brothers in the right direction.
Finally, the AVC has agreed to initiate a brother reinstate-ment effort. What this means is that the AVC will work to have brothers who have been expelled from the Chapter reinstated if they were expelled due to financial difficulties, lapsing in the BMP, or for having left FIU prior without graduating. Of the 818 brothers listed as “alumni” of the Chapter, 39% were expelled. Many continue to contact AVC members expressing interest in assisting the under-graduate Chapter and/or AVC. We feel this is a worthy effort given their interest in offering their time and talents to the Chapter, and due to the unique nature of the FIU student experience in which many struggle to balance their studies, long work hours, and commitments to Greek organizations. All brothers requesting reinstatement will need the AVC’s approval. Our recommendations will then be forwarded to Headquarters for consideration.
Many brothers may not be aware that they are in fact, expelled. If you have any questions about your status, please send an e-mail to any member of the AVC. Our contact information is on page 4. Thank you all for what you do on behalf of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Florida Nu! Best of luck in 2014!
Fraternally,Mike Hernández ’04AVC [email protected] Nu alumni at the inaugural flag football tournament.
the Florida nus page 2
momentum carries into 2014
the Florida Nu Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon is very excited for the 2014 spring
semester. After concluding our last calendar year with our best philan-thropic event ever, raising $12,000 for Spinal Cord injury research, we look forward to having our momentum carry over in the new year.
academic success and intramurals
Our Chapter has been in the top three academically for the past three semes-ters. Our most recent Chapter GPA was a 3.05, and we will continue to attempt to increase that mark. We also continue to be a very strong presence on the intramural fields, with very strong performances in football, volleyball, and softball this past semester.
recruitmentThe Chapter brought in 43 new members throughout the course of the year and we are refining our 365-day recruitment plan in order to raise the number of quality recruits that we bring in. Our social calendar continues to be very strong, with socials and mixers with the sorori-ties on campus at least once a month.
brotherhoodThe cornerstone of our brotherhood has been events that we program through-out the semester. We are attempting to place a larger emphasis on brother-hood retreats in order to maximize the fraternal experience that Sigma Phi Epsilon has to offer. We had three Sigma Rites of Passage, three Phi Rites of Passage, and six Epsilon Rites of Passage in 2013. We have updated the Balanced Man Programming for our Chapter in order to facilitate the completion of challenges.
As we prepare for the year, the largest emphasis among the Chapter is to do
everything within our power to win a Buchanan Cup. We believe that by continuing on the path that we have been on as a Chapter, we have the potential to complete our goal. By living by our cardinal principles and embodying our ritual, the Florida Nu Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon strives to build better men, following in the steps of our Founding Fathers.
In Brotherly Love,Andres Hermida ’15, Chapter [email protected] / (786) 231-7571
Chapter sets GoaL oF winninG the BuChanan Cup
All brothers at our SigEp Block Party. The event helped raise $12,000 for the Buoniconti Fund to cure paralysis.
Brothers at the Greeks Forum with Tom Jelke ’90, our advisor and member of SigEp National Board of Directors.
Right: JM Guzman ’13, David Del Cristo ’10, and Andres Hermida ’15 presenting The Buoniconti Fund with a check for $12,000.
page 3 sigma phi epsilon
Axel Lapica ’99 Connected Instantly with Florida Nu
axel Lapica ’99 chose to join the Florida Nu Chapter because he felt an instant connection to the brothers in the Chapter. “In essence, I was very impressed by
the caliber of the brothers at the time who were already in SigEp, and impressed by the caliber of the other recruits,” says Axel. He connected with the Balanced Man ideal and how the brothers carried themselves. Axel also saw that most brothers were also involved outside the Chapter with other activities and knew that he wanted to surround him-self with men who shared the same ambition he did.
Some of his favorite undergraduate memories include Pep Proveyer ’99 supporting them after an everglades adven-ture, the value of $40 during the fashion show, beating Tony Gomez ’99 in flag football, and seeing Frank Pẽna ’98 doing jumping jacks during recruitment week.
While an undergraduate, Axel served as vice president of finance and majored in accounting and finance. After graduation he earned his master of accounting from FIU and an MBA from Wharton. He credits his undergraduate finance position with helping him land his first job with Arthur Andersen and actually used his experience as an essay topic for Wharton.
After he became an alumnus, Axel immediately joined the Flordia Nu Alumni Association. Since then it has been more difficult to stay in touch with the Chapter, but he now serves as a mentor for undergraduates who are pursuing similar career paths to his own. “When we were undergraduates we benefitted from those who came before us,” says Axel. “The advice and counsel we provide can give an accurate perspective of what the road looks like 15-20 years out. It’s important to have a positive impact on the undergraduates.” For any brother who has considered getting back in touch with the Chapter but has yet to do so, Axel has simple advice: “Just say yes.”
Today Axel works at Davita and is a division vice president for New Jersey. He and his wife, Melissa, have two boys, Lucas and Matias. They live in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. E-mail: [email protected]
Alfredo Baca ’16 Hialeah, Fla.
Jared Bridgewater ’16 West Palm Beach, Fla.
Esteban Cabanas ’17 Weston, Fla.
Chris Charria ’14 Miami, Fla.
Alton Elipha ’15 Miami, Fla.
Daniel Fried ’16 Miami Springs, Fla.
Philipp Hanna ’17 Offenburg, Germany
Marco Porcher Jimenez ’15 Malaga, Spain
William Llanos ’16 Coral Springs, Fla.
Cody Mann ’15 Miami, Fla.
Ivan Radi ’17 Barranquilla, Colombia
Jordan Rodrigues ’16 Kendall, Fla.
Matthew Ruiz ’17 Miami, Fla.
Tevin Smikle ’17 Miami, Fla.
Joey Suarez ’17 Kendall, Fla.
Tony Valdez ’17 Tampa, Fla.
Chris Vera ’17 Hialeah, Fla.
Executive board
Welcome, New brothers
SFEChapter President
Andres Hermida ’15 [email protected]
(786) 231-7571
V.P. of Finance Nicholas Nisenbaum ’15
V.P. of Recruitment Jeremy Agrinzonis ’16
[email protected] (813) 507-7648
V.P. of Member Development Jeffrey Hernandez ’14
V.P. of Programming
Rodrigo Aldorino ’14
V.P. of Communication Stefan Bahad ’16
Chaplain Adrian Vinas ’16
Florida Nu Alumni247 SW 8th Street, #830
Miami, FL 33130
Address Service Requested
attention: This newsletter is intended for alumni and parents. If your son has graduated, please send us his permanent address to update our records. Thank you.
Florida NusthE
alumni News Robert Midyette ’88 has moved to Atlanta, Ga., with his wife and two daughters. Robert took a new position as corporate manager for bever-age operation for InterContinental Hotel Groups. E-mail: [email protected]
Luis Collazo ’95 is president of the Florida Assisted Living Association. He and his wife, Clarisell, live in Hialeah, Fla. E-mail: [email protected]
Victor Garcia ’01 and his wife, Carolina, and their two children, Victor and Gracie, live in Miami, Fla. E-mail: [email protected]
Dustin Elliott ’05 resides in Hollywood, Fla., where he works in product development for Nutri-Force Nutrition. E-mail: [email protected]
Alumni EventsPast and Present
Alumni Flag Football TournamentOn January 18, we had our inaugural alumni flag football tournament. Brothers from all eras of our Chapter were present and competed against each other to see which was the best team our fraternity had to offer. The tournament was set to celebrate our local Founder’s Day, January 17.
SigEp Career DayCareer Day is tentatively set for March 5. Alumni brothers will speak on their respective fields and give advice and share personal experiences to benefit our undergraduate brothers in pursuing their careers.
avc board members
PresidentMike Hernández ’04Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Vice President of Public RelationsFrank Peña ’99
Miami, Fla.
Vice President of DevelopmentAlex Zarut ’03Homestead, Fla.
TreasurerJoaquin Urquiola ’87
Coral Gables, Fla.
Chapter CounselorSean Gazitua ’03
Miami, Fla.
