When deferred recruitment first came to the University of Miami in the Fall of 2008, many students in the Greek community were appalled. Many couldn’t believe that freshmen had to wait a semester before being allowed to join a fraternal organization.

It posed new challenges to the Greek community, many of which hindered several chapters during the transitional period into deferred recruitment. However, having successfully adapted to the new policies, the Florida Alpha chapter has mastered the challenges that deferred rush poses.

Spring 2010 recruitment concluded Friday, Feb. 5 when FL-A accepted 19 new members into pledgeship. Congratulations to the Omicron pledge class: Adam Bofill, Nick Gubitosi, Tucker Isgrig, Alex Saenz, Bryan Alexander, Harrison Bryant, Jake Kopczyk, Kapil Gupta, Lee Werner, David Azar, Josh Bitran, Ryan Faulstich, Thiago Azevedo, Chris Thome, Jordan Magid, Justin Combs, Michael Tokunaga, Scott Bergman, and Mark Veevers-Carter.

These men have already begun pledgeship into the fraternity. In the coming weeks, they will learn about the history of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the University of Miami, and of the Florida Alpha chapter. They will also grow closer to brothers and alumni as the semester unfolds.

Thank you Brother Rappaport, our fantastic recruitment chair, and to everyone who helped make this recruitment a success!

The Fall 2009 semester was greatly successful for Florida Alpha. The following is a list of a few of our most notable events and achievements:

In September, the Greek community at the University of Miami concluded its second deferred-recruitment period with remarkable results. Although only sophomores and upperclassmen could join Greek life, the Florida Alpha Chapter resiliently proved that it adapted to the challenges of this new style of recruitment. The five True Gentlemen of the Xi pledge class concluded their pledgeship in late November with initiation at the First United Methodist Church of South Miami.

After recruitment, the brotherhood embarked on a retreat in Everglades City, where a number of cabins were rented for the weekend. Brotherhood building exercises helped bring brothers closer together with one another, as well as the new pledge class. The large presence of local alumni helped make this past retreat a truly memorable one!

The chapter’s participation in sorority philanthropy events throughout the semester was not only enthusiastic; it demonstrated our commitment to all of the Greek community’s philanthropic efforts. Having placed third in Delta Gamma’s AnchorSplash and second in Delta Phi Epsilon’s “Deepher Dudes” competition, Florida Alpha held competitive throughout the entire semester.
Our academic prowess was once again the best on campus; Florida Alpha attained first place in Fraternity GPA’s, with an impressive cumulative average of 3.34; well above the non-Greek men’s average.

Similarly, our chapter’s participation in the university’s Homecoming week bears testimony to our pride as Miami Hurricanes. Brother Elias Hionidies was named the 2009 Homecoming Prince, and he participated in the annual Homecoming parade. Check out Elias performing here. Our chapter also participated in every event organized by the Homecoming Executive Committee for the entire week, including Hurricanes Help the Hometown,the university’s Homecoming community service event.

Most importantly, our chapter initiated a long-term effort to augment alumni participation and involvement in brotherhood events. In collaboration with Florida Alpha Association, Inc., the chapter’s housing corporation, our brotherhood hosted a house dedication ceremony to complement the university’s Homecoming weekend. Over 200 brothers, alumni and university officials attended the event to celebrate the opening of the newest Fraternity house in the past 40 years. The Eminent Supreme Recorder, Steve K. Priepke, delivered the keynote address of the ceremony. As an alumnus of the university, Brother Priepke was welcomed back by his chapter for the Homecoming festivities and to experience the new state-of-the-art Fraternity house.

The brothers of Florida Alpha would like to acknowledge a number of individuals without whom none of our successes could be realized. Whether it is through administrative tasks, advising our chapters in various roles, or helping us coordinate the house dedication, these individuals stood by our chapter and generously assisted in our transition to the new Fraternity house.

Thank you and Phi Alpha to the following individuals!
Patricia Whitely, Vice President for Student Affairs; Richard Walker, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs; Gilbert Arias, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs; Ricardo Hall, Dean of Students; Tony Lake, Associate Dean of Students; Michelle Castro, Assistant Dean and Coordinator for Greek Affairs; and Keith Fletcher, Director of the Butler Service and Leadership Center.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Fourth Annual Paddy Murphy Philanthropy Week will be taking place April 5th through April 8th, 2009. All proceeds will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network, specifically, Miami Children’s Hospital. Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Sigma Delta Tau will be participating in this year’s philanthropy, which includes a Powderpuff Football game, a Miss Minerva pageant, a brotherhood auction, and a coin wars competition.

On the evening of April 17th, 2009, Florida Alpha will host a benefit concert in support of the Children’s Miracle Network featuring platinum recording artists The Ying Yang Twins. The concert will take place at 8 pm on the University of Miami Center Patio Stage. Admission is free, althought we will be accepting donations on behalf of the Children’s Miracle Network. If you have any questions about the events or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Paddy Murphy chairmen Daniel Casamayor at 305.588.9530 or d.casamayor@umiami.edu