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.