Delta Tau Delta
Epsilon Iota-B
Studying Abroad
Wed Aug 25, 2010 11:21 am // nsall
Brothers Grant Scott III, Alex Mason, Mike Gessler, and Dave Fontana recently returned from an epic study abroad trip to Germany. While they split up to study in Ulm, Esslingen, and Konstanz, they all had an amazing experience. Here’s what they had to say:
Dave Fontana:
One of my favorite experiences was a festival called Fruehlingsfest in Germany (similar to Oktoberfest), which lasted for three weeks in April. It took place in Stuttgart, a large city only twenty minutes away from our home town, Esslingen. This festival was a great way to introduce us Americans to some German culture and a celebration never to be experienced back home.
The experience can start with a couple of roller coasters and swing rides; no Cedar Point, but fun. Next grab some famous ½ meter bratwurst for lunch or dinner or find a restaurant with a live band that will play the Star Spangled Banner and Sweet Caroline. Then find one of five large tents to cap off the night. The tents are packed full of people standing on picnic style tables singing along with a live band playing catchy German songs and some Johnny Cash (more often than you would think). The party ends at 11:00 SHARP!! Everyone gets kicked out of the tents and sent on their way. Most of the time, the S-bahn train station didn’t seem to be where we thought it was, leaving us to get home by taxi or by other, more adventurous, means. This was one of the most memorable times I had in Germany, and it was only in the first month.
Alex Mason:
Mike Gessler:
Mike and I (Alex) studied together at Konstanz. While we thought the cities were pretty cool, we mainly enjoyed the natural beauty Europe offered. We thought the mountains of the Alps were spectacular and the waterfalls in Croatia were amazing. Mike also enjoyed the wide beverage variety available. Also, for you gear-heads out there, we saw some pretty cool cars. Here we are with a Koenigsegg (with Lambos, Ferraris, and others behind us):
Grant Scott III:
The above picture is of Professor Schuler and me sharing a beer during class. It is a whole different lifestyle over there and there are a lot of good and bad things about it. One thing that comes to mind is how efficient everything is. They don't waste too much over there on a wide variety of things, from their cars, to their food, to the time they spend with their families. It does take some adapting but it was well worth it.
My favorite country was Italy because of the savory Italian food. Everything was freshly made and had a taste that would last for days. Germany was very laid back, as well as most of Europe, and has some of the best beer in the world. Munich topped all other cities based on the amount of activities in the city, the history and the fact that they forced a reason to throw a party every day. I would suggest going abroad if you have the chance and the funds; there is no reason not to learn more about the world and yourself.
Work Term Update
Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:18 pm // nsall
This past weekend, a few of the brothers met up to have a good time halfway through their summer work term. Showcasing the spontaneous fun of brotherhood, the weekend started with a road trip and ended by unexpectedly driving a 2010 Camaro SS.
We left Troy after an administrative and e-board meeting on Saturday night to go visit a friend up at Central Michigan University. Seven of us met with Alex Nash, a transfer student at Central who is close to the Delts, to check out the scene at CMU. Afterward, we headed over to Brother Justin Lesniak’s house in Bay City.
Sunday, we woke up to a delicious breakfast followed by a trip to Caseville for their annual Cheeseburger Festival. The day was cloudy and cold to start, but we made the best of it by getting some cheeseburgers and walking down to the beach. It started warming up and we watched a group of parasurfers surfing on the shore of the rough Lake Huron.
Once we left, we drove back to Bay City to go for a quick swim before leaving. However, Brother Lesniak’s neighbor offered us to drive his work car – a bright red 2010 Camaro SS. Not only does it pack 426 HP, but it does so through a six-speed manual transmission. Three of us were able to get behind the wheel to drive the car.
“What do you mean by ‘drive it’?” I asked the owner. His response? “Just don’t crash it.”
Being in the countryside, pushing the Camaro to its limit was tempting. Once the traction control was turned off, the car did all we could’ve asked it to as we pushed it past legal limits and threw it half sideways into corners just for it to balance itself out easily and predictably.
All in all it turned out to be a great time, although it wasn’t entirely what we predicted when we started the weekend. It just goes to show you what happens when you get a few brothers together for a good time: get into a little trouble, have a few good laughs, and do things you never would’ve expected to do a day or two earlier.
Article written by Frank Budzyn
Philanthropy Update
Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:30 pm // dgudorf
Delta Tau Delta participated in Kettering University’s Relay for Life event this spring. The Delts have hosted fundraisers over the past year to help raise money for the event. Most recently, a raffle was held to raise money. It was held for a week and a half and tickets were sold at R4L as well. The prizes included a brand new Nintendo Wii, two tickets to a Detroit Tigers game, and two $20 gift cards to Buffalo Wild Wings. The raffle itself brought in a profit of $400. Other fundraisers that raised money for Relay for Life included: ASA’s Linking Together, our annual ugly Christmas sweater sales, returning cans, the Parent’s Day auction, Pie-A-Delt, Groucho Glasses, and online donations from our team members/ families and our beloved alumni. I want to personally thank all of you alumni that donated to our Relay for Life team. You guys really put us over the top and we appreciate the help. With your help we raised a total of $2,082.20 for Relay for Life. This exceeded our goal and was an improvement from last year.
Delta Tau Delta has been participating in Adopt-a-School this Spring term (as always). On top of this, the fraternity purchased soccer goals to install at the elementary school. The installation of the soccer goals at Durant-Tuuri-Mott went exceedingly well. The soccer goals were purchased with money from the Parents’ Day Auction. Members went to the school and worked together to assemble each net, cement them into the ground, and move the bleachers that were currently there to form a soccer field. After this was done, members also took time to play a game of soccer with the children at the school. Delta Tau Delta received news coverage for this philanthropy event on ABC12.
The last item that I want to mention, but certainly not the least, is that Delta Tau Delta raised a total (including Relay for Life) of $5,909.90 this year. This couldn’t have been achieved without all of our members working hard and from the help we received from alumni. Once again, thank you to everyone who helped out over the year to make our success possible. It was an honor being your Philanthropy Chair, and I wish the next one the best of luck.
Fraternally,
Ray Fabiilli
Alumnus of the Week
Mon May 24, 2010 8:51 pm // dgudorf
At the suggestion of Alumnus Nick Ward (Fall 2009), we have begun an "Alumnus of the Week". It will be announced at chapter meetings and included in the minutes. We would like to recognize someone who does something positive for the house, no matter how big or small. Please join me in congratulating our first "AOTW" Nicholas Fioroni (Fall 2009). When no one else would, he went ahead and did the dishes at the house after lunch on Sunday. Nick currently works as a Project Coordinator at Caterpillar in Lafayette, IN. When asked what his hobbies are, he responded, "I am into 1993 F-150's that catch on fire...no, it actually caught on fire".
In his spare time Nick concentrates his efforts on anatomy.
Initiation
Sat May 22, 2010 12:15 pm // dgudorf
This past Delt Development Week has been very busy and eventful for the pledges and members of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. In keeping with tradition, Friday was spent in the Great Court. Pictured are most of the members and pledges. Later that evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of Chicken Parmigiana cooked by Deana, our wonderful house mother. Thank you to all the alumni who made it out to Ritual, we certainly enjoyed your presence.
Please join me in welcoming the eleven newest members of chapter Epsilon Iota-B:
- James Brisson
- Alex Brown
- Nathan Hadzinksy
- Kyle Johnson
- Alex Meier
- Nathan Mickelson
- Nate Sall
- Nathan Shaeff
- Kevin Smith
- Bryan Wang
- Sausson Zabetian
Pledge Spotlight: Alex Meier
Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm // dgudorf
Hello, my name is Alexander Meier, I am a Mechanical Engineer here at Kettering University. I was born in Paderborn, Germany and moved to Rochester Hills, Michigan when I was 3 years old. I have an older brother, Raphael, who is 21 years old and studying to become a drafter. During high school, I participated in FIRST Robotics and marching band. I also love to play any sports with my friends and go on weekend camping trips. Music is a large part of my life; I’m constantly listening to music and have been the drummer for a metal band for 3 years.
My Co-op job is at Means Industries, Inc. Means Industries developed a one way clutch that has recently been incorporated into automatic transmissions. I am a test technician there and also a part time drafter. At work I test one way mechanical diodes for their durability and life and design them using Unigraphics and ProEngineer. Upon graduation I hope to work in the automotive industry in a high up, but also hands-on, position.
Pledge Spotlight: Nathan Shaeff
Fri May 14, 2010 7:17 pm // dgudorf
My name is Nathan Kenneth Shaeff, I am from Royal Oak, Michigan. My middle name is from my dad, Kenneth, and my first name was my mom, Debbie’s, choice. I have an identical twin named Austin who is, coincidentally, completely different than I am, and a little sister, Sara. I have lived in Royal Oak my entire life, and we have family that is close by. Some of my favorite things to do are to be outside and to play sports. Hockey is my favorite sport to watch, but baseball is my favorite to play. I spend many hours during the summer with family and my friends watching movies, going downtown, and playing disc golf. I love jokes and people who have a sense of humor, because I make good and bad ones, it’s also hard to enjoy things if you’re always mad at someone for something they said, so I say, “Don’t be so serious”.
I went to Kettering because of the co-op program, and because it was a smaller college. I am currently working with Altair Product Design, which is a consulting company for the government and other organizations. I am pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and I am thinking of a job in the government sector, military hardware, vehicles, and aircraft.
Athletic Update
Thu May 13, 2010 8:05 pm // dgudorf
There’s been a lot going on in the world of Delt sports this past month. To start, we placed first in the bowling tournament led by the 3 man team of brothers Siler, Koehler, and Dixon. A highlight from the tournament was Siler starting off with seven straight strikes, all with a broken hand—quite impressive. Volleyball and water polo have also been going on this past month.
In water polo, both Delts Gold (A tourney) and Delts Purple (R tourney) made it to the championships. Delts Gold lost to Pikes by a few points, and Delts Purple fell short to the Phi Delts.
In volleyball, Delts Gold placed second--losing to Phi Delts in game three of the championship. Delts Purple beat Delta Chi for a nice third place finish. Both volleyball and water polo were exciting seasons fuelled on by the support of a great brotherhood. The most exciting news is that we have just recently taken the lead in Greek Cup standings with Brother Siler placing first in the Wiffleball Homerun Derby!
With Soccer, Softball and Sand Volleyball tournament still left there is still Greek Cup hopes on all our minds.
Greek Cup Standings: Delts (76.25) | Pikes (76)
Philanthropy Update
Thu May 06, 2010 8:06 am // dgudorf
This spring, Delta Tau Delta Epsilon Iota-B has yet again been striving to lead a life of excellence by being active in the Flint community. Members have been attending Adopt-A-School at Durant Turri Mott and mentoring the children there. Other members have participated in Kettering University’s Prep for Success to show potential students what Kettering has to offer. Delta Tau Delta has also actively participated in Motherly Intercession as well as helping out at the humane society.
This past weekend there were two notable events that Delta Tau Delta attended in an attempt to help out the community. Flint’s neighborhood council held a park clean-up at Cook Park and was asking for volunteers from Kettering University. Members of Delta Tau Delta were at the park bright and early on a Saturday morning raking and bagging leaves, sweeping blacktop, and helping restore the park. A couple of hours were spent at the park clean-up until the neighborhood council actually ran out of compost bags! What was even more exciting was that members of Delta Tau Delta made it on the evening news. Immediately following the Cook Park clean-up, five members ventured to Sharky’s Bar and Grill on Center Road to compete in a volleyball tournament called Spike for a Cure. Each team that attended had to pay an entry fee and all of the money raised at the event was to be donated to Relay for Life. The tournament was actually being held by a fellow fraternity on campus (Pi Kappa Alpha). There were eight teams total in the tournament and the Delt team consisted of: Alex Kluge, Robert Ladner, Raymond Fabiilli, Dalton Matznick, and pledge Nate Hadzinsky. The Delt team performed very well and actually won the entire tournament without losing a match. Congratulations you guys!
The next big events planned for the semester will be Relay for Life, installing new soccer nets for Durant Turri Mott, and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that has been deemed “Dunkin’ on Cancer”. The basketball tournament will be on May 15th and all of the money raised will go to Relay for Life. Kettering students, faculty, staff, and alumni are welcome to enter the tournament. It is $10 per player and each team must have 3-4 players. The winners of the tournament will receive $40 to Buffalo Wild Wings and four Detroit Tigers tickets.
Pledge Spotlight: James Daniel Brisson
Wed May 05, 2010 6:28 pm // dgudorf
My name is James Daniel Brisson, I am an Electrical Engineer at Kettering University. I am from Macomb, Michigan, and I went to high school at Dakota. I am a triplet and have a brother, Kyle, who goes to Northwood, and a sister, Lindsey, who goes to Michigan State. I played some sports in high school, but what I really enjoyed was Marching Band. I did it for all four years and was section leader for two years. I am pretty nerdy and enjoy playing video games, watching movies, and hanging out with my friends.
I was hired on to DTE Energy a couple weeks into my second co-op term. DTE is a public utility company in charge of electrical and gas distribution in the southeast corner of Michigan. I did a couple different jobs while working there; I was part of team transferring files from one computer system to another. I also had to print out a lot of different documents needed to do my job and for the engineers to see what was going in a certain area. Lastly, I worked on transformer phasing mistakes so that our smart grid system will be up to date and useful.
