Issue

3.1

Fall 2012

The newsletter of the Eta Sigma chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi

Brothers also gave back to the community, participating in Brotherhood Shabbat and the Jewish Student Associations Casino Night while also holding our own AE-Pie in the Face fundraisers to benefit Save a Childs Heart. There was also an opportunity to help a beached whale. Rare and impactful. Formal was a great end to the semester. It was held at an Eritrean hotspot in Adams Morgan. Brothers were able to eat fine Ethiopian (yes, African) food and enjoy themselves on the dance floor. In the last newsletter, we mentioned many awards for which our chapter had been nominated. Awards were distributed at convention last summer, but we have not yet been told if we won any. Rather than be pessimists, well just assume weve won them all. The future of our chapter and the broader Eta Sigma community is promising. We thank you all for your continued support, and look forward to working with you in new and exciting ways. Until next time, enjoy reading the (possibly) Outstanding Chapter Publication winning Hoya Saxa.

his newsletter was almost not written. The pieces were in place, requests for articles sent, and highly embarrassing pictures downloaded, but there was still danger. You see, the world was going to end. The Mayans predicted it, and in spite of our strong Jewish hesitancy to believe the predictions of pagan idol-worshippers, we were worried. Brothers were forced to confront existential questions. Would the chapter survive? Would any of us survive? We managed quite well. With any organization, there should always be a balance between planning for the future and enjoying the present. In spite of impending doom, we managed to do both. The biggest accomplishments of the chapter this semester will benefit us for years to come. The fact that you can read this newsletter by downloading it from our Eta Sigma Alumni Facebook group is testament to this fact. The group, which can boast over 90% of Brothers from our chapters 10 year history as members, has created a tangible bond between members past and present, as well as a practical method of communicating across generations. We hosted four Alumni Networking sessions on campus, giving current Brothers a chance to meet our predecessors and make important connections. Capping it all off was an

alumni gathering in New York just last week. On campus, members of the chapter were instrumental in forming the new Jewish Living Learning Community, Bayit (Hebrew for home) which will begin housing interested students in spacious Henle apartments next fall. Bayit will give brothers a great opportunity to live together among other members of Georgetowns Jewish student community, adding a residential element to Jewish life at Georgetown. Our usual events also went off successfully and with added gusto. Rush was sponsored for the first time, by local eatery Wingos. This relationship has been extended, and Wingos now sponsors the chapter. Were thinking of selling off naming rights to parties for next semester, if anyones interested. Pledge afforded us the chance to get to know and welcome four outstanding new brothers to the fraternity.

Mitchel Hochberg Brother-at-Large (Fall 2012) Georgetown University (SFS '15)

Fall 2012 Executive Board and Chairs: Master: Isaac Lax Lt. Master: Zach Gordon Brother-at-Large: Mitchel Hochberg Scribe: Charlie Plissner Exchequer: Daniel Sansweet Pledgemaster: Michael Schoenbrum Sentinel: Billy Gold Rush Chairs: Matt Javitt, Arik Parnass Social Chair: Josh Milgrom Philanthropy Chair: Elisha Powell Athletic Chair: Tyler Engler Jewish Chair: Matt Javitt

Spring 2013 Executive Board and Chairs Master: Benjamin Talus Lt. Master: Zach Gordon Brother-at-Large: Mitchel Hochberg Scribe: Billy Gold Exchequer: Daniel Sansweet Pledgemaster: Bryant Wolf Sentinel: Rush Chair: Matthew Javitt, Richard Weiner Social Chair: Adam Dorko Philanthropy Chair: Guy Mentel Athletic Chair: Tyler Engler Jewish Chair: Evan Smith

H ya Saxa: The Newsletter of the Eta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi

Issue 3.1

Fall 2012

Reflections of a Master Part II: One Semester Later

here is something about the Fall semester that makes time seem as if it were passing twice as fast. I do not know what it is, but all of a sudden you are in December asking yourself where did November go? I had the pleasure of being the Master for this past semester, another semester that seemed to go by in an instant. Although the semester felt quick, the Eta Sigma Chapter was still able to make great strides and take on new initiatives. If you are an avid reader of our newsletter, you will remember that a year ago Past Master Lance Pauker discussed where the Chapter was in 2009, my freshman year. If you need a refresher, the Fraternity consisted of 10 sophomore students and one junior student serving as Master. Much like my beloved Toronto Raptors, the Fraternity was in a rebuilding period at the time, where the majority of effort was spent on finding new members and creating new traditions rather than keeping old ones. In my four years as a member of the Eta Sigma Chapter, it has been amazing to watch this Fraternity develop from a

group of guys hanging out in a Village B apartment into something with its own history and momentum, something that makes memories in a persons university experience. Today we are a Fraternity of almost 40-strong, but a head count does not mean anything without dedication. Former ESPN columnist John Hollinger is most recognized for creating his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) statistic, which attempts to combine all of a basketball players contributions on the court to his team in one number. If there were a PER statistic for dedication and commitment to the Eta Sigma Chapter, I am confident that this semesters totals would have been considerably higher than that of any

other semester. We have started doing some really commendable activities and initiatives that could not have been possible without the remarkable amount of commitment seen this semester. However what makes the Fraternity so special to me goes beyond new traditions and initiatives, and even old ones like formal, retreat, or breaking our Yom Kippur fast together with Chinese food. It is the times where it is an uncharacteristically warm and sunny November day when a brother emails the Chapter to play a game of football on the front lawn in the afternoon, or when a couple of brothers are going to get some half-off fish tacos and they decide to invite the fraternity with them. These everyday events build the Fraternity, and this is the best aspect of our growing Chapter that I have seen since 2009. Well, that and the fact that our flag football team has improved steadily every year, and with a revamped offensive line in Fall 2013 we look poised for playoff contention Isaac Lax Master (Fall 2012) Georgetown University (COL 13 MSB?)

Building a Legacy: The Eta Sigma Fund

ven before I came to Georgetown, I was part of the Eta Sigma family. My brothers, AJ and Stephen, graduated in 2009 and were proud members of AEPi. When I visited them at school, I met their Brothers and learned about the fraternity. I came to realize that my brothers brothers were not only a fun group to be around, but also conscientious and loyal friends. Eta Sigma has had a positive impact on me and my family for as long as we have been a part of the community. I am thankful to my brothers for introducing me to the fraternity, and to my Brothers for continuing to make the experience rich and rewarding. Over the past

semester, we have held a number of networking sessions with alumni in the DC area. I have gotten to meet a lot of guys who knew and were friendly with my brothers, and really come to appreciate the bonds, personal and professional, formed by AEPi. The Eta Sigma Fund was created to serve as a foundation for the long-term success of the chapter. It will provide scholarships to prospective members, and is a tax-deductible charity endowment. This will allow us to hold bigger and better events, especially important as we grow our Alumni Network. We are in the last year of a three-year plan to raise $5,000 to serve these goals. These next

few months will be especially critical to reaching them, so if you are interested please go to the online donation page (link below) or contact any of our officers. https://aepi.site- ym.com/donations/donate.asp?id=4783 Thank you to everyone who has supported us, from the early days until now. Eta Sigma will continue to grow and prosper by building a community that it sustains and a community that sustains it. Fraternally, Michael Sikes Georgetown University (MSB 15)

H ya Saxa: The Newsletter of the Eta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi

Issue 3.1

Fall 2012

Coming Home to AEPi

any juniors at Georgetown University study abroad for a semester. AEPi brothers during my time in the fraternity have travelled the world; they have spent semesters in Copenhagen, Buenos Aires, Seville, Beijing, and Sydney, among other cities. This past semester, instead of studying in one of the above world-class destinations, I decided to endure the spectacle of bikini-clad women, suffer under the tropical sun, and even withstand the salty air that goes along with living a block from the famous Ipanema Beach. For the past six months, I lived and studied in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sure, spending my weekend (and week) days on the beach and the nights at samba clubs was enjoyable, but my experience involved much more than those worldly pursuits. I regularly practiced a foreign language, I attended classes at a renowned Brazilian university, and I made connections that will last me a lifetime. So what does my time in Brazil have to do with AEPi? Honestly, not too much. With the Christ the Redeemer statue staring down at the city, I have a feeling it is going to be a while before AEPi opens up a chapter in Rio. It is what my semester abroad doesnt have to do with AEPi that made the time so valuable in terms of my relationship with the

fraternity. Whats more, my six months away has given me greater motivation and aspirations for my still-nascent stint as Master. In Rio there exists an epic balance of seriousness and pleasure. The city is undergoing massive public works projects due to its upcoming hosting of the World Cup and Summer Olympics. Nonetheless, it is still very much a work in progress. Like most of Latin America, its history of colonization, dictatorship, and Western aggression continues to hinder its crusade towards the world stage. In that sense, I see the Eta Sigma Chapter much like I view Rio. Over our eleven? years of existence we have become a major player on the Georgetown scene while still undergoing serious setbacks. Yet, we always overcome these hurdles, often becoming a stronger fraternity as a result. In spite of its attempts at modernization, Rio is still the city of The Girl from Ipanema and Carnaval. Like Rio, our fraternity must embrace this duality between sober ambition and relaxed diversion. In addition to what Rio taught me specifically, simply being abroad for a semester encouraged me to think critically about our fraternity. At times, I was very nervous. Whether I was giving a presentation in a class or simply asking

for directions on the street, living abroad makes even the most mundane tasks more challenging. Therefore, I had a few home-bases that kept me grounded throughout the semester. When I was overwhelmed with the Portuguese language, I would go see a movie with English subtitles. When I had trouble engaging with my Brazilian classmates, I would go hangout with some of my international friends. When I was tired of looking at Christ the Redeemer, I would go to the citys Hillel. The Eta Sigma chapter serves as our brotherhoods home-base as Georgetown. As Master, I want to strengthen this fundamental aspect of our fraternity. College is a scary place. While Northwest DC is fairly different from Rio de Janeiro, AEPi serves as a refuge. Whether it is a refuge from the horrors of midterms, or from the social upheavals of the freshmen floor, our fraternity strengthens its members and makes them feel comfortable. But more than just comfort, AEPi can give us the base from which we can explore the seemingly foreign land called college. Benjamin Talus Master (Spring 2013-Fall 2012) Georgetown University (SFS 14)

Our Alumni Base Grows

t's been a semester since I graduated from Georgetown, so naturally I'm writing for a fraternity newsletter, therefore indicating some degree of stunted emotional maturity/refusal to accept the fact that I've moved on to "real life." That and the whole, "you may graduate from college, but AEPi Brother are 4 lyfe!" narrative. Cute and mocked on paper, but as I've learned, it's refreshingly somewhat true. Last week, myself and '05 alum Dan Sirkin had the pleasure of putting together the first annual/semi-annual New York City AEPi reunion event. If you want

to put it in the official-ey words of a newsletter, it was a great opportunity to look back on the times of old, while also forging exciting new traditions. Point is that we now have a somewhat legitimate alumni base, and it'd be silly for the fraternity to just let us older clowns rot in "those were the days reminisce-itude" Not that I'm volunteering any of us alumni to actually do stuff (we had our time), but the truth is that you never totally "graduate" from AEPi. I mean, if you look at it from the shameless networking perspective, the reason half of us probably joined in the first place, that stuff doesn't even start

until you've left the comfortable gates of Georgetown. Life isn't exactly a bench outside of Red Square where things just happen to fall on your lap, so I think it'd be in the best interest for the alumni base to stay involved, stay strong, and stay financially well-endowed and/or on pace to one day have a solid Wikipedia Page. I wanted to conclude with a statement along the lines of "The world is our oyster, and it's happy hour" sort of statement, but that doesn't have anything to do with anything. Lance Pauker Georgetown University (COL 12)

H ya Saxa: The Newsletter of the Eta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi

Issue 3.1

Fall 2012

Getting Comfortable with Eta Sig

knew I wanted to at least rush AEPi coming in to Georgetown, but I never expected to meet such an engaging, interesting, intelligent and fun group of young men. One of the most impactful lessons I learned as a pledge and new brother is the bond of equality and mutual respect that the brothers have for one another. Not only are we aware of our character as a fraternity, we are aware of where we would like to be in terms of presence at Georgetown and strive to achieve our goals. I knew I would be honored to be a brother of AEPi Eta Sigma from the first rush

and soon I felt very comfortable around them. One of my favorite memories is the whole room erupting into our AEPi Eta Sigma song for me after I received my bid. Through rush and becoming a brother I learned that our fraternity is dedicated to developing leadership, brotherhood, and faith. I also learned the importance of commitment and determination. Pledging AEPi has been one of the most rewarding experiences at Georgetown thus far and I am excited for our future. event. The current brothers did a great job of introducing themselves during rush Jake Bercow Georgetown University (COL 15)

Impacting Jewish Life at Georgetown

ewish life on campus exists in a special J relationship with Jesuit-oriented Georgetown. Even though the school emphasizes religious diversity and interfaith learning, at the end of the day we are still a minority. The university tries its best to make us feel welcome, but when they send a Catholic (or something) priest to play the guitar at the menorah lighting, it can feel more awkward than welcoming; the non-Jews really just don't know that much about Judaism. Even though the university gives Jewish groups the resources to hold big events, Chaplaincy events struggle to reach students outside of a small community. Our chapter is proud of the role it fills in helping to remedy this problem. We all have different levels of religious practice and varied involvement in the Jewish community at Georgetown. For a lot of brothers, AEPi helps connect them to this community and, in return, the community gains from their participation. Some of us hold leadership roles, while others of us simply attend the events. One of our brothers even helped found the new Jewish Living Learning Community (Bayit), which will add a residential dimension to Jewish life on campus. This Jewish community. This semesters Brotherhood Shabbat, during which brothers led services and gave a Dvar Torah, had a great brother turnout. This may or may not have been enhanced by a pre-Shabbat AEPi Pong League event. At least 15 brothers helped fill the Makom and chat with Rabbi over schnitzel. Even though its not the only thing we do as a fraternity or the most important thing in our day to day lives, we make sure to remember our Jewish core as often as possible. Not only does this strengthen our relationship with the people and administration of the Jewish community at Georgetown, but it reconnects us to something that a lot of us originally found so appealing about Eta Sig. Sometimes if feels like were just some Jewish guys, lost in a sea of Catholics, looking for people like us to kvetch with. And really, its a pretty comfortable feeling. Zach Gordon Lieutenant Master (Fall 2012) Georgetown University (COL 15)

year at JSA Hanukah Casino Night, there were at least 20 brothers who volunteered as dealers and voluntarily stayed at the event until the very end. Although, the task of dealing to a room consistently hesitant to bet more than one chocolate coin at a time was fairly difficult. Throughout the event I was thanked numerous times for our great Brother turnout; the event wouldnt have been possible without us, I was reminded. Events like this really help to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish community on campus. It not only makes them like us, but its a great way for brothers to meet new people around campus. But social events are not the only way were involved with the Georgetown

H ya Saxa: The Newsletter of the Eta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi

Issue 3.1

Fall 2012

Eta Sigma elections are a little like a Fantasy Football draft. Scribe Billy Gold breaks down the results for the incoming Executive Board.

E-Board 2013 Fantasy Football

Benjamin Talus, Master

This kid has the vision. When he drops back in the pocket his eyes are always downeld, scanning for that next opportunity. Scouts point this his feeble frame as his most glaring weakness. That being said, he more than makes up for this lack of size with the myriad of plus size women he beds.

Zachary Gordon, Lt. Master

Mr. Dependable, thats what they call him. Hand him the rock and you know youre in for a score. Perfect natural combinaKon of Judaism and southern charm. You cant teach that, folks.

MaNhew JaviN and Richard Weiner, Rush Chairs

I like what I see out of these guys. They have the agility and exibility to make the rush snag, even in the most compromising of posiKons. Remember these two are a package. Some scouts are nerved by the possibility of nding their Dick in a compromising posiKon.

Bryant Wolf, Pledge Master
Everyone is scared of the Kght end. Hes usually white, huge, and mad. This kids got it. Hes white, huge, and hes been the MadDog since day one. He can catch a pledge with ease and is not a pracKKoner of hazing. Knowledgeable of past pledgeshe studies the game.

Mitchel Hochberg, Brother At Large

When the oense cant produce, Mitch has got our back. Handles big events and alumni relaKons with ease. Born with a defensive insKnct and a knack for the ball. Born with an Israeli insKnct. Born to lead.

William Gold, Scribe, Yours Truly

The kicker is the comic relief of the fantasy squad. You expect a few points each week with a monster game here and there. This kid breaks the mold. Hell provide the comedy and commentary, and hell also always kick the shit out of the ball. SebasKan Janikowski has a shrine of Billy in his closet, made of Billys hair and previously chewed gum.

H ya Saxa: The Newsletter of the Eta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi