Epsilon Gamma Advising Team Reports

This page contains archived reports from Advising Team meetings.

November 5, 2007

The Pulse

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

Well my brothers it has been another month, and I do have a little update for everyone.

We are communicating with one another.  Yes folks, on a bi-weekly basis the Colony/Chapter counselor sends out an e-mail to the team. Everyone is in the loop about what is going on with all of the different officers that I am responsible for, and the other advisors respond in kind. Keeping open lines of communication have been very good for the group so that we may be able to help this group charter this summer.

Ah, charter, which is the goal that we have for this year.  We are off to a good start keeping our communication with the General Fraternity up and staying current with our bills.  It is going well.

Trevor Wisniewski is doing a great job with the new member educator, and has offered some good advice to improve the program. 

Risk Management Advisor Paul "Bubba" Koehn is in contact with Risk Manager Todd Wood `08 about risk management, and also installed a flagpole at the house.  It’s a beaut.

Jenell Barnard, our leadership advisor has done a great job with getting the members to think group involvement, as well as Chris Saylor `09, leadership chair in getting members to go to some leadership activities.  This is important for the Knox award.

The other advisors for the team have good relationships with their active members, and we continually are defining our roles and how best to keep improving our colony and future chapter. 

We will be meeting for our quarterly meeting at the house on Saturday, November 17, 2007 - the day after the BBQ/Football Game/Initiation.  We will probably begin at about 11:00 a.m.  I will let all know by posting it on the website.

Hope all is well with everyone, and don’t be a stranger.

October 3, 2007

The Pulse

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

The EGAT team is rolling. With our newest advisors getting right into their roles, we are seeing the positive results in how they are interacting with the active membership. I would like to thank Kristin Hrynczuk and Jenell Barnard for working with the men to get them into recruitment and in leadership opportunities. This is a good way to include FOBs. (Friends of Beta.) The more the merrier.

The advising team is now communicating with each other on a more consistent basis, giving each other updates on what we are doing with our respective actives to improve the colony and ready them for charter.

We can always use more brothers to get involved. A couple of areas that were not initially thought of in the beginning, but could use someone would be in the areas of Philanthropy and Scholarship. Come on aboard.

In the meantime please find ways to visit the group. The brotherhood is in full force this semester with many of the members living at the house. We are definitely looking more and more like Beta Theta Pi.

May 1, 2007

The Pulse

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

Well, the beat goes on. The group continues to bond together and pull together to become a stronger entity. They not only performed well during Greek Week, but they've obtained some awards as well (which many of you have been informed of already.) The Pig Roast was a great success. I have been proud of many things, but the time together at this activity was fun, as well as moving to hear so many great comments about the group and adding three to our roles as honorary members.

In the advising team, we continue to assist as we can with various situations that come up. Being part of the meetings, even though by web conference, allows us to gain insight into how the group is operating as well as the ability to give some advice. Finances are doing well, with a budget set for next year. A calendar for the fall is taking shape, and all reports have been turned in on time.

The Advising Team is fine with six individuals in the following roles:

However, in order to really look good for the General Fraternity and to help us to Charter next summer, we really need to have the last two positions filled. If we want to have this group proceed to become the group that we have all been a part of, we need some people to step up to the plate. We have momentum, we have brotherhood, and we have a good group of advisors to work with and have some fun helping these guys. I know you are out there, and that there are so many excuses not to help out, but giving back is very rewarding. Just sit with me a bit and you will see how it has energized me in my young 42.11 years in existence.

It is very simple to do, all you have to do is say yes and I give you all the information you need to interact with the active brothers. Think about it. Right now I fill in the pulpit at my church when the pastor is gone, run the sound, teach 10-11 years olds in Elementary School, coach a Little League Baseball team, as well as Coordinate the Minors’ division, take classes online for Seminary and do my part in partnering with my lovely wife to raise three kids under the age of 10. Come on and climb aboard the advising team.

Respectfully groveling for your help. I’m on my knees. Beggin’ you please. Advise, and be a part in our great history of Beta Theta Pi.

Greg Compton
Colony Counselor
Batphone: (734) 846-0409
H: (734) 484-1476
compton@aaps.k12.mi.us

April 1, 2007

The Pulse

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

The month of March has been a pretty busy month, with the advisory team. We have a new addition to our crew from CMU. Janell Barnard is taking the role of Leadership advisor. Her job will entail working with the V.P. and the leadership chair in development of leadership opportunities, and making sure that the brotherhood is signing up for activities that the General Fraternity offers.

Ross McCallum will be heading up the charge to keep the Ritual at a high level. He has been working with Todd Wood who is the Ritual chairman.

Kristin Hrynczuk is a graduate assistant with the office of Student Life. She can’t take on an advisor role per se’, but she can offer some advice and give us some heads’ up on things that will be taking place, especially with recruitment.

Phil Adler is going to step into a general advisory role with the group, as his duties and such really won’t allow him to keep the responsibility of recruitment advisor. We thank Phil for him stepping up at an important time in the colony.

At the moment Recruitment, Pledge Educator, and Risk Management could use some assistance. These are my responsibility at the moment, and can be done, but it would be really nice for some of the brotherhood to join the team as opposed to the District Chief, Leadership Consultant, and myself looking on Campus.

Phil Adler, Tom Olver, Scott Nadeau, and I really enjoyed ourselves while up at the house on March 17th. The initiation went well, and we had a good time socializing with the brotherhood, as well as with each other. It is these experiences that make me extremely proud to be a part of this organization going into my 24th year as a Beta. Hard to believe, but it is something that I am proud of. As I was saying, it is these types of experiences that make going up to Central a rewarding and fun experience. The brotherhood is great to be around, as it has become what we all enjoyed as an organization while at CMU.

Looking forward to closing out the year in style with the Pig Roast, along with setting up some goals for the next year. Please come see Beta alive as driving force at CMU. Come with some of your pledge brothers and catch up on old times, as well as what is going on with you now. I am sure that you would enjoy yourselves.

March 1, 2007

The Pulse

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

On February 3, the Housing Corp., people from the Beta Administrative Office, the District Chief, and the EG Advising Team met together with three of the colony E-board members  to determine how best to perform as one to further the colony and make it ready to charter. We discussed how to communicate with each other better, and most importantly determine that we needed one captain to handle the organization and report out to the rest of the fraternity. This meant that the EGAT would be the hub and all lines coming into it and out of it will help to build the Epsilon Gamma Colony.

With the communication centralized, we have seen the colony, under the leadership of Brandyn Lawson, President, and the rest of the E-Board take the colony to new heights. We have become good at recruitment bringing in eight men during rush. This is more than any fraternity at Central. Being a man of principle has some merit to it, as friendship and integrity, along with being a good scholar are truly important characteristics to have. WE have these attributes, and will succeed because of them.

Keystone, a conference for the E-board members and advisers was attended well. Even though I did not attend, I could tell that it was a good conference. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have been there. Although some balance is necessary in volunteer roles with family, church, work and so on. I am grateful to Jeff Wandzel and Scott Nadeau for going to the conference on behalf of the AT.

In the meantime we have taken steps forward in communicating with the colony and seeing the fruits of our labor. This led us to the Three Fires ritual on Feb. 23rd.

The following is the excerpt from the next For the Staunchest Newsletter. I include this because it sums up how I feel right now:

The Friday activity was the Three Fires Ritual. This went off without a hitch, well except for Mark Anderson tripping in the snow. It was pretty funny. At least he was a good sport about it. We then gathered back and warmed up. We went upstairs and conducted an Eye. We finished six hours later at four in the morning. That wasn’t it, as we went on to do some more conversations and such until just after five. Some of the actives stayed up and played Texas Hold’em. This lasted to at least 7:00 a.m. Long night and late morning.

The whole situation may have challenged me to be able to stay up, and to be able to be a dad later that day, but it was well worth it. Not only did it allow me to get to know the membership, but share some time with Scott Nadeau as well. Clearly it was beneficial to me, and I hope the colony as well. It was a bonding evening, and a good time, even without alcohol.

The part I wish to share with you the most is the fact that my job has become a bit simpler. The reason for this is due to the colony actually acting like a fraternity. They had it all together. They had great attendance, and they had everything that they needed. (The most important, being the key to Brandyn’s cottage.)

I have to admit that I was becoming a bit weepy because I was so happy to see that they did not need my prompting, or advice to conduct the trip to the cottage or for the experience. This is one of the biggest steps in Epsilon Gamma returning to its stature at Central Michigan. I was truly overwhelmed by the whole experience, and it is great to see the camaraderie between the brothers. The interactions were so reminiscent of the days of yore when I was an undergrad.

I encourage anyone who can make it to some of the upcoming events and activities to visit with the group. The brothers and new members are in a class all by themselves. I am sure that just by looking at them that you would be able to tell that they are Betas.
After interacting with them, you will be able to confirm it by the way that they carry themselves. Epsilon Gamma is a force to be reckoned with now and in the future.

November 1, 2006

The Pulse

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

I call this the pulse, because it is an article about the life of the brotherhood at this time for the EG Colony.

Brandyn Lawson is at the helm of the ship. He is driving the boat with John Morelli as VP and Risk Management Chair; Phil Klassen as Treasurer; Mark Anderson, Recruitment; Todd Wood as Ritual; Norm Klein as House M. Adam Porter-Price, from General is doing the Pledge Education at this time.

Some of the membership has changed, and it hasn’t been an easy transition. A few members who were from the founding group have struggled with their roles and feeling a part of the changing colony. However, the group is moving forward and the seven pledges, fourth largest in recruitment for all fraternities on campus, are totally charged up and ready to take their places. They all have taken on roles as members of the cabinet. This is a great way to get pledges involved and feeling part of the fraternity.

With guidance from Adam Porter-Price, the group has been doing fairly well with becoming more of a fraternity. Brandyn has done a good job with follow through on a whole with the organization. Phil Klassen with mentoring from Jeff Wandzel have implemented a payment plan that can be used for the membership and the pledges to pay dues using PayPal. They have also made a commitment to paying down a debt from last year, and are right on top of it. Financially getting us in good standing.

The group is solid. Grades are the key and the new potential members are very energized and willing to go the distance. I had a chance to experience an Eye with the group along with Jeff Wandzel during the night of Three Fires. We did it outside around a fire, and man, was it cold, but comfortable in a strange way. We probably started around 11:00p.m. and ended at about 2:45 a.m. I’m telling you, as an wiser gentleman of 42, it was a bit late for me, and looking at Jeff, him as well. It was, however a great experience and it allowed me to really connect with the active membership more, and get to have a better understanding of the pledges. The group is solid!!!
More is in store for the group, and I am sure that they are ready to meet the challenge for this semester, and into next year. Go BETA!

April 1, 2006

From the desk of Greg Compton, Colony Counselor

By Greg Compton `86, colony counselor

The members that we have at Central Michigan are functioning like a fraternity. With six active members and four to five new member pledges, they are making progress. With the leadership of Ross McCallum as President and a cabinet of Kris Wellman, Brandyn Lawson, Matt Bush, and Ben Reedy, Epsilon Gamma is moving forward.

The new member pledges have stepped up to the plate to get involved right away. They are taking on tasks already, and making the organization run a bit more smoothly. Many hands do make light work. It is good to see some enthusiasm from the group.

Greek Week has begun and they are attempting to be a force in their participation even with a small group. They are a bit stretched here, but they are doing well all the same.

Colony meetings have been running well. They are able to conduct their business expeditiously, and are typically done within an hour’s time. It is great to see this happening.

I must recognize Phil Adler who stepped up to the plate to help these guys over this semester. His dedication to recruitment was a key to some of the success they were able to have this term. It has been a blessing to have a person right in the area helping the group out.

One way that I have been able to stay in touch with the group has been through web conferencing using a Web Cam. This helps when the trip to CMU can be a long one at times, but working with these brothers is a treat. They are upstanding men, and are wearing the badge well.

We are moving forward. It seems slow at the moment, but I believe that we are gaining momentum. With this I can see that we can see Epsilon Gamma improve to the status that we once had at CMU.

Dates to mark down. Advisor Meeting and Kickoff retreat. August 5, 2006. Location to be determined. I am looking to find a place in Lansing, so that it would be central to all of us. Let me know if you have any ideas.

Initiation on April 29th and Pig Roast in the afternoon.

February 1, 2006

ADVISORY TEAM REPORT

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

The Epsilon Gamma Advisory team is in full effect. The reason I say this is because Jeff Wandzel '89 and Phil Adler '98 have stepped forward to fill the positions of Financial Advisor and Recruitment Advisor respectively. They are filling two very important positions for the colony to be successful for the remainder of the year and beyond. Please send them a note of thanks, and contact them if you would like to help out in those areas. Phil, will be able to fill the role for this term, but the late spring and fall will be somewhat difficult given his responsibilities with the CMU football team.

We are moving forward in our relationship with the actives, and with the help of Michael Wolford from the AO, we are getting more support in the recruitment process for this semester.

I guess this would be a good time to give a shout out to Phil, Jeff, Scott Nadeau, Chuck Williams, and Michael for their help with recruitment. They have all given support to make sure that it goes well.

The pledge program beginning this semester will be in alignment with Men of Principle. Chuck told me that Ben Reedy put in a lot of hours to get it finalized before the recruitment period is over.

Please check out the EG website for a calendar of events. Meetings happen at 8p.m. on Sunday nights. Our goal for this semester was to have at least one advisor in attendance per meeting. I have given Scott my schedule thus far. If any of you from the Housing Corp or from the populous would like to attend one, or to lend your help for a ritual ceremony, then please contact me, or the actives as to how you would like to help.

We have had three out of four required meetings for the advising team so far this school year. My plan is to have one in the summer at some time, but not too close to the start of the year because we will have the fall kick off meeting. Just stay informed.

As always we are looking for more advisors to help out. Many hands make light work. There are a couple of advisor training sessions being held in the next couple of months. One will take place in Atlanta, GA, and the other at the AO in Oxford. Go to the Beta Website in order to get all the details. This might just be something you would want to do.

I must say that I have enjoyed it very much so far. It not only gives me a chance to re-connect to my college days, and allows me to build relationships with the present colony members as well as with alum that I did not have a chance to know from the past.

It is truly rewarding!!!!!!

December 1, 2005

ADVISING TEAM UPDATE

By Greg Compton `86, chapter counselor

Greetings from the Advisory team.

Since the Reunion banquet and festivities, Michael Woolford from the Admin. Office, and I have been working to recruit two open positions within the team, one, being the Recruitment Chair and the second, being the Financial Advisor. These two positions are paramount to the success of EG at Central Michigan. I am attempting to cover all of the openings at the moment, and it is a little overwhelming. I don’t see as horrible, because I am able to advise on an as needed basis, but we really need to get our actives trained in their offices.
If you have expertise in any of these two areas, please contact me immediately, otherwise we will have some non-Betas serving in these positions.

The ritual of the Three Fires was held on Saturday, November 19th. It went fairly well for their first time. Brother Wisniewski, once again offered his cabin for this day and night affair. All of the actives were present, and each took on the responsibility to making it a great night. One added benefit to doing it in the same area as last winter, was that they were able to find the bricks once again.

I sat and talked with many of the brothers throughout the evening, and I felt that many have the same goals for the fraternity, but still need direction from us. It is evident that they are capable, but they still could use a helping hand. That is US!!!!!

I will be working with the active membership to make up a calendar of events for the Winter term. I will then be determining where we can meet as a team, and where we can schedule advisors to be present at meetings and such. The more we can take off the pressure of holding an e-board position, or any position for that matter, the better we will be as a colony, and then chapter of Beta Theta Pi at CMU.

On another note, it was a great pleasure meeting up with many of you during the anniversary celebration.

January 22, 2005

ADVISING TEAM MEETING

Meeting Pictures

The meeting took place in the library of the Administrative office	A.J. Calkins, Discrict Chief	Dave Steiner		Scott Nadeau (Representing the Housing Corp.) and Will Hilliker
Todd DeVito and Steve Henderson	Greg Compton, Dave Steiner and A.J. Calkins	Scott Nadeau, Will Hiliker, Todd DeVito and Steve Henderson

July 31, 2004

ADVISORS MEETING & EGHC MEETING
JULY 10th, 11am CMU Campus

April 24, 2004

FIRST EG ADVISORS MEETING APRIL 24TH

Left to Right: Dave Steiner, Steve Henderson, Charles Parker, Will Hilliker, Todd Binsfield,
Greg Compton and Chuck Williams

Chuck Williams	Greg Compton	Charles Parker and Steve Henderson
	Todd Binsfield and Will Hilliker	Dave Steiner