Founders Day is Nov 1st The Dawgs are 2-0 and looking forward to the inaugural Big10 season…. and we are looking forward to seeing you Friday November 1st at the Women’s University Club! Go to www.psiu-uw.com to register online or download a registration form.
Here are the details: Friday Nov 1st Social hour(s) starts at 5:30, Dinner at 7:15 $80 includes prime rib dinner and 2 drink tickets if paid by Oct 24th. Contact us for alternate entree
Parking available at area garages including the WAC Limited parking for those who need assistance at the WUC
Making a long-distance phone call may not seem like a big deal today, but in 1915 a phone call between San Francisco and New York City could make it into the newspaper. And at the 82nd Psi Upsilon Convention, when one occurred on September 4th, 1915, it most certainly did!
Photocopy of The Sun from October 3, 1915
The 82nd Psi Upsilon Convention was hosted by the Epsilon Chapter at the University of California – Berkeley from September 1st through 4th . At the same time The City of San Francisco was hosting the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, a World’s Fair to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal. Like all Worlds it was meant to showcase great achievements by nations, mainly it was celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal, but another noteworthy achievement that was being highlighted was the fact that a transcontinental phone line was established in 1915, allowing communication between the coasts for the first time, to kick off the Exposition.
The Vice-President of the Exposition was Thornwell Mullally, Beta 1892 (Yale), and with his connections hosted a special event for the members of the Psi Upsilon Convention to gather at the Hall of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company where the Honorable William H. Taft, Beta 1898 (Yale), and Albert Lee Clark, Epsilon 1907 (Berkeley), were able to speak with George S. Coleman, Xi 1876 (Wesleyan), who served as the Secretary of the Executive Council, in New York City.
Bro. Clark – “Hello, Brother Coleman! I have the honor of introducing Brother Taft, who will speak to the Eastern brothers that were not able to come West for the delegates assembled in the seats before us.”
Bro. Taft – “Hello, Brother Coleman! For the large and robust assemblage of loyal Psi Us in this room I want to send the best wishes to the Eastern brothers.”
Bro. Coleman – “We are highly honored to receive this message and heartily reciprocate.”
Prior to the transcontinental call Thornwell Mullally presented the President of the Psi Upsilon Executive Council, Herbert Bridgman, Gamma 1866 (Amherst), a bronze medallion with the inscription “The Pananama-Pacific International Exposition to The Psi Upsilon Fraternity, San Francisco, CAL, September 4th, 1915” and told a story that the Exposition may not have occurred without the support of Psi Upsilon, which Taft relayed to Coleman on the call.
The Telephone Company sent copies of the photo above to each chapter with a personal letter from Herbert Bridgman explaining the historic interest of the occasion.
Awarded at the 180th Convention in Boston’s North Shore
For a full list of criteria, past recipients, and award histories, visit our full awards page.
Garnet and Gold Award for Academic Excellence
The Garnet and Gold Award for Academic Excellence is given out to those chapters who achieve above the campus average across multiple semesters.
Alpha Omicron, New Jersey Institute of Technology Sigma Phi, Saint Francis University
Owl Award for Exceptional Academic Performance
The Owl Award for Exceptional Academic Achievement recognizes chapters that demonstrate truly significant academic achievement
Delta, New York University Omega, University of Chicago Xi, Wesleyan University Gamma Tau, Georgia Institute of Technology Epsilon Iota, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alpha Omicron, New Jersey Institute of Technology Sigma Phi, Saint Francis University
Clasped Hand Award for Outstanding Philanthropy & Service
The Clasped Hand Award for Outstanding Philanthropy and Service recognizes those chapters that go above and beyond. During the 2022-23 Academic Year Psi Upsilon chapters contributed over 7,100 hours of service in their communities and raised more than $202,000 for charities.
Pi, Syracuse University Zeta Zeta, University of British Columbia Epsilon Nu, Michigan State University Epsilon Iota, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lambda Sigma, Pepperdine University
Diamond Award for Exceptional Chapters
This award recognizes chapters that distinguish themselves by exceeding the Psi Upsilon Fraternity chapter standardsand is the top award a chapter can receive.
Two alums were recognized at the 180th Psi Upsilon Convention during Saturday evening’s Awards Banquet for their service to Psi Upsilon and commitment to the values of our fraternity.
First, Dr. Richard Rasmussen, received the David A.B. Brown Award for Lifetime Achievement, the highest award which may be bestowed upon an alum of Psi Upsilon for bringing honor to the Fraternity by exemplifying the true spirit and meaning of brotherhood in all that they do and say, for dedicated and unselfish service in pursuit of the advancement of the Fraternity, and for demonstrating a commitment to serve the educational environment, their community, and their country.
Brother Rasmussen has served as the Executive Director of the University Athletic Association since it’s inception in 1987. The UAA is a NCAA Division III Conference of highly selective Universities that has served as a bold statement of what college athletics can and should be – that it is highly desirable and possible for a group of committed institutions to conduct a broad-based program of intercollegiate athletics for men and women; to compete with like academic institutions spread over geographically expansive areas; and to seek excellence in athletics while maintaining a perspective which holds the student-athlete and the academic mission of the institution as the center of focus.
He was the keynote speaker at our Awards Banquet and addressed the importance of our members to live our mission and values, and to remember that correlates with the academic mission of our Colleges and Universities – and we must be partners, not apart, from our hosts.
The Distinguished Alumni Service Award recognizes brothers whose service to their chapter, or the International Fraternity, is worth special commendation. Since its creation by the 155th Psi Upsilon Convention in 1998, 38 alums have received this honor. It is customary for a recommendation to come from an alumni association or another member of the fraternity and then is discussed by the Awards and Recognition Committee, who then recommends to the Executive Council or the Psi Upsilon Convention to consider the alum for the award. All award winners are presented with a medallion recreated by our Director of Member Engagement, Jonathan Chaffin, Gamma Tau ’00 (Georgia Tech) and originally designed by Murray Eskenazi, Lambda ’56 (Columbia).
This summer at the 180th Psi Upsilon Convention presented Steve Moore, Eta ’84 (Lehigh) with this award.
Brother Moore has served as the president of the Goodale Literary Society, the Alumni Association of the Eta Chapter at Lehigh University, for a number of years, and during that time he has helped balance a commitment to connecting alums with one another, the chapter, and the University. He was recognized by Gary Pan, Eta ’86, who introduced Brother Moore by reading the preamble of our Constitution:
We who are or were students in universities and colleges throughout the United States and Canada and who believe in similar principles of life and standards of human conduct, consider that the existence of a fraternal bond among us is eminently calculated best to promote our educational achievements, the development of our personal character and happiness, and the overall interests of the universities and colleges of which we are a part. We believe further that we may thereby better contribute to a continual improvement and expansion of the educational system of these two great nations.
Brother Moore has done much to help promote those values and keep those traditions alive at Lehigh, at a time when many other fraternal organizations have closed or faded away.
Recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Service Award at the 178th Convention in 2022: Eldred Halsey, Delta ’58 (NYU), Brad Corner, Omicron ’72 (Illinois), Dick Rasmussen, Upsilon ’72, Bob Dorigo-Jones, Epsilon Nu ’85 (Michigan State) and Gary Pan, Eta ’86 (Lehigh)
If you know of a deserving alum, and would like to recommend them for an award, please submit their information to the Executive Director of Psi Upsilon, Thomas Fox at tfox@psiu.org.
In an effort to help prepare undergraduate leaders as they return to campus this fall we’ve renewed our online Summer Leadership Series Program. Chapter Services staff identified 11 programs to focus on – each session will have specific officers and chairs invited and encourage to attend, so as to not overwhelm leaders, and offering advice specific to their roles. These sessions are focused around our new chapter management tool, Asana; event planning; recruitment (and a specific program for our chapters that are coed); new member education; marketing and more. The topics and times can be found below, you can click on a session for a better description as well as the intended audience and Zoom information, all times are Eastern:
Since the Covid-19 Pandemic we’ve greatly redesigned our Chapter Leadership Program, some by necessity and some due to lessons learned from a remote workplace. Specifically we’ve been focused on doing a better job of measuring chapter performance and improving our online support to meet the specific needs of chapters. These changes include: In 2020 we improved our online education by moving to the Tightrope Risk Management Program, introduced the Inclusive Practices Cultural Competency Program for New Members, Adopted the Phired Up Recruitment Certification Program for chapters and moved our support model to increased virtual meetings and started having monthly Town Hall meetings for Chapter Archons and Alumni Presidents and Advisors to better connect these cohorts as well as first introduced programming like our Summer Leadership Series. In 2021 our staff was able to grow in size so we were able to return to in person visits while keeping our regular virtual meetings. We also began the Psi U Cares Program to better encourage ways our chapter members could support one another’s mental wellness as well as introduced the Treasurers Academy to compliment the Archons Academy. In 2022 we began building our Chapter Classification Program, where we improved measuring our chapters performance and providing that feedback to Alumni Presidents, Advisors and Chapter Presidents so they can better understand their chapter’s performance over time and in relation to other Psi Upsilon Chapters. In 2023 we introduced Spring Roundtables to our virtual meetings, focused on chair positions that were sometimes being overlooked by our traditional programming and introduced our new Project Management tool Asana to our chapters, to help them delegate tasks to other officers. In 2024 we’re introducing an additional component to our online educations – Aboveboard for Chapter Officers which will focus on running meetings, committee work, and goal setting and we’re continuing to build out our Asana Projects to include videos like Summer Leadership Series and Officer Introductions so chapter leaders can receive training on their own schedules.
Join us on Tuesday, August 20th at 5PM Eastern, for a presentation on building a culture of success and accountability around academic performance. We’ll talk about incentive programs, accountability structures, leveraging resources, and how to individualize for your needs.
Our target audience are Academic Chairs, 1st Angelos, and any other brothers involved in the academic performance of the chapter.
Join us on Tuesday, August 20 at 6:00PM eastern, for our Summer Leadership Series on Event Planning. This meeting will cover the basics of event planning from choosing the right event, budgeting, delegation, day-of event management, and the need to look back and find ways the event could improve if you did it again. This session will better prepare you and your chapter to plan and execute a successful event year after year.
Our target audience is intended to be 1st Angeloi, 2nd Angeloi, Social Chairs, and Risk Managers, but anyone with an interest in learning more should attend.
Join us on Tuesday, August 20th at 7PM Eastern, for this presentation on creating a culture of accountability in your chapter. From building out clear expectations for chapter members, creating oversight and offering performance reviews, to intervening when there is a problem – it’s important that every member of your chapter understands your chapter’s judicial process.
Our target audience are any members of a Judicial Board and all chapter officers but especially the chapter’s 1st Angelos who often takes part in the process.
Join us on Tuesday, August 20th at 8 PM Eastern, for our Summer leadership series focused on the fundamentals of recruitment. An engaging and educational session specially designed to equip existing fraternity members with the essential skills and knowledge to excel during the recruitment process. As a valued member of Psi Upsilon, you play a pivotal role in attracting new members who will contribute to the growth and success of the brotherhood. This session aims to enhance your recruitment expertise, foster a welcoming environment, and ensure a smooth and successful recruitment experience for both potential members and your chapter.
Our target audience includes Recruitment Chairs and those aspiring to the position, but this session is for anyone who would like to increase their chapter’s success in recruiting bigger and higher quality new member classes.
