Psi Upsilon is searching for a Director of Chapter Services and Director of Growth – we are looking for candidates who have a passion for the mission and values of Psi Upsilon with experience in leadership development, human resources, higher education or related fields! If you would like to learn more please go to our career page here: https://psiu.org/careers/
Psi Upsilon is hiring! Read More »
June 1, 2020
Psi Upsilon Fraternity extends its deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd, the greater Minneapolis Community, and all those affected by this reprehensible act of violence which resulted in his untimely death. It has been a difficult and emotional week, particularly for Black Americans and we hope that all our members are safe at this time.
Psi Upsilon’s values are lifelong friendship, moral leadership, intellectual engagement, responsible social conduct, and service to society. Racism, xenophobia, violence, and any form of discrimination is not congruent with our values in any way. To truly live the mission of Psi Upsilon all members must condemn any and all acts of bigotry and hatred wherever they may come across it.
But making statements to this effect are not enough and we can, and must, do more. We will be working on opportunities to support our members and provide resources on inclusion in our communities and develop the courage to speak up when they see discrimination in any form – whether on their campus, workplace or elsewhere. We do not have answers currently and want to be thoughtful about this serious issue. If you would like to be directly involved, or have suggestions to pass along, please reach out to Executive Director, Thomas Fox, at tfox@psiu.org.
In addition, we encourage chapters and alumni associations to reach out to your local ACLU or similar organizations for ways to support your local communities.
Psi Upsilon’s Policy on Diversity and Inclusion: https://psiu.org/diversity-and-inclusion/
Psi Upsilon Statement regarding the Death of George Floyd Read More »
Since 2012, the Psi Chapter of Psi Upsilon has developed, and continually expanded upon a career-building program directed at their undergraduates. Conceptualized by Patrick Gilrane, Psi ‘83, the program puts Hamilton’s Psi U alumnus in contact with brothers whom have an interest in the former’s field; through a mentor-apprentice format, the alumni provide insight and one-on-one advice to their assigned mentees, ensuring to mimic a real-world, professional relationship.
The undergraduates develop communicative skills applicable to a job-setting, while simultaneously learning about, and furthermore networking for their desired career path. The program has found such success within the chapter that the college itself has modeled aspects of their career center around it.
The core principles of this program culminate in an on-campus event attended by undergraduates and alumni alike: “Career-Day”. A formal seminar followed by segmented discussions (specified by field of interest) allow for the expansion of skills that have been acquired through the ongoing mentorships. Undergraduates are to assess their resumes, refine their interview skills, and exercise general capability in a professional setting, all while building valuable connections with alumni currently in the workforce. This Fall’s event, led by Nate Harris Psi ‘07, was no exception to the program’s achievement, as the day was highly informative, smoothly run – and, with the typical generational story-sharing, fun for all.
Ed. – Now more than ever our new graduates, young alumni, and undergraduates can use the presence and support of our more experienced brothers.
PsiU.Firsthand.co is also a resource for mentoring within the Psi U brotherhood. You can sign up to be a mentor or mentee here.
The Psi Upsilon Professional Network on LinkedIn is another resource; share your professional accomplishments and post internships and jobs there.
Related Links:
Psi Chapter Career-Mentor Program Finds Continued Success Read More »
Lars Delin, Xi ’22 (Wesleyan) worked with other undergraduates at Wesleyan to co-found Support A Pal to socially support senior citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic. This non-profit venture pairs college students with members of the non-residential Dyckman Senior Center in the Bronx, NY, to facilitate weekly phone conversations in lieu of in-person interaction. Currently, there are 20 volunteers – primarily from Wesleyan University – who speak English, Spanish, or Mandarin, and they are seeking to expand in number and linguistic capabilities.
Support A Pal was inspired by the lack of accommodations for senior citizens, as these at-risk individuals often struggle with social media communication and tech savviness. However, this endeavour has proven to be beneficial for both sides of the partnership. Volunteers have expressed excitement over shared interests, such as the genius of Billy Joel, and realized how much they can learn from the generations before them.
We first learned about his efforts from this article; http://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2020/05/04/students-form-connections-with-senior-citizens-isolated-by-pandemic/?utm_source=&utm_medium=EMLET&utm_campaign=The+Wesleyan+Connection+May+6(2068360
Xi brother co-founds non-profit. Read More »
Psi Upsilon service to society and civic engagement on display; Bluebird Distilling (owned by a Psi U) switched to formulating hand sanitizer in late March to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jared Adkins, Sigma Phi ‘08 (St. Francis University), has owned and operated Bluebird Distilling in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania since 2015 (they have since opened locations Center City and Old City as well). In addition to owning Bluebird Distilling, Jared is a founder of the Sigma Phi chapter.
Bluebird Distilling produces award-winning spirits in a variety of categories, with the rye, bourbon, and brandy being particularly well regarded. After seeing the need for hand sanitizer in their community in mid-March, Bluebird has completely retooled operations to produce gallons of World Health Organization recommended formula hand sanitizer, adding peroxide and glycerine to their distilled alcohol. They’ve produced over 1000 gallons, mostly packaged in 5 gallon containers (individual containers are hard to come by right now). A lot of what they’ve produced has been donated from the company to local charities like the children’s hospital and other local emergency centers and services. Bluebird’s Phoenixville Distillery is open. https://bluebirddistilling.com/
We first learned about his efforts from this article; there are some more great quotes from Jared there: https://6abc.com/…/philly-proud-local-brewery-tur…/6093325/…
Sigma Phi Founder shifts distillery to produce hand sanitizer Read More »
Psi U Red Leader at the MakeItThrough Alliance creates team to create masks for first responders. Jean-Etienne LaVallee EI’94 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) lives in Richmond, VA and is also a huge member of the “maker” community there – designers and fabricators who use 3d printing and machining skills to make just about anything. With the onset of the pandemic Etienne and his friends Larkin Garbee, Adam Gainer, Bert Green, & Jeff Rock launched the Starwars themed “MakeItThru Alliance” to produce medical community approved face shields. Assembled from approved materials in a sterile environment, the Alliance has made over 15,000, starting with a donation of 500 to friends in the Navajo Nation. They have since donated many more to native tribes, extended care and clinical facilities in Virginia and elsewhere. They completed the “Shields Across the Alliance” sprint campaign at their Echo Base Safe Assembly Center in conjunction with Alliance partners in RVA Project Shield (covid-19 response) and GOODHEALTHTaskForce.
He writes “Our team of only 9 @MakeItThru Alliance volunteer Assemblators produced 4000 units of the “Goodshield 1000” flexible face shield design in less than 4 days! In total, our cross-Alliance effort produced over 10,000 face shields in less than a week which will be on local HCP caregivers heads within the next 48hrs.”
Of the shields produced at Echo Base, 3500 will be heading to the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Southside and the remaining units will be going to Bon Secours and other local HCPs. If you’d like to contribute to his ongoing efforts, you can do so here.
MakeItThrough is also a valuable resource if you have question about how to use you maker skills and resources to help medical personnel in your area; contact them at makeitthru@goodworksociety.org
If you would like to purchase a faceshield while also donating here is their “Good Store” donation shop: https://www.goodworksociety.org/store/c3/GOODSHIELD2000.html
Learn more about their work here !
Epsilon Iota Alumnus uses 3D Printing for first responders Read More »
We are proud to announce that undergrads at the Tau chapter at University of Pennsylvania have donated $1873 of leftover dues to the PHL COVID-19 fund. The PHL COVID-19 Fund provides grants to nonprofits throughout the Greater Philadelphia region that have a demonstrated track record of serving those most at-risk during this crisis, such as seniors, people with disabilities, and those who are experiencing homeless or who are economically disadvantaged. Way to go, Castle!
Picture is from a workshop on Active Listening conducted at the chapter in February.
The Tau Chapter Gives Back Read More »
COVID-19 has forced bookstores across the country to shut their doors for an undetermined length of time, and booksellers across the globe have their livelihoods threatened. Everything from iconic bookstores such as the Strand in New York City or Powell’s in Portland to many many smaller stores must close down operations in order to ride out this viral storm. Jason Pinter, Xi ’03 (Wesleyan) is using his publishing company, POLIS BOOKS, to help. On June 16th, Polis Books will publish “LOCKDOWN: Stories of Terror, Crime, and Hope During a Pandemic,” edited by Nick Kolakowski and Steve Weddle. All proceeds from sales of LOCKDOWN will go to BINC, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit that assists booksellers in need. Learn more about the anthology here https://litreactor.com/news/exclusive-polis-books-announces-lockdown-stories-of-terror-crime-and-hope-during-a-pandemic-cha and pre-order here. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781951709174
You can join us on May 28th for a Q&A Zoom with Jason as part of out Virtual Speaker Series. Free to all PsiUs, significant others, and friends, register here. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2215881091649/WN_i5F8f5-1SiObccIanILrVA
If you want to get to know a little more about Jason and his work, here’s an excellent interview with him by Ryan Steck https://therealbookspy.com/2020/03/03/hide-away-five-questions-with-jason-pinter/
Xi Author raises money for charitable foundation Read More »
Psi Upsilon is excited to partner with Phired Up and are providing every undergraduate chapter with full access to their Digital Classrooms for the 2020-21 year to help support every chapter’s recruitment efforts during these turbulent times. Each class is packed with videos, lessons and resources to help brothers learn:
In addition we’ve purchased licenses for every chapter advisor for their own digital class which will provide them the tools to best coach the undergraduate chapter and their recruitment needs.
Phired Up is the premiere organization to help fraternity and sorority chapters grow, and Psi Upsilon is excited to partner with them and become one of the first fraternities to offer their digital classrooms to all of it’s members and give brothers the opportunity to become a certified Phired Up Recruiter!
If you would like to participate in a Digital Classroom please download instructions here.
Psi Upsilon launches new recruitment support! Read More »
On Sunday, May 3rd, the Executive Council of Psi Upsilon decided to postpone the 177th Convention and cancel the 2020 Leadership Institute in Atlanta, GA – originally planned for July 24th through 27th. In 1841 Psi Upsilon became the first fraternity to hold a convention, and since that time the annual event has grown to become a wonderful celebration of our great fraternity. In addition, the Leadership Institute provides unique educational experiences relevant to our brothers and those that support them, and it is a highlight of our calendar.
The wellbeing of our brothers was our greatest concern, and we did not feel we could provide a safe and responsible environment given the current environment and uncertainty of the future. Today, months after COVID-19 began affecting the United States and Canada, so much is still unknown about the disease, including how long it will be around, if it will come back, and how our day-to-day lives will be affected moving forward. The Executive Council had hoped that by this time, there would be more answers and that we would still be able to host Convention as scheduled. However, we do not feel we can risk our brothers’ health or gamble that the ability to travel and convene in large groups will be safe and allowed by the end of July.
We are committed to hosting a quality virtual event in its place and holding a remote experience to report on the activities of the Fraternity, Foundation and Executive Council and all brothers of the fraternity will be invited to attend. In addition, unique educational opportunities will be provided to our members over the course of the summer to replace the leadership institute experience and help them prepare for the Fall. The dates, times and logistics for these meetings will be shared in the coming weeks.
Those who have already registered and paid for the Convention will be receiving a full refund.
We’d like to thank the Gamma Tau Chapter at Georgia Tech and the Psi Upsilon Society of Georgia for all the work they’ve done to help prepare for this event. While we are disappointed about the cancelation, we look forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of Psi Upsilon at Georgia Tech in person when it becomes safe to do so.
While we know that this news is disappointing, we know that when we meet in person again, the reunion will be even more special. In 2021 we plan to convene the 177th Convention in Madison, Wisconsin and hope you will be able to join us then. We plan to return to Atlanta in 2023 for the 179th Psi Upsilon Convention.
177th Psi Upsilon Convention postponed until 2021 Read More »
