7 visions - volume 6 | issue 1
DESCRIPTION
Spring 2016 issue of 7 Visions Magazine. Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, IncTRANSCRIPT
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VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2016
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NATIONAL NEWSFrom the President ................................................................... 4National Executive Council Roster ......................................... 6Fall Graduations ....................................................................... 8
UNDERGRADUATE EVENTSFrom the Editor ....................................................................... 142015 Year in Review ............................................................... 16Regional Conference Round Up.......................................... 20
ALUMNI CORNERFrom the NAA ......................................................................... 26Brotherhood Spotlight ............................................................ 28Feature: Selena and ODPhi .................................................. 32
CONTENTS
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Tony PagliocconaTional PresidenT
Brothers of Omega Delta Phi,
It has been a few months since we last met in San Antonio as a united Brotherhood and like any other national conference, it was a weekend of memories and celebration. Let me first thank you, my Broth-ers, for your vote of confidence and support with the most recent National Presidential election. I am humbled and honored to be entrusted with the future of this Brotherhood and I’m confident that with the team we have put together, we will deliver on the commitments and promises we have made to you. As this new administration took office, we were put to work right away with the fall semester starting concurrently with NEC officer transitions.
As an executive board, we have spent this time learning about how to work with each other, building our teams, and also taking a strong hard look at the Brotherhood, and what our success path is for 2016. I consider myself lucky to have such a strong and experienced team to collaborate with and empower them to produce results that coincide with our national vision for 2016 and beyond.
Moving forward, it is imperative that we work together to move down this road together so that we may not only keep our eye on what our goals are, but also meet our commitments to continuously improving the operations and support that our National Board provides to our entities. In just this short time, I’ve been able to attend two regional conferences (NW and Pacific) and at those conferences, I’ve been blessed to engage in many conversations with undergrads and alumni that reinforce the opinion that
5the undergraduate body and our supporting entities are the lifeblood that keep us moving forward. Growth of our organization occurs at the entity level, and it is our respon-sibility to make sure that our entities have the resources, support, and tools that they need to be able to succeed.
In 2016, we have three main strategic focal points, those being Recruitment, Finances, and Expansion. Quality re-cruitment is important for 2016 because we have a number of entities that have identified this as being a challenge. We need to constantly be pushing the envelope and look-ing for new recruitment opportunities because the compet-itive landscape of Greek life is different than when I was active. Right now, as you read this, there are other orga-nizations out there that are younger, hungrier, and looking to edge into our share of potential prospective members. This is something that we cannot allow to happen. We have to understand the simple fact that our Brotherhood is a gift that everyone deserves to experience, while only few can actually put in the work, sweat, and tears required to become a Brother of Omega Delta Phi.
Finances, while not the most exciting of topics, is also a vital part of our 2016 plan. The number of entities that are focusing more on financial reconciliation instead of on Brotherhood and Academics is growing slightly and this is a concern we have to fix now rather than later. With the Fi-nance Team getting ready to roll out a Debt Reduction plan in 2016, I can say with a high degree of confidence that by the end of 2016, we will be in a better spot financially on a national and chapter level. This will open the door to more opportunities plus added self-sustainability for the entities.
Expansion will continue with our current targets, but we will be mindful as we move forward that we can ensure success and a plan that will allow better pathing for col-onies to reach chapter status, and at the same time, find new targets of opportunity that will close the gaps between entities, especially the ones that do not have chapters or colonies close by. Expansion is more than just finding new schools, but it’s finding new avenues where we can con-tinue our growth and be able to support and sustain that growth.
Besides those 3 points, we have other initiatives that are being worked on currently which we strongly feel will pro-vide value to our organization. Graduate Intake rollout
(Spring 2016), EAP revisions, and more National Partners (Uber, Amazon, Enterprise, etc) are areas where can pro-vide resources to the Brothers across the nation.
We are here to support you and we are always here to help in any way we can. Our goal as a national board is to hear how we can help, put an action plan in place, and then deliver with the highest degree of customer service. Our Brotherhood cannot grow or survive without our un-dergrads doing work, and that is why we, as a National Board, are putting in so much work, so we can support and encourage your goals as an entity.
Brothers, this is a great time to be part of Omega Delta Phi. We have many things to deliver that are currently in progress and I can definitely say that as we roll these out, we will earn your trust and confidence. Also remember that as a Knight of Omega Delta Phi, you represent this or-ganization 24/7/365 and your actions are a reflection on all of us. My door is always open anytime to talk about prob-lems, concerns, comments, or just to brainstorm ideas be-cause I’m here to work for you, my team is here to work for you, and we want to make sure that 2016 will be the year where we start delivering on our promises to you, and so we can all reap the rewards of our work.
In True Brotherhood
Tony PaglioccoNational President, Omega Delta Phi Fraternity Inc.
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@omegadeltaphi @odphinationals @odphi
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Lateef IpayeVice President, Operations
Bryan GarciaVice President, Undergraduate Affairs
Ruben HernandezVice President, Leadership and Development
Clint BeauchampVice President, Alumni Engagement
Rick CorreaVice President, Technology
Fred DavisVice President, Marketing
CAPS +GOWNS
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It is one of our two fraternal goals as an organization, one that solidifies the importance of organiza-tions like Omega Delta Phi on college campuses nationwide. Graduation; It is a milestone for many, an expected thing for some, and something that many others could only dream of. For many brothers of Omega Delta Phi, graduation is a time to reflect, reminisce, and to fully develop an appreciation for the “support group” and “family away from home” that the brotherhood has provided.
Above all, graduation is the culmination of one the prime fraternal goals: that of graduating its mem-bers. Omega Delta Phi prides itself on being able to motivate, encourage, and provide the tools nec-essary for its brothers to be able to graduate from college. The fraternity shall provide, to any man, a diverse fraternal experience which coincides with a higher education, the fraternity’s mission statement proclaims.
From Alpha Chapter to our latest colony, brothers from these chapters have honored their graduating brothers and sent them off with a token of their appreciation and all the memories they have created in their time as Men of ODPhi.
Being brothers of Omega Delta Phi provided an endless amount of moral and emotional support. Being away from home was a challenge for many brothers, the family away from home that the brotherhood provided was key to helping these brothers reach their goals, to keep them motivated and vested in completing their goals.
From day one of the prospective member process to a brother’s first meeting as an active, to their last formal, to their moment in the spotlight when they walked across the arena stage to receive their diplo-ma; Omega Delta Phi brothers have shown the true fabric of the brotherhood they joined.
The memories made are endless, the struggles plenty, but the sacrifices made, the hard work put forth--- they all come full circle.
“Graduation is bittersweet, it’s a moment of celebration but also of mixed emotions. Brothers you have come to know so well and learned to appreciate and brothers who you develop close ties to, their time comes to leave. But you look at the bigger picture and realize that they made it and are on to a promis-ing journey of success” said Jacob Jaimes, an undergraduate and Fall 2015 initiate of the Delta Chap-ter at Texas A&M University.
Graduation is a time of celebration, reflection, and of goodbyes but also of new beginnings. It is a time to look back on the accomplishments, to witness how one’s hard work, sacrifice, and dedication all come to mean something, something tangible. These graduating brothers are on the road to success, they are well equipped with the tools necessary to reach the top.
“Leadership opportunities quickly appeared before me, which also helped me develop my social skills. It provided me with opportunities, but it also brought about change and lessons that I needed to learn. It taught me that everything takes time. For things to grow, you need time. The brotherhood goes past the undergraduate journey, and I know that everything I stated above will just continue to happen. That’s what I’m excited for” said Edwin Pereira, brother from the Tau Chapter at the University of Texas at Arlington who received a Bachelors of Science in Management of Information Systems.
Joshua de Leon, brother from the Beta Theta chapter at Texas A&M University- San Antonio credits the brotherhood for expanding his knowledge and experience in areas he had no experience previously. Leon said that he has acquired some experience in the field of marketing through his involvement in ODPhi. He graduated with a dual degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology.
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“I’ve learned that we’re all leaders in our own way, and the best way to bring out that spirit is through unity; knowing that being a part of a team means you are not alone. So I look forward to taking advan-tage of being able to bounce ideas off of people and cooperate in a professional environment” shared brother Tremone White, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication from the University of Texas at Arlington, home to the Tau Chapter.
Other brothers made note of the memories they made as members of Omega Delta Phi throughout their time in the brotherhood. Countless events, service events, socials, brotherhood events, road trips, and even memories that helped shape the brothers on a personal level were referenced as brothers reminisced on their undergraduate days.
“My fondest memory from my time in ODPhi would probably be when I put together a group of volun-teers to drive up to Moore, Oklahoma after the tornadoes that caused major damage to the city. The unity between the brothers and other Greeks made it possible for us to get a large number of volun-teers to drive to Oklahoma and provide any assistance needed to those affected by the storms” said Alpha Chi alumnus Juan Carlos Garcia who earned his Masters of Education in Public and Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas at Dallas.
“One of my most fond memories from ODPhi was being able to take a road trip with my best friend/Line Brother all the way down to San Antonio, Texas for nationals in 2015” shared Johnny Cedeño who earned a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Business Management from the University of Wis-consin- Parkside, home to the Omicron Chapter.
Cedeño also credits the brotherhood for his ability to network and learning to utilize the resources around him. “Its not what you know, it’s who you know” he said.
“If I could point out a time where I saw with my own eyes how real this Brotherhood was, it would be the time that my LB threw a surprise party for my 19th birthday.“I’ll never forget that moment. I started to cry like a baby, and my LB Joel was there with a big grin on his face. At that moment i knew that this brotherhood, wasn’t just a 4 year thing. Nope. This is a lifetime” revealed Jose Manuel Lara, a graduate from the Sam Houston State University College of Sciences where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science.
ODPhi has definitely played an integral role in the undergraduate journey of its members. Members were able to thrive academically, develop interpersonal skills that prepared them for the workforce or for a professional or graduate degree. Omega Delta Phi has remained true to its mantra of “providing ANY man a fraternal experience which coincides with a higher education”.
Members are now tasked with maintaining strong ties to the chapters and organization that afforded them so many opportunities. As alumni, the challenge is to be able to give back to the undergraduate chapters and colonies that helped shape them. Having accomplished the number one goal of the broth-erhood, these new alumni are challenged to succeed in their professional or postgraduate degrees. These new careers represent the sacrifice, dreams, and aspirations of members, member’s families, and the goodwill and support from the family away from home, the other family represented by the brotherhood.
Congratulations and best wishes to all of the December 2015 Graduates. May your burning desire nev-er be extinguished and may you always hold true to the principles of UNITY, HONESTY, INTEGRITY, and LEADERSHIP. For if you do that, success will follow undoubtedly.
HATS OFF FALL 2015 GRADUATES!!!
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luis gonzalezdirecTor of conTenT
Brothers,
In the aftermath of my nine year anniversary of being activated into this brotherhood, I write to you all today as your newly appointed National Director of Content and Editor in Chief of 7 Visions, the official publication of our beloved brotherhood.
Nine years have come and gone and I have definitely done my best to make my experience in Omega Delta Phi as well rounded and wholesome as possible. From my days as a prospective member who immersed himself in an unknown realm of Greek letters, traditions and history, brotherhood, and some of the best memories one could ask for to my days as the Regional Director of the region I saw grow, it has all been filled with purpose, passion, and vision.
After completing my term as Regional Director for the East Texas Region-- I began to question what my next step would be. With the utmost trust of our now National President Tony Pagliocco and our Director of Marketing Fred Davis, I decided to further my legacy on our National Executive Council as a member of the Marketing Department in the capacity of Director of Content.
Many of you brothers who are familiar with me and my journey through Omega Delta Phi know that I am passionate about this brotherhood and I let everyone who will listen, know that. I take pride in showcas-ing the great efforts of my brothers, it makes me infinitely happy to be able to communicate to others
15that my brothers are living up to the oath they made when being activated.
Serving as Regional Director really took a toll on me, I felt burnt out and felt like it was time for me to take a much needed break. An oath I made one December 1st in the Fall of 2006 alongside my four pledge brothers prevented me from throwing in the towel. Wanting to take a step back seemed appealing and I decided it was much needed but my sense of commitment to this brotherhood, to you all raged on and I applied for positions on the NEC in spite of the doubt I was facing.
I found resolve and inspiration in the stories told in 7 Vi-sions, the beautiful, heartwarming, and inspirational jour-neys of brothers who, individually or through their chap-ters, were blazing trails and exuding our four sacraments. I realized that while our efforts as students, professionals, athletes, sons, fathers, brothers, husbands, and boyfriends are individual, they form a tapestry, a mosaic of all the best our brotherhood has to offer. They carry the mantle of Uni-ty, Honesty, Integrity, and Leadership and therefore these efforts become communal, they represent us in the best possible light.
As an aspiring journalist, i always saw a need to commu-nicate these stories to anyone who would listen. Show-casing the good, the bad, and the ugly; it’s a commitment one takes on to assert the realities of our times and the impact our brotherhood has on its communities. I felt the need to ensure that our stories are being told and that our chapters, colonies, our brothers who answer the call and exceed expectations are not fading away silently into the night. Inspiration, motivation, pride, and reverence for all that is Omega Delta Phi can be found within these pages. It is my responsibility as editor in chief to provide and showcase all aspects of our brotherhood. I am aware of whats at stake, I understand that there is a grand opportunity to reignite a brother’s burning desire through 7 Visions, I understand that there is a chance to bring someone back into the fold who hasn’t been active as of late. We will seek to inspire, reignite that passion, remind each and every brother of the oath of brotherhood they took when being activated and we will do so in hopes of bringing the very best out of each and every member.
All in all, the purpose of 7 Visions is to showcase how our membership is in line with the values that Omega Delta Phi seeks to instill. Community service efforts, brotherhood events, social events, and a myriad of programming that highlights Omega Delta Phi’s commitment to molding men of vision, men of purpose. These stories need to be told and they need to be told in a manner that captures the es-sence of our organization and the brothers that make it up. I won’t deny that the work of our beloved brotherhood is endless, the responsibility is timeless and therefore it can be exhausting at times. Tired or not, I have assumed this responsibility and I will do my best to ensure that 7 Visions carries on and that it continues to highlight the beauty and purpose of this brotherhood and the legacy our founders set forth into motion on November 25, 1987.
That is my challenge to you all as brothers old and new; it is imperative that we all answer that call to service we made when being activated. Our communities and our brotherhood, our chapters/colonies need us and as broth-ers, we need each other. Let’s continue to own our ritual by affirming our oaths and values in all that we do. We will fall short, that’s just part of life, but if we do our best to move forward, no one can ask any more from us.
I am excited and inspired to begin this new leg of service to an organization that has afforded me so much in my short time as a member. I am constantly reminded, by you all, why it is that I take such pride in being an Honorable Knight of Omega Delta Phi. Now, it is my turn to show par-ents, loved ones, spouses, girlfriends, classmates, and anyone who will listen why it is that Omega Delta Phi is such a driving force in all of our lives and why we dedi-cate and give of ourselves constantly to keep this beautiful movement and legacy going.
In the spirit of the Knight,
Luis A GonzalezDelta Chapter, AH Line #4, Fall 2006Editor in Chief, 7 Visions Magazine
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2015 Year In ReviewAs 2016 kicks off into gear, a time for reflection has set in and brothers across the nation rem-inisced on what 2015 brought with it. 2015 not only brought Jacob Martinez’s reign at the helm of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc. as National President to an end; it also brought with it a much contested campaign for national president.
2015 saw a change in routine as the National Un-dergraduate Council conference usually held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, was done away with. Brothers were a bit disappointed to hear the news since the NUC conference provided yet another opportunity for members to convene and experience the bonds of broth-erhood.
“I was a bit relieved to know our chapters would not be liable for financing another trip to a na-tional conference but the more I thought about it, the more disappointed I became. I was let down because the elimination of NUC gave us one less opportunity to convene as a national broth-
erhood” said Jose Lozano, undergraduate mem-ber from Delta Chapter at Texas A&M University.
Brothers competed and brought back big wins in stepping and strolling competitions which reso-nated with brothers and Greeks across the board. The Alpha Delta stroll team, the Hype competed in various shows but their crowning moment came when they placed 1st in a field against the likes of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. chapters from UT Arlington and University of Houston, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc’s UTSA chapter which won the inaugural Knuck if You Buck Stroll Off
hosted by the Tex-as State chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. This win came on the coattails of the 2014 victory which the Tau Chapter at
University of Texas-Arlington earned in the 2014 Step Up to Injustice Homecoming Step Show.
“We went in with the original intent to just show face at a historically NPHC dominated event. But eventually we realized we wanted to push the en-
“ These letters ... they bring out a better
version of myself so that I can, in turn,
bring positive change “
velope a bit and see if we could keep our win streak alive” said Jalen McKee, undergraduate and initiate of the Alpha Delta chapter at UT-San Antonio.
McKee noted that it hit the team to walk into the event as under-dogs and come out as champi-ons. The support they received from NPHC groups and the greek community caught them by surprise, he mentioned. The team had previously secured a 1st place finish at the Sigma Lambda Alpha Sorority’s Seno-rita Stroll Off at Texas Christian University.
2015 saw a huge change to the elections process which was supervised and implement-ed by the National Elections Committee. Delegates at the National Convention in San An-tonio, TX were able to vote in
person for the fraternity’s Na-tional President and National Undergraduate Council repre-sentatives.
After a highly contested race between Epsilon alumnus Tony Pagliocco, Xi Chapter alum-nus Lateef Ipaye, and Tau alumnus Oscar Rodriguez; the brotherhood elected Pagliocco to serve as the 17th National President of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc during the 2015 National Convention in San An-tonio, TX.
The 2015 National Convention took place during July 23-25th at the El Tropicano Hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. National Founding Father Dwight Christopher Forbes served as the keynote speak-er and guest of honor during the weekend long event. This
conference was the last for the outgoing administration led by Brother Martinez. Regional Di-rectors who would not be re-turning addressed their regions for one last time at a national function and delegates were al-lowed to cast their ballots.
“National Conference was a time to be alive, 28 years felt like eternity in San Antonio” shared Kyle Thomas, under-graduate at the Beta Alpha chapter at Northeastern Illinois University.
In the midst of all the reflection of what 2015 brough, broth-ers also acknowledged those brothers who were called home and became part of the Omega memorial chapter for departed brothers. Brother Luis Santos Vega, initiate of the Beta Chap-ter at the University of Texas- El Paso was born into new life on October 6, 2015. Prior to his passing, the brothers at Al-pha Mu Chapter at Texas A&M
Kingsville were grieving the loss of two brothers, only several weeks apart. Hector Rodriguez and Sergio Garcia passed away and earned their way into the Omega memorial chapter. Alpha Chapter faced a tragic and heartbreaking loss when be-loved and longtime supporter and alumnus Adrian Galvan was born into new life on April 8, 2015.
Reflection, heartbreak, and grief; each loss, just as tough as the last and brothers were forced to come to terms with the reality of it all. The Ome-ga Ceremony during National Convention allowed brothers to convene and pay their respects to all brothers who had gone towards eternal rest, all in the spirit of unity and in the name of the brother-hood that all members revere and love.
The National Alumni Association continued to thrive under the direction of Chairman Nick Peci-na, an alumnus of the Alpha Lambda chapter at Stephen F. Austin State University. DFW Alumni Association chairman JJ Chapa, of Alpha Chap-ter, will serve as his successor.
Brother Jose Lara from the Alpha Omicron chap-ter at UT Dallas will take over for Chapa as DF-
WAA chairman. Chairman Isaac Hernandez, Delta Chapter alumnus and his team gave the Houston Alumni Association new life.
President Pagliocco and his team secured a part-nership with ride sharing company Uber which provided some excitement and a generous dis-count to all members who signed up and began to use the app.
Chapters and colonies around the nation cele-brated 28 years of Omega Delta Phi with mar-quee Founder’s Week events which showcased what ODPHI brings to the table at each respective campus. The events were aimed at showcasing the values of ODPHI: Unity, Honesty, Integrity, Leadership while celebrating and honoring the fraternity’s commitment to service and outreach, higher education, and brotherhood.
“#ODPHI28 it’s a brotherhood of diversity and in-tegrity. It’s about bettering the man you already are in every aspect” tweeted Alpha Lambda initi-ate Nicholas Harris.
“These letters dont make me better than you, they
19bring out a better version of myself so that I can, in turn, bring positive change #ODPHI28” shared Prairie View A&M Colony Founder Victor Garcia on his twitter feed.
Greek organizations such as Kappa Delta Chi, Del-ta Phi Omega, and others showed Omega Delta Phi plenty of love and support on Founders Day.
All in all, 2015 brought with it many changes and a sense of uncertainty for members of Omega Delta Phi. Changes in leadership, changes in protocol for fraternal business all came to the forefront. Brothers handled these changes with grace and profession-alism and everything went along without incident.
The brotherhood welcomed new entities such as Our Lady of the Lake University and Prairie View A&M University and chapters and colonies acti-vated new Knights who were welcomed with open arms and high expectations for success. As the brotherhood gained brothers, we also said farewell to others as they were laid to eternal rest; but not without leaving a mark on those brothers and chap-ters on whom they made an impact on throughout their lives. The legacy of these departed brothers will forever be one with the rich history of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Just as 2015 brought success, change, love, broth-erhood, loss, heartbreak, and much HYPE, 2016 will charge on and brothers will rise to the chal-lenge, that of continuing the work of building and making the founders’ vision a reality; brotherhood and service and overcoming barriers one step at a time.
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As the lifeline of our organization, our undergraduate membership has been tasked by their Regional Directors and board leadership to host a regional conference or summit where re-gional business is conducted and where new directives from the national office are hashed out. These conferences also serve as an opportunity for brothers to network and enjoy each others company as a regional body. Brotherhood events, service events, and socials are usu-ally hosted by the home chapter in order to ensure all aspects of the brotherhood are covered.
“Regional conference gives us an opportunity to see brothers from the region who we might not get to see often. Its also very exciting when our alumni come back and attend as well” said Martin Rojas, junior from the Delta Chapter at Texas A&M University.
REGIONAL ROUND UP
Regions host conferences, directors provide tools for success to undergraduate membership
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On November 6th- 8th, 2015, the Alpha Nu chapter at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California hosted the Pacific Regional Conference. Approximately 40 undergraduates from the Pacific Region were on hand for this event.
Regional Director Gus Marquez hosted the Pacific Region chapters and National President and Founding Father Joe Cereceres were on hand during the weekend event. Several alumni from the Pacific region chapters were also present.
“I would like to thank the entire conference committee for working tirelessly to ensure that this would be the best Regional Conference in Pacific Region history. Your hard work and dedication to the success of this conference has not gone unnoticed” said Regional Director Marquez.
The conference consisted of several open forums and presentations that addressed the needs and concerns of the entities in the region. The conference committee then structured the conference to tackle some of the biggest concerns. These forums were led by some of the most distinguished members of the Stockton commu-nity. An invigorating introductory presentation by University of the Pacific’s Vice President of Student Life, Mr. Patrick Day welcomed attendees to the conference. Dr. Ines Ruiz-Huston, Latino Community Outreach Coordinator, engaged all attendees in a fantastic diversity forum and hands-on activity, and brother, Tyrone Wise, University of the Pacific Student Conduct Office intern, led a great presentation and discussion on Risk Management. The final Recruit-ment and Retention forum was led by Alpha Nu chapter’s Vice-President, Cesar Ramirez.“As we move forward as a region, I feel it is necessary to continue growing our undergraduate member’s skill sets and abilities, so we can see them make it to the graduation stage, and be competitive individuals in the workforce post graduation. I am excited to spend the next 3 years with our region, and see to it that we grow and thrive together” stated Marquez.
PACIFIC REGION
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The East Texas Region hit the ground running this fall by kicking off their semester with their Regional Summit on September 5-6, 2015 at the University of Houston-Downtown campus, home to the UHD Colony.
Former Regional Director Luis Gonzalez hosted his final con-ference at the helm of the East Texas Region. Newly appointed Regional Director Erasmo Silva addressed his undergraduate membership for the first time in his new position. The officer transition took place at the regional confer-ence and Brothers Sil-va and his new board presented to the un-dergraduates on sev-eral topics of concern.
Brother Lee Trevino, Director of Scholas-tics, addressed the is-sues surrounding ac-ademics in the region and pledged to make improvements in the area. Brother Henry Cordova, Director of Finance, introduced a debt reduction plan for the East Texas Re-gion while Brother Ryan Mravunich, Risk Management Develop-ment Officer presented on changes to the intake process for the Fall of 2015. Walker Lockard, Director of Retention and Program-ming, introduced ideas that could potentially help chapters with
those two areas.
The conference weekend was kicked off with the Labor Day Clas-sic tailgate at the Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University football game, home to the Alpha Rho chapter and the PVAMU colony. Brothers were able to network, grill, and partake in fellowship and brotherhood. The Delta Chapter brothers also hosted a tailgate for their game against Arizona State University
down the free-way.
“Two and a half years of service to East Texas. Two and a half years as Region-al Director which tested my resolve but gave me rea-sons to remain inspired and kept my burning desire aflame. I will forever be indebted to this
region, the region that made me and shaped me to become the brother I am and the brother I will continue to be. Events like this regional summit reaffirmed that for me. I am excited for Mo and know that he will continue the groundwork we laid out during my tenure” explained Gonzalez.
EAST TEXAS REGION
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NORTHWEST REGION
From October 9th to October 11th, 2015, the Beta Kappa Chapter of Omega Delta Phi Fra-ternity, Inc. hosted the Northwest Regional Conference at Western Oregon University. An approximate 70 brothers were in attendance and six alumni also made their presence known. National President Tony Pagliocco was also in attendance.
“For this conference, I wanted to take a different approach from what had been done before. This year, the conference had alumni attend and facilitate the workshops. The workshops focused on fraternal and professional development” said Northwest Regional Director Gabriel Hernandez.
Brothers from around the region had the opportunity to interact with one another and share ideas that focused on fundraising, entity support and many other salient topics. “As I sit here and reflect, it is amazing to see how much ODPHI has grown in the Northwest since I crossed in 2009. When I crossed, Beta Gamma chapter (Eastern Washington Uni-versity) had just established. Over the course of six years, we have expanded to three uni-versities (total of 8 entities now) and have more active brothers and alumni in the Northwest region” said Hernandez.
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On the weekend of November 13-15, 2015, the Alpha Tau chapter at Texas A&M International University welcomed approximately 80 undergraduates from the chapters and colonies comprising the Central Texas Region. These brothers descended on Laredo, TX for a weekend filled with activities aimed at inspiring, uniting, education, and leading towards growth.
Regional Director Emmanuel Diaz had the prime goal of getting back to the basics with the main goal of teaching his entities to be able to sustain themselves in all aspects.
“I have long held the notion that the regional board is designed to ensure that the entities are successful and are capable of run-ning themselves without being reliant on the board” said Diaz, alumnus of the Alpha Tau chapter.
Central Texas undergraduate brothers sat in on presentation on scholastics, finances, and undergraduate affairs geared towards the respective issues being faced on their campuses.
The overall success of the conference can be attributed to all the hardworking individuals that helped to coordinate and execute the efforts. Alpha Tau and chapter president Thomas Martinez went above and beyond to ensure all venues were booked, paid for, and prepped for the event.
Brothers Kellen Hernandez, Jason Castro, Austin Gindhart, Eric Barrera, and Felipe Lopez provided the entities with valuable information as they presented valuable operations information to all those who assisted. Assistant Regional Director Cameron Coleman led the charge with precise planning, quick decision
making, and sound judgement.
National President Tony Pagliocco and Vice President of Under-graduate Affairs Bryan Garcia were on hand to provide valuable insight and information from the national level to the undergrad-uate membership.
“The Central Texas region is on the rise and I foresee great things coming from all entities; I am humbled to have been selected as the Regional Director of such a great region and I challenge all the Central Texas Region “to be the change they want to see in the brotherhood” finalized Diaz.
CENTRAL TEXAS REGION
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CENTRAL PLAINS REGION
The 2015 Central Plains Regional Summit took place on the weekend of October 23-25, 2015 at the University of Central Oklahoma. The conference committee led by the Beta Eta Chapter in Edmond, OK, welcomed a total of 30 undergraduates and six Alumni. VIce President of Operations Lateef Ipaye was in attendance at the conference in representation of the national board. The regional conference was under the direction of Regional Director Jason Lugo, an initiate of the Xi Chapter and alumnus of the University of Oklahoma.
“We focused not only on assessing and better under-standing our entities, but also on providing tools and resources that Brothers could take back to their entities to solidify their operations and become more strategic about their planning” said brother Lugo.
Topics discussed during the conference were entity fi-nances, namely creating operating budgets and imple-menting controls, how to set and meet academic goals
and expectations for individual brothers and entities as a whole, strategizing recruitment and intake pro-cesses to address the needs of an entity, and perfor-mance of in-depth entity assessments.
The Oklahoma Alumni Association hosted a panel discussion in which undergraduates were able to ask questions related to fraternal, career, and professional development.
Lugo recalled crossing in Spring 2010 and coming into a region that had no structure or accountability. He noted the receptive nature the undergraduates have put forth in building and strengthening the region. The Central Plains region has plans to host a Brotherhood Retreat in the Spring of 2016.
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nicanor PesinaPasT chair, naTional alumni associaTion
Another year has passed to add to the history of our great organization. My term as Chairman of the National Alumni Association comes to an end as of December 31, 2015. It has been quite n inspirational and enlightening journey for me serving in this capacity over the last couple of years. As an organi-zation, we have experienced triumphs and challenges, but through it all the brotherhood remains the purest aspect of our fraternity. The single most meaningful aspect of my tenure has been the opportunity to advocate for the alumni on the national level. We have witnessed several milestones over the last several years and none more impactful than voting and electing the Chairman for the NAA. The ability to vote was an important component in empowering individual alumni and alumni associations to have a voice in the process. To build on this accomplishment, our team took it a step further. We successfully engaged the fraternity to allow alumni to vote for the National President. While the immediate ramifications of this turning point are not apparent now, as the National Alumni Association continues to grow we will see more quality alumni coming to the forefront to lead our organization. Local Alumni Associations will become the focal point of our organization as we build the institutional infrastructure to fundraise and leverage the networks many brothers have built to benefit the all brothers from the most seasoned alumnus down to the most recent prospective member. The fraternity just witnessed one of the more exciting and engaging elections for National President in recent years, demonstrating the need for strong alumni candidates to continue to emerge and guide the fraternity to greater heights.
27As for the challenges and the setbacks, the events that provide the most learning, I only wish we could have done more to fundraise and build a coalition of alumni with a common vision. Leadership starts at the top and I learned many valuable lessons. Lessons I will carry with me in both civic and professional activities. You learn more from ex-periencing failures than experiencing success. While my administrative team was always accountable to manage the NAA, more transparency would have been desirable considering the history and culture of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity. This organization has a rich tradition of organic growth and the only way to do that is by building from the local up to the national—not from the top down. Moving forward, I am excited about the future prospects of the National Alumni Association. J.J. Chapa has run a great campaign and there is a reason for the lack of op-posing candidates; J.J. is the real deal. He has taken the DFW Alumni Association to new heights and the lessons learned on the micro-level will greatly serve the fraternity on the macro-level. My promise to the fraternity is to con-tinue to serve in whatever way is best, which sometimes is from afar. The best is yet to come and under J.J.’s watch the alumni association will grow by leaps and bounds. During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Force was trying to devise a way to keep planes from being shot down with such high frequency. Abraham Wald, a renowned statisti-cian came up with a winning solution. Instead of reinforc-ing the planes in the areas that had been shot, the focus shifted to determining carefully where the returning planes had been shot so they could put armor everywhere else. Instead of focusing on successes, the idea was to focus on failures and not falling victim to “survivorship bias.” This lesson can apply to Omega Delta Ph. We should focus on how we have failed to bring alumni into the fold, as much if not more, than on what we have done successfully. The fraternity is not lacking in bright ideas and leaders to build upon, but we still have lots of work to do. We need to rally behind J.J. in a common vision. We need to strength-en the leadership on the Board of Directors to protect the fraternity from internal and external risks. We need to fo-cus on what really matters instead of getting caught up in the mundane, innocuous issues which occur cyclically in every generation of the fraternity.
As I conclude this piece, I want to thank all of the committed brothers that have served on my executive board over my last couple of terms. Chris Phillips, Gonzalo Cagigal, Mike Taddesse, Julio Maldonado, Fred Davis, Shawn Weaver, Maurice Shaw, Jesse Esparza, Gene Perez, Hugo San-chez, Robert Maloney, Jose Fabian Jimenez, and Oscar Rodriguez: I learned something from each one of you and I am grateful you agreed to serve the alumni cause—I re-spect and admire what each of you do in your fraternal and professional lives. To whom much is given, much is expected. I challenge every brother who dons the letters to work to make this fra-ternity better than it was when we joined. ODPhi ‘til I die.Still Hype, Nicanor (Nick) Pesina, Jr.Chairman | National Alumni AssociationOmega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc
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BROTHERHOOD SPOTLIGHTISAAC HERNANDEZ | DELTA CHAPTER
My name is Isaac Hernandez and I crossed the Fall of 1994 from Texas A&M University (Delta Chapter, Eta Pledge Class). Crossing as first semes-ter freshman new member, I was study-ing for my Bachelors in Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business. Graduating in the May of 2001, it took me a while to find my way, but I got it done. Looking back, I real-ize now that I didn’t know how to study before getting to college and relied too much on all-nighters to cram for exams; my priorities were wrong and ODPhi came before just about everything while I attended school. After my freshman year, I lost my scholarship and had to head back to San Antonio for a year and a half to regain my focus. Came back to A&M as a junior, and had to work to rebuild my grades up from a 1.87 GPA. Probably should have transferred to an-other school to get a fresh start on GPA but Texas A&M’s culture makes you want to stay a part of the university. When I finally got within reach of ordering my Aggie ring, nothing was going to stop me from making it to graduating from A&M.
I continued my post baccalaureate edu-
cation in the May of 2007 by attaining a Masters in Finance from the University of Houston Clear Lake and an MBA from the University of Texas in July of 2010.
Eventually I started working for NA-SA’s Boeing division; as I was about to graduate, started hitting the school career fairs and ended up talking to the recruiter for Boeing who was looking for folks to come work in Seattle. I had convinced him that I was interested in coming to work for Boeing and had a sister and nephew out in Tacoma, WA. I was hired on to work as a project engineer for a team that did major modifications and retrofit of large body aircraft (747/767/777 aircraft). I started in June 2001 and was excited about the opportunities presented to me - noth-ing can explain what it is like to walk out to the Boeing facilities and see the magnitude of the building in which the aircraft are built and the ability for me as an engineer to walk out on the flight line and walk through any of the planes at all stages of construction. I wasn’t at Boeing for very long when, one day in September 2001, I got to work and everyone was glued to their computers
and TVs; the events of 9/11 had begun to unfold as I sat down at my desk. After 9/11, I was faced with a lot of thoughts about what I was doing living so far from my family and my girlfriend (now wife) as well as what the future would be like working in aerospace industry. As I tried to figure out what I should do next, Boeing started to have to lay folks off. In January 2002, I started to look for another job because it was clear that the layoffs would be ongoing for a long time and would affect a lot of folks. I started to apply every where I could, but decided to focus on Boeing Space Exploration in Houston.
In February of 2002, NASA lost the Space Shuttle Columbia, and all op-portunities to come work in the space program where put on a complete hiring freeze.
I continued looking for work, but the overall environment was difficult as there were significant economic challenges (due to the debacles at Tyco, Enron, and Worldcom). After 18 rounds of layoffs at Boeing (1 round a month), they finally called my name to let me know I was
getting laid off. In the end, there were over 30,000 layoffs, and I ended up in the last round and was out the door in June 2003. I hung around Seattle for a few more weeks to be here for Omega Delta Phi National Conference and then started the drive back to Texas. The drive back was pretty awesome - I stayed in Portland, Oregon one night at the house of the Ruiz family (Leo, Danny, and their sister Inez who was on our Board of Directors). The next day, I drove 16 hours down the Oregon 101 and then cut back to Stockton, California. I met up a brother from Pacific for lunch and then drove on down to Leo Ruiz house in Northern Los Angeles and stayed there for a week. Then I went and stayed in San Diego with Antonio Espindola from Epsilon for a few days. Then I drove to Vegas and had my dad fly in. My dad and I drove the last 22 hours to San Antonio. I was unemployed for a few months, but I ended up at a HENAAC conference in Austin. While I was there, I visited every booth and finally stopped back by Boeing’s booth to see what they were hiring for. I ended up with an interview at the conference and a few hours later they called to ask if I could come back for a quick follow up. To my surprise, they presented me an offer to come work for Boeing Space Exploration in a thermal analysis team. I accepted and started working in November 2003 in the Passive Thermal Control Systems team for the International Space Station Program.
In the Passive Thermal Control Systems team (PTCS), I had the chance to do Finite Element Modeling analysis. I developed code to trend thermal data coming from the ISS for quarterly performance reports and I supported several flights in the Mission Evaluation Room. After 4 yrs in PTCS, I moved on to the ISS Structures and Mechanisms Team, where I am currently a lead engineer responsible for training and mentoring junior engineers. My current role allows me to work on several projects including Flight Releasable Ac-tive Mechanism (FRAMs) which is hardware used to launch and attach payloads or spare hardware to the outside of the ISS as well as the Vibration Isolation System (which was designed by Boeing to keep vibrations caused by crew run-ning on the treadmill from transmitting to the space station). My work with FRAMs allows me the opportunity to work with payload developers as they work to design their hardware to conform to our constraints or propose alternate solutions to help them be successful which has allowed me to get out to several NASA facilities (JPL, NASA Langely, KSC) to provide real time support. Outside of these projects, I also volunteer my time in a group at work called the Leadership Develop-ment Initiative Team where we provide vehicles for Boeing employees to further develop their career. Our team puts on Leadership Book Forums, Panel Discussions highlight-
ing Program Management Best Practices and Leadership Values, Leadership Cross talks with employees, all of which we set up senior leaders to share their experiences with employees.
Due to the valuable training experience I have with junior engineers, I offer Brothers career advice for others thinking of pursuing the same career. The biggest career advice I can give anyone looking to get into engineering is to seek out coop/internship opportunities. It is your opportunity to audition for the company you are interning for and also pro-vides you solid work experience on your resume when you are looking for your first job out of school. I actually just did a high school presentation on this and had these things I gave for advice:
• While in school, get to know your teachers and advisers - Aside from not waiting until you NEED to get to know them, you never know what kind of advice and recom-mendations they can provide you.
• Be an active life time learner and continue to seek out opportunities to learn things outside your area - don’t be satisfied with becoming a subject matter expert in one arena, seek out opportunities to learn something new. Throughout my career, in addition to academics, I have volunteered in organizations and learning about finance, negotiations, marketing, influence, advocacy, strategy, etc.
• Seek out mentors - Don’t be afraid to approach anyone, at any level, to ask for formal or informal opportunities to find out their lessons learned or get advice for your career path
• Be confident and assertive - Sounds simple, but it is amazing how many people get into their careers and kind of settle in a role and get complacent. It is also important to be assertive - too many people think ‘If I just do a great job, people will notice and reward me’ - if you are not being assertive with your management and mentors, you will likely find yourself many years later sitting in the same desk, doing the same thing. Overall, you will be surprised how much people will help you if you ask/state your intentions
• Seek out leadership opportunities• Be engaged in all your projects and consistently deliver
- You never know who observing your work, so have a positive attitude, be engaged in your work, and deliver.
• Maintain your networks and connect people• Know your priorities
A big part of giving career advice is also how to balance family, personal life and the Brotherhood. Overall, goes back
I think it goes back to what I gave the high schoolers about “Know your priorities”. I came too close to failing out of school because ODPhi was my top priority for a while. My priorities are God, Family, Work, and Brotherhood. As brothers transition from school to life after school, your priorities get very clear as you start to weigh the risks of the decisions you make and to me overall balance comes easier. Throughout my time in ODPhi I have had the opportunity to work in several areas of the organization. I had always been active in meeting as many brothers as possible wherever I went and progressed through the organization until I found myself as the National Alumni Chairman and working with the Board of Directors. I served in both roles for about 5 yrs, finally taking a break in 2008 to work on my MBA. After finishing my MBA in 2010, I had been looking for the right time to get back into an active role in the fraternity. I am currently working with a motivated group of brothers to create a strong alumni association here in Houston, Texas.
In closing, as far as the current state of our Brotherhood, it is good to see multiple National Presidential candidates putting in large efforts to communicate their platforms in this current election. I hope that the Board of Directors is working towards taking this organi-zation to the next level by setting/maintaining the long term strategy for our organization, and working with the Alumni Chair, National President, and membership at large to achieve those goals. I look forward to the BoD sharing that vision with the organization, and I hope that it includes milestones such as seeking BoD members from outside of our organization with expertise in specific arenas in which ODPhi needs to grow/develop, specific goals for getting to paid positions such as national director for day-to-day operations and an external bookkeeper who can standardize our financial reporting to provide to the membership. I think that we should also be striving towards an annual national report from the organization that can highlight/share all the great programming, graduation rates, intake, etc of this organization. This report could be used in marketing the organization to all possible stakeholders - potential mem-bers, undergraduates families, alumni, donors/sponsors of the organization. I look forward to our alumni associations continuing to grow and create the opportunities we all believed our alumni association could provide - networking, personal development, profes-sional development, continued brotherhood experience as well as positively impacting our undergraduate entities through alumni to undergraduate programming and fundraising support. As an active alumni working to support Omega Delta Phi today, I am looking for clear communication from the Board of Directors and evidence that it is being flowed down through the President and Alumni Chair that we are all working together to take ODPhi to new heights.
A QUEENAND HERKNIGHTS
The Queen of Tejano’s History Intertwines With Omega Delta Phi’s
A legend, even in death, and a legacy that has grown immensely since her tragic passing, Selena Quintanilla Perez is considered a household name in most Latino homes. A rising star in the exploding genre of Tejano music, Selena captivated and stole the hearts of all who heard her music and witnessed her perfor-mances.
There was a special vibe that she put off and entertaining was her talent. Genuine, humble, beautiful and talented; those four characteristics came together and complemented the artist she would grow into and the superstar she would become.
One tragic March 31, 1995 in Corpus Christi, TX and on the brink of a successful crossover into mainstream pop music, her life was selfishly and abruptly cut short by one Yolanda Saldivar, her manager and longtime friend. This tragic and untimely pass-ing cemented the legend that was Selena. The country grieved, her fans wept, and those who had just started falling in love with her talent and potential were left to wonder what would have been of her if she had lived.
Selena became a legend, her songs became a staple in the Lati-no community and her voice, her music became iconic. Her leg-acy has been immortalized and her impact on not only Latinos
but American pop culture in general is pronounced.
Omega Delta Phi’s history became intertwined with the Queen of Tejano in 1993, two years prior to her tragic murder. The The-ta Chapter at West Texas A&M University was invited by Los Barrios de Amarillo, a civic organization which promotes higher education and awards scholarship money to local students, to assist as security detail for a concert being hosted as a fundrais-er by the non-profit.
The Theta Chapter brothers were assigned to security detail and were tasked with escorting Mrs. Quintanilla Perez from her tour bus to her dressing room, to and from the stage, and also served as crowd control for the young superstar at the Amarillo Civic Center.
“After the show, she taped an interview for a TV station out of Lubbock, TX and took time to sign autographs as well as take a photo with us” said Brother Joe Sotelo, a Theta Chapter founder.
A big part of Selena’s success with her fans and the growing multitude of people who followed her music was attributed to her genuine interest in being an artist of the people. Her humble demeanor and kind hearted and dynamic spirit allowed her to
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Top Row: Ruben Garza, Abel Dela Cerda, Selena, Rick Montelongo, Joe Ortiz, and John Chavarria. Bottom Row: Joe Gonzales, Auden Herrera, Tony Sotelo, Joe Sotelo, and Andres Antunez.
captivate a market where she only sang Spanish but did not fluently speak it. Mexico had a history of turning their backs on artists who did not speak their language but for Selena, that was a non-factor. Selena won them over and became a record break-ing artist that was clamored and adored by the masses.
Her reach was limitless, she dabbled in fashion design, philan-thropy, acting, and she began a highly strategized crossover into English music with her chart topping hits “I Can Fall in Love” and “Dreaming of You” which became the song with which her followers mourned her death.
“She was truly down to earth” recalled Sotelo, of his interactions with the Tejano superstar.
Selena Quintanilla Perez is a name that most people would rec-ognize if mentioned. Her lasting impact on Latino and American pop culture is undeniable and her history, at one point in her career, became intertwined with that of our beloved brotherhood. Uncovering these artifacts that comple-ment the history of our organization is a beautiful thing and
telling the stories behind these photographs is essential.
Selena’s legacy will carry on, twenty years after her death and even after that. Her story lives on, her reach and impact on the lives of so many of her fans embodies the type of artist and musician that she aspired to be: one who gave back and who celebrated her success with those who made her, those who she could not ignore and cast aside like many celeb-rities who reach success and forget about their fans.
Selena, como la flor que se marchito (like the flower that with-ered away) is an icon for so many of us that grew up with her music. She will be remembered as a trailblazer, an innovator, a compassionate and genuine artist of the pueblo who made her and catapulted her to unseen success, especially for a wom-an and in an industry and genre dominated, up til that point, by men. She will be remembered as the Tejano superstar who made the Theta Chapter of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc. at West Texas A&M University very happy in 1993.
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