Greetings

As Alumni Affairs Officer I would like to thank all of you who responded to our last Alumni letter. We were glad to get positive feedback as we begin to make our relationship with our alumni stronger than ever. If you have any questions about alumni issues please feel free to contact me via email at dspinell@gac.edu. Or if you prefer by letter, at:

Devan Spinelli

800 West College Ave

St. Peter, MN 56082

Thanks again.

-Devan Spinelli '02

Spring Banquet

With warmer spring months on the horizon we are beginning to plan our spring banquet on Lake Minnetonka. In the past years we have reserved an island on the lake where our brothers and their dates camp and relax for the weekend. A yacht is also reserved to take a few cruises around the lake including the traditional Saturday night cruise. On Friday night, a pig is barbecued and the head is staked to a tree by the entrance to the campsite. Many of the young ladies who pass by thank the pig for his sacrifice for the nights meal by giving him a kiss. This is of course optional, but it certainly makes for a good photo opportunity. Spring banquet is a time for brothers and their dates to experience a far more casual setting than fall banquet, as well as for the seniors to give their final farewells to their brothers and college years. The traditional senior speeches late on Saturday night bring out much emotion; all of us shed at least a few tears. Spring banquet is planned for one of the first two weekends in May. Last year the weather on the first night was windy and cold with temperatures in the lower 40's. Because of the winds many of the tents did not make it through the night which made for quite a ride for those who were left tentless. Despite the initial problems with the weather a good time was had by all and it was certainly a banquet that we will all remember. This year we hope for a warm sun and clear skies while we celebrate the end of the semester and school year.

Eppilooza

Since 1996 our main pre-rush event has been Eppilooza, a concert that hosts several bands, including various Eppie performers. Last year's main act was the regional favorite Tim Mahoney, who put on a great show to 200 plus at the "What's Up Loung" in Mankato. This year we plan on having The Half Ton Club perform, and we hope that, as always, it will be a great opportunity to meet prospective Eppies who are interested in rushing next fall.

Greeks Giving Back

Greeks Giving Back is a program created by our current Vice President Neal Boeder. Last year the program won the prestigious Paul Magnuson Award for Leadership and Service. Each Greek organization that participates in the program must complete three different community service events. One event addresses a campus related educational/awareness issue. Second is an alcohol free social event that all of the campus can attend. Third is an event that engages the organization with the greater St. Peter community. These events are judged and after completion faculty members award an organization with first, second, or third consolation prizes. After receiving the consolation prize last year, for this spring we are planning some great events and hope to earn first place.

Alumni Banquet

Currently we are working on plans for the Alumni banquet, including a possible golf outing. We are very excited and are looking forward to the opportunity to meet alumni and connect with our Eppie past. We have tentative plans for the banquet to be held on April 22nd, but as soon as we have arrangements finalized we will send out RSVP's along with information about the event. We look forward to greeting as many alumni as possible with a traditional "Eppie hug."

Sexuality at Gustavus

In the last newsletter we mentioned our plans to host the Clothesline Project for our fourth year. This year we have decided to change gears and sponsor a new week of sexual awareness entitled "Sexuality at Gustavus: From Abstinence to Inter-Abstinence to Intercourse." This week will address the issues of sexual responsibility and sexual health related topics, which are extremely important for young adults. For our keynote speaker we are raising money to bring Dr. Drew Pinsky M.D. who specializes in sexual issues. Dr. Drew is the co-host of the nationally syndicated show Loveline, which many of you may have heard on the radio or on MTV. He has a long list of credentials, and he is very popular with the young adult age group. He connects with young people with his message of the need for intimacy and responsibility in relationships. We feel that it is important to have Dr. Drew on campus to address sex and relationships in a positive way, through support and understanding. So far with the help of our President John Laursen we have raised over $13,000 to bring Dr. Drew to campus. Despite these efforts by John and many others, we are still $5,000 short of what we need.

Alumni Contributors

We want to thank those of you who have donated financially to the fraternity in response to our last Alumni letter. In order to recognize those individuals who have helped to support all that we done on campus we have created the Eppie Maroon and the Eppie Gold Club. In future Alumni letters, individuals who donate between $1 and $50 will be named to the Eppie Maroon Club, and all of those who donate more than $50 to the Eppie Gold Club. Thanks to these Eppie alumni who have contributed this year.

Eppie Maroon Club

Thomas Harjes

Vahan Y Assadourian

Eppie Gold Club

Paul R. Kock

Bill Schoonover

Bryan Fritsch

We want this organization to continue as a leader in giving back to the Gustavus community through service and educational events. We feel that help from our alumni, through remembering Eppie traditions, reliving stories from the past, as well as a financial commitment to our efforts today are crucial to the success for the Eppies in the future. We ask that you consider giving to the fraternity so that we can keep the Eppie tradition of brotherhood and service strong in the years to come.

Thank You.