We are thrilled to receive these awards and we plan on continuing this upward trend. We at Gamma-Pi work to make our fraternity the best that we can possibly make it, so we hope to have even greater success next year.

This past Sunday, May 5, 2013, the Gamma-Pi brothers hosted their first annual Spring Cleaning philanthropy event. MIT students were encouraged to leave their unwanted clothes in a bag labeled for “Spring Cleaning” in the hallways outside of their dorm rooms. The Gamma-Pi brothers retrieved donations from Maseeh, Baker, McCormick, and Burton Conner, collecting enough bags of clothing to nearly fill our back entryway. Brothers also donated their own unwanted clothes to the cause. All clothes collected from this event will be donated to Goodwill. We are so excited to have collected so many clothes for our first ever Spring Cleaning event, and we hope to reach out to other dorms and the east side of campus in the future.

On May 5, 2013, Brothers Evan Wang, Jonathan Batscha, Joe Henke, and Marcel Polanco attended Project Bread’s 45th annual Walk for Hunger. The Walk for Hunger is held on the first Sunday in May every year, dating back to 1969. Participants begin the walk at Boston Commons, walking all or part of the 20-mile route to show their support for hunger relief and prevention. The Gamma-Pi’s joined in with the other 30,000 walkers in the first large public gathering since the Boston Marathon debacle. Brothers Wang, Batscha, Henke, and Polanco walked for over three hours alongside one another, reaching the 12 mile mark. We are extremely proud to continue our support of the Boston community and to contribute to the hunger alleviation initiative. If you would like to support Project Bread and the Walk for Hunger project, please donate online at http://www.ProjectBread.org/.

MIT Alpha Phi’s annual King of Hearts philanthropy event was held this past Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Walker Memorial. The event is staged as a male pageant show, where contestants are judged on their swimwear, evening wear, talent, and interview questions. All proceeds at the event are donated to the Alpha Phi Foundation for women’s heart health.

Our very own Brother Nate Rodman took home first place at the event, winning over the hearts of the judges and the audience through his charming personality and his undeniable guitar playing. He also won the People’s Choice award, earning the most votes in the week leading up to the event as student body’s favorite contestant. Gamma-Pi has a tradition of doing very well at the event every year, so we are even more proud of Nate for continuing this trend. Please join us in congratulating in Brother Nate!

The D. Reid Weedon Jr. ’41 Award recognizes Fraternity, Sorority, and Independent Living Group (FSILG) excellence in alumni relations over the past academic year, with first place receiving $7,500, second place receiving $2,500, and an optional Honorable Mention receiving $1,000. In recent years, the Gamma-Pi Chapter of Kappa Sigma earned an Honorable Mention in 2008 before winning first place in 2009. This year, Gamma-Pi received an Honorable Mention to recognize our improved efforts in alumni relations. Special thanks go to Alumni Relations Chair Alan Wagner ’14 for coordinating our alumni outreach program.

This year saw the return of many successful alumni relations events, including the annual Founder’s Day Weekend in September, Parent’s Dinner in October, Initiation in November, and the Leadership Retreat in February. Alumni representing the classes of 1976 to 2012 were present at most of these events. On top of the large annual events that reach out to all alumni, Gamma-Pi also has a strong relationship with local alumni in the Cambridge and Boston areas. Many recent Gamma-Pi alumni that live in the surrounding area frequently participate in IM sports and attend house dinners. Many local graduates also serve as Alumni Advisors, functioning as mentors for undergraduate brothers and advising the executive committee.

On Monday, April 15, 2013, 25 Gamma-Pi brothers woke up early in the morning to volunteer for the Boston Marathon. Our brothers were stationed at mile 0 of the marathon, at Hopkinton, MA, cheering on and handing off water to the runners that passed by.

Around 3:00pm, two explosions at the finish line of the marathon injured hundreds and killed 3, throwing the city of Boston into a state of emergency. The acts of terror would continue over the next several hours, while people scrambled to find safety and to get in contact with their loved ones. The Boston community came together in this time of need to provide shelter and sustenance to those in need. Immediately following the explosions, Gamma-Pi began reaching out to brothers to make sure they were unharmed, confirming the livelihood and safety of all brothers in less than two hours.

We are proud of our brothers who volunteered to help out at the Boston Marathon. We are proud to be part of the Boston community that is now even stronger in the aftermath of this debacle. Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by the tragedies of this past week, and we pay our respects to one of our own, MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who gave his life in protection of our community.

MIT Campus Preview Weekend 2013 was held on April 11-14. This year, Gamma-Pi hosted a number of events, including pick-up soccer, cannoli taste-off, our original midnight buffets, and our trademark KhaoS party. We enjoyed meeting and spending time with the many prefrosh who attended our events. We hope to see many of the same faces in the fall as part of the MIT Class of 2017!

Fortunately, Vice President Chris Schlaepfer had the foresight to plan spring retreat for the only weekend free of competition for varsity athletes. A record number of Gamma-Pi brothers spent the weekend in a cabin at Mount Snow, Vermont. Most brothers arrived on Friday afternoon, while athletes committed to Saturday morning practice came the following day.

This year’s spring retreat was clearly the most successful to date, especially in terms of attendance and brotherhood development. A record number of Kappa Sigma brothers representing each class from freshmen to seniors were able to spend valuable time together. We look forward to holding future retreats that are as successful as this year by continuously seeking to improve attendance and ultimately develop the brotherhood of Kappa Sigma’s Gamma-Pi chapter.

The Relay for Life initiative began over 20 years ago when Dr. Gordon Klatt walked and ran around the Baker Stadium track at the University of Puget Sound to fundraise for the American Cancer Society. Throughout the night, friends of Dr. Klatt donated $25.00 to walk or run around the track with him, and together they raised $27,000.00 in donations.

On March 9, 2013, the Gamma-Pi brothers showed their support for Relay for Life at the MIT-Wellesley overnight walk at the Johnson indoor track. The walk began at 6:00PM and, in honor of Dr. Klatt, continued for the next 24 hours. Over 1000 participated and close to $70,000.00 was raised at the event.

Kappa Sigma Gamma-Pi was recognized as a Rising Star Relay for Life team for raising more than $1000.00 in the weeks preceding the event and Brother Alan Wagner was recognized as a Bronze level contributor for raising $290.00 in support of the cause. We are very proud to support the Relay for Life initiative and are especially proud of Brother Wagner for his outstanding dedication.

Donations to Relay for Life will be accepted through August 31, 2013, so if you would like to support the cause, please donate here!

On February 26 and 27, MIT Kappa Sigma and MIT Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women collaborated in their efforts to raise money and awareness for Relay for Life. Students were welcomed to take a break from the cold and drop in the Student Center for a cup of hot chocolate in exchange for a $1.00 donation to the American Cancer Society. Together, we raised $230.00 in charitable proceeds and successfully spread awareness to students all across MIT’s campus.

The brothers of Gamma-Pi will be participating in this year’s MIT Relay for Life event, set for 6:00pm this Saturday, March 9, 2013, at the Johnson indoor track. Currently, friends and family of the Gamma-Pi brothers and the brothers themselves have donated $735.00 to the cause. If you would like to support the Gamma-Pi Relay for Life team, please donate here!

Thank you to the sisters of Pi Beta Phi for working with us on this event. We had a great time collaborating with them and look forward to working with them in the future!