March 1933 Omegaphone
Penovize Omega
Omega is keeping step with national progress by instituting for the Active Chapter a renovating campaign. Wth the aid of the Corporation we have begun the work by painting the exterior as well as the interior of the house and as soon as we are able the lawn will receive its share of our attentions. Reconstruction is the keynote of our campaign.
Emphasis on grades, activities, and rushing is our present aim. Every member is attempting to raise his grades; activities are fast coming to have a recognized standing, and we have at last begun to reap the harvest of our improved rushing plans. These are the goals of the Active Chapter.
The Alumni have responded nobly to date as evidenced by their aid on the house renovation as well as by our increased Alumni News section in this issue of the Omegaphone. Continue the good work, Alumni! Write to us, and, above all, reserve the weekend of April the eighth and ninth for the Alumni-Active get-together at State College. are celebrating Founders' Day, and installing officers, and are keeping this weekend free for the entertainment of the Alumni, exclusively. This is to be an entirely stag affair, so you can not afford to miss the opportunity .
Remember, Alumni, -- the weekend of April the eighth and ninth! A card will suffice to inform us that you will be here, or, merely fill in and return the questionnaire on the last sheet of this issue. You are promoting the renovizing campaign by your attendance.
We await your visit!
Fraternally,
Robert H. Young
Initiation Briefs
A comforting thought to us of Omega as we proceeded to the initiation of an unusually small class of four pledges: “It is not quantity but quality that counts," for we can point to any one of our new brethren with pride. They have passed our trying tests and met our most exacting qualifications. They have shown themselves to be worthy fellows, fit to accept our responsibilities and our brotherhood.
A number of humorous side lights were furnished during the progress of the informal initiation. Tom White displayed a weakness for breaking eggs. Corley, we understand, was well prepared for such an eventuality. Pritchard exhibited an astonishing propensity for sleep, and yet we may safely say that there is no greater sense of humor in the house than his. A smile a day (whether I want to or not) keeps tormentors away. Can it be that this Pritchard lad is another Skillen? Or, still stranger, can it be that the reader is unacquainted with our future Divine's unfailing sense of humor, his ever-ready laugh? Pledge Nemesis Wilby, from his third-floor sanctum in the Theta Chi building (home of the Omegaphone -- the Greek world's greatest quarterly) was dictator for a week and kept every one on the hop. This here now pledge Baxter showed great facial control and restraint. When questioned as to his unusual staying power, he quoted from Shakespeare, “Hey Nonny! Make me laugh? Not much! Hey Nonny!" Beyond these few portentous words, he would not commit himself.
Sometime during, the week, brothers Fay and Decker -- Brothers Decker and Fay -- (Now are you both happy?) established a great reputation for cockery excellence. The memory of those pork chops will never leave those who partook. The odor was hard to jet rid of too. "Am I good or am I good?” I sneered Fay, as he poured grease in Decker's lap. "I just can't take it" Decker parried in a soft throaty manner, shuddering as the last bite of pork chop vanished, than tucked Fay in and sang him to sleep. To climax an evening of riotous fun, President Young offered one of his original puns, rich in humor, giving rise to laughs and sighs: "Strike me pork!" said he, and retired giggling.
After being formally initiated into the brotherhood of Theta Chi, the pledges honoured at a banquet whose excellence we attribute to Brothers Frey's genius inspiration for things foodwise. Brothers Nesbitt, Doan, and Cassel offered words of encouragement, bits of wisdom, and some excellent gets humor. With this festival ended the annual initiatory period and all turned with a sign of relief to studies once more. Eager, earnest eyes pursued the pages of knowledge, and busy fingers returned to the task of composition and problems
R.K.A.
Renovize Activities
The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things -- of ships and shoes and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings. Well we have almost
the same idea, on]y we're not thinking about cabbages sealing wax and kings but about rushing,; more men, getting, more activities, and creating more fraternity spirit. Furthermore, we're not just going to talk, as the walrus did, but we're going to act.
Never before has Theta Chi been so low in activities on the campus but seldom have we had in the past so many good men with so much potential ability. Take 4. look at Gilmer, 120 high hurdle track star, who steps over them sticks in less time than that when he wants to, and Gilliard, our big gun politician, basketball player, et al., who has high and lofty schemes these spring days. There's Grun, the Christian Soldier -- don't ask us Y — and Harbison, erstwhile gymnast and tap dancer in Sock Kennedy's Thespian Show who seams to be hiding his talent under a bushel basket this semester or sumpin. Tile Flying Dutchman J. P. (not .Morgan) Scwenk is a keyed up over a gym team managership, they say. Ditto Lang in tennis. Ditto Baxter in baseball who has already stolen a few bases at the Corner Room before the opening of the official season. Mattis sells a few Bells every once in a while and parades around with a blue rope on his arm. O.K. So much for the sophomores.
In the freshman class there is White, a budding lacrosse player and Pritchard who tootles a horn. These boys, together with Corley, also wrestled around a bit this past winter.
With the exception of Kaufmann, gym team manager and La Vie art editor, and Young, soccer, there is nothing to speak of in the upper classes. Speaking of activities, of course the juniors have less than nothing to show for their two and one half years of college,. Of course there is Skillen, varsity tennis, but then he's Skillen. These upperclassmen, however, all recognize their shortcomings along these lines, and are constantly urging their under-brethren not to do likewise.
We have practically no activities. This is bad, but we know it and we’re out to get them again. The sophomore class, together with the freshman, are out to put Theta Chi on top. Alma Mater First and Theta Chi for Alma Mater. Let's Go Omega!
Renovize Grades
The Omega Chapter of Theta Chi has always had a high scholarship rating at Penn State. However, this past year we nave dropped below our previous records. There is no reason for this because men in the house now are just as capable as any group that we have ever had before. We can offer no excuse for this falling off of grades,, but we can a give a reason. As individuals we are capable but we do not cooperate with each other. I would suggest that each man do all that he can to raise his own average and help his brothers to do the same, -- that we all help and do our best to keep a good study hour, — that we make the best use of our time by budgeting it, -- and that we study our professors. Many a a student has known the factual
material of a course, but because he did not understand his professor and the way that professor would attack the problems arising in the course, the student did not get as high a grade as he might have. Know your professors, fellows.
Let’s go and bring the old high-average-days back again!
House Painting
During the present school year our chapter house has undergone a great change, for we have been painting. When the brothers returned from the summer vacation, it was decided that the inside of the house should be painted. Therefore, each one was required to paint Ids own room, and we all helped in the painting of the halls. After much labor by inexperienced painters, the work was finally finished and now we are all proud of our rooms. We used a buff paint, and now the rooms are much more pleasant, as before they were unpainted and dirty.
Each room was also equipped with a picture molding from which to hang our "beautiful pictures and what not.”
The outside of the house had begun to look a little shabby, and since “Spring” is almost here, it was decided that something should be done about it. Thus, at the present time Brother Boodin, who is a resident of State College, is painting the shutters, the window sashes, and all other outside woodwork. Brother Boodin is quite a painter and before long we expect to have our house fully beautified.
Renovize Rushing
Plymouth is doing, it in their advertisements presidents of large organizations are telling us to buy now. Theta Chi's grand officers are telling us to work. Omega is rushing the best of campus non-fraternity men now, selling the idea of Theta Chi. We’re not just talking , we're acting, and hare's how.
It seems that the object is to get several good men regardless whether they be freshman or upperclassmen. That's it, Let the good ones. That's what we're working for. It seems as though we are not acquitted with those good ones. Probably we think all the good boys are fraternity men. That is not true. We are working wight he co-operation of the brothers on the faculty and they have suggested several fine fellows who are being interviewed and their interests recorded. However, we ourselves are finding that men right beside us in our classes who are good, capable men. We do not realize them to be in the sea of those who are on the outside wishing to get in. If we speak , we shall learn.
After learning of the men, the next step is to invite them to meet our brothers. We are having them visit our home on and evening and eating with us. In the meantime, we tell them what Theta Chi is and acquaint them with our interests here on the Penn State campus; and, finally, we are finding out if they are interested.
We have grouped ourselves into committees to investigate the several fellows. Each committee is responsible for certain given men,, and it it the duty of those Theta Chis to see that we others meet the men. All of us are on a committee. We are all working, We all entertain. We are working to get results.
Interfraternity Bridge
This year’s interfraternity Contract Bridge Tournament found the Theta Chis represented by a team consisting of Brothers Small, Wilby, Frey, and Young.
Each contest of the tournament consisted of sixteen hands played under the duplicate system, the object of course being to score the greatest number of points.
OX’s first opponents were the TNE’s; the game was played at the TNE house. The first part of the game was closely contested in spite of the fact that Small insisted in finessing things that hard way. As one TNE said, “It only takers one bad hand to lose a game.” The next hand the TNE’s went down 1400, which made things nice for the home team. The game ended with OX winning by sixty points.
Our next opponents were the Triangles. The outstanding feature of this game was when Young had bid six no trump and Frey’s hand and made it. Apparently there were three losing tricks in Freys hand but the finesses worked out nicely, so friendship still reigns between the two partners. One of OX’s spectators was accused of shaking his head after a certain bid was made. A bid such as it was, on a hand like that, would have made the Status of Liberty shake its head, so this individual’s actions may have been excusable. In this game OX came out on top with a margin of two hundred points.
The next victims were the Kappa Sigmas, the winners of last year’s tournament. These boys were most formidable opponents, but we managed to defeat them by 290 points. The only unusual occurrence of that game was that one of our most worthy opponents tired to trump a spade lead when he had four spades in his hand; however, the error was apparently accidental so the penalty for reneging was not taken advantage of.
The last victory put the boys in the semi-finals and we hope they will keep up the good work, because that cup certainly looks good to us.
A last minute despatch has it that our men have just bowed to the Pi Kappa Phi’s, Nice try anyway, fellows!
Alumni News
At the alumni dinner held in Philadelphia the first Monday of February, twelve members of Omega were present. Among these were Norm Horner, Johnny Irwin - the inseparables - Sher Booth, Al GIlmer, Sam Sinclair, Charlie Schwenk, Paul Fugate, Ben Conard, Sobbels, Jack Carson, and George Chapman, who was appointed chairman of a committee to investigate the proposed movement of having regional conventions yearly and national conclaves every second or third year.
Recently a letter was received from Henry Girard. His present address is on Elizabeth, NJ. He hs a position in Sear, Roebuck, and Co., acting as audit clerk or, as he puts it, “manager’s right-hand man.”
The alumni who attended the initiation banquet were Russ Nesbitt, Abe Doan, “Doc” Hofford, and El Cassell.
Recent visitors to the house have been Puss Miller, Harry Heil, Max Suerkin, Tommy Thompson.
Last Minute Election Returns
As we got to press the important last minute news items are called to you attention. The men elected to be officers of Omega Chapter for the following fraternity year are as follows:
President - W. Randall Skillen
Vice-President - Ernest D. Wilby
Secretary - John A. Fay
Treasurer - Chester V. Harbison
Marshall - John P. Schwenk
First Guard - Louis W. Mattis
Second Guard - Thomas H. White
Librarian - Robert T. Corley
Historian - Leonard P. Deubler
Assistant Treasurer - Franklin Pritchard
These men will take office on Founder’s Day, April 9, following the usual (extra special this time) banquet. Also elected were Junior I.F.C. delegate, S. Bruce Gilliard; Assistant Caterer (to become caterer in September), Walter A Coates; and Robert L. Grun, Rattle Correspondent.
Another Important development of the meeting was the decision of the chapter to approve the proposed omitting of the fraternity convention this year. This plan to make the convention a biennial affair, if approved by the other chapters, will save our chapter the goodly sum, at present appropriated from the official delegate's expenses.
Thank you to all those brothers that shared their news.
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