Michael.Mallon's blog

Last Wednesday night, the Kappa Pledge Class was initiated into the ranks of brotherhood! After weeks of learning the history of our fraternity and information about our brotherhood, the Kappas were ready to become brothers of the Beta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi. It was my first time on the brotherhood-end of the ritual, and it was incredible to see the look of pride on their faces as they were welcomed into our brotherhood.

Pledge Class President Steven Henick said, "We are all so excited to be brothers of this fraternity. We've worked really hard, and will continue to work hard as brothers."

Brother Matthew Baron said, "I'm psyched to have more brothers around. Think of all the fun things we're going to do together! Wing-eating contests, pie-eating contests, Five Guys-eating contests... Heck, just eating in general with these guys is gonna be a great time."

It is with great pride that we look forward to the further integration of these fine young men into our brotherhood.

The newly initiated Kappa Pledge Class.

Newly initated brother Brian Green (far left) and his lineage - Master Steven Hyde, Alex Lanes, and Eden Ellis.

Newly initiated brother Justin Schindler (far left) and his lineage - Sage Hiller and Member-at-Large Jonathan Lesser.

Your Scribe,

Michael Mallon

This past weekend, 20 brothers and pledges made the trek down to Maryland for Conclave. Meeting brothers from chapters all the way in Ottowa and Virginia, to those right around the corner in Rochester and Buffalo, was very cool. I saw two kids from my high school, a close friend from home (newly initiated into the Alpha chapter!), and a camp friend whom I have not seen in eight years! It was certainly awakening to those of us who have not yet been to conclave to see just how large our international brotherhood is, yet how small at the same time. Getting to hear talks from many important figures from National such as Andy Borans and Elan Carr was quite an experience too, from learning advanced rush techniques to learning about connecting with our alumni. In breakout sessions pertaining to each executive position, our chapter shined, leading conversations and teaching other chapters how to properly run their executive and minor boards. At night we hung out, and some of us even hopped on the metro and headed to Washington D.C. to see the monuments! Twitter was insane all weekend, with #aepiconclave2012 trending and all of us coming up with funny quotes. National shouted out to Brother Michael Sobel and his tweet "Frat beezy ate my waffle #aepiconclave 2012". Brother Matthew Baron (aka Frat Beezy) responded "What? I was hungry! Conclave dinner was great but that continental breakfast at the hotel was just not enough for me. Sometimes you have to sacrifice for your brothers."

Beta Chapter Scribe,

M. Garrett Mallon (In no way do I mean to make fun of Scribe-Emeritus M. Corwin Schechter...)

Last week our pledges performed their serenades in front of every sorority, some at their chapter meetings on Sunday and some on Valentine's Day. The Kappa pledge class kept up our chapter's reputation of incredibly well performed and entertaining serenades, with girls from every sorority getting into it and enjoying the show. The pledges performed two songs, "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts, featuring myself on guitar (as the only member of the Iota pledge class, I felt like I was missing out and jumped at the opportunity to help out!), and "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO, the first being more sincere and the second just being hilarious. Pledge Brian Green led "Sexy and I Know It" while pledge Justin Schindler led "Bless the Broken Road," both of which were met with much applause from the sorority girls.

The video of the serenades can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LOGLEO_MZU

The serenades were also performed at our Date Night the previous Saturday. Date Night was spectacular as brothers and pledges alike brought dates and friends to the house for a semi-formal and very classy event, filled with dancing and performances by not only our pledges but also by the Hangovers a capella group. It was great to get to socialize with our brothers, pledges, and dates! Brother Matthew Baron said, "I had an amazing time at date night, my girlfriend looked beautiful. But not quite as beautiful as that steak we had beforehand....Mmm, steak."

Beta Chapter Scribe,
Michael Mallon

At the end of last semester and then again right before Rush Week, the brothers of the Beta Chapter got together to renovate the house. The common room saw most of the work, with walls painted a beautiful beige and nice curtains hung. Visitors barely recognized it! The foyer saw improvement as well, with the addition of large curtains (finally!!!) to make the house a bit more private and home-like, as well as an arcade machine, Marvel vs. Capcom II, which is now a constant source of entertainment for the brothers. The basement floor had some work done too, with doors and walls painted and the Iota pledge class project, a magnificent sign honoring our chef Dave Daprix and the kitchen, completed. Brother Matthew Baron said, "The sign looks great, but I'm worried other people will find the kitchen too easily and eat all the food!" The house at 140 Thurston looks better than ever, and is more liveable and clean than ever too.

Your new Scribe,

  Michael Mallon