The Chrome and Blue

Volume 43, Issue 7
March 2012
The Chrome
and
Blue
of Alpha Chi Sigma
Charting our course
By Patrick Johanns, Alpha Theta 1981, Grand Recorder
“T
he best thing
you can do is
the right thing;
the next best thing you can do
is the wrong thing; the worst
thing you can do is nothing.” –
Theodore Roosevelt
At the chapter level, at the
national level, you need to act.
No healthy organization can
afford to stop the pursuit of
improvement.
Where would chemistry be
without the efforts of the
alchemists and the chemists who followed in their
footsteps? Where would our
fraternity be without the efforts of our nine founders and
all Brothers who came after
them? Now is an especially
good opportunity to pursue
improvement in our brotherhood at the national level.
The Bylaws of Alpha Chi
Sigma state: “Each member
of the Grand Chapter should
send to the Grand Recorder,
at least three months prior to
the Conclave, brief statements
of proposals they intend to
recommend for Conclave
action. The Grand Recorder
shall summarize and send this
information to all members of
the Grand Chapter for consideration.”
Is our organization perfect in
every way? Or do you think
we can do something better?
It is my experience that
Conclave sessions run more
smoothly and accomplish
more if there
is legislation
in the hopper
before Conclave starts.
Unfortunately,
a substantial
number of
resolutions
are created
on the fly at
Conclave. This
does not give
delegates time
to research
the issues
and seek
input from the
Brothers they
represent.
Editor
Patrick J. Johanns, Alpha Theta 1981
Grand Recorder
gr@alphachisigma.org
Associate Editor
Teresa Clark
Administrative Assistant
teresa@alphachisigma.org
If you intend to make a
resolution or amendment to
the Constitution and Bylaws,
please let me know. Next
month’s issue of The Chrome
and Blue will focus on Conclave, and I will incorporate
the ideas I receive for this
issue.
Of course, change comes
from more than just resolutions. It requires a vision of
what you want to achieve, a
commitment to the change
and action. Are you willing to
live the Three Objects?
“Don’t say you don’t have
enough time. You have
exactly the same number of
hours per day that were given
to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa,
Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas
Jefferson and Albert Einstein.”
– Life’s Little Instruction Book
Alpha Chi Sigma By the Numbers:
More than 64,000 members
48 collegiate chapters
3 collegiate colonies
8 professional chapters
10 professional groups
© 2012 Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity
The Chrome and Blue
Page 2
51st Biennial
Conclave updates
Here’s the latest news about
the 51st Biennial Conclave.
Online Registration
Registration is open! Nondelegates can register online.
Delegates will receive registration information after their
chapters submit the Notice of
Delegate Election Form.
Supreme Council
candidates
One important function of
Conclave is the election of
Grand Chapter officers. The
Nominations Committee,
chaired by Melissa Ward,
Alpha Theta 1998, has submitted a list of Supreme Council nominees. The following
Brothers are candidates for
the Supreme Council election
at Conclave:
Grand Master Alchemist
• Randy D. Weinstein,
Alpha Kappa 1990 (current Grand Collegiate
Alchemist)
Grand Collegiate Alchemist
• Mistti Ritter, Gamma Theta 1992 (current Grand
Professional Alchemist)
• Helen Webster, Alpha
Rho 1994 (current Atlantic
Central District Counselor)
Grand Professional
Alchemist
• Stephanie Bates, Alpha
Rho 1995 (current Washington, D.C. Professional
Chapter Vice President
and Secretary)
• Mark Evaniak, Beta Sigma 1980 (current Grand
Master of Ceremonies)
•
Jeffrey L. Moore, Alpha
Omega 1996 (current Professional Representative)
Grand Master of
Ceremonies
• Jonathan Wenzel, Delta
1996 (current Professional Representative)
A biography and statement for
each candidate is available
on the website and will appear in the April issue of The
Chrome and Blue. We thank
each of these individuals for
their willingness to serve the
Fraternity.
Supreme Council
nomination procedure
In addition to receiving nominations from the Nominations
Committee, the Constitution
and Bylaws allow for Grand
Chapter members to nominate
candidates prior to Conclave.
Here is the process we will
follow for nominations prior to
Conclave:
1. The Nominator and Seconder will notify the Grand
Recorder in writing of their
nomination of a Supreme
Council candidate.
2. Within three days of
receipt of a nomination
and seconding, the Grand
Recorder will determine if
the nominee is an active
professional member and
will contact the nominee
to determine if he or she
accepts the nomination.
3. Nominees whose nominations are received and
accepted before Conclave
will be invited to submit
their vita and statement
of views to be included
in the Conclave binder
distributed to members
of the Grand Chapter at
Conclave.
4. Nominations from the
Grand Chapter received
and accepted before
March 30 will be invited
to submit their vita and
statement of views to be
included in the April issue
of The Chrome and Blue,
which also will include the
nominees from the Nominations Committee.
Campus housing
The University of Iowa residence halls are substancefree environments. The
University of Iowa Department
of Housing strictly enforces
this policy, and there is a zerotolerance rule during summer
conferences. Anyone who is
asked to leave the residence
hall due to a violation of this
university policy will not be
reimbursed for Conclave
expenses.
The University of Iowa requests that all Conclave
attendees review the university’s summer 2012 Guidebook
prior to arriving for Conclave.
Delegate elections
An official Call to Conclave
and a Notice of Delegate
Election Form has been sent
to all professional and collegiate chapters. The election
form is due to the National
Office by April 16.
More information
When it becomes available,
we’ll post the latest news and
information on the Conclave
page on the national website.
The Chrome and Blue
Page 3
Reminder: Complete the required
alcohol awareness training
Last fall, Alpha Chi Sigma
introduced our Alcohol Awareness Training policy. Each
academic year, all of your
chapter’s members and current pledges are required to
complete alcohol awareness
training.
The training sign-in sheet is
due June 30. As of March 21,
the following chapters have
not turned in their sign-in
sheets:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alpha
Rho
Sigma
Tau
Alpha Beta
Alpha Epsilon
Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sigma
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Beta Gamma
Beta Eta
Beta Nu
Beta Tau
Beta Phi
Beta Chi
Gamma Beta
Gamma Eta
Gamma Iota
Gamma Omicron
Gamma Pi
Gamma Tau
If you have any questions
about this new policy, contact
your District Counselor, Grand
Collegiate Alchemist Randy
Weinstein, Grand Master Alchemist Jennifer Showerman
or the National Office.
Have you ordered your graduation
medallions?
Don’t forget to order graduation medallions for Brothers
graduating from your chapter
this spring.
The medallions are $12 each,
including shipping and handling. To order, send a check
made out to Alpha Chi Sigma
to the National Office or call
(800) ALCHEMY to use a
credit card.
Please provide a mailing address where the medallion
should be shipped.
The Chrome and Blue
Page 4
Alpha Chi Sigma luncheon at
ACS meeting
Luncheon at ACS meeting
Brothers attending the 243rd
American Chemical Society
National Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, Calif., are
cordially invited to the traditional Alpha Chi Sigma social
luncheon on Tuesday, March
27, starting at 11:30 a.m.
The luncheon is an opportunity to chat with Brothers from
around the nation.
Please join us at Buster’s
Beach House and Longboard
Bar, a five-minute walk from
the convention center along
the marina. Or park in Seaport
Village, a popular shopping
and dining district. Attendees
will enjoy the casual surfinspired atmosphere and food,
overlooking San Diego Bay.
The price is $25 per person,
payable at the luncheon. Collegiate members are invited
to attend for free as guests
of the Fraternity. Guests of
Brothers also are welcome.
Register for the luncheon at
the Alpha Chi Sigma table or
contact Grand Professional
Alchemist Mistti Ritter.
Tuesday, March 27
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Buster’s Beach House
and Longboard Bar
807 W. Harbor Dr.
San Diego, Calif.
(619) 233-4300
On-site ACS national meeting contact
OA Gary Anderson
Alpha Eta 1962
Cell (304) 634-1921
Don’t lose your tax-exempt status
Small tax-exempt organizations whose gross receipts
are normally $25,000 or less
are not required to file Form
990 or Form 990-EZ, Return
of Organization Exempt From
Income Tax. Instead, these
small tax-exempt organizations are required to file annually an electronic Form 990-N
with the IRS.
The form is easy to complete.
All you need is the following
information about your organization:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Employer identification
number (EIN)
Tax year
Legal name and mailing
address
Any other names the
organization uses
Name and address of a
principal officer
Website address, if the
organization has one
Confirmation that the organization’s annual gross
receipts are normally
$25,000 or less
If applicable, a statement
that the organization has
terminated or is terminating (going out of business)
Get more information from the
IRS.
The e-postcard is due each
year by the 15th day of the
fifth month after the close of
your tax year. For Alpha Chi
Sigma, our tax year ends on
Dec. 31, so your e-postcard is
due by May 15 each year.
Don’t put Alpha Chi Sigma’s
or your chapter’s tax-exempt
status in jeopardy!
The Chrome and Blue
Page 5
Collegiate chapter reminders
Collegiate chapter reports
The National Office will
e-mail the collegiate chapter
registers the week of April 9.
corrections as needed. Your
changes or approval is due to
the National Office by
June 29.
The registers will be e-mailed
to reporters with a copy to
master alchemists and treasurers. Please review your
chapter’s register carefully
and make any additions or
Professional Branch Induction
Professional Branch Induction
(PBI) transfers a member from
the collegiate branch to the
professional branch.
Collegiate chapters should
send their PBI forms to the
National Office, even if you
don’t have a Professional
Induction Ceremony. If your
chapter is having a ceremony,
submit your PBI form at least
two weeks prior to the ceremony.
If your chapter would like to
hold a Professional Induction Ceremony in addition to
or instead of a Professional
Recognition Ceremony, contact your local professional
chapter or professional group,
district counselor or Grand
Master of Ceremonies Mark
Evaniak for assistance.
Collegiate Professional Activities
Poster Session at Conclave
As a professional chemistry
fraternity, professional activities are vital to our mission.
The poster session allows
chapters to show off their
activities and share ideas.
This poster session also is the
basis for the Hutchison Award
for the best collegiate chapter for professional activities.
Colonies and professional
chapters are not eligible for
the award but still are welcome to present posters at the
session.
The professional representatives judge the posters and
then choose the Hutchison
Award recipient. Here are
some hints for preparing your
chapter’s poster:
1. Professional activities are
chemistry related (those that
advance the second object:
“To strive for the advancement
of chemistry both as a science
and as a profession.”) Service
activities that are not chemistry related and are purely so-
cial activities may be included
on the poster but do not count
toward the award.
2. Chapters are encouraged
to provide the following information:
a. Chapter designation (Greek
letter) and name of your
school
b. Pictures
c. Description of the event
d. Number of chapter members (and pledges, if
appropriate) involved
e. If non-members are
involved (such as the Boy
Scout merit badge
program) and the number
of non-member participants
f. If this is a regular (annual,
semi-annual, monthly, etc.)
event, how long the chapter
has been organizing the
event
3. Factors considered in the
award selection include:
a. Number of events
b. Diversity of events (All
other things being equal,
four different types of events
are better than four instances of the same type of
event.)
c. Number of active members
and pledges involved (Overall chapter size will be taken
into account when evaluating this factor: 15 members
involved from a chapter with
20 is better than 20 members involved from a chapter
with 60.)
d. Public impact
e. Originality and innovation
(We like to see new types
of events or novel ways of
doing events.)
f. Longevity of events
g. Appearance of the poster
It is recommended that your
chapter finish its poster before
coming to Conclave, because
there is little time to prepare
one during the week.
For more information, contact
Susan Shuping, Epsilon 1991.
The Chrome and Blue
Page 6
What you need to know about
Star Chapter criteria
To qualify for the One-Star
Chapter Award, a chapter
each academic year beginning July 1 and ending June
30 must:
•
•
Return all pledge and
initiation reports and fees
to the National Office on
time.
Initiate a minimum of eight
or 1/3 of the number of
current active collegiate
members (reported in the
preceding year’s Active
Collegiate Member Register).
•
•
•
Conduct two major
service or professional
activities. The report
submitted to the National
Office must include a
description of the activity,
the date, the number of
Brothers involved and the
estimated total number of
people involved.
Submit an officer list
within two weeks of each
election.
Submit the following
reports by June 30 each
year:
•
•
•
•
Star Chapter Annual
Report of Chapter
Activities
Audit/Financial Statement
Charter, Ritual and
Regalia Inspection
(CRRI) Report
Active Collegiate
Member Register
To qualify for the Three-Star
Chapter Award, a chapter
each academic year beginning July 1 and ending June
30 must:
•
•
•
Satisfy all of the requirements for the One-Star
Chapter Award.
Maintain a chapter Web
page, which must include:
• Information about
pledging and membership
• A current calendar of
events
• The current chapter
and officer contact
information
• Professional and service activities
• An active link to the
National Web site
Plus accomplish any four
of the following:
• Increase active collegiate members by 5
percent (based on the
preceding year’s Active Collegiate Member Register).
• Conduct two additional major professional
or service activities.
•
•
•
•
•
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Conduct two alumnirelated activities.
Conduct one additional major professional
or service activity and
one alumni-related
activity.
Submit a Professional
Branch Induction
Report.
Submit one or more
nominations for a
National fraternity recognition award (such
as the Scholar Award,
the Ronald T. Pflaum
Outstanding Chapter
Advisor Award and
the John R. Kuebler
Award).
Submit a Chapter
Plan for the year.
Maintain and submit
a current copy of the
chapter’s bylaws to
the National Office.
See the history of the Star
Chapter Awards or call the
National Office at
(800) ALCHEMY.
The Chrome and Blue
Page 7
Thumbs up!
Thumbs down!
As of March 21, the following chapters submitted initiation
paperwork and/or payments on time for spring 2012. Thank you
and keep up the good work!
As of March 21, the following chapters have initiation paperwork and/or payments pending from fall 2011. Please contact
the National Office if you have any questions.
•
•
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Gamma Delta
Gamma Theta
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Gamma Upsilon
Alpha Pi
•
Beta Phi (spring 2011)
Each Thursday afternoon, the current versions of the active logs and delinquency list are posted on the national website. Be sure
to check the website each week and let us know if our records are not up to date.
Get a quote and the Fraternity benefits
In the first 12 months of our
partnership with GEICO, Alpha Chi Sigma received a 4.8
percent response rate from
our members. This means
that 1,789 of our 37,000 members obtained a quote from
GEICO. This is very good, as
GEICO generally anticipates a
3 percent response.
Of those getting a quote,
400 people (22.4 percent)
switched to GEICO. Some of
our members benefited from
lower cost auto insurance, but
all of us benefited from the
requests for quotes.
In 2011, our
Fraternity
received
more than
$24,000 from
GEICO. This is
how it works:
• We receive
$10 from each auto
insurance quote,
whether insurance
is purchased or
not.
•
We receive $2,500 annually in event sponsorship.
We recieve other money
for quotes on campers,
apartments, motorcycles
and home insurance.
grams and services otherwise
increasingly would fall on the
shoulders of the collegiate
branch.
This money was a bright
spot in our budget last year.
Professional contributions
were lower than anticipated,
and the burden of supporting
the costs of providing pro-
You can apply for a new quote
every 90 days. Every member
(with a car) could potentially
give $40 to the Fraternity without spending a dime of their
own money.
•
Get your quote today and
help your fraternity! Take 15
minutes to apply for a quote.
You might save some money,
but the Fraternity certainly will
get some money..
The Chrome and Blue
Page 8
Meet the Erie District
By Sean Pawlowski, Erie District Counselor
Greetings from the Erie District!
The Erie District recently had
its District Conclave, and it
was an extremely successful
meeting. About 40 Brothers
from the region descended
upon Gamma Tau Chapter at
Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The day was well spent
covering topics from district
news to a deep discussion
amongst the Brothers about
initiation. After the close of
the meeting, the Chicago Pro
Chapter graciously held a PIC
for graduating seniors within
the Erie District. Congratulations to the 19 new professional members! The day
wrapped up with a nice dinner
at a local restaurant.
This chapter was founded in
1906 and is the elder statesman of the Erie District. The
Brothers from this chapter
make a yearly trip to Washington, D.C. to take part in the
USA Science and Engineering Expo. This chapter is very
skilled at fundraising and planning strong rush events.
The chapter’s master alchemist is Megan Witzke.
Gamma Tau Chapter is
located at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa. This chapter was
Gamma Chapter is located
at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland, Ohio.
founded in 2006 along with
two other chapters that along
with Gamma Chapter would
become the Erie District.
Gamma Tau Brothers plan a
Wyvern Hunt every year to
help their pledges learn more
about the Fraternity, science
and their chapter. Gamma
Tau also holds some great
fundraisers, including a donut
sale for breakfast and a grilled
cheese sale for lunch. Every
year during National Chemistry Week, Gamma Tau hosts
chemistry demonstrations on
the IUP campus.
The chapter’s master alchemist is Tyler Machovina.
Gamma Upsilon Chapter is
located at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. This
chapter also was founded in
2006. Gamma Upsilon has the
distinction of holding an outdoor initiation in the spring semester every year. This chapter’s Brothers are very active
in service, including assisting
during the Chemistry Department’s Science Preview Day,
judging the Pittsburgh Science
Fair at Heinz Field, performing
Duquesnefest.
The chapter’s master alchemist is Katie Kenes.
Gamma Phi Chapter is located at the University at Buffalo
in Buffalo, N.Y. This chapter
was founded in 2010 and
was added to the Erie District
last summer. This chapter’s
Brothers have embraced the
new district whole heartedly. A
chapter started predominantly
by graduate students, this
chapter’s demographics now
skew more to undergraduates.
The Brothers are very active
in the department and the
university.
The chapter’s master alchemist is Barbara Casavant.
Contact EDC Sean Pawlowski.
demonstrations for National
Chemistry Week and making
liquid nitrogen ice cream for
Attention, professional chapters!
Each professional chapter should submit an officer
list, a member list and an annual activities report to the
National Office by March 31. Member lists were sent to
chapter presidents and secretaries on Jan. 25.
And don’t forget to elect your Conclave delegate.
Then submit the Notice of Delegate Election form
to the National Office by April 16.
The Chrome and Blue
Page 9
Calendar
March
May
23
Initiations at Gamma Delta and Gamma Chi Chapters.
25
Initiations at Beta Chi Chapter and Widener Colony.
1
District counselor recommendations due to the
Grand Collegiate Alchemist.
27
Alpha Chi Sigma luncheon at American Chemical
Society Meeting in San Diego, Calif.
5
Initiation at Mu Chapter.
15
Conclave registration fee increases from $90 to $110.
31
Initiations at Pi, Alpha Beta, Beta Nu, Beta Pi,
Gamma Theta, Gamma Upsilon and Gamma Phi
Chapters.
31
Professional chapter reports due to National Office.
April
6
Initiations at Epsilon and Gamma Beta Chapters.
7
Initiations at Sigma and Alpha Omega Chapters.
13
Initiations at Gamma Zeta and Gamma Eta Chapters.
14
Initiations at Beta, Gamma, Zeta, Rho, Alpha Upsilon,
Beta Eta, Beta Psi and Gamma Phi Chapters.
14
Gamma Psi Chapter installation at the University
of Toledo.
16
Notice of Conclave Delegate Election Form
due to National Office.
21
Initiations at Alpha, Alpha Theta, Beta Delta,
Gamma Xi, Gamma Omicron and
Gamma Tau Chapters.
22
Initiation at Alpha Kappa Chapter.
28
Initiations at Alpha Epsilon and Gamma Iota Chapters
and Rhode Island Colony.
June
15
Grand Chapter biennial reports due to
National Office.
29
Conclave delegates’ flight itineraries due to
National Office.
29
Star Chapter items (officer list, annual report, audit,
CRRI, member register, PBI form, chapter plan,
bylaws, newsletter) due to National Office.
July
1
Conclave registration fee increases from $110
to $140.
1
The last day that Conclave housing is guaranteed
for attendees.
24-29 51st Biennial Conclave at the University of Iowa.
Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity
2141 N. Franklin Road
Indianapolis, IN 46219
(800) ALCHEMY
national@alphachisigma.org
The Chrome and Blue is a newsletter published monthly during the academic year primarily for collegiate chapter officers
and district counselors. It also provides information useful to the rest of the Grand Chapter and to any interested brothers.
It serves to communicate news, reminders and updates in a timely manner.