SPRING 2000 NEWSLETTER

 

OOZEBALL 2000 A SUCCESS

On Tuesday, March 14, over 250 people came out for "Oozeball 2000," which ultimately raised $900 for the American Red Cross. 18 teams participated with an unknown "Mud Cats" team taking this year’s championship. This was the 3rd Annual ‘Oozeball’ mud volleyball tournament held by Theta Gamma. This year’s Oozeball festivities included T-Shirts, the Coca-Cola Trailer, and, once again, "Mr. Peepers’ Oozedogs®." Oozeball 200 was kicked off on Monday night with the first ever Pre-Oozeball party. The party was a huge success in which an estimated 100 people turned out for a night of dancing and fun. The Oozeball Tourney kicked off around 10:30am and wrapped up just after 3pm. The winning team, the "Mud Cats," took home free T-Shirts and a $50 cash prize. The proceeds from the entry fees totaled $450 and, thanks to a generous effort from the Livingston Wal-Mart, that amount was matched, producing $900 for the Red Cross! A very special thanks goes out to Wal-Mart, the Livingston Water Authority and Fire Dept., the University of West Alabama Physical Plant, and all of our T-Shirt sponsors. Thank you all so very much for making this special event such a tremendous success. Other philanthropic activities this semester include assisting at the Gainesville Heritage Days, as we helped set up the event and helped with parking. The brothers have also worked very hard on our Adopt - a - Mile on Highway 28. Later on this semester, as things warm up, the men will go to work on UWA’s Campus Beautification project, working on the landscaping at the north entrance to campus, planting and up keeping flowers.

 

BROTHERS RECEIVE HONORS

Several Brothers have excelled in many areas so far this semester, representing Theta Gamma well. Brother Scott Gray was recently elected the SGA Secretary for next year. Brother Matthew Ford was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society, as he was recognized for his scholastic and leadership achievements. Brothers Tim Goode and Wes Hatcher received the Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities. Also, Sage Wes Hatcher was awarded a Graduate Assistantship, working at the Alabama Counseling Association. He was also named Head Cheerleader for next year’s squad. Brother Grant Goldenstar, III, was inducted into the Alpha Chi and Cardinal Key Honor Societies and was also recognized with the award for the Highest Brother GPA. Grant also was "Mr. Mushnik" in UWA’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. Dave Miller was honored with the Brother the Year Award. Alumnus Joseph Schell was awarded with the chapter’s first ever Alumni Appreciation Award. Joe has been hard at work on the Theta Gamma web page. Grant, Dave, and Joe were honored at Orchid Ball for all their hard work.

BROTHERHOOD

Brotherhood has grown stronger than ever. This semester, the brothers have found numerous ways to develop the bonds of brotherhood. Early this semester, the brothers traveled to Tuscaloosa to the ‘Wings’ Restaurant. Everyone ate and played trivia the whole time. The brothers also had a huge SuperBowl Party. It was one of the biggest parties we have had all year, as several televisions were going at the same time all over the house. More recently, the brothers held a ‘Movie Night’ in which everyone came together for a night of movies and fun. To help with cookouts, the Chapter has purchased a new 55-gallon drum grill from the University. This will be of tremendous help for future events, allowing for faster cooking and, faster eating. Also, as mentioned before, the pre-Oozeball party was a huge success, as the house was full of guests, dancing and partying the night away.

SIGMA PI SPORTS

Sigma Pi is faring well so far, holding a strong second in the Intramural Points race. We are just an arm’s length away from the title, but we could not have gotten so close without the help of very athletic brothers. We took first place in bowling, spades, and dominoes. Our first team in basketball had a very successful season and the second team has finally won their first game in over three years. "It was definitely a moral victory for the men of Team 2," said senior center Wes Hatcher. We also took 3rd and 5th in the 3 on 3 Tourney and currently, our second softball team is doing real well. On a lighter note, a month after a technical foul for profanity in a basketball game, Matt Ford got ejected from a softball game (that was already called by the umps) for throwing his hat on the ground and kicking dirt on it. For those of us who know the character of brother Ford, it’s obvious he was wronged on both accounts.

THETA GAMMA HOSTS ITS FIRST ORCHID BALL

The Chapter was finally able to have its first-ever Orchid Ball on Founders’ Day at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. The event went off without a hitch and the night saw several alumni turn out. The evening’s festivities began with an opening reception and cocktails. It was followed by a delectable meal catered by the Wynfrey. Second Counselor Ford gave the opening remarks and the invocation, reflecting on the Fraternity’s beginnings. Sage Hatcher concluded the dinner with the State of the Fraternity Address and the presentation of awards. After that, the men and their lovely dates capped off the night, tearing up the dance floor as DJ ‘Fatty Flex’ was in the house. The fraternity owes a great deal of thanks to Pam Keff, who was instrumental in just about every aspect of Orchid Ball.

THETA GAMMA SPOTLIGHT

"In the Service of God..." Brothers Tim Goode and Matt Ford will be living out that crucial part of our creed this summer, as the two will be participating on a 2 month long mission trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan. They will spend time on college campuses ministering to students as part of a team organized by Campus Outreach consisting of students from UWA, USA, and TSU. Other brothers also have participated in similar projects in the past, Jonathan Goode (‘99) to Thailand in ‘98 and Joe Schell (‘99) to Kazakhstan in ‘99. Goode and Ford are in the process of raising the financial support to go. Both must raise $4500 to go and will graciously accept any donations (which are tax deductible) that may be offered to help them with this worthy endeavor. Please keep them in your prayers this summer.

UWA NEWS

The UWA intramural complex finally got the lights completed, now most games are played at night. Webb Parlor is currently undergoing renovation, and it is looking really nice, as they have done away with the beloved ‘Graceland’ motif. Theta Gamma was able to make a substantial donation for the project.

SAGE'S COMMENTS

Greetings Alumni! I Certainly hope all is well with you. Many great things are happening at Theta Gamma right now and we’re trying to incorporate more ways to stay involved with all of our Alumni brothers. Plans are currently in the works to get our Alumni Club up & running. Coming up soon the chapter will have officer elections, as we look towards next year. I hope that you can make it down for the Alumni Weekend and the Nuclear Party. Also, I would love to have as many guys go to Convocation as possible, just let us know if you’re interested. We hope you like the new look of the newsletter. I look forward to seeing you soon. -Wes Hatcher

UPCOMING EVENTS

Alumni Weekend 2000 is just around the corner. On April 7&8, we’ll host our weekend for our alumni. We’ll have food, paintball, and on Saturday night, we’ll have initiation for new members. If you can come early, we’ll be having Nuclear Party on Thursday the 6th. We’d love to have you come down. If you need a place to crash, tell us and we’ll try to set something up. Also, later on this summer there will be two orientation sessions for entering freshmen. On August 9 -12 is the Biennial Convocation in Phoenix, AZ and we’d love to get as many people as possible to go. We will keep everybody posted as more info on these events become available. Also, check the web page for information as well.

http://stumail.westal.edu/~sigmapi