Letter from Active President, Jeremy Kaufman

Greetings, Brothers and Sisters of the Immortal Acorn, from all of the Actives here in Claremont. As of late, word has trickled through the Nappie Network that many of you have no idea what we have been up to over the last few years, so we decided to write a "State of the Union" address of sorts. I hope this serves to give you all a decent overview of our current status, wheelings and dealings, active members, and the condition of the beloved cabin. If you would like any more information, or would just like to say "hi," feel free to contact Mellen McQuade or Jeremy Kaufman. Kaufman This year has brought prosperity to the fraternity. With the initiation of 13 maggots last fall and a whopping 24 this spring, our numbers have reached 57 Actives in all! We are now the largest fraternity at Pomona. Although concerns that such large numbers would close us off from the rest of the college community have been raised, it is already apparent that our influence is spreading rather than receding. The proliferation (or plague, in the eyes of some administrators) of Nu Alpha Phi is largely due to the dedication and involvement of our officers. Here's a quick rundown of who they are: Jeremy Kaufman '97 #1121, our president and spiritual advisor, is a biology major from NYC. Our VPs are Phil Gillman '97 #1101 and Cassie Gruenstein '98 #1142. Cassie, from Lafayette, CA is an anthropology major. Phil, a history major from Colchester, CT is also serving as Cabin Master and resident brewer. Adam Richards '96 #1103 is our secretary and co-Washmeister this semester; he is a history major from Centerport, NY. Treasurer and co-Washmeister is Veronica "Fern" Francis '96 #1123, a geology major from Applegate, OR. Mellen McQuade '96 #1099 is serving as alumni representative; she is a women's studies/politics major from Waccabuc, NY. Adam Davis '98 #1146, from Miami is our Inter-Fraternity Council representative. Appropriately, he is an anthropology major. In addition to normal course work, all officers, with support from the rest of the fraternity, dedicate a huge amount of time and effort to keeping Nu Alpha Phi the most active, contributing, exciting and fun organization on campus. Of course, the best explanation for Nu Alpha Phi's popularity is our events. Whether at the cabin, the Wash, or the roaming Soak (remember, the Soak is not an official Nappie event; it just happens to be thrown by Nappies every week), we can still outlast anyone on campus. Thanks to Fern and Adam, the Wash is still the greatest weekly event at Pomona. This year we have been attracting around 80 party-goers, two or three kegs of Milwaukee's Best, and bands or DJs, to the Wash every Friday. Thursday nights, one can always find many brothers and sisters enjoying the Soak somewhere, though both Sigma Tau's "the Boot" and KOE's "the Pub" compete for Thursday night action. There has also been a movement towards resurrecting the now-extinct AGS "Wed Night". Tack on our weekly meetings every Monday, throw in the always-successful cabin parties every few weeks, add on a new tradition of Sunday afternoon bar-b-que and Phil-brewed beer at the cabin, and we significantly widen the social options of Pomona. In addition to our regular events, we are involved in several other activities this semester. In mid-February, we sponsored and organized a five-college party at the Wash that drew nearly 400 students and faculty. We are also involved in the bi-annual blood drive scheduled for the end of March. We are working with Pat Mulcahy '66 #617 to organize this year's Alumni Weekend and Acorn Amble for April 27-28 (a great opportunity to come out and meet us in person). Brothers and sisters involved in "On the Loose" have put together several great camping and hiking trips this semester, and other members participate in tutoring high school students in the area. Overall, we are quite active in many different arenas at Pomona. As it has been since the beginning of time, the cabin in San Dimas Canyon is still our greatest asset. For those of you who haven't heard, several years ago ['90 -Eds.] the administration of Pomona College (in all their wisdom and glory) kicked the fraternities out of the rooms under Clark I, Clark V, and Norton-Clark. Some might remember that these rooms were given to the fraternities when off-campus "frat houses" were banned. Now we are the only fraternity with a place of our own, and we cherish it with pride. We realize that because of events occurring several years ago, many of the Nu Alpha Phi alumni are less than satisfied by our level of responsibility in cabin matters. However, you must remember that turnover in the fraternity is very rapid; the current Actives do not want to carry the reputation of apathy toward the cabin established in years past. We are constantly working to keep up with the forces of entropy, to satisfy the Forest Service, and to sustain the level of beauty and peace at the cabin for all Nappies, past, present and future. This effort is paying offóthe cabin looks better than it has in years. Along with all the normal work that goes into the upkeep of the cabin (trail maintenance, leaf and grass removal, etc.), we have added several new features over the last year. Foremost is the Aaron J. Tonnesson Hot Tub, built last spring with Nappie blood, sweat and tears. It lives, in all its glory, next to the remains of the old bunkhouse (leveled four years ago in compliance with a Forest Service request). Heated with a home water heater converted to burn propane, it allows for a gorgeous view of the night sky and canyon walls. Unfortunately, it is currently an issue of great concern to the Forest Service, for it was not permitted prior to construction (oops). All you hot tubbers, hurry on up; it may not be there for long. Another addition to the grounds is a small garden, located between the tub and the cabin. From it, enough lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers have been harvested to make a salad. Inside the cabin, the kitchen has been repainted (Nappie-style), curtains have been hung, and the furniture is slowly being updated. On the whole, it is still the fun, beautiful place we all enjoy; however, the mountain-forest environment is ever taking its toll. Several patches of dry rot can be seen slowly growing in the wood of the roof. It is not major now, but it is also not minor enough for us to fix ourselves. Within a few years, significant work will need to be done to ensure we Nappies always have a roof over our heads. There are also a few areas in need of minor masonry work, the bunkroom needs rescreening, and the ancient refrigerator has finally died. While there is plenty of work we can do ourselves, money for materials is always lacking; donations to the cabin fund (c/o Jim Ach) are needed and wholly appreciated. Back on campus, there is a recent development in which many of you may be interested. In the name of Fred Sontag and Kappa Delta, a large amount of money was raised to "renovate" the Wash last spring. This renovation plan which has been kept under wraps, is rumored to include a formal stage, towers for sound and lighting systems, bathrooms, the cementing of parts of the grass area, formal (geometric) landscaping and other such atrocities. Moreover, while several KDs have been asked to serve on a planning committee, we have been completely denied inclusion in the planning process. As the only regular users of the Wash and as an organization that has been closely associated with it for more than two decades, we find this lack of consideration, based on money and superficiality, frustrating and offensive. The administration is trying to turn the only natural, beautiful, undeveloped place on campus into another landscape-by-numbers, Taco Bell-style, picture-perfect place for their catalogs and brochures. As of now, we are trying to find out more about the official plans, in addition to convincing the administration to let one of us onto the committee; however, they are not giving us the time of day. We need the support of as many alumni as possible. If you are at all concerned about saving the Wash (or at least minimizing the damage), please call or write the Alumni Affairs office and voice your concerns. We are only the students of the college and have no leverage against the policy makers; you are their bread and butter. Please help us safeguard our favorite place from the clutches of tasteless designers. Well, that's pretty much the story around here. On the whole, Nu Alpha Phi is strong, motivated, active and having fun. We encourage all of you to come out on Alumni Day, April 27-28, or any other time (you know where to find us every Friday at least). We are sorry for the lack of communication in the recent past, but we hope this satisfies your curiosity. We hope that you are all well, and that this prosperity in which we find ourselves has spread to all Nappies everywhere. The Actives of Nu Alpha Phi Fraternity March 1996

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