On November 19 the alumni chapter met virtually informing those attending of the latest happenings with our local undergraduate chapter and fellow alumni. Alumni Chapter President, Brad Fischer, opened the meeting with self-introductions.

Brothers in attendance were Consul Jordan Ayerza (17-F), House Corporation President, John “Bullwinkle” Ballinger (65-S), Dave Barns (61-F), past Consul Greg Baxter (67-S), Colonel Don Beauregard (62-S), Marv “Brody” Broderson (63-S), past Consul Tom Downing (62-F), Alumni Chapter President Brad Fischer (78-S), Dan O’Brien (61-F), Mike “Kabong” Patton (63-S), Bruce Quan (72-F), Dave Reuland (69-F), Bill Robinson (70-F), Bill Smittcamp (73-S) and Tim Vaux (66-F).
Consul Ayerza reported that the in-house brothers have been diligent in avoiding exposure to the Covid virus (cross your fingers), and have an isolation protocol in place if someone does get it. He noted that thirteen brothers were recently initiated during an informal ceremony, and that they will be initiated at a later date using the formal ritual when the pandemic allows. He said that it looks like some of the fraternities on the Fresno State campus may not survive these trying times including ΣAE which has closed its chapter house for lack of occupancy.

John Ballinger gave his report noting that the Chapter House is at full capacity explaining that maximum occupancy was reduced to twenty brothers because of the pandemic, and that one room was reserved for isolation in case a brother were to get the virus. He asked brother Patton to show some slides of the south exterior that will undergo improvements in the next few months. Past Consul, George Matoian (79-S), made a donation to the House to improve the signage on the south elevation, and this started the discussion to make more extensive improvements. The south side at Bulldog Lane has not changed since the House was built in 1967, and it obviously does not give passersby a good first impression of the fraternity. The photo below is the before, and we look forward to showing the after in a few months.
Brad saved the most fun part of the meeting for last, and that was the open mic period. It was an entertaining free-for-all, and we were able to find out what is going on in our brothers’ lives.

The next Zoom alumni meeting will be Thursday, December 17 at 7:00 PM.