OX Alpha Psi 2021 Year in Review

After a tough 2020 year for the OX Alpha Psi chapter, we rallied for an amazing 2021.  So many alumni brothers stepped up in 2021 to help the Alpha Psi Alumni Association, Chapter Advisory Board and Housing Corporation breathe much needed life into our undergraduate and alumni operations.  Below is a summary of our accomplishments from 2021 and a preview of what is to come in 2022.  Enjoy!

January

• OX Alumni Association established and monthly meeting cadence starts.  Twelve alumni brothers join throughout the year to lead communications, fundraising, social, scholarship, and undergrad career mentoring efforts.
• OX Housing Corp establishes monthly meeting cadence to tend to the affairs of the House.
• OX Alumni Contact Database created (powered by Salesforce).  The database now allows us to communicate with the full alumni brotherhood with a few clicks. 
• Red OX Review Alumni Newsletter Issue #1 is published.

February

• OX Alumni Association holds its first Fireside Chat.

March

• OX NCAA Tournament Pool Fundraiser raised $425 for alumni and undergraduate programs.
• OX Alpha Psi Alumni Website Established.
• Red OX Review Alumni Newsletter Issue #2 is published. 
• OX Housing Corp regains financial footing by filling the House with renters for the 21-22 school year.

April

• OX Alumni Association holds its second Fireside Chat.
• Due to the pandemic and in lieu of traditional Founder’s Day activities, Bond with a Brother Weekend was held.  To commemorate Founder’s Day, Brothers met from far and wide in small groups the week/weekend of April 10 and April 17. We had small(ish) groups meeting at breweries in Olney, Harpers Ferry, College Park, Charlotte and of course, the epic weeklong pub and golf crawl that started in Philadelphia, PA and ended in Norwalk, CT.
• OX Founders Day Giving Campaign.  Raised money to support a few pressing maintenance projects for the House.  During the campaign, we had 50 Brothers donate a total of $10,715.
• Scotty’s Vodka Designated as the official beverage of the OX Alumni Association. Scott Nash generously sponsors numerous OX AA Social/Fundraising events.

May

• OX Sweatshirt Fundraiser…over $1,000 raised to support alumni/undergraduate programs.
• OX National publishes the “Extending the Helping Hand…and Kidney. Brothers Helping Brothers!” story about Jon McHugh’s (S87) donation of a kidney so that Don Rathmell (S88) could receive a needed transplant.

June

• OX Alumni celebrate the 92nd anniversary of the founding of Alpha Psi at UMD on June 10th with a happy hour at the Cornerstone in College Park.   
• OX Alumni Association sponsors dinner for graduating undergrad Brothers.
• OX Instagram account created (Follow at oxumdalumni).
• Red OX Review Alumni Newsletter Issue #3 is published.

July

• OX Alumni Association holds its third Fireside Chat.
• OX Ocean City Fishing Weekend Away.  Over 30 OX alumni invaded Ocean City, Maryland for the annual OX Fishing trip.

August

• OX Alumni LinkedIn group refresh (Theta Chi Fraternity Alumni).
• OX National assigns Jacob Moore, Field Representative to help re-establish the undergraduate chapter.  Jacob moves into the House for the Fall 21 semester to help us plan Rush.
• The project to repair/replace the roof, gutter and fascia boards of the House kicked off.  The OX Housing Corp collected multiple bids for the project.  The scope and cost of the project included a full roof replacement ($26,430) and wood replacement on all 14 dormers, vinyl cladding, new gutters, fascia replacement, and soffit replacement ($30,000).
• OX Housing Corp sponsored other important House projects.  The basement chapter room was freshened up with necessary dry wall repair on the ceiling and fresh paint throughout. We repaired the second floor shower so it no longer leaks into the room below. We also replaced the third floor urinal and replaced a few sump pumps in the basement.

September

• OX Alumni Association provides a donation to help undergraduate rush.  The undergraduates hold their Pinning ceremony on Sunday 9/26 where our 20 rushees officially became pledges.  
• OX National recognizes Jon McHugh (S87) with the Sidney Ann Gilpin Lewis Memorial Award.  The Lewis Award, presented annually, recognizes a chapter and/or individual member who exemplifies excellence by assisting others in need.  A happy hour celebration was held in Jon’s honor in Washington, DC and a number of Alpha Psi members attended.
• OX Alumni Association sponsored “CrabGate” a pre-game tailgate for the Terps vs Howard University football game.  The event was held in lieu of the traditional fall Crab Feast and over 90 brothers, family and friends attended.   

October

• Red OX Review Alumni Newsletter Issue #4 is published.
• OX Alumni Homecoming King Pin Bowl-Off was held in lieu of the traditional Friday Homecoming Golf Tournament due to torrential rain.
• OX Alumni Association sponsors the “Bloodys, Beer and Breakfast Homecoming Tailgate”.  Well over 120 brothers, friends and family attend the Lot 1 tailgate before the Maryland Terps vs Indiana football game.
• The Paul J. Richardson Theta Chi for Life scholarship committee bestows Memorial Leadership Award and Scholarship to undergrad brother Rohan Sinha.  Rohan was the only undergrad who stayed active during our suspended status and was integral in helping re-establish our undergrad chapter.
• OX Probation Committee transitions back to the traditional Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) function and six Alpha Psi alumni join the CAB to help guide the undergraduates on the nuances of running the business of the fraternity.
• OX National executive leadership team visits Washington, DC to plan the 2022 National Convention.  Alpha Psi will be the host chapter for the convention.  The OX National Foundation Chapter hosted a foundation fundraiser at the convention hotel after two days of pre-convention planning
• Twenty undergraduate Brothers from throughout the country visit Washington DC as part of the inaugural Theta Chi “Resolute Man” program.  The program is a two-day immersion into law, advocacy and ethics training and was taught by Alpha Psi brothers Dennis Cardoza (F77) and Kyle Campbell (S15).  Alpha Psi brother Jamie Gregory (F79) participated in the planning.

November

• The OX Alpha Psi Fall 2021 pledge class is initiated.  Twenty new initiates join six already imitated brothers to form the foundation for our reestablished undergraduate brotherhood.  Numerous OX alumni are present for the ceremony.  The OX Alumni Association donates sweatshirts to the new initiates.  With this initiation, a three-generation Alpha Psi legacy is formed with John Gardner (S74), Tom Gardner (F88), and Rece Gardner (F21).
• Steve Broadman (F86) and Mike Hickey (f84) travel to the University of South Carolina to participate in the initiation ceremony of their sons into the OX’s Iota Phi chapter. 
• Fotis Thomopoulos’ (F80) daughter becomes OX Sweetheart at Old Dominion University.
• UMD Student Affairs and the Interfraternity Council (IFC) votes to reinstate Alpha Psi as an approved student organization after two years of suspension.

December

• OX Housing Corp Bylaws Refresh Project continues.  We have contemplated important areas like voting rights, signing authority and appropriate thresholds for financial obligations and decisions. We hope to complete this project before the end of 2021 and engage the OX alumni membership to ratify the bylaw changes.
• OX Helping Hand Fundraiser Campaign. 

What’s up with OX Alpha Psi for 2022?

The OX Alpha Psi Alumni Association, Chapter Advisory Board, and Housing Corporation enter 2022 with a ton of momentum.  Our alumni and undergraduates should expect to see more from these three groups in 2022 and we expect to see more engagement from our brotherhood.  Below is a summary of what to expect in 2022:

• Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 Rush will help to increase the numbers in our undergraduate chapter.
• On May 31, 2022, the OX Alpha Psi undergraduates are no longer on social probation.
• Spring 2022 House Beautification Alumni/Undergrad Work Party.
• Reinstallation celebration of the OX Letters on 7401 Princeton Ave (Spring/Summer 2022)
• Fall 2022 will have move OXs moving back into the House for the 22-33 school year.
• Two more fundraising campaigns to support our alumni and undergraduate programs…Founders Day in April 2022 and Helping Hand in December 2022
• OX Alumni Mentor Circle Program kickoff to help provide career advice to undergraduates
• Four Red OX Review quarterly newsletters will be published.
• Five cornerstone Alumni Social events will be held…Founders Day (April), OX Alpha Psi Founding Celebration (June), OX Ocean City Fishing Trip (August), Crabfeast (Fall), Homecoming Golf and Tailgate (Fall)
• The 2022 OX National Convention to be held in Washington DC. Alpha Psi will be host chapter.