ALUMNI
    Psi Triton has over 500 alumni spread all over the country. From brothers Junji in Japan to brother Venuti in Geneva, NY red and silver can be seen all over the globe. We would not be where we are today without our caring and illustrious alumni. It is essential to the longevity of Phi Sigma Kappa at Hobart that we maintain that network and the strong bonds that allow us to continue the proud tradition of being DAMN PROUD!

     Below we have very important information for new and old alumni alike. There is alumni news about upcoming reunions and information on how to get in touch. 

Please contact John Sherry our chapter advisor with any questions about alumni involvement outside the fraternity at sherryj@secsd.org


To contact the undergraduate brothers please contact Zachary Zayac at (607) 283-1594 or fill out the contact form below:



Alumni Contact Form
First Name:
Last Name:
Address Street 1:
Address Street 2:
City:
Zip Code: (5 digits)
State:
Daytime Phone:
Evening Phone:
Email:
Comments (Class Year, pledge name):

 Below are articles and news written by Alumni and undergraduate brothers for your eyes and ears.

Alumni News

Brotherhood of the Brand

How Smart Grassroots Marketing Revitalized a Fraternity
By Brother JP laqueur

Thursday, March 26, 2009
College fraternities are typically associated with mass inebriation and creative hazing, not smart branding and marketing. But the brothers at the Psi Triton chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa are changing all that and demonstrating once again why I believe the next generation of business leaders will be more serious and savvy marketers...

When I graduated from Hobart College in 1990 Phi Sig was entering decline, and within a few years the fraternity was gone, succumbing to a more aggressive "anti-greek" mentality sweeping the campuses and administrations of many colleges...

Then about four years ago, a new generation of students at Hobart, along with some key alumni, made the effort to restart Psi Triton. Led by former house President Julian LoPresti and current president Andy Fosbrook they decided to re-create Phi Sig as a different kind of fraternity. They astutely recognized the campus community's general distaste for intra-fraternity rivalry and irresponsible antics, and determined that they needed to separate themselves from the clique-driven reputation of fraternities at Hobart (Kappa Sigma = Football Players, Sigma Phi = "deadheads", etc...).

And so they developed and applied a smart set of marketing and branding principals as the foundation of a new fraternity. First they developed a tag line and theme that could be reused in varied ways to build an identity. The line they created was, get this:

"We Are The Change"

It may sound cliched now, but keep in mind - they came up with this message fully 2 years before the Obama campaign kicked off! And the brothers now fondly joke now that Obama ripped off the change slogan from them!

The tag line was applied to T-shirts and posters that were distributed around campus and handed out at events. It has evolved several times since but the core theme of "change" has remained and no doubt benefited from the Obama phenomenon (lucky timing helps turn good marketing into great marketing).

The second thing they did was to dedicated themselves to a set of events and causes atypical of most fraternities. From conceiving and sponsoring the Turkey Trot race (one of the most successful fundraisers ever conducted on the Hobart campus) to their attempts to bring back the legendary Folk Festival on campus this spring, the goal has been to associate the Phi Sigma Kappa brand with every positive, noteworthy event or cause on campus or in the community. 

In each case they created posters and t-shirts to promote the events and even arranged for local businesses to "sponsor" the production costs in return for logo placement. And in a politically smart move they even chose the personal charity of the College President's wife as beneficiary of the Turkey Trot race. She now bakes and delivers a plate of cookies each weekend to the house. Talk about building brand loyalty!

And to demonstrate the depth of their commitment to the community, they have even extended their marketing and branding expertise beyond just their own house, in an attempt to revitalize the image of fraternities overall. In their first year of eligibility, Phi Sigs ran and were elected to senior positions on the Hobart Inter Fraternity Council including the VP position and a newly established "IFC Marketing" position with a healthy budget that will be used to promote the positive aspects of "Greek life" on campus. These guys aren't just building a "company" brand, their promoting an entire "industry" brand.

Beyond the personal gratification of seeing my former fraternity revived and demonstrating real leadership, I think its a great example of back-to-basics marketing and brand advocacy, and I'm captivated by the organic manner in which it evolved among this young generation.

Damn Proud!

JPL
Hobart, PSK '90
A Word From Brother Celli Jr.
Brothers!
 
I spent an incredible couple of hours with the Brothers of Phi Sigma Kappa on Friday afternoon, and I wanted to let everyone know that the House at 704 South Main is alive, well, and thriving.  Truly, I say:  the Brotherhood is as cool, as smart, as much fun, and as dedicated to the Phi Sig tradition today as it was back in the Land that Time Forgot -- when the Chocolate Mess stalked the Earth in his trusty vehicle, the "69 Car," and a certain past president evinced an odd fascination with digital penetration.  (Funny what you remember about people from their Senior Bios . . . )  Anyways, here's the re-cap:
 
A couple of months back, the Dean of Hobart asked me to come up and give a career talk to interested students.  I must say, I didn't give a lot of thought to the House before I arrived, because I had kinda lost track of what the deal was:  we'd been booted off of campus at some point back in the Clinton Years; 704 South Main had become "The Substance Free House"  (true story); somebody said something about an effort to "re-colonize" the place at some point (Did this mean we were going to slaughter the local Indians and seize their lands and women??); whatever.  It was all pretty hazy to me. 
 
But, as I drove into Geneva on what was, to be sure, the most beautiful Friday afternoon of the year -- 75 degrees, sunny skies, a soft breeze off the lake -- I was immediately drawn to the corner of South Main and St. Clair.  Even driving by the place gave me a wistful feeling, but when I parked and walked up the path cut through the hedge along St. Clair -- on the track ties that Hans Van Liew installed as steps -- I couldn't get "Hail the Ever Growing Throng" out of my head.  Where the f*ck was John Lieberman and his big crazy stick?? 
 
I walked into the House and found a cluster of young guys standing in the Chapter Room -- in front of a flat screen TV, where the Triple Ts used to be.  "Anybody here a brother?"  I asked.  They wheeled around and were like:  "Yeah, we're all brothers -- who are you?"  Before I could finish telling them that I too was a brother, Class of 1987, and my name, there were hoots of greetings, hands extended, and a group gathering -- at which point this big tall guy yells out "Celli-i-i-i!!" and comes over and gives me a huge bear hug.  It was Jonathan Sherry, Class of 1996, who I'd never met in person before, but who I'd dealt with in the late 1990s during an unsuccessful legal battle to save the Phi Sig charter from the evil Pres. Dick Hersh and his henchman, Dean Guarasi.  (But that, my children, is a story for another day. . . . ).  Sherry had come up decided that this was the perfect time for a visit as well!  It was great to meet him and "catch up".  (Sherry  lives in rural upstate New York and is an alumni advisor of sorts to the House; the Chapter Advisor remains -- if you can believe this -- Steve Venuti.  I shit you not . . .) 
 
Twenty-one years after graduation, it felt like I'd never left.  It felt like home. 
 
Julien "Jules" LoPresti, a founding brother and past president, and a few other brothers showed us around and told the tale of reclaiming the Phi Sig traditions (and the ritual gear and composites) from the ash heap of history.  They showed us the new "Pledge Room" -- formerly, the Tube Room -- where the brothes themselves have stripped the place down to the rock walls and are rebuilding it to include a lighted "Phi Sigma Kappa" display and wood panelling.  (In one interesting archeological find, when they got down to the dry wall in one spot, some ancient graffitto was uncovered:  "Gagas likes young boys!"  Its meaning it lost to history . . .)   They showed us their rooms, decked out with PSK memorabilia, and told us tales of partying with Drew Bagwell of the National Chapter.  Best of all, they showed us the "Hans Van Liew Bar" -- the basement bar-room, right off of Weed Street -- complete with commerative plaque.  The precise location of the impression of Hans's balls -- as in, "balls to the wall!"  -- is and will remain a Phi Sig mystery.    
 
Lastly, and most importantly of all, they explained how, with 25 active members colonized/recruited in the last year, they are the fastest-growing house on campus, with a huge campus presence and the prospect of full chartering just around the corner.  It was a thrill to hear their enthusiasm.  
 
Later that day, they proved that the enthusiasm, the sense of brotherhood, and the presence were real and not just a show for the alumni visitor.  Between other events and meetings, I decided to take a break and sit on the Quad to review the notes for the talk I was to deliver that evening.   It was late afternoon and the Quad was packed with kids -- hundreds of them, hanging out, drinking beer, enjoying the sun.  (The number of WS women in bikinis was, uh,notable.)  I located myself outside of Trinity Hall, kind of off to the side.  But I wasn't there three minutes when one of the Phi Sigs I'd met earlier walked by, noticed me, called the guys over, brought two coolers full of brews, and set up shop to hang with an Aging Brother and trade stories.  In the hour or so that we sat together, lots of people swung by to see the Brothers -- women and men, other brothers, friends, and hangers-on, just like the old days.  Think softball -- Carey Dobosh and the Farm Animals v. Sigma Chi -- and you'll get the picture.  This wasn't just a question of making an alumni feel welcome; this was the Brotherhood in action, and it was really really great.
 
I was inclined to tell Jules LoPresti before I left that it was clear to me that his guys were worthy of hanging out with the brotherhood of days gone by.  Then I thought about it and it came to me clearly:  "Jules," I said, "the guys who were brothers when I was here would be proud to be called your brothers."  And it's true. 
 
The House is back!
 
Hope this notes finds you all well, happy and still Damn Proud to be a Phi Sig!  And thanks to Jules and the gang for making an Old Brother feel young again!
 
best,
agc                 
 
 
Andrew G. Celli, Jr.
Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP
75 Rockefeller Plaza, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10019
Tel: 212.763.5040
Fax: 212.763.5001
 
A letter from our friend at Phi Sig National

Dear Psi Triton Brothers,

 

It is with great pleasure that I send this e-mail announcing that the chartering petition for the Psi Triton Colony at Hobart College has been approved by the Grand Council.

 

Whether you are an alumnus or current colony member, you can be Damn Proud of what has been accomplished in the past 3 years.

 

Attached you will find an electronic copy of a formal letter of approval sent to the colony’s president from Grand President Todd Simpson and Executive Director Michael Carey.

 

I look forward to working with alumni and the colony members to facilitate the Ritual of Initiation and Chartering Banquet on March 28, 2009.

 

Please save the date to attend this wonderful example of ‘The Ever Growing Throng’. Invitations and further information will sent via mail shortly.

 

Fraternally,

Erik Sederstrom

Expansion Director

PSK given the OK by Hobart College and PSK National to Charter in the Spring of 2009

Brothers

It is with overwhelming pride that I announce that the Psi Triton colony of Phi Sigma Kappa has been granted permission by the Colleges’ to charter and become an official and indelible mark on the Hobart campus! On the 5th of November, the Council on Fraternal Life approved our petition to charter and become an official Fraternity on this campus. This means several things things; we gain access to all the rituals and ceremonies of Phi Sigma Kappa. Second, we were able to run for office on the Interfraternal Council, where we just placed a new Vice President, Treasurer and Public Relations Officer, giving us control of the Council. Finally, we have the opportunity to show our strength as a newly established brotherhood by hosting a chartering ceremony and banquet which will be observed by the Colleges’ and celebrated with Phi Sigma Kappa National. However, there are several costs associated with the chartering process.

€ In order to charter, we need to cover financially:

o      Fees to national,  All ritual equipment , the banquet, Insurance costs

o      A $1,000 budget surplus at the chartering date

o        This amounts to a total of approximately $9,000

 

€ On our own, we have raised $6,000 from our family, friends and fellow non-Greek students.

The $6,000 we have raised is not from alumni donations and now we need your help. We need to raise the additional $3,000 before our chartering date in January in order to become an official chapter. We have come a long way while rebuilding the brotherhood that has thrived at Hobart in the past. We have worked for 3 years, with over 30 brothers, putting in hundreds of hours working on our house, recruiting, performing community service and fundraising. Now, the last link which can connect our past and our developing future is the alumni.

The financing of this process is the ONLY THING holding us back. I ask you as a senior and founding father of this fraternity to please help us overcome this last and final obstacle. As always I remain,

Damn Proud

 

Julien LoPresti

Founding Father

Phi Sigma Kappa, Psi Triton Chapter

Send all checks to:          Phi Sigma Kappa 

        Scandling Ctr.

   Hobart and William Smith Colleges

   Geneva, NY 14456

 

Grand Phi Sigma Kappa Reunion!??
September 6th, 2008?

The doors of 704 South Main will be swung open for the first annual Grand Phi Sigma Kappa Reunion. The Brothers of Phi Sigma Kappa will be at 704 S. Main to give tours and share stories during the reunion from September 26th to the 28th. 

 

The brothers are hard at work readying good old 704 for your return, many windows are getting cleaned and much painting is taking place to make sure the house is up to spec. We look forward to seeing all of our alumni. If you have any questions please call (973) 818-2655.

?From Your Home to Our House??May 29th, 2008

Jonathan Sherry Has started a great new alumni tradition. Upon his first return visit to the house Jonathan generously donated his big brother paddles to the undergraduate brothers. His paddles now hang in the study in homage to our great past. We would be greatly honored if upon your visit to 704 you brought your paddles; they will be hung with pride and gazed upon with admiration.

 

 

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