Fall 2017 New Omega Chapter House Active Chapter Reports - Distinguished Alumni - Fraternity Events - Officer’s Reports - Fraternity Expansion Plans - Scholarship Reports - NEF Donations Last Year - 2017 MEF in Kansas City, MO TheGold Rose Beta Sigma Psi National Fraternity for Lutheran Men The Gold Rose Magazine www.betasigmapsi.org 1 Board Directory The Gold Rose National Board of Directors Fall Issue - December 2017 Contact Information The Gold Rose is written and distributed once annually. If you would like to contribute National President: Director of Scholarship: articles or photographs, please contact the Rudy Ristich Steven Hick National Publication Editor. The Beta Sigma 1140 Dorset Drive 3685 E. Wesley Psi National Board of Directors maintains Wheaton, IL 60189 Denver, CO 80210 complete editorial control of its content. Phone: 630.220.0837 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Contributors: Past President: Director of Youth Outreach: Larry Edwards Andrew Rusch Gary Raffety, Rudy Ristich, Larry Edwards, 310 N. Park Avenue Chris Ristich, John Hatfield, Steve Hick, Rod 7092 S. Owens Way Bloomington, IN 47408 Thompson, Jim Jorns, and the Chapter Pres- Littleton, CO 80127 Phone: 765.714.4203 idents. Phone: 303.810.9293 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Beta Sigma Psi Headquarters; Vice President: Leadership Consultant: 2408 Lebanon Avenue Scott Gesell John Hatfield Belleville, IL 62221 2923 E. 134th Street South 1200 Centennial Drive Phone: (618) 235-0014 Bixby, OK 74008 Manhattan, KS 66502 Fax: (618) 235-0014 Phone: 303-881-7332 Phone: 719.233.1668 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Online: http://betasigmapsi.org Treasurer: Chris Ristich Alumni Relations: Your son’s magazine is sent to his home PO Box 88238 Jake Vanderslice address while he is in college. If he is no Carol Stream, IL 60188 1201 Office Park Road, Apt. 808 longer in college and not living at home, Phone 630-776-7350 West Des Moines, IA 50265 Email: [email protected]. Phone: (913) 522-3527 please send us his new address. Email: [email protected] Pastoral Advisor: Robert Smith Editor: Gary Raffety 6600 N Clinton Street Fraternal Foundations Cover Design: Gary Raffety Ft Wayne, IN 46825 Phone: 260.452.3149 National Educational Foundation: Email: [email protected] Kirk Meyer, Chairman 18034 Elm Rd Pastoral Advisor: Hoyleton, Il 62803 Pastor Mike Vinson 618.493.6515 In This Issue 330 W Fowler Avenue mailto:[email protected] W Lafayette, IN 47906 President’s Message ----------------------- 3 765-743-2398 Treasurer’s Report -------------------------- 4 Beta Sigma Psi Housing Foundation: Fraterenity Expansion ------------------------ 4 Website / Marketing: Larry Edwards, Chairman Scholarship -------------------------------------- 5 Wesley Smith 7092 S. Owens Way Fraternity Awarness - The Pledge ----------- 3 1721 Shawnee RD, Littleton, CO 80127 Colorado Leadership Summit ----------- 9 Phone: 303.810.9293 Indianapolis, IN 46033 Email: [email protected] Chapter Reports -------------------------- 10 - 19 Phone: 260.452.6049 NEF Donations for past year ------------ 20-22 Email: [email protected] MEF 2017 in KC ---------------------------- 23-24 Beta Sigs to Nicaragua ------------------ 12 Director of Publications: Distinguished Alumni - ------------------- 26-28 Gary Raffety Nicaragua Mission 2017 -------------------- 29 9228 W. 73rd Inspirational story ------------------------ 30-31 Merriam, KS 66204 Phone: 913.831.3842 Email: [email protected] Director of Recruitment: Nathan Leezer 219 52nd St West Des Moines IA 50265 Phone: 636.328.1488 Email: [email protected] Editor: Gary D. Raffety 62 2 The Gold Rose Magazine www.betasigmapsi.org President’s Report The following is a play that was writ- ten about a fraternity member that President’s Report died as a result of chapter hazing and By: Rudy Ristich, National President it’s effect on his family and fraternity As I draft this letter, a few universities have even pro-actively suspended Greek The Pledge life including by vote of the student By: Hank Nuwer leaders at the University of Michigan. The Time: The Present The blunt truth is that it is likely only a The Place: The farmhouse bedroom of Luke, matter of time before a Beta Sig chapter newly dead in a hazing incident is affected by a similar encumbrance of activity. The bedroom contains a number of props (hand weights, a kid’s fishing pole, a ballbat, a pair of beat-up running shoes, Fraternities, Beta Sigma Psi included, an old computer on a table, a jar of pennies in a John Deere are organized on the intent of perpetu- metal container, a journal, fraternity promotional materials, ation values, building bonds and culti- a folded quilt, chairs stage left and right, a small cot and vating more socially responsible men. a dresser). In order to reclaim the trust of our com- An older but muscular man walks into the room. His step munities and campuses we must execute is slow. He tosses a newspaper on the bed and peels off his on aligning our actions with our values. gimme cap and the coat of a workingman. He addresses No longer can it be acceptable that the audience. “boys will be boys” when our promise is to develop men with focus on life rooted GRANDFATHER: I 'll try to keep my voice down. My in Christ. daughter-in-law is asleep in the bedroom upstairs. The path to manhood is no easier now GRANDFATHER: We put her son, my grandson, into the than in the past and it can be easy to cri- ground yesterday. We buried Luke in the family plot here For many volunteers and professionals on our farm. He’s got good company. His daddy, my son who work with Greek communities tique actions or inactions of our broth- John, is there. John died in Afghanistan fighting for people 2017 has been a year of frustration, grief ers new and old. At Beta Sigma Psi like you. It would have destroyed John to know that his boy and introspection. we believe in facilitating the ideal envi- is gone. Especially the way Luke died. ronment for the college man of faith in Tragically, four men under the age of Christ to grow spiritually, scholastically GRANDFATHER: Lots of other company to comfort him. 20 have died in alcohol related hazing and socially. We do that by creating en- His grandparents, great grandparents, great-great grandpar- incidents since February. A media on- vironments that are safe and focused on ents. My wife June who died while giving birth to John. slaught against Fraternity life in the sev- learning and service to church campus This farm has belonged to our family since 1858, two years and community. before the Civil War. Luke was proud of our history. He eral years prior has prompted national planned to run this farm for me after graduation. That’s organizations to invest heavily in repair- why he double majored in business and science. ing our damaged image only to be set It is more important now than ever, that back further by the unfortunate truth that as you read in this issue of the success- GRANDFATHER: Also in the family plot rests my sister we often harbor a dangerous culture that es our active men are enjoying, that you Rose. Maybe Luke is introducing himself right now. Rose normalizes binge drinking and bystand- also reach out to your chapter leadership was seven and playing on the hayloft long ago. She tried er negligence. and encourage them, as we work with to catch a puppy that was about to roll out of the loft. She intention to be true to our values and saved the pup but lost her balance and went over the side. While men of any Fraternity will be provide an environment that reflects our My daddy was below with a pitchfork and mucking out high ideals. the horse stalls. He heard a crack loud as a car crash. It was quick to draw attention to the fact the in- Rose’s head hitting concrete. tentions of their founders and purposes of their brotherhood are based on strong GRANDFATHER: My mama and father never got over morals and high standards, it is the in- Annual Chapter Dues: Rose’s death. Now I guess I’m to know what something congruences to those values that most like that feels like. A man doesn’t expect to outlive his son quickly place the relevance of frater- On behalf of all BSP chapters, you and grandson; you know what I mean? nities under a magnifying glass. Now, should be aware that chapter dues are more often than ever, those examina- a secondary source of income for all GRANDFATHER: Oh shoot, I can hear my daughter-in- tions of Greek life are accompanied by chapters and it is important that all law walking around upstairs. I got a loud voice and that’s a calls for abolition and Universities have blessing and a curse. I used to be the umpire at Luke’s Little begun to follow suit. alumni send in their annual dues. League baseball games. One time he hit the ball way out of the park down the left field line. It got me so excited that I Greek organizations have effective- Annual dues payments help to pay for shouted “home run” but signaled foul ball. ly been relinquished of the right to alumni chapter expenses and also help the alumni with their responsibility GRANDFATHER: Well, Luke and the catcher are at home self-govern. Today the defacto response plate and both looking at me. “Which is it, Grandpa?” Luke to hazing incidents at institutes of higher to help the active chapters with house yelled. “Fair or foul?” education is to suspend not just the orga- maintenance an improvements. nization in question, but all Greek activ- GRANDFATHER: “Well, Luke,” I said, “you heard me ities on campus until a safe environment Please pay your dues annually! say `home run’ but all those folks in the stands saw me call can be reassured to the community.