November
21st, 2008 represented many firsts for the Epsilon Colony
of Delta Epsilon Psi. Amongst other things, Epsilon hosted the first
college party at Norman’s new Embassy Suites Conference Center. Epsilon
also conducted its first probate show ever for the new Zeta Class, a
first for any South Asian organization on campus. After introducing
the newest brothers of the Epsilon Colony to the Greek Community, however,
came a first that none could have predicted. The newest brothers asked
for the microphone, and then asked the “lovely ladies” of Delta
Phi Omega to come to the dance floor. After a few words from Brother
Kishan Patel, the newly crossed Zeta class presented a hand-made paddle
to the ladies of Delta Phi Omega, as a token of appreciation to both
the newest and oldest members. This act of appreciation follows Epsilon
Colony’s first “Delta Dinner” last semester, and ushers in a new
era of prosperity and friendship between Delta Epsilon Psi and Delta
Phi Omega in Oklahoma, and is sure to be followed by many more surprises
and firsts, in a way that only the brothers of the Delta Epsilon Psi
make possible.
5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
By: Josiah Varghese
Delta
Epsilon Psi, Epsilon Colony, held its 5 year anniversary party at Embassy
Suites in Norman Oklahoma on November 21, 2008. The 5 year party
had been in the planning stages for about 4 months. This location
is the newest and hottest location available. Epsilon Colony took
great measures in promoting the anniversary of its establishment on
the University of Oklahoma campus. Banners and fliers were created
to help with the party promotion. The party began at 10:00pm and
ended at 2:00am. Various MGC (Multi-Cultural Greek Council) organizations
were present, alpha Delta Kappa Phi, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Delta Phi Omega,
and our Brother Fraternity on the OU campus Tao Kappa Omega. The
Epsilon Colony commissioned DJ EDDIE BRASCO from POWER 103.5FM, to work
the turntables all night, we also contracted MC GENERAL JPOE to get
the crowd hype. In conclusion, the party was a success in promoting
Delta Epsilon Psi, Epsilon Colony and celebrating its accomplishments
over the past 5 years.
ZETA'S BECOMING ACTIVE MEMBERS
By: Rohan Patel
Becoming new members of the greatest
fraternity was like a dream come true. The actives always told
us that active life is more challenging than pledge life. We have been active
members for two weeks now and have been to two chapters where
we discussed many different issues facing our fraternity. In the first
two weeks of being active members, we were very busy with promoting
our 5 Year Anniversary party that was coming up. We passed out fliers at the student
union during the day and at local apartments during the night.
As active members, we realized that we now play an integral part in the fraternity. At first, we were overwhelmed by all the tasks we
have to do, but as time went on, we adjusted to active life. We adjusted
by taking on new responsibilities that contributed to the community
as a whole. After we became members, we built relations with members
of other greek organizations. We learned that good relationships with
other Greeks is vital. Active life
requires more time management and taking on more responsibility, but we think that together we can overcome
any obstacles we may face.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR ADVISOR
By: Keenan Smart
The Epsilon Colony of Delta Epsilon Psi has seen enormous growth and
change over the past 5 years. I have been a part of this organization
for over 3 years, and I am now serving as Alumni Advisor. When I joined
Delta Epsilon Psi, we had 5 actives. We now have 12 strong men that
form our active body. Our reputation at the University of Oklahoma has
never been better, and our campus involvement is at an all-time high as
well. We have numerous accomplishments that show how much we have grown
in more ways than just numbers. We have been honored with awards on a
regular basis. Our most recent accomplishment is winning the
President's Trophy Award for Volunteerism; the highest achievement of
any MGC organization at the University of Oklahoma. Our current active
body shows a lot of promise on improving on these achievements, and
pushing us forward into the future of Epsilon Colony.
BE THE CHANGE - NATIONAL GANDHI DAY
Volunteers Follow the Words of Gandhi for Be the Change
By: Zein Jivani
Norman,
OK, 10/04/08 - Volunteers from over 60 locations around the
nation, including the University of Oklahoma, spent their Saturday morning
giving back to their community as a part of Be
the Change, a national day of service coordinated by South Asian Americans
Leading Together (SAALT).
On October
4th, hundreds of individuals participated in community service
events nationwide in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote, "Be the
change you wish to see in the world." Service activities ranged from
cleaning up city streets to unloading trucks of pumpkins for a community
pumpkin patch to aiding sick patients at a free clinic.
“Ghandi is a historical figure whose teachings of community
service and peace have echoed in the South Asian community of nearly 60 years,”
Sharup Karim, Epsilon class and a coordinator of the event, said. “Even though
we are a new generation of South Asian-Americans, we want to show that we have
not forgotten his teachings.”
This is the
first year Be the Change, formerly known as National Gandhi Day of Service, was held
at the University of Oklahoma. The event will be hosted by Delta Epsilon Psi
fraternity, Delta Phi Omega sorority and other organizations on the Norman
campus.
“Bringing
Be the Change to Norman is a great
way for many different minority organizations to make a big impact on the
community,” Karim said. “We hope that our efforts and the efforts of all the
people participating nationwide will help a lot of people and educate them
about our community.”
Karim
says he hopes to see Be the Change
one day have as many volunteers as the Big
Event, a university-wide day of service held in the Spring.
Volunteers
met at the University of Oklahoma South Oval at 9:00 a.m. for breakfast and then
went to their volunteer sites.
In
all, more than 40 people came to the event to help their community. Karim says
it is a good start.
“We
hope next year Be the Change will be
bigger and better,” he said. “But this was a solid start.”
1ST ANNUAL DELTA DINNNER
By: Zein Jivani
Norman,
OK, 10/04/08 - In the spirit of Greek cooperation, the brothers of Epsilon Colony held their first annual Delta Dinner with the sisters of Delta Phi Omega on April 24. The dinner was held at the Crimson Park Club House. While the guys fired up the grill and prepared an assortment of barbeque, the girls brought dessert. After the meal and socializing, the Deltas played board games, such as Pictionary and Taboo, and then played some basketball. Other Deltas, though, found themselves in the pool. Some did not expect to swim and were ‘helped’ into the pool.
“Overall, this was a fun event,” Social Chair Josiah Varghese said. “We hope this will extend the communication lines so that we can throw better events together in the future.” Sharup Karim, Epsilon class of Epsilon colony, recently crossed into the fraternity and believes the dinner offered a chance for the new members to meet the ladies of DPO.
“This was a great chance for the new guys and girls to meet and spend some time together and for the older members to catch up,” he said. The Deltas have plans to organize some events for the fall semester, but no plans have been confirmed.
DEPsi RECOGNIZED BY PRESIDENT DAVID BOREN
By: Zein Jivani
Norman,
OK - Once again, the University of Oklahoma has acknowledged the hard work and commitment to community by the brothers of the Epsilon Colony by presenting them with the President’s Award for Volunteerism. This prestigious award celebrates the colony’s outstanding volunteerism. Altogether the 11 actives completed over 900 hours of community service for the academic year, trumping other fraternities and sororities.
“This award is a huge honor and we are very proud that we have earned it,” Service Chair Neel Patel said. “We all put in a lot of work and did so much, it is nice for the university to say they appreciate it.” Some of the volunteer activities included a campus cleanup after an ice storm mangled the campus, the Big Event, where the Deltas helped to construct a garden for a retirement home, and many other projects.
Epsilon also achieved the Unity Award for Greek Student Life for its various activities and participation in Greek life. For the second straight year, the Deltas were also recognized as the Top Participant for Greek Community Forums and for Excellence for an Asian American organization.
