A Formal Affair

Lambda Nu's annual Unity celebration was held this past Saturday, April 25, 2010 at Famoso restaurant in Friendship Heights. Unity is held every Spring semester, and is AKPsi's version of a formal, similar to events of other organizations on campus. Unity is the big celebration of all the accomplishments made throughout the semester from the newly initiated brothers, and the ones over the past years from our graduating seniors.

The night started at 6:30 with brothers and guests arriving at Famoso to be greeted with hors d'oeuvres and great company. Meeting up with friends and mingling with new ones, people were able to take pictures and enjoy the food while the rest of the chapter arrived.


During a brief ceremony, members of the Spring 2010 executive board passed down their reigns to the upcoming Fall 2010 board for next semester. We were able to thank every e-board member for all of their hard work and dedication throughout the semester, next Fall's board has a lot to live up to! Then AKPsi's signature yellow rose was passed out to every graduating senior, recognizing their achievements over the years, and provided an end-of-the-semester send off.


After our delicious three-course meal, Famoso opened up a separate lounge and dance area for everyone to enjoy. Lambda Nu then presented its brother and pledge awards of the semester, and seniors were able to provide words of wisdom for the underclassmen. It is sad to see our huge number of 32 graduating seniors go, but we all wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors, and we hope to see them return to events as active alumni!


Melissa Smith, our Vice President of Membership, along with her Social Chair Jeff Mindell, and the rest of her membership committee worked tirelessly throughout the semester to make sure we had the best unity possible. Everyone had wonderful time and the night was more fun beyond my expectations. Thank you Mel, not only for your work for formal, but for all of your efforts as VP of Membership, you truly made this such a memorable semester!!!


Oh, and another big thanks to Jeff Mindell, Michael Rees, and Rebecca Oren, you took such beautiful pictures I had to borrow some of them !

Lose the Shoes Soccer Tournament!

Saturday, April 24, 2010 was Alpha Kappa Psi's first Lose the Shoes tournament. Teams of three to five people registered to play in an afternoon of soccer games to benefit Grassroot Soccer. Grassroots Soccer is an organization that started in 2002 which trains soccer coaches and stars to organize interactive HIV prevention programs.
After a bagel breakfast and registration, representatives from Grassroot Soccer at Georgetown University conducted a few soccer exercises that they use in their programs, educating kids about making independent choices. Grassroot Soccer uses soccer exercises and charismatic role models in order to ensure active participation in their events and teach them about avoiding HIV and AIDS.


The proceeds collected from every participating player go towards a trip to send ten children from the DC area to South Africa to help spread awareness about the growing HIV and AIDS epidemic. The Lose the Shoes tournament is a huge success for GrassrootSoccer and Lambda Nu was extremely excited to be involved!


The tournament functioned in a round-robin format, with teams from AU's club soccer, varisty swimming & diving teams, Sigma Chi fraternity, and our own brothers from Lambda Nu. Whether you were a soccer pro or a just a beginner, every team was able to play a couple of games while all displaying awesome sportsmanship!


The final round was between members of the club soccer team and 'team connecticut.' After excellent plays from both sides, the club soccer team proved their skills by walking away with the grand prize of a gift certificate to Chef Geoffs! Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank-you to all the people who participated, the event was a greater success than we had imagined. Lambda Nu hopes to continue this event for future years, so if you missed out on Saturday make sure you sign up next Spring!


Michelle Holleran, our Community Service chair of AKPsi had been working extremely hard since the beginning of the semester to ensure the day's event would turn out amazing. Her enthusiasm and love for helping others is always shown in her considerate actions, and even more so on Saturday afternoon. Despite the occasional rain, she was always smiling and working hard to make sure everyone was having fun!

And a shout-out to Jeff Mindell, I am awarding you the MVP of the day because of your broken toe. You proved your dedication to charity and I hope you have a speedy recovery !! :)

AKPsi Day!

This past Thursday, April 15, 2010 was Lambda Nu's first official Alpha Kappa Psi Day! On a gorgeous spring afternoon, Lambda Nu took over part of the Eric A. Friedheim Quadrangle on American University's campus for an afternoon of carnival fun. AKPsi day was a mix of business and pleasure - the brothers of Lambda Nu know when to put on the charm with a dapper suit, but are also able to let their ties loose and have a great time with the entire AU student body.

On the quad there were featured games of Pie the CEO, Balloon shave, Make a Yellow Rose, Rise in the Rank, and Pin the Tie on the CEO were featured on the quad, along with selling refreshing beverages and great company. Participants were able to win "AKPsi bucks" in order to try and win the coveted prize of a Starbucks gift card!












Even SUPERMAN made an appearance!!


Thanks to the hard work of our Vice President of Marketing, Dana Fleishaker, for her planning and execution of the day's event; on short notice she was able to assemble a day of fun and games, a perfect way to relax before hectic weeks of finals! Oh, and Alex Addarrio wanted to personally thank Dana... by pieing her in the face.

Fantastic Job Dana!


Also, enjoy a video of myself and Kendall Byl, having a little bit too much fun with the left-over helium balloons.

CONGRATULATIONS BETA IOTA, WELCOME TO THE BROTHERHOOD!!

On Saturday, April 10th, 2010 the Lambda Nu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi initiated the Beta Iota pledge class. Since January, when Beta Iota was inducted, every new member has proven to exemplify what it means to be a brother in Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity. Integrity, service, brotherhood, knowledge, and unity are AKPsi's core values. Throughout the pledging process, the Beta Iota pledge class has displayed efforts that reflect all of AKPsi's values with ease and efficiency.


It is remarkable how Beta Iota was made it so far since their road to brotherhood began. With the help of their pledgemaster, Jacque Martin, the pledge class was able to develop professional skills that impressed the brotherhood throughout the entire semester. Her guidance and friendship were vital to the pledges' success; and her dedication to their transformation has not gone unnoticed. Thank you Jacque for your hard work with the Beta Iota class!


I was completely amazed with the amount of vigor and excitement each new member displayed throughout pledging. Beta Iota's intelligence and determination, in combination with their compassion and friendliness, made it impossible for Lambda Nu to imagine the brotherhood without them. I think that I can speak on behalf of every Lambda Nu brother by saying, welcome Beta Iota pledge class of Spring 2010, we are so extremely happy and excited to call each of you a brother, and we look forward to all the future memories we will share together in Alpha Kappa Psi. CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!!