What's Nu at Lambda Nu

A Formal Affair

2010-04-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

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!!

2010-04-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

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 !!!!!!!!

Dress For Success Fashion Show

2010-03-29T11:43:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, March 27, 2010 Alpha Kappa Psi Lambda Nu hosted its Dress for Success Fashion Show. Lambda Nu has hosted this event in the previous years and has been planning its return since this past fall semester. AKPSi brothers and pledges showed off their goods on the runway to benefit a great cause.

Dress for Success is a non-profit organization that works to promote economic independence for disadvantaged women all over the country. Volunteers all over the country donate clothing, their time, or their experience to help unemployed women enter the workforce. Jeff Mindell, a brother of Lambda Nu, invited his mother to come speak at the event, considering she has volunteered with Dress For Success for several years. Mrs. Mindell was able to share personal stories of how the organization is able to boost Women's self-confidence and encourage them to re-enter the workforce. Lambda Nu was extremely grateful to have Mrs. Mindell attend the event and share some of her personal experiences.

The first portion of the event was the fashion show, which first consisted of a "Do's and Don'ts" collections.

Bright distracting socks? I don't think so.

Same goes for the ladies, leave the neon leg tights at home!

Next time keep it subtle, monochromatic suits, socks & tights will be sure to impress.

Same goes for heels!

They look great, but save them for the club.

And I know a backpack is comfortable and simple...

...but it just does NOT work in professional wear.

Those are just a few examples of the many Do's and Don'ts that Lambda Nu wanted to showcase at this year's Dress for Success Fashion Show. After our brothers and pledges were done struttin' their stuff on the runway, the brothers provided a silent auction for guests to bid on. In combination to the donations for the event with the proceeds from the auction, Lambda Nu was able to raise over $500 for Dress for Success! Thanks to everyone who participated in the show and donated to the great cause. Jeff Mindell, for MC-ing the event and for inviting his lovely mother to join; Liz Guez & her family for providing items for the silent auction, and the big thanks to Amanda Augustine, our Dress for Success Chair; without her hard work throughout the semester this event would not have been a success, wonderful job Amanda!

Pledge Mission RUSH Commercials

2010-03-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

A component of the pledge mission for the Beta Iota pledge class this year was to compile a RUSH video for Alpha Kappa Psi. A goal for AKPsi for this semester and for future ones is to expand outside of Kogod to attract students from CAS, SOC, SIS, & SPA. The pledges were instructed to use this commercial to attract these students outside of Kogod. They all did a wonderful job so please enjoy!!

Team B1

Business Intelligence Agency

Winners!: Phoenician Investments

Team Klaapendaaz

The Incredibles

Meltzer Speaker Series Presents Mike Rosenberg

2010-03-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, March 25, 2010 Alpha Kappa Psi had the honor to co-sponsor the Alan Meltzer CEO Leadership Speaker Series. The highly anticipated guest speaker was Michael Rosenberg, American University and KSB graduate, and current president and CEO of Promotion in Motion Companies.

During the struggling economic times, it seems impossile to find a success story. However in Thursday's speaker, we learned that you don't have to look further than your campus dorm room. Michael Rosenberg attended American University with the initial intention to study music while mastering the violin. After a change of heart, in 1979 Rosenberg decided to switch into Kogod School of Business and put forth initiative and actually started his own business, right out of his dorm room in Anderson Hall. With only $150 in start-up capital, Rosenberg was able to create a national brand candy company that continues to grow today. Welch's Fruit Snacks, Sour Jacks, and Sun-Maid Milk Chocolate Raisins are just a few names that you might recognize as Rosenberg's products.

Rosenberg explained to the audience that it was not an easy ride to get to where he is today. Through multiple lawsuits, loss of licenses, and some failed product ideas, perseverance is key. So although the economic times seem disheartening, the next time you're bored in your dorm room, count up your loose change -- it could be the start of your own empire.

The Alan Melter CEO Leadership Speaker Series gives interested students the opportunity to hear from principled business leaders, and is something Alpha Kappa Psi has co-sponsored for the past few years. It is one of our most highly anticipated events and I would just like to thank the hard work from Kogod School of Business, Kogod Graduate Business Association, Kogod Marketing Asociation, and Kogod Undergraduate Business Association for their help in presenting the Speaker Series.

Mission Accomplished!

2010-03-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last week was definitely a busy one for the Beta Iota pledge class. Their pledge mission kicked-off on Sunday, March 14th, where they were formed in teams and given task of assembling a hypothetical investment plan for the brotherhood. In addition to this task, each team received $50 in start-up cash to fundraise throughout the week. You might have seen the many facebook event invites for "Wawa Sales" or the familiar "Pizza and Cheesy Bread in Anderson" and one team even went to great lengths to offer washing students' dishes! All the brothers were extremely impressed with Beta Iota's creativity in fundraising, which proved to pay off -- the teams raised over $2,000 altogether!!

Sunday concluded the pledge mission week, where the teams in Beta Iota presented their investment proposals to Lambda Nu. It was obvious to everyone that the pledges put an enormous amount of time into their presentations, in addition to their RUSH video commercials.

Team "The Incredibles" were awarded with having the best presentation, while the "Phoenician Investments" won the entire week-long pledge mission. With extremely successful fundraising events, a thorough analysis of their investment portfolio, and hilarious rush video, Phoenician Investments earned their victory. However that does not slight any of the other teams. Pledge mission is huge time commitment and I want to thank all of the Beta Iota pledge class for their hard work and dedication, everyone did a phenomenal job!

Alumni Return to AU & Lambda Nu!

2010-03-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone survived midterms and had a wonderful, relaxing, and fun spring break! My apologies for the few weeks on hiatus, I'm finally back with some Lambda Nu updates!

Our Vice President of Alumni, Zach Siegel hosted Lambda Nu's alumni career day on Saturday, March 20th. The day first began with one-on-one mock interviews. Alumni guests met with undergraduate AKPsi brothers to practice the routines of a real life job interview along with resume critiques. After the alumni provided feedback for the brothers, and the interview jitters subsided, everyone was able to mix and mingle over a savory lunch catered by subway.

The event then moved into a discussion forum with the alumni panel. Panel guests attending were: Lisa Calandriello who previously worked at Deloitte and is currently working for the Public Company Accounting Oversight board; Adelia Curtis-Duarte who works for OPOWER as a recruiter and impressions manager; Peter Drummond who has worked at Deloitte for the past two and a half years and recently promoted to a senior accounting position; Frank Galasso is a corporate finance expert who works at Accenture; Paul Swoish who works in auditing at Caliber CPA firm; and finally Eileen Levitt who started up her own Human Resources firm.

Zach hosted the panel discussion, prompting questions with about mentorship, social responsibility in business, memorable classes at AU, valuable aspects of AKPsi, and how to create a balance between work and a personal life -- no matter the topic, each alumni provided valuable insight and advice for the brothers in the audience. A very big thanks to all of them for their words of wisdom and for spending a beautiful spring day with us! An even bigger thanks to Zach for planning and organizing the event. His efforts began early in the semester to make the day a great success, well done and kudos to Zach!

A quick congratulations to the pledges for a successful pledge mission week! Stay tuned for a post summing up the awesome work they did all week !!

I know who YOUR big is!....

2010-02-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

...but really, I do.

No more guessing, the Beta Iota class finally knows who their bigs are! Big/Little week started last Sunday night when every little was given a gift from their secret big. Throughout the week bigs decorated their littles' rooms and left clues, gifts, food, and anticipation. Questions surrounding who their mystery mentor was consumed the Beta Iota pledge class until this past Thursday at Revelation.

Big/Little Revelation was this past Thursday, February 18 in Kogod School of Business. Clues left from the previous days were recounted for the littes to finally find out who their bigs are! Matches with new members and brothers were perfect this semester, and thanks to our VP of Membership Melissa Smith and the Beta Iota Pledgemaster, Jacque Martin for organizing the entire event!

Beta Iotas Kick-Off with Pledge Brunch!

2010-02-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday the Beta Iota pledge class held their first event for the brotherhood - an amazing brunch with coffee & tea, donuts, bagels, oatmeal, fruit & sweets - and it was a huge success! Every brother was amazed at what the pledges were able to put together, especially due to the hindering snowstorm conditions. Every year it seems that the pledge brunch gets better and better, and this year was no disappointment!

In the spirit of Superbowl Sunday, the brunch had a football theme, with pledges and guests arriving in favorite sports team attire. In addition to the creative football decorations, the pledges wrote down every brothers name on a small football paper jersey, for a raffle contest held later in the afternoon -- congratulations to Shayna Frankel for taking home the gift certificate to Crepes A Go-Go!

With the excitement of Big/Little week in the future, brothers and pledges met with one another to see who would be potential new members to their families, it's only a matter of time to find out!

To conclude the brunch, the Beta Iota class formally introduced themselves to the brothers with a pledge slide show, showcasing their hometown, majors, favorite sports, and interesting facts. Our hosts Alex Bronnenkant, Matt Killip, and Alexander Robinson all provided entertaining commentary throughout the presentation. It was great getting to know all of the Beta Iota class better, and the entire brotherhood is excited for the events our pledge class has planned next! Great job again BI!!!

SNOWPOCALYPSE 2010

2010-02-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

So if you have been outside of the DC area, or just live in hibernation regularly, and didn't hear about the major snowstorm that hit us this weekend, here are the updates! Some sad news started the weekend, with many brothers unable to attend the Principled Business Leadership Institute (PBLI) in Philadelphia. About 20 brothers had signed up to attend this weekend of information, bonding, leadership, and brotherhood, but unfortunately mother nature had gotten in the way. We hope that every chapter that was able to attend this weekend had a safe trip and great time, sorry that we could not be there!

Although the weekend started off a little rough, the brothers of Lambda Nu did not let this news get them down and embraced the falling snow on Saturday with a friendly snowball fight in front of Kogod School of Business. Brothers and pledges let some of their pent-up cabin fever out by hurling huge snow balls at one another. The Beta Iotas joined in the fun, the brothers ambushed them, and in retaliation our president Julia Moon was held "hostage." She's safe now, thanks to a few brave brothers. Everyone ended the afternoon with a cease-fire, and continued behind Katzen for some sledding.

So we all survived SNOWPOCALYPSE 2010.... because you were all worried that we wouldn't, right? Enjoy the rest of the snow and stay warm & ready, DC is supposed to get another 7-10 inches this Tuesday!

Beta Iota - Spring Pledge Class 2010

2010-02-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to everyone of the Beta Iota Spring 2010 pledge class!!

Lambda Nu has inducted the new pledges of Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity! After a successful and competitive recruitment process, the brotherhood has selected a truly remarkable pledge class that will be sure to impress us throughout the semester! Students ranging from freshmen to juniors, from Kogod to CAS, SPA, SOC and SIS, to students from the U.S. and abroad - Beta Iota has it all.

Chicken tenders, quesadillas, pizza and burgers were all enjoyed during our weekly Tavern Tuesday event. But this week was even an even greater night in MGC with the Beat Iota class attending. Tuesdays are nights that every brother can look forward to, but with the great company of the new members, Tavern food was that much more tolerable....uhh, i mean enjoyable :)

Due to our many dedicated students in AKPsi, there are times when class must come before Tavern Tuesdays. However, those who were unable to partake in the fun and get to know more about the Beta Iotas were able to enjoy Valentine's Day cookies in Kogod New Student Lounge on Thursday afternoon. Our VP of Membership, Melissa Smith quickly organized the event for even more brother/pledge bonding time. Thanks to Mel for putting it all together and for the delicious Valentine's Day cookies and cupcakes!

From Induction, to Tavern delicious-ness, to treats on a Thursday afternoon, all the brothers have enjoyed this first week of knowing the Beta Iotas. Lambda Nu hopes that the entire pledge class is excited for what the semester has in store for them. The BI executive board members will soon be elected, this Sunday is pledge brunch--the first event the pledge class will host for the brotherhood--and Big/Little week is looming in the near future!

Another great big welcome to the BETA IOTA SPRING PLEDGE CLASS!!! Hope that you are all excited for what is next to come, because the brothers certainly are! We are so lucky and happy to have all of you, get ready for a fantastic semester!!!!!

One RUSH of a week...

2010-01-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

After our first day of rush on Monday, all the brothers of Lambda Nu were happy to see fresh and familiar faces throughout the rest of the week at our following rush events.

Tuesday night was themed, "Fall in Love with Business all over again..." and featured speed-dating with the brothers. Each potential new member was able to speak with a brother for about 2 minutes, before they were rotated to another brother of the Lambda Nu chapter. This allowed many brothers and rushees to meet each other and learn more about Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity.

Wednesday night was "Casino night" back in the Kogod new student Lounge. Interested rushees tried their luck with the brothers with cards games while engaging in casual conversations.Monday through Wednesday rush events provided a casual environment for rushees to get to know the brotherhood and to see if AKPsi is the right organization for them.

Thursday night was time for the brothers to show that they mean business. Professional rush kicked off with a period of mingling with the brothers, segueing to insights from our speakers for the evening. Brother Bill Killion started off by recounting his personal experience at professional rush during fall 2008 and how that convinced him to put his full effort into AKPsi. Professor Emily Lindsay, an honorary faculty brother expressed to the audience that life provides opportunities for everyone, and it is those people who take advantage of them that will truly fulfill their potential -- becoming a member of AKPsi is one of those opportunities.

Professor Sue Marcum, faculty brother and AU alum, enlightened those interested in pledging that time management is key to success; how vital it is learn it now and practice it in one's future career. Finally our Vice President of Alumni, Zachary Siegel explained that the benefits of being a brother now are just as important as the ones once you graduate and join the vast network of alumni brothers in Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity. The night ended with the brothers showing their sincere gratitude to all the speakers for their time and effort.

Thank you to all of the interested students who came out to rush!! Also, to our Vice President of Membership, Melissa Smith and Vice President of Marketing, Dana Fleishaker for creating and organizing the events for the week along with the help of their dedicated committees. Their hard work throughout the past few months helped ensure a huge turnout this week. Good luck to everyone involved in the remainder of the rush process, the entire chapter is extremely excited for our Spring 2010 pledge class!

RUSH to start your week with AKΨ

2010-01-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Today was our first day of open Rush in Kogod's new student lounge in which interested students arrived to mix and mingle with brothers to learn more about Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity.

The theme was "Breakfast starts your day, AKΨ starts your career." Brothers spoke with potential new members about how AKPsi is a valuable organization to be a part of. With a balance between social and professional events, brothers are able to gain skills that will help them now and into their careers, while creating friendships that will last a lifetime.

A big thanks to all those who came out to learn more about our wonderful organization, and for those of you who couldn't make it, stop by at our rush events scheduled for the rest of the week! You'll learn more about the countless benefits that AKPsi has to offer!

Tomorrow we start falling in love with business all over again in the SIS Lounge, stop by between 7:00pm-9:00pm for speed-dating with the brothers.

All Fired Up !

2010-01-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome Back Brothers !!!!

This past Saturday, the Lambda Nu brothers gathered at All Fired Up pottery studio for our first social event of the semester to welcome back abroad and new brothers. For a few hours, we all enjoyed choosing a piece of ceramic art and painting our own personal designs.

Whether you were creating your own masterpiece or just taking in the fun, it was a relaxing way to catch up with old friends and introduce new ones! A big thanks goes to Melissa Smith for organizing the event, allowing us to enjoy ourselves as a brotherhood before a hectic semester gets into full swing.

DON'T FORGET, RUSH starts Monday January 18th !!!!

RUSH !!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-15T10:58:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again, you can feel it in the air.....RUSH season is upon us! AKPsi's Lambda Nu Chapter will be hosting OPEN RUSH this upcoming week, Monday January 18 through Thursday, January 21, 2010. Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors are all welcome! While AKPsi is the premiere professional business fraternity on campus, ALL majors are welcome and extremely encouraged to attend!!!

Start your week off right! Let AKPsi tell you how we can jump-start your career, Monday, January 18, 1 - 3pm in Kogod New Student Lounge.
Fall in love with business on Tuesday from 7-9pm in McDowell formal lounge for speed-dating with the brothers!
Come try your luck on Wednesday, 7-9pm for an AKPsi casino night in Kogod New Student Lounge***
Dress to Impress! Come see the brothers looking their best for professional rush, Thursday 6:30-9:00pm in McDowell Formal Lounge.

If you're wondering what AKPsi is, what we do, who we are, why you should join, then COME TO RUSH!! All your questions and more will be answered, you'll meet amazing people, and have a wonderful time!! Hope to see you all there !!!

If you have any questions, you can e-mail Melissa Smith at membership@alphakappapsi.org.

***There will be no gambling taking place at this event

Welcome!

2010-01-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome back! Alpha Kappa Psi's American University Lambda Nu chapter is excited for the new year and new semester! After a long break I hope that you are all refreshed and ready for new classes, new teachers, and new opportunities.

To start, this blog is a new addition to the Lambda Nu chapter and is meant to keep all of those in the American University community updated on all of the chapter's activities. This includes current active brothers, those abroad, potential new members, and the general student body. Alpha Kappa Psi prides itself on the multifaceted events that we partake in throughout the semester--whether they be professional, community service, social, or fundraising--and this blog is meant to recap on all of those fun and rewarding activities that we hope you all enjoy.

The entire Lambda Nu chapter is extremely excited for all the events that we are planning for the semester, so be sure to check the blog regularly to learn what is up next!