Gamma Gamma
Gamma Gamma is the University of California at Berkeley chapter of Alpha Phi Omega. The chapter currently has about 60 members.
History
Gamma Gamma, the seventy-fifth chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, was chartered on December 6, 1939. During the first few turbulent years many of the chapter records were lost. Most pre-WWII records of Gamma Gamma are unavailable. Because of WWII, many chapters of Alpha Phi Omega became inactive, including the one at the University of California at Berkeley. However, after the war, many members tried to re-charter lost chapters and continue their dedication to serving others.
The first meeting was held on Tuesday, April 15, 1947, at seven o'clock in the venting at the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity House. All former members and Scouts were invited to become active members of the Gamma Gamma chapter. On that Tuesday night, the men of Gamma Gamma decided to meet every other Tuesday night at seven in the evening. This tradition is still followed.
The Gamma Gamma chapter faded in 1971. In the spring of 1976, Gamma Gamma held its first new project, a book swap, but the project failed miserably. On January 8, 1976 the rechartered members filed an application with the university to be recognized as an "official" student organization. The rechartering initiation was held April 2, 1977, with Iota Phi as the host chapter.
Traditions
Meetings are held every other Tuesday night at 7pm, with pledge reviews on Tuesdays with no meeting beginning after the third chapter meeting of the semester and ending the week before the seventh chapter meeting. Executive Committee (Ex-Comm) meetings are generally held the Sunday before any chapter meeting, although they are sometimes moved because of schedule conflicts. Spring pledge class namesakes are voted on by the chapter, and the chapter generally hopes that the namesake will have an opportunity to interact with the pledge class.
The Gamma Gamma chapter participates in numerous ongoing service projects. Twice a week, brothers tutor students at Edna Brewer Middle School in Oakland. The chapter assists with Cal Star Yoga, an adaptive yoga class for individuals with disabilities in the community. In the fall, the chapter hosts a Halloween carnival at Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley. In the spring, brothers assist with the Academy of Friends Gala in San Francisco, an event raising funds for HIV/AIDS organizations in the Bay Area, as well as the City of Oakland Spring Egg Hunt, which the chapter calls Eggstravaganza. Each semester, the current pledge class participates in a pledge class service project, organized by the Pledge Service Committee and attended by the pledge class and Pledge Committee (Pledge-Comm or P-Comm). The chapter also participates in numerous one-time projects as well as interchapter projects.
Each semester, we have several large fellowships. A banquet is held at the end of each semester, at which time graduating seniors are honored and new officers are installed. The chapter began hosting interchapter poker nights in 2004, a newer tradition popularized by Harvey Duan and Vincent Chin. APhiO-mazing Race, an interchapter fellowship, is another newer semesterly tradition, first hosted by Harvey Duan and Evan Lue in the fall of 2004. Traditionally, the chapter holds a dance each semester, although occasionally the Fellowship Vice President will opt for other events instead. The pledge class plans two fellowship events for the chapter: broomball, which occurs after PR 2, and campout, a two-day event where actives and pledges alike stay overnight and get to know each other better.
Several different awards are presented within the chapter. These include Gamma Gamma Maniac, Pledge Gamma Gamma Maniac, Sturdy Oak, Pledge Oak, and Fun Awards. Gamma Gamma Maniacs are selected based on nominations from fellow brothers. Fun Awards are presented during each semesterly banquet and are voted on by the chapter. Chapter Distinguished Service Keys are voted on by actives during the semester and awarded at the semesterly banquet.
Pledge Classes
Recent Gamma Gamma pledge classes include:
Spring 2012 | Jennifer Sun (JS) |
Fall 2011 | Charles P. Zlatkovich (CPZ) |
Spring 2011 | Katie Strausser (KS) |
Fall 2010 | James L. Chandler (JLC) |
Spring 2010 | Geoffrey Lee (GL) |
Fall 2009 | Jack McKenzie (JM) |
Spring 2009 | Sheehan Tejamo (ST) |
Fall 2008 | Wilfred Krenek (WK) |
Spring 2008 | Chris Cheuk (CC) |
Fall 2007 | John C. "Jack" Jadel (JCJ) |
Spring 2007 | My Linh Nguyen (MLN) |
Fall 2006 | Kate Westlake (KW) |
Spring 2006 | Derek Wang (DW) |
Fall 2005 | Gerald A. Schroeder (GAS) |
Spring 2005 | Tina Tjahja (TT) |
Fall 2004 | Togo West (TW) |
Spring 2004 | Annie Chung (AC) |
Fall 2003 | Ray Hancock (RH) |
Spring 2003 | Jenny S. Chang (JSC) |
Fall 2002 | George Dacy (GD) |
Spring 2002 | Jerry J. Jen (JJJ) |
Fall 2001 | Robert J. Hilliard (RJH) |
Spring 2001 | Joe Yang (JY) |
Fall 2000 | Robert C. Barkhurst (RCB) |
Spring 2000 | Gilbert K. Lee (GKL) |
Fall 1999 | Stan Carpenter (SC) |
Spring 1999 | Christine L. Chan (CLC) |
Fall 1998 | Joseph F. Kuchta (JFK) |
External links
Alpha Phi Omega - Gamma Gamma Chapter
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