2018 KSTUAA Officer and Board Nominations are Open

At the March 12, 2018 KSTUAA Board Meeting nominations were opened. 

If you want to nominate yourself or another alumnus please submit the nomination via email at KSTUAA@gmail.com by June 1. 

At the March meeting nominations for 6 KSTUAA Board spots were captured for the election at the Annual Meeting for 2018-2020 term.:

1. Craig Stichtenoth ’72;
2. Brad Mikes ’82;
3. Wes Bren ’85;
4. Chris Elder ’85;
5. Mike McNally ’86;
6. Nathan Varnum ’87;

There are also two open seats for the term ending in 2019 that can receive nominations.

John Schoger '87 has been nominated for one of these. John also serves on the Theta-Upsilon Housing Company Board

Nominations for 4 officers: President, VP, Sec, Tres for a 1 year term were also captured for the election at the Annual Meeting:

• President: Mike McNally & Clay Hunt
• Vice-President: Brad Mikes & Mark Rowland
• Treasurer: James Lewis
• Secretary: Craig Stichtenoth

Nominations will remain open until June 1 by email and can be made at the annual meeting in person. 

Elections will be held at the KSTUAA Annual Meeting in Oxford during the Miami Alumni Weekend 2018, Saturday, June 8.

There are two major changes on the Board with both Brothers Wes Bren and Chris Elder not accepting nominations for officer posts that they have held for 6 years.  Brother Elder is prohibited per the by-laws from serving more than six consecutive terms in the office of Treasurer.  He is eligible to be elected as the Treasurer again after a one-year hiatus from the position.

Brother Bren, at the 2017 Annual Meeting indicated his desire to step away from the President's responsibilities due to his other commitments as Alumnus Advisor for the Nu-Psi Chapter at the University of Cincinnati, Assistant District Grand master for Southern Ohio and to free up time for the organization of a recolonization of Theta-Upsilon Chapter.

Brother Brad Mikes who is the only other officer to serve since KSTUAA's inception remains a nominee for the role of Vice-President.

2018 Cossa Challenge to Fund a new Memorial Fund

Every year we host the Cossa Challenge, our alumni version of the NCAA Basketball Bracket Game... and this year the proceeds go to create a Memorial Fund to make sure no Brother passes on to the Celestial without being honored and remembered by his friends and brothers.

We NEED YOU to participate... either play the Cossa challenge for $25 per bracket or make a donation to KSTUAA to help us fund this important NEW designated fund.  We will send out a link to the site to register this Sunday. For now we just ask that you make a personal commitment to help create this fund.

To participate in the 2018 Cossa Challenge:

Pick the right amount...

1 Bracket $25.00 USD 2 Brackets $50.00 USD 3 Brackets $75.00 USD 4 Brackets $100.00 USD 5 Brackets $125.00 USD 6 Brackets $150.00 USD

or donate directly:

26 Teams Compete for the Honor of Hoisting the Trophy in the 2017 Fricker Cup

The 2017 Fricker Cup returned to Oxford, Ohio and Hueston Woods as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration.  The tournament used a two-person, best ball format that required each players to use at least 6 of their scores.  

The 2017 also included a new Twitter Leader Board requirement that meant each team was required to tweet their raw scores after 9 and 18 holes to @TheEddieFricker and with the hastag #FrickerCup. Failing to report the scores would result in a penalty stroke.  Reported from the course indicated this was a more challenging task than anticipated. It wasn’t clear whether players experiencing difficulty was a result of technology aptitude or inebriation. 

Addition new rules were put in place. The Vuicich Mercy Rule allowed players to pick up their ball and record a triple bogie to speed play. The Schoed Rule (winter golf) rule and the Eddie Switcheroo Card were also in force.


For the first time since the inaugural tournament the Fricker Cup Trophy was on the course during the tournament. Brother Brett Howell IC ’86 rented a cart and cared for the trophy careful to wear the white gloves to avoid the Fricker Curse. 

KSTUAA also want to thank Brother Randall Shoker IC ‘80 for volunteering to take photos from the course.  Brother Shoker took some great photos during the event. These have been posted to Snapfish for those that want to order prints. To view: 2017 Fricker Cup Photo Album  - View Snapfish Album  Digital copies of any of these photos can also be requested by dues paying members who email KSTUAA@gmail.com

A video of the event was created and shared at the Saturday night banquet. Click here to view.

L-R: Winners of the 2017 Fricker Cup, Brothers Scott RichIC’89 and Tim Ruppelli IC’87 pose for a picture with Joe Turner IC’87 and Jim McGonagle IC’87 before teeing off at Hueston Woods.

Prizes Winners included:

Fricker Cup Trophy: Scott Rich IC’89 & Tim Ruppelli IC’87
Alumnus who traveled the farthest: Tim Honkomp IC’79 Japan

Best Team Uniforms: Tim Honkomp IC’79 & John Queen IC’80

Longest made putt (Hole 6): Dan Wehrman IC ‘90

Longest Drive (Hole 11): David Buckley IC ‘87

Closest to the Pin (Hole 18): Doug Baker IC ‘86
Best Photo while on course: Aaron Ort IC’89 
Best Video while on course: Aaron Ort IC’89  

Questions about a chapter restart will be addressed at the 50th

The undergraduate chapter situation has been covered in recent issues of the Fricker Report but the question about what is next has NOT been decided. 

Will Theta-Upsilon be restarted? 
Or will we sell the chapter houses never to return?

The 50th Anniversary weekend will include 3 sessions to help alumni assess the situation, the opportunities and the challenges of restarting a chapter. The first session is Friday afternoon and the others are Saturday morning. These sessions are open to Open to All Kappa Sigma Alumni whether they registered for the weekend celebration or not.

Miami Greek System Update and Q&A with Jenny Levering, Director of Student Activities and the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life 
Location: 102 Bachelor Hall 
Friday, 4:00-5:00 PM

Re-colonization Reports 
Location: 102 Benton Hall 
Saturday, 9:30-11:00 AM
The current line-up is as follows:
9:30-10:00 Modern Brotherhood Culture and Recruitment --- Mike McNally, Chair
10:00-10:30 Facility Needs for a Modern Brotherhood – Brad Mikes, Chair

10:30-11:00 Volunteer (AA/AAA), Alumni Board & Oversight Needs – Chris Broome, Chair

Kappa Sigma Fraternity Update & Q&A with Mic Wilson, Executive Director of Kappa Sigma  
Location: 102 Benton Hall 
Saturday, 11:30-12:30 PM

Alumni should download and read the FAQ Document produced by the "Stakeholder" Committee that will be shared at the weekend. 

These sessions follow up on 3 informational sessions web/conference calls KSTUAA held this fall. Please email us for links to those replays.  

After the weekend, KSTUAA will post the presentations from the RE-colonization Reports sessions and will invite out our alumni to comment and share their thoughts about the issue through a survey. This input will guide the KSTUAA Board in their recommendation and actions.

Please take a few minutes to read the FAQ and engage with this important information about the possible future of Theta-Upsilon. 

Happy 50th Anniversary Theta-Upsilon

(April 1, 2017) 50 years ago, 34 young men were brought to Harrison Hall and initiated into the Bonds of Brotherhood of Kappa Sigma and thus began the Theta-Upsilon Chapter at Miami University of Ohio.  

Above: A selection from the article about Miami's Installation published in The Caduceus in 1968.  Click here to see the full article.

The journey to bring Kappa Sigma to Miami University actually began in 1906 but it wasn't until 1964 when a transfer student and Kappa Sigma pledge from Butler University named Timothy R. Chase ’67 came to Miami that the idea became a reality. Chase and four other men including Alan Higgins ‘67, Robert Coons ‘67, and Martin Walker ‘67 (Hall of Fame inductee 2012), who had pledged other fraternities at Miami but who had found them lacking, formed a new group for camaraderie. Soon the group had grown to 18 and helped by the dean of men at Miami, Dean William Hollingsworth, a Kappa Sigma Alumnus from Mississippi State) the group formed the Star & Crescent Fraternity and petitioned the Supreme Executive Committee to become an official colony of Kappa Sigma and quickly gained official status with IFC. (Click on the Chapter History tag to see more posts on the chapter history.)

50 years later the Theta-Upsilon Chapter has 1045 living alumni contributing in 100's of professions and local communities, spread throughout the US and the world. 

More than 120 alumni will be returning to Oxford on April 28-30 to celebrate the anniversary and remember what the Kappa Sigma experience brought to their lives.  To commemorate the founding, the Kappa Sigma Theta-Upsilon Alumni Association has collected dues and donations to donate an ornamental tree (with Miami and Kappa Sigma colors) and plaque which will be installed near the location of the current chapter house.

But in contrast to previous celebrations, alumni will find a vacant chapter house and no active chapter to welcome them back. The charter was removed by the SEC in 2016 after a decade of conduct problems and two membership reviews were unable to return the chapter to acceptable operations. (See past issues of the Fricker Report for more details.)

Theta-Upsilon had been the only chapter of Kappa Sigma in Ohio to have never been closed. Now on the its golden anniversary, the Chapter's alumni will have an opportunity to hear more about the situation and voice their thoughts about whether or not the Chapter will be restarted and the legacy of a Friend and Brother continued at Miami University.

A.E.K.D.B.

50th Anniversary Registration Deadline Today!

The commemorative plaque has been cast. The shirt design has been finalized. The cigars have been purchased. The rooms have been reserved. The menu has been picked. The tee-times are reserved. Hotel rooms have been reserved, plane tickets have been purchased and 100+ Alumni have made plans to be in Oxford April 28-30!

Everything is set...  but...

We are waiting on Your last minute registration.

Register online NOW!
Today, March 24 is the deadline.  

Reserve your hotel room by calling today before the block expires.

See you there! AEKDB

Theta-Upsilon Alumni Hall of Fame 2017 Inductees Announced

We are excited to announce the Theta-Upsilon Alumni Hall of Fame 2017 Inductees:

• Brother James Patton, Initiation Class1975
• Brother David Brinkman, Initiation Class1981
• Brother Charles Wonderlic, Initiation Class1983
• Brother Patrick Reedy, Initiation Class1989
• Brother Yulee Newsome, Initiation Class1997
• Brother Nick Griffith, Initiation Class 2000
• Brother Stuart Wall, Initiation Class 2002

Please join us in extending your congratulations and make plans to be present as they are honored Saturday, April 29th at our Anniversary Weekend Banquet in the new Armstrong Center.

We would also like to thank the members of this year's HOF Nomination Committee: George Duffield IC '67; Alan Higgins IC '67; Dave Vuicich IC '72; Dr. Tom Queen IC '77; Rick Sippola IC '85; Jackie Shropshire IC '99; and all those brothers that submitted nominations to the committee!

To learn about past HOF nominees visit our HOF page on our website.