Founder's Day

*Brothers of Alpha Delta with sisters of Gamma Sigma Sigma: Founder's Day, 2009*

Founder's Day each year is an event, to say the least. Brothers of Alpha Delta meet up on campus and load into various vehicles, car-pooling to the small town of Burnham, approximately one hour south of Orono. Burnham is a town that most have not heard of, with a greater population of cows than people. It's a perfect site, however, for the annual Founder's Day celebration of the Alpha Delta service fraternity. Founder's Day is a chance for the brothers to take a chance from their service projects and spend some time enjoying one another's company in a low-key, relaxed atmosphere. Many speak of Founders' Day as one of their favorite activities that the fraternity does together each year, something fun they can do before the stress of finals hits and school is out for the summer. Founder's Day, as one can judge from the name, celebrates the founding of the fraternity, a time for the brothers to celebrate each other and the values of the fraternity: mainly, service to the university and the community.

Maine Day: Oozeball

One of the most popular events offered at UMaine's Maine Day each spring is oozeball: a game of volleyball played in a wet, muddy pit near the bank of the river behind the steamplant lot on the UMaine at Orono campus. Oozeball was hosted this year by the Alpha Delta service fraternity, which, along with the Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority, was responsible for holding signups for all the different teams that wished to participate in the competition, and for the setup and cleanup surrounding the event. This included tabling in the Memorial Union for a week prior to Maine Day, taking names and payments from the different teams, the final number of which was over 40. Also, rising at 6:00a.m. on Maine Day to get down by the river and dig out the pit that Oozeball would be played in. Afterwards, the brothers were in charge of cleaning up whatever mess they could, taking down the net, and making sure garbage and other clutter in the area was disposed of. Oozeball draws not only dozens of participants, but spectators numbering in the hundreds all come to watch their friends and classmates get down and dirty for some muddy fun. The event is viewed as a bonding experience by the other fraternities and sororities, and simply a good laugh for friends willing to ruin an old pair of clothes and risk looking a little silly in the process. Alpha Delta put in a lot of hard work and was rewarded by the overall success of the event at last week's Maine Day event.

Parents' Night Out (PNO)

Above is a picture taken at last Friday's Parents' Night Out evening, hosted by Alpha Delta and their sister sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma. Parents' Night Out, commonly referred to by the brothers as "PNO", is an event hosted by Alpha Delta and Gamma Sigma Sigma once each semester, usually the weekend directly before finals. It is an evening when the brothers and sisters volunteer to watch children of local parents so that they can have a night off for themselves. This is particularly useful for student parents who otherwise might not have an opportunity to study in solitude without having to look after their children. It is not offered simply to students, however, but is a service available to all families in the community. PNO takes place on the first floor of the UMaine fitness center, where there are basketball courts available to play on, a place to set up a table for bracelet-making and snacks, and plenty of space for the children to run around and have a good time. PNO goes from 6:00p.m.-10:00p.m., allowing parents enough time to get some thing accomplished or enjoy some quality R&R without the youngsters underfoot.

Alpha Delta Brothers are BANANAS for Service

You may recognize UMaine's mascot, Bananas-the-Bear. A cheery, furry figure present at most of the sporting Bananas is easily-recognizable even to those who don't attend to University of Maine. What many don't know is the secret of who Bananas is, underneath the costume. I'm letting out a big secret by sharing that Bananas is actually played by different members of the Alpha Delta fraternity each time Bananas is required to make an appearance. It may not be the typical kind of service the brothers perform, but working as the school's mascot does a lot to bring the UMaine community together- rooting for sports teams, uniting at rallies, and joining in appreciation for the bear that is the representation of who we as UMaine students are: proud. Bananas is the symbol of the pride UMaine students have in regards to attending their university; Bananas is the biggest cheerleader of every student that goes here. Alpha Delta brothers are responsible for bringing this school pride to UMaine, and that certainly constitutes a great act of service for UMaine and the local community.

Food Drive

One of the service projects that the Alpha Brothers do on a weekly basis is food drive. This takes place each Friday afternoon at 2:00p.m., and generally takes approximately an hour to complete. The brothers take the same van that is used for the Late Night Local and collect food left over from all the dining commons on campus, load it into the van, and transport it over to the local soup kitchen in Bangor. This keeps the food from being wasted, as the commons would simply throw it out, and provides food for those in the Bangor community that could not afford to eat otherwise. While it doesn't take much time out of the brothers' day, it is something that has a great impact on needy families in the community and is why the brothers continue to perform this act of service.

Waiting Littles

The Alpha Delta brothers organize and participate in an event that is held once a year called 'Waiting Littles'. This is a day that the brothers spend with children from the local Big Brothers, Big Sisters program who have not yet been assigned their own big brother or sister. Thus the title, Waiting Littles. It is a fun filled day usually spent at the local YMCA where the brothers organize games to play with the children such as dodgeball, bracelet-making, swimming, basketball, soccer, etc. and spend quality time bonding with them. Since they're children, there are of course snacks, which it sometimes seems the brothers enjoy more than the waiting littles! The brothers take this day, usually a Saturday, out of their busy schedules to be a friend to the children, providing what is hopefully a positive influence in their lives as they wait to have their own personal big brother or sister assigned. The children enjoy getting to know the brothers, hearing about what it's like to be in college and talking with them about what they're doing in school, telling them about their friends, home life, and what they themselves want to be when they grow up.

Alex's Lemonde Stand

Alex's Lemonade Stand is a nationwide fundraiser started because of a little girl named Alex who was suffering from cancer. It is now a widespread effort to raise money to help fight against childhood cancer. Stands are setup throughout the U.S. selling lemonade and other lemon products, with the proceeds going toward research to help cure cancer and to treat children patients. The brothers of Alpha Delta work with the Gamma Sigma Sigma sisters to organize several ALS stands throughout the year to raise money for this cause. The stands take place either on campus or in the area, at businesses such as WalMart or Sam's Club, where one was recently held. The brothers and sisters make pitchers of lemonade and bake goods such as lemon-poppyseed muffins, lemon pound cake, etc., and man the stand to sell the goods. After the stand is empty, the money raised is sent to the ALS organization to help fight against childhood cancer and help as many children as possible and have a positive impact on their lives and those of the victims' familes.

Political Posts

"I would like to put together a group of people who would like to talk about the issue of tobacco as it relates to the campus or anything in general. Anyone is invited, smokers and non, as we would like to hear the thoughts and opinions from all as they are truly valued. We would meet for about an hour to discuss this topic. If you are at all interested in participating or if you would like more information please reply sender and I will be happy to get back to you."-Zachary L. Macklin

This is a post made by one of the brothers to the Alpha Delta folder on First Class. Just one example of the involvement many of the brothers have in controversial issues not only on campus, but involving the nation as a whole. Macklin was hosting a forum on campus for students to address the issue of tobacco and how it relates to the country as a whole, but in particularly the UMaine campus. This is a bold move on the part of a student, but one that does not phase leaders such as Macklin. The Alpha Deltas are an opinionated bunch, but a group of brothers who know how to voice these opinions in a mature, articulate manner, a manner that asks to be heard, that calls for change. Many posts in their First Class folder involve the various service projects they are working on, some are jokes between the brothers, but many are politically charged, issues they feel passionate about, changes they want to see made on campus and throughout the community. It's leaders such as this, intelligent, mature young men, that are able to lead their peers and gain the respect necessary to successfully carry out much of the change and the service that we see completed on the UMaine campus as a result of their efforts.

Late Night Local

You may have heard of the Late Night Local, the University of Maine's unique and original mode of transportation offered to those who have had a bit too much to safely transport themselves. Affectionately referred to by many as "the drunk bus", the Late Night Local is a large van, similar in appearance to the one featured above, that is driven every weekend by the Alpha Delta Brothers and Gamma Sigma Sigma sisters. Each Friday and Saturday night, one brother and one sister fires up the box-shaped van and drives about the Orono/Old Town area offering rides to students walking along the sidewalks or through campus. Sometimes even venturing into Bangor, the LNL, as it is often abbreviated, provides a safe, free, no questions asked ride for students who are over the limit of intoxication to safely drive themselves, and do not have money or simply do not want to pay to take a cab from place to place. The rules are simple: if you want a ride, flag down the van and hop on, just don't bring any alcohol or illicit drugs on with you. Also, the brothers prefer no vomiting while inside the van. It's common knowledge that this is one of the rules that some literally cannot adhere to once they have reached a certain point.

The LNL generally operates from 10:00p.m.-2:00a.m. each Friday and Saturday night, but sometimes is out later or is shut down early, depending on the amount of riders there are.

So, if you find yourself out and about in Orono this weekend, stumbling along the sidewalk on your way to the next hopping party and you see a big, rumbling van driving past- you may very well hear a voice holler out the passenger side window, "Late Night Local, do you need a ride?" Don't be afraid to get on, they're there to help and are not going to get you into any trouble or charge you a fee. The brothers of Alpha Delta simply want to see you arrive at your destination safely. Let them be there to help.

Pledge Period ---> Induction

The pledge period before becoming a brother of Alpha Delta is one that is invigorating, fulfilling, enlightening, educational...intimidating? No, not really that last part. But it certainly is a journey, one that teaches each pledge what it takes to be an official brother of UMaine's service fraternity. During the pledge period, that lasts for a semester with pledges becoming brothers in an induction ceremony that takes place near the close of the semester, pledges learn what it is to do community service as a part of a team. Many who join have performed community sevice in the past, thus explaining their interest in the group. Most have not, however, worked as closely as they will learn to do with their newfound brothers to complete projects throughout their time here at UMaine.
So what goes along with pledging Alpha Delta? Pledges are required to complete 15 hours of service during their pledge period, and complete fundraising hours on top of that. Service hours can be earned by participating in various projects organized by the fraternity such as the Late Night Local, Food Drive, Parents' Night Out, Maine Day events, etc. Fundraising hours involve any projects that raise funds to help the support the fraternity's projects financially. While most fraternities are known for hazing their pledges by waking them in the middle of the night to perform outrageous stunts, demanding that they drink copious amounts of alcohol, and other ridiculous and sometimes dangerous deeds, Alpha Delta does not believe in hazing, thus further supporting their clean image as a responsible, service-oriented group. So not only do they have fun as brothers and have something good to put on their resume, but the pledging period these young men go through also isn't all that bad. Sound good? Students at UMaine seem to think so.

My Beat Topic

My beat is service performed by groups on the University of Maine at Orono campus, specifically, Alpha Delta: UMaine's only service fraternity. Collaborating in many projects with the Alpha Delta brothers are the members of their sister sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma, of which I am a sister. So as to remain unbiased and objective, I will keep my focus mainly on projects completed by the Alpha Delta brothers. Service to the community is something that is very important to me; I have for a long time performed community service, and enjoy the feeling of fulfillment that comes from giving something back to the community. It is for this reason that I admire and follow the actions of the brothers of Alpha Delta and will be chronicling some of the projects that they are working on this semester.

Journalism

This is my first entry for this blog that I'm starting for my CMJ 236 class. In it I will be reporting on various newsy things regarding my beat. My beat topic is Alpha Delta, the branch of a national service fraternity that operates on the UMaine campus. Alpha Delta is one of the smaller fraternities, and is the only one whose primary focus is on the performance of community service. The brothers participate in various projects throughout the year, some occasional and some that they do on a weekly basis. These include driving the Late Night Local with members of their sister sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma, organizing events for the Maine Day celebrations- this year they will be the hosts of Oozeball- and much more. I will be outlining some of these projects and providing more background about Alpha Delta and their goals in my future blog entries.

CMJ 236 is a good course that will better prepare me for a career in Journalism by teaching me the basics of writing for print. Blogging about my beat topic I think will help me feel more familiar with my topic and force me to become more knowledgeable about it. It offers a more informal portrayal of what I could also be reporting in a news or feature story, which I think sometimes makes it easier for readers to relate to. Citizen journalism is ever-growing in popularity, and I look at this as an example of that.