Miao's Local Off-Term

This winter I spent fifteen weeks working at Renesys, a local internet intelligence company located a few minutes north of town. With the new school schedule granting students an extended winter break, I decided to make the most of it and began work a few weeks after enjoying Thanksgiving. While many find Hanover winters miserable and gloomy, these past few months have been a well-needed and balanced combination of work experience, leisure, and relaxation.

On the job, I was immersed in an fast-paced environment that had aspects of both data research and internet monitoring. Live events all over the world had propagating effects that directly influenced our work, ranging from the network outages caused by the Syrian civil war to the opening of a submarine internet cable into Cuba. By analyzing the types of responses that certain devices, such as routers and computers, were returning to our servers, we were able to compile vast amounts of data regarding the structure of the internet. We would then use computing clusters that rivaled the power of those in Thayer or Sudikoff to convert, filter, and produce easily understandable interpretations for clients and further use in data analysis.

Without the lingering burden of homework, I found myself with much more time to hang out with friends, hit the gym, and attend campus events. And while I'm very much looking forward to what spring term will bring me, I'll always consider this term a very successful and meaningful one.

I would highly recommend and encourage any students thinking about off-term options to consider enjoying the benefits and comfort of Hanover while working in any of the region's wide spectrum of industries.

YiK,

Kevin Miao '14

2nd Annual Tri-Kap NYC Reunion

   On Wednesday, February 13, Tri-Kap brothers from 5 generations gathered at Dewey's Flatiron in Manhattan for our 2nd Annual New York City Tri-Kap Reunion.

   

   It was great to see brothers who attended last year and many new faces as well.  Over food and drinks (and a couple chugs and house songs) in our private space, brothers caught up with each other, shared stories and heard about the impressive crop of undergraduates in Hanover and the upcoming Tri-Kap Capital Campaign to rebuild the house at 1 Webster Avenue.

   

   Many thanks to Sunil Bhagavath '03, Max David '12 and Sean Wilson '80 for helping to organize the evening and to the ~50 brothers who attended. We hope to see many more brothers at other reunion events around the country and in Hanover in the future. Here is a picture of many who attended our NYC Reunion.

A crowd of Tri-Kap brothers enjoy an evening at Dewey's Flatiron
during the 2nd Annual NYC Tri-Kap Reunion

Yours in Kappa,

Michael Brasher '10

Board of Alumni

World-Renowned Physicist Visits Tri-Kap

   On Tuesday, the brotherhood had the opportunity to host Dartmouth Professor Marcelo Gleiser for an hour while he discussed his current research with those in attendance. Professor Gleiser is a world-famous physicist who works to popularize science to benefit the whole of humanity. He has written three books on the origins of the universe and has a weekly feature on NPR. 

Professor Marcelo Gleiser (seated right of center), addresses
a crowd of inquisitive Tri-Kaps.

   He came to Tri-Kap to discuss his studies in the realm of theoretical physics and their implications for intelligent life in the universe. For example, his most recent research has been into whether or not our universe is one large simulation -- think The Sims on a universal scale. Turns out there is not really much of a way to prove whether we are or not, so "don't worry about it."
   
   There was strong attendance by the brotherhood, and every seat was filled as Professor Gleiser answered numerous questions from inquisitive brothers. Even though he eventually needed to rush out to continue his work, his visit left everyone in attendance pondering very big questions for a long time afterward.


YiK,
Vince Marriott
Academic Chair

China Trip

After being in Hanover for four straight terms, it was great to enjoy Dartmouth's new six-week winter break by traveling around China. On this trip, my goal was to go beyond the commercialized metropolises of the new global power and discover the natural beauty of the landscape, as well as learn about the different minority (non-Han) cultures in Southwest China. After flying from Shanghai into Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province and China's gateway to Southeast Asia, I visited the Stone Forest, an amazing park filled with stone formations said to be around 270 million years old. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. 

During the two weeks that I spent in Yunnan, I traveled as far up as 13,000 feet above sea level. Along the way, I was struck by the beauty in the way the clouds and the sky seemed to linger right over the horizon. By the end, I had learned a little Tibetan after spending a night at a Tibetan's home for a party (and sharing some drinks with our host), almost getting hitched to our host's daughters, gotten absolutely sick of Yak meat, and gained a greater understanding of people whose lifestyles have only recently started changing after hundreds of years of stagnancy. The rest of time in China was spent doing conventional touristy things in big cities. By the end of my trip, I felt refreshed and ready to return to our home at 1 Webster. 

If anyone is interested in visiting that part of China and needs any travel tips, feel free to let me know. I definitely recommend it. 

Yours In Kappa,

Anthony Zhao '14

Projector: I hardly even know her!

Last term the brotherhood purchased a projector from Best Buy to replace the TV that was devastatingly broken over the summer. It took two months to get here, but it is now finally installed in the first floor library. The screen measures 106 inches diagonally. That's 8.8 feet or about two times as tall as Paul Wagdalt '13, Tri-Kap's president. For all you technofiles out there, the projector is an Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 3020 3D 3LCD projector. We haven't tried the 3D mode out yet but I'm sure it will add a lot of depth to the viewing experience.

But wait, what if the projector is broken just like the TV was? - you must be asking yourself. Well we thought of that, and have made it really difficult to break this one. The projector is tied down in a wooden case mounted on the ceiling, the speakers are at the top of the walls out of reach to most, the receiver is locked up, the screen retracts, and the door to the library has a combo lock, preventing any non-brothers from entering the room. I have also sent many stern emails to the brotherhood about protecting this room.

Anthony Zhao '14 enjoying a RomCom on the new projector.

This projector has helped revive the library and turned it back into a room where you can always expect to find a handful of brothers hanging out. It has already proven invaluable to our house in creating a great space for brothers to bond with each other. From romantic comedies, like the one Anthony Zhao '14 is watching in this picture, to super bowl football games, the projector surely will light the way to a stronger Tri-Kap brotherhood.

YiK,

Chris Woods '13

Treasurer

Tri-Kap NYC Reunion

Please join fellow Tri-Kap alumni from the New York City area for our next Tri-Kap reunion event on Wednesday, February 13th at Dewey's Flatiron. Tri-Kaps from all decades had a great time last year when we all last got together. Please go to http://trikapnyc2013.eventbrite.com/ for all the details and to RSVP. Help us spread the word. We'll see you on the 13th!

Yours In Kappa,

Michael Brasher '10

Annual Haunted House

On Saturday, November 3^rd Tri-Kap hosted its annual haunted house once again.  We had a lot of support this year from APhi, AKA, AZD, EKT, KD, Sigma Delt, Tri-Delt, IFC, and the President’s Office.  Kids from all around the Upper Valley enjoyed face-painting, cookie decorating, bobbing for apples, the haunted house, and many more.  Kids collected prizes and candy while getting to meet brothers and sorority sisters.  There were plenty of brothers helping out, and they were well rewarded for their effort with leftover candy and pizza.  Once again, the event helped bring students closer to the community around us and served to remind everyone that Greek houses have a strong positive impact both on campus, and in the entire surrounding community.

YiK,
Kyle Bojanowski
Philanthropy Chair

Brothers Go Paintballing

On Saturday October 13^th, the brothers of Tri-Kap went paintballing for their first brotherhood event with the newest members of our fraternity, the Class of 2015. The group was large enough to receive personal attention and therefore was able to participate in exclusive events. We played a total of 8 10-minute rounds of paintball including Last Man Standing, Capture the Flag, Octagon, and Melee. As is tradition, Brothers faced off against Pledges and were able to welcome the new class with a generous dose of paint. Afterwards, the group stopped by a pizza parlor to relax, dine, and exchange stories about battle scars. The event is our more expensive outing and each brother enjoyed a moment they will be able to cherish for the future. We had a total of 19 participants.

Yours in Kappa,

Parth Kaul

Programming Chair

Tri-Kap Hosts Taal, Pledges, and Sheba

On October 15th, 2012, the newest members of Kappa Kappa Kappa participated in the annual pledge dance, in which they opened up for Sheba and were preceded by the Taal a capella group. Andres Ramirez ’14 spearheaded the event, organizing the performance groups and choreographing the dance for the pledges. After a very close vote on song selections, Birthday Cake (remix) was selected as the preferred dance by the brotherhood. After a week of practicing, the pledges were determined to kill their routine, and they did. With a very packed crowd (with many looking through the side windows because there was no room), Taal, including it's Tri-Kap members Tanay Ganga ‘13, Sanders Davis ‘14, Nate Reznicek ‘14, and Marty Gatens ’15, started the event off with a 10 minute set. After swooing the crowd, the pledges seduced the crowd and transitioned perfectly for Sheba. Overall, it was a very successful event and a crowning moment for the newest class. If you want to see the dance, you can view it here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l7U003EBzw&feature=youtu.be&hd=1.

Yours in Kappa,

Andres Ramirez '14

Programming Chair

Semi Formal Fall 2012

On October 13th, 2012 the Brothers of Kappa Kappa Kappa and sisters of Alpha Phi Sorority co-hosted Semi Formal at 1 Webster Ave. The event welcomed guests from all around campus to enjoy a themed evening of dancing and merrymaking.The theme for this term was “made for each other”, implying that couples should go together as things, people or words that complemented each other. The event was a success with fantastic turnout from both the brotherhood as well as Alpha Phi sorority. The brotherhood was able to enjoy a wonderful evening with an entourage of attractive dates as well as socialize with its friends of Alpha Phi and others.

YiK,
Mike Barile '13 & Aaron Goone '14
Social Chairs