The Pillar and the Shield: Homecoming Weekend 2018 and Other Updates

Brothers,

We are quickly approaching the end of fall term, and a lot has happened in the few weeks since my last update:

The undergrads were beyond excited to welcome back dozens of alumni for Dartmouth Night and Homecoming Weekend 2018. It was great to see so many familiar faces from recent classes and to get to know generations of Tri-Kaps past. While the weather was unfortunately uncooperative––Hanover greeted us with ice and rain on Saturday, we were still able to make the best of the weekend by holding a barbecue for undergrads and alumni which was quite well attended. Following the cookout, we held a watch party for the football game (Dartmouth def. Harvard 24-17!) in the Great Hall. Several of our more dedicated alumni braved the elements to watch the game in person––a very committed group, indeed!

Andrew Gutow '86, John Goldman '86, and Greg Smith '85
enjoy the football game despite the nasty weather.

Alums and undergrads enjoyed gathering around
the Homecoming bonfire this past Friday.

Perhaps the most important part of this update is the Rush Update. This fall, we took a New Member class of 18 fantastic '21s. The new class has enjoyed meeting Kappa men, young and old, over the past few weeks, and they have done a great job learning Tri-Kap’s myriad traditions and values. It is truly a very exciting time for the house, and the future looks bright.

The newest generation of Kappa men: Daniel Diaz, Eric Chen, Hershel Wathore, Zachary Bilcheck,
Brian Drisdelle, Blaine Grant, Jake Philhower, Daniel McClafferty, Kerem Kazmirci, Vamsi Gadde,
Taylor Armbrister, Luis Flores, Eric Forehand, Rajiv Chanda, David, Ruben Garcia,
Anoop Nanda, Christopher Kartsonis

In addition to connecting with past brothers, we remain as committed as ever to bonding amongst ourselves. A few weeks ago, during our termly lock-in, we held the annual brotherhood football game, in which the '19s thoroughly routed the '20s and '21s, 49-7.

Zach "The Refrigerator" Wang '20 takes a handoff during the annual
brotherhood football game.

There has also been a high level of involvement in IM sports amongst the brotherhood, most recently IM soccer, where we made it to the playoffs before losing in the quarterfinals. We now look forward to IM football, which will begin next week. The entire brotherhood is also eagerly looking forward to our trip to Montreal this upcoming weekend.

Many brothers have been enjoying the fleeting good weather while it lasts. A handful of brothers spent a recent Saturday climbing Mt. Washington via the Huntington Ravine Trail. The route was a great workout––several stretches were nearly vertical, and it was the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors before the winter weather sets in.

Brian Schoenfeld '19, Alec Pelton '19, and Daniel
Lein '19 at the summit of Mt. Washington after
ascending the Huntington Ravine Trail.

On the philanthropy side of things, Dartmouth recently hosted the annual CHaD Hero race, in which one of our alumni, Joe Minichiello ’17, provided medical support to the runners. Most notably, this past Friday, several undergrads volunteered to help cook for Students Fighting Hunger, a group that helps combat hunger in the Upper Valley by cooking meals for those in need.

Tri-Kap undergrads cooking a meal for Students Fighting Hunger this past Friday.

Additionally, we have been working hard to keep the Kappa Lodge in pristine shape. During our lock-in, the brotherhood participated in Kasa Krew, during which we take on several intense housekeeping projects. This term, we hung the most recent composite and reorganized and cleaned the beach furniture, among other things.

Anoop Nanda '21 cleaning the Great Hall during Kasa Krew.

Our beloved beach cleaned and reorganized.

The 2016-2017 composite, now hung proudly in the entryway.

The final update of this post concerns the addition of the newest member of Tri-Kap. Recently, Cesar Guardiola '19 adopted Lola Hobart, our house dog. Lola is adorable, full of energy, and loves meeting new people, so if you're up in the area make sure you get to say hi!