THE GOLDEN TORCHTHE ETA DELTA CHAPTER OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC.

2013 - 2014

EDITED BY: KEVIN RAMSEUR II

Far too much of Greek life is overshadowed by the poor decisions of a minority of fraternity men or so-rority women. The Golden Torch is our organ of ex-pression through which we communicate achieve-ments and express concerns to the fraternity’s gov-erning body, alumni, and the university administra-tion.

THE ETA DELTA CHAPTER OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INCORPORATED

THE GOLDEN TORCH

The 2013-14 school year was one filled with exciting changes. On December 6th, 2013, 7 young men unveiled themselves as new members of Alpha Phi Alpha at our Fall 2013 neophyte pres-entation, marking a new era of dominance for the Eta Delta Chap-ter. The Spring of 2014 saw us complete all of our national and chapter initiatives, including: Go-To-High-School, Go-To-College; Project Alpha, Miss Black and Gold, MLK High School Oratorical, Relay for Life, March of Dimes and all ma-jor University-wide service days in addition to chapter spe-cific activities.

We have amplified our presence in a number of ways, most notably our involvements around campus, which in the past year included:

• President, Vice-President, and Treasurer - United Black Stu-dents

• President/Founder - National Association of Black Accountants

• President/Founder - Students for Education Reform

2013- 2014

A YEAR IN REVIEW

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• Mortar Board Honor Society

• Omicron Delta Kappa Honor So-ciety

• Resident Assistant

• In addition to involvements, our presence has been seen by hav-ing more mandatory parapherna-lia days on campus. On Tues-days and Thursdays, all of the brothers of the chapter can be seen wearing their Alpha Phi Al-pha paraphernalia proudly around campus. With this added presence, we have capitalized by upgrading all of our social media accounts.

(Follow us: @umiamialphas on Twit-ter and Instagram)

As the spring wore on, we found innovative ways to work on our goal to eliminate racial and gender stereotypes, including ‘Walk A Mile In

Her Shoes’: a national walk to end rape culture and sexual harassment, Black Men Golf: A chapter program geared towards teaching black men a sport that can be used to their advantage in the professional world.

After all of that hard work, we were rec-ognized for efforts by receiving the Na-tional Pan-Hellenic Council Chapter of the Year Award from the Association of Greek Letter Organizations.

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“A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and to imitate those who have been su-preme, so that if his ability does not equal theirs, at least it will savour of it.”

-Nicolo Machiavelli: The Prince

Machiavelli’s word have served as the inspiration for the current leadership of the chap-ter. As we embarked upon our annual winter planning retreat, we found some of our greatest inspiration to be the legacy of excellence and leadership we have been handed down from alumni like yourself. Your traditions, experiences, and commitment to the advancement of African-Americans as a whole are still embodied by this house. As we continue to strive onwards and upwards towards progress, we would like to take this time to acknowledge the shoulders of the giants who allow our successes to be possible. The past year was filled with challenges, and triumphs as a chapter, but we can confidently say the state of Eta Delta as a preeminent student organization on the campus of the University of Miami remains in tact.

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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

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MISCHAEL CETOUTE IS A RISING SENIOR, MAJORING IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND AFRICANA STUDIES. HE HOPES TO WORK IN EDUCATION POLICY AFTER GRADUATION

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A YEAR IN FLYERS

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CAMPUS INTIATIVES

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. held our 5th annual Martin Luther King High School Oratorical Competition on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014. 7 contestants from schools all around Miami-Dade County, including Coral Reef High School, and Miami Edison High School competed in a scholarship contest where they were asked to perform a 3-5 minute speech based on the LeBron James quote from the NBA Finals, “I am from Akron, Ohio; the in-ner city. I am not even supposed to be here.” The contestants performed very well. Bro. President Pierre Rutledge (Beta Beta Lambda) and Bro. President Chris Stevenson (Iota Pi Lambda) served as 2 of the judges for the event, as well as Bro. Dr. Robert Moore (Alpha Chi), Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Educa-tion at the University of Miami, and Ms. Rochelle Boreland- asso-ciate director in the University Office of Admissions. The contest-ants were coached by Bro. Russell Motley (Zeta Alpha Lambda) who is an alumnus of the Eta Delta chapter and currently a profes-sor at Florida Memorial University. Matthew Escobar of College Academy won 1st prize. Alinor Mezidor of Miami Edison High won runner-up. We invite everyone to join us next year as we con-tinue this tradition, and hope to increase scholarship awards and prizes as we gain more sponsors.

5TH ANNUAL

MARTINLUTHERKINGJUNIOR

HIGH SCHOOL ORATORICAL COMPETITION

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The Eta Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorpo-rated hosted our Annual Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant on Monday, March 3rd, 2014. 5 outstanding female students of the University of Miami competed in the catego-ries of Interview Skills, Opening Dance, Speech, Talent, Model Walk, and a question regarding Current Events for a scholarship award and a chance to be crowned the 2014-15 Miss Black & Gold.

MS. BLACK & GOLD

SCHOLARSHIPPAGEANT

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This year’s theme was, “Revolutionary Queen: The Libera-tion of a Woman” Each contestant dis-played outstanding poise and skill through-out the competition, ultimately Miss Victoria Humphrey was the win-ner of Miss Black and Gold 2014.

Ms. Humphrey is a sen-ior with a double major in Biology and Relig-ious Studies, minor in Chemistry with plans to earn her MD and become a renowned physi-

cian.

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Alpha Week 2014: The BOSS Collection was an entire week dedi-cated to doing everything like a boss. From voter registration drives, to professional dress seminars the students at the University of Mi-ami were enriched with a week long of relevant programming. Dur-ing the week we also discussed the controversial Stand Your Ground Laws in the state of Florida, and accomplished one of our national initiatives by assisting Bro. George Koonce with household chores while listening to stories from the men who helped charter our chapter. We thank each of our sponsors for making the week such a success.

ALPHA WEEK 2014

#LIKE A BOSS

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BUT MOST OF ALL WE GRADUATE...

Michael Banton

Bachelor’s of Science in Micro-biology and Immunology

Michael will be enrolling at Florida International Univer-sity to complete a master’s degree in premedical sci-ences with plans to enroll at the medical school in Fall 2015. While at the University, Michael enjoyed the dis-tinction of a Ronald A. Hammond scholar and served on various executive boards including the Organization for Jamaican Unity where he worked as the treasurer for two consecutive years. Michael was a participant in the Zeta Alpha Lambda chapter’s “Men of Tomorrow”

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHTS

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William Waldon II

Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accelerated Accounting

William is currently studying for his CPA exam, and will be completing his master’s degree at the University of Miami School of Business in the fall. He has a full-time job offer with top four accounting firm- Ernst & Young to begin in January 2015. William was a division one track and field athlete throughout his years at the University, and founded a chapter of National Association of Black Accountants here.

Stay Tuned• UM -FAMU HD Alumni Tailgate

• Sept. 6th 2014 @ SunLife Stadium

• Phirst Pham Weekend HD & IN

• Sept. 26th - Sept. 28th

• Homecoming 2014

• Oct. 30th - Nov. 2nd 2014

• 45th Anniversary Charter Celebration

• Spring 2015

To Donate or For More Information:

UMIAMIALPHAS@GMAIL.COM15