NEWSLETTERS Troy TEKE Vol 2000/1 A Publication of the Beta Sigma Alumni Association August 2000 It's Back and Bigger Than Ever! The TKE Trojan Tailgate is Established and Growing "If you have not been to the TKE Trojan Tailgate before USC home football games, you have not lived," yelled four TKE's in unison at the last tailgate before the UCLA game in 1999. There is no better atmosphere at USC games than at the TKE tent. This event has become the cornerstone of the Alumni Association and way to get fraters young and old together. This year, we will be celebrating each decade of Beta Sigma at the tent. Fraters from days past will be recognized, stories told, and music of the era played. Note the dates that apply to you and be sure to attend. This year, in an attempt to automate the process and improve the experience for everyone, the Tailgate will be catered for three events: the Colorado, Oregon and Notre Dame games. As always, the festivities will begin 3 hours prior to kickoff. There have been many rumors and ideas from the membership as to how the tailgate could be improved. Please keep them coming. Each year we seek to make the tailgate the central gathering point for TKEs young and old. Your comments and efforts that improve the tailgate will make it better for everyone. "Build It and They Will Come" It may not be the field of dreams, but it's a great front yard. After years of consternation and debate, a new sod lawn and sprinkler system was put in front of the house this summer 2000. Over the years, the fa�ade of the house has changed, but this time the active chapter and Board of Trustees have opted for aesthetics over pragmatism. "It's going to make a huge difference in Rush," according to Chapter President and Summer Rush Chair, Andrew Gray. With the improvements that are shaping the Figueroa corridor for the new Milleneum, Fraternity Row will be an important indicator of progress. As the USC Greek system takes steps to improve the image of the Row, what better than the Fraternity at the beginning of the Row to take the lead. That's what TKE has done with a simple addition of a lawn. In addition to the lawn, a concrete slab was extended from the sidewalk to the area in between the houses so fraters can access the bike racks without crossing the new lawn. Also added were two doors on each house that exit into the area between the houses. This creates a new way to get from one house to the other. These steps are consistent with long-term preservation of the appearance of the houses. Once again, the vision of the Board of Trustees, combined with the action taken by the active chapter is working to keep TKE the best fraternity at USC. Heard From the Bond: Richard Shinar, Scottsdale, AZ, married 26 years to Mary McCoy has two boys, one at Univ. of Pennsylvania and Georgia Tech. He manages a 300 person sales force for PCS Health Systems in Scottsdale. Robert Pearl BS 117, Houston, TX, is president of Techsas, Inc. involved in environmental remediation projects. Geo Strella, BS #21 Tulsa, OK missed seeing us at the Founders' Day gala in 1998. We missed you, too Geo. Come out for Notre Dame! Brad Membel, currently stationed at Fort Irwin, CA is the chief of human resources at the army base hospital. Brad spent time in Korea before coming back to California. Tony Corallo, Hermosa Beach, CA is singing back-up for Davy B (David Bohline, former chapter advisor) at the Stick & Stein in El Segundo. Don't quit your day job, Tony. Kevin Carias, Huntington Beach, CA, recently received his MBA from Chapman University. Congrats, Kevin. Scott Sellers, Hermosa Beach, CA married his wife Shannon in the Fall of 1999. Matthew Weinberger, Century City, CA was married to Andrea in April 2000. Hearts were heard breaking around the world. Peter Gutzwiller moved to San Francisco to take a new position and promptly got engaged. And, after years of indoctrinating his girlfriend Heather into the TKE Alumni Association, Eric Brannon of Canoga Park, CA has proposed and she said "yes." Thank God. We thought you'd let her get away. Matt Dukleth, Costa Mesa, CA is serving as the Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the UC - San Diego chapter of TKE. Shawn Talbott, Redondo Beach, CA has remained quite active with TKE National with Rush and rebuilding programs nationwide. Recently, Shawn spent 3 weeks at the Omnicron at Ohio State restructuring their famed chapter. He will be an advisor at the forthcoming Rush Congress at San Diego State Univ. from Aug. 25-27. Contact Shawn at 310-960-0042 for more information or how to get involved. Chuck Horn, and his wife Barbara relocated from New York early in 1999 to retire in Newport Beach. Chuck has been active in many USC and Beta Sigma events since his return. Good to see you, Chuck! Greg McAndrews has a new grandson, Joseph, March 18. In celebration Greg freed up time and joined forces with Porter, LeVay & Rose, a New York Financial PR firm. Apollo Interactive, a website design and development company in Culver City, CA is owned and operated by many recent TKE alumni: David Bohline, Justin Woo, Richard Balue, Mike Ranshaw, Matthew Beshear, Coleman Engellener, Erik Loe, Zack Peacock and Eric Brannon. President's Message Coming into Fall 2000 TKE is once again looking to a very promising year. Work is being done around the clock to setup for the next chapter in our rise to the top. After winning our sixth straight Ironman title and our 4 Songfest title in seven years, TKE targets the all-elusive triple-crown award. As we target these goals the house will miss its nineteen graduating seniors, but to take their place we have the 23 initiated members from last year along with our expected class of 30 new incoming freshman to join in the fall. The list of graduates includes two accepted to Ivy league grad schools, many with great jobs, and of course a few still looking. Around the house, the summer has brought a completely re-landscaped front yard, a new pool table, and other improvements. According to the guys in the house- it is the best the house has looked in years. Still to come this summer is the DSL cable for the house, along with a new door in the dining room completing the courtyard/pathway between East and West. Summer rush is going at full steam and has had a booming start. Planning has already been made for our trip with last year's winner of the Volleyball Tournament, Theta, their second straight championship. Fall's schedule looks to be packed especially with USC football being ranked at the top of nearly all Pac-10 polls. We invite all alumni to check out the house website, www.tkebs.com and if you are not already on the TKE alumni email list sign up so you can get the monthly house updates. Any questions about the house email Andrew Gray at arg@usc.edu. Fight on! Alumni Association Elevates into the New Millennium with Membership This year the Alumni Association will return to the days of providing an annual gift to the chapter. For the past few years, a nest egg was built to fund the 50th Anniversary gala that we all celebrated. Now that we are back to an annual working budget, the chapter and advisors have requested that the Alumni Association fund half of the construction costs of a new parking lot behind the houses. Most agree that a parking lot is in great need especially now that the front of the houses is improved. The gift is obviously important to many alumni. Also important is the TKE Trojan Tailgate that occurs before each football game at the Coliseum. Now that the tent has become the spectacle and rallying point that it is, it is time to make the privilege of attending it more in line financially. With this, we are re-structuring the Alumni Association Dues for the coming year. For new members just graduated, the dues will remain the same $50. General Alumni Association Members will have their dues increased from $50 to $75. Boosters, who represent the majority of membership, will see their dues increase from $100 to $150. Finally, a new level of support will be added-the elite "Cherry & Grey." These tremendous supporters will sport new "Cherry & Grey" jackets at the home games and be enshrined on a plaque in the House. When considering your contribution this year, think of two things: the new parking lot, and the level of enjoyment you get from the tent and the fraternity at each home game. What's it worth to you? 2nd Annual TKE Day at Park a Hit When Greg McAndrews called Alumni Association President Mark Easterday in March something good was about to happen. A staunch supporter of Trojan athletics, McAndrews wanted to take what started last year as a nice Sunday at Dedeaux Field to a whole new level - as all Tekes do. He sponsored 50 TKE alumni, actives, and friends to admission, beer and hot dogs as Trojan baseball battled the Arizona State Sun Devils. "It's great to show Trojans that Tekes are big supporters of Trojan athletics, especially in baseball that doesn't get the notoriety of football," stated McAndrews. Beer was plenty and the mustard was squeezing on those dogs. The Trojans put the squeeze on the Sun Devils in route to the team's second appearance in the College World Series in three years. Thanks to Greg, we had a tremendous showing at Dedeaux and look to repeat this event for years to come. The Alumni Association is always looking for members who take pride in Trojan activities and want to rally Tekes for the occasion. If you support a Trojan effort, be it a scholarship dinner, USC Water Polo, or others, and you want a contingent of Tekes to show their colors, contact Mark Easterday and use the alumni email network to get the word out. The address is tkealumni@taukappaepsilon.com. Vegas, Baby, Vegas! Beta Sigma digs into the heart of Vegas with one of it's own, Schad Brannon "I always go big. Nickel slots are for chumps!" It wasn't always that easy for Schad Brannon, Beta Sigma 885. He will be the first to tell you that growing up wasn't easy. But with a few breaks and a lot of hard work, Schad has become Director of Marketing, Music Programming Coordinator, and Director of Baby's NightClub in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Schad's succession to one of the high profile club personalities in Las Vegas is truly a story of "learning how to rise to the occasion with less resources." BS: How did it start for you, Schad? Schad: "My brother moved me into the house when I was a teenager and he emphasized getting an education. It was convenient for us. I learned a lot in the house." BS: "Who were your mentors?" Schad: "My brother, Jeff Ruggels, Dave Bohline. My brother never let a bro down. If it meant going the extra distance at his own expense, he would do it without question. Jeff had a diplomatic way about him. He was everybody's friend, but no one owed him a favor. He knew when to be there. It was instinctive for him. He was not the typical leader. He would do things for you that you didn't know were being done." BS: "How did you get involved with Hard Rock?" Schad: "Direction from my brother, really. Paying your way went along with getting an education. I was caddying with Ruggels and others at the time. I applied to be a bus boy at HRC because it would be a cool place to work. I met the owner, Peter Morton, and told him to hire me and I wouldn't let him down. It was the Hollywood story of being in the right place at the right time. No one would have bet on this pony. No one would have bet on the Teke house either. But with drive, anything is possible. Being a Teke taught me that I was as good as anybody here. What I lacked in talent, I made up in hard work. I learned to draw from another source when needed." BS: "What personality traits did you pick in the house?" Schad: "A sense of team. The ability to operate with a large number of people. I learned to make people feel apart of what's going on around them. By watching the older guys I learned how to delicately handle explosive situations. I learned how to be competitive by the victories and defeats of the other houses on the Row. Be it Songfest, Ironman, or Anchorsplash, I learned how to rise to the occasion with less resources." BS: "What is a day like in your shoes, Schad?" Schad: "It's exciting. High-Profile. I deal with a lot of celebrities and high rollers. Everyone wants to be your friend. There's a downside though. Do they want to be my friend because of me or what I can give them. There's a lot of hard work. On the face, it's all cocktail parties and lap dances, but there's a lot of vision and work that goes into it. (Kind of like the Volleyball Tournament, eh, Schad?) I'm able to walk around the hotel and play the big guy. At 27, it's a nice feeling to be considered one of the top executives at one of the nicest hotels in Vegas. I also love being on the verge of an explosive change in the music industry as electronic music is taken to the next level. These high profile DJ's are taking their music to new levels in the mainstream and I feel I have some impact on that with what we're doing at the hotel and Baby's. I'm the face of the club. Everyone wants to get in. I've had people tell me 'I know Schad'. When cool celebs come it's nice to entertain. I've had the opportunity to work with legends like the Rolling Stones, hang with Beck, and have a beer with Art from Everclear. It's great to be a part of this stuff. "It's gotten me a lot of headaches, but I can do or go anywhere in this town. When I first got here, I went into the other clubs, paid cover, and sat down with some of the other club owners. I told them there's a new sheriff in town. I immediately gained respect from them. Now I don't pay cover anywhere. There's no doubt about it - it's nice to feel apart of the elite." BS: "We know you're happily married to Dawn, but how are the ladies?" Schad: "Fortunately, I don't have to play that game. But I won't lie, there are worse places to do time. It's a testament to my relationship with my wife." BS:"How much drug use, gambling addiction and alcoholism do you see?" Schad: "I see a lot of drug use. I run a nightclub in Vegas and it's a part of the culture. I have no tolerance for dealers. There's no room for that type of thing when you're running a business. If someone wants to get high on their own, then come to club, more power to them. Vegas is excess in every way. It's a tough thing. If you get sucked into it, you're going down. It's fun to go to Vegas and blow up on the weekend, but there is a seedy underbelly mid-week. Taken in the right doses, Vegas is a beautiful thing. My motto is that I will not be outworked. Someone may be better than me, but no one will work harder. Like IRONMAN, we didn't always have the best athletes on the Row, but we worked the hardest to practice and be good when the games came around. BS: Any regrets? Schad: I wish I would have applied more energy to school. But really, my regrets are minimal. My one true regret was that one formal with the misfit tux and my one-handed date. Schad's Perfect Day in Vegas Schad's Vegas Favorites (Aside from his Hard Rock Hotel and Baby's): Favorite Hotel: Mandalay Bay Best Nightclub: Drink or Utopia (both not in hotels) Best Casino: Barbary Coast - old school. Where you win money rollin' the dice. Best After Hours: Drais in Barbary Coast Best Pool: Hard Rock, Mandalay Bay Best Strip Club: Crazyhorse II (the "deuce") Best Show: "O" Best Attraction: Sky Screamer at MGM Best Venue: House of Blues Favorite Game: Craps (plays the 6 and 8 and heavy on the pass line) Schad's Recommended 24 Hours in Vegas: 11:00AM Wake up 12:00 Noon Poolside with big-tittied strippers, bloody marys, margaritas 3:00 PM Nap 6:00 PM Wake up Sh.., Shower, Shave 7:30 PM Dinner with friends at steak house. Vodka on rocks, scotch, big everything - get a good foundation for the evening 9:30 PM Hit the tables 12:00 AM Off to Baby's - get your drink on, dance on, and the lovely ladies. 2:30 AM Off to Crazyhorse II with the lovely ladies, lap dances. 4:30 AM After Hours at Drais until it's time to roll out 8:00 AM Go home to bed� 3 hour nap 'til pool time. 2000 Tailgate Themes This year the TKE Trojan Tailgate (AKA "The Tent") will celebrate each decade of TKE (yes even the '70s). Take note and be there. Sep 9 Colorado '70s Sep 23 San Jose State '80s Oct 7 Arizona '40s/'50s Oct 14 Oregon '60s Nov 11 Wash State '90s Back