Our Chapter at UW-Whitewater is well-represented in the May 2008 issue of the Cross & Crescent.

Lambda-Iota is noted in the article Expansion Plan Update, focusing on Lambda Chi Alpha’s expansion plans for the coming years. (See our info listed in the box on the right).

In the Chapter News Section, Brother Nick Schreck and I are highlighted. Nick, for his winning of the 2008 Assistant Division Manager Award from Physicians Mutual; and I am mentioned for my trip to Oklahoma City where I traveled on business and was able to visit the Lambda Chi Chapter at Oklahoma City University.

If you have accomplishments or happenings in your life you would like listed in the Cross & Crescent and/or on our website, please visit the Contact Us page and let us know what you are up to!

Brother Nick Schreck (2001) won the 2008 Assistant Division Manager Award, one of the “Big 5″ awards given out, for his company, Physicians Mutual.

Nick received his award during a ceremony which included being honored with a video documentary of his work accomplishments. The award was presented to Nick at the company’s 2008 convention held in Hawaii on the island of Kauai.

Brother Dave Baumgartner, also a member of the Physicians Mutual family, was on hand for the presentation of Nick’s award.

Congratulations Nick! Be sure to give us all a great quote on insurance when we call on you!

I was an undergrad when Kevin Shumate joined us as a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. Having been a transfer student who was an upper-classman, Kevin had many unique ideas and experiences he brought with him. His efforts and attitudes towards the Fraternity came full circle when he took on the roll as Chapter President in Fall of 2000. I am very excited to have gotten an interview from this somewhat-elusive Lambda Chi…enjoy!

Kevin, where did you attend college?

Before coming to Whitewater I was at UW-Madison for 2 years and then 3 years at Whitewater.

And what degree did you attain?

BS in Geography

What are you doing now, professionally?

I work for the federal government in Virginia- here is me in a dunk tank putting your tax dollars to work
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In the same thread as Apple’s iTunes Celebrity Playlists, we are now running featured playlists from our Brothers.

Bringing you some of the songs they remember from college that have (sometimes) great memories tied to them.

Our first Featured Playlist belongs to Brother Kevin Shumate.

Here is the Seeqpod player with Kevin’s songs all queued up…click READ MORE to find out Kevin’s reasons for choosing these songs.

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I have had the opportunity to correspond with Tom Filak about Alumni Association happenings and his ideas of making the returning Chapter even more successful. Getting back to our regular routine of Alumni Interviews, I am pleased to share with all of you my interview with Brother Thomas Filak.

Tom, what years did you attend UW-Whitewater and what is your degree in?

I started in Whitewater in 2003. I was previously at UW Superior in 2002. I graduated Whitewater in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science and Communication.

What are you doing now, professionally?

I work for AT&T as a retail sales manager. I’ve been working for them for the past three years, and had previously been selling their product for an indirect company.
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Safe travels to a group of our Brothers who are off to visit Lambda Chi Alpha Headquarters in Indianapolis, IN.

Aaron Lauzon, Dustin Scholz, Mark Volz, CJ Kactro, Matt Lahl, Peter Reynolds, and Derek Blaszak are driving out today to see where all of the Fraternity business is handled. We are anticipating all of the photos from the HQ tour (and hopefully some *bonus* snaps of items that are locked in the Fraternity vault, which are not always brought out for tours).

Thanks for Brothers Chris Barrick, Tom Smith and John Holloway for accommodating our Lambda-Iota Brothers.

(L-R) Brothers Dustin Scholz, Mark Volz, Derek Blaszak and Aaron Lauzon posing with their Lambda Chi Alpha snow sculpture. They mixed water, Coke, chocolate syrup, and charcol to darken the background.

Great work guys!

We would like to use this post as an open memorial to Andy. If you have a memorial you would like to share publicly, please post it in the Comments section of this post to be preserved.

Also, we are including a video slideshow of Brother Andrew Ullrich. Thank you to everyone who sent in pictures to honor Andrew.

*UPDATE: I have changed the file from a .mov (MPG) to this Flash Player, as some people were having troubles viewing the video slideshow.

- The February 2008 issue of the Cross & Crescent features articles about tennis great, Gardnar Mulloy

- Louis Tharp, world class swimmer, West Point triathalon coach, and founder of 2 organizations designed to improve the quality of life for people living with chronic diseases.

- Chapter News features our Brother Jay Matusin winning of a Davey Award in the Wisconsin-Whitewater section

- A re-cap of the Winter Leadership Retreat attended by our Brother Nick Weisensel

- The 2nd installment of the history of the Paedagogus, the Fraternity handbook

On the 2nd day of each month, the Cross & Crescent magazine/website is updated with new stories and information. Visit the site at www.CrossAndCrescent.com or by clicking the Cross & Crescent button in the right navigation of our website. Visitors can leave comments and suggest stories. If you have suggestsions, leave them a comment or post a comment here and I will contact the C&C staff and let them know!

Thanks to Brother Darren Hafford for sending us this photo of the large group of Alumni in Milwaukee. The group broke bread together in memory of Brother Andrew Ullrich. Click the photo to view/download the full-size version.

The Royal Purple remembered Andrew Ullrich with two seperate postings on its website, today.

The first posting was a tribute to Andy, himself.

The second, a tribute to Andy and another Whitewater undergrad, Jesse Gamache, who also passed away recently.

The Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Association thanks the Royal Purple for recognizing our Brother, Andrew Ullrich, and his contributions to the University, his friends and our Fraternity.

The Royal Purple is the student newspaper for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. They have recently changed their online format to accommodate comments and sharing of stories via email & social networking sites. Visit the Royal Purple at www.RoyalPurpleNews.com

I created this desktop wallpaper a couple years ago and am now posting it because of recent requests. It features the Lambda Chi Alpha Badge on a field of black, surrounded by the names of our Lambda-Iota Zeta Brothers.

Click on the appropriate size below and download/set it as your desktop image.

( 800×600 ) ( 1024×768 ) ( 1152×864 ) ( 1280×1024 ) ( 1600×1200 )

If you have questions about the wallpaper or are unsure how to set it as your desktop, feel free to email me, Jeff, at

Here is a schedule of events, in Honor of our Brother Andrew Ullrich.

Monday January 28
4-7 pm Visitation @ Schmidt and Bartlet, Menomonee Ave., Menomonee Falls
Tuesday January 29
9:30-10:30 Visitation @ Schmidt and Bartelt again.
…Procession to St. Anthony’s in Menomonee Falls
11 am Mass
Luncheon at Knights of Columbus hall to follow.

Obituary from Schmidt & Bartelt.

Also, we have been notified that the University flag will fly at half-mast on Tuesday, 1/29/08 in Andy’s honor.

The Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Association sends our deepest condolences and prayers out to the Ullrich family and their friends.

It is with a heavy heart that I make this posting.

It has been reported that our Brother Andrew Ullrich passed away today.

Information is forthcoming. Please respect Andrew, his family, and friends by being patient in waiting for details.

I would like to include this passage from Lambda Chi Alpha Open Rituals, as I know how much the Fraternity meant to Andrew.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrew’s family and friends.

A time of grief is a time of Love, a time of Faith, and a time of Hope. Our faith in God supports us as we suffer the loss of a loved one. Our hope is strengthened by trust in God who assures us that He can and does sustain us. Love for each other reaches a new high as we come together to mourn, to bring someone we love to final rest, and to thank God for sharing His life with us through Brother Andrew Ullrich.

We are surrounded by signs which can offer to all of us the consolation which God provides at this time. The delicate, silvery crescent, rising in the sky, symbolizes for us birth; the birth of a soul. And as the crescent grows into the full moon reflecting the light of the sun, so does it represent the growth of a spiritual realization within us reflecting the glory of God.

May Peace be with you all.

Congratulations to Brother Jay Matusin, LI 798 who recently received a Silver award from The Davey Awards, an international advertising competition. Jay received the award for his submission of an original corporate logo design. Jay graduated UW-Whitewater in 2003 with a BA in Advertising with a minor in Graphic Design.

The Davey Awards is an international creative award focused exclusively on honoring outstanding creative work from the best small firms worldwide. The 2007 Davey Awards received over 4,000 entries from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms, and public relations firms.

The Davey is judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), and underwritten by The Creative Group, the leading creative professional staffing company in the world and Adweek Media.

Dain was a great Philanthropic Chairman while we undergrads together. He really put his heart into all community outreach efforts.

For everyone that wasn’t in school with us, Dain, what years were you in Whitewater and what did you graduate with?

I was an undergrad from 1998 to 2003…and I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

What are you doing now, professionally?

I’m a political operative for a candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. After the campaign is over, I hope to return to the Wisconsin Capitol as a Legislative Aide

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Many thanks to Brother Aaron Lauzon for sending us this Composite from 2004-2005.

I have to say, all of the guys look really sharp wearing the Official Lambda Chi Alpha tie! (They even got Tom to wear it!)

If you have some of these composites from your undergrad years, please scan them and send them to: to get them posted on the website.

This is our first interview with an Undergraduate Lambda Chi. Aaron Lauzon has been at Whitewater since 2004. In my conversations with him, I can tell you he is a bright young man with a lot of heart. I am truly proud to call him our Brother!

Aaron, you are the first Undergrad I have interviewed for the website…so, tell me, what are you majoring in?
I am majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Coaching.

Are you graduating this spring? What do you hope to do afterwards? Where would you like to work when you do graduate?
I will be graduating in the spring of 2009. Education is now a 5 year program. I would really like to end up somewhere around the Madison area.

We all know that school takes up almost all of the free time in the day…but when you find a few extra minutes, what do you do for fun?
I am a Big Brother for Big Brothers/Big Sisters…other than that I just try to balance my busy school schedule and an even busier social life.
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Merry Christmas from Whitewater!

(L-R Back Row) Aaron Lauzon, Derek Blaszak and Dustin Scholz
(L-R Front Row) Mark Volz, Frosty the Snowman and Peter Reynolds

Click here to see all of the Christmas Cards.

Merry Christmas to all of our friends!

Click here to see all of the Christmas Cards.