Meet our Initiates!

Fall Rush 2011 was a very exciting time for the Brothers of Phi Sigma Pi Beta Alpha- we had 21 rushees in total! Three mass meetings, a Progressive, a trivia night, and a scavenger hunt were all offered to our rushees so Brothers could explain why they love PSP at U of M, and so prospective new members could understand a little bit more about what we do. The scavenger hunt proved to be the most entertaining activity, as Brothers and rushees alike gained points for planking, having bread fights in Jimmy John's, and dressing up in costumes.

Stacks on stacks on stacks at the grad library

10 points to get into a restaurant's kitchen

Planking, rushee-style

The Brothers of Phi Sigma Pi took a vote, and we were very happy to admit 11 initiates and a handful of affiliates. Our wonderful Initiate Advisor Alec Ludwig and Affiliate Advisor Luke Bruski have been guiding our new faces through the pledge process. Over the past few weeks, we've been able to get to know our initiates through one-on-one interviews, and we've found out some interesting things about them. Read on!

Abby Pilarski

 Abby is a sophomore, majoring in Economics and Spanish. Her big is Teague Simoncic. She has recently begun to watch the show The Walking Dead, and loves salted caramel mochas from Starbucks.

Elizabeth Roach

Elizabeth is a junior majoring in Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Science. Her big is Steve Newcomer. She loves baking, especially Nutella cupcakes.

Kaitlin Mansour

Kaitlin is a junior majoring in Communications. Her big is Joel Woznicki. She is roommates with two other initiates- Kate and Elizabeth. She is a member of the dance club Outrage here at U of M.

Nina Cataldo

Nina is a sophomore majoring in Communications and Spanish, and she is also the secretary of the Alpha Nu initiate class. Her big is Keri Asma. She is thinking about studying abroad in Spain next year, and when she was in second grade, she cut her own hair with manicure scissors. Oops!

Kate Hertler

Kate is a junior majoring in International Studies. Her big is Katherine Liu. She recently went skydiving in Chicago with her boyfriend, and she is studying abroad in Barcelona next summer.

Valerie Laird

Valerie is a sophomore, and has not yet decided on her major. Her big is Eitan Neumark. She went to Huron High School, and was a unicorn for Halloween.

Juliana Kwan 

Juliana is a sophomore at the Ross School of Business. Her big is Jason Jao. This summer, she worked for Pencils of Promise, a nonprofit organization that raises money to build schools in impoverished countries. They once sold a vial of Justin Bieber's hair for $25,000.

Gabrielle Carels

Gabrielle is a sophomore who is considering declaring Biology as her major. Her big is Alyssa Krentzel. She is from Rochester, Michigan, and she has never been on a roller coaster. Also, she drives a 1989 Dodge Dakota Convertible pickup truck (and this historian is ridiculously jealous). Summer is her favorite season.

Janna Waltenbaugh 

Janna is a sophomore studying Biology. Her big is Jeff Stehlin. She loves photography, and has a Nikon D60, a 1972 Miranda, a Holga, and a Diana (all cool cameras). She also has a darkroom in her house!

Clinton Bergmann

Clinton is a sophomore majoring in Modern Greek Studies, and he is also Pre-med. His big is Cole Miller. He is from Skandia, Michigan and has played ice hockey since he was three years old.

Rachel Brunner

Rachel is majoring in Neuroscience and is also pre-pharmacy. Her big is Hannah Wolfson. She was born in Germany, and has duel-citizenship.

Fall 2011 Initiate Bonding

Thanks for reading!
-Phi Sigma Pi Beta Alpha :)