The Shield | Spring 2024
Website and The Shield Update
Our brand new website for Delt at Indiana University is finally live! After many weeks of sitting “under construction”, through the efforts of undergraduate brothers David Reeves and Trent Barnhart, along with guidance and support from alumnus Brian Hardman, the website is finally ready to be shared with friends, family, alumni, and the outside world. You can access the homepage via this link: www.iudelt.com Though there is still much work to be done before we are ready to call it perfect, we are extremely proud of what we have so far.
The Shield is our alumni newsletter that will include updates, reports, news, and more from the undergraduate chapter. To maintain the privacy and secrecy of the chapter and the fraternity to their best extents, the only way to access The Shield is through a private link (www.iudtd.squarespace.com/shield). Make sure to memorize this link or bookmark it on your personal device so you always have access to publications of The Shield. There will be no way to access The Shield through the homepage of the website.
2024 Executive Officer Introductions
Matt Deshone, President: Matt is a sophomore at the Kelley School of Business studying Accounting and minoring in Marketing. He is from Elkhart, IN and is a graduate of the Spring ‘23 pledge class. Prior to his role as the President of Beta Alpha, Matt served on the Recruitment Committee and as the Director of Communications. Outside of Delt, Matt is active in his church and volunteers on a biweekly basis. In his free time, he enjoys fitness, cooking, photography, everything involving sports, and spending time with his brothers and family. After graduation, he hopes to land a job in sales relatively close to home and remain actively involved as a Delt alum.
Caiden Stoneburner, External Vice President: Caiden is a sophomore at the Kelley School of Business studying Management and minoring in Marketing. He is from Greenwood, IN and is a graduate of the Spring ‘23 pledge class. When not in class, he can be found watching or playing sports with his brothers. A daily movie is on his schedule as well. He is the External Vice President and is currently serving his second term in this role.
Noah Pearlman, Director of Finance: Noah is a sophomore in the Kelley School of Business Honors Program majoring in Finance. He is from Bethesda, Maryland and is a graduate of the Spring 2023 pledge class. Prior to his role as Director of Finance, Noah was a member of the Academics Committee and the New Member Education Committee. Noah is a member of the Kelley School’s Investment Management Workshop where he is one of 52 faculty-selected students engaged in a rigorous curriculum focused on developing the skills necessary for a career in Sales & Trading, Equity/Credit Research and Private Wealth Management. This Summer, Noah will be interning at the Bank of America Private Bank in Washington, D.C. where he will focus on the complex financial needs of wealthy individuals and & families–as well as institutions–helping to manage & preserve wealth across generations. Outside of his role on our Executive Board, Noah enjoys spending time with his brothers, the outdoors, and is a competitive swimmer.
Asher Weiss, Director of Recruitment: Asher is a sophomore at the Kelley School of Business majoring in Finance. He is from Deerfield, IL and is a graduate of the Fall 2022 pledge class. Prior to his role as Director of Recruitment, Asher was a member of the Recruitment Committee and served on the Honor Board. This Summer, Asher will be interning at Morgan Stanley where he will work with clients and their financial goals. Outside of his role, Asher enjoys playing basketball and golf and traveling.
Ethan Sirken, Director of Risk Management: Ethan is a sophomore at the Kelley School of Business majoring in Finance and Accounting. He is from New Hope, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Spring 2023 pledge class. Prior to his role as Director of Risk Management, Ethan was a member of the Academics Committee and was the Assistant Director of External Risk. On campus, Ethan was a member of the Hutton Honors Council Association where he helped organize philanthropic, social, and academic events to enhance student life. Outside of his role, Ethan enjoys playing soccer, working out, and “frawning” (hanging out on the front lawn).
Nick Neuner, Director of Standards: Nick is a sophomore in the Kelley School of Business and is studying Finance as well as Business Law, Ethics, and Decision Making. He is from Boca Raton, Florida and is a graduate of the Spring ‘23 pledge class. Nick serves as our Director of Standards, and has done so since he was elected his freshmen year and re-elected this past November. On campus, he is a member of the Kelley Honors program, Hutton Honors College, as well as the Pre-Law Association. During his free time, Nick enjoys working out, traveling, and anything that involves the ocean.
Will Emley, Internal Vice President: Will is a sophomore at the Kelley School of Business majoring in Supply Chain and co-majoring in Sustainable Business and Law, Ethics, and Decision Making (LEAD). He is from Massillon, Ohio and a member of the Beta class from spring 2023. Prior to his role as Internal Vice President, Will was a member of the Recruitment Committee, Parent and Alumni Relations Committee, and served as a New Member Educator. On campus, Will is a brother of Phi Gamma Nu Professional fraternity where he serves as the Director of Philanthropy as well as a member of the Hutton and Kelley School of Business Honors Colleges. When not serving on the board, Will enjoys practicing guitar, listening to music, and playing pickleball with friends.
David Reeves, Director of Communications: David is a sophomore in the Kelley School of Business majoring in Finance. He is from Ellicott City, MD and is a graduate of the Beta pledge class (Spring 2023), where he served as Pledge Class President. Prior to his role as Director of Communications (known to many alumni as the Secretary), David served as the New Member Education Co-Coordinator, Marketing Coordinator, and 2026 Class Representative, as well as on the Brotherhood Committee and Ritual Team. On campus, David is a member of the Hutton Honors College, Financial Services Club, and Brothers Against Sexual Assault and Exploitation. Outside of his role in the fraternity, he enjoys chit-chatting with his brothers in The Castle (the coolest room in the Shelter), having chill-offs with Theta Chi in our front lawns, and designing merch for our chapter.
Recruitment and Neophytes
Out of a selective pool of 450+ rushees, Beta Alpha gave bids to 33 new members for the Spring 2024 Delta pledge class. We are proud to say that all 33 of them were initiated on March 22nd. In this pledge class, we recruited one Beta Alpha legacy, Joey, son of Andy Parrish (Beta Alpha, ‘94). The New Member Education program consists of six weeks of educational, bonding, academic, and personal development activities. Our chapter is proud of our strict, zero-tolerance hazing policy. A ‘fan-favorite’ activity that we implement early on in the NME program is Candle Night. The new members gather in a candle-lit room and go through a discussion led by our Guide (the head of the Ritual Team). This night is all about being vulnerable with your brothers to form deeper bonds with each other and a wider support base throughout the chapter. Throughout the NME program and the remainder of the neophytes’ first semester as a Delt, the active brothers of our chapter are encouraged to put in the extra effort to meet their new brothers, invite them to spend quality time in/around the Shelter, and introduce them to the lifelong brotherhood of Delta Tau Delta.
Delta Tau Delta Cycling and Little 500
To recap this fall, we made great strides to improve our chances to win after last year's unsatisfying second place finish. The team has added two freshmen with lengthy backgrounds in endurance sports and competitive fires that will motivate the team and challenge the field for the next 4 years. In September, we took a team to the Smoky Mountains. The long weekend trip peaked with a 110 mile ride with 14,300+ feet of elevation gain where the team averaged 16.5 mph. This weekend and monster ride were great building blocks for success on and off the bike. As the team returned to the shelter, the two rookies completed their rookie requirements and grew comfortable on their bikes, as each veteran was busy with 250+ mile weeks (15+ hours per week) consisting of several 100+ mile rides.
A week before the start of the spring semester, the team’s nine riders returned to the Shelter for the notorious, self proclaimed, and Delt Cycling tradition known around campus. Led by 3rd-year head coach Anthony Vicino (BA, 2016), the team undertook the two workouts per day for a week, a program unmatched by any other team. Every rider finished the week with 9 workouts completed and almost 18 hours spent in the saddle. In the weeks since, the team has been putting up great numbers and impressive hours, gearing up for a big spring full of racing.
Looking forward, the entire team is competing for IU Cycling Club, racing collegiately at a number of races this spring. Following those races, we will be exclusively on the track prepping the legs for April 20th. The team has found itself in a bit of a funding gap going into this spring and any little bit helps. You can donate to our GoFundMe, https://www.gofundme.com/f/delts-cycling-2023.
Josh Herbst: Senior from Muncie, IN majoring in Marketing & Professional Sales
Jon Petersen: Junior from Indianapolis, IN majoring in Exercise Science
Blake Kottlowski: Junior from Indianapolis, IN majoring in Computer Science
Jack Lloyd: Junior from Atlanta, GA majoring in Operations Management & Business Analytics
Sean Simpson: Senior from Fishers, IN majoring in Exercise Science
Benjamin Nordstrom: Sophomore from Atlanta, GA majoring in Accounting & Finance
Parker Miesch: Sophomore from Westfield, NJ majoring in Informatics
Jack Sterchi: Freshman from Carmel, IN majoring in Finance
Zach Seidner: Freshman from Alpharetta, GA majoring in Finance
2024 Emerge Conference
The Arch Chapter recently reorganized the fraternity into smaller regions instead of large districts. Beta Alpha (Indiana University) is a member of Region 9, along with Epsilon Mu (Ball State University), Beta Zeta (Butler University), Gamma Lambda (Purdue University), Beta Phi (Ohio State University), Beta Upsilon (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Beta Psi (Wabash College), and Beta Beta (Depauw University). On February 17, the first regional conference was held in Muncie, Indiana with the Executive Boards and Chapter Advisors of each chapter in our region. Beta Alpha sent five of our eight executive officers (Matt Deshone, Caiden Stoneburner, David Reeves, Nick Neuner, and Ethan Sirken) along with Brother Larry McDowell and Chapter Advisor Ken Glass. At the conference, we participated in exercises in Working as a Team, Officer Training by Position, Decision-Making as a Board, Using Your Resources, and Chapter Planning. Unfortunately, none of the chapters in Region 9 won the Court of Honor Award or the Hugh Shields Award for Chapter Excellence this year, however, I am very proud to announce that former Beta Alpha Chapter President Michael Isherwood won the award for Outstanding Chapter President in our region.
Brother Highlight: Larry McDowell
With each volume of The Shield, we will highlight one of our brothers and the things he has accomplished as a Delt. For this Spring, I want to focus on Brother Larry McDowell, currently a junior from Fort Wayne, IN. Larry is a member of the founding father pledge class from Fall 2022, and he is also one of the founding executive officers. He started out as the Director of Member Development, then became the Internal Vice President, and stuck with that role until his term ended at the end of 2023. In October 2023, Larry won the Ken Glass Brother of the Year Award for his hardwork and dedication to the chapter. In the IU community, he is a Development Scholar at the IU Foundation and a Co-Director of the IU Funding Board. Finally, Larry was recently appointed to the Undergraduate Council, where he will represent the interests of undergraduates and our chapter to the Arch Chapter of Delta Tau Delta.
Academics
Our average chapter GPA came in at 3.2428 for the Fall 2023 semester. The Academics Committee works with the Educational Foundation to provide reimbursements to any brother who seeks out tutoring in the Bloomington community, which contributes greatly to the feasibility of holding high academic achievement as an expectation in our chapter. Our men are proud of the individual requirement of a 2.9 GPA for each brother, which is greater than the GPA requirement set by both the IU Interfraternity Council and the Delta Tau Delta Arch Chapter. For the future, we are working with Kent Warren (Beta Alpha, ‘76), to both improve our current study room and create a new study area in the New Wing of the Shelter at 1431.