Brother Robert Randolph, kicker for UVa's Football team is seen executing a fake field goal kick and running the ball 30 yards for a touchdown. Coach Mike London is narrating the video praising Rob for "executing [the play] flawlessly". Congrats Rob!

After a very successful rush this year, we brought in a pledge class of 21 from the 450 men that came out to Phi Delt's open house. Pictured above are the current members of Phi Delt getting ready to extend bids to 19 eager first years and 2 second years.

Matt Sutton '12

What an incredible weekend. We had Joe Riley giving shooting lessons, John Buttram offering up his rifle for target practice, Liam and Grady tipping a canoe and going for a swim, a day-long Lord of the Rings Marathon, Panda momentarily redeeming his role as Warden, and Craig Cilley giving architectural tours (thanks to Hayden's expertly crafted guide) and being an all-around incredible host. There were trips to Moe's and Dairy Queen. There were tears of joy and sadness as we expertly carried out the evening's traditions. Above all of this, there was a strong sense of brotherhood and camaraderie as we shared a relaxing weekend at the Cilley's incredible plantation.

Coming out of this trip, I wonder just what it is that makes the weekend of Brotherhood Retreat so great and brings us all so close together. It's the moments spent catching up with a fellow Phi that you haven't seen in awhile. It's bonding around important traditions. It's the 2:00am tree-house chats about life, love, and brotherhood. It's the time spent with your closest friends in life. I am so grateful for experiences like these, and I want to thank you all for coming out and making this another incredible Brotherhood Retreat

Remember why you joined Phi Delt- for times like these. 

Proud to be a Phi.

Sam Pierce '10


In a room lovingly referred to as the ‘Brothel’ hangs a banner that reads: “Intramural Champions Phi Delta Theta.” It is a tantalizing encouragement for current Phis to recapture the long lost IM Highpoints championship. The road to Highpoints glory begins with 7-on-7 football. We entered this football season eager to play.

After days of game planning and strategizing, led by the coaching staff of myself, IM Chair Chris Stine ('10), and cunning all-state high school quarterback, Reed Arnold ('11), Phi Delt’s football team took the field with tremendous talent and determination. Reed ran the offense with precision, mandating that all receivers memorize a passing tree complete with flys, stops and slants. We showed up to the Park meaning business.

Phi Delt did well in the regular season and entered the playoffs with a #7 seed, earning a tough first round draw in Kappa Sig. In that game we jumped out to an early lead, 21-7, but then allowed two quick scores. Reed soon turned things around with a bullet to William Landess ('12) on the sideline. Will ran sixty yards to set up a short touchdown. Peebles Massie ('10) caught a low pass in the corner of the end zone for a much needed extra point conversion. Our sidelines went crazy. More than twenty brothers had shown up to support our team for the first playoff game. The opposing captain asked me: “Is this a mandatory brotherhood event for you?”

Then Kappa Sig managed to score on its following drive with no time to spare. It came down to the extra point conversion. Before the snap, all I could hear was our guys exerting all their effort to whoop, holler and yell. Through the noise the opponent’s quarterback rolled out and lobbed a dump pass to an open receiver. Bolting from the opposite side of the field, Landess saved the game by knocking the pass out of the air. Phis erupted in triumph as the scoreboard read 28-27.

Our march to the championship continued with a victory the next week over Phi Society, 21-12. Nothing nearly as dramatic. Just Phis taking care of business. This victory brought us to the semifinals, one step away from 300 highpoints. But on a cold night under the lights, Delta Upsilon proved to be too much for our playmakers. We mounted a valiant comeback, but our efforts fell short in a 29-20 defeat.

Since our re-charter in 2001, no Phi Delt football team has ever made such an epic run. We picked up 125 points and currently stand in third place in the fraternity rankings. Our march to the Championship continues, and by April, we hope to hang another satin banner in the Brothel. But even if we don’t, it’s nice to know that we had a lot of guys out there making some incredible plays while having a whole lot of fun.

Just another aspect of college life I’m going to miss when I’m gone.

Bobo Mullens '11

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that “a friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.” As if heeding these words, the brothers of Phi Delt decided to combine both good friends and nature on a midnight hike of Old Rag earlier this semester.

Brothers listed in the photo, front row first, left to right:
First row: Matt Hanna ('10), Andrew Johnson ('10), Quinton Clemm ('12), Jon Karunakaran ('10), Quyen Nichols ('12), Gifford Taylor ('10), Sheffield Hale ('12), Jonathan Yagel ('09), Rob Meyer ('11), Second: row: Bobo Mullens ('11), Hayden Basset ('12), Matt Cofer ('12)The inspiration for the hike stemmed from the wise words of Matt Hanna (’10), who argued we ought to trade one Thursday night out for an incredible view of “sweeping mountains illuminated by the bright moonlight of a full moon.” Over fifteen brothers, from all three pledge classes, jumped at this chance to go hiking. None were scared off by the prospect of losing sleep and delaying their work due the next day. The chance to go on an adventure with brothers was too good to pass up.

The adventure got off to a disastrous start with over four cars getting lost on the way to the start of the trail. Some cars were so late that brothers Andrew Shaw (’11), Navin Vigneshwar (’11), and Wes Andrews (’11) assumed the worst and bravely went ahead. It took over an hour of struggling through the senseless backwoods roads before the rest of the group arrived at the start and began the hike. The hike turned out to be a workout of a couple of hours each way. Brothers managed to amuse themselves on the way up and on the way down with several terrible games of “I spy” (lots of trees and rocks), whistling in disharmony, light saber noises courtesy of Matt Cofer (’12), and some serious conversation.

The top of the hike presented us with an infinite array of large, beautiful boulders. These presented a challenge to surmount, but were fun; and brothers Sam Pierce (‘10’) and Jon Karunakaran (’10) adroitly led the way through. Our efforts brought us to one of the higher peaks. There, we caught up to the long lost original three, and settled upon our victuals of victory; twizzlers and yoghurt covered pretzels.

It was at this point that a hand pointed out that there was higher peak to everyone’s left. Taking that peak’s very existence as a challenge, brothers quickly rushed towards it. At 12:20 am Friday morning, the brotherhood reached the top of 3,300 foot Old Rag, joking, laughing, and panting. At this beautiful moment of ascent, the triumph of victory and the unbounded glory of the moonlit vista were met; and in the distance pale argent beams glinted through a darkened azure sky.

A man of incredible wisdom once said, "Whenever Phis travel in groups, boundless possibilities make themselves known." I have had the singular fortune of traveling to mystic lands with such groups during my time at U. Va. - Boulder, CO; Montreal and Quebec City, and Oxford/London all spring immediately to mind. But few things could have prepared me for the outrageous delight of Spring Break ’09 in Tampico, Mexico.

The idea was conceived in October of ’08, when I (A. W. Simmons, ’09) shared a class with David William Bobo Mullens III (’11 - hereafter ‘Bobo’) and we discussed his family, who live full-time in Mexico. Heavenly light shone upon me. All was understood. Staying with brothers who live in exotic locales? No brainer. This was to be my spring break.

Myself, Bobo, John Karunakaran (’10), Sam Pierce (’10), Buddy Gray (’10), Edward Lindquist (’09), and Alec Toth (’09) were on the team. While Toth and Edward zipped direct to Bobo’s home in Tampico, Mexico, We Five flew commercially to the border to meet Bobo’s father (David Bobo Mullens Jr.), also a Virginia Beta Phi (’81), to cram into a single-engine Cessna which would carry us the rest of the way. Mullens II is owner and operator of an agricultural business in Tampico, hence the family’s residency. After a warm welcome of endless tamales from Bobo’s saintly mother (and American school principal) Judith, we settled in for the Real Deal.

The break’s motto was ‘Mexico - where you almost die every day.’ Over our six-day adventure, we survived outrageous traffic patterns, a sandstorm (while beaching it up on the Gulf), precipitous peaks (hiking the 2,300 ft. promontory Bernal), deep-sea fishing on the Gulf, visiting the pre-Aztec ruins at El Tajin, and exploring what many of us thought to be the most beautiful place we’d ever been, the Tamul waterfall. I flew a plane, Buddy wore too much sunscreen, a cat peed on Karunakaran while he slept, and many, many more things occurred which space and basic human decency disallow from recounting here. An incredible trip, with incredible hosts. Just one more element of fraternal life that I will miss terribly upon graduation and not soon forget.

Congratulations to Rush Chair Nikhil Panda (’11) and Phikeia Educators Ted Jordan (’10) and Sam Pierce (’10), who successfully brought twenty esteemed men into the Bond of Phi Delta Theta this year. The Xi Pledge Class was initiated into Virginia Beta on Friday, April 24, as was the Omicron Pledge Class, which is composed of one member: our beloved faculty advisor, Dean Bill Wilson. 2009 was certainly the most well-run, organized rush and pledge processes that the fraternity has ever seen, and we are all tremendously excited to be able to call these men our brothers.


Sam Adams
Hayden Bassett
Dillon Chapman
Quinton Clemm
Matt Cofer
Kyle Emory
Alex Eschenroeder
Matt Ganyard
Woody Granger
Sheffield Hale
Will Landess
Stephen Locatelli
Benjamin Monk
Quyen Nichols
James Patteson
JC Poma
Andrew Shaw
Nathan Swedberg
Eric Thornton
Harry Whelchel
Bill Wilson

by T. Gifford Taylor, Jr. '10
VA Beta President

Phi Delta Theta has experienced tremendous growth in maturity and unity this academic year. We proven successful academically, inter-fraternally, socially and have done so in the midst of uncommon adversity. This year, we faced academic challenges, pledging difficulties, and issues concerning brothers’ health. Despite these struggles, or rather because of these struggles, we have become a deeply united, caring Brotherhood, one whose concern for its members’ welfare supersedes the demands of daily living. I am proud to write that it has been Love that has carried us through, without fail, both the good times and the bad.

Statistically, Phi Delt is thriving. We were recognized by our National Headquarters over the summer as one of 30 Phi Delt chapters out of 170 for outstanding chapter operations. We continue to maintain a high level of academic excellence, producing a 3.44 GPA in Fall 2008 and a cumulative 3.37. We have 12 Jefferson Scholars, 15 Echols Scholars, and 3 Rodman Scholars. We have 4 Lawn residents this year, and 3 selected to live there next year. In the most recent University elections, numerous Phis were elected to hold office in almost every class council, in Student Council, and in Honor. We will also have a Phi serving as the Vice President of Administration on IFC’s Executive Board next year. Third-year Matt Schrimper recently received the Gray-Carrington Scholarship, and fourth-year Bowman Dickson was awarded the Distinguished Student Award. Lastly, as a brotherhood, we have remained very involved in serving the greater community through organizations such as Madison House, Abundant Life Tutoring, Pancakes for Parkinsons, and Alternative Spring Break.

This fall proved to be a remarkably fruitful semester for Phi Delt. We celebrated the 135th Anniversary of Phi Delt’s founding at the University with alumni and parents during a weekend in October, with an open house Friday night, a tailgate and football game Saturday afternoon, a night of dinner and dancing at Farmington Country Club Saturday night, and a catered breakfast Sunday morning. To augment our alumni relations, we have begun a partnership with Alumni Hall to publish an alumni newsletter and updated Web site.

Our philanthropy program was given a much-needed boost. In September, we held the first annual Crabgrass Music Festival for the ALS Association. This spring, we also co-hosted a fund raiser with North Beach Outfitters in Duck, NC, in support of the ALSA.

This spring found the fraternity riding the momentum of a successful fall semester. We held a successful spring recruitment, and inducted 20 pledged members at the end of January. Our pledge educators have been extremely intentional in ensuring purpose in every aspect of our pledge education program. They established a new scholarship program for pledges that guarantees accountability and a sufficient amount of time to study. They also incorporated new weekly programs to build up our pledged members as men of character and contributing members of society—programs that teach chivalry and etiquette, leadership and management, and basic "man" skills like car maintenance and gun safety.

As I look to the year ahead, I can only express excitement for the things to come. We spent a lot of time this spring discussing fraternal vision and developing institutional thinkers within our fraternity. We will be working with Dean Groves over the next semester to draft a comprehensive ten-year vision statement for the fraternity. As we continue to foster an institutional approach to our already exceptional Brotherhood, I can only imagine that our foundation in love will only be buttressed by an understanding of why, fundamentally, that love exists.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our organization and our mission. We are indebted to you for your service to the University.