The Anchor Spring 2003

Hello AKPhi Alumnae!

It’s your Alumnae Secretary, Nicole Pitti. This year has certainly been an eventful one for AKPhi and it’s time to catch up on all the news! While The Anchor used to be issued every semester, it will now be sent out once a year during the Spring semester. Have no fear. You will still be updated on news from both the Fall and Spring semesters. Also, alumnae used to receive The Anchor for up to five years after graduating from Geneseo. We will now be issuing The Anchor to all Ago alumnae! It’s never too late to catch up on the latest AKPhi news, and now’s your chance!

Rush, Final Bids & Pledging

Our Formal was held at the Avon Inn on February the 18th. Dirty Rush was on February the 27th with Phi Kap. Final Bids was on March the 1st with Sig Tau, and what a night it was! With the help of many Spring '99 alum, we invited 26 wonderful girls to become our class of Spring 2003! Now in their second week of pledging, there are 18 remaining sailors who are surely on their way. Stephanie Noah, our reliable Pledge Mistress, is doing an amazing job, with the help of her trusty Assistant, Kelly Yorio.

Spring Weekend

Get ready for an amazing Spring Weekend! May 3rd and 4th could not come soon enough! As always, all alumnae are welcome at the wine and cheese at the Ago house from 12-2 on Saturday. This will be followed by a four-way with Phigs, Sig Tau and Phi Lamb. Let’s hope we get a beautiful day for a great party!

House Updates

26 Wads still remains one of the most beautiful houses on campus. Our new property management company, the Facilities Services Group, has made many remarkable improvements and contributions. Hired by corporation last year, the FSG has done a wonderful job of overseeing and maintaining the house. Some upcoming improvements that can be expected by the fall are new kitchen cabinets and appliances, as well as a new kitchen floor. While 26 Wads currently finds itself in great shape, we are expecting nothing but further improvement in the years to come!

Ago House Fund

The Agos have resided at 26 Wadsworth Street since 1969. Perhaps you have lived at the Ago House at one time in your life and remember the love and friendship shared there. Those of you who did not live in the house can still remember what a difference Ago made in your life. The bonds of sisterhood remain strong for all of us who were fortunate enough to live the Ago experience. As alumnae we can still help make a difference.

"The Ago House...A Place You Can Always Call Home" is a fundraising effort developed in Spring 2003 through Alpha Kappa Phi Inc. to ensure that the Ago House remains one of the premier sorority houses in Geneseo. Although the corporation has done a wonderful job maintaining our house, as alumnae we could offer much more in home improvements and beautification. By establishing this yearly drive we, as alumnae, can avoid making "Band-Aid" improvements to our house and truly make it a home to be proud of.

Soon you will be receiving a letter about the Ago House Fund, along with a pledge card. Please consider donating whatever you can afford—every little bit makes a difference. You may also make a credit card donation online at the Ago website: www.geneseo.edu/~ago/house_fund.php.

Once we have raised enough money to make improvements to the Ago House, we will update the Ago website with before-and-after photos so you can see exactly how your generosity makes an impact! To see who has contributed to the fund, go to the Ago House Fund Donors page on the website: www.geneseo.edu/~ago/house_fund_donors.php. If you have any questions about the fund, please email us at agohousefund@hotmail.com.

Spring 2003 Cabinet

President: Caryn Leonardo
Vice President: Suzanne Engel
Treasurer: Meg Foster
Parliamentarian: Katie Green
Secretary: Kristin Grasso
Pledge Mistress: Stephanie Noah
Critic: Cory Rundell

I.G.C.

Our dedicated Rush Coordinator, Laura Remmert, has continued to do a wonderful job since her election to the position last fall. Good job Laura!

Study Abroad

Things just haven’t been the same since our beautiful sister (and more importantly, my amazing roommate!) Kelli Knople left us to study in Australia for the Spring. We all wish we could be there to share the sunshine and beaches with her. Hurry back Kelli!

Spring 2003 Pledge Class

Little	Big	Big2	Family Name
Vicki Volk	Christine Harder	Cheryl McIntyre	The Shamrock Branch of the Munchkin Funnel Family
Vicki Famiglietti	Deb Zucchero	Alison Lipari	The Playboy Bunny Family
Kim Orcutt	Heather Piehler	Sue Yorio	The Funnel Family
Erin Giralico	Courtney Parish	Kelly Sivers	The Sweet and Innocent CMF Branch of the Scuba Family
Catherine Cyr	Maria Levis	Lauren Cuozzo & Nikki Knowles	The Flirtatious Russian Apple Branch of the Kamikazee Bunny Family
Teri Clar	Jess Gunning	Meg Foster	The Kamikazee Branch of the Bunny Family
Sara Wohlers	Sara DiPasquale	Laura Gabriel	The Scandalous Branch of the Pretty Emerald Green Family
Sara Barden	Natalie Romer	Suzanne Engel	The Blonde Bombshell Majestic Princess Branch of the Wild Irish Rose Teddy Bear Family
Lauren Dermont	Becca Ziolko	Courtney McArdle	The Scamming Branch of the Funnel Bear Family
Heather Peck	Kristen Jacobson	Meg New	The Teddy Bear Family
Kate Ermides	Meghann Flynn	Bridget Balducci	The 420 Branch of the Funnel Family
Emilie Boch	Joanna Laker	Katie Quinn	The Evervivacious Branch of the Wild Irish Rose Family
Mary Marino	Emily Coates	Kelli Knople	The Exotic Luscious Cappuccino Branch of the Wild Irish Rose Family
Marie McGee	Melissa Holleran	Catherine Culhane	The Fruit Loop Branch of the Wild Irish Rose Family
Kelli Christopher	Keara O’Conner	Elle Breloff	The Evervivacious Clueless Branch of the Wild Irish Rose Funnel Family
Rachel Morrison	Jill Simoni	Sam Ruhl	The Flirtatious Russian Apple Branch of the Bunny Family
Alex Miller	Danielle Lagree	Laura Remmert	The Fruit Loop Branch of the Wild Irish Rose Family
Tara Bouquin	Stephanie Countryman	Stephanie Brown	The Kamikazee Branch of the Bunny Family

Ago Updates!

Laura (Rubin) Reda recently got married to Neal Reda on February 22, 2002. Laura was also promoted to Senior Account Executive in Creative Services at DIRECTV. Her new email address is LERubin@directv.com.

Jennifer Goldman graduated from Boston University with a graduate degree in Financial Planning. She married Jared L. Goldman, Head Designer at Reebok International, on August 17th.

Paula (Ciminelli) Laborce ('85) was married to Gerryvic Laborce, a flight engineer in the Navy, on September 1, 2001. Paula now has 4 stepchildren and lives in Alexandria, VA.

Kira Madallo Sesay ('96) currently lives in Hollywood, California and has just recently received the Brainerd Foundation Award for Achievements in the classical and contemporary Theater. The award was presented to Kira by Phylicia Rashad from the Cosby Show. Some of Kira's most recent film projects include "Better Dayz" and "Go for Broke." Kira also appeared on the premiere episode of the game show “The Weakest Link.”

Kelly Sivers ('99) has been supporting our very own Buffalo Bills since she has recently become a Buffalo Jill Cheerleader this year.

Julie Yehl ('99) is engaged to Sean Lease. The wedding is scheduled for some time in Spring 2004. Congratulations Julie!

Homecoming 2002!

Homecoming brought about a wonderful and fun filled weekend. With quite a turnout from Spring '92 alumnae, the Ago House was a blast! AKPhi presented an amazing float following the theme of Ancient Rome. Togas and all, we partied straight into the night. Thanks to all of you who came to hang out for the weekend. Be sure to come and join the party next Fall!

Philanthropies

AKPhi was very busy working on charity events throughout the Fall. Together, we were able to help a less fortunate family through Adopt A Family. We all pitched in to provide our family with a Thanksgiving dinner, trimmings and all! We also brightened up their Christmas day by donating gifts to the children, including clothing, toys and books. We also participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Through an organized money drive, and with the help of many family members and alumnae, AKPhi was able to raise about $1,500 towards this cause. A heart felt thank you to all alumnae whose donations helped make this possible. Our strides to help in the fight against cancer have continued right into the Spring. We are currently collecting donations for the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong, and will be sending cards and care packages to the children in the cancer center. The helping hands of AKPhi have also reached out to the H.O.R.S.E. Sanctuary and Rescue program. In volunteering our time and care to helping many abused, neglected, and disabled horses, we hope to make a difference in improving their unfortunate conditions.

Alpha Kappa Phi - Milne Scholarship

If you will be donating to the Geneseo Foundation, please consider directing some or all of your contribution to the Alpha Kappa Phi - Milne Scholarship Fund. In 1994, Alpha Kappa Phi Inc. donated $5,000 to the Geneseo Foundation and this special scholarship was created. As of March 2003, the balance in the scholarship account was $7,422. When the fund grows to $10,000 (the minimum for an endowment), the guidelines for the scholarship will be determined and an award will be given to the first recipient. Help us reach our $10,000 goal! Thank you. Contact the Geneseo Foundation at http://foundation.geneseo.edu.

Class of 1993 10-Year Reunion!

The Class of '93 will hold its 10-year reunion over Homecoming Weekend, October 3-5, 2003. We encourage all other alumnae to come too! Please contact Mary Tsikalakis Bistrovich at maryolph@hotmail.com for more details. You may also check out the Events sections of our website for Homecoming updates: www.geneseo.edu/~ago/events.php.

New Ago Website!!

Our website has a completely new look! Check it out at www.geneseo.edu/~ago. Read about everything from Ago history to the history of 26 Wadsworth Street to our philanthropy events, plus see family trees, and lots of new pictures from every decade starting with the 1910s! Please email us at ago@geneseo.edu and help us add to the house history, your family tree, and any other sections you can contribute to! The Anchor is also online, so if you talk to an Ago alum who did not receive a copy, she can read it on the website.

Please...Send Your Updates

If you would like to email your updates for the next Spring edition, I will be happy to forward them to your next Alumnae Secretary. You can email me at nlp4@geneseo.edu. Or send your updates to:

Nicole Pitti
12 Court Street
Geneseo, NY 14454

My new address is...
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I hope you’ve enjoyed your Ago update!

Love in AKPhi,
Nicole Pitti