Q2 2023 ePulse

Brothers,

Please join me in welcoming five new alumni to the Sigma Epsilon Alumni Association: 

• Justin Hood (TEP 105)
• Olaseinde Fak (TEP 104)
• William Mangano (TEP 104)
• Brian Dengler (TEP 109)
• Elian Martinez (TEP 110)

Just a few weekends ago, 13th of May, the SEAA hosted another Senior Welcome event at the fraternity house with the goal of fostering community involvement through lifelong engagement. This event is pivotal in making that transition from undergraduate to active Alumni.  

We had an even better turn out than last year! Tom Venables (Sig Ep, Spring 1964), Cal Maradonna (TEP 8), Ray Woods (TEP 19), Mike Persons (TEP 13), and Bob Gordon (TEP 77) made appearances.  Thank you to all alumni old and new who made it to this event.  

Board member Kenneth Chann (TEP 81) was the event coordinator. He worked hard to ensure that we had a delicious, catered spread and a fully-stocked, open bar. Honorary Brother Joe Avalon worked the event, once again making top-shelf cocktails for all to enjoy.  This event was free for all attendees. This was possible because of the the Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA) grant program, which aims to keep alumni engaged in university activities and programs. We are thankful to them for accepting our application. This is our second year hosting this event and we intend continue this event to celebrate future graduates.  As with all of our events, we hope this event grows and even more Alumni welcome the new graduates in the future.

One of our new initiatives has been to keep our more recent alumni engaged and active in the Brotherhood.  To aid in this our Secterary Michael O’Connor aka Oak (TEP 75) and Board member Austin Waller aka A-Wall (TEP 81), have both been working hard to revamp and freshen up our web presence.

Oak has created our new website, https://seaatep.org.  Still rudimentary, but the website allows us to maintain our membership list (as a mailing list), publish the quarterly E-pulse, and advertise scheduled Alumni events.  I am excited to see how this website can enhance our ability to engage with alumni. Make sure you bookmark it!

A-Wall is now running our Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/tep_seaa/.  He regularly publishes photos from the archives as well as photos from recent social events that we have held.  Please follow us!

We are, also, excited to announce the 2nd Annual SEAA Golf Outing, Friday, 6th of October 2023, at Gambler Ridge Golf Club, in Cream Ridge, New Jersey.  Additional information and registration can be found HERE.  Last year’s event raised over $1,200 for charity. Please help us double the attendance and donation this year!

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer, and hope to see you this fall.

Fraternally,

Robert Spiegel

Welcome to your 5 minute comedy hour from Franky Catskills, (aka Franky Midnight, aka Franky Bananas-TEP 40, Spring ’87)

I got a new job at the local wheel factory…

As their new spokesman !

My previous job as a cat impressionist didn’t pay well. At least I landed on my feet!

I don’t have a problem finding work, it’s keeping working. For instance, I remember a time when my boss came in and said, “Franky! this is the 5th day this week you showed up 2 hours late. Do you know what this mean?!?” I thought about it and replied, “DUH! it means it’s Friday”

Work is tough though. I remember working at the Melita Coffee Roasting company in Cherry Hill, back when I was in college at Rutgers. This guy was drinking on the job. Vodka, and OJ. Anyhow, he lost his balance and fell right into the roaster. I don’t think he suffered ….it was ‘INSTANT Coffee’.

Yeah, I struggle with jobs, like everyone, well maybe almost everyone. I’m really good at the interview though.

INTERVIEWER: “Can you describe yourself in three words?”

ME: “No, I can’t”  

(**Nailed it)

But all the interviews aren’t home runs. I went for a job to dress up like a penguin, but I never got it.

I just didn’t fit the bill.

But not all interviews have gone well. It seems, “Do you have any sexy kids?” isn’t an appropriate response when asked “Do you have any questions?” at the end of the job interview …

By far the craziest job I had after Rutgers was as a marriage counselor. You have to put in like 250 hours sitting as an apprentice before you can tackle your own private couple. So here I am and this couple is going right after each other. Husband yelling, wife cursing and screaming. Realizing they were heading for divorce, I called for a “Time Out! Let’s get back to the simple things you have in common. After 5 minutes, the husband speaks up quietly. He announces there is something they have in common. I said, “Great, lets talk about this some more” and just then he replied “ What we have in common is neither one of us sucks dick!?!”

Over the summer, we have 5 brothers living in the house. This will give us an opportunity to address some of the items on our punch list before the beginning of the fall semester. The first item on our list is to patch the flashing on the roof, address the soffit to eliminate leaks and unwanted visitors (animals getting into the house). We’ve continued to work on addressing electrical issues throughout the house. Thank you to Brother McGrath (TEP 81) or taking the lead on this. We plan to improve the internal appearance by addressing some of the cosmetic eye sores. As our punch list continues to evolve, our goal is to make the house attractive and livable to ensure full occupancy each semester.

This article repurposes a  brotherhood interview questionnaire that I was asked to use when I was a new member. Below is an interview with Austin Waller of TEP 81. If you  want to be interviewed, email us at SEAApresident@gmail.com. 

1. Name: Austin Waller AKA Can, AKA Awall, AKA Clamdick, AKA Alien Dick, AKA A-Swizzle, AKA A-Sweezy
2. Number: like…favorite number? 37
3. Hometown: Cinnaminson, NJ
4. High School: Cinnaminson High School
5. Major: Political Science
6. Pledge Class: 81, Fall 2007
7. Pledge Brothers: Justin Magurno, Adam Gottheim, J.R. Nettuno, Austin Tsang, K.C. Chann, Bill McGrath, & Jeff Baals
8. Big Brother: The Tan Man [Eric Tan, TEP 80]
9. Little Brother: Tyler Zavorski, TEP XX
10. Favorite Moment: Basically, the entire first few weeks living at 121 [N 4th Street].
11. Least Favorite Moment: My mental breakdown, 2009 edition.
12. Favorite Beer: Blue Moon
13. Favorite Drink: Jack & Coke
14. Favorite Lady: Kate
15. Sorority Sisters Conquered: a couple
16. Favorite Quote: “Lack Toast and Tolerant” -Manny Fequiere, describing people who can’t drink milk.
17. Positions Held: Scribe, Historian & SEAA Member-at-Large
18. Clubs: Too Loud, I prefer a more chill place for a social outing with friends
19. Brotherhood Question: Have you seen the Wood Nymph?
20. Brotherhood Answer: Do you know? Email seaapresident@gmail.com. The answer to Q1’s question: What is a Zorch? It is a tied up trash bag that is lit on fire at the bottom. It makes a very unique and relaxing sound. 
21. Favorite Artists: Queen, Coheedand Cambria, Yes, Pink Floyd, Ice Nine Kills
22. Task: Recommend me a great spot for a mocha latte
23. Anything brother wants to add: DONT NOT LEVE YER CLIBINS ON TEH ROAD HADDALAYERDOWN BORTHER

Bonus: Favorite Video Games: Super Metroid, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Castlevania III, The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Skies Of Arcadia, Final Fantasy X, Resident Evil 4, Hollow Knight, The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Greetings Brothers! The Ramble Committee is at it, again. As we have begun planning this year’s Ramble and want to hear from you! We strive to provide our brothers and their dates an evening in which we can renew our bonds of brotherhood and enjoy ourselves. The only way we can make this event happen is with the support of our brothers.  That is why we ask you to reach out to your pledge brothers to stir interest in attending this year’s Ramble and for those who want to go the extra mile to volunteer on the planning committee. For those interested in joining the committee or just their comments on what you think makes for a memorable ramble please contact us at the Vice Chairman E-Mail Address (SEAAViceChairman@gmail.com).

It was a hot and moisty day in beautiful, downtown Camden, NJ as the Muller Classic returned to the Rutgers-Camden campus for the first time in years.  Special shout out to the Athletic Department at Rutgers for helping set this one up and giving us the field to play on for the first time in a long time.  The so-called “Young Guys”, made up of a team of undergrads and recent graduates, dominated the “Old Man” team of older alumni 17-7 in a 6-inning rout, to take home the theoretical trophy in the first TEP softball game in Camden in many years.  The story of the game was “Young Buck” MVP Matt Coppola (TEP 112), who had a multiple hit and multiple RBI performance at the plate and a few good plays in the field to lead the charge.  Alumni MVP for the day was Jake “JCN” Nippins (TEP 95) who added Softball MVP to his repertoire of accolades on the tennis courts.  The Young Buck rout was aided by a number of Alumni mishaps in the field and a number of errors on Alumni pitcher Mike Kueny (TEP 103) who was apparently sampling over at the dispensary earlier in the day.  Let’s hope he got a good night’s sleep!  

All in all a great thing to have the event back in Camden and t’was an invigorating event for all involved.   

Chapter III: Pledging – Part 3  and Greek Week

(Disclaimer:  The following experiences are the memories of a doddering idiot. The remembrances of these  events in no way condones them, nor suggests that they be attempted in modern times.)

The Greek Alphabet On A Block Of Ice

One of the many joys of pledging was having to memorize several things, one of which was the Greek alphabet (I forget what the other 3 or 4 were, but I seem to remember “The Message to Garcia”, as well as the names of the brothers’ girlfriends or fiancées). I am glad I had to memorize the Greek alphabet, as it has allowed me to keep track of all of the Covid variants, as well as know the answers to the daily crossword puzzle. In the beginning, pledges had trouble remembering the alphabet, but with some judicious encouragement (refer to “THANK YOU SIR! MAY I HAVE ANOTHER, SIR!” in a previous issue), all of us quickly became experts in reciting the Greek alphabet. However, on several occasions, this task was made a bit more difficult and interesting by having to perform this recitation while seated on a block of ice (usually while in jockey shorts, but sometimes not) – this made it a most exhilarating exercise. When we could all do this, even on a block of ice, it was made even more challenging (i.e., “impossible”) when brothers would throw dried oatmeal or crackers into our mouth. No matter how talented one may be in vocalizing the Greek alphabet, this talent is lost when you have dried oatmeal/crackers in your mouth. Naturally, this meant that you remained on the block of ice until you had completed the task to the satisfaction of the brothers. Ah, good memories!

Greek Week

Every year, sometime in April, all of the Greek organizations on campus competed in a number of events. I believe there may have been some athletic events (a football game?), but the two events that stand out  in my mind are the Greek Week Parade and the Toga Party!

I believe it was usually on a Wednesday, there would be a parade of the floats made by each fraternity and sorority down Penn Street, with the “judging area” being in front of the recently constructed (1964) Student Center. I confess that I don’t remember the theme for the Sig Ep float in the 1967 Greek Week Parade, but I do remember MANY days and nights making Kleenex-paper “flowers” for the float. I do remember that we did NOT win the parade that year.

However, I do remember in vivid detail, the parade of 1968 (or maybe it was 1969 – specific dates get hazy at this point in life!). The theme was “Pandora’s Box”, with an Oscar-worthy portrayal of Pandora by then-Pledge Jim Broomell, whose inestimable acting talents put us over the top. I also remember a fire-breathing dragon – except that the fire was carbon dioxide “smoke” from a fire extinguisher – but the dragon was about 6’ high, a dark bright metallic green, and the effect was actually quite realistic. Thanks to countless hours of work by every brother and pledge, and the magnificently vivid portray of Pandora – we won the parade award that year!

On the Saturday of Greek Week, all of the frats (we had 3 at the time) had toga parties. This was a typical frat party, with the addition of themed decorations for the house, and all attendees were attired in togas (or what each person’s idea of a toga was). This particular event was open to all Greek folks and their dates. I don’t recall much about this party for 1967 – some pledge memories have been forgotten (on purpose?) while others are remembered in vivid detail. I think I spent most of the 1967 party tending the bar – which was ironic, because I believe I was the only pledge/brother who didn’t drink. I do remember the 1968 party; we turned the living room into a grotto, with pine boughs hanging from the ceiling, a reflecting pool the width of the living room at one end, and a waterfall running from the second floor down the stairs to the first floor. While we thought this should have won the award, Kazoo won the house decorating contest. (But who cares now, because Sig Ep/TEP is still around, and Kazoo isn’t!).

The splendor of the toga party was in the togas. Now there are always one or two people who can look marvelous in whatever they wear – and this was the case at toga parties. A couple of the guys looked like Greek gods – they carried off wearing a sheet extremely well. All of the girls looked great – it’s a talent they have. But most of the guys looked like duffuses wearing sheets – sort of like a Halloween ghost costume gone wrong. Fortunately, after a drink or two, it didn’t matter!!!! (Once more, for a visual, I refer you to the toga party scene in “Animal House”).

(next time: Hell Night – Part 1)

Based on the brothers in my group chat, like them but… Ya’ll like alien content? 

High Strange

The podcast algorithm referred me this, I think, because I listened to some other podcasts that the host, Payne Lindsey, has made. At some point, I reviewed Up and Vanished which was a true crime podcast about missing people. I liked Payne’s style so I gave it a shot. First of all, it checks all of the basics, because it was made by a production company. Everyone is easy to hear on the microphone, there is some audio design and its not just the host reading. As for the content, I like that it discusses the topic of aliens, in a way that is at once open-ended without saying there ARE Aliens. It is 9 episodes long. Episode 1 sets the table for series and touches on the Roswell incident. Episode 2 covers a crew of loggers who after seeing something weird in the woods, lost a member of the team for like 5 days. That lost member has some haunting memories. Episode 3 covers Project Blue Book which was a US Government program to investigate and document UFO/UAP incidients. Episode 4 covers an incident at an American Army Base in England where after odd sightings, the area was uncharacteristically radioactive. Episode 5 interviews a guy that may have been the inspiration for the movie Contact using radio signals to try to contact extraterrisals. Episode 6 is about an incident over an entire county of Ohio with multiple 911 call recordings and radio traffic from local law enforcement. Episode 7 is about a couple that was driving through rural New Hampshire and their encounter with something strange. Episode 8 is about UFO/UAPs interfering with a military training mission out in the Pacific Ocean. The 9th episode is a roundtable of the host and some other staff talking about each episode. The interviews are powerful but not fantastical. The angle is always curious about the topic and not definitive either way. I appreciate that approach because how could a bunch of podcasters really PROVE it. It’s the cool stories and the head-tilting “huh” that made me enjoy the series.

As always…If you liked my recommendations, let me know. If you didn’t, let me know. If you think my writing is bad, I know; so, keep that to yourself. If you have a show that you think I should listen to, email me at atriner@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you, any subject welcome.

Cigar: Test Blend by 262 Cigar 

Participants: Austin Tsang and Jesse Williams (TEP 79)

Start Time: 6:27 pm 

End Time: 7:33 pm

One of the most incredible things to me in the cigar world is to be given the opportunity to try the test blends that cigar manufacturers create when looking to expand their offerings. It is an absolute honor to be able sample these test blends and provide our feedback to aid in their decision to see if it’s a batch worth pursuing or if they should scrap it and move on.

Today, my buddy Jesse and I are reviewing a test blend by 262 Cigars. This brand is solely owned by Madison Money who acquired the company from Clint Aaron in 2019. He has since moved production of the cigars to Nicaragua.

This cigar is a different vitola (size/shape) than we normally smoke. Jesse comments that it reminded him of the Goliath by Foundation Cigars, in terms of look and size. The head of the cigar is reminiscent of the pyramid/torpedo vitola, but the foot of the cigar tapers in to the size of a cigarette, so I will hand it to Madison, this is definitely unique. As we don’t know what this vitola is called, we’ll just provide a rough dimension, which is around a 48-52 ring gauge (depending on how far in you cut on the head) and roughly 5 inches in length. Jesse compliments Madison for his choice in breaking the mold with the creation of this cigar; he enjoys the odd vitolas that aren’t easily found in the market, like the flying pigs. Construction is firm, no soft spots or blemishes. Smell gives off hay and wood. Based on color (we know it’s wrong to assume based on color, but we like getting surprised if our guesses are wrong), we’ll assume this will sit around a medium-bodied smoke.

We both used a straight cutter and a 5 torch lighter to keep the review consistent. Considering the foot tapers in to such a small hole that looks practically closed, there is still a decent draw once the head is cut. The prelight draw flavor is very faint with hints of wood and white pepper, but it’s barely there and dissipates rather quickly. 

There was no significant change between the pre-light and post-light draws. Jesse pointed out that we have to make it past the tapering in the foot before anything should change. There is a decent amount of smoke output after each draw. The flavor has started off rather mild, just a hint of white pepper and hay on the tongue, but the retrohale is a whole different story. I went a little overboard on my retrohale. I ended up coughing and had a few tears in my eye. My rookie mistake aside, it was still a potent punch. The ash is burning a light gray which based on previous research tells us that the tobacco in this cigar was grown in a nutrient dense area. I am curious to see what a cigar would taste like if it used tobacco from a nutrient deficient/lacking area. 

As we approach the middle of the cigar, the body of the smoke has started to ramp up. The pepper has ramped up to the punch of black pepper, and it stays on the palate a lot longer which tends to be the kick that both Jesse and I enjoy. The ash is clinging rather well, I tend to err on the side of caution and break off the ash as it reaches an inch to an inch and a half, whereas Jesse likes to play daredevil and see how far he can get with the ash cling. The ash broke off in solid chunks for me, which tells me the cigar is made of long filler, but Jesse’s fun proved it. He was able to smoke the entire cigar without the ash dropping, which I’ve only seen one other time. We both question what requirements need to be met for the ash to hold so well versus the ash that splits in half or flakes as the cherry moves beyond. 

The rest of the cigar burned consistently, no touch ups necessary throughout the entire smoke. There was no other real change in flavor aside from the transition from white pepper to black pepper. We both maintain that this is a mild/medium bodied cigar with it leaning more on the mild side.

Construction: 10

Burn : 10

Flavor : 5

Strength: Mild/Medium

Overall: 8.33

Final Thought: This is a great stick if you’re looking to break away from the mild cigar but not ready for a maduro punch in the face. I wouldn’t mind smoking again, if given the chance. We are curious to know the price point this cigar would be released at if it made it to the market.

This issue sponsored by Chascsa Agency

October 6th, 2023

Second Annual SEAA Golf Outing, Gambler’s Ridge Golf Club

October 13th, 2023 7:30 PM 

In-person SEAA Board of Trustee Meeting followed by the Annual  Meeting of the SEAA Membership @ 228 Cooper St. 

November 12th, 2023 Time TBD 

Undergraduate Vs. Alumni Turkey Bowl @ Camden 

November 18th, 2023 Time TBD 

61st Muskrat Ramble

The goal of this newsletter is to be a resource for all alumni; for not only the  business of SEAA but also the social connection of our social fraternity. To that  end, more diverse content is better. Do you have a hobby that you want to write  about? I bet another alumni wants to hear your opinions on it. Did something  worth announcing happen in your life that you want to tell us all about? Do you  want to advertise your small business? In the same vein, if you have feedback  about the E-pulse, then we want to hear it. Just like with interesting content, an  enjoyable reading experience reinforces the purpose of this newsletter. We  want to engage with you all.  

Email us at SEAApresident@gmail.com.  

Check out our Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/seaa.58/

This issue sponsored by Brian Weldon