7 hour car rides with friends can sometimes be miserable, but also a fun time. Being crammed into one, tiny, 5 person car, every seat filled, really forces you to become close with your Brothers. We finally decided to leave around 2:30 so we would be in New Jersey just in time to settle down at our hotel and to get dressed for our first meeting. Then the weather hit. We spent our first 30-45 minutes in a blizzard while stuck in traffic before we finally were able to get going. After a few hours we decided to stop and grab something to eat for a little bit before we hit the road again for the final 2 hours of our trip.
At last, we had arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in Parsippany, New Jersey. We were amazed looking at this castle inspired hotel. Upon arriving, we immediately rushed to our room, changed clothes, and ran to our meeting. We all connected with others in our positions and communicated how each runs their position within their chapter.
Saturday morning consisted of waking up early, showering, and heading to breakfast. We found our Regional Director Jimmy, said our hello’s, and found a place to sit together as we would not see each other until lunch. Breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Absolutely delicious!
We all separated after a delicious breakfast and went to our meeting rooms from the night before. I found a new friend to sit next to that was from the same general area I was from so we found things that we had in common. He was the VP of Communications for Thiel College. I learned how his chapter works and different ways he uses social media to help their chapter grow in recruitment and just in general spreading the word on campus about what they do.
We then met again for lunch after a few hours in meetings. We sat with a group from the Virginia Pi Chapter at Christopher Newport University. We had great conversations with them and quickly became friends. We had lunch and then were off to about 6 more hours of meetings and learning.
We started the second half of the day with Joe Kurle, the Chapter Sites Manager from the National Headquarters. He provided great ways to work and understand how the website works. After a couple hours learning through him and working with the website, we were back to our conversations. Meetings were beginning to wrap up for all groups and we had to report back to the ballroom for dinner.
Jimmy, our Regional Director, would join us for dinner. Steak, broccoli, and potatoes were on the menu for our final meal. Cheesecake would also provide us with a tasty dessert! Final awards were then handed out for chapters that met prestigious requirements. The biggest moment for our chapter came when the winners for the Tragos Trip to Greece were announced. We were fortunate to have our President, Thomas Niepsuj, to have his name called and to be able to be picked as one of very few Brothers nationally to be selected as a winner. We wish him along with all others who have been chosen the safest of travels this summer on their once in a lifetime retreat in such a beautiful country.