Check out pictures on facebook here (Gardenia’s Album) and here (Jewels’ Album)

We definitely had an awesome time, and definitely plan on doing more trips like this in the near future!

Dominick “Mobius” Dicarlo, 184
Gregory “Sneaks” Duque, 185
Raul “Blessed Capybara” Romero, 186
Joseph “DJ Happy Fish” Torres, 187
James “Sticky Tofu” Wallis, 188

Check back soon on the “Brothers” page to learn more about them!!

And welcome brothers, to AGO. We all hope your time here will bring some of the best memories of your life!

Years ago, the Eta chapter at CSU Fresno was forced to go inactive and they’ve been a dead chapter for years!  This past year, however, one group of dedicated young men endeavored to re-found the chapter.  The Eta colony members spent the entire school year proving themselves worthy of AGO national recognition, fulfilling pledge requirements, visiting fellow chapters, holding meetings, bible studies, and accountability groups, spending hours in prayer, growing close to each other and to God.  Through strong perseverance under the leadership of their advisor, Paco (an alum of the Kappa chapter), and with the support of their big bros and all of the AGO chapters as a whole, these colony guys are finally getting re-chartered as the Eta chapter.

A banquet will be held, open to all AGO members, alumni, and all their guests on Saturday, August 29th at 6pm at the Holiday Inn in Fresno, CA.  Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at www.agofsu.org.  Come and celebrate this turning point in AGO history!  *Meeting Attire Required*

Iota, a big bro chapter for the colony, takes special interest in the charter.  Supporting them is supporting us (and AGO as a whole, really)!  Big bros are listed with their little bros below.

Congrats little bros!  We’re proud of you!!

This year has been an exciting one.  The Brothers have been working hard to keep the focus of the fraternity Christ-Centered as well has integrating and leading in the Greek community.  During the 2009 Greek Awards Night, AGO was awarded with the Highest GPA in the College of Letters and Sciences, the Highest GPA in the College of Engineering, the Highest GPA in the College of Environmental Sciences, and the Greek Award for Outstanding Member.  Additionally, AGO held several exchanges with the lovely ladies of ΧΟ and ΚΑΦ. We really enjoyed the Toga party we had with XO, coordinated by our Spring pledges!  Joining forces with many Greek and non-Greek organizations on campus, specifically our sister sorority ΑΔΧ, we also participated in “Relay for Life”, a 24 hour walk around Toomey Field raising awareness for and fighting the effects of cancer.  Our teams’ theme was “Fight Club”.  We raised about $500 for the American Cancer Society through our event “Breaking Cancer” (where participants could write the name of a loved one lost to the disease on a board and karate chop it in half) and through individual contributions.  And finally, we participated in numerous IMs and Greek sporting events to make sure we keep the tradition of athletics alive and well, and we even won the 2009 Greek Olympics!

More than just hanging out with sororities and gaining recognition in the Greek community, Iota has reenergized some foundational commitments the chapter made years ago to outreach to the UC Davis community.  Refuge, started by our alumni around 2000, has found new ground.  We consistently had over 30 people at refuge every Wednesday representing almost every fellowship on campus and some people that aren’t involved at all.  Building on the success of Refuge and the need for safe and entertaining places for people to have fun, we have been hosting “Zero Proof” as a place for students to hang out in a safe environment while seeing the Christ-Centered witness of the AGO Brothers.  We at AGO realize that it’s hard to find a decent alternative to the crazy drunken parties that go on over the weekends. Some people just want to enjoy themselves without being pressured to drink.  So, on Friday nights, AGO provided a safe dry party with music, food, pool, “beverage pong,” and more! Everything you get in a drinking party, without the drinking. We are working hard to think “outside the box” to be an alternative to the stereotypical fraternity as active participants on campus and are becoming a force to be reckoned with, and making great progress!

This year, Iota hosted for the first time, a very special philanthropy event.  The Iota brothers organized a “Murder Mystery Dinner” to highlight a very unique opportunity to help children around the world.  Providence World Ministries advocates for orphaned children and widows.  This Date Night fundraiser was hosted by the men of AGO in partnership with Birdstrike Theater (http://birdstriketheatre.com) who provided the Murder Mystery entertainment with the dinner catered by Seasons.  AGO alumnus Phil Darke of Providence World Ministries provided a unique perspective of orphaned children and widows.  This first time event was a success with all tickets selling out.  We will take the lessons from hosting this event and apply them for another successful evening next year.

There is no doubt this year has seen its share of hard work.  Any success has been the direct result of the unwavering commitment of the Brothers.  Time and time again, the Brothers have stepped up beyond the call of duty to make each event the best, each meeting enjoyable, and the house a welcoming environment.   As we say goodbye to our graduating seniors who join the ranks of our treasured alumni, as actives, we will continue to build on the foundation you secured and raise new pillars for the year ahead. Thank you for all the prayers and financial support.  Have a wonderful summer.   God bless all of you.

President: Ben Giesbrecht
Vice President: Joe Candelario
Chaplain: Sean Pierce
Pledge Master: Daniel Jordan
House Manager: Alan Godfrey
Secretary: Luke Wagner
Treasurer: TBD

Remember to keep Christ first in each decision you make. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer! We are excited to see what you guys bring!

9. Saving Money
Living in Davis while paying tuition isn’t cheap. But living in the AGO house is much cheaper than dorms or apartments (and its fun!). Our dues are very affordable, and they pay for all kinds of things that will benefit you – Monday Night Dinners, retreats, sports, parties and socials.

8. Athletic Competition
You like sports, and so do we. So you don’t have the time for the UC Davis team, and you don’t want to spend the money on Intramural Sports. AGO Iota plays Intramural and Inter-Fraternal sports, in addition to attending the annual All-AGO Pismo Football Tournament. This is the place for athletic competition and anyone who loves sports!

7. Employment Networking
AGO men can be found all over the world in various occupations. Many alumni have wisdom that could help you determine what your skills and desires are best suited for. Our fraternity doesn’t assist you only in the academic world; it extends into the professional world as well.

6. Christian Resources
The AGO Iota chapter library is ready for your use. It’s filled with books that will teach and challenge you written by authors such as C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, John Piper, John MacArthur and many more. There is plenty there to assist you in your Scriptural scholarship and your continued walk with God.

5. Fellowship and Accountability
People need people. Christians especially need fellowship. And men of God need growth. God uses this brotherhood to keep people near to Himself. You will find immense satisfaction in Christ when your brothers lovingly challenge you to grow, and AGO is an amazing catalyst for that.

4. Diverse Brotherhood
AGO draws men from many cultures, backgrounds and denominations. God will use that in your life to develop and mature your Christian worldview. In AGO more than any other campus organization, you will see how our common faith in the work of Christ unites those of many backgrounds.

3. College Experience
If you devote yourself only to your studies, you’ll miss out. You have more free time during these 4, 5, 6, or 7 years at college than you will ever have for the rest of your life! Whether it’s a spontaneous or a planned event, Christ is the center of all we do. We do Bible studies, road trips, concerts, hiking trips, retreats, semi-formals and much, much more. As a brother of AGO, you will get the most out of college!

2. Personal Maturity
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” – Phil 1:6. God will use AGO to help accomplish that promise. This fraternity provides countless ways for brothers to develop and exercise their gifts and talents. You will develop Life Skills such as leadership, organization, time management, budgeting, managing a household and conflict resolution.

1. Why Not?
AGO is the place for men of God to grow during their college years. It’s the place for a freaking awesome college experience. It’s the place where relationships are formed which last well beyond these few years. Who could pass up such an incredible opportunity? So come out to RUSH – or just stop by our house sometime! The men of AGO look forward to greeting you!

Two cars left Davis on Friday February 6th. The first car left a little after 3:30, with Sean “jetpack” Pierce (I-176), myself Joe “taj o’malley” Candelario (I-174), Mike Raines (I-153), and Todd Harper (I-172) driving. By the time the second car left with Dan “cougar” Jordan (I-175), Ben Giesbrecht (I-167), Ryan Miller (I-168), and Tyler Landrith (I-166), it was 4:30, and we were already nearing Fresno. Todd and Mike were up front and Sean and I were in the back. Sean spent most of the time sleeping or plugged into his headphones, Todd and Mike talked about Lord knows what, and I played DJ for the day trying to find music that people would like. We stopped in Kettleman City to eat, with the group split up as it was in the car: jet and I went to subway, while the other two went to In-N-Out.

Traffic wasn’t half as bad as we’d thought it’d be when we hit L.A., and it cleared up pretty quick. After a quick directional mishap, we were at the Pi Chapter House around 10pm. This was an enormous house – dwarfing even the largest fraternity house in Davis (which belonged to Sig-Ep at the time). Moreover, it was clean. If I remember correctly, there were over 25 rooms, with fifty residents. Downstairs there were a plethora of AGO sweatshirts from three other chapters: Kappa, Eta, and Xi. These people went to bed shortly after we arrived, but we were wired.

A couple of guys from Kappa arrived, one of whom was “Bissel”, a cross chapter mentor of mine. Two Pi pledges arrived shortly thereafter, “Hakkunah Matata” and “Dora the Explorer”. We decided to get food, and the pledges offered to be our guides. The night was beautiful, as were the drunken girls stumbling up and down the street like inebriated angels. Their white clothing (due to the Delta Chi white party going on) added to this effect. While were were eating at Denny’s, the other car arrived.

Pi put our chapter and Eta together in the same room: The E. Harlan Fischer Library. While this would have been ample space for one chapter, fitting two chapters in there was tricky. So four of us: Ben, Ryan, Tyler, and I decided to sleep on the roof, which was easily accessible through the window. “Whistler”, an Eta Founder, joined us after poking his head out of the window. At one point in the night, Mike Raines started taking pictures of us from a room facing the roof.

I awakened to Tyler looking at me. Awkward as it was, he said he had just woken up a second before I did. Everyone was still asleep, so I decided to get breakfast and dragged Tyler, Cougar, and Whistler along with me. We went to this really ghetto grocery store and got a couple boxes of cereal. Cougar bought Mexican bread called “Bimbo”. It wasn’t bad. It was a good thing we’d bought the cereal, because Pi wasn’t planning on feeding the other chapters in the morning.

I realize that this article is supposed to be about Founders, but it’s the most boring part of the trip. So I’ll sum it up and skip ahead: mediocre food, talks from the National Executive Council, the end. After we sang “Strong the Ties” as a whole, we all met up at an alumnus’ house and mingled.

Well, the mingling part lasted less than an hour, until some of the guys from a few of the chapters were called to a secret meeting inside the house. Two hours in a hot room with thirty guys doesn’t sound like much fun. But it beat sitting in that dining hall with a suit on. We packed up and hit the road for home, and thus, brought an end to Founder’s Weekend.

In support of this service, proceeds will be sent to aid in the effort to build orphanages to offer the people of Honduras a community to live in.

This Date Night fundraiser is hosted by the men of Alpha Gamma Omega Fraternity in partnership with Birdstrike Theater (http://birdstriketheatre.com) who will be providing a Murder Mystery entertainment. This event will be catered by Seasons (http://www.seasonsdavis.com) and will include a full plated meal.

Tickets are $15 – They will be available at the AGO house (310 Parkway circle) and members (who can be contacted via email or phone) will be selling them, as well.

If that doesn’t work, we will also be tabling up until the event from 12pm-2pm weekdays near the flagpole at the Memorial Union.

Keynote Speaker: Phil Darke, Providence World Ministries Director of Research and Development and Alpha Gamma Omega Alumnus.

Questions or concerns?
Please contact Christian Commander at 707-499-1621 or cjcommander@ucdavis.edu