Haunted Lodges take over Chi Psi Alphas

At the University of Michigan, the men of Alpha Epsilon created a Haunted Lodge around Halloween to raise money for charity in 2022. This fall, they brought Haunted Lodge back, and plan to make it a tradition moving forward.

“We definitely want to continue this event,” says #36 and Mental Health Chair Matthew Fischer, E ’24. “We had a ton of people come through and it raises money for a really good cause.”

In 2023, the men chose to support House by the Side of the Road, which distributes clothing and household items to those in need in the Ann Arbor, Michigan community. The group also helps out the local homeless population and provides aid to those re-entering society from prison and to migrant workers.

“We try to make the organization that we donate to a local charity to improve our campus community,” says Fischer. “Last year, we gave to a charity that prevents domestic abuse and child abuse, and this year we are supporting underserved communities in Ann Arbor.”

Alpha Epsilon Lodge decorated for the event.

At Alpha Omicron (Virginia), they also held their second annual Haunted Lodge philanthropy this fall. According to #36 Sam Lauer, O ’25, the theme for this year was a haunted construction site in the Lodge.

“We showed a short video to attendees at the beginning, offering fictional context about a burst pipe that led to an outbreak of zombie-like creatures,” says Lauer. “We then directed them upstairs, where they had to navigate a maze of hanging sheets and avoid our Brothers jumping out to scare them in their costumes.”

The men of Omicron charged $5 per person to enter, and proceeds went to The Gordie Center. An organization close to Chi Psi’s history, The Gordie Center’s mission is to end hazing and substance misuse among college and high school students nationwide.

“We raised about $2,500 for this event, which exceeded last year’s total,” says Lauer. “I think we’ll get better each and every year in that respect. We want to make sure we’re continuing our relationship with The Gordie Foundation and keep its purpose front of mind.”

At Alpha Nu (Minnesota), the men raised more about $6,000 from their Haunted Lodge philanthropy for Children’s Minnesota, a local pediatric hospital. Owen Maze, N ’26, the Alpha’s #36, says it is his favorite philanthropy and one that pretty much every Brother gets involved in.

A poster advertising the Alpha Nu event.

“It takes over the entire Lodge this time of year,” says Maze. “We put a lot of time and effort into it and everyone was especially really excited to help the kids out at Children’s Minnesota this year.”

On top of being a fun and beneficial event for a local community organization, Maze says it’s an opportunity for the Alpha to generate good relationships in the area and on campus.

“We want to be front and center with our philanthropy on campus,” he says. “We want to give back to this community and ensure our events have good turnout. We’re ramping our philanthropy this year too, so I’m excited to see what this brings.”

The men of Epsilon, who also charged $5 per head, raised right around the $1,200 goal they had set – and that was before any donations from generous alumni came in to support their efforts.

“In 2022, we had about $300 in alumni donations, and I think we’ll easily surpass our fundraising goal if and when those gifts come in,” says Fischer.

Their theme at Epsilon was a haunted hospital, and all actors in costumes who were doing the scaring were Brothers or Potential New Members of the Alpha. For Fischer, the men of Epsilon, and the rest of the Brothers at every Alpha that put on a Haunted Lodge, the consensus was clear: fundraising can be fun, but it’s the giving back that makes memories.

The scarers of Alpha Omicron at Virginia.

“We want to properly represent Chi Psi on our campus with every event we do,” says Fischer. “We want everyone to know what we stand for. I know at Epsilon we are doing a good job of embodying those Chi Psi values with our philanthropy work.”

Alpha Spotlight: Alpha Omicron (Virginia)

In this series, we spotlight each Alpha and Colony in order to provide general updates on everything from recruitment to philanthropy to alumni relations.

The fall 2021 semester has been a busy one for the men of Alpha Omicron at the University of Virginia. Not only did they hold a grand Lodge re-opening, but they’ve been working on multiple philanthropy projects and introduced new mental health programming for the Alpha.

The Lodge re-opening event was well-attended, in a stroke of good fortune, also overlapped with the University’s annual young alumni weekend.

“Looking back on it, this was a really involved process,” says Omicron #1 Michael Kerns, O ’22. “I’m so glad the young alumni weekend occurred at the same time, because it allowed older alumni and donors to see the fruits of their donations at the same time as young alumni who had recently graduated and got to experience the new Lodge they’d been waiting to see.”

Kerns says a lot of people on the campus grounds were curious about what the house would look like because they have a location on campus that is very visible. He also said that it was nice to see so many fellow Greek Life friends come through.

“Women from sororities we have good relationships with came by,” he says. “So did members of the Central Office, a lot of our friends, and tons of alumni.”

Kerns also notes that he and his Brothers wanted to continue helping the capital campaign efforts by being the best Alpha they could be, which would encourage more giving.

“We tried to keep putting on good events and do big philanthropy projects,” he says. “That’s all important anyway, but we focused especially hard on those things, as well as alumni communication, to help make this a reality.”

He believes it shows how far the Alpha has come, that the Lodge funds were raised and utilized and that the re-opening was such a success.

“We recolonized not long ago,” says Kerns. “So, the impressive growth we’ve had since then is really showing and being celebrated. The size and state of our Brotherhood has increased, and so has our social standing on campus. The new Lodge is a sign that we’re here to stay for the long term.”

The physical expansion of the Lodge, he says, is breathtaking.

“The old Lodge had some issues,” Kerns says. “This new place is huge. It has big columns and matches the neo-classical houses here at UVA. It’s really a symbol of how far the Alpha has come and how much still lies ahead of us.”

The Alpha has also been hard at work raising significant money for The Gordie Center, which is headquartered in Charlottesville near UVA. The men of Omicron have cultivated relationships with the staff at The Gordie Center, and Kerns says the Chi Psi connection makes it all the more special.

“It’s such a personal thing, this organization we donate to,” he says. “The fact that it’s all done in memory of a Chi Psi is a really extra layer of meaning for us.”

In the fall, Omicron held its annual tie-dye event, which is something Kerns pioneered as a Philanthropy Chair a few years ago. The tie-dying event is popular, and Kerns says he always sees those shirts around campus as a reminder of how excited it gets the campus community. They also have a live band at the event, so the Alpha really goes all out.

“The coolest part is that staff from The Gordie Center usually comes through our events to say hi,” says Kerns. “It’s so much fun and it gets the community involved in an event they might not normally come to, as well as gets them exposed to Chi Psi and what we do.”

Between their tie-dye event this fall and a Waffle Lodge event they do each spring, Alpha Omicron has raised nearly $15,000 for The Gordie Center in less than one academic year.

On the health and wellness front, Kerns says the Alpha has begun doing a mental health retreat and holding a “Gentleman’s Club” every Wednesday. He says they really wanted to cultivate a culture where it was okay to not be okay and be open about it.

“We went from zero health and wellness work in the Alpha to this,” says Kerns. “We wanted to put on these regular events that allow Brothers to dive a little deeper into their feelings. It’s always optional, and we bring pizza and snacks and just open the floor to whoever wants to talk.”

They also did a mental wellness hike that they took from Alpha Rho Delta at Miami – one of the first Chi Psi Alphas to make mental health a priority. Kerns also spoke to UVA about the Alpha’s mental health efforts, which he hopes has encouraged more Brothers to take part in their Gentleman’s Club nights.

“Since we started it, people are definitely more interested sharing,” he says. “Whether inside of Gentleman’s Club or out, our Brothers are a lot more able and willing to talk to each other about things that might be sensitive or that they haven’t wanted to discuss. It’s given everyone a safe platform.”

All in all, things at Alpha Omicron are going well and they don’t expect the momentum to stop anytime soon.

Alpha Omicron (Virginia) holding annual philanthropy for The Gordie Center

Alpha Omicron at the University of Virginia is starting to publicize their annual philanthropy for The Gordie Center. They are hosting an event called “Chi Dye” on September 18th to raise money and awareness for The Gordie Center.

“It’s a play off the word tie-dye, because we are asking Brothers, friends, and members of the community to purchase and tie-dye a Chi Dye t-shirt,” says Adam Ashley, O ’24, who is serving as fall Philanthropy Chair. “We will also be hosting a live band and facilitating a raffle of gift cards from local restaurants and businesses.”

Tie-dye, a live band, and a raffle, all for a good cause? That sounds like a great time at the Omicron Lodge. Even for those who won’t be taking part in person, you can help to support Chi Dye and The Gordie Center by donating to their philanthropy at THIS LINK.

“Just like our spring philanthropy event, we are campaigning heavily through social media and via email outreach to friends and family members,” says Ashley. “We’re hoping to raise $5,000 this time around.”

The Gordie Center, of course, is named after Gordie Bailey, a Chi Psi Potential New Member who passed away from hazing-induced alcohol poisoning at the University of Colorado in 2004.

“The Gordie Center is inherently centralized in Chi Psi because of that tragic event,” says Ashley. “Now that the organization’s headquarters are in Charlottesville (where the University of Virginia is located), it feels important to our Brotherhood to carry on Gordie’s legacy and dedicate our philanthropy to raising awareness about alcohol and drug misuse, as well as the concerns of hazing.”

Ashley says that most students have witnessed the effects of substance misuse firsthand, and their Alpha wants to be on the frontlines against it.

“Alpha Omicron is constantly striving to foster a positive culture in Charlottesville,” he says.

Chi Psi as a whole puts an emphasis on philanthropy, and Ashley believes the men of Alpha Omicron reflect the values of service with events like this one for The Gordie Center.

“Many guys in our Brotherhood are passionate about service work and giving back to the community, and we prioritize hosting really awesome events that people will want to donate to a great cause at,” says Ashley.

It sounds like they are well on their way to accomplishing that goal!

If you want to donate to Alpha Omicron’s efforts, or to The Gordie Center in general, please visit this link. Follow Alpha Omicron’s efforts on Instagram at @chipsi4gordie

Charlie Osborne, O ’22, rescues pilot from crash landing in ocean

Charlie Osborne, O ’22, is a lifeguard on Surf City Beach in New Jersey. He was on the stand this summer when a banner plane lost altitude before crashing into the water and sinking quickly. We talked to Br. Osborne about the shocking moment and his reactions to the rescue.

Chi Psi: This is a crazy story! How did it all happen?

Charlie Osborne: Well, we saw this banner plane drop its banner and thought, “that’s weird.” I figured it was just something to keep an eye on. I’d never seen that before, but figured the pilot just had to drop the banner for some reason. Then it started losing altitude and I thought, “can that plane land on water?” We could tell something was really wrong as it started getting lower and lower. The plane hit the water, flipped forward, and created a huge splash. That’s when I jumped off the chair.

ΧΨ: What was going through your mind as you started going out for the rescue?

CO: My instincts just kicked in when I saw the plane go down. I jumped into the water without hesitation. I’ve had plenty of rescues before, but never seen something like that. Me and [fellow lifeguard Scott Meggitt] paddled out as fast as we could but the plane sank in less than 30 seconds. Luckily, I spotted the pilot and was able to yell out to him to make sure he didn’t have any passengers still trapped in the plane. It was just him, and had only minor injuries.

A blurry picture taken at Surf City Beach shows Osborne (left) with Meggitt and the pilot.

ΧΨ: Tell us about the moment when you reached the pilot and saw that he was alone and okay.

CO: It was so much easier after that. It was a relief to hear that he was okay. I immediately smiled and the tension released. We were able to get him back to the beach easily and he went with paramedics to get his injuries looked at.

ΧΨ: And you said his injuries were minor, thankfully. Did you ever find out why the plane crashed?

CO: Yeah, we learned the plane’s engine cut out, forcing the pilot to glide with the wind and try to make the water landing. I’ve also heard the pilot fully recovered. It could have been much worse.

ΧΨ: So, is that a scenario you’d actually practiced in lifeguard training?

CO: Yes, actually! We talked about that exact situation. Whenever it was brought up, it was like, “okay, good to know, but that’s never gonna happen.” Afterwards, friends and family members who are also lifeguards reached out to me when they heard the news and said I’d gotten the “dream” rescue. [laughs]

ΧΨ: Did you hear from any of your Chi Psi Brothers after it happened?

CO: Oh, yeah. Someone sent a link in our Alpha group chat asking if it was me. People have been messaging me constantly about it. It was pretty crazy!

ΧΨ: Well, we’re glad everyone was okay. Great job out there, Charlie! Last thing: tell us a little bit about the post-rescue moments. It had to be a whirlwind.

CO: There was a crowd on the beach clapping for us when we got back, but once the commotion died down we just had to go right back on our stands and finish out our shifts like any normal day. I was just sitting there thinking, “holy crap, did that just happen?”