A Petition to the SupremeCouncil and Chapters of

Alpha Chi Sigma

From the University of Richmond Colony

of the Alpha Kappa Chapter of the Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity

Statement of PetitionSummer 2017

To: The Supreme Council and Collegiate and Professional Chapters of Alpha Chi Sigma

From: The University of Richmond Colony of the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma

We, the members of the University of Richmond Colony of the Alpha Kappa Chapter, do

hereby petition the national fraternity for the establishment of a permanent collegiate chapter

at the University of Richmond. Since our establishment as a colony, our endeavors strove to

expand chemistry as a science and broaden its role in the lives of our peers. The colony of the

Alpha Kappa aims to present this organization as a haven that can be turned to, providing

lasting companionship and a place for individual expression. We accept all responsibilities and

commitments expected of us to attain the honor of becoming a permanent collegiate chapter.

Upon our colonization in August 2016, we have developed substantial relationships with

the faculty, staff, and student body of the Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and

Chemistry Departments at the University of Richmond. In the past year, we have volunteered

our time and used our title as Alpha Chi Sigma to encourage scientific learning and curiosity at

grade schools around us. The small collegiate campus of the University of Richmond helps

foster the growth and creation of the close ties created from this great brotherhood, a factor so

important to our three objectives.

Thank you for your consideration for our request and we hope that you see our

commitment to uphold the obligations of Alpha Chi Sigma and its three objects.

Yours in the Double Bond,

The Brothers and Sisters of the University of Richmond Colony

Eric Chang (Master Alchemist) Andy Levorse (Vice Master Alchemist)

Gregory Gravalis (Treasurer) Afryea Henderson (Master of Ceremonnies)

Hilary Fokwa (Recorder) Arya Pazhwak (Reporter)

History of the University of Richmond Colony of Alpha Chi Sigma

The University of Richmond Colony of the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma was started by a group of students in September of 2015. Although our brothers have a large range of majors, chemistry is the science that binds us all. The Charter class was inducted on October 19th, 2015 and was initiated by the Alpha Kappa Chapter at the University of Virginia and was initiated on November 13th, 2015. The Charter Class consisted of 11 brothers. With this initiation, our first elected officers formally filled their positions. They are listed below:

Dr. Michael Leopold – Chapter Advisor

Cooper Taylor – Master Alchemist

Maddie Newkirk – Vice Master Alchemist

Eric Chang – Master of Ceremonies

Kayla Anderson – Recorder

Annabelle Pham – Reporter

Quincy McKoy – Treasurer

Thais Scott – Alumni Secretary

Andy Levorse – Parliamentarian

Campbell Hesse – Social and Service Chair

Recruitment for the Alpha class in the spring of 2015 was an exciting first step for the founders of our colony. The founders hosted both informational events, such as talks from professional brothers that our currently faculty, as well as interactive events such as game and food nights which gave potential pledges the opportunity to mingle with brothers and learn about the fraternity. The Alpha class was inducted by the University of Richmond Colony at the University of Richmond on February 1st, 2016. With the help of a couple brothers in the nearby area, the Alpha Class was initiated at the University of Richmond on March 18th, 2016. The Alpha class consisted of thirteen collegiate brothers.

During the Spring semester of 2016, we held our first election and first officer transition. The upcoming officers all possessed excellent leadership qualities and time management skills. As only two positions became vacant from the previous board because of officers studying abroad the next semester. These were the elected executive board:

Dr. Michael Leopold – Chapter Advisor

Cooper Taylor – Master Alchemist

Maddie Newkirk – Vice Master Alchemist

Eric Chang – Master of Ceremonies

Helene Kerines – Recorder

Annabelle Pham – Reporter

Sean Clair – Treasurer

Thais Scott – Alumni Secretary

Claude Raffin – Parliamentarian

Campbell Hesse – Social and Service Chair

The Beta class was inducted by the University of Richmond Colony at the University of Richmond on September 19th, 2016. The Beta class was initiated on November 4th, 2016, by the University of Richmond Colony at the University of Richmond. The Beta class consisted of nine collegiate brothers and three professional brothers. During this fall semester, we participated in our University Sponsored “Trick or Treat Street”, which families are invited to bring their children to participate in games and activities to earn treats and candy. We ran a make your own slime station.

The Gamma class was inducted by the University of Richmond Colony at the University of Richmond on January 29th, 2017. The Gamma class was initiated on March 24th by the University of Richmond Colony at the University of Richmond. The Gamma class consisted of nine collegiate brothers. During the pledge process, we held our official Winter Gottwald Games, which are a series of science themed mini games that teams competed in. We had an entrance fee for each team and all proceeds were donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI.

At the end of the Spring Semester 2017, we held our second election that entailed a major officer transition as many existing officers were graduating. We ensured that the outgoing officers taught the incoming officers by shadowing them and leaving a binder of all obligations and documents they used. The new and current executive board is listed below:

Dr. Michael Leopold – Chapter Advisor

Eric Chang – Master Alchemist

Andrew Levorse – Vice Master Alchemist

Afryea Henderson – Master of Ceremonies

Hilary Fokwa – Recorder

Arya Pazhwak – Reporter

Gregory Gravalis – Treasurer

Maddie Newkirk – Alumni Secretary

Alexis Blake – Parliamentarian

Pat TomHon – Social and Service Chair

Brother ListCharter Class:

Andy Levorse Kayla AndersonAnnabelle Pham Maddie NewkirkCampell Hesse Mat SantaCooper Taylor Quincy McKoyDavina Adderley Thais ScottEric Chang

Alpha Class:

Alethea Lin Lester PrimeroAnh Bui Michael PannellBronte Gilman Pat TomHonClaude Raffin Sean ClairDestiny Pacella Shaina D’SouzaElise Tate Yiqi LiuHelene Kerins

Beta Class:

Afryea Henderson Hilary FokwaAlexis Blake Shannon LaughlinArya Pazhwak Ziad ShafiDidi Jimenez Dr. Julie PollockEdward Provencher Dr. Carol ParishGregory Gravalis Erica Modeste

Gamma Class:

Salmika Wairegi Francy Cabrera-PazNathan Dimnh Christopher CotterMinghui Cai Sarah WangMalik Bell Najwa LabbanKatherine Pokorny

Activities List

❖ Recruitment Events➢ Monday Morning Munchies

▪ Provide breakfast for students entering the science building➢ Q&A with Faculty Advisor on his experiences with AXE and why you should join at UR➢ Game and Pizza Night

▪ Board games are provided to play between brothers and prospective pledges▪ Food is also provided to encourage mingling

❖ Pledge Events➢ Education

▪ Pledges have a weekly meeting to go over new member education. Pledges quizzed on their knowledge at Conclaves

➢ Conclaves▪ We made our own rendition of the game “Mafia” called the Order of Altotus. There

are 4 members of the Order of Altotus in the group and their objective is to kill off all the innocent alchemists. And the objective of the alchemists is to identify all members of the Order of Altotus. We incorporate the famous alchemists in to the game. Such as Wei Po Yang, who can give the elixir of life to anyone and prevents that person from dying by the hands of the Order for one night. Then the Albanian Greyhound knows the identity of everyone in the Order, and must try to aid in the capturing of the Order without being compromised. When a pledge is killed off, they must answer 3 questions. Their name, the 3 objects, and a question about the fraternity to make sure they are on track with their new member education.

➢ Participating in the Gottwald Games▪ The Gottwald Games is a science theme Olympic games where teams participate

against each other to win a trophy. Further explanation below. Pledges form a team and play against brothers as well as other teams from students on campus.

❖ Brother Events➢ Families

▪ We place our big-little pairs into families named of 5 elements. Air, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Metal.

➢ Trial of Elements▪ To encourage bonding within and between families, we implemented a points

system. The objective is the family with the most points by the end of the semester is declared the strongest element. Some methods of earning points are by hanging out together with your family, meeting with pledges, hosting events, highest percentage family turn out to an event.

❖ Philanthropy Events➢ Trick or Treat Street

▪ A school event where a vast amount of games and activities are provided by students to entertain children and their families nearing Halloween. Last year we held a make your own slime station. This is a fun even where brothers dress up in costumes and help entertain children for an afternoon.

➢ Dream Big Day▪ We represent the chemistry department by performing chemical demonstrations

(slime and foam) for 1,600 elementary to middle school student to promote scientific curiosity and further education.

➢ Winter Gottwald Games▪ As mentioned before, we host a science Olympic games using lab based skills and

techniques to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Health, NAMI. Anyone can participate and we encourage families to make teams to participate.

➢ Black Night Run▪ This is a 5K dedicated to raising money to donate to children’s charities to

cure cancer. We encourage our brothers to go out and have a fun time for a worthy cause.

Chemistry at the University of Richmond

After the expansion and renovation of the Gottwald Center for the Sciences in 2006, our school has become an impressive undergraduate research institution, with the building being the home of the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Environmental Science, and Physics. Within our campus, the building has created a tight-knit community of students and faculty alike, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and research. In the department of chemistry, an abundance of research groups, comprised almost entirely of undergraduates, are led by publishing faculty members. The research groups are diverse in focus, ranging from nanomaterial synthesis and incorporation into electrochemical biosensors to organic synthesis of anti-cancer drugs, computation modeling to solve fundamental and applied problems for pharmaceutical and technological applications, and so on. The science center is well equipped for meaningful research by students, encouraging training and use of instrumentation such as a 90, 300, and 500 MHz NMR, MALDI, HPLC, GC-MS, Electrochemical QCM, AFM, SEM, and TEM.

University of Richmond Chemistry Faculty

Christopher L. Stevenson – Associate Professor

B.S. University of N. Carolina Chapel Hill, Ph.D. University of Florida

Teaching Areas:

Analytical Chemistry Environmental Chemistry

Samuel A. Abrash – Associate Professor

B.A. University of Chicago, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Teaching Areas:

Physical Chemistry Introductory Chemistry

J. Ellis Bell – Professor of Chemistry

Ph.D. Oxford University

Teaching Areas:

Biochemistry

Ryan Coppage – Director of Introductory LabsB.S. Murray University, Ph.D. University of Miami

Teaching Areas:

Introductory Chemistry

Jonathan Datteylbaum – Professor of ChemistryB.S. James Madison University, Ph.D. University of Maryland

Teaching Areas:

Biochemistry

Raymond N. Dominey – Associate ProfessorB.S. University of West Florida, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Teaching Areas:

Analytical Chemistry

Kelling J. Donald – Associate Professor of Chemistry

Ph.D. University of West Indies

Teaching Areas:

Theoretical and Computational Chemistry

Wade Downey – Professor of Chemistry

B.S. University of N. Carolina Chapel Hill, Ph.D. Harvard University

Teaching Areas:

Organic Chemistry

Emma W. Goldman – Associate Professor

Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Teaching Areas:

Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry

John Gupton – Professor of Chemistry

B.S. Virginia Military Institute, Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology

Teaching Areas:

Organic Chemistry

Michelle Hamm – Professor of Chemistry

B.A. Carleton College, Ph.D. University of Chicago

Teaching Areas:

Organic and Biochemistry

Miles Johnson – Assistant Professor

B.S. University of Richmond, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Teaching Areas:

Inorganic Chemistry

Diane Kellogg – Director of Instrument Facilities

B.S. University of New Mexico, Ph.D. University of

Arizona Teaching Areas:

N/A

Michael Leopold – Professor of Chemistry

B.S. James Madison, Ph.D. North Carolina State University

Teaching Areas:

Bioanalytical Nanomaterials

Robert Miller – Director of Organic Chemistry Laboratories

Ph.D. University of Akron

Teaching Areas:

Organic Chemistry Lab

Kristine Nolin – Associate Professor

B.S. University of Delaware, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Teaching Areas:

Organic Chemistry

Michael Norris – Assistant Professor

B.S. Ursinus College, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Teaching Areas:

Inorganic Chemistry

Carol Parish – Professor of Chemistry

Ph.D. Purdue University

Teaching Areas:

Computational and Theoretical Physical Chemistry

Julie Pollock – Assistant Professor

B.S. Hope College, Ph.D. Duke University

Teaching Areas:

Organic and Biochemistry

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