Phi Kappa Tau - Gamma Nu Chapter

The Brothers of the Alpha Tau Chapter at Cornell University have invited us down to their "Phi Tug" philanthropy event for a number of years now, and it is always an event to look forward to. Phi Tug is the Alpha Tau Chapter's annual philanthropy. Essentially, they host a big tug-of-war competition open to all the greek organizations and sports teams on campus. They charge $30 per team and all of the money is donated to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. In addition, they have a raffle with prizes that are donated by local businesses to further the cause.

This year, the Gamma Nu Chapter arrived at Alpha Tau mansion on Saturday around 3 and hung out for some time before venturing out to explore downtown Ithaca. Needless to say, Ithaca is a stark contrast to Rochester, with many beautiful women strolling the streets...it was a nice change in scenery! Later that night, various forms of entertainment were provided by the Alpha Tau Brothers, including a campfire until the wee hours of the morning. It was definitely a night to remember!

Sunday morning, the day of Phi Tug, started with a great breakfast buffet cooked by the Alpha Tau House Chef. Everyone was awake and energized and found the biscuits and gravy amazing! Following breakfast, the brothers ventured over to the field where Phi Tug was to be held and set up camp with 5 different ropes of varying sizes and tables for the raffle registration. Shortly thereafter, competing teams started arriving and the excitement was building.

The teams consisted of 4 sororities, 3 fraternities - including ourselves and Alpha Tau – and, finally, the reigning champs, the Cornell Wrestling team. This year the Gamma Nu chapter brought 5 Brothers: Rich Powell, Jessie Maceda, Erik Mineker, Rob Sauda and John Casale. Furthermore, 5 Associate Members attended: Mike Statt, Eric Walcott, Ryan Shaw and Lee Gruensfelder.

After a ton of strenuous tugging, the Cornell Wrestling team won once again, making this their fifth consecutive year as Phi Tug Champions. They have beaten everyone that has challenged them, excluding a team composed of all of the sororities that attend. The Gamma Nu chapter came in a close second and was proud to represent Phi Kappa Tau. In any case, Phi Tug is an annual event everyone should be honored to attend. The Gamma Nu chapter certainly looks forward to attending and competing next year, and with any luck and more skill, bring back the first place trophy!