Directorum’s Report

 July 2008 Report 

Hello Fraters and very distinguished guests, 

Here we all are once again.  It is great to be with my second family.  I can’t believe how quickly a year passes.  Exactly one year to the day, I remember being in Harry’s spot in Atlantic City.  So much has occurred since then… it’s really been quite a blur. 

Before I continue, there are several people I would like to thank. To PNP Jeanne-Marie Holly and the National Auxiliary thank you for the great work and support you have given me and AZO this past fraternal year.  Thank you Mel Lessing and Lois Seidenman for the spectacular work on this years AZOan and AZOette, respectively.  To Lou and Gloria Flacks, Andrea Pollatta, Stephanie Grossman, and the rest of the convention committee, thank you so much for putting together this wonderful summer convention here in Cleveland.  I’d like to also mention that this marks the third summer convention in a row that a chapter has helped in the set-up and planning… Tau Chapter with Boston two years ago, Epsilon Chapter with Atlantic City last year, and the this convention with the Sigma Chapter… thank you Sigma Chapter.  It is great to see the chapters and its members getting involved in convention planning and set-up.  To active AZO members, thank you for your continued support and activity on the chapter levels.  To my Supreme officers, you all have been amazing… this year has gone so smoothly.  At the beginning of this fraternal year, I put forth a set of goals for us to achieve and everyone of you did what you needed to do with little or no prompting from myself to accomplish all of them.  I could not have asked for a better group of people to be by my side through one of my most trying years in my life.  As a thank you, I am making sizable donations on your behalf to the American Cancer Society and the Jay L. Pollock Fund at the Association for Developmental Disabilities. 

During this past year, we have seen our fraternity continue in its positive trend in numbers and development of new Fraters.  I was able to visit the Tau Chapter twice, Kappa twice, Nu, New York Alumni twice, Philadelphia Alumni, Sigma, and of course, my home chapter Epsilon numerous times.  It is very encouraging to see that our membership as a whole have made a commitment to bringing in people who understand the love, dedication and pride necessary to fully appreciate the significance to be part of the Alpha Zeta Omega family.  Several chapters made changes to their pledging periods and their standard operating procedure this past year based on recommendations to try to improve their incoming members understanding of AZO and to strenghten their chapters.  I am very grateful and appreciative for these chapters willingness and enthusiasm in their commitment toward attempting a different approach than they were used to.  I have heard nothing but positive feedback and results on the changes made thus far.  I would like to recognize two Fraters who helped with this and were not mentioned on tonight’s program… my co-Directors of Development, Doug Ortiz and Brian Pinto, as well as the Supreme Undergraduate Representative and the Supreme Undergraduate Council Members, Kyle Koenig, Janelle Crabtree, Jared Stroud and Race Land, Jr. who are with us here tonight.

I am glad to see Fraters from different chapters coming together at these conventions and forming tight bonds.  I have seen and heard throughout this year that Fraters from different chapters have continued to keep in touch with each other outside these meetings through Facebook, phone calls, text messages and actually visiting each other.  I am proud that we were able to recognize the time and effort required by these Fraters to be able to visit and coordinate with other chapters through our recently revamped Supreme Directorum’s Cup points system. 

With the hard work of Fraters Mort Smith and Stephen Imperato, Alpha Zeta Omega’s internet capabilities has been increased.  This year, chat forms were made available on the AZO website.  Furthermore, for the first time, we were able to accept credit card payments through the use of PayPal. 

Also in the works is an undergraduate scholarship in the name of Paul A. Pumpian, a Kappa member who passed away this year.  According to his daughter Amy Lippmann, he had left monies for this purpose to Alpha Zeta Omega.  I had received the paperwork from the attorney back in May or June.  I will have the exact amount he bequeathed to us in November of this year. 

Another achievement that we are hopeful in completing by the end of August is the approval of a new chapter at the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.  There are 8 individuals that are interested in this endeavor at this university.  The paperwork is in for approval and we are confident in its acceptance as a new professional organization.  I would like to recognize the very hard work of Frater Craig Elrod, a Sigma Frater who had transferred from the University of Toledo into this university, and Frater Jared Stroud.  By the way, Jared, congratulations on your selection as the 2009 Jay L. Pollack Supreme Undergraduate Award winner... very well-deserved.  

Just as every Supreme Directorum before me, I started the fraternal year hoping that the fraternity ended a bit better off by the end of the year.  Today, looking around and seeing what we have accomplished, there is no doubt that we have moved in the right direction.   

In closing, I would like to thank you all for bestowing me the opportunity to serve as your Supreme Directorum this past year.  It has been a thoroughly enjoyable and humbling experience.  I look forward to continuing my service to AZO. Congratulations to Harry and Trudy, and their respective Supreme and National Auxiliary boards.  Harry and Trudy, I am positive through your leadership and the hard work of our members, around this time next year, the fraternity will be better than it is today.  Thank you.

Peace, Friendship, Friendship & Brotherly Love,

John Anciano, PSD