It was indeed a thrilling time for the brothers of Nu Delta Pi on the night of November 14, 2014 as they kicked off their 50th anniversary at Ursino Restaurant in Union, New Jersey. Several smiles, donned faces, laughs consuming the room, and heart-warming hugs were all seen at this cherishing and prominent event. From new brothers to older ones, all were given the opportunity to meet with each other and chat about their college careers and current lives.
Nu Delta Pi Fraternity, Inc. was formed on November 9, 1964 on the campus of Newark State Teachers College. Like most fraternities, the organization strives to seek ways to help students become engaged within the campus community and overcome challenges that are set forth with brothers by their sides. Making new friends, expanding horizons, achieving academic goals, and building resumes are the hard-core deliverables of being a brother of Nu Delta Pi. Other reasons include getting to know influential friends at the university, enjoying themed parties, and making the absolute most out of the college experience. Furthermore, the brothers are committed to providing a quality experience for the young men who attend Kean University as well as inspiring them to achieve their career focus.
Joe Filippone, one of the brothers of Nu Delta Pi, was an accounting major who graduated from Kean University in 1991. “Like most Greek organizations, this fraternity has always been like a family to me. From the founding fathers all the way to the brothers that were pledging during my time, I have learned a lot and experienced a lot,” Filippone said. Filippone believes that his fraternity is what made him the man he is today and was looking forward to the day when he would reunite with fellow brothers.
Another brother who graduated in the 1990s was Mike Kratt. Kratt majored in industrial technology and graduated from the university in 1992. As a brother, Kratt said that he established life-long bonds with the other brothers of the fraternity. Since he shared common interests with many of them, he was able to engage in a life-changing experience by learning about the true value of brotherhood and culture. “Aside from having common interests amongst the many brothers we have, there is also a great deal of differences and because of that, I have learned a lot about diversity and the opinions from many people,” Kratt elaborated. Kratt shared the idea that when he attended school, students would pledge in the cafeteria. The cafeterias would have pledging opportunities for the Greek organizations and allow them to hang up poster boards, flyers, and other forms of advertisement. After the last week of every pledge program, the Greek organizations would go to the cafeteria and try to outperform each other by participating in a variety of contests.
As a member of the graduating class of 2012, John Winkler had a lot of fun while he was active on campus. “This fraternity gave me friends that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” commented Winkler. For the Staten Island resident, he had to commute to the university every day, which was kind of difficult for him. “Through this organization, I instantly became part of a family and always had someone to go to if I had trouble with something.”
Brother Dennis Mignone graduated from Kean University in 1992. As a member of the planning committee, Mignone spoke about the planning process for the fraternity’s anniversary. “About two and a half years ago, several brothers came up with the idea to host a huge event since it was going to be our 50th anniversary. We decided we were going to go all in and put forth what we believed to be the right effort,” Mignone declared. He also said that when he was a student, he met a lot of people in his fraternity who contributed to the organization by applying responsible qualities, which in decades later, turned out to be a huge melting pot of brothers who demonstrate strong philosophies.
Nu Delta Pi’s 50th anniversary ceremony took place on November 15, 2014 at Double Tree Hotel in Eatontown, New Jersey. The event turned out to be a successful and unique one, as several of the brothers drank, ate, and shared valuable stories to others about their college lives, fraternity involvement, and dynamic futures.
