Menomonie, Wisconsin, one hour south of Minneapolis, Minnesota and home of the University of Wisconsin-Stout served as the location for our bi-annual gathering on October 3-5th, hosted by Tau Chapter. Beautiful weather and a beautiful campus served the approximately 100 alumni, guests, and student members.
Attending from the Gamma Alumni Chapter was Connie Cahill, current President, Jan Bonner, immediate past president, Michele Eastlake, Alice Miskell, Katie Shelly, Norma Pitts, and Gloria and John Weese. Dr. Ann Paulins also attended as an alumni member and Chair of the National Phi U Education Foundation. Student members attending included Ana Garcia Escalante, Aminah Shahzad, Jack Anderson, and Brianna Gendics, the OSU collegiate delegate. Additionally, four Ohio University students attend the Conclave.
Dr. Kyle Roberson, National President called the Conclave to order at the Blue Devil Dinner on Thursday evening, with Welcoming remarks by Melissa Martin, Executive Director and Dr. Lindsay Barnhart, Tau Chapter Advisor and host. Following the dinner and entertainment, the National Service Projects of “Birthday Bags for Stepping Stones” and “Tie blankets for Sleep in Heavenly Peace” were accomplished with lots of networking and chatter by all. Our alumni and students retired to the Bonner “ party” room for some wonderful snacks, chilled beverages, and lots of interaction and fun by all.
Friday and Saturday were filled with informative breakouts sessions, the National Honorary Initiation Luncheon, annual Business meeting, 50-year member reception, and local excursions. We all had great fun throughout the weekend with our Silent Auction and Shake Up raffle. Gamma members came away with lots of great items, and Norma Pitts won a pair of $800 diamond earrings with her raffle ticket!!
OSU students, Aminah Shahzad and Ana Garcia Escalante were honored on Friday afternoon at the Research Poster Presentations session when they were available to all attendees to discuss their research.
During the Saturday morning Business meeting, the delegates voted to approve changes in the bylaws that will "allow an undergraduate student who is not an FCS Major but has completed a minimum of 9 semester hours or the equivalent quarter hours of FCS course work.” to become a member. More information concerning Bylaw updates and changes can be found here.
Additionally, the following OSU students were honored during the Saturday Awards Luncheon:
2023-2024 Scholarship: Vishahka Kumari, the Jean Dearth Dickerscheid Scholarship.
2024-2025 Scholarships: Anna Czarnecki, the Forthun/Rust Scholarship.
Madison Ginsberg, the Martha Combs Jenkins Scholarship
Sophia Troutman
2024-2025 Fellowships: Silvia Carrau, the Diamond Anniversary Fellowship
Saturday’s activities culminated with the Violet Dinner and the installation of Dr. Susan Miller as the 2024-2026 National President. Dr. Miller’s theme for her two year term is “Weaving our Futures Through Phi U!” (see the beautiful photo of the weaving created by many of the attendees). Dr. V. Ann Paulins was installed as the National President-Elect, and we are thrilled that Dr. Paulins will be our President during 2026-2028!!
Attending as your official delegate was a privilege and a great educational experience. I want to thank all of the Phi Upsilon Omicron members who made my trip possible. Our alumni and student members who attended enjoyed the opportunity to network and learn from each other. Thanks, also, to Executive Director, Melissa Martin, for her hard work and dedication to our organization.
The 2026 National Conclave will be held in Lubbock, Texas, at Texas Tech University.
