Road Trips

Grand Council
By: Dre Platz

Two members, Holly Myers and myself, Andrea (Dre) Platz, were able to attend Grand Council in San Diego, California this past summer. We had never been to a Phi Delta Chi meeting before and really had no idea of what to expect. This made us a little nervous, too. However, the very first day we were welcomed into the arms of brotherhood and we knew from that point on, that we were going to have a great time.

Because of the minimal funds we had, Holly and I had to stay at La Pensione, a much cheaper hotel nearby. It was a quaint hotel that was in walking distance to the plush hotel where Grand Council was being held. However, it had no air conditioner. The nights in San Diego were very cool and one would not think that this would be much of a disturbance- just open the windows. Opening the windows DID create a disturbance. Our hotel had a beautiful view of the ocean AND the many noisy boats and also the train station. Even though Holly and I did not get the best slumber, we had a great experience and our love for Phi Delta Chi grew. We met so many wonderful brothers from all over the country, learned how to make our chapter better and grow in the Phi Delta Chi spirit, and gained a fire to make our chapter the best that it could be.

Holly and I enjoyed our California walk to the hotel as we met everyone at the convention. However, this walk provided a little more of California than we had wanted to see. One morning, I was very lucky. A bird blessed me with a dropping on my shoulder, but I quickly jumped into the Burger King bathroom on the way and washed up. None of you ever knew- did you? But- this one day- the big day with the banquet and dance provided us with even more excitement.

That morning as we walked, we passed a homeless woman who approached us. She sighed and then spit on poor Holly. We kept walking and she laughed. Holly was rather offended and we really could not understand what had just happened- but we shook it off. That night, we received an Achievement Cup on behalf of our chapter and Holly and I were so happy. We decided to walk back to our hotel and change clothes for the dance and also leave our trophy so that we would keep it safe. As we walked, we again saw the homeless woman who really had taken to Holly. She eyed the Achievement Cup and approached Holly and demanded, "Give me some money or I'll take your little trophy". Holly walked away and she followed. Again she told Holly to give her money or she would take the trophy; however this time she tried to pull it way from Holly. Holly held on tight and reached in her pocket and pulled out a knife for protection - No she didn't I just thought that would add to the story. Anyway, Holly pulled out two dollars and luckily, two dollars was enough to chase the homeless woman away. We finally got back to our hotel and set the Achievement Cup down in our room. At this point, we noticed that the faceplate was missing. We traced our steps but never found it. We believe our new friend must have gotten it. John Grabenstein listened to our story and was nice enough to tell us that it would be no problem to send us another one and also gave us some good advice- "Girls, please take a cab back."

Even though we had some mishaps, Grand Council was an experience that I will never forget. Coming from a small chapter here at Ole Miss, I did not realize how big Phi Delta Chi was. I may not have gotten the letters tattooed on my ankle, but I do have Phi Delta Chi permanently in my heart. Thank you Phi Delta Chi for making our Grand Council experience unique and memorable. Thank you brothers for helping us learn, giving us ideas, and most of all for developing friendships. We had a great time


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