Transferring from the beautiful land of ASU, Greg has adapted and found a home at MIT here at Theta Chi. Since becoming a brother, Greg has taken great responsibility in improving and developing the house as House Manager, Treasurer, and now President. (He led the building of our new roofdeck - check it out!) Greg also is a leader of the Varsity Hockey Team at MIT, and is regarded by many as a “goon” for his hard hitting and fierce play. When he steps off the ice, Greg studies Electrical Engineering, even though he admits he’s a Mechanical Engineer at heart.	From scooping ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s to teaching Biology in China, Matt Lahaie has been there and done that. He can be seen working his artistic magic on the snowy slopes of Vermont or in MIT’s very own Dance Troupe, but his true calling is in the kitchen of Theta Chi. As an aspiring Biology and Marketing major, Matt plans on extending a helping hand in the Peace Corps when he graduates.
Mad scientist Matt Karau is responsible for Theta Chi inventions such as the Kitchen Komputer (a Frankenstein-like machine created solely for playing mp3s while cooking), the front doorbell from hell, and closed-circuit Theta Chi TV. Along with his Electrical Engineering tinkerings, Karau’s computer résumé includes working at Apple Computer, in China with the China Educational Technology Initiative (CETI), and all around Linux expertise. Karau’s not all work, though. He enjoys mountain biking and is an avid ski technician and racer.	If Dustin’s picture looks familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen it before. This internationally renowned childhood actor has starred in such films as Brat Patrol and Big Top Pee Wee as well as the TV show Sisters. Despite all this attention, he doesn’t let the fame go to his head. Dustin is a hard working Aero/Astro major and a valuable asset to our intramural hockey and tennis teams. Although the other movie stars want him to come back to Hollywood this summer, he plans to work on an Undergraduate Reasearch Opportunity Project here at MIT.
When he was just a young whippersnapper growing up in Delaware, Harry Jerome Portlock II decided wisely that he would rather just be called “Rome.” Rome is one of the only MIT students who skateboards to class, and he has an unrivaled database of bad jokes (don’t get him started). If you spend time with him, you’ll most likely be discussing his newest gadgets, like his mp3/CD player or his huge 21” computer monitor. Rome is also a seasoned Simpsons encyclopedia, able to identify almost any quote or character. We will all be sad to see Rome go when he graduates with his CS degree in June.	If you’ve ever wondered, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”, just ask Jura. As a child in Los Angeles, “Floppy” discovered that he’d been endowed with unique powers of hyperextensivity, enabling him to perform feats of contortion and spectacles of humor. His true prowess, however, lies in the academic arena. As scholarship chair, Mike bolsters the study skills of his brothers, while still managing to ace his courses in physics and computer science. Though a motley work schedule forces him to count his hours of sleep in sums, Jura feels quite at home here in Boston and makes a valuable addition to our house.
This is one Air Force private that’s got the right stuff. He is particularly concerned with keeping the military’s high standards of good poetry and all-around cleanliness. In addition to leading the civilian members of the house both in the community service department and in the vacuuming department, Andrew works with the MIT Solar Car team who has their eyes set on the championship race in July of 2001. When he actually gets a chance to relax, Private Gregg likes to kick back with his flight simulator and buzz the Big Sandy Airport tower in his F-16.	Kogel’s love of baseball and women makes him a true All-American boy. A fan of the LA Dodgers and the controversial 1919 White Sox, he also plays as catcher for the MIT Varsity Baseball Team. As for catching women, he is still learning to perfect his “thinking before speaking” routine. Kogel serves as President of MIT’s Habitat for Humanity, and as the 2003 representative for the Sloan Undergraduate Management Association. Wrong or right, Kogel’s always happy to debate over a variety of topics, including classical music, philosophy, politics, and his favorite subject, California.
James has motherly instincts to rival your mother, and even our “house mom” and resident advisor, Sheri. If you’re craving a bedtime song, he will sing you a lulling soprano rendition of any South Park or Simpons song on request. He also gives out lessons in manners with his sharp tongue and famous sarcastic wagging finger. James shares his most motherly of talents as Theta Chi’s Employee Supervisor, organizing dinner menus and even cooking dinner for us twice a week. James is also great with children as proven by his role as Santa during our annual Nice Christmas celebration with the Boston Boys and Girls Club.	Mark Tompkins is one of Theta Chi’s most prolific outdoor adventurers. He often plans hiking, skiing, rock climbing, and kayaking trips so that he can bring brothers along to marvel at his backwoods survival skills. Along with Ross, Mark is one of the social chairs this term. They have taken the Theta Chi social program to new levels by bringing Harvard’s “Fink Fank Funk” band to our 7th annual Luau Party and planning a fantastic semi-formal at Boston’s Symphony Hall.
Nothing characterizes Dave quite like his trusty ol’ brown boots. Not only were Action Jackson’s boots made for walkin’, they were made for rock-climbing, wall-climbing and stunts off of household fixtures. His boots take him to Boston Rock Gym on the weekends where he and Jordan practice climbing on things more suitable than back stairwells and wall mouldings. His boots have climbed to the roofdeck where he and Pedro installed new nighttime lighting. His boots often rest as he studies quietly at his desk, and it’s rumored that Jackson’s boots even accompany him to bed.	Coming to Boston from Los Angeles, Jordan brings a little of the “old school” to a new school. In addition to a strict regimen of biology classes at MIT, this party animal splits his free time among several campuses in pursuit of fame and good fortune. Still finding time to work as hard as he plays, Jordan fulfills his duties as house manager to the finest detail, and is currently undertaking an institute research internship, developing techniques for nerve regeneration. His location within the house may always be determined by the room emitting ninety decibels of ghetto tunes and R&B.
After two years teaching in Mexico and transferring here from West Point, Joe is quite possibly the oldest sophomore to walk down the halls of MIT. As the essential “Billy Blanks of Theta Chi”, Joe teaches exercise regimens that work the body and warp the mind. One can usually find Joe playing his favorite game, Snood; running; lifting; working on Thermo; or polishing his first place trophy from this year’s Sterling Engine competition (2.670). Most importantly, Joe is a good friend to all his Theta Chi brothers, not to mention his eight other siblings.	Freshly plucked from the warmth of the west coast, Chris can be seen rolling through the streets of Boston on his skateboard or lounging in the sun on our roofdeck. After leading our IM water polo team to yet another victory, Chris also leads the celebration, and reminds us of the fun to be had at MIT. With the classic laid-back style of any true Californian, Chris can brighten up anyone’s day with a helping hand or quick joke, while his stories of sunny beaches and his days on Ski Patrol make us wonder why MIT couldn’t be in California.
Awaking at 2pm from his daily 12-hour hibernation, Keith manages to miss each and every class that he has (even on test day). It doesn’t matter that much, though, as he’s able to solve just about any math, physics, or computer science question you throw at him. To occupy his time, he spends most of the day doing other people’s problem sets and watching his favorite TV shows, Buffy and Angel. But Keith is no couch potato. He manages to stay physcially fit by starting as tight end on the MIT Varisty Football Team, and is a large contributor to our IM teams.	To those who only know him casually, Leon is a calm and collected guy with a good sense of humor. But few have lived to warn others of the death and destruction that ensues when he catches wind that someone has “dissed” the Yankees. Of course, the simple solution if this occurs is to close your door since Leon is only a few feet tall, and though he may hurl himself time and time again at your door, he can’t possibly do more than dent it. Don’t let his size fool you: this bouncy-haired Theta Chi has the appetite of a moose and the musical taste of a true ghetto superstar. Joking aside, Leon is an active leader on campus, Leon has helped organize both the Orientation Airport Shuttle and Grains of Rice, a pan-Asian Cultural Show at MIT.
Also known as “Loopy” after the misconceived Chicagoan name for a shoe wedgie, Dave is very active both on and off campus. Not content with just being our Pledge Educator, Dave is also currently head of the Interfraternity Council’s New Member Education Committee. This summer, he plans to work at the CIA and has been undergoing multiple background checks for the past year. If this doesn’t work out, though, his fall-back plan is to build a spaceship and be the first person to colonize Mars. Dave’s hobbies include playing the trumpet, watching Back to the Future movies and overusing phrases that other brothers make up.	Commonly referred to as “Sarge,” Peck embodies MIT’s “work hard, play hard” motto. On the work side, his Aero/Astro classmates know him as a mentor and a leader, and Peck is often tooling away at Next House. Also quite the handyman, Brian was instrumental in the building of our new roofdeck last summer. But don’t count him out for fierce play; he’s active on Theta Chi’s IM basketball and volleyball teams, and is famous for drawing D-league hockey penalties. This summer, Peck and his girlfriend Misty each have full-time jobs lined at up TRW, just twenty minutes from the beaches in California.
Pedro can be found doing his three favorite (and only) pastimes at any hour: taking pictures, studying and talking. As historian for The Tech, he’s our resident photography expert. Pedro is also an avid student, finishing his problem sets early so he can help the (female) house friends with theirs. As for talking, well, you can engage him in any discussion ranging from history to family, to the merits of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His room can be identified by Star Wars posters and a shrine honoring the twelve sacred digits of pi. How many digits do you know?	Mark, from the great state of Texas, constantly makes sure that we all “git out there” and participate in those intramural sports. As house Athletic Chair, he dominates in the fiercely competitive inner tube water polo and hockey for first-time skaters. He is majoring in Aero/Astro Engineering, but secretly plans to create the next world-famous sports car, or simply take over Porsche America. But that’s only if his girlfriend, Amie, says it’s ok. Mark also happens to be the originator of the ward’s (largest room in the house’s) theme song, “Better off Alone” by Alice Deejay.
Ray may or may not be the inventor of the world-renowned Q-ray ionized pain relief band (www.qray.com). He is, however, a 21-year old sophomore, after all the BU transfer credits go through. Hailing from Miles “City”, Montana, but moving to the house from only several blocks away, Ray finds his MIT niche serving as vice president for Habitat for Humanity, or spending time with his girlfriend, Helen.	The one thing that best characterizes Reid’s personality is his blue-framed glasses. His glasses have seen the Great Wall of China, the jungles of Costa Rica, and Buckingham Palace in London. These glasses are most familiar with the streets of Boston, through which Reid would once run every day as part of his training for track and cross country. Reid is involved in MIT’s Plush Daddy Fly, a sketch comedy troupe, and his wacky skits are a reflections of how his glasses view the world. However, one thing Reid’s glasses haven’t seen a lot of is meat: he’s a vegetarian.
“BOOM!” If you hear this shout, you know Rene is nearby. Shouting is just one of his many unusual habits. He has the largest (and only) collection of SoBe bottles in the house. Rene’s schedule is another example of his strange characteristics. When everyone else is sleeping, he’s watching TV. When everyone else is doing homework, he’s playing computer games. When everyone else is going to class, he’s sleeping. His backward ways have led us to call him “eneR.”	Probably the biggest Giants fan on the east coast, Russ is still recovering from their crushing defeat in the Superbowl last year. He finds solace, however, in the annals of philosophy, television, and good old-fashioned Republican rhetoric. By day, Russ is very active on and off campus, leaping over hurdles on the Varsity Track Team, and clearing the way for publicity on the IFC. Unwinding each night with a hot cup of coffee, Russ’ culinary habits have earned him the name “Decaf”, which is quite ironic considering his chronic dependence on caffeine. Always eager to lend a helping hand, he’ll be happy to help you study...or drown your woes in java.
Hailing from the thriving metropolis of Big Sandy, Montana (population 750), Ross spends his time amusing the rest of his brothers by speaking in a Scottish accent, one of the many voices he does. Back home on his 8000-acre ranch, Ross must have kept himself busy reading, for he claims knowledge of nearly every book ever written. Here in the big city, Ross entertains himself doing his challenging biology problem sets, cooking dinner, serenading sorority girls and planning social events for the house as co-social chair with Mark Tompkins.	Born in Nagoya, Japan, Taku speaks better English than most of the rest of us. Although technically a citizen of Japan, he indulges in all the best aspects of American culture, and will defend the New York Yankees to the bitter end. When not whiling away the hours playing minesweeper and freecell, Taku is the perpetual ladies’ man of Theta Chi, always wearing good humor and a smile. Any moment spent with our favorite foreign national is sure not to be a dull one.
With a pantheon of talents from language to geography, plus carpentry skills that put even Bob Vila to shame, Sal has much to offer the house. Sal not only has served as house manager and treasurer of Theta Chi, but is also vice-chair of the 2003 Ring Committee and Co-coordinator of the 2001 MIT-China Educational Technology Initiative. His indestinguishable pronunciations of “torque” and “talk” and his love for The Sopranos are testements to Sal’s Italian heritage and New York upbringing. An avid traveller, he will spend his summer working in China.	We call him Mr. Sparkles, but we still must ask the question: who are you, Mr. Sparkles? Who are you, really? Nicknamed after a fictional brand of detergent, raised in the rural wilderness of Dushore, PA, and always ready to laugh uncontrollably, Nick is an experienced world traveller whose talents are best showcased when he uses both his hands as sock puppets to argue in German over the finer points of robotic vacuum design. Nick plans to complete MIT’s five-year Masters Degree program by working at Draper Labs in Cambridge. In his spare time, Nick plays on our intramural tennis, hockey, and soccer teams.
Steve Lim, also known as “Slim”, is a recovering cellular telephone addict. Slim managed to cut back to four cell phones by relying on his training as an MIT MedLink (a group of peer educators working in cooperation with the MIT MedCenter). Slim assures us that his phones were neccesary to carry out his responsibilites when serving as social chair. While four cell phones still seem excessive to most of us, we don’t mind since he planned exciting and active social calendars.	Known as the Norseman by some of his professors, Dave’s viking-like appearance instills fear in opponents during IM games. Dave plays nearly every IM sport in existence and also serves as one of our Rush Chairs. If one didn’t know that he was a physics major, one might mistake him for a restaurant critic, since he loves eating out. Skordal also enjoys seeing movies and talking about his plans to take over the world with the most powerful military in history.
Monteleone, our aspiring aviator, plans to finish earning his private pilot’s license this summer. One can understand many aspects of Matt’s life through his fascination with airplanes. Captain Matt will pilot our rush operation for the third consecutive flight when it takes off this fall. He plans to use his management degree to fulfill his obligations as Chairman and CEO of Contintental Airlines. Until then, he’ll have to settle for his summer internship with Continental in Houston, where he’ll be with his girlfriend, Peggy.	Hailing from Lincoln, Massachusetts, Simon Halpern is never more than a stone’s throw away from home. Our house’s only aspiring architect, he’s put his artistic skills to good use drawing and designing new fire escape plans and posters for our social program. When he’s not snapping photos for humorous digital manipulations, Simon enjoys jogging, biking, hiking, and playing pool. He’s also the only man ever to beat a typewriter in a penmanship contest.