SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2017 SESSION

17101492D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 815
Offered January 24, 2017
Commending the Virginia Tech German Club.
----------

Patrons-- Yost, Anderson, Bulova, Edmunds, Habeeb, Orrock and Rush; Senators: Chase and Deeds
----------

WHEREAS, in 2017, the Virginia Tech German Club is celebrating 125 years as a respected purveyor of service leadership and social fellowship for university students; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Tech German Club was founded in 1892 to provide a social outlet for the student body, and the name was derived from the German Waltz, which was popular at the time; and

WHEREAS, the motto of the Virginia Tech German Club, the oldest non-Greek fraternal organization on campus, is "Leadership for Service through Fellowship" and its primary goal is service to the university and local communities; and

WHEREAS, each year members of the Virginia Tech German Club devote thousands of hours to service projects such as holiday parties for underprivileged children, the Special Olympics, and campus and community clean-ups; and the club continues to promote fellowship through socials with sororities, club parties, and the traditional Midwinter’s Dance; and

WHEREAS, each fall, the Virginia Tech German Club hosts a competition for sororities called Gold Rush, where the winning team receives money toward their chosen charity; over the past 10 years, the Midwinter’s Dance and Gold Rush have raised over $25,000 for philanthropic causes; and

WHEREAS, leadership development is an important tenet of the Virginia Tech German Club, and members are active in leadership positions in academic societies, the Corps of Cadets, student government, and residence halls; and

WHEREAS, eight winners of the prestigious William H. Ruffner Medal have been Virginia Tech German Club alumni and 21 members of the university’s board of visitors have been past members of the Virginia Tech German Club, including four rectors; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Tech German Club offers its house, the German Club Manor, as a service to the university and community; the Manor has hosted more than 500 functions in the past decade and is used for events, meetings, dances, and as a place for alumni to stay; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Tech German Club has adapted to the changes of the past 125 years but remains unified by the “pillars of strength,” which are Gentleman, Earnestness, Reputation and Responsibility, Manhood, Aim, and Name; and

WHEREAS, there are 1,800 living alumni of the German Club who support the organization through the German Club Alumni Foundation Inc. (GCAF), which promotes fellowship and camaraderie among alumni and supports current club members; and

WHEREAS, the GCAF partners with area nonprofit organizations to present the annual Leading Lights: Neighbors Honoring Neighbors awards, which recognize volunteers in the New River Valley community, and over $38,000 has been given to recipients to promote volunteerism; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Tech German Club on the 125th anniversary of its founding; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Alfred Fusco, president of the Virginia Tech German Club, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the club’s lasting history as the oldest non-Greek fraternal organization on campus.