About ATO Duke
Duke University, ATO Xi Chapter - Founded 1872
To bind men together in a brotherhood based upon eternal and immutable principles, with a bond as strong as right itself and as lasting as humanity ; to know no North, no South, no East, no West, but to know man as man, to teach that true men the world over should stand together. Otis Allan Glazebrook, 1880.
Alpha Tau Omega began as an idea in the mind of a young Civil War veteran who wanted peace and reconciliation. His name was Otis Allan Glazebrook. His people were defeated, many of their cities burned, much of their countryside ravaged. But Glazebrook, who had helped bury the dead of both sides, believed in a better future. He saw the bitterness and hatred that followed the silencing of the guns and knew that a true peace would come not from force of law, but rather from with the hearts of men who were willing to work to rekindle a spirit of brotherly love.
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
A Word from our President
The past 18 months presented unprecedented challenges to our
Fraternity. Pandemic aside, the Duke Administration underwent
significant personnel change. Despite the good standing of
Alpha Tau Omega and other fraternity chapters at Duke, new
administrators pushed forward with changes to living that altered the viability of Greek Life
on campus. The Chapter, under the leadership of several undergraduate and alumni
Brothers, sought assistance from the ATO National Organization and longstanding allies
from within the Duke Administration to rectify the situation. ATO was extremely receptive to
our cause, but the Duke Administration presented no space for compromise.
The Next Generation Living and Learning Experience (NGLLE) initiative, Duke’s new plan for
on-campus experience, planned to alter residential living at Duke and deter fraternity and
sorority rush. The transition of Greek living sections from centrally located buildings to
Edens Quad on the edge of campus would be a damaging change on its own, but the
1
The Class of 2021 did
have an in-person
graduation ceremony,
unlike the Class of
2020.
Class of 2021, Graduation Day, outside the former Section in Houses U&T
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
announced deferral of rush from freshman spring to
sophomore fall was the main driving factor of our
disaffiliation. Fraternity rush during Potential New
Members’ (PNMs) sophomore fall would mean that
each fraternity would decrease to ¾ of their original
sizes without a freshman class. In addition, the
majority of Duke Juniors travel abroad during their fall
semester. This would mean that fraternity rush would
consist of Sophomore PNMs being rushed by only the
senior class. This one class would not be a true
representation of the entire chapter, and many seniors
are busy with planning for jobs and opportunities after
college.
Thus, in January, undergraduate members of ATO Xi
unanimously voted to disaffiliate from the Duke
Interfraternity Council (IFC), alongside 8 other
fraternities, to establish the Durham IFC. While the decision to disaffiliate from the
University was not our initial goal, we reflect upon our Brotherhood’s past and present
strength to optimistically consider the future. Alongside our peers within the Durham IFC,
we are optimistic about the future of ATO Xi. Our Chapter was founded in 1872, before the
incorporation of Duke University itself, and we have always adapted to evolving social
politics. Our connection to one another will prevail, and ATO Xi will continue to bind men
together based on our values—L&R— just again without the University’s so often limiting
influence.
We thank our passionate alumni and the ATO National
Organization for their help and support during this time.
Our brotherhood based upon eternal and immutable
principles continues to be an exemplary force in Durham.
VTL,
Teddy Llinas, President, ATO Xi
2
Teddy Llinas, Xi
President (left) with
and Matt Eklund
(right), Xi VP
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
ATO Xi: An Award Winning Chapter
This year at the annual ATO Nationals award
ceremony, ATO awarded the True Merit Award to
our chapter. The last time Xi won the designation
was in 2011. According to ATO, “The True Merit
Award is awarded to as many chapters who
achieve a level of chapter operation that is worthy
of the recognition.” We suspect that our Brothers’
unity and perseverance throughout the Duke
disaffiliation process showcased our chapter’s
exemplary brotherhood.
Consistent with the past several years, our chapter
also earned the second place Excellence Award for
Scholarship. This means that of all ATO chapters
nationwide, we had the second highest GPA
average. This award is another indicator of our
chapter’s well-roundedness and excellence.
The Football Fraternity
Xi has a long history of recruiting athletes, and the past few years are no exception.
Approximately eight brothers are varsity football players— preferred walk-ons and full
scholarship athletes— to include the starting quarterback and running back. If able, we
hope that you will come to a home game and support the team. Just last week, a group of
new members, brothers, and alumni went to the season opener at the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) to support the team. We’re excited that spectators are invited
to Wallace Wade this year and hope the same will be true for Cameron Indoor starting next
month.
3
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
Brother Spotlights
Our brothers have a myriad of interests and long list of accomplishments. Check out what
some of us were up to this summer:
Matt and Don Eklund
The Eklund brothers (left) (Matt, Trinity ’22; Don, Trinity ’18), from
Naples, FL, became entrepreneurs. They opened Nectar Lab,
their first kava bar, in Ft. Myers, FL. It is 1400 square feet with a
small patio. They specialize in non-alcoholic, tea-based
beverages (kava and kratom). If you are ever in the area, drop by
and try it out! https://www.nectarlabkavabar.com/
Austin Connors
Brother Austin Connors (right), Trinity ’22, is from Greensboro,
NC and studies History and Spanish Literature. He is a Cadet in
Army ROTC and will commission as a Second Lieutenant in May
2022. He spent the first half of summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky
and graduated from Army Advanced Camp. Then, he interned at
Special Operations Command Africa in Stuttgart, Germany. His
time in Europe aligned with the European Union’s nine week lax
in COVID travel restrictions for Americans, which enabled him to
spent time in eight countries, from France to Malta.
Thomas Zornig
Brother Thomas Zornig (left), Trinity ’23, is from Campinas, Brazil. He
studies Computer Science and minors in Economics and Music. This
summer, he accepted a job offer at Facebook and worked as an FBU
Data Engineer Intern in Menlo Park, California. His project involved
analyzing the return on investment small businesses get from
Facebook ads, for which he built a pipeline, dataset, and dashboard,
and presented his findings to Facebook leadership. Thomas hopes
to land a full-time job in Data after graduation.
4
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
Hugh Esterson
Brother Hugh Esterson (right), Trinity ’22, is from New
York, NY. He is currently competing in the 2021 Formula
Race Promotions F1600 Championship Series. Reaching
top speeds of 145mph, his 24-race-long season has
been contested on world-renowned tracks — from
Alabama to Wisconsin, and many stops in between — all
while continuing his studies as a Statistics/Data Science
major. Upon graduation, he hopes to pursue his dreams
of racing professionally, contingent on raising
sponsorship for the 2022 race season.
Any brothers in the greater Pittsburgh area are invited to
attend his season finale at PittRace Complex (Wampum,
PA) on October 15-17. You can follow Hugh’s progress
on Instagram @hhe42.
Trevor Bowman
Brother Trevor Bowman (left), Trinity ’22, is from Sherborn, MA.
He studies Mathematics on the pre-medicine track. Trevor
spent this past summer with the Duke math department
conducting COVID-19 research funded by an NIH grant. His
research group was able to determine, theoretically, that pre-
peak data of disease outbreaks is not statistically sufficient to
determine the rate at which people become infected and the
rate at which they recover. Taking it to the real world, Trevor
applied the theory to March 2020 NYC COVID data and found
the same problem. He is currently co-authoring a paper with
the group to explain this outcome. He plans to attend medical
school post-graduation.
Upcoming Event
October 7-9, 2021: ATO Xi Reunion
Generations of brothers will gather in Durham this weekend to share memories, discuss the
status of Greek Life at Duke, and watch the football team take on Georgia Tech.
Contact Holt Anderson ’67 at holta@mindspring.com for more details.
Join the ATO Xi Facebook and LinkedIn Groups
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8542768/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/448872586557401/
5
September 2021
A Word from our President
The past 18 months presented unprecedented challenges to our
Fraternity. Pandemic aside, the Duke Administration underwent
significant personnel change. Despite the good standing of
Alpha Tau Omega and other fraternity chapters at Duke, new
administrators pushed forward with changes to living that altered the viability of Greek Life
on campus. The Chapter, under the leadership of several undergraduate and alumni
Brothers, sought assistance from the ATO National Organization and longstanding allies
from within the Duke Administration to rectify the situation. ATO was extremely receptive to
our cause, but the Duke Administration presented no space for compromise.
The Next Generation Living and Learning Experience (NGLLE) initiative, Duke’s new plan for
on-campus experience, planned to alter residential living at Duke and deter fraternity and
sorority rush. The transition of Greek living sections from centrally located buildings to
Edens Quad on the edge of campus would be a damaging change on its own, but the
1
The Class of 2021 did
have an in-person
graduation ceremony,
unlike the Class of
2020.
Class of 2021, Graduation Day, outside the former Section in Houses U&T
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
announced deferral of rush from freshman spring to
sophomore fall was the main driving factor of our
disaffiliation. Fraternity rush during Potential New
Members’ (PNMs) sophomore fall would mean that
each fraternity would decrease to ¾ of their original
sizes without a freshman class. In addition, the
majority of Duke Juniors travel abroad during their fall
semester. This would mean that fraternity rush would
consist of Sophomore PNMs being rushed by only the
senior class. This one class would not be a true
representation of the entire chapter, and many seniors
are busy with planning for jobs and opportunities after
college.
Thus, in January, undergraduate members of ATO Xi
unanimously voted to disaffiliate from the Duke
Interfraternity Council (IFC), alongside 8 other
fraternities, to establish the Durham IFC. While the decision to disaffiliate from the
University was not our initial goal, we reflect upon our Brotherhood’s past and present
strength to optimistically consider the future. Alongside our peers within the Durham IFC,
we are optimistic about the future of ATO Xi. Our Chapter was founded in 1872, before the
incorporation of Duke University itself, and we have always adapted to evolving social
politics. Our connection to one another will prevail, and ATO Xi will continue to bind men
together based on our values—L&R— just again without the University’s so often limiting
influence.
We thank our passionate alumni and the ATO National
Organization for their help and support during this time.
Our brotherhood based upon eternal and immutable
principles continues to be an exemplary force in Durham.
VTL,
Teddy Llinas, President, ATO Xi
2
Teddy Llinas, Xi
President (left) with
and Matt Eklund
(right), Xi VP
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
ATO Xi: An Award Winning Chapter
This year at the annual ATO Nationals award
ceremony, ATO awarded the True Merit Award to
our chapter. The last time Xi won the designation
was in 2011. According to ATO, “The True Merit
Award is awarded to as many chapters who
achieve a level of chapter operation that is worthy
of the recognition.” We suspect that our Brothers’
unity and perseverance throughout the Duke
disaffiliation process showcased our chapter’s
exemplary brotherhood.
Consistent with the past several years, our chapter
also earned the second place Excellence Award for
Scholarship. This means that of all ATO chapters
nationwide, we had the second highest GPA
average. This award is another indicator of our
chapter’s well-roundedness and excellence.
The Football Fraternity
Xi has a long history of recruiting athletes, and the past few years are no exception.
Approximately eight brothers are varsity football players— preferred walk-ons and full
scholarship athletes— to include the starting quarterback and running back. If able, we
hope that you will come to a home game and support the team. Just last week, a group of
new members, brothers, and alumni went to the season opener at the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) to support the team. We’re excited that spectators are invited
to Wallace Wade this year and hope the same will be true for Cameron Indoor starting next
month.
3
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
Brother Spotlights
Our brothers have a myriad of interests and long list of accomplishments. Check out what
some of us were up to this summer:
Matt and Don Eklund
The Eklund brothers (left) (Matt, Trinity ’22; Don, Trinity ’18), from
Naples, FL, became entrepreneurs. They opened Nectar Lab,
their first kava bar, in Ft. Myers, FL. It is 1400 square feet with a
small patio. They specialize in non-alcoholic, tea-based
beverages (kava and kratom). If you are ever in the area, drop by
and try it out! https://www.nectarlabkavabar.com/
Austin Connors
Brother Austin Connors (right), Trinity ’22, is from Greensboro,
NC and studies History and Spanish Literature. He is a Cadet in
Army ROTC and will commission as a Second Lieutenant in May
2022. He spent the first half of summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky
and graduated from Army Advanced Camp. Then, he interned at
Special Operations Command Africa in Stuttgart, Germany. His
time in Europe aligned with the European Union’s nine week lax
in COVID travel restrictions for Americans, which enabled him to
spent time in eight countries, from France to Malta.
Thomas Zornig
Brother Thomas Zornig (left), Trinity ’23, is from Campinas, Brazil. He
studies Computer Science and minors in Economics and Music. This
summer, he accepted a job offer at Facebook and worked as an FBU
Data Engineer Intern in Menlo Park, California. His project involved
analyzing the return on investment small businesses get from
Facebook ads, for which he built a pipeline, dataset, and dashboard,
and presented his findings to Facebook leadership. Thomas hopes
to land a full-time job in Data after graduation.
4
ATO Xi Chapter - Fall Newsletter
September 2021
Hugh Esterson
Brother Hugh Esterson (right), Trinity ’22, is from New
York, NY. He is currently competing in the 2021 Formula
Race Promotions F1600 Championship Series. Reaching
top speeds of 145mph, his 24-race-long season has
been contested on world-renowned tracks — from
Alabama to Wisconsin, and many stops in between — all
while continuing his studies as a Statistics/Data Science
major. Upon graduation, he hopes to pursue his dreams
of racing professionally, contingent on raising
sponsorship for the 2022 race season.
Any brothers in the greater Pittsburgh area are invited to
attend his season finale at PittRace Complex (Wampum,
PA) on October 15-17. You can follow Hugh’s progress
on Instagram @hhe42.
Trevor Bowman
Brother Trevor Bowman (left), Trinity ’22, is from Sherborn, MA.
He studies Mathematics on the pre-medicine track. Trevor
spent this past summer with the Duke math department
conducting COVID-19 research funded by an NIH grant. His
research group was able to determine, theoretically, that pre-
peak data of disease outbreaks is not statistically sufficient to
determine the rate at which people become infected and the
rate at which they recover. Taking it to the real world, Trevor
applied the theory to March 2020 NYC COVID data and found
the same problem. He is currently co-authoring a paper with
the group to explain this outcome. He plans to attend medical
school post-graduation.
Upcoming Event
October 7-9, 2021: ATO Xi Reunion
Generations of brothers will gather in Durham this weekend to share memories, discuss the
status of Greek Life at Duke, and watch the football team take on Georgia Tech.
Contact Holt Anderson ’67 at holta@mindspring.com for more details.
Join the ATO Xi Facebook and LinkedIn Groups
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8542768/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/448872586557401/
5