I can honestly say this last week leading up to the Heartland Values PAC Conference was a blur. I worked late every day and through the weekend to make sure everything was perfect. By the time Monday rolled around, all of the materials were ready, the speakers had been confirmed and we felt like every detail was in place. The Barbecue event Monday night at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) went just as planned. The new Senator from Wyoming, John Barrasso, was introduced by Senator Thune and spoke to the guests. Senator Coleman, Senator Corker, and Senator Ensign also stopped by to speak briefly. This was more than we initially expected, and all of the guests were very impressed. I was also able to meet and speak with Nick Ayers, who was scheduled to speak Tuesday morning. Ayers is from Georgia and was appointed Executive Director of the Republican Governors Association by Governor Sonny Perdue. He has been labeled as the next Karl Rove. After cleaning up from the Barbecue and finishing set up at the Hyatt, I was off to bed and a 5:30 am wake up call.

The following morning, everything was going great as guests began to funnel in, until we heard votes were scheduled for the morning. At that point we were panicking and trying to rearrange all of the Senators as they were calling to request time changes. We had some backup plans built in, but nothing for this much disruption. Some Senators were packed in tighter than initially planned, but as the morning progressed the votes were pushed back to 12:30pm and by the time 11:30am rolled around, we were back on schedule with Senator Gordon Smith. All in all, we heard Nick Ayers and Senators Alexander, Chambliss, Collins, Inhofe, Smith, Stevens, and Sununu in the morning. For lunch our headliner was former US Attorney General John Ashcroft. I took it upon myself to be his personal escort and was able to speak with him for a few minutes. After Ashcroft we heard from the RNC chairman, Mike Duncan. Finally, and by far my favorite speaker on the day was Ari Fleischer. He spoke on the war in Iraq and his general experiences in the White House.

Overall the Conference was an amazing success and the Senator would like to do it again next year. It's great to feel that my entire summer's work went towards such a great event. Thune is one of the few Senators that could pull off an event like this or has even attempted one, and it's truly a testament to his nation wide popularity. I'm essentially done with work now, aside from proofing a few mailings we have going out in the following weeks.

I took in a concert Wednesday, and tonight we are going to dinner at the Capitol Grill with the program founder, Bill Skipper. Our final planned event is a Marine One landing at the White House. I'll definitely be breaking out my seer sucker suit for W. In the next few days leading up to my departure I'll be visiting all of the Smithsonian museums, the Holocaust museum, the National Archives, and anything else I have time for. It has been an amazing summer and I'm sure it won't sink in until I'm back at home and out of the hustle of DC. I'm eternally thankful to KA, Senator Thune and his entire office, and everyone who helped me get here.

-Bryan Schivera (Gamma – Georgia ’04)

Breaking out of D.C.

July 23, 2007

This past weekend we went to Lexington, Va. This trip was a welcome break from the fast paced life of Washington, DC. When we arrived on Friday, we volunteered at the Friday’s Alive event hosted by the local Lexington/Rockbridge Jaycees Club. The event took place at the Liberty Hall Academy Ruins adjacent to the campus of Washington and Lee University. This was a great opportunity to listen to beach music and to meet some of the KA staff.

On Saturday, we toured downtown Lexington, seeing Lee Chapel, Stonewall Jackson’s and Ammen’s graves, and we toured the KA National Administrative Office at Mulberry Hill. That afternoon we participated in a KA vs. Sigma Nu softball game where both national offices competed against each other. Even though we lost to Sigma Nu, it was a great opportunity to interact with both staffs in a competitive environment. Later Saturday night, we attended a cookout and did some fishing. This weekend was a well needed break.

-Alex Feinberg (Alpha Phi - Duke ’04)

KA and the Nation's Capital

July 19, 2007

I'm beginning to see what the DC grind is all about. The Heartland Values PAC Conference is a little over a week away and I've been working late every night. We are beginning to put materials together and double check all of the arrangements. I'm in constant contact with the Senate offices confirming time slots and details. I've been spending a lot of time back and forth between Staples, while putting the guest booklets together. This has been one of my biggest projects. I've had to create all of the speaker bios and other inserts.

Friday, we all took the day off for tours of the Washington National Cathedral and Arlington Cemetery. We were led by Gary Scott, a KA that we had met at the Mason dinner. Mr. Scott is the Chief Historian of the National Park Service in DC. He has also spent time working on the construction of the Cathedral with Richard T. Feller. Feller was a KA who at one time was in charge of the Cathedral construction. The Cathedral itself was fascinating, and Mr. Scott was able to provide insight into even the smallest aspect of its construction and meaning. By far the most interesting thing I learned about was the special carvings in front of the Lee and Jackson stained glass windows. Feller had a magnolia and rose carved above the two images. KA can claim to be the only fraternity with a connection to the National Cathedral.

From the Cathedral we ate lunch and drove to Arlington for a tour of Lee's house. My brother Matthew (Iota - Furman ’98) had just arrived in from Savannah for the weekend, and met us there for the tour. Mr. Scott arranged a private tour led by a park ranger that focused specifically on the life and times of Robert E. Lee. We all learned a lot about Lee's early years leading up to the war and how important the house was to him. After the tour we stayed for the changing of the guard and to see the eternal flame.

On Saturday my brother and I went to the Spy Museum. So far, this has been one of my favorite museums. Later that night we took in an MLS game at RFK and then enjoyed the Georgetown nightlife. My three day weekend was much needed as I'm sure this last week leading up the Conference will be non-stop.

-Bryan Schivera (Gamma – Georgia ’04)

Pandas, Nats and Odd Fellows

The last week has been filled with a lot of fun events. On Saturday, June 30th all of the KA interns attended the Magnolia Dinner at the Odd Fellows Lodge in DC. All of the brothers of the Lodge were KAs and we felt right at home throughout the night. The dinner was great, and we stayed afterwards to share a drink and to talk with all the Lodge members. On Sunday, Alex and I went to the DC zoo. We saw the famous Giant Panda and spent about three hours there.

This past week I have been interning at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). The NRSC is an organization with the sole goal of electing and re-electing republican senators. My main task on the week was donor research. The emphasis is on those senators up for re-election in 2008.

July 4th was an amazing experience in DC. We spent some time around the Captiol and in Georgetown during the day, trying to duck the tornado warnings whenever possible. We headed towards the National Mall around 8:00pm to get an up close view of the fireworks. It was by far the largest show I have ever seen. We were so close that pieces of the fireworks were falling around us. I finished the rest of the week at the NRSC and did some side work for Senator Thune, now that the Heartland Values PAC Conference is getting closer.

On Saturday, Brad Patout, Chris Cook and a few other KA alumni took us all to the Nationals baseball game. The underdog Nationals actually beat the Brewers despite two Prince Fielder home runs. On Sunday, I went with a friend to the AT&T National Golf Tournament and watched some great competition. I actually had Tiger Woods walk right by me and brush my shoulder on his way from the putting green to the driving range.

The next two weeks are crunch time for the Conference. We've got a lot of work to do, but I'm ready to take it all on.

-Bryan Schivera (Gamma – Georgia ’04)

This week I accompanied two American Business Development Group (ABDG) lobbyists to a firing range in Fredericksburg, VA. FNH, the parent company of arms manufacturers, such as Browning and Winchester, hosted the demonstration for congressional staffers. FNH is a client of ABDG’s, and it was ABDG’s duty to bring staffers to the shoot in order to educate them on FNH’s products as they pertain to the Department of Defense market place.

In the morning, representatives from FNH conducted a classroom session where we learned about various FNH products that are currently or potentially being used by the Department of Defense. After lunch, the FNH representatives brought us to an on-site shooting range where we shot the SCAR Light, SCAR Heavy, P .90, FN 303 (less lethal), and M .240. The gun shoot was quite a memorable experience because it was the first time I had shot a fully automatic weapon.

-Tate Bolick (Epsilon Mu – Elon ’05)

July 9th

I am six weeks into my ten week internship and am enjoying my time in DC, both at work and with my roommates. Since my last blog entry, I have been busy at the Department of Labor. Interning is going very well and I couldn’t be happier with my internship. I am currently working on the development of a new website for the Department of Labor that will aid in recruiting young professionals and college graduates for government work. I will present this material to the Assistant Secretary, Pat Pizzella, in the next week.

Over the course of the summer, I have taken advantage of the many great resources DC has to offer. The highlights of DC thus far for me have been touring the West Wing of the White House, the Pentagon, and the US Capitol Building. Perhaps my favorite part of DC has been my daily runs around the National Mall and the White House. It’s very surreal to run alongside these historic and important buildings.

-Alex Feinberg (Alpha Phi – Duke ’04)

The Fourth in D.C.

The fourth of July in Washington, D.C. was an all-day celebration. There isn’t another place in the country that had as much going on that day. Chris Huff and I attended ‘A Capitol Fourth’ concert on the West lawn of the Capitol building. The National Symphony Orchestra along with guest stars put on an amazing performance. Appearances included the host Tony Danza, gospel singer Yolanda Adams, country star Dierks Bentley and even Little Richard. The night concluded with a spectacular fireworks show above the Washington Monument. There were hundreds of thousands of people spread out across the National Mall by the end of the night. It was a great event to attend in the nation’s capitol.

-Philip Davis (Beta Xi – Oklahoma State ’03)

An Audience with the President

All of the interns had the ability to volunteer for the President’s Dinner. This is a dinner in which the President speaks to a large crowd of his closest constituents from across the country. There were around five thousand people in attendance for the dinner. Our assigned duty was to assist guests by providing wheelchairs as they arrived and left the convention center. I happened to be assigned the task unknowingly of helping a close friend of President Bush to his seat. Before he sat down I took him to take a photograph with the President. I was allowed to follow him into the room. I shook hands and spoke briefly with the President as I then escorted the guest to his table. Meeting the President was amazing just out of the natural respect of the office he holds, but it was also unique to be able to hear him speak with a friend of his that he had known before he was Governor of Texas. It was an experience I won’t forget, mainly for it being so unexpected.
The dinner itself was a big success. There were many elected officials in attendance as well as great entertainment. After the dinner, Jo Dee Messina performed a private concert. The event was a joint fundraiser by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). As I already intern for the NRCC, I had seen how much time it took to put on such a large event. The day of the event I worked from 9:30a.m until the dinner was over. It was a long day, but a great event to be apart of.