Fall 2011 Parents' Weekend

On Saturday and Sunday, November 5th and 6th, Iron Spikes continued an annual tradition by hosting its Fall 2011 Parents' Weekend. The weekend featured a tailgate before the UT vs. Texas Tech game, a luncheon, and a presentation.

On Saturday, parents and relatives gathered with Iron Spike members in the parking lot outside the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum for an early morning tailgate. From 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., attendees met other parents and Iron Spikes and enjoyed brisket breakfast tacos. It was a great way for parents to see the way Iron Spikes are committed to promoting spirit for UT athletics.

The next day, parents and members made their way to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa near Bastrop, TX for a special luncheon and presentation. The event was designed to not only reward guests with a fantastic meal at a great venue, but also give them an in-depth understanding of what our organization is really all about.

The luncheon meal included beef short ribs, mac-n-cheese, tortilla soup and many other delicious dishes, which received many great reviews. After eating, attendees were shown a short video (posted above) and several of our officers gave a presentation about our commitment to the fraternal, service and spirit pillars highlighted in our Vision. It was a very fun and informative event!

A special thanks goes out to the staff at Hyatt Lost Pines, as well as to our officers who helped make the weekend so successful. And most importantly, we would like to the thank all of the parents who made the trip to Austin to support their kids and find out a little bit more about Texas Iron Spikes!

On the Field for Gameday

On Saturday, October 29th, Brad Caproni and Galen Blumenthal were chosen to be on the field during the Texas vs. Kansas football game alongside the Texas Longhorn mascot, Bevo.

Brad and Galen are members of both Iron Spikes and Silver Spurs, which is an honorary service organization at The University of Texas at Austin responsible for taking care of Bevo.

Congratulations goes out to Brad and Galen for this great honor. We are proud to have such great representations of Iron Spikes!

Spikes of the Week

Congratulations to Kyle Seward and Chris Davila for being named Spikes of the Week due to their exceptional effort panhandling to raise money for Special Olympics Texas.

Kyle Seward

Chris Davila

Helping Out for Halloween

On Monday, October 24th, Iron Spikes participated in the annual Kappa Delta/Pi Beta Phi Halloween Carnival benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of Austin.

Children who visited the carnival had the opportunity to eat free food and play games at booths set up by various student organization and fraternities. Iron Spikes volunteered by running the "Pin the Stem on the Jack-O-Lantern" booth, where kids had a great time winning Halloween candy.

Volunteering at Buddy Walk

On Sunday, October 23rd, Iron Spikes teamed up with members of the Texas Lonestars and volunteered at the 12th Annual Buddy Walk in Georgetown, Texas, an event organized by the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas.

The Buddy Walk was established to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October, promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome, and raise money to benefit local programs and services. In addition to live music, a silent auction, zip lines, and other fun activities, the event included a one-mile walk intended to celebrate the many abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome.

From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., volunteers helped hand out food, run the petting zoo and various game booths, and coordinate many other activities. All in all, Iron Spikes and Lonestars worked hard throughout the day to show their support for such a great cause.

Grilling Out at Night Out

On Tuesday, October 4th, Iron Spikes spent the day volunteering for National Night Out, part of UT's annual Campus Safety Week. Hosted by Student Government and the University of Texas Police Department, Night Out featured fun programs, activities and giveaways all aimed to promote security and crime prevention awareness.

After setting up tents and supplies, Iron Spikes helped out by grilling sausages and hot dogs and serving ice cold root beer to students outside Gregory Plaza. Night Out has become an annual tradition for Iron Spikes and we are already looking forward to helping out again next year!

Fall 2011 Recruitment

The new semester is here and fall recruitment is right around the corner! To all those interested in joining Iron Spikes, here is a schedule of our upcoming recruitment events:

Info Sessions

ART Building, Room TBA

Tuesday & Wednesday September 6th & 7th, 7p-8p

Wings Night @ Dirty Martins

2808 Guadalupe Street Austin, TX 78705

Thursday, September 8th, 5p-7p

Poker Night

3306 Liberty St.

Friday, September 9th, 9p-12a

Athletic Combine

Intramural Fields located off Guadalupe and 51st

Saturday, September 10th, 9a-11a

Street Clean Up

Meeting at the LBJ Library parking lot located off Dean Keeton and Red River

Sunday, September 11th, 10a-11a

Mixer BBQ with the Texas Lassos

Location TBA

Sunday, September 11th 6p-8p

Check the "Texas Iron Spikes Fall 2011 Recruitment" Facebook page for any updates to the schedule. Come meet some Iron Spikes and find out what this organization has to offer!