2/6/23: RJ Charno

Name: RJ Charno

Hometown: Delco

Graduated: May 2019

FOTO cred: President 2018-2019, VP/FR Chair 2017-2018 (First male FR chair, no big deal just a huge win for equality), THON 2018 Dancer, Pledge #1 2015-Present, FOTO's Roast Master, Honorary Knaper. (Most of these references probably mean nothing to yous but trust me I’m a big deal so get excited)  <--------- We used to let the alumni flex with this opener but stopped for some reason, I say bring it back.

 Sup FOTO Homies! Gonna play it safe and assume less than five of you know who I am so for the rest of you my name is RJ and I have the distinct honor of being FOTO’s washed-up alumni this week! By now I’m sure you all know how these things go, "Starting college was crazy blah blah blah went to the involvement fair blah blah blah went to one meeting and loved it blah blah blah best choice ever get involved." Considering THON 2023 is right around the corner I think it’s a safe bet that you all already know that FOTO is the best SI Org to ever exist (and not exist for a bit too) and everyone else can suck it. So I’ll save us all some time and we can skip the sales pitch. Luckily since I’m so old and crusty I’ve got tons of wisdom that I’ve decided to share with you so you can make this FOTOs best THON yet! So without further delay:

RJ's Tips for Making the Most Out of Your THON Weekend

  •         THON starts at Pre-Line and is insanely important for locking down a dope section so be there or you’ll have to have a word with former corrupt FOTO president and current corrupt cop Jessie West.
  •         Hold the section at all costs, literally. Playing dirty is not only allowed but highly encouraged.
  •         When you inevitably get into an argument with a THON captain here’s my advice: DO. NOT. LOSE.
  •         It’s shockingly easy to steal a corporate floor pass for the weekend.
  •         If you’re lucky enough to be dancing you can get anything you want by threatening to sit down.

o   Although your DRCM may never talk to you again after THON…

  •         Overnight shifts are easily the best part of THON, this is where forever friendships are born. Plus sleep is overrated anyway.

o   Also, at night you can rearrange the FOTO letters to spell FOOT. It ALWAYS gets a laugh.

  •         FOTO has the absolute greatest families so spend as much time with them as you can that weekend. 

o   But if you see one of the kids with a water gun, run. They will drench you and all of your back up clothes.

  • Bonus points if you dodge their attack and then get them to shoot R&R members instead. What’re they gonna do yell at a THON family? Actually knowing R&R yeah they might…
  •         Keep the energy up! If the stands aren’t keeping the vibes positive the dancers will crash and then THON is ruined. Don’t ruin THON.
  •         Meet the Fountaines. No jokes here, just do yourself a favor and meet these angels.

 

Ok, that should be enough to get yous through the weekend, time to be mushy and sentimental.

 Even after all these years I still find myself thinking about my time in FOTO at least once a day. It’s honestly hard not to considering the monumental impact it’s had on my life. I wish I could say that I joined FOTO with the best intentions and immediately got super involved from day one. But nope. I only joined cause my friend said his brother was in it and they throw some dope parties. Thankfully that mindset quickly changed after my first canning weekend and from that point on FOTO was my life. It didn’t matter what it was, if it was a FOTO event I was there. Whether it was a canning/canvassing trip (RIP), a bake sale, a family visit, some random and probably pointless committee meeting, or even a dry event that seemed lame on paper I was in. That right there is what makes FOTO so special to me. It didn’t matter what we were doing, I just wanted to be with these people and they welcomed me immediately and made me feel like I’d always been a part of this weird, funny, and slightly crazy family. The people I met and worked with during this time ended up becoming, and still are, some of my closest friends and have carried me through some of the toughest times in my life. I know you hear it from every alumni but we would genuinely do anything to be back in those stands with our FOTO family, all sleep deprived and gross looking while we celebrate the best weekend of the year. I know a lot has changed since my time but I hope this still rings true and all of you are finding your place in this family just like I did.

That’s gotta be mushy enough to compare to the other posts, time to wrap this up.

Apologies for what turned into yet another wall of text from an alum but honestly be thankful I kept it this short. In case you can’t tell I fucking love FOTO and I could easily waste an entire day reminiscing about it. I envy you all right now and I can’t wait to see how much ass you guys kicked this year. You’re almost there guys, good luck at THON 2023!

Yours Truly,

RJ Charno

P.S. Just wanna give a quick shout-out to my man Damon Sims who just retired as VP of Student Affairs. Yous probably don't know him but he’s an honorary FOTO legend and without him FOTO might not exist today. So make sure you respect your elders and pour one out for our boy.

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