Alumni Spotlight: Q & A with Jason Earnhart, ’96
We recently caught up with Jason Earnhart, ’96, for an alumni spotlight he reflected on his time at Delta Chi. Here’s what he had to say:
Hon. Jason C. Earnhart ’96 reflects on the impact of his Delta Chi experience
Brother Jason Earnhart graduated from UM with a degree in English Language and Literature. He went on to law school at Case Western Reserve University and went into the practice of law, eventually landing in public service. He worked for the Trumbull County Prosecuting Attorney from 2000-2006 as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Warren, Ohio. He then served as a Common Pleas Court Magistrate in the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas from 2007 to 2014. From 2014 to 2018 he was a United States Administrative Law Judge in the Social Security Administration in both Valparaiso, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio. Since November of 2018, he has been a Supervisory Administrative Law Judge, and works for the Department of Health and Human Services in Phoenix, Arizona.
Brother Earnhart recently reflected on his Delta Chi days: “The fraternity was at a crossroads. My pledge class, Iota, was a large class (8-10 as I recall). However, there were a lot of the stronger members who were graduating or who had just graduated in the previous couple of years.” He retains a lot of fond memories of those days, “The times I spent on the third floor with my best two friends in the fraternity, Scott Waligora and Joe Magro. We were officers in 1995-96. We had so many laughs and good times up there. Monday nights at the Diamondback Saloon were really fun. Also, this one time my other good friend Lyman Ng and I went to the movies right before we graduated. I remember all of us Iotas running around the house naked in a snowstorm around 10PM on night during our pledge week. That was about as close to hazing as it ever got. But it was sure cold, I remember that for sure. I also remember someone putting a dead bird in the mailbox (not me) and we all sat in my room which was Lighthouse, watching to see who would check the mail and open the box. And eventually there was a victim.” Looking back, he finds, “My membership in the fraternity has honestly meant more to me as I have gotten older. I love the fact that there is a place to come back to in Ann Arbor. Also, occasionally I will be in the same town as someone, and that is really nice to catch up. My only lasting connections from my time in Ann Arbor are Delta Chis.”
Brother Jason enjoys golfing, following his Cleveland sports teams and, of course, keeping up with the Maize and Blue. He served as an Alumni Student Coordinator at UM for the past eight years. But his thoughts of UM always turn back to Delta Chi, “My membership in the fraternity has honestly meant more to me as I have gotten older. I love the fact that there is a place to come back to in Ann Arbor. Also, occasionally I will be in the same town as someone, and that is really nice to catch up. My only lasting connections from my time in Ann Arbor are Delta Chis.”
