Lambda Chi Alpha - University of Illinois

3 Chi Zetagram their leases to reside in the chapter house. University regulations mandate that should a certified housing unit, which we were, lose its certification then leases with individual students are voidable. In light of this, the Alumni Association had no legal means to compel undergraduate members to honor their prior lease commitments. By the summer of 2019 it was clear that the Alumni Association's financial circumstances were dire. We faced a monthly financial obligation of about $50,000 to maintain a new structure and zero rental income. We looked into renting the house to a campus Greek or other organization, but by the time the revocation was handed down in June, any such groups already had made arrangements for the 2019-20 school year. The physical layout of the facility does not lend itself to individual rentals. Also, there are insurance and other requirements that would mandate segregation of any residents by gender. THE NEXT STEP After extensive deliberations and exhaustion of all other options, the alumni board determined that sale of the chapter house was the only option available to us. Had we not pursued a sale, all of our available funds would be exhausted by early 2020, we would have no means for satisfying our mortgage, property tax and other obligations, and we would be facing foreclosure. By negotiating a sale ourselves, we maintained maximum control over the transaction and were able to negotiate better terms than probably would have been agreed had our bank lender conducted a fire sale. The sale also provides the financial means to recolonize in the future when that route is chosen. This is an extremely unfortunate outcome given the significant contribution of members, both in time and money, but circumstances have conspired against Lambda Chi Alpha to bar us from campus until at least June of 2021. At that time, we can explore opportunities to return to campus as Chi Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha. The proceeds of the house sale should provide the resources needed to facilitate and fund any recolonization effort. Our present situation is difficult but there is promise of a brighter future. Yours in ZAX, Kim Kardas '74 X997 Matt Murphy '74 X1028 W e are happy to report that initial plans are already well underway as the General Fraternity prepares to recolonize at Illinois. Justin Fisher, the chief operating officer at ΛXA Headquarters, has already designated Brett Baker, University of Oregon '87, ΛXA director of expansion, to place Illinois as a determined strategic university location for the recolonization and return of Chi Zeta for the 2021-22 school year. The General Fraternity has a framework, structure, overall strategy, and a dedicated trained staff, solely for the purposes of expansion and recolonization efforts at universities. As early as October 2020, the U of I Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Office, the Lambda Chi Alpha General Fraternity Expansion staff, and alumni leaders will be meeting to plan and discuss the recolonization. Brett Baker called me, and we had a positive and productive phone conversation during the 2019 fall semester regarding the General Fraternity's aim to ensure Lambda Chi Alpha successfully returns to the Illinois campus. As a standard part of ΛXA recolonization efforts, Chi Zeta will retain its original name and letters. The chapter will simply return to "active status," and the General Fraternity staff will send trained younger professional staff members to campus to lead recruitment efforts and to work closely with alumni and with the Illinois Fraternity and Sorority Affairs office. It is estimated that a recruitment team will be sent to the campus as early as the spring semester of 2021 if all goes well. Dean Ashley Dye and the University Fraternity and Sorority Affairs staff have already expressed a desire for the chapter return to campus and to closely work with Lambda Chi Alpha staff and alumni. The General Fraternity has a developed strategy for successful recolonization on campuses where the Fraternity wants to return. Illinois is a campus which Lambda Chi Alpha has a keen and determined interest in returning. Vanderbilt University is a recent school which just received back its charter a few weeks ago. Purdue and Illinois State are two chapters which also had been closed by their host institutions in the past and which have now been successfully recolonized as active chapters. Several recolonized chapters report that they now strongly sense the health of the chapter being in a "far better place" than it was before closure. It gives the chapter an opportunity to start over again with a fresh start with new students who have much excitement, energy, and positive outlooks. Once an active colony is in place at a university, whether it is brand new or a recolonization, the General Fraternity has a plan for assisting the men toward full chapter status. Once it's clear that the chapter is healthy, active, and growing, the expansion team, along with alumni, then recommend full chapter status to the Lambda Chi Alpha International Board of the Directors (Grand High Zeta or GHZ). The GHZ then reviews the recommendations of not only the expansion team and the alumni, but also a specialized committee under the GHZ, known as the Healthy Zeta Committee. I am serving as an active engaged member of this committee. With only eight months away until our first planning meeting, we are already looking forward to Lambda Chi Alpha's return to Illinois. Yours in ZAX, Steve Parsons ΦB341 Chapter Advisor Planning for the Return of a New Illinois Chi Zeta Chapter

• Cover