Acacia - Indiana University

Spring 2020 Newsletter

Indiana Chapter of Acacia Fraternity at Indiana University

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The Wreckage The newsletter of the Indiana Chapter of Acacia Fraternity Spring 2020 N othing better testifies for our undergraduate Acacia days than the Chapter house at 702 E. Third Street. We remember the rooms we lived in. We remember our Nile decorations. We recall walking through the active door for the first time and under the Senior Arch. If you're like some, you may even remember the house pay phone number. (Take a moment and try to recall. It's on the back page). It's a great house. On campus and in Bloomington, it's even an iconic house. It is also a beloved home that now needs special attention from us. Though maintained smartly throughout the last several decades, the Acacia house needs a serious upgrade to stay competitive and to appeal to what today's students have come to expect. "Compared to dorm rooms, ours can be extremely difficult to manage," said Senior Dean Ben Jordan '19. "With grown men living in the rooms first designed decades ago, it makes for a cramped space." Our IU home needs help from us. It needs help from each of us. The Indiana Acacia Building Corporation and Justin Fox '95, current house director, with the assistance of a local architect, have drafted renovation plans to address the house's and brothers' needs. These include, for example: • Finally transitioning to central heat and air conditioning. • Redesigning bathroom spaces from scratch. • Updating storage spaces inside individual rooms. • Securing entrances with updated security technology. • Upgrading the common areas so that a fresh, fraternal look and feel extends from the formal living room to the Lautzenheiser ("Senior") Library and on through to the dining room. • Extending that fraternal look and feel into the basement and revamping a dedicated space for the bike team. Our plans have been shaped by focus groups with both active and alumni brothers and with tours (accompanied by our architect) of several newly built and renovated Greek houses on campus. Since the Chapter's re-founding in 2016, it has grown to be one of the more prominent Greek organizations on campus. Our undergraduate brothers have reclaimed their philanthropic and human service heritage, and the bike team tradition took root last year. Pledge classes are full, and each semester potential new members pine for the traditional Third Street address. But compared to most of the dorms, other recently renovated fraternities, and the contemporary apartments that have spread all over downtown Bloomington, Acacia is showing too much of its age. The good news is that we have an excellent start toward that $1.5 million capital campaign goal. Thanks to the generosity of early donors, we have $843,000 in pledges. This includes $125,000 from the Chapter, which is a portion of their fees over five years. The Indiana Acacia Building Corporation also matched that pledge. Our campaign, Securing the Journey, is a direct investment in the Acacia house––and at the same time, a critical investment in Indiana Acacia's future. As the Chapter heads into its second century, we hope you will reflect on the experiences and memories from Third Street and help secure the journey for many more generations of Indiana Acacians—just as alumni have supported the house, and the active Chapter living in it, so many times since 1938. The Building Corporation engaged Pennington & Company, the best in the business of Greek life fundraising, to facilitate our campaign. In the coming weeks, you will receive additional information detailing the project, the campaign, and ways in which you can help. We will be honored to have you join the growing list of Indiana Acacia alumni brothers who have already committed to making sure the journey continues. Want to get started right away? Page 3 below offers contact information for making a contribution today. Indiana Acacia Announces $1.5 Million Campaign Securing the Journey for Future Generations of Brothers

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