Phi Kappa Theta - Iowa State University

CLONE PAGE 2 Victor EndowmEnt Fund rEachEs $835,000 April 2021 Set as Target Date for Standing Up New Endowment Organization B ooks and classes alone can't bring out the full potential of a college student. As an incoming freshman, Jim Victor '68 couldn't have imagined the ways that he would be impacted and inspired by joining Phi Kappa Theta. Great friends and values-based traditions showed him things about himself that he didn't see as an incoming freshman. Above all, Jim's experience gave him the courage to find his way and, with just the right amount of guidance, that anything is possible. As Iowa Xi brothers, all of us have experienced this in some way. Bolstered by his Phi Kap experience, Jim led a life of amazing accomplishments and positively impacted everyone in his wake. Though we are saddened by Jim's passing, we still hear his inspiring and encouraging voice calling us out to live the ideals of the Phi, the Kappa, and the Theta. Iowa Xi began work this year to establish the Victor Endowment Fund based on a transformational bequest from Jim. The endowment fund will promote the Phi Kap values that impacted Jim and countless others, as well as institutionalizing Jim's spirit and energy. As of October, $835,000 has been received from Jim's estate with a cumulative amount of $1.1 million expected over three years. This is truly a transformational gift in the life of Iowa Xi between the size of the gift and the legacy of Jim's passionate approach to life. Jim's donation will be kept in a separate account from general funds and managed by guidance from uniform prudent management of institutional funds. This will be a permanent endowment with a small percentage spent each year. The estimated annual disbursement is approximately $40,000-50,000. Before any funds are disbursed, an auditable system will be developed to appropriately manage the endowment. The alumni board, with the support of volunteers, legal counsel, and the Waterman Center for Nonprofit Organizations, is developing comprehensive recommendations for: • Investment management • Spending management (also called Program Investment) • Development (to include fundraising, planned giving, and leadership) • Corporate structure and governance • Communications April 2021 is the target date for standing up the new endowment organization. Many fraternities talk about their social or academic achievements. Phi Kappa Theta's pillars of spiritual, intellectual, social, leadership, and fraternal set us apart. Once the Victor endowment is established, grants will be made based on values outlined in the five pillars and the impact the grant proposal has on developing the fraternal experiences that Jim valued. As we approach the 100-year anniversary of Iowa Xi, we consider Jim's call to be courageous and seek excellence in creating impactful experiences for future generations of young men. We are encouraged to follow Jim's example by giving generously of our time, talent, and treasure; and hope you will also. Please contact us any member of the Victor Endowment Fund committee if you have questions or comments. Fraternally, Mike Canney '75 • Joe Rude '81 • Greg Stolp '84 • Jim Flanigan '88 Jon Hicks '02 • Nick Van Berkum '05 • Cory Millmier '12 Jake Stratton '22 Academics and Philanthropic Efforts on the Rise at Iowa Xi Undergraduate Brothers Thrive Despite Derecho Damage, COVID-19 Restrictions W hile this semester is different from anything we have ever seen, our members are striving to do their best while following university COVID-19 guidelines. We were glad to see our hard work pay off with the best GPA in chapter history in the spring, as we finished at 3.51. While the IFC GPA saw inflated scores due to online courses, we've increased our GPA relative to the IFC community. Phi Kap is ranked 14th out of 30 ISU fraternities in GPA, which is two spots higher than the fall 2019 semester. While classes remain in a fully online or hybrid format, our scholarship program has assisted members to ensure our academics are at the forefront for all 60 of our members. The scholarship team has utilized Zoom meetings to help brothers in their respective classes. Hybrid courses have allowed students the option to attend their class in-person once a week so they can learn in a traditional in-class format. The academic schedule this fall is also different than before. Iowa State decided to end classes November 25. Students will see a longer winter break, as the spring semester will not start until January 25. Because the winter break is longer than most, ISU is offering winter classes, allowing students to earn up to four credits during the eight-week break. As Clayton Short '15 detailed in his article, chapter operations have run differently this fall due to COVID-19. The dining policy for this semester was one of many things that changed after creating the health and safety plan with the alumni board in the spring. A sneeze guard was placed over our food in order to limit the spread of germs. Members have set up and cleaned up the dining area while wearing disposable gloves and masks. Our guest policy has also changed this semester, as members are allowed to bring up to three guests. These guests aren't allowed in the dining area or any other part of the basement. We also kept room five vacant this semester to utilize as a quarantine room for any members who test positive for COVID-19. Sanitation stations have been placed at the front and back doors of the house. Chapter meetings were conducted online through Zoom for the first half of the semester since there were a large number of COVID-19 cases in Ames. We have since moved chapter meetings back to an in-person format with masks being mandatory, as we've seen a steady decline in university cases. We are happy to announce that we've resumed our philanthropic efforts after being forced to cancel our philanthropy events in the spring. Iowa Xi partnered with the Panda Express in Ames to raise $437 for the Children's Miracle Network. We were also excited to host an in-person Phi Kap Cookout philanthropy event to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. All meals were personally packaged and members were socially distanced and wearing masks at all times. Through these events, we believe we are doing our part to follow our motto: Give, expecting nothing thereof. While COVID-19 has challenged Iowa Xi, it hasn't been the only obstacle we have faced this fall. As many of you know, the state of Iowa witnessed torrential rain and winds up to 126 mph from the derecho on August 10. The derecho led to a loss of power for three

• Cover