Phi Delta Theta - Drake University

George The Iowa Delta A Long Jr., Illinois Eta, 6/6/1939 #586 George A Long III, Indiana Alpha 1413 George A Long, Indiana Beta #539 Theta, C. Loy, #332 Edward 10/19/1208 3/18/1937 Indiana Strawbridge, Indiana Robert Theta, 4/5/1934 #504 Strawbridge, Indiana Theta, 4/19/1936 #531 Dallas Ryan Long, Florida Gamma, 4/22/2007 #1663 4/27/1947 #749 Herbert Granville Theta, Moody Jr. Illinois Eta, 3/7/1914 Russell Strawbridge, Indiana #232 REPORT Iowa Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta • Fall 2013 Housing Corporation Priorities on Track Recolonization Efforts Need Your Support I t is hard to believe school has started again and Drake is over halfway through its first semester. Thanksgiving break is upon us, and Relays is right around the corner. More unbelievable is that we are less than a year from the beginning of the formal recolonization process, which has been the focus of our efforts since the day our charter was suspended four years ago. During these four years, the Housing Corporation has had three priorities: have overwhelming support from alumni, including an unsolicited $5,000 donation from an anonymous brother, which helped offset these expenses. 1. Upkeep and maintenance of the chapter facility for our tenants in the short term and for the return of Iowa Delta in the long term. What's next? Drake Relays is April 23-27. We are asking all alumni to make it back to Des Moines this year and next to build momentum around recolonization in 2014 and regaining our charter in 2015. The Housing Corporation and local alumni will plan a series of events for both the 2014 and 2015 Relays, so stay tuned! 2. Maintain a good working relationship with both Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity and Drake University, as these are the two entities that will facilitate and ultimately approve our return. 3. Maintain contact with Iowa Delta alumni through e-mail and newsletters. Before we get into next steps, let me briefly discuss developments since our last newsletter. This summer we made necessary repairs and upkeep to be ready for the sorority to move back in for the fall semester. This fall brought our largest planned and ever-increasing expenses of property taxes, insurance, and risk management. We have been deeply grateful to We are also very fortunate to have Mark Dagitz '86 (#507) back on the team, lending us the expertise he has developed over the decades as an officer with Phi Delta Theta International at the local, regional, and national levels. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any one of us on the Housing Corporation. We are very excited to get Iowa Delta back but can't do it alone. We will need the help of all alumni to come back to Drake stronger than ever. Yours in the Bond, Tim Coonan '96 (#713) President, Iowa Delta Housing Corporation tcoonan@iowarec.org Drake Community Anticipates Phi Delt's Return to Drake Campus L ast April, Drake's student newspaper published an article regarding the return of Iowa Delta. Given the events that led to our chapter's suspension on the Drake campus, alumni may be concerned about Drake's attitude regarding our return. Check out the full article to see what Drake University administrators had to say! timesdelphic.com/2013/04/24/phi-delt-looks-to-re-colonize-in-2014-after-suspension Below are excepts from the "Phi Delt looks to re-colonize in 2014 after suspension" article in The Times-Delphic (Story by Hayleigh Syens). The Phi Delta Theta Director of Expansion, DeMarkco Butler, has contacted Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Brittan Williams about returning to campus, and Williams thinks the return will provide "more leadership opportunities for students." "I think a return can demonstrate how an organization can reinvent themselves and come back with a stronger commitment to their mission and their values and exemplify leadership and be a role model to other chapters," Bakari said. "In returning to campus, Phi Delta Theta has the opportunity to bring new influence and direction to our fraternal community," Williams said. "I'm not going to interfere (with the return). I think the fraternity system is remarkable. I hope they do come back, and my office, (the Dean of Students' office) will do our best to help them and support them." Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari thinks the return will have nothing but positive repercussions. RECOLONIZATION LUNCHEON HELD IN NOVEMBER L ocal Iowa Delta alumni leaders hosted an Iowa Delta Recolonization luncheon meeting on November 6 in Des Moines. The director of expansion for Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity, DeMarkco Butler, was in attendance via conference call to present information from General Headquarters regarding the strategic plan for recolonization. We had a very good discussion about what the next 18 months will entail, and are looking forward to a kick-off event during Drake Relays next April. We also reviewed the status of the house, housing corporation, and finances. We invite all Iowa Delta Phis to take an active role in bringing our chapter back! If you have any questions on these subjects, contact Tim Coonan '96 (#713) at tcoonan@iowarec.org.

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