Beta Theta Pi - University of Minnesota

PAge 3 of pride. "I feel like there is no time like the present for a well-planned capital campaign to provide the best chapter experience and living conditions for future young men," he said. Strength in recruitment is an outcome that Jim foresees for meeting the campaign objectives. "We want to attract the best and brightest," he said. Making an investment today in the Beta Pi campaign is an investment in future leaders. As an era leader, Jim enjoys reconnecting with alumni on behalf of the campaign effort. "I would ask my fellow alumni to pay it forward by assisting in building a bridge to Beta Pi's future," he said. "Help our motto come true: The North Shall Increase!" Staying in touch with Beta Pi brothers is a priority for Jim, who sees several of his close friends each year on vacation, at football games, or on trips to Las Vegas. Jim lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where he is active in the local chapter of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, as well as Rotary, Elks, Eagles, Knights, and Foresters. He enjoys college football, traveling, finance, and spoiling his nieces and nephews. You can contact Jim at (602) 316-7798 or keelerj85258@msn.com. Jim Keeler '98 (second row, third from left) on the 1986-87 University of Minnesota Wrestling Team. Jim Keeler '89 (Continued from page 1) A t the start of 2015, the House Corporation of our Beta Theta Pi Society of Minnesota started making plans for improvements to the chapter house later this year. The House Corporation has a list of capital improvement projects to the Beta house, as is outlined in the ongoing The North Shall Increase campaign. While the fundraising continues, we plan to complete capital campaign-related projects this summer. The first project is likely to be full replacement of the retaining wall that is quite damaged along University Avenue and 17th Southeast Avenue. Due to the historic nature of the Beta house, there are specific requirements for how the new retaining wall must look, and our organization will be defining these details soon. We hope to complete the project before the fall 2015 semester begins. The next project is a new house door entry and security system. The current system, with a keypad at front and back doors, is far from modern on college campuses. To become a more secure and modern facility, the House Corporation will evaluate implementing a new system with electronic scan cards that will be distributed to members. Several recently renovated Beta chapters at other campuses have implemented these systems with success. We hope to learn from those Beta chapters, review a variety of technology options, and implement a great new solution for keeping the house secured to the right people. The largest amount of renovation work is planned for 2016. We will start planning this work later this year. Our alumni and undergraduates are quite excited for the significant improvements in the years ahead. We are thankful for the support of our alumni, and will share more details on these plans in the months ahead. Thank you! In _kai_, Branden Peterson '05 Campaign Board Director Retaining Wall and Security System First Priority Summer Updates Planned

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