Sigma Alpha Epsilon - Purdue University

Fall 2016 Newsletter

Indiana Beta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Purdue University

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T he answer is "Yes, it's important," for two key reasons. Primarily, the house infrastructure is just plain worn out and beyond capacity in every way. I recently downsized from Silicon Valley to the Monterey area where I bought a 30-year-old handyman special. It was necessary to upgrade plumbing, HVAC, electrical, cabinetry, appliances, and so on to make my new house suitable. Somehow, it's probable that my new house never saw the heavy use typical in any fraternity house. Well, SAE Purdue's similar infrastructure ranges from 60 to 94 years old, and we're long overdue to rip, replace, and upgrade crumbling elements. Secondly, when we recruit, we find ourselves comparing poorly to competition both from Purdue and other IFC chapters. Purdue has the largest dorm system in the country, and new construction and renovation are making it bigger and nicer. And with one of the top three Greek systems, we've seen every major SAE competitor, plus some lesser chapters, undertake similar comprehensive upgrade projects in the last 10 years. SAE Purdue's last project happened nearly 30 years ago when West Lafayette and Purdue authorities forced us to shutter the Lodge to add enclosed fire escapes. Nothing was done to address known infrastructure and livability deficiencies. There was no consideration for esthetic upgrades. Three years ago, we re-roofed the house and added aluminum soffits; the old roof was shot and the soffits were rotted. The end result was what we'd hoped for, but that just kept rain water and melting snow from pouring into study rooms. Now is the time to act. Our current plan is to start Phase 1 in spring 2017 now that we've received a county variance to avoid West Lafayette requiring us to triple parking to more than 75 spaces. In order to be successful and to lessen the load of construction loans, we must reach $5 million in pledges. We're not being extravagant with our project, but this is a once-in-a-generation endeavor. It requires broad support and our dedicated attention. Many fraternities have already completed their renovation projects, and many have spent more than we plan to. We are doing our best to make smart decisions and spend wisely. Many of our competitors have had more than 40% participa- tion in their fundraising cam- paigns. We only have about 10% to date. I know we can do better than this; please join us and help us show Purdue who the best fraternity really is. We need your support today. If you have been considering a gift to A Tradition of Excellence, please commit to an amount this year. To date, 109 brothers and friends have raised $2,187,355 toward our fundraising goal of $5 million. We've got to increase our participation in order to be successful. Making a pledge to the campaign is more affordable than you may have originally thought. Payments can be spread over a period of five years. We ask that you consider a pledge of $5,000 or more ($1,000 per year for five years), $2,500 ($500 per year), or $1,000 ($200 per year). A pledge from you today sends the message to our undergraduates that SAE Purdue is not just for four years; it is for life. You also send the message that you believe in them and that you care for our undergraduates and their experience. Thank you for your consideration. We know that together we can achieve this goal. Phi Alpha, Wayne McIntyre '64 Campaign Chairman (408) 930-1438 wayne.mcintyre@yahoo.com WHY OUR PROJECT IS NECESSARY What You Can Do to Help The Fall 2016 A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE - The Campaign for Indiana Beta Lion's TaLe Indiana Beta's new house dog, Bentley, protects the chapter house while taking in the view from the back porch. Campaign StatuS at-a-glanCe As of November 30, 2016 $5 million FundraiSing goal $2,187,355 in ContributionS 109 pledgeS to date

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