Beta Theta Pi - University of Missouri

BETA THETA PI Alumni Work to Find Solution to MU's Fraternity Regulations I n our previous newsletter, we noted that in August of 2018 the University issued some far-reaching proposals regarding the regulation and supervision of fraternities. ese rules proposed giving too much control over us to University administration. e pro- posals were an attempt to upgrade the Greek system, making it more appealing to incoming freshmen. In actuality, many of the proposals would have made Greek life less appealing to incoming freshmen, which would have had a major, negative impact in attracting top-rated freshmen. e proposals gave more control to the University over the new member training program, recruitment, house management, and much more. n Addressing Live-In Freshmen Of particular concern to Zeta Phi was the University requirement that all freshmen live in the dormitories. In a letter to the Chancellor and Dean of Students, our alumni emphasized that not having these 35-40 men living in would cause a fi nancial hardship for us since we have consistently budgeted such revenue since the early 1960s. Bill Toalson '70 and other alumni met with University offi cials to plead our case and as the proposed regulations stand now, they have been changed so that Zeta Phi could continue to have freshmen living in the house, provided we continue to maintain our current overall high GPA and do not violate University guidelines on hazing or al- cohol. I might add that as a practical matter, with 100 young men, it will be diffi cult to not violate the defi ned hazing or alcohol policies at some point. While the discussions with University offi cials may have paved the way for Zeta Phi to continue to have freshmen living in the house, several other fraternities will not meet the required tests and will lose fresh- men. It should be noted that in recent years more houses have chosen not to have freshmen live in the house so the new rules impact fewer fraternities than you might expect. n Continuing Discussions Our direct discussions with University offi cials have been productive and they have worked with us in adjusting the policies to help high- performing fraternities like Zeta Phi. at said, there is much work to be done to save the majority of the other fraternities and to provide Mizzou a truly attractive Greek system that will appeal to incoming freshmen as the top MU administration offi cials have set as the goal. In the last couple of weeks, our alumni have worked with leaders of Sigma Nu's alumni organization to specifi cally address issues to the University President. I want to thank c urator and Zeta Phi alumnus, John Phillips '68, for his eff orts in providing a fl ow of information to University leaders. We trust that as the University leaders better understand how fraterni- ties operate and how that relates to lifelong support of MU, and that we will arrive at a revised set of rules that allow fraternities to thrive and do so in a positive fashion for the young men, University, and community. Fraternally, John Hillhouse '69 Secretary, Zeta Phi House Corporation W hile it seems hard to believe, it was almost 14 years ago that discussions began about the need to build a new fraternity house. In 2005, it became apparent to several alumni, most notably John Hofman '82 and Dave Spence '80, that we needed to consider replacing the old structure that was completed in 1963. ere was a feasibility study, hiring of architects, initial attempts at fundraising, and then the great recession required us to put the project on hold. In late 2010, with the encouragement of Richard Miller '70, the project was restarted with a whirlwind of revised plans and fundraising. Late in the spring of 2011, the old house was demolished, and thanks to the great work of John States '94 and his construction company, by the start of school in 2012, the new facility was ready to be occupied. During the period 2010- 12, our members pledged the enormous sum of $9,745,000 toward the project. While much of that was raised with a dozen phone calls, a signifi cant portion took countless hours on the part of our professional fundraisers and several key alumni. Many members made multi-year pledges to be paid over an extended period. At the time, the campaign was the most successful of any college fraternity chapter, having raised more than any previous campaign. At the end of 2018, all pledges made were to have been paid. I am pleased to report that we have collected 98.6% of all those pledges. Based on dis- cussions with our professional fundraising partner, a collection rate at this level is the fi rst of its kind and once again illustrates not only the at- tachment of our alumni to our chapter but also the integrity that almost everyone paid 100% of what they pledged. e house corporation board wishes to once again thank those who made the fi nancial commitment and followed through with payments. It truly shows that Zeta Phi is an outstanding chapter that produces quality men. 3 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE How Far Have We Come?

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