Alpha Chi Omega - University of Missouri

T his summer at 900 Richmond Avenue was like no other. The members left the house abruptly in late March, many leaving some of their belongings at the chapter house. The advisors and officers helped store items in the bedroom closets. This is certainly a crazy, challenging time for all. Our summer work started with a "freshening" of the house director suite. The chapter hired a new house director to start in August, and the suite had not been updated since 2013, so this was the perfect time—aside from the pandemic issues— to undertake this project. We replaced the carpeting, painted the bedroom and living room areas, purchased a new desk, dresser, mirror and nightstand and reconfigured all the wiring so that the Internet, cable and security camera wires were not all over the rooms. We also updated the bathroom area. The new house director arrived August 2 and was pleased with the work. The COVID-19 challenges required the house corporation to review operating procedures, CDC requirements and local regulations on how to best protect the safety of our chapter members. We started with a deep clean of all areas with EPA- and CDC-approved cleaning supplies to ensure a proper deep-clean of the entire chapter house. The house corporation board participated in many Zoom calls with the university, headquarters, our insurance company and a fraternity/sorority management company to learn all we could about how to clean and reopen the chapter house safely. With the current unknowns of the impact of this pandemic and all the financial implications of it, we only undertook absolutely necessary projects this summer. Security is always a priority, so more lighting was added to the back of the house, along with stepping stones from the parking lot area. Hand sanitizers were purchased and installed at all entrances, in the dining room and in the laundry room. The dining room buffet cart was enclosed, and the chef will be making each member's plate; no self-service allowed. Many signs were posted— indicating maximum room occupancy based on guidelines, at entrances pointing out the need to use the hand sanitizers and COVID-19 symptoms to watch for, in bathrooms and kitchenette areas cautioning to wipe surfaces before and after using and providing handwashing guidelines. All the HVAC units were cleaned and new filters installed. We were able to purchase a new washer and dryer for the cleaning staff to use and located them away from the chapter member laundry area. We also purchased a new dining room cart, new bathroom shower carts and three new bedroom desks and chests. The foyer and formal room crown molding and stair risers were repainted to freshen the areas. New lines and numbers were painted on the parking lot. The members are back, and formal recruitment was virtual this year, which was absolutely amazing to this alumna. Based on our COVID-19 policies, we can't have visitors to the chapter house this semester, so stay tuned for when we will be open for visits. Thanks for your support of Alpha Nu. LITB, Beverly Wood Nichols '75 House Corporation Board President kc5cents@aol.com House Corporation Implements Chapter House Updates to Mitigate Spread of COVID-19 Safety of Sisters Remains Top Priority at Alpha Nu Amid Pandemic Lyre Notes Alpha Nu Chapter of ΑΧΩ at the University of Missouri fall 2020 The refreshed house director's suite features soft pastels.

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