Theta Chi - Drake University

Gamma Tau Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity at Drake University ~ Fall 2020 2 020 has been an incredibly difficult year with the coronavirus, the economic downturn, and an incredibly divisive election. However, despite our troubles at the chapter house, we have weathered the storm quite well. In March, when we last published our newsletter, COVID-19 had only started to wreak havoc, and every event in our world was canceled, delayed, or went virtual. Virtual events are fantastic for business meetings or conversations with mom, but a virtual track meet or beers at Peggy's? Not the same thing! We continue to hope and pray that masks will prevail, a vaccine will materialize, and people will stop getting sick so that life can return to normal. Six months ago, we were facing a house with rampant mold and $75,000 of losses, a lawsuit from a tragedy that had taken place two years before, and a university that was shutting down classes and sending kids home. Through those struggles, we have genuinely grown stronger as brothers. Although many students did not return to school this fall and are taking classes remotely, we only lost three planned live-in brothers. One tested positive for COVID before returning to campus, and two others decided to live this semester or year remotely. With a house nearly full, our men have been amazingly mature and diligent. They came to campus and used great judgment to stay COVID-free. In fact, as of October 16, Theta Chi is the only house on campus without a COVID case. With only 42 men total going through recruitment this fall, our brothers added 13 new brothers plus four holdovers from the shortened spring semester, giving us 17 new members for our fall pledge class. We have also added five more new members through informal rush that will be initiated in the spring for a total of 22 new members this year. It is truly remarkable work by our undergraduates, and their commitment is extraordinary. We must all celebrate the incredible perseverance of Chapter President Tom Wrigley '21 and his entire executive council for their outstanding leadership. COVID and Mold Won't Stop Us Gamma Tau Navigates 2020 Gracefully I n the spring of 2013, Gamma Tau announced the capital campaign to build a new chapter house and alumni center. It was called A Testament to Our Past, a Legacy for Our Future. We set an audacious goal of $1,856,000. Although that seemed like a huge challenge, having it coordinate with the year of Theta Chi's founding just felt right. As you know, we met that goal with pledges totaling $1,856,662. Most of these pledges were fulfilled during the ensuing five years. To date, we have received 90.25% of the commitments. While our fundraising consultants tell us that is an impressive collection ratio, we need to close the gap. That gap represents $181,000, and as noted in Chris' article, there are a number of financial hurdles for Gamma Tau on the horizon. The gap is composed of 77 unfulfilled pledges, and the outstanding amount in most cases does not exceed $2,500. It's likely that the first several years of the donors' commitments were paid, and then something happened to interrupt their completion—or a sixth year was added to the pledge but did not get paid. In any event, we are confident that many of these pledges were meant to be satisfied. The fundraising committee will reach out later this year with reminders. But if you want to beat them to the punch, you can inquire about any outstanding balance by contacting either Tom Rossley '82 at tom@rossley.com or John Felsenthal '19 at johnfelsenthal3@gmail.com. Fraternally, Al Kopec Jr. '79 • al.kopec@aon.com Support Gamma Tau Through Your Amazon Shopping M ost of you have probably done some online shopping (or even "retail therapy") through Amazon during this pandemic. But did you know that you can support our fraternity by doing so? If you haven't heard, AmazonSmile is a service through which Amazon makes a small contribution to the charity of your choice with every purchase you make—at no cost to you. To set this up, follow the instructions on your Amazon account and choose "Theta Chi at Drake University Helping Hand Foundation" as your charity. Every cent counts! CAPITAL CAMPAIGN REVISITED Is Your Pledge Fulfilled? The house has been cleaned of mold and put back together. Our contractors have offered us a small settlement, but we will evaluate the true extent of the possible damages before moving forward; Jon Vasey of Elverson Vasey is representing us. Because it may take time to evaluate the quality of repairs, it may take us as much as a year to bring this to a conclusion. On the everyday house maintenance front, we signed up for a special plan offered by a local plumbing company, Golden Rule. Their $8 per month service plan allows us to avoid all trip charges when nothing major is wrong. We have already saved a few hundred dollars thanks to this plan and established a great relationship with this local company. Of course, the mention of Jon Vasey reminds us all of the passing of Todd Elverson '78 this year from cancer. Todd was such a fixture at our house and has given many, many times his share. He did so with such humility and grace. Denise and his children were all in attendance, and we will always remember their sacrifices of Todd's time to our brotherhood. Fraternally, Chris Swan '86 President, ΘX Building Corporation chris.swan@transearchusa.com

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