Beta Theta Pi - University of Oklahoma

Page 3 B Q P W hen the historic 1929 Beta house at 800 Chautauqua was remodeled and expanded in 2014, the Beta Corporation took out a loan for the construction for the project and acquired the adjacent house directly behind the Beta house on Brooks. The capital campaign from 2014 paid for most of these costs; however, Beta still ended up with about $1.7 million in debt. In November of 2020, a fundraising effort was launched to retire this remaining debt named the Securing Our Future campaign. Two generous Gamma Phi brothers agreed that they would contribute $500,000 if other Gamma Phi alumni would match their donation for a minimum debt reduction of $1 million. To date, 75 brothers have stepped forward with donations or pledges totaling $373,175. That is an average donation amount of $4,392. Thus, we have earned $373,175 of the $1 for $1 challenge match, but we still have another $127,000 to go! This is where we need your help. If each Gamma Phi alumnus would contribute an amount that was equal to 10% or even 5% of what was contributed to the original capital campaign, we will easily reach our goal. Why is Securing Our Future important now? The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened our awareness of vulnerability of carrying long- term debt. It is not a problem to service debt when the chapter house is full. However, when the University abruptly sent students home after spring break in 2020, and there was the prospect of all online teaching for the fall of 2020, it exposed a weakness in our normal operation. Also, the elimination of debt frees up funds to reduce the amount that must be charged for members to live in the house. Now seems to be the best time to eliminate all, or most of, this debt. Already, through our campaign efforts and financial stewardship, we have reduced our debt to $1.3 million. If we can raise $175,000 to $425,000 more in new contributions, and obtain the full $500,000 match, we will be nearing our goal of being debt-free. We need your continued support for this campaign effort to be successful. Your gift is needed as soon as possible and would be most appreciated. We want to wind down this campaign and pay off this debt in the next few months. Donations or pledges can be mailed to: Beta Theta Pi P.O. Box 721805 Norman, OK 73070 Please use the enclosed pledge form and envelope, or go online to gift.beta.org/ Oklahoma to donate today. All donations are through the Beta Theta Pi Foundation and are tax deductible. Yours in -kai-, Robert Beall '80 Capital Campaign Chairman robert@rsbeall.com A Breakdown of Securing Our Future How Far We've Come and What's Left to Accomplish F all 2020 was a successful semester for Gamma Phi Chapter. For the second year in a row, we finished with a record-setting chapter GPA of 3.56. This GPA guided us toward the number one spot in grades among IFC fraternities at OU for the fall 2020 semester. Our academic success can be attributed to the programming and motivation by our scholarship committee, Stuart Yamashita '24 and Andrew Yamashita '22. The success of the fall semester carried into the spring with Beta coming in first again with a 3.47 overall GPA. NEW MEMBERS INITIATED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC In February of 2020, we welcomed in a great group of young men in the newest pledge class. After signing and initiating 55 members of the 2020 pledge class, we are excited to see how these men can positively impact the University of Oklahoma and the Gamma Phi Chapter. NAVIGATING A NEW NORMAL In March of 2020, the house was forced to close due to the pandemic; we reopened in August of 2020 with guidelines that were drafted in the summer. These guidelines within the house have helped everyone stay safe during the ongoing pandemic. To keep brotherhood and spirits up among the members the executive team strived to have events within the house that were both safe and enjoyable. Some of these included UFC fights throughout the year, watching the Sooners on gamedays, and a few philanthropic events. During the semester, we worked diligently to engage both on campus and around the community, as we had vice chairmen, executive committee members, and participants in many organizations and philanthropies such as Relay for Life, University Dance Marathon, and Crimson Wishes. THRIVING THROUGH ADVERSITY The 2020-21 academic year was a great one despite all the obstacles presented by the pandemic. Some goals we have set for fall 2021 are to recruit another great group of young men that can be ushered into our continually improving new member program, and to increase our philanthropic outreach in the Norman and the OU community. We look to welcome these young men into the brotherhood under the guidance of Recruitment Chairman Luke Dehaven '23. Additionally, we are looking to increase our number of brotherhood events to create an even better sense of brotherhood bonds among the members of Gamma Phi Chapter. Yours in _kai_, Sam Atkinson '23 Chapter President (405) 642-1658 Developing Men of Principle Amid the Pandemic Gamma Phi Excels in Academics, Finds Ways to Give Back to OU, Norman Community Pledge Class 2017 brothers at OU's Dance Marathon this spring. From left: Cade Pruitt '21, Will Riney '21, and Sam Foster '21.

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