Beta Theta Pi - University of Missouri

PAGE 3 BETA THETA PI T he advisor group worked closely with the chapter during the spring semester—with special emphasis on member accountability. We hope to put more "teeth" in the operations of the -kai- committee so that members can discipline themselves. This is not only important for the internal operations of the chapter, but also for campus relations: if there are any disciplinary issues, the University will look to the chapter to see how they dealt with the members in question. Almost all of us had the experience of living in the annex. For some of us, it was the "old" annex, with its steep back stairs and often-faulty bathrooms. The old annex, purchased in the mid- 1950s, had seen its better days even before Beta purchased it. In 1986, a new annex, Stephenson Hall, was built and had an expected useful life of 25-30 years; we are now in our 36th year. I remember Parents' Weekend in 1966, when my father and my roommate's father visited their sons' room on the third floor of the old annex. My dad said, "Ralph, can you believe we are paying $115 a month for our sons to live in such a dump?" Similar conversations take place today… except the $115 figure is now a multiple of that old house bill. Regardless of whether you lived in the old annex in the 1960s or the "new" annex, you experienced a memorable standard of living. That said, we all look back on the experience and would not trade it for anything—even if seldom did all the plumbing features work at the same time. Now, why am I being nostalgic about the annex? As has been true about every 10 years since 1986, we finished some significant repairs over this past summer. Most of the money was spent on the bathrooms, which young men, historically, do not take very good care of. (Forget whatever you have heard that girls are harder on bathrooms; it simply is not true.) We installed new vanities, sinks, and toilets. In addition, new carpet was added in the hallways and on the staircases, and we had some HVAC work done as well. While anyone visiting the renovated annex would not mistake it for the Ritz, it does look a lot better. We're hoping for another 10 years before more major work is needed (or the building needs replacing). From a landlord's perspective, one of the best aspects of the annex is the economic picture: at least 30 house bills and no debt service. This cash cow has helped us afford the new main house with little debt. The total cost of the recent annex renovations was about $200,000. The fraternity continues to be on solid financial ground even though, in the last three years, our total pledge commitment has been short a few men. The advisor group will work closer with next year's recruitment chairman to begin the process earlier, with a pledge goal of 40 men for the fall of 2023. In our last issue, we introduced the new Mizzou Greek Alliance. To recap: this organization was founded by Beta leaders and has grown to include most fraternities on campus. Its purpose is to act as one voice when discussing Greek policy matters with the University. The group continues to have periodic meetings with MU officials to seek the ultimate goal of both organizations: an outstanding Greek system that fosters leadership and helps attract bright young people to the University of Missouri. The chapter finished another MU probation period in early September; the incidents in question have been addressed in prior newsletters. I believe the cause of the various disciplinary actions stems from issues on both sides. From the MU perspective, new rules have made life challenging for the chapter to be 100% in compliance. At the same time, the chapter's behavior has not always been exemplary. We look forward to continuing good-faith discussions with the University to ensure that Beta—and Mizzou Greek life as a whole—can grow into a community that everyone on campus can be proud of. Yours in _kai_, John Hillhouse '69 Secretary, Zeta Phi House Corporation hillhouse@drlb.net EXPANDING ON A STRONG FOUNDATION ZET A PH I FOCU S E S O N RE C RUITMENT, ANNEX UPDATES

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