PSI UPSILON 3
THE CHALLENGES
FACING OUR HOME
W
hile the Psi U experience is
certainly more than that physical
structure of the Chapter House, our
home undoubtedly plays a role in the
recruitment and development of our
brothers and is a proud symbol of our
shared values. Since the groundbreaking
in 1891, the facility has been the "most
fitting monument of our grand success
as a Chapter of our noble old Fraternity."
(History of the Xi Chapter 1935).
Restoration and Preservation
While there have been renovations to
242 High Street in the past, numerous
facets of the facility are well beyond
their original useful life and will soon
no longer be considered safe. Much like
our personal homes, our house must be
a haven that instills confidence in our
undergraduate members and their parents.
While the Xi is financially healthy
and able to cover annual operating
expenses, there is a large backlog of
deferred maintenance from decades of
underinvestment.
Structurally, our home is slowly
failing. Based on a recent engineering
evaluation, our house framing is
overstressed by 80% in areas, is missing
brick/stone mortar, and has wood
deterioration leading to water intrusion
into the facility. We are commissioning
a fulsome engineering study to evaluate
the cost to rehabilitate the Xi Chapter
House and ensure it will survive for
decades to come.
Bringing Our Home
into the Next Century
Our historical treasure has been essential
to our success these last 130 years. We
have been committed to our motto,
"Lifelong Leadership for Wesleyan and
Society, Far Beyond Our Number." As
we have evolved as a Fraternity in recent
years, however, the Chapter House has
stayed constant. As we build toward the
future, the Xi must remain the premier
fraternal organization at Wesleyan.
