Alpha Tau Omega - University of Texas

T he Gamma Eta Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega has continued its trend of growth and improvement both internally and on campus during the 2013-14 academic year. Several important programs and events have been introduced and helped us keep the chapter in a strong position for this semester and beyond. Membership has remained well above 100 men as the chapter has taken on 30 or more new members for the third consecutive academic year. On the 40 Acres, ATΩ has taken on a more visible commitment to service by partnering with the University to host bi-annual, on-campus fundraisers to benefit a local animal rescue group. Furthermore, Gamma Eta members have continued to take on active leadership roles in other organizations, notably in the election of one of our members to a key position with IFC as executive director. One of the most important internal developments has been the tremendously successful rollout of the OmegaFi system. After our first full semester of partnering with the Greek-oriented billing and management service, the chapter's finances have become substantially more organized, secure, and transparent. Collections had been a long-standing challenge for the treasury, but in reviewing the fall reports, the chapter's on-time collection rate had jumped dramatically to just shy of 95%. With this increase in financial flexibility, the chapter was able to undertake several improvement projects for the Shoal Creek property. Principal among these was the implementation of the A PUB L IC A TIO N O F THE G A MMA ETA C HA PTER O F A L PHA TA U O MEG A UNIV ER S ITY O F TEXA S s S PR ING 2014 Gamma Eta UndErGradUatEs and alUmni ContinUE to ConnECt A s the spring semester is underway at the University of Texas, the Gamma Eta Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega welcomes several new brothers and looks to build on some of the many improvements set in motion by previous undergraduate leadership. One of the key developments this semester is the annual election of executive council members for the active chapter. It is with this announcement that we welcome Austin Saathoff '11 as the new Worthy Master of the Gamma Eta Chapter and thank Kevin Cassidy '10 for a successful year as he transitions into the professional world, pursuing a career in sales with Oracle. Through the collective effort of the previous executive council, Texas ATW was honored with several awards at the most recent ATW Congress, including recognition for True Merit Honorable Mention. The Board of Trustees is excited about the opportunity presented to the new officers to expand on these efforts, as they set their sights on the national fraternity's top award, True Merit. One vital step in achieving this goal is the introduction of OmegaFi, the undergraduate chapter's new online system for tracking, collecting, and reporting on the overall financial health of Gamma Eta. Since the software's implementation in the summer of 2013, there has been a dramatic increase in collection rates of active member dues. This increase in efficiency has helped support the solvency of the chapter, providing additional resources for growth and necessary repairs to an aging house. Because of this, Alpha Tau Omega continues to be among the most competitive fraternities on the University of Texas campus. In addition to improvements in financial management, the Board of Trustees has received many positive comments from various alumni about the undergraduate chapter's investment in reconnecting with our vast alumni base. As this remains to be one of the top priorities of Gamma Eta, I encourage those who can make it to join us on May 3 as the chapter hosts its annual golf tournament. Further details are on page 4 and will be sent electronically as the event nears. We try to keep our records as up-to-date as possible. If you are not receiving the chapter's e-mails, please send an updated personal e-mail address to Alumni Chairman Chris Kelley '11 at chrskelley1@ gmail.com. Thank you again for your support of Gamma Eta. We are constantly looking to improve our communication with alumni. If you have any ideas for future articles, content, or alumni news please forward this material to Craig Chick '94 at craigchick@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 5593, Austin, TX 78763. Fraternally, Greg Erp '07 BOT Chairman (512) 658.3173 | gerp@utexas.edu Financial Flexibility Allows Gamma Eta to Grow and Improve (Continued on page 2)

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