Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Florida

For Alumni And Friends oF the FloridA AlphA ChApter no. 30 • spring 2016 university oF FloridA, sigmA phi epsilon inFormAtion www.FlAlphA.org SigEp Gator Heart T he very good news is that brothers have pledged and contribut- ed more than $2.1 million toward the renovation of the Florida Alpha SigEp house. But... A wise man once said, "The best laid plans of mice and men go often askew." Another said, "These are the time that try men's souls." And yet another, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Fellow brothers of the Golden Heart, all of those quotes apply to our current situation with the Campaign for Florida Alpha. The so- bering news is that we have fallen short in our goal to renovate the Fraternity House without making major alterations to the architec- tural plans. We are, sadly, $730,000 short of doing the full 60-bed design as shown on our website, www.flalpha.org/capital-campaign/plan- details.html. And we are $250,000 short of doing the 40-bed de- sign which has no 10-room (or 20-bed) extension of the old dorm wing. This results in a loss of 24 beds compared to the current 64- bed configuration. We are now looking for ways to repurpose some rooms that will give us more beds without increasing cost. Without additional funding, one of the major features of the new house, the Residential Learning Center, proposed to be named in memory of Jim Lang, may have to be substantially smaller than planned. Without immediate substantial additional giving, a 60-bed house will remain a dream. With those hard facts staring us in the face, we are making a new and critical appeal to those who have already given generously, and those who have not yet given, to dig deeply into your wallet, and your heart, and give more. Let us explain. In our "best of times," you have done an amazing job for your Fraternity. By our December 15 deadline, 202 of you contrib- uted or pledged more than $2 million (let us repeat that: more than $2 million) toward our goal of $3.3 million to make the Florida Alpha Fraternity House among the best on the Universi- ty of Florida campus. With the funds raised so far, we've begun serious planning for our renovated house at 5 Fraternity Row. The Alumni Volunteer Corporation (AVC) and the Florida Alpha Education Foundation (FAEF) have both voted unanimously to au- thorize the AVC and FAEF boards to begin releasing funds for de- tailed construction design blueprints for a 60-bed Chapter House, with a design that can be bid out and built at either the 40-bed size or 60-bed size, depending on the funds available. This gave us the ability to delay the final decision from December 15, 2015, to July 1, 2016. And then we hit a snag. Both board agreed that we should proceed with the 60-bed option through the design phase and aggressively pursue the fundraising to support it. But that means we must raise $730,000 more than we currently have in pledges and "hard" dollars before the architec- ture's deadline of July 1, 2016. This deadline is the latest we can wait to make the decision and complete the renovation for the house in time for the new brothers to occupy it in August 2017. We're looking at ways of repurposing some rooms that will give us more beds and still retain key elements of the Learning Center. But now, more than ever, we need your help by donating or increas- ing your current pledge. Even more important, please reach out to the people you know, discuss the re-colonization progress and renovation plans, and ask them to donate. We began with quotes; let's end with one. "Everybody gets disap- pointed, but it's better to live through the disappointment and do something about it than to dwell on it and do nothing at all." HFF, Al Alsobrook '60 Florida Alpha Chapter Counselor The Good News and the Sobering News The Campaign for Florida Alpha

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