Theta Chi - Drake University

Gamma Tau Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity at Drake University ~ Spring 2017 I n the fall, we announced the start of our annual fundraising campaign. We understand that many of you are continuing to pay on your five-year capital campaign pledges and for that, we thank you. Your willingness to lend an assisting hand is what makes you a true brother. If your financial position has changed or you are interested in adding Gamma Tau to your estate planning process, we'd like to talk with you about capacity and your ideas for support. What Is Today's Need? Today, while our need is not as great as it was when we were looking to finance the house, there is still a substantial need for donations. With a mortgage that is too high, some softening of attendance at Drake, and an ever-looming property tax increase (2020), we are not out of the woods yet so to speak. Several of our undergraduate brothers have had to leave school for financial reasons, and hence we were not able to fill the house this school year. We had 25 of 30 slots filled in the fall and picked up two new brothers in the spring. We are working hard with the undergraduates to boost numbers next year, but we have lost seven of our current sophomore class to attrition. Consequently, we need your help. Maybe you pledged $5,000 during the capital campaign and were paying it off $1,000 a year for five years. It has been five years, and most of our brothers have paid off their pledges. If you have, maybe you can continue to kick in $50 a month or $500 per year to help us continue to pay down our debt and build a secure financial foundation for the house. At the moment, without a full house we are running at an operational deficit, so we continue to need your financial support. The good news is that we are making progress on the mortgage and moving toward better days ahead. Our collections for the capital campaign are strong, with 80% of campaign pledged dollars collected thus far. Visit Drake for Relays We are planning another great Relays Weekend. It is Gamma Tau's 68th Relays and we are looking for all alumni to celebrate the weekend with us. A detailed list of events is on page 4 along with a note for the classes celebrating milestone anniversaries this year. Some of you I know have never seen the house. Make a point to attend Relays with your friends and family. Please join the excitement! New Board Members Welcomed There are several new faces in QC Building. Adam Sickley '16, chapter president two years ago, works in Des Moines and will help Todd Elverson '78 oversee the physical structure of the house. His first task is to improve the Wi- Fi. If any alumni have expertise in this area, I am sure Adam would be interested in speaking with you. Adam Graves '16, current Dallas resident, chapter vice president two years ago, and past All-University SAB president, has taken over as secretary for QC Building. He is doing a fantastic job scheduling and organizing our quarterly QC Building meetings and taking minutes. Additionally, Michael Thornton '13, from Chicago and chapter president five years ago, has also joined the board. Preparing for the Fall We had 17 new members in the fall plus three additional pledges who are rolling over to the spring semester due to grades. Some alumni may not realize that Drake has a two-year residency requirement for the dorms. The chapter and the students have to request release from their dorm commitment and only students with good academic and campus standings can be released. President Davis Oberle '18 has committed to developing three to five additional prospective new members and focusing on sophomores who might like to live in the Theta Chi house in the fall. As ever, we value your engagement and involvement at Gamma Tau. We know that recent years have seen an increased need from your fraternity, but we ask that you remain alongside your brothers as we press forward in building up young men who will carry the ideals of Theta Chi into the future. Thank you for all you do and will do for Theta Chi. Love and Respect, Chris Swan '86 President, QC Building Corporation chris.swan@transearchusa.com Stand Alongside Gamma Tau Last fall saw 17 new members welcomed into our chapter.

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