Theta Chi - Drake University

QC Building Corporation P.O. Box 41781 Des Moines, IA 50311 Address Service Requested Greek Life Remains Strong at Drake Gamma Tau Among the Most Consistent W hile many of your college memories likely revolve around your Theta Chi experiences, no doubt the other Greek houses have a supporting role. There have been a few mainstays (four fraternities and four sororities) while others have come and gone over the years. Change on the street is to be expected, but the core values and reasons for participating in Greek life don't seem to waiver. No one doubts the social and professional networking and support we all glean from our fraternity. Almost a third of Drake students still seek that. Last semester, 31 percent of Drake's students were enrolled in a fraternity or sorority. This is one of the reasons Drake ranks 33 on Niche's College Rankings for the best Greek life colleges. Scholastic excellence continues to shine for Drake's Greeks too, remaining consistently greater than the all-university average. Last semester, it was 3.37 for sororities versus 3.30 for the all- women's average, and 3.23 for fraternities versus 3.12 for the all-men's average. While the demand for the benefits of Greek life continues, the choices of fraternities and sororities have changed significantly. Fraternities that have been at Drake at least as long as Theta Chi are Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Sigma Phi Epsilon. For sororities, Delta Gamma, Κappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma have been at Drake since 1921, while Alpha Phi has been on campus since 1958. Alpha Delta Pi, which came to the campus in 2009, is moving into a newly built house this semester. Some of you may remember sororities like Chi Omega, Delta Zeta, and Gamma Phi Beta that are no longer on campus. And for those of you in your 60s, 70s, and 80s, you will likely remember Alpha Xi Delta, the sorority from which we purchased our first house on 34th Street when they left the campus. There are currently only three other fraternities at Drake other than the four mainstays: Sigma Chi (1980), Fiji (1994) and the recent return of ATO, which recolonized in 2012 and became an active chapter again in the spring of 2015. Two Drake fraternities shuttered just last year, Pi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Alpha; neither allowed to return before 2020. The Phi Delts were unsuccessful in their attempt to return in the fall of 2015 and are expected to try recolonization again in the fall of 2018. Our Drake campus heritage remains a source of pride. The 2018 Relays marks our 69th year on campus. With an All-Greek Reunion this upcoming Relays, it is an opportune time to celebrate that, as well as visit with classmates from past and current fraternities and sororities. Fraternally, Al Kopec '79 C H A P T E R O F F I C E R S President Davis Oberle '18 Vice President Rory Packard '18 Vice President of Recruitment Nick Johnston '20 Vice President of Health and Safety Dennis Kilcoyne '18 Treasurer Davis Heck '19 Pledge Marshal Mathew Craven '18 Secretary Seamus Reid '19 http://drakethetachi.org Facebook - Theta Chi-Drake University • Twitter - @Theta_Chi_Drake Chris Swan '86 and his daughter, Josephine, visited the chapter house this spring where they admired the fireplace plaque in his honor. Your Support Is Still Needed It has been a heavy lift to get to this point in the history of our fraternity, but with your help, we will follow through and finish the job we started more than a decade ago. Last fall, we launched a new annual campaign, and we hope that you care about the house and will make regular contributions to strengthen our financial condition. In short, we need your annual gift. Even if it is $20 or $50 a month, it is significant to us. It is imperative that we bring our mortgage down to $900,000 in the next two years, or we face a budgetary shortfall in 2020. To be cost conscious and minimize our ongoing fundraising expenses, we have included our fundraising envelope with this newsletter. Please remember how far we have come and how important your contribution to the house is regardless of size. If you can make your gift directly to ΘX Building, the money can go directly to mortgage reduction. Love and Respect, Chris Swan '86 President, ΘX Building Corporation / swan60660@gmail.com Coming Home (Continued from page 1)

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