Chico State, Greek System, and Eta Omega Quick Facts

Below is an excerpt from some “research” the alumni and undergrads did in 2009, regarding the fraternity house, and Greek Life at Chico State. The research was not scientific, and many of the numbers here are just estimates…but it’s still an interesting snapshot of the overall student population, the Greek population, and some key stats about Theta Chi / Eta Omega:

CSU Chico:

• How many students are enrolled in the University/College?
  • Male: 7,000
  • Female: 8,000
• How many students of the one’s enrolled our commuters?
  • Male: 500
  • Female: 500
• How many students can be accommodated in University dormitories?
  • Male: 950
  • Female: 950
• How many students are occupying dormitories this year?
  • Male: 800
  • Female: 850
• How many people can be accommodated in private apartments or boarding houses within two miles of campus? 12,000
• How many students are occupying these apartments or boarding houses this school year? 11,000

Greek System:

• Number of national sororities on campus: 5
  • have houses: 5
  • average membership: 100
  • average capacity of houses: 13
  • average occupancy: 13
  • List: Alpha Phi, Alpha Delta Pi, Sigma Kappa, Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Gamma Delta
• Number of national fraternities on campus: 11
  • have houses: 10
  • average membership: 30
  • average capacity of houses: 11
  • average occupancy: 10
  • List: Theta Chi, Sigma Chi, Delta Chi, Phi Kappa Tau, Alpha Gamma Rho, Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, Gamma Zeta Alpha, Sigma Nu, Sigma Pi, Lambda Pi

Theta Chi / Eta Omega Undergraduates:

• Undergraduate chapter membership as of April 10 of each year:
  • 2009: 53+
    • Senior/Graduate Students 4
    • Senior 4
    • Junior 22
    • Sophomore 23
    • Freshman: 0
  • 2008: 50
  • 2007: 70
  • 2006: 40
  • 2005: 30
• Pledges/new members in 2009: 23
• Pledges/new members anticipated in 2010? 30
• Percentage 2008’s pledges/new members initiated: 91%
• Most recent chapter GPA: 2.6 (par with CSU Chico Men’s average)

Theta Chi / Eta Omega Alumni:

• Year chapter chartered: 1982
• Number of alumni: 700+
• Number of alumni with good addresses: 350+
• Date of incorporation: April 17, 1983
• Number of years the current house has been used by the chapter: 25

Eta Omega Chapter House:

• Year Built: 1895
• Number of buildings: 2
• Number of Rooms: 15
• Number of Beds: 18
• Number of parking spaces: 13′
• Total square footage of land: 13,609 square feet
• Approximate dimensions of land: 247’ x 55’
• How many people does the occupancy permit allow to live in the building? 19 (17 in main house; 2 in back cottage)
• Proximity to the University: 4 blocks (.4 mi)
• Based on total available bed spaces, how many bed spaces have been filled over the past 5 years (total – as of the end of the first semester each year)?
  • 2009: 17
  • 2008: 17
  • 2007: 16
  • 2006: 17
  • 2005: 15
• Read more about the chapter house…

Successful Alumni / Father's Weekend and Golf Tournament in Chico

by John Wenger

Brothers,

I am happy to report that Alumni Weekend / Fathers Weekend went off without a hitch. Everyone that came up last weekend seemed to leave town with a smile on their face. Overall Alumni Weekend brought roughly 300 Greek Alumni into town (not sure how many Theta Chi) and everyone seemed to have a blast.

Friday night the bars were packed, lines were long and drinks were flowing. Our fraternity house (surprisingly) stayed relatively quite during the night time with the occasional alumnus stopping by to take a look at the re-model.

Saturday the Active Chapter threw a Golf Tournament that included roughly 80 players in the field. Most of the field consisted of actives and their fathers, however, there were a handful of alumni participating as well. The tournament was a blast, the food was awesome, and the prizes for the raffle seemed to never stop! I encourage all alumni to try and participate in the tournament next year; you won’t be dissapointed. After the tournament the actives threw a party on 7th and Chesnut that included 5 to 6 beer pong tables, an open bar and Peter Smith running around trying to “Boat Race” everybody in the joint!

I’m sure a lot of alumni like myself, left Sunday feeling a little sub-par, but I’m sure everyone that attended will be back for more next year!

by Danny Kelchner

This past weekend, on May 1, we put on a Golf Tournament whose participants consisted of undergraduate brothers, their fathers and some alumni who were up in Chico for alumni weekend. Everyone enjoyed a day off golf at Tuscan Ridge golf course located off skyway. They were nice enough deal with us while everyone was drinking and having a great day of golf with their Dads or old friends. After everyone was done with their 18 holes we all met up for dinner and a Raffle of roughly 30 donated items (including a bicycle, a swiss army watch, gift cards, and more). Through everyone’s participation we raised $4,500 – a portion of which goes to Chico Green School. The event was not only a success but a blast for everyone who participated. We are already looking forward to doing the same thing next year and i hope you all will make the trip up and participate.

Theta Chi / Eta Omega's Future: the '1981 Club'

Dear Eta Omega Brother:

2009 was a banner year for Theta Chi, Chico State

1st floor and basement renovated, sprinkler system installed, refinance of old 11% APR mortgage, Greek Week winners, top rush numbers, unprecedented alumni involvement, revival of the “Eta Omegaphone” newsletter. The chapter and the alumni organization are running on all cylinders.

We have bigger goals for 2010 and beyond

Despite all of the hard work and good fortune we will not stop until the Theta Chi house at 630 W 5th Street is completely restored. We’re half way there, but we need your help to finish the job.

Plans for phase 2 of the house remodel

We already have architectural plans for the 2nd and final phase of the chapter house remodel. Now we just need to raise the funds for the work…and we can do it with your small $19.81 donation when you join the “1981 Club”.

Join the “1981 Club”

Pledge a recurring donation of $19.81 per month (in honor of the founding of the chapter in 1981), and become a member of the new “1981 Club” – and help move us one step closer to fully restoring the chapter house.

The 1981 Club is makes it easy for you to make a small donation automatically by credit card each month. You just sign up once…set it, and forget it

If 500 alumni sign up for the 1981 Club we could pay for the 2nd phase of the house remodel in cash after about 2 years. That’s our goal. Click to join: http://www.etaomega.org/donate/1981-club/

What the money is for?

We will complete the much needed renovation of Eta Omega’s chapter house in Chico. The downstairs (phase 1) renovation, completed in 2009 was funded by a loan from Theta Chi Headquarters. To pay for the rest of the renovation (estimated to be about $250,000) we have to raise the money up front. We cannot afford to borrow this money – we must raise it ourselves.

How will my small donation help?

This small contribution is probably less than you spend on coffee in a week – definitely less than you spend on beer. Yet if only 200 brothers join the 1981 Club, we will raise nearly $50,000 in just over 12 months. If enough brothers sign up we could pay for this renovation in cash in just 30 months. Don’t wait for “someone else” to take care of this. The chapter’s success rests in your hands. Take a few seconds to sign up online with your credit or debit card, and you’re done. That’s it.

The first members of the 1981 Club

To demonstrate our absolute commitment to this effort, every member of the Eta Omega Alumni Board joined the “1981 Club” back in January. After just 3 months we have raised over $475 by ourselves.

• J. Reither – F’95
• T. Hyatt – F’93
• P. Smith – F’03
• E. Stone – F’89
• B. Davis – F’82
• M. Geenen – F’80
• T. Ticen – F’97
• W. Shoffner – F’00
• Be the next member: http://etaomega.org/donate/1981-club/

These eight brothers are a start

But again, we can’t achieve our goal without you. We must have full participation. Click the link above and join these brothers who have already made their commitment to Theta Chi, Eta Omega.

Pledge class competition

Oh yeah…we’ll be periodically announcing which pledge classes have signed up the most members. DFYPB!

UPDATE (3/16/2010): Spring ‘96 is off to a good start – two brothers from that pledge class (C. Boden and D. Campbell) signed up before we even announced this campaign

Thank you for your continued involvement and support.

Fraternally,
Your Eta Omega Alumni Volunteer Leadership

Eta Omega Hosts the 2010 Mid-Year Leadership Conference

by Dustin Pesch

Brothers,

On the weekend of February 5th and 6th the Eta Omega Chapter hosted the Theta Chi Mid-Year Leadership Conference. After many weeks of preparation and collaboration with the national chapter, we managed to host what Grand Chapter member Joe D’Amore said “was one of the best MYLCs he has attended.” Nine chapters from the Northern California region traveled to Chico to attend the conference. During their stay Eta Omega did a great job of extending a helping hand in the accommodation of our brothers from across the state and the facilitation of the conference.

The conference itself was held on Saturday February 6th from 9 am to 6 pm. During this time various exercises were conducted to access the strengths and weaknesses that each chapter had. At the end of the conference each chapter was required to meet privately with faculty from the National Chapter. During the brief session we were able to identify our own strengths and weaknesses. As of today Eta Omega excels in recruitment, social public relations, relations with campus, and inter-fraternal competition. However there are a few things the chapter can improve on in order to achieve our full potential. The National Chapter would like to see changes made to the pledge program, something they are working on with most chapters. They also expect Eta Omega to update its scholarship program. The chapter exec and officers are now working to implement these changes to the way we do these things. Once these changes have been made the chapter will be closer to an Altar Award.

Another serious issue brought up at the meeting was the condition and preservation of the fraternity house. As many of you know the first floor was remodeled after we received a $400,000 dollar loan. If we expect to finish the rest of the house the chapter must respectfully maintain the condition of the house and excel in operations. As a chapter we have the man power and drive to meet these challenges and continue to strive for excellence. With active collaboration between the alumni and undergraduate chapter, Eta Omega has potential to one of the finest chapters Theta Chi has to offer.

Sincerely,

Dustin Pesch

Undergraduate President

Theta Chi; Eta Omega Chapter

1st Floor Remodel Complete

I haven’t seen the place myself, but these photos make it look like a sorority moved in. In a good way. The remodel was so extensive it’s hard to recognize the place in some of these shots. Again, that is a good thing.

This wasn’t just some superficial interior remodel – the 1st floor was totally gutted, the foundation was jacked up and leveled, a fire sprinkler system was installed – major work. Big thanks to our general contractor, John Bakke of Chico Home Improvement, Reese McClure who did the tiling, architect Greg Peitz, and the brothers at the Norwich Housing Corporation for helping see this project through.

Plenty of work left to do on the rest of the house, but Phase 1 is complete. Phase 2 (2nd floor, attic, exterior, etc.) is doable, but we need donations to help fund it.

Photos from the completed 1st floor remodel:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reither/sets/72157622239677105/show

January 2009 Alumni Newsletter

You should have received a copy of this e-mail newsletter on 1/30/2009. If not it means we don’t have your current e-mail address – so send it to us and get on the mailing list for future newsletters.

Eta Omega Alumni Update – Jan 2009

We’re Going Big 

Here it is – your annual e-newsletter, with updates from all the key players in the Eta Omega Alumni Board, the Active Exec, and “members at large.” Catch up on 2008, then tune in and chip in for a huge 2009.
Read more

Eta Omega Fraternity House Architectural Drawings

Check this out – a recently completed AutoCAD drawing of the house at 630 W. 5th Street. Architect Gregory A. Peitz put this together for us, putting us another step closer to submitting a solid application for the loan to re-model the fraternity house.

FYI: The loan application deadline is at the end of February, so we’re busy getting all our ducks in a row.

As Built Floor Plan – 630 W. 5th Street

What a $3.7 Million Theta Chi Fraternity House Looks Like

Our house at 630 w.5th Street in Chico is a great and historic structure on one of the best lots in town. But it has taken a beating since it was built around 1910, and especially since we moved in. It’s up to code, and serves as a safe and healthy home for the in-housers, but the place has looked better. So, seeing how other chapters have rebuilt their houses makes us fired up for the potential at the 5th and Ivy lot.

The alumni task force that was initially focusing on fundraising has shifted to evaluating our options regarding how to update/upgrade or even totally re-build the house. One of our best options might be to apply for a housing loan and a life safety loan from National. But to do that we’ve got to get our ducks in a row and submit an application this Spring. Basic items we’re trying to put together for the application include:
Read more

Photos From the Re-Roofing Project

It’s hard to see what’s really going on up there from the ground…but here’s proof that there is a big crane in the back yard, and laborers carrying around plywood on top of the House. It’s safe to assume that the re-roofing is being done, too.

According to Brother Brian Flournoy (of RSG Roofing Supply – who donated all the supplies for the project), it’s coming along well. There was a good bit of rotted “soffit and molding” that needed to be replaced…and they’re taking care of that as we speak. According to Flournoy, “…as for the top of the roof and the project, looks good and almost done. It will look great once all of the rotted soffit is replaced.”

A few pics for you – courtesy of Flournoy. Click to see bigger images:

Tearing the Roof off 630 w.5th Street

This Summer’s project (and the reason for our 2008 fundraising campaign), is the re-roofing of the House at 630 w.5th Street. It’s been months in the planning, but this weekend the roof will actually be torn off.

Earlier this year we mentioned that Brian Flournoy would be donating all the materials for the project; he’s stepping up big time. There is no way we could pull this project off this summer without him.

The Alumni Corporation paid for about 1/3 of the project up front, and the roofing contractor is financing the rest of the work. We’re on a payment plan to pay them off over time. We wrote a big check this week to kick off the project, but we haven’t been getting the donations we need to cover it – we still need your help.

The project kicks off this Friday, and will take about a week or two to finish (depending on how many “surprises” there are under the roof). But the bottom line is that at the end of the Summer we’ll have a leak free roof, and an attic fit for residence.

Update: See some pics from the project in progress