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End of the Year Newsletter 2015

Eta Omega Alumni,

As the year comes to an end, we are happy to look back on another successful year for Theta Chi and the Eta Omega chapter. We are excited about 2016 and hopeful that our Chapter will continue its success on Chico State’s campus. The Alumni Board thanks you for your continued support of the chapter and we hope you all have a Happy New Year.

Cheers!

John Wenger

President, Eta Omega Alumni Board of Directors

Chapter Update

Our Chapter continues to function outside of the IFC board following sanctions that both the Alumni Board and National HQ Board object to. Following the disciplinary actions taken by the IFC, our National Executive Director Mike Mayer released the following statement “It is clear that the Chico State IFC is uninterested in working productively with Eta Omega Chapter of Theta Chi at this time, and that this policy discrepancy remains unresolved. Nonetheless, Theta Chi Fraternity maintains the stance described above, and thus chooses to function beyond IFC participation.” With Chico State’s President Paul Zingg retiring in the Spring, we are hopeful that the newly appointed President will work constructively with our Chapter and the Greek community.

Regardless of the school’s actions, 2015 was a great year for the brothers of Eta Omega. With roughly 70 to 80 active members, our Chapter continues to be the largest and most influential on campus. Since the fall semester did not include any sanctions from the school, the Chapter was finally able to have socials for the first time in over a year and it was a big success. In November they were also able to have  their annual retreat and conduct a philanthropy prompting the USO, which is a new philanthropic partnership through National HQ. The Chapter is excited to be able to be involved with the community again and show the school and community what Theta Chi Eta Omega is about, “lending a helping hand”.

Going into next year there is no doubt that the Chapter will continue to get stronger.

Current Status of the House

Seven years ago the Alumni Board of Directors (BOD) and Chapter embarked on a multi-phase project that included a renovation of the President’s Cottage, and a full upgrade to the Chapter House.

As some of you may remember, we were able to raise $20,000 in 2007 during our 25th Anniversary Alumni Event to remodel the cottage. With the help of Brothers Eric Sondeno and Jim Hull, we were able to completely remodel the cottage over the summer months. The next year, a new roof was installed on the Chapter House to address an immediate threat of water leaks into the house thanks to a generous donation of materials from Brother Brian Flournoy.

In 2009 we began the two-phased approach to remodeling the entire fraternity house. In the first phase, thanks to the tremendous efforts of Tom Hyatt and Jeremy Reither we were able to refinance the Chapter House’s existing mortgage of $176,000 while also securing a $194,743 loan to redesign and renovate the basement, foundation, and 1st floor of the house.

In 2013 we began the process of applying for an additional loan to refinance our existing mortgage and remodel the remainder of the house. It took the Alumni BOD a full year to complete the 110 page loan application, but in the end we succeeded in refinancing $300,000 of our mortgage and securing an $180,250 loan to remodel the second and third floor. I’m happy to report that as of August 2014, the House Remodel Project, led by Jeremy Reither and Thomas Hyatt, has been completed.

Pictures of the newly remodeled house can be found here.

What we need to do

None of this progress would have been possible without contributions from our outstanding Alumni members. I know many of you are homeowners and know the work is never truly done.

The basement is in need of weatherproofing and the cottage is due for serious maintenance.  We cannot let all of the hard work that has gone into restoring the Chapter House go to waste. In addition to ongoing costs to the house, the Alumni BOD is working to setup a Foundation through the university to provide scholarships to deserving members. So brothers, I ask you, who’s ready to extend a helping hand?!! Below is how you can help in making our Chapter the strongest it’s ever been.

There are two ways to donate:

First, we are (re)introducing The 1981 Club. Membership is simple: commit to an automated monthly donation of $19.81 a month. This small monthly donation will go a long way in helping to cover the costs of maintaining the beautiful new Chapter House and support our vision of setting up a lasting Foundation. To setup a reoccurring account please visit the following link:

MAKE A RECURRING DONATION OF $19.81 A MONTH

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT RECURRING DONATION OF $19.81 A MONTH ENTER $19.81 AS THE AMOUNT CLICK THE BOX THAT SAYS “MAKE THIS A REOCCURING PAYMENT”

Second, if you do not want to setup a account we are also asking for one-time donations that can be made through PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account you can set one up here: https://www.paypal.com/signup/account. Once you have setup an account you can either submit a payment to the alum.board@etaomega.org for any amount you wish. Or you can click on the link below.

MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION

We have come so far as a Chapter and the only way to continue to grow as a chapter is through alumni support. Thank you all for your continued support!!

Upcoming Events

It is still a little early, but we would like to put on everyone’s radar that the Chapter will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary in 2017. Be on the look out for a save the date for a huge Alumni party in our old stomping grounds.

The 33rd annual Giants OX Alumni game is scheduled for Saturday, June 11th versus the LA Dodgers. Check the Facebook page for updates and details on this year’s game. The 32nd annual OX Giants game was a huge success, thanks to Brother Joe Silva and David Markham. The brothers of Eta Omega have been attending an annual SF Giants game since 1984. This year’s game was attended by nearly 30 brothers from a variety of pledge classes.

Here’s a post from Joe ‘The Jet’ with some info:

The Giants will be hoping for some more “even year” luck in 2016 and this time we’re putting our 20-12 record on the line against the Bums from SoCal. Yes, Giants/Dodgers at the OX Game.

I have purchased 50 tickets this year and I’m challenging you mags to not make me sell them on Stub Hub! There isn’t any reason we can’t get 50 guys to a Saturday game with the Dodgers.

I’m trying something a little different this year in terms of price. I’m only charging $55, basically what I paid for the tickets. I’m asking guys to throw in something extra to pay for beer and food if you are able to. Whatever you think is right. Remember, the extra goes to the alumni board for improvements to the house.

The game time hasn’t been set yet, but I would think the Giants/Dodgers is likely to make it on the Fox schedule so it will probably be a day game, 1:05 start.

Game: Giants versus Dodgers
Date: Saturday June 11
Seat Location: CF Bleachers.
Party Time: TBA
Game Time: TBA
Where: Parking Lot D

Food: Salame will be providing great eats again this year the food alone is worth the cost of the ticket!

Cost: $55, basically what I paid for the tickets. Please throw in something extra to pay for beer and food if you are able to. Whatever you think is right.

I only purchased 50 tickets. Let’s make this the biggest OX game in years.”

Special Thanks

Last but not least, I’d like to give a special thanks to my Alumni Board: CJ Scott (Vice President), Zach Fairris (Secretary), and RC Berry (Active Relations). I’d also like to thank Jeremy Reither who recently stepped down from his Treasurer position after 10 years! Without Reither our Chapter house and finances would not be where they are today. Thanks Reither for keeping the Chapter alive!

If anyone is interested in joining the Board and giving back please don’t hesitate to contact me: jwenger15@gmail.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR BROTHERS!!!

Eta Omega Chapter Update – Fundraising Needed

Alumni Brothers,

First off I would like to say Happy New Year to you and your families. As we enter into 2015, I couldn’t be more proud of our Theta Chi Chapter at Chico State. The amount of progress we have made over the past 10 years has been tremendous. Currently our chapter has around 70 active members, which is the largest on campus. We also now have the best fraternity house on campus thanks to Alumni support and the hard work of the Alumni Board in securing two very sizable loans through our National chapter.

 

What we’ve done

Seven years ago the Alumni Board of Directors (BOD) and Chapter embarked on a multi-phase project that included a renovation of the President’s Cottage, and a full upgrade to the Chapter House.

As some of you may remember, we were able to raise $20,000 in 2007 during our 25th Anniversary Alumni Event to remodel the cottage. With the help of Brothers Eric Sondeno and Jim Hull, we were able to completely remodel the cottage over the summer months. The next year, a new roof was installed on the Chapter House to address an immediate threat of water leaks into the house thanks to a generous donation of materials from Brother Brian Flournoy.

In 2009 we began the two-phased approach to remodeling the entire fraternity house. In the first phase, thanks to the tremendous efforts of Tom Hyatt and Jeremy Reither we were able to refinance the Chapter House’s existing mortgage of $176,000 while also securing a $194,743 loan to redesign and renovate the basement, foundation, and 1st floor of the house.

In 2013 we began the process of applying for an additional loan to refinance our existing mortgage and remodel the remainder of the house. It took the Alumni BOD a full year to complete the 110 page loan application, but in the end we succeeded in refinancing $300,000 of our mortgage and securing an $180,250 loan to remodel the second and third floor. I’m happy to report that as of August 2014, the House Remodel Project, led by Jeremy Reither and Thomas Hyatt, has been completed.

Pictures of the newly remodeled house can be found here:

Final House Remodel Photos

What we need to do

None of this progress would have been possible without contributions from our outstanding Alumni members. I know many of you are homeowners and know the work is never truly done.

The basement is in need of weatherproofing and the cottage is due for serious maintenance.  We cannot let all of the hard work that has gone into restoring the Chapter House go to waste. In addition to ongoing costs to the house, the Alumni BOD is working to setup a Foundation through the university to provide scholarships to deserving members. So brothers, I ask you, who’s ready to extend a helping hand?!! Below is how you can help in making our Chapter the strongest it’s ever been.

There are two ways to donate:

First, we are (re)introducing The 1981 Club. Membership is simple: commit to an automated monthly donation of $19.81 a month. This small monthly donation will go a long way in helping to cover the costs of maintaining the beautiful new Chapter House and support our vision of setting up a lasting Foundation. To setup a reoccurring account please visit the following link:

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ENTER $19.81 AS THE AMOUNT AND CLICK THE BOX THAT SAYS “MAKE THIS A REOCCURING PAYMENT”


Second, if you do not want to setup a reoccurring account we are also asking for one-time donations that can be made through PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account you can set one up here: https://www.paypal.com/signup/account. Once you have setup an account you can either submit a payment to the alum.board@etaomega.org for any amount you wish. Or you can click on the link below.

 




We have come so far as a Chapter and the only way to continue to grow as a chapter is through alumni support. Thank you all for your continued support!! Good to be Theta Chi, better to be Eta Omega!!

 

Fraternally,

John Wenger

President, Eta Omega Alumni Board of Directors

Jwenger15@gmail.com

 

Fall 2009 Post Rush Report from the Chapter

From new chapter president, Dustin Pesch…

“Brothers,

Last week from September 14th to September 18th Chico State IFC held rush for Fall 2009. After several weeks of planning and preparation the semesters Recruitment Chair, Bret DeAlva managed to put on a very successful rush. With the help of this year’s exec board and new incentive systems both positive and negative, brother turn out was the best it has been in a few semesters.

When the week finally concluded the brothers of Eta Omega chose to extend 15 bids. All but one was accepted.  Four more guys were unable to pledge according to Chico State IFC because they were “unregistered” in an online system made to verify GPA requirement. Despite being eligible and registered the system showed the four guys as unregistered with IFC. Last Spring we came across the same problem and IFC let it slide, but for some reason this semester they refused to compromise.

As of right now Eta Omega’s newest pledge class, Beta Lambda, has nine members. One guy dropped last night due to financial reasons, but said he will be out next semester. For the brothers who are not aware after the Matt Carrington hazing incident in 2005, Chico IFC does not allow freshmen to pledge in the fall. This means that fall pledge classes normally number from five to ten guys on average. However we are expecting around twenty to thirty pledges next semester, which would bring the number of new members for the 2009/2010 school year above thirty-five guys, and the total chapter size to about 90 active members. The chapter is very optimistic and excited for our newest pledge class. We are positive that we have obtained the most elite group of men that were looking to join the Greek system.

Dustin Pesch
President
Theta Chi, Eta Omega Chapter”

House Remodel Nearing Completion – More Photos

Click to View More Photos from the Job Site These photos from last week show how close the remodel work is to completion…really close. And it’s looking pretty good. Check out the custom red and white shower tiles.

Right at this moment the work is actually very close to done…even more than these photos show. Undergrads have moved back to the house to start school…and that will be the real test of the quality of construction.

Photos from “work nearing completion”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reither/sets/72157622218683362/show/

We’re already talking to National about “phase 2” of the remodel where we plan to re-do the rest of the house (2nd floor, attic, basement, and exterior). The deal is, we have to come up with some of the money ourselves (through donations)…here’s your chance to help: donate now

Much Needed Fraternity House Remodel Underway

Click to View More Photos from the Job SiteIf you have been by 5th and Ivy in Chico recently you may have seen the boards on the windows of the house, and maybe you noticed that some interior walls and whatnot were missing. No, the house is not condemned – we’re actually doing a remodel. We submitted a ‘successful’ loan application to National this year – and after a bunch of back and forth, dotting i’s and crossing t’s, we wer approved for a ~$470,000 loan (some of which is being used to remodel the 1st floor and make life safety improvements).

Slideshow of photos from “work in progress”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reither/sets/72157621963800052/show/

Check back for more pics as the work progresses. The house will be ready for move-in by August 15, but finishing work will continue into the fall semester…so it’ll be a little while before it’s all polished.

This is how we’re using the funds:

  • Payoff existing 11% mortgage (yes, 11%) from Gary Foster and 5th & Ivy Partners: ~$175,000
  • Life safety repairs (including foundation leveling, new doors & locks, sprinklers, fire alarms, rain gutters, etc.): ~$65,000
  • Remodel 1st Floor interior and some exterior (including full kitchen, functional living room, real dining room (red and white room), new windows and doors, remodel 1st floor bedrooms and bathrooms and (this is pretty cool) extending the main staircase to the basement: ~$230,000

Here’s the catch: we obviously have to pay this money back…it’s a loan, not a grant. Overall our monthly expenses will go up about 50%…so we raised dues and rent accordingly for the chapter this year so that we (they) can afford the new higher loan payments.

Why remodel only the interior of the 1st floor?

Because (1) tht is the area that needed the most love and (2) this loan wouldn’t afford us much more than that. The plan is to start a fundraising campaign and raise enough from alumni to cover a some of the rest of the work on the 2nd floor, attic, basement, and exterior. It may be a 2- or 3-phase project when it’s all said and done…but the plan is to re-do the whole house within the next 5 years. We are relying heavily on alumni donations to help us fund phase 2 of the remodel – hopefully to start in or around 2012: Donations Appreciated

Props:

There are a lot of guys that deserve credit for getting this loan approved, organizing the contractors, and just generally seeing this project through, but the one guy who stuck it out when the alumni board was losing steam, held things together, assembled a new board, and continues to donate time and effort to the cause is Tom Hyatt. No way would this be happening without him. Big thanks to Jereme Grinslade of Theta Chi’s Norwich Housing Board and the guys at Chico Home Improvement as well.

The New Home of Eta Omega Alumni Online

Welcome to the new Eta Omega website – the internet home of the Eta Omega chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity at California State University, Chico. Same information as the old site – just a slightly update look. This new site should be a little easier to navigate and easier for administrators to keep current…so that’s good.

Bookmark this site and check back often for updates (find other ways to keep in touch). If you have news to share, and want it published here, just send an e-mail to the alumni technical contact (find the e-mail address here).