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

Photos from the Spring '10 Theta Chi MYLC in Chico

As we mentioned before, Eta Omega was chosen to host the Spring 2010 Theta Chi Mid Year Leadership Challenge in Chico. Brothers came from all over the country. Our guys entertained the group, and helped organize the activities. Here are a few photos from the weekend:

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reither/sets/72157623520813364/

FYI: the latest Eta Omega photos are always displayed over on the right side of this website (in the ‘Photos on Flickr’ box).

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

Theta Chi Charity Golf Tournament for 'Chico Green School'

Theta Chi Fraternity at California State University, Chico is hosting its 2nd Annual Theta Chi Charity Golf Tournament. Our first annual tournament was a huge success, raising about $5,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Chico. This year’s we have chosen to donate proceeds to “Chico Green School Inc.”

• When: May 1, 2010
• Where: Tuscan Ridge Country Club in Paradise, California
• How: Click to Sign Up

Tournament Basics: The tournament will include a round of 18 holes of golf, multiple contests on the course, a silent auction and catered tri-trip dinner following the tournament. The event will take place at the beautiful Tuscan Ridge Country Club in Paradise, California on May 1st, 2010.

The Charity: Chico Green School’s mission is to create a charter high school in Butte County where students are taught an understanding of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Using Waldorf methods, the charity will aim to increase test scores (especially among low income students), reduce truancy and dropouts, increase a greater sense of community, and develop a capacity for a creative imagination.

About Us: Theta Chi, Eta Omega strives to achieve success academically, socially, and as well as in the community in which we live. We have participated in major philanthropic events such as Up ‘til Dawn, on-campus blood drives, and won the philanthropy-focused “Greek Week” title two years running. We are the largest fraternity on campus and make every effort to be leaders in the community. We would greatly appreciate your participation in this event.

About You: We are also looking individual and corporate sponsors to help support this cause by donating money (or prizes for the check-in goodie bags, raffle, and silent auction). Thank you for taking the time to consider participating or sponsoring our tournament and we hope to see you out there.

>> Learn More and Register

Theta Chi is the Most Interesting Fraternity in the World

Spring rush is right around the corner. Every house should show this video to prospective members – it’s pretty spot on.

The Fall 2009 Newsletter is Here

Ed Stone did a kick ass job coordinating the newsletter this year. Click below to open it, then print out all 11 pages, and take it with you to read when you have time…

Open the Newsletter (PDF)

Fall 2009 Post Rush Report from the Chapter

From new chapter president, Dustin Pesch…

“Brothers,

Last week from September 14^th to September 18^th 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”

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

House Remodel Nearing Completion – More Photos

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

If 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.