As of now we have developed a new Theta Chi, Eta Omega website [for the undergraduate chapter]! It will soon become the active chapter’s direct means of communication while providing new updates and important Theta Chi events that brothers are holding.  In addition, there are also two sections on the website for alumni and active brothers to sign up and be recognized as Eta Omega. I strongly encourage all alumni to sign up and register. Check out our new website and do so at www.chicostatethetachi.com

Sincerely,
Keith May-Davis (Alumni Relations)

P.S. The old chapter website (csuchico.edu/tc) is currently still up also, but we’re working with the university to redirect it to the new site.

During the week of April 5^th Eta Omega raised over $3,000 during a four day philanthropy called War of the Roses – to raise money for the Brady Campaign (an organization dedicated to stopping gun violence through sensible legislation). The event consisted of 5 sororities on campus (ΣΚ, ΑΦ, ΑΔΠ, ΑΓΔ, ΓΦB) competing amongst one another throughout the week on a multitude of events, with the men of Theta Chi split up evenly among the sororities as coaches. The event was created and spearheaded by Theta Chi Vice President Andrew Chalmers, who was inspired by the death of his friend in an unsolved shooting to raise money for the cause.

War of the Roses kicked off on Tuesday with a house decoration, designed to instill competitiveness, and points were awarded to the house with the best design. On Wednesday a “Theta Chi Carnival” fundraiser was hosted on campus – with a dunk tank, kissing booth, cotton candy, popcorn, snow-cones, and a booth where you could “Pie an AD Pi.” That event alone raised $550 for charity, and points were awarded based on creativity and money raised.

On Thursday there was a change drive on campus where each cent collected was worth 1 point. However, dimes and 5-dollar bills were assigned negative values, leading teams to pour money into each others collection jars! The day alone raised well over $1,000, and reactions from the campus community were great.

War of the Roses concluded on Friday with a powderpuff tournament and BBQ where concessions could be purchased, and the value of the concession purchased would be worth points for ones team. ΣΚ won the powderpuff game, and the entire event.

The whole week was filled with mostly sober fun, an alien concept to many Greeks at Chico State. Girls were excited to be a part of a competitive event for a legitimate cause, and the bros loved being at the center of over 400 competing girls. Despite it being the first event of its kind for Theta Chi, the week went extremely well and now that people know what to expect it will certainly be even better in the years to come!

Photos from the Event:

“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”

This past year, and especially the Spring semester, have been outstanding times for Eta Omega. Over the course of the year Theta Chi placed first in the campus-wide Greek Week philanthropy/competition, raised hundreds of dollars for hurricane victims, won the football championship, and most importantly increased chapter membership by 29 initiates! In the Fall semester alone we recruited 19 new men, setting us up to retain the ‘top house’ position on campus for the ’09-’10 academic year. In addition to these achievements Eta Omega has worked to become debt-free, paying off all amounts owed to the National Fraternity, and is working toward obtaining a new loan for a major house re-model.

A new executive board has been elected as well, consisting of Dustin Pesch as President, Joey Combs and Andrew Chalmers as Internal and External Vice Presidents, respectively, Ex-President Adam Shea as Treasurer, and Blayne Davis as Secretary. The new Executive Board and the chapter are committed to improving brotherhood and participation, and taking any necessary steps to obtain a loan to continue to improve our standing in the eyes of potential new members, the campus community, and the National Fraternity.

This upcoming year will boast as many if not more achievements as last year, and will be exciting for everyone involved – both active and alumni.

Cheers,

Andrew Chalmers
External Vice President
Theta Chi, Eta Omega Chapter

The undergrads play on the Chinese New Year (“Year of the OX”) theme for their rush shirts.

Click the image to view it full size…

When it was all said and done, they both learned many new best practices that help create and maintain successful chapters across the nation. Andrew later said, “I was fortunate enough to see Jereme Grinsdale at the goodbye dinner … he is excited to see what we have in store and he touched on what the chapter also needs to be on track for to be considered for the loan… GRADES.  Last semester we were above our required average for the school and our pledge class had the highest GPA among the other fraternities.” Keep those grades in check gentleman!

The Chico State campus has had some recent news as well:

• Chico will honor Charles Darwin’s 200^th birthday by organizing a series of events, film showings, lectures, and nature hikes.
• For the second year in a row, CSU, Chico is the top collegiate fund-raiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., with a total of $183,561 raised during 2007-2008, with records for the number of volunteers, 2,021-and the number of letters sent out requesting support, more than 37,000.
• Chico State’s Career Center, Best in the West! A 2007 survey of recruiters rated 70 percent of Chico State students Outstanding or Above Average compared to students at other universities. Over 83 percent rated our Career Center operations as either Outstanding or Above Average.
• Forbes Magazine ranked CSU, Chico 24th in the nation among all public universities for the median salaries of its graduates, based on a 2008 study by PayScale.com, which looked at the earnings of college graduates with 10-20 years of work experience.
• New student Rec and exercise center to open Spring 2009.

So do kids still go to the flumes, or tube down the river, or sneak into Dime Bag Willie’s house…?

Willie Shoffner
Alumni Board / Vice President

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.

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Alumni Prez Update  

The House Needs More than a Facelift

It’s been another successful year for the Chapter and the Alumni Association. We continue to build upon our successes and strive to achieve higher standards of excellence in the Community and in the eyes of the Theta Chi, National Fraternity. The chapter has come full circle since the re-organization, and we’re now working toward a total house re-model in 2009.

The ball is already rolling with the House Improvement Project. This plan has been discussed, as most of you know, for several years now, but the Chapter and the Alumni Groups are finally in positions where we have to move forward. It’s time to stop applying the band-aids to the house. In other words, pending loan approval, we are going to rebuild the fraternity house inside and out.

Brother Jeremy Reither and myself will be flying to Nashville, TN in March to present the loan application (along with architectual drawings, and a construction bid) to the National Fraternity Board of Directors. Your alumni board, alumni fundraising taskforce, chapter executive members, and representatives from National are all working very closely to make sure that this project is financially feasible and that we consider all re-model possibilities to maximize the usability, desirability, safety, and rent revenue potential for the house.

Both National and the Alumni BOD are pushing for a complete renovation that includes a centralized kitchen and dining area, living rooms on each floor, and many two-bedroom dorm-style suites with community bathrooms. Also on the table is a library/study room in the basement, laundry room, new siding/windows/drywall/electrical – I could go on. Although I can’t speak for National, I believe they recognize, as we do, that the house is in dire need of a re-model, and the safety and security of our undergrad brothers is at stake.

Although the loan application won’t be submitted until March, and the status won’t be known until possibly April, we are hopeful that we will get this much needed assistance from National. If all goes well, construction could begin as soon as May, 2009!

Thanks to Those Who Kicked Down in 2008

Thanks to everyone for their financial support and donations over the years. Top donation award goes to Brother Brian Flournoy for donating over 10k worth of roofing material and even more in man-hours in 2008. Snaps to you all for your contributions!
 
I want to thank everyone for their continued support and dedication to the fraternity. Brother Reither has continued to be a very active partner on the Board of Directors. We now have several committee’s that are active and filled with distinguished brothers from Mark Geenen, Ed Stone, Tyler Tycen, Chris Boden, and Willie Shoffner. Big thanks to previous board members as well – John Crenshaw, Torrey Sullivan, Matt Warmerdam, James Suver, Chris Livermore.

Get In the Mix

If you feel like you’d like to see your name among these, contact us us at alum.board@etaomega.org, and find out how you can help. It is easy to move on with our lives and forget about all the “great and meaningful times” we had during our tenure at CSU Chico. But it’s impossible to forget about “being Eta Omega” and all the connections and life skills you learned during your time as an active brother. Keep the legacy alive for future generations…after all, your son might be Eta Omega some day.
 
Brother Tom Hyatt
Fall ’93, Alpha Gamma
Alumni Board / President

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Active Prez Update

Strong and Getting Stronger

Now that I have been president for the last semester I’m starting to understand how to keep the chapter running smoothly like a ship. The most remarkable thing to happen to this chapter is the improvement in chapter communication. The exec board now uses a mass text message method of informing brothers about events and dates to remember. And this exec board makes themselves accessible to brothers at all times. The result has been better attendance at chapter meetings and an overall excitement to be a part of this great brotherhood that the founders made possible. This new and improved chapter has been like a snowball and things are getting bigger and better as we go along.

I’m hoping that we could reach the pinnacle by getting this loan for a new house, but chapter moral is high, and people respect the house and clean the place up. More brothers are getting involved with the chapter and extending that helping hand. 

Highlights from 2008

• Our chapter was selected of 10 eligible Theta Chi chapters to be on the undergraduate advisory committee which keeps close contact with national for ways to improve Theta Chi nationally.
• 10 new brothers were initiated which was the most pledges for all of the chapters in Chico.
• We won the championship for football and placed second in soccer.

• We won Greek Week for the first time in our chapter’s history.

• Thanks to the alumni donations to St Judes Research Hospital our school raised about $200,000 which made us the #1 school to fundraise money for the hospital, two years running.

Alumni Weekend Reminder

Alumni weekend is May 2nd at every alum’s favorite place in Chico: RILEYS! This alumni weekend is for all Chico Alumni so spread the word and make sure to get details from the Facebook event page.

Adam Shea
Undergrad / Chapter President

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Chapter Relations Update

How We See It 

The active chapter has experienced great success in the last year – with Adam Shea (chapter president) and a strong active exec leading the active chapter and working closely with key alumni. 2008 has been one of the most productive years in terms of chapter/alumni relations. The communication between the Active Chapter and the Alumni BOD is the best it has ever been, and the active chapter has taken a more responsible role in running the fraternity.
 
The alumni board and the active exec have regular conference calls, document the results of those calls, and follow up on action items to get things done. Simple changes, like creating “group e-mails” for the alumni  board and for the active exec board have simplified communications, and increased participation.
 
The actives have been as organized and on top of their responsibilities as any exec in recent memory. They’re managing the fraternity in an effective and responsible way, building morale, learning from alumni input, and participating in national conferences. There are a lot of young promising leaders in the chapter. The future looks bright for Eta Omega.
 
Peter Smith
Alumni Board / Chapter Relations

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Why Your Contribution Matters

We are in the process of applying for a $600K lower interest loan from IHQ which will retire our $200K existing higher interest mortgage and allow for a $400K renovation of the house. But with your help we can do more than just renovate, we can bring the standard of living at 630 W. 5th Street to a level that truly sets Theta Chi apart.

In our first year of the House Renovation Capital Campaign, we have a goal of 100 alumni stepping up and pledging $20,000. I am certain we can achieve and exceed this goal. But only if you participate by visiting etaomega.org/donate

Every Month each of us receive phone, mail, and email requests for financial assistance from organizations from your child’s school to the presidential campaign. The decision to provide financial support often depends on what impact that organization has had on the life of your family. Typically a college fraternity may not rank high on one’s list of charitable priorities, but if you take a minute to reflect on your Theta Chi experience, you may be surprised by how big a role the fraternity has had in your life.

Many of us met our future wives directly or indirectly through the fraternity. Some of our closest lifelong friends are the brothers we met in our late teens and early twenties at Theta Chi. And even as Chico graduates, our social circles often include Fraternity Brothers and their families. While at Chico, those few years in the fraternity continue to have a lasting impact on our lives today.
 
The alumni and undergraduates are asking for your support in our campaign goalThe active chapter has risen to their challenge by winning Greek week, excelling in sports, setting the academic bar for fraternities, by continuing to be the most desired fraternity with the top rush numbers (20 quality new men this past year), growing the total chapter size back to 50. Your individual campaign contribution does make a major impact on the future of Eta Omega Chapter as an institution of learning and an environment where young men can realize what it means to be a Theta Chi, Eta Omega.

There are no professional fundraising middlemen, just fellow alumni asking for your support. Donate by credit card or check now.

Campaign details are also available the website.

 
Ed Stone
Alumni Fundraising Chair

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Bro News & Secretary Updates

2008 was a crazy year for our bro’s! Many of us are settling down, starting families and businesses, and nearly 3 decades of Eta Omega alumni are taking the world by storm! Here are a few choice highlights from 2008:

• Brad Burrell (F’98) is getting married to Kristin Hylton of Walnut Creek on June 13th at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento.
• Rob Wurgler (F’86) works for ENTRIX offers a wide array of environmental management services such as: natural resource assessment, environmental damage assessment, regulatory due diligence (CEQA/NEPA), ecosystem restoration, and oil and chemical spill response. ENTRIX specializes in Water and Energy-related services, and is known in the industry for those two core service areas. For more information visit www.entrix.com or call Rob at (916) 386-3825.
• Hudson Tree (S’96) is still single
• Jeremy Reither (F’95) runs R3R, an internet marketing consulting agency, based in San Francisco. He is offering ‘friends and family’ rates to brothers who contact him and mention this newsletter before Feb 28, 2009. www.r3r.com
• Dan Campbell (S’96) is still not engaged.
• Matt Warmerdam (S’88) started a new career; personally mating and spawning giant corn-backed trout out of his house. His business is growing by leaps and bounds.
• Scott Harris (F’96) & wife Amanda had a baby girl named Emily…yes, he actually reproduced!
• Chris Perry (S’96) & wife Erica are expecting their second little one in March.
• Doug Osumi (S’88) interviewed and declined the Offensive Coordinator position for the San Francisco 49ers. He’s waiting for a head coaching position.
• Brian Flournoy (F’98) got engaged in Jan ’09 to Lisa Bothwell, looking to wed in early 2010. Brian also opened his own Business in 2004: Roofing Supply Group in Rocklin, CA. Roofing Supply Group is one of the leaders in the building products industry. www.rsgroof.com
• Chris Poncabare (F’97) and Chad Hinds (F’94) are both in the internet porn advertising business
• Mike Dunbar (S’93) is getting over his [edit], sprained his ankle while hiking Briones Park and is interviewing for a job in the [edit] industry.
• Chris Boden (S’96) will donate $10 to one of 3 charities whenever a bro calls or refers someone for a insurance quote: visit www.bodeninsurance.com
• Terry Sullivan (F’91) is going on tour with Sammy Hagar’s new band, Cabo Wabo Red.
• Ninous Hinaro (F’96) has tossed his name into the ring for the new Governor of Illinois.
• Tom Christy (S’98) and his wife Megan celebrated the first birthday of their son Cole on the 27th of January.
• Ryan Test (F’94) has started a snow plowing business in Boston, MA. He uses his hair to melt the snow.
• Ryan Esposto (F’95) has been sitting in front of his computer screen for the past 4 years straight…but he did move out of Chico, and into SF!
• Bill Hu (F’92) is still the most ripped Asian dude in the world!
• Eric ”EZ” Wright (S’98) got married May 08′ to Jen Sisselman of Newbury Park, CA. Currently living in Westminster, Colorado as of 2006, 20 min. north of Denver. He works as a field chemist for an environmental company (www.veoliaes.com)
• Bobby Andrade (S’94), married, two kids, lives in Kihei, HI. He’s a chef at a major hotel chain. He’s still under FBI investigation of the 1998 eyebrow shaving of Brett Gilbert.
• Josh Wolcott (F’95) & wife Elise had a baby girl names Ella. He finished a half marathon, but don’t worry he is still the major stake holder in Anheuser-Busch stock.

Can’t wait to see what great things Eta Omega does in 2009!!!
 
Chris Boden
Alumni Board / Secretary

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