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…

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

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

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

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.

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

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:

• New blueprints / plans (looking for an architect to help with this)
• Historical significance study (make sure we’re not restricted in terms of the types of changes we can make to the house)
• Financial records (we have good record keeping, and are in good shape here)
• Projected rent revenue, assuming 75%-80% capacity, sustained chapter size of 60 or so (we have to be able to cover the mortgage)
• Capital campaign plans / alumni donations (we need regular annual donations from alumni, and a regular campaign to collect them)

We can always use an extra hand when it comes to preparing this documentation for the loan – especially from guys who have architectural or construction experience. Contact us if you can help.

Oh yeah – about that $3.7 Million chapter house. Here it is:

You can see more photos of this house on the Auburn Theta Chi webiste (http://www.authetachi.org).

• Shane Pickett (S’87)
• Poul Willerup (F’89)
• Tyler Ticen (F’97)
• Brian Alt (F’98)

Update (7/25): A couple more guys stepped up recently…

• David Scotto (S’87)
• Ed Stone (F’89)

Way to go guys – thank you. Every dollar is going to pay off the re-roofing project that was just completed. But we still have a long way to go.

Time for everyone else to chip in. When we receive checks, we’ll give credit on this site, too.

Here’s the e-mail newsletter, by the way (minus all the fancy photos)…

Eta Omega Chapter Update
July 2008: Keeping the Momentum

Brothers, 

In 2007 we collected over $30,000 from alumni and celebrated our 25th anniversary. A dozen house projects including a complete remodel of the back cottage were completed. Meanwhile the active chapter had the highest rush numbers among all fraternities at Chico. Despite all the success we are not resting until the job is done. Theta Chi deserves a house worthy of its history and reputation at Chico State.

Big Goals More Achievable Than Ever
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The alumni corporation has embarked on the process of conducting a feasibility study to determine the cost of a total house remodel. The goal of this remodel is to gut the house and start from scratch. This would involve redesigning the interior to create an environment specifically tailored to the needs of our undergraduate brothers. Currently, actives view living in the house as a sacrifice. Our beloved house is significantly below par with regard to standard living conditions around the campus. Our objective is to make the Theta Chi house competitive housing where “living in the house” is coveted by the actives as well as profitable for the chapter. At the completion of this plan we should have increased capacity as well the ability to charge more competitive rates for rent while providing a living situation unlike any other on campus. However this endeavor will cost over $300,000. In order to do this we need your support.

Incredible Alumni Support
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since 1982 Eta Omega has initiated over 700 members. Let me say that again, 700 members. We have the highest number of initiates of any Theta Chi chapter since 1982 and more than any chapter established back to 1972. This is unprecedented. That level of success inspires many to volunteer their time and resources towards our continued success. Like Jeremy Reither, who spent hundreds of hours in 2007 planning and executing last year’s alumni fundraiser and 25th anniversary celebration. Like Erick Sondeno and Jim Hull who worked countless hours managing the remodel of the back cottage. There are many others who could be listed as donating their time to keeping Eta Omega’s doors open. None of these individuals could have done this without those who made financial contributions.

Eta Omega Has Something Others Don’t 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Chico Greek culture has undergone numerous changes and challenges since many of us left campus. There have been a number of chapters who have come and gone. Chapters that have either died out or had their charters revoked include TKE, Delta Sigma Phi, Beta Theta Pi, Lambda Chi Alpha, ZBT, Pi Beta Phi, and Pi Kappa Phi. There are some new houses on campus including Sigma Pi, Alpha Delta Phi, Alpha Phi, Sigma Chi, and Kappa Sigma (in process of colonizing). The reason I point this out is that some of the closed chapters were once strong and now they no longer exist. Those that folded all had one thing in common; they each lacked alumni involvement.

Those of us involved with the fraternity in our postgraduate years have learned that many if not all of the strong chapters nationwide have continued success due not to their location on campus or their Greek Cup standings but from the strength of their alumni. Alumni play a pivotal role in guiding, mentoring, supporting, and assisting the undergraduates in the management of many aspects of the house corporation.

What Kind of Alumni Are You? 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continued success is having a model for others to follow. What kind of alumni would you have liked while an undergraduate?  You have the opportunity to be that person and be a part of something truly great.  A donation today is the way to start.
 
Funds raised this summer will put us one step closer to a house fitting the Eta Omega chapter, specifically, a new roof and rain gutters. The work is already underway, in anticipation of donations to help pay for it.
 
I am asking each and every one of you who receive this letter to be a part of Eta Omega history and contribute today. Every man counts and no donation is too small.  ”We are only as strong as our weakest link” could not be truer as alumni today than when you pledged. Please send the most generous gift you can, as soon as possible…and forward this newsletter to your pledge brothers!

How You Can Help: 

Make a pledge online at www.etaomega.org/donate/
                -OR-
Mail a check, payable to ‘Theta Chi Alumni’ to:

                Theta Chi Alumni
                c/o: Jeremy Reither
                2269 Chestnut Street, #907
                San Francisco, CA  94123

Fraternally,
Ed Stone (F’89) – Alumni Fundraising Chairman

Quick Links…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EtaOmega.org (the official Alumni website)
Donate Online
January 2008 Newsletter
Join the Alumni OX List (165 members strong)

Fundraising Board Members
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed Stone  (F’89) – Alumni Fundraising Chairman
Mark Geenen (F’80) 
Brian D. (F’82)
Tyler T. (F’97)
Jeremy Reither (F’95) – Alumni Treasurer

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: