Spring 1977 Omegaphone
Alumni Corporation President's Message
Theta Chi's annual Founder's Day meeting has been scheduled for April 16th at 4:00. Dinner will be served following the meeting. I'm hoping for a big turnout of alumni to help the directors make the decisions concerning the operation of Theta Chi, for 1977 is a pivotal year in our existence.
Most of the repairs to the chapter house have been completed, but our financial problems continue to exist. We have taken on a new $18,000 mortgage since last year, and this, combined with continually rising costs has left the corporation treasury in a very difficult position.
We are now looking to you, the alumni, to help Omega. A fund drive is currently being organized to help defray the cost of replacing the wiring and furnace. Help is needed in other areas as well. Six positions will be open on our board of directors. Alumni who are willing to take an active part in helping Omega are needed to fill these positions. Anyone interested should contact me or see me at Founder's Day.
We had an excellent turnout of alumni for Homecoming in '76. Why not make 1977 the year that you finally call the old friends and roommates and try to make it back to Omega.? Homecoming will be on Oct. 8th this year.
Your dues and contributions make this newsletter possible, and you will soon be receiving a very handsome and useful Chapter Alumni Directory. If you haven't paid your '76-'77 local dues, please send a check.
Ed Keller '53 has been doing an excellent job as Financial Advisor, and has provided plenty of help to the actives, as well as the directors.
Hope to see you at Founder's Day!
Fraternally yours,
Toby Froehlich
Emergency Repair Fund Drive
After serving for many years as the home-away-from-home for hundreds of our brothers, including ourselves, the hallowed halls of Omega are crumbling a bit. The actives have done what is possible with the relatively limited resources available. However, they simply could not cope with several major physical plant problems which required immediate attention during the past year. Of greatest importance was the replacement of the old steam boiler and a complete rewiring of the house, both of which, out of absolute necessity, had to be taken care of this past fall. The total cost of these vital repairs approximated $20,000.
After a rather extensive evaluation of the existing alternatives, the Board of Directors of the Alumni Corporation has decided to turn to the alumni in search of a "helping hand."
The Board has requested that one individual from each class serve as a liaison with his fellow graduates. You will soon receive, if you have not already, a plea for help from one of your old college buddies. The Board and all Omega Chapter Theta Chis would like to thank you advance for your cooperation and generosity in this matter. Some of the alumni living in Pennsylvania have also been contacted by telephone. The gifts to this fund to date amount to $2100. The money is being used to pay off portions of the mortgage to reduce operating expenses. Final results of the fund drive will be published in the Fall issue of the Omegaphone.
Financial Advisor's Report
The replacement of the furnace and the rewiring have been essentially completed. We'll never know if the old furnace would have gotten us through this winter, but I'd give it very low odds. As it was, we had some broken steam pipes and a frozen down-spout caused by the extremely cold weather. The latter caused a small flood in one of the third floor rooms and necessitated replacing the ceiling In that room. We hope to have clear sailing for the rest of the year. It's unfortunate that the repairs, expensive and necessary though they were, don't show more. When you come back for Founder's Day you'll see an Omega Chapter House that's still in need of cosmetic repairs but a good deal more secure against catastrophe.
There is no way that the actives can directly bear the cost of these major repairs. I have confidence that in next Fall's Omegaphone I can report that the actives have again shouldered their responsibilities and continued with a strong active Brotherhood and a strong pledge class. I want to join the officers and directors of the Alumni Corporation, as well as your class representatives in urging you to join in the "helping hand" of the current fund drive and help underwrite these critical repairs so that Omega can continue to serve that special breed of Penn Stater who is proud to call himself a Theta Chi.
Edward W. Keller '53
Active Chapter President's Message
The active chapter is once again on the rise. While winter rush was slow, netting us only three pledges, we are looking forward to a strong rush effort this spring. We already have four acceptees for spring and this is the largest spring class we've had in quite a few years. Our first week back in spring term will be dedicated to doubling this number before pledging in, which will take place the second week.
Elections were held at the end of winter term, and many of the newer brothers are holding offices. With our new officers and our growing spirit and sense of responsibility, the actives hope to get enough acceptees for fall to overfill the house.
Our fall and winter intramural teams did exceptionally well, placing in the top ten of all fraternities. Our football and bowling teams both placed second in their respective divisions. This winter we again entered the I.F.C. Dance Marathon. It's a benefit for the Four Diamonds Children's Cancer Fund, and Br. Kenny Oesehger and his girlfriend Wendy Emery tied for first place, dancing for forty-eight straight hours! All of Theta Chi is extremely proud of them. In Greek Week our chugging team took a second place showing tremendous Theta Chi pride.
We are continuing to improve the condition of the house. The electrical work and the drop ceilings are completed and the kitchen was recently repainted. Keeping our heating costs down was a major task this winter, and we were quite successful, cutting the bill almost in half.
The Region III Conference is being held at Omega this spring. There are now twenty schools in our region and we are expecting representatives from all of them. We are planning to hold a great convention and show all our guests what great places Penn State and Omega Chapter are.
Scott Ambler '78
Highlights of the 1976 Fall Meeting
The Fall meeting was held on the afternoon of Alumni Homecoming Day. All corporaton officers and three directors were present. Also present were the Financial Advisor, the Regional Counselor, fourteen additional alumni and ten active members.
Brother Keller, Financial Advisor, reported on the status of the new boiler installation and the rewiring of the second and third floors. The replacement of some of the return condensate lines will be held up till the boiler is in use for a time as this work may not be required. The fire extinguisher to be built over the kitchen range, to cost about $1500 and required by the inspectors, has not been done. The Actives spent several thousand dollars during the winter of 1975-76 on furnace repairs just to keep the old boiler running. The Actives have painted all second and third floor rooms in the past two years and recently installed drop ceilings in the second and third floor halls. The cost comparison of living in a dorm to living at Theta Chi is $491 to $526 per term. The Fraternity has to stay competitive with the dorms.
Brother Kistler, Active President, reported of the 17 expected pledges to start the Fall term, the number had diminished to 9. The Actives purchased a new T. V. set and 12 new dining room chairs to permit a total seating of 49 persons. The recent pledge class had repainted the walls of the first floor. Brother Wasserbach had donated a pool table. The rush chairman is about to send out 12 to 15 bids to prospec-tive pledges.
Brother Patterson reported the computer "print-out" to be used for printing the Directory was held up pending a check of 116 Alumni for whom no address was known. The check was being made through the University Alumni Office. The "print-out" will be available in January, and the directory will be published in the Spring of 1977.
Brother Zink, Regional Counselor, advised the Regional Conference would be held at Omega in the Spring of 1977.
The Emergency Fund Raising Committee consisting of Brothers Ralph Stuck '52 Chairman, Jim Stalder '62 and Tom Hornyak '72 presented a plan whereby the best approach to solicit funds from the Alumni, to reduce the newly acquired mortgage, was by personal contact. This could be done by letter, telephone or personal visit. A class repre-sentative would be asked to contact the other members in his class and material would be sent to him explaining the need. The plan as presented was adopted.
The following were elected to serve as-directors for two-year term "Abe" Doan, Bob Patterson, Keith Straley and Ralph Stuck.
Alumni News
It is with deep sorrow we must report the death of Brother Dale Kaufman ;---33,from a heart attack in late January. A former President of our Alumni Corporation, Brother Kaufman had also given of his talents whenever needed as Omega's official Chapter Architect. His unselfish service to the Fraternity will be dearly missed. He resided in Strasburg, Pa. and is survived by his wife, two sons (one a member of Theta Chi) and a daughter.
Thomas A. Eyerly, Jr. '58 row lives in Orlando, Fla., 32806 and sells X-ray body scanners for Syntex Medical Systems from San Antonio to San Juan.
Robert C. Losinger '72 is a senior Cost Accountant with Honeywell, Inc. and working toward his M.B.A. at Temple. He married his "Pinmate", Becky in 1972 and they have two sons.
Edward M. Beidel, Jr. '76 is a lanscape designer and golf course Architect for Iassenplug Assoc., in Pittsburgh.
Thank you to all those brothers that shared their news.
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