March 2011 Omegaphone
Future of Omega Chapter
After years of discussion, the Omega Chapter Alumni Corporation took the first step in the “Theta Chi for Life” capital campaign, which will ultimately provide funding to preserve the Omega Chapter at Penn State. The Corporation has partnered with Affinity Connection in State College in this initiative, and we have formed a leadership team composed of alumni from numerous eras.
You should have recently received a bro- chure titled “Preserving Our History...Building a Legacy” which outlines our plans, as well as a survey asking for your thoughts on and wishes for the future of Omega Chapter. If you haven’t received either of these mailings, you can down- load a copy of the brochure and respond to the survey at www.thetachiomega.com/survey.html (survey is no longer available)..
Our undergraduate chapter is rocking, and now we as alumni must step up and secure the future of our house. The success of our effort relies on you. To those brothers who have already completed the survey and/or responded to our telephone calls, thank you! We are pleased to report that the vast majority of respondents have expressed their support for the campaign, their interest in creating an entity for tax deductibility of donations, and their desire to spread any pledges over at least a three-year period. If you haven’t yet had a chance to voice your opinion, please take the online survey and/ or share your thoughts when you receive a call from one of our volunteers.
Stay tuned to your mailbox and to www.thetachiomega.com for many more updates on this exciting project that lies ahead.
Chapter Pledges in 7 New Members
Omega pledged in 7 New Members this spring. We’d like to congratulate the chapter and the New Members and wish them all the best in their journey.
(L to R): Cameron Hunting, Tyler Doppelheuer, Gerad Freeman, Eric Cushing, Greg Black, Austin Greever and Nick Lello.
2011 Annual Fund Off to a Great Start
Thank you to our alumni donors who have helped us kick off the 2011 giving year with a bang by contributing $1,130 to the annual fund at the time of this publication.
As a reminder, our annual fund supports our yearly communications program, including publication of Omegaphone, development of our website, and maintenance of our database of nearly 900 living alumni brothers. We need your support of this fund each and every year to ensure the continued success of our alumni relations program.
You can donate to the annual fund online at www.thetachiomega.com, by calling 800-975-6699, or by returning the form that you received in the mail in early February.
(Left to Right): Geoff Rolstone, Kevin Trippel, Nate Gross, Ian Maxwell, our THON child Colby Mitchell and Nate Wysocki
Bringing Back the Spirit of Fraternity Life to Penn State
This is bound to be a good year for the undergraduates of Omega Chapter! With nearly 50 members, our brothers are taking advantage of more opportunities to reach out to the community, alumni, parents, and friends to show them what going Greek at Penn State is all about.
This year, the chapter raised more than $33,452.62 for THON, and now has two THON families – the Mitchells and the Bobbys. Theta Chi had four dancers and nine brothers involved on THON committees.
We are looking forward to the 4th Annual Alumni Work Weekend on March 26th. Through the combined efforts of the undergraduate chapter and the Alumni Corporation, we will finally be repurchasing the house this year and are very excited to begin working on projects during the weekend that will improve its safety and utility for current and future brothers. We are planning an alumni mixer at the chapter house that Saturday night, which will be a great chance for alumni and undergraduate brothers to meet, share stories, network and discuss ways the chapter can continue to be successful.
From philanthropy to academic success to athletic prowess the chapter is as successful as ever. We are proud to be bringing back the fighting spirit of fraternity life to Penn State, and even more proud to be representing Theta Chi along the way!
Alumni Updates
Rod Wiseman ’54 - I have met with two of my Theta Chi classmates in recent years. Don Griffith ’54 lives relatively close to me here in Florida, and my wife and I had lunch with Don and his wife at a convenient location about a year ago. Also when I lived in California I was able to connect with Warren Hommas ’54, and my wife and I visited with Warren at his beautiful home in Montana, which is on a large lake. While there Warren took us on a boat ride and we thoroughly enjoyed the visit. It turned out that Warren flew in the Montana National Guard with a USAF Flight School classmate of mine who also lives in the same area. Small world.
Hugh Cadzow ’83 - I have so many good memories, too many to single out. Then again meeting my wife, Trey, is obviously the best. I’m currently involved in designing athletic fields, including stadiums for high school and public parks. I have been coaching the MS boys’ lacrosse team for seven years and have been keeping busy with my kids’ sports.
Jeff Mezzancello ‘02 - In 2000, Dave Turke, Matt Schwab and I built a brick path to the volleyball court from the side stairs. In the fall a recent grad was telling someone about the house, pointed to the path and said “that was put down in the ’40s!” I was nearby to correct him. It is funny how stories come up and can be altered!
Alumni Q&A
Thanks to Adam Ruskin ’85 for participating in this Q&A about how he’s enjoying the Theta Chi experience in his alumni years...
How do you stay connected with your Theta Chi brothers in your alumni years?
I’m now on adjunct faculty at Penn State so I’ve been getting to come up and see the house and the new brothers the past few years, as well as go to tailgates. I’ve also opened up my ski cabin for the recent alumni to use dur- ing ski season in the winter and for mountain climbing and hiking season in the summer.
Share a story about a recent reunion with your brothers.
Going whitewater rafting with the group was great, and the heavy rain just made it all that more fun in the river.
What is the best thing about your alumni experience?
I live in a real touristy area, so I’m always running into people with Theta Chi sweatshirts and hats on from all over the country - it’s nice to meet people that way and get to show them around some better parts of the city that tourists wouldn’t normally hit.
In what ways would you like to further reconnect with your brothers in your adult years?
Have some local get togethers with alumni in my region of the country.
Brothers hit the Slopes During the 4th Annual Theta Chi Ski Trip
The 4th Annual Theta Chi Ski Trip took place in January at Blue Knob All Seasons Resort. Conditions were perfect due to 3-5 inches of fresh powder that had fallen the night before and sporadic snow showers throughout the day. The trip had its largest turn out yet with a group of 24, including 10 alumni brothers, and seven undergraduate brothers. At the end of the day part of the group returned to the chapter house to enjoy a hot dinner from Clem’s BBQ.
Ambitious plans are already being made for the 5th Annual Theta Chi Ski Trip which may expand to an entire weekend.
Omega Chapter Actively Progressing in Repurchase of House
As many of you know, we are actively progress- ing in the repurchase process for the chapter house. Brother Ed Brown ’87 has graciously donated his time to review the purchase agree- ment, which should be completed shortly. Next steps will include securing an appraisal of the chapter house and finalizing a lender.
On the financing front, we have spoken with several banks, comparing interest rates, repayment terms, and other details related to securing a mortgage for the repurchase. Personally, I have also had an opportunity to learn quite a bit more about the nuances
of financing a property for a not-for-profit organization. When I began this process, I thought I was pretty well versed in commercial and residential real estate rental and financial operations. My professional work experience at PriceWaterhouse Coopers included several busy seasons in their commercial real estate division, and I have owned residential rental property personally for the past 12 years. I have to say the financing for a not-for-profit has a few more twists and turns than tradition- al commercial property. The bank personnel at the various institutions with whom I have spoken have been very graceful and helpful in educating our organization during this process.
All of that said, we are progressing nicely towards securing a mortgage. We are about to begin the third round of conversations with the proposed lender, and we expect to have a mortgage secured and in place by the summer. We are examining various different options for principal and interest repayment options, and will decide upon this in conjunction with the final purchase from NHC.
Additionally, we are working on a long-term capital budget that will help us put together the sort of long-term financial goals and fundraising requirements that will secure the chapter house for us for many years to come.
This process has been a long time coming for the current alumni officers and all of the other alumni who have supported the new undergraduates. I want to thank Rich Maltz ’90 and all of the alumni officers, as well as Jereme Grinslade at NHC for their support during this time period. I also want to especially thank the undergraduates for attaining high occupancy of the chapter house, which (of course) makes the mortgage process that much easier.
Thank you to all those brothers that shared their news with us. Please send us your photos and updates whenever you can.
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