Chi Phi Fraternity Iota Delta Chapter

For those of you who were at the house during Little 500, you heard some of the ideas the group has to save the house.

Brother Dan Baratz, who is helping research the viability of the ownership idea, forwarded this link. It is about a TKE chapter at Iowa State that is trying a similar model to save its chapter and house.

One thing to remember when reading about the TKE situation: Because of the nature of the model they are using, the number of investors they are allowed is limited. That means the investment amount they must charge is higher than what our group is considering.

Tags: what we're trying to do by Derrick Gingery
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Brother Tom Walls, a fellow Fort Wayne resident, has been the keeper of the alumni newsletter for some time. When the chapter’s problems surfaced, the latest newsletter was put on hold.

Walls told me his is about to send out the latest edition. It includes an update on the current state of affairs for all of you who aren’t up to speed.

Expect to receive the letter in the mail soon. An electronic version also will be posted on this site, likely on the message board.

Tags: Alumni Updates, Getting Back In Touch by Derrick Gingery
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All Iota Deltas know that the 50-year history of the chapter has had its share of ups and downs.  We’ve faced low numbers, financial troubles, and other difficulties many other chapters have faced.  We’ve also assembled a group of close friends, leaders, and Chi Phi gentlemen who stand for the principles you can find in the Chi Phi creed. We can truly be proud of these triumphs.

Of course, now we face the biggest test the fraternity has ever faced.  Seven years ago, Little 500 marked the launch of a capital fund to build the new wing onto the fraternity house. That wing had teased decades worth of Chi Phis, as it was  long intended to be phase two of the old shoebox.  The rendering had hung in the formal lounge for years, teasing us.  The opportunity came in 2001, and the Alumni Association went for it.

What happened in the seven intervening years was a perfect storm of construction delays while waiting for university and county approval, commodity price increases, cost overruns, falling membership, and credit difficulties. Two years ago, the alumni nearly leased the house to another fraternity, but rank and file alumni mobilized to prevent this from happening and give the active chapter another chance to build up live-in membership and improve cash flow.

The membership boost did not happen.  I invite an member of the alumni association board to explain all this in more detail in the private message board.  When Dan Bowden and Kevin Gfell explained all the circumstances involved with the chapter getting into the situation it got into, I gained a better understanding.

I also became more optimistic about Chi Phi’s future at Indiana University.  The rank-and-file alumni need to commit themselves into engaging themselves into the fraternity’s future.  Check in here and see what’s happening at the chapter. Join the group on LinkedIn and get back in touch with other Chi Phi brothers. Offer expertise to the alumni board as it moves ahead and rebuilds the chapter.

Some creative ideas have come from discussions about rebuilding the chapter and regaining financial control.  Be a part of this discussion.

I hope to be in touch with you in the months to come!

Tags: Uncategorized by T.J. Brown
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