I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge all of the work that Jimmy Humphrey and the Beta Psi Housing Corporation have done to precipitate positive housing changes. Last semester, Jimmy made it his mission to renovate and upgrade the chapter room, which is the first room on the left in the front of the house. Last year, the chapter room was used sparingly, and only for social events. This semester, however, we have acquired new furniture in an attempt to expand the potential uses for the room. Although we received the furniture somewhat recently and it has not quite been fully organized, we have already seen a dramatic increase in the number of brothers occupying the chapter room. It now serves as a convenient place to communally eat, work, or socialize not only for Brothers living in the house, but also for those who live elsewhere.
In regards to our porch furniture, anyone who has visited the house in the past few years would be able to tell you that the porch furniture was in very poor condition. However, thanks to widespread financial support from Alumni, we have installed three brand new couches on the porch. In addition to being visually appealing, the couches encourage the Brotherhood to spend more time outside.
To my knowledge, ever since we acquired our house on 129 Chancellor St., the first floor was painted a pale, unappealing green. Over time, the paint was beginning to peel, further driving the need for a new paint job. Luckily, over the summer we had the first floor painted a neat combination of white and navy blue, which is undoubtedly a more attractive alternative to the previous shade of green.
As is natural in any fraternity house, the wood floors were beginning to deteriorate on the first floor. In response, over the current winter break we are installing new wood floors and a tiled area behind the bar. Pragmatically, these renovations will promote safety by making the floors less slippery and less rough, in addition to overall visual appeal.
In the upcoming semester, I hope to continue the vast amount of improvement that has occurred under Jimmy and previous Housing Manager Weston Pruitt. More specifically, I would like to update the furniture in the main room, as well as restoring previous composites. The quality of the current furniture has been declining steadily for some time, and I believe it is time to rectify that situation. The main room is arguably the most important room in the house, because it is where we conduct chapter meetings, Brotherhood events and so much more. It is the centerpiece of the house, and it deserves to be improved by revamping the furniture. Additionally, I believe it is our responsibility as active Brothers to pay tribute to you, the Alumni, which is why I believe we should delegate additional time and effort into restoring the composites from previous years.
As always, none of our housing improvements would be possible without the tremendously gracious financial support from the Alumni. Donations in the past year have been extraordinary, and have allowed us to finally fulfill our endeavors to update and renovate the house. I encourage you all to continue your generosity so that we can proceed with additional housing improvements. I have included further instructions on how to donate at the end of the newsletter, and I encourage you all to contact Alumni Recorder Charlie Benjamin (crb8uw@virginia.edu) with any additional questions or comments. Once again, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your generosity and support.
Fast & Firm,
Housing Manager Tom Smith