In this edition of Xi Lights you will find information about:
The University’s Homecomings football game is on October 15 at 12:30. We will start the tailgate event three hours before kick-off at 9:30. We have reserved football game tickets through the University of Virginia Alumni Association. The cost of the tailgate is $30 (children under 17 are free). The menu will include pork barbeque, fried chicken and of course other normal cookout menu items, adult beverages and soft drinks. Last year we had over 150 tailgate attendees and are hoping for a big turnout again this year. We are proud that the undergraduate brotherhood is thriving. You can read more about their plans in the Chapter Report. We have a good relationship with the undergraduates and both parties are working toward mutual success. On June 4 and June 11, 2016, we hosted cook-outs at the fraternity house for the University’s Reunions Weekends. Now in its 3rd year, this new annual event has already become popular among our returning alumni. Our annual meeting will be held on Sunday October 16, the day after Homecomings, at 11AM in the Willie Alexander room at the Chapter house. The officers of the corporation will give brief reports of our prior year accomplishments and our goals for the coming year. We will also elect three new board members (Mike Atwood from the class of 1974, Mark Williamson from the class of 1981 (Law ’84) and Patrick Higgins from the Class of 2010). Patrick will also become our Treasurer. Let me take a moment to thank Gregg Johnson, Jackie Morris and Billy DuVal for their much appreciated service on the Board. Gregg’s contributions to the capital campaign were a key factor in the centennial plan that resulted in the renovated and expanded Chapter house. Jackie’s energy is a big reason for our annual fund and capital campaign successes. Billy’s personal interest in the financial success of the alumni corporation and the Chapter were noticed and appreciated by both organizations. Please feel free to email me at rjnadeau333@aol.com, or call, 703-217-8575 or 703-251-8620, if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way. Fraternally, Rick Nadeau (76) |
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TREASURER’S REPORTOur first mortgage loan is approximately $404,000. We have a cash balance of approximately $25,000 for emergency repairs. The rent we collect from the chapter of $65,000 is sufficient to cover the operating costs, insurance costs, real estate taxes and debt service on our first mortgage loan but not to cover longer term maintenance and renovation requirements. As you will note in the House Maintenance Report there are some long-term maintenance items we will need to address in the next several years. Annual giving support we receive from our alumni brothers is crucial to protect our investment made in the Centennial Plan. Patrick Higgins (10) |
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ANNUAL FUNDWe are continuing year’s campaign with support from our volunteer alumni. Our Annual Fund did provide the funds for repayment of the $30,000 second mortgage debt from the renovation and expansion project. Specific future Annual Fund uses will include:
Our goal is to raise $200,000 over the 5-year period 2014 – 2018. So far, we have received over $142,000 in pledges through 2018. 148 brothers across 7 decades have already pledged their support to the campaign, including current brothers from the class of 2015. We appreciate the support as many brothers continue to demonstrate that the helping hand is alive and well across so many of our Xi Chapter generations. Although we have achieved nearly 75% of our goal, there’s still much to accomplish. Visit our annual giving site at www.thetachiuva.com and click the Annual Giving link to make a pledge or donation online, or contact me or another board member to ask about annual fund giving. There is also a link to give at the bottom of this email. We appreciate your support! Mark Chinn (91) |
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HOUSE MAINTENANCE REPORTThe House and Grounds are in good shape, having survived the long, hot and dry summer. Austin Simpson ’18 has come on board as the House Manager in the 2016 – 2017 year. Along with Carter Levinson ’17, Chris Winter ’07, and Spence Phillips ’85, we meet once a month to review any issues that arise. Patrick Higgins ’10, the new Corporation treasurer will also be joining us to ensure that bills are properly reviewed and promptly paid. We have been fortunate with no major surprise repairs. To date in 2016, we’ve expended approximately $6,063 on maintenance and repair. Unfortunately, we’ve had several instances of student damage. The Corporation and the Chapter has taken a more aggressive approach to student accountability, and has utilized security deposit funds to pay student damage expenses. As per the lease terms, the Chapter replenishes the fund at the beginning of each academic year. As was the case in previous updates, there is a considerable list of deferred capital improvements. The in-line gutters need repair / reconstruction and the existing windows on the original building need to be replaced. We would like to also improve the garage, in order to match the high standard set in the main house and we will need to consider an internal drain system in the original house basement to manage some water infiltration that occurs during our periods of heavy rain. The board has been discussing an application to the City to increase the number of onsite residents. Currently fourteen (14) occupants are permitted to reside on the property, both in the principal house and accessory structure. The original special use permit application requested a total of eighteen (18) occupants. During the course of the review, this number was reduced to fourteen (14) to ensure the renovation plans were approved in a timely fashion. The board has been discussing the best timing to make the application with the goal of maximizing flexibility for the chapter. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at Homecomings and we will be working with the undergraduate chapter to make sure the house looks its best! Will Teass (97) Vice-President |
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CHAPTER REPORTThe Chapter had a great start to the academic year. We just hosted our 4th annual Parents Formal, proudly continuing the tradition of Parents Weekend. This year we held the event at Delfosse winery, just 30 minutes south of Charlottesville. We also held a Parents Tailgate prior to the Central Michigan game, where we watched our football team gather its first win of the season. Go Hoos. We look forward to our annual Battle of the Bands at the newly renovated Boylan Heights. All proceeds will go to On Our Own, a local nonprofit that provides free mental health services to over 50 people every day. Our chapter has passionately swung our philanthropic focus towards mental health issues. Many brothers are involved with the National Alliance on Mental Illness on Grounds. Later this semester we will hold our perennial Christmas themed Semi-Formal, a cherished tradition among the brotherhood. We plan on hosting tailgates, social events, and brotherhood events including our first annual pig roast in memory of Quent Alcorn. We hope this event will carry on for years to come. As many of you know, one of our own is currently being held captive in North Korea. At this time, we have no other information on the situation. We hope for the safe return of our brother Otto Warmbier. Fraternity Rush is just around the corner, as it will begin next February. Our numbers for Rush have been steadily increasing each year. This has led to slightly larger pledge classes than previous years, which always helps chapter growth. Every year we receive notes to watch for legacies, neighbors, and friends. We encourage alumni to notify us of all potential rushees. I can always be reached at cml5gm@virginia.edu. This past year several alumni helped to create the Quentin Alcorn Scholarship. In Spring of 2016, the scholarship was awarded to its first recipient, Joe Sweeny, who is a member of the Class of 2017. Applications for the 2017 award will be accepted until February 27, 2017, and the winner will be announced later in Spring. Just a year after its creation, the scholarship raised over $58,000 from roughly 300 individual donors. The scholarship is taking off faster than expected, but there’s still work yet to be done. The scholarship aims to raise $200,000, which would be enough to fund a full year in-state tuition scholarship. If you would like to donate, please visit QuentinAlcornScholarship.com. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Miles Kirwin at mjk8tm@virginia.edu.
President – Rick Nadeau (’76), rjnadeau333@aol.com Vice President – Will Teass (’97), will@teass.com Treasurer – Patrick Higgins, (’10) phiggins388@gmail.com Secretary – Spence Phillips (’85) spencerrp802@gmail.com Mike Atwood (’74) atwood.mike@verizon.net Bill Sullivan (’67), wbsuva@msn.com Gregg Johnson (’75), greggejohnson@msn.com (retiring) Jackie Morris (’81), jh-morris@verizon.net (retiring) Mark Williamson (’81), mwilliamson@mcguirewoods.com Mark Chinn (’91), chinn6@gmail.com Chris Winter (’07), christopherwwinter@ Billy Duval (’08), whd2j08@gmail.com (retiring) |
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Theta Chi Fraternity
University of Virginia | Xi Chapter
