December 2017

 

Dear Alumni Brothers of Theta Delta Chi,

Greetings from Charlottesville and best to you and your families for the holidays and a successful year!

The state of our undergraduate Brotherhood is strong and growing after a couple of tumultuous years. Kudos to the officers who managed through last year and the new team which has taken the helm this year including President James Lundquist and Alumni Chair Brady Anthony-Brumfield. They have brought our fraternity through a difficult downturn in headcount and have had good success in rebuilding a tightknit group with attentive leadership, a newfound respect for the fraternity house and for driving improved accountability amongst the Brotherhood.

I hope as you read through this update you will consider the dedication and hard work of several of our alumni who have invested their time, expertise and money to ensure the health and legacy of our beloved Theta Delta Chi. Your financial support is most definitely needed, and I hope you will consider writing a check now and signing up for an annual gift to support our efforts to sustain the Nu Charge property including capital improvements, major maintenance, legal fees, furniture and backstopping shortfalls resulting from the prior years low headcount in the undergraduate Brotherhood.

Basement Renovation work began in the spring under the leadership and generosity of Rick Gregory (’80) who has been kind enough to not only provide the resources, but has fronted the costs of renovating the entire basement level complete with upgrading the floors, walls, lighting, the entire kitchen and bar area. The undergrads are thrilled with the results and are proudly using the basement level once again for brotherhood and pledge events, parties and other social events.

The lawsuit filed against us by the new owner of the Jack Jouett apartment building behind us where he claimed property rights to the alleyway which we have owned and used since purchasing the property from Dr. Lambeth in 1910, has been settled thanks in very large part to the efforts of Dave Chamowitz (’00). We have incurred approximately $15,000 to $20,000 in outside legal fees (awaiting final billing now). Dave has also taken on the general counsel duties (volunteer basis) working with the House Corporation and relieving BH Hubbard (’68) after more than 35 years in that role. Thank you Dave, and thank you BH! We have retained our rights to our land and will continue to have a cooperative relationship with our neighbors.

In the fall the House Corporation replaced all furniture in the Blue and Gold rooms on the main floor as part of our efforts to make the house more attractive and appealing both for brothers living in the house and men considering pledging.

Members of the House Corporation including Trip Colden ’05, Charlie Armstrong ’00, Pete Ryan ’04, Jeremy Small ’80, and member-in-waiting Brad Kerchoff ’77 and I met with the Brotherhood last winter and I have met with the Brothers and officers a couple of times during this year. These are the meetings and interactions where the House Corporation could really use additional assistance to coach and mentor, as well as share stories and history that we all know was so enjoyable and eye-opening to hear when we were undergraduates. Many of the Brothers attend our standing tailgate parties which also has helped to foster good working relationships and bonds of friendship with another group of good young men.

Financially the last 24 months have been difficult. In addition to a downturn in headcount during 2014-2016 we have had a growing issue with Brothers graduating and not paying amounts due to the fraternity. Thanks to Pete Ryan and the efforts of a group of alumni from his era, we have set in motion a collections effort to recoup more than $100,000 in delinquent accounts. We have our work cut out for us and need assistance. We are also revisiting our financial/pricing structure for the brotherhood and our relationship with our property manager, Historic Renovation Corp. The House Corporation has been forced to cover a substantial portion of operating costs normally paid through room rentals, public areas rental (aka parlor fees—-a new phenomena introduced now about 20 years ago). We certainly could use assistance from alumni who would consider a term on the House Corporation Board and could assist Pete with this effort.

This year is my 60th, and I have been deeply involved in our fraternity since 1976 when I pledged. After seeking help from alumni to bail us out with a broken stove and boiler back in my undergraduate years, I continued to work with Nu alumni after graduation and joined the House Corporation around 1985. It is now time to pass the torch to younger alumni who will have fresh ideas and enthusiasm to continue our support of Theta Delta Chi. I intend to step down as President and resign from the Nu Charge House Corporation effective July 1, 2018, right about the time I turn 60. It has been my pleasure and frankly a passion of mine to see our fraternity continue to thrive. The friendships gained from being a Theta Delt are immeasurable and have been central to so many, many aspects of my life and it has been an honor to serve.

Peace be with you all.

In the Bonds,
Kevin A. McNerney
President, Nu Charge House Corporation