The Architecture of Brotherhood
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This document discusses the importance of strong housing corporations for fraternity chapters. It describes how the Mississippi State Alpha Chi chapter raised over $880,000 of their $1.3 million goal for a new fraternity house through a direct mail campaign. It also discusses how the Ohio University Beta chapter underwent reconstruction years ago which involved fundraising efforts. A key to the Beta chapter's success is ensuring members are committed to paying bills. The housing corporation's recent decision was for the Beta house to remain dry and convert the basement into a library for professional development opportunities.
![dents over time who will, hopefully, return to the
Fraternity as alumni volunteers someday. Currently 2-3
members of the current Board of Governors are former
chapter presidents. Cal Poly-Pomona, who shows up in
druthers to convention, will be at Cleveland this July
with approximately twenty members in attendance.
Housing Corps
While not all chapters can boast a campus house,
its undeniable that a strong Housing Corp helps
strengthen the comradery of a chapter. Barry Toney,
Mississippi State 85, began working closely with the
Housing Corp in 2014. Alpha Chi knew that, to be a
competitive fraternity on a campus as big as Mississippi
State, they needed a physical location. So, in collabora-
tion with Pennington & Company, a professional fund-
raising group that works closely with Greek Resource
Services, the Mississippi State Housing Corp began a
13-month direct mail campaign to raise money for a
fraternity house. This has been an immense success;
as of May 2018, they have raised over $880,000 of their
$1.3 million goal. Additionally, the 15,000 square foot,
24-person house has already been approved to begin
construction by the school board, as soon as fundraising
is complete. The Housing Corps current goal is to break
ground in February 2019 and to begin moving brothers
in August of 2020.
Barry credits the degree of their success to several
factors. First, the relationship with Pennington was a
huge aid. Barry knew it would be a better use of time and
resources to hire a group that fundraised professionally.
Second, Barry helped build up a database of alumni
members, as it hadnt been updated since 1996. Since
commencing that pet project, Barry has updated contact
information on all but a handful of the 564 Mississippi
State alumni. In his own words, this began to stir up
feelings of fraternity and nostalgia, which helped bring
volunteers and funding to the building project.
Mark Kirkendall, Ohio University 89, is also intimately
familiar with the financial aspect of running a Housing
Corp. According to Mark, one of the major keys to success
at Ohio
University is
making sure
members are
committed
to paying
bills, which
provides
the support
and service
necessary, as
well as event
planning, for
house residents to feel as if they are getting their monies
worth. A few years ago, the Beta house underwent re-
construction, which involved twenty people working on
funding efforts. Fraternities need to be working ahead,
Mark said of this, The best time to get financing is when
you dont need it. He encourages chapters to set up a line
of credit with local banks or credit unions as a safety net
in case the fraternity house has any sort of financial emer-
gency. The refurbishment at Ohio University has been a
huge accomplishment and, after a ribbon cutting ceremo-
ny on August 11th, Mark will hand the keys over to the
students to begin moving in for the Fall 2018 semester.
Marks forward thinking vision applies to more than
just funding. The Housing Corp recently decided that
the Beta house would remain dry. Theyve converted
the basement, previously a hub of social activity, into
a library where residents can have student groups and
conduct board meetings. As members grow, they begin
to look for more professional opportunities within the
fraternity, rather than social ones. This provides and
encourages house members with more opportunities
to develop their professional relationships.
Of course, all of these things the Housing Corp,
Resident Council, Graduate Council, and Board of
Governors cannot exist in a vacuum. They are pillars
and, in most cases, chapters that are doing well at one
are also doing well with the others. By spotlighting some
of these chapters, we hope to feature creative ideas that
may inspire other chapters looking for innovative ways
to pursue excellence. It is our hope that, in times of strife
among the Greek community, Phi Kappa Tau brothers
will continue to seek greatness and highlight all of our
good work. u
OHIO
THE LAUREL || PHIKAPPATAU.ORG [19]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/thearchitectureofbrotherhood-180731194551/85/The-Architecture-of-Brotherhood-1-320.jpg)
The Architecture of Brotherhood
- 1. dents over time who will, hopefully, return to the Fraternity as alumni volunteers someday. Currently 2-3 members of the current Board of Governors are former chapter presidents. Cal Poly-Pomona, who shows up in druthers to convention, will be at Cleveland this July with approximately twenty members in attendance. Housing Corps While not all chapters can boast a campus house, its undeniable that a strong Housing Corp helps strengthen the comradery of a chapter. Barry Toney, Mississippi State 85, began working closely with the Housing Corp in 2014. Alpha Chi knew that, to be a competitive fraternity on a campus as big as Mississippi State, they needed a physical location. So, in collabora- tion with Pennington & Company, a professional fund- raising group that works closely with Greek Resource Services, the Mississippi State Housing Corp began a 13-month direct mail campaign to raise money for a fraternity house. This has been an immense success; as of May 2018, they have raised over $880,000 of their $1.3 million goal. Additionally, the 15,000 square foot, 24-person house has already been approved to begin construction by the school board, as soon as fundraising is complete. The Housing Corps current goal is to break ground in February 2019 and to begin moving brothers in August of 2020. Barry credits the degree of their success to several factors. First, the relationship with Pennington was a huge aid. Barry knew it would be a better use of time and resources to hire a group that fundraised professionally. Second, Barry helped build up a database of alumni members, as it hadnt been updated since 1996. Since commencing that pet project, Barry has updated contact information on all but a handful of the 564 Mississippi State alumni. In his own words, this began to stir up feelings of fraternity and nostalgia, which helped bring volunteers and funding to the building project. Mark Kirkendall, Ohio University 89, is also intimately familiar with the financial aspect of running a Housing Corp. According to Mark, one of the major keys to success at Ohio University is making sure members are committed to paying bills, which provides the support and service necessary, as well as event planning, for house residents to feel as if they are getting their monies worth. A few years ago, the Beta house underwent re- construction, which involved twenty people working on funding efforts. Fraternities need to be working ahead, Mark said of this, The best time to get financing is when you dont need it. He encourages chapters to set up a line of credit with local banks or credit unions as a safety net in case the fraternity house has any sort of financial emer- gency. The refurbishment at Ohio University has been a huge accomplishment and, after a ribbon cutting ceremo- ny on August 11th, Mark will hand the keys over to the students to begin moving in for the Fall 2018 semester. Marks forward thinking vision applies to more than just funding. The Housing Corp recently decided that the Beta house would remain dry. Theyve converted the basement, previously a hub of social activity, into a library where residents can have student groups and conduct board meetings. As members grow, they begin to look for more professional opportunities within the fraternity, rather than social ones. This provides and encourages house members with more opportunities to develop their professional relationships. Of course, all of these things the Housing Corp, Resident Council, Graduate Council, and Board of Governors cannot exist in a vacuum. They are pillars and, in most cases, chapters that are doing well at one are also doing well with the others. By spotlighting some of these chapters, we hope to feature creative ideas that may inspire other chapters looking for innovative ways to pursue excellence. It is our hope that, in times of strife among the Greek community, Phi Kappa Tau brothers will continue to seek greatness and highlight all of our good work. u OHIO THE LAUREL || PHIKAPPATAU.ORG [19]