
AHC Presidential Update Report December 2014
December 2014, Brothers, As a member of the Alumni House Corporation since homecoming morning 1988 and as its president for the past several years, time has come for me to reaffirm to you the mission of the AHC. The mission of the AHC has always been to provide housing for the RI Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi; as such, we have continually owned and maintained the chapter house at 4 Fraternity Circle, a house that can sleep 60 when at its maximum. In 2007/2008, the AHC completely renovated the building, not only to update the facility, but to compete with the other student options now available on URI’s campus. Presently, our bank mortgage balance is $710,000 and comes due for refinancing in 2017. We are all aware how campus social life has changed since 1969 at URI. The days of having a social nucleus on campus when fraternities thrived have become a distant memory. The change is in part due to the drinking age being raised to ‘21’ as well as changes by URI’s Administration due to isolated trouble with drugs, alcohol, hazing and the treatment towards women that has been part of URI’s fraternal community. It has become apparent that this adverse College/Greek culture has extended around the country as well with more recent and prominent scandals involving Phi Kappa Psi fraternities at both Brown University and the University of Virginia. Even Rolling Stone Magazine’s recent issue features a special report about the sexual assault allegations at the Phi Kappa Psi Chapter at the University of Virginia. Our own RI Beta Charter has been suspended twice since 1969, most recently in 2008. After reorganizing in 2013, our colony has 20 + members whose goal is to regain our Charter and return as the RI Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi. We on the AHC understand the reasons for the change at URI where the student body has become more transient, not unlike a city college where students commute to campus yet return off campus to live and socialize. This change of student lifestyle is one that the AHC has spent many hours debating over recent years to prudently manage a house within the context of the changing URI lifestyle. The AHC is also active within URI’s Inter-fraternity Alumni House Council; an organization made up of AHC members that represent all URI’s fraternities and sororities. What this organization does know is that there is not one fraternity that occupies its house completely with their own brothers. Each year, fraternities appeal out to non-member boarders so occupancy rates can try to remain strong. URI sororities also face similar challenges to fraternities, however, with their strong rush program, Panhel continues to fill sorority houses with sisters each year. And what seems to be even more troubling is that URI’s Greek advisor has not accepted change to URI’s fraternity rush program, something that could follow Panhel’s formal program. To survive and sustain the current RI Beta Chapter house, our young colony would need to grow and sustain a minimum of 40 members living on campus each and every semester to meet the bank’s debt-service financial obligation as well as meet all other operating costs. This does not include their financial obligations to Phi Kappa Psi National. Please note: our colony has yet to file for fulltime chapter status (reinstatement of the Charter), and, we remain unsure of this timeline. We the AHC have determined the best way to continue our mission and support a RI Beta Chapter is to change our model for housing. We believe that in owning a smaller building with limited sleeping quarters which can be used as a club house as opposed to the old dormitory style, will meet the future needs of our RI Beta Chapter. As a result of the aforementioned, the AHC has set an objective to sell the house at 4 Fraternity Circle. Currently, our insurance company has assessed a replacement value of $2.2 million for our house. Our tenant, the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, has made a preliminary offer to buy the house. The AHC has found that a current construction budget for a house that sleeps approximately 35 to be about $2.5 million, similar to the new Sigma Chi Fraternity being constructed across from Alpha Zi Delta. The AHC has preliminary drawings for the new RI Beta Chapter House and have begun working with the University to identify land for us to lease. We have also projected a budget of approximately $1 million for the new RI Beta Chapter House, a building that can be built within the ideals of our model as well as a building that will be green and energy efficient. The AHC finds enthusiasm within our colony to be part of building the new RI Beta Chapter House, not unlike the pride that is still evident within our own RI Beta’s who built 4 Fraternity Circle in 1969; just a few young guys going into the local bank to solidify a loan! The AHC expects the enthusiasm to translate into motivation for rushing new members and providing continuity for the future of our RI Beta Chapter. Our next AHC meeting will be held December 11, 2014. The meeting will be held at 6 pm at the Christopher House 34 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI. I look forward to seeing anyone interested in attending to discuss any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued alumni support of our chapter. Fraternally, CC#400…