Brothers, Ohio Gamma Needs Your Help
Brothers, we need your help!!
Along with our alumni mentors and members of OSU’s Office of Student Life, I attended our undergrad Founder’s Day dinner in November. Our chapter president, Lawrence Gonzales, recapped highlights of the chapter which I have included on the second page of this letter. It’s a very impressive set of accomplishments!
The need for fraternities has never been more important. A recent statistic from our National Headquarters showed that in the aftermath of the pandemic, 15% of men report having no close friends and over 50% of men have fewer close friends than they would like. It’s a terrifying statistic relative to mental health and that is where a fraternity can really help. All of the chapter accomplishments listed show how a fraternity can help with member involvement, development and building friendships!
We are also fortunate to have a strong group of dedicated volunteers mentoring the undergrads, managing the house, preparing newsletters and arranging alumni events. Ohio Gamma is one of the largest chapters for alumni involvement.
So, where do we need your help? Well it’s the chapter house of course!
Even though our chapter house is in great shape and one of the best of all fraternities, it was built in 1958 and things need to be regularly maintained and updated. While most of the house has been upgraded, each year something new, and costly, pops up. The latest issue is to replace our HVAC units which are now about 15 years old. We plan to do that over a 3 year period with a rough cost of $50,000 a year. Realistically though we have already been spending $25,000 to $50,000 each year for updates and replacement.
To operate the chapter house financially, we have to charge a rent amount which is higher than other comparable rent both in the dorms and off campus. So the men rely on your scholarships to help offset their rent. That’s where your donations come in and why they are so important.
We need your donations now more than ever. So if you have not donated in the past, please consider your first donation. If you have made donations in the past, thank you and please continue. Any amount you can donate will be most helpful and if you can donate at least $250 this year we will provide a scholarship in your name to one of our undergrads. The undergrad will send you a letter of thanks and we will recognize all who donate in an upcoming Newsletter.
If you donate on line through our fund at OSU, it counts as a donation to the University as well as Ohio Gamma! You can also just give direct to the AVC which is an even easier way for us to use the funds for the house.
To donate either way, click on ohiogamma.org/donate to make a donation.
Our alumni have always been very generous in supporting our chapter. Basically when we ask, you respond! So thank you for your support and please know it is very much appreciated.
C.J. Waggoner, AVC President
Chapter Accomplishments
Recruitment
• 14 new members this fall-largest since 2018
• 73 total members
Leadership Development
• 23 men attended Carlson Leadership Academy in Pittsburgh PA
• 2 men attended Ruck Leadership Institute which has more demanding qualifications
• 14 brothers attended Grand Chapter conclave
• All member brotherhood retreat in Gatlinburg Tennessee
• Enhanced and reemphasized the Phi challenge to be more effective
Campus Leadership
• President of IFC-Christopher Higby
• Undergraduate Student Trustee on OSU’s Board of Trustees-Josh Kerner (one of only 2!)
• President of The Ukrainian Society-Andrew Popadiuk
• Dean’s Leadership Academy-Drake Cromes
• OSU Men’s Gymnastics team-Josh McGee
• Men’s Club Volleyball-Kyle Moyer
• Men’s Club Baseball-Matthew Ciesclewicz
Awards
• Buchanan Cup
• Sig Ep National “Raise Your Bar” Campaign
• Excellence in Membership Development-OSU Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life (SFL)
• Outstanding Marketing and Public Relations-also SFL
Campus Engagement
• Pace setters award “Pack Shack’s annual food packing event”. The event packed over 205,000 meals
• Multiple fundraisers for Big Brothers/Big Sisters which is the chapters primary philanthropy
New Programs
• Sig Ep “Lift a thon” for Sound Body
• Sig Ep Pearls-in addition to the Sig Ep Sweetheart this is a group of 5 significant others to our brothers. They help in planning events and embodying our principles.
Professional Development
• 19 upperclassmen secured internships last summer with Fortune 500 companies and 1 worked in the Office of Ohio Senator Brown.