Newsletter:

Brothers,

Einstein once said, “In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”

Recently, the Delta Iota chapter has seen some difficulty. But as alumni, we have seen opportunity.

Most of us know each other, but just in case. My name is Chris Peebles, #179, Class of 1993. As some of you know, I have been asked to be the President for the Alpha Sigma Phi Alumni Association.

Welcome, to the first unofficial official letter of the alumni association.

In early September, most of us were alerted to the financial strife of our active chapter. Since then many things have transpired. The goal of this letter is to give a brief recap of the past, update the current financial situation, and speak to the positive aspects of the future.

The active chapter has done a poor job managing expectations for new initiates and active brothers over the last five years. Thus, the chapter has accrued debt equaling $12K over that time period. Half of that debt was paid prior to the panic letter from Nationals. The most recent amount is totaled to be $6500.00. This debt is a combination of National fees, unpaid dues and insurance payments. The letter prompted a lot of concern from the alumni. Personally, my concern was about the character and work ethic of the active brothers. I know many brothers shared that same feeling. On November 12th, about 20 alumni attended the active chapter meeting. The feedback about the character and work ethic was positive. Our active chapter has made mistakes, but I believe the desire To Better the Man still holds strong in those guys.

The current financial situation for the active chapter is positive. Our debt is paid and the charter is in good standing. I spoke with Drew Thawley (President) and Ryan Brown (Advisor) from Nationals this week. They are very excited about our ideas and have offered to help in any way possible. The communication lines are open more than ever before and the active chapter now has a local advisor.

The opportunity is before us to ensure this does not happen again, from a monetary perspective and more importantly from a leadership perspective. None of us should or will contribute a penny towards dues, insurance, or grand chapter fees. Obviously, this falls on the active brotherhood. Where we have an opportunity to help is with leadership, guidance, and support.

Will you be asked to contribute financially? Yes, right now. Is there any pressure to do so? No. Whatever your decision, it is important that we all understand the short and long term goals of the alumni association. At this point, these goals and ideas come from a small percentage of our alumni base and are still a work in progress.

Non Monetary

  1. Update contact information to reconnect the brotherhood.
  2. Provide leadership and guidance to active chapter.
  3. Keep up to date on brother happenings.
  4. Network of professional and personal opportunity.
  5. Work with Longwood to strengthen Greek community

Monetary

  1. Scholarships for Academic and Brotherhood achievement
  2. Scholarships for Academic and Brotherhood achievement
  3. Small donation to Pig Roast annually
  4. Various Alumni only functionse.
  5. WE NEED MORE IDEAS. WHERE ELSE CAN YOUR DONATIONS CREATE A POSITIVE?

I am happy about the "panic letter" from Nationals. The threat of losing our charter has resulted in positive actions and attitudes. Many brothers have realized what our fraternity means to them. We have the numbers and ability to do good things. I hope you feel the same way.

I look forward to a bright future. I promise the letters will get shorter.

In Phi,

Chris Peebles, #179

“If not us, Who? If not now, When?” John F. Kennedy