https://issuu.com/phikappatau/docs/laurel_

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,
it’s 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 Corp’s 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 hadn’t 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 don’t 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.
Mark’s forward thinking vision applies to more than
just funding. The Housing Corp recently decided that
the Beta house would remain dry. They’ve 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]