FALL 2021
THE
George A Long Jr., Illinois Eta, 6/6/1939 #586
George A Long III, Indiana Alpha 1413
George A Long, Indiana Beta
#539 Theta,
C. Loy,
#332
Edward
10/19/1208
3/18/1937
Indiana Strawbridge,
Indiana
Robert
Theta, 4/5/1934 #504
Strawbridge,
Indiana
Theta, 4/19/1936
#531
Dallas Ryan
Long, Florida
Gamma,
4/22/2007
#1663
Russell
Strawbridge,
Indiana
Theta,
4/27/1947
#749
Herbert
Granville Moody
Jr. Illinois
Eta,
3/7/1914 #232
OHIO GAMMA GAZETTE Official Newsletter of the Ohio Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Ohio University
SUPPORT THE LEGACY OF OHIO GAMMA
EASIER THAN EVER TO DONATE, ENSURING THE SUCCESS OF FUTURE PHI DELTS
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generous alumnus has offered us an amazing gift: he will match all individual donations made during our annual housing fundraising campaign up to $3,000! Please help us take advantage of this great offer. Even though our goal is a large sum, we hope to achieve it with help from a broad alumni base. Thanks to Brother Howie Gorrell 1408, we now have an easy way to give where you almost don’t notice it! Howie has donated $14.08 to commemorate his Bond Number each month for several years. We created a neat little program through the Square® that makes it very easy to sign up for automatic donations to the house corporation in whatever amount you choose. Most brothers have elected to use their Bond Numbers ($17.42 in my case), but it can be any amount. If not your Bond Number, then how about $15–$20? Monthly recurring payments that equate to an extra Netflix subscription or a meal at your favorite restaurant can make a significant difference over time. The
program sends a monthly email reminder, and the donations can be stopped or changed at any time. Ohio Gamma has close to 900 living alumni. If 10 percent of alumni signed up with an average donation of $17.42 (I randomly chose my Bond Number) per month, we would have almost $1,600 per month income and close to $19,000 per year. Imagine what we could do in terms of house maintenance and improvement with such a sum! The campaign to rebuild Ohio Gamma began (again) in 2006. We learned from our past during the intervening fifteen years by using what worked for us and discarded the rest. As a result, we have closely adhered to the Fraternity’s Alcohol-Free Housing Policy, we are hazing-free, and are a leader among other Fraternities in many ways. When you look back on your experience at Ohio University, can you not say that your success stems from Phi Delta Theta membership? Sure, we all partied and did silly things, but we became true brothers in so doing. Continued on page 3
HOUSING AND CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE CLOSER THAN EVER TO PERMANENT ON CAMPUS HOMEOWNERSHIP
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s I reflect on the last year, it is with a great deal of satisfaction, optimism, and a sense of purpose that I give you the formal annual update of our housing project. The challenges of the last eighteen months have been unprecedented in my near forty years as a Phi. These have included declining university enrollment, a hazing scandal that did not differentiate the good players (including Ohio Gamma) from the bad, a mammoth property reassessment that nearly doubled our tax bill, and a once in a century global pandemic that shook the university and fraternity experience to its very core for an entire year. Yet two and a half years into this project, I am more confident of our success than I have ever been. It is now time to finish the job. A quick recap. We purchased the chapter house at 28 North College Street on February 1, 2019, for $985,000 under financing from the previous owner over four years. We made contractual principal down payments of $65,000 on February 1, 2019, and $25,000 each on February 1, 2020, and February 1, 2021. These payments were all made through contributions from our generous alumni brothers while the member tenant rents fully funded the monthly operational needs of the house, including mortgage, utilities, taxes, insurance, and maintenance. We have one more down payment to make under the owner financing period for $25,000 on February 1, 2022. A year from then, we will need to make a balloon payment to buy out the previous owner. The estimated principal balance will be $820,000. We plan to make this last down payment through our annual fundraising drive that kicks off with this letter while simultaneously preparing ourselves for a conventional mortgage beginning in 2023. We met these challenges with a level of grit, determination, and teamwork from alumni donors, active brothers, advisors, volunteers, and Phikeias that could not have been more impressive. Alumni donated large and small amounts, raising nearly $112,000 to make these down payments. The chapter showed there was no quit in Phi Delt. They filled the house to near capacity two years
ABOUT US
The Ohio Gamma Phi is published two times per year by the Ohio Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Ohio University for alumni and parents. ©Copyright 2021 Ohio Gamma. All rights reserved. Send news, address updates and photos to: Ohio Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta 2 South Campus Avenue, Oxford, Ohio 45056 STAY UP-TO-DATE /groups/ohiogamma/ /ouphidelt @phideltou linkedin.com/groups/95210 2
The Ohio Gamma Gazette » Fall 2021
running, recruited and fostered our unique brotherhood in a virtual environment, improved their scholarship and fiscal management, and led the university out of the hazing scandal. Volunteer advisors to the chapter and house corporation donated countless hours to navigate us through the storms. Now is not the time to pull back. We plan to stay aggressive on all fronts as we look to move into our next phase of homeownership. We need your help once again to make this final $25,000 down payment and create a reserve amount that we can use to pay down principal to achieve a satisfactory loan to value (LTV) ratio required for a conventional mortgage in sixteen short months. Here is where I have some exciting news to share. Alumni are noticing our work, and the enthusiasm I have seen as I tell our story is at an all-time high. One brother, who wishes to remain anonymous, in addition to his other donation, has pledged to match any donation made up to $3,000 through this fundraising drive that formally ends on December 31, 2021. This generosity and endorsement of our work could not have come at a better time. So, let’s take him up on this amazing vote of confidence by giving generously. We continue to have many ways to donate, including our small donor monthly program through Square® and our large donor (gifts over $1,000) tax-deductible program through the Phi Delt Foundation administered by General Headquarters. Finally, we have also engaged with a mortgage broker in Columbus that specializes in Greek housing projects. You can find information on Residential Capital Corporation at the following link https://phide.lt/3t7bCo9. While we still need to work out many Continued on page 4
CHAPTER ADVISORY BOARD Christopher Quolke, Chairman Mahn Yousef, Financial Adviser William Truax, Phikeia Education Adviser Andrew Carf, Recruitment Adviser Zachary Weeks, Recruitment Adviser Kyle Myers, Academic Adviser Tyler White, Alumni Relations Adviser Nicholas Schinkal CHAPTER OFFICERS Beau Uqdah, President Gabe Berlean, Vice President Ryan Dawson, Treasurer Jacob Jung, Recruitment Chairman
Sean Bailey, Phikeia Educator Trey Ark, Scholarship Chairman Tyler Ardizzone, Risk Management Chairman Zane Bode, Secretary Paul Holman, Alumni Secretary Andrew Gleason, Philanthropy Chairman Johnny Gilbert, Communications Chairman Jacob Royse, Warden HOUSE CORPORATION BOARD Scott Long, President Brian Bastock, Vice President/Treasurer Shannon Arnett Jeff Condon Zach Graman Ohio Gamma
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
THE CHAPTER IS STRONGER AND MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN EVER
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ello alumni, let me take the time to introduce myself. I am Beau Udoh 2093 and part of the fall 2019 Phikeia class. I currently serve as president of Ohio Gamma. Previously, I served as the philanthropy chairman. Throughout the past year, the Ohio Gamma Chapter has remained resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the university and state’s restrictions, we were still able to recruit thirteen new brothers. These new brothers have brought us to fifty brothers. Ohio Gamma continues to provide university-wide leadership. We are proud to have two brothers on our governing council, IFC. I serve as the vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion, while Brother Henry Day 2111 is the vice president of external affairs. We have won several awards this year, including Excellence in Philanthropy given to us by General Headquarters. In addition, Ryan Dawson 2082, past chapter president, won OU’s Greek Scholar of the Year Award as he has excelled academically by keeping his 4.0 GPA. Three brothers attended the 83rd General Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was great to connect with other chapters and
alumni. Those connections have fired us up for recruitment this year, so if you know anyone attending OU this year, please pass us their information so we can invite them to the events we have planned. I know people are interested in hearing the state of the house, and I am happy to report that our house is at full occupancy. We look forward to all the events we can hold at our chapter house this year, including our weekly chapter meetings. In addition, Jayden McAdams 2055 is reprising his role as house proctor for the 2021–22 school year. It has been great to have a live-in adviser and an insider from our chapter taking on this huge responsibility. The alumni event we have in the works this semester is an in-person celebration for homecoming, scheduled for October 8–10. Please see details of this event in the newsletter. We are very much looking forward to gathering with our alumni in person to celebrate our brotherhood. Yours in the Bond, Beau Udoh 2093 Chapter President phideltoupresident@gmail.com Beau Udoh accepted the Excellence in Philanthropy Award for Ohio Gamma at General Convention in July
SUPPORT THE LEGACY: continued from page 1
Since joining Phi Delt, I have been to many places, and everywhere I go, I find brothers. I have attended eight General Conventions, Leadership College (now the Kleberg Emerging Leaders Institute), and numerous Chapter Advisory Board and Alumni Club Summits. I have met Phi Delts on business trips and vacations, like the bus trip several OG brothers and I took to New Orleans my second junior year. The level of kinship offered when I met these brothers from other chapters never ceases to amaze me. So, when I think of the friendship I have with my home chapter and the guys I came up with, the bond is so much stronger. I am not just proud of “my guys,” but also those who have gone before and shown us the way to be better men, better citizens, and better brothers, as well as those who came after that push us to be better leaders and role models.
Don’t we want to be the Greatest Version of Ourselves? So, we’re not just asking for money for a house. We are asking to support the Legacy of Ohio Gamma. We want to keep alive and grow the one big thing in all our lives that’s greater than the sum of its parts, and that has had a hand in our social and professional development. We are trying to give the great experience we all had to others. What’s nobler than that? Yours in the Bond, Scott Long 1742 House Corporation President
The Ohio Gamma Gazette » Fall 2021
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CAMPAIGN UPDATE: continued from page 2
details, we see a clear path forward in obtaining a conventional mortgage as a house corporation without any member having personal liability. LTV ratios are in the 80 percent range, which we believe is very attainable given where we are. In our long journey to secure a permanent home on campus that we can all return to with pride, we are near the “end of the beginning” by being very close to successfully exiting the owner financing period. That period was critical to getting our project started, but we have one more hurdle to clear. We also have the wind at our backs through this generous donation-matching program of one of our brothers. There is a clear path forward. The plan is sound, and the momentum has never been greater. It is now up to us.
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #248 DAYTON, OH Ohio Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta 2 South Campus Avenue Oxford, Ohio 45056 Address Service Requested
Yours in the Bond, Brian Bastock 1657 House Corporation Treasurer Bbastock33@gmail.com 440.212.3153
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO! Please visit phideltatheta.org/members/ update-your-info/ to update your contact information.
GET SOCIAL
Looking to connect with fellow Phis, especially Ohio Gamma alumni? Request to join our Facebook group. Join Group: /groups/ohiogamma/
REFER A PHI! Know any young men who would be great Phis? Refer them here: phideltatheta.org/join/ refer-someone/. Then, send them to our Greatest U recruitment campaign: futurephidelt.org.
SAVE ★ the ★ DATE HOMECOMING
OCT
09 2021
Ohio vs Central Michigan Starts at 10 a.m. at the chapter house
After a one year hiatus from an in-person homecoming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are anxious to have you return to Athens to celebrate with us. Come see the great OU Marching 110 and Alumni Band, cheer on our Bobcats to victory over Central Michigan! What: Ohio University/Phi Delta Theta Homecoming When: October 8–10 AGENDA OCT 9 10:00 a.m. Homecoming Parade. Meet at the Chapter House (28 N. College St.), great views from our porch. 11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Pre-Game lunch hosted by the Ohio Gamma Chapter at the chapter house. House tours and housing update from house corporation board members. 1:30–3:00 p.m. Free time to tour the campus or head to the tailgate tent by Peden Stadium. 3:30 p.m. Kickoff, Ohio vs Central Michigan at Peden Statium. Post Game TBD