Wichita State dedicates new facility to brother’s son By DARIN PETRIE, Wichita State ’97
Generations of SigEps at Wichita State dreamed about building a new chapter house. But an insufficient alumni base and lack of finances to buy land stood in the way of this dream. Then in the mid’90s something happened. The SigEps at Kansas Eta began winning…everything. Higher grades, sports wins, and the annual Hippodrome contest reinvigorated chapter success, and Buchanan Cups made their way to the mantle of Kansas Eta. “Simply put, the chapter started outperforming the house,” said Jeff Gates, ’89, a longtime member of the Alumni and Volunteer Corporation (AVC). And talks of a new house turned into plans for a new house. First, the AVC purchased the empty Phi Delta Theta house next door, a purchase they were able to pay off in just under six years. Volunteers knew they needed an alumni base that they could count on for donations. So they created the 1740 Club, named after the house address. This club was open to all alumni who donated $17.40. The alumni base wasn’t as well connected as it needed to be; however, “You can’t just start calling alumni you haven’t talked to in 20 years and ask them to donate $25,000. You need to get a base connected and energized about what is happening,” said Joe Poston, ’73, former treasurer of the AVC. So Kansas Eta took on a massive alumni-engagement effort. They restarted the monthly newsletter with an email version. They planned annual Wichita State Shocker tailgate gatherings before baseball and basketball games and golf tournaments. They even hosted an alumni version of the annual chapter party called Cowboys Revenge. And it worked, big-time. Alumni started showing up randomly at the house, sending letters and emails. Despite no mention of the word ‘donations,’ money started showing up. It was time for the biggest fundraiser in Kansas Eta history, the Capital Campaign. AVC Treasurer Denis Dieker, ’77, is also the CFO of a construction company. He and a group of volunteers jumpstarted the fundraising effort. A half
“You can’t just start calling alumni you haven’t talked to in 20 years and ask them to donate $25,000. You need to get a base connected and energized about what is happening.” ~ JOE POSTON, ’73
dozen or so alumni donated $25,000, a few donated $50,000 and that was combined with two donations of $100,000 and $500,000. The chapter was close, but not quite to its goal yet. After hearing about how close the chapter was to reaching its goal, Steve Nienke, Wichita State Renaissance, made a generous donation in honor of his son, Scott, now deceased, who was paralyzed in a swimming accident 14 years ago. Scott never let his accident get him down. He was able to maneuver around in his wheelchair better than most who could walk. He was a collection specialist,
Wichita State’s newly built facility will house 32 men. Above, the chapter library offers an impressive space for meetings and studying. The balcony holds numerous tables and chairs for small study groups.
an avid fan of Notre Dame and brought joy to all who met him. And though he was never able to become a SigEp, he exemplified all the cardinal principles. So his father decided to close the gap and got Wichita State to its goal of $2.8 million. Construction began in summer 2010. In early January, Kansas Eta undergraduates and some 200 alumni gathered on the front lawn and officially opened the brand new Scott Nienke Kansas Eta Chapter facility.
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