THE
ILLumINatl Winter 2022 Issue
2
Newsletter
Renovation January 2022
Edition 03/Feb
Other key aspects of the renovation include:
The Illinois chapter house renovation is nearing completion! After being vacant since the end of Spring semester 2021, the chapter is moving back in late January 2022. Members of the chapter lived together in a leased house at 1110 S. 2nd Street for Fall semester and for the first few weeks of Spring semester. While our goal had been to move back for the beginning of the semester, the project was impacted by general supply chain issues that have been reported in the news, as well as intermittent workforce disruption due to the pandemic. Working aggressively with general contractor Barber & DeAtley, we were able to mitigate the impact and limit the delay to just a few weeks. In October, the many alumni attending Homecoming were able to tour the house in midconstruction. They saw firsthand some of the many changes resulting from the renovation, as well as the construction of a new Makerspace addition. At that time, extensive mechanical, electrical, and plumbing improvements were underway, while the new rooms on the 6th and 7th floors (the former lower and upper dorm) were taking shape. They also saw some of the unexpected challenges that had been uncovered during construction, such as the need to completely replace deteriorated sections of concrete-pan flooring under the bathroom showers and toilets. The Makerspace is an exciting workshop addition, providing 1,000 square feet of workspace and tools for electronic assembly/testing, as well as metal and wood mechanical fabrication.
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Emphasis on areas that facilitate study and collaboration, including a versatile furniture plan
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Completely refreshed interiors throughout the house, including walls, doors, floors, ceilings, lighting, and furniture, complemented by a new HVAC system and plumbing and electrical improvements
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New energy-efficient window systems for the 1st floor and south stairwell
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A completely renovated commercial-class kitchen, to facilitate a renewed emphasis on meals as an important element of fraternity life
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A new data network with Wi-Fi throughout the house
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Life safety and security improvements, including mobility-impaired accessibility for the 1st floor, sight-impaired signage throughout the house, a zoned fire alarm system, sprinkler system improvements, egress improvements, electronic door controls for exterior and Makerspace access and strategically located security cameras
The parking lot will be repaved and the corner monument will be replaced by summer. We will also be addressing a longstanding safety issue with the sundeck door, which was identified during the construction inspection process, but could not be “grandfathered.” The new Makerspace will be carefully managed, to maximize its benefits, as well as to ensure that it is operated safely. Use will be governed by a Makerspace Safety and Use Policy, which each individual will sign before using the facility. The alumni board also anticipates engaging a local professional on a part-time basis, to assist with policies and procedures, provide training to chapter members, monitor usage, and guide maintenance of the Makerspace.
The newly renovated kitchen will also be carefully managed; service provider Campus Culinary Solutions (CCS) is being engaged to operate the kitchen and provide an in-house chef. CCS operates and manages kitchen facilities at numerous fraternities and sororities across campus. Since Fall 2020, CCS has provided the chapter with meals prepared at another site, so the transition to CCS operation of Triangle’s new kitchen should be as seamless as possible. The key to our long-term financial success will be filling the house and operating it at its new design capacity of 50 men, plus additional members living out of house and paying financially for facility benefits as well as chapter programs. Twelve members will be living in the house for Spring 2022. Fifteen new members initiated in January 2022 will move into the house in Fall 2022 (after completion of their university dorm contracts, which run through Spring semester). With a renewed and energized focus on rush, supported by the newly renovated house, equally robust pledge classes are expected going forward, with 40 men projected in house for Fall 2023 and the 50-man capacity from 2024 onward. The overall cost of the renovation and addition is approximately $4.5 million, which we could not have funded without the assistance of the Triangle Building & Housing Corp. (TBHC) and Triangle Education Foundation (TEF), both affiliates of Triangle’s national organization. TBHC secured the construction loan and financing, and TEF is leading taxdeductible fundraising, to keep the cost to our undergraduate brothers competitive with other housing alternatives on campus. Look for more information in this edition of the ILLumINatI on how you can contribute to the strategic future of Illinois Chapter! Keith Lewitzke ill76 Ward Hand ill92
Illinois Alumni News Greetings Brothers, Happy new year to you and your families! I am excited for the upcoming year of success for Triangle, thanks to the support from alumni and active brothers over the past year. In October, we held an in-person homecoming event, which was the first time I was able to see many of you in person since 2019. It was a fun event, especially the tours of the house while it was under construction, and I enjoyed talking with the pledges as well. I would like to invite you all to the annual chapter congress meeting, which is set for April 9, 2022, at 10 a.m., Central, at 112 East Daniel Street. (We’ll send a link via email if you would like to join the congress meeting virtually.) Later that evening, we will have dinner, followed by the annual Swampwater party at the chapter house. I hope to see you all there.
I want to sincerely thank the many generous donors to the renovation campaign. We have reached ~$1M in contributions at the time of writing, which is (of course) critical to complete the renovation, but also shows the actives and potential new members how committed our alumni are to Triangle’s success. To complement the financial investment in the house, the ITAC board is continuing to invest more effort in mentorship and support of the active chapter, as lots of changes are occurring in the physical house as well as to how it is managed. When I last wrote to you in August, I mentioned a few areas of focus: recruitment, alumni support and advising, and active-national relations. Regarding recruitment, we are focused on being able to capitalize on the newly renovated house in the upcoming semesters, with a goal of at least 30 members living in house in the next academic year. On alumni support, each active board member is paired with their
ITAC board counterpart as an advisor, with a focus on regular check-ins; we want to keep the communication as open and frequent as possible. On active-national relations, three active members attended Leadership Training Weekend a few weeks ago (held virtually), and we expect that attendance to continue to grow as the chapter grows over the coming years. In addition, the recruitment and marketing advising provided by national staff has had a positive impact, and we plan to continue that. Finally, if you are interested in becoming involved with mentoring actives or lending your expertise to the ITAC board, please contact me via email. Even a small contribution can make a big difference and be a rewarding way to stay connected with Triangle.
Matt Nevada Frank, Goosemen President, ITAC m@nevadaf.com
Active Chapter Update January 2022
The Alpha Chapter of Triangle is very excited to build off of a strong semester in terms of rush. Seventeen pledges accepted their bid during the fall semester, and 15 are about to be initiated to become active members. While we gain one of the largest pledge classes we have had in a while, we also look to expand even further in the spring, with our rush director trying to bring in another large class. Although Covid is on the rise, we have hope that it won’t interfere with our rush or other events. Speaking of events, we have a huge one coming up: the move into our newly renovated chapter house. Everyone in the fraternity is looking forward to seeing how it has turned out and to make good use of new additions to our chapter house, like the Makerspace. We should be fully ready to move in by late January, and we can’t wait to see alumni stop by to check it out. Another big event we have going on is Swampwater, which hasn’t happened in two years due to Covid. It will be fun to celebrate the event as well as the foundation of our fraternity with our actives and alumni. We are hoping to have another great rush semester, a smooth transition to the renovated house, and another semester when Covid doesn’t place as many restrictions on us. We are looking forward to a great Spring 2022 semester and cannot wait to connect with many of the alumni soon
Jackson Wilkins ill22 Alumni Relations Chair
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Newsletter
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SAVE THE DATES:
Chapter Congress Saturday April 9th @ 10:00am Homecoming Saturday October 15th (recently changed by the Athletic Association)
TRIANGLE
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triangle fraternity
BUILDING & HOUSING CORP.
Illinois Campaign Update This past fall, Illinois Triangle launched the Assuring Our Second Century campaign to support the renovation of our chapter home (see the renovation update included in this newsletter). Our goal is to raise at least $2,500,000 from our alumni toward the $4,500,000+ cost of the renovation. The campaign is being led by alumni leadership, Honorary Campaign Chairman Mark Tolliver ill70, and is being staffed by members of the Triangle Education Foundation team. To date, the following alumni and friends of Triangle have made more than $1,000,000 in gifts/ commitments:
$500,000+ Mark Tolliver ill70 Honorary Campaign Chairman $100,000–$249,999 James Ashbrook ill63 Paula & William “Camel” Engelbrecht ill77 Christopher Rorvick ill96 $25,000–$49,999 Pam & Keith Lewitzke ill76 Mark Pavlat ill79 $10,000–$24,999 Alison & Ward Hand ill92 Andrew Lee ill12 $5,000–$9,999 Al Pope ill67 Edward Crylen ill70 James Connolly ill70 Donald Harris ill78 Paul Dees ill78 Jeffrey Rohrer ill80 Carl Johnson ill96
Engineers | Architects | Scientists
$2,500–$4,999 Robert Hoffman ill68 Gary Thoman ill69 Craig Stiegemeier ill77 David Zielke ill71 Michael Justice ill76 Daniel Burg ill81 Matthew Frank ill11 Patrick Burke ill16 $1,000–$2,499 Morris Westerhold ill65 Ed Cox ill66 James Velander ill69 Mike Hoffman ill71 Kent Sims ill77 Thomas Taylor ill77 Bradley Hunt ill81 Patrick McGovern ill81 Stuart Kienlen ill95 Christopher Horvath ill08 Dylan Ladd ill12 Aaron Girson $50–$999 Donald Benson ill59 C. Philip Ross ill63 Theodore Takasaki ill77 Douglas Miles ill85 Richard Davey ill93
Thank you! If you are interested in learning more about how you can support the Assuring Our Second Century campaign for the Illinois House Fund, please contact Triangle Education Foundation Vice President Aaron Girson at agirson@ triangle.org or at 317-203-4510, or you may make a secure online gift at https://tinyurl.com/yf2d2d4v. There are both tax-deductible and nondeductible giving options, and gifts may be structured over several years.
SAVE THE DATES: Chapter Congress Saturday April 9th @ 10:00am
Homecoming Saturday October 15th (recently changed by the Athletic Association)