Triangle National Headquarters 120 S. Center Street Plainfield, IN 46168
Transit Club News
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Connecting Purdue Triangle Alumni June 2022
Chapter House for Grand Prix 2022 Reception
Welcome to the re-launched “Transit Club News” – the official alumni newsletter of the Purdue Chapter of Triangle Fraternity
Stay Connected Get more frequent updates: New Triangle Logo and Branding! The logo above features the new branding from Triangle National with a revised Delta-T graphic and new tag line “Social.Professional.STEM” to emphasize our connection with STEM education and both the social and professional networks that Triangle helps Brothers develop.
Like Us on Facebook PurdueTriangle Connect on Instagram PurdueTriangle Update Us Online Update your contact info bit.ly/triangleupdate Save the Date Purdue Homecoming September 24, 2022 >Housing Strategy Exploratory Committee Presentation
TBHC To Manage Chapter House Property and Operations
Exploratory Committee Formed to Review Long-Term Housing Strategy
The Purdue Triangle Alumni Organization has engaged Triangle Building and Housing Corp. (TBHC) for property management of the chapter house at 103 University Street. Originally, the board hired Dick’s Property Management Service in 2003 to lessen the burden on the Active Executive Board so they could devote more time to academics. The firm also developed shortterm and long-term maintenance plans to preserve and enhance the building.
An exploratory committee has been formed to review strategic options for the chapter house structure. The current house was built in two stages, 1959 and 1962, and will require significant repairs and updates during the next few years. Over the past ten years, several Purdue fraternities have completed major renovations or complete rebuilds of their chapter houses, which creates a competitive disadvantage for Triangle newmember recruitment. Additionally, our actives’ academic, internet, social and personal needs have evolved since 1962. Accordingly, the committee was formed by the Alumni Board to review goals, house size, chapter financial health, with design and cost estimates for house renovation versus teardown and rebuild.
Dick was an acquaintance of Brother Rick Eckert (pur64) and managed eight Purdue fraternity and sorority houses. Upon his retirement, Dick sold his company to his employee Shawn Findley, who formed Oloas LLC and managed the property until 2018, at which time TBHC was contracted for these services. TBHC was founded in 1957 as a building loan fund originator for Triangle Fraternity chapter houses and was later incorporated in 2014 to help chapters build and maintain their houses. TBHC is located at Triangle National Headquarters in nearby Plainfield, IN, just west of Indianapolis, and is managed by Executive Director Mike Fouts and Operations Director Ray Guttendorf, with Brother Jim Marshal (pur65) serving as Treasurer. To learn more about TBHC and its mission, visit the www.triangle.org/housing/ Purdue Triangle was one of the first chapters to engage TBHC to handle property management services. We collaborated with
The committee is chaired by Randy Herrel with several subcommittees based on member expertise. Committee members include: Randy Herrel, Craig Chambers, Mark Cheesman, Jack Cunningham, Brayden Duff, Adam Dziergowsk, Robert Folz, Jordan Friddle, Zarrell Gray, Brian Jarman, Nate Kerr, Don Knebel, Jakob Lieberman, Jackson Longfellow, George Lupus, Pat McCarthy, Ross Miskovich, Albert Raffin, Mike Silver, Dave Skeels, Dave Smith, Bob Strickler, and Mike Zeller. The current workplan includes hosting a presentation to review committee analysis, projections and recommendations during Purdue Homecoming, September 24, 2022. -Randy Herrel, pur70
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Triangle Races in 2022 Grand Prix Purdue Triangle entered the 2022 Purdue Grand Prix race, with Brothers Randall Hubbell and Andrew Morin driving two top-class karts. Alums Randy Krampe, former Triangle Grand Prix driver, and Mike Silver, former Purdue Chapter President, helped with establishing an online donation site. The race was held Saturday, April 23, 2022 and while we did not place in the top-3 spots this year, many alums attended to cheer for our teams as well as visit with our Triangle brothers as shown below.
Mel Chiogioji (58) and Pat McCarthy(86)
Transit Club News New Member Recruitment Increases 30% for 21/22 School Year Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions severely limited recruiting activities during the 2020/2021 school year. Like all campus Greek organizations during this time, our Purdue Triangle chapter experienced reduced new-member recruitment and decreased house population. Fortunately, we have reversed these declines with a new recruiting strategy and the lifting of campus pandemic restrictions for live recruitment events. In 2021, we hired a consultant and previous Triangle National employee, Quinn Moran, to help update our new member recruiting process and offload some tasks from the actives. This revised strategy – and the hard work of the active chapter – have produced great improvements in recruitment. “Recruitment for the 2021-2022 school year was strong for our Brothers. Recruitment Director, Kyle Morin, led the charge in securing our Fall Pledge Class, which began in the summer with 3000 postcards mailed to eligible incoming freshman men. As the Fall Semester began, our new recruitment process continued
Transit Club News
Resources
with informative posts on social media and fun events. We welcomed 18 men as pledges in the Fall Class, of which 15 were initiated into Triangle Fraternity. Brennan Birn became Recruitment Director for the 2022 calendar year, and we started the Spring Semester with a Bass-Pro recruitment theme with 5 men pledging, of which 3 were initiated as Brothers. For the full academic year, we welcomed 18 new brothers into our Chapter and they quickly participated in house volunteer positions and campus organizations, including driving for our Grand Prix team. Welcome new Brothers! We will begin Fall 2022 recruitment with events starting in the summer including a STEM Mentorship Program, Purdue Prep Webinar Series, and postcards mailed to all eligible freshmen. For details see: purduetrianlge.org/summerprograms-2022/
Please email Brennan any potential recruits: recruitment@purduetriangle.org Thanks! - Quinn Moran
TBHC To Manage Chapter House Property and Operations (Continued from page 1) TBHC to develop a property management plan for the Purdue Chapter which could be used as a model for other chapters. The current agreement with TBHC for the Purdue Chapter is available for alumni to review on the chapter website: purduetriangle.org/alumni-boardagreements-and-minutes/ Exhibit “A” shows the lease agreement between the alumni organization and the active chapter. Exhibit “C” shows the specific property management services provided by TBHC. There is no Exhibit B. The Active Executive Board Operations Director (OD) is engaged with TBHC weekly to review and plan house maintenance. The OD is supported by a House Representative Committee, with both Active and Alumni members. Comments and suggestions regarding the TBHC agreement should be directed to Rick Rezek, Alumni Board President (email in Resource section).
Alumni Association Board Contacts Rick Rezek, President Rick.Rezek@btlaw.com
Active Executive Board Contacts Jakob Lieberman, President president@purduetriangle.org
Online Resource
Chapter Website PurdueTriangle.com (Alumni section password: TransitClub103!) National Website Triangle.org
Alumni Volunteers Needed to Mentor Actives in 2022-23 School Year Brandon Cutler, Purdue Associate Dean of Students, recently told members of the Housing Exploratory Committee that the most successful fraternities at Purdue have about 30 Alumni that regularly mentor active members of their fraternity. He commented that most mentoring is conducted virtually using online video meetings, with additional inperson meetings on campus, and that both methods were effective. Accordingly, we are seeking to form small alumni groups of 2-3 Brothers to serve as mentors for each of the Active BOD members. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Alumni Board and the Active BOD used video meetings, which allowed us to expand beyond central Indiana for alumni who could engage with BOD leadership. So, you do not need to live near Purdue to serve as a mentor.
This new alumni mentoring program will allow more alumni to engage with the Active BOD as compared to the traditional Alumni Board model. The program will also allow Alumni mentors to narrow their focus to specific areas of interest, which will increase efficiency and reduce risk of burn-out. The program will use online video platforms to host meetings for each Active BOD officer and their alumni mentor group, who will provide advice, strategies, and tips on how to run their office. Ideally, mentors will have experience in the areas for which they advise. Please help us make a positive impact on this fine group of young Triangle men! To learn more about the program, please contact Rick Rezek.
What Impact Did Purdue Triangle Have on You?
Rick is conducting an informal survey to gauge how the chapter has evolved and help ensure our future strategies provide a positive direction.
What do you think Triangle can best offer STEM students today on the 40,000 student Purdue campus?
Please send us information about you, your family, and career to include in future editions of Transit Club News! Triangle.org/alumni-contactinformation-update/
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Upcoming Events
Purdue Triangle Alums meeting for lunch, May 2022, left to right: Craig Alderson (76), Darrell Samuels (74), John Lindenschmidt (75), GR Smith (75), and Wade Lange (75)
Triangle National Convention July 7-10, 2022 Orlando, FL
Homecoming September 24, 2022
Please send me your thoughts! Rick Rezek (77) President, Alumni Board
Rick Rezek reports that on December 31, 2021 he retired from the active practice of law as a patent lawyer at Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis, after 40 years of service. He and his wife, Shannon, continue to live in Indy and also spend time at their cottage on Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, IN. Kids (twins) Maggie and Patrick turn 30 this year and are living and working in Chicago. Rick plays tennis in summer and paddle tennis in winter and will make another valiant attempt to hit a golf ball this spring. He recently concluded his 30th year as a member of the Purdue Triangle Alumni Board and has been an active member in leadership positions in Indianapolis theatres for many years. GO Boilers and Cubs!
Social Media
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Let Rick know what you most valued at Triangle and how this influenced your career and personal development.
Alumni Updates
Purdue Triangle Alums visiting campus, Grand Prix 2022: Brian Bennett (77), Rob Adams (77) and Mark Cheesman (78)
>Annual Alumni Meeting
Purdue Triangle 2021-22 Pledge Classes
>Housing Exploratory Committee presentation
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