May 13, 2005
Dear Brothers:
Let me begin by thanking Richard Maltz and other Omega alumnus members for establishing this website
and for giving me the opportunity to post an article about Omega
chapter.
In March of 2000, the Executive Steering Committee
of our Fraternity, composed of the elected leaders of the then four
entities of the Fraternity along with the Executive Director, met in
State College, Pennsylvania. The decision to meet in State College
was prompted by the opportunity to join alumni and undergraduates of
Omega in celebrating “Howard Alter Day” that weekend. It
was a very special occasion for all and especially for Howard, an Omega
alumnus from the Class of 1941 and “Mr. Theta Chi” to all
of us.
I recall standing in the living room of the chapter
house on Allen Street and watching through a window as Howard made
his way to the front door on a sunny Saturday afternoon. He was greeted
by three other Omega alumni, including the brother who had given him
his bid to join Theta Chi and his fraternity Big Brother. As the men
shook hands, tears began to flow. I turned to several of our undergraduates
who were standing with me and said, “Guys, this is what it is
all about—the friendships that last over the years”.
On October 31st of 2001, I sat on the front steps
of my home in Carmel, Indiana, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters
while participating on a conference call with Matt Valangeon, our Director
of Chapter Development, and several undergraduate members of Omega
chapter. The undergraduates were telling us in no uncertain terms that
Omega was “Dying or dead”, and that little could be done
to bring it back to life.
The contrast between the feelings of pride, brotherhood and tradition
in March of 2000 and the understated comments by undergraduates that, “We’re
done—it’s over” barely 18 months later was striking,
to say the least.
Some of you may recall that we sent out letters and
emails to alumni asking for help. Our stance was, quite simply, that
we weren’t going to let Omega die. It wasn’t just because
Omega produced two Executive Directors—George Chapman and Howard
Alter, Jr., whose consecutive terms of service ran from 1948 to 1984--along
with other Theta Chi giants such as William
Renton, Omega ‘46. It wasn’t just that The
Pennsylvania State University was a significant campus in Greek
life and boasted one of the largest Greek communities in the nation.
It wasn’t just the consistently excellent and dedicated efforts
of Joost Keesing, Epsilon
Sigma/Wagner ’71,
who served for many years as chapter advisor to Omega. It wasn’t
just because Omega is a single letter chapter. It was for all of those
reasons, but also that we belong at Penn
State, and that we felt we could succeed there again.
And, in all candor, I share a trait with many Omega
alumni…..I hate to quit. That was a reason, too.
I received my fair share of scathing emails and letters
from Omega alumni in response to the request that Ed Brown and I sent out. The criticisms were typical: “Alcohol-free
housing killed our chapter”……”Who are you to
tell us where and when we can drink?”…..ad infinitum.
Some of those younger alumnus members were and perhaps
are among those whom Ed Brown described
in a message. Ed noted that
they parked their cars on the front lawn of the chapter house, went
to the football game, stopped by the bars on the way back from the
game, then made their way to 523 South Allen Street, got into their
cars, and drove away without making the effort to meet the undergraduates
or visit the house.
We also received some very positive and supportive
messages from alumnus members who asked, “What can I do to help?”
Through and with leadership by Ed, Omega ’87, and James Stuhltrager, Omega ’89, among others, we agreed upon a
plan to rebuild the chapter by recruiting men as though we were recolonizing
or starting up again at Penn State.
That effort began in the fall of 2002. It has been
a long, arduous, and difficult process. As the saying goes, we are
not home yet. But, we are making progress.
I visited Omega Chapter on Tuesday, April 12th, of
this year. The Grand Chapter scheduled its meeting in Vermont beginning
on Thursday, the 14th, and the stop at State College was on the way. Jared
Brown, a Theta Chi alumnus of Eta
Zeta/Edinboro,
serves as an Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at
Penn State, and he helped arrange my visit, including a brief speech
during a Greek Week event that evening.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, although reports
from a number of staff members, volunteers, alumnus members and folks
from the University had been positive. In February, I had the opportunity
to meet with Dennis Foley,
the new Alumni Corporation President, and Dennis had
noted that membership was increasing and that things were looking better.
Based upon my visit, there are other good things
to report.
• We have 24 undergraduate members. Our grade
point average for the chapter is among the highest on campus. Our
undergraduates come from a variety of majors and backgrounds. Several
of them are leaders in other campus organizations. They waited on
dinner until I arrived, and everyone ate together.
• The chapter house was clean from top to bottom. Even the
areas that are not currently being used were clean. No litter, no
garbage, no dumpster odors.
• Our undergraduates understand the heritage of Omega Chapter.
They proudly showed me the chapter room, and how several members
have restored or reframed historical items for display. On occasion,
I have visited single letter chapters and found that the members
have little appreciation for what that means in our Fraternity. That
is not the case at Omega.
• When I returned from the presentation on campus, I talked
with most of our members in the Howard Alter Room on the main floor
of the chapter house. I asked the members if they were planning on
visiting Howard in the near future. “Can we?” one member
asked me, as though asking to visit the Wizard of Oz.
I whipped out my cell phone and called Howard at
his home. It was 9:12 p.m. and knowing Howard, I gambled that he would
still be awake. Howard answered, and I said, “Brother Alter,
I am standing in the middle of a room named in your honor at 523 South
Allen Street, State College, Pennsylvania. There are some men who wish
to speak with you”. I then passed my phone to the nearest member.
Twenty-seven minutes later my phone was returned to me. While that
conversation may put me over my monthly minute limit, it was worth
it to watch the faces of the undergraduates. Howard greeted each member
and New Member in turn, and then had a quip or comment about that individual’s
hometown. We couldn’t hear Howard’s comments, but the smiles
on the faces of the undergraduates told us that Howard was working
the crowd.
The men indicated that they will visit Howard after
the end of the semester. Several of our members are from the Pittsburgh
area, and it is my hope that they will stop by and visit Brother Alter
on their own as well.
I enjoyed my visit to Omega. Much remains to be done
with the chapter house in terms of professional work to bring it up
to code so that all rooms may be occupied, but our undergraduates have
clearly done everything that they can do to improve the house. It was
among the cleanest houses that I have visited this academic year, and
the members take pride in being members of Omega Chapter and Theta
Chi Fraternity.
If you are an alumnus and reading this, I hope that
you will contact Dennis Foley and
offer your assistance to the alumni corporation. As I understand it,
there are some positions to fill. From my experience, we can never
have too many involved alumnus members. We have a brotherhood to advise,
and a house to fill. And, we are on the way to bringing Omega back.
Fraternally,
Dave Westol
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
Theta Chi Fraternity |
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