Brothers,
First and foremost on behalf of the entire WI-Theta Alumni and Volunteer Corporation I would like to wish you and your family a safe and wonderful holiday season! As we close out the 2023 year I wanted to take a moment and reflect on the past year because what a whirlwind it was. The undergraduate chapter continues to be strong and grow stronger every year. Recruitment got back on track. Grades remain impressive and at record levels. Retention has been vastly improved… On the AVC side we went public on our Housing Capital Campaign to build a brand new chapter home and thanks to the amazing generosity of Brother’s we have received over $200k in commitments. We also passed the largest Bylaw overhaul in our history to better support the undergraduate chapter. We kept our top 10 streak in number of unique donors for Founders Day of Giving. Jeremy Baker became the first WI-Theta District Governor. Oh.. and if you somehow didn’t get the memo we won our second Buc Cup in a Row! None of this would have been possible without the dedication of our volunteers and our undergraduate Brothers who keep our motto of “Just good enough never is!” alive and well.
As we look forward to flipping the page into 2024 there will be many challenges to tackle. The undergrads are a pilot chapter for a completely revamped Balanced Man Program. They are also a pilot for a brand new ritual program as well. They also have a very young leadership group; but what they may lack in experience they offset in fresh energy and ideas. On the AVC we are transitioning to the new Bylaws where every Board member takes on a little more responsibility. The housing build committee is ramping up. The capital campaign will get some fresh air. We will be expanding our alumni communication through regular postcard mailings with links to our online content quarterly. The 25-Year banquet committee is forming (Crazy to think huh?… this time next year you will have a “Save the Date” notification). Thankfully all these challenges and initiatives are a part of building something bigger and I am excited to see the results! With that said, if you want to help out in any way, whether it’s a leadership role, serving on a committee, or just participating or contributing to a cause please consider doing so. A chapter is only as strong as its volunteers. I think we have one of the top tier volunteer groups in the country and that’s why a little chapter from a small school in rural Wisconsin is making noise on a national level. But in order to do more we need all the support we can get. Whether it’s just becoming an AVC member and supporting our work through member dues or giving of your time by serving on a committee…your investment in the Chapter will not be taken in vain nor go to waste.
Finally, I know we are all so saddened and shocked by the untimely passing of Brother David Nevins. His contributions to our brotherhood are countless and we would not be where we are today without his influence and guidance. Let us also use his passing as a reminder that we never know when our time is coming. This chapter… this experience… the bond we all share and the principals we all pledged our support to. This was a lifetime commitment we made to each other and to the undergrad chapter. I’m eternally grateful to have you all in my life. I know it’s challenging to stay in touch with each other with careers and families… but let’s not forget this brotherhood, this bond, this pledge. I would like to propose a challenge to reach back out to just one Brother in this next year whom you haven’t kept up with in some time. As our ritual reminds us. “As the grains of sand slip through the hourglass, so glide the precious memories and once gone, they and their opportunities are beyond recall.”
Again congrats to all on an amazing 2023 and let’s continue to look forward as we move into 2024!
Please take a moment to review your contact information at MySigEp.org
To support the David Nevins Student Leadership Scholarship: https://go.uwplatt.edu/davidmnevins
To to get involved please reach out to myself, Austin Dye, or Dawson VanWinkle
Fraternally,
HFF
VDBL
Chris Yerges
AVC President
Gentlemen United, Unconditionally, in the pursuit of realizing each other’s Greatest Personal Potential.