The Alumni Volunteer Corporation of the WI-Theta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon was created alongside the founding of our Chapter. It was created as an independent, non-profit corporation established to serve and benefit the alumni, volunteers and undergraduates of the Wisconsin-Theta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. We, as a corporation, are composed of Alumni of the WI-Theta chapter, along with friends and family of the chapter. This includes alumni and members of other chapters, parents of members/Alumni, along with local community and university members.
The fraternity’s Grand Chapter bylaws outline the duties and the purpose of the AVC:
. . . incorporate to form an Alumni and Volunteer Corporation to serve the alumni and volunteers of a given chapter, as well as to serve as a landlord for the undergraduate chapter and to provide advice and counsel to the undergraduate chapter.
This means that we as an AVC are focusing on the short-term and long-term health and goals of the undergraduate chapter and the corporation. We are in a beneficial situation to see our goals through due to the continuity and ever-growing experience of our membership base. Thanks to our membership being composed of our past chapter executives, along with professionals from all fields of work, we are positioned to deliver on our purpose and achieve the goals of the AVC : Mentoring Undergraduates, cultivating alumni, managing assets, and maintaining corporate health.
A healthy relationship with the undergraduate chapter in Platteville is essential to the AVC. Effectively advising and counseling the undergraduate leaders of the chapter allows for the growth of both bodies in a positive direction. With a membership base largely composed of alumni, we are fortunate to have mentors that can connect, empathize, and help undergraduate members in shaping the direction of the chapter. However, this counseling and advice doesn’t just pertain to the chapter’s growth, but to the individual growth of our undergraduate members as well. Our undergrads can reach out to our alumni to tap in to their wealth of personal and professional experience, creating the best opportunities for them to succeed.
The AVC also works hard to maintain a connection and dialogue with our ever growing Alumni. With the chapter now over 20 years old, the corporation works to connect and inform alumni about the undergraduate chapter and each other. By holding monthly meetings, distributing quarterly newsletters, and holding annual alumni events we are working to maintain a relationship between the chapter, the AVC, and our alumni. In developing and engaging with a network of support, the AVC can work to connect Alumni with undergraduates, grow our membership base, and expand our donor base.
How can you learn more about the AVC, the undergraduate chapter, and the work that we do? You can connect with the AVC and the undergraduate chapter at uwplatteville.sigep.org. Our Facebook page is also very active and keeps all of its followers up to date with the meeting minutes, fundraising opportunities, and local events. The AVC also hosts monthly meetings open to paying AVC members. Our annual meeting, which takes place in late April or early May, is open to all, and updates all guests on the actions of the AVC’s previous year and allows members to vote on that year’s open trustee positions and actionable agenda items.
If you would like to be a member of the AVC for WI-Theta and be able to vote at our annual meeting, be eligible to become a trustee, as well as receive discounts at our alumni events- we have a payment structure that allows you choose an option that best fits you. Base memberships cost $50 per year and can be paid online or via mail. We currently have just over 40 members in the AVC and are looking for new members. If you would like to join the AVC, please contact our VP of Finance, William Kuehni at Kuehni08@gmail.com or message him on Facebook.
If you’d like to receive our newsletters, meeting minutes, and other emails pertaining to the chapter or the AVC we recommend heading on over to MySigEp.org and creating an account. There, you can update your contact information so that we can keep you up-to-date with our ever changing chapter and the updates from our national headquarters. If you prefer to just be added to our email contact list, you can contact our Secretary Austin Dye at AustinDye273@gmail.com.
We as an AVC appreciate all of the time and effort that our current and past members and volunteers have put into making the chapter what it is today. If you are new to the chapter or are alumni looking to get more involved, please feel free to reach out and contact us with any questions. The chapter continues to grow and reach new milestones. Our future is brighter than ever and we want you to be a part of it.