Alumni Board Meeting December 8 2019

Officers: President: Orin Rehorst '73; Vice-President: Vic Caricato ’78; Treasurer: Chuck Hvala ‘73

Board: Connor Bostedt ’16; Vic Caricato ’78; Chuck Hvala ’73; Ed Kelly ’72; Randy Moore ‘13; Orin Rehorst ‘73; Tom Stern ’72; and Jake Winters ‘15

Alumni Present: Vic Caricato ’78, Chuck Hvala ‘73, Tom Stern ’72; Ed Kelly ’72 Terry Austin '69, Jake Winters ’15,  Orin Rehorst ‘73

Alumni Present via Teleconference: Jake Winters ’15, Connor Bostedt '16, and active chapter 2020 president Connor Bowels

TOPIC	DISCUSSION	ACTION/FOLLOW-UP
	The meeting was called to order by Orin Rehorst at 12:04 pm. Thanks to Tom and Micki Stern for their wonderful hospitality and lunch! The next board meeting will be held in Macomb this Spring.	Connor Bostedt will work on scheduling the next board meeting.
Presidents Report	Conner Bostedt announced he is moving back to Illinois from Texas.
Scholarship report by Vic Caricato	Vic encouraged the board to maintain the scholarship program.	The board approved $2,000 for scholarships.
Finance Report by Chuck Hvala	Chuck reported we are in decent financial shape. Chuck noted that maintenance costs for the house were twice what was budgeted. Terry said that that spending level will likely continue for the intermediate future. Vic recommended we raise additional funds by creating alumni dues. We might make this part of the resolute man program. We will see how national views that.	We will look into increasing rent for brothers living in the house. This would start for the 2021/2022 school year.
House Report by Terry Austin	Terry noticed clothes washing machine income was down. Bowles reported a problem with the dryers. Terry discussed many issues with 1580 Riverview and the plans to deal with them.	Terry and crew will address the clothes dryer problem.
Reunion 2020	Connor Bostedt mentioned we hadn't had a reunion in 2 and 1/2 years.	A motion passed to hold a reunion next summer. Tom Stern and Connor Bostedt offered to  be work on the project Connor Bowles said the fraternity has about 70 alumni who graduated since the re-installation. We will work hard to get these alumni to attend the reunion. It was mentioned that a past reunion had amenities for children and was a hit. We should consider those to attract younger alumni.
Active chapter president Connor Bowles report	Our fall pledge class is small. With few brothers living now in the dorms, we are changing our recruitment tactics. Steph Galinsky is said to be heading recruitment and is experienced. Connor is confident our future pledge classes will be of sufficient size.
Board elections	Congratulations to the board election winners: Vic Caricato John Bokum Jake Batusich Board officers were elected: President: Orin Rehorst VP: Connor Bostedt Treasurer: Jake Winters Secretary: Zak DeRoo Terry Austin was elected to the board. Board member Randy Moore has stepped down. Thanks to Randy for his service! Brother Zak DeRoo was elected new board member and secretary of the board.	A motion was approved to increase the board member count to 11. Terry Austin was elected to the addition spot. A super majority approved both motions.
Resolute Man	Ed Kelly reported that the Resolute Man program for alumni consists being a donor to the national.
Email list	Orin reported that 11 emails bounced when the last email blast was sent out.	Tom Stern offered to get updated email addresses.
A Call To Brothers	An appeal is going out to the brotherhood. Please forward any composite pictures, trophies, or other fraternity belongings to the house for display.
End of Minutes	Meeting adjourned 2:43 PM

Congratulations to these brothers voted in for the 2020 board.

Officers for the 2020/21 term will be selected at the next board meeting, December 8.

Summer Event August 17 2019

When: August 17,2019 at 6:30 PM, gates open at 5:30 PM

Where: Northwestern Medicine Field, 34W002 Cherry Ln., Geneva, IL., 60134 Map

The suite capacity is 65 people so sign up now. First come first serve.

Cost per person is $50. Included are:

• A concert at 5:30 PM
• 2 hrs of Food:Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Brats, Chicken Breast, Salads Chips and cookie and brownie tray.  Veggie burger available on request, and Pepsi products and bottled water.  Alcohol will be available outside the suite . 
• Baseball Game: Cougars vs. Clinton Lumber Kings
• Very Nice Fireworks display at the end of the game

Pay by Paypal: to Hvalacpa@aol.com.  Include the names of attendees in the notes field.  

Pay by check: mail to Chuck Hvala / Kane County Cougars, 5460 Chapel Hill Rd., Gurnee, IL., 60031.  Include with the names of attendees on the check. Make the check out to Theta Chi Cougars Event.

• The super suite has both indoor and outdoor areas.
• Group parking at $6.00 and Preferred Group Parking is $10.00 per car.  Pay upon arrival at the park.
• Wives and significant others are encouraged to attend. 
• Any questions call Vic Caricato @ 630 940 7817.  

Come and enjoy camaraderie with your brothers. Thanks to Vic Caricato for setting this up!

Board Meeting June 2, 2019

Officers: President: Connor Bostedt ’16; Vice-President: Vic Caricato ’78; Secretary: Orin Rehorst ‘73; Treasurer: Chuck Hvala ‘73

Board: Connor Bostedt ’16; Vic Caricato ’78; Chuck Hvala ’73; Ed Kelly ’72; Randy Moore ‘13; Dennis O’Connell ’78; Orin Rehorst ‘73; Tom Stern ’72; and Jake Winters ‘15

Alumni Present: Connor Bostedt ’16; Vic Caricato ’78, John Bokum '72, Tom Stern ’72; Terry Austin '69, Jake Winters ’15, Bob Schumaker 74; Orin Rehorst ‘73

Alumni Present via Teleconference: Chuck Hvala ’73, Jake Batusich '19

TOPIC	DISCUSSION	ACTION/FOLLOW-UP
	The meeting was called to order by Orin Rehorst at 12:04 pm. The minutes from the April 13 board meeting were read and approved.
Presidents Report by Orin Rehorst	Conner Bostedt stepped down as board president due to heavy career requirements. Orin Rehorst will  serve as interim president until after the elections this October. Many thanks to Connor for his service. Years ago he had a dream for a house. Conner made that dream come true. Thanks, Connor!
Scholarship report by Vic Caricato	There will be one scholarship awarded in the amount of $1000 this coming school year. This is less than we normally give, but necessary due to the unknowns involved in purchasing the house. At least 7 active chapter members have applied for the scholarship. The main contact people in the scholarship office were laid off. We don't know who the new contacts will be yet.	The plan is to restore funding to three or more $1000 scholarships awarded each year as soon as possible.
Finance Report by Chuck Hvala	Enough money was moved from the general account to the housing account to cover summer expenses. There is currently no income being generated by the house until the active members move in this August.
House Report by Terry Austin	Terry brought some of his guys to the house in Macomb to do some inspecting to help get a better quote from the contractors. Demolition is nearly completed. There were some complications with plumbing. Terry has been trying to get in touch with Macomb about some of the rules they have for fraternity homes. All required permits have been issued. Furniture will be ordered in about a week from a company called Savoy. Room assignments have been made for the following year. Actives who do not live in the house will pay a $25 parlor fee, since they too will spend a lot of their time in the house common areas. The actives made arrangements for internet and cable. No new wiring is needed. The dimensions for the letters that will go on the house are 32 by 58 inches. Vic Caricato is working on having the new and the old fraternity crest printed in 3D. These will be put on display in the house. Bob Schumaker had an idea for a street sign using a type of tin. This is an affordable option to display that the house is a Theta Chi home.	New quotes will be coming soon now that we know all that we know. The quote was about $67,000. Some new plumbing will need to be installed for the common room bathroom. About a month has passed with no response from Macomb officials. To reduce costs, actives volunteered to put the furniture together. Actives will move in on August 14. Letters will be ordered at a later time.
Fundraising by John Bokum	So far the fundraising campaign has brought in a little over $46,000. The goal is to bring in $85,000. This is about 54% of our goal. We hope more brothers will consider donating. Every contribution helps, even if it's just $100. Out of 125 brothers who committed to donating, only 90 have sent in funds. The board may send out letters to parents asking for donations. All of these donations will help with funding construction projects for the house, purchasing furniture for the house, and any unknown costs associated with buying a new place.
Social Gathering on August 17 by Vic Caricato	There will be a social gathering at the Kane County Cougars stadium August 17th. Parking will be an additional $6 for general parking and $10 for VIP parking. The suite that has been reserved can hold up to 70 people. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis. Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. A cash bar will be available as well. The gate opens at 5:30. The game starts at 6:30. There will be a concert before the game and a fireworks show after the game.	The tickets will be $50 per person (family and significant others are invited). Checks should be written to the Theta Chi Alumni Association and sent to Chuck Havala. PayPal will be available for electronic payment.
Elections by Orin Rehorst	The nominating committee received recommendations for the following brothers to serve on the board: Vic Caricato '78 (reelection) Jake Batusich '19 Tim Gerrity '83 Brian Evers '16? John Bokum '72 There are three vacancies that need to be filled. General population will be allowed to run for a position if they obtain 25 signatures.	Elections will take place in October. They will be done electronically. Officers are chosen by the board at a later date.
Alumni Mentor Program and Resolute Man by Jake Batusich	The Theta Chi International Headquarters maintains a database of alumni willing to help other alumni and active brothers. Some of the ways help can be provided include: resume building networking Career Advice Job Shadowing Volunteering Resolute Man is a national program called "eagle scouts" for Theta Chi. More information coming.	Find more information and sign up by clicking this link.
Board Member Responsibilities by Orin Rehorst	Each board member present signed and agreed to carry out the following responsibilities to the best of their abilities. Theta Chi board member responsibilities Board members are expected to work to improve the lives of our alumni. Here are some of the activities we agree to concentrate on. We will work. We will find a way to contribute. If we do not find a way, we will ask the officers for a project to work on. We will attend meetings. When we cannot attend a board meeting we will prearrange to teleconference for the meeting. We will make ourselves available. We will respond promptly to emails and texts. We will answer the phone when called. If we are absolutely not able to answer the phone, we will return the phone call as soon as possible. We will be active in communicating with other alumni. We agree that our work for Theta Chi is important. If and when we find ourselves unable to contribute, we promise to ask to step down from our officer post or committee membership. We promise to help find a replacement and assist our replacement in transitioning. We will regularly communicate with many we knew in school. We will also seek to establish relationships with alumni we did not know in school. We will make sure those we contact know we are on the board. We will work to keep them informed of what is going on with the alumni group and active chapter. We will be leaders and not be shy. We will ask alumni questions about what they would like to see us do. We will relay their responses to the board.  We will seek ways to help alumni and actives in need. If ask alumni and actives if they need help. If they do, we will seek help for them. We will utilize all our resources if necessary to help them. We will work to help brothers find jobs. We intend to establish an endowment for the assistance of brothers.
Next Meeting	TBA
End of Minutes	Meeting adjourned 2:23 PM

Board Meeting April 13, 2019 Macomb

2017-2018 Officers:  President: Connor Bostedt ’16; Vice-President: Vic Caricato ’78 Secretary: Orin Rehorst ‘73 Treasurer: Chuck Hvala ‘73

2017-2018 Board:   Connor Bostedt ’16 Vic Caricato ’78; Chuck Hvala ’73; Ed Kelly ’72; Randy Moore ‘13, Dennis O’Connell ’78, Orin Rehorst ‘73 Tom Stern ’72, and Jake Winters ‘15

Alumni Present:   Vic Caricato ’78, John Bokum '72, Ed Kelly ’72, Chuck Hvala ’73, Tom Stern ’72; Terry Austin '69, Ralph Hinkle ’70, Jake Winters ’15, Randy Moore ’13, Brad Thompson '86, Bob Schumaker 74

     

Active Members Present: Connor Bowles, Mike Hunger, Jake Batusich, Cole Harris, Tim Sankaran, Nate Fleck, Blaine Venerton, Ryan Green

TOPIC	DISCUSSION	ACTION/FOLLOW-UP
	Alumni Board Vice-President Vic Caricato opened the meeting at 12 PM April 13, 2019 The minutes of the January 2019 board meeting were read and approved, with a note to correct the opening date.
Active Chapter Report	Ryan Green, active chapter president, reported that there is a housing committee to help keep order at the house and make communication with the alumni board smooth. Sam Shehata, currently active, is graduating this May. He plans  to start grad school this fall and is the active chapter's number one choice for house advisor. Being a graduate student qualifies him for this role.
Scholarship report	Vic Caricato reported that we will need to cut the funding for the scholarship down to one $1000 scholarship. Eventually the funding will be restored. The application process has been changed and is now completely online. Ryan Green said this has caused some issues in getting the applications submitted. Cole Harris attempted to get a head count, with no luck. He was told that someone will get back to him.
Finance Report	Chuck Hvala gave a finance report for the house. Over the summer there will be no tenants, and therefore no income coming in. The reserves set aside for the house are a little low. The hope is we will continue to receive donations for the housing fund.
House Report	Terry Austin was given special acknowledgment for the outstanding work he has done on the house. Remodel The common room will be approximately 1200 square feet with a kitchen, storage room, ADA compliant restroom, closet, and access to the second story deck. There will be stairs added leading to the second story deck from the parking area. Terry has obtained building permits to cover demolition, construction, and electrical work for the house remodel on the common room and second story deck. He is researching sign options so the house is labeled as the Theta Chi house from the street. Terry has received several bids for the remodel ranging from $67,900 to $94,495 for the entire remodel. These bids were from local contractors in Macomb. The remodel must be done by August 1, when the new leases go into effect. Leases Currently we have 20 brothers signed up to live in the house.  Vic was assured by the university that we would get at least 4 greek releases for freshmen and sophomore students to be allowed to live off campus in the house.  Furniture A decision will need to be made on where to purchase furniture. This will depend on the cost of the remodel and how much money is fundraised. Terry suggested that New England Woodcraft would be the best option. It is durable and there are options to buy individual parts when needed. Savoy is another option. This is a little cheaper, and still good quality, but there are no provisions for buying individual parts for repairs. John Bokum mentioned another company called Military Surplus. They auction off used military furniture.	To lower the cost of the remodel, Terry suggested the following: 1) He can bring some of his contractors from Quincy to do some of the demolition. 2) Wait to install the double back doors. 3) Wait to have the steps leading up to the second story deck installed. 4) Actives can start soliciting money from family members, with support from alumni as needed.
Fundraising	John Bokum reported that we have received donations amounting to about half of our goal so far. The fundraising campaign started back in February, so we have made some good progress at this point. 125 Alumni brothers have contributed. It was estimated that there will be about 70 new alumni (since re-chartering). The hope is that each of these brothers will be able to contribute. Cole Harris provided us with a list of recent graduates, and their WIU emails. John asked that each board member try and contact an additional 10 alumni brothers to solicit donations
Social Gathering on August 17	Vic Caricato scheduled a social gathering for all actives and alumni brothers. The event will be on August 17th at Kane County Cougars Stadium in Geneva, Il. There will be a concert, ball game, buffet, cash bar, and fireworks display, The cost is $50/person plus the cost of parking. Vic is working on a cutting a deal for parking discounts. Payment must be submitted ahead of time. John Bokum mentioned that he will arrange a raffle to try and get some additional fund raising
Elections	Vic Caricato started the discussion of elections by giving a special acknowledgment to Connor Bostedt for serving as the president over the past few years. He needs to step down to focus on his career. Connor plans to remain on the board. An election nominating committee of at least 5 members must be put together, with 3 members not being a part of the board. The nominating committee will present a list of candidates by June 1st. A poll will sent out via survey monkey so all alumni can vote.	Orin Rehorst will step up as acting president until elections take place. Orin was previously active chapter president back in the 70's. John Bokum, Ralph Hinkle, Chuck Hvala, Jake Batusich, Brad Thompson, and Bob Schumaker will serve on the nominating comittee.
Next Meeting	June 2nd
End of Minutes	Meeting adjourned 1:52 PM