Nu Theta Alumni at Rensselaer Report on Need for Housing Campaign
Our chapter has a long, rich history dating back almost 80 years. For more than 50 of those years, we have called the house at 224 Pawling Avenue home – but our house is now over 100 years old.
There has been much discussion over the last few years regarding major repairs, but now it is time to act. The Alumni Board, on behalf of the Nu Theta Alumni Holding Corporation, is seeking to raise $500,000 in two stages to renovate the house to address safety, sanitary, energy efficiency, and quality-of-life issues. This project will not only resolve near-term needs, but will position our fraternity to succeed with future generations of brothers. We need your help to make this a reality.
Our plan focuses the following major areas:
- The electrical system, especially the old cloth wiring, is in a state of increasing decay. Decades of amateur electrical work has exacerbated the problem and left the electrical infrastructure in a substandard, questionable state.
- Leaky plumbing in the house presents a constant maintenance challenge and a health risk in the case of the sanitary system.
- The poor energy efficiency of the house greatly reduces the quality of life and safety of the house. Most of the house is uncomfortably cold in the winter, prompting the use of individual space heaters that carry a significant risk. A typical winter utility bill for heat and electricity approaches $1,200 per month.
- The age of the house has caused a level of general disrepair in areas such as exterior siding, bath fixtures, and drainage, which cannot be properly maintained by the active brothers and requires professional help.
What Can You Do?
This is the largest house improvement effort that has been undertaken in the history of our chapter. We recognize the significance of this task and ask for your assistance in the following areas:
- Please update your contact information at BrotherWeb. Since we have to have everyone’s current contact information, please also contact those you are close to, should you notice any names omitted! We need a strong, connected alumni network to succeed.
- Come to Phi Mu Delta’s 2007 Alumni Weekend, at Rensselaer on October 19th - 21st. We need your involvement with this project, we welcome your input, and we want to see you again! Check http://www.phimud.com for a list of weekend activities, including family-friendly fun in the area.
- We are seeking a representative from each class year to lead this effort for their class. Please contact Ian Plaxin at plaxii@gmail.com if you are interested.
We will be sending more information to all Nu Theta
alumni by mail in the coming months. We’re hoping we
can provide a positive update in a future Triangle. Thanks
you for you consideration.
Fraternally Yours,
The Triangle
Volume 85, Number 1
Summer 2007
Full Issue available here [PDF]. Back issues here.
