Duck Tales Newsletter
The one constant in our chapter history over the years is the Duck Tales newsletter. If you have not seen one in your mailbox for a few years, it might be time to update your address using our Alumni Information Form. You will also receive our quarterly email newsletter (E-Duck Tales) highlighting news and articles on this website.
The next print edition will arrive in your mail box in June. You can also download it here.
Download the Fall 2021 edition of Duck Tales
The chapter is excelling in its second year!
It started two years ago with a vision for the Oregon Alpha chapter that embraced the best of our history while setting new standards for what it means to be a fraternity in the modern age. A chapter advisory team of twelve brothers was formed, support from the national fraternity and university were secured, and in the fall of 2021, the process of forming the new chapter began.
Starting a fraternity is no easy task. The standards are very high to earn a charter and it often takes two years of work by the undergraduates and alumni advisors to meet all the criteria. Everything has to align in order to turn the vision into a reality.
Fortunately, we had a lot going for us. Our house corporation and chapter advisory team is made up of nearly 20 alumni that are smart, committed, and hard working. Nationals provided us with expansion consultants to kick-start the recruiting and has since helped us hire our current consultant who also happens to live in the house as our resident caretaker. And, then, there is the fraternity house. The promise of living in one of the most classic structures on campus is a huge recruiting tool. Without it, our job would be so much more difficult.
Our job in year one was to assemble a core group of undergraduate men who shared our values and wanted to be a part of building something new. There is nothing more important than getting this first step right because this is the group we are counting on to rebuild what we know and love. At the end of that year, it was clear we had found a solid group of men who were committed to the vision.
Year two is the second most important year. That core group has to recruit new members, develop leadership skills, and take care of business in the classroom. Our new brothers have demonstrated they are able to grow into those responsibilities and they have earned the trust of the alumni which is very important because the next question all alumni and undergraduates ask is the big one: When can our chapter reoccupy the fraternity house?
The hope has always been that our chapter would be back in the house for the 100th anniversary. That meant making a decision in the fall of 2022 not long after rush was completed and before students have to sign leases for the following school year. The House Corporation and Chapter Advisory Team worked together to assess the financial impact, evaluate the renovation needs, work with the current tenant, and decide if the young chapter was ready for this responsibility.
In November, the House Corporation unanimously approved a motion to reoccupy the house in the fall of 2023 assuming all undergraduate members sign housing contracts and pay their deposits this winter. The decision has already energized recruiting for the undergraduates and we know all alumni will be thrilled to see the letters of Phi Kappa Psi back on the front of our house.
While exciting, it’s just the beginning of the work. The chapter needs to continue to build membership and achieve rechartering. The House Corporation must continue to fund and manage renovations that are essential to creating safe, comfortable student housing. And the Chapter Advisory Team needs to actively support every aspect of chapter development to ensure our success continues.
Twenty alumni volunteers cannot do this alone. We need financial support to pay for the expansion consultant at least through this school year, if not beyond. We need brothers to participate in the mentoring program to help students learn about careers and make connections. We need to see you at the 100th Anniversary celebration in August 2023. These are not big asks, but collectively they will make a big difference. The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity played a part in shaping who you are, what friends you have today, and who you turn to professionally. It’s time to give back to help the next generation have the same experience.
Stay high on Phi Psi!
Grant Kimball (’84, 1124)