The Upsilon Ups Issue 1 • May 2009 • www.illinois-pikapps.com Pi Kappa Phi, Upsilon Chapter, University of Illinois • Est. 1921 Issue 1 • May 2009 • www.illinois-pikapps.com Pi Kappa Phi, Upsilon Chapter, University of Illinois • Est. 1921 Upsilon alumni return to Champaign – regardless of age – for Homecoming each year. With the house more successful than it has been in a long time there is more reason than ever to become active again. By Adam Nekola Alumni Chapter Vice-President For the refounding fathers, broth- erhood was a certainty. But then graduation came – the real world beckoned. Suddenly the youngest alumni of the Upsilon Chapter be- gan to feel disconnected. From the chapter, from each other. Only a small group of alumni were still involved. Some served on the Housing Corporation, while others were on the Board of Alum- ni Advisors - but in these facilities they were there to serve the chapter. There was no group, or position, that could adequately strengthen the alumni base. That’s when the advisors began looking into the formation of an alumni chapter. “We felt that a third alumni group was the strongest options,” said Gene Giannotta (Y1030), a 2007 Illinois graduate and recently elected Alumni Chapter President. A third group seemed right for Upsilon for several reasons. The first is to maintain the brotherhood that is developed dur- ing a brother’s undergrad years. It solves the disconnect that recent al- ums are beginning to feel. Moreover, starting the or- ganization now will pre- vent that from happening as brothers continue to reach alumni status. The Housing Corpora- tion had been inadequate in this facility since the new house was construct- ed. The bills were a heavy burden and required much effort. The Alumni Advi- sors did not exist to be a proactive group – they were appointed by the undergrads. Another reason is to help the chapter. “It will help to coordinate bet- ter with the undergrads on their alumni relations efforts and hope- fully build a strong foundation of support for the chapter which it can count on for years to come,” Giannotta said. “Hopefully, that will be a great resource for them.” The alumni chapter could help with homecoming – both with planning and attendence – and could take over the newsletter program. The intent is to help encour- age older alumni to be- come involved. With greater atten- dence and participation by alumni, Giannotta hopes they would serve as an example to the under- grads. “Alumni involvement is impor- tant because it shows how seriously those who have come before take the concept of a lifelong commit- ment, and so it serves as a model for them through college and af- ter,” he said. Additionally, it will show that ALUMNI CHAPTER NEWS Pi Kapps for Life Alumni Chapter strengthens ideal of lifelong brotherhood alumni exist for more than donating money. It is no secret that undergrads hope to get donations from alumni. Although fundraising may become an aspect of the alumni chapter, the networking benefits alone will help the chapter during recruitment. “We already have about 30 alumni since the chapter was re-founded, as well as over 600 living alumni across the country that I’d like to reach out to. So, I see no reason why we can’t have 50-75 members at least by the time we celebrate the 90th anniver- sary of Upsilon in 2011,” Giannotta said. He and the others starting the organization are already eying key alumni recruitment dates. The first, to be celebrated at the next Home- coming, is the fifth anniversary of the chapter’s refounding. By this point, Giannotta hopes to have all of the alumni since refounding as part of the alumni chapter. His goal for 2011 is much more grand. “I see 2011 as the goal line for our efforts and I want to do whatever we can to build enthusiasm and ex- citement across the greater Upsilon brotherhood so we cross a threshold that will ensure many, many years of success as a fraternity of leaders and men of CLASS, from freshman year into the golden years,” he said. With a functioning alumni chap- ter, brothers can look forward to events like Founders’ Day dinners, bar trips, golf outings, an alumni football block for Fighting Illini games, the Rose Ball, and, of course, Homecoming. Events will be located across Illinois. “As time goes on we will expand our programming calendar and the range of benefits for alumni brothers who are active members,” Giannotta said. Right now the possibilities are endless for Upsilon. Pi Kappa Phi it- self started with three men and their dream, while the recolonization at the University of Illinois began near- ly the same way. For Giannotta and others, the Alumni Chapter is the final step to ensure that Pi Kappa Phi’s strength will endure forever. n New Web site includes community Forum, calendar, maps keep alumni up to date Instant messenger, G-chat, Face- book. There are countless ways to get in touch with someone over the internet these days. Introducing one more - except this one is for alumni of Upsilon only. The new Upsilon Alumni Web site (www.illinois-pikapps.com) is more advanced than ever. Anyone can visit the page and learn about Upsilon news and events, but only alumni can log in to a members-only section and have access to numerous resources. “Registering for the site is not only easy, but only possible for Upsi- lon alumni,” said Adam Nekola, the developer of the site. All it takes is your last name and New Housing officers have grand vision By Adam Nekola Alumni Chapter Vice-President Homecoming is usually about meeting old friends and seeing cam- pus again, but for the Upsilon Hous- ing Corporation, it serves another purpose. For what has been the largest an- nual gathering of Upsilon Alumni for some time, the Housing Corp. has used the occasion to elect new members. This fall was no different as four members joined the eight- member board. Jim McMahon (Y965), Eric Chen (Y1008), Gene Giannotta (Y1030), and Andrew Ostendorf (Y1068) were elected to the board, while Mike Nolte was ap- pointed as the Undergraduate repre- sentative. Members are elected to at-large positions and the board itself ap- points members to offices. Return- ing members James Nelson (Y1005) and John Hankus (Y1009) take over as president and vice-president. “Since the house has been com- pleted, HC has been a very lopsided organization – the president did most of the work, and took most of the blame from the undergraduate chapter,” Nelson said. “The VP now acts as the sounding board to the chapter or undergradu- ate liaison, and is also in charge of handling all of the repairs needed in the house. By the end of Jeff (McMahon)’s term (as President), we had some structure to all of the positions on HC.” For the newly-defined vice-presi- dent position Hankus seemed to be the perfect fit. As a former house manager himself, he knows what it takes. “Since the primary function of VP was to communicate with the House Manager and coordinate house repairs, I figured this would be a natural role for me,” Hankus said. “I also have a good background of maintenance with plumbing, elec- trical work, and construction so I figured I could help out with repairs and can help diagnose problems over the phone or give preventative main- tenance advice.” It’s communication that the Hous- ing Corp. has identified as their big- gest problem. With a knowledge- able alumni in the vice-president position, the organization hopes to streamline how the undergrad chap- ter asks for house repairs, and to pri- oritize in order to get these repairs completed. Improving the quality of the house will help the undergrads recruit bet- ter. Better recruitment will help the finances improve. And with a bud- get earning a surplus, the Housing Corp. hopes to soon own the house - they the possibilities will be limit- less. “Finances are looking good and so are house numbers - a great basis to start on. Now we need to work on improvements to make housing corps more active in day to day op- erations of the house,” Hankus said. Nelson has the same plan, but with the formation of the alumni chapter, he sees things differently. “This might sound unusual, but my main goals for HC in the future are about reducing responsibility,” he said. “The chapter wants greater owner- ship of the house’s costs and repairs, and we hope to work out a solution to give it to them. The chapter is already streamlining rent payments for the first semester ever. Instead of us collecting rent from each indi- vidual in the house, the chapter will collect rent from everybody, and the chapter will be responsible for pay- ing HC. We’re hoping to work out a way where we can allow the chapter to make house repairs faster, without having to go through 3-5 different people just to get something done.” By giving more responsibility to the undergrads and sharing goals with the Alumni Chapter, he sees the Housing Corp. becoming a smaller group in the future. The idea is not to burden one individual or one alumni body too much. The Housing Corp’s sole focus on house operations will allow it’s members to specialize better. Hankus wants to take that focus to the next level, though. “Hopefully we can pay off the mortgage to the house as soon as possible in order to create a house where expenses are low and provide a cheaper alternative to dorms and some apartments. This will help to keep a flourishing undergraduate chapter at U of I. Having a place to call home on visits to Champaign is something every alumni would ap- preciate,” he said. n See ‘AC’ • Page 4 See ‘Housing’ • Page 4 The Upsilon Alumni Chapter Board President – Gene Giannotta (Y1030) Vice-President – Adam Nekola (Y1007) Treasurer – Nick Stoczanyn (Y1011) Secretary – Kevin Spitz (Y1020) Chaplain – Joe Themig (Y1028) * Elections held at General Meetings Housing from page 1 Alumni from page 1 The Housing Corporation Board President – James Nelson (Y1005) Vice-President – John Hankus (Y1009) Treasurer – Jim McMahon (Y965) At-Large – Gene Giannotta (Y1030) At-Large – Eric Chen (Y1008) Undergrad – Andrew Ostendorf Undergrad – Mike Nolte * Elections held at Homecoming See ‘Web site’ • Page 3 “ ” Gene Giannotta AC President I want to do whatever we can to build enthusiasm across the brotherhood • Anyone interesting in serving as a chairperson or volunteering should contact Gene