The Spirit of Iota Chapter

New pictures have been added to the Work Weekend Gallery.

The pictures do little to capture the progress nor the Kappa Sigma spirit displayed by brothers who have transformed the House yet again with skill, love and care. Many emails have been exchanged commenting on what’s been accomplished this summer. Here’s an excerpt from Brother Erik Harpst’s communication:

I come away with a huge sense of satisfaction, both from the communication but also from the fact that through all this, we have achieved an even stronger brotherhood. To see the alumni (some as old as 60), working side by side by new initiates, was priceless and unforgettable. Many of the younger guys worked very hard.  It is never too late to make new friends. That is one thing that has always impressed me about Iota is that  the old and young are so compatible.

This past weekend we had many that contributed both time and money. Thanks to J.L. for once again feeding the flock. The gumbo was great! Special thanks go to William McCall’s beautiful wife Elyn, who not only kept us from getting heat stroke with her water supply, but dazzled us with her painting skills. William’s bathroom counter top is nothing but Spectacular!  Among the many that came  was Matt Seger, from Skidmore.

This effort over the summer has been unbelievable. We expected to go in and do a little painting and repair and call it a day. We easily could have. With the help of brothers like Joe Abel, things are being done right. And, to do things right is costing  money. Most people working have also put up a lot of their own money. The work on our house is still not done (getting close). If you cannot come to Georgetown, please help by sending money. We really need help. With the KA and Pike house run by the school and the Phi House condemned by the fire marshal so that no one can reside there (parties only), we are the only independent fraternity house on campus. It will take funds and a strong brotherhood to assure our longevity. 

Again, thanks to all that have sacrificed their weekends and week days for the betterment of Iota. Hopefully, as role models, you have planted the seeds of a strong brotherhood that will take us past our 125th in 2010, and into the future.

Semper
Erik Harpst

For those who wish to send donations, send to:

Iota Chapter Alumni Association
10400 West Office, Suite 114
Houston, Texas 77042

Last Push Before the Semester Starts

Ths weekend, August 17-19, Brothers will gather again at the House to continue working on a number of projects.

Here’s a sampling of what we’ll tackle:

  1. Carpeting
  2. Insulation
  3. Bathroom walls, fixture, sinks, plumbing and finishing
  4. Bathroom toilet partitions
  5. Shower doors
  6. Parquet floor repair and conditioning
  7. Outdoor painting
  8. Sandblasting
  9. Door repair (main doors)
  10. Old log removal
  11. Landscaping maintenance, lawn mowing
  12. Kitchen painting

Come join the effort! All help is wanted, needed, and appreciated. Food and brotherhood will be provided free of charge.

We’ve a number of brothers to recognize for making monumental efforts in time, energy, expertise, financial support, and coordination during the past several months to make important progress on getting the House into shape. We’ll be sure to give credit and recognition on this site and during Homecoming this year. Thanks to everyone for your efforts – you know you are!

Note: after Saturday’s work, the Active and EC leadership will adjourn for a retreat at Marshal’s to plan for the upcoming semester and year. All are welcome to attend this meeting as well.

Work Weekend #3 at the House

This weekend, July 28-29:

Leading the charge will be Joe Abel and Alan Haworth

On the to do list:
– Clearing out remaining old junk (the World Book Encyclopedia from 1982, etc)
– Painting, downstairs, kitchen, etc
– Doing sheetrock repairs
– Fixing busted doors

Tons going on at the House – join in. All hands are welcome and needed!!

Extreme Makeover: Sig House Edition

Brothers,

The brothers of Iota are heading to the fraternity house for back-to-back work weekends, July 7th and 14th. Our beloved house needs help.

Among our intended goals are:

1) Floor repair, along with sealing

2) Prime and paint staircase

3) Paint ALL interior walls including all upstairs bedrooms

4) Install laminates on bathroom walls

5) Install new bathroom vanities

6) Build shelves in Zeke’s closet and wherever else needed

7) Replace non-working or broken door locks-interior and exterior

8 ) Replace light fixtures and ceiling fans if necessary

9) Assess exterior doors for possible replacement

10) Trim rear hedges to match front hedge height

11) Trim trees, sod where needed

12) Pressure wash all sidewalks,deck and needed parts of house

13) Discard leftover articles from closets and bedrooms

14) General clean-up of house and yard

To accomplish all the things on this list, it will take man power and
money. As previously mentioned in the first newsletter, available
funds have been designated for specific projects. We need donations
for the work weekends as soon as possible in order to purchase the
needed supplies. Send your donations ASAP to the alumni association,
the address listed below.

We have a new stainless steel commercial stove on the way, thanks to
previous donations. New shower doors, and toilet partitions, are
waiting to be installed. Completed projects include: fixing the
horrendous plumbing problems, installation of new upstairs showers
and toilets, bathroom sheet rocking and texturing, and repairing the
kitchen stove hood vent to meet code.

Anyone coming to these weekends is encouraged to bring paint supplies
(rollers, brushes, pans, etc) or tools that might help with the above
list. Below are the committee heads and their contact email addresses.
Below that, are the committed workers that we have heard from thus
far. Some that could not make either weekend have volunteered to come
later to follow up and finish any needed work. If you plan on
attending one or more dates, respond to this email so we can put you
on the list and get an accurate head count.

As we approach the weekends, an email will be sent out notifying
everyone of the various details. Unless you plan on sleeping in a
construction site, go to the Southwestern Web site for a list of area
hotels. S.U. Alumni get discounts at some hotels. Georgetown hosts
many sports events, so rooms go quickly. The advice is to do it now.

Check your email for committe head information, or contact Iota Scribe to be added to the newsletter list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Send donations to: Iota Chapter Alumni Association
10400 Westoffice, Suite 114
Houston, Texas 77042

Now get on the phone or computer and contact your worthless pledge
brothers and re-live a little of your own Kappa Sigma History.

AEKDB
The Work Weekend Crew

Swing a hammer for Kappa Sigma! Come Alumni and Actives!

A note from Brother Erik Harpst:

How long has it been since you have lifted a paint brush or swung a hammer for Kappa Sigma? Well that’s too long!!

We have planned a face lift of the Iota Chapter’s beloved Sig House to complete the 2007 renovations. On July 7 and July 14, alumni and active members will be working to restore its overall condition. This will take dedicated workers, materials and money. Among the needed work is painting, floor repair, door repair/replacement, door lock replacement, hedge trimming, carpentry repair, landscaping, bathroom construction, pressure washing, general repair and clean up. We are getting committee members that will be in charge of certain projects. They will be gathering workers on certain dates to get their projects completed.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have donated thus far, especially those who have given large donations. These funds have been wisely spent on much needed plumbing and kitchen repairs ($6000). Other funds are earmarked for up coming expenses such as the floor, bathroom stalls, shower doors, etc. We need funding for our upcoming work weekends. If you are unable to make it to Georgetown , show your support by donating to the much needed funds. If you can do both, as many will do, a sincere AEKDB to you.

In the coming days or weeks you will receive information with committee member’s names and contact information. Each committee member will be responsible for organizing their project, including getting the needed supplies to the house for the job and coming up with a head count. Many volunteers will be needed for the painting committee.

Our fraternity house will be 50 years old in 2010. It has served us well and we have many memories, both happy and sad, of our days within those limestone walls. Most of us would not trade those memories for anything in the world. Let’s give our house the respect it deserves and bring it back to it’s former glory.

AEKDB

Erik Harpst, 1970

 

Benjamin Ramirez, Active GM
ramirezb(at)southwestern(dot)edu
512-775-1351
Georgetown

Erik Harpst, Weekend Commander
loeran(at)aol(dot)com
Sugar
Land

Danny Middlebrooks
DanMiddlebrooks(at)targaresources(dot)com
Houston

Blake Stanford, Alumni President
blake(at)swhuman(dot)org
Austin

Marshal Crenshaw, Alumni Advisor
marshal_crenshaw(at)hotmail(dot)com
Austin

Jonathan Goodman, Alumni VP & Scribe
jgoodman(at)hrmarketer(dot)com

Fort Worth

Alumni Association Plans for Summer Work Weekend

What better way to spend a Central Texas summertime weekend than by grabbing those dusty coveralls, picking up your PB or local Iota brother in the SUV and heading on over to G-town to spend a weekend with Alums and Actives getting sweaty and knocking out some much needed work on the House?

Committees are forming to address specific projects (painting, yard, kitchen, floors, doors, bathrooms) and the dates are being set now. Follow the link below to tell us when dates you’re free and willing to particpate.

http://www.pollmonkey.com/p.asp?U=9207438310

We hope to see you this summer!