Alumni Decade virtual happy hours

Here's a great opportunity to meet up with your brothers: alumni decade virtual happy hours.  Check them out in the Sigma Tau Gamma Facebook group. 

Homecoming 2019

Come to Valpo Homecoming and visit your brothers at
Sigma Tau Gamma – Beta Lambda

Agenda for the weekend
 

Friday, September 27^th

• 7:00 pm–10:00 pm – Welcome Reception in Chapter Room: Come join fellow alumni in the house Chapter room.  We will have light appetizers, Beverages and a Slide Show of Memories from back in the day.
• 8:30 pm – University Homecoming Fireworks: Head to the Resurrection Meadows to watch the fireworks display put on by the university.

Saturday, September 28^th  

• 9:00 am-10:00 am – Sorority and Fraternity Life Update by Carrie Wittier: Carrie will be updating alumni on the current status of the Greek System on campus.  Meeting will be held in Room 205 of the Christopher Center.
• 10:00 am-11:00 am – Omicron Delta Housing Association Annual Meetings: We will have a meeting of the Omicron Delta Board.  Please join us to learn more about the status of the physical house. We will meet in the Chapter room at 10am.
• 11:00 am-1:00 pm – Crusader Street Fair: Come visit your Alumni Board of Directors under the Sig Tau tent.  We will have sandwiches and drinks available as well as some special takeaways.  This is a great place to gather before the football game.  Game starts at 1pm so get your tickets from the university.
• 4:30 pm-5:30 pm – Sigma Tau Gamma Alumni Association Annual Meetings: We will have a meeting of the Sigma Tau Gamma Alumni Association.  Please join us to learn more about the status of a future chapter and share the idea's we have in getting Sigma Tau Gamma recognized at Valpo again. We will meet in the Chapter room at 4:30 pm.
• 6:00-10:00 pm – BBQ at the House: Sig Tau Alumni president Tony Bommersbach and the entire Board invite you to enjoy a BBQ with your brothers. The board will be cooking up a BBQ for everyone. Come visit the house for dinner and fellowship with your brothers. Share stories of your days at Valpo and the great things you did at Sigma Tau Gamma.

Renew your alumni membership today:

Go to http://stg-betalambda.blogspot.com to renew or send a $50 check to

Sigma Tau – Beta Lambda Alumni
C/O John Seelander
8141 Meadowwood Ave
Woodridge, IL  60517

Beta Lambda Alumni Association Meeting Minutes (9/29/2018)

Beta Lambda Alumni Association Meeting Minutes 

9/29/2018. 4:30pm

Attendees: Anton Bommersbach, Kurt Ulbricht, Dave Besterman, Dale Koetke, Jim Zink, John Seelander, Tom Witt, Steve Jenkins

Anton called the meeting to order and it was agreed by consensus to waive the formal meeting protocol (Robert’s Rules).

• Treasurer, John Seelander, reviewed the financial statements for 2017 and 2018. The current balance in the Beta Lambda Alumni bank account is $4550.96.
• While we all see the need to increase our savings to fund future initiatives, members that were present discussed the issue of annual dues and agreed to come back to this later in the meeting.
• A motion was made by Seelander to register our Alumni chapter with STG National again in 2018-19 and pay our alumni association dues ($400). Zink seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.
• The 2018 Alumni Service Award was given to Jim Zink in recognition of the enormous effort he has put into fixing up the house. His name will be added to the plaque and hung in the chapter room.
• The composition of the alumni board was discussed, and it was agreed that the same board members would stay on (Bommersbach as President, Koetke as VP & Secretary and Seelander as Treasurer).
• At the request of the OD Board, Bommersbach will draft a message to our alumni group asking for someone to take on the position of Treasurer for Omicron Delta for 2019.  Besterman will put together a list of current duties, time commitment and other obligations for the position.
• Bommersbach introduced the topic of giving support to the local community. One action that we might take in order to improve our relationship with the university is to start working with a local charity.  Many of the larger, more well known charitable organizations are already claimed by a VU fraternity or sorority but everyone agreed that we should look to identify a group to affiliate ourselves with in the next few months.  This would include an annual financial commitment as well as the donation of our time. 
• Website: no change. The site Dale has been working on is at http://stg-betalambda.blogspot.com/.
• Dues: after some discussion, a motion was made by Bommersbach to keep annual alumni dues at $50 rather than raise them to $100, the amount suggested by National.  Koetke seconded, and it was approved unanimously. Seelander will email members who have previously paid dues encouraging them to renew. We should be clear in this communication how these funds will be utilized.
• Those present agreed that we should plan 1-2 alumni events this spring, possibly another VU basketball game on campus. Seelander agreed to coordinate. 
• Meeting adjourned at 6:15.

Join us in Valpo for Homecoming 2018: Sept 28-29

Your Passion, Your Purpose, You’re Home

Fellow Sig Tau Brothers,

It’s not too late to make plans to join us for Homecoming 2018!  We may not have an active undergraduate chapter on campus yet, but we have a newly renovated chapter house and a solid group of Beta Lambda alumni who want to meet you, hear your stories and memories, and share our plans for the future.  We continue to make progress towards reinstatement and we would love to include you in that process.

Listed below are the activities we have planned for Homecoming weekend:

Friday, September 28

• 2:00 pm – Rededication of the Hilltop & Dedication of the Dale Kempf Court
  If you arrive early for homecoming, come see this special dedication thanks to the generous bequest of Brother Dale Kempf (’62) to the University. Following the ceremony, enjoy a reception with alumni, students, donors, faculty and staff. Located at the ARC / Hilltop Gym.
   
• 8:30pm   The Homecoming Fireworks display will take place after dusk near the chapel. Seating available at the Resurrection Meadow.

Saturday, September 29

• 9:00-10:00 am – Sorority and Fraternity Life Update
  All alumni are encouraged to attend this update on Greek membership trends, local chapter accomplishments and future direction; followed by a Q&A session.  Located at the Christopher Center, Rm 205.
   
• 10:00 am – Omicron Delta Board Meeting
  Drop by 801 Union to attend the annual meeting of the Omicron Delta Board to learn more about the status of our chapter house and participate in discussions focused on short and long-term improvement projects. We will meet in the Chapter room at the house.
   
• 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Crusader Street Fair  
  Come visit your Alumni Board of Directors under the Sig Tau tent.  We will have sandwiches and drinks available as well as some special Sig Tau swag.  This is a great place to gather before the football game.  Game starts at 1:00 PM. Get your tickets from the University.
   
• 4:30 – 5:30 pm – Alumni Board Meeting
  Attend our annual Alumni Meeting to discuss our plans for chapter reinstatement, our thoughts for future alumni events and activities, and our desire to give back to the local community
   
• 6:00 – 10:00 pm – BBQ at the House
  Sig Tau Alumni president, Anton (Tony) Bommersbach, and the entire Board invite you to enjoy for a BBQ with your brothers. The Board will be cooking up a BBQ for everyone so come visit the house for dinner and fellowship with your brothers. Share stories of your days at Valpo and the great things you did at Sigma Tau Gamma.  Family members welcome.

Renew your alumni membership today:

Go to http://bit.ly/BetaLambdaDues to renew or send a check to:

       Sigma Tau – Beta Lambda Alumni Association
       C/O John Seelander (Treasurer)
       8141 Meadowwood Ave
       Woodridge, IL  60517


We look forward to seeing you. Make your plans today to join us this fall!

Anton (Tony) Bommersbach (’86)
Beta Lambda Alumni Chapter President
Sigma Tau Gamma

Change of leadership at Sig Tau nationals

Read about this in the latest Beta Lambda newsletter.

Homecoming: save the date

VU homecoming is the weekend of September 28-30, 2018 and homecoming information/registration is available now from the university.

As usual, the Beta Lambda alumni association will be hosting some events over the homecoming weekend. Stay tuned for more information here, in Facebook and via email.

Update on Alumni Association efforts

When Sigma Tau Gamma had its charter revoked in 2013, many of you may recall that we were told by the University that we would become eligible for reinstatement in the Spring of 2018. Now that we are well past that date you may be wondering about our status, eligibility and standing with the University.

Representatives from STG National, as well as our Beta Lambda Alumni Board, have established a solid working relationship with Carrie Whittier, Asst. Dean of Students and Greek Life. She works very closely with the Valparaiso University Greek Expansion Committee and the Interfraternity Council, the two bodies of Greek representatives who determine whether or not an offer is extended to a Greek organization that has completed the application process. These groups met in April to review applications and vote on this matter.

It has been the practice at Valpo to give newly formed chapters two years to get established before entertaining any further expansion. Pikes are in their second year so that is why no expansion was considered for the 2018-19 school year. This last spring, the Expansion Committee met and reviewed applications submitted by STG and Theta Chi for 2019-20. They had received three additional letters of interest but past practice has been to give priority to groups previously established on campus so the others were not considered.

In a recent conversation with Carrie, she stated that our application was very solid and the committee found no weaknesses or omissions. The strengths they pointed out in our proposal were as follows:
1. The academic programming looks impressive.
2. The inclusion of parents in awareness programs was unique and appreciated.
3. The selection of an Alumni Advisor to guide and direct new Brothers.
4. The relocation of the STG National HQ to Indy. Proximity should help with local chapter support.

After review and deliberation, the recommendation of the Expansion Committee was to bring Theta Chi back but this was ultimately voted down by the Interfraternity Council (failed 4-5).

Carrie went on to state that the committee’s decision was by no means a ‘NO’ to STG and she further stated that she continues to be impressed with the steps we have taken locally and she appreciates the strong relationship we have with the University. She is aware that we will be renting out our house again next year and she fully supports this. She wrapped up our conversation by saying that it looks promising for STG and if things continue as they have, our return to Valpo is not a matter of ‘if’ its a matter of ‘when’.

So, the best case scenario for us would be the Fall of 2021. I know this news may be frustrating for some, but all things considered, this is very encouraging and the future looks bright for us. Our National organization is firmly behind us and we are becoming stronger financially thanks to the efforts of our Omicron Delta Board.

Now all we need is YOU!

By growing the number of involved Alumni we will demonstrate to National and to the University that we can support an undergraduate chapter by having the leadership, financial wherewithal and alumni mentors available to ensure their success. The shortcomings of our recent past will need to become our strength of the future so I urge you to do what you can to keep us moving along this path. We have made great strides these last five years but we want YOU to be a part of our success. By paying your annual dues, running for a Board position this September, or simply joining us at Homecoming and participating in our Annual Meeting, you will become part of the success story that brings the Sig Tau life back to 801 Union Street!

We want your input and we look forward to hearing from you!

Respectfully,

Anton (Tony) Bommersbach (‘86)
President, Beta Lambda Alumni Board
Sigma Tau Gamma

Taking steps to bring Sig Tau back to Valpo

In case you didn't see this a few weeks back, here's the latest from our alumni association president, Anton Bommersbach:

The Beta Lambda Alumni Association is taking steps to bring Sig Tau back to Valpo. Our chapter house looks better than it has in decades thanks to the hard work and effort of several alumni. We have reestablished a positive relationship with Sigma Tau Gamma National and the University, and we have a re-energized Board ready to continue the process of rechartering on campus once we become eligible.

This is where we need your help. The annual dues for 2018 are only $50 and, collectively, they will enable us to continue making improvements to the chapter house as well as cover the cost of reinstatement. Increasing the number of dues paying alumni will also demonstrate to the University that we can support an undergraduate chapter once again.

Please honor the commitment you made when you pledged Sig Tau to continue your support for future Sig Tau brothers. It’s an important time for us and our future depends on you. Thank you in advance for taking a few minutes to make your payment. You can now pay online with PayPal (from our site at http://stg-betalambda.blogspot.com/) or if you prefer, you can mail a $50 check made out to "Sigma Tau Gamma Beta Lambda" and email to:

Sigma Tau Gamma – Beta Lambda Alumni Association
c/o Omicron Delta, Inc.
PO Box 2296
Valparaiso, IN 46384

Happy Holidays!

Anton Bommersbach (‘86)
Beta Lambda Alumni Chapter President

Lots of good news and great progress at the house. Read about it in the July newsletter. Thanks Dale Koetke '86

We're making great strides raising the funds needed for the short term.  See the latest update in our newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bReBO9. 

Thanks

Dale

Read the latest newsletter at here, and today's special update on short term options for 801 Union here.

Latest Progress at the House

News on the latest progress at the house is in the latest email blast at http://eepurl.com/bjXiEz.

The full set of photos from Dave and Kurt are below...

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Latest news from Beta Lambda

Read the latest news from Beta Lambda at http://eepurl.com/bcPhHr.

Alumni Dues

It's a new year for your alumni association. How about following this link and making your 2015 alumni dues payment today. Or mail a check to Omicron Delta, PO Box 2296, Valparaiso, IN 46383. Thanks for your support!