Today our fraternity turns the ripe-old age of 109 years old, and now is as good a time as any to bring you all up to speed on some of the many great things going on at Michigan Alpha.
For those of you who weren't in town on the weekend of Michigan vs. Michigan State, you missed out on our first annual Michigan Alpha Alumni Weekend. Over 75 Michigan Alphas were in town celebrating at our Friday night dinner, with alumni representing all the way from the 1950's through the 2000's. Special thanks to the classes of 2005-2010 -- who showed up with over 20 attendees -- as well as to Rich Nemesi '08 and Dave Murray '07 for planning the dinner and golf outing. Look out for pictures to be posted soon.
The Alumni & Volunteer Corporation (AVC) is growing alumni programming at rapid pace, and we look to build on this year's successes going forward. Mark your calendars for the weekend of September 10-12, 2011, which is our tentative date for Alumni Weekend next year. This will be Michigan Alpha's 100-year anniversary, as well as the first night game at the Big House when the Wolverines take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. If we can get organized early enough, we'd like to get hotel and ticket packages for our loyal MI Alpha alums.
We need volunteers to help pull this off; so if you're interested in supporting MI Alpha with your time and talent, please e-mail us at uofmsigep@gmail.com, and we'll be in touch with you. We're especially looking for liaisons representing the (re)-Founding Father era of '99-04, reps from the early '90s, the '80s, '70s, and '60s to help promote and get the word out. Step up and remind us all why SigEp is the dominant fraternity on Michigan's campus.
In other news, the AVC has been in meetings with construction management companies, architects, the City of Ann Arbor, and SigEp National Housing to discuss further due diligence on the purchase of a permanent home for Michigan Alpha. We are slowly moving forward but are considering some of the obstacles presenting themselves as we determine the feasibility of the project. More details to come as the project(s) get put into motion.
Also, a thank you to some of our new volunteers who have decided to return home to MI Alpha and support the AVC as we continue to grow our operations. Matt Hoffman '00 is now serving as our Chapter Counselor, working with the undergraduate chapter in continuing the culture of success and improving operations with the chapter. Matt was one of the re-founding fathers from my era, and we're happy to have him back on board.
Lastly, we'd like to welcome Doug Buczak '71 back to the AVC as well. Doug served in various capacities on the board -- including holding the office of AVC President -- for 18 years. His historic knowledge of MI Alpha, as well as his wisdom and expertise in fraternity operations, is invaluable to the chapter at this critical moment as we take the chapter and alumni board to new levels of success. Doug, we missed you, and we're glad to have you back.
Several others of you have expressed interest in getting involved, and I will be personally contacting you soon. Others have expressed interest in donating to our annual campaign; we will be taking donations through an online portal very soon as well. We appreciate your patience as we continue to expand the footprint of MI Alpha going forward.
Happy Birthday, SigEp...here's to the next 109 years.
HFF,
Jerry Mangona
President, Michigan Alpha Alumni Association
p.s. If you're back in town for a football Saturday, feel free to stop by the chapter house on the SE Corner of Hill & State St. Meet some of the undergraduates,and say hello to fellow alums. You're welcome home anytime.
