GreekChat.com Forums - Greeks lobbying on Capitol Hill today 4/24/13

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Greeks lobbying on Capitol Hill today 4/24/13

When Pi Beta Phi was founded in 1867, the Monmouth Catalog noted that boarding with private families including lodging and fuel ranged from $4-5 per week. There were no dormitories/residence halls back then. Greek-letter organization filled that role early on, first in rented homes and then many chapters/house corporations built homes. Those homes require constant upkeep. Having the opportunity to make tax deductible donations to that cause would be a tremendous boon to chapter houses across the country.
On April 24, 2013, 200 fraternity and sorority members, collegiate and alumni (of the men's groups)/alumnae (of the women's groups), will be Washington D.C. to lobby on Capitol Hill. The Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC), is a group bringing together the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), and the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC).

This year, the FGRC's focus is the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2013 (CHIA S 781). If enacted it would make a simple change in the tax code. This change would allow tax deductible status to donations made to fraternity and sorority educational foundations for use in infrastructure improvements and the installation of fire detection/ prevention systems in local not-for-profit student housing.

Campus residence halls were not available when a good many of the Greek-letter organizations present at this lobby effort were founded. Providing room and board for members, especially during the late 1800s and early 1900s, was a vital role provided by these organizations. That role is still a very important one. Each year, fraternities and sororities provide housing for more than 250,000 college students; one out of every eight college students lives in a fraternity or sorority house. Allowing alumni/ae the opportunity to donate funds on a tax-deductible basis will help improve fraternity and sorority housing. If CHIA is enacted, it is estimated that it will inject an estimated $300 million dollars into the construction industry throughout the United States.

You can follow the lobbying effort on twitter using hashtags #passCHIA and #GreekDC. Contributions to the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee can be made at www.fspac.org.

For a vintage photo of a random sorority house, visit:
http://wp.me/p20I1i-M5
Anyone want to venture a guess as to where this house is?

National Panhellenic Council Chair, Jane Sutton, and NPC Vice Chair, Jean Mrasek, were in Washington DC this week.
http://ow.ly/i/1XSsD

Jane Sutton is an Alpha Xi Delta from Western Carolina University and former AXiD National President.

Jean Mrasek is a Chi Omega from Tulsa University and former Chi O National President. (Her daughter is a 2nd year National Consultant for Chi Omega.)

Greek Week on Capitol Hill!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyapbp (Post 2214241)

Anyone want to venture a guess as to where this house is?

I'll guess Univ. of Illinois

Unfortunately, this bill could read as giving more money to the upper class when there's not enough money for the poor, but in reality, sorority and fraternity houses perform a critical housing role on a lot of campuses. What would the Big 10, SEC, Big 12, etc. do if they had to provide housing for all those students? And those are virtually all public state institutions and therefore it would fall to taxpayers to pick up the slack. If the sororities closed because they couldn't afford the upkeep (a real threat in some of those 100 year old houses that undoubtedly need new wiring, new heating systems, new fire protection) and the schools are stuck either taking over the buildings (and having to do the renovations themselves to maintain the same safety levels as the dorms) or having empty monstrosities on campus.

Hopefully we have good people fighting our fight for us.

I am guessing the house is at the U of Missouri...

Also, hats off to those lobbying for this!

I know exactly which house this is...Pi Beta Phi at Indiana University!

Quote:

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88 (Post 2214790)

I know exactly which house this is...Pi Beta Phi at Indiana University!

That was my guess too when I first saw the photo. It sure does look like the Pi Phi house!

And the winner is Hoosiergirl88!

Quote:

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88 (Post 2214790)

I know exactly which house this is...Pi Beta Phi at Indiana University!

Congratulations Hoosiergirl88!! Wish I could say it came with a prize. It's the Pi Phi house at Indiana. The black and white picture does not do the house justice, but it's one I had just scanned and it was on my laptop. I was really hoping to use a picture of the chapter house I lived in, but I couldn't put my fingers on it quickly enough.

P.S. to Hoosiergirl88 - I have a new post about David Starr Jordan, who was president of Indiana before he was president of Stanford. As a Hoosier, you might enjoy reading it. I didn't post it here at GC because other than a mention that Jordan was a DU, there isn't much about fraternity history in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DubaiSis (Post 2214724)

Hopefully we have good people fighting our fight for us.

We do -- the best of the best. Many of the most well-respected Greek alumni from lots of groups. Many of these men & women have heralded this cause since its beginning. That consistency is important.