Int Hq

[GammaZeta]

Hey Aphro,
Same thing happened to us. Bunch of guys YEARS ago (before 99% of us were even brothers during the time) screwed up and we were put on probation. Years after we fulfilled the requirement and the offending parties were gone, we were STILL on probabtion, despite being an almost 100% new house. Doesn't make much since to me.

My biggest complaint with HQ would be the legal aspect. Everything is very confusing to a college student, most stuff is very vague and unclear. I am very concerned that if something, anything, goes wrong, LXA can be sued very easily. I myself have found HUGE loopholes in our policies which can make us liable. I really think they need to get a GOOD legal team together, re-draft all our policies to meat each state law, and send them out.

[EM1843]

Well here is an update from me. During all this stuff, we are bring required to rewrite our fraternity ed policies, which we have no problem with. How ever Kipp and our ELC both said they had some great fraternity ed and big brother packets they would send to us. It's been almost 3 weeks and we still have not gotten anything from them. We are working with our High Pi and our Factulty Advisor, Grand High Phi Doc Smith, but it's difficult to come up with new ideas having only been through one system. This is what bothers me most, when INT offers help and then doesn't follow through...

[boz130]

Hey, Riverside guys...FWIW, I'm going to attend a Chicago-area LCA reception this evening. We'll have at least 1-2 IHQ folks there. I've printed your comments out & will personally hand the material to whomever attends from Indy.

ZAX,
BF

[Aphrodelik96]

wow...now thats brotherhood. Thanks man we really appreciate it.

One favor: Just take out all the "shit"...haha...thanks.

[GammaZeta]

Yup, with my experiences, IHQ has dropped the ball many times.

I think the problem may be that we hire too many times within the fraternity. No disrespect to anyone on the executive board or anything, but I just checked out the resume of Kip Zurcher, Joe Klimek and a few others, and with the exception of Mark Bauer, they really do not have the background to be put in charge of our national fraternity.

Joe Klimek was a computer engineer, why is he involved in property management and accounting? Not only are there 50 different laws for 50 different states, but also 100's of local housing regulations for housing and property. Does he have the legal background for that? What real estate background does he have? I met Joe, he's a great guy, and I know alot of you agree. But we really should get a professional property manager who has managed properties in various states. LCAP was already sued and lost before because they tried to enforce an illegal contract. An experienced property manager could have realized the problems with the contract and could have fixed it, ending alot of grief and problems.

Kip Zurcher is also a great guy, I met him at my chapter house. But a degree in mathematics applied to chemistry? We need a business manager.

Chris Sternhagen with a major in electrical engineering as Real Estate Manager? When has he ever managed real estate? Did he take some real estate courses maybe? What happens if there was ever a bad-title to a LCAP property, or if a city or town decided to do a partial land taking? Could he defend LCAP?

I never really realized this until today when I started to look at it.

Obviously people in the fraternity should be given preference, but only if they are qualified.

I think they would all be great ELC's, maybe recruiters, chapter advisors, or some other positions. But why aren't we hiring professional, experienced property managers, COO's, real accountants? People who have experience with large corporations and non-profits.

Mark Bauer should be the property manager or COO of the general fraternity. He has a law degree and the most experience.

For these management positions, we need to stop limiting ourselves to those just in our fraternity and get real professionals. I think it would be fantastic and great if we could somehow use those within the fraternity in positions they are experienced in.

But the reality of the situation is that we need to get more experienced people, even if it means a few extra bucks in dues. It would be worth it.

-OK, now go ahead and bash me and my post away

*ducks for cover*

[Tom Earp]

GammaZeta, I dont think anyone is planning on bashing you so come up for air.

Just remember one thing, just because someone does not have a certain back ground does not mean that they cannot do a job.

I met most of the Grand High Zeta, a lot of the Staff and ELCs at G A!

They do what I consider an outstanding job in the face of overwhelming things that are thrown at them.

Yes, We as LX Z had problems paying Risk Management Insurance as they had Us Listed in Penn., not Kansas.

It took 3 threes years to get it worked out and IHQ. owed us money.

Raise the dues, that is another total ball of wax not to get into.

I found all of the people that I Met At G A, to be totally dedicated People to LXA. Yes, there have been people who were from other GLOs on staff and were chosen for their expertise not because they were of LXA.

I applied for the position of COO with only love of LXA and not expertise other than owning two businesses.

To be honest, Kip, Joe, John and many others are working their butts off to get things done. When I contact them, I get upset that I do not get an Immediate reply, but, I am 1 in a # of 0ver 1/2 Mil. Brothers and an Alum at that.

Does it upset me that I dont get My C & C when others have them, yes it does as I want to get the latest news of My Fraternity. But, I will wait and saver it when I get it and reread many times.

I wont bash you as a Brother, but if you are in the area of Gammas old Chapter, get over and work with them to get The Zeta back.

That should be the key focus of your thoughts. It is nice to see what your experiences are, but maybe move and and become a Re-Builder.

Get Gamma Zeta, and all of your Brothers back on Campus!


Check other National Web Sites and see what they do not have in the way we do.

[Aphrodelik96]

I agree. Thats probably the reason why paperwork gets "mishandled" or "misplaced" because they hire people that arent qualified to do the job. For example, we gave our Stage 3 probation work AGAIN to our ELC, Tim R(forgot his last name), and it never got turned in. We tried calling him...and guess what? We cant get a hold of him. See its stuff like that gets to me and makes me question wether being in a HUGE fraternity is worth it.

Something needs to be done. I wouldnt mind if paper work is getting lost for associations/initiations, etc...ok i can deal with that...but not when im paying for it.

The way I see it..HQ OWES me money for all the extra insurance money I have been paying. haha its ridiculous...thats like fining someone for a crime..and then when they are done paying the fine...you say..."oh wait..we lost your paperwork...you have to pay all over again." It just doesnt make sense.

[Tom Earp]

Agree whole heartedly with that as had the same thing happen with 2 ELCs. Drve for 2 1/2 hours to meet with one, one morning then turned around and drove back. He had one more stop and He turned in final papers to move on to other things. Next ELC did the same thing. It took an Alum to get straightend out.

But, if there is a problem, dont be afraid to contact someone at IHQ and report what si going on and bitch like hell. It cost the Zeta Money that could be going some where else for The Zeta To Do Things!

[lifesaver]

I knew it was possible for people to talk out their A$$, but I never knew people could type out their A$$....

I appreciate the passion that everyone has for the fraternity, but to some of the undergrads posting on here, ya'll need a HELLA reality check.

FIRST, you all need to understand that LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Its not. I didnt set up the world, I just operate in it. As soon as ya leave college, youre going to understand that the world is ANYTHING but fair. SO dotn expect that because one Zeta gets away with something, so should yours. Theres so many more factors that go into it, one of which is money. If youre a big chapter and bringing in lots of cash to HQ they're gonna be more lenaiant on ya. (BTW, its 2004, can we PLEASE quit calling it 'nationals'? People want credibility and they cant be bothered to use the proper terminology thats been around since the 40's. People love the fraternity, but dont respect it enough to use the right terms, but thats another thread.)

In 1995 I saw an undergrad of UT -Austin tell Bob Lundon that they didnt run an AM program, they ran a pledge program, and what was he gonna do about it? Ya know what, Bob Backed down. Why? Cause Alpha-Mu alumni are in the top 3 of donors to HQ. Yeah, its not right, but its just the way the world works. Youre adults, you have 2 choices: understand the reality of it, or cry and whine about it...and still have nothing change and have other adults not take you seriously because you 'just dont get it yet' that the world works that way. Your choice.

Secondly, I'd prefer that all fraternity staff hve terminal degrees in the field that they work in, but COME ON! You OBVIOUSLY HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING of the reality of the situation. PLEASE, do some investigating of the reality of the business world, especially the non-profit world before you get all wound up about stuff. Ya know why we dont have someone with an MBA in this position, or a doctorate in that position?

BECAUSE WE CANT AFFORD IT.

Ya'll need to understand a few things. Staff at HQ dosent make crap for pay. They dont do what they do for money, 'cause its not there. They do it becasue they love the fraternity. I am STUNNED that some people are FOOLISH enough to believe that its simply a 'hiring preference'. Dear god. If it was that simple.

As Earp mentioned, ya dont need a degree in somethign to do the job. A BA isnt anything anymore but a prereq. Look at all your graduated friends. How many of them are actually using their degree? My friends and brothers guess is about 50%.

We get the people who are willing to do it for that little compensation. If we were going after the education and experience we ideally wanted, we'd have to expect to pay 35-40% more. You gonna pony that cash up?

We cant afford to pay that, because we almost went bankrupt a few years back. (I am looking at the financials right now) From 98 to 03 Tom Helmbock was spending approx 1.7 MILLION more a year than what we were bringing in. Thats one of the reasons why hes not around anymore. Being one of the youngest international big fraternities, we dont have the cash reserves that the Sigma Chi's and the SAE's have. Were almost 100 years old, but were still the new kids on the block.

The reason Helmbock is gone is because the GHZ is kick ass and they had enough of his nonsense. Ted Grosnickle (Grand High Alpha) is an industry leader in non-profit management, and it was under his leadership that they cut costs, eliminated Helmbock and SAVED OUR SHIP. We all owe them a debt we can never repay. You new people owe them your letters. And they dont get paid....

The other reason we dont have the money is because you undergrads arent getting off your asses and recruiting. When I was an undergraduate in FY 1996, we recruited 4,356 new members. In FY 04, ya'll only recruited 3,723 new members. Might not seem like a lot, but thats the primary source of revenue for HQ. Thats 600 people, but not just semesterly dues, but initiation and association fees. You also consider the matriculation over 4 years for those 600 individuals, thats a lot of cash. So it works out like this: Ya want better qualified staff at HQ? Get off your ass and go recruit.

Last time I checked, ELC's took home about 10K a year in cash. While their meals and lodging are taken care of and figured into their benefits package, how many of us could live on 10K a year?

Could you?

I am friends with people on staff and they bust ass for little cash. I'd never work there. I make more in my own line of business. So while its OK to hold them accountable, we need to be grateful for the job they do for the love of the fraternity.

I have a solution: Have Initiation fees jump to $350 per person, association fees jump to $200 and semesterly dues go to about $200 a person. Then we could have the pie in the sky and everything we ever dreamed of!

You wanna pay for that? The undergrads I advise dont. So be realistic, ya get what ya pay for. And we could pay for more if we just recruited.

Love how some people who've been in the org about 6 minutes are somehow experts on Lambda Chi's organizational management. I've been in 12 years and still have a hella lot to learn. WE ALL DO.

In ZAX,
lifesaver
'another opinionated High Pi...'

PS: Ya'll sound like a damned sorority instead of a fraternity.

[RACooper]

Well said lifesaver

[Aphrodelik96]

So its ok for our chapter to be paying 157 per man when we should be paying $50-70 less? why?

Dont get me wrong...I love Lambda Chi...and Ive been in the fraternity for 4 years now...but time and time again...we pay for HQs mishaps...Im just tired of it. I understand..."life isnt fair" in the real world...but this is FRATERNITY...not a real job...its not everyones "LIFE"...for some its just something to do and talk about when youre not in class...not to mention we're paying for it...

All im saying is that I shouldnt be charged for something I didnt "buy."

[lenoxxx]

I agree with Lifesaver.

Yes the people at the Office in Indy might not do the best job, but how many firms do I deal with at work that you have to "hold hands" to get things done, plenty.

That doesnt mean we demand they fire people or sever ties with them, you work through it. To the guys at Cal State Riverside, why dont you call the people there everyday until they get it fixed, send a certified letter, ask about it last summer at GA, call our insurance co. (James R. Favor) etc. etc. I find the fact that it isnt done as a black mark on your chapter, Not the staff in Indy. It doesnt affect the secretary/office person that might have misfiled it, but it sure does affect you so get off your ass and GET IT DONE.

And as far as the people from LCAP, Gamma Zeta Guy, give it up, we still dont even know who you are. What are your qualifications to tell me they have no qualifications, do you have a job, a name, a degree? I watched Ken Cope and Joe Klimek grind the local Acacia chapter alumni at my college into the ground, and negotiate the hell out of the local banks to get favorable lending rates. Larry Mansfield and Gene Dunham are also extremely intelligent people, they serve as two of the board people for LCAP. Ive met both of them, and known Larry for 9 years, these guys know Fraternity houses more than all the people on here combined, period.

Lenoxxx

[Aphrodelik96]

We got it done....twice...in the mean time we have been concentrating on the "little things" like rush...oh and that other thing...school.

We pay nationals dues for a reason...and we expect things to get done..especially something like this. At any rate, our ELC is coming down AGAIN at the end of November..we'll have a long talk with him.


By the way its UC Riverside...not Cal State.

[JonoBN41]

Brothers,

This topic is getting so animated I'm having a hard time figuring out who has something valid to say, and who has a simple case of diahrrea of the mouth, so let's not get carried away. We're all brothers. Calm down.

In 1987 I bought a house for 159k that had 5 bedrooms and 1 bath. In the first year I took one BR and made 2 BAs out of it, making it 4BR, 3BA. Then I added a 1/2 bath on the first floor making it 4BR, 3 1/2 BA. I did most of the work myself.

Well, the real estate market tanked in the late eighties so I rented it for 13 years, having spent only one night sleeping there, and that was when my little brother (LCA) visited with his wife and kids.I sold it in 2000 for 400k.

My backgound? I have a degree in Molecular Biology (RNA, DNA) from Florida Tech. [I was a little before my time in '75.] I was also in Microbiology.

But I know sheetrock, electrical, and how to sweat a joint. Real estate ladies look at me like a tree frog when I ask to see the basement of a new prospect, pull out my Swiss Army knife and jab at the floor joists above and rattle the pipes.

What does this have to do with LCAP? A lot actually. I sat in on a seminar at GA - I think it was Chris Sternhagen who gave it - and I was impressed with what he had to say.

At one point during that discussion a dopey, fat kid raised his hand. "Uh, I have a question. Do we have to mow the lawn or does the House Corporation have to do that?"

I was almost embarassed hearing this. The speaker's response: "Well, how many guys you got there, 20, 25? Either you can mow the lawn or you can pay someone else to mow the lawn, but the lawn has to be mowed". Ooh oookay...

[lenoxxx]

Ah the dopey fat kid, gotta love him.


Lenoxxx