Brothers,

            I hope you and your Families are enjoying the summer of 2011. My son Joseph, who will be 2 in September, loves it. He has figured out he prefers the tallest slide in the playground, chasing after birds, watching the often passing Motorcycle, and getting the best views.  We are expecting our second son in September, so for my wife this summer can’t move along fast enough!

            This summer for Beta Alpha has been and will continue to be one of hard work and accomplishment.  Chapter Advisor Dave White has set up a retreat for the Undergrads in August that will prepare them for the hard work of recruiting a Chapter that can excel and prosper on a campus with a brand new Greek Village. For Beta Alpha to fill a new chapter house in the future our numbers will have to grow. This retreat will help with recruiting, new member education, brotherhood building, chapter management and more.

            Speaking of our future housing, we are in the process of challenging, evaluating and developing floor plans and project costs with the Greek Village developer, Monument.  We are at the starting point of what will hopefully bring us a state of the art design, maximizing usage while minimizing operational and construction costs. Monument will be presenting our chapter as well as the Greek community with their strategic plan in a couple of months. This plan will include all design options and costs for moving into the Greek Village. The strategic plan is intended to answer all of our questions.

            To be included in the process we entered into an escrow agreement and good faith deposit of $7500. . After completion and our review of the strategic plan we will then be in a position to decide next steps.   If we proceed into a construction development contract with Monument and a long term lease with NJIT for a unit at the Greek Village, then the $7500 escrow funds will be credited toward costs. If Monument does not deliver the strategic plan or if the Greek Village project fails then our funds are protected and will be returned to us.  Assuming the Strategic Plan is in order, then the next step will be to negotiate a development agreement between NJIT, Monument and Beta Alpha.

            We currently have committees reviewing the conceptual floor plans and financial proformas that Monument is providing. Every detail is being studied and tailored to our chapter’s needs. Negotiating escrow agreements and reviewing preliminary data takes a lot of man hours and a lot of dedication. I am extremely proud of our volunteers on the Board and its Committee’s for all the time and effort that is going into this project. 

            Our fund raising consultants, Laurus Group, are waiting to begin the campaign for our new chapterhouse as soon as the proper time arises. In the mean time we are loosely forming various steering committees to be ready when this process kicks off. If you would like to lend a hand drop me a note and we will find the right spot for you on the team.

            For now have a great summer and like most Beta Alpha’s or future Beta Alpha’s, let’s go for the challenge and climb the highest slide in the playground.

Pat Guerra BA 629