SIGMA CHI FRATERNITY • THETA UPSILON CHAPTER
2009 STRATEGIC PLAN
VISION
The vision of the Theta Upsilon chapter is to cultivate the development of high-minded leaders, establish itself as the preeminent fraternal leadership organization at Yale University, and create an institutional legacy of excellence.

CENTRAL GOALS
1. FINANCIAL STABILITY: Achieve financial stability that is sustainable in the long-term.
2. CHAPTER PROGRAMS: Restructure and reinvigorate the Chapter’s brother-to-be and new brother training, scholarship, and alumni relations programs while continuing and strengthening the recently established legacy of excellence in the chapter’s recruitment program.
3. BROTHER INVOLVEMENT: Strive to make the Theta Upsilon chapter more beloved and honestly respected by our own brothers by increasing brother turnout to 75% for all events and meetings.


FINANCIAL STABILITY
BACKGROUND: Theta Upsilon is currently in a financial rough patch. Low dues
collection rates have combined with large graduating senior classes (and resulting higher per-brother RMF expenditures) and increased post-chapter house renovation parlor fees to leave the chapter in dire need of a financial overhaul. The incoming executive board must lay the foundation for a legacy of financial responsibility and stability.
GOALS/ACTION ITEMS:
1. The Quaestor, with the help of the Consul and Pro Consul will implement and strictly adhere to a deadline or brothers to either pay the semester’s dues in full or set up an installment plan and pay the first installment. This deadline will be the third chapter meeting of the semester.
2. The Quaestor, with the help of the Consul and Pro Consul will contract with a third-party collection agency (most likely Parson Bishops) to prevent delinquency in dues payment and remedy any delinquencies that might arise.
3. The Quaestor will attend at least 90% of chapter meetings and will make himself available several times per week to collect dues, write checks, distribute reimbursements, and perform other crucial tasks. Quaestor unavailability contributed largely to the chapter’s development of financial troubles.
4. The Magister will aid the Quaestor in emphasizing the importance of financial obligations to brothers-to-be, and the Pro Consul will reinforce this during Post Initiation Training.
5. The Recruitment Chairmen will be forthcoming and clear about the financial obligations of Brotherhood during the recruitment process, and will strive to recruit members of the classes of 2011 and 2012, so as to avoid having graduating classes so large that they destabilize chapter finances.
6. The Consul, Pro Consul, and Quaestor will remain in regular contact (at least twice monthly) with the House Corporation’s executive board so as to head off any issues that may arise before they become a serious issue.

CHAPTER PROGRAMS
BACKGROUND: Theta Upsilon’s chapter programs run the gamut from excellent to barely existing. In the coming year, Theta Upsilon will work to bolster its already-strong recruitment operation, which successfully recruited outstanding men without the benefit of the chapter house for two semesters in a row, reinvigorate a solid but somewhat stagnated new member education program, and rebuild alumni relations, scholarship, and post-initiation training programs. If officers are successful, each Theta Upsilon program will have an institutional legacy of excellence by the end of the term, as there will be a strong foundation for successors to preserve and build upon.
GOALS/ACTION ITEMS:
1. The Recruitment Chairs will train a Recruitment Committee of at least 10 members, and at least two newly initiated brothers. This committee will be responsible for executing the logistics of recruitment events, and will take the lead in organizing informal interactions with recruits (i.e. one-on-one or two-on-two recruitment meals).
2. The Recruitment Chairs will dramatically increase the visibility of the formal recruitment period by ensuring that the Sigma Chi name is prominently displayed at events and that recruitment events are effectively advertised to the Yale community, and especially to the classes of 2011 and 2012.
3. Theta Upsilon’s pledge program for Spring 2009 will be designed and implemented by brother Alexander Kowalsky, who will be the ritual Magister. Brother Kowalsky is an initiate of the Delta Phi chapter. He will contact Magisters from other chapters, review any brother-to-be programs he is provided with, and use these programs to design a new, innovative program that emphasizes the development of high ideals, the discovery of true brotherhood, and the forging of lifelong fraternal bonds.
4. Many brother-to-be events will be held on Thursday evenings (rather than the traditional Friday) so as to emphasize the events as forums for building brotherhood, rather than pre-events for Friday night social activities.
5. The Magister will implement weekly brother-to-be quizzes, which will replace the existing system of two brother-to-be “midterms” per semester. This will provide a more constant reminder of the obligations of brothers-to-be.
6. The Pro Consul will set up three Post-Initiation Training sessions with the Newly Initiated Brothers, and will adhere strictly to this schedule.
7. The Pro Consul will solicit suggestions from other chapters’ Pro Consuls
8. The Tribune will compile a complete and accessible list of alumni contact information, which has been lacking in recent semesters.
9. The Tribune will organize a large alumni-undergraduate event and publicize it well enough in advance to ensure a large turnout.
10. The Scholarship Chair will create an Academic Wiki-style digital library of class notes, readings, old exams, and other study materials.
11. The Scholarship Chair will work with the House Manager, Peterson Chair, Consul etc. to begin applying for the library grant from Headquarters for the House.

BROTHER INVOLVEMENT
BACKGROUND: Theta Upsilon prides itself on the overall strength of its bonds of brotherhood and level of involvement. Unfortunately, the chapter’s present small size leaves a small margin for apathy—the absence of more than one or two brothers is very clearly noticeable. Thus, the chapter must work to retain brothers who are very active in the chapter and bring brothers who have pulled away back into regular involvement.
GOALS/ACTION ITEMS:
1. The Consul and Pro Consul will develop a “phone tree” system for brothers to remind each other about meetings and events—often, brothers simply need an extra reminder.
2. The Pro Consul will oversee the reimplementation of the Chapter’s judicial board, which will
3. The Rush Chairmen will make a special effort to achieve at least 80% brother turnout for all rush events; this will hopefully have the effect of reminding all brothers about their first days with Sigma Chi, and will rekindle every brother’s love of Sigma Chi.
4. The Social Chair will organize a series of low-cost, low-stress, but formal brothers’ events (i.e. movie night at the house) to encourage more interaction by the Brothers in relaxed settings. The lack of the tension and stress that is seemingly unavoidable when dealing with major events promises to allow the spirit of brotherhood to go unfettered.

CONTACT
CONSUL: Karan Arakotaram (karan.arakotaram@yale.edu)
PRO CONSUL: Diego Flores (diego.flores@yale.edu)
QUAESTOR: Jason Chen (jason.chen@yale.edu)
MAGISTER: Alexander Kowalsky (akwall47@gmail.com)
RECRUITMENT CHAIRMAN: Christopher Chen (christopher.chen@yale.edu)
RECRUITMENT CHAIRMAN: Kevin Symcox (kevin.symcox@yale.edu)
RECRUITMENT CHAIRMAN: Adrian Latortue (adrian.latortue@yale.edu)
TRIBUNE: J.C. Hernandez (john.hernandez@yale.edu)
SCHOLARSHIP CHAIRMAN: Benjamin Shaffer (benjamin.shaffer@yale.edu)
SOCIAL CHAIRMAN: Eric Friedman (eric.friedman@yale.edu)