Dear brothers,

I am pleased to announce that the Fraternity's 1848 Housing Committee is hosting its first Housing Conference on January 23, 2021.

The 1848 Housing Committee and the Fraternity are committed to housing excellence and safety. The Housing Conference will provide you with an opportunity to learn and network with your peers from other house corporations around the country. We also anticipate receiving an update on the "state of the Fraternity" from the Archons.

This past year has been interesting to say the least. While the challenges of COVID-19 aren't behind us, we must not overlook the regular business of running, improving and maintaining our chapter houses at the highest level.

We are hopeful that the Housing Conference will provide you with useful information and insights that will enable you to make 2021 one of your best years ever! I encourage you to "save the date" and have your entire house corporation team participate!

On another note, we encourage you to use and follow recommendations on winter break procedures. Did you know that majority of claims for damage happen when the house is empty? More information on these procedures can be found below.

Fraternally,

Steve Bocher
Chairman, 1848 Housing Committee

The 1848 Housing Committee will host its first Housing Conference on Saturday, January 23, 2021. The Housing Conference is open to all house corporation members and other brothers interested in learning more about housing practices.

We encourage you to save the date and share the information with your fellow house corporation members. Below is a tentative schedule of the conference itinerary. Additional details will be shared in later communications.

2021 Fiji Housing Conference Tentative Schedule
 • Welcome and State of the Fraternity Address
 • Introduction from 1848 Housing
 • Keynote Speaker
 • Breakout Sessions (focusing on topics such as fundraising, kitchen operations, property management, etc.)
 • Closing Session

We are tentatively planning to start at 12:00 pm ET, and we ask that you plan for roughly a 3 to 4-hour conference. More information, including the full agenda and registration information, will be shared in the next few weeks.

The 1848 Housing Committee is exploring additional ways to support house corporations, including identifying potential partnerships for common services like internet service.

We would like to get a glimpse into the various services our house corporations are already using regarding internet providers. Please take a moment to complete this survey to help us evaluate the feasibility of such a program.

The 2021 Fiji Academy will be held virtually on January 8-9, 2021. The Academy will be hosted virtually, which will allow more graduate brothers to attend than the traditional in-person event. While the Academy will continue to focus on education for undergraduate officers and graduate volunteers, all brothers who are interested are invited to participate.

Event details and online registration are available at phigam.org/Academy. The registration deadline is December 15, 2020.

On some campuses, students have already returned home for winter break, and the remaining will in the coming weeks. The break allows house corporations to get inside the house to ensure everything is up to our standards, determine maintenance needs and properly disinfect the facility.

Holmes Murphy, our insurance broker, provides a Winter Break and Facility Closure checklist for you to use when doing the chapter house's winter break walk-through. Click the link to view the Winter Break Checklist. Despite your facility not necessarily being closed due to COVID, we encourage you to utilize the Facility Closure Checklist during your walk-through as well.

The cold months are coming, and the Winter Break Checklist goes over the obvious safety and security issues, including issues concerning cold weather (e.g., checking water lines, hoses and furnaces). This is a very useful tool that we highly suggest saving for your house corporation's future use.

We continue to encourage all house corporations to utilize the available COVID-19 Resources on the Fraternity's website. The Headquarters staff and 1848 Housing Committee are continuously developing additional resources to help prepare your house corporation for the spring semester and re-opening your facility.

Many areas are seeing an increase in cases across the U.S. Please continue to encourage your chapters and set the expectation that they follow all guidelines, including wearing masks, washing hands frequently and avoiding gatherings. Stay up to date with the Fraternity's COVID-19 guidance on the COVID-19 Guidance page.

Columns Fundraising
Does your house corporation plan to have a year-end fundraising campaign? Do you have a plan created for that year-end campaign? Columns Fundraising has created a resource to provide useful tips on ending 2020 and beginning 2021 on a positive note when it comes to asking your graduate brothers for year-end gifts. Click HERE to learn more about year-end fundraising.

Upper Crust Food Service
Has your kitchen been properly shut down for the extended winter break? Are you interested in contracting with a food service provider for the spring and/or fall semester? Upper Crust Food Service has provided a short checklist to ensure your kitchen is ready to be opened properly for the spring semester. Click HERE to learn how to properly shut down your kitchen for the winter and for suggestions to continue adapting your kitchen operations to COVID-19.

Additional Suggested Vendors
If you are a house corporation searching for a property management company, an architecture firm or property insurance, we suggest reviewing the list of suggested vendors on the Housing Resources page.

In November, the 1848 Housing Committee hosted a webinar on planning a renovation in the next 10 years. Representatives from Columns Fundraising and CSL Management shared their expertise on fundraising goals and suggestions, assessment and CAPEX plans, and advice for successful renovation planning. The recording of this webinar can be found on the 1848 Housing Webinar page. Resources that our representatives shared can be found on the House Corporation Resources page.

All previous webinar recordings can also be found on the 1848 Housing Webinar page. Previous webinars topics include reducing liability and exposure, kitchen operations, fundraising, property management programs and more.

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You are receiving this newsletter because you are listed as a house corporation member for a Phi Gamma Delta Chapter/Colony. If you are no longer a member of a house corporation contact Dio Protopapadakis, Director of Graduate Engagement.

You may also contact Dio to determine who is currently listed in the Fraternity's records.