1. What happened to the funds that had already been donated to building the fraternity house? 

Response: Those funds were placed in an interest-bearing account until the stability of Gamma Psi was secured.  Now that Gamma Psi has been fully restored, the funds that were collected are being used to solidify our efforts to contact brothers, raise funds, and build a house that will represent our legacy in North Central Louisiana.

2. How do we plan to raise $300,000 to $500,000?

Response:  Several ways. 

1. By hiring an experienced company that specializes in helping fraternities raise funds for building houses.  They have helped literally dozens of frats across the country do exactly what we’re embarking on.  The average cost of the houses they’ve built is $1.5M. 

2.  By developing a state-of-the-art website that will allow us to communicate our vision to the masses, provide continuous updates on the progress of the house, facilitate our contribution process via PayPal, and maintain access & control for all contributions with up to date reporting.

3. How much are we asking per brother?

Response:  We’re asking for $1000.00 per brother for 3 consecutive years of fund raising for a total of $3000.00.  If it takes us more than 3 years to accrue the funds the brothers who have the financial means to continue giving will contribute until we reach our goal.

4. How much are the monthly payments?

Response:  $85.00 per month.

5. Will each brother’s contribution be publicized and open for public view?
    
1. No.  Each brother will have a personal userid/password protected access to their own contribution totals so that we can ensure that no brother’s contribution be viewed by other brothers accessing the system.
2. If a brother (s) makes a significant contribution, the committee may choose to recognize that brother in some way.
    
6. How will I know how much I’ve contributed to the house?

Response:  Each brother upon registering into the website will have their own account via PayPal to keep track of their funds.

7. Can I get my money back at anytime?

Response:  No you cannot.  This fund is setup just like every other charitable donation.  There are no refunds unless extenuating circumstances are presented to the building committee.

8. Is my donation to the house a tax write off?

Response:  Absolutely.  This is a 100% charitable donation.

9. Why was it necessary to hire a professional fund raising company?

Response:  The building committee felt it necessary to hire professionals who have dedicated their careers to assist fraternities like ours accomplish the goal of building a home.  We need their expertise in solidifying a market plan, approach, strategy and pursuing corporate sponsorship.  

10. Does this plan include the cost of maintenance and upkeep once the house is built?
     
1. Yes, upon the successful building of the fraternity house we are asking each brother to contribute $25.00 per month for the maintenance and upkeep.
2. Additionally, we are asking that the local chapters donate 10% of all profits from all events into the building fund treasury.   This includes Grambling Alumni.
3. There is also a tentative plan in place to rent out our facility to local organizations who wish to use it for approved social events.  These funds will also go into the building fund treasury.
    
11. How much will the cost be per brother for maintenance & upkeep?

Response:  $25.00 per month.

12. When will the house be built?

Response:  The anticipated grand opening of the house is slated for Homecoming 2009.

13. When is the ground breaking planned?

Response:  The normal timeframe it takes for a structure like this to be built is six months.  This means that for Homecoming 2009, construction would need to commence by April 2009.

14. How much money do we need before we start building?

Response:  Construction will not begin until 75% of targeted contributions have been donated.  This amount is approx. $225,000.

15. How will I get information about how much has been raised by the committee?

Response:  The committee will send out a monthly newsletter to the bond announcing the status that has been made over the previous month as well as a financial update.

16. How many brothers do we think will contribute to the house?

Response:  Since 1950, more than 700 brothers have graduated from Grambling State University , Louisiana Tech University, and Northeast La. University .  We plan to actively solicit each and every one of these brothers that are able to contribute.

17. Is the committee pursuing corporate sponsorships and/or grants?

Response:  Yes we are.  

18. Does the $25.00 per month include undergraduate brothers?

Response:  No it does not.  There is no individual contribution amount being asked of undergrad brothers. 

19. How will undergraduates contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the house?

Response:  Undergrad contributions will come from chapter events including step shows (10% per event).  The undergrad chapter will also be expected to assist in housecleaning and maintenance work as needed.

20. What undergraduate chapters does the plan involve?

Response:  Gamma Psi, Theta Rho and Eta Pi.

21. Where will the house be located?

Response:  The house will tentatively be located in the exact same location as the existing one.

22. Why would we want to build on the existing land?

Response:  The current location has served as a great site for the house for over 30 years.  The area is isolated, the neighbors are used to us and we’ve never had a police incident since the house has been there.  The brothers who are visiting from out of town also know exactly where the existing house is.

23. Is the existing land big enough to adequately build the house plus provide parking?

Response:  Yes, assuming that the committee is able to acquire the entire 2.0 acres there is more than enough room to build a 3000 to 5000 square foot home and provide adequate parking as well.

24. What will we do with the existing house?

Response:  Our plan is to either sell the existing home or demolish it.  The foundation/structure is what’s most important to us.

25. How much does it cost to move the existing house?

Response:  It can typically cost up to $10,000 to move a house of that size.  The existing house was purchased elsewhere and moved to its current location.

26. How much does it cost to demolish the existing house?

Response:  It would cost between  $3000.00 to $5000.00 to demolish the house.  This cost also includes the cleanup of debris from the house.

27. Can we sell the existing house?

Response:  Maybe.  Maybe not.  The house is in pretty bad shape but if we can find a buyer who will move it at no cost to us, then we will entertain donating the home to the buyer (s).

28. Who owns the land the house sits on?

Response:  Grambling Alumni owns the house which sits on .3 acres and Bro. Staff owns the surrounding 1.7 acres.  Our plan is to ask Bro. Staff to donate the land to the fraternity or present him with a reasonable offer to sell it back to us.

29. Are there alternate locations for building the house?

Response:  Yes.  We are currently working with local realtors evaluating other locations in the Grambling/Ruston area.

30. How much land would we seek to purchase?

Response:  We are seeking land tracts of 5 acres.

31. How much does land generally cost in that area?

Response:  5 acres will typically cost us approx. $10K to $12K.  This is a very good price for land in the area.

32. When will the committee know if they will be building on the existing site or building on a new tract of land?

Response:  The committee should have a definitive answer from Bro. Staff by the end of June 2006.

33. Why does the proposed house layout include rooms for three undergrad chapters and Grambling Alumni chapter? 

Response:  We wanted to be inclusive and capture the history of the neighboring chapters that shared the college experience with us.  We also want to capture the history of each chapter in the chapter rooms.

34. What do we need a silhouette room? 

Response:  Many brothers are now married, so we want to give our silhouettes a place to relax when we gather at the fraternity house.

35. What is the reason for having a split level house? 

Response:  If we build on the existing property, we want to take advantage of the sloped land and eliminate the need to build a two-story house.  We have several brothers that are now confined to wheelchairs and we want them to have full access to the fraternity house.

36. Why do we need a large kitchen, conference room and celebration room? 

Response:  We envision using the house for community service projects and developing the Guide Right program to include tutoring.  We also envision making the lower portion of the house available for rental to help offset the month maintenance expenses needed to run the house.

37. Why do we need a large kitchen, conference room and celebration room? 

Response:  We envision using the house for community service projects and developing the Guide Right program to include tutoring.  We also envision making the lower portion of the house available for rental to help offset the month maintenance expenses needed to run the house.

38. Why would we include a covered patio? 

Response:  When we fellowship at the house we enjoy barbeques and fish fries.  This covered outside patio would allow us to enjoy the outdoors without being fully exposed to bad weather.

39. Why is it so important to build this house now? 

Response:  In sporting terms, we are at the top of our game.  Gamma Psi has just won chapter of the year, the Polemarch of Gamma Psi won the Byron K. Armstrong award and was recently on the cover of the Kappa Journal.  The Theta Rho chapter at La. Tech will be reinstated by the summer of 2006.  Eta Pi is still actively supported by Rayville Alumni chapter.  As you can see, we have a lot to be proud of.  The brothers in the local Grambling area are continuing to achieve in spite of our absence and lack of support.  Now is our time to give back and leave a legacy that represents how God has blessed us.  Alma mater means “our mother”, who would not want to give back to their mother?  The current house does not represent our abundance in life.  Over 700 brothers have come through Grambling Alumin, Gamma Psi, Theta Rho and Eta Pi.  Looking at the existing house, we can do better!

40. What is the purpose for including an eternal flame in the fireplace of the house? 

Response:  Many brothers have been laid to rest over the years.  We want to honor their lives by acknowledging their absence.  Our desire is to honor the deceased and not forget their contributions and service to Kappa Alpha Psi.
 

41. What are the anticipated house expenses?

Response:  They are electric, gas, water, phone, security, insurance, landscape, insurance, maintenance fund, & miscellaneous fund.
 

42. What about furniture and appliances?    

Response:  Any state of the art electronics or appliances will be purchased by the alumni/undergraduate chapters; hopefully there will be some corporate assistance in this area.
 

43. Who will pay the monthly expenses?

Response:  There will be very little change from how the current house expenses are being handled.  The local alumni/undergraduate chapters (fund-raising), an ongoing maintenance fund, and financial planning from the housing committee will assist in covering monthly expenses.
 

44. Who will be responsible for the fraternity house?

Response:  Grambling Alumni will be the primary contact and persons responsible for managing all household expenses, setting up “house rules”, governing all social events, meetings, and administrative duties.
 

45. What role will the undergraduate chapter play?

Response:  They will be responsible in assisting & contributing the Alumni chapter through fund-raising, semester dues for new initiates, and clean up days around the house.
 

46. What happens if the alumni and/or undergraduate chapters are on probation or become inactive?

Response:  The housing committee will set up or assist in making sure all aspects of the house are attend to.
 

47. What is meant by "this is not just a GAMMA PSI fraternity house"?

Response:  The building of this fraternity will not come from just GAMMA PSI brothers alone.  We have received and anticipate many more contributions from LA Tech & University of Monroe at LA (Northeast) brothers, and should grant them access of the house as well, because this is about KAPPA ALPHA PSI!
 

48. Who will grant access to the house?

Response:  All events will be set up through Grambling Alumni, who will be fair and just, when it comes to using the house.