Brothers, I hope that you and your family has been able to stay healthy through all of this. So far, the EN chapter and Kappa Phi are trying to navigate this pandemic the best we can. In late March, the university determined that they would not have any in-person classes and had advised that students should go home and take classes completely online. With this, it certainly raised some questions about how to maintain the chapter, the Brotherhood and remain financially stable.
From the HC perspective, we were very willing to work with the undergrads and advising from the very first step to ensure that the guys could plan the rest of the semester and avoid any serious pitfalls. First and foremost, we wanted to ensure the safety of our undergraduate brothers. Delts were encouraged to head home as soon as possible, but we also wanted to allow the shelter to remain available for those brothers that had an obligation to stay in Rolla for a legitimate reason. some members stayed at the shelter, practicing social distancing and keeping the house running.
From the financial end, we were able to work out a plan that allowed members to exit the shelter with part of the semester left and provide significant rent relief so they did not return to a pitfall. Some alumni have also stepped up offering assistance to the undergrads so they could continue attending classes from home.
We don’t know what the future will bring, but I can tell you that the EN Chapter is strong and we are doing everything we can for the Brotherhood to ensure the shelter will be available when they return.
By: Brian Booth (AO 236), Pres. Kappa Phi