Dearest Alumni,

Words cannot describe what an outstanding alumni weekend we had, exceeding expectations on so many fronts.  The weekend was full of exceptional activities, with weather that cooperated and most importantly a massive turnout of brothers like never seen before — spanning the full spectrum of our 45 year history!  If other things in life kept you away, know that you were there in spirit and in our hearts and minds.  It is our hope that you consider attending what we predict to be many, many more successful gatherings in and outside of Oneonta in the future.

There will be more information to come in the next few days around the alumni association (ITKFAA) and upcoming initiatives.  However we wanted to provide you with some immediate information based on what we heard and what people asked for:

Cicio/Coulman Memorial Scholarship

Due to the exceptional generosity of brothers who have contributed already, we continue to make great strides towards our ultimate goal of reaching $25,000. Many brothers have expressed their intention over the weekend to contribute to the fund, so here are the two most convenient ways:

Online:

Online gifts can be made safely and securely at www.oneontaalumni.com/giving While on this page, you simply have to type “ITK Memorial Scholarship” into the box marked “Other.”

Check

For all gifts, please make checks payable to “SUNY College at Oneonta Foundation” and sent to: SUNY College at Oneonta Foundation, 308 Netzer Administration Building, Oneonta, NY 13820. [Make sure to write “ITK Scholarship” in the memo line on your check or on a note accompanying the gifts.]

Just to make it clear how we have arrived at the $25,000 goal, this is the amount that needs to be raised in order for the scholarship to become self-funded in perpetuity (i.e., permanently), meaning future fund raising would not need to be conducted to keep the scholarship going. Your donation is tax deductible and might qualify for matching gifts through your company (please inquire, you never know!).

If you consider what you spent going to alumni weekend (or saved by not going) and send in a quarter of that amount, we can hit the goal by next Friday May 11th which would have been Robert Cicio’s 65th birthday. We all get busy and side-tracked so go to the site now and make your donation via credit card – it is a one minute process. YOUR GENEROSITY IS TRULY APPRECIATED!

Ongoing Communications

It became clear that, although there has been more communications distributed in the last year than ever before, we can strive to do a better job in sharing current and pertinent information. Below are key resources to keep people well-informed and improve the dialogue:

• Database – One of the biggest revelations this weekend is that many brothers have not been getting e-mail communications due to old and outdated addresses on file. Since you are reading this, most likely you are fine but we need you to reach out to your inner circles of brothers and forward this letter to them and encourage them to update their address as needed. Do not assume that logically they are getting letters (this is where it is better for you to be a little redundant and over communicate).

• Iota TauKappa.com – for many years the site was left stagnant. However it has been updated and will remain relevant with current activities and details. If you need information or want to share information you will find the site is a great resource to leverage. You can also find ITK groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. Feel free to send a story, lore or interesting fact to the Historian, John Fusco (fusco3@msn.com). He will review and post the story on your behalf. Participation in strongly encouraged!

• Central e-mail account for communications – for correspondence with ITKFAA committee members please send messages to itk.oneonta@gmail.com The account is actively managed and you will get a prompt reply.

• Frequency – it was our intent to strike the right balance in reaching out to you with relevant updates and many brothers felt that they wanted to get more information across various topics like the scholarship, ITKFAA committee initiatives, etc… Therefore we will recalibrate our communications to broaden the subject matter shared and the frequency of correspondence.

Be on a look out for a follow-up e-mail over the next week or two where we will be communicating more around the organizational structure, committee initiatives, and a call for participants and new committee members. In the meantime keep a look out on the website for picture uploads and updates.

Pictures from the weekend will be posted on the web site soon!

Best Regards,

ITKFAA Committee