The Evolution of 603 WW Inc.
This group started in 2016 in Crawfordsville at the 40th Reunion of the 1976 class. A number of us were concerned about the Chapter at Wabash in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy-the death of a Freshman in the Fraternity House some years earlier. The local Fraternity Chapter had been disbanded by both the College and the National Fraternity and there was a lack of clear direction for the future of the Delt House at Wabash.
The result of these 2016 discussions was the creation a few years later of 603 WW Inc. which is a well run Alumni group with several areas of interest.
Areas of Interest:
1. Alumni Activities.
Many of us find great enjoyment seeing and visiting with our friends from our College days and meeting and creating relationships with other Alumni - both younger and older. These Alumni Events -open to all- are 'pay as you go' events with a ticket charge covering the food and beverage and whatever else. These are not tax deductible expenses. The largest of these Alumni Events is the biennial gathering in Crawfordsville for the Monon Bell game. In 2018 we had over 80 Delt Alumni bring their families to the 'Squatfest' at Wabash for some part of the weekend.
2. Career Placement.
A second 603 WW activity is the mentoring of undergraduates with regard to career placement . Dave Benak,79 and Mike Shaver '73 lead a team of interested Alumni creating round table discussions for undergraduates and direct personal contact with Delt Alumni. This has proven successful in two specific first job placements this year and a valued experience for others in the job seeking phase of a senior year in College. Contributions to this Career Placement / Mentoring activity are welcomed and clearly are deductible expenses.
3. Graduate School Placement.
A third area of interest to the 603 WW Group is helping to provide a runway for undergraduates headed to Graduate School. We are establishing a program of support for undergraduates taking entrance and placement examinations for graduate education. This activity will reimburse undergraduates for some part of costs incurred in the Graduate School Admissions process. Further we hope to identify among our number Men who have had successful Graduate School experiences and are willing to share knowledge of the Admissions and Placement process with current students. Obviously this process will need funding on a Annual basis as the anticipated cash need will be somewhere in the $5,000 - $10,000 range to support the testing fees. This effort is being chaired by Mark Noffsinger '78 who may be reached at eglelk5@aol.com if you have any questions or would like to contribute to the cause.
4. Financial Endowement.
Another piece of the current 603 WW design is the creation of a permanent financial Endowment-the income from which can be used for various purposes to be determined by the 603 WW Board. We are in the very early stages of putting together this Endowment and we are making good progress. We need to build this Endowment to a level where the income can be meaningfully helpful to programs. To be clear we are not now, nor do we anticipate, any Endowment spending in the near term. Gifts to the Endowment are fully tax deductible and welcomed via PayPal, Zelle or a personal check.
In sum, we have in place an Alumni Group with an interest in the Graduate life of the fraternity with an emphasis on assisting undergraduates in various areas. Program development is expanding and certainly open to ideas from interested members of the group. Depending on our fundraising and financial successes, we envision activities like tuition support at the Graduate School level. The agenda is an open one.