A House Worth Coming Home To: Updates from the Indiana Zeta House Corporation
Over the past two years, Phi Kappa Psi at Butler has tackled long-deferred maintenance, stabilized critical infrastructure, and laid the groundwork for the chapter’s long-term success at the chapter house.
FOUNDATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS
Work began with core infrastructure needing immediate attention: several 25+ year-old hot water heaters were replaced, emergency plumbing repairs completed, and widespread water damage to walls, ceilings, and showers restored. In the Informal Room, a sagging ceiling was lifted six inches and reinforced with new structural headers. Following a successful insurance claim, a new roof was installed in winter of 2025–2026.
The formal room, study, and conference room received new paint, flooring, and repairs. First-floor furniture, color schemes, and lighting were updated. Alumni donations furnished four undergraduate rooms with new beds, desks, and dressers. Outside, nearly a dozen trees were removed, fencing was replaced, and the volleyball court was restored with five inches of new sand. Concrete work has begun redirecting water away from the basement.
Color brightening on the first floor and modern decorations were added to brand the space as Phi Kappa Psi at Butler University. There are dozens of other updates and repairs not mentioned here.
We would like to thank Dave Buck ’73, Mark Peterson ‘71, Ed Plavchak ’71, Stan Wachel ’72, and Dave Womer ’71 for generously stepping forward to help complete these projects.
What’s Next: The Indiana Zeta 2030 Plan
The next phase targets basement waterproofing, HVAC replacement, more plumbing work, siding, soffits, gutters, fascia, windows, brick repair, along with student room renovations and possible kitchen and first-floor expansions. These projects fall under the Indiana Zeta 2030 Plan which is a strategic effort to keep the house competitive, functional, and appealing to future Phi Psi members with hopeful completion targets by or around 2030.
“Alumni furniture donations for undergrad rooms made an immediate, tangible difference. When a young man walks into a room that feels like home, it changes his entire experience with the Chapter. Your generosity has made a huge difference, and we look forward to continuing furniture replacement.” Daniel Walter ’99, House Corporation President
“We’ve made significant progress, but I want to be straightforward: major work remains, and the estimates are significant. We have built a great team to carry out the mission, but our operating budget alone cannot handle all projects. We’re exploring construction loans and other avenues, and we genuinely need alumni financial support. Any contribution brings us closer to a house we can sustain well into the future.” Ryan Eldridge, ’95, House Corporation Treasurer & Project Manager