That’s right the 1855 Club was created in May 2000. I asked John Banta to share some of his early thoughts in creating the 1855 club:
I took on the role of House Corporation President back in 2000 along with Brian Lojko as Vice President and we knew right away that Eta Iota was facing a challenge with long-term capital improvement savings. Rental income from the undergraduate chapter covered mortgage payments, RMF Insurance premiums and the increasing maintenance costs but not much more. Past fund-raising initiatives of the chapter such as the Eta Iota Honor Wall demonstrated what we already knew – Eta Iota consists of very generous members who want to support the chapter but a vehicle was needed to facilitate the process.
The idea for the 1855 Club originated as we explored the various fund raising options for Eta Iota’s capital improvement reserves and I wanted a solution that would meet several key criteria: