Sunday family dinners
The commercial kitchen runs 2–3 meals a day. Brothers gather in the dining room the way alumni still talk about doing fifty years later.
The Epsilon Zeta New House Initiative
The next chapter
starts here.
A new home for Sigma Chi at Florida State, opening Fall 2028. Designed by Florida-licensed builders, anchored by a $3M lead gift, endorsed by the Sigma Chi Foundation.
Campaign progress
$0 secured + financed of $11.72M
$5.05M lead gifts secured · $2.0M House Corp financing · $4.67M still to raise by groundbreaking, toward the Fall 2028 opening.
Help close the gapWhy now
Brotherhood has outgrown the house we built it in.
Since rechartering in 2023, Epsilon Zeta has grown to 155 active brothers, posted a 3.48 chapter GPA, and put more than 50 of its members into campus leadership. The .19-acre house on Pensacola Street, modest, social-only, decades old, can no longer carry the chapter we’ve become.
The house we have was built for a different era. The house we’re building is for the next fifty years.
The vision
A house that competes with the best housing on campus.
The new chapter house sits on a .65-acre site on Pensacola Street, directly across from the current house and one block from FSU’s campus core. Designed by Florida-licensed builders led by Rick Harpenau ’80, the building elevates Epsilon Zeta into the top tier of fraternity housing, with a layout, finish level, and capacity that change recruitment for a generation.
- 35 bedrooms, two stories, with underground parking for 40
- 4×4 pod-style layouts: full kitchen, living, washer/dryer per pod
- 22 private bathrooms, 12 shared
- Full commercial kitchen with chapter dining room
- Library, weight room, Consul Suite, live-in House Director
- Front porch, basketball court, tailgate area
The lot
3.4× the current site, directly across the street.
The new .65-acre site on Pensacola Street replaces a .19-acre footprint. Topography supports underground parking and the location is one block from FSU’s campus core, walkable to the stadium and academic buildings.
Daily life
What it feels like to live here.
A house is what you do in it. These are the everyday moments the new chapter house is built to make easy.
Pod brotherhood
Eight 4×4 pods, each with its own kitchen, living room, and laundry. The friend group you initiate with becomes the people you live with.
Game-day tailgates
Forty-car underground garage opens to a tailgate court. One block from the stadium, the chapter house becomes the destination on every home Saturday.
Library + weight room
Quiet study and a full weight room on the same floor as the chapter common spaces. The 3.48 chapter GPA stays a fixture, not a milestone.
Leadership behind the campaign
A committed board, a $3M lead gift, and the endorsement of the national Foundation.
Lead donor
Rick Harpenau, Florida State 1980
$3M total commitment · Florida-licensed General Contractor
“Inspired by my father’s legacy, shaped by the Sigma Chi experience, and grateful for the lifelong friendships I made at Epsilon Zeta, this is my opportunity to give back. We’re building a house worth fifty more years.”
Rick served as House Manager for three years during undergrad, has built more than fifty custom homes across Florida, and developed the residential and industrial communities that fund this commitment. His $3M total commitment includes a $500K Bell Chapter Endowment, a perpetual leadership-training fund that places Epsilon Zeta in the top 5% of chapters nationally.
House Corporation board
- Glenn Gsell ’77 President
- Palmer Williams Past President
- Carlton Dean Commercial Realtor
- Lane Smith Property Investments
- Justin Peel Realtor & Contractor
- Mike Taggart Realtor
- Marcus Edenfield Realtor / Homebuilder
- Bill Batchler Builder
“Rick is highly capable and deeply committed. I believe he is well deserving of the trust and support required for an undertaking of this scale.”
Mike Greenberg · President, Sigma Chi Foundation
“Epsilon Zeta is recognized as an Endowed Bell Chapter in our national publications. The chapter’s standing across the Fraternity makes this house a worthy investment.”
Andrew Musgrove · Director of Development, Sigma Chi (SE)
“The 4×4 layout is the difference between recruiting against the top fraternities at FSU and recruiting alongside them. This house is a generational pull.”
Ross Ellis · Consul, Epsilon Zeta
How alumni are joining
Six ways to put your name on the next fifty years.
Every commitment level matters. Naming opportunities and recognition vary by tier; donors who opt in are recognized on the Founders Wall. All gifts are processed through the Sigma Chi Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.
Founder
$1,000,000+
The campaign's lead position. Building-naming opportunities, lifetime Founders Wall recognition, and personal walkthroughs with the architect.
- Building or wing-naming opportunities
- Personal walkthrough with Rick Harpenau and the design team
- Lifetime Founders Wall placement
- Campaign milestone updates direct from Rick
- Private dedication-day reception, Fall 2028
Bell · $500,000+
Major room-naming
Library, Weight Room, Dining, or Consul Suite naming. Bell Chapter recognition in perpetuity.
Constantine · $100,000+
Pod naming
Pod-naming or feature-space recognition. Founders Wall placement and dedication-day invitation.
Significant Sig
$25,000+
Brick or plaque-level recognition in a high-traffic common area. Founders Wall placement.
Brother
$1,000+
Founders Wall placement. Quarterly construction update with photos and milestones.
Friend
Any amount
Every gift counts toward the $4.67M still to raise. Recognition on the Founders Wall for donors who opt in.
Larger gifts may qualify as tax-deductible through Sigma Chi’s 501(c)(3) Foundation. Donors may contribute appreciated assets, securities, or qualified retirement-account distributions. Please consult your financial advisor.
Add your name
The next fifty years moves with you.
$5.05M secured + $2.0M financed of $11.72M. $4.67M to raise. Fall 2028 opening. The campaign moves with you.
For Leadership Gifts of $100,000 or more, contact Rick directly to discuss naming opportunities, wire transfers, and gifts of stock or appreciated assets.
Give now
Every gift moves us closer to Fall 2028.
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