The Emerald, Summer 2014 by Sigma Pi Fraternity

IN MEMORIAM

HGS James L. Hills

LIFELONG MEMBERSHIP

Decades of Brotherhood

UNDERGRADUATE SPOTLIGHT Experience The Game

OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY, INTERNATIONAL • SIGMAPI.ORG • SUMMER 2014

The Emerald

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VOLUME XCVIII, NUMBER 3 SUMMER 2014

8 12 8 10 Founders’ Award 12 In Memoriam 38 Undergraduate Spotlight

40 42 50 Years of Brotherhood 46 Man of Many Hats 56 Gallup Research

1 From the Grand Sage

18 Chapter and Colony Reports

2 From the Executive Director

44 Alumni News and Reports

3 Sigma Pi Historical Society

48 Adytum on High

4 Sigma Pi Educational Foundation

50 Charterings

6 News and Information

57 Flashback Photo

FE ATU R E S :

The Mitchell House

Ribbon-Cutting and Dedication

52nd Biennial Convocation

HGS James L. Hills (AC, Maryland ’54)

Alex Sheck (X, Iowa ’16)

DEPA RTM ENTS:

38 70 Years of Membership

By PGS Frank Fryburg (Q, Penn State’49)

By Mike Ryan (BO, CSU-Long Beach ’63)

By James Caddell (R, North Carolina St. ‘56)

Study on Fraternities and Sororities

EDITORIAL STAFF: Chris Carter (QW, Middle Tennessee ’11) Editor and Creative Director

Jason “Gilligan” Walker (AF, Georgia ’96) Business Manager Sigma Pi Fraternity was founded at Vincennes University, Vincennes, Indiana, on February 26, 1897. Sigma Pi has chartered more than 230 chapters in North America and has initiated over 99,000 members since 1897. The founding fathers of the Fraternity are: Rolin Rosco James (1879 - 1953) William Raper Kennedy (1877 - 1944) James Thompson Kingsbury (1877 - 1950) George Martin Patterson (1877 - 1960) THE EMERALD OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY: (ISSN 1074-5289, USPS 011-013) has been published since 1911. The Emerald is published two times a year by Sigma Pi Fraternity, 106 North Castle Heights Ave, Lebanon, Tennessee, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to SIGMA PI FRATERNITY, 106 North Castle Heights Ave., Lebanon, TN 37087 MEMBERS: When making an address change, please send your full name and chapter with both the old and new address to the Executive Office address below or at mysigmapi.com. EMERALD SUBMISSION DEADLINES: Spring February 10 Summer May 10 Fall September 10 SUBMIT EMERALD NEWS TO: Sigma Pi Fraternity, Attention: Emerald 106 North Castle Heights Ave, Lebanon, TN 37087 Telephone: (615) 921-2300 Fax: (615) 373-8949 Email: emerald@sigmapi.org

Member, North-American Interfraternity Conference

SIGMAPI.ORG • MYSIGMAPI.COM

SIGMAPI

A Message From

THE GRAND SAGE Dear Brothers, As the biennium winds down, I look forward to our Convocation in Orlando, Florida in early August. It is a great time to reconnect with brothers - both young and old - and to celebrate our achievements while we look forward to our next steps. At this time, I would like to discuss the results of the Grand Council’s efforts. We started the biennium by developing our Mission and Vision Statements, and reaffirming that our Creed contains our Core Values. We then set to work on the four goals we set for ourselves this biennium: ensuring our members’ benefits were relevant, ensuring our Executive Director had clear and well defined expectations, established methods of communication for our members, and transparency and accountability for the Grand Council. We feel we have been successful overall in achieving or progressing significantly towards those goals. Additionally, I believe that overall, the groundwork has been laid for continued progression and success of those goals.

Contact Ed:

• Most significantly is that functionally, Grand Council has defined its four main roles: monitor the Executive Office, monitor themselves, maintain relations and communications with our members (a Facebook page, Virtual Town Halls) and consider the influence of external forces (such as universities, and the economy) and adjust our vision and member benefits accordingly.

grandsage@sigmapi.org ed.levesque.71

• There was a further effect in that we also have realigned and added new Grand Council committees to support and assist the Grand Council with these functions. We have modernized our operations by adding documented descriptions of each Grand Council and committee function, including deliverables. • By doing so, we have added more volunteers to our talent pool, many of whom have never served in any volunteer position for our fraternity before. This also speaks to one of our opportunities going forward: we should continue to find ways to increase our alumni engagement by building upon the success of our committee structure. • We determined that our current members’ benefits may be acceptable but that more study was needed into the external threats and opportunities (e.g., politics, economy, social factors) and therefore a Strategy and Innovation (‘think tank’) committee was created. This committee’s output shall help the next council create, refine and adjust its vision in the future. • The Grand Council Operations (ad-hoc) committee, which was borne out of discussions over the last few Grand Chapter Convocations regarding our Council candidate selection and election process, had the daunting task of reviewing our entire candidate process and help determine what, if any, changes should be made to move us forward. The committee’s goal is to make the candidate selection process easy enough for a 19-year-old member to understand it. • They in turn recommended that the Grand Council define its functional role as a board and define our functional (non-ritual) duties. Several of our peers had already undergone this internal change process many years ago with success. They suggested some modifications to the Nominating Committee process. Finally, they shall issue a final report at Convocation, in combination with some motions, which may alter the election process. Regardless of the outcome of the motions and their final report, they will have accomplished what they were tasked to do: find alternatives for our Grand Chapter. It has been a privilege to serve with the talented and diverse men of the Grand Council. I am pleased to say that the other men on council have been great collaborators, willing to work towards a common agenda and goals together. I am certain that the confidence placed in us by this Grand Chapter body last biennium was well founded. I’d like to thank the other members of the Grand Council, the Executive Director and his staff, and my wife Jannene and my three children- Sean, Megan and Kirk- for their support and patience. It has been a pleasure to serve as your Grand Sage this biennium. I look forward to watching our continued march forward on our fraternity’s Quest for Excellence. Fraternally,

GS Ed Levesque

(HH, Bridgewater ’89) Grand Sage

SPRING 2014

EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

A Message From

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear Brothers, We have so many great accomplishments over the last two years to share with you at Convocation. I sincerely hope that you’ll join us in Orlando, Florida from August 6th 10th at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. We don’t get a chance to look back very often, but our upcoming Convocation affords us the opportunity to do so. Today, our Sigma Pi brothers are well-networked, they are getting an enhanced experience on their campus, they have developed social skills and are exposed to public service opportunities, they are experiencing significant growth in their chapters, and our alumni are able to continue the relationships with their brothers better than ever before. I would like to thank our dedicated staff for making that a reality, and also the Grand Council of Sigma Pi for their direction and mentoring. Contact Mike:

Over the last two years, we’ve created an online job board at mysigmapi.com, we’ve grown our online reach on Facebook and Twitter, and we have a new website and app that will be rolling out to you within the next couple of weeks. Our educational conferences set the standard for other fraternities to follow in terms of our commitment to excellent programming and top-of-the-line speakers to train our undergraduates in their Quest for Excellence.

mayalon@sigmapi.org @sigmapiexec

Growth is something we are seeing consistently, year over year. We’re happy to share that we’ve had a 12.7% increase in our pledges over last year, and a 17.5% increase in our initiates over last year. In the last two years alone, our average chapter size is up by five members, bringing us to 46.2 members per chapter. Much of this can be attributed to our partnerships with growth partners such as PhiredUp, as well as the efforts of our new Regional Directors that continue to raise the bar for our chapters. We now have five Regional Directors that make regular visits and bring a minimum of ten years of higher education or business experience to the chapters that they serve. Our claims history has been exceptional due to the regular risk management programming and the discounts that our chapters have earned for lower claims history and reaching certain benchmarks in performance. Our chapters saved $33,377 in their own chapter premiums by earning these discounts, and in turn reduced Sigma Pi’s claims significantly. The Expansion Department continues to shine. With very successful colonizations last semester at St. John’s University and the University of San Diego, we now look forward to our future projects at Colorado State University and the University of Kentucky in the Fall of 2014. Congratulations to our newly chartered groups in the Spring of 2014: Missouri State (AR), Central Michigan (DA), and Keene State (IR). Alumni engagement is an area that we are continuing to push. New regional alumni clubs have opened up in Texas (Lone Star), Upper Canada, St. Louis (Gateway), Florida (Space Coast), and Providence (Rhode Island). Please call the Executive Office if you would like to join the regular events going on these areas, or if you would like to be a part of a new regional alumni club in your area. We’re also building a lifetime membership education program full of continuous programming for all four years of college and beyond that will help all of our members develop into great alumni for the Fraternity. Finally, our new Executive Office in Lebanon, TN continues to be something that all of our undergraduates, alumni, and interfraternal partners treasure. We have a brand new museum to proudly display our history since 1897, as well as many modern pieces belonging to our notable alumni. If you have something that you believe would be a great addition to the Sigma Pi museum for future generations, please let us know. We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the Nashville area! Fraternally,

Michael Ayalon

(EO, Buffalo ’97) Executive Director

EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

SPRING 2014

Historical Society

DIGITAL ARCHIVE

SIGMA PI HISTORICAL SOCIETY DIGITAL ARCHIVE NOW ACTIVE By Christian J. Miele (HN, Towson ’04), President, Sigma Pi Historical Society

For the first time ever, the entire catalog of The Emerald is available digitally to you... for free! Ever wish you could flip through the pages of the very first issue of The Emerald (circa 1911) without having to pay a special visit to the fraternity’s Executive Office? How about having the ability to peruse the issue covering your chapter’s chartering from the comfort of your own home? Well, for the first time in the history of Sigma Pi, you can! At their meeting at the 2012 Sigma Pi University, the Historical Society voted unanimously to authorize the creation of a Digital Archive. The Society, in partnership with the Executive Office, has entered into an agreement with document digitization leader Enivation, who scanned in all issues of The Emerald catalog in its entirety. That’s right, all 368 issues to date (including the one you are now reading), spanning 103 years and an estimated 19,000 pages worth of rich Sigma Pi history is easily available. Based out of Claysburg, Pennsylvania, Enivation has completed similar projects for a number of other national fraternities and sororities, including Phi Kappa Tau, Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Delta Pi, Gamma Phi Beta, and Phi Sigma Sigma. The company is also an affiliate of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), Fraternity Executives Association (FEA), and the Fraternity Communications Association (FCA).

The Digital Archive is hosted by Enivation at enivation.com/SigmaPi. Issues of the The Emerald will be presented in flipbook format, which will allow Sigma Pi to showcase its official publication with real page-turning features, full-text searchable pages, and internal and external hyperlinks. Future plans for the Digital Archive include the scanning of pledge manuals, Convocation minutes, and Fraternity correspondence of historical value, among other documents. Founded in 2010, the Sigma Pi Historical Society is dedicated to promoting and preserving the history of the Fraternity, and fostering an appreciation of the same among its members. Membership in the Society is open to initiated members who have attended at least two Convocations, with full membership reserved for those brothers who have attended five or more. a

To view the digital archive, just visit enivation.com/SigmaPi

SPRING 2014

EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

Sigma Pi

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

Dear Brothers,

Allen W. Yee (AF, Georgia ’99) Chairman

My fourth and final year as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation comes to an end next month. Serving as Chairman the last four has been challenging – having to navigate through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. It has also been a pleasure – getting to meet many of our loyal alumni and friends. But most of all it has been immensely rewarding – getting to see thousands of young Sigma Pi men benefit from your generosity. It has been both a humbling and inspiring experience.

Les L. Wright (GU, Murray State ’70) Vice-Chairman of Administration Edward Mora (BO, Cal State-Long Beach ’93) Vice-Chairman of Investments PGS Larry Rovira (EN, Cal State-Fullerton ’85) Vice-Chairman of Development

My sincere thanks to all who supported the Educational Foundation during the 2013-2014 school-year. Contributed support topped $366,000 (a 4.2% increase over the previous year). We awarded over $67,711 in scholarships and grants (nearly a 6% increase over the previous year) and helped fund two successful conferences - Sigma Pi University and Mid-Year Leadership Conference, which together were attended by nearly 600 collegiate members. Investment gains were strong - up about 9% despite overall lowered rates and an equity market slow-down in 2014. And finally, we again lowered operating expenses from the previous year, allowing us to invest more money into the future of Sigma Pi and its members. Overall it was a good year. We expect next year to be even better.

Gary S. Grubacich (AO, UC-Santa Barbara ’68) Vice-Chairman of Legal Affairs Paul M. Hetrick (GU, Murray State ’92) Treasurer

As we begin our 2014-2015 Annual Fund campaign next month, I encourage you to continue your support of Sigma Pi through your tax-deductible gifts to the Educational Foundation. If you have not chosen to make a gift in the past, I invite you to join the nearly ten-thousand alumni who have already invested back into Sigma Pi and its mission to build the leaders of tomorrow.

Ian M. Itschner (W, Oregon State ’93) Secretary Dr Jay C. Joern, Jr. (GS, Missouri ’72) Trustee

I also invite you to join us at the Educational Foundation’s Annual Meeting on August 8, which will be held in connection with Sigma Pi’s 52nd Biennial Convocation in beautiful Orlando, Florida. A report of the Educational Foundation’s activities during the last year will be provided including highlights of successes and challenges. We will also discuss the opportunities we expect for the future. More information about the Annual Meeting can be found on the next page or on the Foundation’s website. I hope to see you there.

Michael Simmons (EN, Cal State-Fullerton ’87) Trustee Rick Marshall (AP, Arkansas State ’92) Trustee Shea Stickler (BK, Arizona State ’90) Trustee

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the thousands of young men who benefited from your generosity during this last school year and in each of the last four years in which I have had the privilege of serving as Chairman, I thank you for your continued support of the Educational Foundation. I BELIEVE IN SIGMA PI, I thank you for believing, too.

GS Edward Levesque (HH, Bridgewater State ’89) Trustee PGS Christopher R. Brown (GH, Rutgers ’81) Trustee

Fraternally,

Paul W. Hansen (BT, Valparaiso ’80) Advisor Trustee

Allen W. Yee

(AF, Georgia ’99) Chairman, Board of Trustees

PGS Frank C. Fryburg (Q, Penn State ’49) Honorary Life Trustee

To donate, please contact Lisa Pearson at 615-921-2300, or make a donation online at sigmapiedfund.org/waystogive.php 4|

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SPRING 2014

ANNUAL MEETING All members of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation are hereby notified of and invited to attend the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Educational Foundation on August 8, 2014. The meeting shall take place at:

THE HILTON ORLANDO BONNET CREEK 14100 BONNET CREEK RESORT LANE, ORLANDO, FLORIDA 32821 (407) 597-3600 COMMENCING AT 6:30 PM (ET) The annual business of the Educational Foundation will be conducted at that time. Matters up for consideration are: • Appointment of Joseph DeCosimo and Company, PLLC as independent auditors • Amendments to the bylaws of the Educational Foundation • Election of Trustees for the 2014-2018 term Per the bylaws of the Educational Foundation, proxy voting is not permitted. Additional information regarding the 2014 Annual Meeting and bylaw amendments up for consideration and review are posted on the Educational Foundation’s website at sigmapiedfund.org or by calling Lisa Pearson at the Educational Foundation at 1-615-921-2300.

SCHOLARSHIP & GRANT TESTIMONIALS I was quite proud to represent Zeta-Eta Chapter at Sigma Pi University. The conference really helps put your chapter in perspective with relation to other chapters. Most of the classes were insightful, but I received the greatest pleasure from meeting and helping my brothers from across the nation. Zeta-Eta Chapter rarely has issues with recruitment, and I was glad to share our strategies with some of the smaller and newer chapters. It was also quite remarkable how similar some of our interests were. Thank you, Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, for making the experience possible.

Receiving this scholarship means a lot, especially knowing that my Fraternity believes I am an upstanding member who lives our creed to the greatest extent of my abilities on a daily basis. My brotherhood not only supports my personal endeavors with compassion, but also provides me financial support for my academics as well. I never expected to receive financial aid from a social Fraternity, but greatly appreciate the assistance as it opens some doors for me financially. I hope to someday return the favor for future Sigma Pi gentlemen.

- Matteo Rodriquez ZE, Santa Clara ’15

- Jason Carpenter U, UCLA ’14

- Andrew Godfrey ZE, Santa Clara ’16

Recipient of a Joe Marsalek Scholarship from Upsilon Chapter Educational Fund

Recipient of the Tony Siress for Zeta-Eta Chapter Scholarship/Grant

When Gary Tash awarded me the scholarship in his own name last summer at SPU, it really hit home the message that brothers are there to support each other, no matter the difference in age. Gary has been a role model for me ever since meeting him, and I’m so glad that we’re brothers for life! - Tom Osmers BP, Virginia ’16 Recipient of the Gary B. Tash Scholarship

My fellow brothers of Zeta-Eta chapter and myself are extremely grateful for the grants we received from the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation this year. Thanks to the generosity of our chapter’s alumnus Tony Siress and the Educational Foundation my brothers and I were able to attend the Sigma Pi Mid-Year Leadership Conference in St. Louis. Without the help and support of the Educational Foundation we would not have been able to attend this conference and gain the important experience that has helped us lead our chapter over the past year.

SPRING 2014

EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

International Digest

NEWS & INFORMATION

Dr. Brian Kurisky Receives Award of Distinction from NIC

100,000th Initiate of Sigma Pi

Sigma Pi Fraternity, International is proud to announce a landmark event for the Fraternity. Ethan Hernandez (BT, Valparaiso ’18) is the 100,000th initiate of Sigma Pi. Hernandez was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He currently attends Valparaiso University as a Physics major, with future plans to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. When the fraternity recruitment process came around in January, Hernandez decided to partake in the festivities; the free food and interaction with new people provided good reasoning to attend the events. However, the men of Sigma Pi quickly made him realize the unique opportunity he could have with the fraternity. Hernandez soon began attending events with the fraternity. The welcoming and friendly demeanor of the brothers added more interest in Sigma Pi for Hernandez. He saw the brotherhood and the potential to do great things with the group of young men he met during recruitment. He enjoyed the time he was spending so much that he invited a friend along for his second visit to the chapter. During the bid acceptance stage, both young men made the clearest decision they saw in front of them: they chose to become members of Sigma Pi. “Chance would have it that I’m the 100,000th, but it is no accident that Sigma Pi has grown to such a number of brothers,” Hernandez said. “Here’s hoping for a continuation of what makes this fraternity great, and for 100,000 more to pledge their love and loyalty to Sigma Pi Fraternity.”

The Executive Office of Sigma Pi would like to congratulate Dr. Brian Kurisky (QQ, Ferris State ’07) on being recognized with the Alumni Award of Distinction by the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The Alumni Award of Distinction recognizes the fraternity man who has given of his time, talents, and service to the betterment of the fraternity. Kurisky currently serves as the Chapter Director for Theta-Eta Chapter at Old Dominion University. Each year, the North-American Interfraternity Conference seeks to recognize outstanding contributions to the fraternal movement. Specifically, the Awards of Distinction strive to acknowledge the hard work of individuals and chapters to improve the Greek experience across the nation. In a year where a near record number of nominations were received, the NorthAmerican Interfraternity Conference is proud to recognize the recipients of this year’s Awards of Distinction. The Awards of Distinction were presented at the NIC Annual Meeting on April 6, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. “I am honored to receive this award,” Kurisky said. “The award is truly a recognition of the men of Sigma Pi, as I am receiving this award with their help and guidance. I am humbled.”

Sigma Pi Partners with PCI for new Membership Directory

Sigma Pi has partnered with Publishing Concepts (PCI) for the collection/verification of data that will lead to the printing of a new edition of the Sigma Pi Membership Directory. PCI has begun contacting members in the attempt to verify contact information. If you receive an e-mail, phone call, postcard, or other communication from PCI, please know they are an authorized vendor and are operating on behalf of Sigma Pi. The data that PCI verifies with you will be returned to Sigma Pi and imported into our membership records database. Therefore, it is extremely important that you complete the verification, which will allow Sigma Pi to keep you updated with The Emerald mailings, e-mail communication, and more. The new directory will publish in May of 2015.

EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

SPRING 2014

New Province Archon Spotlight Jon Gallez named Northern California Province Archon Jon Gallez (DW, SIU-Edwardsville ‘09) has been named to an alumni volunteer position. Gallez will serve as the Northern California Province Archon. The position had previously been vacant. He will work with undergraduate chapters at Iota (Cal-Berkeley), Beta-Eta (San Jose State), Theta-Mu (Chico State), Zeta-Eta (Santa Clara), and Iota-Eta (Santa Cruz), as well as alumni clubs and house corporations in the province. “It is with great excitement that I am taking on this opportunity in the Northern California region” said Gallez. “Since I began my Sigma Pi career in 2006, I only dreamed that I would be able to be a part of something truly special & unique that would give me a college and lifetime experience that is worth more than any amount of money in the world.”

He continued, “I have always loved Sigma Pi for the brothers I met while attending Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, my loving wife Kaci whom I also met while an active member, as well as the amazing alumni based in the St. Louis area. I couldn’t be more excited to meet the brothers here in Northern California, a place that has amazingly talented young leaders and a strong alumni backbone, and to help provide leadership and assistance to these great chapters.” Gallez can be reached at ncapa@sigmapi.org.

Brent Smith named Keystone Province Archon

Matt Smith named Chicagoland Province Archon

Brent Smith (QE, Indiana-Pennsylvania ’02) has been named Keystone Province Archon. The position had previously been vacant. He will work with the undergraduate chapters at Theta (Penn State), Theta-Epsilon (Indiana University of PA), Theta-Iota (Penn State-Altoona), as well as alumni clubs and house corporations in the province. Brent will be making the transition after spending the last six years as the Chicagoland Province Archon.

Matt Smith (BT, Valparaiso ’05) has been named as Chicagoland Province Archon. Matt will work with the undergraduate chapters at Phi (University of Illinois), Beta-Chi (Loyola-Chicago), and Beta-Tau (Valparaiso), as well as alumni clubs and house corporations in the province.

“I’m really excited about coming home,” he said. “When you look at the history of the fraternity in Pennsylvania, there’s a lot – from the chapters to the great alumni. Being part of that at the volunteer level is something that I am looking forward to. I want to help continue building out chapters in the area and help write the next chapters of Sigma Pi history in Pennsylvania.” Brent, an Athens, PA native, was a colonizing member of Theta-Epsilon Chapter, where he was active in chapter leadership and served as Sage. He is a past Executive Office staff member, having served as a Colony Development Consultant. Since his time on staff, he has served in a number of volunteer roles, including Chapter Director at Beta, Chapter Director at Theta-Epsilon, and most recently as the Chicagoland Province Archon. Brent can be reached at keypa@sigmapi.org.

Matt received his Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Information Technology. He is a resident of Valparaiso, Indiana and works as a Technology Assessment Consultant for Valparaiso University. Matt received the George T. Kilavos Chapter Advisor of the Year Award from Valparaiso in 2010 and was also awarded the Lyle H. Smith Award for Most Outstanding Chapter Director from Sigma Pi. Matt has also served as an alumni volunteer on the Judicial Review and Ritual Committees. “I hope to simply help the chapters and brothers in the Chicagoland Province to be successful as fraternity men and Sigma Pi brothers,” Matt said. “This is an exciting time for Sigma Pi and I look forward to the chance to help the Chicagoland Province excel in our mission to Advance Man’s Quest for Excellence!” Matt can be reached at chlpa@sigmapi.org. a

Ways To Stay Connected

Lost touch with Sigma Pi? Here are some ways to keep up with the latest news and information visit our website

sigmapi.org be an alumni volunteer

alumni.sigmapi.org subscribe to our mailing list

sigmapi.org/emaillist

update your information

mysigmapi.com

We are asking for your assistance in spreading the word to all alumni. Please keep your e-mail address, mailing address, and phone number up to date. It can be done online and it only takes about 10 minutes. Step 1: Go to mysigmapi.com Step 2: Click on “Establish Access” if you have never had an account there.

Step 3: Once you are approved and have your access set up, login to the site.

“like” us on facebook

Step 5: Enter your current information (mail, phone, e-mail, etc.) and click to save it.

facebook.com/sigmapi

Step 4: Click on “Edit My Profile” That ensures you will continue to get important information and communications from Sigma Pi. SPRING 2014

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Top line

BOTTOM LINE

Sponsorship Opportunities If you are interested in becoming a sponsor at The Mitchell House, please contact: • Michael Ayalon Executive Director Sigma Pi Executive Office Email: mayalon@sigmapi.org Office: 615-921-2300 Cell: 516-642-3108 • E. Andrew Morris Grand Second Counselor Sigma Pi Grand Council Email: ritualstuf@aol.com Cell: 401-954-6631 • PGS Larry Rovira Vice Chairman of Development Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Email: Larry@sigmapropertyinvestments.com Cell: 909-627-9928

EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

SPRING 2014

The Mitchell House DEDICATION and RIBBON-CUTTING On March 28 & 29, 2014, Sigma Pi Fraternity officially set the standard for fraternity executive offices with the dedication of The Mitchell House. As part of the two-day celebration, we saw many brothers, ranging from undergraduates to young alumni and past Grand Council members. It was truly a special time for Sigma Pi. In total, there were 11 Past Grand Sages in attendance, along with other Past Grand Officers, current Grand Council members, current and past Educational Foundation Board of Trustee members, alumni volunteers, and many others. Undergraduate brothers came from every corner of the map, ranging from 30 minutes away at Middle Tennessee State University, to others

from our Canadian chapters who made the trek “south of the border” to Lebanon, Tenn. Additionally, current and past members of the Grand Council, along with Executive Director Michael Ayalon, pinned the 100,000th initiate of Sigma Pi, Ethan Hernandez (BT, Valparaiso ‘18). Throughout the event, we saw many alumni step forward to donate to the growth of Sigma Pi through sponsorship opportunities at The Mitchell House. You can also leave your mark on the future of the Sigma Pi Executive Office by sponsoring a location of your choice. All sponsorship donations go directly to benefit the educational pursuits of Sigma Pi and its members through the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation. a

SPRING 2014

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International Digest Top line

CONVOCATION BOTTOM LINE

THE FOUNDERS’ AWARD

The Founders’ Award is the highest and most prestigious honor which the Fraternity bestows upon an individual brother. The selection is based upon outstanding contributions or exceptional service in business, a profession, education, or humanitarianism, including service to Sigma Pi or the fraternity system as a whole. Through the years, the Fraternity has developed programs for the recognition of outstanding brothers, alumni, and chapters. Since 1962, Sigma Pi has recognized several of its most outstanding alumni brothers through the presentation of the Founders’ Award. Before each Convocation, the Grand Council selects the recipients from among those brothers recommended by chapters and alumni clubs. The presentation of the Founders’ Award to recipients takes place during the closing banquet of each Convocation. Since its inception, 92 outstanding brothers have had the prestigious Founders’ Award bestowed upon them. The Founders’ Award was the brainchild of Past Grand Sage J. Robert Odaniell (BN, SIU–Carbondale ’51). He presented the concept in 1961 at the Grand Council retreat in St. Louis, Missouri. During the 26th Biennial Convocation in French Lick, Indiana, the Grand Council presented the first Founders’ Awards to Byron R. Lewis (A, Vincennes, F, Illinois ’05), Curtis G. Shake (A, Vincennes ’06) and Robert W. VanHouten (AM, NJIT ’30).

JAMES KEENE MU, CORNELL ‘57

For over 60 years, Brother James Keene has lived the Sigma Pi creed as a stellar supporter of both Mu Chapter at Cornell University and as a civic leader in his community. After pledging the Fraternity in the fall of 1953, James has served with dedication, devotion and passion in order to establish Mu Chapter as not only as a strong organization, but also to complement its stability in both housing and scholarship funding. As a civic leader, James served unselfishly while giving back to his community and the theatre arts. He was the Founder of both the Opera Omaha Council and of the Brownville Concert Series. He has served as President and Chairman of Opera Omaha; Chairman of the Omaha Symphony Foundation, President of the Omaha Symphony Men’s Council; as a Trustee of the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska; Advisory Board for the Johnson Art Museum in Ithaca, New York; and finally as former Trustee for Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. His current civic involvement includes Member of the President’s Council for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia; Board Member and Co-Chair of private fund raising for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival in Omaha, Nebraska; Member of the Cornell University Council in Ithaca, New York; and Board Member, Co-Chair and Program Director of the Brownville Concert Series in Brownville, Nebraska.

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SPRING 2014

Keene and his wife, Ruth, were recognized by the Governor of Nebraska with The Nebraskland Award in recognition to their service to the entire State of Nebraska, and also The Governor’s Arts Award, for their significant contribution to the artistic life of the State of Nebraska. In 2012, in recognition of his long service to Mu Chapter, the chapter and alumni establishment of a special fund in James’ name to assist the chapter Sage financially, and the commissioning of an oil painting of him that hangs in the Chapter House in Ithaca. Keene’s dedication to scholarship, art, and Sigma Pi has been marked with excellence. We are proud to recognize his accomplishments by presenting him with a 2014 Founders’ Award.

PGS JIM VERPLANCK

BETA-MU, MISSISSIPPI ‘61 PGS Jim Verplanck’s renowned career Public Administration and Urban Planning has received recognition from several planning and professional organizations, as well as government agencies. Verplanck enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 1958 to pursue a degree in Public Administration, and pledged Sigma Pi in the fall of 1958. Verplanck’s undergraduate leadership experiences include serving as Third Counselor and Sage, representing Beta-Mu Chapter on IFC and involvement in intramural sports. Verplanck

sought employment with Sigma Pi in February 1962 as a field representative, and worked to establish a colony at the University of Texas.

Convocation in Tampa, FL, chairman and member of the Sigma Pi Fraternity International Housing Committee, and a previous board member of the Sigma Pi Fund.

Jim was elected to the office of Grand Fourth Counselor in 1972, Grand Second Counselor in 1974, Grand Sage in 1976 and Past Grand Sage in 1978. Verplanck is listed among the top 50 Lifetime Donors to the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation. Some of Jim’s most cherished moments in Sigma Pi were his years at Ole Miss and the continued brotherhood he has maintained with his fellow chapter brothers. The time he cherishes the most was spent as a Field Representative achieving success in working with chapters, establishing colonies, chartering new chapters and networking with Grand Council members. Verplanck always looked forward to Council meetings and is proud of his Grand Council service.

Reed’s quest has been marked with excellence, and it is for this reason that he will be honored at Convocation with a 2014 Founders’ Award.

With a commitment to fellowship within the communities he led, and his service to Sigma Pi, Jim Verplanck will be honored at Convocation with a 2014 Founders’ Award.

MARK REED

ALPHA-PHI, GEORGIA ‘69 Mark Reed’s lifelong commitment and achievements within the United States Armed Forces, the religious ministry and Sigma Pi validates Reed’s dedication to the creed of Sigma Pi. Since pledging Sigma Pi at the University of Georgia in 1965, Reed has made real the Fraternity’s ideals through his military and ministry service. His ability to bring to life the values truth, justice and strong character to life guided his service to our nation during his tenure in the U.S. Army. During his outstanding career, Reed has been recognized with numerous honors including a Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, American Defense Medal, Soldier of the Quarter, Bangkok Detachment Soldier of the Month and an honorable discharge. Reed additionally served as a member of the Men’s Ministry Servant leadership team and Editor of the Ministry Newsletter for the Fellowship Bible Church. Reed additionally attended numerous ministry mission trips around the world, concentrating on Haiti since 2003. Reed’s lifelong commitment of service to Sigma Pi began during his undergraduate career when he served as his chapter’s rush chairman, social chairman, Second Counselor and Sage. Reed later served as Chapter Director, Province Archon, and President of the Alpha-Phi housing corporation. His contributions to his chapter remains paramount.

JOHN SHIGLEY

BETA-SIGMA, NORTHERN ILLINOIS ‘78 Since 1986, John Shigley has built a professional reputation in three different countries as a leader in the Gaming Industry. Shigley pledged at Northern Illinois University (Beta-Sigma) in Fall of 1974 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accountancy in 1978. Shigley sponsors the John and Winifred Shigley scholarship to one NIU graduate accountancy student each year. In 2009, Shigley was presented the Outstanding Alumni Award for the College of Business at NIU. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and an active member in the Beta-Sigma alumni association. In 2000, John joined Caesars Palace as Executive Vice President, and later, President. Among his accomplishments, Shigley invited the Celine Dion organization and opened a restaurant with a James Beard award winning celebrity chef. In February of 2002, John was recruited to work for rival MGM Resorts International as EVP of New York New York Hotel, a $400 million operation. Later, Shigley joined the executive committee of the MGM Grand Hotel as EVP and CFO, a $1.1 billion operation. In two years, Shigley implemented cost savings of $16 million. In 2008, Shigley took over all operations of the MGM Grand Hotel. In March of 2011, Shigley was named President and COO of MGM Grand Ho Tram, Vietnam, the first international quality casino resort casino in Vietnam. In May of 2012 he was named Executive Vice President-Far East Marketing for the MGM Macau, Macau SAR, China. Currently, John is responsible for restructuring and improving the profit of the high-end casino marketing department in the world’s largest gaming market. He also serves on the team designing the new $3 billion MGM Cotai project in China. Shigley’s dedication to scholarship and culture lends support for his recognition at Convocation with a 2014 Founders’ Award.

Beyond his chapter, Reed served as Founder and first president of both Atlanta and Georgia Alumni Clubs, chairman of the 44th SPRING 2014

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Top line

BOTTOM LINE

In Memoriam

HGS JAMES L. HILLS Edited by John A. Michelich (EG, Illinois Wesleyan â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;74), Past Grand Fourth Counselor

In the following pages, we pay tribute to Hills, whose importance and influence on Sigma Pi will be felt for many years to come. You will find an interview between Hills, PGS John Kitch, and Executive Director Michael Ayalon, as well as words from several individuals who knew Hills very well.

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Brother James L. Hills (AC, Maryland ’54) was fondly referred to as one of the “grand old men of Sigma Pi.” Jim served as the second Executive Secretary of Sigma Pi Fraternity from July, 1963 to August, 1971. In the summer of 1963, the fraternity moved its headquarters from Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Shadowwood Memorial Headquarters, near Vincennes, Indiana. Judge Curtis Shake, as President of the Vincennes University board, had persuaded the University to give the Shadowwood estate to Sigma Pi for use as its national Executive Office. Harold Jacobsen, who had been the fraternity’s first Executive Secretary, retired after 36 years of service, and decided not to move with the fraternity to Shadowwood. Brother Hills, who had worked alongside Jacobsen as the fraternity’s first “field representative,” was the natural choice to move back home and lead the fraternity. In 1965, Brother Hills and Judge Shake were instrumental in re-establishing the fraternity’s Alpha Chapter at Vincennes University, which was then a two-year college. At that time, the NIC prohibited its members from establishing chapters at twoyear schools. But Judge Shake successfully petitioned the NIC for special dispensation and Alpha Chapter was re-chartered after being dormant for 55 years. During Brother Hill’s 8-year tenure as Executive Secretary, the fraternity expanded rapidly, adding more than 40 new chapters. Brother Hills never moved away from Vincennes. After leaving the fraternity’s service in 1971, he established a successful insurance business that he operated for more than 30 years. Jim’s wife, Lorraine, passed away in 1996. Jim and Lorraine had three children, Margaret, Michael and Carolyn, and altogether, Jim has eight grandchildren. In 2000, the Fraternity presented Brother Hills with the Founders’ Award, the fraternity’s highest honor, at the 45th Biennial Convocation in Phoenix. Jim passed away on Monday, February 3, 2014. Upon his death, Jim was still the President of Alpha Chapter housing corporation, and visited the chapter house almost daily when the brothers were in school.

On June 13, 2013, Executive Director Michael Ayalon (EO, Buffalo ‘97) and PGS John Kitch (H, Purdue ‘73) visited Brother Jim Hills at a hospital in Vincennes, Indiana, where he was recuperating from cancer surgery. They were joined by brother Alan Hutchens (A, Vincennes ’69) who serves as vice-president of Alpha Chapter housing corporation. Ayalon recorded the visit, and the transcript appears below. Kitch: Which of the four founders did you know? Hills: Patterson. He lived right across the street. He was kooky. An attorney and banker. His wife Marion was a handful. She would always bring her dogs over and visit us. Patterson was a good man. Ayalon: He never really intended for Sigma Pi to get as big as it did, right? Hills: One of the first times I ever met him was at Salt Lake City.

Bald headed guy got up, he was so funny, he said “I never thought I was ever going to be the beginning of this wonderful fraternity” and then sat down. Ayalon: They never intended it to be what it was. It just happened. Kitch: And then they got taken in by that character from Ohio! Hills: Oh yeah. He was going to start Alpha Chapter at William and Mary. PGS Frank Fryburg (Q, Penn State ‘49) was a young man back then, I was younger. I’ll never forget those days. It made me so loyal to our Fraternity. I made mistakes, oh did I make mistakes. All those cards I’m getting from past Grand Sages, all those telephone calls, even Larry Rovira [called], he said “I never hated Alpha Chapter or you, I just wanted to give you a hard time.” Ayalon: Is there anybody you want me to reach out to, is there anyone you want to talk to? Hills: No, I talked with [many] people. They all say, “Hills, come off that bed!” Let me tell you about me. I broke my hip last year [but] when you saw me in Texas [the San Antonio Convocation], I was completely mended. The surgeon said you need more therapy. So I did, I started [physical] therapy. Four weeks later, the young physical therapist said you should go back to your doctor. You have jaundice in your eyes. So I did. The next thing I knew, I ended up in the hospital and [I had surgery.] They went in to find out why I was jaundiced. Well, [a tumor] on the pancreas was pushing against the liver, but the liver is alright. So they moved that away from it and the jaundice disappeared and the pain disappeared. They had to go in and find out what [the tumor on] the pancreas was. Well, it turns out there is cancer there. But it is controllable with the chemotherapy. The cancer doctor is seeing me and my family on Monday and that’s when they’ll know. My doctor says they caught it at the right time – we think. At [age] 85 we want to make the cancer climb the stairs instead of going straight up my body. I’ve got 8 grandchildren, I’ve seen them all grow up. I hope it doesn’t spread anymore. I know I have cancer but it’s not that bad. It does not hurt, there is no pain. I’ve lost a lot of weight because I haven’t been eating right. One thing will lead to another. I can’t drink right now that’s the only trouble! Kitch: We were going to bring you some Grand Marnier…. [laughter] Hills: [Laughing] I’d like to be at this summer’s thing [SPU], but I’ve got father’s day and my kids will come and live in my house, a full house, they take care of it, and I said pay some of the bills that come in. That’s the story. What keeps the [Alpha] chapter going is alumni, strong alumni. We got all these alumni, but about 6 of us are the ones that do all the damn work! Kitch: A lot of people graduate from here and don’t stay. I’ve got the same problem. Ayalon: What can I do to help out the chapter? Hills: Just showing up. Show up sometime when they’re all there. Ayalon: I will. Maybe for Founder’s Day. Hills: This helps a lot too. Especially with men like this [pointing SPRING 2014

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In Memoriam: HGS James L. Hills

INTERVIEW to Alan]. I’m sure he feels all by himself. Now with me being sick he’s all by himself. Ayalon: I’ll come back. Hills: The road goes on. Ayalon: What else do I have to see in Vincennes? Hills: Drive by Shadowwood. Patterson’s home is gone, if you get a picture of it you’ll see where our original house was. Show him where the University was, out by the post office. It was all there, slowly but surely, thanks to Curtis Shake we got it moved over there. They can show you where the original initiates were buried, that would be a good project too because the stones are falling apart. They won’t let you take off the original, but they’ll put a new stone right by it. One thing about Alpha chapter: you can come here and all these pledges have gone through the whole thing. They have to know. They know more about our history. I had a guy from Eastern Illinois. He said, “I wish we made our pledges come over here, it’s not that far, to see our history, the clock tower.” He’s the one that fought me on the clock tower! [pointing at John Kitch] Kitch: I didn’t fight you on it – we didn’t have any money! Hills: That’s right. His theory was, and he was probably right, why should we pick the chapter. Why don’t we build it on Purdue’s campus? My theory was we were the mother chapter. Kitch: I was just pulling your chain a little bit on that one. Hills: Oh, you pulled it alright. Kitch: It’s still $100? [to engrave a brick] Ayalon: Oh yes. Kitch: I think the clock tower is a wonderful thing. When the chapters come here, and they see that, and the damn thing “bongs, bongs,” don’t get caught inside it when it “bongs.” Ayalon: We also have a copy of that Road Rally. [locations of Sigma Pi sites to see in Vincennes] Hills: That tells you all about it. Except the one that’s the old man’s house. He’s not there today. Kitch: There was the grave site of the first two initiates, but then there was another grave site on there. Hills: That’s Shake’s grave. He loved Jack Daniels. We take [the Alpha brothers] up

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Hills with members of Alpha Chapter

after dark, we [notify] the cemetery people and the police. We have the original badge on the front of the house, we put lights in it. We take it out and lay it on the ground next to Shake’s grave and turn it on. Everybody tells about what they know about Shake, what he meant. Everyone tells us why they joined Sigma Pi, and then they sing the Fireside Song. Then we get a bottle of Jack Daniels and pour it on the grave. Ayalon: Tell us about Curtis Shake. Hills: Curtis Shake was appointed by the President to investigate something in New Jersey. That’s why he was in New Jersey at that time when Jake was in charge. I had met him years before. He was a wellspoken person, but he also could come down to the level of anybody he talked to. If the history wasn’t there, he created the history. He was Supreme Court Justice of the State of Indiana, Nuremburg trials was something else. And you know [the Executive Office] got his robes. Ayalon: Yes, it’s in our museum. Hills: Byron Lewis was a grumpy old man, cigar smoking, he was something else. Byron and Curtis would fight all the time. Curtis would interrupt him and say “Byron, you got the facts messed up.” They knew each other for years. Byron got where he couldn’t walk, couldn’t drive anymore. Shake would call him up and say “come on, were going up to Shadowwood.” Byron would say “ahhh, I don’t trust you driving.” Dad was involved there. My Dad, Byron Lewis, and Curtis Shake were good friends. Dad was a historian, he dug

into Curtis Shake’s binders. Now we got computers and all that stuff. There is a lot of information in those old books. We’d go out to eat, Dad, Mom, and Shake. Oh, brings back memories. Lewis spilled food, he always wore dark suits and vests and all that stuff. We would go out to restaurants in Vincennes, Byron would be sitting there spilling food all down the front. Curtis would say, “Byron, you’re embarrassing me.” That’s what they were, two old tyrants who loved Sigma Pi. Hutchens: In my pledge class I was President, I had to go meet Curtis Shake and I had to go meet Byron Lewis. So, I had to go down to his office and I talked to him for a while. He gave me a pen that Lyndon Johnson used to sign a law. Of course, at that age I used it and threw it away. I remember going into Byron’s house, it was unbelievable because the whole front porch was stacks of newspapers. He had a large front porch with just a pathway to get to the front door. Hills: He was a historian. I have Byron’s, in his own handwriting, a notebook that thick about the correct information about Alpha chapter and when it was created according to him. I got it put away. Byron writes that the first convocation was on 4th Street in Vincennes, not in Columbus, Ohio. It was the way they classified our Convocations. It’s very interesting. He wrote our ritual based on Kappa’s interpretation. Those guys used to argue.

Ayalon: So, we talked about Patterson, we talked about Shake, we talked about Byron R. Lewis. Who else is important? Hills: You! Ayalon: Nahhhh…. What should I do? Hills: He’s not going to like this [pointing at Kitch]. I think we should have never have moved down to his home in Tennessee. We should have stayed. Ayalon: Do you want [the fraternity] to come back to Vincennes? Hills: Nah, I agree with getting out of Vincennes. Ayalon: Go to Indianapolis? Hills: Yes, it’s really the center of [the Greek World] as far as I’m concerned. Shadowwood was in the wrong place. I don’t know the answer. I know it would be hard on you. The more qualified people you get on the council, making those decisions, and do what you’ve done. Ayalon: You were one of the original consultants, right? Hills: I was Jake’s right hand man. Jake and I put in more good chapters like Iowa State and they stuck. We would not put in a chapter in those days without men like this guy behind every chapter. That’s your idea in putting in older people, I read you like a book. Ayalon: Tell me about Jake. Hills: Harold Jacobsen, and my father, and my mother were close friends. Jake went to Kenyan, my father went to Ohio State,

and my mother went to Ohio University. Lambda Chapter, Epsilon Chapter, and Gamma Chapter would get together every spring. Jake brought my mother who was homecoming queen at Ohio University. Harold Jacobsen had hair then like you and I. One thing led to another. Dad took mom away from Jake, just one of those teenage things. I became good friends with Jake and his first wife, and I got to know the family. Then I got hired as his first full time field secretary which my dad supplemented to get it going. That’s how I was branded with Sigma Pi. My mother was a Pi Phi. It was through the Greek World, they don’t do that anymore I don’t think. Jake and I were very good friends. I went to Jake’s funeral out in Colorado where he died, but those days are gone. Ayalon: So, why did you move from New Jersey to Vincennes? Hills: They told me that if I moved to Vincennes, they wanted to experiment with the idea that I would eventually replace Harold Jacobsen. I was to work with Curtis Shake to get the black snakes out of the basement, getting the big old furnace out of the basement, and Shake would help me. That’s how I moved and then I did become head of the Fraternity. Those were the days, you can look it up, we had 54 chapters, when I left there were 98 chapters. I’m very proud of that fact. I was like you. I can’t run anything sitting behind this big desk. I would be out there. Dad was Grand Herald, he never went any further. He didn’t want to be.

Ayalon: How were you able to grow the Fraternity so much? Hills: My big mouth I guess. My dad was a Sigma Pi, my brother was a Sigma Pi, and I’m a Sigma Pi. I just didn’t think there were any other Fraternities. I don’t know why, I really don’t. I just loved to work, I really did, and then along comes Fryburg and Beyer who were just out of college and they lend me support all the way. They gave me hell when I wasn’t doing my job. They laid the foundation for Sigma Pi. We were a smaller group that worked together. They gave me hell when I was wrong. All of those people came to my wedding by the way. Every one of them. I love Sigma Pi. Ayalon: We all do. We’ll keep fighting. Hills: Find a goal. I didn’t shoot for 100 chapters. We had to get this thing going in the right direction. In those days it was easier. Ayalon: Do you have any advice for me? Hills: Advice? Make sure you have a good lawyer behind you! Ayalon: I do, he works for the right price! [referring to John Kitch]. Hills: If you ever have time, look in the 1928 Emerald under Gamma Chapter and you’ll see “Congratulations to the Hills on the birth of their son.” That’s me. I’ve been in the Emerald since 1928. Ayalon: I can look that up. Hills: You’ll see pictures of dad. I appreciate you guys stopping by. a

Hills talking with Grand Sage Ed Levesque (HH, Bridgewater ’89) SPRING 2014

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In Memoriam: HGS James L. Hills

MEMORIES SHARED Memories from

Memories from

Jim and I came to know each other when he started working for the Fraternity in Elizabeth, NJ and I was an undergraduate at Alpha-Mu (Newark College of Engineering—now NJ Institute of Technology). During the times that he came to the Executive Office to work, we often went to dinner together.

I first met Jim Hills in February of 1962 at the Sigma Pi Headquarters in Elizabeth, New Jersey when I began my employment on the Fraternity field staff. Jim was an assistant to Executive Director Harold Jacobsen. I spent a week in Elizabeth receiving training from Jim.

PGS Howard Beyer (AM, NJIT ‘56)

Once, when I knew he was in town, I decided to visit the headquarters to make a dinner date with him. Although I had not been there before, I knew where it was, on the second floor of a bank building in the city of Elizabeth. For reference, the south end of Newark Airport is in the city of Elizabeth. The headquarters consisted of three rooms on the second floor of the bank building. The first room was Jake’s (Executive Director Harold Jacobsen) where you entered, the next room was the secretary’s office, and the next room a part of which Jim used to work in. When I went in, Jake read me the riot act for interrupting business on a work day. With that, I explained to him that I was from Alpha-Mu and just wanted to see the headquarters and make a dinner date with Jim. This completely changed the atmosphere. He invited me to sit down, tell him about our chapter, etc. etc. After chatting with him a while, I made my dinner date with Jim. One of the next significant events when my wife Dotty and I went to Vermont for Jim and Lorraine’s wedding. A while after that found both Lorraine and Dotty in the hospital at the same time having babies. Many Friday or Saturday evenings we spent together at each other’s homes socializing. This, of course, kept our entertainment costs on the low side. When Judge Curtis Shake was head of the Board of Trustees of Vincennes University, he arranged for Col. Wharf’s mansion in Vincennes, today known as Shadowwood (across the street from the Patterson home), to be the Executive Office of Sigma Pi. With that, Jim and family moved to Vincennes so that he could run the fraternity from there. One of the occasions that I particularly remember with Jim was attending my second Convocation in 1956 in Pasadena, CA. Jim and I traveled there (a long trip as prop planes were used to cross the country at that time) along with his parents. Jim’s father, Bill, was Grand Herald at about that time, and I am sure Jim was very proud of him. After Jim retired, he was honored by being voted Honorary Grand Sage. Over the years we continued to see each other at Convocations and many of the 26 installations that I was part of.

PGS Jim Verplanck (BM, Mississippi ‘61)

Soon after that Honorary Grand Sage Curtis Shake was instrumental in getting Vincennes University to donate the Wharf Mansion, Shadowwood to Sigma Pi and a decision followed to move the headquarters to Vincennes. Executive Director Jacobsen did not want to move to Indiana and announced his retirement. Jim was appointed Executive Secretary and the headquarters was moved to Vincennes in the Spring and Summer of 1963. I assisted Jim in the relocation effort hirings and setting up the offices. In January of 1963 I married Laura Plage who was a Kindergarten teacher in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Laura moved to Vincennes at the end of the school year and we developed a rewarding relationship with Jim and Lorraine. They were very gracious to Laura and me, and we frequently met for dinner and played bridge. On the working front, Jim included me in decision making on chapter and Grand Council matters and we traveled together to several chapter installations which further cemented our relationship. Jim Hills was just a “big kid.” I recall a couple of incidents which occurred in the Summer of 1963 which I thought were humorous. Because Shadowwood was located out of town we usually brought our lunches to work. One evening at bridge Lorraine served snacks with a chipped beef dip. The next day Jim accused me of switching lunches with him. That was not true. Lorraine had made him sandwiches with the chipped beef dip. Not much substance for a sandwich. That incident caused a few laughs at the office. Another humorous time was when Jim and I traveled to Marion, Indiana to meet Grand Sage Frank Fryburg who was there on RCA business. At dinner Jim managed to spill food on his suit. After dinner we discussed fraternity business over a few drinks. When I returned to the room that Jim and I were sharing I noticed that Jim’ suit was dripping wet and hanging in the shower. Jim took a shower in his wash & wear suit to remove the food stains. Very efficient. I left the staff in December of 1963 to attend graduate school, but over the subsequent years I saw Jim at various fraternity functions and we always enjoyed seeing each other. I last saw him at the 2012 Convocation where we had several reminiscing conversations. Laura and I joined Jim in the hotel lobby bar a few times where Jim enjoyed his favorite beverage, Grand Marnier on the rocks. Jim had recently suffered a broken hip and had difficulty with mobility. He wanted to go on the river boat tour in San Antonio so Laura and I assisted him in making it happen. On Sunday after the Convocation we met Jim in the hotel lobby to exchange farewells. Our last view of him was from the airport shuttle bus. As we were leaving the hotel for the airport, Jim was slowly walking from the hotel to visit the Alamo which was nearby. Jim was a great friend and fraternity brother and Laura and I will miss him and his “big kid” ways.

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Memories from

When word came on February 3rd that Honorary Grand Sage James L. Hills had passed on to the Adytum on High, it did not come as a surprise but clearly it left emptiness in my heart. With the possible exception of a few Alpha-Chi alumni, I have known Jim longer than any living Sigma Pi. Although I have met hundreds of brothers over the years, Jim was my closest friend. Needless to say, I will miss our frequent conversations.

I first met Hills in the fall of 2000, when I became a student at Vincennes University. While I was going through the recruitment process of Alpha Chapter of Sigma Pi, I kept seeing this older gentleman hanging around the fraternity house and at recruitment events. At the time, I had no idea who he was and why he would be hanging around a bunch of college students. It was only later that I started to hear the legendary stories of Jim Hills. I remember sitting at the annual Hog Roast of Alpha Chapter and talking with Jim. He was sharing stories of his time with the fraternity and how many wonderful years he had been a member, and also shared with me stories of his father, William Gordon Hills (Γ, Ohio State ‘1925), who served our Fraternity as Grand Herald from 1956-1958. Now taking all this in at the young age of 18, it didn’t hold much water to me other than the fact that it was all very interesting.

PGS Frank Fryburg (Q, Penn State ‘49)

Before highlighting the close and lasting relationship that we had, it is important to note that Jim today holds the record (60+ years) of continuous service to Sigma Pi first as a member of the staff and later as the Advisor to Alpha Chapter. There is no doubt that Alpha’s success is the result of Jim’s steady hand. My first trip as a Province Archon in 1950 was a visit to Alpha-Chi where Jim was serving as Sage. I spent the weekend at the home of his Mother & Father, William G. Hills-Gamma. Bill served one term as Grand Herald while I was on the Grand Council. Upon leaving Alpha-Chi in 1953, Jim went to work for Harold Jacobsen as a field consultant. Since our finances were limited in those days, Jim would work for Sigma Pi during the college year and would spend the summers working at a camp in Vermont and then return in time for the fall semester. In 1963, while serving as Grand Sage, I worked with Jim to move the headquarters from Elizabeth, NJ to the beautiful Col. Wharf estate, Shadowwood, outside of Vincennes, IN. During the next year, whenever I made a trip to the RCA plant in Marion, IN, I would schedule it so that I could spend part of the weekend in Vincennes working with Jim, who now was serving as our Executive Secretary. In 1964, when the NIC voted to allow Sigma Pi to recolonize Alpha Chapter, a new chapter in our expansion began. Since Vincennes was only a two year college, our men upon graduation moved on to other schools and became the nucleus of new colonies. With two years under the guidance of Jim, they were well prepared for this task. In 1988, my wife and I began a four-year residency in Owensboro, Ky. Many weekends were spent visiting with Jim & Lorraine in one of our respective homes. It became an even closer friendship. My last opportunity to be with Jim was when we roomed together at the 2010 Convocation in Boston. When I look back over the 63 years that I have known and worked with Jim, there is no doubt that his veins were filled with lavender not red blood. It is nearly impossible to identify any Sigma Pi brother who has dedicated more of his time and talent to the success of our great fraternity. His friendship and dedication will be missed by many of us who have had the privilege of knowing and working with Brother Jim Hills.

Brian Alley (A, Vincennes ‘03)

It was later in the fall of 2000, that I had the privilege of attending the Centenial Clocktower dedication, which I would soon find out later, to be one of the biggest highlights and accomplishments of Jim’s life. Shortly after the Clocktower Dedication, I received my bid to join Alpha Chapter of Sigma Pi. Throughout my pledgeship, Jim and I began, what would end up being, one of the greatest relationships I have ever had. Throughout the next 14 years, Jim I became very close friends. In the summer of 2002, Jim asked me to accompany him on a week-long trip to visit his brother, Dave, in Vermont. Along the trip we stopped and saw sights such as Niagra Falls and ran into some brothers from the Buffalo Chapter, visited the University of Vermont and the Alpha Chi Omega chapter house that Jim’s wife, Loraine, was a member of. We also visited Camp Winape in Vermont, which was the summer camp that Jim worked at during the summers and would eventually meet his wife, Loraine, as she worked at a nearby summer camp. We also visited the Cornell Chapter of Sigma Pi. The highlight of the trip was when we got to spend a week with Jim’s brother, Dave and his wife Leslie. It was an honor for Jim to introduce me to his family and when I went to work for Sigma Pi as an Educational Leadership Consultant, I visited and stayed with Dave and Leslie again during my time in the northeast. It was a year later that Jim showed up to my brother’s wedding reception. I knew Jim’s family well and he knew mine. Jim was a true Sigma Pi. A true Sigma Pi who lived the Creed and ideals of the Fraternity each and every day. I owe much to who I am today because of Jim Hills. A man who took me under his arm some 14 years ago and helped mold me into who I have become. It was an honor to call Jim, not only my fraternity brother, but more importantly, my friend. a

I pray that Jim’s three children and his two brothers will look back on his wonderful life and find comfort in the belief that he is now reunited with his wife and parents in God’ heavenly kingdom.

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Undergraduates

CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS

Theta-Xi Chapter at Salisbury University

Editor’s Note: Chapter and Colony Reports are submitted by undergraduate members of each Chapter/Colony. Aside from basic guidelines, these reports remain unchanged in terms of form and content, and contain the original information as submitted by the Chapter/Colony.

Arkansas State University Alpha-Pi Chapter h p m 45

882 12

This semester, we have been very active in philanthropy as well as social events. As far as philanthropy goes, Alpha-Pi has volunteered at the local humane society for a day, participated in “Light it up Blue for Autism”, and even set up a booth in the Student Union to gather donations for victims of the Arkansas tornados. Socially, The Chapter held three separate drop-ins with sororities on campus, which helped spread our name, and has had a positive result on our campus image. We have made huge leaps in creating a new rush video, and have had a large number of young men interested in rushing this coming Fall.

Arkansas Tech University Iota-Lambda Chapter h m 35

Auburn University

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Alpha-Delta Chapter

Iota-Lambda Chapter has had a successful Spring semester, even while graduating a number of our most esteemed and oldest members this May. We as a brotherhood have taken fraternity life very seriously as we came very close to winning Greek Week, captured a strong presence on the newly established Greek Programming

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Board here at Arkansas Tech University, led our entire school in our suicideawareness philanthropy walk, and have recently taken charge to give relief to tornado victims in our beloved towns of Mayflower and Vilonia. To even more delight, we as a Chapter won a total of four Greek Week awards including: Model New Member, President of the Year, Community Service Award, and more importantly Most Improved Chapter. We have also gone above and beyond the call of duty and raised our average GPA to nearly a 3.0 all the while maintain school, extracurricular, fraternal, and family obligations. Iota-Lambda is growing and progressing in more ways than just numbers and we will not stop progressing in our quest until our letters are of the most high dignity, honor, service, leadership, and character; not only on campus, but in our community and state.

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h p m 87

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We had a great semester at Alpha-Delta Chapter. Our Chapter worked on many philanthropy events including our ACE Project and the second annual Sigma Pi Puppy Project. For our ACE Project we helped to clean campus rivers and streams

in order to increase the quality of water in the Auburn area. We have also begun to make use of our new Brotherhood Annex and Alumni Room which were finished this semester.

Bentley University Iota-Theta Chapter h p m 30

69 0

Iota-Theta Chapter welcomes a healthy new pledge class of seven this semester! It has been a long time coming, considering these guys have been close with our Guide to Undergraduate Reports

Use this key to learn more about each chapter: h

Chapter has zero balance with Executive Office

ACE Project this school year

Philanthropy project this school year Total number of undergraduates in chapter Total number of living alumni from chapter Total donors to SPEF this fiscal year (undergrad & alumni)

Note: Chapter reports are those submitted by deadlines listed inside front cover - Data current as of 7/1/14.

Chapter ever since they arrived on campus here at Bentley University. We had an amazing opportunity to give back to those who take care of our school, by hosting a cook out ACE Project for all facilities and maintenance employees! We saw a great turnout, and took the time to confer with some of the more experienced employees, who enlightened us on some of our university’s rich history of Greek life.

annual Orchid Ball formal in Las Vegas we cannot wait for Fall rush to start and keep the brotherhood strong. Big events are coming up for us such as Greek week and our ACE Project. Our new members started a new philanthropy fundraising money and donating it to The Amazing Day Foundation which we hope to continue to do every year.

California State University-Chico Theta-Mu Chapter h 16

157 0

No report submitted.

California State University Dominguez Hills Eta-Iota Chapter m 35

253 1

No report submitted. Eta-Eta Chapter at Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater State University Eta-Eta Chapter h p m 51

307 2

As the Spring semester comes to a close, we reflect on another successful semester. This semester we proudly took home first place in our Annual BSU “Greek Week.” The week consisted of a series of competitive events such as a Lip Sync, window painting and field events. During the week we also co-sponsored an event titled “Walk a Mile in her Shoes” along with the sisters of the Phi Sigma Sigma at BSU. “Walk a Mile” is an event we helped start three years ago that raises awareness and educates members of the community in rape and sexual assault prevention and victim support. We were also proud to welcome six new gentlemen into our Chapter. As our image and influence in our Greek community grows, we looks forward to the Fall semester with excitement and high expectations.

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo Eta-Delta Chapter h p 57

222 2

The new upcoming Fall quarter looks to be a strong one for The brothers of Eta-Delta Chapter. With a winter class of seven strong men, we look forward to welcoming them into our brotherhood and introducing them to the long standing traditions of our Chapter. After our second

California State University Long Beach Beta-Omicron Chapter p m 86

1359 35

The Spring semester has been a great one for Beta-Omicron Chapter. We participated in a variety of different sorority events and won sigma kappa’s basketball philanthropy. We also were involved in many different community service projects this semester. Some of these include tree planting in one of our local elementary schools and cooking lunch for our campus police department. Our biggest event this semester was putting on Walk for Life which was a 5k that raised awareness for college student suicide. It was very successful and we even got the Laker girls to come out and support our cause. In sports we won IFC basketball and we had planned on playing IFC soccer to win the sports cup, but it was postponed to next semester. Beta-Omicron is looking forward to Summer and what is to come in the Fall semester.

Carleton University Eta-Rho Chapter h p m 58

281 0

The gentlemen of Eta-Rho Chapter had a strong year that included domination in inter-fraternity sporting competition, capturing their third straight Greek Olympics Gold Medal, as well as winning the Greek Hockey League championship. After a year filled with participation in successful philanthropy events and mixers with several Carleton University sororities, The brothers look forward

to improving for next year with their newly initiated executive board which features Sage Benjamin Schroeder, VicePresident Gareth Williams, Treasurer Mark Williams, Herald Danny Lamoureux, Sargeant-At-Arms Charlie Raynor, and Scribe Malcolm Dobusz.

Central Michigan University Delta-Alpha Chapter h p 58

740 1

Delta-Alpha Chapter is officially back on Central Michigan University’s campus. After all of the hard work over the past year, we were graciously awarded our charter this Spring. We would like to thank our alumni, the national office, and everyone else who supported our return to CMU. Also, we helped our Greek Community raise $30,000 during our annual Greek Week for Special Olympics Michigan. We also had the largest Spring rush class among the fraternities on our campus, adding 12 outstanding men to our brotherhood. The men of Delta-Alpha will continue to maintain the high standards of being a Sigma Pi.

Eta-Psi Chapter at Clemson University

Clemson University Eta-Psi Chapter m 40

306 0

Eta-Psi Chapter has continued to progress as both an organization and as men. This past Spring we have participated in numerous philanthropy events, benefitting causes such as Domestic Violence and Helping Hands Foster Home. In addition to making bonds with local businesses to help with the fundraiser, our Chapter was able to renovate our budget in order to establish new fraternity housing to coincide with our increasing Chapter size. We are excited about the direction our Chapter is heading. ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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Undergraduates

CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS College of William & Mary

in April; we raised nearly $500.00. Our ACE Project, in which we had a faculty car wash, was also a success. To top off the semester we placed third in Greek Week and our Sage John Capitanello won President of the year. As the semester ends we say good bye to Brothers Kevin Stumpf and Kevin Skilton who are graduating.

Alpha-Eta Chapter h m 50

725 7

No report submitted.

Cornell University Mu Chapter

h p m 56

1236 8

Eastern Illinois University

This semester at Mu Chapter was filled mostly by a substantial commitment to charity. As a house, we sponsored our annual Blood Drive at the main community center on campus, hosted an auction of brothers for Bid Night for Bid Nets, an organization dedicated to eliminating malaria in Africa, and organized a formal for an non profit dedicated to providing leadership to low income students who are interested in moving onward to high school and college called College Mentors for Kids.

Drury University

Epsilon-Rho Chapter h p m 22

450 2

As the Spring semester winds down, Epsilon-Rho continues its quest for excellence. Our Chapter emerged in the first-place spot during Greek Week, and was recognized during the annual Greek Excellence Awards. Having recently completed our ACE Project, finalized The Chapter website, and selected 6 members to attend Convocation, our Chapter is well prepared for another successful year.

Duke University 22 0

East Stroudsburg University Beta-Psi Chapter

h p m 24 712 2

This semester was busy for Beta-Psi Chapter, to say the least. To highlight it, we started it by working a concessions stand at the Super Bowl to raise funds. The next day we started recruitment week, where we recruited and later initiated six promising new members. Our biggest event in the Spring semester was Bowl for Kids’ Sake, where we team up with Big Brothers Big Sisters for a day of bowling. Beta-Psi participated in Relay for Life EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

1850 22

The men of Beta-Gamma have been busy this semester winning. We had a great number of alumni come out and show their support for the entire weekend that concluded Greek Week. They cheered our “little men” tuggers to their third straight championship, the “big men” tuggers to a third place finish, our human pyramid team to a first place win and the house to a third place finish in the Greek Sing event. The following week the house clinched it’s second consecutive Intramural Championship Cup for the fraternity league. As for our ACE Project, we set up an informational table in honor of our Fallen brother Cameron Chana. He passed in 2009, in a fatal car accident, but was able to save numerous lives by being an organ and tissue donor. We sign up as many new organ and tissue donors as possible and this year we registered 150 new donors. None of this would be possible without the loyalty and hard work from the men of Beta-Gamma.

Eastern Kentucky University p 46 413 3

The brothers of Sigma Pi at Duke University finished off their year with the annual Orchid Ball held in Myrtle Beach! Congratulations to the graduating seniors!

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h p m 49

Epsilon-Lambda Chapter

Iota-Xi Chapter

h p m 18

Beta-Gamma Chapter

SPRING 2014

Before the school year ended we elected a new Sage, Johnathan Barger, who stepped up from Vice President, and elected Kevin Merrihew as our Vice President. Even though the school year has ended, The brothers of Epsilon-Lambda Chapter are still working hard. We have been working on great ideas for the incoming Fall recruitment. Also, we have been working on improving our philanthropy event we host in the Fall, Tree of Hope. Not to mention we plan on continuing our streak of Greek All-Sports champions.

Elon University

Epsilon-Theta Chapter m 40

600 1

Epsilon-Theta Chapter had a very rewarding Spring semester. Early in the semester, we joined Delta Upsilon in

organizing and executing a clothing drive for The Boys and Girls Club. With 500 articles of clothing donated, the clothing drive ended up being a huge success. Later on in the semester, we participated in the Duke 5K and raised money for brain cancer research, as we do every year. With help from family and friends, our organization raised the 11th most donations out of hundreds of teams. With this event, we raised more money than every Elon University Greek organization combined, with $29,565 in donations. With such a successful semester, we look forward to continuing our prosperity in the Fall.

Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter at Emporia State University

Emporia State University Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter p m 14

467 1

Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter just finished their annual ACE Project on May 8 and Orchid Ball April 26th. Many alumni joined us in Kansas City, where Orchid Ball 2014 was held. We are recruiting hard going into the Summer and have 2 members ready to initiate, as we end the semester.

Fairleigh Dickinson University Madison Epsilon-Xi Chapter hpm 9

217 2

This past semester has been a fantastic step forward for The brothers of EpsilonXi Chapter. They were able to secure multiple awards at the Greek Awards Banquet held by the FDU community: Greek Week Champions, Greek Unity, Greek man of the year to their Sage Jon O’Connor, and Gold status recognition by the Student Life Department. In addition to these awards, brothers Jon O’Connor and Jackson Nguyen were elected

President and Vice President of the InterGreek Council. Numerous events were completed around campus; most notably being Relay for Life, Go the Distance for Autism, and New Jersey Weekend of Care. The Chapter completed two ACE Projects, the first entailed cleaning and restructuring a pond on their campus and the second, giving out pencils with study tips to the student body during finals.

Ferris State University Theta-Theta Chapter 15 144 3

This past semester, Theta-Theta Chapter has been focusing on strengthening our brotherhood through a variety of exciting events, and increasing our presence in the community. We recently initiated two outstanding men into our Chapter. We hosted our 11th Orchid Ball which was a great chance for our younger members to meet alumni and see the leadership qualities and commitment our Chapter was founded upon. We started using Google Hangout in meetings to help increase the involvement of alumni and The Chapter. We participated in community service projects including The Big Event, the largest student-run community service project in Michigan hosted by Student Government, helping over 300 homes in Big Rapids. We also hosted our 12th annual Pig Roast, which had a fantastic turnout of brothers, alumni, friends, family, and students of Ferris State. Overall, The Chapter continues to grow and strengthen with each passing day.

Fitchburg State University Eta-Tau Chapter h m 51

199 2

Eta-Tau Chapter has had an amazing semester. For the first time in five years we have won Greek Week. To make this victory even more special, this is the first time our Chapter has won Greek Week since it was rededicated to Brother Matthew Turgeon, who passed away shortly before the rededication. Furthermore, The Chapter was recognized by Fitchburg State for our Brotherhood Auction for Autism Speaks as the Medium Sized Campus Program of the Year. We are also excited to be initiating our largest ever Spring Pledge Class, Alpha Phi with 9 Pledges in total. All of these achievements were celebrated heartily at our 20th annual Orchid Ball.

Eta-Epsilon Chapter at Florida State University

Florida State University Eta-Epsilon Chapter h p 64

533 0

Eta-Epsilon Chapter has had a very exciting and productive Spring semester. We had a very successful ACE Project, raising over $400 for the Student Veterans Center. In addition to promoting campuswide support of our veterans we held a car wash and a barbecue for the FSU Police Department in order to show our appreciation to them for their efforts in protecting our campus. We are very excited to welcome our eight newly initiated brothers. This semester has been filled with great achievements ranging from philanthropy to academic success. The sky is the limit at Eta-Epsilon as we strive to achieve the goals we have made for the upcoming Fall semester. We are looking forward to a great Fall semester and welcome any alumni or brothers from other Chapters to join us.

Franklin & Marshall College Nu Chapter h 10

801 9

Our Chapter gained four promising recruits this semester. Each one is dedicated and shares the same vision of making a bigger impact on our campus in the Fall. They even made an appearance in Chi Omega sorority’s annual “Dipsync” competition, which was a huge success, Our brothers participated in a community service event called Teamwork, where we helped restore the city of Lancaster. We also participated in Alpha Delta Pi sorority’s Casino night, where two brothers were dealers and helped raise

2,000 towards fighting heart disease. Our biggest volunteering event was during Spring Arts, Franklin and Marshall’s music festival, our brothers were the first ones to volunteer with set up, and to act as an MC for the event. Our Chapter has made more appearances on campus and is gaining momentum for much more success next semester.

Georgia Institute of Technology Iota-Mu Chapter h p m 26

61 0

No report submitted.

Grand Valley State University Theta-Rho Chapter h p m 51

151 3

Our Chapter had a great semester during the 2014 Winter Semester. We initiated two new members through the Golden Quest and appointed a promising new recruitment director for the Fall. ThetaRho hopes to gain a large pledge class of quality gentlemen. Our ACE Week was excellent with many different events to benefit the campus. Along with signing students and faculty up for Donate Life, we also had a very successful event titled Stuff the Bus. The event allowed us to raise over 4,000 non-perishable items which were donated to the Women’s Center on campus. We hope to have an even better turn out for future events. The Chapter also bid farewell and congratulations to 6 graduates who went through the Graduation Ceremony. Theta-Rho wishes them the best of luck in the new Chapter of their lives. ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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Undergraduates

CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS Hofstra University Eta-Gamma Chapter p m 32

232 0

At Eta-Gamma Chapter, we are trying to continue are hard work from the semester and finish off strong. We organized our first Sigma Pi Softball fundraiser, we are hoping to have this fundraiser every Spring. Not only does it serve as a great fundraiser for the fraternity, but also it is a time where the Hofstra community can come together and play some great softball. We also participated in Relay for Life at Hofstra, having members of the fraternity walk around the track all throughout the night to raise awareness and money for cancer. To end the semester we had an alumni barbeque. We invited all the alumni back and some hamburgers and hotdogs. We also played a alumni verses active members softball game, which allowed active members to connect alumni and create connections for future endeavors.

Beta Chapter at Indiana University

Indiana University Beta Chapter p m 131

Sigma Chapter

This past quarter we held a very successful philanthropy event which was called the Sigma Pi SmokeOut which was a BBQ event with a live concert of a up and coming rapper Taylor Bennett and other DJs. We raised over $10,000 for the American Cancer Society and Relay For Life.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Theta-Epsilon Chapter

139 0

This semester has been a great one for Theta-Epsilon Chapter. Our family weekend was a huge success. Alumni came from all over to eat, play ball, and

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EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

talk with the active members; furthering that a membership in Sigma Pi is for life. We are continuing to improve our chapter & engage alumni. (We even got an alumni engagement award at Greek Awards this semester!) We are soon moving into a 22 bedroom house and really making Sigma Pi a name on campus. We welcomed 9 new members into the chapter this semester and we know that they will perpetuate the values that Sigma Pi stands for. All in all it was a good semester and we all can’t wait to come back in the fall and continue to improve our name on campus and show the university what being Greek is really about.

Iowa State University

1601 9

h p m 33

Sigma Chapter at Iowa State University

SPRING 2014

h p m 49

488 4

As the semester draws to a close Sigma Chapter was busy with many important activities. The brothers had a very fun and successful ACE Project on the Iowa State Campus. For this project, The Chapter helped renovate the on-campus daycare that professors’ children use. Projects included: building a flowerbed, reorganizing the children’s library, and filling the sandboxes. Sigma Pi was ecstatic to be able to help out the campus! This semester, Sigma Chapter also elected 14 new Committee Head Chairmen for next year. The Chapter is excited to see the work these young men will for

The Chapter and how they will become leaders within the Greek and Iowa State community.

Johnson & Wales University Eta-Omega Chapter p m 31

166 1

As the academic school year comes to an end, Eta-Omega Chapter can look back and truly be proud of ourselves. Over the past year, we were able to increase our membership size by 65 percent. As well as greatly increasing our recruitment numbers, we also upheld our outstanding relationship with the Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland, Rhode Island by having weekly community service projects all year long. The Eta-Omega Chapter also held our annual ACE Project on April 25 on the common grounds of the university and did all the landscaping and mulching for the maintenance staff. As a fraternity, we plan on coming back to next school year in full stride and continue to better not only ourselves, but the world around us, and have, yet another, fun and successful action-packed school year.

Kansas State University Iota-Alpha Chapter h m 14

85 1

Our Chapter this semester has been focusing on philanthropies as well as recruitment. Our biggest philanthropy was

our “Dunk for a Cure” with the help of AXO to spread awareness of diabetes. The origins come from the loss of a brother who passed due to the terrible disease. Peers of our University were encouraged to purchase “throws” to dunk other members as well as school athletes that were sitting on the dunk-tank. Another big event that we as a Chapter were proud of was our paintball tournament, which we used as a recruitment event and brought our new recruits out to. This was our first time doing an event like this, but were all very satisfied on how it turned out and are already planning another trip. Everybody that came out really enjoyed themselves and because of that we gained new potentials that were interested in learning more about Sigma Pi. Plans for getting everything planned for the upcoming Fall semester have already been made.

Keene State College Iota-Rho Chapter h p m 31

13 0

The brothers at Keene State College are ecstatic and overjoyed because they accomplished their main goal of chartering this past April and became Iota-Rho Chapter of Sigma Pi. A lot of dedication went into the chartering process and the hard work will not stop there. The brothers have a lot of activities planned for the Summer to build brotherhood while they are away from school and have more planned for next semester when they return in the Fall. The brothers aim to become an overall better fraternity throughout the next year.

Lawrence Technological University Zeta-Omicron Chapter h p m 32

262 0

Over the semester, Zeta-Omicron Chapter has been busy. The Chapter has continued its involvement on campus and is looking for additional ways to grow. Zeta-Omicron has had a chivalry dinner for one of the local sororities. There was a clothing drive that brought in clothing that was donated to the Salvation Army. Additionally, we partnered with a local sorority and had a pi in the face event. The brothers came together to clean up a two mile stretch of road through the adopt a road program which was followed by a campus cleanup within the next few weeks. These are just a few things that Zeta-Omicron has done this semester and we eagerly await next semester to continue our impact on the community.

Louisiana Tech University

Michigan State University

p 14

p m 100

Delta-Lambda Chapter 317 0

The brothers of Delta-Lambda Chapter had a successful start in Spring quarter. We placed fourth place out of eleven in our first greek week. Our ACE Project is coming up soon. We are going to help the community of Louisiana Tech by cleaning Hideaway Park.

Loyola University of Chicago Beta-Chi Chapter h p m 53

693 6

The Chapter finished the school year on a positive note. With a 8 man new member class, we were able to wrap up one of the best years of pledging the Beta-Chi has seen in the past few years. The Spring ACE Project we had was serving lunch to Loyola’s faculty, and the event turned out to be a huge thrill as students were able to build relationships with the faculty of our school. Another successful event we had this semester was in collaboration with Alpha Delta Pi sorority where we sold pies to Loyola students in celebration of Pi Day. Overall the Chapter finished very strong and is looking forward to the Summer and the upcoming academic year!

Miami University Eta-Phi Chapter

h p m 128

511 0

Our Chapter held three philanthropies this semester including: March Madness Bracket tournament with Phi Delta Theta supporting the Jason Madachy Foundation (deceased Eta-Phi brother), Donate Life Registration Drive, and also hosted Dropping the Puck on Cancer with Theta Chi, benefitting the American Brain Tumor Association. Our ACE Project was this past semester as well, hosting catered food for the Miami University Police Department. We also continued to bring in over 30 new members. As a Chapter, we received awards from Miami University’s Greek system: Andrew Herman Memorial Chapter Excellence Award(Fraternity of the Year), Five Pillars Award, Excellence in Brotherhood & Sisterhood, Excellence in Scholarship & Learning, Excellence in Service & Philanthropy, Excellence in Community Engagement & Involvement, Excellence in Leadership & Values. Our Sage, Erik Hansen, also received awards: Phillip and Martha Shriver Greek Man of the Year, and the Dr. Richard Nault Scholarship.

Zeta-Mu Chapter

342 2

No report submitted.

Michigan Technological University Zeta-Epsilon Chapter h m 27

306 0

Coming into May, we made it a top priority to see that finals went well. Most of our actives are looking at some awesome GPA’s this semester! Secondly, our Chapter is making it a top priority to see that our recruitment is better than we’ve ever seen it. Since many (almost a third of actives) are graduating in 2015, we need to not only fill in, but expand our brotherhood to continue to make these strives we’ve been making over this past year.

Theta-Omega Chapter at Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University Theta-Omega Chapter h p m 30

102 2

Theta-Omega is finishing out the Spring semester with high hopes and determination for an upcoming Fall that will be one to remember. In the last few weeks we saw our very own past Sage and 2nd Counselor, Buddy Renner, win MTSU’s Outstanding Senior of the Year award. Our “See Spot Run 5K” was a big success. This is a 5K race that participants can run with their dogs. We raised nearly $8000 for Habitat for Humanity.

Missouri Southern State University Eta-Mu Chapter h p m 12

232 4

For this semester we can say that we achieved some good things with our Chapter. We won Greek Week and had the most improved GPA of all The Chapters on our campus. We did our local philanthropy ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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Undergraduates

CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS

Zeta-Pi Chapter at Oakland University

Rent-A-Puppy again and we were able to raise 103 dollars which we donated to the Golden Paw shelter. Another big philanthropy that we did was helping the Ronald McDonald charity setting up a Christmas tree. With this Christmas tree the Ronald McDonald house was able to raise 1500 dollars. Our ACE Project for this semester was the cleaning of the campus maintenance vehicles which was very appreciated by the campus maintenance staff. All in all the semester was very successful for us. We achieved our goal to improve our GPA and work had on it to keep it rising.

Missouri State University Alpha-Rho Chapter h m 54

1033 8

Alpha-Rho can finally say it: we are a Chapter! We thank everyone for their unending support and dedication. In gaining our charter, we were able to set the new high score for Four Degrees and earned the “Living Your Values” Fraternity and Sorority Life Award for the 2013 academic year. To further improve our success, we plan on teaming up with other Greek organizations to help benefit not only us but them by showing our support for other philanthropy projects and campus involvement. We hope to learn from other’s successes and mistakes to further us along as a young Chapter so we

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SPRING 2014

can strive to be the fraternity that we’ve set out to be. We have been very excited for this time of the year where we host our main philanthropy event to raise money for local shelters so they can house more abandoned and abused dogs until they find a good home. This year we were able to triple the amount that we raised from the following year allowing the shelter to take in 9 more dogs. Because its recent success we plan on hosting this event once per semester so the shelter can be better equipped to take care of the dogs they have and any future dogs that may find their door step as well as put a smile on the faces of students across campus. Our newly founded Chapter cannot thank our alumni enough for all the support they’ve shown us over the past 2 years and couldn’t do any of this without them. In honor of our alumni, we decided to do a “Recreation Photo” from 1978 at one of our previous houses to commemorate their time as undergraduates at Missouri State and the help that they provided to pave the way to be a successful Chapter on campus.

Missouri University of Science and Technology Alpha-Iota Chapter h p m 29

862 10

The next semester for Alpha-Iota Chapter is looking very promising. We have made changes in our recruitment program

Alpha-Iota Chapter at Missouri University of Science and Technology

to ensure strong future pledge classes for semesters to come and it is already proving successful. We are currently at 37 members and are estimating at least 15 new members for the upcoming Fall semester. We have continued our annual ACE Project of providing a free lunch for the custodial staff at our university, which once again was a success. And as always, brotherhood is a vital part of our Chapter and we have enjoyed events like bowling and paintball this semester.

Monmouth University Delta-Beta Chapter h p m 31

329 8

The deliberations of Delta-Beta Chapter served as more than efficient in upholding The Chapter’s status as one of the most prominent organizations on campus. Most notable of the semester’s deliberations, our 2014 ACE Project, which primarily

focused on alcohol awareness, was an outstanding success. Through our guest speakers, drunken driving simulation, and Christopher Mejia scholarship walk for our Fallen brother, we were able to benefit the community through our efforts in spreading awareness of an issue that commonly plagues college communities. It is also important to highlight the tremendous successes of our philanthropy’s fundraiser. The brothers executed a very successful fundraiser at Applebee’s, which entailed a car wash and serving tables for those who came to support us. We had initiated six upstanding gentlemen to our Chapter and are eager to refocus recruitment strategies and are anxious to carry over the high moral into the Fall.

Montclair State University Iota-Iota Chapter h p m 29

57 0

Coming into the semester, our campus has decided to bring Greek Life to a whole new level by requiring all organizations to give more focus to philanthropy and helping better the community, and like every Sigma Pi Chapter across the country, we all stepped up. With our addition of a solid group of new members we were able to set up and run a multitude of events not only on our campus but also all over New Jersey. Together we were able to raise hundreds of dollars for relay for life as well as for the annual polar bear plunge for charity, which are huge events across the state. With our help setting up the community service fair on our campus not only did we help service the campus we also encouraged others to join us in our efforts. Sigma Pi will soon become the representing organization of our campus.

Morehead State University Delta-Rho Chapter h p m 25

475 3

After a very successful Fall semester, we jumped into the Spring semester with even higher expectations. We started by getting more new members this semester than in the last two Spring rushes combined. To follow that up we held a 3 on 3 basketball tournament benefiting the Wounded Warriors Foundation. The tournament went extremely well and had a great turn out and support from all over campus. We gave out hand painted Army helmets that our sweethearts made for trophies and canteens to the three point contest champions.

Murray State University Gamma-Upsilon Chapter h p m 38

593 10

Gamma-Upsilon Chapter had a great semester bringing in 3 new members. The Chapter attended the Dedication Ceremony at the new Executive Office with one of the highest numbers in attendance. During All Greek Assembly, The Chapter won three awards including Brotherhood of the year, Brother Ryan Johnson won President of the year, and Brother Wyatt Alverson won Chapter director of the year. The Chapter held its annual ACE Project where we partnered up with all Sororities and some Fraternities by picking up trash around the campus. The 46th Summer reunion of Gamma-Upsilon Chapter will be held July 18-20th. The active Chapter looks forward to the upcoming Fall semester and Convocation in August. The active Chapter would like to wish Murray State Alumni E. Andrew Morris, Grand second Counselor, good luck with the upcoming elections this Fall for Grand Council!

New Jersey Institute Of Technology Alpha-Mu Chapter h m 55

870 25

Finals have approached and brothers are preparing for their exams. As the Summer progresses we will be planning out our Fall semester to be a standout Chapter on our campus.

North Carolina State University Rho Chapter p 60

712 7

No report submitted.

Oakland University Zeta-Pi Chapter h p m 22

258 3

As Zeta-Pi closes out another glorious Summer we find ourselves prepared for another strong Fall season. The Chapter had a Summer retreat up in Frankfort MI, and amidst all the brotherhood activities managed to find time to develop a strong plan to achieve our goals both academically and socially for the upcoming year. The Chapter will be holding its 19th annual Pig Roast Friday September 12th on the Oakland University Campus. The event is open to the public, so we hope to see everyone there!

Epsilon Chapter at Ohio University

Ohio University Epsilon Chapter m 59

322 1

Spring semester was a success for Epsilon Chapter. We started the semester out earning the third best GPA out of 15 fraternities. We moved to Spring semester rush and just initiated our lambda pledge class. We also held our first annual Lavender Ball in March. In April we held our annual Mom’s weekend brunch and gift basket raffle as a fundraiser and also had our “Queens of the Beach” Volleyball tournament benefiting the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. We finished finals strong and were glad to make such good progress this year and end the year on a high note. We are excited about rush in the Fall and continuing our progress. We are looking to hold an alumni weekend next Fall, any Epsilon alumnus please contact md127011@ohio.edu for more information.

Oklahoma State University Iota-Pi Chapter

h p m 32

13 1

Iota-Pi Chapter celebrated one year as a chartered member of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International on April 27, 2014! This year was one of many firsts that we know are not over yet. During the Spring semester of 2014 we initiated members of our Alpha Pledge Class, travelled to Houston, Texas for the Texas Province Workshop, had undergraduates and alumni attend the dedication for the new executive office in Lebanon, Tennessee, and hosted our first Orchid Ball in Austin, Texas. We also participated in the Gamma Phi Beta Crescent Classic and Kappa Delta Shamrock Tournament, hosted our most ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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Undergraduates

CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS

Omega Chapter at Oregon State University at the chapter’s 90th anniversary event

successful OSU Greek Discovery Day activities yet, and adopted a new local philanthropy called Tiny Paws”a locally founded kitten rescue shelter, and had five Founding Fathers graduate. Summer recruitment has officially begun and we are prepared for our best recruitment experience yet! Follow our Chapter’s progress on Twitter at @OkStateSigmaPi.

Temple. Please be on the lookout for more information. Finally, ODU’s 2014 Homecoming will be on November 8 against Florida International University. We will be planning many great events for out Alumni and their guests. We hope that you will be able to attend as we enter a new era with our inaugural year in CUSA.

a new record of $111,684.96 for THON, in an effort to find a cure to pediatric cancer. The school year has come to a close, which means there are some new Sigma Pi alumni. It also means that a new school year is soon to come and with this year’s accomplishments, there is a new standard.

Old Dominion University

Oregon State University Omega Chapter

Theta-Phi Chapter

Theta-Eta Chapter h p m 44

h p m 73

140 0

First off, the Chapter would like to thank all of the Alumni that aided us over the course of this academic year. We were excited to see all of the alumni that came to our first formal in the Outer Banks. We would like to announce that we will be hosting our 12th Annual Formal on February 28, 2015 again be in the Outer Banks. On April 19th, we hosted the annual Firefighter day. Though the weather was rainy, we had over 300 people attend from the campus and community. This year, we invited firefighters from other stations in the Hampton Roads area. We were fortunate to have firefighters from six different stations in the area attend our event. The Chapter is planning on hosting initiation on August 17th at the Norfolk Masonic

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SPRING 2014

623 4

On May 10th, Omega Chapter celebrated its 90th anniversary. Many alumni came to celebrate and reminisce. We thank all that participated and continue to participate in this great Chapter.

Pennsylvania State University Theta Chapter h m 100

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Following the numerous awards that Theta Chapter received in the Greek community during the Fall semester, the momentum did not stop. There were some incredible achievements that Penn State’s Sigma Pi has never experienced. At the conclusion of the Spring semester, we had a total of 100 active brothers, which is a first in our Chapter’s history. On a philanthropic side, Theta Chapter raised

Pennsylvania College of Technology p m 26

69 1

The Spring semester for Theta-Phi Chapter was highlighted by two major events. April brought our largest and most successful Alumni weekend in Chapter history! In addition, the semester concluded with our highly successful barbecue and car wash for the campus police as our ACE Project. Theta-Phi Chapter is growing and is looking forward to making an increased impact on our campus in the Fall!

Pennsylvania State University-Altoona Theta-Iota Chapter p m 29

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When rge brothers of Theta Iota Chapter came back for the Spring semester, we had many plans to make this semester a great one. After bringing in ten new brothers in Upsilon class, everyone was ready to

go hard in rush this Spring semester. Rush this semester brought us four new members, each already getting into the swing of things. Many of the events held this semester were philanthropy related, of course we had THON, which is always a huge success. We also participated in Bounce, where we canned for Easter seals, as well as Mountain Lion Backpacking three times, where we gave nonperishable goods to children. A side note, Founders’ Day was a phenomenal day of reunion and appreciation. Furthermore, Greek Week this semester was a blast, especially competing against the new co-ed veterans fraternity, Omega Delta Sigma. Now, a much needed Summer has arrived, as we all head home and to our families.

Purdue University Eta Chapter

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As the semester comes to a close, we at Eta Chapter are happy to report that we already have an accepted bid for the Fall. Along with that, we’ve made some incredible progress this semester. We held an ACE Project to raise awareness for food insecurity on campus and we served 268 student households with our mobile food pantry. As a house we totaled 375 hours of community service on the semester. To add on, we are extremely excited for our new bathrooms that are coming in the Summer. We are growing exponentially as a Chapter and have no plans of slowing down any time soon.

Gamma-Eta Chapter at Rutgers University

children’s cancer research. This year not only brothers shaved their heads, but a large number of Radford University Students shaved as well, including our first female participant. Charles Renick, our philanthropy chairman, did a great job setting this event up. In addition to St. Baldricks we also showed we were doing big things on campus by scoring very highly on Radford’s Standards of Excellence program, which is similar to the Gold Standard, by getting over ten points higher than any Chapter achieved the previous year. The brothers wish everyone a fun and safe Summer and look forward to another great year coming up.

Rowan University Zeta-Chi Chapter Theta-Lambda Chapter at Radford University

Radford University Theta-Lambda Chapter h p 48

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This has been a very productive semester for Theta-Lambda Chapter. We started out with the largest pledge class in Chapter history and didn’t stop there. As a Chapter we raised over $5000 for St. Baldricks, one of our local philanthropies. St. Baldricks encourages people to shave their heads to raise money and show solidarity for

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This year marked the 26th year Zeta-Chi Chapter has been chartered at Rowan University, the longest running on-campus fraternity. We are the top recruiting Chapter for the second year in a row and have the highest Greek GPA. Zeta-Chi has been involved in many community service and philanthropy events throughout the year, including being the biggest organization to take part in “Back to the Boro,” a community service event created to help clean Glassboro. For the Altruistic Campus Experience, Zeta-Chi teamed up with Rowan Unified Sports and hosted a

softball game for Special Olympic Athletes. Zeta-Chi sports teams placed second in their respective leagues in indoor soccer, outdoor soccer, and softball. Finally, to end the year, Zeta-Chi placed first in Greek Week. We competed in various events against 6 other fraternities and solidified our spot on top of the Rowan campus.

Rutgers University Gamma-Eta Chapter h p m 84

511 7

Gamma-Eta Chapter had a semester of great improvement and transition in the Spring. The first annual Trees for TDs proved to be a very successful ACE Project. We gave back to the Rutgers community by planting 44 trees at the football stadium, one for every touchdown scored this past season. Our Chapter won six prestigious Greek Awards, including Outstanding Chapter Director, Outstanding Chapter Advisor, and the Keller Sports Soccer Championship. Our past Sage, Ian Wolf, was awarded Outstanding Chapter President. Saad Shamshair, our current Sage, was awarded the Spirit of Service and the Greek Award of Distinction. He was also tapped for membership in the Cap and Skull Society, making him the first Sigma Pi since 1987 to receive this honor. While we took in our ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS largest pledge class since chartering, we had to say goodbye to many graduating founding fathers. We’re looking forward to improving our Chapter based on the model established by our founding fathers, and perpetuating the ideals of Sigma Pi.

Saginaw Valley State University Theta-Beta Chapter h p m 28

167 2

During the winter semester, we worked with our alumni at our annual workshop in order to determine our Chapter goals moving forward and how we can stop being a good Chapter and become a great Chapter. Theta-Beta also had a successful ACE week – we did a teacher appreciation letter among other activities, which turned out for us really good. We did our annual Pi Games, and we had about 7 teams participated, and we made it to the front page on our school’s newspaper. Finally, we won the Greek program of the year this year, which we all are proud of. We are looking forward to a healthy, productive retreat.

Saint Joseph’s University Theta-Chi Chapter h p m 35

110 0

Theta-Chi Chapter had an interesting semester this Spring. Successful ACE events like our Rose Giveaway helped us to improve our on-campus image. Activity in the 59th Street Cleanup brought our group together with the Philadelphia community. This semester we came together in solidarity at Relay for Life. Brotherhood was the theme of the semester. This was exhibited at our main event, attending the Phillies Game. Generations of Sigma Pis were brought together at the Third Annual Puccio Memorial Alumni Golf Outing. Excellent attendance at tee time led directly to an alumni social at Brew Pub. In sum, this semester allowed our Chapter to unite among its past and present brotherhood, in the campus community, and with the City of Philadelphia.

Salisbury University Theta-Xi Chapter h p 60

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San Jose State University Beta-Eta Chapter p m 24

455 9

Spring 2014 has been a relatively quiet semester for Beta-Eta Chapter. We entered the semester with great momentum from Fall 2013, and ended up with a small but high-quality pledge class. This Summer we are planning a rafting trip and other brotherhood events to strengthen ourselves in preparation for next semester. We are always looking forward to making improvements in upcoming semesters and this semester is no different. Fall 2014 will be an exciting time for us here at BetaEta and we can’t wait to welcome another class of brothers into our fraternity.

SPRING 2014

Southern Arkansas University Epsilon-Kappa Chapter p m 29

377 2

This semester we’ve continued to show progress. Once again, we won favorite fraternity on campus through a campuswide poll; Additionally, we were also awarded Fraternity of the Year from the university. We made it a goal to have more brotherhood events this semester and definitely achieved it through our annual rivertrip as well as adding paintball and just getting out more. We also have been giving back to our community more through Adopt-A-Highway, Relay for Life, and helping put together a Tornado Relief across campus for those affected in Central Arkansas. We hope to come back in the Fall and continue this trend and only get better.

Zeta-Eta Chapter h p m 66

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Zeta-Eta Chapter is having quite the progressive year. We have high expectations for the 28 fine gentlemen of our newly initiated Alpha Omega Fall pledge class. Our 29th annual MS Volleyball tournament was a terrific success; we were able to raise over $10,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Our Chapter has accumulated 1000 community service hours this quarter as a part of our newest service initiative. Zeta-Eta is gearing up for another exhilarating Orchid Ball later this May and a sincere farewell to our graduating seniors this June. We hope to continue our growth as a Chapter and finish this school year with a bang! Cheers. Delta-Epsilon Chapter

turn out. Also this month The Chapter thanked our outstanding public safety for their hard work with campus cleanup and a banner signed by some current students and other organizations. The Chapter is very excited for the year to come and has some creative and innovative plans in motion.

Santa Clara University

Seton Hall University

125 0

Theta-Xi Chapter is very proud of the accomplishments we have made this semester. As our brothers are all diligently preparing for Finals Week, we reflect on the great things we have done this semester. We recruited and

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plan on initiating nine new members in the upcoming week. Our 4th Annual Sigma Cutie Pi, a beauty pageant for the sororities on our campus, raised over $1000 for the American Cancer Society. We also just recently celebrated the 10 Year Anniversary of our Chapter with past brothers visiting for a weekend that included an Alumni Luncheon and our Formal. Overall, we’re very proud of the steps that not only our Chapter has made this semester but Sigma Pi as a whole and we wish everyone the best for next year!

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341 4

This past month Delta-Epsilon Chapter finished off the semester with a Candle Vigil for our philanthropy, Sean Vernon Amazing Day Foundation, we had a great

Beta-Nu Chapter at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Beta-Nu Chapter h p m 29

915 7

The Spring semester for the men of Beta-Nu Chapter has been filled with many exciting events that have put our name out here on campus, with nonGreeks and within the Greek community. We are thrilled with this semester’s many events we have hosted. One specifically worth mentioning was our ACE Project, where we had Jackson Young, an up and coming Country music star come and play for us and the SIU Veterans. We raised over 1,000 for Wounded Warriors

Project and SIU Veterans Services. We hope to make this event bigger and better in coming years. We are sad to see the first of many great members that have transformed themselves from boys to Sigma Pi men graduate. The men of Beta-Nu want to wish our own and other Chapter’s brothers the best of luck in the future and may you always believe in Sigma Pi.

multiple events and showing excellent sportsmanship while receiving a warm welcome into Greek Life at St. John’s and the University’s community as a whole. As they move towards a successful transition from colony to Chapter, we can all expect to here great things coming from our Sigma Pi brothers in Queens, NY very soon.

to really brand the name Sigma Pi on our campus. Through a lot of hard work, from community service, philanthropy work, and other endeavors, we have been really able to establish or name as a leading fraternity on campus. We are all excited and looking forward to what the future has in store for us here at Epsilon-Omicron!

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The College of New Jersey Theta-Delta Chapter

Theta-Omicron Chapter

Delta-Omega Chapter h p m 30

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We had a great year at Delta-Omega. First off in our intramural activities we received 3rd place in softball and volleyball. We also hosted the Greek Olympics on the SIUe campus and raised roughly 400 dollars and was donated to St. Jude Hospital. We have also gained four potential new members this past Spring semester. As for our future plans we hope to develop more as a Chapter and do more fundraising and philanthropy. Also we will be working on having a better retention rate with members and also cracking down on the importance of academics. We hope to improve greatly next year

Southern Polytechnic State University Epsilon-Alpha Chapter h p m 15

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Epsilon-Alpha Chapter is running smoothly and is exited and ready for the Summer to come. This Summer we plan to retrain and energize our brothers to get ready for the merger with Kennesaw State University quickly approaching we cannot wait to add to our numbers.

St. John’s University St. John’s Colony h 35

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The colony at St. John’s University has started off their first semester with a bang. Since colonization on Sunday, February 23rd 2014, this exemplary group of Founding Fathers continues to lay the groundwork for great things to come. Several brothers participated in raising funds for The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, shaving their heads for children’s cancer research. The colony also works with, and serves on, St. John’s Inter-Fraternity Council, working to improve Greek Life within the SJU community. Sigma Pi also recently competed in St. John’s annual “Greek Week” festivities, participating in

h p m 50

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No report submitted.

University of Alabama h m 101

187 1

Theta-Omicron just wrapped up a very successful Spring semester at The University of Alabama. We congratulated our graduating seniors with a senior dinner and awards ceremony. In addition, we welcome our newly initiated brothers that pledged this semester. Theta-Omicron also made the playoffs in softball.

University of Arkansas Alpha-Sigma Chapter Gamma Chapter at The Ohio State University

h p m 45

459 13

No report submitted.

The Ohio State University Gamma Chapter p m 54

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This past year has been an incredibly exciting one for Gamma Chapter, as we have seen our membership grow from 35 to over 50 brothers. Last fall we participated in many activities such as: helping new Freshman move into the dorms through the OWL move-in program, we hosted a Dad’s weekend for the OSU-Michigan State football game, enjoyed a brotherhood trip to Windsor Canada full of good memories. This Spring has been even more jam-packed with a ski trip to Mad River Mountain, the hosting of 25 brothers and mom’s for our annual Mom’s weekend, a formal to Gatlinburg, TN 8 Brothers graduated into the ranks of the professional world. Gamma is coming Sigma Pi, watch out.

Iota Chapter at University of California-Berkeley

University of California-Berkeley Iota Chapter

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Epsilon-Omicron Chapter

This semester, Iota Chapter strengthened as a fraternity. We recently had 5 new members cross and become initiated into Sigma Pi. Our Alumni event was very successful in helping us raise money for the house, allowing us to make improvements such as installing a basketball court. A relaxing brotherhood trip to skiing up in Lake Tahoe allowed brothers to unwind before finals. Now everyone is gearing up and preparing for a strong Fall Rush in the coming months.

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University of California-Irvine

University at Buffalo 290 9

The 2013-2014 year was huge for EpsilonOmicron Chapter here at Buffalo. We got off to a tremendous start by getting the largest pledge classes in both the Fall and Spring semesters at the school. These two classes have already been a huge asset to our Chapter and we could not be happier to have them. We also have done our best

Eta-Upsilon Chapter h p m 86

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The Spring Quarter was a busy quarter for the Gentlemen of Eta-Upsilon Chapter. The entire year, The Chapter competed in a school wide musical philanthropy benefiting abused children called Greek ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS 3rd annual Custodian Appreciation Week. This year we nominated a Custodian of the Year and will now keep a plaque in the complex for many years to come. We were also paired with Theta Chi and Alpha Gamma Delta for Greek Week this semester. It was a blast working with the Alpha Gams during their first semester back to our wonderful campus! It has been a great semester, but an even better year. We are constantly working to become better gentleman and fulfill our obligations to this fraternity’s great name. We cannot wait to come back next Fall and recruit more amazing men and future leaders.

University of Colorado-Boulder Zeta-Delta Chapter h p m 56

Upsilon Chapter at University of California-Los Angeles

Songfest. The philanthropy culminated in May with a performance from Eta-Upsilon brothers as well as ladies from our sorority pairing, Delta Gamma. Eta-Upsilon Chapter received best in show and overall first place, winning the entire 35th annual UC-Irvine Greek Songfest.

University of California-Los Angeles Upsilon Chapter p m 98

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With the opportunity of three rush quarters this year, Sigma Pi Upsilon’s brotherhood continues to be stronger than ever. As a result, we appreciate all of the ongoing support from our alumni which was shown through this years Founders’ Day boasting a record breaking attendance. Likewise, we have had a very busy year participating in multiple philanthropic and social events. Within the last couple weeks, our Chapter has spearheaded a beach cleanup, shown up in force to help guide kids through UCLA’s “I’m Going to College” campaign, and danced to raise money for Pediatric AIDS. We also now hold the title of Greek Week Champions, and are looking forward to a promising quarter!

University of California-Santa Barbara Alpha-Omicron Chapter h p m 90

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University of California-Santa Cruz Iota-Eta Chapter h m 107

114 0

No report submitted.

University of Central Florida Iota-Kappa Chapter h p m 95

SPRING 2014

116 1

No report submitted.

University of Central Missouri Gamma-Gamma Chapter h p m 26

353 17

The gentlemen of Alpha-Omicron Chapter have been staying busy and productive during our last quarter before Summer. This Spring has been particularly eventful

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for philanthropies, as we have been a presence at all events this quarter. We hosted our annual Alumni Weekend and had a great time introducing the future of the house to our alumni. Once Alumni Weekend came to a close, it became time to prepare for our most important visitors of all, our parents! Family Weekend was an amazing event and all of our families enjoyed seeing the house and all of the hard work that has been put in by The brothers. Last, but not least, after just seven years of being re-chartered on campus, our brotherhood has grown to over 100 members. We have been working tirelessly and our motivation to be the best Sigma Pi we can be will continue into next year.

620 5

Here at Gamma-Gamma Chapter, we are doing great things. This semester we had two things that helped us to progress towards better men. The first one was our

497 1

Winding down the year, The brothers of Zeta-Delta are closing out the year strong. This semester was very successful, we held our annual March Madness philanthropy at Chatfield High School in which disabled students from schools around the area participate in a March madness basketball tournament. We also participated in our Chapter’s first ACE Project where we cleaned up the CU Boulder campus with all The brothers and a couple helpers. We have also nearly completed the second degree of our Renaissance program. The brothers have worked hard and diligently to brighten the future of Zeta-Delta for the active members, and those to come. We hope to come back next year, and crank out the last of our renaissance program and get The Chapter back into the full standing with the Greek community.

University of Delaware

Iota-Beta Chapter p m 76

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Iota-Beta Chapter started the semester with two goals: to increase membership, and increase involvement on campus. We are proud to announce that we completed both of those goals. After graduating over 40 seniors in 2013, we were able to get our number of active brothers back up to 76. And our campus involvement increased after we put on our ACE Project called Know Your Rights with the help of our Chapter adviser and former Grand Sage, John Williams, and his network of friends in the legal field. We also put on our 8th annual golf tournament where we invited our alumni, family, and friends for a day on the links to benefit Operation

University of Iowa Xi Chapter

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Alpha-Phi Chapter at University of Georgia

Homefront. We have been making great strides this semester and look forward to keeping it going throughout the rest of the year and into Fall semester.

University of Detroit-Mercy Gamma-Alpha Chapter h p m 21

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This past semester, our Chapter had our 52nd Orchid Ball at the Venetian club. For our ACE Project we helped our residential life office with moving old school furniture out of the freshman dorm. Later we participated in greek week but only came in 2nd, and also had an intramural sports dodgeball and hockey team, both who almost won the league. In the house we replaced some of the old furniture and going into the Summer, we plan on repainting some of the rooms and refurnishing the rest of the house. Our big project for the Summer is going to be rebuilding the front porch. Two brothers will also be attending Convocation this Summer. Next Fall we are expecting a large pledge class, and hoping to dominate next year’s intramural sports.

University of Georgia Alpha-Phi Chapter h p m 69

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Alpha-Phi Chapter enjoyed a great Spring semester in 2014. The Chapter welcomed three new brothers, and sent off 9 brothers who concluded their undergrad career. The philanthropy committee made several

big steps this semester and hosted 3 successful events. The brothers hosted a barbecue for the UGA Police Department, set up an Easter egg hunt for special needs children, and raised money through a fundraiser called “Sigma Slam.” The brothers are looking forward to a big Summer rush that will bring us close to achieving our goal of 100 active brothers.

University of Houston Theta-Nu Chapter h p m 27

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Theta-Nu Chapter finished out the semester strong and are working diligently in order to prepare for the upcoming Fall semester. We are working to plan out the first formal rush here at the University of Houston. We all look forward to the upcoming semester!

University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Phi Chapter

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Phi is glad to announce the initiation of two new members this Spring. Additionally, The Chapter already has one commitment to pledge in the Fall with 4 other prospective recruits currently being considered. Using the dynamic recruitment system developed in the past two semesters, Phi looks to double its membership size next year and continue to grow as a strong brotherhood on the University of Illinois campus.

637 4

The Spring semester was a great success! We had a very strong semester with many events starting off with our Founders’ Day. All The brothers came together to celebrate this historical day of Sigma Pi with some pizza at Sam’s Pizza. We also hosted our fourth annual Sigma Pi Sorority Super Bowl here at Iowa, our Spring philanthropy in which all proceeds go to the Sean Vernon Amazing Day Foundation. The event consisted of the sororities creating teams and competing against each other in friendly games of flag football, with the last two teams facing off in the “Super Bowl”. This year’s winner was Kappa Kappa Gamma. This improved the brotherhood in The Chapter by bringing us together in a fun, competitive way for a great cause. Greek Week was a great time for The brothers. We were paired with the sisters of the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority and The brothers of the colony Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. Together we placed fourth in the overall rankings! Our Spring Formal was a great end to the year. We got to spend a weekend in the Lake of the Ozarks, which was a nice time for The brothers to get away and have a good time before the school year comes to an end. Xi Chapter is graduating eleven seniors this Spring and with great honor for all the hard work they did making Sigma Pi at Iowa so successful.

University of Kansas Beta-Delta Colony h 55

70 3

No report submitted.

University of Louisville Iota-Omicron Chapter h 30

21 1

With the help of our great Spring recruitment, we initiated our largest Spring class of seven member. Concluding the initiation ceremony, we held our first ever Orchid Ball this year. The ACE Project this semester was also very successful. We’re happy that we were able to host it with the help of our brothers at Leadership Messenger Academy, who led the leadership seminar with us.

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CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS University of Michigan Alpha-Beta Chapter m 11

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No report submitted.

Iota-Zeta Chapter at University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Iota-Zeta Chapter h p m 37

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Iota-Zeta Chapter is finishing up the semester in full stride and are currently studying hard to ensure that we can improve upon our already stellar GPA from last semester. We are confident about the successes we have had this semester and are looking forward to a long Summer of house improvements and recruiting. This past semester we initiated 7 fantastic young men into our brotherhood, held our annual “Unsung Heroes Dinner,” improved our relations with other Greek houses through exchanges, and made it to the semifinals in intramural floor hockey. We are also glad to see a number of our members graduate with honors, but are sad to see them leave for alumni status. We with them the best in the professional world, and thank them for their hard work and determination towards shaping our house into what it is today.

Beta-Mu Chapter at University of Mississippi

Gamma-Sigma Chapter h p m 113

Beta-Mu Chapter

264 5

The Spring semester has been very exciting and busy for Beta-Mu Chapter. To start things off the Chapter held its very first Dads day weekend. This event allowed all The brothers dads to come

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out to Ole Miss, and see what Sigma Pi was all about. Also some of The brothers and there fathers volunteered at the local Oxford camp, Camp Hopewell, and helped prepare it for the Summer. For our ACE Project this semester we held a dinner for the University’s police department. Towards the very end of the semester the Beta Mu Chapter started the “Tupelo Disaster Relief Drive” in order to help out the people of Tupelo Mississippi effected by the Tornados back in late April. The Drive was a huge success. We raised approximately 2,700 dollars, and collected 518 food items, and 2174 articles of clothes. As we approach the end of the semester every brother is preparing for finals, and Fall recruitment for next year. We are all very excited to see how things will turn out for the Chapter in the Fall.

University of Missouri

University of Mississippi h p m 104

Gamma-Sigma Chapter at University of Missouri

SPRING 2014

476 4

Gamma-Sigma Chapter is graduating our Founding Father class. These extraordinary seniors built a strong foundation for our Chapter and allowed us to accomplish a lot. During this semester, we have acquired another fraternity’s house to use as our annex house, allowing

us to double from 35 brothers living in to 70 brothers living in-house. We held our second annual philanthropy, The Emerald Open, which raised over $10,000 for the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation. Additionally, our ACE Project was very successful. Gamma-Sigma Chapter hosted a field day where different campus organizations and residence halls competed in wiffle ball, flag football, soccer & sand volleyball, all in the name of promoting diversity & equality on campus.

Delta-Zeta Chapter at University of Missouri-St. Louis

University of Missouri-St. Louis Delta-Zeta Chapter h p m 31

431 11

In April, over two days, Delta-Zeta Chapter participated in four philanthropic/ community service events that accounted

University of San Diego Epsilon-Chi Colony h 46

370 2

We have done an amazing job at our first Semester at USD. We acquired the “Outstanding Emerging Organization” award and we are very proud of our achievements so far. Not only have we made an impact on-campus with events such as Sigma Pi Polo, a philanthropic event where teams compete in water-tube water polo games in order to raise money to Safe Kids International, but we have had many brotherhood events such as a Padres Game, Beach Days, and weekly dinners. Overall we had a great semester and look forward to Chartering in the near future.

South Florida Colony at University of South Florida

for 484 total hours and raised $1530. To follow that up we donated over 1300 food items to a local food bank during our Greek Week charity drive. In Greek Week we put up an impressive 2nd place finish that came down to the last event. The brotherhood and unity we showed during the week was that of true Sigma Pi’s and showed to the other Greeks that participated. We would like to give a huge shout out to our Chapter director Paul Ke, who was at the majority of the events taking pictures, cheering us on, and contributed significantly to our food drive. We are looking to close out the semester strong academically and once again finish with the top GPA among all Greeks.

University of Oregon Iota-Epsilon Chapter h p m 88

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A rainy Spring term can’t dampen the spirits of The brothers from Iota-Epsilon Chapter. We have a great Spring pledge class that includes thirteen great young men looking to become brothers. Just last weekend, we recently hosted our annual philanthropy event. Our annual “Pigskin Classic” is huge flag football tournament with teams from each sorority. Brothers help coach the teams and referee

the games. It was a huge success and everyone had a blast! We look forward to initiating our Spring pledges and finishing off the year on a strong note.

University of South Florida

University of Rhode Island

The South Florida Colony had a very busy end to the semester. In early April, we completed our first philanthropy, the Sigma Pi Spring Olympics. We had a good turn out and everyone in attendance had a great time. Our guys had a great time participating in Relay for Life and giving back to the community by showing our support towards Cancer research. We successfully completed our ACE Project at the end of the semester during Finals week. We had a “create your own trailmix” table set up for students to have access to free snacks while studying for Finals. We feel we had a great semester and we look forward to the many things we can accomplish moving forward!

Alpha-Upsilon Chapter p m 67

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During the course of the previous academic year, our Chapter started to turn its focus towards community involvement. Over time we have felt that there has become a disconnection between the university and the surrounding areas. We emphasized the need to do not only for the campus, but for the community it happens to be a part of. We had multiple bottle and can drives at a local school and the community turn-out has been increasingly impressive. The near future only holds more possibilities and future involvement. Our goal is to actually be a part of the social society, instead of just isolating our philanthropic endeavors to just our campus grounds. We have still continued our annual blood drives, and will continue to discover new innovating ways to get community involvement out at our events, rather than having solely student support.

South Florida Colony h p 52

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University of Southern Indiana Theta-Psi Chapter h p m 23

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Theta-Psi Chapter at USI had a great Spring semester. Our 23 brothers raised over $1000 dollars for Relay for Life, and we held our yearly Pie a Pi which had the ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS best campus turnout in Chapter history. Also, our brother Tyler Robling was placed as president of IFC at USI, and our Chapter was given an award by campus for our organizational skills. We plan to have a camping retreat this Summer.

University of Texas Gamma-Theta Chapter h p m 28

312 2

No report submitted.

University of Texas-San Antonio Iota-Delta Chapter h p m 56

100 4

As Summer break draws near we here at Iota-Delta look back on an amazing Spring semester. We proudly brought in a small, yet outstanding cadre of men dedicated to the ideals set forth by Sigma Pi. Our Chapter has also had great successes on campus with our ACE Project, as well as big wins raising the most money for the philanthropic contests put on by women of Alpha Sigma Alpha and Gamma Phi Beta, respectively. We ended the year with another victory in our university’s Greek Week competition remaining undefeated for what is now approaching the better part of a decade. After an immaculate Orchid Ball and a heartfelt farewell to our graduating brothers, we have decided to get a running start on next semester’s recruitment, using the Summer to plan and raise interest in what we hope to be our best recruitment season yet. Continuously we strive for excellence.

University of Toronto Eta-Omicron Chapter m 9

167 1

These months have given us the privilege to learn from the past and to gain the needed experience about running an active Chapter. We are now refocusing our efforts towards applying the fraternity’s values in our lives and community. We would like to thank Joe Turck to his time and patience with The Chapter and we would also like to thank Alex Chesser and our alumni for the continued support. Our next few months will be geared towards recruitment and philanthropy within Toronto’s school community.

University of Virginia Beta-Pi Chapter h m 70

840 6

No report submitted.

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SPRING 2014

Theta-Gamma Chapter at University of West Alabama

University of West Alabama Theta-Gamma Chapter h p m 12

151 0

The men of Theta-Gamma Chapter held our annual “Oozeball” tournament during the Spring semester which raised money as well as provided entertainment for the students of our university. The Sigma Pi team emerged from this tournament victorious. The money raised from this event was donated to the university in order to make a Greek life promotional video. Our Chapter also won the annual Greek Games which are hosted by The University of West Alabama and challenges all fraternities against each other in athletic events. Theta-Gamma Chapter also dominated all other organizations in intramural sports during the Fall and Spring semesters and was awarded the Intramural Cup this semester.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Tau Chapter h m 20

118 0

Tau Chapter has had a productive semester. As we worked to retool our Chapter operations, we’ve held an exceptional number of brotherhood events, from poker nights to a paintball outing before the end of the semester. Tau has seven seniors graduating this year, including Brother Nathan Degaro, who recently was honored by the Humorology philanthropy as an outstanding participant

through his four years at the University of Wisconsin. We are looking forward to Fall recruitment as an opportunity to expand the values of Sigma Pi to more students on campus.

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Gamma-Mu Chapter h p m 26

454 4

Gamma-Mu has focused efforts on philanthropy involvement this semester. With involvement in the #SigmaPiChallenge on Founders’ Day, Walk A Mile in Her Shoes, Relay For Life and hosted a concert for joint with Gamma Phi Beta to fundraise and bring awareness to the Amazing Day Foundation. GammaMu walked away with three of the most prestigious awards earlier this semester, walking away with Fraternity Chapter of the Year, Most Improved GPA and Chancellor’s Award of Excellence. We welcomed four new members to our brotherhood; Congratulations to Bryce Marek, Cass Cook, Adam Altreuter and Colin von Heimburg on your success, we can’t wait to see where you take your Quest for Excellence! We also wish the best of luck to Taylor Waring, as he prepares for graduation and graduate school!

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Delta-Iota Chapter h p m 27

488 3

No report submitted.

Ursinus College

Theta-Sigma Chapter h p m 31

64 1

Theta-Sigma Chapter held our first Orchid Ball in Atlantic City at Harrah’s Resort on May 3rd. The Ball was a great bonding experience for our active brothers as well as the many alumni that joined us. We continued to rush efficiently and held our signature event at Pat’s/Geno’s cheesesteaks. Over 15 potential new members joined us and we look forward to them accepting their bids in the Fall. To send off our seniors, we grilled burgers and hotdogs while playing wiffleball and other field games on a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon. Congratulations to the class of 2014!

very advanced group of new members that we can trust to make sure that this house stays The Chapter that we all know and love. Losing Jim made everyone see how a lifetime of dedication to our fraternity can prove to be a fulfilling way to live each of our lives and that just saying the words, “Sigma Pi for life,” has much more meaning behind it. Jim should be the example that all brothers live by, that no matter how long it has been since being an active member, Sigma Pi should stay an active role in each of our lives and that it is our duty to make sure it stays as close to our hearts as it did for him.

Chapter House has been renovated, and we are looking forward to external enhancements this Summer. Efficiency scores are the highest they have ever been, and this success has been mirrored by an ever-increasing campus presence. This past year can easily be seen as the greatest year in recent memory, and we only look forward to continuing our eternal pursuit for progress. Finally, Gamma-Omega is looking for interested alumni to help put together a complete Chapter history. Email us at gammaomega1c@sigmapi.org.

Wake Forest University

Zeta-Alpha Chapter

Alpha-Nu Chapter h p m 52

1079 17

Valparaiso University

No report submitted.

h p m 22

Iota-Nu Chapter

Beta-Tau Chapter

572 7

Beta-Tau Chapter had a strong end to the Spring semester. Our Chapter instituted a year round recruitment initiative and were recognized by the University with the Outstanding Membership Recruitment Award. Beta-Tau Chapter also was recognized for having the most improved GPA on campus. We also completed our ACE Project by helping the university get the campus ready for commencement.

Vincennes University Alpha Chapter

h p m 19

943 3

Here at Alpha Chapter, we have recently activated seven new members to add to our number to make an overall number of twenty nine brothers. We also just had the pleasure and honor of having six brothers graduate with associates and bachelor degrees. Our annul Alpha April event has raised over five hundred dollars for the March of Dimes and also had a successful ACE Project with our faculty car wash. We also have participated in numerous campus clean ups and various campus activities to better our university. Since the recent passing of one of our most respected and remarkable brothers, James L. Hills, we have dedicated our time to making sure that we honored his memory in every way that we possibly could as brothers of Sigma Pi. Jim meant more to us than most could ever explain and making sure that this Chapter bettered itself for the future was a goal that we made sure we would achieve by the end of the year. As a whole, Alpha has gained a

Washington State University h p m 39

78 0

Iota-Nu Chapter has just concluded our Spring semester, and what a semester it was! We expect to compete for top GPA on campus this semester, as our members gear up for finals. Our Chapter ran a very successful philanthropy, by promoting people to register as organ donors through the donate life challenge. Four potential new members completed their new member education with flying colors, and we hope to initiate them all next Fall! Our intermural softball team made a deep playoff run, coming up just short of the championship. Our focus now shifts toward Summer recruitment, and getting ready for the Fall in our new Chapter house! It’s a big step forward for our fraternity and has everyone excited for the Fall. Big congratulations to our four graduating seniors, Ryan Flatz, Dustin Johnson, Will Zajac and Riley Waugh! Go Cougs!

Wayne State University

West Chester University h p m 91

280 2

No report submitted.

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Gamma-Xi Chapter h p m 13

469 2

Throughout this past semester, GammaXi Chapter has been very busy. We put a lot of time and effort into ensuring that our brothers would have great grades this semester. Many fundraisers were held, including car washes, a bake sale, and more. With the extra funds, we were able to repair our roof and re-paint the porch. We participated in WV Tech’s “shack-a-thon” to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity. Our ACE Project was recently completed; we cleaned up WV Tech’s hiking trails. Greek Week this year was both fun and challenging, in which we managed 2nd place. We are also happy to announce that 5 neophytes successfully completed their pledging and will be initiated as soon as Fall semester commences. Planning for next semester’s Rush week has begun. With a lot effort and a bit of luck, we should be able to have a fantastic time next semester.

Western Illinois University

Gamma-Omega Chapter

Epsilon-Zeta Chapter

h p m 37

h p 19

335 1

Gamma-Omega initiated 12 brothers this past year. Our Alumni Barbecue was attended by brothers from the 1970s! Orchid Ball, along with our other special events saw higher attendance rates than ever before, and 9 new specialty awards were given out to brothers. With the largest positive budget in over a decade, we have been able to put on more events than ever before. The inside of The

639 7

Epsilon-Zeta Chapter has taken great strides to improvement this year. We have added six new members to The Chapter this Spring semester, all of which have showed great promise for bettering our house. Recently, we also had our suicide awareness philanthropy. Many students and faculty members were moved by this event, as we were able to raise just shy of ...Continued On Next Page SPRING 2014

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Undergraduates

CHAPTER & COLONY REPORTS

Gamma-Iota Chapter at Worchester Polytechnic Institute

$1,300 with the proceeds being donated to one of our National Philanthropies, The Amazing Day Foundation. We are constantly trying to improve The Chapter in every way, and that has happened this past year in small steps. We implemented a successful, operating judicial board structure to hold each member accountable to their actions; as well as implementing a brand new scholarship program that lead to our Chapter earning the highest GPA we have gotten in the past 3 years.

William Paterson College Theta-Tau Chapter h p m 28

90 0

Over the past year, let alone semester, Theta-Tau has been doing the best it can, to be the best it can. I am happy to report that over the past academic year (Fall ‘13 – Spring ‘14) we’ve initiated twelve members (8 in the Fall and 4 in Spring). We kicked off Fall …13 by re-launching all of our newly revamped social media platforms enabling us to spread the word about Sigma Pi throughout our campus. Our relationship with Greek Senate has

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tremendously improved as we currently hold positions on the IFC Executive Council. This a step in the right direction to getting us to be more active on campus as well within the Greek community. Aside from Greek senate and the campus, our involvement with outside organizations has proven to be one of our strong pillars. Whether it was hosting clothing drives for goodwill, volunteering at the local Woman and Children’s center, donating blood for the Red Cross, helping out with the special Olympics, volunteering at a retirement home, or throwing our yearly “Sigma Pi Cutie PI” event on campus raising money towards the fraternity’s philanthropy, Theta-Tau knows how to give back to its community. An update on brotherhood, several brothers on separate occasions have attended concerts in New York City and Atlantic City. We also continue to participate in several intramural sports teams as well as get together study sessions. The future looks bright as we continue to learn from yesterday and act on today.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Gamma-Iota Chapter h p m 49

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As this year came to a close we were recognized by WPI as both the most improved Chapter on campus and The Chapter of the year. This was due to our enormous pledge class, our large retention rate, our informative ACE Project, the risk management strategies that we have in place, and our outstanding leadership development. Our 2014 ACE Project, a week-long event designed to raise awareness about various health issues, was a huge success. We also had a fantastic Greek Week, finishing first in both the Greek Talent Show and the Alma Mater contest as well as raising more money for cancer research than any other Greek fraternity. We will also miss our 8 graduating seniors as well as our new sweetheart. a

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WANT TO BE A PART OF A FUTURE ISSUE OF THE EMERALD?

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GET INVOLVED! If you are interested in volunteering for any of the following, please send an email to emerald@sigmapi.org • • • •

Communications Committee Article contribution (research and writing) Photography Editing

If you know someone who is deserving of a feature article or spotlight, please send the following information to emerald@sigmapi.org • • • •

Name Chapter and university Initiation or graduation year Why they deserve a spotlight

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Top line

BOTTOM LINE

XI CHAPTER BROTHER HELPS UNDERPRIVILEGED ATTEND PRO SPORTING EVENTS By Alex Sheck (X, Iowa ‘16), contributing writer

To learn more about the organization, visit experiencethegame.org

Photo courtesy of Alex Sheck

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Experience the Game is an organization that started from an excursion that I went on with my father. When I was in seventh grade, we went out west to attend seven baseball games in one week—all in different stadiums. Something that we both recall very clearly to this day is the ambiance at Dodger Stadium on Father’s day. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to plan this entire trip. As the planning went on, I had asked my dad, “With the price of tickets, parking, refreshments like hot dogs and drinks, and souvenirs, how can people afford to take their families to professional sporting events?” That memorable vacation I shared with my father was in 2007 and it led to the efforts to create what is today, Experience the Game. I am fortunate enough to have a hardworking and successful father that has had the opportunity to take me to professional sporting events all across the country. We both understand and appreciate what we have and felt that together, we needed to give back. We wanted to pay it forward. In the summer of 2013, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be an intern on the corporate finance team at McAfee (an Intel Company located in Santa Clara, California). This amazing experience enriched my understanding of the business culture and myself as a professional. During my time at McAfee, I successfully set up a one-on-one meeting with the President of the company, Mr. Michael DeCesare. While meeting with Mr. DeCesare, I told him about the idea of a nonprofit organization I had. He was incredibly receptive and told me that once the organization became incorporate and operated as a 501(c)3, he would assist us in our early stages. This turned a spark into a fire and made me incredibly motivated. As soon as I arrived back home from my internship in August of 2013, I began working on the foundation of Experience the Game. With just a few weeks until my sophomore year began, I put in countless hours of work, aware that my time would be more limited once returning to the University of Iowa. To elaborate on Experience the Game, this nonprofit organization serves to take underprivileged children to professional sporting events. We do much more than give them tickets in the ‘nose-bleed’ section—we give them a true ‘experience.’ These experiences consist of going on the field/court during warm-ups, meeting players and coaches, sitting in VIP suites, exclusive access and much more. Through the relationships and partnerships with professional athletes, sports franchises and Fortune 500 companies, the children not only see the game, but they are treated to an ‘experience’ with perks such as meeting players on the court or field, speaking with coaches, getting VIP access to the stadium, and private behind the scene

tours. Thus far, we have had twenty events since our inception (August, 2013) in cities all across the country (Chicago, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Raleigh, Miami, Baltimore, Moline, Cincinnati and Cleveland). We have created partnerships with franchises in all four major sports (MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL) and have a very strong partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. To date, over 150 children have been recipients of Experience the Game. Being the President of an organization has a tremendous amount of responsibility. This past year (sophomore year), I traveled home quite frequently on the weekends for our events while not missing a class and have remained dedicated to my studies. Managing time at such a high level has proven to be a significant challenge through my journey. As a 20-year-old college student, there is a lot to manage—for myself, there was an even greater deal to manage. Very few people ever get the opportunity to go on the court or field to meet players before a game. The opportunity we give our recipients is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives. It also gives them inspiration and motivation, as well as a break from many of their rough situations. I am fortunate enough to have a hardworking and successful father that has had the opportunity to take me to professional sporting events all across the country. We both understand and appreciate what we have and felt that together, we needed to give back. We officially established Experience the Game as a 501(c)3 back in August of 2014. Our first event was with the Chicago Sky, the WNBA team. The tickets for this event were donated by David Nelms, CEO and chairman of Discover Financial Services. We go far beyond just tickets to a game. These children are inadequately prepared for their path of success. To accomplish their goals, young people need advice from their role models to promote and reinforce various tactics to become successful. Our focus with Experience the Game is to put kids on a positive path and give them opportunities that will better their future. To expand our reach, we are approaching professional sports franchises and individuals for donations in tickets or monetary value. There is nothing more rewarding than having the ability to take someone from a rough situation and allow him or her to escape for at the very least a few hours. We are creating lifelong memories that allow these children to move forward in a positive direction. My father is a former Iowa Hawkeye and having the ability to give back and work with my best friend and role model has made this venture that much better. a

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By PGS Frank Fryburg (Q, Penn State â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;49), contributing writer

On May 14, 2014, I celebrated 70 years as a member of Sigma Pi. Unlike most of you reading this message, I had two advantages, namely: 1. My Brother, George, had been a member of Sigma Pi at Nu Chapter at Franklin & Marshall University. 2. When I arrived at Penn State in January, 1944, George was also enrolled, attending graduate school and living in Thetaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s temporary housing on College Ave. and immediately moved me in. At the time the fraternity house was occupied by the Navy V12. Photo of Fryburg with his granddaughter, Jamie, at her wedding in 2012

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Needless to say, I soon became a pledge and in May became a Brother. Shortly after initiation new elections were held. Ed Carson was elected Sage and I was elected to the other five positions. Why? All other members were either leaving for service or medical/ dental school. In early November, the Navy V12 students were called up and we moved back into the house with six men. Two weeks later I was drafted into the Navy. Upon discharge in August, 1946, I arrived home and was advised by George that the following week we would be heading to Ashville, N.C. for Convocation. Since George was credited with keeping Theta alive throughout WWII, the brothers elected him as Theta’s delegate. This Convocation was chaired by Jonathan B. Hillegass (N, Franklin & Marshall ’18), who served as Grand Sage from 1938 to 1946 (our longest serving GS.) Needless to say, all in attendance departed with great enthusiasm and determination to rebuild Sigma Pi by reactivating those chapters that were forced to close during WWII. Thus began my commitment to Sigma Pi. While serving as Treasurer and Sage of Theta, I attended two more Convocations (three as an undergraduate in four years). In 1949, I went to the Wharton School (U. of Penn.) to secure my MBA. While attending the 1950 Convocation, I was appointed Province Archon over the eight chapters in Pennyslvania, Maryland, New Jersey, & New York. At the 1954 Convocation, I was elected Grand Third Counselor, a position I held for six years prior to moving up the ladder. While serving as Grand Sage, I had the privilege of moving the Sigma Pi headquarters from Elizabeth, NJ to Shaddowwood in Vincennes, IN. In July, 1963 and working with our new Executive Secretary, the late Jim Hills. From 1954 to 1966, I served as a Grand Council member. At the same time, I served on the Board of the Sigma Pi Foundation (the national housing corp.) and remained there until 1978. In 2001, the Grand Council created the Sigma Pi Fund (a 501(c)3 corp.) and asked me to serve as Chairman. When it merged with the Educational Foundation in 2003, I became a board member and served until 2008. PGS Howard Beyer and I are the only men who have served on all four corporations. Although I tried to retire in 2010, I am still the CD of Nu Chapter.

It is logical to ask how I was able and willing to commit to such service while working full time for RCA and raising four children. Certainly, the experience of participating in the 1946 Convocation and the two which followed in 1947 and 1948 was a critical beginning. By the time I had graduated from Penn State, it was apparent that I had benefited greatly from the leadership opportunities being an undergraduate at Theta afforded me; that they would help me to succeed in the adult world. In fact, I believe that said leadership also was critical to my acceptance at Wharton. Today, I believe more than ever that the Greek experience is important to a college student. With too many universities now going away from teaching the humanities and essentially becoming technical institutions, the Greek system is more vital than it has ever been in preparing the college graduate to be successful in the adult world. The opportunities to meet and become part of a team of diverse men and become a leader in your chapter are a critical benefit and something not taught in the classroom. I would urge all active members to commit now that you will remain involved with your local chapter after graduation. Experience reveals that our most important and successful chapters are those who have an active alumni board. To those alumni who now are providing support to the Grand Chapter either financially or through a volunteer role, I urge you to continue your support. If you have not provided such support, I urge you to do so. Today Sigma Pi is among the most prestigious fraternities in the country. Your support is essential to allowing our professional staff and volunteers to continue the important growth we now enjoy, and to provide essential oversight and service to our active chapters. Finally, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the many opportunities that I have had to serve Sigma Pi. My professional and social life has clearly benefited from these experiences; even my family has benefited as well. I wish to thank the many alumni who have served with me and supported me either as volunteers or staff. Whenever I was in a leadership role, the team members played an important part in Sigma Pi’s achieved success. a

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Top line

BOTTOM LINE

By Mike Ryan (BO, Cal State-Long Beach ‘63), contributing writer

These brothers haven’t stopped since their college days. They’ve gotten together every year for over half a century to celebrate their friendship and brotherhood. Nowadays, it is a year-end, black-tie, formal-only gala in commemoration of Orchid Ball memories as undergraduates.

Photo of Beta-Omicron alumni at their gathering in 2013

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How did this 50-year affair begin? After brother and professional dancer Bobby Burgess (BO, Cal State-Long Beach ‘63) – of Disney’s original Mouseketeer Club fame – began regular appearances on the Lawrence Welk television show with live performances during each summer in South Lake Tahoe, a whim brought a small group of recent graduates together to cheer him on. Sitting in the front row for the Saturday night late show, they were more noticeably boisterous than the normal Welk crowd, much to the delight of the entertainers, including Welk himself. The tradition of getting together each year had begun. After a decade of Tahoe shows, the venue changed to locations throughout California, Oregon, Arizona, and even Mexico. Each year finds the brothers and their ladies eager to see one another to catch up on new stories and events. The new millennium changed the venue yet again, by greeting this milestone when it arrived -- New Year’s Eve. And that is the way it has been ever since. 50-plus years of close friendship and fellowship seem more significant than accomplishment. Comprised of many professional pursuits – businessmen and executives, entrepreneurs, salesmen, entertainers, educators, political figures, attorneys, physicians and contractors – each experiences a deep connection from college days in Long Beach as a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity that has lasted throughout their adult life.

memories of volleyball, surfing, beach parties, boating, fishing, and coastal living while going to college at “The Beach.” After touring the local sites – most recently their alma mater and the old fraternity house where the current tenants were serenaded by the “old” voices – the big night arrives … kicked off by each brother marching in holding a life-size cutout of his graduation picture and a red rose for his lady. After dinner? Why entertainment of course! This past year a floor show that included a dance by Bobby Burgess and a song by the Singin’ Slicks, a group of brothers rejuvenated from the sixties. Then, the New Year finally arrives and with it, a tradition that has become even more memorable with each passing year. The brothers form a circle to sing the Sigma Pi “Fireside Song”, just like they did in college. The lyrics now mean even more to them with somber moments of reflection recalling brothers who have passed away. “… the circle changes with the years, the brothers come and disappear …”. After so many years, these brothers consider themselves fortunate to have joined Sigma Pi when they did, in the sixties, and that they continue to have a bond that has been lost by so many others. Fifty years of brotherhood – unique and quite extraordinary. a

University California State University-Long Beach

Chapter Designation Beta-Omicron

Date of Installation March 12, 1955

Recent Awards 2012 Grand Chapter 2008 Grand Chapter 2006 Grand Chapter 2006 Grand Council

Celebrating with a beach theme is a natural for this group, and retained for the past two year; first at the La Jolla Shores Hotel to bring in 2013, then at the Long Beach Hilton Hotel for 2014. Those events produced

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Alumni

NOTEBOOK

ALUMNI NEWS & REPORTS Columbus Alumni Club

Elections were held at end of 2013 with Rodger Rinebold (’66) elected President and Fred Good (’65) elected Herald for a term of two years. Other officers include Aaron Winkel (’12) Secretary, Pryor Timmons (’66) Treasurer, and Wib Angles (’63) Vice President. The club meets the second Tuesday of the month at various locations in Columbus, Ohio. Any Sigma Pi Alumnus is invited to attend and join in the libations. Times and locations can be found on our website at sigmapicolumbus.com or by emailing rrinebold@fuse.net for information. We have two major outings this year: the Annual Golf Outing being held on August 23rd at Blackhawk Golf Course in Galena, Ohio and the Annual Fall Reunion Dinner October 16th at the Ohio State University Union in Columbus, Ohio. Members of the Alumni Club, headed by Wib Angels, have also formed a housing corporation to assist the local Gamma Chapter of Sigma Pi locate and purchase a permanent house.

Kentucky Thoroughbred Alumni Association Gamma-Upsilon Chapter Educational Fund gave away its sixth scholarship to Ryan Johnson at Orchid Ball this spring. We appreciate all of our CEF donors for consistently putting us in the top fifteen chapters for donations to the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation. You can find information on donating at sigmapiedfund.org. Summer Reunion was held in Murray on the weekend of July 18th – 20th. Homecoming this year will be the weekend of October 11th. We invite everyone to come on back to renew old friendships and create new ones. If anyone wants to help plan these events please e-mail the alumni club at SigmaPiAlumni@hotmail.com. Please don’t forget to pay your alumni club dues. They are $25 per year & can be mailed to: 609 Bailey Rd, Murray, KY 42071 You can also send money by PayPal to SigmaPiAlumni@hotmail.com. This money goes toward alumni events, newsletters, and assisting the active chapter.

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Lt. Col. David Honchul is with the USAF in Japan. Sam Young owns Young Implement in Fredonia, KY. John Schlabach is the Division Chair for Brass Instruments at Ohio University. Dr. Sam Kelley is the Chief Medical Officer of Behavioral Health at Catholic Health Partners. Bruce Tolley is running to be the County Clerk of Saline County (IL). Shelly Baskin is now Murray State’s Coordinator for Regional Outreach. Paul Cahill is a Systems Administrator at Car-Part.com.

Rho Chapter Alumni Association On February 26, 2014, Sigma Pi Fraternity celebrated its 117th birthday. Brothers Kennedy, Kingsbury, Patterson and James started us as Tau Phi Delta in 1897, and we became Sigma Pi in 1907. Thus began a long history of growth and development of ideals, with today’s Sigma Pi celebrating 123 active chapters, 6 colonies, and over 95,000 alumni. On Saturday, February 22, 2014, Rho Chapter held its Founder’s Day Alumni meeting. We discussed business topics that included an update on the status of our land, and status of our building fund. The active brothers gave us an update on their activities, pledges and scholastics. Rho Chapter is continuing its great success, currently having the largest brotherhood in history, as well as being the third largest fraternity at NCSU. We had a large group of alumni attend the homecoming festivities at the house last November 1. There were lots of scrapbooks, photos, composites, and other memorabilia that everyone enjoyed looking over. It was a grand ole time, and thanks to the many that attended. You definitely need to make plans to attend next year’s homecoming party. Date and details will be provided later this year. Thanks to all the alumni that paid dues for 2013. We appreciate that support, as we want to continue to grow. One of the best ways to help us grow is to contact brothers from your era and get them involved. We continue hoping to grow to over 100 dues paying members in 2014. Your reaching out to other brothers would ensure our reaching that goal. Also, go on the Rho Chapter website (ncsusigmapi.com) to see what’s going on with the actives, and then

connect to our Facebook link to catch up with brothers from the last 50 years.

Upper Canada Alumni Association The Upper Canada Alumni Association is now in its second calendar year serving brothers who attended Carleton University, University of Toronto or Western Ontario. Membership has climbed from 64 chartering members to 84 alumni brothers. Alumni who haven’t joined are encouraged to reach out to herald@ucaasigmapi.com for details. We began the year with a Founder’s Day dinner on Friday, February 28. The rest of 2014 will include a social calendar including Toronto Blue Jays and Buffalo Bills outings and a golf tournament. a

BILL IMADA NAMED TO PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COMMISSION United States President Barack Obama recently announced his intent to appoint Bill Imada (EI, CSU-Northridge ’81) as one of fourteen individuals to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). The Commission will advise the President on innovative ways to engage the AAPI community in participating in federal programs and to improve their health, education, environment, and well-being. Imada is currently the Chairman and Chief Collaboration Officer of IW Group, Inc., an advertising and public relations agency that he co-founded in 1990. He also serves as an advisor and board member of several organizations including the Advertising Educational Foundation, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, and Center for Asian American Media.

Alumni from Epsilon-Nu Chapter at Cal State-Fullerton at their annual reunion, where more than 30 alumni showed up

OFFICIALLY CHARTERED ALUMNI CLUBS All Chartered Alumni Clubs have access to an official @sigmapi.org email account. Important information from the Executive Office is sent to this email address. Please check this account regularly. For access, contact Jen Wyatt at jwyatt@sigmapi.org.

Space Coast Alumni Club approved by Grand Council

Sigma Pi of Providence Alumni Club approved by Grand Council

The Petition to Charter submitted by the Sigma Pi of Providence Alumni Club has been approved by a vote of the Grand Council.

The Petition to Charter submitted by the Space Coast Alumni Association has been approved by a vote of the Grand Council.

The undergraduate and alumni membership now have a valuable resource based in the region in and around Providence, Rhode Island. Membership in the Providence Alumni Club is open to all alumni in good standing, regardless of chapter, who live and work in the area, along with all alumni from Eta-Omega Chapter at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI.

The undergraduate and alumni membership now have a valuable resource based in the region in Florida around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, stretching up to include the Daytona Beach and Volusia County areas. Membership in the Space Coast Alumni Association is open to all alumni in good standing, regardless of chapter, who live and work in the area, along with all alumni from Zeta-Beta Chapter at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“On behalf of Sigma Pi of Providence Alumni Club, we would like to thank the Grand Council for the opportunity to form our Association and to Jason Beck for helping us through this process,” Club President Adam Golomb said. “As most of Eta-Omega Chapter alumni are scattered across the US, the Sigma Pi of Providence Alumni Club will once again unite us and strengthen our brotherhood.” We congratulate the 43 founding fathers of the Sigma Pi of Providence Alumni Club for their incredible work and commitment to a united Sigma Pi brotherhood. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Club should contact President Golomb at agolomb@gmail.com.

We congratulate the 50 founding fathers of the Space Coast Alumni Association for their incredible work and commitment to a united Sigma Pi brotherhood. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Association should contact President Eugene Valdez at evaldez06@gmail.com. “On behalf of Space Coast Alumni Association, we would like to thank the Grand Council for the opportunity to form our Association and to Jason Beck for helping us through this process,” Vasquez said. “As most of Zeta-Beta Chapter Alumni are scattered across the globe, [this club] will once again unite us and strengthen our brotherhood. So keep your head up high, and aim for the stars.” a

1897 Alumni Association Alpha Alumni Association Beach Cities Alumni Club Beta Chapter Alumni Club Beta-Sigma Alumni Association Cascade Alumni Club Central Illinois Alumni Association Central Iowa Alumni Association Cletus A. Broecker Alumni Club Delta-Rho Alumni Club Eta-Nu Alumni Club Gateway Alumni Association Grand Rapids Alumni Association Hawkeye Alumni Club Jack C. Fields Alumni Club John H. Williams, Jr. Alumni Club Kappa of Sigma Pi Alumni Association Kentucky Thoroughbred Alumni Club Lonestar Alumni Club Mountain City Alumni Club New York City Alumni Club Niagara Frontier Alumni Association North Jersey Alumni Club Orange County Alumni Association Ozark Alumni Club Phi of Sigma Pi Alumni Club Psi Theta Nu Alumni Club Rancho Dominguez Alumni Club Rhode Island Alumni Club River City Alumni Association Rotunda Alumni Club Sigma Pi Alumni Association of Arkansas Sigma Pi Alumni Association of Saginaw Sigma Pi Columbus Alumni Club Sigma Pi of Providence Alumni Club Southern Keystone Alumni Southern West Virginia Alumni Association Space Coast Alumni Association The Sphinx Club Theta Alumni Association Theta-Delta Alumni Association Upper Canada Alumni Association Upsilon Alumni Association Western Michigan Alumni Club Winston-Salem Alumni Club

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Alumni

NOTEBOOK

MAN OF MANY HATS COLONEL GERALD B. HURST TAKES FLIGHT AFTER COLLEGE By James Caddell (R, North Carolina State â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;56), contributing writer

Colonel Gerald B. Hurst (R, North Carolina State â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;55), USAF (Retired) was inducted into the North Carolina State University Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Hall of Fame in November, 2013. Col. Hurst had a varied and diversified career. He attended NCSU and was a member of Rho Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the USAF. He worked for a short time for Hamilton Standard Company in Connecticut prior to reporting for flight training at Bainbridge Air Base in Georgia and Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. After earning his wings, he flew jet fighter aircraft over a 26 year career in the Air Force before retiring with the rank of Colonel. Col. Hurst was assigned to many bases as a fighter pilot and commander. Some of his assignments included George Air Force Base in California, Misawa Air Base in Japan, McChord Air Force Base in Washington, Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand, and Bergstrom Air Force Base in Texas. He performed extensive temporary flying duties in Alaska and Korea. Col. Hurst deployed many times to support hot flare-ups such as the USS Pueblo incident off the coast of North Korea in 1968. He flew a F-106 fighter from McChord AFB, WA to South Korea using multiple mid-air refuelings to support this serious international crisis. Col. Hurst flew 91 combat missions in the F-105 fighter bomber in the Vietnam conflict in 1969-70. On his 38th mission, he was hit by enemy ground fire while flying low-level close air support for troops on the ground. The aircraft caught fire, and he and his Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO, backseater) were forced to eject. During the ejection, he sustained a throat injury, rendering him unable to talk

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Hurst in Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in 1970

and assist in his recovery. Upon landing in a rough area, he also broke his ankle. Fortunately, a rescue helicopter homedin on his locator beacon, and he and his EWO were picked up. Nothing heroic; just another day at the office. After ten weeks of recovery, Col. Hurst resumed flying, and flew 53 more combat missions. Over his career, Col. Hurst flew five different jet fighters: the T-33, F-86L, F-102, F-105D and G, and F-106 logging 4410 flight hours. He won the USAF Top Gun Award while participating in William Tell 1963, the USAF World Wide Weapons meet (interceptor aircraft.) His medals include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, eleven Air Medals and others. After retirement from the Air Force in 1982, Col. Hurst returned to his hometown, Jacksonville, NC and started Barry-Hurst, Inc., a custom home construction and subdivision development company. This successful business continues to this day. In 1984, Col. Hurst was elected to a two-year term in the North Carolina Legislature (House of Representatives).

In 1986 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U. S. Congress to represent the North Carolina 3rd District. Col. Hurst is an active member of the Rotary Club and the Government Affairs Committee (Chamber of Commerce). He has served on the Onslow County Planning Board, Airport Advisory Board, and two boards for the Onslow County Museum. He has served as President and Board member of the Onslow County Home Builders Association. Over a four-year period of spare time, Col. Hurst built from scratch a mahogany, triple cockpit inboard speedboat that has won many awards at classic boat shows. He still lives in Jacksonville with his wife, Amelia. At 80 years of age, he still maintains his FAA flying medical, and owns and flies a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft. Col. Hurst stated that whatever degree of success that he has attained, he owes in part to his education at NCSU and his social involvement with Sigma Pi Fraternity. a

STEVENS INDUCTED INTO EXCLUSIVE UGA CLUB By Mark Reed (AF, Georgia ‘69), contributing writer

The Gridiron Secret Society, founded in 1908 at the University of Georgia, is widely regarded as “the highest honor a male student may receive on the University of Georgia campus.” Gridiron draws most of its membership from students, faculty, and alumni of the University of Georgia. The society elects student members and non-student members called “honorary members” each fall and spring. Student members are drawn from, but not limited to, the law school, the Greek System and UGA athletics. Honorary members are usually prominent leaders in government, law, medicine or business. Shelton Stevens (AF, Georgia ’68) was invited to become a member of Gridiron, and he has completed all of the requirements necessary to become a member. He was inducted as a member November of 2013. He joins a distinguished group of Sigma Pi brothers to receive this honor, including, but not limited to, Jerry Stepp (’65), Gary Hill (’66), Doug McFalls (’65), Bruce Bateman (’66), Bill O’Callaghan (’63), and Lewis Grizzard (’68). Stevens said of his induction, “It is a real honor to be tapped into this distinguished organization that includes leaders and gentlemen from all segments of society: business, political, legal, medical, athletics and philanthropic. I was and will forever be humbled to be considered for membership.” Stevens is the Senior Development Officer of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Executive Director of the Children’s Sports Network. a

Stevens with UGA Football Head Coach Mark Richt

Don’t get stuck with the standard student loan rate. Sigma Pi is excited to announce a new benefit aimed at our young alumni members. Through an endorsement agreement with Social Finance, Inc., members may be able to lower their student loan debt by consolidating and refinancing their loans. Sigma Pi members (family and friends, too) could save up to $270 a month and earn a $300 welcome bonus. Initial registration can be done in less than 10 minutes.

Visit sofi.com/sigmapi to get started! SPRING 2014

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Obituaries

ADYTUM ON HIGH Arkansas State University Alpha-Pi Max N. Alexander ‘52 Kenneth E. Allen ‘66 Jerry M. Frankum ‘58 Benny J. McAtee ‘58 J. Leslie Stevens ‘48

Franklin & Marshall College Nu Donald E. Butler ‘49 Wallace M. Gilroy ‘64 Pedro J. Hernandez ‘59 Richard J. Jacobs ‘55 Thomas R. Jenkins ‘45 Victor G. Rinker ‘60 Lawrence A. Tufts ‘49

Auburn University Alpha-Delta Billy R. Purdy ‘50 Eric H. Sorensen ‘85

Illinois State University Epsilon-Eta William D. Campbell ‘

Barton College Beta-Rho Alfred W. Richardson ‘59

Indiana State University Gamma-Pi Terry L. Baskett ‘83 John T. Forrest ‘ David V. Miller ‘79

Beloit College Alpha-Theta Spencer O. Friedman ‘71 Robert C. Hughes ‘50 John F. Stephan ‘55

Indiana University Beta Neal A. Goldsmith ‘47 Donald P. King ‘43 William M. McCutchan ‘76

California State UniversitySacramento Eta-Alpha Michael J. Vance ‘07 College of William and Mary Alpha-Eta Richard L. Wilbourn ‘52 Cornell University Mu Barry A. Bolay ‘68 Louis J. Conti ‘41 Mircea R. Sfat ‘43 Frank R. Vadney ‘56

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Theta-Epsilon Homer C. Berkowitz ‘06 Iowa State University Sigma John E. Hudgens ‘60 Carl F. Klima ‘43 Michael J. Shannon ‘70 Kenyon College Lambda Thomas A. Duke ‘56 Harold T. Millikin ‘44

Drexel University Beta-Sigma Edward S. Cushanick ‘67 Roald Doskeland ‘69

Loyola University of Chicago Beta-Chi Casey T. Reiter ‘07

Drury University Epsilon-Rho Kevin W. Edwards ‘92 William S. Ruark ‘84

Lycoming College Beta-Lambda N. Mark Achenbach ‘58

Eastern Illinois University Beta-Gamma Paul E. Jenkins ‘50 Thomas R. Littrell ‘69 Eastern Michigan University Gamma-Beta Douglas A. Watson ‘63 Elon University Epsilon-Theta William G. Hilton ‘80

Missouri State University Alpha-Rho Barry W. Baldwin ‘74 Phillip R. Davis ‘69 Jack L. Griffin ‘58 David L. Hilton ‘52 Gregory L. Solum ‘74 Lawrence L. Thomas ‘58 Missouri University of Science and Technology Alpha-Iota Richard C. Swanson ‘62 Ben E. Weidle ‘42

Emory University Psi Thomas A. Guadagno ‘51

Morehead State University Delta-Rho Michael R. Caudill ‘71

Murray State University Gamma-Upsilon Darrell D. Dunn ‘85 New Jersey Institute Of Technology Alpha-Mu Roger E. Swift ‘45 North Carolina State University Rho Herbert P. McKim ‘51 Ohio Northern University Zeta Keith E. Anderson ‘64 John G. Kaiser ‘66 David L. Shaffer ‘64 Oregon State University Omega Stanley N. Wilkes ‘50 Parsons College Gamma-Zeta John J. Dolezal ‘70 James S. McConville ‘67 Pennsylvania State University Theta Wallace L. Campbell ‘50 Richard L. Dennis ‘54 John E. Fadrowski ‘61 John P. Landis ‘54 Raymond W. Saunders ‘66 Rochester Institute of Technology Beta-Phi Robert J. Crowe ‘59

University of ArkansasFayetteville Alpha-Sigma Lindsay W. Chandler ‘60 Edward S. Morris ‘65 University of California-Berkeley Iota Gerhard H. Andersen ‘57 University of California-Los Angeles Upsilon James E. Fairchild ‘54 William P. Gough ‘47 Kurt H. Kenworth ‘55 Wallace A. Reed ‘38 Charles R. Ward ‘52 University of California-Santa Barbara Alpha-Omicron John E. Palla ‘50 University of Detroit-Mercy Gamma-Alpha Michael C. Ayoub ‘82 Bruce M. Carrico ‘65 Donald J. Housey ‘64 Stephen Thomas ‘66 Joseph D. Zelenznik ‘66 University of Kentucky Epsilon-Beta Timothy J. Johnson ‘86 University of Missouri Gamma-Sigma Gary C. Boone ‘83

San Diego State University Alpha-Omega John W. Price ‘54

University of Missouri-St. Louis Delta-Zeta Matthew J. Schaeffer ‘00

Shippensburg University Beta-Upsilon Gary W. Barnes ‘65

University of Rhode Island Alpha-Upsilon James Carroll ‘69 Walter R. Heisinger ‘52 Joseph A. Taraborelli ‘68

Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale Beta-Nu Harold J. Schwehr ‘56 Temple University Kappa Peter C. Sandilos ‘52 Joseph J. Sands ‘58 Thomas W. Schreiber ‘56 William C. Shaner ‘51 The College Of New Jersey Theta-Delta David B. Williams ‘75 Tulane University Omicron Donald U. Nores ‘52

Vincennes University Alpha Edwin B. Privett ‘69 Wake Forest University Alpha-Nu Joseph D. Hobbs ‘47 Cecil W. Stackhouse ‘48 Jeffrey P. Young ‘11 Wayne State University Gamma-Omega Gerald Varcak ‘71 Western Michigan University Gamma-Rho Michael J. Chaprnka ‘70

RETRACTION Dennis V. Varela (EN, CSU-Fullerton ’86) was erroneously listed in the Adytum On High in the Spring 2014 issue of The Emerald. We regret the error.

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Santa Clara University

Brothers,

alumniservices

The Executive Office is currently searching for candidates for several alumni volunteer positions. We are in need of more Chapter Directors and Province Archons. If you, or someone you know, is interested in helping our undergraduate chapters grow stronger by volunteering your time and energy in filling one of these positions, please contact Jason Beck, Director of Alumni Services at jbeck@sigmapi.org. He will provide you with the official application form to begin the process.

Province Archons Needed: • Southern California Province Covers chapters at UCLA, Cal Poly, Santa Barbara, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Long Beach, and Irvine • North Carolina Province Covers chapters at North Carolina State, Duke, Wake Forest, and Elon

Chapter Directors Needed: • Epsilon Chapter, Ohio • Alpha-Eta Chapter, William & Mary • Alpha-Iota Chapter, Missouri S&T • Beta-Nu Chapter, SIU–Carbondale • Gamma-Gamma Chapter, Central Missouri

• Missouri Province Covers chapters at Missouri S&T, Drury, Missouri Southern State, and Missouri State

• Gamma-Mu Chapter, Wisconsin-Oshkosh

• Arkansas Province Covers chapters at Southern Arkansas, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas, Arkansas Tech, and Arkansas State

• Epsilon-Kappa Chapter, Southern Arkansas

• Wisconsin Province Covers chapters at Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan Tech, Wisconsin-Platteville, and Wisconsin-Oshkosh

• Epsilon-Theta Chapter, Elon • Zeta-Epsilon Chapter, Michigan Tech • Zeta-Eta Chapter, Santa Clara • Eta-Rho Chapter, Carleton • Theta-Lambda Chapter, Radford • Theta-Sigma Chapter, Ursinus • Theta-Phi Chapter, Penn College • Theta-Chi Chapter, St. Joseph’s • Iota-Eta Chapter, Santa Cruz

Colony Directors Needed: • Colorado State University

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Fraternity Expansion

CHAPTER CHARTERING

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ALPHA-RHO MISSOURI STATE ALPHA-RHO CHAPTER CHARTERS AT MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY By E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70). Grand Second Counselor

Alpha-Rho Chapter was reinstalled at the Missouri State University campus on April 4, 2014. Originally the Chi Upsilon local fraternity founded in 1946, it became a chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity on April 1, 1948. Operating until 2008, the chapter had received several awards, including the Grand Sage Award in 1972 and Triad Awards in 1982, 1986, and 1988. Distinguished alumni include: Founders’ Award Recipients Basil J. Boritzki (’48) in 1984 and Robert C. Merriman (’49) in 1998. Dennis V. Day (’75) served as the 33rd Grand Sage from 1990 to 1992. Serving on the staff of Sigma Pi over the years are: Fred D. Ray (’54), John C. Bowers (’61), James Adams III (’66), Robert H. Hix, Jr. (’66), Tom B. Barr (’70), J. Michael Hennessy (’73), and J. Anthony Moses (’81). On September 9, 2012, thirty men from Missouri State University became AlphaRho Colony. Over the next two years the alumni and Executive Office staff worked with the colony to reach the goal of rechartering the chapter. On the morning of April 4th, the ceremony was held in Strong Hall on the campus of Missouri State University. The installation team installed 51 undergraduate members and the new officers of Alpha-Rho Chapter, in the presence of many of the chapter alumni. Additional participants assisting with the installation included: Shelby McMurray (ER, Drury ’15), Todd Wichmann (ER, Drury ’14), Pearson Montgomery (ER, Drury ’15), Zach Cole (ER, Drury ’17), Charles Woods (ER, Drury ’16), Josh Altheide (ER, Drury ’17), Cesar Valdez (ER, Drury ’15), and Tyler Cowley (IA, Kansas State ’09). The Installation Banquet was held that evening on the 21st floor of the

Towers Club in Springfield, Missouri. In attendance at the dinner were over 225 members, their dates, family members, alumni, and representatives from Missouri State University. Jared Bajkowski, IFC President from MSU, presented a plaque on behalf of the other fraternities welcoming Sigma Pi back to campus. Also representing the PHC was Ms. Morgan McNeal, Andrea Weber, Assistant Director of Student Engagement for Fraternity & Sorority Life, and Liv Parks, Graduate Assistant for Fraternity & Sorority Life. The Masters of Ceremonies who handled the evening program were Alex Stompoly (’15) and David Leehy (’15). Grand Second Counselor E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70) welcomed the chapter back to the active rolls and, along with Past Grand Sage Dennis V. Day, presented Alpha-Rho Chapter charter to Sage David Evans (’15). Brother Michael R. Murphy (’70), from Alpha-Rho Alumni Association, presented $10,000 in scholarships to several of the newly initiated brothers. Chapter Director Dr. Michael Compton (’67), gave the report to the attendees, on recent history of the colony up to chartering on this day. The chapter has already moved back into the house after repairs and upgrades by the house corporation, under the direction of Tom Barr the President of Alpha-Rho House Corporation. Now that Alpha-Rho Chapter is back at Missouri State University, the new leadership will be challenged to take its place once again in dominance on the campus and in Sigma Pi Fraternity, International. a

Date of Installation

Founding Fathers

April 4, 2014

Tyler Adams Joshua Brown Curtis Buraszeski Nathan Bush Brandon Carry Juan Castaneda Jr. John Chezem Josh Cron Jonathan Curry Jean Claude Davidson Brandon Dick Alejandro Esteban David Evans III Nathan Ferber Eric Fixler Riley Foreman Lucas Gautier Jens Gehrke Josh Gholson Brandon Greathouse Aaron Green Daniel Guerrini Jesse Hauser Timothy Hogenkamp Ryan Huegerich Craig Jackson Tyler Kleeschulte David Leehy Jacob Lewallen Nicholas McDowell Zachary Mouser Sean Murphy Nicholas Ogden Jackson Redd Dalton Reeves Jacob Richter Zachary Riel Adam Schilling Phil Schnefke Matt Sczesny IV Michael Smith Tyler Stahl John Stinson Alex Stompoly Brandon Stroder Pete Timmerman Franklin Tindall Alexander Tolar Matthew Upton Nathan Williams Kellen Yoey

Chartering Officers SAGE:

David Evans SECOND COUNSELOR:

Franklin Tindall

THIRD COUNSELOR:

Tyler Kleeschulte

FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Brandon Dick

FIRST COUNSELOR:

Brandon Greathouse HERALD:

Jacob Lewallen

Installation Team GRAND SAGE:

E. Andrew Morris Grand Second Counselor (GU, Murray State ’70) GRAND SECOND COUNSELOR:

Les Wright (GU, Murray State ’70)

GRAND THIRD COUNSELOR:

PGS Dennis Day (AR, Missouri State ’75)

GRAND FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Alan Dobson (AR, Missouri State ’85)

GRAND FIRST COUNSELOR:

Kento Otto ER Chapter Director (ER, Drury ’07) GRAND HERALD:

Nick Lorenzini (IE, Oregon ’12)

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DELTA-ALPHA CENTRAL MICHIGAN

DELTA-ALPHA CHAPTER CHARTERS AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY By Ryan Armstrong (X, Iowa ’12). Director of Expansion

On April 12th, 2014, the reinstated Delta-Alpha Chapter initiated 55 men into their brotherhood, and celebrated their chartering after only 13 months as a colony. Following the formal initiatory ritual, a banquet was held in honor of these young mens’ accomplishment. Guests were greeted by a looming ice sculpture that sat 8 feet tall, and was carved to form the letters ”SP.” The night began with an invocation from Ron Browne (DA, Central Michigan ’82), who led guests in reflection on the triumphs of overcoming adversity and celebrating together in success. Many family, friends, and loved ones came to support the new chapter members and extend their congratulations, including many volunteers from the university and surrounding Sigma Pi chapters. Matt Johnson (QB, Saginaw Valley State ’03), Delta-Alpha Chapter’s Faculty Advisor, took to the podium to share his experience of volunteering time with the young men who had worked so hard to make their dreams a reality. Ron Browne and Delta-Alpha Alumni Comptroller Curt Carson (DA, Central Michigan ’81) also took the time to share the housing plans and renovations for the Delta-alpha Chapter House, and offer their thanks to those who made their efforts possible.

To the surprise and excitement of the newly initiated brothers, Executive Director Michael Ayalon (EO, Buffalo ’97) and former Expansion Consultant Ryan Khuri (IO, Louisville ’12), both of whom were unable to attend, were able to Skype into the banquet and offer their sincere congratulations to the new initiates. I’d like to extend my own congratulations to the men of Delta-Alpha Chapter. Having never been given the opportunity to work with you before chartering, I was so impressed and amazed at the quality of member and brotherhood you have been able to create in such a short amount of time. There is no doubt in my mind that you will all go on to do amazing things at Central Michigan, and in your many years after college. I’d also like to thank all the volunteers who made this chartering weekend a possibility. Grand Herald Rob Pankau (ZP, Oakland ’05), Grand 2nd Counselor Craig Donnelly (BC, Loyola-Chicago ’01), PGS George Hakim (GA, Detroit-Mercy ’78), Brent Smith (QE, Indiana of Pennsylvania ’02), Daniel Daugherty (DR, Morehead State ’92), Matt Johnson and Ron Browne all volunteered time out of their weekend to initiate and celebrate these 55 men, and I sincerely thank you all for your continued service to the Fraternity. a

Date of Installation

Founding Fathers

April 12, 2014

Andrew Adams Joseph Addelia Daniel Ahrens Darrell Bailey David Bock Raymond Bodrie Drew Burnett Peter Carollo Curt Carson Micah Cassidy Nik Dal Pra Michael Davis Derek Dollar Wesley Down Ben Dudley Alexzander Engel Michon Girardot Zach Griffith Christopher Hochradel Nathaniel Hop Kevin Latondress Aidan Lloyd Zachary Loop Derek Lucassian Jesse Lynch Matt Maas Justin Manns Colin Martin Sean Mcniff Brandon Meharg Jacob Mills Sean Mueller Eric Newberry Jake Peplinski Massimo Polcyn Joey Robinson Manuel Rodriguez Zach Root Christopher Roth Jared Saigh Kirk Smith Kevin Spring Jeremy St. Laurent Noah Tibbitts Andrew Van Scyoc Adam Wieske Camren Wilson Jared Wiseley Bryce Wolf

Chartering Officers SAGE:

Ben Dudley SECOND COUNSELOR:

Bryce Wolf

THIRD COUNSELOR:

Kevin Latondress FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Jacob Mills

FIRST COUNSELOR:

Wesley Down HERALD:

Jared Saigh

Installation Team GRAND SAGE:

Rob Pankau Grand Herald (ZP, Oakland ’05) GRAND SECOND COUNSELOR:

Craig Donelly Grand Fourth Counselor (BC, Loyola-Chicago ’01) GRAND THIRD COUNSELOR:

PGS George Hakim (GA, Detroit-Mercy ’78)

GRAND FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Brent Smith Keystone Province Archon (QE, IUP ’02) GRAND FIRST COUNSELOR:

Daniel Daugherty Kentucky Province Archon (DR, Morehead State ’92) GRAND HERALD:

Matt Johnson DA Faculty Advisor (QB, Saginaw Valley State ’03)

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CHAPTER CHARTERING

Photo courtesy of Melinda Noel

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IOTA-RHO KEENE STATE

IOTA-RHO CHAPTER CHARTERS AT KEENE STATE COLLEGE By E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70). Grand Second Counselor

Iota-Rho Chapter at Keene State College became the first chapter in the history of New Hampshire for Sigma Pi Fraternity, International. On April 26, 2014, the colony finally became a chapter, after colonizing in 2008. Originally formed through a local fraternity, that group decided in 2012 that they were not interested in being a part of a national organization.

Advisor from Keene State College, spoke about Sigma Pi and what was expected as leaders on the campus. He also read a letter from Alex Brown, who had worked with the colony before leaving for a new position at University of Wisconsin - Lacrosse. He wrote in part: “As I shared with you on multiple occasions, earning your charter does not mean the organization has “made it.” Never forget that the purpose of the chartering At that point, Tim Reiss (IR, Keene State process is to teach you how to operate a ’12), Cam Haggar (’14), and Jon Holden successful organization. You have now (’11), along with Chapter Director Fr. been entrusted with the full legacy of Michael Hobson (GI, WPI ’84), reformed Sigma Pi. You are the ones the colony with nineteen responsible for living up to new members. The officers the values and Ritual that continued to attend all the binds you to men across the leadership programs and globe. Your organization Convocations in order to is now tasked with learn how to develop the creating an environment fraternity on the campus. that challenges all your As the group grew in members to promote membership, so did the fellowship, develop hopes of the colony for Grand Second Counselor character and leadership, becoming a chapter. E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70) advance heightened with Tim Reiss (AR, Missouri State ’12) Executive Director Mike moral awareness, enable Ayalon met with the academic achievement, members and set a target and inspire service.” date to reach those goals by the spring of 2014. Continued support came from The MC for the evening was Second area alumni from other chapters and Counselor Kevin Lackie (’16), who especially the work of Fr. Hobson. handled the awards and recognition of members of the chapter. The charter On the morning of April 26th, the was presented by Grand Sage Edward ceremony was held at the Knights Levesque to Sage Peter Solek (’15), as of Columbus Hall in Keene, New his last chartering event of his term. Hampshire. The installation team Sage Solek received the charter for the initiated 33 undergraduate and eight chapter, and the reality of the hard work alumni members. The new officers of had paid off. Iota-Rho Chapter were installed and took control of the meeting of the newest Iota-Rho Chapter at Keene State College chapter of the fraternity. and the new leadership has the challenge of growing the Greek community into The Installation Banquet was held that prominence on the campus. With evening, also at the Knights of Columbus recognition comes responsibility, and Hall in Keene, New Hampshire. In Sigma Pi has the determination to lead attendance at the dinner were the through our newest chapter. a members, their dates, alumni, and representatives from Keene State College. Brandon Matthieu, the Greek

Date of Installation

Founding Fathers

April 26, 2014

Spencer Bischof Bradley Bookbinder Taylor Brands Aaron Bushee Jeremias Carrol Robert Castelot Benjamin Charbonneau Zachary DeJesus Michael Falcone Kenneth Faria Stephen Forziati Adam Foster Cameron Haggar Kyle Hastbacka William Holden MyNam Huynh Dillon Hyland Christos Klarddie Mathhew Kulch Kevin Lackie Jeffrey Putnam Bentley Reif Jeffrey Rosenthal David Smart Connor Smith Peter Solek Ryan Weaver Jackson Woodburn Matthew Yetsko Kyle Elliot Tyler Hall Jonathan Holden Kevin Kanash Timothy Reiss Nicholas Roth Mathhew Soprano

Chartering Officers SAGE:

Peter Solek SECOND COUNSELOR:

Kevin Lackie

THIRD COUNSELOR:

Spencer Bischof

FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Christos Klardie

FIRST COUNSELOR:

Robert Palazzo HERALD:

Stephen Forziatti

Installation Team GRAND SAGE:

E. Andrew Morris Grand Second Counselor (GU, Murray State ’70) GRAND SECOND COUNSELOR:

James Wisherd Grand First Counselor (AF, Georgia ’93)

GRAND THIRD COUNSELOR:

Jeremy Boylan (ET, Fitchburg State ’98) GRAND FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Joseph Mann GI Chapter Director (GI, Worchester Polytechnic ’08) GRAND FIRST COUNSELOR:

Greg DeJesus (QT, William Patterson ’10) GRAND HERALD:

Mike Courville New England Province Archon (HH, Bridgewater ’06)

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Interfraternal News

GALLUP RESEARCH Photo courtesy of the artist and Gallup

National Gallup-Purdue Index Reveals Improved Well-Being Among U.S. College Graduates Who Joined Fraternities and Sororities When it comes to being engaged at work and experiencing high well-being after graduation, a new Gallup-Purdue University Index study of U.S. college graduates found that graduates who are members of fraternities or sororities are more likely to be thriving in all five elements of well-being during their post-graduate years than those graduates who did not join a fraternity or sorority. The study revealed that respondents identifying themselves as members of fraternities and sororities – 16 percent of respondents indicated that they were a member of a national fraternity or sorority while attending college – scored better in overall well-being, workplace engagement, collegiate support, experiential learning and alumni attachment.

OVERALL WELL-BEING

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Graduates who participated in fraternities or sororities are slightly more likely to be thriving in all five critical elements of well-being – purpose, social, financial, physical and community – than are graduates who did not participate in fraternities or sororities.

Similarly, graduates with fraternity or sorority affiliation and membership in college were more likely to have taken advantage of experiential learning opportunities while in college (11%) than graduates who were not members of fraternities or sororities (5%).

WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT

ALUMNI ATTACHMENT

National results show that 43% of college graduates who were members of a fraternity or sorority are engaged in the workplace, compared to 38% of college graduates were not members of a fraternity or sorority.

Alumni who participated in fraternities or sororities exhibit higher emotional attachment to their school. 22% of those who were in sororities or fraternities are attached, compared with 17% who were not members of sororities or fraternities. a

SUPPORT The support that graduates recall receiving from their institution as students is also important well into their postgraduate careers. 16% of graduates who participated in fraternities or sororities and who say they had a professor who cared about them as a person, one who made them excited about learning, and had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their dreams are emotionally attached, compared with 13% of graduates who did not participate in fraternities or sororities.

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For more information about the index results, articles related to the study, and a video outlining additional content, please visit nicindy.org/gallup-research

The Emerald

FLASHBACK PHOTO PHOTO FINISH

This photo, taken at the 1960 Convocation in Williamsburg, Virginia, includes many influential members of Sigma Pi, such as: Honorary Grand Sage Jim Hills (AC, Maryland ’54) Honorary Grand Sage Harold Jacobsen (L, Kenyon ’24) Past Grand Sage Ward Ashman (G, Ohio State ’29) Past Grand Fourth Counselor Bob Prichard (R, North Carolina State ’46) Past Grand Sage Lyle Smith (F, Illinois ’50) Past Grand Second Counselor William Cutbirth (U, UCLA ’44) Past Grand Sage Frank Fryburg (Q, Penn State ’49). SPRING 2014

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