The Emerald - Fall 2014

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

CONVOCATION RECAP

52nd Biennial Convocation

HE’S BACK!

Grand Sage E. Andrew Morris

A BIG (RED) TOUCHDOWN

Aaron Klein (M, Cornell ‘12)

The Emerald

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VOLUME XCIX, NUMBER 1 FALL 2014

16

D EPARTM EN TS:

FE ATU R E S :

10 6 10 16 37

Jacobsen Campaign SPEF Fundraiser

Convocation Recap

A Look Back at the 2014 Convocation

He’s Back!

GS E. Andrew Morris (GY, Murray State ’70)

Philanthropy

Amazing Day Foundation and Donate Life

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46 48 50 56

Veterans Memorial

By Mark Reed (AF, Georgia ’69)

Regional Directors

A Visual Breakdown of the New Regions

Standards of Excellence

By Kevin Pons (HW, Johnson & Wales ‘06)

Sigma Pi Membership Experience

By Dr. Colleen Melchiorre

1 From the Grand Sage

18 Chapter and Colony Reports

2 From the Executive Director

40 Alumni News and Reports

3 Chapter Educational Fund

44 Adytum on High

4 Sigma Pi Educational Foundation

53 Colonizations and Chartering

8 News and Information

57 Flashback Photo

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 100,000 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.

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A Message From

THE GRAND SAGE Dear Brothers, When the 52nd Convocation ended in Orlando this past August, it began another chapter in our history. Every Biennium is an opportunity for the Grand Council to set new goals for the next two years for the Fraternity. My first act and honor as Grand Sage was to attend the re-chartering of Beta-Delta Chapter at the University of Kansas, after their absence of 53 years from the campus. With a great installation team of GH Les Wright (GU, Murray State ’70), PGS Dennis Day (AR, Missouri State ’75), Beta-Delta Chapter Director Steven Sylvester (QM, CSU-Chico ’06), Great Plains Province Archon Chris Ruth, (DZ, UMSL ’08) and PGH Frank Woodbury (AI, Missouri S&T ’65), we installed 55 Founding Fathers.

In September, the Grand Council held the first meeting at the Executive Office since the dedication of the Mitchell House in March. For the first time, undergraduates attended the meeting, representing the University of Iowa and Miami University. This is a new practice of involving the Grand Sage Award winners with the Grand Chapter in operations of the Fraternity. The other two award winners, the University of Texas-San Antonio and Fitchburg State University, will be represented at the 2015 fall meeting.

Contact Andrew: grandsage@sigmapi.org

There were several topics presented at the meeting, such as: Presentations were made by Rusty Richardson, Foundation Director at Cumberland University and member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, on goals and strategic initiatives for alumni to have a lifetime association with Sigma Pi. CSL Management has partnered with Sigma Pi to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for providing housing resources to local house corporations and chapters.

Phired Up’s Director of Research, Dr. Colleen Melchiorre, gave details on the study and survey done with over 1,600 members of Sigma Pi. She discussed ways to better service our undergraduates and alumni with a lifetime membership education program and mentoring opportunities. This program will be fullydeveloped over the next 12 months.

On the evening of October 2nd, I attended The Veterans Fund Gala in Little Rock, Arkansas, presented by Governor Mike D. Bebee (AP, Arkansas State ’68). “It is not a stretch to say, I would not be where I am today if not for Sigma Pi,” was the opening remark of his speech. It is doubtful that there is another public official in the country who would make a statement to an audience about membership in a fraternity contributing to his success. It was a great night to honor the veterans of Arkansas through scholarships presented by Buddy Beck (AP, Arkansas State ’58). and his family’s foundation. It was an even greater night to have an alumnus stand up and give credit to our Fraternity.

At the end of October, I attended homecoming at the University of Rhode Island with alumni from Alpha-Upsilon Chapter. The turnout was the largest in years, and a group from the early 1990s made a special effort to be there, due to the recent death of Brother Geoffrey J. Langelier (’90). Michael Chugranis (’91), had not been back to the house in 24 years. As he put it, “It has been way too long and this has been a special weekend.”

It’s fresh when a new initiate proclaims, “My brothers are my best friends.” It’s timeless when an alumnus says, “My best friends are still my Fraternity brothers.”

This year, attend an event at your chapter, or call a Fraternity brother you have not seen in years and reconnect with your past.

I am looking forward to the next 21 months of my travels for our Fraternity.

Fraternally,

GS E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70) Grand Sage

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A Message From

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear Brothers, One of the new initiatives that we discussed at the 2014 Convocation in Orlando, Florida was a concept called Sigma Pi Properties. One of our clear goals is to make Sigma Pi the premier Fraternity in North America. In order to achieve that goal, we believe it’s important to partner with our Universities, Alumni, and Undergraduate Members to ensure that our chapters have access to housing at our host institutions to make for the best possible Sigma Pi membership experience.

It became clear that Sigma Pi would need to: 1. Develop a comprehensive strategic plan for providing housing resources to local house corporations and chapters 2. Create an infrastructure at both the Executive Office and Board of Directors level that supports the growth initiatives of the Fraternity whereby housing plays a key role at a particular university 3. Design a housing department, whether in-house or outsourced, to serve the housing needs of the Fraternity, local house corporations, and chapters

Contact Mike: mayalon@sigmapi.org @sigmapiexec

This will not be a short term project. The long term objectives for Sigma Pi Properties will be to: 1. Develop a strategic plan to effectively leverage the assets of the Fraternity to support growth initiatives and gain a better understanding of future housing capital requirements 2. Gain a better understanding of Sigma Pi’s current housing inventory in terms of types of facilities, current conditions, immediate and long term improvement needs, engagement of the local house corporation, and satisfaction of the chapter with the facility 3. Learn about current industry strategies related to funding housing needs, whether new construction or renovations, along with different governance strategies that other Greek organizations are utilizing As you can see, we are at the initial research stage. The services that could possibly be offered by Sigma Pi Properties in the future: 1.

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Acquisitions and Acquisition Planning Capital and Strategic Planning (short and long term) Facility Development/New Construction Planning Property Assessments Facility Maintenance Planning Financial Budgeting and Planning Management/Operations Consulting Project Planning and Management Summer Project Planning and Execution Capital Improvements Operations Management Repair and Maintenance, including emergency response Assistance with Food Operations Landscaping Maintenance Facility Upkeep House Manager Training House Director Guidance and Assistance Systems Maintenance Planning and Coordination

Sigma Pi will have its share of challenges. I need to stress that we will need to be very patient throughout this process. We need more volunteers to work with our chapters, as a non-profit we need more capital reserves to make a bigger impact, and some of our houses around the country are aging and are in need of more attention. By looking closely at the needs of our members, local alumni, and those of the Fraternity, we will build this strategic housing plan over the next 12 months and enable Sigma Pi to effectively operate and execute from in order to meet the housing needs of our Sigma Pi chapters in the years to come.

Fraternally,

Michael Ayalon

(EO, Buffalo ’97) Executive Director

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Delta-Alpha Chapter house at Central Michigan University

Alpha-Eta Chapter house at the College of William & Mary

CHAPTER EDUCATIONAL FUND

In response to alumni demand for a tax-deductible option to provide financial support to their local chapters, the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, in consultation with Sigma Pi Fraternity, has developed the Chapter Educational Fund (CEF) Program.

Unlike the Educational Foundation, local chapters and housing corporations are not tax-exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, alumni that provide direct financial support to local chapters and housing corporations are not permitted to receive the benefit of any tax deductions. The Educational Foundation developed the CEF program to address the desire for alumni members to provide financial support to their local chapter while also receiving a tax deduction benefit. The CEF program allows donors to make gifts that specifically and directly address the needs of their local chapter while ensuring the tax deductibility of those gifts for federal income tax purposes.

The alumni members of any active or dormant chapter (including the members of any colony) of Sigma Pi Fraternity are welcome to establish a CEF with the Educational Foundation. All gifts to the CEF will be held by the Educational Foundation as restricted gifts for the sole benefit of the chapter and its members.

Potential uses for the CEF include: Awarding scholarships or fellowships for undergraduate and graduate members of the chapter

Providing grants to cover portions of the travel and accommodation costs for chapter members to attend events including the Mid-Year Leadership Conference and Sigma Pi University – The Tony Siress Career and Educational Institute Purchasing educational resources for the learning areas of the local chapter house, including items such as desks, bookcases, books, computer hardware, and educational software Financing the construction, renovation, and furnishing of the educational areas of the local chapter house including study rooms, libraries, computer labs, and computer networking infrastructure Providing subordinate construction and/or permanent financing for housing construction or renovations, which are permitted under the Internal Revenue Code Funds donated to the CEF may be invested in fixed or equity products as determined by eligibility requirements and the request of the Local Advisory Committee. Assets of individual CEF accounts will be separately accounted for, but managed and invested with other assets managed by the Educational Foundation. Gifts designated for a specific chapter will be used exclusively for charitable and educational purposes that benefit the members of that chapter unless the Educational Foundation’s Board of Trustees determines that such uses would jeopardize the Educational Foundation’s tax-exempt status or would be inconsistent with the Educational Foundation’s charitable and educational purposes. However, the Educational Foundation’s Board of Trustees anticipates that they will be able to accommodate all requests for deployment of CEF funds as requested by the Local Advisory Committee. a

CHAPTERS WHO CURRENTLY UTILIZE THE CEF PROGRAM Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma) Arkansas State (Alpha-Pi) Cal Poly (Eta-Delta) CSU-Fullerton (Epsilon-Nu) Georgia (Alpha-Phi)

Indiana (Beta) CSU-Long Beach (Beta-Omicron) Missouri-St. Louis (Delta-Zeta) Monmouth (Delta-Beta) Morehead State (Delta-Rho)

Murray State (Gamma-Upsilon) UC-Santa Barbara (Alpha-Omicron) UCLA (Upsilon) West Virginia Tech (Gamma-Xi) Valparaiso (Beta-Tau) FALL 2014

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Sigma Pi Educational Foundation

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Dear Brothers, I was very honored and humbled to be elected Chairman of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation at the 52nd Biennial Convocation. I look forward to continuing all the good work that the previous chairman, Allen Yee (AF, Georgia ’99), did for our Fraternity. We owe him a great deal of thanks and gratitude for his efforts as Chairman the last four years.

Contact Jay: SPEF@sigmapi.org

When I pledged Sigma Pi in 1968, I did not fully realize, nor appreciate, what the Fraternity would afford me during my lifetime. I now reflect back and see how Sigma Pi truly enriched and enhanced my life. I firmly believe that you do not pledge a fraternity for four years, but for life. I have always strived to stay involved in my local chapter and on the national level as well. As Chairman of the Educational Foundation, I will continue the good efforts of our Fraternity to enhance and enrich the lives of all our undergraduates and educate the future leaders of tomorrow.

Your Sigma Pi Educational Foundation is responsible for funding educational programming for all of our undergraduates. These educational programs are primarily provided through the Mid-Year Leadership Conference (MYLC) in St. Louis every February, Sigma Pi University in Nashville every other year, and the Biennial Convocation. This year, it is the intent to bring five undergraduate members from every chapter to attend MYLC, at no charge to them. The training that our undergraduates receive is an invaluable source of information to strengthen our chapters on the local level, as well as personally. It is the responsibility of the Educational Foundation to raise funds to help support the expenses incurred to provide these programs. And, in turn, it is incumbent of our alumni to assist the Educational Foundation by making a gift.

Our newly elected Grand Sage, Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70), has taken it upon himself to personally recruit 1,000 new donors to the Educational Foundation.

I applaud him on his efforts and thank him for this undertaking.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the thousands of undergraduates that we serve, I encourage you to support Sigma Pi and make a tax deductible gift to the Educational Foundation so we can continue to provide these valuable educational services. Over 10,000 of our alumni have donated to make a difference. I thank all of you that have contributed in the past. I hope that if you have never donated, you will reflect on how the Fraternity has enhanced your life and want to now give back to Sigma Pi. Fraternally,

Lester C. “Jay” Joern Jr.

(GS, Missouri ’72) Chairman, Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Lester C. “Jay” Joern, Jr. (ΓΣ, Missouri ’72) Chairman PGS Larry Rovira (ΕΝ, CSU-Fullerton ’85) VC of Administration David Presson (ΓΥ, Murray State ’81) VC of Investments Mason Cozart (ΕK, Southern Arkansas, ’83) VC of Development Gary S. Grubacich (ΑΟ, UC-Santa Barbara ’68) VC of Legal Affairs Rick Marshall (ΑΠ, Arkansas State ’92) Treasurer Tim Quick (Σ, Iowa State ‘01) Secretary Michael Simmons (ΕΝ, CSU-Fullerton ’87) Shea Stickler (ΒΚ, Arizona State ’90) PGS Donald J. Cox (Κ, Temple ’55) Nelson Farris (ΒΟ, CSU-Long Beach ’66) GS E. Andrew Morris (ΓΥ, Murray State ’70) PGS Edward Levesque (ΗΗ, Bridgewater State ’89) Paul W. Hansen (ΒΤ, Valparaiso ’80) Advisor Trustee John McCann (ΑM, NJIT ‘83) Advisor Trustee Allen W. Yee (ΑΦ, Georgia ’99) Advisor Trustee Jeffrey Yordon (BΣ, Northern Illinois ‘70) Advisor Trustee PGS Frank C. Fryburg (Θ, Penn State ’49) Honorary Life Trustee

To donate, please contact Lisa Pearson at 615-921-2313, or make a donation online at sigmapi.org/donate-pay 4|

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GOV. MIKE BEEBE VETERANS FUND GALA

CONVOCATION DUCK DERBY On Friday, August 8, 2014, the SPEF held the first ever Sigma Pi Convocation Duck Derby. Over 220 ducks were purchased by attendees, raising nearly $3,700 for the Educational Foundation!

CONVOCATION AWARD WINNERS During the 52nd Biennial Convocation the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation awarded 24 scholarships for a total of $17,000 at a luncheon on Friday, August 8, 2014.

Congratulations to all the winners!

The Governor Mike Beebe Veterans Fund Gala fundraiser, held October 2, 2014, was a success contributing nearly $20,000 to the veteran’s scholarship fund. The Honorable Mike Beebe graciously opened the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock, Arkansas for the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation to host the gala for the sixth year.

With 128 supporters - including veterans retired and active duty from across the State of Arkansas and the US braved the evening’s stormy weather to honor the Governor for his support of Arkansas’ military personnel and families.

We would like to thank the evening’s sponsors - Arkansas State University Office of the Chancellor, Arkansas State University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Arkansas Tech University Office of the Chancellor, Major General (Ret.) George Barker, Charlotte and Buddy Beck (AP, Arkansas State ’58), The Beck Foundation, The 5Ps, LLC, Major General (Ret.) Elder Granger, Humana Military, David Olive and Wal-Mart. A special thank you to the Master of Ceremonies, Ricky Marshall, (AP, Arkansas State ’92, and Chapter Director) and Treasurer of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Board of Trustees.

Governor Mike Beebe (AP, Arkansas State ’68) during his tenure established the Arkansas Yellow Ribbon Task Force to ensure the preservation and protection of current and former military personnel and their families. He also established state and community based programs and initiatives to improve the quality of life during and after the reintegration process. The Governor continues to oversee the training and equipping of deploying military personnel from the State of Arkansas.

Established in 2008 by Charlotte and Buddy Beck and their Family Foundation - in conjunction with alumni members of the Sigma Pi Fraternity at Arkansas State University, including Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe - created the Governor Mike Beebe Veterans Fund. The fund supports the educational pursuits of Arkansas veterans with the purpose of providing financial assistance through scholarship opportunities to members of the US Armed Forces who have served in Afghanistan and/or Iraq.

Scholarships are available to veterans and children of service men and women killed in action. Thanks to generous contributions, more than $177,000 has been provided to over 170 veterans and their families.

Tony Siress for Zeta-Eta Chapter Scholarship Andrew Jacob Fecher Daniel Nestor Freitas Andrew Havemeyer Godfrey Jr. Max Pryer Wahl Drew Thomas Walters Dr. John F. Dimmick Scholarship Troy Dennis Reid Rivera (Alpha-Nu) PGS Gary B. Tash Scholarship Thomas John Osmers (Beta-Pi) Laverne Marie Rovira Legacy Scholarship John Robert Richards (Alpha-Omicron) Col. Walter H. Lemmond, Jr. Scholarship Christian Richard Bourguillon (Epsilon-Alpha) Chase Edward Decker (Theta-Gamma) Gaither “Hunter” Wilson Horde, IV (Alpha-Delta) Clifford A. Wilke Scholarship Kevin Anthony Ponder (Alpha-Iota) Timothy B. Haney Scholarship Andrew Todd Sarangoulis (Theta) Richard Barnard Scholarship Kevin Matthew Carey (Epsilon-Gamma) Frank E. Gray Memorial Scholarship Camren James Wilson (Delta-Alpha) Cletus Broecker Memorial Scholarship Erik Scott Hansen (Eta-Phi) Harold Jacobsen Scholarship Joseph Antonini (Beta-Chi) William J. Cutbirth Memorial Scholarship Matthew Robert Fichtel (Iota-Theta) Becher W. Hungerford Memorial Scholarship Joseph Mack Mota (Theta-Eta) Lothar I. Iversen Fellowship Kevin Keith Hemphill, II (Iota-Lambda) Sterling Barton Jowers (Beta-Mu) David Alexander Rogers (Gamma-Gamma) Saad Farrukh Shamshair (Gamma-Eta) Ian Alexander Wolf (Gamma-Eta) FALL 2014

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Sigma Pi Educational Foundation

JACOBSEN CAMPAIGN

On October 1st, 2014, we officially launched the Jacobsen Campaign in honor of our first Executive Secretary, Harold Jacobsen. The campaign, which ran through October 14th (Jacobsen’s birth date), challenged brothers and friends of Sigma Pi to make a minimum $5 donation to the Educational Foundation via an online form. Members shared the link, as well as the hashtag #SPEFJacobsen to make others aware of the campaign. We are proud to recognize each contributor who made the Jacobsen Campaign a tremendous success!

DONATIONS LARGEST INDIVIDUAL DONATION

$250

Patrick Reimer Delta-Rho Chapter

CHAPTER WITH THE MOST DONATIONS

$325

Epsilon-Omicron Chapter University at Buffalo

= $100

TOTAL DONATIONS IN HONOR/IN MEMORY

TOTAL DONATIONS

$1,215

$3,188.73

Contributed by 30 Donors

Contributed by 134 Donors

Patrick Reimer (DR)

TOP DONORS Nelson Farris (BO)

James Keene (M)

Niles Leisti (AM)

Jack Faulk (GU)

Richard Lowman (EO)

Eugene Hibbs (S)

Robert Ferralasco (AP)

Michael McDonald (EN)

Scott Chastain (ZZ)

Steven Gyurindak (EO)

Mark Reed (AF)

James Cochran (AR)

James Jaqua (W)

Robert Crane (ED)

Jay Joern (GS)

Richard Armstrong (BG) Jerry Bash (GG) Michael Brost (DI) Ron Browne (DA) Norbert Cygan (F) Kurt Dahlberg (EO) John Davis (A) Dean Diddell (GS)

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE FRIENDS OF SIGMA PI FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS! Nadine Mills Chrissy Matney Lisa Pearson Brandi Martin GreeksLink Team

MID-LEVEL DONORS

Gary Dvorchak (X) Jeffrey Englebert (DI) Stephen Frayn (GS) Jeffrey Godke (GS) Jack Goldberg (EO) Paul Gorman (DE) Michael Grant (ZP) Tim Honeck (G)

Kevin Kennedy (EZ) Ross Kuhner (AN) Michael Long (ZP) Charles Lounsbury (GU) GS Andrew Morris (GU) James Poneta (BG) Ryan Post (BT) David Presson (GU)

Bonnie Ranieri (S) Connor Schwalm (QH) Jeffrey Sletten (GS) Joseph Totaro (EO) Les Wright (GU)

ADDITIONAL DONORS Donald Abels (QW) Phil Aiello (GM) Patrick Albano (ZZ) Lucas Andert (GG) Chris Argote (AF) Ryan Armstrong (X) Michael Ayalon (EO) William Basinger (ZP) Casey Bean (HE) Jason Beck (AF) Christopher Brown (GE) Josh Butts (GQ) Chris Carter (QW) Peter Chrustowski (ZC) Daniel Clark (HF) Robert Clark (DZ) Jack Coley (ID) Brad Craig (QW) Michael Dalessandro (ZO) Kevin Daugherty (F) Daniel Daugherty (DR)

James Diefenderfer (Z) Jason Dix (EO) Matthew Dudek (X) Richard Fitzer (BQ) Frank Fryburg (Q) Philip Galang (EA) Dan Gigante (EO) Adam Golomb (EW) Tom Grossman (DZ) Erik Hansen (HF) Dwayne Harris (DE) Francis Humes (HG) Christian Irvine (A) Morgan Johnson (AK) Adrian Juarez (ZL) Louie Junkerman (GU) Drew Keiser (F) Matthew Kenny (ID) John Kitch (H) Michael LaFerle (ZP) Rhett LaRose (ID)

Tommy Larsen (HE) Steve Lawler (X) John Lee (EB Colony) Andrew Levey (I) Zachary Littrell (DZ) Nick Lorenzini (IE) Christopher Lowenthal (ZC) Ryan Miller (IP) Michael Montero (EO) Derek Morgan (AS) Kevin Mumma (DZ) Erik Murrell (AM) Justin Nelson (DI) David Olson (AW) Brandon Page (AD) Joseph Palazzolo (DB) Robert Pankau (ZP) Patrick Patterson (QR) Daniel Perez (HU) Kevin Pons (HW) Alan Rovira (ZP)

Brian Sanborn HH) Lynn Schoepske (K) Luke Schwirtz (S) Dean Seneca (EO) Jeff Slavin (BG) Robert Sodini (Q) Kevin Solomon (EK) Michael Spadafina (EO) Justin Steele (EP) Marc Sterne (AE) Josh Swank (EW) Steve Tempel (AF) Joseph Turck (DW) Jason Walker (AF) Kyle Williams (DZ) Doug Wragge (EO) Paul Wydra (DZ) Allen Yee (AF) Don Zeller (GS) John Zielke (ZP) Robert Zinger (QR)

NOTE: Due to space constraints, we were unable to include “In Honor Of” and “In Memory Of” information. This is available on our website at sigmapi.org.

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International Digest

NEWS & INFORMATION

Sigma Pi & OmegaFi Membership Staffing Sigma Pi Fraternity, International is proud to announce a partnership with Omega Financial (“OmegaFi”) to focus on membership reporting and records management services for the Fraternity. Working in conjunction with the Executive Office staff in Lebanon, Tenn, OmegaFi employees will be responsible for duties previously completed by Sigma Pi staff, including: Chapter Reporting – review all member-related reports submitted by the Sigma Pi undergraduate chapters, including New Member Reports and Initiation Reports.

Member Reporting – review all updates and status changes made to undergraduate records, parent records and legacy information.

New Member Registration – through the Sigma Pi Member Management System, Compass™, monitor the status of new member reports and prompt their timely submission.

Member Transfers – review and facilitate member transfers from one chapter to another, confirming adherence to all Constitutional requirements.

Special Initiates – review and facilitate all chapter requests for special initiations, confirming adherence to all Constitutional requirements.

Training – provide training, both online and at appropriate Sigma Pi conferences and events, to officers, advisors and members regarding chapter- and member-based reports.

Maintain accurate chapter officer lists, chapter mailing addresses, university contact information and chapter grade point average statistics.

Kevin Pons Assumes Additional Role of Director of Education & Leadership It is with great pleasure that we announce that Kevin Pons (Eta-Omega, Johnson & Wales ’06) will become the Director of Education & Leadership in addition to his role as Regional Director.

“Kevin’s work with the new Standards of Excellence Program highlighted his ability to design and implement significant educational initiatives throughout Sigma Pi,” said Executive Director Michael Ayalon. “This position will allow him to significantly upgrade our educational programming at Mid-Year Leadership Conference and Sigma Pi University, open new opportunities at interfraternal leadership programs for our members, develop new relationships and partners, and continue to promote our educational initiatives at various local and national conferences.

We’re very excited to expand Kevin’s role within our organization, and he’ll continue the great work that he started with our chapters over the last year.”

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“Our mission is to help fraternal organizations maximize their efficiency,” said OmegaFi’s President, Fred Maglione, “and we are very excited about helping Sigma Pi reduce their staff workload by managing a portion of the ‘backoffice’ work that all membershipbased organizations require. With us handling the routine chapter and member data management, it leaves the Sigma Pi team free to focus more completely on their mission of fostering a truly lifelong fraternal experience.”

Sigma Pi joins Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity as the only fraternal organizations who utilize Membership Staffing through OmegaFi. Executive Director Michael Ayalon commented on the new partnership. “Currently, the services that OmegaFi has provided us in the past have been exceptional. Allowing OmegaFi to now handle the membership records of our organization will streamline the entire process for our chapters, providing efficiency and cohesiveness throughout. This will give us the continued ability to utilize our membership information in a way that enables better resource allocation and strategic decision-making, while also giving us a partner who fully understands database management.”

New Province Archon Appointments Heartland Province Eugene Hibbs (Sigma, Iowa State ’93)

Michigan Province PGH Robert Pankau III (Zeta-Pi, Oakland ’05) NorthEast Pennsylvania/Long Island Province Derick Rheaume (Eta-Eta, Bridgewater State ‘03)

New Chartered Alumni Club

Jersey Shore Alumni Club Located along the northern New Jersey shore

Chapter Closing

Eta-Omega Chapter at Johnson & Wales University Various violations of FIPG regulations since 2012

Executive Office Community Service Event EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on the Alumni Services Blog at fraternityalumni.org on August 1st, 2014.

On July 30, 2014, the entire staff of the Sigma Pi Executive Office volunteered at the local animal shelter, New Leash on Life, in Lebanon, Tennessee. As an international fraternity, we ask our chapters to do community service in their cities/communities. So, it is only fair that we do likewise and help set the example for our undergraduates.

We went to New Leash on Life, an animal welfare organization, and helped the staff there with a major project that they needed assistance with. New Leash on Life is a no-kill animal shelter that receives no funding from taxpayers. They survive on donations alone.

The staff there needed to clean out and reorganize their large garage storage area, but did not have the manpower to get the project done.

Every member of the Sigma Pi Executive Office staff participated in this event. 20 of us each spent two hours working together to complete the project. 40 man (and woman) hours were donated to this community organization. Yes, it was a warm afternoon in late July in middle Tennessee. Yes, there were some unpleasant smells. But, together we did it. And, as a reward we were allowed to have some “play time” with some of the animals who are housed at the shelter.

Our supervisor for the afternoon, Office Manager Ann Shapiro, kept saying, “I can’t believe you guys got all this done. This would have taken us forever to get organized.”

I can say that I was truly impressed with my fellow co-workers. No one complained about having to participate. No one said, “I don’t want to do this.” We all worked together on this project. The feeling of giving back to Lebanon, a community that has welcomed Sigma Pi with open arms since our relocation in late October 2013, was overwhelming. Knowing that the work we were doing benefited these lovable cats and dogs made it all the more rewarding.

Some of our alumni clubs hold community service events in their regions, and they should be thanked for their efforts. More participation from alumni would be great. As for our undergraduate chapters, you see that not only do we “talk the talk” about community service, but we also “walk the walk.” For those who regularly participate in community service projects with your chapter, I say “Thank You!” Keep up the good work. For the others, hopefully our actions at the Executive Office will help motivate you to be a part of your chapter’s community service efforts.

For more information about New Leash on Life, visit them at: newleashonline.org or see their Facebook page at: fb.com/newleashonline. A special thank you to their Office Manager Ann Shapiro, Executive Director Amy Haverstick, along with Directors Davina Herr, Alex Keith, Holly Liter, Colette Lanham-Stoffell, and Judy Wallace. The President of New Leash on Life is Angela Chapman, Vice President of Operations is Sue Tompkins, Secretary is Leah S. Cesternino, and the Treasurer is Dawn Hall.

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/updateinfo

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.

follow us on twitter @sigmapi & @sigmapialumni

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. FALL 2014

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Sigma Pi

CONVOCATION

a look back at the

FROM AUGUST 6 THROUGH AUGUST 10, SIGMA PI BROTHERS GATHERED IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA AT THE HILTON ORLANDO BONNET CREEK TO CELEBRATE THE 52ND BIENNIAL CONVOCATION OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY, INTERNATIONAL. With the gathering of over 300 brothers from all areas of North America, Sigma Pi began the 52nd Biennial Convocation on Wednesday, August 6th with an opening reception on Signature Island at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort. Brothers and friends gathered around, sharing memories and trying to predict the outcome of the many business sessions to come.

On Thursday, the opening formal activity began. The first Business Session featured the procession of the previous Grand Sage Cup-winning chapters, Past and Honorary Grand Sages, Chapter Directors, Province Archons, Educational Foundation board members. and the Grand Council. The 52nd Biennial Convocation officially opened for business following the ritual of the Grand Chapter.

The attendees enjoyed the Grand Chapter Awards Luncheon, which introduced the awards winners listed on the following page.

Later on, several brothers - Edward Walker (the father of Assistant Executive Director Jason Walker (AF, Georgia ’96)), Expansion Consultant Andrew Locke (BD, Kansas ’14), Nicholas Kafaf (N, Franklin & Marshall ’16), John Pizzi (AM, NJIT ’17) and Tolga Berkman (AM, NJIT ’17) - took part in the model initiation.

That night, brothers traveled on buses to Downtown Disney, where everyone gathered at the House of Blues for the official Convocation Brotherhood Event.

On Friday morning, Grand Sage Ed Levesque (HH, Bridgewater State ’89) invited the representatives from the Top 12 Chapters to an invite-only breakfast.

Afterwards, Business Sessions continued as usual. The first session began with the Nominating Committee presenting their proposed slate for the new Grand Council. The Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Luncheon followed, with many scholarships presented. Later on that day, the SPEF also held the Sigma Pi Convocation Duck

Derby, which garnered a lot of interest in the buildup to the event. Over 220 ducks were purchased by attendees, raising nearly $3,700 for the Educational Foundation.

As Saturday’s events rolled around, the delegates elected the Grand Council for the 2014-2016 Biennium. The following men were elected: Grand Sage E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70) Grand Second Counselor Craig E. Donnelly (BC, Loyola Chicago ’01) Grand Third Counselor Brian M. Devot (BO, CSU-Long Beach ’00) Grand Fourth Counselor James M. Wisherd (AF, Georgia ’93) Grand First Counselor Steve Lawler (X, Iowa ’82) Grand Herald Les Wright (GU, Murray State ’70) Past Grand Sage Edward R. Levesque (HH, Bridgewater State ’89) On Saturday night, PGS Ed Levesque gave the traditional farewell speech as his official last act as Grand Sage.

Afterwards, Levesque symbolically “passed the gavel” onto new Grand Sage E. Andrew Morris. Following, GS Morris (who previously served as Executive Director from August of 1980 to June of 1991) shared his story with the attendees, promising that “he’s back.” The Founders’ Award recipients were introduced and gave outstanding speeches. Lastly, the winners of the Grand Sage’s Cup were presented, making four well-deserving Chapters very excited.

For the traditional close of Convocation, all brothers circled the ballroom, locked arms and joyously joined in the singing of “The Fireside Song.” a

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Grand Sage Award, Tier One: Eta-Phi Chapter, Miami (OH) 800 Efficiency Club ›› Theta-Rho (Grand Valley State) ›› Theta-Theta (Ferris State) ›› Zeta-Epsilon (Michigan Tech) ›› Theta-Gamma (West Alabama) ›› Iota-Iota (Montclair State) ›› Eta-Mu (Missouri Southern) ›› Iota-Mu (Georgia Tech) ›› Zeta-Chi (Rowan) ›› Theta-Tau (William Paterson) ›› Delta-Iota (Wisconsin-Platteville) ›› Iota-Epsilon (Oregon) ›› Theta-Omega (Middle Tennessee) ›› Iota-Nu (Washington State) ›› Alpha-Phi (Georgia) ›› Iota (UC-Berkeley) ›› Delta-Omega (SIU-Edwardsville) ›› Alpha-Mu (NJIT) ›› Iota-Alpha (Kansas State) ›› Epsilon-Omicron (Buffalo) ›› Eta-Rho (Carleton) ›› Eta-Omega (Johnson & Wales) 900 Efficiency Club ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ››

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Beta-Tau (Valparaiso) Theta-Sigma (Ursinus) Alpha-Iota (Missouri S&T) Sigma (Iowa State) Gamma-Gamma (Central Missouri) Gamma-Mu (Wisconsin-Oshkosh) Theta-Beta (Saginaw Valley) Gamma-Upsilon (Murray State) Alpha-Pi (Arkansas State) Theta-Psi (Southern Indiana) Gamma-Iota (Worcester Poly) Alpha (Vincennes)

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Grand Sage Award, Tier Two: Xi Chapter, Iowa

›› Theta-Delta (TCNJ) ›› Gamma-Omega (Wayne State) ›› Eta-Tau (Fitchburg) ›› Eta-Eta (Bridgewater State) ›› Beta-Chi (Loyola-Chicago) ›› Gamma-Alpha (Detroit-Mercy) ›› Iota-Omicron (Louisville) ›› Beta-Mu (Ole Miss) ›› Iota-Theta (Bentley) ›› Eta-Delta (Cal Poly) ›› Zeta-Delta (Colorado) ›› Tau (Wisconsin-Madison) ›› Theta-Epsilon (IUP) Beyer/Fryburg 1000 Efficiency Club ›› Xi (Iowa) ›› Eta (Purdue) ›› Alpha-Omicron (UC-Santa Barbara) ›› Beta-Gamma (Eastern Illinois) ›› Beta-Nu (SIU-Carbondale) ›› Gamma-Eta (Rutgers) ›› Gamma-Sigma (Missouri) ›› Delta-Beta (Monmouth) ›› Delta-Zeta (UMSL) ›› Epsilon-Rho (Drury) ›› Zeta-Omicron (Lawrence Tech) ›› Zeta-Pi (Oakland) ›› Theta-Chi (St. Joseph’s) ›› Theta-Eta (Old Dominion) ›› Iota-Delta (UTSA) ›› Iota-Zeta (Minnesota) ›› Iota-Pi (Oklahoma State) Top 25 (Grand Chapter) ›› Alpha (Vincennes) ›› Xi (Iowa) ›› Omega (Oregon State)

›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ››

Alpha-Iota (Missouri S&T) Beta-Pi (Virginia) Gamma-Alpha (Detroit-Mercy) Gamma-Gamma (Central Missouri) Gamma-Eta (Rutgers) Gamma-Upsilon (Murray State) Gamma-Omega (Wayne State) Delta-Beta (Monmouth) Epsilon-Rho (Drury) Zeta-Omicron (Lawrence Tech) Zeta-Pi (Oakland) Zeta-Chi (Rowan) Eta-Tau (Fitchburg) Eta-Phi (Miami) Theta-Gamma (West Alabama) Theta-Delta (TCNJ) Theta-Eta (Old Dominion) Theta-Sigma (Ursinus) Iota-Delta (UTSA) Iota-Epsilon (Oregon) Iota-Zeta (Minnesota) Iota-Kappa (Central Florida)

Top 12 (Grand Council) ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ››

Xi (Iowa) Omega (Oregon State) Gamma-Eta (Rutgers) Zeta-Omicron (Lawrence Tech) Eta-Tau (Fitchburg) Eta-Phi (Miami) Theta-Delta (TCNJ) Theta-Eta (Old Dominion) Theta-Sigma (Ursinus) Iota-Delta (UTSA) Iota-Zeta (Minnesota) Iota-Epsilon (Oregon)

Grand Sage Award, Tier Three: Iota-Delta Chapter, UT-San Antonio Louis Foley – Undergraduate Newsletter ›› Iota-Zeta (Minnesota) Louis Foley – Alumni Newsletter ›› Cascade Alumni Club The Omegaphone Membership Increase Award (Top 10 Chapters 2013-2014) ›› Delta-Omega (SIU-Edwardsville) 400% increase ›› Theta-Rho (Grand Valley State) 121% increase ›› Alpha-Omicron (UC-Santa Barbara) 100% increase ›› Gamma-Sigma (Missouri) 90% increase ›› Iota-Mu (Georgia Tech) 87% increase Membership Recruitment Award (Pledges & Initiates) ›› Alpha-Omicron (UC-Santa Barbara) - 122 ›› Gamma-Sigma(Missouri) - 95 ›› Gamma-Eta (Rutgers) - 53 ›› Eta-Delta (Cal Poly) - 50 ›› Omega (Oregon State) - 48 ›› Theta (Penn State) - 47 ›› Xi (Iowa) - 44 ›› Theta-Rho (Grand Valley State) - 42 ›› Gamma-Upsilon (Murray State) - 36 ›› Iota-Epsilon (Oregon) - 35 ›› Delta-Omega (SIU-Edwardsville) - 35 Harold Jacobsen – Outstanding Individual Undergraduate / On Campus ›› Ian Wolf – Gamma-Eta (Rutgers) Michael P. Carey - Outstanding Individual Undergraduate / In Chapter ›› Pat Gallahue – Eta-Tau (Fitchburg)

Grand Sage Award, Tier Four: Eta-Tau Chapter, Fitchburg State

Cletus Broecker – Outstanding Individual Undergraduate / Community Service ›› Saad Shamshair – Gamma-Eta (Rutgers) Guy “Red” Mackey Outstanding Sportsman Award ›› Jeremy Jones – Theta-Eta Old Dominion Most Outstanding Alumni Club ›› Kentucky Thoroughbred Alumni Club Dr. Robert L. Burns Outstanding Faculty Advisor

ACE Awards (Top 4 Projects) ›› ›› ›› ››

Eta (Purdue) Alpha-Pi (Arkansas State) Gamma-Eta (Rutgers) Theta-Gamma (West Alabama)

Lyle Smith (Chapter Director Award ›› Tim Quick – Sigma Iowa State Curtis Shake - Province Archon Award ›› Steve Lawler – Heartland Province William Cutbirth – Chapter Outstanding Community Service

›› Kim Bullington Sibson Theta-Eta (Old Dominion) Outstanding Campus Professional

›› Zeta-Omicron (Lawrence Tech) William Cutbirth – Chapter Outstanding Philanthropy

›› Maggie Bach - Delta Epsilon (Seton Hall) & St. John’s Colony Convocation Attendance Award

›› Eta-Phi (Miami) Byron R. Lewis Academic Cup

›› Alpha-Rho (Missouri State) - 6 ›› Epsilon-Rho (Drury) - 6 Man Miles Award ›› Alpha-Omicron (UC-Santa Barbara) Reston-Fitzpatrick Award ›› Kentucky Thoroughbred Alumni Club Merino/Tash 100 Man Chapter ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ››

Beta (Indiana) Eta-Phi (Miami) Gamma-Sigma (Missouri) Iota-Eta (California Santa Cruz) Beta-Mu (Ole Miss) Theta-Omicron (Alabama) Theta (Penn State) Zeta-Mu (Michigan State)

›› Theta-Sigma (Ursinus) Most-Improved Chapter ›› Omega (Oregon State) Staff Member of the Year ›› Jen Wyatt Leaving Staff Clocks ›› Nick “Woody” Lorenzini Founders’ Awards ›› ›› ›› ››

John Shigley Mark Reed James Keene PGS Jim Verplanck

For a complete list of the 52nd Biennial Convocation award winners, visit sigmapi.org/convocation/2014-awards a

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CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM CONVOCATION!

To view photos from the 52nd Biennial Convocation, please visit sigmapi.org/convocation/2014-convocation-photo-album

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TopInterview An line With

BOTTOM THE GRAND LINE SAGE

From Executive Director to Grand Sage, E. Andrew Morris shares his journey through Sigma Pi and expresses his desires for the future of the Fraternity.

WHEN YOU WERE ELECTED THE GRAND SAGE OF SIGMA PI, THERE WERE PROBABLY MILLIONS OF THOUGHTS CIRCULATING THROUGH YOUR MIND AT THE TIME. CAN YOU SHARE SOME OF THOSE THOUGHTS WITH US?

After being a volunteer and the Executive Director for over 40 years, it was an honor to have the confidence of the Grand Chapter to be elected the 45th Grand Sage. I thought about all the men over the years and their contributions in the leadership of Sigma Pi. My first Convocation was in 1972 at French Lick, Indiana, and 2014 Orlando was my 21st meeting. It has been rewarding to have met thousands of members and to have watched many of them become leaders on the Grand Council and Sigma Pi Educational Foundation.

The highlight of this Convocation was having my college roommate, Les Wright (GU, Murray State ’70), be elected Grand Herald.

AS AN UNDERGRADUATE AT MURRAY STATE, WHAT EXPOSURE DID YOU HAVE TO SIGMA PI THAT CONVINCED YOU THAT YOU WANTED TO BE A MEMBER?

I was in my junior year of college and passed up several opportunities to join other fraternities.

Gamma-Upsilon Chapter was chartered in May of 1968, and I knew nothing about Sigma Pi. I was taking a debate class with Butch Reid (’70) and Louie Junkerman (’70), when I was asked to attend a rush function at the Triangle Restaurant on a Thursday

night. I went and listened to the presentation, but still had doubts about joining since I was an upperclassman. To my surprise I received a bid, along with one from Sigma Chi Fraternity - I made the right choice.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FUNNY STORIES ABOUT SIGMA PI?

I have many, but the one that involved Past Executive Director Harold Jacobsen (L, Kenyon ’24) at the 1982 Convocation was a classic. Jake was asked to speak on behalf of PGS Eli Sidwell (BG, Eastern Illinois ’58), who was running for the Grand Council. He agreed to do so and proceeded to give a passionate speech about the Fraternity and the gentleman running.

Jake got so into this talk that when it came time for the endorsement, he said, “At this time I would like to nominate a man that has done as much for our Fraternity, as anyone in this room. I would like to nominate.......................... (long pause). What’s that guy’s name?” Jake had forgotten who he was speaking for, but Eli still won the election.

IT’S WELL KNOWN THAT YOU ARE STILL CLOSE WITH MEMBERS OF YOUR CHAPTER FROM UNDERGRADUATE DAYS. HOW HAVE THESE RELATIONSHIPS CONTINUED TO GROW OVER THE YEARS?

Like most members after their graduation, starting their careers and families causes a separation from the college days. There are a few really close brothers

Photo from left: PGS Ed Levesque, GFC Steve Lawler, GTC Brian Devot, GS E. Andrew Morris, GSC Craig Donnelly, GFoC Jim Wisherd, and GH Les Wright

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with whom you stay in touch and eventually start doing activities again, starting with attending Fraternity events. Since my chapter has a summer reunion every July, it is a chance to see the old and new members, and it has brought us back together. As the last 46 years have gone by, I have been on spring breaks, to the Kentucky Derby, and on trips to Las Vegas, with a great group of friends. You enjoy the good times, but appreciate the support when you have bad times in life, and they have been there for me.

AS A PREVIOUS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND NOW CURRENT GRAND SAGE OF THE FRATERNITY, YOU’RE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE FRATERNITY FROM TWO DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK THAT PREVIOUS LEADERSHIP ROLE WILL ALLOW YOU TO FLOURISH IN THIS NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE?

Understanding - When I was hired as Executive Secretary, my job was to grow the Fraternity, and I understood my role. During my tenure, Sigma Pi had the largest growth and the most active chapters in our history, until this past year, so I did my job. The enviroment is so different on the campuses today, and it takes more business experience than was required of me. Over the last eight years, I have had the opportunity to work with dedicated men on the Grand Council, so being Grand Sage is just another office serving the Fraternity. I am not sure Sigma Pi will flourish, but we will make progress.

BRIEFLY TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY.

Well, I have been married three times and two were very successful. While I was Executive Director, my wife Karen, who was the editor of The Emerald, died at 29 of cancer. I now travel throughout the country speaking at colleges on Breast Cancer, in order to give a better understanding of a husband’s perspective on a terrible disease. I married Roselyn in 1991 and got a great daughter in the deal. I tell them that I love them every day, and the same is true with my closest Fraternity brothers. My sons are all the undergraduates I have worked with over the years, and I hope to continue making new friends.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF THE FRATERNITY? WHAT PROGRESS HAVE YOU SEEN SINCE THE LAST BIENNIUM?

The Fraternity is in better shape than at any time in our history, but we still have to make improvements to catch up with some of the other organizations.

The new Executive Office is one of the finest in the country, and members of other fraternities, who have visited there, agree. The Mitchell House is a tribute to our 117 years of history, and we have more documents about our beginning than just about any other fraternity headquarters. We have a very dedicated staff, and they are giving the chapters the support to help them suceed.

TODAY, WHO WITHIN SIGMA PI IS A GREAT INFLUENCE ON YOU?

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR SIGMA PI OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS?

I have personally met thirty of the Past Grand Sages and worked with all the Executive Directors, as well as most of the Grand Old Men of Sigma Pi. Judge Curtis G. Shake (A, Vincennes ’06), was the most interesting brother I ever talked to, because he was around when Tau Phi Delta became Sigma Pi. He told me stories about the Fraternity and when he served as a judge at the Nuremberg War Trials.

The Grand Council is responsible for carrying out the policies established by the Fraternity’s membership. Our goals change with the needs of the membership and the expectations of the host institutions where we maintain chapters. The problem all national fraternities have is getting more alumni volunteers involved on the local level to work with the undergraduates. Through a more mature staff within the Regional Director Program, we have been able to establish a better working relationship with the alumni. The Sigma Pi Educational Foundation is a vital part of the fratenity’s success, with funding of leadership programs and scholarships for the undergraduates. The work over the next two years is more about establishing goals that will become a reality in the years to come.

The three men whom I worked with when I first became Executive Director gave me the chance to move the Fraternity in the right direction. They were PGS Robert Burns (DF, Wisconsin-La Crosse ’71), PGS Gary Tash (BP, Virginia ’68), and PGS John Merino (BO, CSU-Long Beach ’58). I admire Harold Jacobsen for keeping this Fraternity alive through the wars and the depression, from a small office in New Jersey. I am grateful for the alumni volunteers who give their time to work with the young members carrying on the traditions in our chapters.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES?

My professional career, running the company I started in 1996, is just about over. Another Sigma Pi, Kyle Koelbel (BK, Arizona State ’09), has taken over daily operations so that I can retire. I plan on spending the next couple of years on the history book of Sigma Pi, with the help of Christian Miele (EN, Towson ’04).

As I’ve gotten older, my hobbies have changed from snow skiing and scuba diving to cooking and sleeping.

I guess Sigma Pi has always been my favorite hobby.

“On June 6, 1991, when I resigned as Executive Director of the Fraternity, I took my badge off as I walked out of Shaddowood.

When my nephew, Dr. Brad Mallory, was installed as a member at the chartering of Iota-Omicron Chapter at the University of Louisville, I passed it on to him.

Tonight I proudly put on the Grand Sage’s badge and it feels good to wear the Greek Cross again.

I’m Back!”

- GS E. Andrew Morris (an excerpt from Morris’ 52nd Biennial Convocation Speech)

WHAT ABOUT FURTHER INTO THE FUTURE (THE NEXT TEN YEARS)?

The next decade looks good for our Fraternity, but it depends on our continuing to raise the standards for membership and the expectations for our chapters.

Unlike when I was in college in the 1960’s, fraternities were viewed as an asset by the adminstrations, this is not the case anymore. Today, the young members have to prove themselves as the true leaders on campus.

We have to run the organization as a Fraternity, not a Boys’ Club. Again, the success of Sigma Pi depends on our alumni. a

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Chapter & Colony

EMERALD REPORTS

Alpha-Pi Chapter at Arkansas State 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

Arkansas Tech University

N/A 65 883 6

2.91 29 69 0

The Fall ’14 semester is in full swing here at Arkansas State University, and Alpha-Pi has hit the ground running. The Chapter has been very successful in recruitment this semester, recruiting 26 new members, the largest new member class in about five years. Three philanthropies are already in the works, including an auction to benefit The Miracle League of Jonesboro, an “Octoberfest” week to benefit the same philanthropy, and a Christmas tree decorating contest to benefit a philanthropy that will be announced at a later date. As far as fundraising goes, we are pairing up with “Greek It On,” a rain boot company founded by Alpha-Pi alumnus Ryan Oschner, in which we will receive funds in exchange for helping to promote his company. In the short time that we’ve been back at school, we have recruited an amazing new member class, set up various philanthropies to benefit the community, and made arrangements with an alumnus’ company that will allow us to have excess funds throughout the year. We have set ourselves up to have an amazing semester, and it will only get better from here.

Iota-Lambda Chapter has made outstanding bounds in recruitment over the Summer, this has lead to over 50 possible new members to extend bids to, but more importantly, all have an average 3.3 overall GPA. Iota-Lambda now seeks to lead Fraternity and Sorority life this year with not only numbers and academic excellence, but innovating campus experience. This is through our newly planned ACE and Philanthropy events, and hosting the first ever televised concert performance in campus history.

This beginning is exponentially less magnificent to what the future holds for Iota-Lambda. With being guided by wisdom and truth, it will not just ultimately help our success in being in the highest honor on campus, but it will inspire others to do the very same.

Alpha-Pi Chapter

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Auburn University Alpha-Delta Chapter

N/A 119 1449 4 All of us here at Alpha-Delta are very excited for what the upcoming Fall semester has for our Chapter ! We have already had an incredible start to the

new school year. Thanks to the hard work this Summer by all of our members and specifically our rush committee, we ended formal rush with a total of 41 new members! We have also been making full use of our new Brotherhood Annex, regularly hosting social and philanthropy events. We are very proud of how we are representing Sigma Pi here at Auburn University.

Guide to Undergrad Reports

Use this key to learn more about each chapter: h

Chapter has zero balance with Executive Office Chapter GPA (Previous Semester) 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 9/10/14. For more information about the requirements for Emerald Submissions, please visit sigmapi.org/chapter-reporting and click on the form titled “Emerald Submission”.

Bentley University Iota-Theta Chapter

N/A 33 69 0 Iota-Theta Chapter attended its first annual Alumni hosted charity golf tournament this August, and came out with a strong presence at Bentley’s Activities Fair. Rush period is now upon us and we have all members on deck to recruit a well balanced quality pledge class. Iota-Theta had success at our opening rush event, Cigar Night, which featured big screen Monday Night Football and fine cigars available. We look forward to hosting an on campus Pasta Dinner that will treat brothers and give them an opportunity to get to know our potential new members.

Bridgewater State University Eta-Eta Chapter

N/A 42 326 3 As the school year begins, Eta-Eta Chapter has its sights set on one thing: recruitment. Having already started compiling a names list, our brothers are very excited to get our official rush week started. The week kicks off with a bonfire next to the campus clock tower and continues with dodge ball, video game night, a meet the Chapter night and much more. This is all followed by the time honored tradition of both undergraduates and alumni of Eta-Eta taking everyone who receives a bid out for an all-you-caneat fried chicken feast at Wright’s Farm, the local chicken farm/family restaurant.

California Polytechnic StateSan Luis Obispo Eta-Delta Chapter

N/A 52 224 2 With 7 new members, Eta-Delta Chapter looks forward to Fall quarter and keep adding quality men to our brotherhood.

Fall quarter seems promising to our brothers with great events interacting with other Fraternities and Sororities.

After sending 2 representatives and our Chapter Director to the 2014 Convocation in Orlando, and receiving some Chapter awards, we can’t wait to see what our brothers learned and plan on using during our 2014-2015 academic year.

California State University-Chico Theta-Mu Chapter

N/A 16 157 1 No report submitted.

California State UniversityDominguez Hills Eta-Iota Chapter

N/A 30 258 0 In September, Eta-Iota Chapter is continuing to grow strong with the addition of a new Spring pledge class.

While maintaining good scholarship, we are also pleased to announce a successful participation in socials with Sororities on other campuses, Philanthropy planning for the ACE Project, and brotherhood events to improve the strong bonds amongst the Chapter’s brothers. Moreover, we are about to host our first Toga Party of the semester, which is planned to become a wild success, and we are currently planning strengthening our network outside our campus with the Phi Lambda Rho ladies in the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles. We will be visiting them on their campus and participating in a variety of ice breakers. We are continually striving towards excellence and proving to be one of the strongest organizations on campus.

charter. We also had our first brotherhood Summer retreat and will definitely making it an annual event. Delta-Alpha Chapter is extremely excited to report that we have officially moved 12 brothers into our new and beautiful Fraternity house. We recently had our first ritual review & can’t wait to initiate our Alpha Class this Fall.

Clemson University Eta-Psi Chapter

N/A 58 306 0 No report submitted.

College of William and Mary Alpha-Eta Chapter

N/A 51 731 2

No report submitted.

As the 2014 -2015 academic year begins Alpha-Eta is excited to return to our brand new Chapter house. As brothers return to campus we look to recruit a new batch of fine young men for our Fall 2014 pledge class. Already this year the men of AlphaEta in correspondence with executive director Mike Ayalon participated in a Summit to Strengthen Fraternity life at W&M. Our upcoming events include our second annual Homecoming tailgate in late October, and our annual philanthropy Nerf Superbowl benefitting the Amazing Day foundation. We are very excited for this upcoming year.

Carleton University

Cornell University

California State UniversityLong Beach Beta-Omicron Chapter

N/A 58 1379 10

Eta-Rho Chapter

N/A 66 293 1 The school year started off with excitement this past week as the Chapter took part in Carleton’s Fall orientation, where they volunteered to welcome the incoming first-year students to campus.

We have a loaded first semester to look forward to with a packed rush schedule that includes social events, sports, and school-wide events like those planned by the residence association president, Will Verschuren. Community Service chair Keith Burley is also keeping the boys busy with a wide range of events that will be carried out over the next few months. We are eager to see the Chapter continue progressing, the upcoming school year looks to be a promising one.

Central Michigan University Delta-Alpha Chapter h

N/A 72 742 0

Delta-Alpha Chapter had an amazing banquet to celebrate the return of our

Mu Chapter h

N/A 56 1236 3

Certain events being conducted by the brothers of Mu Chapter continue to keep the fraternal bonds strong in 2014, as the work of notable alumni continues to make a presence for our Fraternity on a national scale. Most recently, Brother Jim Keene ’57 was recognized with a Sigma Pi Founders’ Award for his unbelievable contributions.

At Mu Chapter, the brothers have been hard at work on many events to increase fraternal spirit such as themed weekly brotherhood dinners and our most recent innovative philanthropy event: Sigma Pictures, where movies are projected on the side of the house for brothers and friends to watch while popcorn and refreshments are served with the funds going to a charitable cause. There are many more similar events planned that will take place in the upcoming weeks such as Movember, a possible dance marathon sponsored by Sigma Pi as well as other Greek organizations, and ...Continued On Next Page FALL 2014

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Chapter & Colony

EMERALD REPORTS various social events such as date nights and mixers. Many capital improvements are being made to our house as well, as brothers have been taking part in redecorating and refurbishing the exterior of the house and the landscaping. We also recently hand-built the deck, or “beach” of our house.

Drury University

Epsilon-Rho Chapter h

N/A 36 450 2

Epsilon-Rho Chapter is preparing itself for an exceptional Fall semester. At Convocation, we took home several awards, including a Top 25 Grand Chapter award, as well as rewards for 1000 Efficiency and Chapter Attendance.

To kick off the year, our Chapter held a two-day planning retreat to set our goals for the coming semester and build brotherhood. Following a week of excellent recruitment events, Epsilon-Rho Chapter is proud to report that we have added 15 new members to our Chapter ranks, and are implementing a revised new member program to instill the values of Sigma Pi Fraternity and increase retention.

Duke University Iota-Xi Chapter h

3.52 8 32 0

Despite losing a big part of the Chapter this past Spring due to many brothers graduating, Iota-Xi Chapter is optimistic about the upcoming Fall semester. Last Spring’s pledge class reported the highest pledge class GPA on campus and we hope to continue this trend. Our brothers have been working hard, revamping the recruitment process and setting many goals for the school year. We look forward to welcoming our alumni back for Homecoming weekend!

East Stroudsburg University Beta-Psi Chapter h

N/A 27 715 0

Beta-Psi Chapter is off to a running start this year. We are continuing our partnership with MetLife Stadium as a means of fundraising, working a concession stand. We have high hopes for recruitment this year. We will be working with Special Olympics for the second year in a row and Big Brothers Big Sisters for the fifth year in a row. We also would like to congratulate two of our undergraduate brothers, Kyle Berwick and Ronald Eith,

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Epsilon-Rho Chapter at Drury University

who were elected to IFC executive board as Secretary and Recruitment Chair, respectively.

Eastern Illinois University Beta-Gamma Chapter

2.64 48 1850 9 The men of Beta-Gamma are excited to be back on campus for this Fall semester.

Coming off a strong Spring semester full of achievements, we intend on continuing our success in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the Fraternity and Sorority community. With that being said, the homecoming float is coming along brilliantly with the homecoming festivities approaching next month. From the great turnouts we have had at our recruitment events, the Fall pledge class is looking bigger and better than ever. Also, we have had a nice jumpstart on intramurals so far this Fall. During Panther Pallooza, we had our Donate Life booth set up, where we had a little over three hundred sign up to be organ donors.

Eastern Kentucky University Epsilon-Lambda Chapter h

2.85 39 419 0

The brothers of Epsilon-Lambda are off to a great start this semester, finishing Fall recruitment with 26 new members.

This semester we plan to put more of an emphasis on philanthropy and alumni relations than we have in years past.

Our intentions are to conduct three philanthropy events this Fall, including our annual Tree of Hope. We will continue to work diligently on improving our alumni relations, especially with homecoming in October. Unfortunately, last Spring we were unable to host our

annual pig roast and softball tournament due to unforeseen challenges, but we are planning early this year and guaranteeing that Pig Roast will occur in the Spring of 2015. We’re looking forward to what this semester has in store and getting back to work on our Quest for Excellence here at Epsilon Lambda.

Elon University

Epsilon-Theta Chapter

2.95 43 603 0 Epsilon-Theta Chapter had yet another great semester. Our most successful philanthropy event was when we ran the Duke 5K for brain cancer research.

Our organization raised roughly $48,000 for brain cancer research, which was the highest amount raised by any Greek organization on Elon’s campus.

This upcoming semester, we plan to orchestrate a roadside clean-up in our neighboring community with our new members. We are excited to continue the success we had last semester through participation in philanthropy events whilst continuing to welcome new members to our thriving organization.

Emporia State University Epsilon-Epsilon

2.23 21 466 0 No report submitted.

Fairleigh Dickinson University Epsilon-Xi Chapter h

N/A 9 217 1

This Fall semester, the brothers of Epsilon-Xi have hit the ground running.

We have completely re-organized the Chapter functions and operations from

brotherhood and programming to recruitment events on and off campus.

With the aid of our Executive Director Mike Ayalon and Chapter Director Rashard Mills, we are looking forward to an extremely strong semester and prosperous year. Currently we have planned for our rush activities to include events such as a 9/11 memorial and remembrance ceremony, an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention walk, and a New Jersey Cares weekend which will allow individuals to give back and service our local community. We are striving for excellence with dedicated brothers.

Ferris State University Theta-Theta Chapter h

2.63 14 145 2

This semester, Theta-Theta is working to build and progress as a Chapter. Our primary focus at the beginning of the semester is on recruitment. We hosted our 12th annual Teeter-Totterathon on the 2nd and 3rd of September which was very effective as one of the first fundraisers on campus this year. The proceeds benefitted the Susan P. Wheatlake Cancer Research Center in a local city and it sparked a lot of interest in our organization and Greek life overall. Formal Rush was a success and we have upcoming rush events planned.

We are excited about our Homecoming coming up and look forward to growing our Chapter through brotherhood events and activities.

Fitchburg State University Eta-Tau Chapter h

2.89 52 207 2

As we embark on a new semester here at Eta-Tau Chapter, we are hopeful that we can continue the awesome work that we have done over the last semester. During the Summer, we won the Grand Sage cup, which means alot to everyone here at the Chapter because of all the hard work we put in. Last semester we had our largest Spring class ever with 9 new brothers getting into the Chapter. We are hopeful that we can have a large quality class like we’ve had for the last few years. Overall we are excited for the semester and hope to continue in our Quest for Excellence.

Florida State University Eta-Epsilon Chapter h

N/A 82 541 0

Eta-Epsilon Chapter initiated 8 new brothers in the Spring and so far we are set to have the best Fall rush since coming back on campus. Additionally, we are proud to announce that we have remained the number one Chapter for on-campus GPA and have plans in place to become number one overall. We are so proud of our golf team who won 1st place Low Net and 3rd place Low Gross for the First Annual IFC Gives Back Charity Golf Tournament. With a great start to Florida State’s bid to repeat as football champions, we welcome our fellow brothers and alumni to come tailgate with us and cheer

the Seminoles to victory. We also welcome everyone to check out our new website at fsusigmapi.com.

Franklin & Marshall College Nu Chapter h

N/A 4 803 2

After returning from Convocation with Chapter Director PGS Frank Fryburg, Third Counselor Nick Kafaf has a lot of ideas for recruiting and demonstrating the ideals he learned during his initiation in Orlando. Sage Sam Crozier spent the Summer playing rugby, working at Franklin and Marshall’s gym, and creating a calendar that will satisfy the Standards of Excellence while working around his and Nick’s Fall rugby schedule.

Second Counselor Frank Seitz also looks to continue his success playing right tackle for the school after winning his first game on September 6th at home against Lebanon Valley College. Nu Chapter continues to try new tactics for recruitment including boosting a Facebook page, running a dodgeball tournament, and holding events at the school’s international center. We look forward to adding to our current group of four new members who will help us gain more power in the IFC, hold a “Know Your Rights Workshop” for our ACE Project, and organize a drive for Toys for Tots during the last home football game. Chapter Advisor Kevin Foster held a retreat at his home in York on Sunday, September 7th. All brothers, new members, and PGS Fryburg were in attendance. Following dinner, we held a retreat that lasted 3 hours. Subjects discussed were: Fall semester calendar, recruitment plans, brotherhood events, leadership opportunities on campus that should be pursued, and ACE Project and philanthropy ideas. We are all excited to expand the role of Nu Chapter at Franklin and Marshall College this Fall.

Georgia Institute of Technology Iota-Mu Chapter

N/A 25 63 2 This semester many brothers have stepped into new leadership positions with most of the newest members finding roles as chairmen and we already have big plans for this semester. We are hosting a 5K race for charity called the “Sigma Pi Mile” shortly before Thanksgiving. We will also do more fundraising and Chapter Director Eta-Epsilon Chapter at Florida State University

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EMERALD REPORTS Chris Sands has proven to be a valuable resource by giving us many great ideas that we will use. Recruitment remains a big focus this semester and we are continuing to recruit potential members throughout the semester. The whole Iota-Mu Chapter is motivated to find new members and we hope to find many new members to replace the fantastic brothers who will graduate in this semester. Our Alumni/Pledge dinner was a great success and our newest member had a chance to meet many of our great alumni. We are also holding a five-year anniversary celebration for the founding of our Chapter during our Alumni Tailgate for the homecoming game. We are roasting a pig and playing many different tailgate games while having a great time socializing with the alumni from around the Atlanta area. Many of the younger members are stepping up and the older members are guiding them as they take on new tasks. The younger members are trying to match and surpass the great events of last year, such as formal in New Orleans and the ACE Project where we had Random Acts of Kindness or RAK week, which all of campus appreciated.

We are very optimistic about this semester and plan for it to be a great one.

Grand Valley State University Theta-Rho Chapter h

N/A 69 151 3

Theta-Rho is having a great school year so far! We just got a new house, which is a big step forward for our Chapter. It is also a great recruiting tool for us. Speaking of recruiting, it could not be any better!

We’ve had awesome events like our annual Fireside Bash, beach volleyball, cards & cigars, and tours of our house! We look forward to increasing our numbers with gentlemen who live the creed.

Hofstra University

After a successful Summer, Eta-Gamma Chapter has overcome a major hurdle in our recent time at school. We were $14,000 in debt as of Fall 2013 and currently stand at zero balance. This was a goal set out by our current members who were eager to work together to get past a problem that was not necessarily the fault of one single member. Moving forward, Eta-Gamma Chapter has many objectives to complete for this upcoming year and semester. Increased EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

Indiana University Beta Chapter

N/A 110 1610 5 No report submitted.

Theta-Epsilon Chapter

N/A 22 240 0

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philanthropy and community service are two areas we are working on with events like Food not Bombs, a philanthropy that helps the local Hempstead community by handing out donated food to less fortunate people. Another area we are working to build on is recruitment. Executive Director Mike Ayalon is coming to Hofstra University on September 14th to give us a rush presentation. This presentation will help our Chapter see areas that we are weak in and can improve on in order to help us grow. The Chapter is excited to keep moving forward and build on each semesters triumphs, as well as events for the upcoming school year.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Eta-Gamma Chapter h

Theta-Rho Chapter at Grand Valley State University

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N/A 33 132 2 Theta-Epsilon Chapter has had a very successful year and is ready to continue moving forward. Improving Chapter GPA, size, participation, and image on campus are just a few of our goals this academic year and we are more than prepared to make them a reality. The Chapter has just moved in to a 22-bedroom complex that has helped to improve our name and stature on campus and in the Fraternity nationwide. We have developed a brand

new scholarship program with required study hours to improve Chapter GPA and began to strengthen our relationship with our alumni. Last but certainly not least, a Chapter efficiency score of greater than 900 is also a great start to the year! We are excited to continue our progress in making Sigma Pi the greatest Fraternity on campus and furthering our Quest for Excellence.

Iowa State University Sigma Chapter

N/A 77 490 5 Sigma Chapter is ready for a brand new school year! Coming back from Convocation with only one award for 900 efficiency, Sigma Chapter has their goals set on having an extremely successful biennium. The Chapter is proud to announce 20 new members joining the brotherhood at Iowa State! We are also excited to be hosting an Alumni Tailgate on September 28th. We hope to have a great showing and a great time with our great alumni. We are proud that our Chapter Director Tim Quick (S, Iowa State ’01) won the Lyle Smith Award for most outstanding Chapter Director.

Tim has done so much for our Chapter and we can’t thank him enough. Sigma Chapter had a lot of fun to start off the year by serenading all of the new Sorority members after formal rush. It is a great tradition at Iowa State, and the brothers look forward to it every year.

Johnson & Wales University Eta-Omega Chapter

N/A 31 166 1 After a long, hard-working Summer by all of us, the new school year has arrived and has arrived very quickly. Instantly, Eta-Omega Chapter went to work on improving our already solid recruitment efforts, and had a very successful first week of freshman move-in days, and the student activities night here on campus.

Eta-Omega Chapter is also starting this school year after making the 800 Club for Efficiency. Eta-Omega plans to once again have a very successful year financially, scholastically, and fraternally while moving forward in a positive direction and allowing us to continue growing into fine young men.

Kansas State University Iota-Alpha Chapter h

N/A 7 92 2

Iota-Alpha Chapter was able to attend the 52nd Biennial Convocation in Orlando, Florida. At the event, Iota-Alpha Chapter received the 800 Club Efficiency Award and Sage Skylar James was presented a Beats Pill from OmegaFi’s prize drawing.

Keene State College Iota-Rho Chapter h

N/A 31 13 0

With the Fall semester starting up here at Keene Stat, the brothers of Iota-Rho Chapter are very excited to kick off the year with two weeks of recruitment. We

are very hopeful for a large pledge class this Fall, as it will be the first pledge class for the Chapter. The brothers have a lot of upcoming events in regards to community service, philanthropy, and the ACE Project, which the Chapter will use to try to shape the image of fraternities for the better.

Also, with the planned brotherhood events, this semester has the potential to be really fun and exciting and all of the brothers are fired up to be back for another year.

No report submitted.

and we look forward to executing them.

This Summer, our sage, Erik Hansen, made the journey to Convocation in Orlando. Our Chapter has worked hard this past year, and we were fortunate enough to win the Grand Sage Cup, Grand Council Award, Grand Chapter Award, and the William J Cutbirth Jr Award. This award was for most-raised philanthropy dollars in the past two years, which we have been working diligently towards to help give back to the community. In addition, we also had the sixth highest GPA for fraternities on Miami University’s campus. With our Fall rush coming up shortly, we are excited to bring in about 40 new prospective members!

Louisiana Tech University

Michigan State University

Lawrence Technological University Zeta-Omicron Chapter h

2.7 26 267 1

Delta-Lambda Chapter

N/A 16 322 0 Delta-Lambda Chapter is planning on being successful this quarter. Sage Chastin Seeby worked as an Orientation Student Leader during the Summer. The Chapter volunteered their time to participate in Dog Haul,an event that helps students move in. The Chapter is looking forward to success in the future, and is fired up for their first formal rush as members of IFC at Louisiana Tech University.

Miami University Eta-Phi Chapter

3.03 109 530 1 Eta-Phi Chapter is excited to get another year underway. With nearly 100 men yet again, we have a lot of activities we are working on for the upcoming semester,

Zeta-Mu Chapter h

2.73 102 353 3

No report submitted.

Michigan Technological University Zeta-Epsilon Chapter

N/A 31 309 2 No report submitted.

Middle Tennessee State University Theta-Omega Chapter

N/A 32 104 2 Here at Theta-Omega Chapter, we are eager to have an exceptional Fall semester with our new alumni advisory board. We are currently in the middle of recruitment and are looking forward to starting homecoming festivities with our new members. Theta-Omega also has a new ACE Project in the works this semester. Our Sage, Jonathan Gandy, won Homecoming King this year. In the last six years, only two IFC men won MTSU’s homecoming crown, and both were Sigma Pi members. We hope to engage our alumni to help with the event and improve alumni relations all while helping MTSU.

Missouri Southern State University Eta-Mu Chapter

N/A 25 229 3 Eta-Mu Chapter sent 4 brothers (Timothy Daniel, Nicklas Polizzi, Steven Babcock, and Michael Chilton) to Convocation which was an awesome experience and which brought us a lot of good ideas for the coming semesters. We started planning our semester early in the Summer. We focused in particular on Theta-Omega Chapter at Middle Tennessee State University

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EMERALD REPORTS

Alpha-Iota Chapter at Missouri University of Science and Technology

our rush for the Fall 2014. Our goals for this semester are high, concentrating on new members, philanthropy, scholarship, community service and brotherhood. We are excited for the upcoming month and are going to work hard to achieve those goals. We put a lot of effort in our Fall rush and it turned out very successful. Instead of having big rush events, we used campus events that were organized by our campus activity board to meet new people and make new friends. This method worked out for us very well. We will be pledging in 12 new members this semester and our goal is to see all of them initiate which would double our size. The start of Fall semester was successful. Now we will continue to work hard to reach our goals concerning philanthropy, scholarship, community service, and Brotherhood.

Missouri State University Alpha-Rho Chapter h

2.97 77 1035 7

Alpha-Rho Chapter was excited to send its first group of brothers to Convocation since we chartered! We were able to send six brothers to Orlando. In doing so, we tied for first in attendance with Drury.

We hope to be able to send extra people like this in the future to better relate and present topics discussed during meetings to the rest of the Chapter. This semester we are very excited to start building relationships with other Chapters and our local alumni and have events planned throughout the year to connect with our brothers. We also look forward to building

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relationships with other organizations on campus and be more of a presence at athletic events, especially some of the under-appreciated sports. We have had a lot of good feedback and appreciation from Maroon Madness and the Men’s Soccer Team. Our new members are also showing a lot of support in these areas and hope to contribute in a positive way. This semester we hope to be up to 70 quality men.

Missouri University of Science and Technology Alpha-Iota Chapter

N/A 38 855 3 This new school year has Alpha-Iota Chapter very excited for what is in store during the upcoming semester. We recently volunteered to help the Humane Society in St. James, Missouri. We plan to have our annual custodial luncheon ACE Project at the end of the semester, where we cook and provide free lunch to the custodial staff at our school. We have had three socials so far this semester with Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, Delta Omicron Lambda Sorority, and Chi Omega Sorority, all of which were a great time. We gained ten new members this semester, and are now standing at 36 total undergraduate members. Our Chapter also gained a new Chapter Director, Jeremy Morris (AI, Missouri S&T ’10). As an alumnus of our Chapter, he has been a great help to us so far and we are looking forward to all the work he will be doing with us in the coming years.

Monmouth University Delta-Beta Chapter

2.93 31 329 2 With classes back in session at Monmouth, Delta-Beta Chapter has hit the ground running and is ambitious to get back into the full swing of things.The biennial Convocation delivered a very rare opportunity to meet undergraduate brothers from around the country, which reaffirmed our confidence in Sigma Pi, all of its members and deliberations. With heavy emphasis on recruitment efforts within Delta-Beta Chapter, many of the undergraduate members, in concert with the plans of our recruitment chair, have taken it upon themselves to go out and actively recruit more frequently than years past. As we strive to maintain an efficient and exemplary Chapter, undergraduate executive council members are beginning to work with the potential successors of their positions as well as current chair holders working with their potential successors as well. On behalf of myself and the rest of Delta-Beta Chapter, I would like to thank David Reale for his support of our trip to Orlando for Convocation and his consistent support of our Chapter over the years. As Delta-Beta Chapter commences what is going to be a very important year in terms of improving our Chapter, the undergraduate brothers are coming closer than ever over the betterment of our Chapter in every possible aspect.

Murray State University Gamma-Upsilon Chapter

2.73 46 599 5

Iota-Iota Chapter at Montclair State University

Montclair State University Iota-Iota Chapter h

N/A 22 63 0

The brothers at Montclair State are eager for a new exciting year to begin.

After having successfully completed last year’s moratorium imposed by the school officials, we will now be allowed to have a full year of intake privileges. This opens up doors for our Chapter to increase its numbers and its presence on campus and when multiplied by the thrill of receiving an efficiency award during the 2014 Convocation, morale is at an all-time high.

This semester we are planning to bring back our Powder Puff Football competition between all the Sororities on campus and aiming to make it our biggest event of the year. Looking back at the all the progress we have made in the past year, this is just an exciting time to be a Sigma Pi brother at Montclair. We rose to have one of the highest GPA’s out of the organizations on our campus, added 8 new impressive gentlemen to our roster, and reworked several of our processes to make it easier to run the Chapter in the future. Last year, Iota-Iota took it’s time to look inside and fix its problems, this year we hope to reap the rewards of our efforts, multiply our numbers, and become one of the most impressive Chapters of Sigma Pi.

Morehead State University Delta-Rho Chapter h

N/A 16 482 4

Capping off last year as champions of Greek Week, Delta-Rho Chapter is very excited to keep progressing into becoming one of the best organizations on campus.

This Fall semester has a lot in store for us including big events for our Alumni for Homecoming week. Our annual formal in Gatlinburg will be the biggest most eventful yet. We have established representatives in IFC and our Chapter is ecstatic to keep growing towards intrafraternal leadership. All visitors are welcome here at our home, especially our alumni; come by and share your love.

Gamma-Upsilon Chapter was very excited to get back to school and hit the ground running with recruitment! During Fall rush, we are proud to announce that we have 14 new members and are actively recruiting to increase that number. Fall Fest, our annual philanthropy, will be held Oct. 23rd- 25th. The Chapter is excited to participate in all the Sororities philanthropy events this semester. We would like to Congratulate alumni GS E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ‘70) and GH Les Wright (GU, Murray State ‘70) on being elected to Grand Council!

New Jersey Institute Of Technology Alpha-Mu Chapter h

2.89 34 865 4

Over the Summer the brothers of AlphaMu Chapter were working hard making needed repairs and improvements to our Chapter house. Now that the Summer has ended, it feels good to be back in the classroom. Fall recruitment is going well and we hope to have a great pledge class this semester. Having great success in our Fall recruitment, we hope that this will continue into our Spring semester.

North Carolina State University Rho Chapter

2.81 59 721 0 No report submitted.

Oakland University Zeta-Pi Chapter h

N/A 27 262 4

After a productive Summer of planning and preparation, Zeta-Pi Chapter is looking forward to a very promising school year! In August, members of the Chapter partook in a weekend retreat to Frankfort, MI to relax, discuss plans for welcome week and explore new methods of rush. We kicked off the year strong with a successful freshmen move-in and made wonderful first impressions with the newcomers. Welcome week was concluded with our 20th annual Pig Roast ACE Project and we couldn’t be happier about this year’s turnout! We met lots of great guys who are excited to learn more about Sigma Pi and are itching to get involved. As part of the event, we tied in our first philanthropy event of the year in support of the Amazing Day Foundation.

Special thanks to all of the alumni that came out and supported us! Zeta-Pi Chapter is in a very good position for growth and prosperity this semester, we absolutely cannot wait!

Ohio University Epsilon Chapter

N/A 80 323 0 We have been busy here at Epsilon Chapter getting ready for Fall semester.

We had a successful Summer and improved greatly in efficiency points & the Gold Standard from last school year.

We held Fall rush the second week in September and currently have a great pledge class. Some events we have planned include a philanthropy event and Fall formal. Our philanthropy event is “Kings of the Court” a 3v3 Basketball tournament benefiting the Ohio University scholarship fund. We co-hosted the event with OU Delivery, a delivery service company started by our own brothers.

Our formal will be taking place the first weekend of October at a mansion cabin in Gatlinburg, Tenn. We are ready to have a successful school year and looking to improve as a Chapter even more!

Oklahoma State University Iota-Pi Chapter h

N/A 37 16 0

No report submitted.

Old Dominion University Theta-Eta Chapter h

2.89 43 143 1

Theta-Eta Chapter finished the Spring semester strong. We won the President’s Cup in a decisive manner and two of our members were recognized at the FLSI awards, including Connor Schwalm. In May, we celebrated the graduation of Jeremy Jones, Arthur Bern, Nick Montana, Brandon Foster, Kirk Smith, and our Sweetheart Jessica Evert. We thank the Alumni who attended the Alumni event in Downtown Norfolk. August was a busy month for the Chapter. James Kling and Jeremy Evert attended Convocation where the Chapter received awards for perfect efficiency, being a Top 25 Chapter, and a Top 12 Chapter. Joe Mota received a scholarship from the Educational Foundation and Kim Sibson, our Faculty Advisor, received the Faculty Advisor of the Biennium award for her work. Prior to the start of school, the Chapter initiated ...Continued On Next Page FALL 2014

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EMERALD REPORTS 11 new members into our Brotherhood. It is an exciting time at ODU as the campus is now in Conference USA and the FBS. The institution broke ground on the new College of Education in September and will soon be breaking ground on the new dining facility. The institution is awaiting the final word on our new football stadium, which is planned for the area where Powhatan apartments currently are located. We encourage everyone to visit the Campus Master Plan website to see how ODU is growing. We are busily planning Homecoming, which is scheduled to be November 8th. Our current plans include a meet and greet on Friday evening, a tailgating event on Saturday before the game against Florida International University, and the Alumni Chapter Meeting on Sunday. We would like to thank the Alumni who donated to the Chapter throughout the Summer. We are in the process of accepting donations or ideas for fundraising in order to purchase the last of the robes needed for initiation and to raise our savings account to above $11,000 so that we can send money to the Educational Foundation. We are almost at the $9,000 level. The money sent to the Educational Foundation will allow our Alumni to donate and receive a tax-break and allow the Chapter to give out scholarships to members and potential members. For more information, please contact Brian Kurisky about how to help.

Oregon State University Omega Chapter h

N/A 56 639 4

After a successful Spring term and a long Summer of rest, Omega Chapter is returning to school. We are hoping to set a new record for Fall rush and will be moving back into the house shortly. We will continue our commitment to better ourselves and the community around us.

With Fall term starting late September we are also looking forward to initiating new members and welcoming new men to our Fraternity.

Pennsylvania College of Technology Theta-Phi Chapter h

N/A 21 74 1

The Fall 2014/Spring 2015 school year is under way and has a clear and exciting purpose for Theta-Phi Chapter. A Chapter anchored in seniors, as well as reactivated alumni, are determined to grow and develop the newest members from last year’s successful recruitment classes into

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leaders of Theta-Phi that will take Sigma Pi to the top of Penn College. This influx of new recruits include the long-awaited Omicron class, who we are proud to say were initiated at the start of the Fall semester! Exciting times await Theta-Phi this semester.

also helped freshman move in on dorm move in day to help give back to the community and add to our recruitment names list. We look forward towards a successful semester and wish the same to the rest of our Chapters internationally.

Pennsylvania State University

Zeta-Chi Chapter

Theta Chapter

N/A 95 1161 1 No report submitted.

Pennsylvania State University-Altoona Theta-Iota Chapter

2.61 20 110 2 No report submitted.

Purdue University Eta Chapter h

N/A 43 894 1

It’s been a long and productive Summer at Eta Chapter. Our housing manager was hard at work at fixing up a ton of things around the house. Along with that, we are about 3/4 of the way through converting our large third floor cold air room into our new media room. With a new paint job, it looks fantastic. We were very honored this Summer to receive an award for 1,000 efficiency points at Convocation, it was a great team effort and we couldn’t be more excited. We also brought home another piece of hardware from Convocation, an outstanding ACE Project award for our Mobile Food Pantry. Months of planning and advertising paid off and it was an absolutely huge success for our Chapter.

As we look forward to the rest of this semester, we have a goal of recruiting 20 new men to join our organization. As of right now we are 1/4 of the way there and we have no plans of slowing down.

Radford University Theta-Lambda Chapter

N/A 49 135 1 Theta-Lambda has jumped right back into business this year after a productive Summer. The information that Sage Sean Cooper and Second Counselor Wade Owens have brought back from Convocation has proven to be invaluable.

We are currently in the process of conducting recruitment activities and it is looking like this semesters rush will be as successful as last thanks to the efforts of all of our brothers and our Recruitment Chair Coleman Applegate. Theta-Lambda

Rowan University 3.07 57 318 0 Zeta-Chi Chapter was very active over the Summer. The Chapter sold concessions at the following concerts: Governors Ball (3 days, 2 booths), PHISH (3 days, 3 booths), The Fray (1 day, 1 booth), Soja (1 day, 1 booth), 311 (1 day, 1 booth), Thievery Corporation (1 day, 1 booth), and Brantley Gilbert (1 day, 1 booth). Over $16,000 was raised this Summer, helping improve the Chapter and discounting dues for those who worked the concerts. We started raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project at the end of last semester, and plan to continue to raise money throughout the upcoming year. This organization helps support the medical bills, as well as the families, of service men and women who were wounded in battle. To raise money, a donation table was set-up and a Zeta-Chi donation was made. A Rent-A-Brother event will be set up to raise money, where a brother will donate three hours of his time and people can bid on them. Whoever wins the auction will get those three hours to make the brother do whatever they want, and the money will go towards the Wounded Warrior Project. To date, we have raised over $1,000, but hope to reach our goal of $4,000. To finish off the Summer, there was a brotherhood retreat held at our Chapter house. To begin the new semester, a large number of the brothers helped move freshmen into their dorm rooms. Expect to see more big things from Zeta-Chi Chapter!

Rutgers State University of New Jersey Gamma-Eta Chapter h

3.13 63 549 4

Entering the Fall semester after a wildly successful convocation, Gamma-Eta Chapter is looking to continually improve ourselves. The executive board and chairmen all began the semester by meeting with our Chapter Advisor, Paul Gorman, and discussing how we want our Chapter to continue to thrive. By achieving the Four Star Chapter award from the Office of Fraternity & Sorority

Theta-Chi Chapter at Saint Joseph’s University

Affairs at Rutgers and a Grand Council award at Convocation, we are proud to have come so far since chartering in Fall of 2012. While we are significantly smaller due to the graduating of a majority of our founding fathers, we are working toward having a strong recruitment and remaining a driving force within Fraternity and Sorority life. Our past success in Keller, the inter-fraternal sports league, has promoted us to the Scarlet League, putting us in higher standings within the league. We have two alumni events coming on September 28th at Rutgers and a Golf Outing on October 5th.

We are looking forward to the challenges ahead and will be ready to tackle them head on!

Saginaw Valley State University Theta-Beta Chapter

N/A 37 172 1 Over this last Summer we have had our Summer retreat where we talked about our main focuses for this upcoming semester. Our Chapter spent retreat planning out our rush events and our standards for men we recruited. ThetaBeta also worked on ideas for what our homecoming float and our homecoming week in general is going to be. We talked about how our Chapter has risen as whole gaining our first 900+ efficiency score.

Also we focused on what we need to do throughout this year so that we can strive for excellence once again and out score our last years efficiency points.

Saint Joseph’s University Theta-Chi Chapter h

N/A 43 116 0

Theta-Chi Chapter has had a fantastic and productive semester. The Sigma Pi members have dedicated their time to improving Fraternity and Sorority Life on Saint Joseph’s campus by working together on philanthropy and community service events. Theta-Chi Chapter received an ACE award and a certificate of efficiency at Convocation. This semester the undergraduate members will strive to increase Chapter membership and Give back to Saint Joseph’s campus.

Salisbury University Theta-Xi Chapter

N/A 51 133 1 Theta-Xi Chapter is excited to start off the new year with high goals and higher expectations. We are currently focusing on recruitment with hopes of growing our membership back above fifty brothers, after graduating our seniors last May. We are also actively working on planning our second annual Pumpkin Homerun Derby philanthropy event. As the semester continues to move forward, Theta-Xi plans on learning how to better both our own Chapter and our university as a whole.

San Jose State University Beta-Eta Chapter

N/A 19 460 2 Convocation in Orlando was great! Many great times were had and much was learned. The Fall semester will be a quiet

one for Beta-Eta. We are working on restructuring our bylaws, committees, and performing a complete overhaul of the Chapter. It is a much needed change and we will come out a much stronger Chapter in the end.

Santa Clara University Zeta-Eta Chapter h

N/A 65 639 3

Zeta-Eta Chapter finished the year off well with our 29th Orchid Ball in San Diego this past May. The Executive Council and committee chairs have been diligently working this Summer to make changes that are going to become critical to our viability this next school year. We will also be holding rush events this Fall and are extremely excited to begin our Beta-Alpha class. Zeta-Eta Chapter is approaching its 30th year as a Chapter at Santa Clara University and will be building upon our alumni relations to really take advantage of what has been established by our founding fathers.

Seton Hall University Delta-Epsilon Chapter h

N/A 42 355 4

Delta-Epsilon Chapter has come back this year with high expectations and goals set that we are committed to accomplishing.

The Chapter started off the year with challenging Gamma-Eta Chapter at Rutgers, the Greek Life Campus Advisor, Maggie Bach, and the Alpha Phi Sorority on campus to completing the ALS Challenge. The Chapter completed ...Continued On Next Page FALL 2014

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Theta-Delta Chapter at The College of New Jersey

the challenge and also raised $430. We donated half to our philanthropy, The Sean Vernon Amazing Day Foundation and the other half to the ALS Foundation.

We hope that the other organizations can raise money and awareness, just as we did. In the coming month we have a 5K race for the Sean Vernon Amazing Day Foundation. From September 8-14th is Suicide Awareness week, we are going to be selling suicide awareness ribbons and handing out information & fact sheets about suicide, all proceeds will go towards the Sean Vernon Amazing Day Foundation. The 5K race will be taking place on campus and all proceeds will be going towards our philanthropy.

Also the Chapter is setting up a Kan Jam tournament that will take place on campus and we are looking forward to using it as a great rush opportunity while also a fundraiser. Delta-Epsilon had a great turnout and interest at the involvement fair on campus. We are excited for the upcoming Meet the Greeks event in which we hope to have a great chance at talking to some potential new members.

Southern Arkansas University Epsilon-Kappa Chapter h

2.93 29 380 1

We’ve gotten back in full swing this semester here at Epsilon-Kappa Chapter

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and kicked the Fall off with a mini rivertrip before classes started. Our aim this semester is to continue to move forward as a Chapter and progress after a very successful past year where we received numerous awards including Fraternity of the Year. We’re looking at a great group of potentials this Fall as our recruiting has really showed drastic improvement after an overhaul and we have our goals set high as to what we’d like to achieve.

We’re also aiming to string together even more brotherhood events as well as getting more involved with the other organizations on campus to really make a difference in our community.

Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale Beta-Nu Chapter

2.74 38 917 1 The men of Beta-Nu Chapter hope that all brothers had a wonderful Summer. Our Summer welcomed the new Beta pledge class as well as a very productive Summer meeting, which brought new ideas to our recruitment process. We are excited for our Fall semester with many new plans for the future. Some upcoming Fall events such as welcoming the new Gamma pledge class and homecoming just to name a few. As August ushered in the new semester we kicked recruitment into high

gear, which hopefully yields a promising Gamma pledge class. We are making strides to becoming an influential part of the Greek community here on campus.

Overall we are striving to make positive progress towards the future.

Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville Delta-Omega Chapter

N/A 41 395 3 Delta-Omega Chapter has been running smoothly with a full on push toward recruitment and retention of new members. The Sigma Pi undergraduate brothers have been working diligently to bring together a new class of gentlemen to bring us back to our once thriving and advancing Chapter status. Thus far, we are feeling very confident in our efforts in both on campus activities, and intramural sports ventures. Thanks to our Spring semester success in both sports, fundraising, and general on campus participation in all areas of Fraternity and Sorority Life we have noticed a great new level of interest in potential new members and Sorority relations. Delta-Omega is greatly looking forward to the rest of the semester, and we would also like to make special note and extend thanks to all of the previous and new alumni brothers that have ventured out to our local events.

Southern Polytechnic State University Epsilon-Alpha Chapter h

N/A 21 387 2

Epsilon-Alpha is excited and ready for the new school year! After having one of the best formal recruitments in recent years, the brothers are all set to for the year. With the merger of Southern Polytechnic State University and Kennesaw State University beginning this upcoming Spring, we are preparing to do are best to succeed on the new and bigger campus. We have set goals to improve our relations with our alumni.

We believe that with their help and our new found focus and determination that we can succeed and thrive on our new campus. With undergraduates moral at an all time high, we truly feel that we can and will be the best Fraternity at Southern Poly and eventually Kennesaw.

St. John’s University St. Johns Colony

N/A 30 0 0 Despite being less then a year old, the colony at St. John’s University has already had a fantastic first two semesters. Since colonization in February 2014, this exemplary group of Founding Fathers continues to lay the groundwork for great things to come, striving to improve the St. John’s community by playing an active role in SJU’s InterFraternity Council (IFC), while also giving back to the greater community as a whole. To this end, several brothers participated in raising funds for The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, shaving their heads for children’s cancer research, and participated in events for Relay for Life, supporting cancer research.

Last semester, the colony also competed in St. John’s annual “Greek Week” festivities, participating in multiple completions and events, showcasing excellence through their sportsmanship and respect, all while receiving a warm welcome into Greek Life at St. John’s and the University community as a whole. As they move towards a successful transition from colony to Chapter, with the help of our advisors, the expansion team, and the dedication of our Founding Fathers, we can all expect to see excellence from our chapter, very soon.

The College Of New Jersey Theta-Delta Chapter

N/A 56 275 0 Since the end of last semester, ThetaDelta Chapter has continued to grow and develop. Over the Summer, we have had

a number of brothers working internships for prestigious firms and companies including PricewaterhouseCoopers and Johnson and Johnson. Our newest members from the Spring have already begun embedding themselves in the TCNJ campus by joining many leadership organizations including student government, varsity athletics, and the IFC. Our Chapter has been busy with planning out the semester, and we are focusing on improving the philanthropy events and community service. Overall, our Chapter is at an all-time high in every aspect of our brotherhood and we intend to keep performing as such in the coming months.

recently sponsored an American Red Cross blood drive on campus which was an enormous success! We plan on continuing that trend throughout the rest of the year with participation in many community service and philanthropy events benefiting the university community and surrounding Buffalo area. The undergraduate brothers here in Buffalo are also looking forward to welcoming back their alumni brethren for our annual alumni weekend which is coming up soon. If the first two weeks back at school are indicative of what’s to come this year, then it looks like it’s going to be a good one for the boys in Buffalo!

The Ohio State University

Theta-Omicron Chapter

Gamma Chapter

N/A 66 667 3 Gamma Chapter has had an excellent past 6 months improving as a Chapter both financially, and in regards to brotherhood.

The Chapter went above and beyond it’s gold standard, increasing by nearly 30 percent, had a great ACE Project, and managed to lower insurance by a substantial amount. For the upcoming semester, Gamma has increased the minimum volunteer hours with many talks already in the works for various philanthropy projects. This is not a shortsighted occurrence, Gamma is on the rise and will continue to impress.

University of Alabama N/A 95 215 1 Theta-Omicron is set for a great semester here at the Capstone. We signed a Fall class of 33 pledges which will ensure us keeping over 100 active members. The Chapter is looking forward to our ten year Alumni/Parents weekend later this semester in October to commemorate our time here on campus. Over the past semester we have completely renovated the entire common area of our Chapter house including the dining area, living room, and Founders’ room.

University of Arkansas Alpha-Sigma Chapter h

Epsilon-Omicron Chapter at University at Buffalo

University at Buffalo Epsilon-Omicron Chapter

N/A 42 292 3 After an excellent previous two semesters, which resulted in an Efficiency Award at Convocation this Summer, EpsilonOmicron is already off to a busy start this year. In addition to preparing for what we expect to be a very successful rush, we

N/A 57 459 1

The gentlemen of Alpha-Sigma have spent all Summer planning for what is to be one of our most successful years yet.

This year we have restructured our entire Chapter, with emphasis on scholarship and giving back to our community. Our presence at the University of Arkansas is growing too, as we are expecting a full pledge class. We have planned many newmember events to give our young guys a chance to get comfortable on campus, as well as a few service projects to give back to the community. This semester, we are teaming up with our InterFraternity Council and Habitat for Humanity to build a house. The house will be donated to a family in need here in the Fayetteville area. As for next semester, we have many philanthropy events in mind that we plan on participating in. This plus other social events on campus will give AlphaSigma the jumpstart it needs to carry on a positive image throughout the university as well as Sigma Pi Fraternity. ...Continued On Next Page FALL 2014

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Iota Chapter at University of California-Berkeley

University of California-Berkeley Iota Chapter

N/A 42 615 4 This start of the Fall semester has gone off with a bang at Iota Chapter. The week prior to school starting our brothers worked hard and installed new flooring in various rooms around our house.

Following that up we are seeing our largest pledge class in years, coupled with the largest of brothers living-in at the house. We are on tract to double the number of brothers in the house by the end of this school year.

University of California-Irvine Eta-Upsilon Chapter

N/A 54 393 0 The Summer has been a great time for the brothers of Eta-UpsilonChapter. Much of the Summer has been spent organizing a dynamic Fall rush with which we hope to raise the overall size of our Chapter to over 110 men. Brothers have spent countless hours preparing to rush the next generation of brothers into our Fraternity.

University of California-Los Angeles Upsilon Chapter

N/A 97 1176 4 Our Chapter continues to grow in brotherhood, social events, and recognition from the staff and students

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at UCLA. Over the Summer we have managed to keep our brotherhood strong by having brothers continue living in the house, and overseeing the property. We also have been organizing multiple successful social events to bring all the brothers back together, while strengthening our connections with Sororities as well as prospect rushees. We are preparing for a large Fall pledge class.

University of California-Santa Barbara Alpha-Omicron Chapter h

N/A 130 351 4

Alpha-Omicron is in full swing and gearing up for Fall Recruitment. Over the Summer our brothers have worked diligently on preparing and improving not only our physical house, but our brotherhood as well. A few of the projects we have worked on are the sanding and refinishing of our deck and fence, a resurfacing of our flooring and soon a kitchen renovation for the new in-house chef. In terms of strengthening our fraternal bond, Alpha-Omicron will be hosting a brotherhood retreat in Rancho Oso. We plan to focus on improving as a Chapter both at UC-Santa Barbara and nationally as well. After our retreat, it is back to the grind as school will be starting very soon. As always, Alpha-Omicron is excited for our bright future and success to come.

University of California-Santa Cruz Iota-Eta Chapter

N/A 89 130 0 After a large 2014 graduating class, IotaEta Chapter has experienced a noticeable shift in leadership. The younger members of Chapter now have more opportunities to take leadership roles. A completely new Executive Council and many promising new Chair Heads makes for very exciting times for our young Chapter. Though the 2014-2015 Academic school year begins on October 2nd, our Chapter has already planned a philanthropic event raising awareness on the topic of sexual assault in college settings. Our Chapter is also preparing for a very exciting Fall Rush in which UC-Santa Cruz will be experiencing its largest Freshman class in school history. We are making it our mission to promote our message across campus and select an intelligent and diverse group of new members. These new members will be educated on what it truly means to be a Sigma Pi and will be held to the same standards every one of our active Brothers is held to.

University of Central Florida Iota-Kappa Chapter

2.95 125 124 1 Our Chapter just wrapped up a great Spring semester, bringing in a 10 man

pledge class and finishing off in second place for the intramural sports Greek Cup. We are currently recruiting an awesome Fall pledge class and are looking forward to an action-packed Fall semester.

University of Central Missouri Gamma-Gamma Chapter h

2.86 49 617 2

This semester has started off with a bang for Gamma-Gamma. Undergraduate brother Grant Berry did a fantastic job with rush. So far, we have given out 27 bid cards, and 25 of those have signed.

This gives Gamma-Gamma one of the largest pledge classes on campus, as well as one of the largest classes in over twenty-five years. Apart from recruitment we have been working on some other beneficial things for our Chapter here at the University of Central Missouri.

We now have a fully functional website (ucmsigmapi.wix.com/ucmsigmapi), we placed second overall in intramurals, and earned another award for our endeavors with the Altruistic Campus Experience Project. We are very proud to have been awarded with the Top 25 Chapter Award at convocation, and we are a part of the 900 Efficiency Club for the second year in a row. Gamma-Gamma is partnered with Sigma Kappa Sorority this year for homecoming. David Rogers is our candidate, and is ready to give it his all.

Our goal is to beat-out last year’s top three position and achieve higher. This year is already on its way to being phenomenal for us here at Gamma-Gamma Chapter.

We eagerly look forward to the rest of this Fall semester.

University of Colorado-Boulder Zeta-Delta Chapter h

N/A 76 503 1

The brothers of Zeta-Delta are back in Boulder excited for a new year. Over the Summer, President Sam Benavram attended Convocation. The 900 efficiency award was given to the Chapter for the first time in our existence. The Chapter has been taking many steps forward at the beginning of the semester as the 4-degree renaissance program is being progressively worked on with contributions from the whole Chapter.

The Fall semester’s rush is expect to be a successful one with the upcoming initiation of the 2014 Spring pledge class, and the 3 year lease signed on the Chapter house. With new plans, and programs that have been put in place, the Chapter

is functioning better than ever, and we all expect a bright future ahead.

University of Delaware Iota-Beta Chapter

3.03 71 156 0 Iota-Beta Chapter is looking forward to another promising Fall semester. Last school year’s two pledge classes, a total of 27, fulfilled our goal of rebuilding to a substantial Chapter size of 65. With that being said, we have sustained our presence in students minds around campus as the Rush season as come into full swing and near 150 new faces have shown interest. Over the Summer, we sent two delegates to the Convocation in Orlando who brought back experiences from many different Chapters as well as past Grand Council members. Looking further into the Fall semester, we look forward to working closely with our Chapter adviser, former Grand Sage John Williams, to promoting a growing scholarship dedicated to his late brother and a brother of Sigma Pi: D. Bruce Williams. This award will be presented at the annual Founders’ Day Ceremony in February. Overall, the excitement and anticipation is high for another great semester for the Iota-Beta Chapter.

University of Detroit-Mercy Gamma-Alpha Chapter

N/A 21 508 5 No report submitted.

University of Georgia Alpha-Phi Chapter h

N/A 80 778 8

The Summer of 2014 was an active one for Alpha-Phi Chapter. The Chapter sent brothers down to attend Convocation, where they congratulated Alpha-Phi’s very own Mark Reed on being honored with the Founders’ Award. Summer rush, led by sophomore rush chair James Smith, brought in 17 new members. Summer rush consisted of two Atlanta Braves game events where the Chapter brought over 100 people to each game. Regarding the house, Alpha-Phi would like to thank both alumni and parents for contributing to several in-house improvements that has the house looking great. The school year has gotten off to a great start in multiple aspects. Alpha-Phi launched a Facebook Group for parents that is used to keep the parents frequently updated with events like Parent Weekend (September 19-20)

and other tailgates, and it has been a great success. A new scholarship program holds every brother accountable for their grades and begins to take away social privileges if brothers cannot maintain a grade point average above 3.0. The social calendar has seen great improvement with regard to new Sorority relations and has boosted the Chapter’s reputation on campus twofold. For the first home football game of the year against Clemson, Alpha-Pi hosted Eta-Psi Chapter from Clemson.

Eta-Psi brought a large group down for the game on a bus, and it was pleasure to meet them and their guests. The brothers are looking to use this early momentum to make great strides this semester.

University of Houston Theta-Nu Chapter h

N/A 32 95 0

Theta-Nu Chapter at the University of Houston is off to a great start this year.

We have a brand new football stadium and our tailgates have had a big turnout of brothers and alumni. Rush is looking really good this Fall, and we are expecting a pretty big pledge class. We have been making improvements around the house like making new letters, updating the brotherhood room, and building a study room. We are focusing more on philanthropy and are planning to do and event for Donate Life Week. We were awarded with the highest GPA in IFC and expect to have the highest GPA again.

University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Phi Chapter

N/A 16 943 4 With this new school year, Phi Chapter looks forward to a strong recruitment season; the Chapter has set a goal of doubling membership in the Fall semester, and hoping to finish the academic year with around 50 undergraduate members.

Currently, our names list has over 100 names and continues to develop each week. In addition to Chapter growth, Phi Chapter looks forward to implementing a revitalized new member education program. This new program seeks to add recruitment, etiquette, and chairman/ exec board function workshops to the pledge education process. With these new projects under way, Phi Chapter is excited to start the school year! ...Continued On Next Page FALL 2014

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EMERALD REPORTS University of Iowa Xi Chapter

N/A 117 637 5 We are looking forward to a fantastic Fall semester for Xi Chapter here at the University of Iowa! We recently just initiated seven new brothers into the Fraternity. Recruitment was very strong this semester and with all the help from fellow brothers we ended up with 36 new members! That number is enough to put us past the goal of a one hundred man Chapter ! We are excited to welcome these new brothers into our Chapter.

Our brotherhood is at an all-time high after receiving the Grand Sage Cup at Convocation in Orlando, Florida. We are honored to be known as one of the best Sigma Pi Chapters in the nation.

We are planning to go skydiving for our brotherhood event. This will be a great opportunity for all of the brothers to spend some time together doing something fun outside of campus. This Fall we are glad to be paired with Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity for Homecoming. This will be great for the brothers to get involved Fraternity and Sorority life and come together to compete in friendly competition. The community service that we have planned for this semester is for the brothers to volunteer with the hospital here at the university.

This will help the brothers connect with the community in a positive way and give us a good name as a Chapter. With the great success that we have had as a Chapter we will continue to make Xi Chapter thrive at the University of Iowa!

University of Kansas Beta-Delta Chapter

N/A 63 79 0 No report submitted.

University of Louisville Iota-Omicron Chapter h

2.43 39 25 0

Iota-Omicron is off to a great start this Fall. We began the year with a brotherhood retreat at a fellow brother’s house. Then we had a back to school cookout on campus. We look forward to another great Fall pledge class.

University of Michigan N/A 3 170 1 No report submitted.

EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG

University of Minnesota Iota-Zeta Chapter

3.12 58 80 0 Iota-Zeta Chapter is coming off an exciting Summer, in which they received several prestigious awards at Convocation. The Chapter was bestowed with the honors of a top 25 Chapter, a top 12 Chapter, the Beyer Fryburg 1000 Efficiency Award, and the Louis Foley Award. We are hoping to carry this momentum into the school year, as we have several important events in the near future. Our annual Foam Party Charity Event is scheduled for this semester, in which we will raise money for the Amazing Day Foundation.

However, it is this semester’s formal rush that really has the men of Iota-Zeta Chapter thrilled, as we hope to add 20 or more new members to our Chapter. So far, everything is going well, and we hope to report great success by the end of the year.

University of Mississippi Beta-Mu Chapter

N/A 145 278 0 Beta-Mu Chapter received 942 efficiency points this year. Beta-Mu Chapter also received the Merino/Tash 100 man Chapter Award, and an achievement

Alpha-Beta Chapter

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award for reaching pledge and initiate goals for the 2012-2013 school year.

Beta-Mu Chapter is very proud of the awards we won, and we will continue to thrive and grow as a Chapter in hopes of meeting new goals and achievement.

The Chapter is looking forward to hosting Founders Award recipient PGS Jim Verplank (BM, Ole Miss ’61), on October 18th. If you would like more information about The Chapter please contact our Sage Connor Craig at betamu@sigmapi.org.

University of Missouri Gamma-Sigma Chapter

3.1 111 514 2 Gamma-Sigma Chapter had a very successful Summer recruitment thanks to our Recruitment Chairman David Harris.

Our pledge class for the Fall semester includes 42 quality young men, 22 of which are living in the Chapter house.

Gamma-Sigma Chapter also had an excellent time at Convocation in August, where we took home some hardware including the Membership Recruitment, Membership Increase, 100 Man Chapter, and 1000 Efficiency Awards. After a busy but refreshing Summer, we’re looking forward to getting back to work this semester and continuing the success of Gamma-Sigma Chapter.

hand to the Rhode Island Blood Center, along with scheduling an Alton Jones URI Campus cleanup where we are partnering with another Greek organization. This year, we expect to have the largest and most outstanding pledge class we have had in recent memory. AlphaUpsilon Chapter has not only exceeded national expectations but has upheld the international standard for excellence within our own Chapter. Our Chapter has rapidly improved in recent years and we plan to uphold the traditions of Sigma Pi while simultaneously maturing within our own Chapter.

University of San Diego Epsilon-Chi Colony

N/A 49 369 0

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

3.22 38 434 6

Delta-Zeta Chapter had seven members graduate last semester and we wish them the best of luck as graduates and alumni. Over the Summer we initiated two more members into our ranks and have started off the school year strong in recruitment. This past semester we once again had the highest Fraternity/Sorority GPA on campus. This is also our eighth straight time having the highest GPA among Fraternities on campus. Along with outstanding grades we have also raised the most money for philanthropy and had the most community service hours on campus for Fraternities/Sororities. DeltaZeta received the Perfect Efficiency Award at Convocation this year as well. We have had an amazing couple of years and are continuing to progress to even higher goals.

University of Oregon Iota-Epsilon Chapter h

N/A 73 116 3

Iota-Epsilon Chapter finished out the school year on a strong note with the initiation of our Spring Zeta class.

Numerous renovations have been made to our house in the recent months. Thanks to generous donations from our Mom’s Weekend fundraiser we were able to turn our third floor common room into a fully functional study room. Also, the house has received a fresh coat of paint and brand new carpeting. Our house is going to look great for the upcoming Fall rush.

It has been a long Summer and most of our undergraduates have returned to their respective hometowns. However, many of our undergraduates and an exceptional amount of alumni returned to Eugene last weekend to watch the Oregon Ducks football team take on the Michigan State Spartans. It was an amazing game and it was great to see everyone show their school spirit. Returning brothers are excited to return to school and begin Fall rush. We look forward to another great new pledge class!

University of Rhode Island Alpha-Upsilon Chapter

N/A 62 809 4 Here at Alpha-Upsilon Chapter, we are striving to hold up the standards of Sigma Pi. As students of the University of Rhode Island, we have been actively participating in community service events such as our annual blood drive to lend a helping

With the start of a new semester, we continue our efforts to charter as fast as possible. Our first semester at University of San Diego was amazing, and EpsilonChi really made its mark. With Sororities inviting us to events, such as the Padres game on the 22nd, and Fall rush creeping around the corner, we believe that we have yet to reach our full potential. Our goals for chartering this year is looking promising and with Fall rush going well, our Chapter will be stronger then ever.

University of South Florida South Florida Colony

N/A 49 0 0 No report submitted.

Theta-Psi Chapter at University of Southern Indiana

University of Southern Indiana Theta-Psi Chapter

3.15 38 58 1 During the Summer break, ThetaPsi Chapter held our annual Summer camping retreat. We covered many areas, but focused on recruitment for Fall Rush.

As school approached, we moved in early ...Continued On Next Page FALL 2014

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Beta-Tau Chapter at Valparaiso University

to help with the campus move-in crew and participate in welcome week events.

Formal Rush is quickly approaching, and we are looking towards our breakout year.

University of Texas Gamma-Theta Chapter

N/A 25 318 1 Gamma-Theta Chapter had a successful Spring 2014 semester. The new EC along with the rest of the Chapter has worked to establishing better alumni relations. We hosted the Texas Lone Star Reunion at our house and along with our annual crawfish boil. As our recruitment season goes, we have seen a higher alumni activity, which is great since we can learn from them. We have been pushing for more philanthropic events, we helped the entire near by dorm to move in. This allowed us to meet some great incoming freshman along with helping their families move their.

University of Texas-San Antonio Iota-Delta Chapter

N/A 53 102 1 Spirits are at an all time high here at IotaDelta Chapter, coming fresh off achieving Grand Sages Cup. We’re already off to a fantastic start this semester with our

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Clothes Dive clothes drive which raised over 3000 pounds of clothing, the entirety of which was donated to Haven For Hope which is a local homeless center here in San Antonio. At the same our university is welcoming its largest incoming freshman class this Fall, so this semester’s rush along with the past few months events looks to be a great milestone for our Chapter’s history. We continue to look forward to fiercely striving to further the name of Sigma Pi.

University of Toronto Eta-Omicron Chapter h

N/A 2 174 1

Past Sage Julian Soriano and our Chapter Director attended Convocation 2014 in Orlando, Florida. They shared with us their experience and our Chapter is going to make it a goal to send more members to the next one in Vegas. The Chapter is working hard finding new members. After going through training and names list creation with Regional Director Joe Turck, we have a list of potential candidates that may be interested in joining us in the Fall.

Our Chapter house in Toronto is newly renovated and a majority of the tenants are brothers. This is a new and exciting

time for Eta-Omicron and we believe there will be a lot of momentum if we continue our hard work.

University of Virginia Beta-Pi Chapter h

N/A 56 853 2

No report submitted.

University of West Alabama Theta-Gamma Chapter

N/A 28 156 1 Our Fall semester got off to a great start with the addition twenty new members, which is more than double of any other Fraternity on campus. We believe that these men will be able to continue the tradition of excellence that we have established at our university. We have also won nearly every intramural event so far and already have a sizable lead in overall points. Our Chapter already has several philanthropy events planned for the upcoming weeks, and we look forward to bettering ourselves as well as the student body.

Gamma-Mu Chapter at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

University of Wisconsin-Madison Tau Chapter h

N/A 25 118 1

No report submitted.

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Gamma-Mu Chapter

2.95 34 456 3 Gamma-Mu brothers are eager to continue their Quest for Excellence this academic year. This Summer, the Chapter worked several fundraiser and volunteer events.

On September 7, we attended the firstever Recruitment School at UW-Oshkosh sponsored by Phired Up’s Vince Fabra and KJ McNamara. Our brothers look forward to wrapping up recruitment and setting goals that will retain our members and assist us in achieving Fraternity of the Year for the second year in a row.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville Delta-Iota Chapter h

N/A 21 493 1

Delta-Iota was in the top three fraternities at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the Spring of 2014 in terms of overall size, Chapter GPA, and total community

service hours. The Chapter also received an efficiency award for the 20132014 academic year from Sigma Pi at Convocation. For the Fall semester, the men of the Chapter are focusing on growing the Chapter and promoting the organization on campus.

Ursinus College

Theta-Sigma Chapter

N/A 35 72 0 Theta-Sigma Chapter had an outstanding time at Convocation this Summer receiving the Grand Council, Efficiency, and Byron R. Lewis award. We began rush week on September 7th by attending a “Football and Ice Cream Social.” We hosted our own events later in the week including a Monday Night Football watch party, a FIFA/NHL tournament, Hotdogs & Wiffleball, and concluded with Steaks & Stories.

Valparaiso University Beta-Tau Chapter

2.85 24 574 6 Beta-Tau Chapter is off to a fantastic start this semester. We also had a very busy Summer as well. We worked for several

weeks to get our second house up and running to hold more members for the school year. To kick off our semester, we hosted our Amazing Day, happily named after our national philanthropy. At the event, we hosted a volleyball tournament, cooked out, played games, and provided live music for our friends, family, community and other organizations on campus. We had a great turnout, and the weather was perfect for the event.

Hosting the event made us much more noticed throughout the community and on campus; needless to say, we will be hosting this for several years to come. Our Chapter is currently in first place with the amount of money we have raised for Valparaiso University’s hosting of Relay for Life, and though there is still quite a bit of time left to raise money, we plan on staying at the top until the end. With all of our achievement thus far in the semester, and our success with hosted events, we are all in high spirits for the remainder of the year. We look forward to our newest class of men that will be joining us this Fall, and wish the best of luck to the rest of the Chapters of Sigma Pi!

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EMERALD REPORTS Vincennes University

West Chester University

N/A 26 944 4

N/A 106 286 1

No report submitted.

The brothers of Zeta-Alpha Chapter are having a great start to the school year.

Brother Rich Schafer is leading the charge for his second straight Rush and Brother Ryan Brown is excited to head the new member education program. In addition, the brothers are busy planning fundraisers and philanthropy events. In other news, unfortunately Brother Pat Dupuoy was hit by a drunk driver a week before school started. He made it out with only a broken leg, but the Fraternity has taken this as a sign that it is time to teach West Chester of the dangers of drunk driving. A guest speaker, Connie Logan, is coming to West Chester on October 13th to tell the story of her son Cameron and his experience with drunk drivers. It should be a great ACE Project and kick start a great year.

Alpha Chapter

Zeta-Alpha Chapter

Wake Forest University Alpha-Nu Chapter

3.12 27 1101 6 No report submitted.

Washington State University Iota-Nu Chapter h

N/A 59 78 0

Iota-Nu Chapter has taken a big step forward in our new Chapter house. We followed up a very successful work week by hitting recruitment out of the park.

We just pinned 16 hopeful new members to the Iota class and are excited about what they will bring to our Chapter. Our Chapter furthered bolstered its ranks by initiating another 6 young men into fullfledged brothers. We sent a third of our Chapter to participate in Sigma Kappa’s philanthropy and our excited for future philanthropies. Intermural sports have begun and Iota-Nu is expected to be in the hunt for championships in every sport we participate in, such as football, soccer and softball. Iota-Nu is excited for the opportunities this year will present and is excited about the bright future we have here in the Northwest. We hope this article finds you well brothers!

Wayne State University Gamma-Omega Chapter

N/A 55 343 1 Fall semester here at Gamma-Omega has the potential to be our best semester in a while! With Fall rush coming to a close, it looks like the newest pledge class will be the biggest we have had in recent memory. At Convocation this past August, we were awarded with the Top 25 Chapter award and scored 900 efficiency points on our Gold Standard report! The award was accepted by our past Sage, Taylor Charon, who we are more than proud to say was accepted to Wayne State Law School on a full ride scholarship. We are working hard to keep the momentum going. The Chapter is always open to hear from our alumni and you can email us at gammaomega1c@sigmapi.org.

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West Virginia University Institute of Technology Gamma-Xi Chapter h

2.57 14 473 0

Everyone here at Gamma-Xi Chapter is very excited about this upcoming semester. We are anxious to spend time with our alumni at homecoming, as well as attend our province workshop in Kentucky. Thanks to the recruitment tools acquired at Mid-Year, especially the names list, our Rush went great. We look forward to having these new members join our family. As recruitment settles down, the planning of many fundraiser have begun. These include a car bash, Nike sponsored shirt sale, car wash, and more.

With all these extra funds, we intend to spend more time away from campus with the hopes of pushing the boundaries of brotherhood.

Western Illinois University Epsilon-Zeta Chapter

N/A 28 640 1 Epsilon-Zeta Chapter is steadily improving each semester. We currently have eight new members, and the number is only increasing as we get deeper into recruitment. We are also getting an early start on the ACE Project. This year we will continue with our annual “Toys for Tots” drive. By doing this we bring in money, as well as toys for the children of the local day care facility on campus for our ACE Project. This drive has brought

us great success in the past, and this year will be no different as we proudly service our campus.Our Chapter is also planning to help plant trees, flowers, lay mulch, and other activities to assist in beautifying the WIU campus for the upcoming event called, We Care. We are maintaining a steady focus on developing and training our new members to become great actives, and to strive to improve every Chapter member’s GPA to better themselves, and the house for the future.

William Patterson College Theta-Tau Chapter

N/A 16 102 0 The brothers of Theta-Tau Chapter are prepared for a hard working and ideal following school year. We are all working tirelessly on realigning the Chapter to the creed it was started on a little under a decade ago. Over the last year we initiated twelve brothers who are up to the challenge of propelling Theta-Tau in the right direction. We have also experienced some situations that have strengthened our brotherhood and overall perception of the Fraternity and have caused us to continue to hold it with high regards. Brother Mike Artilles attended Convocation this past Summer and is ready to teach and facilitate all that he has learned. We have events and programs outlined for the Spring semester as well as initiatives that will allow us to be successful academically for this Fall.

Theta-Tau is fired up to put and keep scholarship first.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Gamma-Iota Chapter h

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Brothers are excited to be back at school after a productive Summer. We recently helped move all the freshmen into the dorms and documented this process with a very cool still frame go-pro video.

Our house is still undergoing massive renovations as we have recently installed a sprinkler system throughout the house.

We are working diligently on are names list and hope to maintain our excellent recruitment numbers. We are excited to see some of our alumni return to the house for Homecoming weekend. a

Sigma Pi

PHILANTHROPY

AMAZING DAY FOUNDATION The Amazing Day Foundation wants to create a College Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention week! We will begin in California, and with the help of Brothers of Sigma Pi, spread the event across the nation.

Our major event will be held in Long Beach, California on March 7, 2015. We would like to invite all the Sigma Pi chapters to have an event on that day. Our goal is to create awareness, and the more chapter that get involved, the greater the media attention we can create for the foundation and Sigma Pi. Chapters that want to participate may form a team using our FirstGiving page (firstgiving.com) and typing in “Amazing Day Foundation�, which is the platform that we use to raise funds.

It would be a great testament to Sigma Pi and the Amazing Day Foundation if each year during the College Student Suicide Prevention Week every chapter were to host a fundraising event, such as a 5K Run/Walk for Life.

Chapter who wish to sponsor an event may go visit amazingdayfoundation.org, click on the Sigma Pi tab, and fill out the event information which will allow the foundation to publicize the event on the website and social media.

DONATE LIFE - CHANA FOUNDATION Donate Life America is proud to partner with Sigma Pi in the inaugural Donate Life Week campaign.

Donate Life Week unites all Sigma Pi brothers across the United States and Canada behind one important mission: to help save and enhance lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. Brothers were encouraged to initiate discussions in-person and online with the goal of building organ donation awareness and encouraging others to take action by registering as lifesaving donors.

Just one registered donor can impact the lives of more than 50 people. During the Donate Life Week campaign, brothers across the country encouraged thousands of people to register and, as a result, impacted countless lives.

The 2014 Donate Life Week was very successful, seeing 2,075 registrations for organ, eye and tissue donors!

Find out more about Donate Life America at DonateLife.net. You can also see how your campus performed during Donate Life Week by visiting sigmapi.org/donate-life-week-october-6-10.

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HOW AARON KLEIN (M, CORNELL ‘12) TACKLED HIS WAY TO BECOME DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS

By Phil Aiello (GM, Wisconsin-Oshkosh ’14), contributing writer

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Shanahan

Aaron Klein (M, Cornell ‘12) is the ultimate sports junkie. The son of two Erie County, N.Y. social workers, Klein grew up in Amherst, just a few miles from the University at Buffalo campus. Klein lettered in three varsity sports, including being named to the Western New York All-Academic Baseball Team. He recalls spending summer afternoons in June with his father, sharing their time together embracing a wide range of sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, soccer and bowling.

It may come as no surprise that Klein embarked on his Quest for Excellence by seeking a career in athletics, landing the position of Director of Football Operations at Cornell University.

Aaron sat down with The Emerald to reflect on his experiences as a Sigma Pi. Freshman year, the thought of joining a fraternity piqued Klein’s interests. “I never thought much about the Greek system, but once I got settled into life on campus I knew that I wanted to pledge. I know it sounds cliché, but I decided to pledge Sigma Pi because from the first day I walked into the house during rush week it felt like a place I could call home,” said Klein. He recalls brotherhood interactions that solidified his decision. “I became very sick during rush and had to go to the health center, and it was a brother in Sigma Pi that rushed over to pick me up and take me back to my dorm. This summer I was honored to be a guest at that brother’s wedding.” Mu Chapter Brothers also supported Klein during a tragic family matter. “My father passed away suddenly in the middle of the pledging process, and the support I received from the brotherhood inspired me to really dedicate myself to serving the Fraternity.” This experience led him to fulfill three semesters as treasurer, while additionally holding chair positions for new member education, rush and brotherhood. “I was part of the first pledge class back [after Mu was suspended for a year], so my class always had to put in a tremendous amount of effort to return the house to its position as one of the top fraternities on campus,” he said.

“Our chapter often took for granted the incredible chapter house that we were blessed with,” Klein continued. “Frequently we struggled cleaning the house after parties, which in my mind showed a lack of overall commitment and pride to maintaining our house. That said, the fraternity had an incredible sense of brotherhood. We organized large events such as our annual trip to a Bills game, competed intensely in intramural sports (even winning the Cornell Fraternity All-Sports Championship my junior year), and each year held a huge Super Bowl party where the brotherhood teamed up to move all the couches in the house down to the basement.”

Among all of his successes as an active member, Klein reminisces on his favorite experiences. “I brought back a lost brotherhood tradition which included a trip to see a Buffalo Bills game. An opportunity for approximately 40 brothers, disregarding which team any others are rooting for, to get together to tailgate, and enjoy game day,” Klein said. He also reflected on his expanded knowledge of networking thanks to Sigma Pi. “The experience I accumulated as treasurer and residential advisor helped me tremendously on the job.”

Today, at 23, Brother Klein works as the Director of Football Operations at Cornell - a big dream for any football fan.

“After I completed my undergraduate degree at Cornell I enrolled in the MBA program at Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. During my studies, I continued to work as a student assistant for the Cornell Football team. Less than a month from graduation I found out that my supervisor with the team, the Director of Football Operations, was retiring from the position and I decided to apply for the vacancy.” With his expansive experiences in networking, and with previous experience working for Cornell Athletics as an intern, Aaron knew he was the best candidate to fulfil the director position. “I helped coordinate Cornell Football’s annual alumni golf outing and had the confidence to network with alumni I had never met before because I had become comfortable with the process through my experiences in Sigma Pi,” Klein said. It just so happens that the first day of the job July 14, 2014 (and just seven weeks after finishing his MBA) - was the same day as a Staff Appreciation outing organized by the Head Coach. “We went on an afternoon boat cruise on Cayuga Lake and then ate dinner together... It was incredible to surround myself with my new co-workers, and to be welcomed so quickly. Everyone was eager to begin working with me.”

Aaron’s responsibilities as Director of Football Operations include managing all forms of team and alumni communication, including websites and social media platforms, as well as handling all travel logistics for away games, and coordinating team events.

Aaron gives this advice to undergraduate brothers: “Networking is essential, but often people focus on quantity rather than quality. We often look to have more friends on Facebook or more connections on LinkedIn rather than developing strong ties with people that could become champions for us,” said Klein. “When looking for a job focus on the ‘who’ and not the ‘what’ or ‘where.’ Find a leader, a visionary, someone that you want to work for and learn from. If you can find someone to work for that will inspire you to be great, you have a far better chance at success,” he added. “It’s that same person that will one day recommend you for your ‘big break.’”

Additionally, when networking, “Always make a presence, and introduce yourself when you meet someone. Remind them how you met them later on.”

Aaron also still has a presence at Mu Chapter, and continues to give back. “My semesters as [Mu Chapter’s] treasurer, and the relationships I’ve developed with the chapter’s alumni leaders, propelled me to serve as the president and treasurer of Mu Chapter’s own Sigma Pi Educational Foundation. The fundraising experience I accumulated is vital to success in a position such as mine within college athletics.” a

You can find Cornell Football on Twitter @BigRed_Football, or on Instagram @CornellFootball to follow Aaron’s Quest for Excellence.

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Alumni Notebook

NEWS & REPORTS

ALUMNI NEWS & REPORTS Beta Chapter Alumni The Beta Chapter Housing Corp, through a loan and generous donations by our alumni, is halfway through a 4 year extensive renovation plan on the Beta Chapter house that will transform it into a craftsman style lodge. Through the tireless efforts of our craftsman expert Dan Wilcox (’71), Aaron Butcher (House Director / Property Manager), Bill McGinnis (’69), Jeff Young (’89), and many other alumni contributors (both financially and in effort), this project has gone very well.

In 2013, the first floor formal, the dining room, kitchen, and women’s restroom were renovated. In the Summer of 2014, the first floor men’s restroom was expanded and renovated, both upstairs men’s restrooms were completely redone, three second floor bedrooms were converted to suites to accommodate increase in occupancy, new carpet and furniture in the library, new IU room flooring, TV room flooring and new TV, courtyard siding repair & painting, dining room roof, security camera expansion, and various landscaping improvements.

Many other renovations are planned over the next 2 years. Please go to sigmapibetaalumni.org to donate.

Alpha-Nu Chapter Alumni This year we are celebrating our 75th anniversary, and for such a huge occasion we are hoping to have as many alumni join us in Winston-Salem as possible.

The celebration will be in the spring, from Friday, April 24, 2015, to Sunday, April 26, 2015. Our goal is to have at least 5 members from each class from 1940 to 2014, which would bring our attendance numbers to well over 400, plus wives and dates.

There will be events happening throughout the entire weekend on the Wake Forest Campus, at our chapter lounge in the Taylor Dorm and at a new facility known as “The Barn”, located behind the Palmer and Piccolo Dorms.

The main event will be a banquet on Saturday, April 25, 2015, in the Benton Convention Center in downtown WinstonSalem. All of the active members of Alpha Nu will be there, along with decade period music and a slide show celebrating the best of Alpha Nu Chapter over the last 75 years.

Mayor Allen Joines will be declaring

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Sigma Pi Day in Winston-Salem on April 25, 2015, and we have commitments from Sigma Pi Executive Director Mike Ayalon, as well as the new Grand Sage Andrew Morris, to attend our 75th Anniversary Celebration Banquet.

Affordable hotel rooms will be available at the Embassy Suites Hotel across the street at 460 North Cherry Street in downtown Winston-Salem [1-336-724-2300]. Be sure to ask for the Sigma Pi special rate. You can also make a reservation on their website at: bit.ly/1qDNLTO. Please feel to contact Robbie Caron (’16) at carorj12@wfu.edu, or Gary Tash at GaryTash@aol.com with any questions you may have.

Please mark your calendars to join us for this very special occasion, and we hope to see as many of you as possible!

Gamma-Zeta Chapter Alumni The Alumni Association of Gamma Zeta Chapter held its 13th reunion October 8 through 12, 2014 on St. Petersburg Beach Florida. Reunions have been held in the northeast, mid-atlantic, southeast and midwest regions and in California. Although the Chapter, which was chartered in 1963, became inactive with the 1973 closing Parsons College formerly located in Fairfield, the Brotherhood is still strong due in no small part to its nearly 130 alumni association membership and a very active alumni association website, which facilitates constant contact and interaction among the Brothers.

This year’s reunion included group functions, including a sunset sail, dinner boat cruise, tours, golf and the traditional Orchid Ball, along with beach time and, of course, the reported “often embellished”, of days long past. Planning for the 14th reunion is already in the planning stage.

David Presson was named Vice Chair of Investments for the SPEF. Wyatt Alverson was our representative and served on the Judicial Committee.

Our meeting was held during Summer Reunion. It was decided to start a Gamma Upsilon History Committee which will be headed up by David B. Gray. The goal of the committee is to produce a written document of our history. If you have information or would like to join the committee please contact the club at SigmaPiAlumni@ hotmail.com. Jordan Norber and Matt Jones won the golf scramble and David Gray was named Outstanding Alumnus for the year. Peter Dirks and Cole Adcock were named Outstanding Alumni from last year.

We produced a seven page newsletter this spring.

You can view it at scribd.com\GammaUpsilon.

Graham Lynch is in immediate need of a kidney as he has been diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure. If you would like a free test to see if you are a match please call the Vanderbilt Kidney Transplant team at 615936-0695. They can answer questions you may have. Let them know you are calling on behalf of Graham.

Shawn Reynolds is President of the MSU Alumni Association’s Board of Governors.

Sheldon Jones owns Cypress Bay Resort in Buchanan, TN. Dr. Scott Hooper won the Jefferson County (KY) PTA Hall of Fame Educator award. Gerry Puckett owns a mortgage origination company in Murray.

Paul Hetrick is now the VP and Chief Accounting Officer of Assurion. a

ELECTION RESULTS

Sigma Pi is proud to congratulate two alumni on their recent electoral victories:

Kentucky Thoroughbred Alumni Club This year’s Convocation was a good one for Murray State. Our alumni club was named Most Outstanding Alumni Club and we won the Reston Fitzpatrick Award for Emerald contributions. The active chapter won three awards. Individually, Andy Morris was elected Grand Sage and Les Wright was elected Grand Herald.

Christian Miele (HN, Towson ’04) Maryland District 8 House of Delegates

Mark Brnovich (BK, Arizona St. ‘88) Arizona Attorney General

Alumni of the Gamma-Zeta Chapter

Alumni of the Beta-Gamma Chapter

Members of the New York City FALL Alumni Club EMERALD.SIGMAPI.ORG 2014 A

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NEWS & REPORTS University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

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

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

• North Carolina Province Covers chapters at NC State, Wake Forest, Elon, and Duke.

• South Atlantic Province Covers chapters at Georgia, Auburn, Southern Poly, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.

• Southern California Province Covers chapters at UCLA, Cal Poly, UC-Santa Barbara, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Long Beach, UC-Irvine, and University of San Diego.

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

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Chapter Directors Needed: • Santa Clara (Zeta-Eta Chapter) • Michigan Tech (Zeta-Epsilon Chapter) • Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Gamma-Mu Chapter) • Radford University (Theta-Lambda Chapter) • Penn College (Theta-Phi Chapter) • Ohio (Epsilon Chapter) • Southern Arkansas (Epsilon-Kappa Chapter) • Elon University (Epsilon-Theta Chapter) • SIU-Carbondale (Beta-Nu Chapter)

The best gift this holiday season is an off icial one

Registration is now open!

IN A QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE

THERE IS NO LIMIT. Mid-Year Leadership Conference MOVING US FORWARD • SIGMAPI.ORG/MYLC

St. Louis · January 30th - February 1st, 2015

#SPMYLC15 FALL 2014

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Obituaries

ADYTUM ON HIGH Arizona State University Beta-Kappa Chapter Anthony Frank Miscione ‘52 Arkansas State University Alpha-Pi Chapter Dickie Joe Clay ‘58 Joseph James Pascual Jr. ‘82 Auburn University Alpha-Delta Chapter Jones Franklin Harbarger ‘51 Howell Payne Henderson ‘50 Eddie Gilford Hollingsworth ‘56 Carl Mays Knight ‘49 Samuel Adolphus Mosley ‘46 Robert Eugene Pannone ‘63 Thomas Hoyt Ramey ‘53 Fred Dewitt Robinson ’49 Harry Francis Ryan Jr. ‘52 George Metzger Strain ‘67 Barton College Beta-Rho Chapter Douglas Eugene Ledbetter ‘64 Beloit College Alpha-Theta Chapter Paul Alexander Samaras ‘71 Bloomsburg University Of Penn.

Delta-Pi Chapter Nicholas Anthony Torano ‘70 College of William and Mary Alpha-Eta Chapter Ollie James Amon Jr. ‘49 Edwin Alexander Crowder ‘50 Walter John Gander Jr. ‘49 Robert Elwood Kendig ‘39 Cornell University Mu Chapter Frank Peter Knight ‘56 Drexel University Beta-Theta Chapter Russell George Dechant ‘57 Anthony Brian Pons ‘90 Carl Calvin Shoemaker ‘51 Eastern Illinois University Beta-Gamma Chapter John Herbert Conley ‘58 Michael Claude Murphy ‘66 Elon University Epsilon-Theta Chapter Richard Kain Nowalk ‘97 Emporia State University Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter Stanley Benton Stewart ‘76 Fairmont State University Gamma-Epsilon Chapter William Alexander Owen Jr. ‘66

Franklin & Marshall College Nu Chapter Charles Frederick Borgard Jr. ‘48 John Lewis Getz Jr. ‘44 William Reid Jopling Jr. ‘52 Richard Joseph Manfre ‘60 Peter Pellgrino ‘56 Georgia Southern University Gamma-Tau Chapter Larry Eugene Davis ‘69 Indiana State University Gamma-Pi Chapter David Leo Holmes ‘67 Mark Stephan Romanak ‘72 Indiana University Beta Chapter Joseph A. Jupin ‘61 Iowa State University Sigma Chapter George Mayhew Ensign ‘62 James Madison University Epsilon-Mu Chapter James Arthur Nogle Jr. ‘78 Kenyon College Lambda Chapter Dennis Frederick Hoeffler ‘53 Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Beta-Omega Chapter Alfred Louis Poff ‘66 Loyola University of Chicago Beta-Chi Chapter Richard Joseph Bryjak ‘55 Dennis Leo Koziol ‘69 Millersville University Zeta-Gamma Chapter David Allen Richards ‘91 Mississippi State University Alpha-Lambda Chapter George Dale Allard ‘44 Tommie Joe Johnson ‘63 Missouri State University Alpha-Rho Chapter Francis Gerard Moncada ‘91 Carl Andrew Renie ‘51 Missouri University of Science and Technology Alpha-Iota Chapter Kerry Rex Hay ‘75 Kenneth Gordon Kasten ‘50 Ira Lindley Perkins ‘43 Walter Hanaford Shepard ‘58 Donald Charles Stih ‘60 Thurman Moore Thomes ‘40 New Jersey Institute Of Technology Alpha-Mu Chapter George William Fecher ‘56 Theodore Herbert Lotee ‘39 Donald Edwin Price ‘59

North Carolina State University Rho Chapter L.M. Edwards Jr. ‘48 Tommy Lind ‘61 Warren Winfield Robertson ‘50 John Frank Shortridge ‘69 Henry M. Taylor Jr. ‘39 James Thomas Thacker ‘55 Northern Illinois University Beta-Sigma Chapter Dean Robert Hirstein ‘71 Donald John McNally ‘63 Richard Glen Wells ‘73 Ohio Northern University Zeta Chapter David Morgan Davis ‘66 Oregon State University Omega Chapter Bertell Mason Jr. ‘42 Pennsylvania State University Theta Chapter Wilford Bertram Beisel Jr. ‘45 Richard White Fineburg ‘61 Owen E. Landon, Jr. ’51 John Henry Lohman ‘57 Purdue University Eta Chapter Paul Richard Beckman ‘52 Patrick Edward Dillon ‘71 Rochester Institute of Technology Beta-Phi Chapter Richard William Bertan ‘64 Edward George Hoffmann ‘69 Saint Louis University Gamma-Psi Chapter Thomas Michel Roy ‘72 San Diego State University Alpha-Omega Chapter Theodore Fred Johnson ‘53 James Curran Spears ‘54 Seton Hall University Delta-Epsilon Chapter James Robert Guilbert ‘80 Julius Paul Lobai ‘70 Shippensburg University Beta-Upsilon Chapter James Joseph Zoccola ‘69 SIU-Carbondale Beta-Nu Chapter Jason Web Fuller ‘92 Charles Louis Steinburg ‘54 SIU- Edwardsville Delta-Omega Chapter Gary Bruce Allen ‘73 St. Lawrence University Alpha-Zeta Chapter Charles Richards Schneider ‘52

RETRACTION: Frank Wantland (H, Purdue ‘84) had erroneously been listed in the Adytum On High. We regret the error.

Temple University Kappa Chapter Joseph A. Bojanoski ‘56 The College Of New Jersey Theta-Delta Chapter Michael William Menakis ‘17 The Ohio State University Gamma Chapter Daniel Lee Adams ‘59 Dale Don Ell ‘49 Robert Wilbur Ensign ‘89 Andrew James Kyle IV ‘39 Gale Ray Root ‘54 Tulane University Omicron Chapter James Lagrange Griffin ‘51 August Albert Van Jr. ‘49 University of Arkansas-Fayetteville Alpha-Sigma Chapter James Arthur Brown M.D. ‘52 Billy Dewyane Dover ‘69 University of California-Los Angeles Upsilon Chapter Donald Eugene Gehring ‘55 Alexander Crosby Riddell ‘59 University of California-Santa Barbara

Alpha-Omicron Chapter Lawrence Charles Taylor ‘55 Kenneth LeRoy Terry ‘50

University of Georgia Alpha-Phi Chapter Ernest Jackson Claxton Jr. ‘50 James Milton Waters ‘58

University of Illinois Phi Chapter William Bruce Hicks ‘46 William Edward Lannon ‘62 Kenneth James Walker ‘86 University of Maryland Alpha-Chi Chapter Maynard Wayne Johnson ‘57 University of Missouri Gamma-Sigma Christopher J. Nicklow ’17 University of Pennsylvania Delta Chapter Frank Robert Braden Jr. ‘38 University of Rhode Island Alpha-Upsilon Chapter Victor Norman Allienello ‘54 James Leonard Francis ‘51 Lester J. King ‘48 Geoffrey Jason Langelier ‘90 Sanjoy Mukherjee ‘97 Richard Charles Ryan ‘85 University of San Diego Epsilon-Chi Chapter Daniel Joseph McKeon ‘86 University of Southern Indiana Theta-Psi Chapter Eric Michael Mehringer ‘14 University of Virginia Beta-Pi Chapter Albert Vikers Bryan III ‘84

University of Washington Alpha-Gamma Wayne Manual Harris Jr. ‘54 David Alexander Peterson ‘59 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Gamma-Mu Chapter John Anthony McKee ‘71 University of Wisconsin-Platteville Delta-Iota Chapter Thomas Richard Ortell ‘73 University of Wisconsin-Stout Delta-Sigma Chapter Patrick Leslie Lazier ‘72 Valparaiso University Beta-Tau Chapter Herbert G. Marks ‘57 Vincennes University Alpha Chapter Scott Gilbert Griffin ‘66 Wake Forest University Alpha-Nu Chapter Fred Carroll Biggs ‘53 John Lewis Blanks III ‘64 Kenneth Oakley Bush ‘70 John Albert Ratliff ‘55 West Chester University Zeta-Alpha Chapter John Brookover ’89 Western Connecticut State University Eta-Zeta Chapter Bruce Andrew Boscolo ‘90

Sigma Pi Fraternity, International has teamed up with Publishing Concepts (PCI) to print our 2015 Membership Directory.

PCI is within the final stages of contacting members via mail, phone and email to request that you update your information. The directory will include cross-references by chapter, location, and occupation.

We understand security and privacy are concerns, but please know that PCI is a trusted partner of Sigma Pi Fraternity.

Call PCI toll free at 866-648-9034 to verify your information and/or place your order for a printed or digital directory.

The opportunity to update your information for inclusion in the new directory, as well as your chance to buy a copy, will end on December 16, 2014!

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Sigma Pi

VETERANS COMMITTEE

VETERANS MEMORIAL New Committee Looks To Improve Sigma Pi Veteran Recognition

By Mark Reed (AF, Georgia ’69), contributing writer

Sigma Pi Fraternity, International is proud to announce the formation of the Veterans Committee.

The idea behind the committee is that worthy Sigma Pi brothers - both undergraduate and alumni, living and dead – who served/are serving in the armed forces of the United States or Canada may be recognized for service to their country. We are in the process of identifying and appointing members to serve on the committee, and upon formation, will formally announce the members. The committee will consist of myself as Chairman along with six other voting members, and will also have distinguished honorary members, who represent the best and brightest of our brotherhood.

There are many goals and functions in the vision of this committee. First and foremost is the the development and construction of a “Veterans Memorial Monument” on the grounds of our new Executive Office. We have identified the location for the Memorial as denoted on the site sketch (left). The design of the Memorial itself has been established by incorporating the Greek Cross of Sigma Pi as a vital part of the Memorial. The Greek Cross will manifest itself in two important ways.

First, the most visible will be the placement of a granite Greek Cross sitting atop an oval granite column. The column will be situated directly in the center of a 24’ x 24’ bricked-area in the shape of a Greek Cross. If seen from an aerial view, there will be no doubt in the mind of any Sigma Pi that he is looking at a representation of the badge. The bricked area surrounding the center monument will accommodate around 1,000 bricks that will be available for veterans to purchase, which will include the veterans chapter, rank, name, branch of service and dates of service.

This Memorial will be funded by donations.

More details on this effort will be forthcoming, including how to purchase a brick, and other ways to be involved in this project and be a part of what we all believe will be an ongoing effort to honor Sigma Pi veterans. As we fine-tune the efforts of the committee, we will be sharing our plan to fund scholarships to deserving Sigma Pi ROTC students.

Another goal would be to update and compile a full listing of all Sigma Pi brothers who have served in the military forces of the United States and Canada, including, as mentioned above for inclusion on memorial bricks, their branch of service, rank and dates of service. This would be a living and growing list that will be continually updated and added to for the permanent records of Sigma Pi.

Additionally, those veterans who have distinguished themselves in an outstanding manner would be recognized with an award presented at Convocation or other solemn ceremony. There is a Wall of Valor at the Executive Office, which recognizes Medal of Honor winners, and those brothers who may have achieved a high rank in military service. There is also a book where bothers may sign in with their military service.

As for awards to be given to a Sigma Pi brother who is or was a veteran, there is one special award that we believe should be recognized. That is, the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States. In Canada, the equivalent is the Canadian Sacrifice Medal.

We believe that it would be altogether proper to present an award called “The Sigma Pi Order of the Purple Cross.” The only criterion for receiving this award is that the individual has received the Purple Heart. Presumably, at least one recipient would be awarded this at each Convocation. We anticipate that this could be an ongoing award into the future, whereby additional names will be added to the list of award recipients.

The United States Military Services - including the Army, Navy, USMC, USAF and Coast Guard - give other medals, going by various names: The Medal of Honor, The Distinguished Service Cross, and the Silver Star, with the Bronze Star right below.

The Canadian awards are the Victoria Cross and the Cross of Valor. All these awards are, in varying degrees, awards for extreme gallantry and valor, at the risk of life, above-and-beyond the call of duty. It would be fitting to have an additional and separate award presented to a brother who has received one of these medals. We believe an appropriate name would be “The Sigma Pi Valor Cross.”

Additional consideration can be given to recognition for any brother KIA (Killed in Action) and/or who was a POW (Prisoner of War).

For additional information, please email vets@sigmapi.org. Any comments or suggestions in regards to the future of our efforts are welcome. We feel sure that every Sigma Pi who is a veteran will want to be a part of this memorial, as well as the families of those Sigma Pi veterans who have passed on to the Adytum On High. a

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Regional Directors

FROM THE ROAD

FROM THE ROAD: A Visual Breakdown of the New Regions

The Regional Director Program was established in the 2013-2014 fiscal year to replace the existing Educational Leadership Consultant Program which had been in place for decades. We saw a need for more experienced staff support for our membership as we move forward on our Quest for Excellence. Four experienced professionals were hired to fill the new roles as Regional Directors and they have been very successful. We have seen a great improvement in the efficiency and support provided to the Chapters with this new program. We have added a fifth Regional Director, which brought about the need to adjust the Regions in only our second year under the program. This will also provide for more support; thus as it reduces the number of Chapters each Regional Director supervises.

Below you will see how the new regions are set up. Contact your Regional Director to arrange a meeting early in the new semester. If you have a new Regional Director he will be contacting you early in the new semester to set up a time to meet. If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Executive Director Jason Walker at jwalker@sigmapi.org.

Joe Turck Region I

Illinois

BN SIU-Carbondale DW SIU-Edwardsville

Massachusetts

GI Worcester Poly HH Bridgewater State HT Fitchburg State IQ Bentley

Missouri

AI Missouri S&T GS Missouri DZ Missouri-St. Louis

Neil Thorsbakken Region II

Alabama

AD Auburn QG West Alabama QO Alabama

Arkansas

AP Arkansas State AS Arkansas EK Southern Arkansas IL Arkansas Tech

Florida

HE Florida State IK Central Florida

South Florida (Colony)

New Hampshire IR

Keene State

New Jersey

AM NJIT GH Rutgers DB Monmouth DE Seton Hall EX Farleigh Dickinson ZC Rowan QT William Paterson II Montclair State

New York

M Cornell EO Buffalo HG Hofstra

St. John’s (Colony)

Pennsylvania

BY East Stroudsburg

Rhode Island

AU Rhode Island

Canada

HO Toronto HR Carleton

Georgia

AF Georgia EA Southern Tech IM Georgia Tech

Kentucky

Mississippi

BM Mississippi

North Carolina

R North Carolina State AN Wake Forest EQ Elon IX Duke

GU Murray State DR Morehead State EL Eastern Kentucky EB Kentucky (Colony) IO Louisville

HY Clemson

Louisiana

West Virginia

DL Louisiana Tech

South Carolina

GX West Virginia Tech

Justin Steele Region III

Michigan

AB Michigan GA Detroit-Mercy GW Wayne State DA Central Michigan ZM Michigan State ZO Lawrence Tech ZP Oakland QQ Ferris State QB Saginaw Valley St. QR Grand Valley State

Minnesota

Ohio

Virginia

G Ohio State E Ohio HF Miami (OH)

Pennsylvania Q Penn State QE IUP QI Penn State - Altoona QF Penn College

AH William & Mary BP Virginia QH Old Dominion QL Radford

Tennessee

QW Middle Tennessee

IZ Minnesota

Joseph Granado Region IV

Illinois

Kansas

F Illinois BG Eastern Illinois EZ Western Illinois

BD Kansas EE Emporia State IA Kansas State

Indiana

Michigan

A Vincennes B Indiana H Purdue BT Valparaiso QY Southern Indiana

Iowa

Kevin Pons Region V

AR Missouri State GG Central Missouri ER Drury HM Missouri Southern St.

Arizona

Colorado

I Cal-Berkely U UCLA AO Cal-Santa Barbara BH San Jose State BO CSU-Long Beach EC San Diego (Colony) ZH Santa Clara HI CSU-Dominguez Hills HD Cal Poly HU Cal-Irvine QM CSU-Chico IH Cal-Santa Cruz

Wisconsin

Missouri

Oklahoma

California

GQ Texas QN Houston ID Texas-San Antonio

ZE Michigan Tech

S Iowa State X Iowa

BK Arizona State

Texas

T Wisconsin GM Wisconsin-Oshkosh DI Wisconsin-Platteville

IP Oklahoma State

ZD Colorado HS Colorado St. (Colony)

Delaware

IB Delaware

Pennsylvania

N Franklin & Marshall ZA West Chester QC St. Joseph’s QS Ursinus

Washington

Maryland

IN Washington State

QX Salisbury

New Jersey QD TCNJ

Oregon

W Oregon State IE Oregon

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Sigma Pi

EDUCATION

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE The New Accreditation Program of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International

By Kevin Pons (HW, Johnson & Wales ‘06), Director of Education and Leadership

Sigma Pi believes that our men will strive for excellence by living our core values and individual chapters will be most successful through fulfilling our Standards of Excellence (SOE).

This program will advance man’s Quest for Excellence by supporting the values and principles upon which our fraternity was founded.

To ensure that our chapters promote fellowship, develop character and leadership, advance heightened moral awareness, enable academic achievement, and inspire service, this program will set forth the Standards of Excellence for every chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International.

The fundamental purpose of this program is to encourage our chapters to return to our founding values, which are crucial to the rich development of fraternity men. The Standards of Excellence is comprised of 10-focus areas; one for each of the stars in our Radiant Triangle.

It is strongly encouraged that all chapters review all of the criteria and due-dates as soon as possible. Several components of this program are due at various points during the academic year and others are due no later than June 1st. Additional information including the expectations, reporting system and samples are available on the Standards of Excellence website.

This information is also easily accessible from our homepage.

Similar to our previous accreditation programs (The Gold Standard and Efficiency Points), the Standards of Excellence will be used for awards and to calculate discounts and increases on chapter’s semi-annual dues. A new SOE recognition program will be instituted to recognize our chapters achieving Gold, Silver and Bronze levels.

At Convocation 2014 this past summer in Orlando, the Grand Chapter voted to move to a new Semi-Annual Dues structure to provide for the Fraternity’s liability insurance and programming.

Bylaw 5 – Obligations of Chapters and Colonies, Section 5C now reads: “The amount that each chapter is charged for Semi-Annual Dues shall be adjusted based on the chapter’s actions as defined by the following criteria: Insurance Claims ›› 5% increase for each claim within the past 4 years.

Risk Management Violations ›› 5% increase for each violation within the past 4 years.

Mid-Year Leadership Conference attendance ›› 1% discount per attendee (up to 4); or ›› 5% discount if all required student leaders attend Chapter Size ›› 50-99 Members – 5% discount ›› 100+ = Members - 10% discount Chapter Accreditation Program (As defined by the CEO) ›› If ≥95%, then 20% discount ›› If 90%-94%, then 10% discount ›› If 85%-89%, then 5% discount ›› If 60%-69%, then 10% increase ›› If <60%, then 20% increase 3rd Party Collection Service or other method approved by the CEO 5% discount” We have received many questions and comments regarding the new Standards of Excellence program that rolled out in August.

I hope to address some of those questions and comments here in this article. Overall, there really are not many new expectations of chapters in our new accreditation program; most of the expectations have rolled over from the old Efficiency Points and Gold Standard.

I am presenting a lot of information here. I strongly advise our chapters and alumni volunteers to take some time to read through all of the information contained here and on our website.

Everything you need to know is there. A lot of this information comes from questions or comments that we have received regarding the new program.

Here is a summary of the new items included in the Standards of Excellence: Most items are now measured on an annual basis (unless otherwise indicated) as opposed to term or semester to assist our chapters that are on trimester and quarter systems in setting accurate goals and benchmarks.

All expectations and standards are now phrased based on what a chapter must do to achieve the highest amount of points possible. For example, the expectation of each chapter member to raise $50 for philanthropic causes has always been in place. However, in the Gold Standard the

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benchmark started at $10 per man but in order to receive the most amount of points, each man was asked to raise/donate $50. Expectation 90 now reads “conduct or participate in 5+ philanthropy projects AND $50+ donated per man for philanthropic causes”. Please note, Sigma Pi is not asking our members to reach into their pockets and donate $50 directly; members can fundraise or host events to raise this money. If the chapter hosts a large philanthropy project, the total dollars raised can be divided by the number of members that participated.

Business attire has always been expected at formal chapter meetings and formal ceremonies.

As an undergraduate fraternity chapter, this is a great expectation to have to help professionally develop our members.

We are now asking our chapters to submit their bylaws (updated within the last 2 years), Risk Management Plan, Academic Success Program (Scholarship Plan) and New Member Education Program on or before October 15th as opposed to June 1st with their Gold Standard. This will allow our staff to have this information accessible when working with our chapters. Also, for the first time ever at the Mid-Year Leadership Conference, our student leaders will have hands-on workshops to learn best practices for these programs and have time to further develop their materials with trained experts in the field.

A Membership Contract is now expected for each of our chapters. This document, centered around the 10 Obligations of Membership, will help the chapter manage expectations with their members. By having each member sign an agreement with the chapter, he will be informed of the expectations and obligations of membership as well as the corresponding consequences as set by the chapter. Many chapters already have a document like this; some are called a “ChapterDesignation” Man Contract.

We are simply asking to submit one master copy of this contract with all chapter member signatures to help the chapter leaders manage expectations.

Standards/Judicial Boards are asked to have at least 5 members when hearing a case. This allows for a majority vote to take place when deciding cases. The 5 members can rotate, but we ask our chapters to enlist the help of at least 5 members when deciding sanctions.

The Chapter Workbook will be a one-stop-shop shared record keeping system for the chapter.

This tool will help track meeting attendance, grades, finances, community service projects/ hours, philanthropy projects/dollars raised, workshop attendance, ACE Project participation, committee assignments and involvement in other organizations. Many chapters track this information in different locations, however this tool will now help our chapters track this information throughout the year in Google

Spreadsheet that will be shared with the chapter’s executive council, committee chairmen, alumni volunteers and the Executive Office. This will really help our alumni volunteers and Executive Office staff provide performance coaching to our chapters. Chapters are asked to enter information retroactively.

To access most of the SOE reports, a Sigma Pi email address is required. This is to ensure that our chapter leaders are using this email account because important communication is sent to this address.

As an educational organization, it is very important that we our developing our members with programming. The expectation is now that each chapter host or participate in a workshop with a non-active chapter member speaker on the following topics: harm reduction, financial literacy, academic success, etiquette, professional development, goal setting and men’s health. All of these workshops should be completed each academic year in an effort to help develop our members.

We have made some changes to the officer’s monthly reporting system. The information that we are requesting has been revised and is now more relevant and less repetitive. We are now requesting that each chapter submits all of their meeting minutes once a month. This will allow the alumni volunteers and executive office to be more informed on the chapter business that is being conducted as opposed to only receiving one meeting’s minutes each month. Also, we have now created a 1st Counselor report. Visit our Monthly Reporting page to learn more about each of these reports.

Each year at MYLC, we teach Phired Up’s Dynamic Recruitment model to our chapters. This is a proven method of fraternity recruitment that we have adopted as our best practice. Through Dynamic Recruitment, our chapters learn about valuesbased member selection; using a man’s values as criteria for membership. We are now asking that each of our chapters identify at least 4 values they will use for selection and we are continuing to ask that the chapter has their recruitment plan in writing. We are a values-based social organization and it is important that our chapters use Sigma Pi Values and the values of the individual chapter when selecting members. In addition to utilizing values-based recruitment, we also ask that our chapters are actively using a Names List. This interactive and shared document allows chapters to track their potential new members. If a chapter already utilizes a names list, simply share it with your alumni volunteers and Regional Director. If not, your Regional Director will provide one for you to use.

A new SOE recognition program will be instituted to recognize our chapters achieving Gold, Silver and Bronze levels.

It is very important for our 2nd Counselor to work with their committee chairs to set expectations and goals. We are now requesting that each 2nd FALL 2014

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Sigma Pi

EDUCATION Counselor completes the Committee Expectations & Goals Report to share this information with their alumni volunteers and Executive Office. This goes back to the same thought with the membership contract; it is very important to manage expectations with our committees as well as our members.

In addition to recognizing the founding dates of the sororities on campus, we are now expecting our chapters to recognize the founding dates of the fraternities as well. It is important that our chapters are contributing members of their respective community and take opportunities to build relations with both the sororities and fraternities on campus.

Recognition can be as simple as a post on social media or some other special observance that the chapter wants to perform.

In an effort to further develop our members in their campus communities, we are now expecting each chapter to host at least one social with a non-fraternity/non-sorority organization. This will help us battle the notion that the fraternity and sorority community is exclusive. We want our organizations to be more inclusive and this is a great way to do potentially aid in recruitment efforts and institutional relations.

Membership numbers are now phrased as highest among all IFC fraternities on campus because we want our chapters to strive to be the largest on their respective campus. The chapter reserves the right to make their own decision regarding the number of members they have (over 25 as required by the bylaws). The highest amount of points has always been awarded based on this criteria, however the expectation was just worded differently in the Gold Standard.

GPA rankings are now phrased as highest among all IFC fraternities or the all-men’s average, whichever is higher, on campus because we want our chapters to strive for academic excellence. The chapter reserves the right to make their own decision regarding GPA requirements (over 2.25 as required by the bylaws*). The highest amount of points has always been awarded based on this criteria, however the expectation was just worded differently in the Gold Standard.

Province Workshops are a great way for our chapters to network with other chapters in the same geographic area.

Province Archons put a lot of work into developing these leadership opportunities for our members. We now expect that 50% of the chapter attend their respective annual Province Workshop.

On a campus that recognizes fraternity life and has a dedicated campus professional to assist our chapters, it is very important that our chapters take the time to meet with that professional to improve communications and operations. We are now expecting every chapter that the above mentioned criteria applies to submit a Campus Professional Meeting Confirmation in place of getting an ink signature confirming the frequency of the meeting. Our expectation is that our chapters are meeting with their campus professionals at least once a month.

This is a pretty comprehensive list of all of the changes that have been incorporated into the new Standards of Excellence. As a student affairs professional and the new Director of Education & Leadership, I am confident that this new program will help build better members and create stronger chapters. Participating and completing the Standards of Excellence will increase communication, create stronger chapter operations and promote academic excellence just to name a few benefits. Also, chapters that do well with the SOE Program will qualify for discounts on their Semi-Annual Dues.

The Annual Financial Review Verification is now an online form for the alumni volunteer to complete that confirms a chapter audit has been completed. Instead of getting an ink signature, like in the Gold Standard, there is a simple form to complete confirming the audit took place.

All of our chapters can easily track their performance through the Standards of Excellence Progress Tracker. Each chapter has their own individual tab at the bottom of the document. As the Executive Office receives your reports and submissions, your points will be entered. Executive councils and alumni volunteers should use this tool to monitor progress and work together to ensure they are achieving to the level they choose.

The expectation is that all chapters complete at least two fundraisers a year. The fundraisers can be for philanthropic projects or for the chapter. The chapter has full autonomy over this and is encouraged to fundraise as much as possible to help defray from the cost of dues that individual members are paying.

Most of our alumni update their contact information with their individual chapter as opposed to the Executive Office.

We are asking that our chapters share their alumni database with our Director of Alumni Services by June 1st so that we can ensure our membership database is up-to-date and our alumni are receiving important communication like how to get involved, fraternity news, The Emerald, Sigma Pi Educational Foundation updates, etc.

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Many of these new reports are explained in detail with samples provided on our SOE page. I encourage you to take some time to review this information and work with your alumni volunteers, members and Regional Director on developing these programs, documents and reports. All the information is available; you just have to take some time to read it over.

For additional information about the Standards of Excellence, please contact soe@sigmapi.org or your Regional Director. * Please note that the fraternity’s GPA requirements are still under review by the Grand Council and are subject to change. This information will be communicated once a final determination has been made. a

Fraternity Expansion

COLONIZATIONS

ETA-SIGMA COLORADO STATE On October 19th, 2014 Eta-Sigma Colony of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International recolonized at Colorado State University with 19 men. Expansion Consultants Michael Davis (IK, UCF ’13) and Connor Schwalm (QH, Old Dominion ’14) worked feverishly to refine the relationship that Sigma Pi has had with the host institution, as well as its community leaders - after 10 years of being removed from the university - in order to build and develop a group of men that will be supported by the campus community. The 19 men range from freshman to juniors and are involved with a myriad of student and community organizations (i.e. student government, resident hall associations, community service groups, etc.) that will provide them outlets to more opportunities within the Fort Collins area.

Officers and chairmen for Eta-Sigma have already been chosen, trained, and are well on their way to bringing a Quest for Excellence to many more men at Colorado State. The group has created a strategic

plan in order to create a significant impact within the community beginning this semester; part of this plan includes a 365-day recruitment model where they aim to reach a total of 40 men by the end of the Fall 2014 semester.

The group is also hard at work with setting up a strong foundation for future members.

Within the next 12-18 months, members of Eta-Sigma will be working towards the completion of the Four Degrees program.

Four Degrees enables the Founding Fathers to work towards chartering at their own pace, while giving them the freedom to create their own legacy on campus.

“I decided to join Sigma Pi because I wanted to do something at my school to leave a legacy,” says President Peter Lorbiecki (HS, Colorado State ’16). “Having the opportunity to build a chapter and gain this brotherhood has been amazing. The shared values of Sigma Pi allow us to better ourselves, and help our brothers achieve the same.”

When asked what his vision is for the colony within the next year, Lorbeicki stated, “In the next year, I hope to bring these values to more men on campus, and build a strong foundation for future generations of Sigma Pi at Colorado State.”

The Executive Office and Colorado State University are both ecstatic to have EtaSigma back within the Colorado Province.

“The community is excited to welcome Sigma Pi back home to CSU,” stated Program Coordinator for Fraternity & Sorority Life, Lauren Utley. “We’re all looking forward to the difference Sigma Pi makes in the lives of these men, and the impact they have in the CSU community.” a

EPSILON-BETA KENTUCKY After a three year absence, Sigma Pi Fraternity, International, returned to the University of Kentucky with the re-establishment of Epsilon-Beta Colony October 26th. 2014.

After eight weeks of recruitment, 51 men came together to form the newest colony at Kentucky. In attendance at the ceremony were: Colony Director Ryan Khuri (IO, Louisville ‘12), Kentucky Province Archon Daniel Daugherty (DR, Morehead State ’92) and Alumni Advisors Ashton Lockhart (EB, Kentucky ’00), Curran Scarlata (EB, Kentucky ’99) & Paul Sites (EB, Kentucky ’89). Also in attendance were other alumni from Epsilon-Beta Chapter; Benjamin Smits (’77), Sam Burchett (’76), Bill Dehlinger (’86), Bill Wassmer (’74), Tom Balko (’75), David Stoll (’01), Christopher Staehle (’12), Wayne Hayden (’84), and Harry Hazell (’09). Alumni and active brothers from the University of Louisville (Iota-Omicron) were also in attendance at

the event; Anthony Bellflower (’12), Zach Wilson (’17), Connor Smith (’17), Samuel Anton (’17), Garrett Bridwell (’15), Alex Jones (’14), Todd Lasley (’16), Robert Johnson (’15), Kyle Givens (’17), Salvatore Lanci (’18), and Kristian Larsen (’15).

The week prior to the ceremony, Expansion Consultant Andrew Locke (BD, Kansas ’14) selected the colonizing Executive Council through the evaluation of applications, interviews and a peer review of the candidates.

These gentlemen include: Burk Meyrose (’16), President; Matt Whisman (’17), VicePresident; Alex Flynn (’16) Treasurer; Austin Hogan (’17), Secretary; Willnard Anderson (’18), Sergeant-At-Arms; and Trae Jones (’16), Historian.

The University of Kentucky was chosen as a primary focus for expansion during the 2014-2015 academic year because of the positive track record of currently expanding fraternal organizations, strong

regional alumni support, and the superior oversight administered by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life on campus.

The Executive office staff that facilitated the colonization ceremony were Andrew Locke and Expansion consultant Zach Kishpaugh (IP, Oklahoma State ‘14).

In an effort to ensure the future success of Epsilon-Beta Colony, the expansion process has been lengthened from what used to be a 6 week process, to a 12 week process with 8 weeks of recruitment, and four weeks of training, mentoring and leading. a

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Fraternity Expansion

CHAPTER CHARTERING

Photo courtesy of Jerry Wang Photography

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BETA-DELTA KANSAS

BETA-DELTA CHAPTER CHARTERS AT UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

By E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70). Grand Sage

In 1873, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity became the first fraternity on the campus of the University of Kansas.

Since then, more than 45 Greek-Letter organizations have been established.

Sigma Pi originally started a colony in 1948 at Kansas, which became Beta-Delta Chapter on March 25, 1950. The chapter operated until 1961, and then sat dormant for 53 years.

On March 12, 2012, 25 men were recruited by thenDirector of Expansion Zach Spillner (QR, Grand Valley State ’10), along with Expansion Consultants Brett Nichols (IE, Oregon ’11) and Tim Hogan (HF, Miami ’11), to become Beta-Delta Colony at KU. The members of the colony worked for two years, and submitted their petition to re-charter in March of 2014. On October 14th, they met at the K.S. “Boots” Adams Alumni Center on the university campus to go through the ceremony. The installation team installed 47 undergraduate members, eight alumni members, and the new officers of Beta-Delta Chapter.

Additional participants installation included:

assisting

with

the

Geoff Cross (EE, Emporia State ’16) Skylar James (IA, Kansas State ’14) Robbie Smith (IA, Kansas State ’13) Lane Embry (GG, Central Missouri ’17) Taylor Roling (GG, Central Missouri ’16) Hayden Soph (GG, Central Missouri ’15) That evening the Installation Banquet was again held in the Alumni Center with over 200 members,

Date of Installation September 13, 2014

Chartering Officers

Beta-Delta Chartering Installation Team

SAGE:

dates, family members and representatives from the University of Kansas. The Master of Ceremonies was Sage Andrew McElroy (BD, Kansas ’15), who spoke on behalf of the chapter and the accomplishments of the colony in becoming an active chapter on campus.

Also in attendance was the Greek Advisor, Dustin Struble (of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity) from the University of Kansas. Grand Sage E. Andrew Morris (GU, Murray State ’70) presented the charter to the members of Beta-Delta Chapter and officially welcomed them back on behalf of all chapters and colonies of the fraternity.

On Sunday, AED Jason Walker (AF, Georgia ’96) and PGH Frank Woodbury (AI, Missouri S&T ’65) put the members through a Ritual Workshop. The Chapter then pledged 26 new men, bringing their undergraduate total to 73. The Jayhawks are back and we will see great things from this group of excellent men in the years to come. a

Michael Dawar Kyle Dewitz Mahdi Fahda Joseph Gagnon Kace Galloway Joseph Geske Kaleb Gilmore Prab Girn Kru Gohel Blake Hardesty Christian Heisler-Cruz John Hoard Cameron Hollander Josh Huelskamp

Kevin Hundelt Jessie Jacobe Evan Johnston Andre Kim Andrew Kloppenburg Sam Komosa Joseph Koskey Christian Lane Izzy Lee Andrew Locke Tyler Marshall Andrew McElroy Bryce Melvin Sam Mills

SECOND COUNSELOR:

Kyle Charles

THIRD COUNSELOR:

Taylor Ploss

FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Adam Timmerman FIRST COUNSELOR:

Sean O’Neill HERALD:

Jeffery Ahle

Installation Team GRAND SAGE:

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

GH Les Wright (GU, Murray State ’70)

GRAND THIRD COUNSELOR:

FOUNDING FATHERS Marlon Addison Mickey Ahammed Jeffery Ahle Beau Bisaillon Casey Boyd Chase Breckwoldt Ryan Brinker Michael Bryson Andrew Buenning Devon Bull Andrew Caldwell Joseph Caruso Ryan Cerutti Kyle Charles

Andrew McElroy

PGS Dennis Day (AR, Missouri State ’75) Grant Moyer Michael O’Brien Sean O’Neill Alec Patterson Taylor Ploss Mason Proctor George Savvides Nii Ablade Sowa-Doku Jared Starr Joseph Swank Adam Timmerman Sameer Upadhyaya Dan Vu

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GRAND FOURTH COUNSELOR:

Steven Sylvester BD Chapter Director (QM, CSU-Chico ’06)

GRAND FIRST COUNSELOR:

Chris Ruth Great Plains Province Archon (DZ, UMSL ’08) GRAND HERALD:

PGH Frank Woodbury (AI, Missouri S&T ’65)

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Sigma Pi

MEMBERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Photo Courtesy of Phil Aiello (GM, Wisconsin-Oshkosh â&#x20AC;&#x2122;14)

The Sigma Pi Membership Experience

By Dr. Colleen Melchiorre, contributing writer

Imagine if Sigma Pi was known as THE fraternity to join if you want the best job in your field after college. What would happen if you showed up to classes in Sigma Pi letters and the professors automatically knew they could count on you to be one of the most engaging and intelligent students in class? What if the Sigma Pi house was the safest place on campus for women to hang out because you were known for chivalry all around the world? What if your fraternity could teach you how to buy a house on your own by the time you are 25 or how to have enough money saved to be able to retire early?

Last semester, the Fraternity engaged Phired Up Productions to conduct research on the membership experience of members, former members, and new members of Sigma Pi Fraternity. The goal with this research is to inform current Fraternity practices and turn those into better practices and to create a template for a membership development initiative to pilot later this year.

In total, over 1000 alumni men ranging in age from 22 to well into their 80s responded to our survey. Over 600 undergraduate new members and existing members responded from all types of chapters from all over the country. Our response rate was amazing and we want to thank all of you that participated.

We learned a lot about what we do well and what we need to improve. Many undergraduate men (87%) feel highly favorably about their fraternity experience. Brotherhood, connection, and fit are the primary reasons why people join Sigma Pi and why they stay in Sigma Pi. Men have a strong connection with big and little brothers and pledge classes and find that many of the resources Sigma Pi has in place already work well for them. Men that lead the chapter sought out the experience to lead and enjoy the experience. The connection local chapter members have with alumni and advisors is somewhat strong but with the International Organization- from a staff and volunteer perspective- needs some improvement. We need to do a better job of engaging alumni as many cited that Fraternity beyond college years did not seem relevant to them. Of utmost

importance is that many alumni are willing to re-engage with the Fraternity but need to be asked to do so in a specific and direct way that is less time intensive that the current offerings.

Alumni men donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily feel like they need developmental programming, however they are willing to be mentors to undergraduate members. Our undergraduate members spoke loud and clear that career and life mentorship and development (in addition to brotherhood and life long connection) was precisely what they wanted to get out of Fraternity. This is the place where Fraternity education and membership development can be most relevant.

Character development, professional development, life planning, and career engagement are likely to be some of the cornerstone of new developmental programming and we are going to ask our alumni (many of whom we have never asked before) to help us more with undergraduate education.

Our staff is in the process of reviewing all of the feedback you gave us about what we are doing well and what we need to work on. We are listening to what you are telling us. We are reading all of your words. We are also engaging a committee of undergraduate men to work on membership development initiatives this month.

Our Fraternity has the information and power to make history as THE place where the BEST men are even better. We want you to be better for having been a member of our organization.

Can you imagine the impact our organization could have on the world if every single member focused every single day on truth and justice, chivalry, scholarship, character, and diffusing culture? We are in the relationship business, the values business, the life bettering business at Sigma Pi Fraternity- we hope to have this come to light more in our daily practices, interactions with chapters and alumni, and in all of the future work we will do developing our members. a

The Emerald

PHOTO FINISH

Beta-Tau Chapter at Valparaiso University FALL 2014

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Sigma Pi Fraternity 106 North Castle Heights Ave Lebanon, TN 37087

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