Emerald_Winter_2008

EMERALD www.sigmapi.org • The official publication of Sigma Pi Fraternity • Winter 2008

We were born to

unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race.

— Cicero

THE ALTRUISTIC CAMPUS EXPERIENCE • THE SAM SPADY FOUNDATION

Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

FROM THE

GRAND SAGE

EMERALD

PUBLISHED SINCE 1911

Dear Brothers:

VOLUME XCIII, NUMBER 1 • WINTER 2008

Being from the Los Angeles area, I’ve grown up enjoying the release of a good movie. One of the better comedy dramas of 2007-08 is The Bucket List. The film, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, is about two men from different backgrounds discovering they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they every wanted to do before they “kick the bucket” and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they really are.

Ironically, one day when reviewing my Grand Sage “bucket list” for the Biennium, a promotional trailer for the film aired over the radio as I tried to reflect on my term. As shareholders in our sacred trust, I thought I would share my list with you:

EDITORIAL STAFF Adam L. Dibble (ΘΘ, Ferris State ’06) Managing Editor Mark S. Briscoe (ΑΠ, Arkansas State ’82) Business Manager VOLUNTEER STAFF Grand Sage Rovira

1. Alumni/Volunteer Development 4Reach out to more alumni, college administrators, and Greek Affairs officers.

4Engage more alumni to participate in workshops and speaking engagements.

4Enhance and diversify alumni feature articles in the Emerald.

4Alumni Award recognition.

Jonathan Drnjevic, (ΒΤ, Valparaiso ’81) John Kitch (Η, Purdue ’73) Jeffery Seay (ΗΕ, Florida State ’91) Clifford A Wilke (ΔΖ, Missouri - St. Louis ’81) CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jim DiVita (ΖΜ, Michigan State ’04) Nicholas Frees (ΘΒ, Saginaw Valley State ’07)

2. Best Practices for Chapter Services 4Mandated ACE and Spady projects, while promoting their successes.

4Improved chapter visits.

3. Focus on Expansion 4Charter a minimum of six (6) chapters per biennium, with a goal of 13 or better.

4Engage top-tier campuses to compliment our existing locations.

4. Improved Facilities for Headquarters and Chapters 4Complete new headquarter remodel and move-in.

4Strategically project future headquarters’ repairs and capital improvements.

4Coach chapter leaders on facility management, contracts, and long-term housing opportunities.

5. Improved Headquarter Operations 4Better public relations and enhanced web communication in our communities.

4Reduced carbon footprint.

4Decrease inefficiencies and work duplication.

6. Fiscal Stability 4Improve upon current budget, its preparation, and education of staff and Council.

Honestly speaking, I believe we have achieved and surpassed 87% of these goals, let alone achieving numerous other milestones not on this “list” in a short, two-year period. I would like to thank Assistant Executive Director Jon Frost, Director of Expansion/Recruitment Jim DiVita, Director of Communication/Marketing Adam Dibble and Director of Chapter Services Justin Steele who have undertaken my challenge to partner with me on this “list.” And although our successes may not have been to the height of perfection we would have enjoyed, we did move our fraternal organization forward in a positive manner and were able to add another check to the “list.”

But just like in the film, we as a fraternity must come to terms with who we, Sigma Pi, really are. As sojourners in our Fraternity’s life quest, we must together embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.

As we prepare ourselves for this summer’s 49th Convocation in Long Beach, California on July 30th through August 2nd, I encourage you to make your own “list.” Create the goals for your alumni club, your chapter, and for your Fraternity so that we can all work together in unity, peace, and progress, and establish Sigma Pi for continued success.

IST,

Sigma Pi Fraternity was founded at Vincennes University, Vincennes, Indiana, on February 26, 1897. Sigma Pi has chartered more than 215 chapters in North America and has initiated almost 90,000 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) Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity (ISSN 1074-5289, USPS 011-013) has been published since 1911. Emerald is published quarterly

by Sigma Pi Fraternity, P. O. Box 1897, Brentwood, Tennessee, and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SIGMA PI FRATERNITY, P. O. Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024.

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.

Submission Deadlines: Spring December 10 Summer March 10 Fall May 10 Winter September 10 Submit Emerald news to: Sigma Pi Fraternity, Attention: Emerald P. O. Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37204 Telephone: (615) 373-5728 Fax: (615) 373-8949 Email: emerald@sigmapi.org

Member, North-American Interfraternity Conference

Member, College Fraternity Editors Association

Larry Rovira Grand Sage

Copyright © 2008 Sigma Pi Fraternity Sigma Pi, ACE Project and the crest are trademarks of Sigma Pi, all rights reserved

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Sigma Pi re-charters at UCSB Philanthropy: ACE and Spady Ancient Greece through my Eyes NJ Province gets Phired up!

In the Service of God and Man

departments 2

EXECUTIVE

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NEWS FROM

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OFFICE NEWS

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CAMPUS

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NEWS FROM

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ADYTUM

CHAPTERS

EXPANSION ALUMNI

ON HIGH

3The Brothers of Zeta-Alpha Donating a $500.00 check to the West Chester Police Athletic League at the Chapter House.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

The initiation of the fall 2007 pledge class was a proud moment for the Willer family. Ryan Willer, the last of four Willer men, was initiated into the Delta Zeta Chapter. His brothers, Grant and Matt, are both alumni of Delta Zeta, and brother Scott was installed as the chapter’s new 2nd Counselor that afternoon. The Willer men’s father, Allen, was initiated into the Fraternity as thanks for showing great support to his sons, as well as Delta Zeta and Sigma Pi for many years! Congratulations Allen, and thank you.

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OFFICE NEWS

SIGMA PI CENTENNIAL CLOCK TOWER A project unfinished.

“It ain’t over till it’s over,” is a one of the many quotes by Yogi Berra, and it applies to the gift Sigma Pi Fraternity gave to Vincennes University for our 100th anniversary. Although the Centennial Clock Tower was dedicated on September 6, 2000, there are still 300 bricks available. This means YOU still have the opportunity to become a part of history by purchasing a commemorative brick engraved with your personal inscription which will be a record of your part in Sigma Pi history!

Although Sigma Pi has chartered 216 chapters in our first 111 years as a fraternity, fewer than 50 chapters have purchased a brick as part of their ownership in the Sigma Pi Centennial Clock Tower. Out of the 27 active alumni clubs, which are support groups to our chapters and volunteers that we depend on to become leaders in the fraternity, only four of them have left their historic mark on the Clock Tower. If your chapter or alumni club is not listed below, I encourage you to help us put another brick in the wall with your name on it. Most of the bricks have been purchased by alumni with either their own names or chapters or in memory of a fraternity brother. If you are a Chapter Director or Province Archon, you are also needed.

You can leave your historic mark in two ways: 1. You can be a Clock Tower Contributor ($125.00), the brick you purchase will be placed in the clock tower, and you will receive a certificate of ownership, and be listed in the historic 110 years of Sigma Pi Book.

2. You also have the unique opportunity to become one of only 100 Clock Tower FOUNDERS ($189.70) The brick you purchase will be placed in a specifically designed location in the clock tower highlighting your contribution, you will also receive a framed certificate of ownership, be listed in the historic 110 years of Sigma Pi Book, and be highlighted in the Emerald for your contribution.

The Centennial Clock tower stands across the street from the Alpha House as a monument to Sigma Pi and Vincennes University. Since 1897 there have been almost 90,000 members, who have taken the oath as members of the fraternity. We need brothers, chapters, and alumni clubs to step forward as valued supporters.

At the present time the first 111 years of the fraternity is being written in a book entitled “Sigma Pi - A Fellowship of Kindred Minds.” In the book will be an article about the Clock Tower, and the list of those engraved names will go down as part of our history. I Believe... you should be a part of that history. Visit www.sigmapi.org or contact Adam Dibble adibble@sigmapi.org to purchase a brick today.

CHAPTERS DONATING Vincennes...........................................................................Alpha Chapter Indiana ................................................................................ Beta Chapter Ohio Northern .......................................................................Zeta Chapter Purdue ...................................................................................Eta Chapter Temple ..............................................................................Kappa Chapter Iowa State .........................................................................Sigma Chapter St. Lawrence ..............................................................Alpha-Zeta Chapter Missouri - Rolla ..........................................................Alpha-Iota Chapter Wake Forest ................................................................ Alpha-Nu Chapter Missouri State ............................................................ Alpha-Rho Chapter Cal State - Long Beach .......................................... Beta-Omicron Chapter Virginia ............................................................................ Beta-Pi Chapter Loyola, Chicago ............................................................. Beta-Chi Chapter Rutgers .................................................................... Gamma-Eta Chapter Indiana Tech ........................................................ Gamma-Kappa Chapter Indiana State .............................................................. Gamma-Pi Chapter Western Michigan.................................................... Gamma-Rho Chapter Morehead State ........................................................... Delta-Rho Chapter Cal State - Fullerton....................................................Epsilon-Nu Chapter Millersville .............................................................. Zeta-Gamma Chapter Colorado ..................................................................... Zeta-Delta Chapter Michigan Tech ......................................................... Zeta-Epsilon Chapter Carleton ......................................................................... Eta-Rho Chapter UC Irvine ...................................................................Eta-Upsilon Chapter West Alabama ...................................................... Theta-Gamma Chapter Ferris State University.............................................. Theta-Theta Chapter

ALUMNI CLUBS DONATING Cletus A. Broecker Alumni Club ..................................................... Indiana En Drei Tannee Alumni Club ...........................................................Illinois Orange County Alumni Association...........................................Epsilon-Nu Beach Cities Alumni Club .................................................... Beta-Omicron

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To learn more, visit HTTP://WWW.SIGMAPI.ORG/CENTENNIAL-CLOCK-TOWER.CFM

Brothers join committee to support and advance Sigma Pi publications The Publications Committee has been joined by Clifford A. Wilke (ΔΖ, Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis ’81) and Jonathan Drnjevic, (ΒΤ, Valparaiso ’81).

Wilke is currently a Technology Principal at IBM Corporation. In that role he designs technology solutions to assist Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers and key decision makers focusing on criminal justice, security and business continuity solutions.

Wilke works closely with leaders to develop and deploy technology based opportunities leveraging new and emerging technologies. He has engaged in projects employing next generation information technology solutions for public and private businesses. He was elected and currently serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, and has established an educational scholarship in his name for undergraduates that have exhibited leadership to the fraternity that reside or are matriculating in Missouri. As an undergraduate, he was president of Delta-Zeta Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity at the University of Missouri - St Louis. Wilke has a

Masters Degree in Information Technology with an emphasis in Security and a Masters in Criminal Justice from Boston University, and is one of the co-authors of Smart Cards - Seizing Strategic Business Opportunities.

Drnjevic teaches English (Composition and Literature) at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

As a faculty member at Arizona State he’s been involved with the local Sigma Pi alumni group and actives of Beta-Kappa over the last 10 years. He pledged Beta-Tau in the Spring of 1979 and lived in the houses at 803 and 805 Brown Street in Valparaiso for two years.

He was First Counselor for a semester during that time, otherwise served as Scholarship chair and in other positions. Brother Drnjevic earned several graduate degrees including a PhD in English Literature from ASU and a Masters in Library Science from the University of Arizona. He is not married, but lives in Phoenix where he spends significant time with his mother (she is now 87).

D I B B L E’S

DYK?

This Dibble’s Did You Know is brought to you by Heritage Committee Chairman Christian J. Miele (Eta-Nu, Towson) and Director of Marketing/Communications Adam L. Dibble (ΘΘ, Ferris State University). The Emerald sends a special thank you to the Heritage Committee which has spent significant time researching our history and is currently developing a single bound History Book of the 110 years of Sigma Pi. Keep your eyes open for pre-ordering information which will be coming soon.

DID YOU KNOW

DYK? Although James H. Hauser (Κ, Temple) was the first salaried traveling field consultant to work for the Executive Office under then Executive Secretary Harold Jacobsen, he was not the Fraternity’s first traveling consultant. Harry L. Barr (Ζ, Ohio Northern ’23) served the Fraternity as traveling secretary —albeit unpaid— before the establishment of the national headquarters. Barr visited and assessed undergraduate chapters on a part-time basis in the early 1920s.

DYK? Although Cyrus E. Palmer (Φ, Illinois) is the only Grand Sage in the Fraternity’s history to serve three terms in office (1920-22, 1922-24, and 1924-26), he is not the longest serving Grand Sage. Jonathan B. Hillegass (Ν, Franklin & Marshall), the 11th Grand Sage of Sigma Pi, served two terms spanning eight years (1938-40 and 1940-46). As a result of World War II, the Fraternity cancelled its Biennial Convocations in 1942 and 1944. Thus, Hillegas’ second term in office lasted six years!

Mark your calendar for October 10 and 11, 2008 for the Gala event combined with homecoming on the UI campus. Friday night will feature a banquet and Saturday will feature traditional UI Homecoming activities. More information is available at www.phiofsigmapi.org . Mark your calendars as we prepare to celebrate 100 years of continuous brotherhood on the University of Illinois Campus.

If you have any historical questions, or some historical material you would like to share with the Emerald readers, please direct that information to Managing Editor Adam Dibble, with the subject “Did you know,” to adibble@sigmapi.org.

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Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

The Wright Brothers patented their first aircraft, Garfield Park Conservatory opened in Chicago for the first time, London hosted the Olympics and William Howard Taft and William Jennings Bryan were campaigning for the presidency.

And in Champaign, Illinois Phi Chapter of Sigma Pi was established. Flash forward 100 years, not many things have stayed the same, but Phi Chapter of Sigma Pi is preparing to celebrate 100 years of brotherhood.

DYK? Grand Herald E. Andrew Morris (ΓΥ, Murray State) is the only brother in the Fraternity’s history to both serve as Executive Director and sit on the Grand Council. Past Executive Secretary James L. Hills (ΑΧ, Maryland), Past Executive Director D. Dean Crook (ΒΓ, Eastern Illinois), and Executive Director Mark S. Briscoe (ΑΠ, Arkansas State), however, are all Honorary Grand Sages.

The year was 1908—

To learn more, visit WWW.PHIOFSIGMAPI.ORG

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NEWS FROM

CHAPTERS

Theta-Epsilon Chapter, Indiana of Pennsylvania pose with the university mascot.

Alabama Theta-Omicron Chapter The Theta-Omicron chapter at the University of Alabama is having it’s best year yet. We now have 32 pledges and hope to increase that number.

Along with a great summer/fall rush, Theta-Omicron also enjoyed a very successful intramural season. We brought home an overall division championship and have been invited to compete with the larger, more competitive Crimson division. We are ready to show the big boys what Sigma Pi athletics is all about.

Arizona State Beta-Kappa Chapter The brothers of Beta-Kappa are looking forward to a big increase in chapter size this semester. Rush brought 40 new members to our house which will make us one of the largest chapters at ASU. We anticipate another successful season of intramural flag football, and look forward to participating in Pi Beta Phi’s annual Aerospike philanthropy. With the help of Province

Archon Shea Stickler, we are striving to charter an Arizona alumni chapter.

We are also currently renovating the front of our chapter house and look forward to working on some new landscaping. Several of our brothers received scholarships to the NIC’s undergraduate inter-fraternity institute which gave us tools to strengthen our chapter.

Arkansas State Alpha-Pi Chapter Alpha-Pi chapter recently inducted 14 new members. With 3 more weeks still left in fall rush, Alpha-Pi has high hopes of getting even more pledges.

With a new house on the horizon soon, this is an exciting time for all the current members and Alumni of Alpha-Pi. Alpha-Pi brothers Aaron Landis, Lance Weaver, and Luke Griigs recently attended a benefit dinner in Little Rock for Sigma Pi Brother, Governor Mike Beebe. They were overjoyed at the experience and came back with a lot of expectations and stories from the event. Alpha-Pi

is currently in the process of setting up several philanthropies for the upcoming year, and also setting up the ACE Project! Sigma Pi is also looking forward to the homecoming when alumni are expected to return for the event!

Cal State - Dominguez Hills Eta-Iota Chapter Our chapter is off to a great start of a new year with the initiation of new members. Along with that, our chapter raised $1,400 to be donated to children with cancer through a Build-a-Bear project. With his effort to perform well in school, Ivan Sanchez received the Robert Hashimoto Scholarship Award worth $750. Rush week went great and we have received a great number of interested men.

During rush we passed out free root beer floats to students. Our relations with other organizations on and offcampus have dramatically improved and continue to become stronger.

Besides being extremely active in our chapter, members have found time to

Chapter News Editorial Policy Submitted news should be 100-150 words long and contain information about positive chapter events, community service efforts, ACE Projects, gatherings and other notable happenings. Other news items are accepted but will be judged on their level of interest to the entire brotherhood.

Electronic submissions are given the highest priority and should be filled out online or email directly to emerald@sigmapi.org. Digital photos should be at least 300dpi in resolution. Hard copies can be sent to The Emerald, Post Office Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024.

High-quality 4” x 6” or larger photos are preferred. Photos should not contain alcohol or other unsuitable content, and not all photos will be printed. Hard-copy photos will not be returned, but will be placed in the chapter archives at the Executive Office.

Chapter reports are those submitted by the September 10th deadline

become active in other organizations at campus which has helped improve our relationships around the campus.

Cal State - Long Beach Beta-Omicron Chapter The beginning of the fall semester has started off well here at Beta-Omicron.

This is projected to be a great semester as we anticipate a fall pledge class of over 30 men. With convocation approaching we have done some important remodeling of our house. We are currently finishing up softball and are confident that we will take first place again for the second year in a row.

Our philanthropy Ms. Greek contest is also planned for this semester. We hope not only to have the sororities but other organizations on campus compete, which raises money for the Sam Spady Foundation.

Cal State - Sacramento Eta-Alpha Chapter Eta-Alpha is gearing up to be one of the most dominant chapters on campus at Sacramento State this school year.

Fall rush is looking to double the chap-

ter size with quality men. The chapter is also looking forward to our annual Alumni/Active BBQ and Softball game on September 22nd at McKinley Park in Sacramento. Eta-Alpha would like to give big congratulations to alumni Dan Castanho for becoming Province Archon for Northern California. We look forward to getting together this semester with Dan and all Nor-Cal Chapters and showing each college what SIGMA PI is all about!

California - Santa Barbara Alpha-Omicron Chapter First and foremost, Sigma Pi is back at UCSB! After a 31 year absence, the Alpha-Omicron Colony of Sigma Pi has been reestablished and is poised to climb to the top of the Greek system.

We would like to extend our best wishes to two graduating brothers, Ian Bryzek and Alex Zeesman, both of whom contributed immensely to Alpha-Omicron. All of the brothers would also like to thank Gary Grubacich, our Colony Director, for all of his support and determination he displayed in making the colonization

process easy for us. With an ACE project in the works, we are getting closer and closer to becoming a legitimate Sigma Pi chapter.

Carleton Eta-Rho Chapter What an amazing summer it’s been for Eta-Rho! Several brothers attended the ‘Hoggstock Olympics’ in the town of Conestoga in June. Then we went to the Hazelton Cottage for a brotherhood retreat in July where all-star Carleton quarterback Andrew “Jonny Unitas” Bridges presented the “Iron Maiden award of excellence” to the chapter, for our outstanding community service on and off-campus. Past sage Scott Campbell was voted King of The Pirates at this year’s Orientation Week, and Branden “GB” Tate raised a substantial amount of money for Cystic Fibrosis by giving himself the worst haircut on campus...(his tomfoolery raised 450 dollars). Rush Chairman Alex “Squeak” Sirois is leading a wonderful Rush brigade where Sigma Pi is looking to expand it’s roster here at Carleton.

Central Michigan Delta-Alpha Chapter Over the last three months DeltaAlpha has been on the quiet side with several ofour brothers home for the summer internships. We have been finalizing our alumni appreciation project where there will be engraved bricks being placed in the front walk of our house. We are all geared up for a successful Rush in the fall and we have just begun our race to a second consecutive All Sports Trophy.

Central Missouri Gamma-Gamma Chapter This fall brings an exciting new start for the men of Gamma-Gamma. We are all looking forward to this year’s pledge class. Our chapter goal is to gain 20 new members this fall. We are already halfway there and are actively recruiting for more new members everyday. We are also very excited about being one of the 20 chapters nationally to receive an efficiency award. We are also looking forward to homecoming this year and would like to invite any alumni or other brothers to come visit the chapter.

Detroit Mercy Gamma-Alpha Chapter This past semester the Gamma-Alpha Chapter has continued to “make it” as UDM’s most elite fraternity on campus. Gamma-Alpha chapter also celebrated a first place victory in Greek Week 2007, winning for the second year in a row. The brothers continue to participate in many fundraisers (including Cedar Point and Ford Field) and philanthropy events to raise money for our chapter and help give back to our community. Improvements towards the chapter house have also continued to take place. Overall our semester was extremely bright as we look forward to the future semesters.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Drury

Epsilon-Lambda, Eastern Kentucky University showing off another successful intramural season.

Epsilon-Rho Chapter The brothers of Epsilon-Rho started this year by recruiting 16 new pledges that have already begun to exemplify the ideals of Sigma Pi. The pledges and actives have already completed continued on next page

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Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

6 C H A PTER NEWS over 100 hours of volunteer service by helping people restart their lives through Habit for Humanity. The brothers at Epsilon-Rho have also been building a stronger brotherhood by going out for events such as rock climbing and shooting pool. We are looking forward to another great year and building on our success from last year.

Eastern Illinois Beta-Gamma Chapter Beta-Gamma has begun the semester with great brotherhood and man exciting opportunities in front of us. Once again we are Eastern Illinois Intramural Champions. We also finished second semester second in overall GPA. Recruitment has been strong, and we have chosen a group of quality men for our fall class. With homecoming just around the corner, Beta-Gamma is already beginning our preparation toward winning the float competition as well as the overall homecoming award. As always, the chapter would like to thank our wonderful alumni for their continued support--everything we do is to carry on the legacy you helped create!

Eastern Kentucky Epsilon-Lambda Chapter Our Chapter cumulative GPA is higher than cumulative average of the entire Greek system here at Eastern Kentucky. Rush went over rather well this semester, too. We received best participation at the Kappa Delta Shamrock competition, and our very own Charlie Bryd is the proud representative of Kappa Delta as the Shamrock. We ended last year with a Hokie memorial concert and donated all profits to the victims at Virgina Tech. We are currently working out the details on our philanthropy events, one of which we will be continuing is the adopta-highway program. In addition to that we have teamed up with a sorority on campus and a select few of our members will be donating their time to tutor kids at a local elementary school. We would also like to thank Josh Singleton from Sigma Pi National Office for his time and leadership with his ELC visit. It was a great pleasure and we hope you and Nationals come back for our annual pig roast softball tournament in the spring semester.

Eastern Michigan Gamma-Beta Colony School is back in session and we are “rushing” at our new student center on campus. Also our SAM Spady project will be coming up. The project is called the ACE of spades which goes through the final hour of Samantha’s life with the DVD. Everyone gets an ACE card and everyone plays a part in this special night. After the presentation, Eastern Michigan school official will be talking about the dangers of alcohol.

Embry-Riddle (AZ) Epsilon-Phi Chapter Another Semester begins at EmbryRiddle, and with it Epsilon-Phi Chapter is experiencing an astounding rush. The highlight of this semester’s rush events was most definitely tubing down the Salt River in Phoenix. Active Brothers and Alumni were given a great opportunity to show potential members the amazing bonds we share as Brothers in Sigma Pi. Epsilon-Phi Chapter has become an outstanding presence on campus and around town. As the new pledge education kicks off we look forward to imparting unforgettable memories and lasting impressions our new members.

Illinois Chapter Sage Kyle Decker and Delta Zeta Kristen Burwell show off Save a Life Day shirts.

Embry-Riddle (FL) Zeta-Beta Chapter Welcome back to all of our Brothers at the Zeta-Beta Chapter! Our first week back at school has been a blast! We have started rush and have a full schedule of events planned. We are excited to start an intramural flag football team and dodge ball team. We look forward for alumni weekend and hope that even more alumni come back this year.

Emporia State Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter Coming into the fall semester after a great spring semester we have high hopes for recruitment. In the spring we had outstanding grades and came in second by only two hundredths of a point in cumulative GPA. We are continually striving to make our Fraternity the best on campus through community service and campus involvement. We are planning to have some great alumni events this semester and the next.

Ferris State

Alpha-Beta Colony at the University of Michigan after a recent social event.

Theta-Theta Chapter Sigma Pi Theta-Theta Chapter at Ferris State University has had a very productive summer and we are all excited for fall rush. This past summer, the organization dedicated many hours to improving the house for our most anticipated rush in years.

We have many great events planned such as a Wii party, broomball, and a good old fashioned game of football.

The members of our chapter take much pride in their participation in the community. In addition to our many social gatherings, our philanthropy in the city of Big Rapids is at anticipating an all time high due to our planned benefit for the American Cancer Society and our Know Your Rights Ace Project. Theta-Theta alumni have great expectations for

Theta-Theta Chapter brothers from Ferris State University take a trip to one of the many beaches on Lake Michigan.

our young chapter this year with our highly anticipated 5 year anniversary celebration being highlighted by the Orchid Ball on Theta-Theta Founders’ Day March 29th, 2008. Theta-Theta is also excited to introducing a new generation of leaders into our proud Greek community. Continue to look for Theta-Theta at the top!

Fitchburg State

Georgia Alpha-Phi Chapter The Alpha-Phi Chapter has begun a strong semester. We had another successful rush that concluded with 16 pledges for this semester. The pledge class is looking strong and we look forward to their initiation. Our social calendar for this fall is looking very promising, with a toga party after rush and a band party before the first home football game, made possible by generous alumni Allen Yee. Allen has been a great asset to Alpha-Phi and has shown continued support through the past few years. One of the chapter’s biggest focuses this semester is on grades, which is also being reflected through the pledge program.

The pledge program is focused on academics and building strong future leaders within the chapter. Alpha-Phi is looking forward to the future and is making great strides.

Grand Valley State Theta-Rho Chapter Theta-Rho has been eagerly waiting this semester. We hope to fill in the ranks that our founding fathers left last year. Our brotherhood chair has many events planned such as date nights, overnight lock-ins, and even playing paintball again.

For philanthropy, we have adopted a local soup kitchen and are going to be having a food drive for the soup kitchen for Thanksgiving. We have also constructed many portable field games so that we can have fun anywhere on campus.

Hofstra Eta-Gamma Chapter Last Semester, the Eta-Gamma chapter met it’s recruitment goals for the year with our newest Pledge Class, the Alpha Mu’s. By taking up important chair positions, they have already shown great leadership. We would also like to congratulate our new E-Board, as we look forward to another semester of increased membership and influence within the Greek Community. The Eta-Gamma chapter did very well last semester, focusing on recruitment goals and community service.

We look forward this year to gaining more identifiable, positive reputation within Greek life, and are gearing up for Greek Week this Spring. Also, our chapter’s Alumni have given us great leadership, advice, and support in everything we have accomplished and hope to accomplish. The Eta-Gamma chapter would like to thank our alumni for their help, as they continue to be the strongest Alumni of any Greek organization at Hofstra.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Eta-Tau Chapter The Eta-Tau chapter has started the school year off on the right foot. We have begun major repairs on our house. Rush kicked off with Rock the Block where we had about 20 interested men stop by. Rush is now fully underway with events such as a Football game, Wiffleball and an allout Pig Roast. We are hoping to have a large and diverse group of pledges this semester. We are also continuing our fundraising activity at Gillette Stadium for the Patriot games. We are also planning our philanthropy events for the semester which includes our annual Sigma Pi brother auction for autism

and our Sleep Out for the homeless.

Illinois Phi Chapter Members and alumni of Phi chapter are excited. Our growth as a chapter has continued on next page

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8 C H APTER NEWS expanded with one of our largest pledge classes in a decade. This comes after an increasing emphasis on recruitment in our chapter. We attribute this success to the dedication of the brothers, the alumni, and the executive office. Our fall semester began with a very successful Sam Spady event. We invited the Save a Life Tour to present their drunken driving simulator in our union, as well as having the Champaign County Police do a demonstration about the effects of alcohol.

On August 28th, the chapter and the Tri-Deltas passed out 8,000 Sam Spady cards to students, faculty, and others to help increase alcohol awareness on our campus. Phi’s 99th consecutive year celebration will be held during the weekend of the homecoming football game, October 27th.

Indiana of Pennsylvania Theta-Epsilon Chapter Someone once said, “that the greatest journey a person will ever take is from their head to their heart.” With this in mind, Theta-Epsilon has a lot to accomplish and to prove this semester. With only 14 remaining active brothers, the chapter has been working with the Northeast ELC, in completing an action plan that will work on our Scholarship, Recruitment, and Campus Image. So far this semester, we have participated in Freshman Move-In Event at the University and we were the first fraternity to escort our new mascot for IUP at the first home football game in which the University President congratulated our Sage for introducing the new mascot to the campus and the community. We have also scheduled to have Past Grand Sage John Williams speak at our Spady Event in November. This semester will undoubtedly be Theta-Epsilon’s most crucial semester yet and with hard work and dedication will be its catalyst towards our revival.

Indiana Tech Gamma-Kappa Chapter Over the summer, some major improvements were made to our house. Our back porch was completely torn down and replaced. We gained some more porch space as well as making it safer for our parties. We also got new siding around the whole house. The outside appearance of the house looks so much nicer compared to what it was before. We plan on re-flooring the kitchen as well as hopefully redoing all the electrical in the house this next coming semester.

Theta-Iota Chapter at Penn State – Altoona showing Sigma Pi pride

Iowa

Iowa State

Xi Chapter After taking what we learned from SPU, Xi chapter had a successful fall formal recruitment, pledging 12 new members. We were also lucky enough to have 4 of our recent alumni come back for rush week, demonstrating the closeness of our Brotherhood. Beginning this semester with our first Sam Spady philanthropy event, we look forward to other events such as intramurals, homecoming, and other Greek related events.

We are also excited to visit our Brothers at Sigma chapter during a cross-state rivalry football game. Xi looks forward to a semester of informal rush, intramural championships, and walkouts to other chapters across the nation!

Sigma Chapter Sigma chapter had a very busy summer with recruitment exceeding a goal of twenty new members and getting 24 only a couple behind the Greek high for recruitment. The semester has started off very strong with tailgating and heavy class loads. The semester is off to a great start with “Yell Like Hell” for homecoming and lots of other homecoming activities coming up soon. The volleyball court installed last summer is full every night after dinner. There will be two recently graduating alumni getting married here in the next few months and many brothers will be making the trips to celebrate with them and their families.

Brothers from Theta-Beta, Saginaw Valley State, and Theta-Rho, Grand Valley State, after competing in the annual flag football Pi bowl.

Brothers always have time to show Sigma Pi Pride!

With 42 members living in house this fall this year will be a busy and fun time for everyone around Sigma Pi and Iowa State University.

Johnson & Wales Eta-Omega Chapter With 17 active brothers, the EtaOmega Chapter at Johnson & Wales University is looking to bring the total active number to 35 by the end of the year. With strong new members and hard working seniors, the Eta-Omega Chapter has their mind set on winning awards for Convocation next year in Long Beach California. President Sean E. Hosking has brought the chapter together in the brotherhood that is represented the way Sigma Pi Fraternity wants us to represent it, and strong unity in this chapter will meet their goals that they have set for themselves.

Kentucky

Lawrence Tech Zeta-Omicron Chapter We participated in the annual Greek Day activities on campus and placed

ball game which was a great way to look at the past while striving for the future.

We have had many successful philanthropy events at soup kitchens, a walk and run for chronic illness, and YMCA programs. The Beta-Chi chapter also recently launched a website at www.lucsigmapi.org.

Louisiana Tech Delta-Lambda Chapter Here at the Delta-Lambda we look forward to a successful year due to the loss of our house. Recently, our chapter house was torn down, so we had to move to an older fraternity house.

During the fall, we will be raising money for a new house through many fundraisers and alumni donations.

With a successful recruitment we look to a more well rounded chapter. Also, our chapter looks forward to a successful ACE project.

Miami (OH)

Maryland Alpha-Chi Colony The Alpha-Chi colony at UMD kicked off a successful Fall Rush this August.

Events included Volleyball, Poker Night, BBQ w/ the Bros, and Fraternal Tanning at La Plata Beach. We also added 10 new members to our chapter, which puts us closer to our ultimate goal of 60 which is needed in order to charter.

We’re planning to have a “Concert for Charity” hosted by Santa Fe Cafe in association with the Kappa Delta and Tri Delta sororities. We look forward to being the newest member of the University of Maryland’s Greek Community.

Eta-Phi Chapter Eta-Phi has had a great start to the Fall Semester, as we are looking forward to

Loyola - Chicago Beta-Chi Chapter The Beta-Chi Chapter has had an extremely successful first semester. We began the new school year by focusing our attention on Rush which was one of our most successful to date. Chris Willenborg ‘09 completed a successful Sam Spady project by showing the Spady Foundations short film on the dangers of alcohol before Loyola on-campus movies. We also caught up with many Beta-Chi alumni at a soft-

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Epsilon-Beta Chapter It’s been an exciting year for EpsilonBeta. We are starting the year with 37 new pledges. Also this year we are trying to increase our alumni relations through the use of a list serve on Yahoo that will keep all alumni aware of all upcoming events. If you are an interested Epsilon-Beta Alumni go on to the Yahoo website and sign up.

Currently, we are doing very well in intramurals and hoping to be overall fraternity league champion this year.

second this year. Throughout the summer brothers were busy planning many of the events and activities for the upcoming year. We also got together for our annual summer retreat with this years event held at Rifle River. We held our traditional rush events this semester and had a great time at Hooters, at our bowling event, and go-karting. As rush nears its end there is a lot of excitement amongst brothers for the upcoming year. This year is sure to be another stellar one for the brothers of Zeta-Omicron.

Gamma-Omega, Wayne State brothers showing off some hardware after the Sigma Pi warrior games. continued on next page

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10 Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

C H APTER NEWS bag of interesting and helpful items, which included Samantha Spady cards this year, and will each year from now.

Also, Greek Week is now just around the corner, so we are very anxious to begin competing against other greek life on campus, and as usual, we plan to finish in the top five. Greek Week is also followed by homecoming at UMR, and being that it is our 75th anniversary; we are expecting a good group of alumni.

Ursinus Chapter takes a minute to show some pride

initiating six new members from our informal spring rush class in early October. We had a very productive summer, where we had two-house fix ups, along with representatives attending SPU. We just held our annual Malibu Party, where the Chapter and the guests enjoyed hot tubs, sand, volleyball, a cookout, and hours of fun. We are looking to repeat a great performance during Miami’s Greek Week and look to finish as number one. Our sports season has also began and we are looking to finish as all sports champion for the fourth time in five years. On a final note, we held a memorial service and our planning the construction of a memorial for one of our fallen brothers who passed away to the Adytum on High this summer, Jason Madachy.

Michigan Alpha-Beta Colony Alpha-Beta Colony, has come a long way since just starting up several months ago, and we have not let summer slow us down one bit. With a new executive board and the support of Sigma Pi Executive Staff Adam Dibble we have a well planned future, and

look forward to becoming Founding Fathers. We had a very successful fundraising campaign which included working concessions for the Detroit Tigers and the Blue Angels Air Show.

We have definitely stressed brotherhood bonding to keep everyone interested and commitment was not lacking as evidenced by a camping trip to Canada the fraternity took part in. Welcome week gave us the chance to show case ourselves to the Greek community by hosting several parties. Most importantly though, we are looking forward to our first official Fall Rush, and looking to add a great group of young men to the Sigma Pi experience.

Michigan Tech Zeta-Epsilon Chapter We completed our ACE project before the beginning of this semester by helping the Michigan Tech Construction Team build a playground for the new Michigan Tech Husky Day Care Center. We also plan on having our annual haunted house which all earnings will be donated to the Pigs-N-Heat Organization. This Organization raises money for local victims of either crime

or house fires. Also this spring semester we will be helping the local fire and police department sell raffle tickets for the Pigs-N-Heat Organization. Last year we raised $2,500 in raffle tickets alone. Our goal this spring semester is to raise double that amount.

Missouri Gamma-Sigma Chapter Gamma Sigma ended the 2006-2007 school year with one of our biggest spring pledge classes ever. We started this school year by adding numbers to our fall pledge class which we are very pleased with. We would like to send a special thanks to our alumni for a newly redone basement, bathroom, and carpet. We are also starting this year with a new chapter director after Robert Weber stepped down from five years of dedication, thank you Mr. Weber.

Missouri - Rolla Alpha-Iota Chapter For the start of the 2007-2008 school year, the Alpha Iota brothers have hit the ground running. As usual, the first week of school was spent improving the house, and the land it is on. When freshman come to UMR, they get a

Missouri - St. Louis Delta-Zeta Chapter Delta-Zeta is glad to report that we have been doing extremely well lately, and have a lot to tell you. Right now we are in fall rush, and hoping to pin at least 15-20 new members. We are over half way there and things are looking great. Over the summer we helped out a local community clean up their streets, and were recognized by the Suburban Journal in early September. We are also thrilled to report that brother Bryan Goers has taken a huge step on campus by being elected SGA president. With many brothers in honors societies and various positions, we have made a huge step on being involved on campus. Our grades for the last semester also came in, and our chapter had over a 2.8 GPA, by far the highest on campus. Things are going well right now, and we hope to continue to move forward!

Missouri Southern State Eta-Mu Chapter After a great summer and a successful Orchid Ball, Eta-Mu is geared up for the 2007-2008 year. We have recruited 10 new members as of Rush Week and have met many people on campus who are interested in Sigma Pi. We will be continuing our active recruitment and are confident we will continue to grow on campus. With Homecoming quickly approaching, we are excited and look forward to retaining the King crown we won last year.

Missouri State Alpha-Rho Chapter The Alpha-Rho chapter has been busy over the last semester. With the conclusion of Greek Sports here at Missouri State University, the

brothers are proud to have finished in 3rd place overall. We are also excited about our successful Ace Project in which we have worked with Missouri State University in handing out free refreshments at Myer Library during finals week. Recently, we initiated three more men into our chapter and had a spectacular Orchid Ball at the lake this summer. We have had a great time with our philanthropy Search for Athena, raising over $1,100 benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network. We would like to thank graduating seniors Ryan Velicer, Brent Hustson, and Steve Taylor for all the hard work and dedication they have provided us with over the years and wish them luck with their future endeavors.

Monmouth Delta-Beta Chapter In June, our Sage, Herald, and Community Service chair attend a meeting of the Underage Drinking Coalition of Monmouth County where they presented our past ACE Projects and gave the members a unique perspective and approach to underage drinking.

Several members of our chapter had the opportunity to attend SPU. This semester we are looking to recruit a solid pledge class, run another successful blood drive, attend a walk to help in the fight against breast cancer, catch up with our alumni during Homecoming, and maintain our high academic standing. We hope everyone had a good summer and wish everyone a great fall semester.

Morehead State

loss that devastated our chapter. One of our beloved alumni Erik (Frank) Harris was on Com Air flight 5191 when the plane crashed. (8/27/06).

We have a recent loss with another brother, Shaun Bolibrauch. He was a loved brother and we will always remember him. (3/23/07)

attended the Sigma Pi University and brought back many ideas that have helped to make our chapter even stronger. Rush has been going very well this semester and our chapter has already acquired a pledge class that has the potential to become great within our brotherhood.

NJIT

Oregon State

Alpha-Mu Chapter The brothers and alumni of Alpha-Mu have come together to make many large scale repairs to one of the oldest chapter houses in our fraternity.

The house, a Victorian Romanesque Mansion built in 1889, is part of the City of Newark’s James Street Commons Historic District. Our efforts to repair this historic house have been noticed by the student body and we have received very positive feed back.

Our chapter has enlisted the services of the international to have a more successful rush and so far we have had a phenomenal turnout. We are looking forward to one of our best pledge classes in a long time. With the increased numbers we will maintain our position as one of the leading fraternities. The active brothers look forward to continued interaction with our alumni. We are planning several events that we hope will bring more alumni back to Newark.

Omega Chapter We are looking forward to having a great fall term this year. We are initiating 2 new members the first week of school and received 8 new pledges in our first rush week of the year. We are very excited about making our chapter bigger and stronger this fall and getting the year off on the right foot.

Old Dominion Theta-Eta Chapter The new semester has started and the Theta-Eta Chapter is looking forward to exciting one. Two of our brothers

Penn College Theta-Phi Chapter It’s a new year at Pennsylvania College of Technology and change is in the air.

We recently found out this spring that there going to recognize some fraternities on campus which is exciting news.

We are beginning are rush and plan to initiate 20 guys, a lot of guys are leaving this year so we have high goals to add quality brothers to keep our chapter going!

Seton Hall Delta-Epsilon Chapter Delta-Epsilon Chapter is looking forward to another strong year in North Jersey. After graduating just 5 seniors last May, the Chapter is 37 strong and ready for a great semester continuing its high standard of excellence. Among

the plans for the semester is a “Sigma Pi Eating Contest,” a NJ Province Workshop and the SHU 500, which is a community service event that the entire Seton Hall community takes part in the spirit of service. With the biggest freshmen class in years at Seton Hall, we hope to add many New Members in the 2007-2008 school year.

Southern Arkansas Epsilon-Kappa Chapter We have a lot more exciting events going on in the Epsilon-Kappa chapter than we usually do this semester. Our back to school party was the largest on campus and we all had a really good time. Rush week went off without a hitch and we had a lot of interest about Sigma Pi. Our annual skeet shoot will follow this week where we’ll get to know all of the potentials. Family Day is also right around the corner and we’re looking to put another trophy on the shelves by winning the canoe race for the third year in a row.

We have an 80’s themed party and a Halloween party in the works for the semester (as well as a couple of events just for fun) and are looking forward to a great fall.

Southern Illinois - Edwardsville Delta-Omega Chapter The Brothers of Delta-Omega kicked off the fall 2007 semester with a bang.

First of all, we hosted our 4th annual Pig Roast and Luau on the quad for our ACE Project. The event was very successful. We ended up feeding continued on next page

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Delta-Rho Chapter The men of Delta-Rho initiated 12 new members and hopefully more in the spring. This past semester we got 1st place in basketball for intramurals and 2nd overall in intramurals. For one of our new local philanthropies we held a dog show for our local dog pound. We had over 400 hundred people show up. We had 20 puppies adopted. Our main goal was to promote the dog pound and raise money to improve the overall wellbeing of the pound. The brothers of Delta-Rho also go over once a week and walk the dogs. Although we had an overall excellent year, we had a tremendous

Members of Alpha-Upsilon Rhode Island, Eta-Eta Bridgewater State, Eta-Tau Fitchburg State, Bentley Interest group and Grand Fourth Councilor Ed Levesque tailgating at the 15-0 NE Patriots game.

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Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

12 C H APTER NEWS over a thousand students and faculty members. We also provided various activities such as inflatable toys and even a live band. Rush looks to be very promising this semester. Rush tables and the Pig Roast sparked a lot of interest from new members. On Labor Day, brothers battled the heat all day to win the championship title in the first annual fraternity slow pitch softball tournament.

Southern Tech Epsilon-Alpha Chapter The Epsilon-Alpha chapter at Southern Tech has been working hard to add to its numbers in the recent months. Over the summer we have helped the school with its orientation for the new students, while doing so the brothers met with a large number of new students. We recruited 11 new members during rush, and have made many new friends with other possible new members for the next semester.

Also at the rush, the chapter had another car bash and Pie Bash, with all money raised going to the Sam Spady foundation. We plan on having philanthropies such as NASCAR and Cheersport. We have scheduled another event that will be donating the profits to the Sam Spady foundation.

The chapter also plans on helping with blood drives that will be done over this semester.

St. Joseph’s Theta-Chi Chapter Theta-Chi Chapter is looking forward to its first full semester as an official chapter at Saint Joseph’s University.

We are currently in the process of finalizing our ACE project titled “Sigma Pi: Living The Creed,” a five day event where we will be showcasing sections of the creed, including diffusing culture and encouraging chivalry.

Our goals for recruitment are simple; we want to double our numbers by the end of the year. We are at the beginning stages of planning a DanceA-Thon to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation. We’re hoping to raise around $30,000 from corporate sponsors and participants. Look for updates in the next Emerald!

SUNY - Buffalo Epsilon-Omicron Chapter The Epsilon-Omicron chapter has already begun to think of prospective ideas for future philanthropy events to benefit the community of Buffalo.

These events are now being planned in a joint effort with sororities affiliated with SUNY Buffalo to increase the effectiveness and manpower.

Texas A&M Iota-Gamma Chapter The Fall 2007 semester here at Texas A&M started off with a bang for Sigma Pi, with a good showing of interested men attending our rush events. We had upwards of 25 new faces at our first rush event which was poker. The events that followed included pool, swimming and a bar-b-que, and homerun derby. This fall rush brought all of the existing brothers closer together as well as introduced us to some good new men that will help us greatly in the future.

Fall rush culminated on September 7th when we initiated 12 new members. This semester looks to be a busy one for us here at Texas A&M with many service and philanthropy projects planned as well as Chartering November 3, 2007!

Texas - San Antonio Iota-Delta Chapter Sigma Pi at The University Of Texas at San Antonio has been in full force this semester trying to recruit quality men. We have many great things planned for the fall semester including a Retreat to Uvalde, Texas, a mixer with the lovely ladies of Phi Mu and we are also in the process of planning our ACE project. We have also been involved with the Student Referendum which is a bill that will increase our athletic program and potentially make way for a football team here at UTSA. We also are very proud to announce our Chartering as the Iota-Delta Chapter!

Texas State Theta-Upsilon Chapter Sigma Pi has started off the year very well here at Texas State. We ended last year with our Sage, Charlie Perryman,

Epsilon-Phi Chapter at Embry-Riddle (AZ) during a recent Orchid Ball.

being elected Greek Man of the Year.

Our dodge ball team took first place in fraternity league, and all university champions. Theta-Upsilon still holds the highest GPA on campus, for two years in a row now (by more than a half a point), and we are looking forward to a third year. While summer was fun, it also was filled with recruitment events and gatherings. Rush chair Danny Day spent time with the active brothers discussing on what they could to do improve recruitment.

We are happy to introduce our Delta class, 13 very promising pledges. We are looking forward to ACE, Sam Spady, and other philanthropies this semester. Other updates include our new alumni news letter, our new Chapter Director Kevin Kilker, and our brotherhood trip to Big Ben National park. It’s a great day to be a Sigma Pi! Towson Eta-Nu Chapter The Eta-Nu Chapter at Towson University is proud to announce the initiation of three distinguished men into our brotherhood: David Gabriel, Brandon Sowinski, and Kyle Young.

The summer was both relaxing and fulfilling for our chapter. Eta-Nu won two major awards at Sigma Pi University 2007: the Outstanding ACE Project Award for Tier 2 and the Beyer-Fryburg Award for perfect efficiency (1,000 points). We are looking forward to a successful fall semester.

Our focus is on the recruitment of new members and the planning of our second annual Timothy R. Lawrence

Memorial Basketball Tournament, which will honor our fallen brother.

Proceeds will be donated to the SAM Spady Foundation.

UCLA Upsilon Chapter The Upsilon Chapter is continuing to improve throughout the spring and summer, and it began with a quality pledge class in the spring. Our membership has thus grown to over one hundred members, solidifying our standing as a top fraternity on campus.

Our house academics and scholarship programs continue to improve as well, as we reached a collective GPA of 3.25 and welcomed the rapid growth of our scholarship fund. In softball, our top team reached the school-wide championship game, a feat regarded even tougher than in a fraternity-only league. And for our ACE project, fourteen of our members ran and finished the Los Angeles Marathon, raising over seven thousand dollars as a chapter for the Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center. To cap off a solid year, the brothers enjoyed our Orchid Ball in Palm Springs at the beginning of June, an amazing event that saw the highest attendance ever for an Upsilon formal. For this summer, we’ve put a lot of effort into improving our physical house, and we look forward to beginning the fall riding the momentum we have created over the past few quarters.

Ursinus Theta-Sigma Chapter After graduating our largest class since

chartering, the Theta-Sigma chapter is excited for the upcoming year. We are already planning numerous philanthropy events including promoting alcohol awareness on campus in support of the Sam Spady foundation and continuing to sponsor the “Relay for Life” at Ursinus. We are also looking forward to hosting our first Province Archon workshop. The flag football and volleyball teams have begun practice in an effort to retain their crowns from last year, and we are also happy to report that Betty, our fraternity mother, and her daughter are in good spirits and had the chapter over for dinner to welcome us back to school.

Valparaiso Beta-Tau Chapter Last spring, Beta-Tau initiated nine new members and had senior brother, Carl Boschert, receive the Fulbright Scholarship. Carl, now graduated, is currently spending a year researching in China. Over the summer, current Herald, Matt Arvin, took time to brush up on his Greek history while participating in a month long study program in Athens and Tolo, Greece.

This fall, Beta-Tau is busy volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and preparing for their annual philanthropic all-campus sand volleyball tournament. Beta-Tau would like to congratulate brother Micah Sievenpiper for becoming Valparaiso University’s Residential Minister this fall.

Vincennes

Virginia Beta-Pi Chapter This fall semester began with a new group of Sigma Pi brothers moving in to the house, bringing a sense of renewed enthusiasm to our entire fraternity. So far this semester we have successfully hosted our first Comfort Zone, a philanthropic event that brings multi-cultural groups together in the name of a common goal. We will host a second Comfort Zone later this fall. Still to come in the next few weeks, we plan to initiate the current neophytes and welcome them into full brotherhood. In addition, we are all eagerly awaiting Fall Rush, where we hope to find some great new members to our thriving fraternal atmosphere.

Wake Forest Alpha-Nu Chapter We have a full schedule of activities and events planned for this semester that will reinforce Alpha-Nu’s presence both on campus and throughout the Winston-Salem community. In addition to our exciting social and athletic calendars, we have a great philanthropy and community service agenda this fall. Alpha-Nu will be participating in many Wake Forest community projects benefiting a variety of charities including Campus Kitchen, Wake’N’Shake, and Hit the Bricks. As always, Alpha-Nu is busy planning a full-week of ACE events, which once again should prove to be the highlight of the fall semester. Sigma Pi will also be returning to the playing fields with vengeance to retake the Intramural Championship.

Wayne State Gamma-Omega Chapter With the summer starting out on a great note, the brothers of sigma pi, Gamma-Omega chapter crowned the WSU Warrior Games champions, things seemed to turn into a productive summer. With the house always full of commotion between brothers moving in, brothers moving out, and constant home improvements, there was never a shortage of brothers to

help or things to be done. Brothers participated in our annual alumni canoe trip as well as raised money “Hope for Kimmie” kidney fundraiser.

West Alabama Theta-Gamma Chapter The brothers of Theta-Gamma have been working very hard over the summer to get the new school year off to a good start. We had a good turn out full of great guys at our fall rush.

Intramural football is just around the corner and everyone is looking forward to the competition. The brother of Theta-Gamma would also like to say congratulations to brother Daniel Bryars for getting married in August.

West Chester Zeta-Alpha Chapter The Brothers at Zeta-Alpha are eagerly looking forward to another successful year here at West Chester University.

Coming off the heels of last year, we recently held our 23rd annual Alumni Weekend where Brothers returned to reminisce about old times and hear about our progress. Later in the summer, our Brothers returned from Sigma Pi University in Nashville with great memories and even greater knowledge. We look forward to the upcoming year as we once again take this campus by storm while we continue our run as the largest and most dominant fraternity on this campus.

West Virginia Tech Gamma-Xi Chapter We are looking forward to a great year at the Gamma-Xi chapter at West Viginia University Institute of Technology. We are working in conjunction with the school’s hierarchy, the alumni, and other Greeks to increase the reputation of the Greek system on campus. We are going to have a social gathering to raise the awareness of the Sam Spady Foundation. We are also working on many other projects with the house, school, and town ensuring that future generations can enjoy a fulfilling college experience by joining Sigma Pi

Western Illinois Epsilon-Zeta Chapter We have cut all of the mules out of our chapter, and got it down to a small amount of work horses in the chapter. We have a small amount of members (12) but are looking at least doubling or tripling our numbers in this first semester. The interior of our house is being remodeled and has been improved since last year. We have had some interest parties already, and looking forward to an amazing rush week.

Western Michigan Gamma-Rho Chapter First of all, we would like to start off by congratulating all brothers who graduated this past year. We would also like to give honorable mention to those recently initiated. On a lighter note, last fall, we donated $1200 the American Diabetes Association by teeter-tottering for 72 consecutive hours in the middle of campus. We are also celebrating our 40th anniversary.

William Paterson Theta-Tau Chapter Greetings Fellow Brothers! This past summer was very productive for us here at Theta-Tau. We recently began the process of creating our Alumni Group, and can’t wait to get it established. We also finished painting our organization’s rock on campus, creating even more exposure for Sigma Pi. The chapter held a few meetings over the summer to get everyone on the same page with our rush this school year, and the hard work of everyone has showed. Just recently, the Welcome Back Greek BBQ held at our school allowed us to showcase the best organization on campus, and during the bbq, we had over 25 students fill out our interest flyers. Needless to say, it’s going to be an excellent semester.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Alpha Chapter Alpha Chapter has had a very successful summer and opening month here at Vincennes. During the summer, the house was completely remodeled and finished in time for the fall 2007 school semester. The fire the brothers of Alpha experienced in January was an event they will never forget. The rededication ceremony and ribbon cutting was very successful which brought the chapter, Vincennes University, and the whole town together. Among the guests included the Dean of Students, President of Vincennes University and the Vincennes City Fire Chief to name a few. Alpha Chapter also looks forward to a very successful recruitment period this year. This year the brothers

of Alpha are all working together to keep Sigma Pi as the leading organization on campus.

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14 CAMPUS

Future Spring Expansion: Our scheduled spring 2008 expansion projects include . . .

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR): Alpha-Sigma Chapter originally established April 2, 1948. Inactive since 1977.

University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX): Sigma Pi will be joining a Greek community of over thirty fraternities and sororities.

EXPANSION

Sigma Pi colonizes at Washington State

by Jim DiVita

On November 15, 2007, Expansion/Recruitment Consultant Duane Cunningham (ΘΡ, Grand Valley State ’07) colonized a group of men at Washington State University in Pullman, WA. Marking the third “cold start” or targeted expansion in the fall 2007 semester, Sigma Pi has been eager to get a group at yet

another Pac 10 campus for sometime. Led by Colony Director Jeremy Lessmann (N, Franklin & Marshall ’93), a chemistry professor at WSU, the men have positioned themselves to create something great. The colony is composed of campus leaders and is looking to make themselves stand out among the Greek com-

munity. Colony members have been active recruiting since colonization in addition to visiting other Sigma Pi chapters at Oregon and Oregon State. We look forward to seeing big things come out of Pullman, WA! Check out the colony’s new website at: www. sigmapiwast.com.

Recommend an undergraduate Brothers, do you know a current undergraduate or college-bound senior that would make a great addition to an existing chapter of our Fraternity?

Is your son or brother attending a school where he would be a legacy of Sigma Pi? If so, complete the Recommend a Man submission form online and let us know! Current chapters of Sigma Pi benefit greatly from receiving names of quality individuals attending their college or university.

The link to this service can be found on the main page of www.sigmapi.org. If you cannot access the internet, please send a form that includes your name and contact information, the name and school of the recommended man, and his contact information to: Director of Expansion / Recruitment Sigma Pi Fraternity P.O Box 1897 Brentwood, TN 37024

Sigma Pi re-charters at UC - Santa Barbara

by Jim DiVita

On Saturday, January 26, 2008, overlooking the Pacific Ocean the 38th chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity was officially re-installed with 45 men initiated at the University of California – Santa Barbara. Sigma Pi alumni both near and far attended the weekend’s events coming as far from Texas to see Sigma Pi re-charter. Notable Alpha-Omicron alumni in attendance were: Karl Lopker ’73, TJ Smith ’71, Buzz Nuckols ’71, Richard Enos ’70, Raymond Piantanida ’70, Edward Olson ’70, James Merriman ’70 and Ian Bryzek ’07. Special thanks to Karl Lopker who was graciously kind enough to allow the initiation to take place at his QAD facility atop beautiful Santa Barbara; truly a ceremony to remember.

The men of Alpha-Omicron were colonized in the spring of 2007 by Director of Expansion/Recruitment Jim DiVita (ΖΜ, Michigan State ’04)

mental in bringing Sigma Pi back to campus in a big way! His time and energy truly helped the young men of Alpha-Omicron make Sigma Pi a force on campus. Thank you Gary!

Alpha-Omicron Chapter re-joins the state of California, now composed of 11 chapters and two colonies. Special thanks to all faculty, parents, dates, area alumni and the brothers from Upsilon Chapter at UCLA for helping out in the initiation ceremony: Sam Cortina ’09, Russ Hess ’08, Andrew Londerholm ’10, Matt Passanisi ’10 and also alumnus Scott Wolfe (ΖΗ, Santa Clara ’96).

Letters of congratulations can be sent to Sage Robert Biestman at: alphaomicron@sigmapi. org. If you are interested in joining the alumni advisory board or area alumni association, please contact Chapter Director Gary Grubacich at: alphaomicronCD@sigmapi.org or at: (805) 8958360 for more information on joining.

events within the UCSB Greek community and achieved over a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Topping things off Stanley Nzessi ’09 was crowned Anchor Man in Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash competition. Alpha-Omicron was very active conducting a Sam Spady Project and an ACE Project CHARTERING TEAM: right away. Sigma Pi also placed 2nd overall on UCSB’s Fraternity AccreditaGrand Sage: Larry Rovira (EN, Cal State – Fullerton ’85) tion Program. Stephan Franklin, UCSB Grand Second Counselor: PGS John Merino (ΒΟ, Cal State – Long Beach ’58) Assistant Dean of Students commented on Grand Third Counselor: Brian DeVot (ΒΟ, Cal State – Long Beach ’99) the colony as being “extremely helpful in Grand Fourth Counselor: Erik Jolliff (ΒΟ, Cal State – Long Beach ’05) promoting positive change in our Greek Grand First Counselor: Jay Ross (Υ, UCLA ’92) system.” Gary Grubacich ’68, serving as Grand Herald: Jonathan Frost (ΔΖ, Missouri – St. Louis ’02) Colony Director from day one, was instru-

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Originally chartered on February 28, 1948 as one of the first fraternities at the University of California – Santa Barbara, Alpha-Omicron Chapter was later closed in 1976 due to low membership. With an ever increasing desire by the Sigma Pi Executive Office to open closed chapters at fine institutions such as UCSB, re-establishing Alpha-Omicron Chapter and bringing the group back to the ranks of Sigma Pi’s elite California chapters was a top priority.

after being voted back onto campus by the UCSB Interfraternity Council in the fall. In one year’s time, the men of Alpha-Omicron would grow into one of the largest organizations on campus.

The men participated in numerous philanthropy

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Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

16 PHIL ANTHROPY

We were born to

unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race. — Cicero

THE ALTRUISTIC CAMPUS EXPERIENCE

THE SAM SPADY FOUNDATION

Sigma Pi strives to create great

Sigma Pi Fraternity, together

alumni, and cultivate a new genera-

with the SAM Spady Foundation,

tion of leaders among all men. For

teaches students about the dangers

more than a century, we have been

of misuse of alcohol. We will edu-

a valued member of the campus community, and we are

cate the masses, inform the individual, and protect our

excited to deepen our devotion to our campuses to provide

most valuable asset with whom we have been trusted . . .

our society with well educated, moral and dedicated men.

our undergraduate members, both present and future.

THE ALTRUISTIC CAMPUS EXPERIENCE The Altruistic Campus Experience, or ACE Project, began as nothing more than an idea of Sigma Pi Fraternity Executive Director Mark Briscoe in fall of 2002 when he re-evaluated the role of the Greek system on our college campuses. Briscoe saw a need that was not being met by any campus organization, and with the help of the staff helped to implement the first international service program specifically to benefit our host institutions.

The ACE Project was presented as a concept to the undergraduate chapter leaders at the 2003 Midyear Leadership Conference in St. Louis, and was approved by our membership with great excitement. Between the February meeting and the following summer, the Sigma Pi Executive Office staff labored diligently to complete all of the logistics and set up parameters for the program to insure its success.

It was officially kicked off during the Fraternity’s summer leadership school, Sigma Pi University (2003), with a bold announcement that Sigma Pi would lead the way in service for our campuses. ACE started with a bang as the excited members at SPU began brainstorming ideas before they left the event. T-shirts and materials were distributed to everyone in attendance, and advisors were announced for undergraduates to solicit for ideas.

“We are not going to bounce basketballs to raise money for books,” Executive Director Mark Briscoe said. “We are going to really get involved with what our colleges and universities need by volunteering labor where they need it. This program is conducted in the spirit of altruism, continued on next page

Chapter, School, Date of Project Synopsis of Project Alpha Chapter, Vincennes, 9/5/07 15th Annual Hog Roast Gamma Colony, Ohio State, 11/4/07 Campus Run to raise money for OSU scholarship Xi Chapter, Iowa, 12/1/07 Safe Walk Alpha-Omicron Colony, California-Santa Barbara, 10/27/07 Campus Clean Up Beta-Omicron Chapter, Cal State-Long Beach, 10/2/07 Alcohol Awareness/Successful business strategy speakers Beta-Sigma Chapter, Northern Illinois, 11/17/07 Campus Clean Up Beta-Chi Chapter, Loyola-Chicago, 12/12/07 Finals Breakfast Gamma-Gamma Chapter, Central Missouri State, 10/18/07 Campus Beautification Delta-Alpha Chapter, Central Michigan, 12/5/07 Miracle on Main Street continued on next page

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

The Altruistic Campus Experience is unlike any other program designed by our organization, and is already a proven success in North America. Since each campus and chapter is different (some public, some private; some large, some small); the project is implemented and evaluated to help the specifically approved needs of each individual campus.

CURRENTLY REGISTERED ACE PROJECTS

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and as our campuses improve, we will all share the benefits of a better collegiate experience.”

The first step each chapter takes is to gather resources from the Executive Office (available on-line at www.sigmapi.org) before scheduling a meeting with an administrative campus official. As we have said, each project is different for each school. Our chapters are encouraged to simply ask the campus what they need – and do its best as a chapter to help out. The chapter must meet and be granted campus approval for a project (before they begin work) to insure that everyone can benefit from the experience.

Every member of Sigma Pi Fraternity will become not only an alumnus of the organization, but more importantly an alumnus of their schools.

The ACE project is designed not only to help the school, but also to help boost the pride our members have in their campuses, and leave a positive legacy for the future. Chapters are encouraged to work hard to promote the project, invite other organizations to help, and get the good news into the local media to promote the campus and encourage others to give back too.

In the first full academic year of the ACE project, (2003-04,) our chapters boosted their image on campus by combining in thousands of volunteer hours of service to help their campus by: organizing cleaning projects, literacy programs, replenishing blood supplies for University hospitals, planting trees, renewing and rehabilitating campus areas, honoring professors, assisting the school with alcohol and other awareness programs, and volunteering for outside charity in the name of the campus.

Each project is different, and specially designed for the modern needs of our campus. As undergraduate members of Sigma Pi Fraternity develop,

they will want to take an active leadership role in the ACE project. The project is perfect in its ideal, as it is a way of helping to strengthen the bonds of the students with their campuses which trains them to be the best professionals.

The ACE Project does not replace the philanthropy work our chapters perform for the Red Cross or other chapter selected charity organizations, it is an addition to them. Philanthropy is important in the life of an educated man, because the life experience is enhanced through helping others.

ACE is one of the best ways for any college student to enjoy the benefits of pride, honor and devotion to their alma mater as an undergraduate.

As a student lives, studies, and works daily on their campus, he can work with the administration (through the ACE project ) to find a way to make it better. The campus is preparing each student for a career and life, and Sigma Pi Fraternity men give back to them with volunteer labor for the needs we can fill to enhance the collegiate experience. After all, helping our school is a great way for our students to help themselves learn the value of donation to their alma mater.

Sigma Pi Fraternity strives to create great alumni, and cultivate a new generation of leaders among all men on our campuses. For more than a century our organization has been a valued member of the campus community, and we are excited to deepen our devotion to our campuses in the best ways possible to provide our society with well educated, moral and dedicated men. The ACE Project has impacted thousands of people in hundreds of ways already, and we are excited to continue to improve this project and our campuses for generations to come.

CURRENTLY REGISTERED ACE PROJECTS Delta-Epsilon Chapter, Seton Hall, 12/13/07 Handing out hot chocolate during finals Delta-Zeta Chapter, Missouri-St. Louis, 8/25/07 Free BBQ and Games for residents on campus Delta-Omega Chapter, SIU-Edwardsville, 8/30/07 SIUE Campus Pig Roast and Luau Epsilon-Omicron Chapter, SUNY-Buffalo, 9/30/07 Campus Clean Up What is ACE and what is its purpose?

ACE stands for Altruistic Campus Experience. The purpose is to instill pride and respect for one’s alma mater by directly performing philanthropic activities that specifically benefit the university or its faculty, staff, and administration.

Does this replace the community service projects that chapters and colonies normally conduct during the academic year?

No, community service has always been and will continue to be a vital part of the moral development of our members. Chapters are still encouraged to continue these important services for their community and to expand them if possible.

Will all chapters be required to conduct one specific type of event?

No, the needs of each campus vary and we want to insure that the service we perform is one that is needed and appropriate. Chapters

are encouraged to be creative and resourceful and are also required to check with your Greek Advisor or Dean of Students for ideas.

What is the purpose of the event registration form that is to be signed by the Greek Advisor or Dean of Students?

We want to insure that our project is appropriate and does not encroach on any other campus department (i.e. physical plant or buildings and grounds). We also feel that these university officials can help guide us with an appropriate project and contribute resources and support to make the event better. If you already have a campus project that is deemed appropriate then the event registration form will simply verify the existing partnership between the chapter and university.

What types of events are not appropriate?

ACE stands for Altruistic Campus Experience and we truly want our members to be altruistic in their

Epsilon-Phi Chapter, Embry-Riddle (AZ), 4/19/08 Driving vans and directing traffic for Admissions Center Zeta-Epsilon Chapter, Michigan Tech, 8/27/07 Building Playground Zeta-Zeta Chapter, Florida, 12/1/07 Campus Landscaping Zeta-Chi Chapter, Rowan, 11/13/07 Rent-a-Pi Eta-Alpha Chapter, Cal State-Sacramento, 11/26/07 Violence Awareness Eta-Epsilon Colony, Florida State, 10/12/07 Campus Clean Up Eta-Pi Chapter, Kutztown, 10/27/07 Campus Clean Up Eta-Tau Chapter, Fitchburg State, 10/14/07 Campus Up Keep Eta-Psi Chapter, Clemson, 11/19/07 Campus Clean Up Theta-Beta Chapter, Saginaw Valley, 9/14/07 Fifth Annual Pi Stock Theta-Delta Chapter, College of New Jersey, 10/9/07 Domestic Violence Awareness Theta-Eta Chapter, Old Dominion, 3/3/08 Safe spring break campaign

Theta-Chi Chapter, Saint Joseph’s University, 11/12/07 Seminars, Instructions, Lectures (Creed Week) Iota-Beta Chapter, Delaware, 9/12/07 Train Safety

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Theta-Theta Chapter, Ferris State, 11/13/07 Know Your Rights Presentation

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endeavors. Altruistic means to be unselfish and to give to others.

Holding an event at a bar to raise funds is not altruistic. There is a wide range of events that could be deemed inappropriate, but specifically anything that involves alcohol or that can be construed as tasteless, offensive or meaningless would not be appropriate for this project.

What types of events are best?

Due to the fact that each campus is distinctly different and that their specific needs will vary, we are not mandating any one type of event.

However, we hope you will pay close attention to the name of our project and understand the spirit of what we are trying to accomplish.

Members joining together to clean up their campus, landscape a campus property, develop a program

to improve race relations, provide safety to female students, or recognize faculty, staff, and administration are all examples of noteworthy projects.

Should we report our event to the Executive Office?

Yes, we want to hear from every chapter that has an ACE Project.

Fill out the ACE Project event registration form and forward it to the Executive Office so we can keep track of your progress and enter your chapter in competition for the ACE award. These forms are included in this packet and may be mailed to the Executive Office or submitted online at www.sigmapi. org by going to the ACE Project section of our webpage.

What is the ACE award?

The real value in participating in ACE is the pride and loyalty you will develop for your alma mater.

However, to give recognition to those chapters that have the most positive impact on their campus we will give awards to the top three chapters in each of our three divisions.

Alpha Division 1-6 fraternities on campus Beta Division 7-15 fraternities on campus Gamma Division 16+ fraternities on campus In addition, all chapters that perform an ACE Project will be given a framed certificate recognizing them for their service to their university.

Should we send in pictures to the Executive Office?

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To learn more, visit WWW.SIGMAPI.ORG/ACE/

Yes, We want you to take and send us as many digital (600k) or hard copy pictures as possible. These will help us to recognize your chapter, create marketing materials and will also provide us with the opportunity to enhance our other publications and web page.

CURRENTLY REGISTERED SPADY PROJECTS Chapter, School, Date of Project Synopsis of Project Phi Chapter, Illinois, 8/28/07 Alcohol Awareness Day Alpha-Iota Chapter, Missouri-Rolla, 8/13/07 Spady Cards in Freshmen Gift Bags Alpha-Mu Chapter, New Jersey Tech, 10/8/07 Distributed Spady cards Phi Chapter brothers at Illinois gathered on the quad to show off some of the 8,000 Sam Spady cards passed out on Save a Life Day.

THE SAM SPADY FOUNDATION The SAM Spady Foundation and Sigma Pi: A partnership to teach students about the dangers of misuse of alcohol

On college and university campuses all across the country misuse and abuse of alcohol is a recurring problem.

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To learn more, visit WWW.SAMSPADYFOUNDATION.ORG

Beta-Kappa Chapter, Arizona State, 10/30/07 Alcohol Education/Spady DVD Gamma-Beta Colony, Eastern Michigan, 10/9-10/11/07 High School Presentation Epsilon-Alpha Chapter, Southern Tech, 9/15/07 handed out cards/donations Epsilon-Kappa Chapter, Southern Arkansas, 2/19/08 Alcohol Awareness Epsilon-Lambda Chapter, Eastern Kentucky, 11/13/07 Alcohol Awareness Eta-Epsilon Colony, Florida State, 9/24/07 Alcohol Education Eta-Mu Chapter, Missouri Southern State, 11/28/07 Alcohol Awareness Eta-Tau Chapter, Fitchburg State, 10/25/07 Hand out cards and information booth-Alcohol Education Eta-Omega Chapter, Johnson and Wales, 9/17/07 Spady Foundation Awareness Theta-Epsilon Chapter, Indiana of PA, 8/29/07 Speaker/Spady Scramble Golf Outing Theta-Eta Chapter, Old Dominion, 2/12/08 Alcohol Awareness Theta-Mu Chapter, Chico, 8/23/07 Water bottles labeled w/ alcohol education info

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Samantha Spady was a dynamic person by all accounts. High school class president, homecoming queen, talented artist, and a friend to many, Sam had a wonderful and inviting smile and a personality that made everyone around her feel comfortable and accepted. Spady was a young woman whose life included stellar schoolwork, a strong work ethic and passion for serving others, as was demonstrated by her work with the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. The first weekend in September was going to be a fun one for students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the university, as Colorado State University (CSU) played long time rival Colorado University (CU) Saturday night, in what promised to be an exciting game. Amidst all of the excitement surrounding the weekend festivities, Samantha’s life came to an unexpected and tragic end. Late in the evening that fateful Saturday night at the Sigma Pi Fraternity house, she spent her final hours socializing with the brothers, whom she considered to be good friends. The cause of death. . . alcohol poisoning.

Recently, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reported that high-risk student drinking causes 1400 deaths, 70,000 sexual assaults, and 500,000 student injuries every year on college campuses across the country. Samantha’s parents have chosen to honor the memory of their daughter and continue her call to service by establishing the SAM Spady Foundation. The purpose of the Foundation is to find an effective alcohol awareness program with emphasis on alcohol poisoning and high-risk consumption that can be implemented at colleges and universities in the United States. Samantha was a dear and devoted friend to Sigma Pi. We cherish her friendship and choose to honor her memory by partnering with the SAM Spady Foundation. Together we will educate the masses, inform the individuals, and protect our most valuable asset with whom we have been trusted . . . our undergraduate members, both present and future. As we partner with the SAM Spady Foundation, we ask and encourage you to support this endeavor. If you wish to contribute to the SAM Spady Foundation, please send your donation to the address below.

Please make sure you tell them the donation is from Sigma Pi and include your chapter designation.

Alpha-Omicron Colony, California-Santa Barbara, 10/1/07 Handed out Spady cards & energy drinks/showed Spady DVD

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Ancient Greece Through My Eyes

by Matt Arvin

History is the one thing that unites all men of Sigma Pi. All brothers share the same history and ritual. However, few take the time to learn of our ancient history. If properly evaluated, one can see that our own fraternal lifestyle and ritual ties deeply into the history of ancient Greece. Last summer, I had the pleasure of spending three weeks in Greece during a summer studies tour. Not only did I broaden my knowledge of the beginnings of Western civilization. I also broadened my knowledge of Sigma Pi. I saw first hand the temples that the ancient Greeks used during their own ritual and I was able to more fully understand our own rituals. Then, as Herald of my chapter, I was able to relay that information to my brothers and broaden their understanding of Ritual.

During those three weeks, I toured such archeological sites as ancient Sparta. I learned from my guide that the Spartans were the first civilization to develop the fraternity lifestyle. The ancient Spartans had several barracks, much like fraternity houses on contemporary college campuses.

The men lived together, ate together and trained militarily together.

Then, each year, as young men came of age, those several barracks competed against each other to bring the best of the young men into their barracks. In a way, the ancient Spartans were the first to perfect the rush system.

I spent three days in Athens. While Athens was packed with history, the place I found most interesting, personally, was the Temple of Athena Nike, Sigma Pi’s own patron goddess. Athena Nike was the winged goddess of victory. Athenians believed that this flying goddess of victory could come and go from battle or competition as she pleased. So, it was extra important to please this particular goddess so that she would not leave a mortal in a time of need. That is why a sacred area near the front gates of the Parthenon is dedicated to her and her temple.

Unfortunately, the small square temple was under repairs during my stay in Greece and while the scaffolding took away from the artistic beauty of the temple, it still did not detract from the awe I felt looking at it and the pride I felt as a Sigma Pi while knowing that this temple was a great influence on the beginnings of the fraternity.

I also saw several athletic arenas such as the ancient Olympic arena. It is a myth that the ancient Greeks had only one set of games, the Olympic Games. Instead, the Greeks had four major games, the Olympic, the Isthmian, the Nemean and the Pythian Games held in a cyclical fashion to honor various gods and goddesses. I also took time to see many famous amphitheaters such as the beautifully preserved Epidaurus Theater.

To the Greeks, a sound mind in a sound body was imperative for earthly success. So, the Greeks competed athletically and intellectually in much the same way that fraternities compete on campus scholastically and physically through intramural competitions.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

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The New Jersey Province Gets Phired Up!

by Joe Palazzolo

The New Jersey Province broke yet another record on Sunday, September 23rd as more than 110 undergraduates gathered for the annual Fall Province Workshop at Rowan University. Former and current NJ Province Archons Paul Gorman and Joe Palazzolo took a different route with this semester’s workshop. Instead of bringing in alumni and undergraduate presenters, they decided to hire Phired Up Productions and Josh Orendi. Many of you will remember Josh Orendi from his featured presentations at Sigma Pi Fraternity’s 2007 Mid-Year Leadership Conference and 2007 Sigma Pi University, The Tony Siress Career and Educational Institute.

Josh was a hit at both of these events and he definitely brought that energy to the New Jersey Province. The workshop started with Josh getting everyone “Phired Up” by giving each other highfives and doing a little yelling.

He then went into some of the common sense principles of effective recruitment which included giving away the concepts behind our ritual, building a true names list instead of a wish list, and the difference between how fraternities see themselves and how prospective pledges see fraternities.

Zeta-Chi Second Counselor Garry Warner, Jr. said that his chapter and the province, “benefited from Josh Orendi’s insight

on fraternity recruitment.” Warner went on to say that his “chapter began using Josh’s dynamic recruitment to our advantage on our campus starting last spring.”

The concept of dynamic recruitment was one that Josh would go back to over the course of the day. According to Phired Up, “Dynamic recruitment is the year round proactive process of seeking high quality men through a system built for success.”

During the second session of the day, Josh relayed some of the recruitment stories that can be found in Phired Up’s book, “Good Guys: The Eight Steps to Limitless Possibility for Fraternity Recruitment.” In addition, he passed out

50 of the companion workbooks that go along with the “Good Guys” book – this information was extra helpful to the undergraduates in attendance.

“The information in the workbooks is great. We’re using this information to teach the next generation of leaders at our chapter,” commented Delta-Beta Sage Andrew Grosso.

For the final session of the day, Josh led the undergraduates and their Chapter Directors around the room for a 45-minute brainstorming session. Among other topics, this session included thinking of new ways to get referrals for recruitment, how to spread the chapter’s influence on campus, and how to

market for a proper names list.

Nick Nittoli of the Epsilon-Xi chapter commented that, “Josh really had an effect on the chapter and we’re already putting his recruiting methods into effect. Also, his methods turned the little wheels in our heads and we are tweaking some of our previous ways of doing.”

Zeta-Chi Chapter Director Michael Ciavarella summarized the workshop perfectly: “The energy level of the guys following the workshop was amazing. To say they were Phired Up would be an understatement. I could sense that the brothers all felt that they had turned a corner, and recruitment issues now had solutions. Although the chapter has decent numbers for a small school, they realized how

much larger, and stronger, they could become.”

This record-breaking Province Workshop would not have been possible without generous donations from various sources. A special thank you goes to the Grand Council and Executive Office for their support with this effort.

Thanks are also in order for the New Jersey alumni who donated to the workshop effort including Paul Della Vecchia (ΒΝ ’66) and William Gruhler (ΕΞ ’82) among others. The commitment that these men have to Sigma Pi Fraternity is exemplary and worthy of emulation by our undergraduates.

Thanks are also in order for Zeta-Chi alumni Mike Kennedy

(’92) and Ralph De Simone (’98) for helping generate interest in the workshop and providing some of the food that the undergraduates ate throughout the day.

For more information on New Jersey’s Fall Province Workshop and news on the upcoming Pledge Province Workshop, please contact Province Archon Joe Palazzolo at njpa@sigmapi.org. Check out http://www.SigmaPiNJ.com/ for pictures from the Fall Workshop as well as the latest updates and news from Sigma Pi Fraternity in New Jersey.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Before the workshop ended, Josh opened the floor for questions. Theta-Tau Sage Nick Schulz asked how to spread the Phired Up recruitment message to chapter members who were not present for the workshop. Josh reminded everyone about something he said earlier in the day regarding “horses” and “mules” and how the negative aspects of a chapter will often

retaliate when they are pressured to participate – even for the benefit of the chapter. The best way to get around these members is to ignore them and work with those actives who are dedicated to building a stronger chapter for both today and tomorrow.

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ALUMNI

Beta-Mu Alumni Club

Attention on Deck!

All current or previously-serving military brothers: The newest (and soon to be biggest) alumni club is currently forming. All current and former Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast-Guardsmen are invited to join with their brothers in arms as we launch the Sigma Pi Military Veterans Alumni Club. All vets are welcome: Active Duty, Guard, Reservists, retired, separated, officer, enlisted; doesn’t matter how long or where you served!

The mission of the alumni club (as with all things military) is three-fold: 1) To encourage the Profession of Arms among our undergraduate brothers,

2) To provide networking opportunities and foster relations between Sigma Pi men who have served or are serving in the Armed Forces, and 3) To develop scholarships and grants for undergraduate brothers who have affiliations with the Armed Forces.

Those interested in helping organize and charter this exciting new group are encouraged to email Major Nicholas Zeisler, USAF (Eta-Sigma, Colorado State ’93), at vets@sigmapi.org to pledge your support. Specifically, help is needed in developing a website (we have the domain, now we need to put something there!), treasury, and some administrative arrangements. We’ve got some boots on the ground, but we need your help to get this project launched! Semper Fi.

Beta-Mu (Mississippi) Alumni Club For the seventh straight year, Beta-Mu Chapter of the University of Mississippi has gathered during the Old Miss football season. While our chapter and house are no longer active at Ole Miss we continue to gather with our families for on long weekend of fellowship and Rebel football.

This year’s reunion was held November 1st thru 4th. Alumni had the chance to reconnect with past brothers and their families and discussion was held on revitalizing our chapter. It is our hope that Beta-Mu Chapter will once again be present on Fraternity Row and be a part of this great university and its Greek Traditions.

This year’s activities included the football game against northwestern Louisiana State, tailgating

in front of the former site of the Beta-Mu Chapter House, chapter meeting in Oxford, Mississippi, attendance at the Ole Miss Blue/Red Fall Baseball scrimmage, chapter dinner at Boree Restaurant in Oxford, and shopping and touring local points of interest.

Twenty members of our chapter have been active at our yearly function and we are getting stronger each year. Brothers took a nostalgic trip back in time to remember old times and sites of Oxford and the Ole Miss campus.

Next year we will meet on the extended weekend of October 2nd thru 5th for the Ole Miss vs.

South Carolina football game in Oxford, Mississippi.

Submitted by Don Wiater, Past Sage Beta-Mu 1970, loso@comcast.net

Last fall, Five Alpha-Delta, Auburn alums visited their brother Jim Williams (’60) in Bellingham, Washington. This was the first time some of the brothers from the 1956-1961 period had seen each other since their college days. The “West Coast Gathering” showed that brotherhood continues through life and those great memories of fraternity life continue with us. The “East Coast Gathering” is planned for 2008. Pictured L to R: Carl Myatt, Greensboro, NC, Joe Ed Voss, Pell City, AL, Jim Williams, Bellingham, WA, Charles Norris, La Conner, WA, Tom King, Huntsville, AL, Paul Hall, Des Moines, WA

Alumni Updates Andrew Smith (ΔΨ, Troy ‘00) passed his comprehensive finals for a master’s degree in Corporate and Public Communication from Florida State University, and will graduate in Dec. 2007. Smith, who formerly worked in the Sigma Pi Executive Office from 2003-2005 as the Director of Communications, is presently the Coordinator of Publications for Florida State University Panama City.

Brothers with Peter at a welcome home party (L to R): back row, Brian Callahan (ΗΤ, Fitchburg State), Steve Swartz (ΗΤ, Fitchburg State), John Batista (ΗΤ, Fitchburg State), Sean Jordan (Η, Purdue), Dan Cummings (ΗΤ, Fitchburg State), front row, Ed Levesque, Grand Fourth Counselor (ΗΗ, Bridgewater State), Peter Russo Sr. (ΗΤ, Fitchburg State), Peter Russo Jr (ΗΗ, Bridgewater State, and Ethan Becker (ΗΤ, Fitchburg State)

Peter Russo returned home after a 15 month tour of duty in Iraq. Peter has been in the U. S. Army Reserves for 20 years and is a member of the 399th Combat Support Hospital out of Taunton, Mass. He works in the operating room as a surgical nurse. Peter is also up for a promotion from Captain to Major in April 2008. Words can not describe how happy all of us are that have been blessed with knowing Peter over the years that he is safe at home with his family.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Mike Daly (ΕΧ, University of San Diego, ’93) would like to announce the birth of daughter, Shane Elizabeth, on Sept 17, 2007 who was welcomed by wife, Gretchen, and three brothers, Carter, MacGregor, and Jameson. Daly is still Vice President of Travel Services at Rearden Commerce, but just finished a children’s book, “What’s the Buzz About San Francisco?” and is in the process of a publisher and literary agent search.

Homecoming from Iraq

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2008 Convocation July 30 - August 2, 2008 Hilton Long Beach • Long Beach, California

Beta Psi Alumni Honors One of its Own On Saturday October 6, 2007, a meeting of the Beta Psi Alumni Association was held at the Chapter House on 12 Smith Street. At the conclusion of the meeting, a presentation was made to Brother John “Goody” Guidkunst, class of 1963, to honor him for his steadfast determination to maintain contact with all Brothers of that era and especially for his efforts to help begin the process of restoring the good name of Sigma Pi to East Stroudsburg University (ESU).

The award was made by Brother Alego Bartoloacci, class of 1964, who expressed appreciation on behalf of all the members of Beta Psi Alumni, for everything Brother Goody has done over the past 40+ years to help maintain contact and a sense of “fraternity” with Beta Psi Brothers. No matter where in the world many of us found ourselves, we could always count on communication from Brother Goody keeping us informed of the events and happenings with the fraternity and other Brothers.

Wednesday July 30, 2008 Opening Reception 6pm to 7:30pm

The results of his years of keeping everyone involved and informed has paid tremendous dividends this past year during turbulent times with Beta Psi Chapter. Unfortunately, the Charter was revoked in 2006 for numerous reasons and over the years, the fraternity house has fallen into considerable disrepair. Brother Goody was the first to make the “call to arms” to organize the Brotherhood to determine how Sigma Pi could eventually be reestablished and to initiate efforts to rehabilitate the house originally purchased in 1962. His fund raising efforts and organization of the work parties to restore the Beta Psi Fraternity House has energized the alumni to focus on eventually reestablishing the proud name of Sigma Pi at ESU and to saving both the house for and the fraternity for future generations of Brothers of Beta Psi Chapter.

Friday August 1, 2008 Convocation 9am to Noon Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Scholarship Award Luncheon 12:45 to 2:15pm

Thursday July 31, 2008 Ritual Opening Ceremony & Convocation 9am to 5pm All Inclusive Night at Game Works 7pm to 11pm

Saturday August 2, 2008 Awards Banquet and Founders Dinner 7:30pm to 11pm

Brother Goody was a member of the original pledge class of Beta Psi Chapter. Sigma Pi was the first social fraternity established at East Stroudsburg and those who participated in its establishment took great pride in bringing a positive Greek culture to the campus. Brothers who originally occupied 12 Smith Street also took great pride in the house and property by restoring the old Victorian home to its former glory.

With the efforts of Goody along with many other Brothers, progress is being made to restore the house and eventually re-colonize Beta Psi Chapter.

The award consisted of a framed color picture of the fraternity house taken in 1965, together with a copy of Brother Guidkunst’s Sigma Pi Certificate and a deluxe fraternity pin and embroidered blazer patch. A bronze dedication plaque read, “To our Brother, Goody, with Appreciation Through the Decades”.

Special thanks to the Sigma Pi National staff for their assistance in obtaining items for this award and to Brother Jack Savage, class of 1963, for taking the initiative to assure Brother Goody received the recognition he richly deserves.

We all salute Brother Goody for his dedication to Sigma Pi and his determination to maintain the bonds of Brotherhood.

Thanks Goody!

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To learn more, visit WWW.SIGMAPI.ORG

In the Service of God and Man Mission Trips to Haiti and Jamaica

By Mark Reed

In May and August of 2007, I was blessed to participate in two mission trips – one to Haiti, the poorest country in the

people think of as a tropical paradise and vacation destination, but which has more in common with Haiti than perception.

continued on next page

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Western Hemisphere, and the other to Jamaica, a place most

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I’ve been going to Haiti for several years now, participating with EduPack, Inc – www.edu-pack.org - a ministry whose primary focus is on supplying school supplies (along with a Christian perspective) to those children who, without such supplies, would not be able to go to school.

The Director of Edu-Pack, Crawford Hitt, is a member of my church, Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia, and whom I affectionately refer to as “Crawdad” – my Haiti partner (and now my Jamaica partner as well).

My introduction to Haiti came with my wife, Michelle, informing me one day in 2003 that she felt led to go to Haiti after hearing an announcement for an upcoming mission trip in church the previous Sunday, leaving December 2003, returning January 2004. Haiti? Why would anyone want to go to Haiti? Isn’t that where voodoo is practiced and lots of poor people live? Yep. Funny thing is, through supporting her efforts and getting to know those going on the trip, I caught the Haiti “bug” – and after Michelle returned, I decided I had to go and see for myself how I might serve in some small way. That’s how this service adventure started for me.

Be careful, folks, because serving on a mission trip has a way of changing your life forever. Stepping outside your comfort zone into a place where survival cannot be taken for granted, can change you. A friend once shared with me the following characterization of a mission trip – “It’s just your everyday, ordinary, life-changing experience.”

As is probably the case for many of us, my introduction to the concept of service came when I was young, while attending Sunday school and church. Service was more of an abstract idea, theoretical really, with few practical or actual examples, other than what someone else did – someone with a particular calling, such as a missionary.

That is pretty much how it remained for me, until I enrolled at the University of Georgia in 1964 and pledged Sigma Pi Fraternity. As a pledge, we were required to memorize The Creed of Sigma Pi. That took it to another level for me, particularly the words, “..in the service of God and man.” In those days, service was directed more toward the fraternity itself, and I jumped in with both feet, serving as Social Chairman, Rush Chairman, Vice President/Second Counselor and President/Sage. Unlike how it is today with Sigma Pi, with national and local philanthropic service projects, we did not look outside ourselves much, but to a small degree we did, most notably in my memory being our Christmas outreach where we brought in poor underprivileged children from the black community and threw a party for them at the fraternity house, complete with gifts and food. I think that was when the seed was planted in me of serving those less fortunate than I am. It only took another almost thirty

years for me to finally get a grasp on what it really means.

Fast forward to 1996. No longer a 20-year old college kid, but a 50-year old father of two young sons. A missionary friend of mine asked me to accompany him as a business consultant on a mission trip to the Philippines where our goal was to advise local indigenous ministries on how to become selfsufficient rather than rely on financial support from outside sources – churches, individuals, businesses, etc. – which almost always ends at some point. If they are not selfsupporting, when the end of financial support comes, the ministry will most likely wither on the vine, if not die completely. While this mission trip was something I’m glad I did, it did not, as another of my missionary friends likes to say, “Float My Boat” – in other words it did not grab me as something to continue.

A few years later, another ministry caught my eye – a team

from my church was going to the Snowbird Indian Reservation in North Carolina to build a house for an Indian family. Since my great-great-grandfather was a Shawnee Indian, and there was Indian blood running through my veins, as well as the veins of my two sons, I took them with me. It was a great experience, but here again, my boat did not get floated.

But all that changed, as I relayed above, when my wife went on that mission trip to Haiti.

My first trip to Haiti was in May 2004, as I previously mentioned after I caught the “bug.” This trip was what is referred to as a “Vision Trip” where you are introduced to the country, the people and the partner ministries. At the end of this trip, my boat was floating rather nicely, thank you.

Not long after that first trip, I returned to Haiti in October 2004 as a member (and as photographer and videographer) of a missionary emergency relief team, led by my

Haiti partner Crawford Hitt, for food distribution to the ravaged area of Gonaives, Haiti, where thousands of people perished during Hurricane Jean. Our team partnered with the International Red Cross, C.A.R.E., and U.N. peacekeeping troops from Argentina in the first food and water distributions to the people there.

Gonaives, approximately 150 kilometers North of Port au Prince was only accessible via the Cote Des Arcadins coastal highway, known as (with tongue pressed firmly in cheek) National Highway 1 – probably the roughest stretch of “highway” in the Western hemisphere. It was the most brutal eight hour drive I’ve ever experienced. The last two-kilometer stretch coming into Gonaives was still under three foot of water with abandoned vehicles on their sides partially submerged on each side of the underwater road. Our driver, Paul Fortune, pulled off a mini-miracle getting us across

(both ways – in and out) in a deuce and a half truck, which was loaded with food supplies.

While in Gonaives, I talked to people who relayed stories of surviving the eight to ten foot floods caused by the hurricane by climbing to their rooftops only to watch in horror as their nextdoor neighbors, whose rooftops were lower, were washed away.

It saddened our hearts to see thousands of people desperately clamor for the water and food we had for them, but gratifying to see that perhaps we were making a difference. Our trip back over the flooded and unforgiving “highway” in our empty deuce and a half was even more difficult since there was no weight in the rear to cushion the bouncing around on the sheet metal floorboards. My legs will never be the same.

A third trip to Haiti quickly followed in November of 2004, on which I took my oldest son, Bill. There was a fourth trip in April 2005, both trips primarily to distribute Edu-Pack school supply back packs to young school children. Each time, I returned from the mission trip having been more personally blessed than any blessing I may have bestowed on anyone I came in contact with or served. Unless you have experienced this, you probably will not understand.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

A fifth trip to Haiti planned for later in 2005, a trip on which I planned to take a group of men from my church, had to be cancelled due to the deteriorating security situation in Haiti, as near anarchy and chaos sped out of control. The catalyst for canceling our trip was when one of our American partner/missionaries, Wes Morgan, leading a team to Haiti, was kidnapped along with Paul Fortune, one of our Haitian

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Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

32 A L UMNI NEWS partners, and held for ransom.

Thank God they were safely released, although a little worse for wear. We felt that we could not, in good conscience, take men into harms way.

We did not return for the next two years, as the situation became worse, with kidnappings extending beyond primarily missionaries and “blancs” (people of Caucasian heritage) to the local population, who had little or no means to pay ransom, subsequently being executed in some cases. In fact, our local Haitian partner, Paul Fortune, who was kidnapped with Wes in 2005, was kidnapped a second time in 2006. It was touchy, but we were able to get him released.

Finally, in May of 2007, after the death from cancer of our friend Wes, who survived the kidnapping in 2005, his widow Barbie asked a few of us to return to Haiti with her for a memorial service in Port au Prince for her husband and to scatter his ashes in a place that meant so much to him. As God would have it, at the same time our friend was dying, the U.N. peace keeping forces and

the Haitian government, finally decided to do something about the terrible security situation in Haiti, particularly in the capital city of Port au Prince, and more specifically in the terrible slum of Citi Solei, arguably the worst slum in the world, which was home to some 300,000 people living in unbelievable squalor. Citi Solei also had the dubious distinction of being the headquarters and stomping grounds for many of the gangs and thugs responsible for the anarchy and escalating violence.

To make a long story short, the U.N. troops took back Citi Solei, either capturing, killing or running off the gang leaders and their henchmen. We were able to return to Citi Solei, where the walls were pockmarked with bullet holes, and where our friend’s ashes were scattered by Barbie from the roof of a Christian school there our ministry supports, into the “river” – a river of black sludge - which runs from Port au Prince through Citi Solei to the sea.

While in Citi Solei, I had the opportunity to meet and talk with the squad leader of a combat foot patrol of Brazilian U.N. peace-

keeping troops. Not having seen many white faces in Citi Solei for a couple of years, he asked me what I was doing there. When I told him, he gave me a “thumbs up” and a big smile with a hearty thank you. The photo of this soldier giving me the thumbs up is one of my favorite photos from the trip.

In August 2007, Hurricane Dean brushed past the southern tip of Jamaica causing massive devastation. Because of my previous hurricane relief involvement (and my propensity to take a photo or two), I was asked by my Edu-Pack partner, Crawford Hitt, to accompany him and another volunteer, Danny Wike, to view and document the storm damage

and make recommendations for hurricane relief efforts.

We hit the ground a few days after the storm, as soon as flights were resumed to Kingston, partnering with Pastor Conrad Reid (different spelling of my last name, but my brother none the less), a leader of The Association of Gospel Assemblies, a confederation of 32 churches in Jamaica. I have seen first-hand the results of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Pass Christian, Mississippi.

Believe it or not, what I saw in Jamaica was worse. That in no way diminishes the horrible tragedy that was Katrina. Many of us who attended the Convocation summer before last in New Orleans saw some of the damage there. What I saw in Jamaica broke my heart.

While there were problems with government response and relief efforts to Katrina, consider that Jamaica is a much smaller and poorer country compared to the U.S., and therefore, without the wherewithal to respond in an adequate way. The only good thing I can say about Hurricane Dean was that the death toll was surprisingly minimal, although any death is a tragedy.

In Portland Cottage, a small hamlet on the southern tip of Jamaica, about an hour southwest of Kingston, we visited a community that was almost completely washed away. Portland Cottage actually sits a foot or so below sea level,

yards away. Man oh man!

The hardest part for us was seeing the local people and the situation they were in. For the most part, they were without shelter, besides some tarps supplied by Samaritan’s Purse (who we ran into in Portland Cottage and decided to partner with in our relief efforts). More importantly, many were without food and drinking water. When we received reports of people resorting to drinking seawater, we turned our efforts toward water distributions. We took a substantial part of our funds and purchased as much bottled water as we could find in Kingston, and took it to Portland Cottage and surrounding communities hit just as hard, where over the course of the next two days, with much appreciated police escort, we drove around distributing water from the rear of our truck. The look of gratitude in the people’s faces and their expressions of thanks will

be with me for the rest of my life.

See, that is how we can be more blessed than any we serve. We took the remainder of our funds and set up with a local building supply company a fund for supplying zinc sheet metal roofing to help restore shelter from the elements to damaged homes. Pastor Reid and his people in The Association of Gospel Assemblies locally oversee the use of these funds.

Our last night in Jamaica, our team was invited to dinner with the American Ambassador to Jamaica, Brenda Lagrange Johnson, at the Ambassador’s residence, where she wanted to know what we had seen and done, as well as make recommendations to her of what the American government could do to help.

Coming back to America, after eight days in Jamaica, I believe that I am further changed from the man who once upon a time

saw service as an abstract concept.

Also, I don’t think I’ll complain so much when I do not have the benefit of air-conditioning in my hotel room working as I might wish, or perhaps complaining about getting wet running from my car in the parking lot to the restaurant where I will shortly stuff myself. I remember something my Dad used to say to me as a child: “I cried and cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” Sorta puts it in perspective, eh? It is becoming clearer and clearer for me…what it means when The Creed of Sigma Pi says “In The Service of God and Man.” Brothers, service does not start and end with your participation in philanthropy as a Sigma Pi in college. It can be, and should be, a life long pursuit. This old man of 61 years can attest to that fact.

As a recent marketing catch phrase said, “Just Do It!”

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

so you can imagine what effect a five-foot storm surge, pushed by 140 MPH winds would have on a community without the building code requirements we have in America. All that was left of many homes was a concrete foundation.

Many homes that did not have a concrete foundation did not have any evidence of having existed, other than debris scattered around next to where they used to sit. Few homes still had their roofs, and most still standing were damaged beyond repair. There were harrowing tales of survival that would blow your mind…they did mine. The story that I can not get out of my mind was relayed to me by pastor Tambari of the Gospel Assembly Church in Portland Cottage who told of his wife who, during the height of the hurricane in the night, swam through the five-foot storm surge holding her infant in one arm, to safer haven on higher ground several hundred

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Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

34 ADYTUM

ON HIGH

G

ifts in memory of a brother of Sigma Pi are accepted by the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation. Once a gift is received, a card of acknowledgement is sent to the donor and, if possible, a card announcing the memorial contribution is sent to the immediate family of the one remembered or person honored. Please contact the SPEF office (800) 332-1897, email: edfound@sigmapi.org

Arizona State - Beta-Kappa

William Flower ’52 12/28/06 Arkansas - Alpha-Sigma

William A. Black ’50 9/19/75 Sonya Shepherd ’50 6/25/98 Arkansas State - Alpha-Pi

Perry R. Metheny ’71 12/25/07 Auburn - Alpha-Delta

William M. Hendrix ’38 John K. Arnold III ’59 2/27/07 Robert E. Adams ’49 11/02/07 Barton - Beta-Rho

Jerry M. Narron ’60 7/12/07 Beloit - Alpha-Theta

H. Hurst Gibson ’42 3/20/07 California - Iota

Garret Boer ’53 2/28/07 UCLA - Upsilon

Oscar T. Heselius ’55 9/5/07 Joseph F. Marsalek ’57 11/21/07 John W. Selby ’44 8/1/07 Jorgen Skov ’59 Ronald D. Coon ’60 Cal State - Sacramento - Eta-Alpha

Vu Nguyen ’95 12/19/07 Cal State-Long Beach - Beta-Omicron

David C. Hildebrand ’83 Central Missouri - Gamma-Gamma

Jerry W. Ray ’69 Central Michigan - Delta-Alpha

Corey P. Woiteshek ’97 4/11/07 Christopher Newport - Epsilon Pi

John W. McCaughey 12/17/2007 Cornell - Mu

Eric F. Jensen ’51 1/3/07 Drexel - Beta-Theta

Joseph E. Heidt ’51 11/06/2007 East Stroudsburg - Beta-Psi

Leo L. Reimer ’66 10/21/07

Eastern Illinois - Beta-Gamma

Roland D. Masciola ’68 William F. Rippy ’65 10/31/96 Emory - Psi

James R. Balkcom ’43 4/2007 C. Graham Green ’38 2/2007 Franklin & Marshall - Nu

Bruce E. Line ’69 William R. Howard ’41 2/14/06 Illinois - Phi

Charles R. Correll ’57 Illinois Wesleyan - Epsilon-Gamma

George K. Pierce ’85 8/23/06 Indiana State - Gamma-Pi

Dean A. Vincent ’82 Kansas - Beta-Delta

John B. Hooton ’56 Jan2007 Kenyon - Lambda

J. Craig Bowman Jr. ’45 Lock Haven - Beta-Omega

George D. Dunkleberger ’59 2/28/03 Miami (OH) - Eta-Phi

Jason J. Madachy ’07 6/9/07 Milton - Delta-Gamma

John L. Meyer ’68 4/29/07 Mississippi - Beta-Mu

Edward A. Vidulich ’79 NJIT - Alpha-Mu

Henry G. Elwell Jr. ’40 8/4/07 Charles G. Lipe ’54 2/26/06 North Carolina State - Rho

Frank I. Ballard ’50 2/3/97 North Carolina - Asheville

Jason R. Blanton ’94 Vernon C. Wingenroth ’50 Northern Arizona - Beta-Iota

Charles Shipley ’75 Ohio - Epsilon

Robert B. Reed ’38

Ohio Northern - Zeta

William R. Tivener ’42 9/1995 Julius B. Mowiser 1919 10/24/63 James S. Reynolds ’53 7/21/07 John P. Kaiser ’66 9/10/07

William and Mary - Alpha-Eta

James R. Baraham ’54 8/24/07 Wisconsin - Milwaukee - Delta-Omicron

Victor Graces ’66

Ohio State - Gamma

Steven E. Schofield ’66 7/2007 Robert W. Jackson ’66 Oregon State - Omega

John R. Godman ’33 01/19/08 Richard Yee ’91 Penn State - Theta

Theodore J. Mortensen ’54 Eugene F. McNally ’53 06/07 Purdue - Eta

Harold E. Geyer ’45 1/5/03 George M. Etnyre Jr. ’40 6/5/07 Roland E. Cedarholm ’43 Benjamin S. Misantoni ’52 10/12/07 Warren G. Klehfoth ’42 7/30/07 Rhode Island - Alpha-Upsilon

Stuart H. Clow ’55 7/23/06 San Diego State - Alpha-Omega

George G. Letson ’58 7/4/07 Saint Lawrence - Alpha-Zeta

Jason E. Whitcavitch ’97 12/8/07 John C. Larabee ’54 Southern Tech - Epsilon-Alpha

Shippensburg - Beta-Upsilon H. Fredrick Shilling ’73 10/31/07 Temple - Kappa

Timothy P. Susco ’03 8/15/2007 Robert S. Chales Miller ’45 11/10/95 John G. W. Birbeck ’47 4/15/07 Washington - Alpha-Gamma

David J. Clayton ’57 7/15/07 WVUIT - Gamma-Xi

Dale J. Trillow ’75 3/17/07 Western Illinois - Epsilon-Zeta

Glenn J Spyer ’77 1/16/08

Editors Note: Brother William Tillotson AlphaRho was marked deceased in the last Emerald. We have since received a phone call from brother Tillotson, and we apologize for the mistake.

2 Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

Born to be Wild Friday brings another event: A Party on the Landing. Stretched along the banks of the Ten-

This event provides great rides every day and one of the biggest midways to purchase motorcycle accessories. In addition, you can look at and take and test ride on an array of new motorcycles in the demo area. This summer, join us for the Fifth Annual Sigma Pi Motorcycle Rally off a life-time with other Sigma Pi brothers at the fifteenth annual Honda Hoot ™, June 17-21st, 2008 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

week. For example, on Thursday, you can head over to Bike Night at the World’s Fair. It’s held at World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville.

There’ll be a live band with dancing, as well as vendors selling food and drinks, plus carnival activities and more. And while you’re there, check out the Metric Motorcycle Show. All metric models are eligible to be displayed and compete in 2008, so polish up your rig and wheel ’er in!

There is nothing better than riding on your motorcycle through the hills, unless you are with Sigma Pi brothers. For the past four years, we have hosted the Sigma Pi Motorcycle Rally in coordination with the Honda Hoot ™ in Knoxville Tennessee. Every year it is a great time to get out and ride the motorcycles with Sigma Pi brothers. Last year, the group rode the Deal’s Gap, Cherohala Scenic Skyway, the Cumberland Gap and saw beautiful Tennessee scenery.

trip for two to the 2009 MotoGP of Japan, held at the Twin Ring Motegi racetrack, also home to Honda’s incredible Motegi Collection Hall Museum, where you’ll see the most amazing collection of production and racing machines in the world.

When you pre-register directly on the www. hondahoot.com website, pre-register for the following Honda Sponsored events so we can attend together, and make your reservations to stay at the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Knoxville with your Sigma Pi Brothers.

The Honda Hoot ™ offers the perfect chance to immerse your self in four days of motorcycle magic. Ride long, winding roads through lush, green forests and rolling hills, discovering new destinations along the way.

Meet new friends and reminisce with other Sigma Pi brothers during the week. Everyday there will be special events during the day and of course nightly festivities under the stars.

Experience warm southern hospitality as you discover all the exciting attractions Knoxville and the surrounding areas have to offer.

We will have our own Sigma Pi calendar of events including a hospitality suite one night.

It will be a great time for all. There are plenty of planned events at the Hoot: group rides, tours, and things like that. And there’s plenty of free time too, so you can just explore, shop or kick some tires and check out the bikes. And everyone who has ever been to the Hoot talks about the food—Southerncookin’ at its very best. Show up with every minute planned, or show up with no plan at all— at the Hoot, it’s all good, and a great time will be had.

Although we have Signa Pi events planned, the Honda Hoot ™ has events planned all

nessee River, Volunteer Landing is the perfect spot for a nighttime party. There’ll be plenty of great barbecue available for purchase, plus music and dancing. And our spectacular Fire in the Sky Fireworks will be launched from the river, creating an incredible show and ending this awesome party with a bang.

Saturday features the biggest party of the week, the Hoot Closing Ceremony, including a free Hoot Concert with Wynonna Judd. To top that off, we’re featuring a truly amazing Honda Hoot 15th Anniversary Grand Prize Prize: a

4Friday, June 20-Poker Run, includes lunch. Benefits the Pediatric Brain Tumor foundation $18.00 4Saturday, June 21-Best Dam Ride and Fish Fry Ride, includes lunch $18.00 Mark your calendar now for June 17- 21, 2008.

Should you have any questions, please contact Cliff Wilke at (202) 409-0875 or via email cawilke@usa.net or Richard Robinson at (800) 332-1897 or via email rrobinson@sigmapi.org.

Your Gift and Doing Your Will – Easy as ABC Your Name Planned giving donors differ in their attitudes about recognition.

Some people prefer anonymity. They want no announcements about their gift annuity or charitable trust or the endowment they established. They desire privacy. We respect these donors and honor their wishes.

Other donors want to be associated with their gifts. They embrace one or more of the following positive aspects of public disclosure.

Gift Leveraging It is possible for one gift to encourage additional gifts. Consider, for example, the influence of Mr. and Mrs. Smith when they are publicly recognized for their commitment to include the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation in their wills. Mr. and Mrs. Jones, who know and respect the Smiths, hear the good news and decide to make similar bequests.

Value Statement Permitting disclosure of a planned gift is a way to communicate personal priorities. A gift affirms the donor’s partnership with the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation and lets others know that he or she believes in the values and mission of the Educational Foundation. In short, planned giving is a way to get across to family, friends and others what the donor truly considers to be important.

Gift Closure Another reason to let your generosity be known is to give others the opportunity to express their gratitude - something that completes the giving cycle and provides closure. Some of us feel deprived when we’re pre-vented from openly communicating our thankfulness.

Many people find it easy to delay making a will. They find it easy to procrastinate because they think estate planning is hard. But really, it’s not all that difficult – at least in most cases. In fact, creating a will can be as simple as ABC! A-ssets – Begin by making an inventory of all your assets: insurance policies, bank and brokerage accounts, art work and other collections, real estate holdings, vehicles, everything you own. Once you have the list, estimate the value of your assets and then deduct what you owe. This will give you a rough idea of the total value of your estate.

B-eneficiaries – Who do you want to receive your assets? First, consider family needs and obligations. Then review your charitable involvements and how a bequest could benefit them, and create a lasting legacy for you.

C-onfidants – Choose trustworthy persons to provide legal and other professional assistance, as well as a personal representative to help settle your estate. You may also need to select one or more trustees and guardians for any minor children.

Once you have listed and valued your assets, selected the beneficiaries for your estate, and have chosen the key persons to assist you now and after your death, it is time to act. Don’t delay. Contact an estate-planning attorney right away and move forward.

If you need help finding a good attorney, ask your friends for suggestions or contact the trust department of a local bank for a referral.

Ask around until you find someone you feel good about. If you wish, we can assist you in this process as well.

While creating a will is easier than you might have thought, it will take some time.

But the end result is worth it. You will be well rewarded with a deep sense of satisfaction . . . and peace of mind.

Winter 2008 • www.sigmapi.org

Whether anonymity or announcement, we at the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation are careful to honor the desires of our donors. We know that making a planned gift is a personal matter and that convictions and tastes differ.

The Sigma Pi Educational Foundation’s President & Chief Development Officer, Richard Robinson, will help you discover the most appropriate gift plan for you — and whether to disguise or disclose the news. To contact Richard, call him at 800-332-1897, or email at rrobinson@sigmapi.org.

1

Emerald of Sigma Pi Fraternity

FROM THE

FOUNDATION

Foundation Volume V, Number 1 • Winter 2008 FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chairman Thomas A. Moore (ΓΡ, Western Michigan ’69) Vice-Chairmen Gary T. Dvorchak (Ξ, Iowa ’86) R. Todd Miller (ΕΤ, Tennessee – Martin ’87) Marc S. Saffren (ΗΛ, SUNY – Albany ’92) Allen W. Yee (ΑΦ, Georgia ’99)

Dear Brothers:

Moore

On behalf of myself and the Board of Trustees of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, I wish to express our sincere thanks for your financial support. Because of your support, whether cash, stock, real estate or other possessions, you have given generously to help us succeed in fulfilling the mission of the Educational Foundation and in turn Sigma Pi. While many of you have given through our annual fund campaign, others have included the Educational Foundation in your wills. Some have obtained charitable gift annuities, and others have named the Educational Foundation to benefit from charitable trusts or as the beneficiary of life insurance policies and IRA accounts. All of these gifts – whether current or deferred – are deeply appreciated and we owe you our sincere gratitude not only for your generosity, but also for your expression of confidence in our leadership.

We want you to know that your continued gifts are greatly appreciated and that we do not take your generosity for granted. We take great care to be good stewards of the resources you provide. You have honored us and we desire to honor you by making sure the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation is all that you expect it to be both now and in the future.

Again, thank you for every gift – past, present and future – that you have made or will commit to make to the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, and for honoring us, more especially, with your trust.

Treasurer Clifford A. Wilke (ΔΖ, Missouri – St. Louis ’80) Secretary John J. Merino (ΒΟ, Cal State – Long Beach ’58) Trustees Donald J. Cox (Κ, Temple ’55) G. Mason Cozart (ΕΚ, Southern Arkansas ’83) David L. DeFilippo (ΕΝ, Cal State – Fullerton ’92) Kevin D. Farmer (ΒΝ, Southern Illinois-Carbondale, ’95) Brenan C. German (ΕΝ, Cal State – Fullerton ’91) John D. Kitch (Η, Purdue ’73) John J. McCann (ΑΜ, NJIT ’83) Larry P. Rovira (ΕΝ, Cal State – Fullerton ’85) Michael J. Simmons (ΕΝ, Cal State – Fullerton ’87) Jay M. Vaden (ΘΚ, Texas Tech ’03) Advisory Trustees Paul W. Hansen (ΒΤ, Valparaiso ’80) FOUNDATION STAFF President/Chief Development Officer Richard Robinson (ΕΤ, Tennessee – Martin ’87) Managing Editor Adam L. Dibble (ΘΘ, Ferris State ’06)

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Administrative Assistant Jennifer R. Wyatt

ADMINSTRATIVE OFFICES

Thomas A. Moore, Jr. Chairman Sigma Pi Educational Foundation

Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Post Office Box 1897 Brentwood, TN 37024 Tel: (615) 373-5728 Fax: (615) 373-8949 Email: edfound@sigmapi.org Website: www.sigmapi.org

The Governor Mike Beebe Veteran’s Fund

Supporting Veterans and their Families

Helping Our Fraternity Build “A New Generation of Leaders”

Sigma Pi . . .

United in Brotherhood . . .

Giving back to those who serve . . .

For more information on how you contribute to the Governor Mike Beebe Veteran’s Fund, please contact Richard Robinson, President & Chief Development Officer at 800-332-1897 or by email at rrobinson@sigmapi.org.

Copyright © 2008 Sigma Pi Educational Foundation

Foundation www.sigmapi.org • The official publication of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation • Winter 2008

BROTHERHOOD OF THE GOLDEN CROSS

We are only as strong as the support of our Alumni Become a member of the Brotherhood of the Gold Cross today. Your annual donation of $1,000 to the Educational Foundation will help insure the future of the Fraternity and its educational programs and scholarships for all Sigma Pi Brothers that follow.

For more information, contact the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation: (800) 322-1897 • sigmapi.org

To Parents/Guardians: Your son’s magazine is sent to his home address while he is an undergraduate in college. During this time we hope you enjoy reading about the true benefits of Sigma Pi Fraternity. But, if he is no longer living at home or attending college, please send his new permanent address to: Sigma Pi Fraternity, P.O. Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024, or via email at emerald@sigmapi.org. Thank you.

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