The Emerald - Fall 2017 by Sigma Pi Fraternity

Climbing to New Heights

SE T TI N G O U R SIG HTS O N TH E FUTU R E An Introduction to the New

E X EC U TI V E D I R EC TO R Mid-Biennium Update from the

GRAND COUNCIL A Look at the Inaugural

RITUAL INSTITUTE

FA L L 2 0 1 7

F ROM T H E E X E C U T IV E D IRECTO R

Brothers, As we wind down the calendar year, it is a great opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months. I was humbled to be selected for the role of Executive Director and have wasted no time in assessing our ecosystem and developing plans to address our findings. Part of my process involved conversations with our Grand Council, Educational Foundation Board of Trustees, volunteers, undergraduate leaders, and colleagues in the Greek community. A key finding was that our current operational model was insufficient in providing the type of leadership training and support services that are important to our undergraduates and volunteers. To help change this paradigm we have begun restructuring our staffing model. To improve our talent acquisition process, we have partnered with Phired Up, a firm specializing in the Greek industry, to actively recruit and vet candidates to be reviewed by our leadership team. This process will ensure that we find the top talent to meet our objectives. We started actively reviewing our educational and training materials to validate that they are meeting our leadership development needs. Today’s undergraduates have different requirements and learning styles and it is imperative that we allocate our resources to provide a world-class level of service and leadership training opportunities. Another feature we are executing on is enhancements to our annual Mid-Year Leadership Conference. We encourage alumni and friends of Sigma Pi who hold leadership roles with their respective institutions and organizations to share their experiences to provide career and leadership advice. In response to demands from the attendees, an additional day was added to the program to provide more time for instruction as well as allow for networking sessions with other undergraduate leaders. This is a valuable learning experience as our young men learn directly from one another. In addition to building the staff in the Executive Office, it is also crucial to build our volunteer team. Our Province Archons are actively recruiting alumni to serve in various volunteer roles in their provinces which is a crucial and vital task - our organization is only as strong as our volunteer leadership. I encourage you to be a part of our growth and find a role that fits your experience. Alumni involvement is essential in helping develop our undergraduate members, enhance regional networking opportunities, and improve the Sigma Pi brand. The knowledge gained from your undergraduate experience and life after college are invaluable to our success. In order to be mindful of time and bandwidth, we are developing materials and processes to allow alumni to be involved even when distance separates them from their chapters. A critical component of these efforts will be improved communication on our progress. We are implementing a quarterly newsletter to provide updates and information so that you can stay informed about where Sigma Pi is heading. I look forward to meeting you as I travel across North America, hear your stories, and help you find a role that provides a value-added experience for both you and the Fraternity. We embarked upon a quest of excellence when we became initiated men of Sigma Pi and I look forward to working with you on our journey.

A B O UT T HE EM ERALD Volume CII, Number 1 - Fall 2017 (ISSN 1074-5289, USPS 011-013) The Emerald has been published since 1911 by Sigma Pi Fraternity, 106 North Castle Heights Ave, Lebanon, Tennessee, 37087 and additional mailing offices. Submission Deadlines Spring - February 10 Summer - May 10 Fall - September 10

A B O UT SI GM A PI Sigma Pi Fraternity, International was founded at Vincennes University, Vincennes, Ind. on February 26, 1897. The Executive Office is located in Lebanon, Tenn. Sigma Pi has chartered more than 230 chapters in North America and has initiated over 100,000 members since 1897. The founding fathers of Sigma Pi Fraternity are: Rolin Rosco James (1879 - 1953) William Raper Kennedy (1877 - 1944) James Thompson Kingsbury (1877 - 1950) George Martin Patterson (1877 - 1960)

S H A RE YO UR STO RY Send pictures & stories to: Emerald@sigmapi.org or 615.921.2300 or Sigma Pi Fraternity 106 N. Castle Heights Ave. Lebanon, TN 37087

E D I TO RI AL STAFF EDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Chris Carter (Middle Tennessee ’11) ASSISTANT EDITOR

Emily Norton BUSINESS MANAGER

Jen Wyatt EMERALD COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

Steven Haskell (Monmouth '15) CONTRIBUTORS

Eric Babbitt (Northern Arizona '18) Jeff Cline (North Carolina State '88) PGS E. Andrew Morris (Murray State '70) GSC Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth '03) Sal Popolillo (Monmouth '17) Dan Williams (West Chester ’03)

Fraternally, sigmapi.org @sigmapi

theemerald.org

mysigmapi.com

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Member, North-American Interfraternity Conference

FRATERNITY COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION

CON T EN TS

I N THI S ISS U E 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Executive Director 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mid-Biennium Report 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter Statistics 38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Undergraduate Spotlight 48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ritual Institute 52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPU Award 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gameday in Auburn

I N EVERY ISS U E 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . International Digest 03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From The Grand Sage

10 GETTING TO KNOW THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE YEAR IN REVIEW M I D - B I E N N I U M U P DAT E

A YEAR OF PROGRESS

U N D E R G R A D UAT E S P OT L I G H T

INAN SIKEL

CHAPTER STATISTICS

04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In Your Own Words 05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sigma Pi Partners 06 . . . . . . . . . . Sigma Pi Educational Foundation 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter & Colony Reports 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Volunteers 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pride of Sigma Pi 46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conferences & Programming 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alumni News 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adytum On High 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Colony Updates 62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Archives 65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo Finish

A LO O K AT T H E I N AU G U R A L

RITUAL INSTITUTE

A B O U T TH E COVER

G A M E DAY I N AU B U R N

52 MID-BIENNIUM AWARDS

A COMMON CONNECTION 58

The cover photo is courtesy of Andrew Ormonde (Northern Arizona '19), and was taken at Jacks Canyon in Arizona. "I chose to represent my Fraternity while climbing at Jacks Canyon to make it known that Sigma Pi men are not afraid of challenge. Also, to announce that Beta-Iota Chapter is back at NAU!"

T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 1

F ROM T H E E X E C U T IV E O FFIC E

IN T ER NATIONAL DIGE ST

COLONIZATIONS

P O LI C Y G OV E R N A N C E O F F I C E R S A N N O U N C E D Sigma Pi Fraternity, International is pleased to announce the appointment of Doug Gold (Santa Clara ’91) as the Chief Governance Officer and Brandon Schroeder (Minnesota ’13) as the Assistant Governance Officer, effective immediately. In their roles, Gold and Schroeder will provide oversight and direction for the Governance Committee and its sub-committees. The Governance Officer is a stakeholder of the Fraternity, and will serve as a resource for the Executive Office and Grand Council for matters dealing with major financial decisions, compliance with policies and procedures, Bylaws and Constitution, and at times, law. The Governance Officer may be called upon to provide an opinion or recommendation in major decisions impacting the Fraternity’s operational direction, budget, or other high risk decisions. With more than 25 years of experience, Gold has worked in the functional areas of finance, sales, marketing, and operations in industries ranging from banking to software to law. He has built a reputation as an expert problem solver, effective communicator, and creative thinker. In 2015, Gold was appointed the dual-role of Chief Financial Officer & Chief Marketing Officer of the 108-year old law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, which merged with Richardson & Patel where he was Chief Operating & Financial Officer since 2007. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Gold has served as Chapter Director for Zeta-Eta Chapter (from 1993 to 1997), as Executive Director for a Political Action Committee, as Senior Policy Advisor to a State Senator, Board Member for a membership-based political lobbying organization, and Delegate for the California State Assembly District 41. He has also been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a finalist for CFO of the year, by the Jewish Big Brothers organization as Big Brother of the Year and was honored with a Congressional Proclamation for Community Service by the United States House of Representatives. Schroeder recently served as the Chapter Director for Iota-Zeta Chapter at Minnesota prior to beginning his MBA program in August. He currently works as a Payment Solution Consultant for US Bank and is actively involved with bank governance issues on a daily basis. Schroeder has attended many national Sigma Pi events and understands the Fraternity’s policy governance model. “I was very excited to fill these Governance Officer positions with Doug and Brandon. Both bring a wealth of experience with policy governance and compliance from their careers,” said Grand Sage Steve Lawler (Iowa ’82).

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FDU-Florham Colony (Colonized on January 22, 2017) Alpha-Xi Colony at Fresno State (Colonized on February 21, 2017) Zeta Colony at Ohio Northern (Colonized on March 18, 2017)

CLOSINGS

Epsilon-Gamma Colony at Illinois-Wesleyan (Closed on March 8, 2017) Alpha-Beta Colony at Michigan (Closed on June 26, 2017) Delta-Lambda Chapter at Louisiana Tech (Closed on June 26, 2017) Iota-Mu Chapter at Georgia Tech (Closed on June 26, 2017) Iota-Beta Chapter at Delaware (Closed on September 26, 2017)

FROM T HE GRA N D SAGE

From the Grand Sage A M E S S AG E F R O M G R A N D S AG E ST E V E L AW L E R Brothers, One of the priorities of this Grand Council has been enhanced advocacy for our chapters and our members. The Grand Council will no longer stay silent and surrender to universities if we feel our chapter or members are being unjustly punished for an infraction that they may or may not have committed. Some are being singled out under the guidelines of “more likely than not” than the traditional justice standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The current university craze is to suspend every chapter on campus if one chapter has an incident. At least five campuses in the country have suspended all of fraternity life on their campus at this writing.

GRAND SAGE STE V E LAWLER ( I OWA '8 2) G RA N DSAGE@S I GM API .O RG

This summer the Grand Council hired Jon Frost as our new Executive Director. Jon believes in and has been encouraged to implement our Grand Council policy of vigorously defending and advocating for our chapters and brothers. He has already traveled to several campuses and met with university officials to negotiate and moderate the outcome of their situations. Don’t confuse this new policy as a blank check for chapter bad behavior. On the contrary, if a chapter has a long-term culture of heinous behavior, such as hazing, and has a serious incident, then the chapter will be closed. If closure is not deemed prudent, then our approach is to selectively remove the main perpetrators, to educate the rest of the chapter about how to operate moving forward, and to negotiate a reasonable resolution with the university. Currently, many universities want to close a chapter for the most minor infractions in an effort to protect themselves from criticism in the future. It would be similar to getting the death penalty for jaywalking and we are not going to sit on our hands and let this happen. There is always a “quid pro quo.” We expect something in return for this enhanced advocacy. I am asking all our undergraduates, Chapter Directors, Province Archons, Alumni Advisory Boards, and staff to put a renewed emphasis on monitoring and training our members to end hazing completely and avoid future risk management problems. At some chapters we need to change the culture and understand that in this age of social media and higher intense scrutiny by the schools and the public, we need to shift our culture back to core values of our Creed and away from dangerous risky behavior. Brotherhood, social excellence, leadership experiences, and leadership training need to be our main focuses as we enhance the membership experience. We are a social fraternity and social events will always be a part of the program. Our events just need to be safe and moderate in nature and execution. We are here as your Grand Council and Executive Office to advocate for you when you hit a minor bump in the road. In return, we ask that you eliminate hazing from your chapter completely and be smart regarding risk management decisions and risky behavior. Sigma Pi has a better-than-average track record internationally in these areas and we want to become the leader in the fraternity world for providing a safe, positive experience to our members. Together, our undergraduates and alumni can make this a reality. Fraternally,

GS Steve Lawler (Iowa ’82) Grand Sage #46 of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 3

In Your Own Words PI WORLD OF SIGMA E H T M O R F S T H G THOU

To see your own words here, be sure to use #sigmapi, tag @sigmapi, or email us at emerald@sigmapi.org to share your thoughts!

Timothy Haggerty (Fitchburg State '13) 5. At all times be a gentleman and use moderation in all things. #SigmaPi #alumni

Beta-Kappa Chapter at Arizona State The brothers spent the beginning of their night handing out candy and playing plinko with the kids for Trick or Treat with the Greeks #SigmaPi #Halloween #TrickorTreat #astate #Greek

Caleb Barnard (Vincennes '18)

Chi Colony at Pittsburgh

Getting community service hours At the VU Aids Walk with the Boys! #SigmaPi #Alpha #AIDSFreeGen

“I joined Sigma Pi because I wanted to be part of a brotherhood that lasts for a lifetime.”

Matt Smith ( Valparaiso '05) #SigmaPi Recruitment Tip: Plan your non-recruitment activities with university recruitment activities in mind! Cole Stillman (Drury '21) Changing the world every minute with my brothers! #sigmapi #drury Eta-Iota Chapter at Cal State Dominguez Hills "From LA to the bay a brothers bond never goes away"

Chi Colony at Pittsburgh Thank you to the wonderful sisters of @fresnostatekkg for inviting us out to play ball and thank you to our coaches for their support! #sigmapi #kkg

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Eta-Phi Chapter at Miami (OH) Extra proud of this brother—Owen Churchill ('19)—today. 45 miles biked and $1500 raised for a great cause! Bonus points for the helmet! Sigma Pi prides itself on promoting safe habits.

Eta-Eta-Chapter at Bridgewater State As Sigma Pi’s we always try to give people a reason to smile. #SigmaPi #SmilewithaPi #positivevibes

SI G MA PI PA RT N ERS

LIC EN SED VEN DO RS

FINDGREEK APP

In need of some last minute gifts this holiday season? Finding the best official Sigma Pi gear just got way easier! FindGreek is the newest way for Sigma Pi brothers to shop for licensed products from official vendors. The website and mobile app are both designed for a highly visual experience, featuring quality product photos and a wide variety of Sigma Pi products. It's easy to browse all Sigma Pi gear, shop by vendor, and shop by category. You can also 'Like', 'Collect' and 'Share' all of your favorite items. Have a question for a vendor? You can send product questions and custom order inquiries right through the app. Start shopping for your next Sigma Pi purchase on the FindGreek website or mobile app today!

D OW N LOA D T H E " FI N D G R E E K " M O B I L E A P P O N I OS A N D A N D R O I D O R C H EC KO U T

F I N D G R E E K .C O M / S I G M A P I

HELP US LOCATE LOST BROTHERS! WHAT IS A "LOST BROTHER"? A "lost" brother is an alumnus who is missing at least one piece of communication information, such as their phone number, email address, or primary mailing address. Keeping your record up-to-date with the Fraternity ensures you will receive future communication from Sigma Pi including issues of The Emerald and info from your chapter.

UPDATE YOUR OWN INFORMATION Step 1: Go to mysigmapi.com Step 2: Click on "Establish Access" if you have never had an account there. Step 3: Once you are approved and have access set up, login to the site. Step 4: Click on "Edit My Profile" Step 5: Enter your current information (mail, phone, email, etc.) and click to save it. Or you can visit sigmapi.org/updateinfo to complete the online form!

R E- E N G AG E O U R F E L LOW B R OT H E R S I N T H E F R AT E R N IT Y FO R L I F E

T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 5

S I G MA P I E D U C AT IO N A L FO U NDATIO N

Letter from the Chairman Brothers, Your Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Board of Trustees was very busy this year advancing an agenda that will ultimately make our Fraternity stronger. The Foundation’s mission is to enlist our alumni investors in supporting and expanding the ever evolving educational programs of the Fraternity. To that end our Development Director, PGS Andrew Morris (Murray State ’70), and our new CEO, Jonathan Frost (UMSL ’02), are working closely together to cultivate and develop an expanded donor base. Your Foundation is passionate about continuing to support the Fraternity and our more than 6,000 current undergraduates spread out through 123 chapters and colonies. With the help of our donors, we granted $214,000 in support last year to the Fraternity for educational and leadership programming and training. Over $40,000 of this was for undergraduate scholarships and educational grants. As a donor, you are a partner in developing the leadership potential within our collegiate membership, making our Fraternity grow stronger every day. Sigma Pi is enhancing existing programs and resources and will be launching new initiatives that will strengthen our Fraternity while promoting the relevance of Sigma Pi to life beyond the undergraduate student experience. For example, the Mid-Year Leadership Conference held every January in St. Louis will be expanded by one full day. Leadership education is the key to our Fraternity’s future success. We must train our undergrads to succeed in not only the complex college environment but in life after graduation. Therefore, the greatest need facing Sigma Pi is funding our leadership educational programs. With your continued generosity and our expanding donor base, your Foundation will provide the financial means to continue to deliver these programs and ensure that each and every Sigma Pi on our campuses is informed, educated, and prepared to lead our Fraternity into the future. The Foundation thanks all of you that have contributed in the past. And we hope that if you have never donated, that you will reflect on how the Fraternity enhanced your life and consider now a good time to give back to Sigma Pi. Fraternally,

Lester C. "Jay" Joern, Jr. (Missouri '72) Chairman of the Board of Trustees

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SIGMA PI EDUC AT I ON A L FOUN DAT I ON

Ways to Give

Scholarship Presentations

ONLINE Giving with your debit or credit card online at sigmapi.org/donate is a quick and secure way to make a contribution to the Educational Foundation, which accepts Visa, American Express, MasterCard, and Discover.

MOBILE

ALPHA-PHI (GEORGIA) SCHOLARSHIP CEREMONY

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can visit

At the 2017 Georgia football homecoming, members of Alpha-Phi Chapter gathered together to celebrate and honor several scholarship recipients for the spring 2017 semester. From left to right: Mark Reed (Georgia '69); Ryan Buhrer (Georgia '18) recipient of the Spring 2017 W. Mark Reed Scholarship Award, presented to the initiated member of the Chapter with the highest GPA (4.0 in this case); Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Chairman Jay Joern (Missouri '72), who presented the Reed Scholarship; Bradley Adcock (Georgia '19) recipient of the Spring 2017 Michael "Sparky" Bushaw Scholarship Award, presented to the newly initiated member of the Chapter from the previous pledge class with the highest GPA (4.0 in this case); and Alpha-Phi Chapter Educational Fund Chairman Allen Yee (Georgia '99).

sigmapiedfund.org/gift to make a donation!

MAIL You can mail a check or credit card gift to the SPEF at the address below: Sigma Pi Educational Foundation 106 North Castle Heights Ave Lebanon, TN 37087

PHONE To make a donation over the phone, or for more assistance, please give us a call at 615-921-2300.

GAMMA-UPSILON (MURRAY STATE) AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

CORPORATE MATCHING Numerous companies match an employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal donation to a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Ask your employer for details.

Jack Wheatley ('18) and Seth Pritchett ('18), pictured with Chapter Director Wyatt Alverson ('03), were each awarded scholarships from the Gamma-Upsilon Chapter Educational Fund for the 2017-2018 academic year. these scholarships are in honor of outstanding academic performance, exceptional leadership skills, for exhibiting strong community traits, and possessing a high moral fiber. both of these scholarships were awarded in july during the annual Murray State summer reunion. T HEEMERAL D.ORG + 7

S I G MA P I E D U C AT IO N A L FO U NDATIO N

DO N O R SP OTLIG HT

PGS JAMES S. VERPLANCK PGS James S. Verplanck (Mississippi â&#x20AC;&#x2122;61) has been involved with Sigma Pi for 59 years. He enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 1958 to pursue a degree in Public Administration and pledged Sigma Pi in the fall of 1958.

What does Sigma Pi mean to you?

The Fraternity was a big part of my daily life for 20 years and an intermittent part since 1978. First of all, it contributed to a great way of life after joining Sigma Pi in 1958. I made new friends that I probably After working on staff from 1962 would never have met. It opened a whole through 1963, he enrolled at Michigan new dimension in my college experience. State University in 1964 and earned his I moved into the Fraternity house where Masters in Urban Planning, graduating the experience was like a large family in 1966. His renowned career in Public lifestyle. I will always remember the daily Administration and Urban Planning unending card games, events, chapter was spent in Lakeland, Florida. meetings, intramural sports, home and Under Verplanck's leadership the city away sporting events, and concerts. Then, received recognition from planning Sigma Pi was my employer, and I met and professional organizations and hundreds of brothers and spent numerous government agencies. hours with our national leaders. I will "I give because I believe in Sigma Pi." always remember living in Vincennes Verplanck was elected to the office of when we moved the Executive Office from Grand Fourth Counselor in 1972, Grand New Jersey. Next came my fairly quick Second Counselor in 1974, Grand Sage in 1976, and Past Grand Sage in 1978. With a commitment to fellowship with the transition to the Grand Council and, ultimately, to the office communities he led and his service to Sigma Pi, PGS Verplanck of Grand Sage. I regret that I was not very active in attending was honored with the Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Award at the 2014 Convocation. Convocations after my tenure as Past Grand Sage. However, I later remedied that and have become more involved in Sigma Not only has PGS Verplanck given his time as a leader in the Pi activities. Today, I serve as Secretary/Treasurer of the BetaFraternity, but he is in the top 50 lifetime donors to the Sigma Mu Chapter House Corporation. Sigma Pi will always have a Pi Educational Foundation. He is a member of the Brotherhood prominent place in the hearts and minds of the Verplanck family. of the Golden Cross Club, which requires a minimum donation of $1,000 in a single year, and has achieved membership in the How has Sigma Pi impacted your life? Shadowwood Society for having donated more than $10,000 I was born and raised in a small town in central Michigan. I during his lifetime. PGS Verplanck was also a loyal donor to the attended a school where grades K-12 were in the same building. capital campaign in 2012. The success of Sigma Pi is dependent College fraternities during my high school years were not a hot on lifetime commitment and PGS Verplanck has given back to topic. I spent one year at Central Michigan University where Sigma Pi since he took the oath of membership. fraternities were a big deal. However, there was no Sigma Pi Verplanck is retired and living in Lakeland with his wife Laura, chapter on that campus at that time. who is a member of the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority at Michigan State University. They have two daughters who attended the University of Florida, where Beth is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and Lesley is a member of Chi Omega Sorority.

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I transferred to the University of Mississippi in the fall of 1958 and went through fraternity recruitment. I had never heard of Sigma Pi, but I heard about it soon after moving into the dormitory. At the end of recruitment, I pledged Sigma Pi and was initiated in early 1959. That was the beginning of a life-long relationship.

SIGMA PI EDUC AT I ON A L FOUN DAT I ON

As an active member of Beta-Mu, I served as Third Counselor and Sage and represented the Chapter on the Interfraternity Council. During my time there I was hired as a Field Representative for Sigma Pi. I graduated from Ole Miss in August 1962 and continued to work for the Fraternity. I worked with former HGS Jim Hills (Maryland ’54) in establishing the office at Shadowwood and continued as a Field Rep. that fall. I left Fraternity employment in December 1963 and enrolled in graduate school at Michigan State University, which allowed me to remain active as a volunteer. We moved to Lakeland, Florida in 1970 where I spent 31 years as the Director of Community Development for the City of Lakeland and 9 years as a City Commissioner. I served as the Chapter Director for Zeta-Zeta Chapter at the University of Florida in the early 1970s. Some of my most cherished moments in Sigma Pi were my years at Ole Miss and the continued friendships I have maintained with my fellow chapter brothers through the years. I also cherish the time I spent as a Field Rep. achieving successes working with chapters, establishing colonies, chartering new chapters, and working with numerous Grand Council members. I have fond memories of my years on the Grand Council and of the brothers with whom I served. I always looked forward to Council meetings and am proud of my Grand Council service. I am also proud of my ability to make annual contributions to the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation. Finally, I am so grateful for my friendship with PGS Frank Fryburg (Penn State ’49). We met in 1962 where we began a mutual fraternal relationship which continues today. Why do you give? I give for many reasons. First and foremost, I give as a payback for the many positive rewards I have received as a member of Sigma Pi. I give so that our undergraduate brothers can receive assistance in their pursuit of knowledge and life skills. I give knowing that my contributions along with so many others will help keep Sigma Pi growing and prospering. I give because I believe in Sigma Pi. What are your hopes for Sigma Pi? I am pleased that the Fraternity’s Executive Office was moved to the State of Tennessee and now located in the Mitchell House in Lebanon. I truthfully believe that we presently have one of the best Grand Councils in my time in Sigma Pi. Grand Sage Steve Lawler (Iowa ’82) has them organized and functioning at a high level in a very challenging climate. My hopes for Sigma Pi are that we continue to elect mature, intelligent, and dedicated brothers to the Grand Council, and they employ administrators and staff who possess the same characteristics. I hope that we can continue to reestablish dormant chapters, expand into new locations, and continue to emphasize membership recruitment and retention. My hope is that we can continue to grow financial contributions to the Foundation to better assure our survival and growth. TO CO N T R I B U T E TO T H E E D U C AT I O N A L FO U N DAT I O N , P L E A S E V I S IT

S I G M A P I E D F U N D .O R G

B ROTH ER H O O D O F TH E

+ GOLDEN CROSS + The Brotherhood of the Golden Cross recognizes fiscal year gifts to the Educational Foundation of $1,000 or more. Brian Akerson (Missouri '69) David Bailey (Morehead State '81) Scott Chastain (Florida '91) Jeff Cline (North Carolina State '88) PGS Donald Cox (Temple '55) G. Mason Cozart (Southern Arkansas '83) Daniel Daugherty (Morehead State '92) John Dinka (Detroit-Mercy '83) Jim Espy (Beloit '70) Nelson Farris (Cal State Long Beach '66) David Finkel (UCLA '87) Stephen Fronapfel (NJIT '70) ED Jonathan Frost (UMSL '02) Russ Furnari (NJIT '79) Gary Grubacich (UC Santa Barbara '68) Paul Hansen (Valparaiso '80) Timothy Howell (UCLA '95) James Jennings (Murray State '93) Jay Joern Jr. (Missouri '72) Rande Johnsen (Cal State Long Beach '78) GFC Brian Kurisky (Ferris State '07) GS Steve Lawler (Iowa '82) Niles Leisti (NJIT '05) PGS & GH Ed Levesque (Bridgewater State '89) Thor Lindstrom (Illinois '94) Samuel Mann Jr. (Georgia '62) Ricky Marshall (Arkansas State '92) John McCulla (William & Mary '79) Mike McGuire (San Diego '83) PGS Andrew Morris (Murray State '70) Frank Navratil Jr. (NJIT '73) David Newberg (Cal State Long Beach '80) Larry Niederkohr (Ohio Northern '74) Brook Nolin (Iowa State '94) Steven Ochmanski (Rowan '94) GSC Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth '03) PGH Robert Pankau III (Oakland '05) John Peach Jr. (Georgia '00) David Presson (Murray State '81) Tim Quick (Iowa State '01) Ralph Rea (UCLA '54) David Reale (Monmouth '96) Pat Reimer (Morehead State '94) Andy Salas (Cal State Long Beach '78) Ronald Smiley (Kansas '59) Richard Soja (Wake Forest '86) Gary Straus (Central Michigan '79) Matthew Sumrow (UCLA '91) Ron Tredennick (Eastern Illinois '78) PGS Jim Verplanck (Mississippi '61) Jason Walker (Georgia '96) William Wassmer (Kentucky '74) Gary Williams (Akron '68) GFC Les Wright (Murray State '70) Allen Yee (Georgia '99) Stephen Zotovich (Cal State Long Beach '76) T HEEMERAL D.ORG + 9

G E T TI N G TO K N OW

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JONATHAN M. FROST by Emily Norton, Assistant Editor

Jonathan M. Frost (UMSL ‘02) began his term as Executive Director on July 24, 2017, and is wasting no time taking Sigma Pi to new heights. I sat down with Jonathan for this interview to share his story, life-changing experiences, and passion for Sigma Pi. Emily Norton: Can you tell us a bit about your background? Jonathan Frost: I was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up between St. Louis and Central Illinois. I have never met my father, nor know anything about him. When I was nine months old, my mom took on the challenge of leaving her family in St. Louis to begin a new life and see what the world had to offer. Shortly after that, she met my first stepfather. Their marriage led to the birth of my brother, but sadly, was not a very healthy relationship. When I was ten years old, they got divorced, and my mom took on the responsibility of raising myself and my brother on her own. She is one of the strongest women I know and taught me about resilience, determination, and dedication. She taught me this because it was not easy for her. She never gave up, she worked two to three jobs and would find time to get me to my various sports practices and games. I owe a lot of my work ethic to her, and she taught me to never give up on my dreams and goals. EN: Tell us a little bit more about your family. JF: I come from a large, Irish-Catholic family. My mother had ten brothers and sisters; I have a half-brother, stepbrother, and a stepsister. My wife’s name is Jill, and we have a very strongwilled and outgoing daughter, Kate. Jill and I were introduced by 1 0 + FA LL 2017

a gentleman named Todd Shelton—who worked on The Emerald at Sigma Pi at the time—and he also worked with her at the American Red Cross here in Nashville. After meeting Jill the first time, I broke the “guy rule” and called her the next day. I knew she was a keeper, as she listened to me talk about the Fraternity the entire night, and still accepted my request for a second date. Jill is very supportive of me and my passion for Sigma Pi. She has become friends with not only our brothers, but also with their spouses and partners. She saw even more of what the Fraternity means to me when we got married as around 45 guests were fraternity brothers I met on staff, went to school with, and alumni that I met during my travels for Sigma Pi. She did inform me, however, that none of them were allowed to visit us on our honeymoon! Jill is the most amazing woman I have ever known. She supported me as I went to business school and I supported her with law school. We are a great team and together we work to raise our four and a half-year-old daughter. EN: Did you have any life-changing experiences that led you to the path you’re on? JF: There are several, but some key ones do come to mind. Growing up without a dad was a life-changing experience. My first stepdad was not the kindest person in the world, my mom

EX ECUT I V E OF F I CE

left him when I was ten and raised my brother and me on her own, so I had no father figure. At a young age, I had to become the man of the house and help with my little brother and chores around the house. Due to my yearning for a sense of belonging, I gravitated towards sports as an outlet. My athleticism allowed me to be a threesport varsity letterman in high school - football, basketball, and baseball. I had college scholarship opportunities, but I didn’t take any of them because no one in my family had gone to college. I allowed fear of failure and fear of success to strangle my decision. I, therefore, decided to forgo those opportunities and enter the workforce as I figured it was important to get a job and begin making money.

The main thing they were trying recruit me for at that time was their intramural teams, which they were very open about. I sat there that night and was offered a bid, however, I had to decide within a day or two “did I want to pledge?” I talked to some friends of mine and I realized that joining a fraternity was going to build my network base and help me develop life skills that I didn’t know anything about, and that was my pivotal moment. I decided to pledge and saw that the Fraternity did not align with my previous perceptions. It wasn’t just about parties, it was about community service, finding ways to grow, improve our relationships on campus, and working together as a team. It’s funny when you look back on those things. If Paul hadn't run out to get me that night, I would have never known anything about Sigma Pi, and I wouldn’t be where I am today.

“I realized that joining a fraternity was going to build my network base and help me develop life skills that I didn’t know anything about...”

My formative years between 18-21 were not easy, and I had a variety of construction-related jobs. Then one day, I woke up and thought to myself: “This isn’t me, this isn’t what I want to do.” So I decided, I wanted to get my education. I seek to not live with regrets and I had to find out if I could have made it in college and do more with my life. So, I enrolled at the University of Missouri - St. Louis to earn a degree in Special Education.

I’m the first male in my family to ever go to college and graduate which is a big deal, and a lot of our members are the same they come from broken homes and are first-generation college students. I can relate to them on that level. My first semester was not quite the “college life” I had envisioned. As I was still working, I fell into a dreary cycle of: wake up, go to school, work, and sleep. I was ready to quit school because it wasn’t fun nor how I pictured college being. Thankfully my uncle introduced me to a gentleman named Todd Carlson (UMSL ‘97) who encouraged me to check out the Sigma Pi Chapter house. Keep in mind, I was very anti-Greek at the time, so I was hesitant, but I checked it out and before I knew it my life was changed forever. It’s actually a humorous story; Carlson said, “Go to the house, I’m going to tell the guys you’re coming,” so I went to a basketball game on campus then made my way over to the chapter house looking for a Thomas Holt (UMSL ’99)—who was known around the Chapter as “Smokey.” I asked “Is Smokey here?” and they shut the door in my face and I thought that was it. Paul Wydra (UMSL ’01) opened the door and ran out and said “Hey, hey, hey! Are you Jon Frost?” Next thing I know, I am entering this house, where I know absolutely no one, and everyone has that, “Who is this guy?” look. Being 6’5” and 235 lbs (at the time anyway), was probably a little intimidating, not to mention my trenchcoat, earrings, and rattail haircut that I thought made me look very cool.

Another life-changing moment was not only being elected Sage, but being asked to become the Sage. When your peers ask you to lead them, it is very humbling, and I will always remember and be thankful for their confidence. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to do that for two consecutive years. I will admit that when I was asked to run for the third time I had to humbly decline as I was beginning to get some gray hairs from the first two years and I decided that it was time for someone else to experience this unique leadership opportunity. EN: In what ways do you believe Sigma Pi has influenced your personal and professional development? JF: From a personal standpoint, growing up the way I did, socializing outside of my family unit was not something I did unless it was through sports. I got along with the basketball team during basketball season, and then it was the football team, and then it was the baseball team. The social aspect of interacting with this Chapter of Fraternity brothers, putting on events with other fraternities and sororities, getting involved on campus, and learning how to have genuine conversations allowed me to grow as a person. Not only did my experience help me establish relationships with Chapter brothers and those in the Greek community, but also other people on campus. Sigma Pi taught me how to be a social, positive member of a campus community. Professionally, I started to understand how to be a professional, how to interact, how to lead, and how to delegate. As an undergraduate and young Sage, I met brother Warren Patton (Central Missouri ‘04) at one of our social events, who was a three-time Sage at his Chapter who said something to me that I still live by to this day: “The key to being a great leader is not that everybody likes you, but that they respect you and what you’re trying to get done.” This wisdom helped me grow as a professional. As a leader, I try—not always successfully—but T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 1 1

E XE C U T IV E O F F IC E

My undergraduate degree is in Special Education with a minor in Psychology, so I understood the people-side but becoming the Assistant Executive Director launched my mindset to wanting to earn an MBA. No one recommended I get one and it was not a requirement for the role, but I realized I lacked the knowledge and skills I needed to be successful. I saw the bigger picture of Sigma Pi as a whole which taught me the revenue stream which gave me a greater understanding or our finances, our obligations from a service-model standpoint, volunteer management, and how we utilize our various resources.

( from left) Neil Thorsbakken (Middle Tennessee '08), Nick Zeisler (Colorado State '93), Paul Wydra (UMSL'01), and ED Frost

I try to live up to our Creed, our obligations, our values, and our expectations of members. I keep that in mind as I make decisions and work with teams. EN: How did previously working at Sigma Pi as the Assistant Executive Director prepare you for your role as Executive Director? JF: My previous experience allowed for a shortened learning curve and gave me the institutional knowledge to dive in and look at our ecosystem and begin making decisions that sometimes a new person may not understand immediately. My history with our office began when I started with Sigma Pi as an Educational Leadership Consultant (ELC) after graduating in 2002. During my first year, I traveled to all of our chapters west of the Mississippi River. Being from a small school and visiting campuses like UCLA, Oregon State, University of Texas, in addition to many others, let me see how expansive we are as an organization. Within one year, I was recommended by the Director of Chapter Services, Trip Roberts (Saginaw Valley State ’01), to take over his role as we were beginning the transition of our Executive Office from Vincennes, Indiana to Brentwood, Tennessee. Immediately, I went from being a colleague with the ELCs to their supervisor. This new role also gave me the added responsibility of project manager for our various conferences such as Sigma Pi University (SPU), the Mid-Year Leadership Conference (MYLC), and Convocation. A couple of years later I became the Assistant Executive Director, and again, it went from colleagues to now a supervisor, and so the biggest thing I’ve learned was how to manage relationships, supervise a team, and make leadership decisions. 1 2 + FALL 2017

Also, I saw how disruptions affect the organization and how we continue to move through those disruptions to make the business work. I learned to understand our strategic priorities, our core competencies of what we are trying to accomplish as an organization, and have a strong network of relationships with alumni and volunteers. This past knowledge base also already instilled what’s important—from how we educate our undergraduate officers to what type of education they need. I didn’t need much lead-time coming into this position because I had a solid understanding of the organization. EN: Why did you leave your position at Vanderbilt to once again work for Sigma Pi? JF: Simple answer - I love the Fraternity, I genuinely do. There’s that old saying, “If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life,” and even though I was successful where I was, I was going through the motions, doing a good job, but the passion was not there. Therefore, I felt like I was simply doing my job. I was looking for more in my professional life, somewhere to make a difference and impact lives on a deeper level. When I saw the announcement for the position, I told my wife I want this job. I want to help lead us to new levels and provide a Fraternity experience that allows other young men to grow and become outstanding citizens. I saw this as a unique opportunity to bring what I have learned through previously working here and align it with the experience I have gained since I left Fisk University and Vanderbilt University. It aligns my passion that I have for how we help our young men and also how the Greek industry as a whole helps young men and women become better people. I work harder now than I did at Vanderbilt but I couldn’t be happier. That’s why I came back. It’s a passion. EN: What challenges is Sigma Pi facing right now or will it face in the future? JF: As a Fraternity, we are facing many challenges. One is the lack of professional processes in place from a service-model mentality. We need to develop the plans and processes to provide a world-class level of service to our undergraduates, volunteers, membership as a whole, and our members’ parents and families. A lot is happening in the Greek community today - universities are asking if fraternities and sororities are vital and critical to the campus culture. We need to ensure we are providing education to our members to avoid the pitfalls our peers have been enduring.

EX ECUT I V E OF F I CE

We also have a problem right now engaging our current alumni - how do we keep them involved when they graduate and start their lives? What opportunities do we provide to them to keep them involved, keep them wanting to be engaged, not just within their local chapters but also internationally? One of our other challenges is helping our undergraduates after college from a career standpoint. It is essential that our undergraduates are provided the necessary assistance to successfully get internships and land jobs after graduation. Another critical issue that we need to improve is our new member education standards. Currently, we do not have a formal organization-wide new member education process. What are we, as an organization, teaching our new members about Sigma Pi as an international entity with over 120 years of history versus what they are learning at their local chapter? How do we align the local chapters with the international organization and enhance our brand and international recognition? As I ask these challenging questions, I challenge my team to constantly think of ways to repair our fragmented ecosystem in terms of programming for undergraduates. EN: What are some goals you have for Sigma Pi? JF: One of the key goals is to work with the Grand Council and the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Board of Trustees to create an overall strategic plan to ensure that we are providing a transparent view of where we are, where we want to be, and where members can be involved to assist in that process. It is imperative we develop a standardized, international new member education program. I always keep my very first chapter meeting in the forefront of my thoughts on this topic. Upon

initiating, the chapter was voting on some items and wanted me to vote with them and I had no idea what we were voting on so I abstained from all votes at that meeting. That’s why I believe in new member education so much—it’s valuable knowledge. How do we prepare new members to become fully engaged and active members upon initiation? I’d also like to see our membership grow in two ways. First, I’d like to grow our current chapters, not just in membership size but overall by improving their chapter culture, experience, and leadership learning opportunities. The second, is expanding back to dormant chapters and bringing new campuses into our fold. I don’t want to say I have a set goal of a certain number of chapters, but rather being strategic on how we expand and managing those resources while being mindful of scale, capacity, and ability to provide the services our members need. I also want to develop and execute on a plan to establish a career services department dedicated to assisting with internships and job placement. We have so many alumni working in great companies and we need to connect them with our undergraduates and use our network to support one another in life both as a student and as an alumnus. My next goal is to grow the number of donors, which also ties into our challenges because we have a severe shortage of alumni who give philanthropic gifts to the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation. Therefore, I constantly challenge my team with the question - how do we show our alumni the value of investing in Sigma Pi after they graduate? My last and certainly not least goal involves expanding our educational programs beyond SPU and the MYLC. We are in discussions now about experiential learning opportunities that will seek to engage our alumni with our undergraduates so they can share in conversation about leading teams, managing departments, and preparing these young men for their futures. EN: If you could give every member of Sigma Pi a piece of advice what would it be?

ED Frost with his wife, Jill, and daughter, Kate

JF: John Donne said it better than I ever could “No man is an island entire of itself” and that couldn’t be truer when it comes to our men. We need all of our members aligned, involved, and participating for us to be successful. For our undergraduates, keep in mind that you are entrusted with the care of the chapter while you are in school and we want you to work diligently and efficiently to be one of the best groups on your campus. For our alumni, when we say “no man is an island entire of itself,” we truly mean it. We need your knowledge, we need your experiences that you’ve gained while you were in school and more importantly, that you’ve gained since you graduated. We need you back to help share that information with these young men today, so they understand what a Sigma Pi man is supposed to be. We need you to help grow them into the kind of men that live up to our values and our expectations and prepare them for life after college. T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 1 3

M I D - B I EN N I U M U PDATE

A YEAR OF PROGRESS by Joseph Palazzolo (Monmouth ’03), contributing writer

The first half of this biennium was a very busy time for Sigma Pi Fraternity. In addition to chartering six new chapters and colonizing three new colonies of the Fraternity, gains were made in many key performance areas. For example, the Fraternity achieved success at the membership level by increasing the average chapter size, total number of undergraduate members, and average GPA. And while these accomplishments are discussed in other parts of The Emerald, there are some other gains that our members should know more about. The Fraternity’s 46th Grand Sage Steve Lawler (Iowa ’82) led the charge by being a strong, vocal advocate for the Fraternity’s undergraduate members across the country. Under GS Lawler’s leadership, the Grand Council has become more directly involved in reviewing reports related to undergraduate concerns. Over the last several bienniums, many of the Fraternity’s undergraduates and alumni have expressed strong concerns about fraternity chapters being singled out on campuses across the country. On occasion, these incidents endanger the health and well-being of fraternity undergraduates in a manner that would not be acceptable 1 4 + FALL 2017

if it were imposed on any other campus group. Typically, in these situations fraternity chapters are handed sanctions or probationary measures that are disproportionate to the problems that are trying to be adjudicated. In these cases, GS Lawler has taken a very strong stance in defense of the Fraternity’s undergraduates. When asked about why he so vigorously defends undergraduate chapters, GS Lawler said, “Fraternities are under attack by people that fail to see the value of our organizations.” For GS Lawler, this is a personal issue. He continued by saying, “I have spent my adult life in a passionate

Grand Sage Steve Lawler rallies the attendees ahead of the 2017 Sigma Pi University, which took place at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

G RA N D COUN CI L

pursuit of support for Sigma Pi because I have witnessed the countless number of young men that have evolved from good to great brothers because of the life skills and lessons taught and experienced by being a fraternity man. My lessons I learned as a fraternity undergraduate were as valuable as the lessons learned in the classroom.” Since 2010, the Fraternity has operated based on a governance structure called policy governance. There are many implementation models for this governance structure and after seven years of working through the initial implementation model, the time was ripe for Sigma Pi Fraternity to revisit its approach to policy governance. Though the entire Grand Council proposed and approved a variety of revisions to the Fraternity’s policy governance manual – including eliminating a second version of the manual that was never released publicly because it contained sensitive personnel information – Grand Second Counselor Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth ’03) worked to reorganize and streamline the manual.

they feel it most – in their own bank and Venmo accounts. Though there is still more work to do, GTC Wojcik stated, “For too long, the Fraternity did not aggressively negotiate its contractual relationships or take advantage of the natural opportunity to lower costs at the time of contract renewal.” When specifically addressing the savings associated with the OmegaFi renegotiation, GTC continued, “This was a positive step towards reducing the overall financial burden on our undergraduate members. We need to continue identifying opportunities to save money while still maintaining high levels of service. Additional work needs to be done to identify vendors who offer quality products at competitive prices.”

Grand Fourth Counselor Brian Kurisky (Ferris State ’07) spearheaded a fraternity-wide feedback plan that included 10 surveys being distributed with more than 2,750 responses. These efforts included an alumni-wide survey, a survey of undergraduate executive councils, and post-event surveys from the Mid-Year Leadership Much of this work revolved Conference and Sigma Pi - GFoC Brian Kurisky (Ferris State '07) around finding ways to update University. When discussing the manual with the advice and guidance from Dr. Lynn Walker, a policy governance consultant the Fraternity’s efforts to generate greater feedback from its who developed an approach to implementing the model called members, GFoC Kurisky said, “The Grand Council has been boundary management. Of the effort to ensure that the manual focused on obtaining data from our membership in order to help adhered to best practices in the nonprofit sector, GSC Palazzolo us make decisions that will benefit the organization.”

“The Grand Council has been focused on obtaining data from our membership in order to help us make decisions that will benefit the organization.”

commented that, “Like most nonprofits who operate under policy governance for a few years, the Fraternity was ready for an evolution of its implementation practices. Thanks to Dr. Walker, we are operating with a very transparent approach to governance and one that allows the Grand Council the flexibility it needs to respond to issues as they come up.” On the financial front, the Fraternity experienced a nearly $700,000 swing in net operating income. This tremendous financial outcome is the result of prudent spending habits at the Executive Office and strong, consistent oversight provided by the Grand Council. More locally at the chapter level, though, Grand Third Counselor Will Wojcik (Minnesota ’08) closed a major renegotiation of the Fraternity’s contract with OmegaFi. The modified terms lower the cost of the OmegaFi service for chapters with less than a certain number of members. It is estimated that this renegotiation could save the Fraternity’s chapters a combined $100,000 in service fees. These savings are real and impact undergraduate members where

On the future of data collection for the Fraternity, including the critical need to receive feedback after international conferences and events, Kurisky continued, “As we move into this new year, we will continue to run surveys to get feedback from our members to continue to move us forward.” In other words, be on the lookout for opportunities to provide feedback to the Fraternity through these upcoming surveys! Progress was also made at the Fraternity’s Executive Office in Lebanon, Tennessee. For those members who have not yet visited the Mitchell House, you should plan a trip to Tennessee soon! The Mitchell House sits just under 30 minutes outside of Nashville International Airport and, in addition to housing the Executive Office staff members, the building includes dedicated space for the Sigma Pi Historical Society and a museum filled with Sigma Pi Fraternity history. Under the guidance of Grand First Counselor Les Wright (Murray State ’70), maintenance on the Mitchell House has increased and repairs have taken place to ensure the safety and viability of the building. T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 1 5

G RA N D CO U N C IL

GS Lawler with members of Gamma-Gamma Chapter at Central Missouri, who won the Grand Sage Cup at Convocation in 2016

Floor runners are being replaced throughout the building and lingering issues are being addressed, including the removal of a tree that has caused roof and gutter issues. The Mitchell House and all chapter housing are passions of GFC Wright. In discussing these passions, GFC Wright said, “The Mitchell House is the repository for all the Fraternity’s archives, as well as the international Executive Office of Sigma Pi. The Mitchell House is to Sigma Pi what the National Archives are to our great nation, and should be carefully maintained for future generations of brothers.” Meanwhile, Grand Herald and Past Grand Sage Ed Levesque (Bridgewater State ’89) worked with a volunteer committee to review the practices and codes of conduct for the Grand Council and all the Fraternity’s international committees. The results of these efforts led to large-scale revisions to the Grand Council’s Code of Conduct as well as a widespread reorganization of the Fraternity’s international committee structure. These changes were implemented over the summer months and led to a more intuitive chain of command with more accountability for everyone involved. Of these changes, GH Levesque noted, “This Grand Council felt it was important to ensure everyone was held accountable for their work during the biennium, and these added checks and balances do just that.” Recently, the Fraternity brought on a Governance Officer and an Assistant Governance Officer (see the announcement on sigmapi.org). According to policy governance – the corporate governance structure used by the Fraternity – the role of reviewing governance decisions for compliance with existing rules can be devolved from the Chairman of the Board (in Fraternity’s case, the Grand Sage) to an appointed individual. The Fraternity is lucky to have not one, but two great alumni serving in these roles! The future of the Fraternity’s growth, stability, and progress has always depended on the support and generosity of its alumni 1 6 + FA LL 2017

members. During the first year of this biennium, Past Grand Sage E. Andrew Morris (Murray State ’70) dedicated himself to meeting with alumni members from across the country to talk about the future of Sigma Pi Fraternity. There is something very fitting about an individual who made such an impact on the Fraternity’s past – and continues to make a wealth of contributions in the present – taking on the task of building its future. When talking about his many visits and meetings with alumni across the country, PGS Morris said, “Alumni are more relevant and needed more than ever before, especially in working with our campus leaders.” On the critical influence that our alumni could have on our undergraduate members, PGS Morris continued, “The alumni can inspire our members to dream more, do more and become more that will become a part of our changing society. YOU have the potential of changing lives of other Sigma Pi members.” During the first half of this biennium, the Grand Council visited more than 40 chapters and presented at 8 different province workshops as well as both of the Fraternity’s premier international conferences – the Mid-Year Leadership Conference and Sigma Pi University, The Tony Siress Career Institute. Combined, Grand Council members presented in front of more than 2,500 undergraduates and met with more than 600 alumni over the last 12 months. Already in the second half of the biennium, Grand Council members have presented at three different province workshops where they connected with nearly 400 undergraduates. Speaking of conferences, attendees at the Mid-Year Leadership Conference have asked for years for the program to be modified to better fit their academic calendars. One of the most repeated suggestions was to move the dates of the conference from the end of January/early February. Specific to this concern was the fact that the Mid-Year Leadership Conference takes each chapter’s top elected leaders and the Recruitment Chairman

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away from the chapter during one of the most crucial recruitment weekends of the spring semester. In addition, many students were concerned about missing a day or two of classes so early in the semester. As an answer to these requests, the Grand Council moved the Mid-Year Leadership Conference to the first weekend of January beginning in 2017 (the conference will take place during the first weekend of January in 2018, too). The best forms of feedback are those that happen within a continuous loop. This is exemplified by the changes coming to the next Mid-Year Leadership Conference in January 2018. After the last conference, undergraduate attendees asked for an additional day together, but with more time for fellowship and brotherhood bonding. The Grand Council and Executive Office heard this request and responded by expanding the conference by one day (the January 2018 conference will begin one day earlier) and including dedicated time for attendees to meet one another, share ideas and best practices, and enjoy the bonds of brotherhood that makes Sigma Pi strong. The next Mid-Year Leadership Conference is being designed and operated by Assistant Executive Director Joe Drain (Florida State ’10). Of the upcoming conference, AED Drain noted, “The Mid-Year Leadership Conference has for years been a preeminent event for newly positioned chapter leaders.” AED Drain also discussed the changes to the Mid-Year Leadership Conference for the coming event. He noted, “We want members to see that their voices have been heard, and they are being provided programming they helped to influence. My hope is that those in attendance will leave this iteration of the conference with a better sense of their role in leading their Fraternity, inspired to lead on their campus and in their communities, and having developed new, lasting relationships with their brothers from across North America.” Perhaps the biggest accomplishment for Sigma Pi Fraternity over the first half of the biennium was the historic agreement made between the Fraternity and the Sigma Pi Educational

GS Lawler with Mitch Priest (Iowa '19)

GSC Palazzolo with Angel Garcia (Cal State Dominguez Hills '07) and Felix Sanchez (Cal State Dominguez Hills '17)

Foundation to engage in a shared services agreement. The shared services model of operations has been successfully employed by several other fraternities resulting in a more cohesive plan for those organizations and greater operating efficiencies in both time and money saved. The shared services agreement will be administered by the Fraternity’s Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Jon Frost (UMSL ’02). In a conversation about the shared services agreement, CEO Frost said, “I am excited to be a part of this historic agreement, as it affords me the ability to work with both the Grand Council and the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation Board of Trustees on strategy alignment and execution.” On what this agreement will bring to the combined Fraternity and Foundation, CEO Frost said, “Through this agreement, we will be better positioned to advance our ability to enhance engagement efforts, seek both annual and restricted gifts to provide a stronger value-add benefit to our members, and create new educational programs to meet the demands of today’s – and future – undergraduate members.” These are just some of the many accomplishments that have taken place and gains that have been achieved over the first half of this biennium. To learn more about the other successes that the Fraternity has realized in the last twelve months, please contact any Grand Council member, AED Drain, or CEO Frost. Sigma Pi Fraternity has accomplished great things, but even greater achievements are ahead of us. The Grand Council encourages every member of the Fraternity to get involved and help build the future of Sigma Pi. The easiest and quickest way to support the Fraternity is through supporting the Foundation (learn more at sigmapiedfund.org). However, remember that undergraduate members may benefit from alumni guidance and mentoring. If you think you may be able to help an undergraduate find his way in Sigma Pi – and in the world – then please contact the Executive Office at info@sigmapi.org. This is just the beginning. Sigma Pi Fraternity has a powerful future ahead of it! T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 1 7

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE - Score out of a possible 2000 points. SPRING GPA - Cumulative Grade Point Average as of the Spring 2017 Semester. RETENTION - Percentage of Pledges who Initiated during the 2016-17 fiscal year. ROSTER SIZE - Total number of members during the 2016-17 fiscal year. CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT - Number of members actively involved in other student organizations during the 2016-17 fiscal year.

CHAPTER STATISTICS

PHILANTHROPY DOLLARS - Total number of philanthropy dollars raised by the chapter during the 2016-17fiscal year. SERVICE HOURS - Total number of community service hours by the chapter during the 2016-17 fiscal year.

SPRING GPA

RETENTION

ROSTER SIZE

CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

COMMUNITY SERVICE

PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS

Alabama (Theta-Omicron)

807

2.95

89%

$1,780

Arizona State (Beta-Kappa)

1235

N/A

100%

50%

2,127

$8,739

Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma)

1119

2.63

85%

314

$800

Arkansas State (Alpha-Pi)

1351

2.81

58%

23%

156

Arkansas Tech (Iota-Lambda)

1772

3.10

83%

89%

1,067

$2,793

Auburn (Alpha-Delta)

1160

2.79

152%

111

29%

1,232

$3,740

Bentley (Iota-Theta)

1178

N/A

90%

85%

429

$2,499

Bridgewater State (Eta-Eta)

1931

3.13

94%

88%

Buffalo (Epsilon-Omicron)

1475

2.83

133%

15%

380

$1,313

Cal Poly (Eta-Delta)

1733

2.92

114%

87%

990

$5,192

Cal State Chico (Theta-Mu)

858

N/A

139%

167

$2,860

Cal State Dominguez Hills (Eta-Iota)

1519

2.86

111%

35%

223

$84

Cal State Fullerton (Epsilon-Nu)

1034

N/A

100%

N/A

CHAPTER

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

*NUMBERS ACCURATE AS OF OCTOBER 1, 2017

1 8 + FALL 2017

Data accurate as of June 30, 2015

1,940 $10,492

RETENTION

ROSTER SIZE

CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

COMMUNITY SERVICE

PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

SPRING GPA

RETENTION

ROSTER SIZE

CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

COMMUNITY SERVICE

PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS

596

N/A

106%

Illinois State (Epsilon-Eta)

N/A

100%

N/A

California (Iota)

965

N/A

88%

Indiana (Beta)

1232

3.14

103%

105

88%

425

$252

California-Irvine (Eta-Upsilon)

723

2.92

85%

94%

Indiana of Pennsylvania (Theta-Epsilon)

1468

2.35

75%

79%

California-Santa Cruz (Iota-Eta)

1209

N/A

118%

100%

1,665

$4,550

Iowa (Xi)

1161

2.72

58%

32%

509

$1,800

Carleton (Eta-Rho)

1283

N/A

74%

50%

251

$6,768

Iowa State (Sigma)

1538

2.98

114%

100%

1,446

$3,345

Central Michigan (Delta-Alpha)

1745

3.00

105%

70%

1,422

$8,659

Kansas (Beta-Delta)

1314

3.14

131%

38%

831

$989

Central Missouri (Gamma-Gamma)

1889

3.12

115%

93%

1,726

$4,165

Keene State (Iota-Rho)

1483

3.03

96%

64%

601

$1,870

Colorado (Zeta-Delta)

848

N/A

154%

137

132

$16,800

Kennesaw State (Epsilon-Alpha)

1186

2.87

59%

94%

260

Colorado State (Eta-Sigma)

N/A

100%

N/A

Kentucky (Epsilon-Beta)

809

N/A

100%

N/A

Cornell (Mu)

1359

3.57

110%

83%

1,680

$5,012

Lawrence Tech (Zeta-Omicron)

1735

2.37

55%

83%

184

$1,637

Detroit-Mercy (Gamma-Alpha)

1595

3.06

135%

100%

1,053

$1,750

Louisville (Iota-Omicron)

1606

3.13

122%

27%

885

$3,298

Drury (Epsilon-Rho)

1914

3.44

114%

100%

658

$5,335

Miami (OH) (Eta-Phi)

1337

3.06

74%

50%

392

$2,855

East Carolina (Eta-Kappa)

737

N/A

100%

N/A

Michigan State (Zeta-Mu)

1255

3.01

132%

81%

475

$4,000

East Stroudsburg (Beta-Psi)

1440

2.69

97%

75%

1,269

$5,285

Michigan Tech (Zeta-Epsilon)

1739

2.79

130%

71%

241

$2,442

Eastern Illinois (Beta-Gamma)

402

N/A

74%

Middle Tennessee (Theta-Omega)

1456

2.80

121%

26%

1,129

$3,716

Eastern Kentucky (Epsilon-Lambda)

1191

2.99

167%

13%

$270

Minnesota (Iota-Zeta)

1733

N/A

104%

100%

2,100

$8,928

Emporia State (Epsilon-Epsilon)

1342

2.63

117%

100%

140

$118

Mississippi (Beta-Mu)

680

2.83

112%

163

38%

$7,850

FDU-Florham (Florham)

N/A

Missouri (Gamma-Sigma)

1818

N/A

48%

82%

2,058

$8,350

FDU-Metropolitan (Epsilon-Xi)

1439

2.96

100%

84%

615

$119

Missouri S&T (Alpha-Iota)

1859

3.11

89%

100%

1,005

$2,421

Ferris State (Theta-Theta)

1704

2.87

95%

29%

473

$1,072

Missouri Southern State (Eta-Mu)

1200

N/A

113%

159

Fitchburg State (Eta-Tau)

1543

N/A

87%

86%

763

$1,315

Missouri State (Alpha-Rho)

1840

3.09

104%

100%

2,190

$5,600

Florida State (Eta-Epsilon)

1513

3.03

90%

83%

Monmouth (Delta-Beta)

1741

2.77

114%

70%

860

$3,245

Franklin & Marshall (Nu)

1402

3.18

43%

100%

612

$1,833

Montclair State (Iota-Iota)

1819

3.01

122%

84%

908

$3,849

Fresno State (Alpha-Xi)

N/A

100%

N/A

Morehead State (Delta-Rho)

1087

N/A

80%

$50

Georgia (Alpha-Phi)

1004

N/A

84%

Murray State (Gamma-Upsilon)

1643

2.98

82%

84%

775

$4,350

Grand Valley State (Theta-Rho)

1850

3.04

143%

100%

1,691

$6,110

NJIT (Alpha-Mu)

1758

3.12

134%

100%

1,075

$4,813

Houston (Theta-Nu)

1403

2.63

71%

81%

331

$405

North Carolina State (Rho)

1037

2.86

111%

48%

804

$4,210

2,343 $30,619

CHAPTER

SPRING GPA

Cal State Long Beach (Beta-Omicron)

CHAPTER

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

T HE Y EA R I N REV I EW

T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 1 9

CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

COMMUNITY SERVICE

PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

SPRING GPA

RETENTION

ROSTER SIZE

CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

100%

N/A

St. John’s (Iota-Tau)

1914

3.37

120%

85%

1,721 $24,939

Oakland (Zeta-Pi)

1310

2.96

109%

229

$355

St. Joseph’s (Theta-Chi)

1625

3.10

98%

100%

1,910

$2,320

Ohio (Epsilon)

1404

2.87

87%

46%

586

$4,285

Stockton (Iota-Upsilon)

1775

3.14

100%

62%

824

$1,471

Ohio Northern (Zeta)

N/A

100%

N/A

TCNJ (Theta-Delta)

1055

N/A

70%

54%

289

$750

Ohio State (Gamma)

1477

3.09

86%

291

$2,165

Texas (Gamma-Theta)

1324

2.77

53%

100%

141

$647

Oklahoma State (Iota-Pi)

643

N/A

92%

64%

UC Santa Barbara (Alpha-Omicron)

1006

N/A

114%

154

Old Dominion (Theta-Eta)

1694

2.55

134%

100%

1,317

$2,928

UCF (Iota-Kappa)

1514

N/A

81%

106

90%

Oregon State (Omega)

1753

2.82

88%

81%

1,809 $11,103

UCLA (Upsilon)

1013

N/A

95%

30%

720

$1,425

Penn College (Theta-Phi)

1811

2.94

86%

85%

568

$1,137

UMSL (Delta-Zeta)

1803

3.03

78%

100%

791

$3,961

Penn State (Theta)

1083

3.02

112%

131

10%

$39,257

Ursinus (Theta-Sigma)

1824

N/A

71%

100%

1,346

$1,694

Penn State-Altoona (Theta-Iota)

1198

2.59

263%

48%

420

$933

UTSA (Iota-Delta)

1785

2.77

123%

80%

747

$5,496

Pittsburgh (Chi)

N/A

Valparaiso (Beta-Tau)

1663

3.07

100%

343

$1,325

Purdue (Eta)

1285

2.85

88%

35%

390

$3,045

Vincennes (Alpha)

1049

N/A

112%

454

$290

Radford (Theta-Lambda)

825

N/A

69%

163

$2,455

Virginia (Beta-Pi)

1372

3.25

100%

85%

1,006

$3,575

Rhode Island (Alpha-Upsilon)

711

2.62

36%

682

$2,433

Wake Forest (Alpha-Nu)

1696

N/A

117%

98%

802

$5,687

Rowan (Zeta-Chi)

1492

N/A

120%

83%

1,722

$3,788

Washington State (Iota-Nu)

1467

2.92

81%

80%

663

$565

Rutgers (Gamma-Eta)

1085

3.02

144%

100%

341

$95

Wayne State (Gamma-Omega)

1617

N/A

131%

84%

757

$5,518

Saginaw Valley State (Theta-Beta)

1604

2.73

159%

94%

401

$2,263

West Alabama (Theta-Gamma)

1901

3.08

100%

1,342

$1,949

Salisbury (Theta-Xi)

1240

2.88

111%

24%

480

$2,200

West Chester (Zeta-Alpha)

855

3.10

104%

$2,668

San Diego (Epsilon-Chi)

753

3.25

24%

32%

West Virginia Tech (Gamma-Xi)

962

N/A

150%

100%

$32

Santa Clara (Zeta-Eta)

1609

3.21

97%

104

100%

1,256

$2,205

Western Illinois (Epsilon-Zeta)

1247

2.55

131%

100%

129

$1,246

Seton Hall (Delta-Epsilon)

1347

3.16

140%

913

$3,129

William & Mary (Alpha-Eta)

697

N/A

100%

89%

SIU-Carbondale (Beta-Nu)

1652

2.81

100%

84%

1,061

$1,380

William Paterson (Theta-Tau)

1314

N/A

86%

92%

210

$813

SIU-Edwardsville (Delta-Omega)

1616

2.82

88%

51%

845

$1,573

Wisconsin (Tau)

1473

3.02

146%

49%

773

$1,970

South Florida (Iota-Sigma)

858

N/A

102%

Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Gamma-Mu)

1586

2.76

95%

87%

858

$1,476

Southern Arkansas (Epsilon-Kappa)

862

N/A

95%

Wisconsin-Platteville (Delta-Iota)

1753

2.58

104%

92%

489

$1,211

Southern Indiana (Theta-Psi)

1665

2.71

119%

92%

850

$2,079

Worcester Polytechnic (Gamma-Iota)

1803

N/A

170%

83%

1,389

$4,211

20 + FA LL 2017

PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS

ROSTER SIZE

N/A

COMMUNITY SERVICE

RETENTION

1074

CHAPTER

SPRING GPA

Northern Arizona (Beta-Iota)

CHAPTER

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

TH E Y E A R IN R E V IE W

2,864 $46,050

T HE Y EA R I N REV I EW

2 0 1 6 - 1 7

O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L

S T A T I S T I C S

117

Chapters

Colonies

MEMBERS

2.93

Average Chapter/Colony Size

2016-17 Pledges

6,053

2,825

Undergraduate Members

2016-17 Initiates

2,389

1% increase from 2015-16

498

Attendance at Mid-Year Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Missouri

Average Member GPA

165

Attendance at Sigma Pi University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

10 CHARTERINGS & COLONIZATIONS SINCE THE 2016-18 BIENNIUM BEGAN

$40,838

UPCOMING EXPANSIONS

SCHOLARSHIPS & EDUCATIONAL GRANTS GIVEN

During the 2016-17 Fiscal Year

Northern Illinois Towson Elon

Philanthropy

Community Service

$430,442

80,563

Dollars raised during the 2016-17 Fiscal Year

Service hours during the 2016-17 Fiscal Year

CHARTERINGS Arizona State Stockton Kentucky Eastern Carolina Northern Arizona Cal State Fullerton

COLONIZATIONS Illinois State FDU-Florham Ohio Northern Fresno State + Pittsburgh (current expansion effort)

131

New Delta Society Members For 2016-17 T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 21

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS Editor’s Note: Reports are submitted by undergraduate members of each Chapter and Colony. Along with updating and correcting basic guidelines, reports have been edited to only provide the most important content. All reports are accurate as of October 1, 2017. LEGEND Ø

Zero Balance

Owe Money

Number of Undergraduate Members

Total Brothers

Lost Brothers (Missing Contact Information) Donors to SPEF this fiscal year (undergrad & alumni)

ARIZONA STATE

NO REPORT SUBMITTED

BETA-KAPPA CHAPTER

Alabama (Theta-Omicron) Cal State Long Beach (Beta-Omicron)

California-Santa Cruz (Iota-Eta) Colorado (Zeta-Delta)

104

Cornell (Mu) Florida State (Eta-Epsilon)

935

Franklin & Marshall (Nu) Georgia (Alpha-Phi)

232

Houston (Theta-Nu) Mississippi (Beta-Mu)

Ohio (Epsilon) Oklahoma State (Iota-Pi)

ARKANSAS STATE

The fall 2017 recruitment season has come to an end and Beta-Kappa Chapter couldn’t be more proud of its new Gamma class. 34 young men accepted a bid to join our organization and lifelong brotherhood. With the academic year getting into motion, the men will continue working hard to be great Sigma Pi men and to adopt and teach the new class. This is only the beginning of our second semester on campus and our men have already created a solid foundation for success: being scholarly, driven, and outgoing gentlemen inside and outside of the classroom on the path to excellence.

ALPHA-PI CHAPTER

1331

531

Pittsburgh (Chi) Salisbury (Theta-Xi) San Diego (Epsilon-Chi)

ARKANSAS

South Florida (Iota-Sigma)

ALPHA-SIGMA CHAPTER

UCLA (Upsilon) West Chester (Zeta-Alpha) William & Mary (Alpha-Eta)

William Paterson (Theta-Tau) 41

776

311

22 + FA LL 2017

This year, Alpha-Sigma Chapter has revitalized recruitment and new member education. After a less than reputable performance in IFC formal recruitment in the fall of 2016, the brothers of Sigma Pi at the University of Arkansas went through a dynamic strategy shift by focusing on the true importance of brotherhood and leadership in a collegiate fraternity. This led to a record breaking recruitment in the following spring and fall of 2017. This fall, as having developed a more consistent recruitment and new member education plan, the chapter now looks forward to further developing other important aspects like philanthropy and community service.

Alpha-Pi has had a strong start to our fall semester. From brotherhoods to date nights, we’ve been focusing on growing as individuals and building our pledge class to be better men. Our alumni have been very involved with our annual alumni/active clean up day, leaving our house primed for the upcoming semester. The brothers are looking forward to our drop-ins with Chi Omega and Alpha Gamma Delta, as well as our Pie-A-Pi philanthropy to benefit St. Jude. We are hoping to keep this momentum through winter break and continue our quest for excellence.

243

ARKANSAS TECH

BENTLEY

BUFFALO

IOTA-LAMBDA CHAPTER

IOTA-THETA CHAPTER

EPSILON-OMICRON CHAPTER

Iota-Lambda finished off the spring 2017 semester with a bang. The Chapter was awarded the most awards for Greek organizations on campus and also had the highest GPA (3.24) of chartered chapters in Sigma Pi. We also raised over $18,000 in The Out of Darkness Walk to help towards suicide awareness. After summer ended, we jumped right back into the swing of things by initiating three brothers into the Fraternity. Now that initiation is out of the way, our main focus is on recruitment and bringing many new faces into the life of a Sigma Pi man.

173

This past spring we raised over $1,600 during our annual Sean Williams basketball tournament in memory of one of our founding members. Our brothers are excited to get back to campus after a relaxing summer filled with a handful of brotherhood events including hikes, Boston Red Sox games, and beach trips! Iota Theta had an exceptionally strong showing at our campus’s fall activity fair after helping out with our campus’s Greek life day of service. Recruitment season is now upon us and our recruitment chairs have done a great job scheduling a varying range of events to help attract new members to our chapter. We wish everyone a great semester!

411

137

Kurt Dahlberg (‘89), Tim Neville (‘79), Mike McCloskey (‘84), Chris Bilotti (‘13) and others staged one of the most widely attended and fun Alumni Weekends in years. Starting with Sigma Pi Alumni Weekend Golf Outing 2017, 2 Longest Drive awards earned by Brady Scanlon (‘12) and 2 Closest to the Pin awards earned by Tom Metzger (‘93), the weekend capped off with the Sigma Pi Alumni Weekend Bills Game and Tailgate. It must have been seen to believe. Brothers raised over $250 for Relay For Life.

AUBURN ALPHA-DELTA CHAPTER

148

2052

942

Alpha-Delta Chapter has just completed a very successful fall recruitment season. We finished with 55 new members, which is the largest pledge class in Alpha-Delta history. Our former president, James Gnan won Auburn University IFC’s 2016 Fraternity President of the Year. We look forward to a fall semester full of alumni and parents tailgates, benefit nights for our local philanthropy, the AHERO Foundation, and great social outings with our constantly growing brotherhood.

477

125

BRIDGEWATER STATE

CAL POLY

ETA-ETA CHAPTER

ETA-DELTA CHAPTER

Eta-Eta Chapter sent Brother Brandon Durocher to Sigma Pi University over the summer where he received the Standards of Excellence award. Brothers of Eta-Eta Chapter also held a retreat over the summer where they met and discussed goals they had for the up coming semester. Also to discuss and prepare for recruitment week. Near the end of the 2017 spring semester, Eta-Eta also held their annual Amazing Day 5k.

The brothers of Eta-Delta Chapter enjoyed a nice summer break and are excited for to the upcoming academic school year. After a great spring recruitment, Eta-Delta Chapter now has 88 undergraduate brothers at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Over the summer, brothers enjoyed spending time together and improving our bonds with one another. Brothers also participated in numerous philanthropies and community service events while excelling in their summer internships and academics. Our Chapter is always looking towards the future, with members constantly looking to improve and strive in the quest for excellence.

102

498

111

T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 23

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS CAL STATE CHICO THETA-MU CHAPTER

336

386

126

So far California State University, Chico Theta-Mu Chapter we have really improved in our planning of events such as t-shirt dances, socials, community service events, and philanthropies. President Mathew Teixera has done a phenomenal job spear-heading the events and communicating with the Chapter. Our campus has a week long philanthropy event called Greek Week where all fraternities and sororities compete with each other in numerous events throughout the week including a blood drive, can drive, talent show, parade, and breast cancer walk. Last year we collectively raised $30,000 for various organizations and community groups around Chico. CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS 5

CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA-IRVINE

ETA-IOTA CHAPTER

IOTA CHAPTER

ETA-UPSILON CHAPTER

Eta-Iota had a successful summer with our annual fireworks stand. We are excited to start the new semester, having already completed our first community service event planting trees in Long Beach. The brothers are also preparing for our bi-annual blood drive that we hold with Red Cross, stressing its importance due to the tragedy of Hurricane Harvey. With recruitment just around the corner, we are looking forward to bringing in our new BetaTheta class. As always, the brothers of Eta-Iota will be focusing much of our time and energy into completing Standards of Excellence and keeping the title of top Fraternity on campus.

Iota Chapter kicked off the fall 2017 semester with a solid recruitment season. The fall 2017 recruitment season yielded 11 new members, most of them Freshmen. It was an important recruitment and the brothers of Iota Chapter worked well together to ensure that recruitment was a success. With recruitment season over, Iota Chapter will continue to focus on having a great fall 2017 semester.

To wrap up the 2016-2017 school year, Eta-Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Pi hosted Orchid Ball in Las Vegas. On the last night of our formal, we gave awards to brothers during the penthouse suite gathering. The award for Best New Initiate was given to Hayk Kosaian, a freshman apart of Beta-Epsilon pledge class. Our Brother of the Year Award was given to Thomas Perchikyan, a stud from Beta-Beta class who has been our Recruitment Chair for consecutive quarters. The Chapter Dedication award was given to Jonathan Phenix, a member of Eta-Upsilonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executive board.

CAL STATE FULLERTON EPSILON-NU CHAPTER

1078

505

N/A

1041

464

The fall 2017 recruitment season proved to be successful for EpsilonNu Chapter. Over 40 new members chose Sigma Pi as their fraternal home. After Epsilon-Nuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent chartering, the Executive Counsel have worked actively over the summer with the committee chairmen to prepare for the fall 2017 semester. Over a two-year span, the Chapter has risen to become one of the top fraternities on campus, excelling in both intramural and grade point average. Epsilon-Nu is off to a great start and the year will be an exciting one for all to see. 6

24 + FA LL 2017

586

205

467

193

CARLETON

COLORADO STATE

DRURY

ETA-RHO CHAPTER

ETA-SIGMA COLONY

EPSILON-RHO CHAPTER

The gentlemen of Eta-Rho have had quite the exciting fall term. Not only did our members have an incredible time participating in our Chapter’s annual Fallen Brothers golf tournament, but after completing a successful recruitment period our team of devoted members are determined and ready to yet again bring our Chapter to the very top of fraternity Llfe on campus. EtaRho has some big plans for the year, so stay tuned to hear more about our Chapter’s success.

Over the summer, Eta-Sigma colony received an approval of the Chapter Charter and we eagerly await our chartering ceremony in December. Eta-Sigma Colony also held its most successful recruitment event in colony history, hosting our Annual Car Smash where 113 prospective members attended. We also want to recognize Brother Zachary Zimmerman, this year for Up ‘Til Dawn, he motivated our Chapter and managed to bring our Chapter up from last place to 2nd place in overall fundraising, and was the highest donor going into the event, just barely being beat by another individual.

Recruitment was a busy time for Brothers of Sigma-Pi Epsilon-Rho Chapter. One might say the picking were slim as a mere 35% of Drury University’s freshman class consisted of eligible men. Regardless, EpsilonRho Chapter found six exceptional men to join it ranks, handing out bids to a handful others who have yet to make a decision. Furthermore, due to unforeseen circumstance EpsilonRho Chapter was left without a 3rd Counselor. The absence was filled, however, by junior Brayden Jones (Beta-Mu ‘19). Epsilon-Rho Chapter is full of optimism for the coming year, and is excited to continue the pursuit of scholarship, leadership, and service.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN DELTA-ALPHA CHAPTER

1055

510

857

435

340

180

N/A

592

261

Delta-Alpha Chapter initiated 12 members and had 10 members graduate in the previous spring semester. Several members currently hold positions in IFC and members are also staying involved on campus with our ACE week and our luncheon for the campus police. Sigma Pi members plan to volunteer at Cedar Point for one of our fundraisers. Dog days will take place as well for one of our philanthropy events. There will be several brotherhood events planned as well, one being a paintball tournament. We are also looking forward to homecoming. This fall semester Delta-Alpha will be holding elections for new Executive Council and chairman positions.

CENTRAL MISSOURI

DETROIT-MERCY

GAMMA-GAMMA CHAPTER

GAMMA-ALPHA CHAPTER

The beginning of the semester is off to a quick start. Gamma-Gamma Chapter recently completed the initiation of our spring 2017 pledge class, which led us to the congratulations of eight new brothers to Gamma-Gamma Chapter. As we fast approach October, we are heavily devoted to our many preparations for Homecoming. Our members are off to a good start on our community service hours, over the summer and early weeks of the semester Gamma-Gamma Chapter has over 300 community service hours. Early on we have made arrangements to have the appropriate workshops set in place to grow our Chapter to be the exemplary Sigma Pi we strive to be.

In anticipation for a large graduating class in Winter ‘19, Gamma-Alpha Chapter is prioritizing recruitment and building upon the success from Winter ‘17. Sage Justin Fields (’17) continues to keep fluid communication with Student and Residence Life to broaden GammaAlpha Chapter’s social presence. With more and more undergraduates dipping their toes into Gamma-Alpha’s sphere, eyes should be on Gamma-Alpha’s rise in the upcoming months. Aggressive but selective recruitment, fierce but united brotherhood, and frequent but controlled socials will fuel the organization’s role on campus.

605

265

T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 25

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS

364

105

868

482

EAST CAROLINA

EASTERN KENTUCKY

FDU-FLORHAM

ETA-KAPPA CHAPTER

EPSILON-LAMBDA CHAPTER

FLORHAM COLONY

Eta-Kappa has been actively recruiting new members in order to increase the Chapters size and keep the Chapter thriving. There are currently 46 active brothers who are looking forward to an eventful fall semester with events such as mountain weekend, homecoming, brotherhood camping trip, and other miscellaneous events to build the brotherhood of Eta-Kappa. The Chapter has maintained the highest gpa on campus for the third consecutive semester, with one brother begin attending rBrody School of Medicine at East Carolina to pursue a medical degree. Eta-Kappa looks to keep up the good work and is working towards higher standards in the future.

Epsilon-Lambda is starting this fall 2017 semester with a lot of new faces on our executive council. We have a new Sage, Second Counselor, and Fourth Counselor and are excited to have these brothers as our leaders. We had a great start to the semester by successfully recruiting 28 new members during our fall recruitment. This was the most members out of any Fraternity here at EKU. We have a lot of fun and exciting events planned this semester including our annual Tree of Hope philanthropy. Lastly, we are looking forward to our Homecoming event on October 21 where our new guys will be able to interact and make connections with our past alumni.

Everything has been going very well thus far this school year. Today was the Meet the Greeks event at our campus. The Brothers gathered in the Recreation Center along with the other fraternities and sororities on campus. We spoke formally for our second time in front of the different organizations. It was great to see our student body active and lively. We look forward to more events like these, as they allow us to build connections and strengthen overall as a brotherhood.

2226

1098

718

217

N/A

EMPORIA STATE

FDU-METROPOLITAN

BETA-PSI CHAPTER

EPSILON-EPSILON CHAPTER

EPSILON-XI CHAPTER

Beta-Psi Chapter finished strong this past spring and is looking for an incredible fall. One of our notable events that the Chapter volunteers with each spring is Bowl For Kids Sake. Which is a bowling event through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. This past year at the event the brothers raised the most money for an individual team. With philanthropy and community service being important to Beta-Psi Chapter, the brothers are excited to continue furthering its involvement both on and off campus.

Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter is extremely excited to be kicking off the fall semester with having signed 4 new members last week during recruitment week. We are also excited to be gearing up for homecoming in November and are looking forward to welcoming our alumni back home for the festivities. Next semester we plan on hosting our annual Pancake Feed fundraiser at Epsilon-Epsilon in February.

This past summer has been a busy one for the brothers of Epsilon-Xi Chapter. Our Sage Nicholas Tamn (‘18), First Counselor Matthew Scocco (‘19), and undergraduate member Justin Esteves (‘18) visited the Executive Office while attending the annual Sigma Pi University event at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Sage Nicholas Tamn traveled down south to Virginia to visit the brothers of Theta-Eta Chapter to discuss chapter operations and financial strategies. We now excitedly prepare for recruitment in the Fall.

BETA-GAMMA CHAPTER

EAST STROUDSBURG

EASTERN ILLINOIS

626

335

269

118

FERRIS STATE

THETA-THETA CHAPTER

Beta-Gamma Chapter had a successful 2017 spring semester. Sigma Pi members competed in intramurals during the 2016 fall and 2017 spring semester. Beta-Gamma won the intramural point race and will be accepting the IM Cup during the halftime of Eastern Illinois first home football game this Saturday. Our big men tuggers celebrated a championship victory during Greek Week in the spring of 2017. We are looking forward to another amazing year and many more championships.

278

26 + FALL 2017

This fall semester marks the beginning of Theta-Theta Chapter’s 15th year at Ferris State University! This semester, we will host our annual Teeter-TotterAthon for our philanthropy event with a goal of raising $2000 for the Susan P. Weatlake foundation. For fundraising, we will be working at Cedar Point amusement park for a weekend. Our recruitment goal this semester is 15 new members. Currently ThetaTheta Chapter has the highest GPA compared to the rest of the fraternities on campus. Most importantly, we won Ferris State University’s hot wing eating competition!

INDIANA BETA CHAPTER

150

2505

785

363

128

N/A

FITCHBURG STATE

GRAND VALLEY STATE

ETA-TAU CHAPTER

THETA-RHO CHAPTER

Eta-Tau Chapter, coming off of a semester of reforming its pledge education program, is prepared to commit its focus on bringing new brothers into the fold. Recruitment is in full swing and thus far we have a good number of quality young men to pick from. Involvement on campus is a top priority, with collaborations planned for our philanthropic events, and mixers as well. We aim to make a positive and impactful statement during the first semester of having a VP of Student Affairs. Eta-Tau is going to do its part in building a strong footing of the newly founded IFC Chapter on campus. We are excited to start another year off fresh!

The men of Theta-Rho are ready to begin the recruitment season with close to 100 names of potential new members thus far. Our goal is to get near 30 new members this semester. For Grand Valley State University’s first football game, a group of brothers from DeltaAlpha Chapter joined us at our first tailgate of the season. Both Chapters agreed to get together again this tailgate season. For homecoming this year, we have teamed up with Gamma Phi Beta and are excited to participate in the annual lip-sync dance.

368

Greetings from Beta Chapter. The undergraduate members of Beta Chapter have returned to Indiana University and are ready to once again make a positive impact in and out of the classroom. On October 14th, Beta Chapter welcomes back all alumni for the Homecoming game against the University of Michigan. Beta Chapter has started a strong push to highlight mental awareness within the Chapter and across the entire Indiana University campus. Michael Procops (‘20), the president of the Mental Health Committee, has done a great job getting people active within the chapter and various other Greek organization on campus.

FRESNO STATE

ILLINOIS STATE

INDIANA OF PENNSYLVANIA

ALPHA-XI COLONY

EPSILON-ETA CHAPTER

THETA-EPSILON CHAPTER

This is Alpha-Xi first semester back as a colony. As a group we are going into our first recruitment period to recruit some of the best men for Sigma Pi. Over the summer our brothers worked hard in making sure this semester will be a great success. During Fresno States new student orientation, we had a brother from Arizona State University help with tabling to recruit some new faces. We helped students move into their dorms before the semester started. Sigma Pi brothers have made an impact in helping us grow as a Fraternity and making sure we are successful in chartering.

After being approved for chartering last spring, Epsilon-Eta has continued to gain momentum and further cement themselves into the community and culture of Illinois State University. Recruitment week for Epsilon-Eta was very successful in raising awareness for the growing Chapter, as well as bringing in a large amount of potential new members. Although the men of Epsilon-Eta have only been back on campus for two weeks they have wasted no time in getting involved on campus with intramurals, clubs, and business fraternities to further their connections in the campus community.

This fall semester Theta-Epsilon Chapter kicks off with academic excellence goals designed to help increase each undergraduate members cumulative GPA. In addition, ThetaEpsilon Chapter welcomes the newly initiated undergraduate class to the Brotherhood of Sigma Pi. This new class brings in fresh ideas on activities for future fundraising events. The current Executive Board has set high expectations for continuing the goal of raising our current S.O.E points. In the upcoming week, members of ThetaEpsilon will begin recruiting for new members and have set great goals to increase the overall size of the Chapter.

569

323

N/A

250

T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 27

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS

1180

392

IOWA

KANSAS

KENTUCKY

XI CHAPTER

BETA-DELTA CHAPTER

EPSILON-BETA CHAPTER

After what seemed to be the shortest summer yet, Xi Chapter is back in Iowa City, ready for an amazing semester. Although the University of Iowa’s IFC has put quite a few restraints on Fraternity and Sorority Life, we are reveling in our incredibly diverse pledge class. With 36 new members, it is the largest pledge class Xi Chapter has had in years. We give partial credit to our ambitious and hard-working actives and partial credit to the Lodge, which we began leasing March of 2017. We have a full fall schedule, which includes: brotherhood events, tailgates, and our fall philanthropy (Donate Life).

Beta-Delta Chapter has continued its momentum from last year into this semester. The summer brought about a major change in the Chapter: we welcomed Andrew Locke (‘14) as our Chapter Advisor-bringing a fresh perspective to chapter management. Recently, we capped off a successful recruitment week recognizing the 12 man Epsilon pledge class. Going forward the Chapter is excited for semester full of quality events, including a brotherhood retreat, homecoming, mixers, and more. The future looks bright for Beta-Delta!

This semester for Epsilon-Beta began with recruitment for the fall where we were able to add 11 outstanding men to our brotherhood. Other brotherhood events that our Chapter is looking forward to this semester are our brotherhood retreat trip in October as well as our brotherhood paintball event later this month. As this semester continues we hope to grow closer with our new members as well as expand our brotherhood even further through dynamic recruitment.

IOWA STATE SIGMA CHAPTER

111

1069

283

308

Sigma Chapter is excited to announce that we are coming off our best semester of cumulative grades in our history. With a semester cumulative grade of 3.07 and a 3.06 cumulative for all semesters. Sigma Chapter is paired with the amazing ladies of Alpha Phi who have just come off a Greek Week placing of 1st. Our Fraternity pairing is with the men of Pi Kappa Epsilon. Due to an infraction at a formal event by one of our members last semester our house is currently dry enforced internally and by the university. We hope to build on our academics and improve our standing with the university this semester.

129

676

LAWRENCE TECH ZETA-OMICRON CHAPTER

With a new year comes new goals. Iota Rho Chapter this year set the goal of putting the name, “Sigma Pi” on campus in the attempts to recruit a large number of students to become exemplary brothers. As it stands now we’ve just finalized our process to properly meet national standards. We are looking forward to our anual Sigma Puppies ACE project, and to start fundraising with the hopes of hosting a largely funded brotherhood retreat.

Zeta-Omicron recently had its summer retreat in Traverse City, Michigan over the summer as a brotherhood bonding event. The Chapter hosted a pig roast on the first day of school during a solar eclipse event that Lawrence Technological University hosted. The event drew a lot of positive attention to our Chapter not only from students, but from faculty member and members of the community that attended the solar eclipse event. Zeta-Omicron Chapter is currently working on planning its annual Cedar Point Amusement Park fundraising trips. Two weekends out of the fall semester, the Chapter works with the amusement park to help fund the year.

421

138

EPSILON-ALPHA CHAPTER

599

1342

IOTA-RHO CHAPTER

KENNESAW STATE

KEENE STATE

Fall recruitment was a success, and Epsilon-Alpha welcomed its latest pledge class with 10 new members. With the addition of new intramural teams, new planned events, and new people, the Chapter is looking forward to a great year.

279

28 + FALL 2017

150

780

277

727

178

LOUISVILLE

MICHIGAN TECH

MISSOURI

IOTA-OMICRON CHAPTER

ZETA-EPSILON CHAPTER

GAMMA-SIGMA CHAPTER

Iota-Omicron Chapter has started the fall semester by recruiting seven new members. The Chapter has plans to continue recruitment each week during the semester to continue to grow our numbers. Working off the successful ACE project last spring with the Best Buddies organization, the Chapter is planning to start ACE fundraising early this semester. It is forecast to be a very promising fall semester for Iota-Omicron Chapter as it continues to advance the mission and values of the Fraternity.

The brothers of Zeta-Epsilon Chapter are excited to see our house’s 3rd floor renovated over the summer. We are proud that we achieved Bronze status for Standards of Excellence last year and hope to build on that as a Chapter. One of our big focuses this fall will be recruitment and so far hopes of a large number of new members is high. Further down the road in October, we will do our annual Haunted Haus philanthropy event in which we hope to raise at least $1500 for local charities.

Gamma-Sigma is looking forward to an exciting fall semester. This year at Mizzou we are fortunate to be hosting seven home games for the football season. We aspire for heavy alumni involvement at our tailgates. The Chapter is focusing on continuing to strengthen our brotherhood with brotherhood events and Rec Sports teams, returning this year as preseason football and log rolling champions. For our philanthropy, we will run a profit share with a local business for charity, host a car smash fundraiser to promote student awareness on issues concerning mental health, and participate in sorority events to promote their charities and causes.

400

177

877

300

MIAMI (OH)

MIDDLE TENNESSEE

MISSOURI S&T

ETA-PHI CHAPTER

THETA-OMEGA CHAPTER

ALPHA-IOTA CHAPTER

Eta-Phi Chapter has had a strong start to the year, having made major renovations to the house as well as create multiple philanthropy events and begin the recruiting process. In regards to the house, undergraduate Patrick Johns distinguished himself as a leader. Patrick led a major renovation of the Fraternity House backed by funding raised by other undergraduates and their parents. This included new flooring as well as furniture for the chapter room and house. Currently undergraduates are organizing a food and supplies drive to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Irma. For recruitment, we have already hosted a successful BBQ last week.

Summer 2017 here at Theta-Omega has been one to remember. ThetaOmega Chapter of Middle Tennessee State University has had brothers all over the world. Second counselor Ross Harvell (‘18) traveled all over Oregon on a academic trip to study soil samples while newly initiated brother Alex Cripps (‘19) served our country at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a Kc-135 load master with the134th Air Refueling Wing. Furthermore, we have made big changes to the new member education program with Jake Langan (‘19) and hope to improve the college experience for our new members here at MTSU.

The 2017 spring class of Alpha-Iota Chapter are proud to announce the seven following initiates, Wayne Anderson, Tyler Bartholow, TJ Garbs, Conner Lane, Andrew Menke, Garret Schuster, and Peter Wolf. Alpha-Iota Chapter is also very excited for the semester ahead, with a twelve man pledge class for the fall of 2017. The hard work put into recruitment this year has been very successful in growing the Chapter. Alec Belue, Jacob Brownfield, Charlie Fuchs, Ashton Goff, John Lawrie, Austin Libeer, Austin Ly-Vu, Ty Murphy, Jared Nichols, Zach, Sullivan, Joseph Vrabel, and Samuel Yount are all very proud to be in pledge-ship of Alpha-Iota.

270

1157

470

MICHIGAN STATE

MINNESOTA

MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE

ZETA-MU CHAPTER

IOTA-ZETA CHAPTER

ETA-MU CHAPTER

The brothers of Zeta-Mu Chapter are excited to be back at Michigan State. Brothers spent their summer traveling to a variety of destinations including trips to Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Prague, and Germany. We also had a number of brothers who interned with major corporations, including Verizon and TJ Maxx. Overall, it was a very successful summer for the boys of Zeta Mu. We’re looking forward to a variety of events this fall, including our annual volleyball tournament on October 1st and our semi-formal in Windsor on December 2nd.

Iota- Zeta Chapter began the year by welcoming 3 new members to executive board. Undergraduate Joey Reisman took over the Role as Sage, Undergraduate Juan Lopez took over the role as recruitment chair, undergraduate Tom Ducey took over the role as Grand Second Counselor, and Undergraduate John Mack took over the position as Herald. The location of the Iota- Zeta Chapter changed over the summer and we were able to acquire a new house adjacent to the current senior house on university. Fraternity life at the University of Minnesota had a poor turnout for formal recruitment. Currently Iota-Zeta is in the process of informally recruiting.

Since the beginning of the semester, we have been working extremely hard getting out name back out there and recruiting some talented guys. We have been in contact with Donate Life and we will be having a booth set up at our local Third Thursday for the surrounding community. We can’t wait to see where this semester leads.

254

349

128

T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 29

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS

105

1569

652

MISSOURI STATE

MONTCLAIR STATE

ALPHA-RHO CHAPTER

IOTA-IOTA CHAPTER

As the beginning of the fall 2017 semester begins, Alpha-Rho is on a mission to win Chapter of the Year at Missouri State University. Currently, Alpha-Rho just pinned thirty-two gentlemen to get the total number of brothers to over one hundred for the third straight semester. There are many goals this semester that AlphaRho plans to achieve, focusing lots of time on philanthropy and community service. With one philanthropy event this semester, Alpha-Rho wants to continue to strive in helping others by raising money for certain causes. It is a big semester, and we are hoping end up on top.

Iota-Iota is looking to build off of a productive 2017 spring semester. We took in our largest pledge class in our Chapter’s history and we continue to strive in scholarship, community service and philanthropy. We took home yet another award from Sigma Pi and rank high within our province and tier. As the fall semester commences we hope to keep up the great work and continue to bring ourselves to a higher level. Many events have been planned within the Montclair State community to hopefully bring more awareness to our causes and to unify those within Greek life. We are extremely excited for this year and expect much success.

158

MURRAY STATE GAMMA-UPSILON CHAPTER

816

362

MONMOUTH DELTA-BETA CHAPTER

436

106

The brothers of Delta-Beta Chapter just finished their first week of school. We have a lot of events coming up in the near future for recruitment. This past week some of our undergraduate brothers went to the involvement fair to meet some potential new brothers. We will also be attending Meet the Greeks in our gymnasium to take some time to get to know some of the new people on campus and see if they are Delta-Beta material.

30 + FALL 2017

637

290

The undergraduate brothers at Murray State University have gotten off to a good start this fall semester. GammaUpsilon Chapter initiated 8 new brothers this semester. The Chapter is getting ready for Murray State’s homecoming where we are partnering with Delta Zeta sorority to create a float for the parade. The undergraduates are looking forward to having a great year of brotherhood. Murray State University recently suffered from a gas explosion inside of a dorm. The only person that was injured in the explosion was alumni Dakota Fields (‘15). Dakota is still recovering from the incident but is doing well.

MOREHEAD STATE

NJIT

DELTA-RHO CHAPTER

ALPHA-MU CHAPTER

Morehead State Delta-Rho Chapter has some great potential this year. We are seeing a lot of leadership opportunities within this pledge class, and we full of excitement to groom them into positions. We are in the process of claiming a house to call our own. It is our top priority, and we have been communicating with our alumni core in order to get this done. We expect to do well in all intramural playoffs. We are excited for ACE week, and we are continuing an amazing fundraising opportunity with University of Kentucky concession stand.

The brothers of Alpha-Mu are excited to continue work on their beloved Chapter house. After a complete renovation of the basement over the summer, their sights have been shifted to the roof for the next big project ahead. After a successful recruitment season, the brothers are also looking to welcome one of the largest classes on campus once again. The combination of a beautiful house and large numbers makes us one of the most influential fraternities on campus as in the past.

1152

522

1162

433

NORTH CAROLINA STATE

OAKLAND

RHO CHAPTER

ZETA-PI CHAPTER

This spring Rho Chapter initiated 3 new members. We held our annual Break The Silence 5k where we raised over $14,000 for the Student Health Center at North Carolina State University. The brothers of Rho Chapter have spent the summer preparing the house for the fall semester. We are excited for Wolfpack football and look forward to a successful fall.

After a lengthy summer break full of bonfires, camping, and comraderie, the brothers of Zeta-Pi Chapter are mobilizing for a strong fall recruitment. Within a week of meeting freshman at welcome week events, a handful of potentials have shown interest in the brotherhood. The quick success has been very motivating for our Chapter, over half of which is experiencing fall recruitment as a brother for the first time. We hope to maintain our momentum in the recruitment events to come this week. We also recently hosted our 23rd annual Pig Roast. It was a tremendous success with alumni, undergraduates, and potential new members all having a fantastic time.

BETA-IOTA CHAPTER

622

330

453

115

NORTHERN ARIZONA

OHIO NORTHERN

Beta-Iota is off to an amazing start this fall semester at Northern Arizona University. On Saturday, September 9th, The gentlemen of Beta-Iota had our first tailgate with the ladies of Chi-Omega. It was a great turn out, thanks to the Brotherhood Committee, as everyone enjoyed free food and drinks before NAU’s first football game. Starting on September 10th, recruitment week starts. The recruitment committee has done a fantastic job planning events for each day to get to know potential new members. We have events planned like casino night. Beta-Iota aims to recruit around 40 new gentlemen that we represent the ideals of Sigma Pi well.

ZETA COLONY

1481

710

N/A

OHIO STATE

GAMMA CHAPTER

1309

491

Entering this semester, Gamma Chapter has acquired a new Chapter house for the 2017-2018 school year, although we are still working to find a bigger one to adequately fit the size of our current Chapter. We ended the last year strong having increased our Standards of Excellence Score by over 30%, and have already started the year off strong by pinning 11 new members to start pledging this fall. In addition, we have added a new service chairman to go alongside our philanthropy chair in order to help increase our involvement in giving back to the local communities.

Zeta Colony is wrapping up its first round of recruitment on its own, and it has been both successful and pleasurable while also proving to be a learning experience. We are working diligently to rack up our four degrees points as quickly as we can and have our eyes set on chartering in the spring. We have established an excellent reputation for ourselves on Ohio Northern University’s campus once again and we currently have and are recruiting top tier men who are willing to strive to make us the best fraternity we can be. Words cannot express how thrilled we are to be back and to have the opportunity to better Sigma Pi.

T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 3 1

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS

346

1193

359

OLD DOMINION

PENN STATE

PENN STATE-ALTOONA

THETA-ETA CHAPTER

THETA CHAPTER

THETA-IOTA CHAPTER

This fall, we welcomed new members from the fall pledge class. We had an incredibly productive semester including greatly increasing our chapter size, improving our overall Chapter GPA, and dominating Greek intramurals. In addition, with focused efforts, we were able to hold several successful fundraisers and emphasize our brotherhood with a couple of retreats. As returning champions of Homecoming, we had a blast and are extremely grateful for the constant support of our alumni. We are excited to start spring semester and continue on the path of success!

Theta Chapter is very excited for this school year. In a couple of weeks, we will begin canning for THON and with anticipated participation from 80+ members we look forward to only raising and doing more for pediatric cancer than our previous year where we were in the top 10 for fundraising of many organizations. Theta Chapter is now discussing ways we can support Hurricane relief considering our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current events. We have very high expectations for this year that we have the potential to exceed.

With the start of the fall semester ThetaIota Chapter had been faced with many challenges such as the new Greek life regulations being implemented. The Chapter as a whole had adapted quickly to the situation and have moved into a much better direction. The Chapter plans on hosting an alumni event in the spring we hope to see many of our brothers at this event.

1935

716

PURDUE ETA CHAPTER

Omega Chapter of Sigma Pi is looking to focus on rebuilding for the upcoming quarter. We had eleven seniors graduate at the end of this past school year, and all of them possessed tremendous leadership characteristics. They will be greatly missed! Our focus is now on the development of our younger members and the recruitment of future members. The Brothers of Omega Chapter are eager to accomplish this task. We have a lot of work to do, but with some exciting renovations to our house and some sunny weather ahead of us, we are motivated to get to where we want to be. Roll Pi and Go Beavs.

Eta Chapter is having a great start to its fall semester. We just finished wrapping up a successful fall recruitment season and are excited about the new members we will have joining our Chapter. Our Chapter has been active on campus by participating in various intramurals and philanthropies, and by continuing to help out at our ACE Food Pantry. We also held an event to show our appreciation for our first responders around campus. Eta Chapter is looking forward to continuing to improve the Chapter this fall.

1573

481

THETA-PHI CHAPTER

176

236

OMEGA CHAPTER

PENN COLLEGE

OREGON STATE

Ă&#x2DC;

Theta-Phi Chapter has been reinvigorated by an incredible Standards of Excellence number from the previous year. Theta-Phi is now looking forward to creating a strong Greek life presence on campus through recruiting events, and philanthropic causes. Our goal in philanthropy is to spread awareness of the dangers of drunk driving with the assistance of the local police force. We also continue to push out events such as flag football, and study sessions on campus. With heads held high, and every member contributing this small chapter in Williamsport Pennsylvania will achieve great heights!

32 + FALL 2017

287

RADFORD

RUTGERS

SANTA CLARA

THETA-LAMBDA CHAPTER

GAMMA-ETA CHAPTER

ZETA-ETA CHAPTER

Since the recent Hurricane Harvey, Sigma Pi members in Radford have collected supplies in support of the disaster that it caused in Texas. We gathered four boxes full of materials including clothes, diapers, and other items along with close to $150 cash. A couple of the brothers who are in the military are also on call to go down to Texas if they need extra support.

Gamma-Eta Chapter proudly had over 30 Brothers graduate in May. Over the summer months we met on several occasions on campus to discuss the planning of the fall semester. On Monday the 11th we will be having our first Chapter Meeting where we will further plan out our semester and its events. We have already had two of our recruitment events and expect to pin at least 15 new members.

After a long summer, Zeta-Eta is incredibly excited for the upcoming fall. We are proud to have had some of our brothers work abroad this summer and we wish our brothers going abroad this fall safe travels. We are excited for recruitment once school begins in a few weeks as we look to grow our Chapter.

1195

472

776

358

110

881

393

RHODE ISLAND

SETON HALL

ALPHA-UPSILON CHAPTER

DELTA-EPSILON CHAPTER

Sigma Pi Chapter Alpha-Upsilon is one which has a growing and positive impact on the community surrounding it. This Chapter, located in South Kingston, Rhode Island, has within the first two weeks of school already been part of multiple philanthropy events. After meeting all the recruits and soon to be brothers we are looking into a very prosperous future. That’s not the only good looking thing on campus though. The house looks much better after the improvements done over the summer and we plan to keep it in tip top shape. In short, this year is looking great!

Delta-Epsilon is excited to be back on campus and ready to encompass the ideals and principles of our Creed for the ’17-’18 school year. We are planning to take a fall pledge class of around 7-10 promising young men to help uphold a positive image for our Chapter and our Fraternity as a whole. Delta-Epsilon is planning to hold a few philanthropy events on campus, including our annual American Flag fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project on this Monday, Sept. 11th. Lastly, Delta-Epsilon is looking to be a more beneficial influence for the South Orange community by participating in the Adopt-a-Highway program.

502

190

513

156

ROWAN

SAGINAW VALLEY STATE

SIU-CARBONDALE

ZETA-CHI CHAPTER

THETA-BETA CHAPTER

BETA-NU CHAPTER

Zeta-Chi Chapter here at Rowan University is excited to be starting the new year strong. As we head into recruitment, we look forward to meeting all of the new recruits and find the ones that would best suit us as a Fraternity. Upcoming, we have our annual anti-bully walk with Theta Phi Alpha a few towns over from our school. During this event we walk laps around the school help set up/break down the games and help run the games for the elementary school kids, to raise awareness of bullying in elementary school-high school. Aside from this, we look forward to starting up intramural sports with Flag Football, where we hope to win the title.

Theta-Beta Chapter has kept busy this summer. David Terrio went to Sigma Pi University and accepted an award on the Chapter’s behalf. The award was for Theta-Beta Chapter’s outstanding ACE project. Sigma Pi members also went to Oscoda, MI for a brotherhood. During this brotherhood Sigma Pi members connected and set goals for the upcoming school year.

The members of Beta Nu have kicked the semester off in the right direction, we have already held two very successful fundraisers such as our car wash and Pie a Sigma Pi events. We’ve also had a few phenomenal brotherhood events such as our most recent tailgate as well as hiking out to ‘Little Grand Canyon’. Beta Nu is extremely excited for what this semester has to offer. This is especially true, as we’ve have had a higher than usual turnout to our recruitment events. In addition Beta Nu has acquired a new Chapter Director that we believe will help us do much bigger and better things in the coming semesters!

369

1245

607

T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 3 3

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS SIU-EDWARDSVILLE DELTA-OMEGA CHAPTER

722

219

The men of Delta Omega successfully initiated 8 new members at the start of the fall 2017 semester. The Chapter recently held Sigma Pi’s Car Bash on campus, raising over $300 for the campus’s Dance Marathon event. 10 pledges have been added to the chapter through fall 2017 formal recruitment. Delta Omega plans to hold a second annual faculty/staff luncheon on SIUe’s campus this fall.

506

217

SOUTHERN ARKANSAS

ST. JOHN’S

EPSILON-KAPPA CHAPTER

IOTA-TAU CHAPTER

The brothers of Epsilon Kappa had a very promising spring semester and are looking to achieve greater things going into this fall. In the spring we took home Fraternity of the Year, Risk Management Excellence, Greek Week, New Member, member of the Year, and obtained a 5-Star ranking from our university. We have a lot of work ahead of us this semester, and will be looking to further extend our list of achievements. Last goal for this semester will be to reach more chapters within our area, and try to collaborate a big mixer event to help give more feeling of Brotherhood amongst our Fraternity rather than only meet for mandatory events.

Iota-Tau Chapter at St. John’s University enjoyed a very successful September, putting on numerous events, and raising upwards of $3,000 for numerous foundations. In one of our trademark events, the brothers of IotaTau and the sisters of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority raised $1,700 for the Steven Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation for the families of 9/11 first responders. Along with our 9/11 stair climb, IotaTau raised money for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and participated in a walk hosted by the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

119

SOUTHERN INDIANA THETA-PSI CHAPTER

165

Theta-Psi Chapter’s fall semester has kicked off with a great deal of progress. The annual summer retreat reached a new level of productivity and has so far tremendously bolstered our Chapter and its day-to-day operations. Though the fall semester is still young, we have already had 12 new members accept bids, which is the second largest pledge class among fraternity life. Theta-Psi Chapter is in the final stages of having an official alumni association and alumni advisory board. Both undergraduates and alumni plan to continue this trend of excellence and progress throughout the rest of this academic year. 23

34 + FA LL 2017

ST. JOSEPH’S

THETA-CHI CHAPTER

248

Theta-Chi Chapter is anticipating a successful semester as we begin fall 2017 recruitment. Sigma Pi men are greatly focused on advancing their presence on campus by continuing their efforts on widening their social media reach as well as attending all Greek and Fraternity Life events on campus. Theta-Chi Chapter is planning philanthropies with Saint Joseph’s Habitat for Humanity Chapter and is organizing multiple highway cleanups throughout the semester. Sigma Pi members are eager to recruit new members as they look ahead to the coming weeks.

STOCKTON IOTA-UPSILON CHAPTER

410

465

174

After a long summer the brothers of Stockton Sigma Pi are very eager to make another strong impact in our community. Like previous semesters, we look forward to initiating the best men our university has to offer. Already we have multiple events planned. Last year we were able to raise over $700 dollars hosting Sigma Pi Sweetheart and hope to raise even more this year. Still a new organization on campus, our alumni network is growing as we expected. We’ve shown a strong presence in the IFC, so much so that one of our brothers are now the President of the Council. We are confident that this semester will exceed all expectations like always.

TCNJ

UC SANTA BARBARA

THETA-DELTA CHAPTER

ALPHA-OMICRON CHAPTER

Sigma Pi Theta-Delta is set on having another successful year as an independent Chapter. We have begun to transition our focus of community service events toward organizations in the greater Ewing area. We are excited to welcome in a prospective Alpha Delta class into Theta-Delta Chapter to continue our traditions of excellence. With countless brotherhood events planned, we aim to bring a mindset of excellence to the community. We are enjoying our newly renovated house and plan to take two large pledge classes this year.

Summer’s coming to and end, but the fruitful careers of the young members of Alpha-Omicron are just beginning. Ripped from the paradise of Isla Vista, brothers embarked on journeys across the United States to participate in internships across various industries. Many impressive companies now bolster the resumes of Alpha-Omicron’s finest, including Citibank, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, each of the Big 4 accounting firms, Texas Instruments, and many more. Hungry nights will be a thing of the past. Thicker wallets, fuller stomachs.

133

800

222

UMSL

DELTA-ZETA CHAPTER

648

280

Delta-Zeta Chapter elected a new executive council and three brothers initiated. The chapter has elected Andrew Smith to be Sage. Brett Kleeschulte, Brain Mayfield, Brett Schlereth, Brandon Macias, and Sam Kayser were elected to 2nd Counselor, 3rd Counselor, 4th Counselor, 1st Counselor, and Herald, respectively. The Delta-Zeta Chapter has initiated three new members already. The three members are Charlie Abernathy, Mathias Dunville, and Damian Heady Delta-Zeta is looking forward to a great year.

TEXAS

UCF

URSINUS

GAMMA-THETA CHAPTER

IOTA-KAPPA CHAPTER

THETA-SIGMA CHAPTER

Gamma-Theta Chapter is gaining traction in its efforts to rebuild and rebrand itself on The University of Texas campus. With the help of the Executive Office, our alumni, and our dedicated undergraduate brothers we were able to secure our largest pledge class in two years. We believe these men will help grow our Chapter to new heights. Also, we recently held our most successful Alumni Dinner in recent memory, with a record number of alumni in attendance. This fall semester is shaping up to be Gamma-Theta Chapter’s most successful in a long time and we are excited about the Chapter’s progress. Thank you to everyone for your continued support!

Iota-Kappa of Sigma Pi accomplished many great things over the summer of 2017. Iota-Kappa’s brother and former 4th Counselor Nick Larkins took the oath of office as the student body president of the University of Central Florida. Iota-Kappa also won it’s first Greek Cup, an award given to the best IFC fraternity in intramural sports. Iota-Kappa also recruited 30 fine young men ready to begin their quest for excellence. Iota-Kappa has lots of things planned for this semester, including our first annual Southern Belle Week (with the wonderful ladies of Kappa Delta), and the return of SPIKE for our ACE project.

441

162

This summer the brothers of Sigma Pi Theta-Sigma Chapter continued on in their quest for excellence, while also having some of the hard work they dedicated throughout the academic year come to fruition. Amidst unpaid internships and shadowing opportunities we were awarded top ACE Project and the Gold SOE award at this year’s Sigma Pi University. For both these awards we’d be remiss not to laud the help and guidance we received from our previous Regional Director Joe Turck, our alumni, and John Thomas. We are ecstatic to continue, for the grind never stops.

T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 35

CHAPTER AND COLONY REPORTS

338

UTSA

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON STATE

IOTA-DELTA CHAPTER

BETA-PI CHAPTER

IOTA-NU CHAPTER

As part of our 10th year being on campus. Iota Delta has been very excited for all of our celebrations we have planned this fall. From brotherhood events such as floating the Comal River, going to the driving range, having pay per view watch parties. As well as our next huge tailgate against our rival school Texas State University, where we have 130 pre-purchased tickets to show case our upcoming football program as we just beat Baylor which was a huge accomplishment. We all have great aspirations for our 10 year anniversary on campus and have around 15-20 new members who we are excited to show what it takes to be a Sigma Pi.

After a strong spring semester and a productive summer, Beta-Pi Chapter of Sigma Pi at the University of Virginia is excited to welcome 15 new brothers. This fall, Beta-Pi is involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors throughout the community, with a strong thriving brotherhood of 52 members.

Iota-Nu Chapter is pleased to report the pinning of 44 new members at the conclusion of the 2017 formal recruitment period. Iota-Nu Chapter is also proud to report placing 5th out of 28 fraternities on campus for overall GPA with an average of 3.138. We took advantage of the time given to us this summer and underwent several housing renovations which played a major role in the recruitment of our new members. This semester we are looking forward to many exciting events such as our brotherhood camp trip and our annual “Color Your Life” philanthropy.

1015

316

501

VALPARAISO BETA-TAU CHAPTER

674

308

1507

507

School is back in session and Beta-Tau chapter is elated to be back at home in our newly renovated houses. We had an excellent turnout for our annual Amazing Day volleyball tournament and met many prospective new recruits. We’ve also attended a few other philanthropic events and snagged first place at Phi Delt’s Phive-K race. Three of our guys attended Sigma Pi University at Middle Tennessee State University and found it to be a very enriching experience - prompting goals of a 15 man recruitment for this year. Of course, we can’t wait to reconnect with alumni at Homecoming later this fall. Shaping up to be another great year at Beta-Tau!

VINCENNES

WAKE FOREST

ALPHA CHAPTER

ALPHA-NU CHAPTER

With the third week of classes coming to a close, we here at Sigma Pi Alpha Chapter have started off the semester with a bang! With recruitment events, the recruits came by for a BBQ and a game of Volleyball, and then that evening they came over to watch the Connor Mcgregor/Floyd Mayweather fight. As for Community Service: we will be having a flag ceremony to honor the people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001,and we will be visiting a local animal shelter that same week. The other community service is that we are trying to have each brother help donate $3 to the people who were affected by the recent Hurricane Harvey.

Alpha-Nu Chapter is off to a strong start to the 2017-2018 year. After receiving the Bronze Standard Award this summer, Alpha-Nu is looking to continue our positive momentum by adding new brothers during fall recruitment, and welcoming alumni back for Homecoming. In addition to participating in several Wake Forest community service events such as Hit the Bricks and Project Pumpkin, the chapter will also be engaged in the Winston-Salem 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in honor of our former chapter director, PGS Gary B. Tash (Virginia ’65). Overall, we are looking forward to another great year on our quest for excellence.

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1355

714

608

219

WAYNE STATE

WEST VIRGINIA TECH

WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH

GAMMA-OMEGA CHAPTER

GAMMA-XI CHAPTER

GAMMA-MU CHAPTER

Everyone here at Gamma-Omega is ready to kick off the 2017-2018 school year! Last semester’s 2nd annual “No Place Like Home” softball philanthropy event for the Haven Foundation was a smash! We expect this year to have the same level of intensity and fun. This fall semester we will be bringing back the Haunted Hay Ride and adding a Haunted House attraction. The Haunted Hayride will transpire Friday, October 20th, 2017. Gamma-Omega has started planning for our 50th anniversary; the celebration will be in the Winter of 2019. Gamma-Omega Chapter welcomes any alumni to contact us at gammaomega1c@sigmapi.org.

It has been a big year for the GammaXi chapter of Sigma Pi. Gamma-Xi Chapter has moved locations because the college campus has moved locations in the last year. Also in the last year we have moved to region 2 as our campus is closer to Virginia. Two weeks ago we had our recruitment week and it went well for us. We did many events through the week from a game night, to a movie night. It was a good week with much bonding in our Chapter as long as new people coming out and getting to look at what Fraternity life and what it means to be part of The Sigma Pi Fraternity is.

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238

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Gamma-Mu Chapter has had a very exciting summer and spring semester! As we gear up for a very strong recruitment semester we are also taking the time to fine tune the chapter internally. Our Chapter retreat went really well as we planned the entire semester ahead. During the retreat we held a Brat Barn to raise money for The Amazing Day Foundation during the retreat as well. We are excited to start this semester and follow through on all the goals we have set.

WESTERN ILLINOIS

WISCONSIN-PLATTEVILLE

EPSILON-ZETA CHAPTER

DELTA-IOTA CHAPTER

Epsilon-Zeta Chapter at Western Illinois University has a lot of obtainable goals this semester. Succeeding academically is of utmost importance to our undergraduates. We also want to recruit a large class of new members to make up for those brothers who will be graduating this year. Finally, our executive board is going to make every effort to raise our SOE score above 70%, a percentage we haven’t reached in quite some time. Epsilon-Zeta Chapter looks forward to a great year of service and brotherhood!

Greeting fellow brothers! Over the summer, the brothers of Delta-Iota Chapter participated in the Pork’n’Putt, which was a golf outing with alumni and actives. Also, there were extensive renovations through August. With the help of our actives and alumni we have successfully refurbished part of our Chapter house. One of our current brothers was deployed for service. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. The brothers of Delta-Iota wish everyone the best of luck and to have a safe fall semester.

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WEST ALABAMA THETA-GAMMA CHAPTER

316

Theta-Gamma Chapter of The University of West Alabama had a progressive summer. We met twice before the school year began and accomplished setting up an agenda for the following semesters. ThetaGamma Chapter is initiating seventeen New Associate Members in the fall. Also Theta-Gamma Chapter held a new event called “Sigma Pi Paradise”. A portion of the proceeds are being donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. Theta-Gamma Chapter also partnered with The University of West Alabama Softball team to help gather t-shirts and money to give to the people in Texas that were affected by hurricane Harvey.

343

WISCONSIN

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC

TAU CHAPTER

GAMMA-IOTA CHAPTER

Tau Chapter of the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently relocated from 420 N Carroll Street to 137/139 Langdon Street in Madison. The new house is much larger and moves us to a location closer to other fraternities and sororities. We are excited for the ability this move gives us to expand and become more involved in fraternity life on campus. Tau Chapter has many exciting events planned for the upcoming semester. We will participate in the Adopt-A-Highway program and organize a hot chocolate sale for the Amazing Day Foundation. We are also looking forward to welcoming parents and families to campus for our annual parents weekend.

The Brothers here at Gamma-Iota Chapter are excited to start a new school year. On September 22nd, we will be hosting a Bubble Soccer event to raise money for the Amazing Day Foundation. The day will consist of players in bubble orbs playing soccer and bumping into each other. Homecoming was a fun time this year. The fraternities and sororities participated in an annual parade to welcome back the school’s alumni, which was followed up by alumni heading back to their chapters to reconnect with brothers. It was great seeing many alumni come back to see how much the house has changed.

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T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 37

UN DE R G R A D UAT E SP OTLIGH T

U N D E R G R A D U AT E S P O T L I G H T

INAN SIKEL: DESIGNATED DRIVER by Sal Popolillo (Monmouth '17), contributing writer

It’s nearly impossible to determine who is a true hero. Often we are influenced by images of heroes from comic books and Disney movies, but not every hero wears a cape or has a cleft chin. Those characteristics are simply too expedient. Instead, real heros are those that help others in a time of need. Inan Sikel (Monmouth ’18), may not have superpowers, but he is the embodiment of what it’s like to be a real hero. This senior accounting major from Delta-Beta Chapter at Monmouth University is a hero because of how many lives he may have saved from experiencing the negative consequences of drunk driving. Once Sikel learned of the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign, he knew that he would take the pledge and make a difference. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,265 people died from alcohol-impaired crashes in 2015. Out of his own benevolence, Sikel often sacrifices his Friday and Saturday nights to be the designated driver so that this statistic never affects Monmouth University. “Quickly after transferring to Monmouth University, my brothers at Sigma Pi quickly became some of my best friends,” says Sikel. “I consider a lot of them family, so I wanted to make sure they knew what they meant to me. That's why it was easy for me to take the pledge to dedicate some nights to making sure that my friends —my family—would get home safely.” Many people share this view and have even outwardly told him that he’s a hero. Some have inaudibly professed to him that he’s a hero at 3:00am on a dark Sunday morning as they’re on their way back home after a long night. Still others have loudly proclaimed Sikel’s virtues in auditoriums with prestigious awards (in April 2017, Sikel 38 + FA LL 2017

won Monmouth University’s New Member of the Year Award). But last spring, Sikel was honored as the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign’s HERO of the Year. Even with this award and all the known drunk driving statistics, Sikel still doesn’t consider himself a hero. “I feel as though there are many people who do and feel the same as me when it comes to responsibility and keeping those close to them safe. Instead of feeling like I single-handedly won the HERO award myself, I feel that I simply just represent everyone that has taken the HERO pledge to keep those around them safe.” Regardless if he’s being incredibly humble or altruistic, he’s still a real hero. To learn more about the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign, please visit herocampaign.org.

VOLUN T EERS

PROVINCE WORKSHOPS NEW JERSEY

KENTUCKY

KEYSTONE

On Saturday, September 23rd, 214 brothers attended the New Jersey Province Fall Workshop at William Paterson University. Many great speakers took part in the event, including PGS John Williams (Widener ’85), Regional Director Dalton Reeves (Missouri State ’15), GSC Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth ’03), and Jon Henson (Old Dominion ’18). The event was hosted by Province Archon Ian Wolf (Rutgers ’14).

On Saturday, September 30th, 60 brothers attended the Kentucky Province Fall Workshop at the University of Kentucky Chapter House with Province Archon Dan Daugherty (Morehead State '92) serving as the host. Speakers included Executive Director Jonathan Frost (UMSL '02), Province Archon Charlie Eldridge (Morehead State '90), Regional Director Zachary Littrell (UMSL '15), as well as GSC Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth ’03).

On Saturday, November 4th, 50 brothers attended the Keystone Province Fall Workshop with Province Archon Brent Smith (Indiana of Pennsylvania '02) serving as host. Speakers for the event included Regional Director Scott Andrews (Oakland '99), GSC Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth ’03), Michael Coletti (Penn College '15) and Anthony Smith (Indiana of Pennsylvania '03) and Danelle Del Corso, the Assistant Director of Greek Life from Penn State.

JOIN US IN HONORING SIGMA PI VETERANS PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE With a gift of $250 or more to the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, your name or the name of a Sigma Pi Veteran or loved one will be engraved forever among the Fraternity’s Veteran Brothers. Your personalized, commemorative brick (or paver for Chapter or Alumni Club). will be installed in the Sigma Pi Veterans Memorial located on the historic grounds of the Mitchell House at the Executive Office in Lebanon, Tennessee. Dedicated in 2015, the Memorial heralds generations of Sigma Pi veterans, standing as a reminder of service to one’s country. Donations, minus cost of engraving and other fees, will fund scholarships to worthy Sigma Pi veterans and active duty personnel enrolled and attending their respective schools. All gave some. Some gave all. To p l a ce yo u r ord er, v isit sigma pi.o rg /ve te rans-bric k Background photo by Angela Pan T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 39

VOLU N T E E R S

VO LU N T E E R S P OT L I G H T

WHY I VOLUNTEER - PROVINCE ARCHON MICHAEL GARDNER (VINCENNES '08) N OR T HE R N I N D I A N A P R OV I N C E A R C H O N

Tell us a bit about yourself. I received my Associateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Degree from Vincennes University and just completed my Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Healthcare Management from Southern Illinois University. I am currently serving in the Armed Forces as a Hospital Corpsman Second Class Petty Officer. I am currently stationed at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. I was deployed twice since enlisting in 2010 and have been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Gold Star. As an undergraduate, I received the George Martin Patterson Scholarship while serving as Sage in 2006. Additionally, I serve as an alumni volunteer on the Alpha Alumni Advisory Board and Housing Corporation. Why do you volunteer for Sigma Pi? A large part of my time as an active and my memories from school include volunteers who devoted much of their own time to the Chapter and it made all the difference to my Sigma Pi experience. The volunteer role plays a big part in this organization and I just want to continue that tradition by doing what I can to further the ideals of Sigma Pi Fraternity.

What do you think is in the future for Sigma Pi? Hopefully growth and expansion. As the world keeps changing I believe institutions such as fraternities are more and more important as they help us to remember our values and heritage through traditions. Where do you see yourself and your role in the next two years? I plan on working towards the betterment and growth of the Northern Indiana Province and turning over a strong province to my successor when the military moves me in 2019. What is your biggest struggle in your role as a Volunteer? Bridging the gap between myself and the undergraduates is a struggle. Sometimes things seem so clear and I get frustrated when the actives don't listen to warnings but I remember that I did not always listen to the words of wisdom bestowed upon me by my Chapter Director and Province Archon. How have you challenged your chapters? By encouraging them to shoot for higher goals. They too often feel content with merely just being "good." If we just put in a little more effort, then we can surpass ourselves and achieve greatness.

How long have you volunteered for Sigma Pi?

How have your chapters challenged you?

I volunteered 2-3 years within Alpha Chapter and a little over a year so far as Northern Indiana Province Archon.

I have definitely spent quite a bit of time researching as well as re-familiarizing myself with the current college campus and fraternal lifestyle to answer the questions and unique situations that arise from my chapters.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your role as a Volunteer? I don't know if I've had one yet, but there has been a lot of change and transition since I took over as Province Archon and hopefully I've done as much as I can to make that as smooth as possible.

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What advancements would you like to see coming from the Executive Office? I am excited to see how the new tier system will work in place of the old regions. I think it was time for a shake up and I look forward to all the new ideas coming from the Executive Office and our new Executive Director.

VOLUN T EERS

VO LU N T E E R S P OT L I G H T

WHY I VOLUNTEER - CHAPTER DIRECTOR RASHARD MILLS (WILLIAM PATERSON ‘10) CHA P T ER D I R EC TOR F OR FA I R LE I G H D I C K I N S O N U N I V E R S I TY- ME TR O P O L I TA N ( E P S I LO N-XI )

Why do you volunteer for Sigma Pi? I was very active in my undergraduate years and I had great leaders assist me while in my different roles within my chapter. I learned a lot skills that I still find effective so I feel it is only right to pay it forward, pass the torch, and continue to help a little brother or chapter on their Quest for Excellence. I have had alumni brothers like Brad Kotuski (William Paterson ‘09), Robert Velasquez (William Paterson ‘06), Theta-Tau Chapter Director Steven Knezevic (William Paterson ‘11), and Guy Madsen (FDU-Metropolitan ‘85) in my corner to assist in providing their wisdom in time of distress. Sigma Pi has given me constructive and positive values and ideals to live by which has aided me in being a better person and, since spring of 2007, it has been my passion to live these teachings. How long have you volunteered for Sigma Pi? I have been volunteering for Sigma Pi for approximately four years. I thank my team of New Jersey Province Chapter Directors always for their assistance. Time passes by quickly and I have had to learn how to balance life's struggles and conflicts with life's many responsibilities. What is your biggest accomplishment in your role as a Volunteer? My biggest accomplishment so far was being recognized by Fairleigh Dickinson University this year as both Advisor of the Year and Greek Advisor of the Year. I have had the opportunity to guide and oversee not just a chapter of Sigma Pi to the finish line with their programming and accountability to one another but other chapters of other organizations, too. The students I work with everyday are great and dedicated to their beliefs so to see their fellowship while brainstorming complex events that teach simple, yet advanced concepts is always an accomplishment or proud moment. What do you think is in the future for Sigma Pi? The future for Sigma Pi is bright. We have some of the smartest and greatest decision-making individuals leading our Fraternity

and they only want to strengthen the brotherhood across the nation while giving back to different communities through efficient operations. In the future of Sigma Pi, I see growth and more projects that raise awareness of our ideals. Personally, I am also looking forward to expanding the Fraternity to more campuses in New Jersey. How have you challenged your chapters? My chapters have been left with a couple of challenges for not only the current semester but for the academic year. Together, we have created a system called "Press Play" to prioritize events and press play on the semester. In this challenge, the chapters are always highly encouraged and recommended to sit together and plan out events prior to the semester starting. Selected executive council members use their winter and summer breaks to follow-up with committee heads and complete all the necessary paperwork needed to host philanthropy and service-type events. Another challenge that I laid out is the scholarship challenge where we reward the brother with the highest GPA and the brother with the most improved GPA. How have your chapters challenged you? My chapter challenges me everyday when they seek advice and guidance on situations they face. The undergraduates expect me to attend at least two to three meetings each month and to wear letters on our campus at least two Fridays each month. They look forward to when I attend their events on-campus as well and they hold me responsible to living out the Creed daily. Who do you model your volunteer experience after? I have always admired our Grand Second Counselor Joseph Palazzolo (Monmouth ‘03) and his work ethic. I have known Joe for about 10 years now and I have watched him lead and teach many individuals through truth and justice. Joe has always been a man of his word and is beyond an exemplary citizen and Sigma Pi. He never found it robbery to assist anyone I know when they were in need and is focused on accomplishing the goals he sets. I just want to be half the Sigma Pi he is for our Fraternity. T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 41

VOLU N T E E R S

VOLUNTEER APPOINTMENTS CHAPTER DIRECTORS MUSTAFA ABDULLAH (SIU-CARBONDALE '16) Chapter Director at SIU-Carbondale COVEY DETMER (VINCENNES '10) Chapter Director at Vincennes KEVIN ELLIOTT (OHIO NORTHERN '87) Chapter Director at Miami (OH)

JOSEPH GRANADO (UTSA '11) Chapter Director at San Diego ERIC GRIFFIN (VINCENNES '06) Chapter Director at Purdue DEMETRIUS JOHNSON (LAWRENCE TECH '14) Chapter Director at Wayne State DAN KOBLER (MINNESOTA '15) Chapter Director at Minnesota JESSE KOCH (PENN STATE-ALTOONA '06) Colony Director at Pittsburgh RHETT LAROSE (UTSA '12) Chapter Director at UTSA ANDREW LOCKE (KANSAS '14) Chapter Director at Kansas ROBERT PANKAU (OAKLAND '05) Chapter Director at Oakland KYLE RYAN (ARIZONA STATE '08) Chapter Director at Arizona State KENT VARNEY (KENTUCKY '01) Chapter Director at Kentucky

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PROVINCE ARCHONS VIRGINIA PROVINCE Sigma Pi Fraternity, International is proud to announce the appointment of Dave Edwards (Christopher Newport '96) has been named as Virginia Province Archon. Province Archons oversee all parts of the Fraternity (colonies, chapters, alumni clubs, etc.) that are within their geographic area. Edwards will be working with the following chapters: • Alpha-Eta Chapter at College of William & Mary • Beta-Pi Chapter at University of Virginia • Theta-Eta Chapter at Old Dominion University • Theta-Lambda Chapter at Radford University • Gamma-Xi Chapter at West Virginia University Institute of Technology Edwards currently works for Gold Key | PHR Hotels and Resort located at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in Virginia, where he serves as the Business Operations Manager for the Hilton Hotel and Restaurants on 31st Street. He has previously volunteered with the Fraternity as a Chapter Director for Epsilon-Pi Chapter at Christopher Newport, Alpha-Eta Chapter at William & Mary, and Theta-Eta Chapter at Old Dominion. He currently serves on the Alumni Engagement and 125th Anniversary Committees. MICHIGAN PROVINCE Sigma Pi Fraternity, International is proud to announce the appointment of Quentin Groce (Grand Valley State ’09) as Michigan Province Archon. Province Archons oversee all parts of the Fraternity (colonies, chapters, alumni clubs, etc.) that are within their geographic area. We would also like to thank PGH Rob Pankau (Oakland ’05) for his service and dedication to Sigma Pi while he served as Province Archon from August 2014 to June 2017. Groce will be working with the following chapters: • Delta-Alpha Chapter at Central Michigan University • Zeta-Mu Chapter at Michigan State University • Theta-Beta Chapter at Saginaw Valley State University • Theta-Theta Chapter at Ferris State University • Theta-Rho Chapter at Grand Valley State University Groce is a lifelong Michigan resident and currently lives in Flint, MI. He graduated from Grand Valley State in 2009 and since has worked at Apple, BMW, and is now a Marketing Consultant with MLive Media Group. As an undergraduate, Groce held the positions of First Counselor, Sage, and New Member Educator. Since graduation, he has served in an alumni advisor role starting first with Theta-Rho Chapter until 2015 and then as Colony Director for Alpha-Beta Colony at the University of Michigan.

VOLUN T EERS

G E T I N V O LV E D

VOLUNT E ER OP P ORTUNI T I ES CHAP TE R /CO LO N Y D I R EC TO R S Cal State Chico (Theta-Mu) Cal State Fullerton (Epsilon-Nu) East Carolina (Eta-Kappa) Fresno State (Alpha-Xi) Mississippi (Beta-Mu) Ohio (Epsilon) Penn State (Theta)

Salisbury (Theta-Xi) South Florida (Iota-Sigma) Southern Arkansas (Epsilon-Kappa) UC Santa Barbara (Alpha-Omicron) West Virginia Tech (Gamma-Xi) Western Illinois (Epsilon-Zeta) Wisconsin-Platteville (Delta-Iota)

PROVINCE ARCHONS ARKANSAS

NORTH CAROLINA

Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma) Arkansas State (Alpha-Pi) Arkansas Tech (Iota-Lambda) Louisiana Tech (Delta-Lambda) Southern Arkansas (Epsilon-Kappa)

East Carolina (Eta-Kappa) North Carolina State (Rho) Wake Forest (Alpha-Nu)

FLORIDA

Florida State (Eta-Epsilon) South Florida (Iota-Sigma) UCF (Iota-Kappa) GREAT PLAINS

Kansas (Beta-Delta) Emporia State (Epsilon-Epsilon) Kansas State (Iota-Alpha) Oklahoma State (Iota-Pi)

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Cal State Chico (Theta-Mu) California (Iota) California-Santa Cruz (Iota-Eta) Santa Clara (Zeta-Eta) WISCONSIN

Michigan Tech (Zeta-Epsilon) Wisconsin (Tau) Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Gamma-Mu) Wisconsin-Platteville (Delta-Iota)

ADVISORY BOARD ME MB E RS Sigma Pi Fraternity has a vested interest in developing our members to be the very best they can be in all aspects of their lives. In an effort to further that goal, we believe that it is important to provide each of our Chapters/Colonies with an established Advisory Board. The bottom line is this: a successful Chapter/Colony has strong alumni support. Advisory Boards exist for one reasonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to support the efforts of the undergraduate Chapter/Colony. This team, made up of committed and dedicated alumni, university staff or friends of Sigma Pi will serve as mentors to our undergraduate men as they pursue their quest for excellence. We feel that this team is pivotal to a successful organization because of its ability to assist and guide the undergraduates in various aspects of Chapter/ Colony operations. Each advisor is responsible for training and advising one undergraduate officer or committee head. The advisor will become an expert in his area of Chapter/ Colony operations and will help maintain continuity through officer transition and long-term planning in that area. The advisor is not expected to attend every committee meeting; however, we recommend attending committee meetings when possible, as well as provide advice, assistance and encouragement. We hope that you choose to serve on a local Advisory Board, because we know that any real-world and fraternal experiences you share with the active brothers will help the Chapter/ Colony continue to grow for years to come. T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 4 3

S I G MA P I P R ID E

2 44 + FA LL 2017

As Sigma Pi men, we share a sense of affinity and dedication to our Fraternity, these recent photos showcase some of the best examples of Sigma Pi Pride. To show your Sigma Pi Pride share your photos with us at photos@sigmapi.org. 1

Austin (Washington State '19) and his dad Brad Wiles (Florida State '95)

Bill Smith (Central Michigan '89)

Photo by John Fruhmann (FDU-Metropolitan '19)

Jacob Syage (Cal Poly '17) and Peter McLean (Cal Poly '17)

Tom Dietzel (Bridgewater State '11)

Eta-Iota Chapter at Cal State Dominquez Hills

Marcus Beal (Oregon State '19)

Alpha-Phi Chapter at Georgia

Eta-Eta Chapter at Bridgewater State

SI GMA PI PRI DE

9 T HEEMERAL D.ORG + 45

The 2018 Mid-Year Leadership Conference will take place

January 4 through January 7, 2018 at the Hilton at the Ballpark Downtown in St. Louis, Missouri

K EYN OTE S PEAKERS INCLUDE :

Curtis Coonrod, Ed.D. Dean of Students at the University of Missouri, St. Louis

Robert Collins (Iowa State '92) Chief Marketing Officer for Buffalo Wild Wings

Blaine Ayers Regional Vice President of the NIC

Nelson Farris (Cal State Long Beach '66) Chief Storyteller for Nike

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SIGMAPI.ORG/MYLC 46 + FALL 2017

The 54TH Biennial Convocation Will Take Place

August 1 through August 5, 2018 at the Sheraton At The Falls in Niagara Falls

Pack your bags for the 2018 Convocation in Niagara Falls, New York! Join your fellow brothers August 1-5, 2018 for a jam-packed week of networking, fun events, and beautiful views. This is a celebration of Sigma Pi you won't want to miss. Although a passport is not necessary to join in on the fun, it is highly suggested as some events do take place in Canada. Don't have a passport? No worries, getting one is easy, visit your local post office for more information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SIGMAPI.ORG/CONVOCATION T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 47

CONF E R E N C E S & P R O GRAM M ING

A LOO K AT TH E I NAU G U R AL

M. ATLEE ERMOLD RITUAL INSTITUTE by Jeff Cline (North Carolina State '88), contributing writer

What began as a dream and has long been the passion of countless brothers finally became a reality when 19 undergraduates and 10 alumni attended the inaugural M. Atlee Ermold Ritual Institute on July 12, 2017, as a precursor to 2017’s Sigma Pi University: Tony Siress Career & Educational Institute. When asked why there was a need to create a Ritual Institute, former Ritual Committee Chairman Mike Grant (Oakland ‘97) said, “Chapters that respect the Ritual excel in many other areas of performance. Our Ritual is built on a series of character lessons. Through better communication and deeper understanding of the Ritual, we raise the character and improve the performance of the entire organization.” The M. Atlee Ermold Ritual Institute was designed and developed to complement the performance-based ritual programming that is already integrated into the annual MidYear Leadership Conference and the biennial Convocations. The institute complements this existing training by educating attendees on the significance and deeper meaning of the Fraternity’s ritual and to connect those concepts to real-life scenarios both on-campus and after graduation. Through a program that would foster a sense of brotherhood, promote an aristocracy of learning, raise the standards of morality, 48 + FALL 2017

strengthen character, diffuse culture through art and literature, and encourage chivalry, the institute was designed to motivate its participants to think higher thoughts and do nobler deeds. As Chairman of the Ritual Education Subcommittee, Missouri Province Archon Paul Ke (Purdue ’93) orchestrated the planning and preparation for the inaugural Ritual Institute. When talking about the institute, he said that the “initial thought was to create a program for ritual ‘enthusiasts,’ those already familiar with the ritual and who sought the super esoteric content” in an effort to further their knowledge of deeper meanings within the ritual. “The reality was that we had undergraduates who may not have even witnessed many of the ceremonies,” said Ke. With the recognition that some members might not have had the opportunity to see and understand what the complete ritual is all about, a bimodal curriculum - one that would allow attendees to choose from a menu of breakout courses covering topics from basic to advanced - became the focus of the development

CON FER EN CES & PROGRA MMI N G

efforts. In addition to those committee members that delivered the presentations, a number of others contributed content in preparation for the institute. They include: Chairman Grant, Ian Itschner (Oregon State ’93), Chris Landers (Purdue ’84), Christian Miele (Towson ’04), Rob Ray (Oakland ’03), and Patrick Smith (Illinois State ’87). The day began with the first plenary session, “I Wear it on my Heart,” presented by Past Grand Fourth Counselor John Michelich (Illinois Wesleyan '74). Because Sigma Pi is an “order,” not just a “club,” this session focused on the salient differences between the two. For example, an order has special membership qualifications, secrecy, sworn oaths, and brotherhood that binds the members closely together in common purpose, and most importantly, has ritual ceremonies. The presentation identified the traits of an order exemplified in the Fraternity’s ritual ceremonies and discussed how the lessons of the ritual can be helpful as a guide for members in living their everyday lives. In one of the morning breakout sessions, “Setting the Stage,” PA Ke reviewed each of the equipment items needed for the various ceremonies, ways to ensure that the full set of equipment is present for initiation, and suggestions of acceptable alternatives that could be used while the Chapter worked towards obtaining a complete set of ritual equipment. The attendees were presented various situations, including one where all ritual equipment was lost and initiation was going to start within an hour. The message is that it is better to have something in place, but to keep working towards obtaining the official equipment, even if it is piece-by-piece. In the other morning breakout session, “Personal Honor,” presented by former Regional Director Rhett LaRose (UTSA '12), focus was drawn to the several oaths every initiate of Sigma Pi takes during the ritual process. To be a man of honor, these oaths must be lived. During this session, attendees performed a deep and personal analysis of the various oaths taken as part of their entire ritual process, from pledging themselves to the Fraternity, to those within The Golden Quest. The course then related these oaths back to real-life experiences and challenges by discussing how members can use Sigma Pi's ritual to resolve internal conflicts as well as how to make ethical decisions even when the decisions seem trivial. Finally, a discussion was held on making decisions in right vs. wrong scenarios, and more importantly, right vs. right scenarios. The program continued with one of the afternoon breakout sessions, “Evolution of the Ritual,” where Matthew Gorton (Oklahoma State '15) covered a chronological review of historical milestones in the Fraternity’s ritual, from the original local

ceremonies of Tau Phi Delta through the current international ceremony, The Golden Quest. While the overall structure and theme of the Ritual is the same as that adopted by the Fraternity in 1910, this course explored several noteworthy changes made (and some reversed!) over the last 107 years. The other afternoon breakout session, “The Second Degree,” was presented by South Atlantic Province Archon Jeff Cline (North Carolina State '88). The Second Degree is considered the most important portion of the entire ritual, yet it is often the most misunderstood. Attendees gained a deeper understanding of this degree, and returned to their Chapters armed with the necessary information to perform initiations as powerfully transformative and uplifting experiences by clarifying common misconceptions, reviewing major historical events in the evolution of this Degree, explaining the embedded precepts and

Attendees await the signing of their Master of Ritual booklets

lessons, and reviewing aspects of the performance to properly teach and mentor those that follow us. The day continued with the second plenary session, “Living our Values, Valuing Others.” PA Ke helped the attendees understand that the Creed guides members in valuing not only themselves and their brothers, but those individuals around the Fraternity. Lessons included how diversity within Chapter membership may help the Fraternity grow stronger and that members have a duty to act in the best interest of Sigma Pi and, per the ritual, in the best interest of those whose individual values may differ from the Fraternity’s values. “Our Ancient Sage,” presented by PGS John Kitch (Purdue '73), concluded the day’s events and focused on what the Fraternity know about our ancient Sage and his teachings. It was an indepth study of the precepts he held dear, the manner in which those precepts were taught, and why those precepts are what the Fraternity’s members should also honor in their own T H EEMERAL D.ORG + 49

CONF E R E N C E S & P R O GRAM M ING

Presentation Team PGS John Kitch (Purdue ‘73) PGFoC John Michelich (Illinois Wesleyan ’74) Jeff Cline (North Carolina State ’88) Matthew Gorton (Oklahoma State ‘15) Paul Ke (Purdue ’93) Rhett LaRose (UTSA ’12)

Content Contributors Ian Itschner (Oregon State ’93) Christian Miele (Towson’04) Rob Ray (Oakland ’03) Chris Landers (Purdue ’84) Patrick Smith (Illinois State ’87)

lives: moderation in all things, proper choices, and always taking the wiser path. The presentation also suggested ways to take this deeper knowledge back to the Chapter to educate the brothers in a way that supports them in their own life journey. Leadership of this kind is not top-down. Rather, it’s putting the needs of the Chapter ahead of one’s own, leading by example, and serving the membership in teaching the lessons of life embodied in the Creed and ritual. Feedback following the institute was very favorable. One anonymous respondent stated, “I enjoyed learning about The Golden Quest in-depth and acknowledging where I (and my chapter) can improve.” Nicola DePalma (Wayne State ’20) noted that he learned that, throughout the ritual, there is such “deep symbolism present in anything you can think of.” Brandon Paulick (Wisconsin-Oshkosh ’20) said, “one thing I learned was how to weigh different situations and use my [solemn] obligation to narrow down my options.” Brendan Kelly (Keene State ’20) looks forward to taking the knowledge he gained and “sitting down with [his] chapter and trying to improve ritual”. Northern Indiana Province Archon Michael Gardner (Vincennes ’08) commented, that “this was one of the best workshops I've attended and hope there will be more because of the importance of it and how more brothers need to hear this.” The hope is that the ritual can serve as a roadmap to help Sigma Pi brothers on their journey through life and to assist them in their relationships with fellow man and society. Through the Ritual Institute, members can expand their minds beyond the mechanics of and symbolism in the performance, understand the embedded messages and lessons, achieve a higher understanding of the Fraternity, and themselves, and raise the character and improve the performance of the entire organization. For those who wish to further their quest for excellence, think higher thoughts, and do nobler deeds, the next M. Atlee Ermold Ritual Institute awaits. 5 0 + FALL 2017

Mike Grant (Oakland ‘97)

Attendees Eric Babbitt (Northern Arizona '18) Caleb Beedle (West Alabama '20) Gabriel Brauchler (Oregon State '20) Jisoo Chung (UCLA '18) Nicola DePalma (Wayne State '20) Brandon Durocher (Bridgewater State '19) Michael Gardner (Vincennes '08) Eric Griffin (Vincennes '06) Orlando Hatfield (Central Missouri '20) Ian Itschner (Oregon State '93) Matthew Jansen (Oregon State '19) Brendan Kelly (Keene State '20) Ryan Lariviere (Penn College '21) Robert Lowe (Santa Clara '20) Nicholas Maxwell (Northern Arizona '20) Ryan Miller (Oklahoma State '16) Christopher Olson Jr. (Virginia '18) Brandon Paulick (Wisconsin-Oshkosh '20) Wade Phillips (Kennesaw State '20) Jacob Pitts (Valparaiso '20) Connor Polanka (Purdue '20) Owen Schulz (Lawrence Tech '20) Patrick Smith (Illinois State '92) Jack Truax (Valparaiso '19) Frank Valenti (Oakland '15)

CON FER EN CES & PROGRA MMI N G

My Experience at the Ritual Institute by Eric Babbitt (Northern Arizona '18), contributing writer

Attending the inaugural M. Atlee Ermold Ritual Institute this summer was an experience I'll never forget. My recently rechartered chapter, its founding members, and myself were all initiated in April 2017. The ritual workshops that were offered really taught me more about the significance and history of our Fraternity's ritual. Participating in these learning opportunities with brothers from chapters across North America also offered me the first real chance to talk about The Golden Quest and what it means to each Sigma Pi brother. It was eye-opening to hear about the strong bonds brothers have to their chapters and to learn about the local history and traditions of so many other chapters. I have now experienced each of Sigma Piâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international conferences (Convocation, the Mid-Year Leadership Conference, and Sigma Pi University), and the Ritual Institute hosted during Sigma Pi University was, by far, one of the most interesting and interactive conferences I've ever attended. After finally being initiated, it was amazing to explore the ritual more and to truly feel like I am part of the international Fraternity and our strong brotherhood!

Sigma Pi Fraternityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master of Ritual program exists to enlighten our Brotherhood with a heightened understanding and appreciation for the secrets and mysteries to which every Sigma Pi holds sacred. By setting yourself along these trials, you will be paying homage to the over 100,000 Brothers who have joined our Fraternity to sculpt it into what it is today. The Master of Ritual quest is comprised of a series of ten trials that make up four degrees. The Master of Ritual quest is a self-paced study course of our Ritual that includes mentoring and fellowship opportunities. Participants who complete the entire quest are deemed Masters of Ritual by the Grand Chapter Ritual Committee and receive a special medallion. The program is open to ALL initiated members of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International, and was designed to be equally accessible by Undergraduate and Alumni brothers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SIGMAPI.ORG/MoR

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CONF E R E N C E S & P R O GRAM M ING

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS The Chapter Standards of Excellence awards are presented to those chapters who achieve at least 85% for the academic year.

MID-BIENNIUM AWARDS Recognition of award recipients from the 2017 Sigma Pi University: Tony Siress Career & Educational Institute, held from July 13-15 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Bronze Chapters These chapters attained a score between 85% and 89% for the year and received the Bronze Standards of Excellence Award. Omega Chapter, Oregon State 1 Alpha-Nu Chapter, Wake Forest Delta-Alpha Chapter, Central Michigan Delta-Beta Chapter, Monmouth 2 Delta-Iota Chapter, Wisconsin-Platteville Zeta-Epsilon Chapter, Michigan Tech Zeta-Eta Chapter, Santa Clara Zeta-Omicron Chapter, Lawrence Tech Theta-Theta Chapter, Ferris State Iota-Delta Chapter, Texas-San Antonio Iota-Zeta Chapter, Minnesota Silver Chapters These chapters attained a score between 90% and 94% for the year and received the Silver Standards of Excellence Award. Alpha-Iota Chapter, Missouri S&T Alpha-Mu Chapter, NJIT Alpha-Rho Chapter, Missouri State Gamma-Gamma Chapter, Central Missouri Delta-Zeta Chapter, UMSL Eta-Delta Chapter, Cal Poly Theta-Rho Chapter, Grand Valley State Theta-Phi Chapter, Penn College Iota-Iota Chapter, Montclair State Iota-Lambda Chapter, Arkansas Tech 3 Iota-Upsilon Chapter, Stockton 4

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Gold Chapters

MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT AWARD

These chapters attained a score above 95% for the year and received the Gold Standards of Excellence Award.

Presented annually to the top ten chapters that tally the most properly registered pledges and initiates during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Gamma-Iota Chapter, Worcester Polytechnic Gamma-Sigma Chapter, Missouri Epsilon-Rho Chapter, Drury 5 Eta-Eta Chapter, Bridgewater State Theta-Gamma Chapter, West Alabama Theta-Sigma Chapter, Ursinus 6 Iota-Tau Chapter, St. John's Beyer / Fryburg Standards of Excellence Award This award is named after Past Grand Sage Howard Beyer and Past Grand Sage Frank Fryburg and is presented to the chapter with the highest overall Standards of Excellence score for the 2016-2017 Academic Year. Eta-Eta Chapter, Bridgewater State

MERINO-TASH AWARD The Merino/Tash Award is named after Past Grand Sage John Merino and Past Grand Sage Gary Tash and is presented annually to the chapters that properly report over 100 men. Beta Chapter, Indiana Theta Chapter, Penn State Sigma Chapter, Iowa State Alpha-Delta Chapter, Auburn Alpha-Omicron Chapter, UC Santa Barbara Alpha-Rho Chapter, Missouri State Beta-Mu Chapter, Mississippi Zeta-Delta Chapter, Colorado Zeta-Eta Chapter, Santa Clara Eta-Epsilon Chapter, Florida State Eta-Phi Chapter, Miami Iota-Kappa Chapter, UCF

Beta Chapter, Indiana Alpha-Omicron Chapter, UC Santa Barbara Alpha-Rho Chapter, Missouri State Beta-Iota Chapter, Northern Arizona 8 Beta-Kappa Chapter, Arizona State Beta-Mu Chapter, Mississippi Epsilon-Beta Chapter, Kentucky Epsilon-Nu Chapter, Cal State Fullerton Zeta-Delta Chapter, Colorado Iota-Eta Chapter, California-Santa Cruz

MEMBERSHIP INCREASE AWARD The Membership Increase Award is presented annually to the top five chapters that registering the largest percentage increase of total properly registered pledges and initiates reported from one fiscal year to the next. Mu Chapter, Cornell Gamma-Xi Chapter, West Virginia Tech Epsilon-Lambda Chapter, Eastern Kentucky Eta-Rho Chapter, Carleton Iota-Eta Chapter, California-Santa Cruz

ACE PROJECT AWARDS Beta-Pi Chapter, Virginia 10 Alpha-Iota Chapter, Missouri S&T Theta-Sigma Chapter - Ursinus Theta-Beta Chapter - Saginaw Valley State

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A LUMN I N E WS, E V E N TS , AND ACCO M P LIS H M ENTS

G A M E D AY I N A U B U R N

A COMMON CONNECTION by Chris Carter (Middle Tennessee '11), Editor

Gameday in Auburn is unlike any other, especially when the #10 ranked Auburn Tigers are taking on the #1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. From the orangeand-blue shakers to the “War Eagle” battle cries, the atmosphere in the small college town on November 11, 2017 was remarkable. The crowd gathered at the Alpha-Delta Chapter house in the early morning hours, preparing for a day of tailgating in celebration of America’s beloved sport. But the topic most discussed on the grounds of 960 West Magnolia Avenue always seemed to turn back to the bond that we all shared: Sigma Pi Fraternity. Prior to my arrival at the Chapter house, I spent breakfast at Byron’s Steakhouse (a local favorite) with Charlie Shell Jr. (Auburn ’95), who serves as the New Member Development Advisor on the Alpha-Delta Chapter Alumni Advisory Board. Shell was a gracious host, and spoke highly of his time as an undergraduate member at Alpha-Delta Chapter. Working with the Chapter now has given him an even higher affinity for his Fraternity. “Sigma Pi has got a great culture,” said Shell. “Here in the South and at Alpha-Delta, camaraderie and hospitality are there, and brotherhood truly exists. Guys, not only in the good times, are there to support you and have your back, and those guys are around in the tough times, too.” 5 4 + FALL 2017

By serving on his chapter’s Alumni Advisory Board, Shell is making an impact on one of the largest chapters of Sigma Pi in North America. However, he is quick to point out that the impact is returned right back to him. When talking about the impact that volunteering has had on him, Shell said, “Sigma Pi has challenged me to look at ‘who am I’ and ‘who have I developed into as a man’ coming out of my college experience. And even today, it still challenges me to this day to ask myself if I’m delivering on becoming and being those things that a Sigma Pi man says he will be.” Tim Meeks (Vincennes ’91) also gives credit to Sigma Pi for developing him into the man he is today. Meeks, who was initiated at Alpha Chapter of Sigma Pi before transferring to Auburn, has experienced Sigma Pi from an international perspective. He served as a traveling consultant on the Executive Office staff in 1992, working with chapters primarily in the Northeast. “Sigma Pi was a big transition for me,” Meeks recalled of the fraternity’s impact on him. He continued by

A LUMN I N EWS, EVEN TS, AN D ACCOMPL I SHMEN TS

saying, “I started from high school and went to a small school, Vincennes University. It was my first time on my own, and it was a great experience, but I really needed to grow up. I came to Auburn, and Sigma Pi gave me the opportunity to grow up even more there. Brothers from both Chapters were in my wedding, they’re on my Christmas card list, and we constantly stay in touch.” Working on staff proved fruitful for Meeks. “I understood for the first time what ‘networking’ was once I became a consultant. I got to know a lot of alumni, and I learned that you can really use your Sigma Pi connections. Brothers can really take advantage of that.” With autumn in the air and a nice, cool breeze blowing through campus, this gameday was building up to be a memorable occasion. Alumni traveled from all over the country to witness a Top 10 matchup on the Plains. Several members of Alpha-Phi Chapter at Georgia joined in the day’s festivities, and a small group of Sigma Pi brothers from California even made the trip, led by Past Grand Third Counselor Brian Devot (Cal State-Long Beach ’00). “Being able to meet people that I don’t usually have the opportunity to interact with is what fraternity is all about,” remarked PGTC Devot. “Knowing that I have brothers all across the world that I can connect with at any time gives me the chance to do things like traveling here to Auburn, to a Chapter I am very passionate about. As someone from California, to go to the Deep South for a game like this at a big football school is a cool moment.”

Alpha-Delta Chapter always makes the most of the gameday experience in Auburn. Here, brothers take a photo on the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium together in Fall 2016.

has been a tremendous experience, and I can only say great things about it.” That showcase of brotherhood has allowed brothers from all across Sigma Pi Fraternity to flourish, and the opportunities created by being a member of the Fraternity provide each one of us with the chance to grow not only as men, but as leaders, teachers, and friends.

Joining PGTC on the trip was Sean Doorly (Cal StateFullerton ’18), who served as Colony President for the recently rechartered Epsilon-Nu Chapter. Doorly understands the impact that Sigma Pi made in his life and takes advantage of the opportunities that the Fraternity gives him.

The newest Sage of Alpha-Delta Chapter, Miles Hudson (Auburn ’19), understands the the dynamic that he has a chance to create as a leader of the Chapter. When talking about the impact that joining the Fraternity had on his life, Hudson commented, “As someone with no siblings, because of the Fraternity, I have real close bonds with these guys that I spend every day with. It helps with college and the stress of everything.” Hudson continued by commenting on his current service as the Chapter Sage by saying, “The reason I ran for Sage is so that I can make sure other people have that opportunity so that we can continuously make this brotherhood better.”

“I think, right now in my life, I’m becoming the man that I’m going to be for the rest of my time,” Doorly stated. The former Colony President continued, saying, “Sigma Pi has been a tremendous influence on that, and I think the people that I surround myself with, most dominantly my Fraternity brothers, have shaped and molded my collegiate career and my future professional career. Being here (in Auburn), it

The day culminated with a dominating win by the #10 ranked Auburn Tigers, and the streets were filled with chants of “War Eagle.” As the night grew to a close, brothers from Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, California, and many other places, some Auburn fans, some not, came together at 960 West Magnolia Avenue for one last celebration of their common connection: Sigma Pi. T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 5 5

ALUMNI NEWS, EVENTS, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

PGS TASH HONORED WITH NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR SERVICE AWARD

WHAT HE DOES WHEN HE'S NOT BEING GRAND SAGE Grand Sage Steve Lawler (Iowa '82) and his wife, Jane, were honored with the "Century Farm" award at the Iowa State Fair. The award is presented to family farms that have been at the same location and owned by the same family for over 100 years. Their family farm was founded in 1868, but moved to their present location in 1916. The photo includes (from left to right) the Secretary of Agriculture, Steve's son-in-law Colin with the latest family addition Emma, Steve, Jane, their daughter Jackie, and the President of the Farm Bureau.

PGS Gary Tash (Virginia '68) received the John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award on September 11, 2017, in Winston-Salem. Tash has been very involved with the Fraternity, serving as Chapter Director Alpha-Nu Chapter at Wake Forest. He also served on the Grand Council from 1978 to 1984, including Grand Sage from 1982 to 1984. In 2002 he was awarded the Founders’ Award.

PONS SELECTED AS NGLA ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR QUICK ELECTED TO IOWA STATE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD Tim Quick (Iowa State '01) has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Iowa State University Alumni Association. Quick currently serves as the Treasurer of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, as well as the Chapter Director for Sigma Chapter at Iowa State. The Board is composed of 20 regularly elected members and four appointed voting members. The role of the Board is to establish policies regarding the finances, property, management, and activities of the Association for the purpose of engaging constituents in the further advancement of Iowa State University. Quick serves as Vice President for Commercial Lending at Two Rivers Bank & Trust in West Des Moines, Iowa. The photo above includes Quick (left) with Iowa State basketball coach Steve Prohm. 5 6 + FALL 2017

Kevin Pons (Johnson & Wales '06) has been selected to serve as a the Assistant Executive Director on the Northeast Greek Leadership Association (NGLA) Board of Directors. Pons is a Program Director at CollegeVine. He has over 7 years of combined experience working in higher education on college campuses and at Sigma Pi Fraternity’s Executive Office where he served as Assistant Executive Director.

KENTUCKY THOROUGHBRED ALUMNI CLUB UPDATE Gamma-Upsilon at Murray State will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2018. During this time, the Chapter plans to host special events during the summer reunion on July 21, as well as during Murray State's Homecoming on October 27. Announcements will be made at sigmapi1968.com. The Chapter Education Fund gave away two scholarships this year to Aaron Pritchett and Jack Wheatley.

ALPHA-PI CHAPTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA On October 21, 2017, members of Alpha-Pi Chapter from the 1967 era gathered together in Athens, Georgia, to celebrate a 50-year reunion.

Many brothers are excelling in new career opportunities, including Marvin Lee Eldridge (’87), who is starting a company in St. Louis with Bill Shelton (’86) assisting him with marketing. Additionally, Ambaw Bellete (’89) is now President of PhotoCure Inc., and Shawn Reynolds (’97) was appointed to the KY Council on Post-Secondary Education. Clint Darden (’01) will be participating in the 2017 Official Strongman Games in Raleigh, North Carolina.

D’AMBRA INDUCTED TO RHODE ISLAND ROTC HALL OF FAME Retired Lt. Colonel Joseph V. D'Ambra retired US Air Force (Rhode Island '68) was inducted into the University of Rhode Island ROTC Hall of Fame on November 11, 2017 at the Edwards Auditorium. D'Ambra has flown Air Force II and refueled Navy, Air Force, and Army planes, among many others. Photos: Left - D'Ambra piloting his plane (Circa 1968) with the picture taken by Brother Douglas Simpson (Alpha Upsilon '65) while piloting his Navy plane. Right - D'Ambra (front row, second from left) is honored as the newest inductee into the ROTC Hall of Fame. T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 57

CONTE N T T IT L E

I N M EM O RIAM

ADAM HARRISON SWOPE Adam Harrison Swope (West Chester ’02) was an exemplar of brotherhood and for two decades was the heart and soul of his local chapter. He was tragically taken from us far too soon in an automobile accident on November 11, 2017. He was 38 years old. Brother Swope joined Zeta-Alpha in the spring of 1998. He quickly distinguished himself as a skilled leader, serving as pledge class president, and went on to serve as Sage from 1998 to 2000. He was active in student and Greek life during his undergraduate years, including serving as president of the WCU Interfraternity Council from 2001 to 2002, as Parliamentarian on the Student Government Association executive board from 1999 to 2000, and then as Treasurer from 2000 to 2002. Amy Yozviak (Alpha Phi, SGA President ‘00–02) recalled, “For the past 20 years Adam has been my best friend, fellow student leader, colleague, and mentor. I’ll be just one of many people carrying on his legacy.” Brother Swope received several awards in recognition of his service including Zeta-Alpha Brother of the Year (2000), WCU Outstanding Fraternity President (2001), and WCU Outstanding Senior (2001). Adam graduated from the West Chester University Honors Program in 2002 with a BA in political science. Since that time, he was a tireless campaign activist and strategist in state, county, and local politics. From 2008 to 2015, Adam was the statewide director of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans advocating for the rights of senior citizens in state and federal legislation. During this period, while working full-time, he also completed a master’s degree in public administration at Villanova University in 2016. Most recently, Brother Swope was the executive assistant and campaign manager for Kathi Cozzone, current Chester County Commissioner and candidate for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor.

A number of brothers gather at the memorial for Swope on Saturday, November 18, 2017

The family asks that donations in Brother Swope’s memory may be made to the Adam Swope H. Swope Scholarship Fund. Please make checks payable to Reading Senior High School and note in the memo line of the check: Adam H. Swope Scholarship Fund. Please mail checks to: Reading Senior High School, Principal’s Office, 801 N. 13th Street, Reading, PA 19604, Attn: Corine McElroy.

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As an alumnus, Brother Swope never wavered in his service to Sigma Pi. He regularly attended Convocations as well as regional leadership workshops. In 2005, Adam assumed the role of Zeta-Alpha Chapter Director, which he held until his passing. As stated by Ed Monroe, a founding brother of Zeta-Alpha Chapter, “We were fortunate because our Chapter was one of the causes he felt deeply about. For so many years, Adam was the person that maintained the continuity of our Chapter. His passion for it never wavered.” Furthermore, Brother Swope was a leading force in—and board member of—the Zeta-Alpha Alumni Association. PGS John Williams (Widener ’71) noted that, “Adam led his chapter with great skill and quiet dignity. No matter what, he never gave up. He was an inspiration to me and all who knew him. As I continue my alumni volunteer work, I will hold Adam as my benchmark. I will miss my brother and my friend.” Dan Williams (West Chester ’03) summed up Brother Swope’s influence for all of us when he said, “Adam lived the ideals and Creed of Sigma Pi. He will be remembered as a brother who did so much for everyone, and asked for so little in return. Adam made me a better brother, friend, parent and husband. As reality is setting in, it is going to be very difficult to move on without this wonderful man. He is family to all of us.”

A DY T U M O N H I G H "Our Ancient Sage firmly believed in the persistence of the soul beyond the grave, and although we mourn our brother’s passing from this world, we take comfort in sharing this belief that life is not ended, but changed, and that he now enjoys the reward for a life well-lived and guided by the ideals of our Fraternity." ARKANSAS

EASTERN ILLINOIS

OREGON STATE

TEMPLE

J. Frank Broyles ('76) Gary Don Shelby ('62)

David Sherwood Hart ('62)

James Marshall Cornett ('60)

EMPORIA STATE

PENN STATE

Sidney Jamos Barber III ('59) Girard Gartrell Etheridge Jr. ('50)

ARKANSAS STATE

David Matthew Ransom ('78)

Leo James Horvath ('41) Howard Marick ('55)

Donald Ray Abernethy ('56) Asa Andrew Crow ('58) Donald Arthur LaPlante ('54)

FLORIDA STATE

Luther Hill Elliott IV ('01) GEORGIA

ARKANSAS TECH

Thomas Linton Anderson ('52) Douglas Luther McFalls ('65) George Davenport Walker Jr. ('59)

Justin Lee Greenwalt ('18) AUBURN

David Wilson Caraway ('59) Joseph M. French ('07) Charles Kenneth Gorham ('57) Claude Farrior Kersh Jr. ('52) BELOIT

ILLINOIS

David Waldon Pickard Jr. ('56) INDIANA

Maurice Dilling Hawbaker ('43) KENTUCKY

Michael David Olien ('59) Cal State Fullerton David Arthur McLoon ('80) Christopher Newport James Edward Wetzel ('96)

David Allen Clippinger ('85) MISSISSIPPI

Robert Joseph Trout ('88) MISSOURI S&T

Chester John Adamick Jr. ('67)

COLORADO

Eric Chase Bolling ('17)

MISSOURI STATE

Richard William Avazian ('59)

William Aaron Horrell ('59) William Robert Humphrey ('53)

DETROIT-MERCY

MOREHEAD STATE

William Clyne Thompson III ('63)

James Arthur Hughes ('71)

DREXEL

OHIO NORTHERN

Thomas William Ellison ('59) Bruce William Noel ('64) Anton Peter Torello ('59)

William Sherman Koch ('68)

CORNELL

UC SANTA BARBARA

Peter Jacob Hovenier ('57)

PITTSBURGH

UCLA

Robert Carl Block, MD ('54) Charles George Knight Jr. ('54) John Colbert Lynch ('55)

Robert Allen Jones ('55) Charles Erman McCrary ('58) David Jerome Pulaski ('79) David Edward Randel ('55)

PURDUE

John Martin Fritch ('53) Glenn Howard Gramelspacher ('45) John William Mikalian ('92)

David Murray Rushing ('67)

RUTGERS

Adam Harrison Swope ('02)

Daniel Carl Hoffman ('66)

WEST VIRGINIA TECH

SAN DIEGO STATE

David Van Saun ('70)

WAKE FOREST

WEST CHESTER

Richard James Bechtel ('53)

WILLIAM & MARY

SAN JOSE STATE

Griffin Clay Callahan ('41)

David Louis Nelson ('51)

WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH

SETON HALL

Alan Wayne Banach ('71)

Kenneth Joseph Papuzenski ('75) SLIPPERY ROCK

Donald Ardell Deets ('64) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

John Kingsbury Bartosz ('91) ST. LAWRENCE

Ian Bruce Berger ('63)

NOTE: A previous issue of The Emerald incorrectly listed William Franklin Davis (Emory '58) as deceased. We apologize for this error.

To report a brother’s death, visit sigmapi.org/adytum-on-high to let us know.

ROAD WA R R IO R S

R OA D WA R R I O R S

COLONY UPDATES

AN UPDATE ON OUR CURRENT EXPANSION EFFORTS by Growth Specialist Lanse Macke (Oregon State '15), contributing writer

FRESNO STATE ALPHA-XI COLONY

The Colony faced an uphill battle with the University and the community before colonizing, but since colonization in April 2017 the men have worked diligently to become part of the IFC Community. The men have become involved on-campus and increased their numbers through joining other organizations and participating in other fraternity and sorority events. Alpha-Xi Colony recruited six men during the informal recruitment process at Fresno State this fall and are recruiting 365 days a year to become the premier organization on campus. The Colony has an Amazing Day Foundation philanthropy event planned for this semester along with their first ACE Project. Great things are on the horizon for Alpha-Xi! FDU-FLORHAM FLORHAM COLONY

The Colony at Florham is doing well on campus since they colonized in January 2017. The Colony currently sits at 21 men after recruiting eight New Members this fall and have a goal set to recruit another 12 members in the spring prior to Chartering. The Colony has their first ACE Project planned for later this semester as well as an Amazing Day Foundation event ready to go. The FDU-Florham Colony is on track to Charter in spring 2018, just over a year after they colonized!

OHIO NORTHERN ZETA COLONY

Zeta Colony has made their mark at Ohio Northern since their Colonization in March 2017. The Colony is up to 45 members after recruiting 12 New Members this fall during their first recruitment. Zeta Colony recently won first place in Homecoming Spirit Week at ONU, and the men have stacked their social calendar this semester, hosting an event with all four of the sororities on campus all while following FIPG and health and safety policies. The men also completed their first ACE Project, where they served over 40 ONU staff members a hot, homemade meal to show appreciation for all their hard work as employees of their institution. Zeta Colony is on track to Charter in spring 2018! PITTSBURGH CHI COLONY

The expansion of Chi is still in its infancy at Pitt. This semester the men have built relationships on campus, created an advisory team, and worked to garner interest from students. A total of 19 men accepted their bids to join Chi and the group recently elected officers and committee chairmen. Chi will be re-colonizing spring 2018, marking their long-awaited return to the beautiful campus of University of Pittsburgh! Chi is excited to see what the future will bring and to get another single-lettered Chapter of Sigma Pi back up and running!

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N O N E X PA N S I O N E F F O R T S , O R TO R E C O M M E N D A M A N F O R A C U R R E N T C O LO N Y, P L E A S E V I S I T

J O I N S I G M A P I .C O M

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THE EMERALD RECOVERED

E DITOR IAL S In this series, The Emerald staff finds past articles from the archives that are still relevant in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fraternal world. The following excerpt is from the "Editorials" section of Volume III, Issue I from January 1916.

lthough antifraternity legislation has gained no victories recently, there never was a time when Fraternities should be more on their guard than today. The fifth issue of The Emerald, Volume III, Issue I was published in January 1916, with Luther C. Weeks (Purdue 1912) serving as Editor-in-Chief and Kenneth G. Hobart (California 1917) serving as Business Manager. Additionally, Robert B. Fall (Purdue 1912) served as Alumni Editor, Willard M. Kiplinger (Ohio State 1912) served as Exchange Editor, and Henry H. Hibshman (Temple 1912) served as Collegiate Editor.

The remainder of the editorials from this issue are available in Volume III, Issue I (January 1916) online at the newly updated digital archives theemerald.org/archives

If current newspaper articles are to be credited, a certain University had seven men of one Fraternity on its football team, suffering the most disastrous year in the history of that school, this past year. It is further alleged that the Captain of the team was permitted to place his fraternity mates on the team, regardless of the fact that better material was available and over the protest of most of the students. While this report may be a little exaggerated, it is substantially correct and we do not hesitate to condemn such tactics with all earnestness. It should be remembered that honesty in selecting a football squad is as essential as honesty in a bank. If a man has such power as the papers give this man and uses it unjustly, or not to the best interests of his school he should be expelled promptly as a traitor to

his school and a defamer of the good name of his Fraternity. We sometimes wonder whether local Interfraternity Councils are of any real value or not. If these Councils had the breadth of vision or true spirit of fraternalism, in a small measure, that the Interfraternity Conference has, we would reply in the affirmative. At a certain school in the Middle-West, there was a chapter of a fraternity which was denied admittance to the local Council for several years without reason. However this chapter was forced to contribute toward the funds to provide annual "frolics" for the Council, or forever abandon hope of gaining admittance. Such glaring injustices as this rather make the Fraternities affected feel like prohibiting their chapters from associating with such Councils even. When a local Interfraternity Council becomes a distinct social organization or resorts to any acts of snobbishness toward other Greek-letter organizations it becomes, to use a homely phrase, "too big for its britches," and should be suppressed.

THOUGHTS ON THE EMERALD RECOVERED John J. Montemayor serves as the Assistant Director of Student Life for Fraternity/Sorority Life & Leadership Development at the University of South Carolina Upstate.

antifraternity legislation has gained no victories recently, there was never was a time when Fraternities should be more on their guard than today.â&#x20AC;?

At first glance, the 1916 article in The Emerald has the familiar theme of the more things change, the more they stay the same. I am sure that articles written in 2017 regarding the contemporary fraternity environment also say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although

The 1916 piece in The Emerald did not give many specifics or provided little details that supported their aforementioned statement that fraternities in the early 1900s should be wary of outside influences. However, back then it was a simpler time.

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It was a time where hazing and fraternity shenanigans were woven into everyday college lives. Times now are different on college campuses. Fraternities, and Greek Life in general, are now confronted with negative consequences regarding excessive alcohol use that eventually lead to incidents of hazing. Most of the negative press that confronts fraternities today is, of course, related to hazing. That indeed is the hot button issue confronting the entire Greek community and has completely transformed how fraternities implement new member education. Current laws such as South Carolina’s Tucker Hipps Transparency Act and California’s Matthew’s Law are just a few examples of state legislation protecting individuals from hazing and punishing perpetrators who commit these acts. Not only are state governments enacting tougher laws, but now the federal government is also getting involved with the introduction of the Report and Educate about Campus Hazing Act, or REACH Act. Recent legislation, and recent in this case meaning legislation enacted in the past 20 to 30 years, are not “antifraternity.” On the contrary, these laws are in place to protect the individuals from hazing “rituals” or “traditions” that are becoming more violent, cruel, and dangerous in nature. In just the past six months, fraternity hazing has become headline national news as deaths at Penn State University and Louisiana State University have led to criminal charges, charter revocations, and young lives cut tragically short. Many universities are now considering the merits of a Greek system and its place on a college campus. The elimination of fall pledging and the curtailing of social functions such as mixer, formals, and tailgates are just a precursor to more drastic measures. In my position, I tell the fraternity men that I am supposed to lead and mentor that they should “live their creed.” We, as men of Sigma Pi, should also “live our creed.” If we are indeed supposed to “develop character, in the service of God and man,” then we must protect our organization from the perils that befall today’s fraternities. Our goal is to preserve what is right and what is just, “to advance truth and justice” as our creed states. Today, just like in 1916, the statement, “Fraternities should be more on their guard,” is more evident than ever before. By living our creed, Sigma Pi should be, and will be, the standard and hopefully not a statistic. Drew Lord is a senior studying Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and serves as the president of Cornell's Interfraternity Council. In 1940, Carl Becker, a distinguished Cornell professor, delivered a speech to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the signing of the charter of Cornell University. In it, he coined a phrase that became a guiding principle for student life at Cornell over the next several decades: freedom and responsibility. “Since I was free to do as I pleased,” Becker said, “I was responsible for what it was that I pleased to do.

The catch was that, with all my great freedom, I was in some mysterious way still very much bound… bound by some inner sense of responsibility, by some elemental sense of decency or fair play… bound to all that comprised Cornell University.” In this context, Becker discusses freedom and responsibility as it applies to an individual and the organization he or she represents. However, I find this application relevant in the context of an Interfraternity Council’s relationship with its chapters. To a certain extent—chapters have the freedom to “do as they please” within lawful bounds, yet are bound by additional rules and regulations of their governing bodies. This balanced oversight is vital, careful, and hugely beneficial for both chapter members and the University community at large. The 1916 Emerald editorial suggests that Interfraternity Councils run contrary to this idea of freedom and responsibility, such that they lack the “breadth of vision or true spirit of fraternalism.” First, this claim is incredibly unfounded, evidenced by an example of one particular incident “at a certain school in the Midwest.” Second, it is a sweeping generalization. Third, speaking from my personal experience working with Interfraternity Council representatives across the nation, I find this easily disagreeable. We are fraternity members ourselves. Our mission is to represent the needs of chapter presidents, to advance their chapter’s unique interests, and to support them through their chapter-related issues. Anything outside these bounds is not the responsibility of an Interfraternity Council. This is the careful balance between freedom and responsibility that Becker suggests in his speech. Interfraternity Councils allows countless resources for its chapters and their members. At Cornell, the IFC provides scholarships, sexual violence awareness trainings, diversity workshops, event management assistance, and recruitment planning—among many other programs—to individual chapters. Without a designated board to carry out these programs, many chapters would struggle to continue with regular operations. More importantly, Interfraternity Councils play a fundamental role in community building. At a time of such heightened national political discourse, and at a point when many fraternity communities feel misrepresented by the actions of few, the existence of a governing council is more important than ever to bridge different circles of a University community. Interfraternity Councils have the unique ability to connect campus bodies—administrators with Greeks, Greeks with other Greeks, and Greeks with non-Greeks. Mending these relationships—that is, encouraging conversations across communities and fixing misunderstandings that stem from differences—truly represents the “true spirit of fraternalism.” Altogether, it allows Greek members to more effectively carry out Becker’s principle of “freedom and responsibility,” thereby becoming better citizens of both their University campus and the world. T H E EMERAL D.ORG + 63

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FROM THE MUSEUM ARCHIVES

BADGES OF TAU PHI DELTA by PGS E. Andrew Morris (Murray State'70), contributing writer

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: The "From The Museum Archives" spotlight will be an ongoing series in each issue of The Emerald that introduces an important historical item from the museum at the Executive Office. The first badge of Tau Phi Delta, the predecessor of Sigma Pi, is preserved and on display in the Historical Society museum at the Mitchell House, home of the Executive Office. It appears to have been struck from a coin cut in the shape of a Greek Cross with 1897 at the bottom, VU etched on the top arm, and the engraved letters of Tau Phi Delta across the center. Since the Fraternity was formed around the time of the Spanish-American War, the badge design may have been modeled after a pin worn by soldiers who fought in that conflict.

With the revival of Tau Phi Delta in 1899, a shield badge was designed and used until 1907. The Fraternity adopted its third badge design in 1907 when Tau Phi Delta became the Alpha Chapter of the then-apocryphal Sigma Pi. This badge, a golden Greek Cross with a black crown engraved on its upper arm, was designed by Robert George Patterson to reflect the aristocratic theme of The English Chivalric Ritual, the initiatory rite Patterson authored for use by his fabricated organization. The cross, in its various forms, is one of the oldest symbols used by the human race. The form we know as the Greek Cross is also referred to as the Cross of St. George. On the top of the badge was a crown symbolizing the supposed origin of Sigma Pi Fraternity from being granted a charter by King George II at the College of William and Mary in 1752. It is generally admitted, however, that the first American college fraternity was Phi Beta Kappa founded at William and Mary in 1776. Patterson claimed his Sigma Pi predated it by almost a quarter of a century! He even maintained Phi Beta Kappa was actually founded by members of Sigma Pi. As proof, he turned to the reverse side of their symbolic key and pointed to the letters SP embossed thereon. Patterson maintained they stood for Sigma Pi and not Societas Philosophiae, as claimed by Phi Beta Kappa. 6 4 + FALL 2017

Despite the incredible story concocted and defended by Patterson all went well for a time. Finally, in 1909, a series of events transpired that brought down the house of cards that Patterson had so carefully built and in 1909, Patterson was expelled by Gamma Chapter at Ohio State University. The minutes of this meeting can be found in the Gamma Chapter Log in the museum at the Executive Office and the charges for his dismissal. Due to the embarrassing nature of the "Patterson Episode," the Fraternity, for 70 years, omitted the name Robert George Patterson in the publications of Sigma Pi, the name he had given the Fraternity. The crown was removed from the badge at a 1909 special meeting of the Grand Chapter held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current badge of the Fraternity, adopted in 1910, reflects The Golden Quest, the Fraternity's current initiatory rite adopted that same year. Also on display in the museum are the retired badges of the local fraternities that became chapters of Sigma Pi and the badges of Delta Kappa Fraternity that merged into our Fraternity in 1964.

PHOTO FINISH This photo was submitted by Kevin Asgari (Cal State Fullerton '18), who painted this artwork during Epsilon-Nu Chapter's recruitment event. He is a senior, and is currently pursuing a bachelors of fine arts in Graphic Design and Interactive Design. He has a page on Instagram - @sgaridesign - where he is trying to promote himself as a growing artist. To submit your own photos for consideration as the Photo Finish, please email them to emerald@sigmapi.org or use #sigmapi on your social media accounts.

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Joining Sigma Pi helped mold my personality and sharpen my interpersonal skills in a way that college, on its own, never could. The relationships I formed and the fraternity projects that I worked on at Monmouth University helped to prepare me for my professional career. Also, being an engaged member of my chapter as an undergraduate prepared me to truly be ready to take on the real world. I’ve been lucky to have an incredible career trajectory doing a job that I love, but I don’t know if I would be in this position without the experiences and lessons that my time as an undergraduate Sigma Pi leader afforded me. With the growing cost of higher education, not every high school graduate has the opportunity to go to college. Though my parents helped me as much as they could at the time, I still took on a mountain of student loan debt. Receiving a Sigma Pi Educational Foundation scholarship was a wonderful surprise and it really helped ease some of the financial burden I was facing. Anyone who has seen their student loan debt piling up knows that every little bit helps – and for that, I am grateful to the Foundation. I encourage all brothers of Sigma Pi to apply for these scholarships because they award real money that can help make going to college a little bit more affordable. - Brett Stevens (Monmouth '08) is the Global Vice President of Material Sales & Procurement at TerraCycle, a global recycling company focused on the collection and processing of traditionally non-recyclable waste streams

s igmap i.org/d onate As a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code, gifts to the Educational Foundation are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.