Volunteers

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Volunteering and #whyibelieve

New England Province Archon David ‘Mango’ Magnano (Worcester Polytechnic '10)

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Recognized as the Province Archon of the Quarter in the July issue of the Sigma Pi Quarterly.

As an undergrad and newly initiated member attending my first Convocation at Danvers, MA, I remember being told that Sigma Pi was by the undergrads, for the undergrads. As an alumnus I try to keep that in mind when interacting with the chapters in my province. As an advisor to several chapters, I see my role as acting as a resource for them to use to better themselves, rather than as a leader setting standard benchmarks by which to judge differing groups on unique campuses. Just like every college is unique, every chapter of Sigma Pi is unique and there is no best practice that works for all circumstances. As an alumnus, with my college experience behind me, I believe it is not my place to tell an undergraduate what they have to make out of their individual experience. Undergraduates need to discover their strengths and set their goals for themselves, however as alumni it is our job to offer them at a minimum the same levels of support and assistance that were available to us when we were going through similar transitional periods in our lives. Sigma Pi, at its most basic, is an organization whose main purpose is to foster a positive collegiate experience that prepares its members for personal and professional life after graduation. We attempt to achieve this by connecting them with the contacts, tools, and resources of the generations that have come before them. Aside from that, we alumni have to believe in their ability to succeed knowing that our encouragement and honest faith in their ability to achieve their goals is likely the best support we can provide as they take their first steps towards truly independent lives.

Dr. Jeremy Lessmann (Franklin and Marshall ’88) facilitates a session at the 2020 Mid-Year Leadership Conference

There Are Many Ways to Give Back to the Fraternity Volunteering Beyond a Title

Did you know there are volunteer opportunities with Sigma Pi other than the province archon or chapter/colony director positions? Volunteer opportunities also include alumni advisory board member, alumni club leader, speaking/facilitating at a workshop or conference, contributing as a writer for The Emerald, and helping out on a committee created by the Grand Council for events like Convocation. by Jacob Camilleri (Saginaw Valley State '14), Assistant Director of Volunteer Education

Each chapter/colony is expected to have an advisory board to help take some of the work off of the chapter/colony director. Advisory boards are not voted on, and they do not have - or need - bylaws or corporation status. Advisory boards exist for one reason - to support the efforts of the undergraduate chapter/ colony. It is the role of the appointed chapter/ colony director to construct and oversee an advisory board that consists of at least three other positions that will be most beneficial for the chapter/colony. These three main positions are financial advisor/comptroller, faculty/academic advisor, and recruitment advisor.

Once these positions have been filled there are other positions that can be added to your advisory board, such as member education and culture advisor, philanthropic and community service advisor, career placement advisor, undergraduate-to-alumni transition advisor, alumni engagement advisor, public relations and campus image advisor, and housing advisor. It is expected that the chapter director contact the alumni in the area and gauge their interest to help on the advisory board. Chapter directors, province archons, or alumni club leaders can request a list of alumni and their contact information within an entire state or within a certain radius from a specific zip code by filling out the Membership Record Request at sigmapi.org/reporting. To learn of any volunteer openings and who works with a specific chapter please visit sigmapi.org/contact-directory.

Alumni clubs are a great way for brothers to stay connected with other alumni in the area. Sigma Pi currently has 35 alumni clubs across North America. Did you know alumni clubs in good standing earn a vote at Convocation? Many alumni live and work far from their chapters and alumni clubs are a great way to reconnect with the brotherhood. Through the alumni clubs, members meet brothers from other chapters and continue the lifelong membership of Sigma Pi even after departure from campus life. Every chapter director and province archon should be conducting at least one workshop per academic year, and with that, they can always use help with volunteer facilitators or presenters on a specific topic. This is a great way to volunteer some time to help educate undergraduate members.

Sigma Pi also has at least one international conference each year that volunteers can request to speak at or help facilitate the event. If you would like to speak at a local chapter or province workshop please get in contact with the appropriate volunteer to set that up. The Emerald is a great way to contribute to the written work of the Fraternity that will live on forever. Want to contribute to The Emerald? From event coverage to recognition of a member or chapter accomplishment, there are many great articles to feature. High resolution photos are also welcome to be shared!

Lastly, another way to volunteer is by helping out the Fraternity’s Grand Council by sitting on a committee or task force created by them. You can give back to the Fraternity in many different ways. Determine what's best for you!

Who to Contact

Volunteer Engagement Jacob Camilleri Assistant Director of Volunteer Education jcamilleri@sigmapi.org

Education and Programs Alexander Pettigrew Director of Programs and Events apettigrew@sigmapi.org

The Emerald

emerald@sigmapi.org Contact for: All Emerald-related content, contributing to The Emerald or The Emerald Online

Alumni Clubs

To see if there is an Alumni Club in your area please visit: sigmapi.org/alumni/alumni-clubs Here you will also see information on how to start an Alumni Club if there is not one in your area.

Committees

gc@sigmapi.org To inquire about serving on a committee or to better understand the committee system, contact the Grand Council.

Province Workshops A Look at Recent Province Workshops and Training Events

New Jersey Province Province Archon Ian Wolf Province Workshop Date Held September 15, 2019 Location William Paterson University Number of Attendees 140 New Officer Training Date Held December 7, 2019 Location Monmouth University Number of Attendees 75

New Jersey Province New Officer Training On Saturday, December 7th, 2019, all 11 chapters in the New Jersey Province gathered at Monmouth University for the first ever New Jersey Province New Officer Training. Delta-Beta Chapter hosted this training which was facilitated by New Jersey Province Archon Ian Wolf, Grand Sage Dr. Joseph Palazzolo, and several undergraduates who are outgoing in their roles on their respective chapter’s Executive Council. The purpose of the Province New Officer Training was to provide a baseline of knowledge regarding Sigma Pi leadership across New Jersey. An identified area of improvement across the entire Fraternity has been transitioning from one Executive Council to the next efficiently and effectively and this event was the New Jersey Province’s response to that feedback. The training consisted of information pertaining to leadership, the role of volunteers and the Executive Office, positional breakout discussions, a review of the chapter budgetary process, how to effectively run a chapter meeting, a ritual review, and an overview of the Standards of Excellence and Chapter Workbook. Incoming Executive Council members walked away from this training feeling more knowledgeable and confident in their roles. The date of this training was strategically selected after Thanksgiving when chapters have already elected new leadership and before final exams, while undergraduates are still available before the New Year. This training was also situated before Mid-Year Leadership Conference allowing incoming chapter leadership to have a working knowledge of their roles ahead of time. This training set the tone for Province-wide collaboration among undergraduate brothers who hold the same leadership position in different chapters across the area. Alumni volunteers in the New Jersey Province are looking forward to institutionalizing this training in the years to come.

Spring Province Workshops

Arizona Province Province Archon Ryan Sandstrom Date to Be Held February 22, 2020 Location TBD Florida Province Province Archon Greg De Jesus Date to Be Held Spring 2020 Location TBD Greater Detroit Province Province Archon Mike Long Date to Be Held March 21, 2020 Location Michigan State University Illiana Province Province Archon Kevin Carey Date to Be Held April 19, 2020 Location Eastern Illinois University

Kentucky Province Province Archon Kent Varney Date to Be Held Spring 2020 Location TBD Keystone Province Province Archon Brent Smith Date to Be Held Spring 2020 Location TBD Michigan Province Province Archon Quentin Groce Date to Be Held March 21, 2020 Location Michigan State University New England Province Province Archon David Magnano Date to Be Held February 15, 2020 Location Worcester Polytechnic Institute

New Jersey Province Province Archon Ian Wolf Date to Be Held April 5, 2020 Location Rowan University South Atlantic Province Province Archon Jeff Cline Date to Be Held February 15, 2020 Location Auburn University Sun Belt Province Province Archon Paul Wydra Date to Be Held February 22, 2020 Location Middle Tennessee State University

Want to Volunteer? Visit sigmapi.org/volunteer for more information

Volunteer Opportunities Check Out the Open Province Archon and Chapter Director Roles

Province Archons Ohio Province Ohio Northern (Zeta) Miami (OH) (Eta-Phi)

Chapter/Colony Directors Cal Poly (Eta-Delta) Cal State Chico (Theta-Mu) Central Missouri (Gamma-Gamma) Colorado (Zeta-Delta) Georgia (Alpha-Phi) Indiana of Pennsylvania (Theta-Epsilon) Louisville (Iota-Omicron) Mississippi (Beta-Mu) San Diego (Epsilon-Chi) South Florida (Iota-Sigma) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Delta-Theta)

Advising for a Local Chapter Supporting local chapters through advisory roles help strengthen the undergraduate experience directly. We feel that one of the keys to a successful organization is the involvement of a core group of alumni advisors to help assist and guide the undergraduates with different aspects of chapter operations. Sigma Pi’s most successful chapters/colonies have exemplary and dedicated alumni advisors. An Advisory Board is a group of volunteers who have limited time for volunteering, but extensive knowledge and expertise that could benefit our undergraduates. Geographically, Advisory Boards are generally focused on one chapter, but regional boards may be formed if there are two or more chapters that could benefit from the volunteers’ expertise. The Board does not need to be comprised solely of Sigma Pi Fraternity alumni. In fact, when people from outside of the Fraternity are brought onto an Advisory Board, they often bring a great new perspective to the table. Want to become an advisor? Contact your local chapter for more information, or reach out to the Executive Office at alumni@sigmapi.org.

sigmapi.org/volunteer For information on the roles and responsibilities of chapter directors and province archons, please visit

Volunteer Appointments

Chapter/Colony Directors

ARIZONA STATE (BETA-KAPPA) Tracy Nadzieja Arizona State ‘87

FLORIDA STATE (ETA-EPSILON) Andrew Reiter Florida State ‘14

ARKANSAS (ALPHA-SIGMA) Drew Martin Arkansas '15

CAL STATE FULLERTON (EPSILON-NU) Michael McDonald Cal State-Fullerton ‘78

CARLETON (ETA-RHO) Zachary Kirkpatrick-Bourbonniere Carleton ‘14

COLORADO STATE (ETA-SIGMA) Matt Kuhn Embry Riddle-Daytona Beach ‘88

EASTERN KENTUCKY (EPSILON-LAMBDA) Daniel Daugherty Morehead State ‘88

ELON (EPSILON-THETA) Byron Uzzell East Carolina ‘17

FDU-METROPOLITAN (EPSILON-XI) John Fruhmann Fairleigh Dickinson ‘16

GRAND VALLEY STATE (THETA-RHO) Duane Cunningham Grand Valley State ‘05

ILLINOIS STATE (EPSILON-ETA) Patrick Smith Illinois State ‘89

KENTUCKY (EPSILON-BETA) Adam Bruening Kentucky ‘17

MAINE COLONY Timothy Rocha Non-Member

NORTH CAROLINA STATE (RHO) Alex Lasek North Carolina State ‘12

PURDUE (ETA) Chastin Seeby Louisiana Tech ‘12

ROWAN (ZETA-CHI) Louis Raimondi Rowan ‘16

SIU-CARBONDALE (BETA-NU) Jacob Dyson SUI-Carbondale ‘15

TOWSON (ETA-NU) Jason Kelly Towson ‘94

UC-SANTA BARBARA (ALPHA-OMICRON) Ty Saylors UC-Santa Barbara ‘15

Province Archons

NORTH CAROLINA PROVINCE ARCHON Todd Griffin East Carolina ‘90

FLORIDA PROVINCE ARCHON Greg De Jesus William Paterson ‘06

TEXAS PROVINCE ARCHON Mark Holloway Southeastern Oklahoma State ‘85

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA PROVINCE ARCHON Braden Pivirotto Santa Clara ‘05

WISCONSIN PROVINCE ARCHON Colin Daly Grand Valley State ‘06

GREAT PLAINS PROVINCE ARCHON Tim Walker Emporia State ‘00

NORTHERN INDIANA PROVINCE ARCHON Eric Griffin Vincennes ‘05

ARIZONA PROVINCE ARCHON Ryan Sandstrom Arizona State ‘16