Sig Ep at Ohio State Ranks Among Top 22 Academic Fraternities In The Nation

Note the buried takeaway item: "about half of the chapters seen in these rankings were SigEp chapters."

Sig Ep Ranks Among Top 22 Academic Fraternities In The Nation | The Odyssey Online:

 In today’s world, Greek men and women often fight against the stereotype of being seen as “unintelligent” among the general college population. While academics are a pillar of sorority and fraternity involvement, television shows such as ABC Family’s  “Greek” perpetuate the idea that Greek life is not for those focused on academics. However, one of Ohio State’s largest fraternities is proving that stereotype wrong. According to the North American Interfraternity Council, the academic success of the Gamma chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon at Ohio State has ranked them among the top 22 academic fraternities in the nation. The criteria for this ranking included chapters who were ranked first on their campuses academically, and whose un-weighted annual GPA was at least .5 points above their campus’s all male GPA for the 2012-2013 school year. Ohio State’s Sig Ep chapter joined chapters such as Delta Chi, Chi Phi, and Alpha Tau Omega from schools such as Kansas State, Indiana University, and the University of North Carolina in this year’s ranking. While there was a diversity of chapters represented on the list, about half of the chapters seen in these rankings were Sig Ep chapters. NIC President and CEO Pete Smithhisler was quoted as saying “The men in these 22 chapters are holding themselves to a higher standard, which epitomizes the spirit of fraternity done right.”             

Fraternity Recognized for Academic Achievement

Congratulations to the SEC at Fort Hayes State University. They achieved national recognition from the NIC for academic excellence.

Fraternity Recognized for Academic Achievement | Hays Post:

Sigma Phi Epsilon of Fort Hays State University was recognized by the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) for its outstanding academic achievement during the spring semester of 2012-13.

The NIC requires member fraternity chapters to meet certain academic requirements in order to receive recognition.  Fraternities must rank first on their campus academically among other NIC member fraternities and have an annual un-weighted GPA at least .50 points above their campus’s all-male average GPA.

Sigma Phi Epsilon of FHSU is one of 22 different fraternity chapters across the country to receive this recognition.  ”We are proud to acknowledge the chapters who have exceeded their peers’ performance in academics,” said NIC president and CEO Pete Smithhisler.  ”The men in these 22 chapters are holding themselves to a higher standard, which epitomizes the spirit of fraternity done right.”

'via Blog this'

Social evolution: The ritual animal : Nature News & Comment

An interesting article about the uses and importance of ritual in building groups.While not specifically about college fraternities, many of the concepts are applicable to help understand why it is so damn difficult to eliminate hazing in chapters, and how gatherings like Edge, CLA, and Conclave, along with our 'private' ritual practices, are important in cementing fraternal ties.

Social evolution: The ritual animal : Nature News & Comment

[This article refers to...] a £3.2-million (US$5-million) investigation into ritual, community and conflict, which is funded until 2016 by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and headed by McQuinn's supervisor, Oxford anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse.

Rituals are a human universal — “the glue that holds social groups together”, explains Whitehouse, who leads the team of anthropologists, psychologists, historians, economists and archaeologists from 12 universities in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Rituals can vary enormously, from the recitation of prayers in church, to the sometimes violent and humiliating initiations of US college fraternity pledges, to the bleeding of a young man's penis with bamboo razors and pig incisors in purity rituals among the Ilahita Arapesh of New Guinea. But beneath that diversity, Whitehouse believes, rituals are always about building community — which arguably makes them central to understanding how civilization itself began.
[...]

Meanwhile, psychologist Ryan McKay at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Jonathan Lanman, a cognitive anthropologist at Queen's University, Belfast, are exploring how rituals can be broken down into their component parts and how each part influences behaviour. One such component is synchronized physical action [...] which social psychologists have shown promotes a sense of connection and trust between individuals.

This work builds on research by Richard Sosis, an anthropologist at the University of Connecticut, who has shown that immersion in collective rituals, such as communal prayer, in Israeli kibbutzim increases cooperative behaviour in economic games — but only with other kibbutz members.

Write Less, Say More: The Power of Brevity

Are you graduating and still looking for a job? Or looking for a job. period? Read this article before you write your next cover letter, presentation, or re-tweak your resume (again). 

Write Less, Say More: The Power of Brevity:

When it comes to great writing, less is more. But even if you're familiar with the mantra to "omit needless words," tightening your writing is harder than it looks. Which words should you omit? How can you write more clearly? Danny Rubin, a national news consultant and former television news reporter, demonstrates—with examples—the power of brevity.

There is a common misconception when it comes to writing that is professional in nature that a person must write in a verbose manner to come across as intelligent.

I am sorry. Let me do that again.

People often make a mistake in thinking that writing long-winded sentences with big words makes them appear smart.

Actually, let me try this one more time.

You don't need to write a lot or use big words to sound smart.

Now, that's better.

Too often, people write sentences like the one at the top when they should choose version #3. The main culprit, in my view, is the loathsome college essay. Only in college are we forced to write a paper a certain length. We develop strategies that balloon our paragraphs so we can fill out eight, 10 or 12 pages and pick up our gold stars on the way out.

In the real world, most people don't enjoy reading cover letters, resumes and presentations. It's extra work and burdensome. Worst of all, trying to write beyond our skill level screams ‘I'm in over my head.'

The rest of the article...

'via Blog this'

No One is Useless - You Can Always Be A Bad Example

SC Alpha gets the star treatment. And so, by association, does all of SigEp. Don't even get me started about Vermont.

Brothers, we know we are better than this. When are we going to show it?

This article asserts that, as a group, women are outperforming men on college campuses in both academic and leadership measures. And sororities are outperforming fraternities based on measures such as Fraternity/Sorority GPA vs. all men/women GPA.

What do those of you "in the trenches" as either students or campus professionals see? Is this accurate? If so what role can SigEp play in raising the game of fraternity involvement?

Women zoom ahead of men in college - Education - TheState.com:

"What’s wrong with male college students?

A lot, it seems.

They come to college better prepared than their female counterparts. Then, they underperform.

Consider the case lesson offered by Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Alpha chapter at the University of South Carolina.

After a series of alcohol-related incidents and damage to its fraternity house, the fraternity got with university officials and established a series of goals that, if completed, could have put the local chapter back in good standing. But university and fraternity officials say the young men simply didn’t do what was asked of them, and earlier this month the fraternity suspended its Alpha chapter’s charter.

USC officials said they were disappointed — but not totally surprised.

Dennis Pruitt, USC’s vice president for student affairs, said male college students at USC, and elsewhere, are not seizing academic and leadership opportunities with the same zeal as female students."

'via Blog this'

Only students can truly end hazing - CNN.com

This article relates first to the hazing death of the Florida A&M Band member, but author Roland S. Martin makes good points about his college fraternity experience.

Ultimately, hazing is a coercive act that only continues while a person allows himself to submit to the coercion. That applies both to the hazer and the hazed person, because the pressure to continue an abuse can be nearly as strong as the pressure to submit.

Only students can truly end hazing - CNN.com:
"News of the death has rocked the Florida A&M campus, angering its students and alumni, triggering multiple state investigations and leading Gov. Rick Scott to call for the suspension of school President James Ammons. That prompted FAMU students to march to the governor's mansion on Friday and camp out on his lawn, demanding he rescind the resignation call.

Champion's death isn't the first time we have seen individuals in a band or fraternity die. It is incredible that some folks have given their lives -- literally -- for just being a part of a student group.

State laws have been passed, organizations have been kicked off campuses and national fraternal and sorority groups have paid millions in settlements because of hazing, but we continue to see these stories.

"Why?" is a consistent question that is asked, and at the end of the day, it boils down to power and a desire to demand others kowtow to someone else's demands in order for them to be accepted.."

'via Blog this'

The author also makes a point about academics when he says : 

"In the history of our chapter, only one brother has failed to graduate, and we do nothing with him. Are you guys on the six- or seven-year plan, and can you match our graduate rate?"

"From my perspective, we were supposed to be in college to graduate, not to pledge."

Which got me to wondering: What is the graduation rate at SigEp chapters. I don't believe we track it now, but shouldn't we? It seems to me that is at least as important "Key Performance Indicator" metric as the GPA stats we are (rightfully) so proud of.

FAU Greeks Join Study of Learning Outcomes

FAU Fraternity & Sorority Life Partners with UniLOA to Measure the Student Learning of Members

BOCA RATON, Florida (March 31, 2011) – The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Florida Atlantic University has entered into a partnership with The Center for Measuring Behaviors and Academics at Indiana State University’s Bayh College of Education to provide undergraduate fraternity and sorority members with the University Learning Outcomes Assessment (UniLOA). The UniLOA is an assessment tool which is a nationally recognized indicator of student growth, learning and development (GLD). The assessment results will be used to support evaluation, planning and program development within the FAU fraternity & sorority community.

The assessment, developed by Drs. Mark Frederick and Will Barratt, examines seven areas of a student's life - critical thinking, self-awareness, communication, diversity, citizenship, membership & leadership, and relationships. The UniLOA is unique in that is designed to measure actual behaviors, whereas other assessment tools survey the attitudes, feelings or beliefs of the student. As part of this partnership, the Center for Measuring Behaviors and Academics will provide the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life with a comprehensive community and individual chapter reports that speak to the impact.

“Working with the UniLOA allows us to take an in-depth look at the impact that the fraternity and sorority experience is having on the learning and development of our students. I’m looking forward to analyzing the results and using them to enhance the experience here at FAU” said Ryan O’Rourke, Coordinator of Fraternity & Sorority Life.

The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life at Florida Atlantic University hopes to continue to participate in the UniLOA for the next several years with the expectation that it will gain greater insight into the connection between student learning and the undergraduate fraternal experience.

According to Mark Frederick, results from the UniLOA indicate that nationwide, members of fraternities and sororities not only perform at a level higher than non-affiliated students, their overall rate of growth, learning, and development during the college years exceeds that of non-affiliated students as well. To its credit, Florida Atlantic University is committed to employing UniLOA findings to further develop supports, services, interventions, and programs aimed at triggering even higher levels of GLD in its Greek population. That forward-thinking approach should serve as a model for other colleges and institutions across the nation.

The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life at Florida Atlantic University strives to empower fraternity men and sorority women to live their organizations’ founding principles in the context of today’s world by providing students with the knowledge and opportunities to live principled lives. To find out more about FAU Fraternity & Sorority Life, please visit http://www.fau.edu/fslife. More information on the University Learning Outcomes Assessment (UniLOA) can be found at http://www.measuringbehaviors.com.

- FAU –

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. In commemoration of its origin, FAU is celebrating its 50^th anniversary throughout 2011. Today, the University serves more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

Rider Sig Eps Win with Fantasy Academics

Sigma Phi Epsilon honored with academic award

By Emily Landgra

From left, sophomore Brian Williams, juniors Mike Savard and Christian Kuumar, and sophomore Robert Mannanice receive the Amy Vojta Impact Award for Academic Achievement.

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The Rider chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SPE) thought about academics in a new way, and was awarded regionally for its efforts.

The fraternity won the Amy Vojta Impact Award for Academic Achievement at the National Greek Leadership Association (NGLA) conference at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Conn. The conference took place from Feb. 18-21.

According to sophomore Brian Williams, SPE devised a program to help brothers better their GPAs.

“We created this program called Fantasy Academics,” he said. “The brothers with the highest GPAs would draft brothers with lower GPAs to be on their team. The guys with the higher GPAs would have team meetings and the brothers would help each other get better GPAs.”

Junior Mike Savard said that despite grouping members together, brothers were willing to step outside of those teams.

“The teams aren’t exclusive either,” he said. “You can always find brothers from different teams working together. I have seen brothers working harder on their studies, but most importantly, I’ve seen people working together more instead of studying separately.”

Williams was impressed with the improvements that he has seen in his brothers.

“There has been a change,” Williams said. “I know one brother had, like, a 2.6 average and jumped to, like, a 3.1, I think. It was amazing.”

The NGLA consists of members from fraternities and sororities throughout the Northeast region, which extends from Maine to Michigan and south to Virginia. According to Director of Greek Life Ada Badgley, SPE’s win is impressive.

“To have one of our fraternities submit a program and win an award is kind of a big deal,” she said. “It makes us very proud.”

Badgley said that when SPE came to her with its idea, she was intrigued.

“They came to me last year with the idea of the program they wanted to do,” she said. “It’s an exciting, new way to look at how to create an academic culture in a fraternity.”

Williams was proud that the fraternity won the prestigious award.

“We were so excited; we couldn’t believe it,” he said. “That fact that we were able to represent SigEp and Rider, it was awesome.”

Coordinator of Greek Life Ashley Ganoe was present at the award ceremony and was thrilled when SPE won.

“I felt like a proud mom,” she said. “We felt really excited for them.”

Coordinator of Greek Life Meredith Bielaska was also present and was excited about the win.

“As a community, we haven’t applied for an NGLA award in three or four years, so to have them win was really special,” she said.

Bielaska also believes that the program was an innovative way to get students involved in academics.

“I definitely think it was creative,” she said. “This program drew people in and made them want to be excited about doing better in school.”

Ganoe believes that this will encourage chapters here and at the schools present at the ceremony to start applying for the awards.

“They could be recognized, not only in their community, but in the region for the things that they do,” she said.

Badgley was impressed with the fraternity’s efforts, and not simply because individual brothers have done butter.

“It’s exciting to see real improvement in individuals,” she said. “But more than that, when a fraternity puts an emphasis on academics, that is something important to our culture.”

Badgley is hoping that SPE will continue to succeed with Fantasy Academics, and that its success will encourage the other Greek organizations on campus to “find their niche.”

“If each group could pick a topic and make it their focus, there would be some really interesting things going on on the campus,” she said. “I hope that SigEp inspires them to think about how they want to be seen and how they want to be awarded.”

10 Things to Never Put on Your Resume

For the most part I agree with this article's suggestions:

For job seekers, the resume may be the most important document they need. After all, what's on that simple piece of paper can mean the difference between landing an interview and landing in the circular file.

While most job seekers concentrate on what they should include on their resume, few pay attention to what they shouldn't include. This article explores 10 things you should never put on your resume.

However, there is one point I take qualified exception:

Achievements that aren’t achievements

Being nominated prom queen is not an achievement. Nor is belonging to a sorority or fraternity. And that award you won in a competitive eating contest? That's right--not an achievement. Stick to professional and community service awards only.

Maybe mere membership is not "special", but I would think leadership positions count for something. President, VP, or a job that involves managing people, resources, and money - like house manager - would have some cred. Certainly for the first jobs out of school. The trick, as with everything, is to show how that experience will help you to do the job you are seeking.

10 Things to Never Put on Your Resume

Update: A link to a PDF file of the points in the article. Suitable for a professional development presentation.

Iowa Delta - Remarkable News

Kevin Teets was a Resident Scholar while he was in law school. He sends us this news from the chapter at Drake, Iowa Delta.

SigEp Friends,

Some of you have heard me mention that Iowa Delta (Drake University) received grades of a 3.43 for the Fall 2009 semester.  Those numbers are remarkable.  Yesterday, however, I received the grade sheet calculations for the entire Greek system.  These numbers give all of us that are a fan of the RLC model something to brag about!

At Drake, Sigma Phi Epsilon is the top performing Greek organization.  This includes outperforming every sorority, as well as every fraternity.  SigEp is the only fraternity to perform higher than the "All Greek Average" of 3.24.  The "IFC Average" of 3.10 would not be the same without SigEp's manpower and academic presence.  In fact, only 2 of the 8 fraternities on campus scored higher than the IFC average.  If that doesn't indicate a statistical outlier, I don't know what does.  Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Chi are the only fraternities to perform higher than the all university average as well.  I've uploaded a copy of the statistics that you can view by clicking grade sheet.

There is no doubt that these statistics can be attributed to the Residential Learning Community and the standards that the chapter upholds.  The chapter has had tremendous success in working with Faculty Fellow, Dr. Deb Bishop.  Members who are below academic requirements meet with the Standards Board.  The Standards Board then works with Dr. Bishop to create an academic success plan.  Dr. Bishop holds weekly office hours at the SigEp house, and has been an integral part of the chapter's operations and the development of our brothers.  We can never thank her enough!

If you are thinking they are a bunch of nerds... you may be right.  They are nerds that presently hold the intramural championship trophy, nerds that represent 40% of the student senate, and nerds that are first in manpower by 24.  They are Balanced Men.  

Pardon the bragging, but when I have good news like this, I want to share it!  It is certainly a testament that our model (national and local) works well.  These guys continue to make all of us on the AVC very proud to work with them!

I will be seeing many of you at the upcoming CLA's.  Look for me in STL, Pitt and Dallas.

Fraternally,

Kevin W. Teets Jr.

 We'll see you in Dallas, Kevin.

Stevens SigEp is 2009 Valedictorian

Congratulations Michael:

HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 14, 2009) – Senior Michael Bertucci, a Chemical Biology major with a minor in Social Sciences, has been named Valedictorian of the Stevens Institute of Technology Class of 2009. Graduating first in the class, Michael will address his fellow graduates at the 2009 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on May 21, 2009. Actively involved in many aspects of life at Stevens, Bertucci has made numerous contributions to the Stevens community. He is a stellar volleyball player and academic standout.

A student coach of the women’s volleyball team for the past three years, Bertucci is also involved in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, the American Cultural Club, the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, the Student Athletics Advisory Committee (SAAC), and serves as president of Gear and Triangle. Always a champion for getting involved, Michael also served as an Orientation Leader, welcoming new students to Stevens and encouraging them to be active participants in the campus community. As a featured speaker at the Class of 2013 Accepted Students Reception, he was chosen to share his Stevens experiences in an address to prospective students and their families.

The full article is here:
Men's Volleyball Release - Stevens Ducks

Indiana boy spells 'guerdon' to win national bee

Sameer Mishra, in yellow shirt, of Lafayette, Ind., celebrates with his family after correctly spelling "guerdon" to win the 2008 Scripps Howard Spelling Bee.
CHUCK KENNEDY: MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

We can all relax and take a breath, now. the suspense is over.

A 13-year-old boy has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word "guerdon."

Sameer Mishra of West Lafayette, Ind., bested 287 other entrants to take first prize. He will receive $35,000 in cash plus more than $5,000 in other prizes.

Congratulations to all the participants.

Indiana boy spells 'guerdon' to win national bee

Spelling Bee Buzzes in Again

It's time for the Great National spelling Bee again. SigEp is once again a major sponsor of this test to see who is the best speller among America's youth. If past is prologue the "American youth" will be a first or second generation child of Oriental or Indian extraction. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The National Spelling Bee word panel has compiled a list consisting of more than 1,000 words that will be used in the national competition.

Cash prizes for competitors range from $50 to $30,000 for the national champion. All spellers receive a commemorative watch; the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, which consists of a $100 EE U.S. Savings bond; and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, on CD-ROM from Merriam-Webster.

The national champion also receives an engraved loving cup; from Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation, a $5,000 scholarship; from Merriam-Webster, a $2,500 U.S. Savings Bond and a reference library; and from Encyclopedia Britannica, reference materials valued at more than $3,800.

Information about the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee can be found online at http://www.spellingbee.com/ .

Best of luck to the participants. We look forward to seeing the winner at the Orlando Conclave next year.

2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee Continues Today in Washington D.C.

Elitism or Egalitarianism …

Bob Kerr is away this week, but he sent his post in ahead of time. More good food for thought.

Elitism or Egalitarianism ….

…seems to be one of the central debates in the North American Fraternal Movement. In board rooms, bar rooms and conference rooms can be heard the debate on this topic decade after decade. Are we elite by nature if not by action? Is the grand design really supposed to be egalitarian? Let’s take a walk down this path and see what we will see.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the two words are defined as:

• Egalitarian – Advocating full political and social equality for all people. One advocating this.
• Elite - The group, or part of a group, regarded as the best, most powerful, etc.

Fascinating distinction. I wonder, if one excels at being an egalitarian, say someone like Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. or Linus Pauling, does ones actions make them elite? Or does it make them egalitarian role models? But, these individuals performed after they left college. To really examine the debate we need to start at the very beginning of the collegiate process. Recruitment.

Recruitment for most colleges is driven by their stated purpose. My undergraduate campus states their mission as:

“…committed to providing comprehensive educational opportunities in an urban setting. Through teaching, scholarship, and public service, the University seeks to equip both students and the larger community with the educational and cultural tools they need to thrive in a complex world, and to achieve both individual responsibility in their own lives and effective citizenship in the local, national, and global community (complete statement available on the University Website. at www.wichita.edu

If we examine the inherent outcomes we see a thematic focus on the development of an effective citizen. This citizenship serves as the great goal for participating in the local, national and global communities. In essence to contribute to serving the needs of the markets we exist in while being conscious to the global impact of our needs.

Now, let’s apply these basic concepts to Greek recruitment.

As it is commonly defined, fraternity recruitment is searching for the best of the best. Virtually every chapter I have ever interacted with says this same thing. Yet, their selection process does not match the desired outcomes. Often the lowering of standards is seen as a survival tactic when it is actually diluting the quality of the organization and its ability to recruit qualified prospective members.

As I have experienced it, there seems to be three basic criteria for selecting prospective new members. The first criterion is academic performance. A common measuring stick is a high school GPA of 3.0 or better. The second criterion is a verifiable history of community service. Finally, some demonstrated leadership experience be it a part-time job, student government, athletics, debate etc. That is the formulae I have experience in the North American Fraternal Movement for four decades.

So, what are the outcomes?

The outcomes vary from campus to campus, chapter to chapter. So let me share some of the indices and let you do the discovery. First, is the all fraternity chapter GPA above the all men’s? Second, are chapters struggling to get members involved with chapter activity or otherwise engaged with a campus group? Finally, how many members are involved in leadership at the chapter, IFC, campus or work level? So, while you are doing that work, I will share a little from my current campus.

In the winter 2008 grade report, 7 chapters performed above the all men’s average while 17 chapters were below the all men’s average. This means that the average male on campus outperformed 70% of the fraternity chapters. The funny thing is, the all fraternity chapter GPA was higher than the all men’s GPA on the strength and size of the 7 chapters. So a lot of above average students on campus are clearly not fraternity men and we seem stalled in how to attract them to our organizations.

So, are we elitist or egalitarian? Let’s see what Cicero had to say.

“We were born to unite with our fellow men and to join in community with the human race.”

In his later years, Cicero devoted himself to writing and sharing his sense of duty that the Roman leaders owed each other and the citizens of Rome. His work was one of the elements of a classical education and many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were students of his work. Some argue this influence can be seen in the critical concepts in the Declaration. A sense of community and a sense of duty were two of the primary lessons I remember in college and in my fraternity. I was filled with a genuine sense of a responsibility to make a difference regardless of where I found myself standing.

So, the question remains, egalitarian or elitist? If we say elitist then building community will be difficult if not impossible. The perception that one chapter or the other should be the leader of all the rest because of size, GPA or length on campus is a difficult pill for others to swallow. Clearly our recruitment criterion is a standard that can be achieved by anyone from any background.

If we are egalitarian, then we can work together to build genuine community based on mutual trust and respect. We can learn to serve each other and the greater causes we all cherish. We can learn to be better leaders, followers and disciples of the teachings of our separate rituals. Perhaps we have a duty to each other, as interfraternal brothers and sisters, to guide and mentor our undergraduate brothers and sisters to be more cooperative and less combative. To seek to work together versus vanquish each other in every aspect of college life. Perhaps if we learn how scary we can be in our group behavior, constant rivalry and unhealthy competition, we can discover how to attract more qualified candidates to learn with us and join with us. Peace, positive tension and harmony are far more welcoming than bitter feuds started so long ago no one knows why we don’t like each other.

Make no mistake about it, I firmly believe we should have high standards. I also believe that we should resist every temptation to lower our standards. We should also expect our interfraternal brothers and sisters to maintain and preserve their high standards. But high standards do not make us elite or egalitarian. Only our attitudes and behavior towards each other reveals that distinction,

Bob Kerr
Coordinator of Greek Life
Oregon State
OGH

What happens when the iPhone's stopwatch runs for 1,000 hours

Who says SigEps only think about parties? Here is the answer to the burning question "What happens when your iPhone stopwatch hits 1000 hours?".

If you go to the link be sure to scroll down and read the comments. They are, well, "less than charitable." So much so that we are hard pressed to add anything new.

If you know the chapter please leave a comment so this guy gets all the credit he deserves.

Clips: What happens when the iPhone's stopwatch runs for 1,000 hours

Montana Sig Eps Remodel for Academics

Fraternity ditches basement bar in hopes of pumping up GPA
Story by Lauren Russell,Montana Kaimin

The basement bar of Sigma Phi Epsilon is getting a facelift.

Within the first two weeks of school last fall, out came the bar and beer pong table and up went fresh paint, the first step in a transformation from party headquarters to study central.

The idea for a new study area developed when the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon decided to trade in their beer pong cups for calculators as part of an effort to increase the cumulative GPA of the 32 members to a 3.0. The recently studious “Sig Eps” achieved a 2.89 GPA last fall, their highest since 2003 and the highest of the five fraternities.

According to Lyndon Matthews, a sophomore and vice president of communications for the chapter, Sigma Phi Epsilon’s poor academic performance in the past four years began eliciting pressure from the national headquarters, which encourages its chapters to maintain a 3.0 or higher.

The chapter hasn’t had a 3.0 since 2003, and in 2004 the average dipped to a 2.1.

The lowest point in the house’s academic history, said Matthews, came two years ago when almost half of the members had to be removed for poor academic performance. The fraternity found itself with twelve members and intense pressure from the national organization to increase enrollment and bring up grades or face being shut down.

“Everybody knew the bar couldn’t be if we were going to stay a house,” Matthews said.
In addition to being an important step in improving house academic standards, Chapter President Blake Battle said that getting rid of the bar became a necessity when the house was issued multiple fire safety citations in 2005 for having only one exit from their bar.

“It was a breaking point for us,” Battle said. “I’d be lying if I said that pressure from nationals was the only reason we changed, but it gave us a reason to tell everyone to go in this direction.”
In addition to achieving a 3.0 cumulative GPA, Matthews said that Sigma Phi Epsilon is also striving to achieve a national distinction as a residential learning community, which would provide the chapter grants for educational equipment and the opportunity for a class to be taught at the house.

Kael Melanson, a junior in zoology, said that the minimal emphasis on academics in the house contributed in part to his poor grades his first two years at UM. For him, the new focus is working. He earned a 3.0 last semester.

Matthews attributes much of the chapter turnaround to more stringent recruiting practices.
“We’ve started recruiting members based on traits like striving for academic excellence, instead of guys who just want to party or guys who are cool,” Matthews said.

According to Emily Yaksitch, the Greek Life Advisor, the fraternity system follows the same academic procedures as the university in terms of academics, which states that a student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 to be in good standing. But, she said the Greeks recognize academics as the highest priority of each chapter and encourage members to meet or exceed the UM requirement.

Sigma Phi Epsilon is now ranked third in GPA in the Greek system, Yaksitch said. The sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma has the highest with a 3.09.

Currently, the undergraduate cumulative average for all students during fall semester was 2.94. The all-Greek average was a 2.77, Yaksitch said.

“There is a reality that we still have a lot of work ahead of us to meet the undergraduate average, but we’re finding that we are growing, both in enrollment numbers and academic standing,” Yaksitch said.

Yaksitch said she hopes a recent initiative to provide each chapter with a faculty advisor, who would act as a liaison and mentor, will help build a better academic relationship between the Greek system and the university. This program, if implemented, will take effect by the end of spring semester.

So far, no other fraternities are giving up their bars in pursuit of academic excellence, but Matthews hinted that the fun isn’t totally over at Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“I wouldn’t say that we’ll never have a party but there will never be a party in there,” Matthews said.

'Shadow' program gives students a boost

Zane Crockett (right), a junior at Pencader Charter Business and Finance High School, gets some tips from UD student Matt Riscinti before Riscinti's chemistry class.

Someone has to be the first, and Zane Crockett was more than happy to be that person -- even if it meant he had to follow somebody else.

Crockett, 16, a junior at Pencader Charter Business and Finance High School in New Castle, was the first to go on a new shadowing program at the school. It gives college-bound juniors a chance to shadow a University of Delaware student in the classroom and around the Newark campus to get a taste of what might lie ahead after high school.
[...]
Crockett was only too happy to be the first to go to the UD campus earlier this month. He wants to be a premedical student, and he is looking at UD as a place to start. He tagged along with UD student Matt Riscinti, 19, who also has the medical profession in mind. Together, they sat through a chemistry class and grabbed a bite to eat afterward so they could talk about college life.
[...]
Riscinti, who hails from River Vale, N.J., not far from New York City, might have been as excited as Crockett to be the first in the program. His fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, volunteered to match fraternity brothers with the Pencader Charter students who most closely match their career aspirations.

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal, Wilmington, Del. ¦ 'Shadow' program gives students a boost

San Diego State SigEps tops in GPA

The SigEp chapter at San Diego State had the top GPA on Campus this year.

Academically, the chapters with the highest grade point averages were Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Pi Sigma and Kappa Alpha Psi.

Psychology junior D.J. Sheehan of Sigma Phi Epsilon said it was a great accomplishment for their house and showed what it house stands for.

"We adhere to the codes of conduct of our house and every year we raise the standard for ourselves and everyone else on campus," Sheehan said.

Individuals in the Greek community were honored for their cumulative GPA. Jonathan Tucker of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Lauren Stevenson of Gamma Phi Beta, Deneice Chideme of Sigma Lambda Gamma and LaKeisha Nacoste of Zeta Phi Beta held the highest grades this semester.

GREEK BEAT: Greeks awarded at Unity Night - City

Dartmouth SigEps Show Academic Excellence

Carey Heckman sends this update from Dartmouth...

William DeKrey, David Lamb, and Stuart Reid, all Brothers in the New Hampshire Alpha chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, were among the 24 members of the Class of 2008 inducted into the Dartmouth chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society because their cumulative grade point averages were among the 20 highest as of the end of their junior year. (Margaret Fitchet, the daughter of our Brother Sandy Fitchet '76, was also among the early Phi Beta Kappa inductees.)

Other members of the Class of 2008 who attain at least a GPA of 3.8, or the top 10 percent of the class, will be invited to join the society in the spring.

Student Body President and SigEp Brother Travis Green '08 was named a George J. Mitchell Scholar on Monday by the US-Ireland Alliance. Mitchell Scholarships are awarded every year to 12 Americans for a year of post-graduate study at any university in Ireland. The award is named after former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who helped facilitate the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, regarding peace in Northern Ireland, according to the Alliance's press release. The scholarship combines academic and leadership programs, providing its scholars with the opportunity to meet with leaders of Irish government, business and culture.

Green will study neuroscience at the University College Dublin.

Fast Approaching Graduation

In September of 2004 I started taking courses toward an MBA at the University of Phoenix. Fortunately they have ground campuses in Houston (four of them!) so I was able to to everything in a classroom setting.

Now, after several fits and starts,I can see the end. I have one session left in my current class and then one more six-week class and that is it! Whew! Because of the way UoP does graduation - once a year - I will actually be attending commencement on Sep 15, about a month before I officially finish up. I can't wait.

It has not exactly been easy. In the intervening time I have had to deal with all the usual life stuff that you get in your mid-fifties. I lost my Dad, had to deal with kids starting college, got a grandchild added to the mix, shakeups and killer projects at work. You know, life. Oh, and I write a couple of blogs in my spare time. But thank goodness we are nearly done.

Was it worth it? That depends on how you count. Even with my company helping out it was not cheap, and I wonder if I will see an immediate jump in salary. Even so, I am close enough to retirement that I may not see the NPV of any gains outweigh the cost (see- I can speak MBA now!) But I really did not do this for the money. I did it for personal growth. I wanted to see if I can still compete and follow through. Well, that and the fact that my wife got a doctorate a few years ago and I felt like I needed to play catch-up.

The SigEp part of this story is interesting. I guess I had heard so much of the "Sound Mind - Sound Body" propaganda that I felt like I had to work both sides of the equation. I started exercising by walking every day, then running. Last year I began going to the gym at work a few times a week and added resistance training on those devices that look like relics left over from the Spanish Inquisition. I am not going to run a marathon anytime soon, and "Ah-nahld" need not fear my bodybuilding prowess, but I feel good and look pretty OK for an 'old fart', so I am happy on that score too. As far as being a "Balanced Man" it looks pretty good from this angle.

The real story here is that I decided to stretch my goals and have done it. That is the part that feels great and it is a reward sufficient to itself.

What have you done lately to stretch yourself?