New Fraternity Announces Leadership - News

Another notice of the Emory SEC.

Media Credit: Chris Megerian Rishi Chhatwal, the first president of Sigma Phi Epsilon at Emory, is seeking to establish the fraternity at the University and apply for a charter in the fall.

Emory, meet Sig Ep.

The newly established Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity colony introduced itself to administrators and students at events in Cox Hall and the Dobbs University Center Tuesday night.

Now Sig Ep, led by President Rishi Chhatwal, is trying to make its presence known on campus. To establish itself at Emory, the fraternity will need to nearly double in size and carve out a niche for itself as a different type of fraternity within a more traditional Greek system.
[...]
Sig Ep Director of New Chapter Development Greg Barra thanked administrators and students for their support in a short speech in Cox Hall.

"I really believe that a rising tide benefits all ships," he said.

Interfraternity Council President Navin Varindani said Sig Ep's primary challenge will be recruitment, especially because every other fraternity has experienced formal recruitment. He said Sig Ep's pledge to be a different type of fraternity could work for or against them when recruitment begins in the spring.

"It will be interesting to see how they use that to their advantage," he said.

The Sig Ep fraternity centers on the Balanced Man Program, which involves mentoring, athletics and academic rigor. In addition, the fraternity does not use a standard pledging process.
[...]
Regional Director Aaron Dail said Chhatwal, who was chosen by fraternity representatives, displayed good leadership capability in interviews.

Dail said the local alumni board will remain involved with the fraternity to ensure "what we're selling matches up to what we're providing."

Lots of 'good ink' there. The guys at Emory should do well. They have set an ambitious goal of applying for a permanent charter this fall. Go for it! we are behind you all the way. Greek Life: New Fraternity Announces Leadership - News

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Emory IFC Elects New Leaders

The Greeks at Emory have elected new leaders for 2007-08. The leaders have good things to say about our SEC chapter there

The incoming IFC vice president of recruitment, College junior George Toth, said Greeks should play a greater role in non-Greek events in order to boost their visibility on campus.
He hopes the addition of two new fraternities - Sigma Phi Epsilon and Pi Kappa Phi - will increase recruitment numbers, which have declined in recent years.
[...]
Stein, IFC's current executive vice president, said he was also excited about the addition of Sig Ep to campus.
"I love what they're doing," he said. "It's going to be beneficial to all of us."
[Eric]Stein [incoming IFC president] said he wants to emphasize philanthropy and brotherhood within Greek life. For better or for worse, partying is used as a hook to introduce students to greater fraternity ideals, he said.
"When you go through the process, you learn what it's really about," Stein said.

Greek Life: Greeks Elect ISC, IFC Leaders for 2007-08 Session - News

Technorati tags: SigEp, Emory, College, Fraternity

Sig Ep Launches New Chapter at Emory

Building a Fraternity From the Ground Up
By: Chris Megerian

When Sigma Phi Epsilon representatives want to find the right men for a new chapter of their fraternity, they ask the people who know best - sorority women.

So, on Tuesday, Sig Ep Regional Director Aaron Dail, who is helping start an Emory colony, dropped to one knee and presented a bouquet of red roses to Gamma Phi Beta sorority President Andrea Heflin at a chapter meeting in front of all her sisters. National Expansion Director Jason Cherish then outlined the type of students that Sig Ep hopes to attract: intelligent, polite, balanced and civic-minded men.

Afterward, one girl asked incredulously, "Do you know any men like this?"

"We believe men like this exist here at Emory," Cherish replied.

The girls in the room broke out laughing, but Cherish wasn't kidding. Sig Ep hopes to create a different type of fraternity than currently exists at Emory - and fast. National representatives will leave campus in less than a month, at which point they need to have gathered 20 to 40 men who meet the fraternity's standards.

Emory administrators have high hopes for Sig Ep. The Division of Campus Life and the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life expect the new fraternity to refocus attention in Greek life on scholarship, service and brotherhood.

"It's sort of returning back to the original purpose of fraternities," Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life Victor Felts said. "Many fraternities have gotten away from promoting those aspects."

Breaking the 'Fraternity Stereotype
'The primary difference between Sig Ep and other fraternities is its approach to recruitment: Sig Ep doesn't have any pledging process. Instead, students join at any time and become full members once they accept their bids.

Recruits then participate in the four-year "Balanced Man Program," which involves mentoring, athletics and academic rigor. Members complete a list of "challenges" designed to enrich their minds and bodies.

"We're just totally designed differently than other fraternities," Cherish said. "The main reason we're here is to do something different."

Director of New Chapter Development Greg Barra said the program acts as a "self-filter," ensuring that the fraternity doesn't recruit students interested in perpetuating "a fraternity stereotype."

"We're not here to be sticks in the mud, but we're here to guide freshmen to a better college experience than they might have had," Barra said.

Sig Ep, the largest fraternity in the country with about 13,000 undergraduate members in about 300 chapters, is the first of two new fraternities coming to Emory within the next year. Pi Kappa Phi is expected to start the colonization process in fall 2007.

Pi Kappa Phi was chosen for the same reasons as Sig Ep, and is recognized as the only fraternity in America to create and maintain its own philanthropy.

Riordan said one of Sig Ep's major challenges would be creating enough buzz on campus to be considered "cool" and to compete with more established fraternities for members.But Sig Ep representatives said they will pull members from a pool of people not interested in joining other fraternities at Emory.

In the end, their success hinges on those students choosing to switch their allegiance from non-Greek to Sig Ep.- Contact Chris Megerian at cmegeri@learnlink.emory.edu

SigEp to Open Chapter at Emory University

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Zollinger House, Richmond, Virginia May 1, 2006   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  E. Scott Thompson, II, Director of Communications Phone:    (804) 353-1901, ext. 325        FAX:  (804) 359-8160

SIGEP UPDATE

  

SigEp to Open Chapter at Emory University

  

            Last week, key alumni in Atlanta and members of Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Headquarters staff presented to a panel of undergraduate leaders, university administration and faculty at Emory University. The campus opened its doors to fraternity expansion for the first time in 15 years. With its emphasis on Sound Mind and Sound Body and year-round recruitment, SigEp was chosen out of four other national fraternities to open a chapter in the Fall, 2006, semester.

             The presentation team included nine SigEp alumni living in the Atlanta area: —District Governor Russ Stephens, Georgia ’00; Wes Stolp, California-Davis ’99; Craig Kaufman, Washington U. in St. Louis ’86; André Jones, Georgetown ’06; Andrew Dollar, Southern Mississippi ’02; Mike Spayd, St. Louis U. ’02; Cooper Smith, St. Louis U. ’04; and Matt Engelhardt, Valparaiso ’91. Undergraduate Ezra Melhman, Washington U. in St. Louis ’06, spoke about how the Balanced Man Ideal and collaborating with local alumni have improved his chapter. Classics Professor Mark Lippman was also part of the team and spoke on how Ancient Greek values and SigEp’s approach are relevant for Emory University.

             Brothers Stephens, Stolp and Kaufman were founding fathers of their chapters as undergraduate SigEps. Brother Jones graduated from and played football at the University of Notre Dame from 1987-1991. He played in the NFL for a few years with Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions. He became a Brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon through the Renaissance of Brotherhood ceremony while attending graduate school at Georgetown University. The Alumni and Volunteer Corporation (AVC) is set to be formed this summer, with the brothers on the presentation team agreeing to form the nucleus of the AVC.

             The expansion team will begin recruitment in the middle part of the fall semester. Should you know of an Emory student who exemplifies the Balanced Man Ideal and should be in SigEp, email Jason Cherish at jason.cherish@sigep.net.

Emory to add Fraternities - Is Sig Ep Next?

Kappa Sigma is set to become Emory’s newest fraternity.

Emory is adding a fraternity to their IFC now. They are also considering adding up to 4 more, Including Sigma Phi Epsilon.

The Interfraternity Council Expansion Committee cleared the way Monday for Kappa Sigma to become an official fraternity at Emory and discussed plans to further expand fraternity life on campus.
[...]
Victor Felts, director of Greek Life, said the committee also finalized expansion procedures and discussed plans to bring up to three fraternities to campus in the next several years, Felts said.
[...]
Felts said that, as part of the new expansion policy, IFC has mailed letters to four fraternities with demonstrated interest in Emory: Delta Chi, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Felts said IFC will set up a schedule to start bringing these fraternities to campus beginning this fall. Planning expansion years in advance would give IFC more control over who comes to campus and when, Felts said.

Espie wrote that the expansion committee plans to meet again soon to determine which fraternities would be invited to make a presentation before all of IFC.

The Emory Wheel - Greek Life: IFC OKs adding new frat to campus

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