Sigma Phi Epsilon Balanced Man Fellowship to fund soccer field in Uganda | Columbia Daily Spectator

Sigma Phi Epsilon Balanced Man Fellowship to fund soccer field in Uganda | Columbia Daily Spectator:

By EMMA BOGLER 

Spectator Senior Staff Writer

March 31, 2014, 12:58am

Vivek Ramakrishnan, CC ’16, is the second Columbian to join a group of balanced men.

At a small ceremony held in Low Library on Saturday, Sigma Phi Epsilon—of which Ramakrishnan is not a member—awarded him a $3,500 Balanced Man Fellowship grant to build a soccer field in the town of Mpigi, Uganda.

BALANCING ACT | Mechanical engineering professor Mike Massimino 
was at Saturday's Balanced Man ceremony, where Sigma Phi Epsilon awarded 
Vivek Ramakrishnan, CC ’16, a $3,500 grant to build a soccer field in Uganda. 

“I’m really happy and I’m really relieved to have gotten this grant,” Ramakrishnan said, adding that the money will allow him to purchase the land for the soccer field right away. “The cost of land fluctuates a lot in that region, so if we had to buy the land a year from now it might cost twice as much.”

Ramakrishnan began collecting soccer equipment from around his hometown of Madison, Wis., in high school to donate to organizations that would distribute the equipment in Africa. He eventually started his own nonprofit, Pass It On Soccer, which collects and sends donated soccer equipment from the United States to Uganda.

Despite having to step back from running Pass It On Soccer since coming to Columbia, Ramakrishnan said he’s excited to continue his work in Uganda.

This is the second year that SigEp has awarded a $3,500 Balanced Man Fellowship after reforming the program in 2013. The fellowship uses alumni donations to help fund a student-organized philanthropic project each year. Last year’s winner, Josh Fram, CC ’16, used the money to purchase indoor rowing machines for a camp for mentally disabled athletes in his hometown of Lawrenceville, NJ.

Alex Carames, CC ’16 and SigEp’s vice president of philanthropy, said the fraternity received 11 applications for the grant this year.

“It was hard to choose between the finalists because we had so many great projects, but [Vivek’s] ultimately hit the closest to home in terms of our goals and values, and in terms of having the greatest impact on the most people,” he said at Saturday’s event.

“Every single person here tonight knows that these values encourage fraternity men to strive to make a difference in our community,” SigEp President Alexander Felsberg, CC ’15, said at the ceremony. “Every single person who has given this organization their time and effort has seen how it’s changed their lives.”

Felsberg added that he hoped the fellowship would help bridge the gap between the Greek community and the rest of campus.

“This grant is by far one of the greatest examples of the way Greek life has a positive impact on the Columbia campus,” Felsberg said.

This year’s grant is especially significant to the fraternity as it marks the 15th anniversary of SigEp’s chapter at Columbia.

“It really shows how the organization has grown substantially over time,” SigEp alumnus Tom Russell, CC ’09, said. “We give back more with each passing year.” 

“It’s important that frats get a chance to show their good side,” Russell added. “This really helps the fraternity give back to the community.”                         

“Part of the DNA of SigEp is to help others,” Sam Arora, CC ’03, said. “That’s why it’s both remarkable and yet not at all surprising to see such a significant investment going toward helping a community in need.”

Fraternities continue to follow in SigEp’s footsteps

Embedded video is a VP Communication's dream.
Fraternities continue to follow in SigEp’s footsteps:

Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the most recent fraternity to follow SigEp’s lead and replace pledging with a better fraternity experience.

On Friday, March 7, 2014, Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) became the most recent fraternity to replace pledging with single-tier membership. The news came as part of more sweeping changes that introduced a new, member development program: The True Gentleman Experience.

SAE’s True Gentleman Experience is based on “five cornerstones” that are similar to SigEp’s own philosophical tenets, elements that have been central to the Fraternity’s Balanced Man Program (BMP) since its inception in 1992.

SAE’s new program, the True Gentleman Experience, is being supported by a 43-page training manual, which introduces the program’s five cornerstones. These cornerstones, and the program at-large, mirror SigEp’s Balanced Man Program, its philosophical tenets, and its own 46-page manual, the Balanced Man Program Guide.

Recent Bloomberg and Insider Higher Education articles recognized SigEp as an early adopter of single-tier membership and continuous development. When SigEp first launched the Balanced Man Program, it represented a drastic departure from more familiar pledge programs as it sought to combat stereotypes associated with Greek life and return SigEp’s focus to its founding values. But in the two decades since the BMP’s launch, many fraternities have attempted to replicate the program.

SAE is the fifth member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference to remove pledging (along with SigEp, Lambda Chi Alpha, Alpha Gamma Rho, and Zeta Beta Tau), but several more, including Beta Theta Pi and Delta Upsilon, have adopted member development programs that share SigEp’s strong anti-hazing stance and emphasis on continuous development. Today, universities are demanding that fraternities evolve and adopt similar programs.

While SigEp’s transition was voted on by undergraduates and has been demand-driven since its inception, news of SAE’s own reform came as a surprise to many members when it was announced on Friday. Response from SAE members on their Facebook page shows that the fraternity will need to work to create buy in with alumni-volunteers and undergraduate brothers who must execute the program for it to succeed.  

One Facebook comment from an SAE alumnus expressed concern about the way the changes were rolled out, “to effectively change national policy without a vote, by effectively enacting a change by what amounts to an executive order... isn't the right way handle things, in my opinion.”

Still, other SAE alumni voiced support for the change, “I am very proud of our council. They had to know this move would be unpopular. This decision took the courage we wanted to see in the leaders of SAE when we elected them.”

SAE’s announcement that it will become the most recent fraternity to move in this direction creates new opportunities for SigEp to lead the Greek community. Many of SigEp’s chapters have already responded to SAE’s announcement with excitement, offering assistance to SAE chapters on their campuses. SigEp’s two-decade head start provides SAE with case studies and resources that will be helpful as they seek to implement a new development model.

Brothers at Southeast Missouri State spoke with a local CBS affiliate about the future of fraternities, a future that looks a lot like what SigEp has been doing for more than twenty years. Vice President of Communications T.J. Weber told reporters, “We call our guys new members as a blatant thing of respect.” He offered encouragement for other chapters on campus who might be considering a similar change, sharing that SigEp’s Balanced Man Program, and its emphasis on equal rights and responsibilities, “gives you more of that feeling of brotherhood.”

A Major Fraternity Bans Pledging

The video founder's day address by Brandon Weghorst, spokesperson for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He discusses the proposed changes to their membership process.

The Brian Lehrer Show: A Major Fraternity Bans Pledging - WNYC:

)

'via Blog this'

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.”             

MA Beta SigEp performs heroic ocean rescue

Thanks To Carey Heckman for passing this along.

Dear Sigma Phi Epsilon Community:

Ryan Mathie, Sigma Phi Epsilon Massachusetts Beta, saved the life of a 17-year old girl as described in the news article below.

Ryan Mathie, an off-duty lifeguard, demonstrated his leadership and unselfish concern for another human being with this courageous act. Ryan is a lifeguard at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Massachusetts Beta.

I am so proud of Ryan Mathie and his heroic act.

Sincerely,

Sharon Wulf, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor, Sigma Phi Epsilon Massachusetts Beta
Professor of Practice, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Teen still hospitalized after ocean rescue:

Ryan Mathie, 20, of Smithtown, a college student
who works part time as a lifeguard at swimming pools,
said he helped rescue a swimmer in distress off
Robert Moses State Park. (May 31, 2013)

Teen still hospitalized after ocean rescue

Originally published: June 1, 2013 12:30 PM
Updated: June 1, 2013 10:03 PM

By CANDICE FERRETTE AND MACKENZIE ISSLER

Photo credit: Johnny Milano | According to an eyewitness, a beachgoer was air lifted by police out of Field 2 at Robert Moses beach. (May 31 2013)

A 17-year-old Brentwood girl was in serious condition Saturday at Stony Brook University Hospital, a spokesman said, after she was rescued off Robert Moses State Park where she was swimming with friends.
Kevin Palomino and Cheyenne Costales, both 18 of Bay Shore, were treated and released from Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, state park police said. The 17-year-old, Bria Key, was unconscious when she was pulled from the water.

The teens were rescued Friday afternoon by two state park police officers and two beachgoers -- one an off-duty lifeguard.

"They went into the ocean in an area where swimming was not open and where there were no lifeguards and apparently could not make their way back to the beach," said Richard O'Donnell, New York State Park Police chief.

Officer Nathan Sibenik, 28, said two teenagers came up to him and his partner around 4:45 p.m. at Field 2 and alerted them to the three people struggling in the water. Sibenik jumped into the water and was joined by Ryan Mathie, 20, of Smithtown, an off-duty lifeguard. The pair grabbed the 18-year-olds and brought them to shore, and then went back for Key, Sibenik said.

Mathie said he swam "to the last spot where I saw her bob over a wave . . . As soon as I grabbed her, she started coughing up. I just knew I had to get her to shore as fast as possible."

Key was airlifted by Suffolk County police to Stony Brook. Sibenik was treated and released from Good Samaritan for saltwater ingestion and hypothermia, police said.

With Ellen Yan

Nevada fraternities and sororities help single mother get daycare for her child

A small story about the Greek community helping out.

Nevada fraternities and sororities help single mother get... | www.foxreno.com

Recent months’ events have cast a shadow on the University of Nevada’s Greek community. Disciplinary actions for a couple of chapters have left the altruistic actions of the many as a story that doesn’t reach the general community. One such act is when fraternities and sororities learned of a University student who was a single mother and having difficulty affording a safe daycare for her child and continuing her education. Associate Dean of Students, Dr. Marcelo Vazques, asked the Greek community for their help. Greeks rushed to the single mother’s aid and raised the money needed to pay for daycare.


“After much hard work and heart ache I thought I was going to have to drop out of school in my last semester due to losing my job and the means to pay for daycare. The bills piled up and I was unable to pay daycare expenses,” the single mother said. “After I had written email after email asking for help, the fraternities and sororities stepped up and payed for the rest of the few weeks of daycare I was in school. I am incredibly grateful to them for doing this.”

Greek organizations are founded on the principles of love and community – characteristics that have not been publicly highlighted in previous months. Alpha Epsilon Pi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Alpha Tau Omega fundraised the money for this single mother. Nationally, it’s estimated that undergraduate Greeks raise more than $7 million annually.

Sound Bite - SigEps on The Sing Off

The Dartmouth Aires were the second place finishers in the latest season of The Sing Off. Seven of the 16 members are SigEps.

Watch the Dartmouth Aires perform a medley of Queen songs and receive glowing feedback from the celebrity judges.
*Video used with permission from NBC Universal.

Full details at the SigEp "Sound Bite":

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity - Sound Bite - SigEps on The Sing Off:

'via Blog this'

Fraternity: What It Takes

Will Hull sent this to us today. A great article, positive press about SigEp and by extension the Greek system

Fraternity: What It Takes

By MARIBEL CASTANEDA 
Published: September 14, 2011

Photo by Alvin Kim/Photo Editor Assistant

Being on a campus as large as Cal State Fullerton’s can be lonely; finding your niche is key to having the college experience. Having a group of guys for support that will accept you no matter what and share common interests is what Lawrence Telles, a kinesiology major and recruitment chair of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said brotherhood is about. During an interview with me, he gave me a brief insight into the life of a fraternity – not the Hollywood version.

Q: How was your rush process?

A: I only went to this house during rush week because back when I rushed, it was only required for us to visit one house. They caught my attention and when I met them we just clicked automatically and I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I liked that this house was real. They were fine with joking and messing with each other; they were really brothers.

Q: Once you received a bid from a fraternity, what were your responsibilities as a new member?

A: For us, we don’t have pledges, you are automatically in. You can vote, you can go to all the meetings, you can be involved in everything. The only thing you are restricted from doing is wearing letters until you’ve completed one semester. But your responsibilities were that you had to get a minimum of a 2.6 GPA, you had to be involved in the chapter, whether it was doing community service, going to mandatory events or helping out at the house – just basic responsibilities that you had to do along with the grades.

Q: How much time does being a brother take out of your personal life?

A: It is what you put into it. So if you’re going to spend a lot of time on it, then you’re going to get that back. If you don’t then you’re not going to enjoy it. For me personally, I am recruitment chair so I have to go to executive meetings on Sunday along with our regular meetings, so that is about three to four hours. Throughout the week you can come and hang out, and every couple months we have a mandatory meeting where we have a Greek speaker. In reality it doesn’t take up too much time. We also have study sessions, so we push for grades along with being able to meet the guys and have fun.

Q: What are you required to do for your philanthropy?

A: One thing we do every fall is “Sig Ep Cares Week.” We go down to the post office here in Fullerton and all the cans, food, goods get delivered – it’s more around Christmas time. And also everyone grows out their hair in the fall and then we shave it all off for St. Baldrick’s cancer foundation. And last year we raised 10k. We get sponsored to shave our head, basically. We also do bingo nights at Los Alamitos High School every Tuesday.

Q: What would you say to turn down the stereotypes of fraternities?

A: I would say you might be looking in the wrong places. We’re not an animal house, you can’t go off by what you see in the movies. Obviously Hollywood is Hollywood and they’re going to play things up. There are fraternities that are like that and they have been shut down. For us we believe in a no-hazing, no-pledging process. I wouldn’t be here if I had to do something I didn’t want to. Everything I have ever done in this fraternity I have wanted to or as soon as I was asked, I said, “Alright, I’ll do it,” because I have enjoyed it.

Q: What are the benefits to being in a fraternity?

A: It gives you an opportunity to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet. There are guys I’ve become really good friends with that I can count on for anything. We also have the whole “Balance Man Program.” There are four aspects of it: leader, scholar, athlete and gentleman. Whether you possess those qualities coming into the fraternity or not, we can help you become that person and that balanced man and make you ready for the world.

Help Shape The SigEp Conversation

Many of the Alumni and Volunteers for SigEp got this email yesterday. It makes me very proud to be part of this organization to see us held up as a model to emulate. Lets all strive to be worthy of that honor.

Brothers and Friends, I hope you had a great summer and that you are eager to begin another successful academic year. The fall semester is an exciting time for SigEp. In less than 45 days, roughly 3,500 students will join a SigEp chapter on their campus, and their first taste of the SigEp experience will define their expectations for our Fraternity. In conversations with potential new members, many of us promise a home away from home, a safe environment, and a different fraternity experience that prepares members for life beyond college. We talk about our principles and our programs, about being a partner in higher education, and about leading the Greek community. Is this an accurate description of Sigma Phi Epsilon on your campus? I hope it is.  You may have seen SigEp mentioned in The New York Times last week. The president of Cornell University, in response to several fraternity incidents that have led to injury or death at Cornell, wrote an op-ed calling for a fraternity experience, “completely free of personal degradation, disrespect or harassment in any form.”  President David Skorton cited SigEp’s approach to member development and ourBalanced Man Program as a model for the rest of the fraternity community. What a powerful message to share with potential members and their parents.  Since the posting of that article, Cornell has called for a reconsideration of its Greek experience, specifically for its new members. I wouldn’t be shocked if other universities follow suit. The University of South Carolina has already called for an evaluation of its fraternity community and there is talk of other universities in the SEC following South Carolina’s lead. While we can be proud that we have been out in front of this issue for 20 years, we must also recognize the amount of work left to do. We must make sure we are practicing what we preach, and living up to the kind words that have elevated us to the national stage. I urge you to use this critical time of the year to assess your member development plan and the experience your chapter offers young men on your campus. Make sure we are providing our new members with the right experience, and giving our upperclassmen a reason to stick around. If you’re providing an experience unequaled on your campus, let’s tell people about it. Let’s put more positive stories about Sigma Phi Epsilon in major publications. We’ve achieved so much over the last 110 years. Still, we have much work left to do, and I’m excited about our potential. Your actions in your chapter will determine the scope of that potential. Let’s continue to rise to the occasion.  Fraternally, Brian C. Warren, Jr. Executive Director This is being sent to all undergraduates, all volunteers, current national board of directors, past grand presidents and current and past Educational Foundation Trustees.

SigEp Students Help Defend Oxford Police Officer

OXFORD, Ohio -- Three Miami University fraternity brothers tackled a man accused of assaulting an Oxford police officer Friday night.

Ryan Hoffner, Tyler Lindroth and Charlie Nuck said they were playing Frisbee in front of their fraternity home when they saw a man beating down a police officer.

The Oxford Police Department said the officer stopped the intoxicated man walking near University Avenue and Vine Street and told him to throw away his beer, but the man jumped the officer, catching him off guard.

"Ryan was first to make the tackle, then Charlie got on top, and then I came in and held him down. All three of us held (the man) down until the officer could come and cuff him," Lindroth said.

Read more (with video): http://www.wlwt.com/news/28945045/detail.html#ixzz1Vuh39hnD

Students Help Defend Oxford Police Officer - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

Best. Conclave. Praise. Ever. #SigEpConclave

Garry Keif got this email and shared it with several of those who were involved with the Phoenix Conclave. I think it speaks volumes about how well SigEp is making a difference in young men's lives.

 From: Benjamin Coberly [mailto:bcoberly@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 7:59 AM
To: Garry Kief
Subject: SigEp praise
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 7:59 AMTo: Garry KiefSubject: SigEp praise

Dear Mr. Kief,

Friday afternoon my family and I checked into the JW Marriott Desert Ridge.  I noticed a lot of college age guys milling around the place and immediately started to panic.  I panicked even more when I found out from one of them that they were all here for a fraternity conference.

I didn't go to a college that had fraternities, so pretty much anything I've ever heard about fraternities is what great parties they throw.  I was beginning to brace myself for a hectic weekend and beginning to form explanations in my head of what I would have to tell my 3 year old daughter about the behavior she was seeing.

I have to tell you though, I was pleasantly surprised.  Even with getting up to our room (there's a lot of baggage with me, my wife a 3 year old and a 1.5 year old) my fears were beginning to subside when one of the SigEp's held the elevator for us, called me sir and even assisted with one of our bags when he heard that my daughter wanted me to hold her and my arms were full!!

When we got poolside on Saturday there was not exorbitant partying, no heavy drinking and no rudeness going on.  I had the pleasure of floating in the "lazy river" for a while with some of the guys from the USC chapter and they were friendly and knew how to hold a conversation with someone they've never met before.  I work with high school and college age students at my church and there are MANY of them that can't hold a simple conversation with someone 10 years or more older than them.

A year ago my wife and I were at the same hotel and had a horrible experience.  I was really worried history was going to repeat itself, but your guys actually made it a more positive experience for my family and I.

Thank you for training up the next generation of men and teaching them to be "Balanced Men".

Sincerely,
Ben Coberly

Good News: Frat Rallies Behind Cancer Battle - Video - KCCI Des Moines

Inspiring video story of a SigEp at Drake University:

Good News: Frat Rallies Behind Cancer Battle - Video - KCCI Des Moines

UA Greeks Help Relief Effort in Tuscaloosa

WIAT-TV CBS 42
Birmingham, AL
May 2, 2011

Watch the video:

http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/UA-Greek-Relief/DeApbJfq4Ea4n-yjLotP8g.cspx

Summary: UA Greek Relief

TUSCALOOSA, AL - Adversity caused by the storm has brought communities together to help each other.

The Greek community at the University of Alabama was one group that sprang into action to respond to the needs of the people of Tuscaloosa.

Instead of going home for the summer, these students are putting in extra hours to cook and gather supplies for those in need.

There is a flurry of activity at many fraternity houses on campus where students have single-handedly prepared 1/4th of the hot meals that are being delivered to the affected Tuscaloosa area.

After the storms hit, the students basically decided to use the left-over food in their fraternity and sorority houses that was meant to be prepared during the last week of school, pool it together and feed all of Tuscaloosa.

The organizers say their efforts have now expanded beyond the Greek system and across the nation.

The UA Greek Relief Effort is planning to continue working through the remainder of this week.

To help: www.uagreekrelief.com

Eberly chosen as EIU’s Mendez Distinguished Service Award

Brother (and OGH) Chuck Eberly has received a highly deserved award

CHARLESTON - Charles G. Eberly has been selected Eastern Illinois University's 2010 Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award recipient for his contributions in the area of service to the community, the university and his discipline, an EIU announcement said. This award, presented by the Faculty Senate, honors the memory of Mendez, an EIU professor in Spanish who died in 2003. Eberly will formally receive the award at a Fall 2010 EIU commencement ceremony on Saturday.
[...]
Over the course of his career, he has served in the Charleston Rotary Club, as chapter adviser for the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, has been active in Habitat for Humanity, served on numerous editorial boards for academic journals, served on EIU's Faculty Senate and other university committees, participated in the EIU Reads program, served as an EIU Faculty Fellow since the program's inception, and has received an impressive number of awards for his service.

...and please check out the full article here:
Eberly chosen as EIU’s Mendez Distinguished Service Award recipient

SigEp is Finalist in Pepsi Refresh Project

Effort to bring dental care to underserved kids

David Turok, Virginia ’04, is a dentist in Chicago, Illinois. His “Mobile Plaque Punisher” is a dental van that serves as a mobile dentist’s office, which would go to underserved areas and provide free dental services to kids. For his community service idea, Turok has been selected as a finalist in the Pepsi Refresh Project, which is sponsoring an effort to fund project ideas that have a positive impact in the community. Turok’s fresh idea to help the needy with his own time and expertise is described in detail on their website.

Pepsi will award a $250,000 grant to the two most popular community service ideas based on votes from the general public. These funds would allow Turok to realize his vision of tackling a pressing children’s health problem in the Chicago area and beyond. On the Plaque Punisher page you can view a video about the project, see how the money would be spent, and most important, vote for his project. You can vote daily through the month of December on his page at the Pepsi project or by texting 104734 to 737-74 (P-E-P-S-I).

[Thanks to Brian Warren (HQ Executive Director) for the information]

WI Theta, SigEp's Juggernaut on the Rise - #whysigep

Congrats to WI Theta. We got this piece of news from the always humble and unassuming Tom Barton:

SigEp Mucky Mucks,

SigEp’s newest juggernaut, WI Theta from University of Wisconsin at Platteville, just today achieved second place in the national Hoop of Steel sweepstakes with 100% participation.  This comes in addition to nearly doubling manpower thus far this fall, elevating grades to a 3.0, being named UWP Greek Organization of the Year, and setting a record for pizza consumption in Barton’s kitchen after gutting a house as a fundraiser.

PUT US ON YOUR RADAR…  READ MY LIPS:  WI Theta…Excelsior 2011 CLA; BUC CUP 2013 Conclave.

Chief Kief, This one’s for you!!!  SigEp can’t smile without WI Theta. We are SigEp music, and we write the songs!!!!!  Music and passion are always the fashion in Platteville, Wisconsin!!!  It’s a miracle…but…looks like we made it!

WI Theta from the University of Wisconsin at Platteville continues to plot its SigEp fraternal jihad en route to our first Excelsior and Buc Cups.  Lock up your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, your children, and small farm animals: WI Theta is in the HOUSE!!!!

Tom Barton
President

BARTON  WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC
WELLS FARGO ADVISORS FINANCIAL NETWORK

BGSU Greeks Serve Their Community!

Greek students jump into action with GreekSERVE
Fifty individuals from Greek organizations visited locations throughout the community to log service

By Alissa Widman, General Reporter

Representatives from more than half of the University's Greek chapters jumpstarted a school year of volunteering before most students had even returned for the fall semester.

The one-day project, Greek Students Engaging in Reflective Volunteer Experiences, or GreekSERVE, was a collaboration including volunteers from United Way AmeriCorps and the Office of Service Learning. Fifty individuals visited eight locations throughout Bowling Green Aug. 19 and logged 150 service hours for the Centennial Service Challenge.

"The fraternities and sororities saw this as a great opportunity to tie into the Centennial and give back to the local community," said Jeff Kegolis, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life.

The GreekSERVE projects were very diverse, Kegolis said, and ranged from building birdhouses at Habitat for Humanity to coaching individuals with developmental disabilities at a carnival at Wood Lane. Other projects, like painting Sorority Row's recycling shed, occurred on campus.

"Following the three hour volunteer time, we had group conversations about what occurred that day, and many leaders asked for a day-long experience," he said. "It was definitely well-received on both sides."

According to Kegolis, the inaugural GreekSERVE was so successful that he hopes it can become a regular event occurring at least twice a semester for the Greek community.

"Based on the feedback and success from students who participated, we're planning on offering other programs throughout the year for fraternities and sororities that are service-focused," he said. "Nothing is concrete yet, but we would like to connect with students who participated and see what type of service they would like to see in the local community."

Greg Bunn, junior and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity president, volunteered at Trinity Methodist Church and built flower pot holders for families who received homes through Habitat for Humanity.

"Another fraternity member painted a walk-in closet, pulled weeds and washed windows at the American Red Cross," he said. "We knew this would be a great resource to take back to our chapters at the beginning of the semester."

The event was restricted to presidents and their proxies, Bunn said, whose role was to return to their organization and promote community service based on their experiences.

For Bunn, she said those experiences were very enjoyable.

"I got to do something that I don't normally get to do," Bunn said. "While I couldn't see the recipients' reaction to the project, I know in some way I helped them out, and that made my time worthwhile."

According to Denny Bubrig, director of Greek Affairs, students involved in GreekSERVE reap benefits across the board while serving others.

"Through volunteering, these organizations live up to what they stand for," he said. "Students learn the value of being a good member of a sorority or fraternity, become a contributing member of society and build interpersonal relationships while bonding through these activities."

Bubrig also said GreekSERVE's success created possibilities for its expansion in the future, because service is one of the four pillars of Greek life and is a significant focus throughout the University's Centennial.

"It was a quality event and a good way to get the year started off," he said. "It's very much a building step for the future and shows the positive things that fraternities and sororities are doing at this University."

© 2010 BG Views. All Rights Reserved
http://bgnews.com/campus/greek-students-jump-into-action-with-greekserve

National Spelling Bee starts today - SigEp a sponsor

The Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation has been a sponsor of the Scripps National Spelling Bee for over five years. They award a $5000 scholarship to the champion.

The "Bee" is always full of surprises and never predictable. There is edge-of-your-seat suspense and tension as well when these young people do battle using words no normal human can spell without a handy dictionary.

This year the fun starts today at 1:15 EDT on ESPN3 (it's a sport???) and continues tomorrow afternoon (ESPN) and tomorrow night (ABC). See the schedule to the right for full info.

Welcome | Scripps National Spelling Bee

OK Sig Eps Get Thanks through Local Paper

Oklahoma News
Published: November 13, 2009 10:51 pm

Thank you

If you have driven by my house lately you would have seen a mountain of plastic bags stacked up by my trees.

When I got up last Saturday morning there were 15 young men busily raking and sacking leaves in my yard. They were from the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. I wish to thank them through your paper. Not many young men would give up a Saturday to rake leaves for people who can’t work in their own yards anymore. They are a bunch of fine boys!

Nina Provence
Stillwater

And more!

Thank you

I wish to thank the students from Chi Omega/Sigma Phi Epsilon Into the Street for the very nice job they did Nov. 7 of picking up my leaves and washing some windows.

Minnie Moore
Stillwater

Quinnipiac SigEps Surprised by Video Kudos

Michael Bivona sent this from Quinnipiac University:

SigEp Blog Brothers,

Our chapter at Quinnipiac University recently received an e-mail from media services containing a promotional video about our annual Youth Aids philanthropy named “Hall Wars”. The freshmen dorms compete against each other in a variety of competitions during the daylong event. Our school’s media services surprised us with this video as we usually are the ones making promotions for the event. We were hoping you could share this video on the blog for the rest of the brothers to see and possibly get ideas from.

How great is that? Not only is SigEp sponsoring a fantastic philanthropy project, but their name is on every T-shirt in the competition and the University is promoting it with a professionally produced video.