Best. Rush. Video. Ever.

Thanks to Tennessee Eta for this video. It is perhaps the best encapsulation of what "Fraternity" means I have seen. No frenetic music. No quick cut photos or videos, but a simple message that will challenge and inspire anyone who sees it.


It is long - 8 minutes - but well worth the time. Not a SigEp? Watch it anyway for an short explanation of what the concept of fraternity and sorority is really about. You will not regret it.

Inspiration for the New Year

For our first post of 2012 I thought I would share a video I got on the 31st.

I don't believe the word "fraternity" is mentioned in this video, but we are in a looking forward mode, at least for a few days. Many of us will make and break resolutions and never get anything changed. In that context I found following conversation very exciting.

It is an hour and a half long, but the guys are so real I didn't notice the time. Give yourself a 10-15 minutes to just listen and see if you are drawn in as I was.



After you are done, leave us a comment and tell us what you think about the ideas Ramit talks about.

One of my thoughts was: "If this guy was in a chapter they would kick serious ass in rush/recruitment."

It's all about the balance

Balance is not about just mind-body. It is also about work-life (or school-life). Here is a clever (I thought so, anyway) reminder to keep things in balance.

Founder's Day 2008

Brothers,

Greetings on this 107th anniversary of the founding of our fraternity, an opportune time to remember the influence of Sigma Phi Epsilon on our lives.

So many events mark the passage of our time in this world: the attainment of goals like a promotion or graduation, the birth of a child, the finding a lifelong partner, or the passing of a loved one. These events, though they happen to us all at one time or another, are unique in the feelings they produce individually. Consistently, though, we can rely on our brothers to celebrate with us, encourage us, or sustain us through out the journey of life. The companionship we gained through Sigma Phi Epsilon is at the very heart of our life experience. Over the years, many of you have honored me by sharing some of the significant events in your lives and in the last few years I have enjoyed visiting with many of you either here in Toledo or on my travels throughout the country.

The friendships made through the everlasting bonds of our brotherhood are without a doubt its greatest benefit. Nowhere else have we the chance to meet people with such a diversity of skills, philosophies, and life experiences all the while sharing those important basic principles of virtue, diligence, and brotherly love. Of course, sometimes this diversity can lead to misunderstandings and disillusionment. Sometimes our brothers may disappoint us. Sometimes, perhaps, it is we who disappoint. But such is the nature of human interaction. Disappointment, however, can be fleeting, quickly replaced by the joys of our fraternal relationship. We need only take a moment to recall the pleasant memories of our Sigma Phi Epsilon experience. The love within our brotherhood is binding and holy, forever tying us to one another.

Could those twelve men in Richmond 107 years ago have imagined our world as it is today? Our lives can be a cacophony of competing interests. Careers and family can easily overwhelm us. We are pulled in so many directions we forget those small but important parts of our lives. But the lessons of our beloved fraternity are there to lead us through the chaos; an advantage we should be ever mindful of. In virtue, we find strength; through diligence, we endure; and in brotherly love, we become aware of all those things that make life worth living.

Take a moment today to contemplate the part Sigma Phi Epsilon has played in your life. Take time to call a brother, or send him an email, or write him a letter and share your triumphs and tragedies. Whether your time in SigEp is as long as mine or just a few months; whether you're active in the brotherhood today or find yourself detached from the organization; I think you'll find somewhere somehow the fraternity had a positive impact on your life and still can. We are watched over even when we are far apart one from another.

Thanks to Sammy for the thoughts and ideas. I wish you all a happy Founders' Day.

In the Bonds
Rick St. John
Order of the Golden Heart

Tickets for attendance

This interesting blog caught my attention tonight. It is a blog by the CEO of CampusSpeak, a college-focused speaker's bureau. I believe Judge Mitch is represented by them. This is an easy way to get a count of attendance by chapter for a speaker event. Blows sign-up sheets clean away.

All you really care about is how many from each chapter attended. You don't really care WHO attended from each chapter, right?

As each person arrives for the event, give him or her a ticket. You can buy huge rolls of these at any office supply place for next to nothing. People need to be in the room by the start time of the program to get a ticket. Use a different color ticket for each event.

Then, when the program is over and people are leaving the auditorium, they deposit their tickets in large envelopes, boxes, or other containers decorated with their letters. All the Delta Gamma's drop their tickets in the DG envelope. All the Sig Ep's drop there's in the Sigma Phi Epsilon envelope. It takes mere seconds.

Then, you close up the envelopes, and count up the tickets. Do it right then, or do it the next morning. Whatever.

But what if they bring non-members to the program and these individuals drop their tickets to artificially boost the chapter's attendance number? Well, I think that's a good thing. Encouraging chapters to bring guests is a great way to provide some positive PR to your Greek community (particularly if your speaker is really good). Maybe they'll even bring young men or women whom they are trying to recruit. Hooray!

Elegant, eh? Neat, easy to do, no interference, and encourages attendance. What do you think about the suggestion?

The Apathy Myth: Tickets for attendance

PS: We are adding this blog resource to the "Not SigEp but not bad" section.

'Last Lecture' professor dies at 47

Randy Pausch was not a SigEp, and we missed a good guy there. A professor of Computer Science at Carnegie-Mellon, his "Last Lecture" video and book (the book is listed in the "S&P Recommends" section) were a source of inspiration for many students and teachers - and even those in the 'real world.' Professor Pausch died early Friday at his home in Virginia.

Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.

"The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful," Pausch wrote on his Web site. "But rest assured; I'm hardly unique."
[...]
At Carnegie Mellon, he was a professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design, and was recognized as a pioneer of virtual reality research. On campus, he became known for his flamboyance and showmanship as a teacher and mentor.

The speech last fall was part of a series Carnegie Mellon called "The Last Lecture," where professors were asked to think about what matters to them most and give a hypothetical final talk. The name of the lecture series was changed to "Journeys" before Pausch spoke, something he joked about in his lecture.

"I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it," he said.

He told the packed auditorium he fulfilled almost all his childhood dreams -- being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia and working with the Walt Disney Co.

The one that eluded him? Playing in the National Football League.

"If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you," Pausch said.
[...]
"I mean I don't know how to not have fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there's no other way to play it," he said in his Carnegie Mellon lecture. "You just have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think I'm clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate. Never lose the childlike wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us."

Well, said. Many of us, myself included, spend far too much time being Eeyore. I think I'll try to be more Tigger from now on.

Oh, yeah, here is the Lecture Video:


'Last Lecture' professor dies at 47 - CNN.com

Recruiting to Win - 50 Steps to Successful Recruitment

We found this recent post in a forum about, oddly enough, recruiting. Most of the posts are looking at the corporate variety, but this fraternity (SigEp) related one slipped in somehow. It has good stuff. Here are the first 3 points:

1. RECRUITMENT STANDARDS. Set high standards for joining. Keep standards articulate and quantifiable. Strong chapters recruit men smarter than the "average" student. Set your GPA standard higher than the all-student GPA for upper classmen and above the average incoming student GPA, SAT, and/or ACT for freshmen. SigEp is not an "average" fraternity experience, and is intended for outstanding men. Increase standards over time to ensure the chapter’s strength is improved. Be sure all brothers know chapter recruitment standards.

2. ASK QUESTIONS FIRST. Get to know a potential member by asking questions about him before talking about SigEp. Find out about his attitude. Is he committed to getting the most out of college? Does he value academics? Athletics? Fitness? Diversity? The more you find out about him, the better you can talk about SigEp in a way relative to what he finds valuable.

3. BE ARTICULATE. Make sure all brothers know HOW to talk accurately about the SigEp experience. Does everyone in your chapter know how to discuss Sound Mind, Sound Body? SigEp’s cardinal principles? The activities your chapter has accomplished or is planning that men may find attractive? Don’t allow SigEp to be just like everyone else. The things your chapter VALUES and DOES sets you apart from competitors. Talk about what makes you different, a cut above.

...And there are 47 more. This may be straight out of the HQ playbook, but it is worth reading and using.

Inspiration, Diligence, Honor

Yeah, this is another non-fraternity piece, but please read it anyway - because it is a damn good story, it is recent, and it's about a basketball star at my school.

Chris Lofton has beaten the odds his entire life.

Click picture to enlarge with caption

One of the most prolific 3-point shooters in college basketball history, Lofton can still recite all of the things he supposedly wouldn't or couldn't do when he came out of Maysville, Ky., four years ago.

"Too short. Too slow. Not quick enough. Couldn't dribble well enough. Couldn't play defense," Lofton rolls off with his easy smile.

When it came time to pick a college, despite earning the prestigious Mr. Basketball honor in the state of Kentucky, Lofton was spurned by the two basketball powerhouses in that state -- Kentucky and Louisville.

Undaunted, Lofton headed south and carved out a record-setting career at Tennessee -- one that helped put the Vols back on the basketball map. The 6-foot-2 guard, who looks about as unassuming on the court as the team equipment manager until you see him shoot the ball, was in many ways the face of the Vols' renaissance in men's hoops. They won a school-record 31 games this past season, vaulted to No. 1 in the polls for the first time in school history and made their second straight Sweet 16 appearance.

It was truly a memorable career, one that Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl guarantees will someday lead to the retiring of Lofton's No. 5 jersey.

But Lofton's greatest conquest came off the court.

He beat cancer.

The three-time All-American, in an exclusive interview with ESPN.com, revealed for the first time publicly that he played his senior season at Tennessee after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his testicles in March 2007.

That's right. He played his senior year for a team that had a #1 ranking - and was a star player - while dealing with the effects of cancer surgery and chemotherapy. And almost no one knew about it.

Amazingly, Lofton went through the entire ordeal -- the surgery, radiation treatments, recovery and excruciating emotional distress -- with very few people knowing.

It's the way he wanted it. An intensely private person, he internalized everything and was hell-bent on nobody being able to make excuses for him.

Chris Lofton considered redshirting his senior season but returned for Tennessee's first No. 1 ranking and an upset of then-No. 1 Memphis.
[...]
It was a very tight circle of people who knew. That circle included Lofton's parents, the Tennessee coaches and medical staff and a handful of others.

The only teammate Lofton told was fellow senior guard Jordan Howell, and that was late in the season. Lofton and Howell roomed together on the road.
[...]
"It's the hardest thing I've ever had to go through, but I know now there's nothing out there I can't overcome," Lofton said. "I wanted to deal with it on my terms because I didn't want it being a distraction for our team. I knew if it came out, everything would change. I didn't want it that way."

Read the whole story at the link - you will be inspired:
ESPN - Tennessee's Lofton quietly faced and beat cancer - Men's College Basketball