Vigil Honors SigEp Student Killed in Crash

Vigil honors student | The East Carolinian:

Sigma Phi Epsilon held a candlelight vigil on Dec. 2 for fellow fraternity brother Edward Blake Tolley who died in a car accident on Friday, Nov. 29.
He died in a car accident Friday in Raleigh, according to President of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Clay Schools.

An article on WRAL stated that the driver of the vehicle, Logan Aronson, was traveling around 90 mph with Tolley in the passenger when he went off the road and hit three trees. Neither Aronson nor Tolley survived the wreck.

Schools said the fraternity is working together to deal with the loss.

“It’s sad, but having each other really helps to deal with that pain,” said Schools.

Tolley was also heavily involved in the fraternity, according to Alex Puente, a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon and close friend of Tolley’s.

“He was a fraternity man,” said Puente. “He took that seriously and he was involved in a lot of events we had.”

Puente said that Tolley was great person to have around.

“Blake was a really smart guy, full of jokes, a really witty guy,” said Puente. “He could talk to anybody about anything; that was the kind of guy he was.”

Tolley was also a model of school spirit, and he also appreciated vinyl records.

“He wore more purple than anyone ever did at any football game,” said Puente. “He had a record player and had almost 100 records.”

He was home visiting his family for Thanksgiving break when the crash occurred.

“He was a real family man he was always going home to see his family,” Puente said.

Tolley was a construction management major at ECU and was planning on working at a construction firm he interned for in Washington D.C. last summer.

“He had a whole career set out for him,” said Puente. “He knew what he was doing.”

This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinain.com.

By Ryan Clancy
December 3, 2013.
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Steve Hofstetter's Closing Words at SigEp Conclave 2013

After an hilarious hour and a half show at the SigEp Conclave in Dallas Grapevine TX, comedian Steve Hofstetter shared how proud he is to be a SigEp. This is the last 2 1/2 minutes of the show. #SigEpConclave



You can watch the full show again, or for the first time.
Go to http://stevehofstetter.com/conclave.cfm and answer a few "SigEp" questions (this one is 'just for us') .

This clip is family friendly, but the full show is definitely NSFW!

"Social Media Breakfast" - Riverwalk Cantina at Gaylord Texan

Once again the team from "Sanguine et Purpure" is having a breakfast gathering at Conclave. Come to the Riverwalk Cantina on Friday at 8:00 AM and look for the "Social Media Breakfast". Remember, breakfast is at your own expense.

We will be discussing how Social Media is affecting the way chapters recruit, communicate with each other (both internally and externally), the role of internet tools in mentoring, and how to become a "Virtual AVC".

As always, we hope to get good cross pollination, so come and bring stories of your chapter's successes and challenges using social media. We'll see you at Conclave!

#SigEpConclave is the 'official' hashtag for Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other apps that can use it.
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*Reservation Confirmation - Riverwalk Cantina at Gaylord Texan - "Thank you for your reservation at Riverwalk Cantina at Gaylord Texan. We are pleased to confirm the following:

Reservation Name:   Social Media Breakfast, THE POINT

Date: Friday, August 2, 2013
Time: 8:00 AM

David K. Spyke - Ohio University

It is always a sad day when we lose a brother.

OHIO: Compass | University mourns:

David Spyke

Photo courtesy of: Ohio University Information Technology

Ohio University is mourning the loss of 20-year-old undergraduate student David K. Spyke in a skateboarding accident.

According to a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Spyke was skateboarding with friends in Anderson Township, southeast of Cincinnati, when he crashed and struck his head late in the afternoon of Sunday, May 12. He was airlifted to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he died at 2:45 a.m. Monday, May 13.

"We are deeply saddened by such a sudden loss," said Vice President for Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi. "David was an active member of our community and had a great love for Ohio University.  We express our condolences to David's family and his friends."

Spyke, of Anchorage, Alaska, had just completed his sophomore year in Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in biological sciences. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

"David was one of my outstanding advisees," said Steve Reilly, professor of Biological Sciences. "He was a hardworking, organized and motivated student and had a bright future. This was a terrible loss. I know the Biological Sciences faculty and students are unanimous in sending our deepest sympathies to his family and friends."

At Ohio University, Spyke made the dean's list numerous times and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He was a Gateway Excellence Scholarship recipient whose goal was to become a neurological science researcher.

"David was a great guy who was very open minded," said junior Sigma Phi Epsilon member Matt Lewis. "He was one of my best friends and everyone went to him for advice. He was brilliant."A memorial service was held on Saturday, May 18 at Hillel at Ohio University.

"We hosted a memorial gathering for David on Saturday and I was impressed by the incredible outpouring of love and support from his family and friends," said Rabbi Danielle Leshaw of Hillel at Ohio University. "His parents were appreciative of everyone who showed up and it was an honor for us to host the ceremony."

Students in need of support can call Counseling and Psychological Services anytime at 740-593-1616 to speak with a counselor.

Donations in Spyke's honor can be made to the Brain Injury Association of America, Ohio University Foundation or The Sierra Club.

The family will host a memorial gathering from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, May 20 in Lyndhurst, Ohio, at the home of David's uncle Ben Spyke.


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KU SigEp 90th Anniversary Weekend Recap

Congratulations to KU SigEps on their 90th anniversary:


KU SigEp 90th Anniversary Weekend Recap from Justin Bond on Vimeo.

SigEp Student dies Friday of natural causes

The IL Nu Chapter (Eastern Illinois University) is in our thoughts and prayers today. A fine young man with what looked to be a great future has passed away without any warning or obvious reason. .
Student dies Friday of natural causes
By Samantha McDaniel and Tim Deters/Student Governance Editor and Managing Editor

Nick Allen

Eastern student Nick Allen was found dead Friday in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, 2103 12th St.

Allen, who was a sophomore pre-business management major, was found at the foot of his bed and pronounced dead at 11:53 a.m. Friday, Coles County Coroner Ed Schniers said.

The cause of death has not been determined but was not suspicious, Schniers said.

Schniers said Allen had a history of epilepsy.

While it is unknown whether epilepsy was a contributing factor to Allen’s death, Schniers said it is the most likely cause of death at this time.

A toxicology report has been ordered and will take six to eight weeks to return results.

Allen was vice president of membership development for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, vice president for public relations of the Interfraternity Council, a student senator and chairman of the University Enhancement Committee, and recently organized the annual Safety Walk to identify and address areas of safety concern on and off campus. Allen also served as Billy the Panther for the 2012-13 season.

Derek Collinsworth, the president of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, was a close friend of Allen and said he had a strong, respectable character.

“He was a very hard-working individual and always put others before himself,” Collinsworth said.

The death of Allen has hit many Sig Eps hard, Collinsworth said, but the outpouring of support from the Greek and Eastern communities as a whole has been reassuring and comforting.

Student Senate Speaker Mitch Gurick said Allen was a strong voice across multiple organizations in the campus community.

SigEp and Social Media, the story continues to grow.

Thanks to Michael Ellis, member of the SigEp Technology Task Force, for this post

5,000 Volunteers, actively engaged with our undergraduate chapters, filling every key role on our AVC boards.   WHAT?  Are you KIDDING ME?   So says the SigEp Strategic Plan of our goal to expand volunteerism in SigEp in dramatic new ways.  

We have no more than 2500 today.  To get to that level of volunteerism, we must change what we’ve been doing for the last 25+ years.   We must find new ways to engage volunteers and to match them with the chapters and undergraduates who need them.    Social Media can give us the tools to achieve that goal.  Let me explain.

Facebook, Twitter and yes, LinkedIn have each attracted their own unique followings.  Each system offers something interesting and useful for the community in each.   Many SigEps have signed up for all of these networks and find value in being a part of the unique communities that each of these networks has spawned.

Now comes a young upstart, Google+.   A new social network, a fledgling in a world dominated by Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter.  Where on earth would a new social network find a following?   What would be its niche?  And Google?  I mean, c’mon.....Google has tried and failed several times to invade Facebook’s space and they have always fallen flat on their virtual face.  Why would this time be any different?  What’s the case for people to use Google+ instead of Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn?   Where is the compelling function that will draw an audience?   What, exactly, is the problem we’re trying to solve for?  And for SigEp, why would our beloved fraternity want to invest precious resources in this new, potentially also-ran social network?  The answers to these questions take a bit of explanation, but the conclusions to be drawn are unmistakable.  

For most undergraduates, and some alumni, Facebook connects them with their families and their old friends.  It has the power of incumbency, which, especially in these particular months, we know to be very powerful indeed.  LinkedIn persists as the de facto winner in professional social networking.  People serious about their careers (and who isn’t?) use LinkedIn to build their professional networks with the hope of improving their employment and business prospects.  Many of the same people often look to Twitter as the mastermind of the “text message communication” medium, on topics that can command their immediate attention.  

SigEp finds itself reaching out, searching to use these profound new technologies in ways that are relevant to our purpose.  As is so often the case, breaking ground comes from the grassroots of our organization.  Thus our LinkedIn group grew to 14,000 members under the direct leadership of two dedicated volunteers (Bryce Giesler and Eric Chan).  Facebook was more obviously a choice for the national fraternity to sign on to and encourage, lead there by our youngest brothers.  Today, our Facebook presence generates hundreds of interactions every day.   Twitter as well extends to a large segment of our audience, helping us share important, pressing matters.  We reach large swaths of our stakeholders with these tools, with some significant overlap.