sigep journal

SigEp Ron Olson,Drake '63, left,

and Warren Buffetton the mound at

Fenway Park.

From chapterofficer to military officer:

Undergraduates serveour country,

page 15

Strategic plan setscourse for next decade,

page 37

Reflections on my 50-plusyears as a SigEp,

page 43

Sigma Phi EpsilonS PR I N G 2 01 0

page 24

From the Grand President

A place of hope, heart…and homeOne of my favorite stories has always been of the twinboys waiting in anticipation for Christmas morning.Both had begged their Dad for a pony. As money wasextremely tight, their Dad decided to give the onepony he could afford to his pessimistic son and saveda surprise for the optimist.

On Christmas morning he was shocked to hear groansand moans coming from the pessimist’s room. He openedthe door to see his son in tears staring at his new pony.“Dad” he cried, “this is terrible. Now that I have a ponyI have to spend every day shoveling horse manure.”

From the other son he heard nothing but laughter andshouts of joy. Knowing that he had filled the room withhorse manure, he was equally shocked to open the doorand see his other son jumping up and down with glee.“Dad,” he shouted, “isn’t this great? With all this horsemanure, there must be a pony somewhere!”

Last August…I started looking for that pony.

It’s no surprise that SigEp…just like every otherfamily in the country…was hit with the economic pie ofreality. In panic, some turned inward and focused onassessing blame and responsibility. Most SigEps, how-ever, stayed the course. They remembered our cardinalprinciples of Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love.And like their forefathers, they dug in and dug in deep.

Your National Board started by adopting a newStrategic Plan that had been spearheaded by Past GrandPresident Stephen B. Shanklin, Murray State ’70. ThePlan condensed the ideas and input of countless SigEpsand volunteers and sets our course for the future.

After months of review and discussion, we recruitedBrian C. Warren Jr., Virginia ’04, as our new executivedirector. Brian has already proven to be a smart, youngexecutive who has reviewed every program, analyzedevery expense and made some tough decisions so wecould retain our programming leadership position andactually increase the people resources we have in thefield serving our undergraduate brothers.

Brian, in turn, has recruited the most diverse RegionalDirector staff in our history…truly representative of ourbrotherhood. Their focus for the year has been aimeddirectly at serving our local chapters and volunteers…and their numbers have been increased.

Our Headquarters Staff has increased the emphasison communication…via methods in line with 2010. “Overcommunicate” is the HQ mantra, and it’s working.Operational and Financial Reports are being updated,simplified, and distributed on a regular basis outside the

walls of Z House. Conducting our business in transpar-ency is quickly becoming the norm.

To reinforce that point, your National Board now holdsmeetings open to all. Another first.

Of course, the most heartening reaction is the numberof brothers who responded to my national call for TaskForce volunteers. Today we have more volunteers thanever before offering both their opinions and hard workin developing and running programs on Diversity,Program Outcomes, Communications, Partnering withHigher Education, Sales, Academic Excellence, Awards& Recognition, Licensing & Sponsorships, NationalService Recognition, Leadership, Program Evaluation,Quest, Renaissance Brothers, Ritual, National ServiceLearning, Sound Body…to name just a few.

This Journal shares stories of great SigEps who havealso had to dig in. Whether it was to build a career, builda chapter, build an Alumni Board…or build a house…SigEps never give up. All of their stories give us hope…and heart. None perhaps more so than my friend JimWarsaw. What a great guy. And what an amazing SigEp.I have to say it again…what an amazing SigEp.

In each story, I know that you will be inspired to dig inas your brothers have dug, to serve as your brothershave served, to lead as your brothers have led.

I know that these past few years have been hard oneverybody. The economic pressures have hit us all. Itdoesn’t matter whether you are president of a company,president of a chapter, or president of an AVC…we’ve allfelt it. During these tough times, we are fortunate thatSigEp has always been a safe haven. A place of hope, andheart…and home.

And now that our house is in order, I would encourageyou to share our home with others. The son of your bestfriend, the kid who looked up to you in high school, thebuddy who moved away and went to another school.“Selling” SigEp to others is not a dirty word. “Sharing”SigEp is a gift you can easily give. Now is the time to givethat gift.

These past six months have been both interesting andinspirational. And I will forever be thankful that SigEpsdon’t give up…they dig in.

I hope that you too keep digging.

And that you too find a pony.

GARRY KIEFGrand President

Garry Kief, Southern

California ’70, is the

President and CEO of

STILETTO Entertainment, an

international entertainment

company that produces,

manages and markets

hundreds of concerts,

theatrical productions, TV

programs and live events

throughout the world. For

17 years, eight as president,

he has served as a trustee

of the Sigma Phi Epsilon

Educational Foundation.

In 1999 he was elected

to the National Board of

Directors. Kief received the

Sigma Phi Epsilon Citation

in 2005. While at USC, Kief

served as president of the

Class of 1970, and was

inducted into Knights

and Skull & Dagger. He

lives in Malibu.

Want to providefeedback to a

SigEp task force? [email protected] it will be forwardedto the Chairman forconsideration. Some ofthe 30 task forces notmentioned aboveinclude: Conclave, EDGE,District Governors,Volunteer Recruitment,and UndergraduateRecruitment. For acomplete list of taskforces and theirmembers, go towww.sigep.org/about/taskforces.asp

http://www.sigep.org/about/taskforces.asp

mailto:[email protected]

Ron Olson, Drake ’63, and fellowSigEp Walter Scott, Colorado State’53, serve on Berkshire Hathaway’sboard. Both have known andworked with Buffett for decadesand have an expansive view ofCorporate America. Story, page 24.PHOTO REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THEIOWA INDEPENDENT

2 CommentaryTen lessons on beinga balanced dad

6 WellnessChef Joe Jarvisspices it up atIllinois State

32 ServiceLearningThe Sigma PhiEpsilon Fellow

34 EducationalFoundationMemorial scholarshiphonors MatthewCosta Tips fromGeorgetown

The SigEp Journal

The SigEp JournalExecutive EditorBrian C. Warren Jr, Virginia ’04Managing EditorGay-Lynn CarpenterArt directionPropolis Design Group

2009-2011 National Boardof DirectorsGrand PresidentGarry C. Kief,Southern California ’70

Grand TreasurerChristopher L. Bittman,Colorado ’85

Grand SecretaryBert J. Harris III, Florida ’74National DirectorRichard W. Bennet III,Central Missouri ’74

National DirectorPhillip A. Cox, Indiana ’84National DirectorThomas B. Jelke,Florida International ’90

National DirectorBilly D. Maddalon,North Carolina State ’90

National DirectorShawn McKenna, Maine ’77Student National DirectorZach P. Barilleau,Louisiana State ’10

Deadlines for submitting articles or story ideas for theSigEp Journal come in the following weeks each year:Spring: February 1; Fall: July 1

The Journal welcomes all submissions. Decisions to publishmaterial we receive is based on the sole discretion of theeditorial staff.

Spring 2010 Issue • Volume 107, Number 2

www.sigep.org • (804) 353-1901

The SigEp Journal is published by Sigma Phi Epsilon,founded in 1901, for the undergraduates and

alumni of the Fraternity.

Student National DirectorMatthew B. Eisen, Yale ’10Student National DirectorAdam J. Motycka, Toledo ’10

Fraternity StaffExecutive DirectorBrian C. Warren Jr, Virginia ’04

Chapter OperationsChapter Services DirectorMichael D. Repasky, Ohio State ’08Regional DirectorsJordan Bronston, Minnesota ’09Mitch Goldrich, Lehigh ’09Michael Guentner,Western Michigan ’09

Greg Hogan, James Madison ’09Justin Kleiderer, Texas-Austin ’09Andrew Lemens, Drake ’08Sean Mittelman, Ohio State ’09Mark Nagel, Minnesota ’09J.D. Shoemaker, WPI, ’09Clayton Simons,Texas Christian ’09

Brady Wolfe, Drake ’09New Chapter Development DirectorRyan C. Dressler, Ohio State ’08Chapter Services AdministratorMorgan L. MaclinMembership CoordinatorDonna B. JarvisRisk Management DirectorKathryn E. JohnstonAdministrative CoordinatorKaren A. Simpson

ProgramsEvents DirectorStacy K. DudleyEvents and Programming CoordinatorKristen E. Reid

CommunicationsCommunications DirectorGay-Lynn CarpenterAdministrative CoordinatorJan R. Brammer

Finance and TechnologyFinance DirectorJulie W. RossFraternity AccountantSusan L. WilliamsTechnology and Facilities DirectorP. Sean Leahey, George Mason ’96

Alumni and VolunteersAlumni and Volunteer Services DirectorE. Scott Thompson II,Southern Mississippi '99

Volunteer Services ManagerThomas A. Standish IV,San Diego State '08

Research CoordinatorMindi Seidel-AdlerDatabase AdministratorTesa M. VonburgAdministrative CoordinatorDebbie H. Hunt

Educational FoundationTrusteesPresidentDonald W. Hudler, OhioWesleyan ’56

Vice President of ProgramsGarry C. Kief,Southern California ’70

Vice President of GrantsArthur J. Hurt III, Davidson ’88TreasurerMark W. Davis, Nebraska ’90SecretaryScott H. Bice,Southern California ’65

TrusteesScott A. Baxter, Buffalo State ’84Ryan M. Brennan,Truman State ’95

James L. Clayton, Tennessee ’57Jeffery L. Johnson, Colorado ’89Troy Queen, Florida ’96Doug Scheibe, Kansas State ’87Bobby S. Shackouls,Mississippi State ’72

William G. Tragos,Washington in St. Louis ’56

Educational Foundation StaffExecutive DirectorDouglas D. Scheibe,Kansas State ’87

Director of DevelopmentSean C. Cosgrove, Cincinnati ’05Director of Donor RelationsLaurie B. UrsinyGift and Grant AdministratorSusan A. Ilch

SigEp National Housing, LLCDirectorsPresidentJonathan J. Kucera, Virginia ’69Secretary-TreasurerBrian C. Warren Jr, Virginia ’04DirectorsClark H. Byrum Sr., Indiana ’57Timothy J. Harmon,Washington ’82

Bert J. Harris III, Florida ’74Kenneth S. Maddox,Oregon State ’75

Shawn McKenna, Maine ’77Murl R. Richardson Jr.,Texas A & M ’76

John D. Weir, Purdue ’01

SigEp National Housing, LLCManaging DirectorChristopher M. McCaw,Appalachian State ’03

Executive Assistant of Real EstateOperations

Charlotte StaplesAccountantMelia B. Hoyle

District Governors (by district)1: Brian P. Tahmoush, Miami ’902: David L. Middlemiss,

Syracuse ’913: Timothy R. Swift, Babson ’964: Todd R. Stanley, Rutgers '855: Edward E. Bishop,

Virginia Tech '736: Joseph W. Langella Jr.,

Connecticut ’83

ADVERTISING: Advertising is accepted in half page orfull page increments as space allows. Deadlines forartwork are as follows: Spring: December 1; Fall: August 1.For ad specifications, please email [email protected].

In this issue:

SigEp Stringers: the Journal field reportersSalvatore A. Moschelli,Lawrence Tech ’00

Erin Mullally, Michigan State ’99Patrick Murphrey,Christopher Newport ’05

Brian Rapien, Cincinnati ’10Will Robinson, Duke ’11Michael Selby,Eastern Michigan ’02

Brian Shawn, North Dakota ’02Ryan Sugden, Wisconsin ’06Kevin Teets, Tennesee-Martin ’06Trey Wydysh, Richmond ’07

Thomas Baudendistel,Cincinnati ’10

Steve Dorsey, American ’09Tim Forman, Oklahoma State ’08Jonathan B. Greenstein,Illinois State ’11

Joshua Gutierrez,Cal State-San Bernardino ’09

Richard Higham-Kessler, Emory ’09Thomas B. Jelke, Ph.D.,Florida International ’90

Benjamin Y. Lowe, Columbia ’01Kevin Lynch,Maryland-College Park ’08

Michael D. McDowell,Nevada-Reno ’03

7: Paul J. Miller, Thiel ’698: Dr. Ron S. Binder, Toledo '839: Andrew C. Land, Clemson '0410: Steven B. Chaneles,

Connecticut ’8311: Chad H. Carlson, Baylor ’9512: Gary W. Adkins, Morehead ’7413: Marcus P. Robinson,

Dayton ’9914: Salvatore A. Moschelli,

Lawrence Tech ’0015. David T. Bertorello,

Evansville ’8916: Bradley C. Nahrstadt,

Monmouth ’8917: David M. McLaughlin,

Minnesota ’9218: John W. Hartman,

Missouri ’6119: Jeffrey C. Gates,

Wichita State ’8920: Daniel W. McVeigh,

Texas Wesleyan ’9021: William H. McCausland,

Texas ’8322: Joseph A. Montana Jr,

Daemen ’9023: William C. Tucker,

Colorado ’8524: Steven R. Ruttner,

Washington ’7925: James Amen,

Cal State-Sacramento ’9626: David R. Calderon,

Cal-Poly Pomona ’88

C H A P T E R S

4 Red Door NotesTrine chapter housereplaces 100 year-oldspace Washburnpurchases new facility tohouse 28 men Ball Statededicates new facility

7 AcademicsResident Scholarperspective at Michigan

8 Phi Beta KappaWheelhouse

9 SigEpChampions

10 Varsity ScholarAthletesScholar Athlete focus:Stephen Lachky, KansasState ’11 and MichaelBertucci, Stevens Tech ’09

14 Chapter NewsSan Diego chapters raiseover $19,000 at beachsoccer competition

F E A T U R E S

SigEps mean business24 Two brothers serve with Warren Buffett on

Berkshire Hathaway boardBy BENJAMIN Y. LOWE, Columbia ’01

26 Author challenges corporations to be socially consciousBy RYAN SUGDEN, Wisconsin ’06

28 Banking on business journalism pays off for SigEpBy STEVE DORSEY, American ’09

29 On an international playing field, SigEp routinelyraises the gameBy TIMOTHY GAMES, Pennsylvania ’84

30 Rockett fuels business success with personalaccountabilityBy CHRIS MCCAW, Appalachian State ’03

2010 Fraternity Report37 Strategic plan sets course for next decade

By THOMAS B. JELKE, PH.D., Florida International ’90

39 Executive Director’s report: The year aheadBy BRIAN WARREN JR, Virginia ’04

42 Alumni News

SigEp tackles peakson each continent

48 In MemoriamOregon mournsWarsaw Accidentclaims young brother

D E P A R T M E N T SON

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http://www.sigep.org/about/contact.asp


2 SIGEP JOURNAL Spring 2010

Commentary

1959ConclaveattendeeremembersI read the diversity article with special interestsince I was a chapter delegate who voted forthe historic resolution to end discrimination inSigEp. One of my most prized possessions isthe memento given out at that Conclave inWashington, D.C. It has always had animportant place on my desk, and when I look atthe paperweight with the Fraternity letters,Statler Hilton, Capitol building, White Houseand Washington Monument engravings, itbrings back wonderful memories of thatoccasion and my entire SigEp experience.

Thanks for the memories!

JOHN F. USLICKYoungstown State ’61

SigEp all overthe internetPlug into a network,get videos andphotos, and followSigEps all over thecountry. Use yourfavorite form ofsocial media to keepup, weigh in, tradeideas, connect orjust reminisce.You’ve got 24/7access to connect toundergraduates,alumni, and friendsof SigEp’s extendedfamily. Join theconversation!

Facebookwww.facebook.com/sigmaphiepsilon

The SigEp Facebook pageprovides our brothers anopportunity to connecton the social networkingwebsite. Thousands ofbrothers have foundtheir way to the SigEppage on Facebook tohave discussions, postpictures, and meet orreconnect with brothersfrom around the country.

Twitterwww.twitter.com/officialsigep

Follow SigEp on Twitterto find out what yourFraternity is doing inshort, manageable bits.Follow us @officialsigep,where you will get thelatest on news, events,and websiteenhancements.

YouTubewww.youtube.com/sigepfraternity

Click to the SigEpChannel on YouTube toview, post, and shareSigEp videos.

“Talent hits a target noone else can hit; geniushits a target no one elsecan see.”

Shower card helps brothercatch cancer in timeI’m contacting SigEp to send a big thank you!I just wanted to say thank you for sending outthe self-exam shower cards for testicularcancer when I was an undergrad. Because ofthat silly card, I am here today! When I wasin school, I thought those cards were ridicu-lous. I said, “who would put that card in theirshower, and more so, who takes that serious.”

Without realizing it, I learned to do self-exams while in the shower. Because of thatfact, I discovered my testis cancer on 12/4/2009.I was diagnosed 12/18/09 with a Stage 1A pure

seminoma. As of2/1/10, I am still “Allclear” and on theroad to recovery!I’d like to think thatsilly little cardsaved my life.

Please keepsending out thosecards! Even thoughthey might not get

used in the shower or thrown away, I thinkthey imprint a lasting knowledge to yourmemory. My new goal in life is to educateyoung men and men up to 40 to do self-examsand not wait until it might become a moreserious issue. Thank you again SigEp!Fraternally yours,

MICHAEL BAROZZINI,Georgia Southern ’03

The American Institute

for Preventive Medicine

offers testicular self-

exam shower cards for

$1.99 each. Go to

www.healthylife.com,

select the Products

tab, and then select

“shower cards.”

Diversity article piques interestwith Greek advisorI just wanted to letyou know that Ireceived the SigEpJournal today andwas very impressedwith the issue, inparticular, the articleon SigEp’s diversity.I’ve accessed youronline PDF versionand have pulled thatarticle to share withthe chapters on mycampus who continueto struggle with theconcept of diversity

and how to breaktheir mold. Justwanted to let youknow I thought thiswas a great issueand to keep up thegood work.

MATT HUNTCoordinator ofFraternity & SororityLife, Arizona StateUniversity; Member& Past Staff ofPi Kappa Phi

Please send comments or letters to the editor [email protected], or mail to SigEpHeadquarters, 310 S. Boulevard, Richmond VA23220. Decisions to publish material we receive isbased on the sole discretion of the editorial staff.

Flickrwww.flickr.com/groups/sigmaphiepsilon

Looking for a place topost and see photosof SigEps everywhere?The SigEp Flickr pageis for you.

LinkedInwww.linkedin.com/e/gis/36627

Connect with thousandsof brothers though theSigEp LinkedIn group.Exchange information,ideas and opportunitiesand make connectionswith other SigEp alumniusing the professionalnetworking website.

~ ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER


http://www.healthylife.com


http://www.sigep.org/social-media.asp

3COMMENTARY

Ten lessons learned on being a ‘balanced dad’By JEFF PROUTY, Iowa State ‘79

The Human PerformanceInstitute in Orlando, Fla.,speaks in terms of balancing

the mental, physical, spiritual andemotional pieces of life. That’s how Itry to “stretch” clients in the strategicplanning of their businesses and boards.How are you doing at emphasizing eachof these components of your kids’ lives?

Grandpa’s Book of Rules.Rules and guidelines for raisingyour kids, your grandkids and

maybe your neighbor’s kids were givento me by my own dad, who wrote sucha book about 10 years ago. One of hismantras: Teach your kids how to plantand grow tomatoes. There will betremendous learning about “nurturing.”

Thank God it’s Monday. InRoxanne Emmerich’s recentlyreleased book, she talks about

the importance of “being unstressed.”Thirty-four percent of kids wish theirparents were less stressed out. Howare you doing on the stress index?

The Cheryl Tiegs Approach.I read that Cheryl Tiegs gaveher kids a monthly allowance

equal to four times their age. A 10-yearold would get a $40 monthly allowance.I always give the kids their allowanceon the first of each month in an envelopewith a note that asks: “How do youintend to save, spend, share” thismonth’s allowance?

Half and Half. In a world wherehalf of us are dieting and halfare starving, according to a

quote in Forbes magazine, are youinspiring your kids to think about theirrole in the world? How can they makethe world a better place? What are youdoing to show them the way?

Dreams. Are you inspiringyour kids to chase theirdreams, or inspiring them to

chase your dreams? Are you inspiringthem to think about big goals, andinspiring them to fully utilize all theirpotential? Do you know what their goalsare—for today, this week, this year, thisdecade, this lifetime?

Ask. Do you ask your kids forfeedback? I often use a “keep,stop, start” exercise with clients.

Try this with your kids sometime. “Dad,you could be an even better dad if youkeep doing, stop doing, start doing?” Ithink you’ll get some fun, and fascinating,feedback. (You’ll probably hear you’re the“meanest dad in the world” and “the bestdad in the world.”)

The Whole Truth and NothingBut the Truth. I’m intrigued byfootball coaches who say: “It’s

not a penalty unless you get caught.” Howcan you dispel that notion—and anythinglike it—for your kids? Teaching, modelingand integrity have never been moreimportant.

The Surprise. As I reflect onwhat my parents did so well,part of it was “the surprise.”

They would show up at my kids’ LeagueBaseball game at 1 p.m. (taking time awayfrom their jobs) to my amazement. Atthe time, I appreciated it. Forty yearslater, I really appreciate it.

If You Ever Want to Talk.I recently read about theexecutive who said to his kids,

“If you ever want to talk, I will stop whatI’m doing to talk with you.” Stop readingthe newspaper, stop talking to clientswhile watching a soccer game, stopworking on your pet project at home totalk with your kids. Tough to do, but theright thing to do.

Our kids are 11 and 8, so I’m stilllearning about being a “balanced dad.”If you have any “dadhood” wisdom forme—whether it’s around your own kidsand grandkids, or nieces, nephews,foreign exchange students—please shareit with me. If all the dads in the worldwere focused on being better dads—building balanced kids—I do think theworld would be an even better place.

We’d be better dads. We’d be betterbusiness leaders.

Send your comments on Brother Prouty’sessay to [email protected] and they will beforwarded to him.

Originally published in the MinneapolisStar Tribune, June 16, 2009

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10.I have spent the past 14 years on the national boardof directors for Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Withover 150,000 members around the world and 250chapters on university campuses, SigEp is thelargest fraternity in the world.

Our mission: Building balanced men.I had to miss the May board meeting in Los

Angeles, and told one of the board members thatI was trying to be a “balanced dad.” That, he said,was an interesting concept, and the impetus forsharing my thoughts with others.

As I reflect on my dad, my kids, clients and otherpeople’s kid-raising efforts, here are 10 things I’velearned about trying to be a “balanced dad:”

“Are youinspiringyour kidsto thinkabouttheir rolein theworld?”

BJO

RN

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Above: Formal living area shows off thebirch built-in display case.

Left: The newly purchased facility canhouse 28 men.

Red Door NotesThe red door on SigEp chapter houses started at Syracuse University in 1928.While not the only factor in a high performing chapter, well appointed chapterfacilities establish the foundation for creating the right experience throughefforts like the Balanced Man Program and Residential Learning Communities.

Indiana Theta—Trine University

SigEp opened itsstate-of-the-art $1.2million learningcenter with capacityfor 22 men and 10,655square feet of livingspace in January 2009.

It has a full basementwith laundry facilitiesand ample outdoorspace including abeach volleyball court.The L-shaped designfaces the heart of the

campus prominentlydisplaying the reddoors for all to see.The stone-frontfacility replaces a100-year-oldfraternity house.

An importanttradition carried overto the new house is acommercial kitchenwith a cook. Brotherseat home-cookedmeals together whichbuilds brotherhoodand unity. The cook,Sharon Wrecker (aka“Mom”), has beenwith the chapter forover 20 years.

The centrally locatedchapter roomincludes one of theonly remainingartifacts from theoriginal house - thewood and glass frontdoor. On display arethe chapter’s artifactsincluding the 1968charter and a custom-made glass Sigma PhiEpsilon crest.

Red doors capped by the pearl encrusted heart welcome all who visit SigEp at Trine.

Set in stone: the one-of-a-kind marble Balanced Man logograces the foyer of Trine’s new house.

During constructionin 2008, brothersdecided to implementthe Balanced ManProgram in thechapter. A one-of-a-kind marble BalancedMan logo foyer floorreminds everyonewho enters of theBalanced Man Ideal.

The Alumni andVolunteer Corpora-tion authorized amanagementagreement with the

university to handlebilling functions,removing that fromthe chapter andeliminating bad debt.

Jeff Haskins, Trine’78, sums up thechapter nowproperly reflected bythe house: “Throughthese halls walksome of the finestmen on campus—thebrothers of SigmaPhi Epsilon.”

Kansas Delta—Washburn University

The Washburnchapter moved into anew chapter facilityfor the first timesince 1980. Theformer facility hadbeen a halfway housethat failed to meet thefire code. Chapterofficers and volun-teers determined thatit would be more costeffective to move to anew facility thanmaintain theprevious one.

A handful of KansasDelta alumni whohave risen toprominence in theTopeka businesscommunity pur-chased the house

trophies and awardsearned by the chapterover the years.

Multiple rooms allowfor dedicatedacademic space. Thesecond floor studyroom, with a wirelessInternet router, isdesigned for groupand individual studysessions and providesan excellent learningenvironment for itsmembers.

from Kappa AlphaTheta Sorority.

The two-storychapter facilityboasts 14 residentialrooms with enoughspace for 28 live-inmembers, a studyroom, an apartmentwhich could be usedfor a resident scholaror chapter guests, afull kitchen, formalliving and diningroom, a brotherhoodroom, and a meetingroom.

DistinguishedAlumnus RogerVanHoozer, ’72,donated a solid birchtrophy case to displaythe numerous

5RED DOOR NOTES

Last October, more than 300 undergraduatemembers, alumni and friends marked thededication of Ball State’s newly completed$3.1 million SigEp residence on fraternityrow, two blocks from the campus. The18,500-square-foot, three-story facility houses45 men and was designed to compete withnew housing facilities under constructionby the university.

The second and third floors feature 10double residence rooms, which are 210 squarefeet or more. A study lounge and social loungeare located on each floor. Decentralized bathand shower facilities and decentralized heatingand cooling provide key improvements overliving quarters in the previous house.

New amenities include a classroom for25, faculty office, handicapped accessibleresident room, and dining room for 60. Otherfirst floor features include a large entryfoyer/lounge, a formal living room, kitchen,breakfast bar and large outdoor deck.

The basement includes the traditionalrecreation room, chapter room, and laundryroom. It has a house director’s suite andfitness room. Wireless internet serviceand cable television are providedto all rooms and throughoutthe house.

The Alumni and VolunteerCorporation, under the leader-ship of Dan Van Treese ’66,realized the need for a newresidence in 1999. A committeeappointed to study alternativesfor the house renovation fundrecommended construction of anew house. Scholer Corporation was retainedto design the new facility. Steve Goffinet, ’80,was designated lead architect by the firm. Analumni committee conducted the five-yearGenesis Campaign to raise funds for theproject. Under the leadership of campaign

Ball State’s new facility designed tocompete with university housingBy DON PARK, Ball State ’61

From top: The chapter house exteriorfeatures clean lines, beautifullandscaping, and of course, the signatureSigEp red door. Residence rooms arespacious and well-designed. A beautifullyappointed, new formal living room on theground floor displays the numeroustrophies and Buchanan cups Ball Statehas won over the years. Brothers enjoy agame of ping-pong in the basementchapter room. Above: the dining roomseats 60 brothers and guests.

chair Kent “Oz” Nelson, ’59, more than 310Indiana Gamma alumni have contributed$1,445,000 to date.

The project broke ground in 2007 and con-struction began in 2008. The modern facilitywas completed 12 months later in August 2009,just in time for the fall 2009 semester.

Much of the credit for the success of theproject goes to themore than 40 alumnivolunteers whoserved on planningand fundraisingcommittees duringthe 10-year period.These volunteersprovided organiza-tional and financialstability that made itpossible to receive amortgage guarantyfrom the university,an instrumentalfactor in the finalfinancing of theproject.

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Wellness

Chef helps chapter sink its teethinto Sound Mind and Sound BodyBy RICHARD HIGHAM-KESSLER, Emory ’09

When Chef Joe Jarvis cooks breakfast in theSigEp house at Illinois State, he likes to add asecret ingredient to his made-to-order eggs andwhole wheat toast: a pull-up challenge. Jarvis,who is both a chef and a licensed personaltrainer, has added the friendly trial to the SoundMind and Sound Body innovations the chapterhas implemented over the past year.

Brothers are welcome to decline the morn-ing pull-ups of course, but Jarvis likes toencourage those interested in improving theirhealth. “They want to do well physically, andto do so, you’ve got to push yourself,” saidJarvis. “Guys may not want to work out thatday or might say they can’t do this or that, butthey all want to live healthily,” he said.

man chapter accom-pany Jarvis everymorning to the gymwhile other brothersuse the pull-up barand barbells Jarvisstationed in thecommon areas. But,Traynor also pointsout that, “We don’tjust focus on work-outs. We give outmonthly tips on howto relieve stress andreview healthy habitsat chapter everymonth.”

Between theadvice provided atchapter meetings andthe individual atten-tion Jarvis provides,the chapter hasbecome noticeablyhealthier. AndrewViola ’12, says thathe’s benefited tre-mendously fromliving with his broth-ers. “When ChefJarvis took me underhis wing, I weighed239 pounds. Almost ayear later, I weigh alean 187 pounds. Hedefinitely motivatedme to work out and toeat healthy food.”

Viola was inter-ested in a healthylifestyle beforemeeting Jarvis, but hefound forminghealthy habits diffi-cult. “Last year when Itried to lift, there wasno one to lift with, andso I just wouldn’t do it.But he gets on me,

and I’m in the bestshape of my life.”

Traynor reports asimilar experience:“I’ve always been ahealthy kid…but I’velearned a lot moreabout the idea ofSound Mind andSound Body. It willdefinitely help meprosper as a person.”

While exercise isvital, nutrition isequally important.When Jarvis plansmeals for the month,he weighs the foodgroups, nutritionalvalue, and popularityof every meal. Helikes to provide avaried menu, but hehas three strict rules:

For the most part,the meals are whatthe brothers want.But Jarvis has param-eters, “I set my mealsup as a protein, astarch, a vegetable,soup and salad andalso a dessert. Butdessert doesn’t haveto be unhealthy. Itcan be a parfait orJell-O® with fruit.”

With this philoso-phy, Jarvis hasmanaged to keepmembers coming tothe table for more.Traynor says of hisfavorite meal, “ChefJarvis’ ribs are fall-off-the-bonedelicious,” and henotes that Jarvisusually serves themwith mashed pota-toes, corn, a soup ofsome sort, and twotypes of salad.

Another chapterfavorite is Jarvis’steak served with

sweet potatoes, corn,salads, and blueberrymuffins for dessert.The most popularmeal, however, issomething Jarviscalls ‘the jerk sand-wich.’ Two over-easyeggs with thinlysliced steak andcheddar cheese on

an onion roll, Jarvissays, “We call itthe jerk sandwichbecause you look likea jerk when you’reeating it. That’s howmessy it is, but theguys love it.”

While Jarvisenjoys instilling ahealthy lifestyle inthe SigEps by chang-ing the brothers’habits, he also an-swers any questionsthe brothers haveabout leading ahealthy lifestyle.“The guys will askme questions all thetime about differentworkout routines,how to lose weight,how to gain weight,and so on,” says Jarvis.

Beyond theSigEp’s interest inthe details of dietand exercise, how-ever, one thing seemsclear to him. Thebrothers are genu-inely interested inmaking themselvesbetter throughSound Mind andSound Body activities.Says Jarvis, “Youcan really tell thedifference betweenSigEp and the otherfraternities.”

A chapter favorite, the Jerk Sandy is thinly sliced ovenroasted beef, cheddar cheese, two eggs over easy, allon an onion roll. It earned the name because of howmessy it is to eat.

Chef Jarvis’ Ribs recipe

Jimmy Dean® all pork ribs

Sprinkle generously with Lawry’s®

seasoning salt, granulated garlic, oreganoand pepper

Cover with pineapple juice, marinate for atleast 24 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 350º F. Place ribs in a4 inch-deep pan, fill 1/4 way with water,1/8 way with pineapple juice, wrap withplastic and foil, slow cook for 4 hours.

Let the ribs cool to room temperature.

Grill off and baste with Sweet Baby Rays®

barbecue sauce or your favorite.

Serve with baked potato bar, soup, salad& fresh fruit

Chapter PresidentWill Traynor, IllinoisState ’12, said thatsince Jarvis begancooking for thechapter late lastspring, a Sound Mindand Sound Bodyethos has settled overthe chapter. Five to 10brothers of the 40-

1. He never serves processed foods,choosing for example, to grind hisown meat and cut his own steaks.

He never serves soda in the kitchen.

He never fries food. “I won’t fryfoods, ever. I don’t care if everybodyin the chapter wants it.”

2.

3.

Chef Jarvis’ three rules

Chef Joe Jarvis and brotherAndrew Viola ’12, doing theirworkout. Viola is benching405 lbs.

7ACADEMICS

Academics

Resident scholar perspective

Time invested adds real value to the SigEp experienceBy JAMES P. BARBER, Grand Valley State ’95

My doctoral work inhigher educationbrought me to Michi-gan, and I contactedthe local Alumni andVolunteer Corpora-tion (AVC) about theresident scholarposition. Armed withthe desire to invest

my time and knowing my full schedule as agraduate student, I had to be intentional aboutthat investment.

Looking back on the last five years I haveserved as a resident scholar, I want to sharemy time investment strategy, a three-prongedapproach that includes one-on-one attention,recognition and outreach. The residentscholar role can vary greatly depending onthe chapter (manpower, BMP or pledge-model,etc.). However, I think some measure of thesethree elements can position the residentscholar to add value in most any SigEp chapter.

1. Individual student attentionGetting to know each brother and finding outhow I could help was my top priority. I spentmost of my time in one-on-one conversationswith members. I had a 30-minute meeting witheach new member to learn where he grew up,his academic interests, and why he choseMichigan and SigEp. I also explained my roleto them. If a brother did not achieve thechapter standard GPA of 2.7, I worked withhim to develop an academic plan. I mentoredbrothers about academic applications, intern-ships, and resume reviews. It took time tobuild trust and demonstrate how I could help.I consistently held four “office” hours a weekin the main chapter room. Eventually, broth-ers began to drop in, looking for help.

2. Recognizing achievementRecognition can be a powerful tool. “Encour-aging the heart,” as Kouzes and Posner wouldsay, is the way to acknowledge hard work. Iregularly recognized individual brothers andthe whole chapter. Every semester I presentedcertificates at the full chapter meeting tobrothers who met the Phi Beta Kappa Wheel-house threshold of a 3.15 GPA. This alsoserved to remind the chapter about SigEp’sacademic standards. If the chapter achieved a3.15 GPA, the AVC sponsored a pizza partyduring the chapter meeting. I also took advan-tage of the academic awards offered byHeadquarters and ensured the Dubach Scroll(most improved GPA) and Scott Key (highest

Better experience, expandedSigEp connections

My time as resident scholar was not anidyllic experience, but the rewards far out-weighed the challenges. I enjoyed thementoring experience and had a clear sensethat I was adding value to deepen the SigEpexperience for the men in the chapter. Theexperience was invaluable to me as well. Thestipend and meal plan funded by the AVCwere helpful to a full-time graduate student,and I developed skills (supervision, teaching,etc.) that I now take to the next stage in mycareer. Above all, I gained a new group ofSigEp connections to build on the positiveexperience I had as an undergrad brother.

Left to right: Michigan Seniors Alex Prosperi, Chris Roberts, Kyle Wagner, author Jim Barber, Brendon Barnwell, andAndrew Hermatz. These are just a few of the brothers Barber helped academically in his five years of service.

The resident scholar is aperson who offers ongoing

academic advising, career counseling,and mentoring in the chapter home,and is a unique asset to SigEp. If yourchapter is interested in learning more,or wants to share resources about theSigEp Resident Scholar program,contact me at [email protected] you are interested in becoming aresident scholar, contact JanBrammer, [email protected] more information.

GPA) were awarded each semester or year.Quick e-mails to brothers to congratulatethem on a campus leadership position oran article in the school newspaper hadmeaningful impact.

3. Building networksI built relationships within and on behalf ofthe chapter. I sent an e-mail to each newmember’s family after meeting with him, tointroduce myself and explain the residentscholar’s role in SigEp. Most parents werepleasantly surprised to find this kind ofacademic support in the Fraternity. I reachedout to other alums to talk to the chapter abouttheir careers. I met regularly with the campusfraternity/sorority advisor to see how thechapter was performing from his perspective.

http://www.sigep.org/residentscholars/default.asp

mailto://[email protected]



* All GPAs rounded to the nearest hundredth percent

Doing themath*

128 of 229chapters reportinghave a GPA above3.00 (56%)

82 of 229chaptersreporting earneda 3.15 GPA orhigher (36%)

54 of 188chapters reportingare #1 on campus(29%)

13 of 229chapters reportinghave a GPA below2.60 (6%)

3.22 All-RLCMember GPA (34chapters)

3.11 All-BMPMember GPA (181chapters)

2.98 All-Pledging ModelGPA (48 chapters)

92 of 176chapters reportinghave a GPA abovethe All-CampusAverage (52%)

Phi Beta Kappa Wheelhouse

Key: 3.5 GPA Phi Beta Kappa Standard*Residential Learning CommunityItalics Denotes a Sigma Epsilon chapter2010 SigEp Champion

SCHOOL NAME SPRING ’09 CHAPTER 2009GPA RANK MANPOWER

1. Yale 3.70 n/a 832. Northwestern 3.55 2/16 773. Rochester 3.55 n/a 514. Duke 3.55 1/14 685. Dartmouth 3.53 1/14 1046. Georgetown 3.50 n/a 687. Washington in St. Louis 3.47 4/12 908. Columbia 3.44 6/21 629. Indiana* 3.44 1/35 103

10. Washington and Lee 3.43 1/14 2611. Minnesota* 3.43 1/26 6312. Maine* 3.42 1/16 7113. Drake* 3.41 1/8 9914. Chicago 3.40 n/a 3415. Washington 3.40 3/31 6116. Richmond 3.40 n/a 7017. Bucknell 3.39 5/12 9118. Southern Methodist* 3.39 1/9 8819. Stevens Tech* 3.38 1/9 7620. Nebraska* 3.38 n/a 12121. Ohio State* 3.38 1/31 124

22. Emory 3.37 5/15 2823. Valparaiso* 3.36 n/a 6624. American 3.35 2/10 6125. Lawrence 3.33 1/5 2926. Illinois* 3.33 4/48 16727. Clarion of Penn 3.33 1/4 1528. Murray State 3.32 1/13 7829. Tufts 3.32 n/a 6330. Texas-Austin 3.32 1/24 17231. Oklahoma State* 3.32 3/20 9432. Washburn* 3.31 2/4 2933. Maryland-College Park* 3.31 2/24 7034. Michigan 3.31 4/28 9335. Miami (Florida) 3.30 5/12 8136. Georgia 3.30 4/26 12837. Texas Christian 3.30 2/10 13338. Florida 3.29 12/25 13539. Toledo* 3.29 1/10 8140. Nebraska-Omaha 3.28 n/a 4041. Lehigh* 3.28 1/17 7242. WPI 3.27 n/a 6843. Johns Hopkins 3.27 3/11 8244. Washington 3.27 13/21 6145. Nebraska-Kearney 3.27 n/a 5646. Creighton 3.26 4/5 6647. Babson 3.26 _ 5148. Pepperdine 3.25 n/a 5049. Loyola Marymount 3.25 1/6 10250. Pennsylvania 3.25 25/30 5051. MIT 3.25 24/26 2752. Villanova 3.24 2/10 7453. George Washington 3.23 5/15 10554. Memphis* 3.23 n/a 5855. St. Louis 3.20 3/11 11056. Michigan State 3.20 4/24 7657. South Dakota State 3.20 n/a 4158. Oregon State* 3.20 1/22 9359. Miami (Ohio)* 3.19 2/26 11860. San Diego State 3.19 1/12 11361. Case Western Reserve 3.19 12/18 4762. Stetson* 3.18 1/6 3763. Davidson 3.18 1/9 7964. Iowa State* 3.18 4/27 6065. Wisconsin-Platteville* 3.18 1/8 3166. Bradley 3.18 3/14 6267. Rutgers 3.18 5/29 5668. Denison 3.17 3/6 4269. Moravian 3.17 n/a 3270. North Carolina-Charlotte 3.17 1/12 1571. Cincinnati* 3.17 2/18 9672. Southern California 3.17 17/22 5773. Drexel 3.17 3/11 7774. Louisiana State 3.17 2/22 11275. Tulane 3.16 2/11 8176. UCLA 3.16 13/20 9677. Delaware 3.16 n/a 9878. Truman State 3.16 3/14 6579. Rider 3.16 _ 4680. Colorado 3.16 3/15 12981. Southeast Missouri State* 3.15 1/8 10182. California-Berkeley 3.15 n/a 63

Spring ’09 GPA for 229 chapters reporting: 3.08

GPA progress byacademic year

3.08!

Eighty-two chapters earn Phi BetaKappa Wheelhouse for spring 2009The spring 2009 academic report reveals a 3.08 national member GPA based on 229 or 95% ofchapters reporting by February 19, 2010. Eighty two chapters or 36% earned their way into thePhi Beta Kappa Wheelhouse.

The accomplishment ties the record number of chapters in the Phi Beta Kappa Wheelhouse,82 from spring 2008. It also ties our record high spring 2008 with a 3.08. Ninety-two chaptersreporting their grades ranked above the all-campus average. Over 50% of our chapters reportingtheir ACA are recruiting and developing men that exceed the university standards.

The 2009 Grand Chapter Conclave saw the adoption of two resolutions aimed at setting newacademic standards for SigEp members and chapters. These resolutions have increased theGPA standard for membership from 2.4 to 2.6 by fall 2011. SigEp will also require chapters toachieve a GPA at or above their local campus all-men’s GPA, or 2.6, whichever is greater, byspring 2013. By raising the bar for chapter and member academic performance, SigEp willadvance its academic goals and remain the academic leader in the fraternal world.

Spring ’09 avg.

Don’t see your chapter listed? Please verify and e-mail your chapter’s official campus grade report or acompleted Academic Verification to [email protected]. This form is available at www.sigep.org/documents/academic-verification.pdf.

http://www.sigep.org/documents/academic-verification.pdf




9SOUND MIND AND SOUND BODY

“Physicalfitness is notonly one ofthe mostimportantkeys to ahealthy body,it is the basisof dynamicand creativeintellectualactivity.”

~ JOHN F. KENNEDY

1. Arkansas Tech2. Ball State3. Barton4. Christopher Newport5. Colorado State6. Central Arkansas7. Drake*8. East Carolina9. Elon

10. Evansville11. James Madison12. Lawrence Tech13. Michigan14. Missouri State*15. Morehead State16. Nevada-Reno

Current Intramural Champions

SigEp Champions

279 intramuralchampion chapters areamong the 82 chaptersin the Phi Beta KappaWheelhouse

5 Residential LearningCommunities are PBKWheelhouse chaptersand intramuralchampions

Clarion takes the “Road to Richmond”By JONATHAN GREENSTEIN, Illinois State ’11

Three hundred and eighty miles separateClarion SEC in Clarion, Pa., and Sigma PhiEpsilon Headquarters in Richmond, Va.Last February, Clarion began a new SoundMind and Sound Body activity called “TheRoad to Richmond.”

The Road to Richmond converts SoundMind and Sound Body events and activitiesas well as brotherhood events into miles. Theidea is to “travel the distance” from Clarionto Richmond. The men track their miles on achart and convert activities such as weightlifting, yoga, and boxing into miles. The menhave created a large table that converts allcommon activities into miles. For example,working out for an hour is equivalent totraveling three-fourths of a mile. To concludetheir journey, brothers must earn 80 milesthrough studying. Each hour of study is worthone half of a mile.

Working out in the gym is where mostbrothers try to add distance to their total.Brandon Cousins, ’10, said, “It is very motivat-ing to wake up in the morning and see seven oreight brothers in the gym. We are all workingtogether toward the same goal and building astronger brotherhood at the same time.”

The men work to incorporate brotherhoodinto the activity through the Brother MentorProgram. Before the journey, brothers formedgroups of three. These groups consisted ofbrother mentees working with their brothermentor. Ideally, the men hope to build astronger brotherhood by progressing to-gether throughout the journey. RegionalDirector Michael Guentner has offered totake the team who finishes first on a trip tovisit Richmond and tour Zollinger House.

The program was formed after the Clarionexecutive board had discussions with theirBalanced Man Steward about how to empha-size Sound Mind and Sound Body practice.

The chapter felt it focused mostly on recruit-ment and not enough on other core areas.Now, Clarion members are taking theirBalanced Man practice to the next level, onemile at a time.

Road to Richmond winners from left: Dustin McElhattan, ’09,Ben Sturtz, ’11, and Greg Goreczny, ’12.

17. Northern Iowa18. Ohio State*19. Oregon State*20. Quinnipiac21. San Diego State22. Southeast Missouri

State*23. Southern Mississippi24. Trine University25. Truman State26. Tufts27. Washburn*

Key: Phi Beta KappaWheelhouse chapter*Residential LearningCommunityItalics Denotes a SigmaEpsilon chapter

27 chapters crownedmid-season intramuralchampion on their campusThe following chapters reported they were ranked Number 1 in theirrespective intramural league by March 1, 2010. This mid-seasonranking provides a snapshot of which chapters dominated theircompetition. Schools in red also have reached the Phi Beta KappaWheelhouse for spring ’09 (see page 8). These chapters have madethe commitment to Sound Mind and Sound Body and our cardinalprinciples through their virtuous and diligent pursuit of perfectionin the classroom and on the field. See your school on the list?

Good form…

…brothers stretch on the plaza atRosen Shingle Creek after their 5Krun at Conclave. Stretching before

and after your workout helps reducesoreness and build core strength.


Varsity Scholar Athletes

BALDWIN-WALLACE

Winning All-OhioAthletic Conferencehonorable mentionfor the 13-7 soccersquad was midfielderAndy Synk, ’10, whostarted every game.Joining him on theteam was Jim Synk,’10, who started 20contests.

CHRISTOPHERNEWPORT

Tight end EricCurtis, ’10, saw actionin five contests forthe football squad.

CLARKSON

Defenseman MattKonecnik, ’12, sawstarting duty for thesoccer team.

CORNELL

After playing tightend last season, DanKonzelmann, ’11,saw action on theoffensive line for theschool’s 4-3 sprintfootball team. Alsoon the roster wasrunning back AndrewPicciano, ’10.

DARTMOUTH

Two SigEps were keyrunners on the cross-country squad.Co-captain Alex Hall,’10, finished 26th atthe 8K Heptagonals(26:18.3) and was 45th

(out of 244 runners)at the NCAA North-east 10K regional

(32:51). KevinTreadway, ’10, had atime of 25:39 at the 8KPre-Nationals meetand was 22nd (26:10.9)at the Heptagonals.

DELAWARE

Cross-countryrunner Richie Pisan,’12, had a best time of27:16.1 at the JMUOpen. West Chesterhead football coachBill Zwaan, Delaware,’76, led his team to a7-4 record and a thirdstraight ECACDivision II Team ofthe Year Award.

DENISON

Defensive end DrewHanna, ’10, posted 29tackles and defensiveback Will Doss, ’10,was in on 18 stops forhead coach NickFletcher, JohnsHopkins, ’76. The 12-5-3 soccer team wentto the NCAA playoffsas defenseman MattKepler, ’12, started 19games. Also seeingaction were BenSopp, ’10, TylerDolance, ’11, JustinAllan, ’12, and GregConner, ’11.

DRAKE

Offensive tackleAndrew Keller, ’11,saw action for thefootball squad andtackle Zach Lozier,’12, was named

defensive scout teamPlayer of the Year.

EASTERN ILLINOIS

Charles Graves, ’10,was the footballteam’s third-leadingreceiver with 24receptions for 333yards and threetouchdowns.

FLORIDAINTERNATIONAL

Seeing action for thesoccer team wasmidfielder FernandoPinheiro, ’12.

FRESNO STATE

Earning All-Ameri-can honors andleading the NCAAwith 150.67 rushingyards per game wasRyan Mathews, ’11. Heran for 1,808 yards on276 carries, scored 114points on 19 touch-downs and rankedeighth nationally with9.50 points per game.A Doak WalkerAward Semi-Finalist,he set a WesternAthletic Conferencerecord for most 100yard games in aseason (11, including234 versus Boise Stateand 233 against SanJose State) and playedin the New MexicoBowl. Also seeingaction were fullbackDylan Cruz, ’12, andwide receiver MatthewDe Los Santos, ’13.

Fall sports reviewBy JAY LANGHAMMER

Here is our yearly review of stellar accomplishments by SigEpundergraduate scholar athletes in such fall sports as football,soccer and cross-country. Also mentioned are several alumniinvolved in both collegiate and professional sports. We encourageall chapters and alumni to send names of athletes [email protected] for future coverage.

Ryan Matthews, Fresno State, ’11, wasone of the most explosive offensive weapons in thecountry. He was the nation’s top rusher this pastseason averaging over 150 yards per game, led theBulldogs to an 8-5 record and an appearance in theNew Mexico Bowl. Matthews also led the country inrushing as a senior in high school and is expected tobe drafted into the NFL as a rookie in 2010.

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11VARSITY SCHOLAR ATHLETES

HUNTINGDON

Named to the All-Academic GreatSouth AthleticConference soccerteam were ChristianHarmon, ’10, (fivepoints) and JacobBailey, ’12 (14 starts).Also on the team wasJ.D. Jean, ’12. Cross-country runner JeffJenkins, ’12, was theteam’s second-bestrunner at the NCAADivision III South/Southeast Regional.Also running wasteammate RyanPrince, ’13.

ILLINOIS TECH

Defenseman DanielVotipka, ’10, sawaction for thesoccer team.

KENTUCKYWESLEYAN

Midfielder SamWaninger, ’12, startedevery game for thesoccer team andscored four points.Joining him on the

S C H O L A R A T H L E T E F O C U S

Stephen Lachky, Kansas State ’11, is hard to miss when walkingaround the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on campus. As a matter offact, his 6’6" frame is what got him his start as a rower for theKansas State varsity team. In high school, Lachky played basket-ball, but had never set foot in a boat. “The Head Coach of therowing team started to notice me walking across campus duringthe day and rowing coaches are always trying to recruit tallerathletes because of the advantage you have in the boat.” Lachkysays. “He finally walked up to me one day and offered me a spot onthe team.” Lachky immedi-ately became interested inthe sport and has beenhooked ever since.

As physically grueling asrowing may be, Lachky addsthat it has also taught himhow to be much toughermentally. “Everybody in theboat gets tired physicallyduring a race, but if you’reable to focus on maintainingeven-level oar heights, catching the oars in the water together,and finishing your strokes together, you have an advantage overeverybody else.”

Lachky has also been able to maintain his focus off the wateras well. He is majoring in Regional and Community Planning andplans on graduating with a Master’s Degree in only four years. Hemaintained a 3.8 GPA and hopes to work as a city planner for amunicipality, metro planning organization, or planning consult-ing firm after graduation. “Depending on how the economy isnext spring, I might even venture into the field of private-sectorplanning, working for a private developer or architecture firm.”Lachky said.

Despite his difficult major and hectic schedule as a varsityathlete, Lachky has still been able to make Sigma Phi Epsilon apriority at Kansas State. He was intrigued by the idea of theBalanced Man Program where he would not only be pushedacademically, but also physically into a well-round individual. Heserves as Vice President of Communications and makes thefraternity a priority. “Despite the strenuous practice schedules, Ialways put SigEp first; I make sure to never miss a formal dinner,brotherhood event, or Executive Board leadership retreat, even ifit means making up for lost practice time.” Lachky says. “I dislikewaking up at 6:00 a.m. for weekend practices, but I know thatwhen I’m looking back on my experience 20 years from now, I’llbe glad to have made the sacrifices.”

Rower keeps sports andacademics on even keelBy BRIAN SHAWNNorth Dakota ’02

Lachky ’11, second from left

squad was BenClayton, ’11. Cross-country co-captainChris Zachary, ’11,placed 37th in the 8KGeorgetown Invita-tional and tight endSam Hann, ’11, was onthe football squad.

LAMBUTH

Playing for the 11-1NAIA playoff footballteam was offensivelineman BobbyIngalls, ’11, whilemidfielder ThayneWright, ’11, sawaction for the soccerteam.

LAWRENCE

Defenseman NicoWalker, ’10, wasnamed to the All-Midwest Conferencesoccer second teamand defensemanT.J. Frett, ’10, was onthe Academic All-MWC first team.Co-captain ChrisRollins, ’10, competedat the MWC cross-country meet.

MIAMI (OHIO)

Cross country runnerKevin Silver, ’09,earned Academic All-Mid-AmericanConference honorsand had his bestcareer 8K time of24:51 in a secondplace finish at theLoyola LakefrontInvitational. He wasalso fourth at theDayton 5K meet(15:12) and 24th at theMAC 8K (26:51).

MIT

Cross-country runnerJack Bourbonnais, ’10,was named to theNEWMAC AcademicAll-Conference teamand placed 35th (out of122 runners) with aNEWMAC meet timeof 28:20.

MICHIGAN TECH

Fullback TimSchmalz, ’11, whostarted three gamesand scored two TDs,was named to theGLIAC All-AcademicTeam for the secondstraight year.

MISSOURI S&T

Tight end BryanCrider, ’09, wasnamed to theNorth-AmericanInterfraternityConference All-Fraternity All-Ameri-can Divisions II/IIIfirst team and theLittle All-Americanthird team aftermaking 57 receptionsfor 604 yards and fourtouchdowns. Offen-sive lineman JohnKrumme, ’10, had 10starts and was namedto the GLFC All-Academic Team.Linebacker Ashley

Missouri S&T tight end Bryan Crider, ’09, was named tothe North-American Interfraternity Conference All-Fraternity All-American Divisions II/III first team.

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Jordan, ’11, alsostarted 10 games andhad 42 tackles. Otherplayers were defen-sive back CameronWilliams, ’11, andlinebacker NathanStodghill, ’11.

MONMOUTH

Josh Del Valle, ’12, ledthe soccer team witheight points and wasjoined by eight otherplayers: Lucas Knox,’10, Joe Howell, ’11,Adam Buol, ’11,James Scimeca, ’13,Jordan Lankford, ’13,Tony Swierczewski,’13, Ryan Stransky,’13, and goalie FrankBowman, ’13. Line-backer Tim Bearrow,’13, was a member ofthe 10-1 Division IIIplayoff team.

MORAVIAN

Ten SigEp footballplayers were led byrunning back RyanRempe, ’10, whorushed for 791 yardsand was named to theAll-CentennialConference secondteam. Key offensivelinemen were tri-captain AndrewGrando, ’10, andDaniel Cancelliere,’11. Fullback Michael

Crann, ’11, was on theCentennial AcademicHonor Roll and tightend Mike Zanoni, ’12,caught 14 passes for119 yards. Defensiveback Kyle Krupa, ’10,was in on 37 tacklesand others seeingaction were defensivelineman Ryan Ulk,’11, plus runningbacks Anthony Falco,’10, and MichaelBurke, ’11.

MOREHEAD STATE

Major league pitcherJon Rauch, MoreheadState, ’00, spent mostof the 2009 seasonwith the ArizonaDiamondbacksbefore being tradedto the MinnesotaTwins in earlyAugust. He had a 7-3record with two savesin 75 games.

OHIO WESLEYAN

Jimmy Willison, ’11,started at center forthe football teamonce again and wasjoined by widereceiver Nick McVay,’12, and linemen DaveStewart, ’12, ChadWilliams, ’12, andKollin Tossey, ’12.Cross-countryrunner Clay Davis,’10, placed 10th at theGettysburg Invita-

tional; 13th (26:15) atthe North CoastAthletic Conferencemeet; and 54th at theNCAA Division IIIregional.

PENNSYLVANIA

Sprint football teamdefensive linemanBen Eisenstat, ’10,was named to theAll-CSFL honorablemention list.

RANDOLPH-MACON

Forward BrendanMcFadden, ’12,saw action on thesoccer team.

SOUTHERNMISSISSIPPI

Kicker DanielHrapmann, ’11,played in the NewOrleans Bowl. He had80 kickoffs for a 60.4yard average and alsoscored 26 points onfour field goals and 14extra points.

STEVENS TECH

Co-captain KevinSampson, ’11, led fourSigEps on the cross-country squad. At theHJIT HighlanderInvitational, he was32nd (out of 121 run-

ners) with a time of29:25.39. AndrewVerderame, ’12, placed16th (22:25) at the 6KVassar Invitational.Other competitorswere Francis Garcia,’13, and KevinMorgera, ’10.

THIEL

Football player CodySirgey, ’11, was a keydefensive back with36 tackles.

TRINE

Quarterback EricWatt, ’11, was namedMIAA Offensive MVPand led the 10-2football squad to theNCAA Division IIIplayoffs. He com-pleted 179 of 280passes for 2,161 yardsand 26 TDs whilerushing for 518 yardsand three scores.Offensive tackleJames Greenlee, ’11,was named to the NICAll-Fraternity All-American DII/III andAll-MIAA first teams,as was linebackerJake Vance, ’11, whohad 103 tackles.Named to the All-MIAA second teamwas wide receiverMario Brown, ’11,

who caught 25 passesfor 249 yards and ranback seven kickoffsfor a 22.4 average.Defensive linemanChris Eichman, ’11,had 46 tackles, brokeup seven passes andhad seven QB hur-ries. Other playerswere running backJeff Langley, ’11,wide receiver WestlyVerner, ’12, linemanNathan Denton, ’11,(20 tackles) andtight end ThomasWyman, ’11.

TRUMAN STATE

Football player AaronTjarks, ’11, startedevery game at offen-sive tackle. The 12-3-1soccer team had eightSigEp players, led byDan Meagher, ’11, whostarted every gameand scored ninepoints. Also startingmost games wereJack Randazzo, ’10,and Dan Russell, ’10.Other players weregoalie Kyle Talbot, ’11,Scott Biggerstaff, ’11,Charlie Backus, ’12,

Mike Kane, ’12 andBen Hasse, ’12.

VALPARAISO

Seeing action for thefootball team waslinebacker MarcoPorcelli, ’10, whileJoel Mathwig, ’10,competed in theHorizon Leaguecross-country meet.Defenseman KevinDeitsch, ’11, was amember of the 10-7-2soccer squad.

WASHINGTONIN ST. LOUIS

Tennis standout JohnWatts, ’10, won themen’s individualnational title at the2009 ITA NationalSmall College Cham-pionship inmid-October. Hepreviously won the2007 ITA title andplaced third in 2006and 2008. Footballwide receiverMichael Weiss, ’12,caught eight passesand ran back sixkickoffs for a 19.7average. Midfielder

Number 19 Dan Meagher, Truman State ’11

Right: Ryan Rempe,Moravian ’10, was namedto the All-CentennialConference second team.

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13VARSITY SCHOLAR ATHLETES

S C H O L A R A T H L E T E F O C U SDavid Klein, ’11,started 18 games forthe 9-7-3 soccer team.

WESTERNMICHIGAN

Wide receiver BrooksBunbury, ’11, sawaction in every gamefor the football squadled by head coach BillCubit, Delaware, ’75.

WESTMINSTER

Lineman ShawnZentko, ’11, was a keystarter on offense forthe football team.

WORCESTER TECH

Twelve SigEps playedkey roles on thefootball squad, led bycenter Justin Pollard,’10, who was namedto the NIC All-Frater-nity All-AmericanDivisions II/III firstteam and All-LibertyLeague first team.Offensive linemanStanley St. Juste, ’10,gained All-Libertyhonorable mention.Linebacker MichaelOliveri, ’11, wassecond with 76tackles and backChris Boudreau, ’10,was third with 59stops. Other leadingdefenders were backTodd LeClerc, ’10, (44tackles), linemanCraig Kennedy, ’10,(33 stops), linemanHal Reader, ’11, (25tackles), back JustinDeveau, ’10, (22tackles), linemanAnthony Corbo, ’11,(18 stops), backGraham Leto, ’11, andpunter Mike Egan,’12, (best of 69 yards,10 downed inside the20 yard line).

Stevens Techbrother scores asscholar, spiker,and leader

Michael Bertucci, Stevens Tech ’09, is a star volley-ball player and scholar. He volunteered timecoaching the women’s volleyball team and was partof several clubs, including Alpha Phi Omega and wasthe president of Gear and Triangle.

His chapter brother, Peter Movilla, ’10, sat downwith Bertucci to talk about his approach as abalanced man.

What strengths and abilities allow you tosucceed academically? How have youcultivated them in college?

Motivation, time management, and hard work. Youhave to wholeheartedly decide you want to succeedand then commit to it. I was motivated to put a fulleffort into each of my classes. As for managing mytime, by the end of freshman year, I knew I could notsurvive without a planner. Scheduling activities,homework, and even free time by the hour or evenmultitasking are methods that I developed.

What challenges do you face in balancing varsitysports, chapter leadership and high performingacademics?

I think the biggest challenge was making a differ-ence in all three realms. It’s easy to just be on a team,get your homework done, and be a brother. To serveas an exemplary captain, complete your homeworkwhile tutoring others, and act as a leader in yourchapter is much more difficult. I tried to maintain astrong sense of responsibility. I tried to only volun-teer for chapter projects I knew I could followthrough on. With good time management and senseof responsibility, I did not have to make too manytrade-offs.

How has the fraternity played a role inshaping your athletic and academicexperience in college?

Sigma Phi Epsilon has made a tremendous impacton my college career. The Balanced Man Program hashelped to shape my day-to-day-living and world view.I believe the principles of the Fraternity and programare really doing a service to undergraduates toprepare them for success in their life and career. Mybrothers had high expectations for me. They believedin me and what I could accomplish, and I certainlycouldn’t disappoint them.

If you had to name a single thing that drivesyou to accomplish things in your life, whatwould it be and why?

The best word to describe it is fulfillment. Knowingthat I have done the best job I could possibly do is myfulfillment The unsettling feeling that results other-wise is always worth avoiding.

What are your plans after you graduate?I’m off to UNC Chapel Hill to pursue a doctoral

degree in Chemistry. Eventually, I plan to be achemistry professor.

What’s your next big goal?Meeting the men of NC Delta! Can’t wait to see what

is going on with my brothers down at Chapel Hill.

Right, Michael Bertucci, ’09, served as one of three captains on theStevens Tech volleyball team.

Bertucci, far right, front row


San Diego chapters team up for beach soccer competitionBy SEAN KASHANCHI, San Diego State ’10

The forecast looked ominous—cloudy with astrong chance of rain. Six months of intenseplanning, coordination, and dedication wason the verge of getting drenched. Yet, on aSaturday last May, the dark skies that hungover Mission Beach let some sunlight throughat Mariner’s Point. SigEp chapters from threeuniversities, San Diego State, California—SanDiego, and San Diego, joined together for thelargest Greek-related philanthropy the city ofSan Diego may have ever seen: The FirstAnnual SigEp Sun Cup.

SigEp brothers from these chaptersbrought together over 1,000 college students,18 sororities, seven live bands, six beachsoccer fields, and five food vendors. Thegoals? Hold an event that would be talkedabout for years, create a positive image forall Greeks, and raise money to donate toSigEp’s national philanthropy, Youth AIDS.

An intense day of beach soccer competitionand a massive bracket to maneuver throughwould produce a winner from each school andan overall tournament winner. Complement-ing the day’s athletic events were sand castlebuilding contests,tug-o-war competi-tions, and live musicprovided by sevenbands, includingreggae band-of-the-year nominee, RudeBoy Roots.

At the end of theday, a winner wasdeclared, sand castleswere constructed,great music wasenjoyed, over $19,000was raised, and over$5,000 was donated toYouth AIDS.

Dr. Tim Quinnan San Diego State’sAssociate Vice President of Student Affairs,who judged the sand castle competition,reflected that, “SigEp did a superlative jobof organizing and then running the Sun Cup.

It may have been thebest philanthropyI’ve ever seen afraternity pull offin my 20+ yearcareer. Well done!”

Sigma Phi Epsilongave the brothers ofall three San Diegochapters the opportu-nity to do somethinggreat and to take

Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love to a newlevel. This philanthropy has set a new standardand opened up many doors for a multitude ofSigEps. The SigEp Sun Cup 2010 will be heldon April 18, 2010, hopefully on a day when theweather is not the main reason for suspense.The idea is the same but the goal is twiceas large. The three SigEp chapters havecommitted to an extremely successful repeatof last year and to try to donate $10,000 to theDoheny Eye Institute.

SigEp Sun Cup gives over 200 brothers theopportunity to learn, work, and grow together.Sun Cup 2010 promises to be filled with moreexcitement, raise more money, provide morecommunity services, and most of all cultivatefriendships and lasting brotherhood.

Top: Anish Patel, ’10, Max Foltz, ’09, and Tyler Stearns,’12, take a moment in the sun at last year’s event.Bottom: Team Alpha Chi Omega with their coaches,from left, Brandon Hartley ’12, Dallas Buckner ’12, andSean Pedeflous ’10.

San Diego State’s Delta Gamma came out on top in a hotly contested Tug-o-War competition.

At the end of the day, a winner was declared,sand castles were constructed, great music wasenjoyed, over $19,000 was raised, and over $5,000was donated to Youth AIDS.

15CHAPTER NEWS

From chapter officer to military officer:Undergraduates serve our countryBy MICHAEL SELBY, Eastern Michigan ’02

“My experience in Iraq was the most intense leadership experienceof my life. When you are on the streets of Iraq and something goeswrong, the men under your command look directly at you to knowwhat to do,” said Cpl. Trever Sweeney, Moravian ’10.

While SigEp’s Leadership Continuum offers incredible opportunitiesto lead, undergraduate brothers have found the lessons of greatleadership in the most difficult of environments. Sweeney, 23,describes his time in Iraq as an exercise in leadership with realworld consequences.

From patrolling the city of Ar Rutbah in western Iraq to balancingthe chapter checkbook, Cpl. Sweeney employed and adapted leadershiptechniques to his changing circumstances. In fact, for his outstandingleadership as a fire team leader in Iraq, then Lance Corporal Sweeneywas awarded a meritorious promotion to the rank of Corporal. Uponhis return to college life, Sweeney serves as chapter president andparticipated in the Ruck Leadership Institute.

The obligations of a brotherin Sigma Phi Epsilon and theduties of a service memberappear to go hand-in-hand.At Kansas State, a number ofundergraduate brothers arealso actively involved in theReserved Officer Training Corps(ROTC) program, and Sgt. JonUnruh, Kansas State ’11, wasdeployed to Kuwait in 2009.

While overseas,Sgt. Unruh, 24, servedwith the 1168th Trans-portation Company.At the KhabariAlawazem Crossingalong the Kuwait-Iraqborder, Sgt. Unruhdisplayed a flag givento him by KansasBeta alumni. The giftwas both a token ofthanks and of prayerfor a safe return.

Unruh’s selfless-ness served as ashining example to his brothers at home. Vice President of Communi-cations Stephen Lachky, Kansas State ’11, captured the chapter’ssentiments perfectly: “I can say from talking to [our brothers] thatthey all look up to Sgt. Unruh, not because he is older than them, butbecause he sets an example of a SigEp serving a higher calling.”

Whether it is the lessons of leadership in our chapters that preparemen for the challenges of peace in a world at war, or it is the dangerousstreets of a distant nation that bring forth the qualities in men thatSigEp seeks, a strong correlation is at work. Our brother-soldiers arean important group of leaders, and some of them begin that journey intandem with their college experience.

Kansas student serveschapter and kids on pathto medical careerBy KEVIN LYNCH, Maryland-College Park ’08

Bradford Cardonell, Kansas ’09, entered hisacademic career with lofty goals: “I wanted tobe involved in every aspect I could,” he said.Cardonell wanted to have a rich, diverse collegeexperience and put a strong emphasis onhis academics. “My ultimate goal was to beaccepted to Kansas Medical School.” Cardonellrecently achieved that goal, thanks in part tohis SigEp experience.

“I started this journey by becoming involvedin Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. This was myspringboard to becoming involved in the Greekcommunity, the Lawrence community, andthe University of Kansas.” For many, SigEpbecomes a gateway to further involvement intheir universities, but rarely is it a primarymotivation for joining—Cardonell breaks themold in that respect.

Already an emergency medical technician(EMT), Cardonell wanted to add to that experi-ence by being a member of a fraternity—ultimately enriching both elements of his life.

Cardonell joined hischapter as a freshman,and immediatelybecame involved inchapter operations.In his first year, heupdated the chapter’srisk managementpolicies. “Initially mywork was not warmlyreceived,” he said, butthat soon changedwhen the chapter wasrecognized for its riskmanagement program.

He also served onhis university’sInterfraternityConference andimplemented a plethora of risk managementprograms and events, including Greek Day ofCPR, Greek Fire Academy, and Fire Drills forall fraternity houses.

Cardonell kept going from there; whenelected to his chapter’s executive board, he gotmembers more involved in campus life, a topicthat he is passionate about. He worked closelywith campus groups and the chapter’s volun-teers to ensure that members were adequately

informed of opportuni-ties for involvement.

“A strong relation-ship and opencommunicationshould always existbetween alumni andundergraduates,” hestated. Cardonelltook this philosophyto the next level,when he proposed aresolution to amendthe Grand ChapterBylaws to require anundergraduaterepresentative onalumni and volunteerboards. He also

coauthored the amendment to add TAKEDefense as a national philanthropy.

With Stephen Segebrecht, Kansas ’77,Cardonell traveled to Kenya and volunteered tohelp set up an HIV clinic there. “This experi-ence helped shaped my views in life andmedicine. I will be forever changed and willcontinue to give back to both SigEp and Kenyabecause of what it gave me,” Cardonell said ofthe experience.

Sgt. Jon Unruh, Kansas State ’11, wasdeployed to Kuwait in 2009.

Cpl. Trever Sweeney, Moravian ’10, is chapter presidentand attended the Ruck Leadership Institute last July.

Cardonell offers a healing hand on a recent trip to Kenya.


CHAPTER NEWS

One hundredyears ago, Fresh-men FrancisMoncrief Qua,Dartmouth 1911,and Joseph

Albert Randall, Dartmouth 1911, were notsatisfied with the fraternities on campus.They recruited several students and drafted aconstitution for a local fraternity that theynamed Omicron Pi Sigma, hoping to gainadmittance to the local Interfraternity Coun-cil and eventually affiliate with a nationalorganization. They discovered Sigma PhiEpsilon, a fraternity founded at RichmondCollege in Virginia a few years earlier, whosevalues of Virtue, Diligence, and BrotherlyLove struck a chord with the young men. InApril 1909, they met with SigEp founderWilliam Lazell Phillips (later known as“Uncle Billy”), and with the help of delegatesfrom the Norwich University chapter inVermont, the 32nd active chapter of SigEp, NewHampshire Alpha, was born.

Throughout the century since its founding,New Hampshire Alpha has continued itsstrong traditions of scholarship, athleticism,leadership, community service, and brother-hood. SigEp consistently posts one of thehighest average GPAs of any Dartmouthfraternity. The chapter attracts numerousvarsity athletes each year. It claims thenation’s first Secretary of Defense; threeambassadors; heads of the National AudubonSociety, General Mills, and the Boy Scouts ofAmerica; the founder of the March of Dimes;and Dr. Seuss—a list proving both the quality

and the diversity of its membership!Members led a successful effort in the 1950s

to repeal membership restrictions based onrace and religious background and led themovement to abolish hazing. Dartmouth wasthe first SigEp chapter to adopt the BalancedMan program andhas multiple forms ofrecognition from thenational Fraternityincluding the Man-power ExcellenceAward, Grand Chap-ter Scholarship Cup,Phi Beta KappaWheelhouse,Buchanan Cup,Benjamin HobsonFrayser Award,and the award forAlumni and Volunteer Corporation (AVC)Operation Excellence.

As the chapter has grown, it has occupiedthree houses over its history and is planningto erect a new house. The new facility willincrease handicapped accessibility andincorporate updated safety features andgreen building techniques.

During the Dartmouth HomecomingWeekend last October, the chapter hosted aCentennial Celebration. Events included acocktail reception; road race honoring TimFarrell, ’96, who had recently passed away;panel discussions with alumni, undergraduates,and representatives of Dartmouth Collegeand the national fraternity; a presentation ofthe proposed building plans for the newchapter house; and a formal dinner.

Brothers representing five decades mingledand discussed the chapter’s history as well asits future. Past Grand President BruceHasenkamp, ’60, gave the keynote speech atthe gala dinner wrapping up the event — anaddress that echoed his commemoration asan undergraduate at the chapter’s GoldenAnniversary celebration in 1959.

Hasenkamp’s 50-year involvement with thechapter is not unusual. New Hampshire Alphaenjoys excellent participation and involvementof brothers long beyond their undergraduateyears. The chapter’s AVC is among the stron-gest and most active on campus. Across thecountry, groups of brothers gather periodically

Dartmouth chapter marksone hundred yearsBy SANDY PHILPOTT

at informal lunchesand outings to provideopportunities formentoring andnetworking as wellas simple brotherhood. They are part of ahundred-year tradition of Sound Mind andSound Body which will continue on, producingeven more young men who are proud links inthe strong chain that is Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Flanking the flower arrangement are D.D. and GeorgeHarrington, ’61. Brian Kennedy and Bonnie MacAdam ofthe Hood Art Museum are far left and far right.

Clockwise from top: BruceHasenkamp, ’60, and GeorgeHarrington, ’61, in the Hood ArtMuseum.

A few alumni attendees, left toright, Joe Prokop, ’76, MikeChapman, ’76, Dave Clark, ’76,Mark Collins, ’77, Kevin Gillis, ’76,Rick Kimball, ’78, Sandy Fitchet,’76, Larry Johnson, ’75, and BobWetzel, ’76.

Undergrads Austin Greenfield,’12, Nicolas Chuaqui, ’12, EthanWeinberg, ’12, Dan Van Deusen,’11 enjoy the festivities.

Don Landzettel, ’60 introducedhis classmate Bruce Hasenkamp.

Ryan Donovan, ’96, memorializedfallen classmate Tim Farrell, ’96.

http://www.nhalphaalumni.org

17CHAPTER NEWS

George Washington Chaptercelebrates 100-year legacyBy ALEK HANNESSIAN, George Washington ’13

In their first centuryof brotherhood in thenation’s capital, GeorgeWashington’s DC Alpha

hosted four Grand Chapter Conclaves, produced threeGrand Presidents and three Order of the Golden Heartrecipients and earned four Buchanan Cups. On October 9,2009, exactly one hundred years from its founding, thechapter’s brothers and guests celebrated their long historyat George Washington and set the tone for the next century.

In 1909, William “Uncle Billy” Phillips left Richmond tolive in Washington, D.C . The nation’s capital hosted thefirst national headquarters of Sigma Phi Epsilon outsideof Richmond, Va. Uncle Billy and Founder Benjamin Gawhelped the school’s chapter of Kappa Sigma Pi petition tobecome the 33rd chapter of SigEp.

A 1910 Sigma Phi Epsilon Journal reported that, “Aftertwelve hours of almost continuous labor on the part of theInstallation Committee, District of Columbia Alpha was finallystarted on its way late Saturday evening, October 9. Twentyone of our men passed through the ordeal, and are now ready

to do or die for Sigma Phi Epsilon.”Today, the chapter has over 110 members and consistently

hits a GPA of over 3.2. The chapter has raised more than$60,000 for YouthAIDS to educate and protect young adultsfrom HIV. The DC Alpha Chapter has been recognized bythe university as the Fraternity of the Year for the last twoacademic years. The Centennial Weekend began with abanquet of over 300 undergraduates, alumni and guests atthe Washington Renaissance Hotel, some traveling from asfar as Hong Kong. Special guests included Nonnie “MomNonnie” Owens, members of the Educational Foundation andHeadquarters staff, and representatives from DC areachapters. One highlight of the evening was the recognitionof William Ross, George Washington ’50, and his wife of60 years Marion, the DC Alpha Sweetheart in 1949.

Keynote speaker and Grand Chapter President GarryKief, Southern California ’70, capped off the eveningwith a proclamation from the National Board of Directors,commending the chapter for reaching this milestone andawarding DC Alpha their fourth Buchanan Cup.

The Sixth Grand ChapterConclave was hosted byGeorge WashingtonUniversity in March 1910.

From left Middle Tennessee State members DominicPyanoe, ’10, Randy Schweinberg, ’10, Stephen Tesauro ’10,and Eric Hancock, ’12, pause at the Murphy Center, wherea well-planned concert with country music star CoreySmith was held.

Risk management planningkey to event successBy STEPHEN TESAURO, Middle Tennessee State ’10, and TYLER HOUSE, Middle Tennessee State ’09

choice. An on-campus event allowed theuniversity to assume much of the risk in termsof security and the contractual obligations setby Corey Smith’s management. It also savedthe chapter the hassles of obtaining approvalfrom the city’s zoning board and the insurancecompany for an off-campus location.

Ticket company keepsfraud at bay

The prevention of ticket fraud was also atop priority. The chapter used a professionalticket company referred by Corey Smith’smanagement. The company kept a log of eachticket and the corresponding ticket number.By examining the daily and weekly reports ontickets sales, the company virtually eliminatedany chance of fraudulent tickets.

Security stayed connected tochapter and management

The university hired a security companyto ensure safety and enforce the university’sno-alcohol policy. Walkie-talkies kept lines ofcommunication open throughout the concert

among security, brothers, and Corey Smith’smanagement team. In addition, brothersworked parking to ensure a safe and steadyflow of traffic entering and exiting the event.An official after-party was held at a local club,which took responsibility for maintaininglaws on alcohol consumption.

When the concert was over and all costshad been covered, the chapter raised $2,000for the AHA.

The chapter demonstrated that a focus on riskmanagement planning well before the eventpaid off handsomely in achieving its desired goal:a safe, fun, well attended, smoothly run concertthat allowed the chapter to give back.

The key to any successful large-scale event is awell devised and well executed risk managementplan. That’s what worked for Tennessee Thetaat Middle Tennessee State last April, when itheld a benefit concert for the American HeartAssociation (AHA) featuring the nation’s numberone unsigned country artist, Corey Smith. Theconcert capped off a weeklong effort to raisefunds for the AHA, and was a great success,due in no small part to careful planning andrisk assessment.

Brad Perling, ’09, Vice President ofProgramming, spearheaded a viable riskmanagement plan and worked with theExecutive Board and a few others to draftthe plan months before the concert date.

On-campus site selectionhelps manage risk

The first and most daunting obstacle wasfinding a suitable venue. After consulting withCorey Smith’s management, university officials,and the Alumni and Volunteer Corporation,planners decided that the Murphy Center, thelargest auditorium on campus, was the wisest

http://www.sigep.org/insurance/default.asp


CHAPTER NEWS

The Kansas Alumni and Volunteer Corporationlaunched the day-long LeadEp, as an innova-tive, one-day involvement, leadership, andcareer preparation seminar. LeadEp wasdesigned to provide practical informationbeyond classroom experience to help membersprepare themselves for an increasinglycompetitive real world.

LeadEp opened with a video of FootballCoach Lou Holtz, stating, “You come tocollege to learn to do something, but moreimportantly you come to college to learn tobe somebody.” LeadEp showed students howinvolvement and experiences can lead themtoward becoming that “somebody.”

University leaders addressed the group,encouraging campus involvement by describ-ing their positions and conveying the valuethey saw in serving those roles. Some 26campus organizations had booths in LeadEp’sInvolvement Exhibition, and members sawmany opportunities with the various campusorganizations. Honor societies, studentgovernment groups, faith-based groups,Habitat for Humanity, and the Red Cross wereamong the groups. The organizations were

excited to “recruit” SigEps. For each organi-zation represented, the InvolvementExhibition generated at least five SigEps whoexpressed interest in joining or volunteering.

Chapter Counselor Dave Friederichs,Northern Iowa ’00, said that “the interactionbetween the organizations and our membersgenerated many more leads than anticipated.I think it completely exceeded everyone’sexpectations. Just a complete game-changer!It’s going to have apositive impact on ourmembers for manyyears to come.”

Following theLeadEp InvolvementExhibition, SigEp’sexecutive committeemet with smallgroups of membersto discuss and plantheir own leadership future within theFraternity. An executive recruiter groundedmembers in the current job market, network-ing, and interview and resume tips. Withworking resume in hand, members developed

LeadEp: Kansas puts leadershipinto practical perspectiveBy TOM GRAY, Kansas ’77

a list of activities and accomplishments to addto their resume before completing college.

Gordon Reiz, Kansas ’12, said, “Theinformation presented gave me a whole newperspective on how important involvement,leadership, and a strong resume are in landingthe best jobs and preparing me for later life.”

Amy Long, Assistant Director of theStudent Leadership & Involvement Office atthe University of Kansas, was clearly im-pressed with LeadEp and SigEp’s many othersupport programs. She stated that “KUSigEp’s programming leads almost anycollege campus today.” The university recog-nized SigEp’s outstanding programs with the

Chapter ExcellenceAward, and six out ofseven programmingawards at the 2009Kansas Greek Awards.

Plans for LeadEp2011 are already inthe works, with a goalto incorporate SigEpmentors and a jobfair in the program.

LeadEp will lead the way in providing innova-tive involvement, leadership, and careerprogramming at Kansas.

Kentucky Wesleyan celebrates 50 years with chapter room dedication Kentucky Wesleyan’s Kentucky Gamma Chaptercelebrated 50 years last spring. Brothers from acrossmany generations reunited to honor past accomplish-ments and consider their future focus. An open housewas hosted in the chapter home, where the chapterroom was dedicated to the KEYS Organization, the clubthat would later charter as Sigma Phi Epsilon. KentuckyWesleyan College President Dr. Cheryl King (center)attended along with undergraduates, volunteers andalumni. Other events included an awards banquet andthe initiation of Renaissance Brother Bill Hill, a memberof the KEYS Organization who was unable to completethe Ritual in his undergraduate years.

Members discuss joining Habitat for Humanity at LeadEp.

The entire chapter attends LeadEp 2010.

19CHAPTER NEWS

Bringing the world to SigEp:

Iowa State seeks membersfrom other countriesBy ERIK WHEATER, Iowa State ’10

In spring 2008, IowaState SigEps devel-oped an innovativeway to stay a stepahead of the 28-fraternity competitionat Iowa State’sJellison Award-winning Greekcommunity. ClayHopes, Iowa State’09, an experiencedstudent traveler,developed Interna-tional Opportunitiesto attract foreignexchange students toSigEp. The universityallowed the chapterto advertise this newprogram to exchangestudents in searchof housing.

To draw the bestquality men, inter-ested students wererequired to fill out anapplication, completean essay on why they

would be goodmembers of theFraternity, andcomplete a phoneinterview.

After months ofhard work, Iowa Betawelcomed its firstmember from theprogram, NickMorley, ’09, an engin-eering student fromSydney, Australia.Morley participatedin all aspects of theSigEp experiencesuch as brotherhoodevents, intramuralsports, required newmember study hours,and in December of2008, he was passedthrough the Epsilonrite to become the1,722nd brotherinitiated at Iowa Beta.

“My favorite partabout being a mem-ber of SigEp was

knowing that Icould depend on mybrothers. Being fromanother country andnot really knowinganyone, SigEp was afantastic supportgroup that made mefeel at home rightaway,” said Morley.

In January 2009,the chapter welcomedthe second memberof the InternationalOpportunitiesProgram. TobiasFiedler, ’09, anengineering studentfrom Germany joinedthe chapter as away to practice hisEnglish and adapt tothe American culture.

“Living with 40guys was a greatway for me to learnculture, religion,behavior and pointsof view. I gained a

Brothers Nick Morley and Garrett Long pose for a photo during a brotherhood event.

better insight onAmerican life thanother exchangestudents did frommy time in SigEp,”said Fiedler.

Fiedler caughton quickly to theAmerican collegelife and his Englishimproved each day.Like Morley, heparticipated in allaspects of SigEp andwas especially fondof philanthropy andfund raising activities.

“I was amazed byall the work that went

into fund raisers.It was very evidenthow much the guyscared about givingback to the Ames andGreek community,”he said. Fiedler wasinitiated in April 2009.

Morley andFiedler contributeda great deal toSigEp. “Obviouslythey contributed adifferent culturalpoint of view, butthey also providedgreat examples onhow to manageacademics with

the Fraternity whilemaking the most oftheir time in thestates. They bothcontributed 3.9+GPAs while beingimportant membersof SigEp,” saidChapter PresidentAlex McBride, IowaState ’11.

The chapter plansto continue with thisprogram as they passthe Fraternity’sideals to the rest ofthe world.

Our Very Own Frat Boys

In fall 2009, a member was takento another member’s apartment.He was part of a scavenger huntand forced to consume alcohol andan odd assortment of foods andcondiments. Eventually a friendtook the member to the hospitalwhere he was treated for alcoholpoisoning. The member and hisparents filed a police report, andthe situation attracted significantnegative media attention. TheNational Board of Directors

suspended the chapter andrequired a full membershipreview. As a result, a chapter ofover 50 men was reduced to 11.

Sigma Phi Epsilon has azero tolerance policy towardhazing and alcohol abuse. Thesedestructive activities, abduction,scavenger hunts, and forcedalcohol consumption, eachconstitute hazing and have noplace in our organization. Theseactivities produce mental or

FLORIDA XI—FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

Reason for intervention: Alleged hazing activity

Action: Charter suspension and membership review

Chapters that do not live up to the ideals of Sigma Phi Epsilon bringdishonor and disgrace to our name. The Journal reports these storiesto inform its readers and to show that actions have consequences.

physical discomfort, embarrass-ment, harassment or ridicule andthey are not consistent with theFraternity’s values and mission.

Furthermore, hazing is acriminal offense in more than40 states. The Fraternity’s liabilityinsurance will not cover you if youwere involved in hazing activity,which means you will have to payfor legal fees and any settlementcosts. Consent by a member is nota defense to hazing.

Fortunately, Florida Atlantic’sdedicated and committedvolunteers have helped themthroughout this ordeal. Theycompleted the membership reviewin February and established keybenchmarks for the six core areasof chapter operations. They must

be achieved before the suspensionperiod ends. This will ensure astrong, vibrant chapter at FloridaAtlantic. Engaged volunteersmade the difference in enablingthe chapter to survive a diresituation. Because of that, thefuture for Florida Atlantic looksvery promising.

“No man is richenough to buyback his past.”

~ OSCAR WILDE

“Living with 40 guys was a great way for me to learnculture, religion, behavior and point of views. I gaineda better insight on American life than other exchangestudents did from my time in SigEp.”~ TOBIAS FIEDLER, ’09


CHAPTER NEWS

Georgetown teams up forRelay for LifeBy TAYLOR BARNETT, Georgetown ’08

Uniting people from all walks of life, fromsurvivors and care takers to friends andfamily of those affected by cancer, theAmerican Cancer Society’s Relay for Lifehas become one of the most successful fund-raising events in the nation. Relay empowersteams of participants to fight against cancerby raising money and camping out overnightat the event where individuals take turnswalking around a track. At least one member

of the team is walkingthe track at all times,symbolizing theirhope, solidarity,and resolve.

Last year, DCGamma at George-town formed twoteams of over 50

brothers for one of the largest Relays nation-wide. Through various fund-raising eventsand the generous help of many SigEp friendsand alumni, the teams ranked tenth in fundraising out of over 200 teams, and contributed$5,000 to nearly $400,000 raised by all 2,700participants. This year the team has raised

$4,300 toward its goal of $10,000.For Georgetown, the cause was personal.

Shortly before graduation, Taylor Barnett,Georgetown ’08, was diagnosed with testicu-lar cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy,he is in remission and enrolled in medicalschool with aspirations of becoming an oncolo-gist. Soon after Brother Barnett’s treatmentended, the father of Zack Bluestone,Georgetown ’09, passed away after his battlewith leukemia. “The passing of Zack’s dad isone of my greatest inspirations in becominga doctor. Although I never wish anyone to beput through the hell that cancer brings, itwould be for me as a future oncologist themost trying yet greatest honor to help anybrother or their loved ones in their ownbattles with cancer,” Barnett said.

Relay for Life is one way Georgetown canshow its commitment to promoting a SoundMind and Sound Body philosophy among itsbrothers and community, as well as fosteringthe hope that people lost to cancer will notbe forgotten, that those who face the diseasehave support, and that one day cancer willbe eliminated.

Tufts team tacklescancer researchBy SCOTT LEIGHTON, Tufts ’10

Last March, hundreds of Tufts studentsand local community members gatheredin the Tufts gym to celebrate Relay forLife, an overnight walk-a-thon to supportcancer research. The event was a hugesuccess and raised over $81,000. TheTufts chapter raised over $4,700 forcancer research, and Sam Johnson,Tufts ’11, above, raised an incredible$1,700. Johnson, a cancer survivor, wasthe keynote speaker for the event. Hewas diagnosed with acute lymphoblasticleukemia in 2004. Treatment was a long,trying process, and he spent weeks in thehospital. He was receiving blood andplatelet transfusions weekly along withan almost constant stream of intravenouschemotherapy. Johnson underwentchemotherapy until May 2007, when hesuccessfully fought off the disease.He considers himself lucky that hedidn’t have many of the complicationscommonly associated with leukemia.Johnson said,

For Taylor Barnett, Relayfor Life is personal.

Georgetown brothers gather just before the Luminaria, a ceremony where the lights are dimmed and organizersilluminate the track to honor and remember those who have lost their cancer battle.

“ SigEp was verysupportive inhelping promoteRelay for Lifearound campusand donating alarge sum tocancer research.”

21CHAPTER NEWS

Recruitment

Balanced Man Scholarshippropels Michigan’srecruiting effortsBy JERRY MANGONA, Michigan ’01 and ALEX PROSPERI, Michigan ’10

After winning its first Buchanan Cup,Michigan’s SigEp chapter faced an enormouschallenge: surviving a transition year withouta chapter house. Vice President of Recruit-ment Josh Palka, ’11, made plans in early2009 to ensure a successful scholarship andrecruitment season. “The success we enjoyedwith the Balanced Man Scholarship (BMS)stemmed from the personal touch we added,”said Palka. “We wanted applicants to see theamazing qualities we offer besides an on-campus mansion. Each applicant receivedphone calls from an assigned brotherthroughout the summer to establish a bondbefore the fall.”

The chapter hosted barbecues, sportingevents, and even a free, chartered trip to aTigers baseball game. “By fall rush, we weremiles ahead of the other 30 chapters oncampus,” Palka explained. Palka and AlexProsperi, ’10, landed Michigan men’s basket-ball coach, John Beilein, as keynote speakerfor the scholarship dinner. Beilein, a campusfavorite among students, was welcomed withraucous applause.

Thanks to Palka’s work, over half of the42 new members at Michigan came throughcontacts made from the BMS program. Thefall class had a high school GPA of more than

3.9, an ACT scoreaveraging 31, morethan 70 varsityletters, and 4,000volunteer hours.

The BMS put thechapter on an upwardspiral. As the chapterattracts high achiev-ing brothers, theymature into highercaliber leaders. Then they move thingsforward, improve the BMS, and recruit aneven better class the following year. Take

Vincent Caruso,’13, who was thefall 2009 runner-upand has assumedPalka’s role to runthe upcoming BMSprogram. ShawnDevilla, ’12, whoearned a 2008scholarship, nowserves as SigmaCoordinator. Alongwith 2009 winner,Charlie Zeller, ’13,

whose 4.6-second 40-yard dash earned him apage on Rivals.com, Caruso and five otherfinalists are now brothers.

The benefits of the BMS program areenormous and include higher programmingbudgets, more manpower to spread theworkload, and tightly run chapter opera-tions. What started out as a reluctantexperiment a decade ago, has evolved into arecruiting machine.

Even on a campus with a long-standingGreek tradition, building face-to-facerelationships with potential members andtheir families has proven to be the best way torecruit great men. The Balanced Man Scholar-ship is a powerful program if chapters want toraise the bar on the caliber of men they attract.

Last October, theIllinois StateChapter’s event“Dunks for DeStef,”raised money forMichael DeStefano,’12. After a tragicautomobile accidentlast summer,DeStefano sufferedtraumatic braindamage. He has

guys out here freez-ing in the dunk tankfor Mike.” WhenNick Frese, ’11,climbed out of thetank he said, “We’refreezin’ for a reason!”

Some brothers gotdunked, some workedthe register andothers gatheredstudents around

Illinois State helps brain-injured brotherBy JONATHAN B. GREENSTEIN, Illinois State ’11

continued to improvebut has a long roadahead.

Dunks for DeStefasked students tomake donations tosink SigEp brothersin a dunk-tank.Junior ISU studentEllen Tinberg said,“It’s great to see the

campus. Daniel T.Maradei, ’11, said,“Not only is this aphilanthropy event,but it feels like abrotherhood eventtoo.” The chapterplans to host futureevents to continue tosupport DeStefanoand his family.

Balanced Man Scholar Vincent Caruso receives his check at the Fall 2009 scholarsdinner. He will organize the chapter’s next BMS program.

Michigan men’s basketballcoach John Beilein waskeynote speaker for thescholarship dinner.

“We’re freezin’ for a reason!”

http://www.sigep.org/scholarship/default.asp


CHAPTER NEWS

Bradley leaders absorbEgyptian culture

By RICHARD HIGHAM-KESSLER, Emory ’09

Six SigEp leaders from Bradley Universitylaunched themselves head-first into Middle-Eastern culture last January, taking classes atThe American University in Cairo and visitingnearby Jordan during three weeks abroad.

Among the biggest challenges, according toBrian Hyken, ’09, was how foreign the studentsfelt abroad. “We stuck out like a sore thumb,”he said. At first, the group feared that its hostcountry would prove unfriendly. In the weeksleading up to the trip, nearby Israel had alsoincreased its hostility toward Lebanon. Addingto the uncertainty, the trip marked the first timeabroad for some of the brothers, and the firstflight for others.

Faced with such a unique set of challenges,Hyken said that the brothers relied upon eachother to help acclimate to the new environment.He said that at the beginning, “Had we beenthere on our own, we would have felt 10 timesmore uncomfortable.”

The group, which included Chapter PresidentAndrew Crebo, ’10, former VP for ProgrammingAndrew Albritton, ’09, and other members of theexecutive board, would wake up each morning at6:30 to prepare for classes and, in the afternoon,explore the land. In addition to visiting sights likethe Great Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings,the brothers took time to immerse themselves inculture by visiting an open market to sample foodand mingle with the locals. While bartering fortrinkets, they were often welcomed with greetingssuch as, “We love Obama.”

The brothers enjoyed visiting the variouslandmarks, but for Hyken, Petra stood out as hisfavorite. Carved into the Jordanian cliffs, the earlyRoman-era site offered him a chance to wanderfreely. Along with Chris DeRoo, ’09, he hiked tothe top of a small mountain nearby, where they,“felt like we were on top of the world.”

More than any sight, however, Hyken said he’llremember the Egyptian and Jordanian peoplesand cultures. In addition to being welcoming, thepeople he met impressed him with theirknowledge and pride in their rich heritage. Hesaid, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.Spending time with brothers outside of school isfun, [but if you] sprinkle in some foreign culture,it makes it that much better.”

Cal State-San Bernardino SigEpsfight substance abuse in schoolsBy MICHAEL MCDOWELL, Nevada-Reno ’03

The men of the Cal State-San BernardinoChapter are helping to reduce substanceabuse in Riverside and San BernardinoCounty. They are working in concert with theInland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition(IVDFC) to create a healthier community.

“The Greek community and other studentorganizations at our campus know SigEp isagainst drugs and works with organizationslike the Inland Valley Drug Free CommunityCoalition, so that is a plus for changing thingsat our campus,” said Chapter PresidentAnthony Garcia, ’11.

Brothers also volunteer to directlymentor children and high school studentsthrough one-on-one interaction and largegroup presentations. Garcia notes that, “Offcampus, we have been asked by elementaryschools and junior high school staff in ourcommunity to speak to the children thereabout not using drugs and about how tobetter prepare for college.” In fact, programdirectors report that the information seemsto be more credible when it comes fromSigEps because of the closeness in ageand because of their real-life experiences.

So, why would a fraternity decide to spendits time preventing substance abuse?

“I personally feel that the media portraysGreek-letter organizations as drug addictsand drug dealers—and some past eventsconcerning the Greeks just propagate thatstereotype,” says Garcia. “I believe that mychapter’s involvement helps change thatimage in our community.”

Besides demolishing the frat boystereotype, the chapter is making a genuinedifference outside of university walls, notonly with teens but also government leaders.They have helped to raise awareness ofcommunity substance abuse issues amongthe City Council. Insights provided by SigEpvolunteers allowed the City Council to crackdown on and reduce the number of illegalteenage raves. The raves were a hotbed fordrug and alcohol abuse and threatened thehealth of the community.

SigEps and local community leaders have joined forces to raise awareness of and help fight against substance abuse.

The information seems tobe more credible when itcomes from SigEpsbecause of the closenessin age and because oftheir real-lifeexperiences.

23CHAPTER NEWS

The Examined Life:

Reflections on the Tragos Quest to GreeceBy MARK MICHELI, Drake ’10

2009Tragos Questto GreecescholarsThomas Augustine

Iowa State, ’11

Richard BoeVCU, ’10

Robert BrannSouth Florida, ’10

Michael CarriereCharleston, ’10

Jarret GriesemerDrexel, ’10

Brock HankinsFlorida, ’10

Conor HealyChicago, ’10

Cameron HoffmeyerMemphis, ’10

Kyle KrupaMoravian, ’10

Cory LarsenUtah State, ’10

Mark MicheliDrake, ’10

Adam MotyckaToledo, ’10

Cale O’BryanIndiana, ’10

Matthew PedersonNebraska, ’10

Keddy Russell-CurryCalifornia-Santa Barbara, ’10

Derek ScottOregon State, ’10

Sean TerwilligerFlorida Gulf Coast, ’10

2010Tragos Questto GreecescholarsJoshua Carlie

USC, ’11

Matthew DeimundOklahoma, ’11

Travis DittmerWestern Michigan, ’11

Michael EisenFlorida, ’11

Andrew HughesVermont, ’11

Seth IrbyLouisiana State, ’11

Kenneth JonesWisconsin, ’11

Daniel McCaulleyArkansas Tech, ’11

Paul PaetowSt. Louis, ’11

Zachariah PfeiferLouisville, ’11

Jake RehtmeyerTexas Christian, ’11

Daniel SaavedraAmerican, ’11

Douglas SnyderIndiana, ’11

Rick StepanovicMichigan, ’12

Scott SwedbergElon, ’11

Travis TaylorMurray State, ’11

It was night time in Athens. Atop the city’shighest point, 24 of us—17 undergrads and sevenmentors—watched the sun set over the Acropo-lis, bathing its ancient stone columns in abrilliant coral, then easing into the Aegean. Itwas our last night on the Tragos Quest to Greece.

“I feel small,” says Kyle Krupa, Moravian ’10,as he reflects on the trip. “You just realize thatthere’s all this history behind us. So many peoplehave paved this path for us. It’s overwhelming.”

Ten days prior, we were congregating inChicago, complete strangers sharing only inour discomfort with the label “scholar,” andour worry about getting our preparatoryreadings done in time. We were connectedonly in that pseudo-familiar Facebook way.But that was 10 days ago. For many of us, adifferent life ago. Tonight we stood together,transformed into best friends, aspiring intel-lectuals and what’s more, brothers.

As we trekked down the mountain into theancient city beneath, we stopped halfway andgathered, for what many of us feared would bethe last time, in the skeleton of a dilapidatedhouse along the path. We stood among brokenboards, exposed rebar and the crumblingfoundation, the Agora glowing in the distanceon its mountain perch. It was an oddly fittinglocation for our last reflection.

For me, the building was a metaphor of howI’d come into the Quest—beaten up, brokendown and burned out. We were all similar inthat sense, each bearing the battle-scarsobtained in service to the Fraternity.

Upon arriving in Greece, we were told toremove the burdens of our home chapters andto take time to really focus on ourselves. Ourtask was to think—tosimply think—aboutwho we are and whowe will be in thisworld.

This invitation tobuild ourselves uptogether, to thinkdifferently about ourworld and our place init, would allow us tolearn from one an-other as we traversedthe Hellenic world.

Finally, on our lastnight together, in thebelly of this run downghost of our formerselves, we shared ourinsights, our lessonslearned and finally,offered each other achallenge goingforward: bring yournew perspective backto your chapters. It’s achallenge that hasproven more dauntingthan any other.

“It’s one thing tosay, ‘Yeah, I had a blastin Greece,’” saidAdam Motycka,Toledo ’10, “It’s quiteanother to show how your life has beenchanged.” But that’s the challenge of the Quest:how do we not simply tell others about whatwe’ve learned—how do we live it?

We saw ancient temples, ate traditionalfood, hiked through the freezing rain andexplored the land where the values of ourFraternity took root. What we did is trivial ina sense—but also the easiest to explain. Whatwe learned is of powerful consequence—butmuch harder to convey.

“I found that my own personal quest formeaning and answers in life won’t come to anend with one big grand epiphany or realiza-tion that will elucidate everything in my lifeafterward,” said Conor Healy, Chicago ’10.“Rather, life is a never ending quest for mean-ing and answers that will come over time andin pieces…and that’s ok.”

“Know thyself.” It’s a directive that cannotbe fulfilled in ten days. But the ten days wespent together inspired each of us to try—andto encourage those around us to do the same.With our brothers and our Fraternity in mind,we hope to pay dividends on the investment ineach of us. Together, we go forward as facilita-tors in the creation of a Fraternity that is moreself-aware, more steeped in love and respect,more committed to the betterment of theindividual in the interest of the whole and morefocused on the preservation of our founders’ambition—a Fraternity that is different.

Cale O’Bryan, Indiana ’10,considers how a heartshaped stone in Olympiareminds him of a certainSigEp symbol.

Nine of the 2009 scholars at the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia near Delphi. The combinationof ancient sites, philosophical discussions and deep friendships creates a life changingexperience. Micheli is far left.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40947813@N04/


Two brothers servewith Warren Buffett on

Berkshire Hathaway boardBy BENJAMIN Y. LOWE, Columbia ’01

25SIGEPS MEAN BUSINESS

The two have helped guide BerkshireHathaway for the better part of three decadeswhile having careers that any SigEp under-graduate or alumnus would want to emulate.A childhood friend of Buffett’s, Scott joinedthe board of Berkshire in 1986 and hasserved on the board ever since. Olson joinedBerkshire’s board 15 years ago and has knownBuffett for nearly four decades.

These men are indicative of the thousandsof SigEps that joined for various reasons,contributed to their chapters in various waysand then went on to succeed in their careersand communities. Both Scott and Olsondemonstrate the Fraternity’s success at thehighest levels of Corporate America. Under-graduates and alumni stand to learn greatlyfrom their examples and life stories.

Berkshire Hathaway, a holding companywith annual revenue of more than $100 billion,owns everything from insurance companiessuch as GEICO to companies in the materialsand construction, furniture, apparel, trans-portation, food, energy and media industries.Among its 12 board members are Microsoftfounder Bill Gates, the former presidentof Yahoo! and the chief operating officerof Comcast.

Scott, a civil engineer turned executive,

founded Level 3 Communications while alsoleading one of the country’s largest privatecompanies for nearly two decades.

Olson, a Ford Foundation Scholar, is aname partner at the Los Angeles firm ofMunger, Tolles & Olson and over his careerhas represented a wide range of clients frommajor Wall Street firms to motion picturestudios to large oil companies to foreigngovernments. Recently, his prominent repre-sentations have included Berkshire Hathawayin acquiring Burlington Northern Santa Fe,Yahoo!’s board of directors in the takeoverproposal from Microsoft, former DisneyPresident Michael Ovitz and ParamountChairman Brad Grey.

In describing Scott and Olson, friends andformer colleagues not only cite their intelli-gence and work ethic but also their desire tosupport the communities in which they work.Scott is a longtime supporter of the Universityof Nebraska while Olson has supported thoseless fortunate through his and his firm’s probono legal work.

Scott worked for Omaha-based construc-tion contractor Peter Kiewit & Sons, Inc.immediately after graduating. He worked hisway up to vice president and a board memberjust a decade after graduating from college.

Eleven years later he became presidentand chairman, the first non-family memberto lead the firm.

Scott said Company founder Peter Kiewit“had the unique ability to push people to theirlimits without getting them to the point whenthey would quit. It was a fascinating experi-ence because I think I learned a lot from that.”

He credited a family friend—the same one

s board members of one of America’s most admired

companies, Walter Scott Jr., Colorado State ’53,

and Ronald L. Olson, Drake ’63, possess a window into

what makes legendary investor Warren Buffett tick.Walter Scott Jr.

who encouraged him to be an engineer—forpointing him toward SigEp.

“There certainly are social aspects to afraternity,” Scott said. “But the thing that I gotthe most out of was that the chapter identifiedrelatively small but worthwhile projectswithin the community and then tried to dosomething about it.”

Olson joined SigEp at Drake, a 3,500-studentuniversity in Des Moines, Iowa, alongsideseveral of his college football teammates. Hethen attended law school at the University ofMichigan and finished his studies at England’sOxford University in 1967.

He clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals inWashington, D.C. before moving onto the CivilRights Division at the U.S. Department ofJustice. He joined his firm in 1968.

“I’ve always believed that the people youassociate with have a lot to do with who youare and what you become,” Olson said. “SigEpat that early stage of my life underscored forme the importance of friendship and havingquality people influencing you.”

“Buffett has taught me so much that it’shard for me to put it into a few sentences,”Olson said. “I have great respect for hisrationality, which is powerful. He has the kindof temperament that allows his rationality toprevail over all the emotion, buzz and WallStreet whispers. He teaches that what’simportant is what makes sense long term, notwhat is currently popular or what will get youthe most applause today.”

Olson said some of his most challengingcases stemmed from fallout from the ExxonValdez oil spill, where he represented six of

Olson, left, relays the story of his trip to Fenway Park with Warren Buffett: “Warren ‘The Whip’

is a great baseball fan and relished the opportunity, through the hospitality of one of the Red

Sox owners, Tom Werner, to pitch from the mound at Fenway Park. I tagged along, also for the

fun, and gave Warren every tip that I had. None seemed to make a difference until I got to the

spitball. ‘The Whip’ faced a look-a-like stand-in for A-Rod and struck him out on three pitches.

With that, we convinced ourselves that we were ready for a comeback.”

SigEps mean businessSuccess is measured in many ways. Over the next eight pages, you’ll read about power

corporate players, a business consultant who challenges companies to do good and do

well, a man who shifts from Wall Street warrior to financial writer, an executive who invents

the international business he wishes he could have engaged, and a new media expert who

had the courage to strike out on his own right when he hit his professional stride. You’ll

also meet fathers, husbands, scholars, philanthropists and friends. SigEps are in every

business niche, and they bring their balanced perspective to whatever they do.

A

businessSigEps mean


16Authorchallengescorporations tobe sociallyconscious

Greg Welch, Indiana,’85, author. Earningthat simple yetstately title was agoal that Welch setfor himself early inhis career. “Long ago,I made a list of the 100things that I wantedto do in life,” herecalled, “and writinga book was one ofthem. About a yearago, I decided it wastime to take action.”

In Good for Busi-ness: The Rise of theConscious Corpora-tion, Welch and hisco-authors argue thatthe successful corpo-rations of tomorrowmust take a morehumanized approachto business andaccept their roles as‘global citizens.’ Morethan ever, consumerscare about what abrand stands for.An attack on acorporation asenvironmentallyunfriendly, greedyor unresponsive canhave devastating

effects. Indeed, that iswhy many prefer fairtrade coffee or Macsover PCs.

Good for Businessoffers lessons Welchlearned in a wideranging, 25-yearcareer in brandmanagement, mar-keting andconsulting. Hisresume reads like animpressive corporategrocery list: Nestle,Colgate Palmolive,Bristol Myers Squibb,Nabisco. As a consult-ant, his clients haveincluded Wal-Mart,Hershey, Polo RalphLauren and Pfizer.Now, with the nation-ally recognizedconsulting firmSpencer Stuart,Welch assists some ofthe world’s largestcorporations inexecutive leadershipsearches.

While corporationsare his business, thestory of Welch’ssuccess, like themessage behind Good

By RYAN SUGDEN, Wisconsin ‘06

continued on p 28

the major oil companies and their Alaska oilpipeline company which loaded the ship andwas charged with cleanup responsibility,and representing Salomon Inc. in connectionwith its wrongful conduct of treasurysecurity auctions.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundationtrustee Bobby S. Shackouls, Mississippi ’72,met Scott for the first time when he inter-viewed for a senior position at BurlingtonResources Inc. in 1993. Scott was one of threeBurlington directors Shackouls met withprior to joining Burlington.

“He works very, very hard and expects thepeople around him to work just as hard,” saidShackouls, who would be named Burlington’spresident and chief executive two years later.“He has impeccable integrity, tremendousvision and the ability to put his businesses ina position to benefit from that vision.”

In the case of Burlington, Shackouls saidScott saw the value of securing natural gassupplies long before many others did.Further, when it came time to sell BurlingtonResources to CononcoPhillips in 2006, Scottdid so at a time when the price of natural gaswas three times as high as it is today.

Drake Alumni and Volunteer CorporationPresident Gary D. Ordway, Drake ’64, afriend of Olson’s since they were bothundergraduates, said he admired Olsonnot only for his professional success butalso how he has maintained his collegefriendships over the years.

“He’s very grounded in respect for otherhuman beings and has always rememberedhis roots,” Ordway said.

SigEps at Drake inducted Olson into theirhall of fame at a reunion last year. Olson, inaccepting the award, lamented the fact that hehad never sung the SigEp Sweetheart song tohis wife, Jane, of 46 years. Olson rectifiedthat oversight at the event. “It brought tearsto her eyes, and most of the other wivesthere,” Ordway said.

Olson and Scott, who will likely see eachother next at Berkshire’s annual meetingscheduled for May 1, didn’t realize theywere both SigEps until about a year ago.They should have plenty to talk about whenthey meet again.

“Having members like Ron and Waltermeans that SigEp has been recruiting anddeveloping quality men for a long time,” saidEducational Foundation Executive DirectorDoug D. Scheibe, Kansas State ’87. “And asmen of this stature stay involved and giveback, we ensure SigEp will be a partner inhigher education for a long time to come.”

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Peter A. Bordes Jr,New England College ’85

Media Trust • President/CEO/ChairBordes spent much of his career in banking andventure capital and was a Founder of Mason Cabotinvestment bank. He was also a Founder andChairman of Empire Media, Inc. Bordes serves onthe board of Conservation International and is alsothe Chairman of the Performance MarketingAlliance Fundraising Committee.

www.mediatrust.com

Lawrence M. Harding,Pennsylvania ’85

High Street Partners • Founder/PresidentHarding previously served as Vice President ofCiena and CFO of Omina Corporation. He is arecipient of The World Trade Center Institute’sMaryland International Business LeadershipAward. He earned a Bachelors degree in Economics,with dual majors in Finance and Accounting. (Seeprofile on p. 29.)

www.hsp.com

Mike T. Hollander,Colorado State ’98

WBS Connect • Co-Founder/PartnerHollander is a co-founder and managing partner ofWBS, responsible for day-to-day operations. He haseight years of telecommunications experience.Prior to WBS connect, Hollander has heldmanagement positions at the VP level at AllegianceTelecom and XO Communications.

www.wbsconnect.com

Mark G. Rockett,Appalachian State ’92

Rockett Interactive • Founder/CEORockett’s advertising career began in Media andAccount Management before moving into the moretechnical field of Interactive Marketing. He is theFounder and CEO of Rockett Interactive. Previously,Rockett managed Interactive Media and held otherpositions for The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va.(See profile on p. 30.)

www.rockettinteractive.com

Sean T. McNunn,Iowa State ’90

Triplefin • CTOMcNunn has more than 18 years of technologydevelopment and implementation experience. He isresponsible for IT operations for the Triplefin familyof companies. He is experienced in all aspects ofusing technology to support business functions ofcompanies ranging from manufacturing todistribution to financial management.

www.triplefin.com

Sixteen alumni are key executivesamong Inc. magazine’s 2009 listof fastest growing privatecompaniesCompiled by MINDI SEIDEL-ADLERResearch Coordinator

http://www.mediatrust.com

http://www.hsp.com

http://www.wbsconnect.com

http://www.rockettinteractive.com

http://www.triplefin.com

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2009/index.html


for Business, is afundamentallyhuman one. “Know-ing what I know now,I cannot overempha-size the importanceof identifying men-tors – and I wouldstrongly recommendthat you begin early.”

Welch formed hisown personal ‘Boardof Directors’ withmentors he metthroughout hiscareer. ”I was quiteovert in asking

several distinguishedexecutives to serve asa mentor to me,” herecalled. “I know thatthey not only watchout for me, but thatthey will give mehonest feedback andcounsel.” His ‘Board’isn’t official, and“they would say thepay isn’t very goodeither,” but theyserve as his sound-ing board and aninfluential networkof contacts.

Networking isanother key, Welchsays. “People chooseto do business withthose people whomthey know, like andtrust.” Building anetwork begins asearly as college, hesaid. Referring to hisfellow SigEps atIndiana, “we oftenremark on how manybrothers from thatgeneration have doneso well. Coincidence?I think not.”

Yet, he notes,success both person-ally and professionallyrides on more than aRolodex of embossedbusiness cards.Regardless of one’snetwork, Welch says,nothing can replacehard work. “ClearlyI have been luckyand incrediblyfortunate. That said,I once heard that‘luck favors thosewho work hard.’”

businessSigEps mean

Greg Welch, Indiana ’85,

has an annual gathering

of the world’s top marketing

officers from Google, Nike

Hewlett Packard and the like. He

brings in celebrities, like Andre Agassi

in a game of Wii with Welch above, to

share how they manage their personal

brand. Welch was impressed with how

Agassi was able to turn a tough upbring-

ing into a wildly successful career and

family life.


16Banking on businessjournalism pays off for SigEpBy STEVE DORSEY, American ’09

A career in business journalism became aWall Street detour for Duff McDonald,Pennsylvania ’92. After leaving his employer,Goldman Sachs, he eventually began a crash-course in journalism which led him topublications like New York Magazine.

“I didn’t actually enjoy Wall Street much,until I went into journalism,” McDonald said.The Wharton Business School graduate waslooking for something…different. McDonaldsaid working in the financial industry wasn’tthe right fit for him. Instead, he said hewanted to tell stories behind the decisions ofAmerica’s financial institutions and do some-thing more stimulating.

“I wanted to enjoy myself and I wanted tofeel like I was using my brain.” Since swap-ping his calculator for a notepad, he’s becomea Wall Street watchdog, keeping tabs oncorporate bailouts. McDonald now followsthe insiders and CEOs in an industry that“makes the world go ‘round.”

And McDonald has found a shimmerof success amidst the rubble of CorporateAmerica’s collapse in JPMorgan Chase CEOJamie Dimon. He profiled Dimon in his recentlyreleased book Last Man Standing: The Ascentof Jamie Dimon and JP Morgan Chase.

McDonald argues Dimon has been a leaderwho stands apart from the many bad actorswe’ve seen throughout the financial crisis.McDonald credits Dimon with preventing adeepening of the nation’s economic woes.

Dimon took over at Bear Stearns in 2008.McDonald says the move helped avert aneconomic panic. And after Dimon took overthe reins, McDonald had the interview thateveryone was looking to get.

“On the day that literally the entire worldwas trying to get him on the phone, I had ameeting with him. I was the only journalist tohave an in-person meeting with him that day.”

McDonald had spotted Dimon as a risingstar on Wall Street when he scheduled theinterview, which to McDonald’s surprise,Dimon kept.

McDonald isn’t just interested in Dimon asfinancial hero, but an icon of power.

“Unless you don’t care about the peoplewho are making the decisions that affect allof our lives, then you have to have someinterest in him.”

McDonald noted that his book wasn’tall praise for Dimon. “I was critical of him inthe book, and he had problems with partsof the book.”

McDonald said that skill of brokeringideas and perspectives, and finding fairness,was developed, at least in part, during histime as a SigEp undergraduate.

“Living in close quarters with that numberof guys…there’s a million constituencies,and a million points of view, and in orderto get things done you need to be able towork it out,” he said.

As a professional, McDonald said successdoesn’t come in his next paycheck, but iswritten in America’s economic stories.“When I’m done, I want to say, ‘OK that wasworth it,’ and not in the monetary sense.”

McDonald also recognizes that as long asthere are some unscrupulous people inbusiness, there will always be work for him,because “those people also tend to make forthe best business stories.”

continued from p 26

Duff McDonald, with his daughter Marguerite, hasrecently published a book, Last Man Standing, about JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

continued on p 30

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Anthony W. Fung,Pittsburgh ’97

Catapult Consultants • PrincipalFung has over ten years of experience implementingand managing enterprise level projects, and is incharge of managing operations at his firm. Heearned a degree in Information Science and is acertified Project Management Professional (PMP)by the Project Management Institute.

www.catapultconsultants.com

Leo A. Kelmenson,New Mexico ’51

Covario • Board MemberKelmenson was the Chairman of FCB Worldwide,and served on the Board of Directors of its parentcompany, True North Communications Inc. Hepreviously served as an executive with Kenyon &Eckhardt; Norman, Craig and Kummel; andLennen & Newell. A graduate of ColumbiaUniversity, Kelmenson earlier studied at theUniversity of New Mexico.

www.covario.com

Gary W. Burchill,Duke ’78

2is, Inc. • Co-Founder/CEOBurchill served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy. Heholds an MBA from Harvard University and a Ph.D.in Operations Management from MIT. Burchillserves as an Adjunct Professor in MIT’s Leaders forManufacturing Program and a Senior Lecturer inEntrepreneurship at the Harvard Graduate Schoolof Business.

www.2is-inc.com

Joseph C. Brown,George Mason ’95

Accelera Solutions • Owner/PresidentAccelera specializes in software development forclients in fields including healthcare, education,and government. Brown has been interviewed onFederal News radio and has given severalinterviews on technology development.

www.accelerasolutions.com

Shane C. Ireland,McDaniel College ’97

Corporate Brokers • Managing MemberCorporate Brokers offers temporary and permanentstaffing solutions. Prior to Corporate Brokers, Irelandworked with Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals andMaxim Group.

www.corporatebrokers.com

Quinn D. Salamandra,McDaniel College ’97

Corporate Brokers • Managing MemberCorporate Brokers offers temporary and permanentstaffing solutions. Prior to Corporate Brokers,Salamandra worked in Human Resources for DSC,T. Williams, and Aerotek/TEK Systems.

www.corporatebrokers.com

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http://www.catapultconsultants.com

http://www.covario.com

http://www.2is-inc.com

http://www.accelerasolutions.com

http://www.corporatebrokers.com

http://www.corporatebrokers.com


On aninternationalplaying field,SigEp routinelyraises the game

By TIMOTHY GAMES,Pennsylvania ‘84

Larry Harding,Pennsylvania ’85,played high schoolfootball with DougFlutie and watchedthe undersized Flutieraise his game incollege and the pros,winning the Heismantrophy and forging a20-year professionalcareer. Likewise, asthe president andfounder of HighStreet Partners(HSP), Harding hasraised his own gamethroughout hisprofessional life,growing HSP to 78on the Inc. 500 list ofthe fastest growingprivate companiesin the country, upfrom 84 in 2008.

Based in Annapolis,Md., HSP providesfinance, accounting,legal, compliance,and human resourcesassistance to for-

harder working thanI was. They weregreat guys whopossessed the quali-ties that I look forwhen we hire atHSP. I realized that,if I wanted to succeedat Penn, and in thebusiness world,I would have to workharder and smarter.”

Harding’s yearsat Pennsylvania Deltahoned his competitiveskills and served asa springboard tosuccess. Hardinglaughingly said hegot a C on his firstaccounting mid-termand decided then andthere to major inaccounting, hoping toturn a weakness intostrength. Armed withfinance and account-

“There was noplaybook for settingup overseas offices.There were nooutside companiesto manage the tax,regulatory, and legalissues we faced oneach project. I hadto do it all myself.I spent four yearsdeveloping a globalnetwork of localadvisers and thirdparty experts whomI could trust to staffour projects.”

Although Hardingdid not see himselfas an entrepreneur,he realized that hehad developed theskill set to start thecompany that hewished he could havehired at Ciena. HSPwas born in 2003.

profit and non-profitU.S. organizationsthat operate over-seas. HSP guides over200 clients throughthe maze of foreignentry requirementsin over 70 countriesand manages theirongoing operatingand advisory needs.HSP has nine officesaround the world.As Harding explains,“Our mantra is anyissue, any country,anytime.”

For Harding,future success wasnot always assured.“I had done wellacademically in highschool, but was reallyunprepared for thelevel of competitionin college. At theWharton Schoolat Penn, I was sur-rounded by hyper-competitive, supersmart Fraternitybrothers who werenot only smarter, but

ing majors, Hardinghad the education toelevate his game.

Harding joinedErnst & Young as apublic accountantand moved intocorporate finance atseveral Boston-areaventure-backedcompanies. He foundhimself “gravitatingtowards emerginggrowth.” He facedfurther challenges in1999 as a CFO whosecompany was ac-quired by Ciena. Hewas tapped to becomevice president ofinternational financeand expand thenetwork solutionsprovider into 30countries.

Initial sales weretough. “I wasn’t asalesman, but I wasforced to become oneto keep the businessalive. Being forcedto adapt like thatraises your game, andit was something mydays at SigEp hadhelped me develop.I grew to like sales,working with reallysmart, creativepeople, and I lovedthe challenge ofrunning a company. Ihad always supportedentrepreneurs, andnow I became one.”

Business grewquickly. Hardingsaid, “When ThomasFriedman cameout with The Worldis Flat, businessjust took off. Ameri-

Larry Harding founded High Street Partners to serve American businesses operating in other countries.

“Being forced to adapt like that raises your game,and it was something my days at SigEp hadhelped me develop.”~ LARRY HARDING

businessSigEps mean


16continued from p 28

Rockett fuelsbusiness successwith personalaccountabilityBy CHRIS MCCAW, Appalachian State ‘03

can companiesrealized that therewere terrific growthopportunities over-seas. We were in thesweet spot of thebusiness cycle. FromChina to India, Brazilto Belgium and allpoints in between,we could not only getthese companiesup and running,but manage theirongoing operationalrequirements.”

HSP has defiedthe recent economicdownturn, postingdouble-digit revenuegrowth. “We seesignificant growthpotential in theinternational ser-vices market, sonow is an ideal timeto accelerate ourexpansion plans,”Harding said. HSPhas expanded itstraditional focus onventure-backedtechnology compa-nies and started todevelop clientrelationships withuniversity non-profitslike Penn, Harvard,Yale, Duke andothers.

“I love workingwith Penn becauseof the great experi-ence I had as anundergraduate andas a SigEp brother,”Harding notes,neglecting to mentionthat he had recentlygiven $50,000 to thePennsylvania DeltaChapter to help withrenovations. Evermodest, Hardingbelieves in givingback. “I have beenvery fortunate in myprofessional life, andI attribute thatsuccess to many ofthe lessons I learnedliving in the chapter,and getting to knowmy brothers.”

Harding has notforgotten his Bostonroots. He recentlyadded Gerard Phelanto HSP’s Board ofDirectors—yes, thesame Gerard Phelanwho caught the Flutie“Hail Mary” pass tobeat Miami in theOrange Bowl. Some-times it pays todevelop an “A” game.

As it marks a

second year on

the Inc. 500 list

of fastest grow-

ing companies

in the U.S. (87 in 2008 and 116 in 2009),

Rockett Interactive exudes an atmo-

sphere of hustle, risk, determination,

and intelligence. I also heard a life

lesson from CEO Mark Rockett,

Appalachian State ’92, about how

his confrontation with a dangerous

disease gave him the courage and

respect for himself to become a

better man, father, husband, and

corporate leader.

322

341

405

418

496

Christopher R. Ryan,MIT ’69

Geo-Solutions • PresidentRyan has over 25 years experience in environmental andgeo-technical construction. He also has experience indispute resolution, having served as consultant to lawfirms and worked as an expert witness.

www.geo-solutions.com

William G. Bathe,Iowa State ’79

U.S. Energy Services • President/CEOBathe is one of the founders of U.S. Energy Services,and its sister company, U.S. Energy Engineering. Hispast work experience has been in management,marketing, design, and construction. Bathe earnedan MBA from Creighton University.

usenergyservices.com

Raymond F. Humphrey,Norwich ’57

Iverify • Board MemberHumphrey is a leader in the security-riskmanagement field. He served as President of bothASIS International and the International SecurityManagement Association. Humphrey retired as aColonel following 20 years of service in the U.S.Army. He is also a former White House Fellow, andco-authored “What Corporate America Needs toKnow About Bioterrorism”.

www.iverify.com

Scott G. Yancey Jr,William & Mary ’74

Ignite Media • CFOYancey has extensive experience with developingtechnology companies into industry leaders. Hepreviously served as Executive Vice President at In-Q-Tel, and was Chief Financial Officer of InPhonic.Yancey also served as CFO for Network AccessSolutions and Cable & Wireless USA.

www.ignitemedia.com

Stephen A. Singlar,New Hampshire ’94

Single Digits • Founder/OfficerSinglar has responsibility for the company’s long-term strategies and strategic partnerships. He hasover a decade of experience in many aspects oftechnology from sales and marketing to productmanagement. Singlar previously worked withEnterasys, Cisco Systems and ArrowpointCommunications.

www.singledigits.com

See Inc. magazine’s entire list of fastest growingprivate companies in 2009 at www.inc.com/inc500/2009/the-full-list.html

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2009/the-full-list.html

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2009/the-full-list.html

http://www.geo-solutions.com

http://www.usenergyservices.com

http://www.iverify.com

http://www.ignitemedia.com

http://www.singledigits.com


Rockett grew up in the Raleighsuburb of Cary, N.C. He joinedSigEp his sophomore year and gothis degree in business marketing.Rockett was everyone’s go-toparty guy when they wanted tohave fun any day of the week.

My conversation with Rockettquickly turned serious. He toldme about his addiction to alcohol,a series of negative events associ-ated with his disease, and finally,the intervention by a Fraternitybrother who had the courage toconfront Mark about his down-ward spiral and convince him toget help. Not until the followingweek, while celebrating a workpromotion, did Rockett takeresponsibility for his problem.

“I was celebrating a promotionin my normal way: drinks andmore drinks. On the way home,I was stopped by the highwaypatrol and arrested for DUI. It wasafter the ordeal that I realized lifecouldn’t go on this way. I had toget control of myself or stay on apath that was likely to kill me at ayoung age. I made the choice tolive, to get help, to fight the fight.Sixteen years later, as a gratefullyrecovering alcoholic, I am glad Imade the decision to take respon-sibility for myself,” he said.

With a single computer anddesk, he founded Rockett Interac-tive in 2003 in the Richmond, Va.confines of his basement. Sincethen, the company has seenexplosive revenue growth , amove to Cary, N.C., and an ever-growing client roster includingBB&T, Hamilton Beach, andThe Body Shop.

Initial struggles and eventualsuccess created valuable experi-ences. Rockett’s list of the mostimportant:

Take advantage of everythingyour campus has to offer. Don’twait for it to come to you. Go findit. Take responsibility for you.Rockett regrets what he leftunexplored in college.

Know what you don’t know.Launching and leading his owncompany was not necessarilyRockett’s forte. He works towardhis strengths, and finds the verybest resources and people tosupplement weak spots.

Never stop learning. Interactwith others in your community

“I had to get control of myself or stayon a path that was likely to kill me ata young age. Sixteen years later, as agratefully recovering alcoholic, I amglad I made the decision to takeresponsibility for myself.”

Taking responsibility forhimself has not only enabledRockett to beat his disease, butit’s also propelled him down asuccessful career path. Severalyears after gaining control of hisaddiction, and diligently work-ing in advertising, he became anaccount manager at the world-classMartin Agency, in Richmond, Va.

In the late 90s, internet market-ing was a relatively new thing,and Rockett realized its value andpotential as a key marketingtactic. Many didn’t understand it,but Rockett jumped on the ideaand worked with Martin manage-ment to create a role to teachhimself and others how to tap intothis dynamic communication tool.

Rockett became an industryleader in the world of interactivemedia, blazing a new trail forMartin to better service its clientsand gain access to new opportuni-ties. Rockett managed the onlinemedia group for four years, cuttinghis teeth on accounts such asAlltel, CareerBuilder, GEICO, andUPS. Over time, Rockett realizedthe value of his expertise and theinteractive media needs amongother agencies and advertisers. Hesoon saw a familiar road to change:taking responsibility for himself. Itwas time to start his own business.

with similar interests anddirection. Rockett participatesin the online community, industryassociations and a local CEO peergroup. Expect to teach others asmuch as they teach you.

Be flexible – Rockett Interactivewas initially established topartner with large advertisingagencies for online media. Overtime, Rockett has expanded thecompany to be a full-servicedigital agency and has changedthe focus to primarily work withthe advertiser directly.

Over and over, Rockett’scommitment to personal responsi-bility has served him, armed himto fight his addictive demons andchallenged him to take the bigrisks required for big rewards.And that trajectory of successbegan its upward trend when aFraternity brother took him aside,told him the truth, and helped himsee what he needed to do.

Mark Rockett,Appalachian State ’92

~ MARK ROCKETT

businessSigEps mean


The Sigma Phi Epsilon Fellow:

Shining examples of service learningBy GENE SCHURG, Davis & Elkins ’77

In the early ’90s, former Grand President FrankRuck, Michigan, ’46, directed his Balanced Mancommittee to create an environment where youngmen would “learn to love to serve.” Indeed, BrotherlyLove commands us to help all men and women whoneed assistance. From these concepts the Sigma PhiEpsilon Fellow was born.

The Sigma Phi Epsilon Fellow is awarded everytwo years at the Sigma Phi Epsilon Grand ChapterConclave to men who have fulfilled a need for help inthe world’s communities and made great personal

raise over two tons offood donated to theFood Bank.

Dudis, always alover of Halloween,set out a plan toattain sponsors andrecruit students togo door-to-door onHalloween to collectmoney and food thatwould help the Mid-Ohio Food Bankthrough their leantimes. Money wouldbe raised throughsponsorships from

Service learning

investment of time and talent to help. A FellowCandidate must identify a unique need, documenthis approach to solve the problem and submit his plansto the Fellows Task Force comprised by senior alumnimembers of the Fraternity. Approved projects can takeover a year and require diligence and perseverance.The Fellow Candidate submits his completed projectreport to the task force.

At the 2009 Grand Chapter Conclave, two SigEpswere awarded the Fellow. Their stories inspire us allto do our part.

How to become a Sigma Phi Epsilon FellowPick a project you are passionate aboutScott Dudis recommends, “The ideal projectis one that you truly, sincerely care about. Itdoesn’t have to be something that is world-wide or famous. If you, personally, arededicated to the project/cause/issue, there isno obstacle too great to overcome. I mightnot have been the best person for the job; Imight not have had all the skills I needed toexcel. Still, people saw that my work reallymattered to me, and that passion made iteasy for them to guide, support, and join mein helping others.”

Find the right mentorIn his reflection after his project completionMike Josephson wrote, “The fellow mentor is oneof the most important decisions of your project.This person will hold you accountable, help youthrough issues and remind you that sometimesthings do not always go as planned. Look atsomeone you truly respect and look-up to.”

Planning is key to a successful Fellows projectA Fellows project can take over a year fromconcept to completion. The actual activitymay only take a few days, but leading up to theactivity, the fellow candidate must meet with

Hunger. Even inthe most affluentcommunities acrossthe country, somefamilies still needa helping hand.Ohio is a goodexample, where13% of Ohioanslive in poverty.The Mid-OhioFood Bankprovidesemergencyassistance to

almost 200,000 indi-viduals each year, and

its member agenciesserve 40,000 mealsdaily to those whowould otherwise gohungry. In good years,the Food Bank hasdifficulty keeping theshelves full to helpthe hungry. Whenthe Ohio economytanked, Scott Dudiscreated A VerySHARE-y Halloweento involve his OhioGamma brothers andmembers of the OhioState community to

local merchants atvarious levels suchas “In For A PennyPer Pound.”

For Halloween2007 and 2008 “A VerySHARE-y Halloween”collected over 5,000pounds of food andover $500 on twosingle-day outings.Dudis created theproject so that eachHalloween, the menof Ohio Gammawould continuecollecting food.

From left, Mid-Ohio Foodbank staffer Jen Bowden, Andrew Shrock,

’10, Gabe Lockhart, ’09, Scott Dudis, ’08, and Zane Roelen, ’11. The

chapter has kept the project going after Dudis graduated.

R. Scott Dudis, Ohio State ’08 | A Very SHARE-y Halloween

http://www.sigep.org/memdev/fellows.asp

33THE SIGMA PHI EPSILON FELLOW

Sometimes theproject does not endup the way it wasplanned, and that wasthe case for MikeJosephson. In 2006,Josephson identifieda need for a mentoredinternet cafe in aMexican village.After several obstaclesprevented him frompursuing his initialplan, he discovered a

Honduran orphanage,Amigos de Jesus,which cared for 50boys in a rural village.These children arerescued from thestreets, given aneducation and housedin a safe environmentwhere they can enjoytheir childhood.

To fulfill his dreamfor the children,Josephson overcamemany obstacles. Hefound benefactorswho would contributehardware for thecomputer lab. Heraised funds topurchase essential

additional hardwareand software. Facingdaunting issues withshipping computerequipment andsoftware throughcustoms into Hondu-ras, Josephsondiligently pursuedthe task.

Finally, with hismentor and a halfdozen of his chapterbrothers, Josephsonmade the trek fromCalifornia, throughMiami on to Hondu-ras. After theirarrival, the brotherstraveled for nearlytwo hours overprimitive dirt roads ina beautiful, but veryrustic countryside.

In the end, thecomputers were

installed and internetaccess provided forthe boys’ educationalneeds. Thesechildren’s lives arebetter because of ourbrothers’ gift ofdiligent service tothem. By this mea-sure alone the projectwas a success. But,the bigger mark ofsuccess is the lastingimpact the youngboys of this Hondu-ran orphanage havehad on the perspec-tives of the CaliforniaBeta Alpha chapter.Our brothers whohave so much wealthin their personal liveslearned from a groupof boys who had nomaterial possessionsthat life is what youchoose to make of it.

participants, communicate with sponsors,meet with his mentor, recruit other volunteersand document his journey. Time spent plan-ning and documenting the project will resultin professional execution and help the fellowcandidate’s personal development as a leader.Mike Josephson adds “Always have a backupplan. Don’t be afraid to work two differentavenues at the same time. Though my inten-tion was to work in Mexico with my co-worker,as the months progressed this became moreand more unlikely. Finally, my contact with theAmigos De Jesus organization became thehelp I needed.”

Include members in the chapterThe ultimate responsibility for the project lieswith the Fellow Candidate, but one man can’tdo it alone. Identify other members of thechapter who are passionate about servicelearning and give them some responsibility.The brothers from California Beta Alpha gainedgreat personal growth and experience by mak-ing the journey to Honduras and returned tocampus excited about serving others.

Have fun!Throughout the project, build in somefun activities. Take lots of pictures.Thank your volunteers.

“A community is like a ship; everyone oughtto be prepared to take the helm.”

For more informationabout the Sigma Phi EpsilonFellow visit www.sigep.org/memdev/fellows.asp.

~ HENRIK IBSEN

One of the kids Josephson was proud to help at anorphanage in Mexico sports a smile and the SigEp letters.

Mike Josephson, California-Irvine ’07 | Amigos De Jesus Orphanage

http://www.sigep.org/memdev/fellows.asp


Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation

Memorial scholarship honors Matthew CostaBy PAM CAMERON

Matt Costa, Tulane ’03, was

my son. He died doing what he

loved, and I have been working

with his Fraternity brothers

and other friends to keep the

loving memory alive.

Matt Costa was a Tulane SigEp, and hewas so much more. A musician. An athlete.A philosopher. A political junkie. A teacher.A son. A brother. A friend. A member of thePeace Corps. A Bodhisattva—a seeker ofwisdom and truth.

Matt went to the African country of Chadas a Peace Corps volunteer after graduating.He taught English and lived in a small villagecalled Mani without electricity, runningwater or plumbing, but a lot of corruptionand despair. Matt never let the conditionsdiscourage him from his goal of bridging thecultural gap and educating the children. Heengaged the local village kids to paint a muralon the wall of their school. It was a world map.Matt wanted the children to understandwhere they fit in the world. When he arrivedin Mani, the kids thought America was part ofEurope. One of Matt’s legacies in Chad is thatthe children will always have a bigger visionof themselves and their place in the world.

Matt was a Bob Dylan junkie who played amean guitar and harmonica. He was alwayssitting with his guitar and harmonica with avillage full of Chadian children around him asthey sang together. Most of the kids didn’tunderstand the words—but they understoodthe joy and sentiment and fun that Mattbrought with his music. It was one of the wayshe bridged the cultural gap—a goal of thePeace Corps. Matt treated music as a univer-

sal language and the kids understood that. Hewould see them at the market and they smiledat him and started singing a Dylan song inEnglish. Though they didn’t understand thewords, their smiles communicated the univer-sal language that Matt taught them.

Matt loved being a SigEp. He lived in thechapter house and looked upon his brothers aslife-long friends. They worked concessions atthe Saints games together, took road tripsduring spring break together, played flagfootball and soccer together. Matt could notwait to return to the States and reconnect withhis SigEp brothers. Before he could do that, heextended his Peace Corps service in the WestAfrican country of Mali with a plan to finish inJanuary 2007, and start law school that fall.Matt wanted to work in international law, tohelp the politically powerless, the poorChadian women, children in Mali who reallywanted to learn but didn’t have the infrastruc-ture, advocate for the forgotten in farawayplaces. That was his mission.

On September 3, 2006, Matt and somefriends took their homemade boat with the30-foot mast flying the big Malian flag downthe Niger River. It was their maiden voyage. Itwas also the last day of Matt’s life. The masthit a high tension wire and Matt was electro-cuted and then drowned. He never made itback home to reunite with his SigEp brothers,his family, or to get that law degree so he

Costa, left, enjoys a family holiday with, from left, hismom, Pam Cameron, his sister, Danielle Costa and hisstepfather, George Cameron.

Costa, an avid Bob Dylan fan, often broke into song with his young charges in the African country of Chad. It’s hard to tellwho is having the most fun.

35EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

could continue helping the African peoplewith whom he shared a mutual love.

Matt’s physical presence is gone. But Icould not let his spirit, passion, and goals die.So I spoke with his SigEp brothers and westarted a scholarship in his memory. Everyyear in October at Tulane’s Homecoming, weaward the Costa Memorial Scholarship at theSigEp Alumni dinner and then we go to Musicfor Matt—a concert one of Matt’s SigEpbrothers organized in Matt’s memory. Thescholarship is given to a brother who bestexemplifies what Matt stood for and wouldhave accomplished had he not been on theboat that fateful day.

Here is how Matt’s stepfather, GeorgeCameron, described him at a memorialservice: “Matt was a Bodhisattva, that ishow I saw him. He sought truth and wisdomand he was able to skip right over prejudicelike it didn’t exist, just sail beyond it. And hegot angry at injustice.”

The Costa Memorial Scholarship allowsTulane SigEps to carry on the work that Matthad just begun. And in doing so, each Octoberit brings together those of us who loved Mattso we can share memories and continuehis legacy. The evening starts with a briefdiscussion of Matt and then the scholarshippresentation. This allows the recipient to learnfrom Matt even in his death—about truth,wisdom, skipping over prejudice and gettingangry at injustice. And the evening ends withdancing and singing at the Music for Mattconcert. Music—an appropriate ending for anight dedicated to celebrating Matt Costa, theTulane SigEp, and so much more.

I encourage you to start a scholarship tobring more good men to SigEp. And I hope youwill appreciate those men every day. Sing,play, work, laugh and love together.

Dear SigEp Donors,

I wanted to personally thank you for

extending the SigEp National Scholarship

to me. I am not sure you may realize how

much of a difference that $1,000 makes in my

life. I fully support myself through

college with work, scholarships and loans.

It is a challenge for me financially to be in

SigEp, but I did whatever I could to come up

with the money to make it happen - and it is

the best investment I could have ever made.

Things like this only add to my drive to be a

balanced man and better person. SigEp has

shown me a life, and college experience, I

could have only dreamed of. I have made some

of my best friends for life and learned so

much from a few alumni who have reached out

to me. Thanks again.Tyler RutsteinUniversity of Florida, ‘11Florida Alpha

The Annual Fund supports:Leadership Continuum | EDGE | Carlson Leadership Academy | Ruck Leadership Institute |Conclave Educational Programming | Tragos Quest to Greece | Residential LearningCommunities | Housing Improvements | Faculty Fellows | Resident Scholars | Balanced ManProgram | National Competition Scholarships | Regional Director Development

Since 2003, the Educational Foundation has granted over $4 million to these initiatives.

Support undergrads,like Tyler, by makingyour Annual Fund gifttoday! Use theenclosed envelope orput your investmentto work faster by giving online atwww.sigepfoundation.org/donations.

Sigma Phi EpsilonEducational [email protected] | www.sigepfoundation.org(804) 421-GPA1 (4721)

Use scholarship funds to attract, reward

and retain the best men on campus. All

chapters have at least one fund with the

Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation,

and all gifts to the Foundation are tax-

deductible. Support scholarship funds on

the local level, like the Matthew Costa

Memorial Scholarship Fund or the Georgetown

funds (see p. 36). Along with the annual

fund, they combine to build balanced men.

Unrestricted gifts are ofimmeasurable value…

…theyallow theTrustees

to respondquickly to the

Fraternity’sneeds and

opportunities.

Matthew and friends


http://www.sigepfoundation.org/donations

http://www.sigepfoundation.org


SigEp founded a chapter at Georgetown in2005, the university’s first ever undergraduatefraternity. Five years later, the chapter hasraised over $25,000 in alumni donations,funded 22 brothers to attend LeadershipContinuum events, and created a fund specifi-cally to support semi-annual chapter retreats.

Here’s how:With no chapter alumni to turn to, the

founding Alumni and Volunteer Corporation(AVC) consisted of alumni from other schools.Past AVC President Scott Howard, AngeloState ’90, said, “The goals of the AVC weresimple: Build a strong foundation for thechapter, mentor the leadership, create apositive chapter experience, and teach the firstfew classes of alumni to participate and giveback to the chapter with both time and money.”

As a young chapter, the AVC encouragedbrothers to participate in the LeadershipContinuum and helped coordinate weekend,off campus chapter retreats for focusedplanning sessions. AVC President AnthonyBalestrieri, George Washington ’03, said, “Atthe end of the day, all the socials blur togetherbut the lasting memories come from qualitytime with other brothers on chapter retreats.”

As the chapter matured, the AVC and youngalumni set a goal to create separate funds forscholarship, leadership, and chapter retreats.

The Sigma Phi Epsilon Alumni Relations(SPEAR) program was enacted by ChapterCounselor Paul Happel, Georgetown ’08,and required a three-pronged approach toalumni relations:1. Each graduating class appointed analumni secretary to coordinate all classcorrespondence.

2. The AVC appointed an Alumni Relationsposition responsible to communicate withclass secretaries, publish an alumni/parentnewsletter, coordinate alumni events, andencourage alumni and graduating classes todonate to the chapter’s funds through theSigEp Foundation.

3. The undergraduate chapter appointedan Alumni Relations chair to report directlyto the AVC Alumni Relations position.

Georgetown’s lessons learned from fundraisingand alumni relations efforts:

The chapter’s fundraising objective hasbeen straightforward: 100% alumni partici-pation regardless of amount. Withcontributions from nearly all Georgetownchapter alumni, numerous parents, and adozen or more AVC members and supporters,the chapter has seen a fully operationalBalanced Man Scholarship fund, an AlphaLeadership Grant fund created by KentHickman, Colorado ’61, and a chapter retreatfund started by Balestrieri. Donors can directtheir funds to any of these three options.

In only five years, the chapter has awardednearly $15,000 for Balanced Man Scholarships,22 Alpha Leadership grants for brothers toattend Leadership Continuum events, andnumerous chapter retreats.

Have a specificpurpose for annualfund-raising drives.

The SPEARprogram works. Setup your own SigmaPhi Epsilon AlumniRelations program tofocus your chapter’sefforts.

Differentiatebetween expensesthat should beincurred by thechapter and thosewhere the alumni cantruly make adifference withfinancial support.

Make sure the AVChas oversight offundraising anddistribution of funds.

Leverage theFraternity andFoundation staff tohelp with yourprogram goals.

You’ll find nosubstitute for generousSigEp alumni andvolunteers who pourtheir hearts, time, anddollars into creating apositive chapterexperience for ourundergraduatebrothers.

Georgetown: From first fraternity to fundraising pro in five yearsBy WHITAKER LEONHARDT, Georgetown ’07

At the 2009 Conclave, chapter brothers and alumni congregate outside of the Balanced Man Celebration at Universal Studios to celebrate the chapter's first ever Buchanan Cup.

372010 FRATERNITY REPORT

Mission:2010

Fra

tern

ity R

epor

t

By THOMAS B. JELKE,PH.D., FloridaInternational ‘90National Director

Every high performing organizationfollows a mission that proclaims itscore purpose, a vision that capturesits highest aspiration, and core valuesthat permeate the culture of that organi-zation. They also have a long-term planthat declares priority areas to drivefocus. These areas include specificobjectives that demonstrate impact,so the organization can stay relevant,be dynamic, and flourish. Those keyelements are vital to SigEp’s future.A strategic plan provides our Fraternitywith a blueprint to drive growth, as wellas a foundation to ground our decisions.

SigEp’s strategic plan has succeededin moving the organization proudlyforward over the past ten years asother organizations have struggled.

Strategic plan sets course for next decade

“If you don’tknow whereyou aregoing, anypath will takeyou there.”~ SIOUX

PROVERB

Past Grand President Steve Shanklin,Murray State ’70, asked Fraternityleaders to build on that momentum forthe next decade. The group, facilitatedby strategic planning expert RandyBenthien, delved into the Fraternity’spurpose, accomplishments and poten-tial. Benthien gathered the perspectivesof hundreds of undergraduate leaders,volunteers, and other stakeholdersto help drive the planning process.Grand President Garry Kief, SouthernCalifornia ’70, said “We were determinedto clarify what is important and wherethe Fraternity needs to be. We came upwith a plan that is focused, comprehen-sive, challenging, and very exciting forSigma Phi Epsilon.”

Our mission fort h e p a st d e c a d ehas been to BuildBalanced Leadersf o r t h e Wo r l d ’sC o m m u n i t i e s .That mission hasserved us well and

helped us establishgreat developmentand training expe-riences like RuckLeadership Insti-tute, EDGE, andthe Tragos Questto Greece. Building

leaders is one ofthe things SigEpdoes best. Our newmission is simpler,yet broader: Build-ing Balanced Men.We will continueo u r f o c u s o n

leadership develop-ment, and expandour focus to buildour members ascitizens, commu-n i t y s e r v a n t s ,ethical decision-makers, students,

a n d st ewa r d sof our Ritual.A l l o f t h e s efacets of livinga balanced lifew i l l c o mp r i s eour mission.

Building Balanced Men



Sigma Phi Epsilon will dedicate itself tobe more than the best collegiate fraternityon a campus. Rather it will strive to be thebest collegiate organization on each campuswhere we have a chapter. We will shift ourbenchmark to compete not just with otherfraternities, but with every organizationon our campuses. We envision a futurewhere every chapter is associated withfraternal excellence and organizationalexcellence, a future where we are a partnerin the education and development of collegestudents. Imagine a world where deans,faculty, staff, and even university presidentspoint to SigEp as a driver in the success ofstudents and the institution. That is thefuture we hope to achieve.

Vision:Be thepremierecollegiateorganizationand a valuedpartner inhigher education

Getting the job doneA great plan is only good if it is diligently

executed. Brian C. Warren Jr, Virginia ’04,SigEp’s new Executive Director, is chargedwith implementing the plan, and you can readmore about the objectives he will be mostfocused on in the coming fiscal year on page39. “I am excited about the future of SigEp, andthis plan gives the staff the focus and direc-tion we need to roll up our sleeves and fulfillthe greatest needs of the Fraternity. Our staffwill work closely with our great volunteersas well as the board and the foundation tocreate a direct link between our efforts andthe strategic plan.”

As a National Board member myself, I amconfident that we are poised for a phenomenaldecade of healthy growth, educational vitality,strong connections with our volunteers andour alma maters, and first-rate programming.That all starts with a declaration of where weare headed and an invitation to join theconversation. The National Board of Directorsand the Fraternity staff want to hear yourperspective now and over time.

Priority Areas

The Strategic Planreinforces our Cardi-nal Principles asthe core values of thisFraternity. In essence,we expect all of our

actions (whether it bean individual member,a c h a p t e r, o r t h enational Fraternity) toalign with Virtue, Dili-gence and Brotherly

Love. By embracingthe practice of SoundMind and Sound Body,SigEps can maintain avessel to properly enactVirtue, Diligence, and

core valuesBrotherly Love. Ourv a l u e s a n d o u rpractice complementeach other to makeour members and theFraternity strong.

When you have toomany priorities, youhave none. TheStrategic Plan helpsthe Fraternity focuson what is importantby declaring our topfive priorities for thenext decade.1. Recruit and

develop balancedmen

2. Be a valuedpartner in highereducation

3. Develop andmaintain qualityresidentiallearning facilities

4. Recruit, train,support, andmanage the bestvolunteers

5. Grow strategically

Each priority areahas four to six spe-cific objectives thatwill allow us to makeprogress toward ourvision of becoming apremier organizationon the college cam-puses where ourchapters thrive. Eachyear, over the nextdecade, the Frater-nity will take on newand higher chal-lenges to elevate theimpact this Frater-nity has on youngmen’s lives. While wewon’t accomplish allof these objectivesin the coming year,the stage will be setto see our visionbecome a reality.

Weigh in, make suggestions or cast your vote of confidenceat [email protected]. And welcome to thenext decade of Sigma Phi Epsilon.



The moment a young man sets foot on

his college campus, he begins a process

of transformation. For the past ten years,

I’ve observed students experience this

process of transformation. I’ve seen

young men soar; I’ve seen young men

stall…and I know that their success is

determined by much more than what

happens within the walls of a classroom.

I’m convinced that SigEp has a blueprint, a design for student

success. We have seen the blueprint play out to perfection at

many chapters across SigEp. Our challenge now is offering up

the blueprint in a systematic way, so that whether you are at

Richmond or Rensselaer, at South Florida or Santa

Barbara…you know what it is to be a SigEp.

Of course, the blueprint needs embellishment to fit into

each unique campus environment.

SigEp’s strategic plan provides the

foundation for each chapter to construct

a blueprint that will ensure the success

of each member.

By BRIAN C. WARREN JRVirginia ‘04

The year aheadExecutive Director’s report:

“Thebeginningis the mostimportantpart of thework.”~ PLATO

Local and regionalrecruitment skillsworkshopsResources thatenable 4-yeardevelopmentprograms andretain all membersServices that helpchapters followthrough on planscreated at

LeadershipContinuumProgramsRevitalize EDGE toreach as many newmembers aspossiblePut more RegionalDirectors on theroad operatingwithin a focusedservice model

What to expect in 2010-2011:

Priority area:Recruit and develop

SigEp recognized long ago the need toreinvent fraternity, to recommit ourselvesto deliberate recruitment practices and ameaningful development experience foreach member, regardless of age or tenure inthe chapter.

Our efforts to create a healthier and morecompelling fraternity experience have led toa steady rise in GPAand an impressiveleap in manpower.And yet, our member-ship data exposes awide gap.

For the past threeacademic years,SigEp has recruitedover 6,000 newmembers. We’reon pace to hit that6,000 mark this year,which might lead youto infer that we haveroughly 24,000 under-graduate brothers.Not so. At the end ofthis academic year,SigEp will have about15,000 active mem-bers in our chapters.

While membershipnumbers tell us we’regrowing and retain-ing more men than in prior years, they alsotell us that too many men who join SigEp leavebefore they graduate. We need to give those9,000 departing men a reason to stay.


Priority area: Partner toadvance higher education

The potential of fraternities is overlookedfar too often in higher education. Wheninstitutions are challenged by issues ofstudent development, campus leadership,and academic excellence, SigEp needs to bepart of the solution.

This would certainly be a paradigm shiftfor most institutions. At the same time, wehave to demonstrateour value and abilityto live our values,impact universityretention rates andengage faculty.

Nothing speaks toour value like GPA.Members hear it.Universities hear it.Employers hear it.Parents hear it.

The strategic planchallenges all of ourchapters to be abovetheir respective allcampus average.Last spring, we had92 chapters performabove the all-campusaverage. That’s thebest performance ofany fraternity. Ulti-mately, we want thatdistinction for everychapter.


Priority area: Advanceresidential learning

Consider that roughly 10% of the collegiateexperience takes place in a classroom. Howdoes an undergraduate spend that other 90%?

Much of it is spent in a chapter house orchapter common space. These are powerfulenvironments. They can enhance the fraternalexperience or limit it. For an 18- to 22-year-oldundergraduate brother in one of the mostimpressionable periods of his life, a healthy,academically productive environment canbe the differencebetween successand failure.

This concept isthe premise of theResidential LearningCommunity Program.

Past NationalScholarship Chairman,U.G. Dubach,Oregon State 1913,is remembered forsaying, “We need tocreate an environmentwhere it’s easy to doright, and hard to do wrong.” When desksreplace bars and classrooms replace partyrooms, we attract men who embody ourcardinal principals, we’re able to competewith other housing options, we’re able to fillour houses at market rates, and we offer ouralumni and university a chapter house theyare proud to visit and support. Because ourfacilities aren’t achieving full occupancy orcommanding market rates, SigEp chaptersleave more than $1 million on the table eachyear.

Consistentreporting andtracking ofmember retentionbased on arecommendationfrom the Partner-ship Task Forcechaired by PastGrand President EdHammond, EmporiaState ’66Resources thathelp chaptersrecruit and engageFaculty Fellows

and ResidentScholarsCommunicationto highereducation thatillustrates thevalue of SigmaPhi EpsilonImplementationof the 2009Conclave resolu-tion raising theminimum GPA formembership


92Last spring, SigEphad 92 chaptersperform above theall-campus average(that’s 38% of SigEp chapters)

Increased supportto AVCs developingplans for a Resi-dential LearningCommunityCommunicationhighlighting funand successfuldevelopmentprograms held inSigEp chapterhouses

Support of localproperty manage-ment initiativesto reach fulloccupancy atmarket rates in allSigEp facilitiesFacility designoptions thatprovide for state-of-the-artacademic space



1%

During my time as Executive Director, you should expect from

me a tireless commitment to the success of our Fraternity and

each member. You should also expect transparency. That means

regular and accurate updates on our progress. As we refine our

metrics for success, check back at www.sigep.org/reportcard

to read more on the Strategic Plan and get the latest informa-

tion on our progress.

SigEp has come a long way in 108 years. Still, our potential

is limitless. I’m looking forward to working with you to realize

that potential, to make a meaningful difference, to build

balanced men.

Priority area:Grow strategically

SigEp is represented on 241 campusesacross the country. We can surmise twothings from this statistic: we have theopportunity to impact the lives of thousandsof undergraduates each year, and many moreuniversities could benefit from a SigEpchapter on campus.

Our total number of campuses has remainedfairly static in recent years. Yes, there is anopportunity for growth. But growth to thedetriment of existing chapters is irresponsiblegrowth. SigEp has 17 chapters still notchartered, called Sigma Epsilon Chapters orSECs. Seventy-fourof our chaptershave fewer than 40men. These chap-ters need support.

We will startthree new chaptersin 2010-2011. Thisis a conservativenumber thatenables sufficientcare and attentionto these newchapters andour SECs .

Priority area:Empower volunteers

Volunteers—alumni, parents, communitymembers, university faculty and staff—are aninvaluable part of our Fraternity. Theirpassion and commitment at the local, district,and national levels over time have created theSigma Phi Epsilon we know today.

Few chapters, if any, have seen long-termsuccess without the consistent support ofpassionate and committed volunteers. As anew and unique generation of students enterscollege, we need our volunteers more than

Start chapters atBoston University,Alabama, Florida StateCharter chapters atCornell, Utah State,Montana State,St. Mary’s, JamesMadison, NorthCarolina State, ClarionHelp chapters identifytheir optimal chaptersize and create a planto achieve it

Support to AVCsattempting tocommunicateregularly withtheir alumniAn increase involunteerrecruitmentefforts

Web-basedresources thatempower AVCsEvents toinform andengage alumniVolunteertraining onmentoring themillenialstudent

With fewer than2,000 volunteerstoday, we can claimonly 1% of ouralumni in ourvolunteer ranks

ever. With fewerthan 2,000 volunteerstoday, we can claimonly 1% of our alumniin our volunteerranks. That hasto change.

Growing up in thepresence of coaches,teachers, and parentshas made mentorshipan integral part ofthis generation’sdevelopmentalprofile. Drawing ontheir life experienceand professionalexpertise, volunteersprovide our chapterswith a broadenedperspective andinstruction oftenmore applicable thanwhat is provided inthe classroom.

What to expectin 2010-2011:What to expect in 2010-2011:

http://www.sigep.org/reportcard


Alumni & Volunteer NewsBrother leaves markin rural ChinaBy RICH MUELLER, Bowling Green State ’86

Mueller reconnected withhis brother, Brian Rice,through the chapter’swebsite, www.speok.com.He was inspired by Rice’scircumstance: he lives andworks in the YunnanProvince of southern Chinawith his wife, Victoria, andfour children: Caleb 15,Rachel, 12, and twoadopted Chinese daughters,Esther, 5 and Grace, 3.

Brian Rice, Bowling Green State ’84, is an Englishprofessor at Honge University in the city of Mengziwhere he mentors young Chinese, Vietnamese andThai people. He recently visited the village school ofGeZhuDa which serves a poor minority group calledthe Maio. He is spearheading efforts to upgrade theschool and provide much needed supplies. His volunteerefforts at the orphanage in Mengzi involve fundraising,construction and acting as a liaison between adoptiveparents. Rice makes noble use of his Jeep to help delivermedical supplies to remote regions of the province. Ricebelieves that “it’s not what you take, but what you givethat counts. It’s more joyful to serve than to be served,if your heart is right.” Rice’s SigEp experience in college“helped me to see myself as a servant. This is how I’mtrying to live my life now. If I hadn’t been a part of SigEp,I would have nothing but a diploma from BowlingGreen,” he said. Clearly, Rice also gradu-ated from the school of Virtue, Diligenceand Brotherly Love.

Recover, Brother!By DAVID CHAMBLISS, Bowling Green State ’07

Last May, Steve Fogg,Bowling Green State’05, who had movedto Charlotte to workfor CBS News, wasdiagnosed withtesticular cancer andneeded emergencytesticle removal. As afollow-up precaution,he had a secondlymph-node dissec-tion surgery todetermine if thecancer had spread.During his secondsurgery at CarolinasMedical Center, onenurse went out of hisway to make sureFogg and his parents,who came down fromCleveland, felt

comfortable andwell informed.

Ben Hummel,Bowling GreenState ’05, had alsomoved to Charlotteand realized thetruth of “Be yourbrother’s keeper.”He was that nursewho went the extramile. Fogg was in thehospital for six days,and during each ofhis shifts, Hummelwould check on hisbrother to see how hewas doing and whathe needed. Fogg saidthis interaction withHummel everyday“made it much easierto get through the

treatments, andhe really helped byrelaying informationto my parents fasterthan the doctorscould have.” Foggis out of the hospitaland on the road torecovery. Since thediagnosis, Fogg hasstarted a charitycalled ForYourCure,which focuses onhelping other cancerpatients get throughrecovery. Two frater-nity brothers, boundby a Ritual, connectedonce again as friends,as nurse and patient,and always asbrothers.

“It’s not what you take, but what you give that counts.It’s more joyful to serve than to be served, if yourheart is right.”

Rice sets up a basketball goal at the village school GeZhuDa

~ BRIAN RICE, BOWLING GREEN STATE ’84

Fogg, left, and Hummel

http://www.speok.com

43ALUMNI AND VOLUNTEER NEWS

Reflections on my 50-plusyears as a SigEpBy JEFF LENCI, Montana ’63

As I entered college in 1959, I desired morethan dorm life or solitary apartment living, soI signed up for Greek Rush. I knew right awaythat SigEp was what I wanted. It was a greatmoment to open my bid cards and see that onein the stack. Over a half century later, I am asexcited to be a SigEp as I was when I joined.

When a recruit or new member hears ustalk about brotherhood, it is just a word tohim at that point. But in that last momentbefore we graduate, the true meaning hitshome. As excited as we are to begin our nextlife experience, those last moments of collegelife cause us to truly, deeply reflect on ourSigEp experience, memories that will be inour hearts forever.

As alumni, we really never leave SigEp.I have shared the following saying many timesover the years to help young men grasp thelongevity and depth of SigEp brotherhood:

It will be our brothers who stand beside usat our wedding. It will be our brothers who wecall about the birth of our first child. And itwill be our brothers who will be there to carryus to our grave.

Facing death breathes lifeinto brotherhood

I recently became very ill, and at one pointwas given just a few days to live. That gave methe opportunity to reflect on my life and thebest experiences of my 70 years. I kept going

national Fraternity. Volunteer and you willhave the opportunity to mentor undergraduatesand help them become leaders on campus andin their community. That experience will alsoenrich you immeasurably.

So, just what does it mean to be a SigEp?To me, it means that you are a part of thelargest, most progressive Fraternity in theworld. A Fraternity that has the highestacademic standards and is producing leadersamong undergraduates, in the work force,and in communities all over the world.

While most fraternities desperatelystruggle to meet the demands of today’syoung men, SigEp is leading an evolution thatwill keep us strong and vital long into thefuture. Our national board and the generousmonetary contributions from alumni tosustain undergraduate development ensurethat Sigma Phi Epsilon will be there for yoursons and grandsons, and any other goal-oriented men of high standards.

Be proud that you are a SigEp. Pass it on.

back to my under-graduate and alumniexperiences withSigma Phi Epsilon.Facing death, it was agreat comfort to meto know that it wouldbe my SigEp brotherswho would carry me to my grave.

Fortunately, that brotherly duty wasunnecessary. A miracle happened and, for nological reason, my kidneys began to functionagain, giving me a new lease on life. Now I amas excited to get back into service for myFraternity as I ever have been. Given the giftof more time in my later years, I choose tospend as much time as I can in the service ofmy Fraternity. I am so proud to be a SigEp.

Volunteer to enrich andbe enriched

There is no need to relegate your SigEpexperience to fond memories. I challenge youto find a SigEp chapter in your area and getinvolved as an alumnus. This new challengewill be just as rewarding as your undergradu-ate experience was and hold a place amongyour most cherished memories. I have over aquarter century of service to the Utah Betachapter at the University of Utah, many milesfrom my home chapter. I have kept in touchwith today’s youth and the SigEp local and

Lenci is close to tears as Utah brothers toast and honor him for his decades of deeplycommitted service.

Celebration is in order as Lenci recently overcame anear-fatal kidney illness. These dozens of Utah brothersare grateful that he has chosen to spend some of hisnow-precious time with them.

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Principles prevail forbrother who becameGreek advisorBy MICHAEL DEDES, NYU ’09

academic excellence,co-curricular engage-ment and leadership.It calls on us to reflecton what it means to be a SigEp, a fraternityman and a true citizen.

As an undergraduate, every experience Ihad, from officer to recruiter, connected to ourcardinal principles and how we were exhibitingthem within our chapter and to the greatercommunity. Do we live a moral life and standup for what is right at a university wherepeople will do anything to get ahead? Do wecommit time and effort in order to accomplishour individual and chapter goals throughdiligence? Do we create a long lasting brother-hood by fostering brotherly love? In mychapter, we do. That is why our Fraternity isdifferent; through the dedication and commit-ment of the brothers who came before us, thenewest members become part of an organiza-tion of substance and everlasting value.

These values, partnered with the amazingexperience they fostered, led me to join thefraternity and sorority affairs profession.While other fraternities and sororities arefounded upon important principles andvalues, SigEp has led the way in creatingexperiences that develop these foundationsand help members apply them to the real

“This fraternity will be different.” Everlastingwords of our founder Carter Ashton Jenkens.Introduced to me when I became a brother ofthe NYU chapter, these words stuck with meand shaped my career decision to be a graduateassistant in fraternity and sorority affairs.While we can each interpret Brother Jenkens’quote differently, I can tell you why our greatFraternity is so different in my own words.

The fraternity and sorority community isplagued by disconnects from its foundingprinciples. The ideals that built character andleadership have been marginalized to make wayfor social lives, parties and excessive drinking.

Our Fraternity is so different becausechapters and volun-teers have embodiedthe founding prin-ciples of Virtue,Diligence, and Broth-erly Love in everyaspect of our lives.We apply them to theundergraduateexperience throughan amazing member-ship developmentprogram. The pro-gram cultivates

world. My professional goal is to assist frater-nity men and women to step back, return totheir founders’ vision and reflect on what thefounders wanted to accomplish. Were thoseintentions purely social? I am very confidentwhen I say no, for all of our organizations.

Sigma Phi Epsilon is charged with provid-ing an experience that will build balancedmen. The challenge presented to each brotheris to immerse himself in the teachings of ourRitual, open his mind to what brotherhoodoffers and determine what SigEp stands for inhis unique way. In my work, I try to share thisthinking with my students. I am dedicated toreinforcing the positive through helping theseyoung men and women see the differencethey can make.

We, as SigEps, and as fraternity men, canmake it our individual goal to uphold ourcardinal principles. As we graduate, we mustcheck in on our undergraduate brothers andhold them to the same standard that we ex-pected of ourselves. When we demonstrate andshare this standard and live according to ourprinciples, we pay homage to the 12 men whowanted to be a part of a different fraternity.

Dedes confers with his Panhellenic Recruitment team at NYU. He thinks SigEp has ledthe way in living its values.

On the team:SigEp shares Saints winWhen the New Orleans Saints marched through Miami to win thisyear’s Super Bowl, Tyler Cocek, Loyola ’09, was among them. Cocek,past chapter president, credits SigEp for his chance to be a part ofthe big game. “SigEp was the reason that I returned to Loyola inNew Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.” He explained that “One of myfraternity brothers, Peter Correia, Loyola ’08, recommended me forthe accounting internship with the New Orleans Saints. I was thenoffered a full time position which I eagerly accepted because I havealways dreamed of working for the National Football League.”Correia was Cocek’s guest at the game.

ALUMNI & VOLUNTEER NEWS

“SigEp has ledthe way increatingexperiencesthat developthesefoundationsand helpmembersapply them tothe realworld.”~ MICHAEL DEDES, NYU ’09


The seventh summit:SigEp tackles peaks oneach continentBy SOOJIN YOON, Southern California ’11

This April, Paul Fejtek, Southern California ’92, will attempt toclimb to the highest point in the world, Mt. Everest at 29,029 feet. If hereaches his goal, he will join an elite group of only 248 people who havesuccessfully climbed the Seven Summits, the highest points on eachcontinent. Fejtek’s feat is even more incredible given his condition,Brachial Plexus Palsy.

Southern California.Shawn Sedlacek, ’93,Colin Campbell, ’03,Lou Alvarado, ’90,Fritz Wickman,’94and BJ Wahl, ’93, areamong the 23 partici-pants that make upthe “Everybody toEverest” contingentaccompanying Fejtek

Fejtek sustained aninjury at birth whichleft him with limiteduse of his right arm.Rather than lettinghis disability dictatehis life, he taughthimself to adapt toeveryday tasks. “Iremember as a childtrying to figure outhow to tie my shoes orbutton my shirt withone hand or playsports with all of theother kids; it was areal challenge,”Fejtek said. As helearned to overcomethese obstacles, hewas able to blend inwith his peers.

Volunteering at atriathlon event forathletes with disabili-ties over a decade ago,Fejtek had an eye-opening experience.“I saw people therecompeting withoutarms, and legs, and Ithought to myself, atleast you have an arm!It really put thingsinto perspective forme,” he explained.

An avidoutdoorsman sincehis days as an EagleScout and a tri-athlete, Fejtek pushedhimself to a higherlevel. He began hisquest to climb the

Seven Summits in2002, when he and hiswife, Denise, climbedMt. Kilimanjaro whilevisiting a friendstationed in Africawith the Peace Corps.Since then, Fejtek hasclimbed the highestpeaks on six conti-nents, accompaniedby his wife, determi-nation, and the aid of“the Claw” a home-made climbing devicefor his right hand.

As he faces perhapsthe most difficultsummit, Fejtek willhave an even greatersense of support fromhis SigEp brothers at

and his wife to theirMt. Everest BaseCamp at 17,500 feet.

Fejtek is wellaware of the brutalconditions they willface during theirattempt to summitthe mountain, and heis optimistic they willcomplete the task

with good weatherand good health.He has an even highercalling than com-pleting the climb.Through the “Every-body to Everest”group, Fejtek hascoordinated effortsto benefit the Chal-lenged Athlete’sFoundation, theorganization thatsponsored hisrevelatory triathlon10 years ago, witha fundraising goalof $290,290, $10for every foot ofthe climb.

“ Everything can be taken awayfrom a man but one thing: thelast of the human freedoms —to choose one’s attitude in anygiven set of circumstances, tochoose one’s own way.”

~ VIKTOR E. FRANKL

Paul Fejtek, Southern California ’92, displays “The Claw” climbing device fashioned froma simple wrist brace and a Home Depot coat hook. A birth injury left him with limiteduse of his right arm.

Above, Fejtek climbs the last few feet to the top of Mt. McKinley in June 2007.

http://www.challengedathletes.org


Soccer: Got an “App for that?”By ERIN MULLALLY, Michigan State ’99

in the Philippines to “code” or create the technical aspectsof the project, then obtained permission from Apple to sellthe completed soccer application through its iTunes AppStore. He is enhancing the app to allow users to sharetheir favorite player’s cards seamlessly into Facebook.After that he will develop similar applications for football,hockey and baseball.

“Growing up, when Greg went away to college andwas initiated into Sigma Phi Epsilon, I knew that I wantedto be a SigEp myself. In fact, being initiated into SigmaPhi Epsilon meant more to me than when I became aMarine,” he reflected.

Today Brother Sitek is an interactive art director withthe Ogilvy advertising agency in New York City where heworks with numerous Fortune 500 clients. He is also acontributing writer for iPhone Life magazine. Furtherinformation on the “SoccerCard SKS” app is available atwww.soccercardsks.com.

Apple’s iTunes App Store has become an instantonline phenomenon. The “App Store” offers nearly200,000 downloadable applications, which are softwareprograms that add new features to an Apple iPhoneor iPod Touch.

Kevin Sitek, Buffalo State ’00, has establishedhis own presence in Apple’s “App Store” by recentlylaunching the SoccerCard SKS application.“SoccerCard SKS is a virtual soccer card forplayers, coaches, team managers, parents andscouts alike. With the application, you can take apicture or select a photo of your favorite soccerplayer and easily keep track of all their gamesand stats,” explained Sitek.

“It even allows you to e-mail those stats andtheir schedule to family, friends, teammatesand coaches instantly, and at any point during

the season. It’s an easy, accessible and funapplication for anyone to use,” he continued. Sitekdeveloped the idea for the SoccerCard SKS applicationfollowing a conversation with his older brother GregSitek, Buffalo State ’91.

“At the time, I had created and launched my firstiPhone application, but it didn’t reach its potential.Greg encouraged me to learn from those experiencesand to pursue the virtual sports card idea,” he shared.

Sitek quickly set about turning the idea into a reality.Financing the project on his own, he worked with a firm

Journal: Why volunteer for SigEp?KR: I wholeheartedly believe in Greek life andthe outcomes of a positive fraternal experiencefor both men and women. With that, I believeSigEp offers the best fraternal experience a mancan receive, and it is my privilege to be a part ofadvancing that through volunteering. On apersonal note, I have been treated extremelywell as a SigEp volunteer. My opinions have

Kay Robinson brings her uniqueperspective to SigEpSome volunteers maintain a role at the periphery of chapter operations, mostly helping outbehind the scenes. Other volunteers go beyond keeping the chapter functional and become soinvolved in the lives of brothers that they are adopted by the chapter, not just as a valued mentorand advisor, but as family. Kay Robinson is one such volunteer. Prior to taking a role at theUniversity of Central Oklahoma as its Director of Campus Activities and Events, Kay Robinsonwas instrumental in re-starting the Sigma Epsilon Chapter that became Ohio State’s Ohio GammaChapter. Though she has moved on for new and exciting opportunities, The Journal had theopportunity to talk with Robinson about her plans for continued involvement in and perspectiveon volunteering with SigEp.

Kevin Sitek, Buffalo State ’00, got encouragement from his older brotherGreg to pursue his idea for a virtual sports card app for the iPhone.

The SoccerCard SKS appallows you tocreate a cardor track yourfavoritesoccerplayers.

been considered, my expertise sought out, andmy presence welcomed by everyone from newmembers to the Grand President. I had a greatconversation with Past Grand PresidentArchie Yeatts at the Dallas Carlson LeadershipAcademy that I’m pretty positive wouldn’t havehappened with another fraternity. SigEp isdifferent, and they walk the talk.

Kay Robinson began as a resident scholar at BowlingGreen State and enjoys working as a SigEp volunteer

ALUMNI & VOLUNTEER NEWS

http://www.soccercardsks.com


Brothers lead Tebow philanthropyto raise over $300,000By TYLER RUTSTEIN, Florida ’11

Florida saw a champi-onship year for footballand a remarkable yearfor SigEp. Still, thebiggest accomplish-ment for Floridaquarterback TimTebow and severalSigEps are the bigsmiles on the faces ofchildren in Gainesville,Fla., and around theworld.

While Tebow hasbuilt a reputation as afearless and faithfulquarterback, his dreamto help others and raiseawareness for childrenin need became areality with the help ofRyan Moseley, Florida’07, and DavidSinopoli, Florida ’06.

Together in 2008they created a powderpuff football tourna-ment called “First and15” in order to raise

in the communityinvolved.

Efforts in 2009 weresparked by the momen-tum of anothernational championship,but Tebow’s passionalong with severalSigEps brought thecommunity together.

“Every piece of thepuzzle seemed to fallinto place,” Moseleysaid. “We had brothersbehind every aspect ofthe program encourag-ing the student body tohelp make this one ofthe largest philanthro-pies UF has even seen.”

Those puzzle pieceswere made up of SigEpleadership throughoutFlorida, includingcurrent Student BodyPresident JordanJohnson, ’09, MattSloan, ’09, the pro-

J: Who or what got you interested involunteering for SigEp?KR: It’s all Matt Engelhardt’s (Valparaiso ’91and former HQ staff member) fault! I had noidea what I was getting myself into, but nineyears later, it was one of the best decisions Ihave made. Matt introduced me to SigEp, andit is the men with whom I have been blessed towork, live and interact with that have kept meconnected. This goes for my boys at Ohio State,to the volunteers all over the country, and theHeadquarters staff, past and present. Theexperiences I have had with SigEp are some ofthe most fun and memorable times of my life.

J: When and where did you start volunteering,and where are you now?KR: I started at Bowling Green State in 2000as a house director and resident scholar forOhio Kappa. I was also the chapter counselorfor a very short time. From there I went toOhio State where I served as the Balanced Mansteward for six years and, concurrently, the

inspiring and touchingfilms that documentedthe children andcauses “First and 15”supported. All theseefforts helped elicitmore passion andsupport from thecommunity to helpraise money forchildren in need.

Behind everyevent, SigEp showedits commitment tocommunity service.“We really embodiedour principles duringthis philanthropy,”Moseley said. “It was avery proud moment

house director for three years. I have alsofacilitated eight Carlsons, attended fourConclaves, and now I am the volunteer trainerfor Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

J: How easy is it for non-SigEps to volunteer?KR: I think it is very easy because theHeadquarters staff is open to it, and thereforewould, and have, encouraged the chapters tofollow suit. I believe this is one of the impactsI, and other non-SigEp volunteers, have hadthrough attending Carlsons and Conclaves.Many chapter officers, counselors and alumniboards don’t even think of it as an option untilthey meet one of us, realize the benefits and,most importantly, see the Headquarters stafftreating the non-member volunteers with equalrespect as the SigEp volunteers. I especiallybelieve having a female, particularly one with ahigher education background, can be extremelybeneficial to chapters. We provide a differentperspective and connections to areas of campusthey may not be able to reach.

J: Where do you see yourself contributingin the future?KR: I hope to continue volunteering on thenational level, but also get involved locally withthe Oklahoma chapters. If that doesn’t happen,I am happy to continue to be one of thisFraternity’s biggest cheerleaders, volunteerwherever they need me, stay connected withthe men I have met throughout the years, andeventually marry (a SigEp if I’m lucky) andraise a few future SigEps of my own!

Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow wants his claim to fame tobe helping kids.

money for local organi-zations and UncleDick’s Home, anorphanage for childrenin the Philippineswhere Tebow visitsduring spring breakalong with Sinopoli.

Moseley, formerstudent body presi-dent, realized thesuccess of Gatorfootball behind Tebowwould only carry thephilanthropy so far.While president, heincorporated it withstudent government,and it raised $10,000 in2008 for children inGainesville and UncleDick’s Home.

Only one year later,the philanthropygenerated more than$300,000 by raisingawareness, expandingthe programs andgetting more students

ducer of Gator Growl,the world’s largeststudent-run pep rally,the Jewish StudentUnion President TylerRutstein, ’11, and JoshKrivisky, chairman ofthe Reitz Union Board.

The philanthropywas expanded toincorporate familiesin the community aswell as fun events oncampus. “We were ableto motivate everyonefrom all walks of life tofeel connected to thephilanthropy and thechildren,” Johnsonsaid. “That’s what reallymade a difference.”

A student-runphilanthropy took onprofessional qualitywhen Sloan got in-volved. With the help ofhis Gator Growl staff,he was able to produce

for me, Tebow and allof SigEp.”

For Tim Tebow, it’sthe kids who make hima winner. “I’ve alwaysknown my ultimategoal in life wasn’t howmany touchdowns Icould score, whetherI could make a lot ofmoney, or becomefamous—it was abouttaking all my blessingsand trying to help kids,”Tebow said. “Ryan andDavid and some of theirbrothers were defi-nitely a big factor inachieving that goal.”

“SigEp is different,and they walkthe talk.”~ KAY ROBINSON

Photo of Tim Tebowpurchased for print

rights only


In Memoriam

The following is a partial listing of SigEpswho have passed away in recent months.It is our chance to remember those brotherswho, through their death, have remindedus that life is transitory.

Joel R. AdamsSam Houston State ’59

Stephen W. BallIndiana ’82

Gerald B. BooherSan Jose State ’66

Donald M. CarriganFerris State ’63

D. Darrell DilworthNorthern Colorado ’66

Jack R. DobbinsMontana ’51

Garland J. EnglishColumbia ’04

Timothy F. FarrellDartmouth ’96

Douglas P. GouldMichigan ’41

Arthur D.Griffin, Jr.North Texas ’54

William E. HaakerNorthern Colorado ’53

Richard P. HalbachToledo ’55

Dale L. HarrisonPittsburg State ’90

Robert S. HobbsWest Virginia ’60

Dr. AbrahamHoltzmanRenaissance NorthCarolina State

Dr. CharlesA. HomraMemphis ’54

Garland John Brooke English, Columbia ’04,28, died in an accident while rock climbing inHawaii in January.

He graduated fifth in his class at AverillPark High School and got a bachelors degreein civil engineering at Columbia. He servedin the Army as 2nd Lieutenant with the84th Engineer Battalion based in Hawaii. Hewas deployed to Iraq in November 2008 andsubsequently promoted to 1st Lieutenantbefore returning to Hawaii last fall. While inIraq he was awarded the Bronze Star.

English’s intensity for life and diversityof interests allowed him put into his 28years what few may accomplish in a lifetime. He studied Spanish in Costa Rica,bungee jumped in South Africa, ran withthe bulls in Spain, crossed North Americaby motorcycle, went deep sea diving inMalaysia, taught English in Japan and

Fatal climbing accident claims young brotherBy CHRIS FIDYK, Columbia ’02

journeyed from Mexico City to Peru. Wemay never know the full inventory of hisadventures. He gave time and energy tomany causes, including voter registration,manning labor picket lines, volunteering forthe campaigns of Bill Bradley for presidentand Hillary Clinton for the Senate, as well asworking in the New York City council cam-paign of insurgent candidate, Dan Quart. Heworked construction, taught in New YorkCity public schools, and advocated for thehomeless. Inspired by his grandmother, hefounded and pledged one-tenth of his incometo The Helena M. English Fund, which is ahumanitarian organization that raisesmoney to improve the political and healthcare systems of less fortunate countries.

He was considering career paths asdiverse as politics, alternative energy orthe Army’s Special Forces.

Barry T. JonesWinthrop ’94

Elliott J. LipsonMiami (Florida) ’73

Franklin E. MayPh.D.Florida ’58

John W. McNairVermont ’54

Ian RobertMichailoffCal State-Sacramento ’00

Warren R.MonseesPennsylvania ’59

John F. MugnoTexas-Austin ’60

Richard L.OsterhausNebraska-Omaha ’67

Samuel Pedler, IIISan Diego State ’54

Ronald A. RogersArkansas ’91

Jack E. RumbleyNorth Texas ’51

Jack H. SchererWestern Michigan ’60

Charles D.ShoemakerDenver ’52

Christopher R.StiresCincinnati ’79

Raymond S.Tolson IIITexas-Austin ’69

Benjamin G.TriplettRichmond ’49

Bernard van ZylPennsylvania State ’56

John M. Vergiels,Toledo ’60

James H. WarsawOregon ’69

David H. WelchIowa Wesleyan ’52

Lloyd D. WilliamsOhio State ’51

Gilbert D. ZuccariniPennsylvania State ’47

Undergraduates

James L. Jones, IIITexas-Austin ’13

Daniel PereaSt. Marys ’13

James H. Warsaw, Oregon ’69,

a beloved SigEp volunteer and

Citation recipient, was instrumental

in facilitating international research

for a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

Oregon mournsloss of Warsaw

Citation Recipient, 2001Citation Nominating CommitteeFoundation Board of Governors

Professional highlight: In 1994, with$250,000 in seed money from Warsaw, theUniversity of Oregon’s Lundquist Collegeof Business created the Warsaw SportsMarketing Center.

Service highlight: Established the JamesH. Warsaw Foundation for Parkinson’sResearch at The Giving Back Fund.Spearheaded an international Parkinson’sSummit with leading researchers, clini-cians and patient advocates, to helpfast-track a cure for the disease.

If you wish to inform the Fraternity of thedeath of a member, e-mail the obituary [email protected] or send theinformation to: In Memoriam, Sigma Phi Epsilon,310 South Boulevard, Richmond, Va. 23220


49IN MEMORIAM

N o n - P r o f i tU . S . P o s t a g e

PA I DP E R M I T # 271

G r e e n f i e l d , O HSigma Phi EpsilonFraternity

310 South BoulevardRichmond, VA 23220-5706

Change ServiceRequested

Address changes?Members: Provide SigEp with yournew address, phone and e-mail tocontinue receiving your Journal. Goto sigep.org/update.asp. Or e-mailthem to [email protected]: Provide SigEp with yourson’s address, phone and e-mail ifhe no longer resides with you.E-mail his contact information [email protected].

Iowa Staterenovation to seta new standardfor campus livingBy JEFF PROUTYIowa State ‘79, Campaign Chairman

Since the founding in 1916, Sigma Phi Epsilon has led theGreek community at Iowa State University. Again, IowaBeta leads the way. A recently announced $3 millioncapital campaign will provide a state-of-the-art facilityenhancing the educational and brotherhood experiencesof all members.

Several years ago, a mandate by the city of Ames toput fire suppression systems in all fraternity and sororityhouses mobilized the Alumni and Volunteer Corporation.With a dedicated president, Ray Schwichtenberg, ’76,the planning stages began and the right volunteerswere recruited.

A House Excelled by None: The Campaign for Iowa Betawas announced last fall to fund the renovation and additionproject. The campaign has raised over $2 million ledby Honorary Chairman John V. Hanson ’65, and thecampaign executive committee consisting of Tom Huston,

’51, David Young ’58, Bob Jester, ’62, Bruce Gibson, ’63,Gary Sutton, ’64, Bill R. Yungclas, ’65, Brian Baxter, ’70,Mark Fabere, ’80, Jeff Reil, ’82, Dan Davison, ’82,Andrew Harsch, ’87, Todd Carey, ’94, Lindsey Falk, ’96,Ben Barnhart ’98, Mark Anderson,’99, Jon Van Erkel, ’08 and under-graduates Alex McBride, ’11, MikeMcLellan, ’11, Chris Fabere, ’11, andSteven Vuong, ’12, and the guidanceof Pennington & Company.

The renovation will begin in April2010 and includes life safety upgrades, expandedstudy suites, and a Residential Learning Classroom.The addition of new sleeping porches on the backof the house adds roughly 4,000 square feet to theexisting 11,000 square feet and increases occupancyto 46 members.

For more information aboutthe campaign for Iowa Beta,contact Dave DeCecco, Missouri-Kansas City ’04, campaigncoordinator, at 785-843-1661 [email protected].

Innovation at Iowa StateRead Erik Wheater’s story “Bring-ing the world to SigEp: Iowa Stateseeks members from other countries”in Chapter News, p. 19

Right to left: International Opportunities Programcreator Clay Hopes and brother Nick Morley(center) at Nick’s first American football game.




sigep journal

Documents

new pony

national board

pessimistic son

christmas morning

volunteers thanever

taskforce volunteers

room withhorse manure

headquarters staff