1

The brothers of Beta Chapter have been hard at work this past

semester to build off of their impressive finish last year. The year

kicked off with a great rush week where we recruited 15 of the fin-

est men that Truman has to offer. It was continued with a very fun

and service filled homecoming week. Shortly following homecom-

ing the annual Roktoberfest philanthropy took place. The semester

was wrapped up with our brand new executive board taking up

their respective positions. Throughout the semester we have been

working hard with the intent of defending our numerous awards

from last semester.

Brother Daniel Robison - Fall ‘13

FALL 2014—BETA CHAPTER

SIGMA TAU GAMMA

Value

Learning

Leadership

Excellence

Benefit

Integrity

2

President – Elect: Connor Pratt

Brother Pratt joined

Beta Chapter in the Fall

of 2012. Since his arri-

val Sig Tau, he has car-

ried himself with the six

principles of Sigma Tau

Gamma and made an

exceptional impact on

the brotherhood and the

community. Brother

Pratt is an Exercise Sci-

ence major from St.

Louis with a goal to be-

come a physical thera-

pist. Outside of Sig Tau,

Brother Pratt plays for

the Truman Club Soc-

cer. Brother Pratt is also one of several Sig Taus

who represent the fraternity in the Blue Key Na-

tional Honor Society. Brother Pratt also left his

mark on Truman Greek Life this summer when he

worked as an intern for the Center for Student In-

volvement's Greek Life Office.

Within Sig Tau, Brother Pratt has made a

significant impact both in the positions he has

held, and his role as a member of this brother-

hood. From the beginning of the Fall 12's time

here, Brother Pratt played a large role in keeping

his associate class together and building a rela-

tionship with the Chapter. Brother Pratt has held

several key positions in Sig Tau, including:

House Manager, Social Event Chair, and Vice

President of Programs. The Chapter believes that

Brother Pratt will bring about new endeavors for

Sig Tau and continue its recent success with his

exiting and charismatic leadership. Together with

the other executive officers, Brother Pratt will

push the fraternity forward and provide an envi-

ronment for the brotherhood to thrive.

New Leadership, New Beginnings By: Kevin McKenna

Executive Vice President – Elect: Alex Kehm Brother Kehm

also joined the Beta

Chapter in the Fall

of 2012. During his

time at Sig Tau,

Brother Kehm has

brought a fresh

sense of energy and

excitement to the

fraternity. Brother

Kehm is an Interna-

tional Business ma-

jor from St. Louis

seeking a degree in

Business Admin-

istration and a mi-

nor in German. The

drive Brother Kehm

exhibits in his aca-

demics stands out in

other organizations

he is a part of, like Phi Mu Alpha, Truman's music

fraternity, where Brother Kehm is an executive of-

ficer.

On top of this, Brother Kehm also plays in

the Truman University Orchestra. Within Sig Tau,

Brother Kehm has held several key positions, includ-

ing Fundraising Chair, Community Service Chair,

and Chapter Secretary. Brother Kehm's commitment

to academics and dedication to maintaining a pro-

ductive and safe environment for his brothers will

make him a great Vice President.

3

Vice President of Member-

ship – Elect: Dakota Kiper

It is always exciting to see

young members of the fraternity

take on big roles. Brother Kiper is

one of the many young members

who have done so. Brother Kiper

joined Sig Tau in the Fall of 2013

where he immediately planted his

stake in the brotherhood. Brother

Kiper is a Business and Econom-

ics major from Kansas City.

Though only a brother of

Sig Tau for a short time, Brother

Kiper has played a large role in

carrying the pride of Sigma Tau

Gamma throughout the Truman

community. Just this year, Brother

Kiper successfully organized and

facilitated the fraternity's Dad's

Day, a day that everyone enjoyed.

With his election to the executive

board, the chapter is confident that

Brother Kiper will bring a variety

of new ideas and a unique per-

spective to Sig Tau in addition to

recruiting the best men that Tru-

man has to offer.

Vice President of Programs

– Elect: Patrick Moranville

Brother Moranville is the

third member of the executive

board who joined Sig Tau in the

Fall of 2012. Brother Moranville

is a Biology Major from St. Lou-

is hoping to become a marine

biologist. Since his arrival,

Brother Moranville has shown

great passion and has been dedi-

cated to helping the fraternity

succeed.

Brother Moranville served

the fraternity as both the Greek

Week and Homecoming Chairs

in recent years. With Brother

Moranville's leadership, the fra-

ternity won first place in the

2014 Greek Week Competition

and took home the Leadership

Pillar Award. Brother Moran-

ville's ability to motivate the

brotherhood and organize crucial

events will make him a great VP

of Programs.

Vice President of Finance –

Elect: Rex Michitsch

Brother Michitsch joined Sig

Tau in the Fall of 2013. He too

has had only a short time at Sig

Tau, but has proven himself to be

an excellent leader and dedicated

brother. Brother Michitsch is a

Biology and Business major from

Jefferson City and currently holds

a 4.0 grade point average at Tru-

man State.

In addition to Sig Tau, Brother

Michitsch is a member of Alpha

Kappa Psi, Truman's business and

accounting fraternity. Within Sig

Tau, Brother Michitsch has

served as the Intramurals chair

and on various other committees.

Brother Michitsch's responsible

handling of chapter affairs and

dynamic understanding of finan-

cial organization will make him a

crucial member of the new exec.

4

Project Homeless Connect For the second year in a row, many of our brothers participated in the event

Project Homeless Connect in early October. This event, put on by Preferred

Family Healthcare, offers many amenities such as physical exams, eye sight test, housing assistance, job opportunities, and many more to those who are not

regularly able to obtain such assistance. The brothers accompanied the participants

around the event providing direction and aid to them as they tried to help the par-ticipants in getting back on their feet. All in all, the event went off without a hitch

and those in charge of the event thanked the brothers who volunteered. Look for

this event to become an annual thing that we participate in. Following up an award winning year in service is no easy task but just in the

first few months of being back at school, we have already set ourselves up to

outdo the service performed this past year. Brothers have been performing service all over the Kirksville community. Just to name a few of the numerous services

that we have been participating in are working at the Adair County Humane

Society, volunteering at area preschools in their after school programs, and partaking in numerous blood drives throughout the semester. All in all, my

brothers and I have been working diligently to give back to the community as

much as it has given to us. Brother Daniel Robison - Fall ‘13

5

Homecoming

Homecoming for Truman State University 2014

was held in the week from October 6th to October

11th. Our team, named Elephant Indigo (consisting

of the organizations Sigma Tau Gamma, Tau

Lambda Sigma, Delta Chi, and Cardinal Key) start-

ed off the week well, winning the team tug-of-war

along with the ferocious beard contest. In events

such as the CANstruction we placed 2nd, along with

scavenger hunt. However, due to unfortunate cir-

cumstances and despite best efforts, we consistent-

ly placed lower than hoped in most of the other

events throughout the week. The ridiculous relays,

lip-sync, and the parade were unfortunately the

worst of our events, causing us to place 4th overall

in Homecoming.

The overall winning team for Homecoming was

the team Trapeze Teal (consisting of the organiza-

tions Sigma Kappa, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Lamb-

da Phi, and Alpha Phi Omega). The team was able

to put their best efforts to use and triumph over all

the others. Even though various organizations com-

peted against each other for the title, we all still

managed to keep the competition clean and all or-

ganizations had a lot of fun participating. Overall,

the entire homecoming event raised over $9000,

which was funded toward various charitable organ-

izations of the winning team’s choice. The amount

raised was one of the highest in many years. We

could not have done it without the spirit and coop-

eration of the Truman State student body.

Brother Qui Bui - Spring ‘14

Elephant constructed from donated cans for Homecom-ing week (Left)

Mental Wellness

Dealing with the stresses and hardships that college

presents can be particularly difficult at times. To help

brothers deal with these stresses and hardships Brother

Justin McKean created the Mental Wellness committee.

This particular committee leads members toward a

healthy state of mind when dealing with all of the daily

stressors that life has to offer. It is highly important for

our brain to be happy when getting rid of stress. The

committee introduces brothers to several ways of man-

aging stress in a peaceful manner. Justin participates in

a weekly meeting of with the Art of Living Club on

campus and invites us to perform light body stretching,

rejuvenating breathing techniques and absorb into a

peaceful state of meditation. These sessions provide

both a calm and energized mentality. This practice is

clearly one of the best ways to relieve stress from the

mind and the entire body simultaneously. Even though

relatively new, the impact the committee has had is a

very positive one.

Brother Andrew Graham - Fall ‘11

Brother Justin McKean at the Grand Canyon

6

Fall 2014 Pledge Class

After a successful fall rush Sigma Tau Gamma – Beta Chapter gained 15 new associate

members. The 15 new members were selected on the basis of who would benefit the fraternity

the most. The group of new associate members includes a wide variety of individuals spanning

from athletes to musicians and everything in-between. Just like most of Truman State’s stu-

dent population, a majority of the new associate member pledge class is from St. Louis and

Kansas City, MO.

Similar to pledge classes before them, the new associate members will be encouraged to

join on-campus organizations to increase campus involvement within the fraternity. Joining

another organization not only helps the fraternity’s reputation, but also allows the new

associate members to branch out from Sigma Tau Gamma and make other connections that

will help them during their collegiate career. In addition to being encouraged to join on-

campus organizations the associate members have been following the Path of Principles new

associate members program which is teaching them the skills necessary to be a leader of the

fraternity and better themselves as men. Overall the new associate members show a lot of

promise and will someday become leaders of the fraternity and improve it just like leaders

before them.

Brother Patrick Moranville - Fall ‘12

7

Roktoberfest

Here at Sigma Tau Gamma we take pride in our philanthropies and our community ser-

vice. One of our philanthropies is Roktoberfest which takes place annually during the fall se-

mester. All of the proceeds raised go to support the Special Olympics. The event consists of a

variety of live local bands. This year Roktoberfest had three bands participate: On the Fence,

The Black Daniels and the Bears, and Sig Tau’s own The Wobbly Goats.

T-shirts and wrist bands were sold on the quad and in the Student Union Building in order

to raise funds for the Special Olympics. The event was held at Wrong Daddy’s which is a lo-

cal bar in downtown Kirksville. The entire event went very smoothly and an estimated $1,500

was raised for the Special Olympics.

Brother Johnny Richert - Fall ‘11

Dads' Day

This Year's Dad's Day was eventful for all who attended and full of interesting and en-

gaging activities. The real fun began during Roktoberfest when several dads came up to Tru-

man early to enjoy phenomenal music and stellar drink specials.

The day of festivities, October 25th, featured games, activities, food, and more. The day

began with golf at the Kirksville Country Club. Following this was shooting at the Sugar

Creek Conservation Area range, which was a blast for everyone involved. The main attraction

for the day was the beautiful weather, outdoor games, and special "Sig Tau" Burgers at our

chapter house.

The day was very refreshing and was full of good spirits, perfect weather, and the captivat-

ing brotherhood that every Sig Tau feels pulsing through their veins. The active chapter was

thoroughly pleased with 2014's Dad's Day and all of us cannot wait for parent's weekend in

the Spring.

Brother Chris Davies - Fall ‘13

Headlining for Roktoberfest 2014: Black Daniels and the Bears

$1,500 Estimated amount raised for Special

Olympics from Roktoberfest

8

A Letter from the President

Hello to all alumni, family, and friends of Sigma Tau Gamma – Beta Chapter. I hope this

letter is finding all of you all well and excited about the holiday season. On behalf of the men

of Sig Tau, the 2014 executive board, and myself, I want to say thank you all very much for

being a part of another great year for Beta Chapter. Whether it was kind words, donations, vis-

its to your son, or anything else, our brotherhood knows that we could not be where we are

today without you.

As 2014 wraps up, it is great to look back at the year and recognize the many strives Sig

tau has made. I am very grateful that every day I am surrounded by my brothers, working to-

gether and motivating each other to always go the extra mile. The men of Beta Chapter are

gentlemen in every sense of the word, and that is why we have so much to be proud of at this

time.

In 2014, Sig Tau was awarded several awards for our service and philanthropy efforts.

These awards speak volumes of the men of Sig Tau and have led directly to our success in

other areas, including being awarded the IFC Chapter of the Year. Most importantly, be-

cause of the efforts of the fraternity in the past several years, Sig Tau has made great relation-

ships with the Truman State community.

Many people have been asking about the state of the fraternity and the future of the proba-

tion that was placed on the chapter many years ago. It is my pleasure to inform you all that

Sig Tau, as of September 2014, has been relieved of all sanctions. As determined by cam-

pus officials when the original probation was handed down, the probation will remain in ef-

fect until 2015. The final period of probation will hold no sanctions and minimal University

oversight. This time is simply intended to help Sig Tau continue to grow and build it's rela-

tionship with the University community.

For several years now Sig Tau has been a leading organization at Truman State University.

If the trend continues, 2015 will be a year unlike any other for Sig Tau. I would like to thank

the new executive board for taking on the responsibility of leading the fraternity and dedicat-

ing yourselves to moving the fraternity forward. I would also like to thank Cody Campbell

and the Past Presidents of Sig Tau before him for setting Sig Tau on a successful path and

passing on the traditions and principles needed to continue that success. I would also like to

give great thanks to the current executive board, Dan Butz, Saad Amir, Connor Pratt, and Matt

Brethorst for their selfless contributions to the fraternity this year.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all of the alumni, especially Richard

Holmes, the family, and the friends of Sigma Tau Gamma for giving us your support and

standing by us every year. We will continue to work as hard as ever to keep pushing the frater-

nity forward and providing a place where the brothers can grow into leaders and gentlemen.

Have a great end of the year, hope to see you all in 2015.

Fraternally,

Kevin McKenna

President

9

The Brothers of Beta Chapter

would like to wish you and

your family a happy and safe

Holiday Season