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Chapter & Alumni News

Arkansas at Fort Smith

This summer we have brothers participating in prestigious internships throughout the country. Brother Daniel Schwartz, who is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, is attending an internship at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. He is working on projects that include designing the power electronics for a solar charger, a maximum point tracking algorithm, and a way to simulate the power output of a solar panel on the moon so as to test these projects. Brother Andrew Haught, who is pursuing a degree in Finance, interned with Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack in his Washington, DC office.The Nu Alpha Chapter's 8th Annual St. Jude Breakaway 5k was held on April 4th this year. The chapter had over 160 runners participate, bringing together groups from faculty members, the community, and alumni. The chapter was able to exceed the previous year's results, raising over $3,600 for St. Jude Children's Hospital.

Ball State

The Theta Nu Chapter alumni recently established a scholarship fund to assist the chapter’s undergraduate members and are looking forward to a great turnout for Homecoming.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

The Kappa Pi Chapter took home the Chapter of the Year award at the 2015 Greek Awards.

Cal State Los Angeles

Alumnus Diego Silva at the Colosseum in Rome.

Case Western Reserve

It was an award winning year for Delta Alpha Chapter with Jack Borsi being awarded the Glenn Nicholls Character of Distinction award and Drew Blasius being awarded the Outstanding New Member award. The chapter also received Excellence in the Pytte Cup Chapter Development awards for Ritual and Leadership, Distinction in Citizenship, and Honor in Scholarship. This year also saw the chapter contribute 2,355 hours of community service and being awarded the 2014 Social Change award for their Students Against Sexual Assault Program.This past May, the brothers of Delta Alpha opened a time capsule in the house. Inside was a 3' by 30' big–little family tree dating to 1975, before the chapter's re-organization. Chapter Historian Lucas Flowers (1352) added its contents to the modern tree, which was previously rooted at the 1990 candidate class of refounders. With some further additions from alumni and old minute books, the full tree now goes all the way back to the 1950 class of initiates — and no brother is missing from 1973 on. The Delta Alpha family tree currently includes around 750 brothers out of 1409 total Delta Alpha initiates. The tradition of big brothers first began here in 1923, though the current system dates to 1947. The printed version of the tree has been a fantastic conversation piece for potential new members, as well as alumni; this latest incarnation version will be better still.Alumnus James Paxton (1082) was one of a select group of physicians asked to rewrite the American Heart Association's Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines, which will be released internationally in November 2015. Brother Paxton is also the primary investigator on a $450,000 industry-funded research study being conducted in Michigan, Kansas, and Florida. This study evaluates the effect of early vascular access and fluid resuscitation on sepsis survival. 

Central Arkansas

Brother Tanner Scheuerman became the 500th initiate of the Lambda Phi Chapter on May 1st. 

Clemson

At this year’s annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Banquet, recent alumnus Hubert Smith (923) was awarded with the Personal Academic Achievement Award, which is granted to one male and female in Clemson’s Greek community who exhibit academic excellence. Hubert will also be spending four months this fall and winter volunteering and working at hospitals in Chi Minh, Vietnam; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Chiang Mai, Thailand; and Bangkok, Thailand, before continuing his medical studies in the States at the Medical University of South Carolina. Brother and former Commander Kyle Kennedy (939) was also elected as Undergraduate Student Body Treasurer for the 2015 – 2016 academic year.

Colorado

After many hours and months of long hard efforts, by several of our Sigma Nu Gamma Kappa alumni and undergraduate members (including Randy Rowland - GK#1152, Phil Caragol - GK#1171, Chris Bianco - GK#1683, Josh Lindsay - GK#2058, Matt Lonner - GK#2091) we are very pleased to announce that our website (www.sigmanuboulder.com) has been completely revised, updated and is now live. One last request, please review the alumni composites gallery at the www.sigmanuboulder.com website and look for those composites that reflect your personal class years at the EN-GK chapter.  We have tried our very best to include each and every class composite.  However, some of our composites illustrated are unfortunately of poorer picture quality and some are missing. If you have personal access to any of the "mini composite" sheets that have been distributed or provided to our members since the early 1970s, please determine if the quality of your mini composite is better than the one we have displayed on the website (or if you have one that we are missing).  We have already successfully updated our alumni composite gallery by scanning copies of these mini composites and then replacing some of the missing, poor quality photos that we have. We also welcome any alumni photos, memorabilia, etc. that you would like to submit for inclusion on the website, or permanent installation on the chapter walls. We appreciate everyone's help!We hope you are as pleased with the revised website as we are.  We look forward to seeing you in Boulder to visit the Sigma Nu property compound and of course your personal inspection of all the new renovations and updates to our ever improving Gamma Kappa Chapter compound.  

Fresno State

Brother Cooper Couchman crosses Colby Pass in Sequoia National Park in California.

Georgia

Mu Chapter would like to congratulate Wesley Roberts (M 2504) on being named the Terry College of Business 2015 Student of the Year. Wes is a 2015 graduate from Peachtree City, GA, and joined Mu Chapter in 2011. Throughout his time at the University of Georgia, Wes compiled quite the list of accomplish¬ments. On top of Terry Student of the Year, Wes was named one of “10 Undergrads Ready to Revolutionize the Finance Industry” by Badcredit.org. Wes has been selected for Beta Gamma Sigma (top 10% of senior students selected), Order of Omega (top 3% of Greek students selected), and Phi Kappa Phi (top 10% of students selected) for his exemplary leadership and dedication to excellence. This past October Wes was honored with the Richard B. Russell Student Leadership Award, of which past recipients include former Mu Commander Wells Ellenberg (M 2400). Wes was President of the UGA Blue Key National Honor Society as well as the UGA Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF). He was also elected by his peers as the Head of Investment Banking for UGA’s Corsair Society, and was chosen as a Leonard Leadership Scholar by the Institute for Leadership Advancement. According to Wes, he attributes much of his success to Mu Chapter, saying “From the very beginning of my college career, my experience as a Sigma Nu gave me phenomenal opportunities to get involved both on campus and within the fraternity. Mu Chapter is known for its long history of campus leaders, and the lead¬ers of the chapter were more than willing to put their time and effort into providing me with mentorship and encouraging me to take advantage of the opportunities available.” Wes also wanted to extend a huge thank you to Robert Durham (M 1650) for his “role in facilitating goal achievement.” Wes will be joining Robert Durham at Credit Suisse this summer, assuming a full-time position as an In¬vestment Banker in New York. Congratulations on all of your success Wes, job well done!

Mu Chapter Alumni at a "Greatest Generation" Reunion at Lake Oconee.

This past spring, the brothers of Mu Chapter went all in for a new philanthropic event that will surely set the benchmark in Athens for years to come. The inaugural Classic City Bowl, organized by co-philanthropy chairmen Alex Croy (M 2480) and Connor Beecham (M 2552), pit the snakes of Mu Chapter against the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi in a full-contact high school style football game.Prospective players were subject to a mandatory tryout, which proved to be equal parts informative and entertaining.  The coaching staff for Mu Chapter, which has been described as the greatest assembly of football minds since the ‘85 Bears, featured Offensive Coordinator RJ Parrino (M 2549) and Defensive Coordinator John Huffines (M 2472).  The team practiced for over a month in preparation for the big game, leaving no stone unturned and no limb un-bruised.On Friday April 24th, the stands of Clarke Central High School’s football stadium were filled with over 1,000 spectators anxiously watching as the Classic City Bowl was hashed out on the gridiron.  When it was all said and done, over $17,000 was raised to support local Athens charities!  Mu Chapter fully anticipates this event to grow into the largest philanthropy event in UGA’s history.  Mu Chapter would like to thank all of those who supported this year’s Classic City Bowl.The Chapter would also like to congratulate recent Mu Alumnus, Adam McDonald (M 2291) who was recently selected to become a Navy Pilot. Recent graduate, Nick Hendricks (M 2298) was recently selected as a member of the UGA Terry School of Business Young Alumni Board.

Georgia State

On April 24th, 2015, the Eta Gamma Chapter held its 5th Annual Sigma Nu Smoke Out benefiting St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The chapter raised over $6,000 with the help of Eta Gamma alumni, brothers, fellow Greeks, and nearly 60 sponsoring businesses from metro-Atlanta. This has put the total amount raised from the Smoke Out to approximately $30,000 since it was started by Brother Chris Pena in 2010. At the halfway point of the fall semester, the active chapter and candidates collectively achieved a total of approximately 1,000 hours of community service for organizations such as Trees Atlanta, Mad Housers, The Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, and the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Along with this, the Eta Gamma Chapter surpassed expectations for recruitment by increasing its chapter size by nearly 60%, initiating 11 members last Fall and 8 members in the Spring, bringing the active chapter to a total size of 60 members. Along with the addition of our new members, 98 % of active members are involved in another student organization on campus besides Sigma Nu ranging from honor societies to sports clubs. We are pleased to announce that the Eta Gamma Chapter has been awarded the Most Philanthropic Chapter of the IFC as well as the IFC Chapter of the Year! This marks our sixth philanthropic accolade in the past three years, as well as our second year as IFC Chapter of the Year in the past three years! During the past year, the chapter won several social awards as well. Brother Kevin Hahm won Zeta Tau Alpha’s Think Pink competition! Brothers Nabeal Musa, Andrew Hoffritz and Justin Cochran were elected on the GSU Interfraternal Council for the positions of Secretary, Vice President of Recruitment, and Vice President of Internal Affairs, respectively. The Eta Gamma Chapter had a huge honor of having one of the three founding members of the Eta Gamma Chapter come and speak before some members of the active chapter. Brother Ronald K. Hill (ΗΓ 3) spoke to the active chapter on June 26, 2015, regarding the completion of his book “The History of Eta Gamma.”The Eta Gamma Chapter is also proud to showcase the achievements of Brother Nolan Herslebs (ΗΓ 1225) for his dedication to being a campus leader and having the will and determination to found a leadership organization for Georgia State University. Brother Nolan founded the Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement to help any individual hoping to get involved on campus and shaping the lives of students for success. Brother Nolan founded this organization because he was never involved on campus until Sigma Nu, but realized the importance and achievement gained when students are involved in their institutions. A quote from Brother Nolan, “The reason I have so much passion toward being involved and dominant in what I do is because of Sigma Nu. It carved me into being this leader by the expectations all the brothers had towards each other.”

Georgia Southern

Thanks to the continued involvement and support of many chapter alumni and friends, the Theta Kappa chapter home is currently undergoing a major renovation. The updates will reflect the gold-standard that the chapter alumni have come to expect of the collegiate men. The active members are eternally grateful for the incessant dedication that the Theta Kappa Housing Corporation, Alumni Advisory Board, donors, and others have shown on the way to making this goal a reality. Brother Archie Manning paid a visit to the campus of Georgia Southern University in March to take part in the University’s ongoing “Leadership Speaker Series.” Nearly all Theta Kappa Brothers attended the event, which was also utilized as a LEAD session. At a welcome dinner, Commander Adam Clay presented Brother Manning with a small alumni badge as a token of appreciation for coming to share his thoughts on leadership with the students of Georgia Southern University. 

Gettysburg

Brother Jon Danchik standing in front of Appotmattox Courthouse during his internship this summer for Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park.

Houston

The Alumni Chapter has lost several members this year, including Judge Tom Sullivan and Sam P. Douglass, both of whom were some of the first initiates of Zeta Chi. Brother Douglass was a very successful businessman and Tom Sullivan served as Harris County Civil Court Judge until his retirement in 1998.On a brighter note, the Alumni Chapter is making preparations for our 60th anniversary celebration in April 2016.

Alumni and collegians from Zeta Chi (Houston) gather for their annual softball game.

We anticipate a large turnout, especially since the active chapter will soon initiate badge number 1000!  The active chapter's Commander, Sebastian Agudelo, and Lieutenant Commander, Randall Williams, are the Vice President and President, respectively, of the IFC at the University of Houston. This is an outstanding example for Zeta Chi's prominence and leadership at the University of Houston.

Idaho

Brother Adam Niemet in Malta during a summer trip.

Iowa

By far the most important thing our chapter has done is our spring philanthropy dedicated to our two brothers, Andrew Mogni and Rodric Jackson. Andrew Mogni passed away this spring after a horrific accident while studying abroad in Italy. After this accident he remained in a coma for many months and was transferred to his hometown Chicago where he passed away due to infections. All of the Beta Mu Brothers were in attendance at his wake, supporting his family in every way possible and a true display of brotherhood of coming together and taking care of one another after this heart breaking loss. The other knight we dedicated our philanthropy to was Rodric Jackson. Rodric Jackson was diagnosed with brain cancer this winter break while living in the house and has been fighting bravely since. He was unable to attend school this spring, but was visited often by brothers both in and out of the hospital. Luckily he will return to living in the chapter house this fall with his brothers. Our philanthropy, "Kickin it For a Cure" enjoyed TV coverage, newspaper articles, and the largest attendance at our philanthropy in the history of Beta Mu. Our profits were given to both families, with our Go Fund Me account alone raising over 7 thousand for them. These events were publicized by the Iowa Press Citizen and Iowa news channel KCRG. While this remains our strongest example of the brotherhood at Beta Mu, we have even more accomplishments from the men of Sigma Nu. Sigma Nu Beta Mu chapter won Student Organization of the month at the University of Iowa in April/May. Former Eminent Commander and Current Inter-Fraternal President AJ Garcia won President of the Year. Lastly, Sigma Nu and Kappa Alpha Psi put on another philanthropy with proceeds also going to the two aforementioned knights. 

Kansas

Brother Zach Miller diving at Roatan, Honduras.

Maryland

The Delta Phi Chapter is excited to announce that they began a major renovation of their chapter house in June of this year. The house, originally built in 1953, is located on Norwich Road in the Old Town Historic District of College Park, just a few blocks away from the University’s scenic campus. With about a third of the brotherhood calling 4617 Norwich Road their home it’s easy to see why the chapter house is so vital to the Delta Phi chapter. Not only is the chapter house vital to daily fraternity operations, it also serves as a significant tool for recruitment. Additionally, the chapter house serves as the traditional meeting place for the homecoming tailgate and other alumni-related events.The housing corporation of Delta Phi chapter has been working to secure the financing needed to begin the project for some time. The $550,000 renovation will include a remodeling of the interior of the house and bring modern amenities like central heating and air conditioning. The renovation is the result of the tireless efforts of devoted brotherhood alumni Robert Becker and Jordan Blaker, two new members of the housing corporation advisory board that aims to revitalize the alumni association's engagement with the active chapter. 

Missouri

Rho Chapter alumnus Jonah Javad is in his third year as a sports reporter and weekend sports anchor for WGRZ-TV, the NBC affiliate in Buffalo. He covers the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres on a near-daily basis. Jonah recently received his second New York Emmy Nomination, a competition which includes entries from local and cable stations from NYC. In 2014, Jonah's sports reporting earned him a New York Emmy Award and a Regional Murrow Award.
Missouri TechGamma Xi Chapter earned a 3.258 spring semester GPA ties us for third best GPA on campus. Adam McMikle (Gamma Xi 1470) was elected Student President. The chapter also finished in first place in intramural sports.

North Dakota State

Brother Arvin Hagen, the first Commander of the Eta Theta Chapter, entered Chapter Eternal on May 8, 2015. Brother Hagen was 80 and passed away peacefully at home in Fargo, N.D. Hagen spent his entire career with John Deere where he retired in 1992 after 32 years of service. A note from Hagen’s obituary read, “Most importantly, Arvin actively lived the Sigma Nu Creed of Love, Honor, and Truth.”Speaking about Brother Hagen, Greg Heller said, “Arvin was a guiding light and a beacon of what a true brother and what every Sigma Nu should strive for. Up until his last days Arvin remained active within our chapter. He truly knew what it meant to be a Sigma Nu.”

Northern Illinois

Theta Eta received awards for academics and alumni relations at its Greek life awards banquet this spring. Scott Friedman, Commander during 2014, was named President of the Year. Current Commander Nathan Lupstein was elected Student Body President,  as well as being awarded the Outstanding Student Leader award from NIU’s Student Government. Matthew Holmes was elected Vice President of Finance for NIU’s Campus Activities Board. Kevin Hannon was personally selected by the President of NIU to serve on the Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities at NIU. Jack Swick was accepted into an exceptionally selective fellowship program offered by the University where he will research dual credit courses offered by local high schools in an effort to help increase college readiness for incoming students.The chapter also won the Outstanding Scholarship and Outstanding Alumni Relations awards at the Greek Awards Ceremony.

Northwestern

It has been only three years since Gamma Beta Chapter's return to campus and they received the Chapter of the Year award at Northwestern University. This comes alongside receiving awards in sustainability, campus involvement, community service, as well as an individual award for President of the Year for former Eminent Commander and current Interfraternity Council President, Mark Nelson.

Oklahoma

Stanton L. Young, ∆Ε 654, died on March 15, 2015, after a lengthy illness.Brother Young was a very prominent philanthropist in Oklahoma. He was a driving force in the creation of the Health Sciences Center and campus of the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. In fact, the street that runs along the south side of Presbyterian and Children’s Hospitals, which are now a part of the OU Medical Center, is named Stanton L. Young Boulevard in his honor.
Central OklahomaIn May, Bob Grant became the oldest graduate in University of Central Oklahoma’s 125-year history, breaking the record he set when he earned his bachelor’s degree at the age of 78 in 2011. Brother Grant graduated from UCO’s Jackson College of Graduate Studies with a master’s degree in gerontology. Grant, who lives in Edmond, said he was just a semester short of a college degree in 1954, but after four and a half years at the University of Oklahoma — plus two summer terms — the real world called.He left school and joined the U.S. Army, serving in the 13th Signal Corps as a motion picture photographer. In 1955 he married Joan, and in 1956 they welcomed their first son. They had another son, then a daughter. Life took off, and Grant, providing for a family of five, didn’t have time to look back.“I tell everyone I can that I’m the oldest — and second-oldest graduate — UCO has ever had,” Grant said.And then he tells them, degree-holding or not, that it isn’t too late to go back.“It’s never too late. If you don’t have all the education you want or need, it’s never, ever too late to go back to school. I’m proof.”

Oregon

Gamma Zeta rejoiced in an award-filled spring quarter as it was generously recognized by the school's IFC as Chapter of the Year in addition to five other Greek community awards including: Outstanding Chapter Advisor, Young Leader of the Year, Outstanding Chapter Philanthropy, Outstanding Leadership Development, and Outstanding Values Integration.In addition to these accomplishments, our chapter was extremely honored to have been given the opportunity to move into its first fraternity house since the chapter's re-chartering in 2010. This has been a long awaited moment for Gamma Zeta and it would not have been possible without the dedicated and diligent work by our founding fathers and all of those who came before us to get us to where we are now. Although we have been fortunate enough to have a successful 2015, Gamma Zeta doesn't plan on slowing down any time soon as we have a busy fall term planned with hopes of achieving even more in the coming school year.Over the summer, our officers were hard at work to be prepared for the fall quarter ahead and to make sure Gamma Zeta could meet its goals and its chapter established vision. Many Brothers, however, have been deeply involved with their respective internships and study abroad programs. Gamma Zeta Brothers have ventured throughout Europe in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, France, Austria, Greece, London, and Spain. Other Brothers have been working full time with companies such as Citi Bank, Fisher Investments, Wieden+Kennedy, "M" Financial, Yelp, MG2 and many others as they learn valuable and practical skills while building important networks. 

Pennsylvania

Beta Rho Chapter looks forward to its fall semester, and they have plenty of reasons to celebrate. The chapter brought in one of its largest pledge classes in recent memory in the spring, welcoming 21 brothers. The new class has already shown themselves to be a passionate and productive group. Last semester, they spent time contributing to local schools and charities such as Philabundance and many will serve in leadership roles within the chapter in the fall.Additionally, many improvements are being done to the chapter house. These include the addition of study and recreation space, renovations to numerous bedrooms and re-carpeting of common areas. The alumni-run property company and the active brothers have put a significant amount of time and effort into planning the improvements for these spaces. While renovations are ongoing, the brotherhood looks forward to taking full advantage of the improvements in the fall semester.Brother Nick Guth was recognized by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life as an outstanding Greek leader for his contributions over the past year. Guth served as the chapter's parking lot and house manager for the past year and will serve as Lt. Commander in the fall.Beta Rho would also like to recognize its spring graduating class for all of its achievements over the past four years and wish luck to them as they face life's next challenges, whether it be continuing on to graduate school or entering the work force.Finally, the brothers of Beta Rho have pioneered a meal plan for the next academic year. This will be the first full meal plan in many years for the chapter, thanks in large part to recent graduate and 2015 Brother of the Year Dinesh Chugani, who headed the discussions with the cooking company. Beta Rho is very excited to make better use of the chapter house's dining facilities and foster brotherhood through the pairing of good friends and good food around the dinner table.

Penn State

This year Delta Delta Chapter raised $32,872.29 for the Penn State IFC/Pan-Hellenic Dance Marathon. Brothers Jon Trexler and Dan Hamm stood for 46 hours in support of children battling pediatric cancer. Delta Delta also continued to excel academically and athletically, finishing 4th out of 49 fraternities in overall GPA and 5th out of 49 fraternities in intramural sports.

Rhodes

The Sigma Nu House Corporation of Memphis, legal owner of the Epsilon Sigma Chapter house located on Rhodes College grounds, was reinstated with the State of Tennessee in September 2014, after a 20-year period of inactivity. The Sigma Nu House Corporation of Memphis is working with the collegiate brothers of the Epsilon Sigma Chapter to develop a house improvement plan that includes repairs, renovations, and long-term maintenance.In the spring of 2015, the Epsilon Sigma Chapter hosted the first annual Luau Fest for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This all-day event, co-hosted by the Tri Delta Sorority chapter at Rhodes College, helped Tri Delta in reaching their $10,000 benchmark to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of Sigma Nu’s Helping Hand Partners.

Sewanee

Beta Omicron had a great spring semester. We received several awards, including the Dean's Cup Award for the second year in a row (Best Chapter), the Chapter Adviser of the Year, and former Commander Evan Haire was named Fraternity President of the Year.

Stevens

To kick off the summer, Gamma Delta Chapter hosted an alumni weekend. Over 50 alumni, ranging from recent graduates to graduates of the class of 1974, came by the fraternity house to reminisce and share stories of their experiences. It was especially interesting seeing one of our own professors, Professor Rugulo, outside of the classroom environment and sharing his personal stories. It was a wonderful experience for both active brothers and alumni alike, and provided an environment that we seek to emulate for our semesterly alumni barbecue events.Current Brother Etan Bennett is enjoying his summer abroad. Etan obtained an internship for the summer and fall semesters in Rastatt, Germany, working at Maquet’s Cardiopulmonary division. His current task is to design, develop, and build a functional prototype of a wireless temperature sensor. In his spare time Etan is playing competitive volleyball as he did for the Stevens team that won the NCAA Division III title this year. He won a C-Level beach doubles tournament during his fifth week, a B-Level tournament the following week, and he is now competing at the A-Level. Etan is making the most of his time abroad by traveling and seeing all the world has to offer. He has been to Luxembourg and Switzerland, and plans on visiting family, as well as alumnus Benjamin Huss in Israel.Recent graduate Michael Cahill was awarded Fraternity Man of the Year for his volunteer work at the Northeast Greek Leadership Association Conference and most notably for his efforts in the Safe Zone training program which is instrumental in making the Stevens campus more inclusive to the LGBTQ community. Michael was also recognized for his assistance with the undergraduate admissions process, being an orientation leader for incoming freshmen, as well as being a Another recent graduate, David Evans, racked in a plethora of athletic and academic awards for his dedication on the volleyball court as well as in the classroom. These include: 1st Team Academic All-District, 1st Team Academic All American, AVCA D3 National Player of the Year, AVCA 1st Team All American, UVC Player of the Year, UVC 1st Team, Irvin “Buzz” Seymour Athlete of the Year, ECAC Player of the Year, Power Award, and Stevens Men’s Volleyball Team MVP. Dave is playing competitive volleyball this summer and is considering playing professionally.Another recent graduate, Tyler Mackanin, was awarded the prestigious Maritime Systems Master’s Degree Fellowship at Stevens through the Department of Homeland Security. He is currently working on an emergency response chemical spill model to ensure the timely cleanup of dangerous oil spills.To top things off, Sigma Nu dominated in the annual senior design competition. Every year the seniors at Stevens participate in a design competition where teams must design something pertinent to their field of study. Brother Daniel Smith came in first place in the overall project pitch. Also accompanied with this task is the elevator pitch competition. Brother Dylan Schlosser won first place, Brothers Chris Coyle and Mark Scalzo claimed second, and Brother Anthony Montufar won third place. 

South Florida

Current Chaplain Evan Wallster spent five days at Indiana University attending the Undergraduate Inter-Fraternity Institute, a conference attended by fraternity and sorority members from all over the country. The experience is meant to enhance leadership skills, further instill the values of each member’s organization, and meet people from all different walks of life with different and refreshing ideas on how to improve individually and in turn, help improve their chapters. Wallster said of his time spent at the summit, “The experiences that I’ve taken back from UIFI are immeasurable. It has reaffirmed my faith that fraternities build values-based leaders for the future.” He even got a chance to stop by and check out the Beta Eta house while he was there. Wade Simon, a mechanical engineering major entering his senior year, interned with Lockheed Martin in Orlando. Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest military defense contracting company. Simon worked in the Missiles and Fire Control Factory. His main responsibility in that department was to manufacture and inspect different parts so they can be sent to another location for final assembly, then, shipped to locations all across the globe. Matthew Infield is broadcast news major and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to intern at CBS News in New York. He interned in the News Marketing department, which focuses on creating exciting promos and teases for pretty much every CBS program. His favorite lecture so far has been from Scott Pelley, CBS Evening News anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent. Last, but definitely not least, our executive board held a retreat at the Rock in Lexington, Va. We used this time for goal-setting and further self-examination of our chapter. We are a devoted group of men that will gain great insight into how to make the Theta Alpha chapter better through learning more about our roots and values. Our collective determination as a chapter is what keeps our members so active in so many different aspects over the summer. At the end of the day, living a life of love, truth, and honor, never stops.  

Texas A&M

Jose Laurel (Kappa Sigma 499) was admitted to the University of Texas Austin on a full ride scholarship to attend their law school. While very eager to accept this offer, the Aggie in him told him to wait and hear from other universities. He heard from Georgetown law: He had been admitted. Jose Laurel will be attending Georgetown Law in Washington D.C. this fall and the Kappa Sigma Chapter is very excited to see our beloved Rush Chairman do great things up North. We wish him all the luck from College Station. 

Washington

Gamma Chi Chapter lost a great brother recently. Brother Ralph Cole Saxton III passed away suddenly June 3, 2015. He was member of class of 1963. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and family.June 10th was the date of our first annual "Gamma Chi Senior Supper", a celebratory get-together for our seniors.  Taking over a private room at Morton's Steakhouse, the Alumni Advisor Board and all graduating seniors had great food and conversation capped off by a formal biographical introduction of each senior and some succinct snippets of advice from our alumni advisors, since that's what they do!  This was one of those events that got everyone excited enough to start planning the same event for next year’s seniors!

Washington and Lee

How's this for a proposal? Robert Uhlman, a 2012 graduate of Washington and Lee University, asked his girlfriend, Samantha, to marry him in a production worthy of a Broadway show.He uploaded his flash mob proposal (in Times Square) to YouTube and wrote, "An amazing amount of legwork and the help of many people combined to make this proposal a reality, and she said yes!"Robert, who is an account executive at the Practicing Law Institute in New York City, also had the support of classmate John Grigsby '12, who "jumps in near the final chorus to dance a bit with me before stepping back."
Washington University in St. LouisThe spring semester of 2015 proved to be productive for the Gamma Omicron chapter and saw considerable strides for the brotherhood. The chapter took 15 new candidates who have assimilated in stride and validated themselves as men of strong character and continue to contribute favorably to the chapter.The chapter participated heavily in Greek Week philanthropy and continued to make a strong presence in other organizations’ philanthropic events as the chapter itself plans and gears up for its primary events scheduled for the fall. The chapter will miss the departure of its senior class. The now alumni are on to follow their post-graduation plans some of which include medical and law school, consulting with Bain and Company, graphic design in NYC, and working for other large corporations such as Citi Bank and Wells Fargo. One such graduate, Henry Ellison, has left an indelible mark upon this Fraternity – both locally and nationally – serving as chapter commander and as a collegiate grand councilman. He plans to attend medical school at the University of Virginia. His and the rest of the seniors’ leadership and example will continue to serve the brotherhood in the years to come. Alumni relations experienced a recent high following Ellison’s successful event that brought 40+ alumni back to the house to reconvene with the brotherhood, of which favorable outcomes included some summer internships at a local engineering firm – ERSD - for several brothers. Other arranged summer internships for brothers include the Italian Space Agency, several engineering and architectural firms, Bain Capital and other financial institutions across the country. The brothers look forward to the upcoming academic year and all that it might prove to hold.  

West Georgia

For four months earlier this year, Rodney Davis was at the center of what he calls “an intense fundraising experience.”A 1974 graduate of West Georgia College and charter member of the Theta Pi Chapter, he was part of a four-person steering committee hoping to raise $100,000 among the chapter’s alumni.As a result, the Theta Pi chapter is donating the $100,000 to the University of West Georgia athletics department, becoming members of the department’s Champions Council. Daryl Dickey, athletic director at UWG, said members of the Champions Council are supporters of “transformational change.”“We are very proud of Sigma Nu for their significant contribution and for becoming a member of this council,” Dickey said. “We are working to grow the size of the group, and we’re appreciative of the fraternity alumni’s efforts to move our department forward.”Davis said the idea for raising money came during a reunion at a charter member’s lake house last summer.“With all the negative publicity about Greek organizations in the news and elsewhere, we wanted to give back to the university in a way that would really move it forward,” Davis said. “We started off with our charter members and then got other Sigma Nu alumni to push us over the hump.”The group will be recognized July 11 at the home of David Knight, one of the four steering committee members for the chapter. University President Dr. Kyle Marrero and Daryl Dickey are expected to attend the recognition.“We are very proud of what Sigma Nu has done to become the first group to be part of the Champions Council, as the council is mostly made up of individuals and businesses,” Dickey said. “We’ve gotten more interest from other groups now, and that’s an amazing sign of support to our program.”

West Virginia

Gamma Pi is at an interesting point in its history after recolonization in 2012. A bubble of brothers have recently graduated since then and are excelling in the work force. Max Stanisce oversees $400 million worth of major construction, including a corporation worth 4.7 billion dollars. Brandon Robert is a reporter for FOX19 in Cincinnati, and is a campus reporter for ESPNU. Jeff Fuss is attempting to qualify for the Men’s USA Olympic boxing team. Bobby Dini took over as head of an international project at Westinghouse for one of the largest power plants in Europe, he will be the full time lead engineer in further international and domestic projects. Casey Henderson just commissioned as an officer in the Air Force as a pilot and will be getting married July 18th. Chris Seal works as a business analyst in NYC. Steve Orlowski now works full time with the Pirates as an inside sales rep and has ranked second in his class over the last few months.Gamma Pi's active brothers are also displaying excellence. Tyler Miller works with STEM programs across West Virginia to teach underserved regions in the state. Jacob Wood became the CFO for a non-profit company in Martinsburg. Austin Arnold got a job as a GIS analyst for National Right of Way. Sean Nicholson landed an engineering internship at the company that makes Mike & Ike's. Evan Mcintyre is on his second co-op with Accenture. Michael Kelley graduate from Army ROTC CLC at Ft. Knox and is on track to commission next spring. Jon Salazar won outstanding Greek Man of the Year for WVU and will be commissioning as an officer in the Army in December.Last year several brothers of Gamma Pi were struck with cancer. Over the past few months all brothers have miraculously overcome their sickness. Jared Bartee was cleared to return to school in the Fall and Jordan Demaske graduated in the Spring despite being under heavy chemotherapy. Both are expected to have a full recovery, along with the other two brothers who were also diagnosed with cancer.

Western Kentucky

Ted Williams, a senior majoring in Biology and Psychology, traveled to Canada recently for school work. While in Canada, Brother Williams toured Canadian Parliament and other government buildings. He ended up getting to volunteer inside the government building by helping research and write portions of speeches. He also, edited for one of the offices. He attended several receptions and actually attended the Canadian Question Period. It was quite an exciting week. Williams also, was initiated as the 1000th member to join the Legion of Honor at WKU since the founding of Eta Rho in 1965. Jane Tichenor, Director of Buddy House, recognized Sigma Nu for our devoted effort to help The Buddy House raise funds to expand their programs. Even though our main philanthropy event for Buddy House has not been executed yet, she wanted to thank us for our continuous hard work for the benefit of Down Syndrome of South-Central Kentucky. In her experience with The Buddy House, it's very rare for a WKU Greek organization, especially a fraternity, to reach out and offer to lend a hand. Jane, the staff that runs DSSKY, and the families and individuals they work with are very thankful for our assistance. Buddy House, is a regional education and activities center for Down Syndrome from pre-natal diagnosis thru adulthood. They support families, inform the community, and help all individuals with Down Syndrome Reach their maximum potential in South-Central Kentucky. The chapter also recently honored the lifelong service of Brother Tom Hart, who has been an essential part of the Eta Rho Chapter since joining in 1965. He has been involved with day to day operations from becoming an active brother, to becoming a very involved alumnus. From 1970 to 2007 as part of Blake, Hart, Taylor and Wiseman Insurance, he still found time to lead the chapter in the right direction. In the mid 2000’s when the chapter along with alumni decided to build a new house, Tom led the way in raising funds and moving the chapter house from 1311 College Street to where we stand today at 311 Alumni Ave. Tom, also has been there for counseling during the difficult times as in 2011 in the passing of brother Garic Salmonowicz. He has mentored hundreds of WKU brothers over the years to become better men today. After, fifty years at the helm of Sigma Nu in one or more capacities, Tom is stepping down from the Housing Corporation July 1st. Tom, exemplifies the lifelong commitment to the brotherhood of Sigma Nu. At the last chapter meeting of the spring semester we had the opportunity to honor Tom, and thank him for his commitment to Sigma Nu. We will give the first ever Tom Hart Leadership of Excellence Award this fall to one senior who has shown leadership and commitment to our chapter. 

Wofford

After 60 years, Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, is building a new fraternity row set to open spring semester of the upcoming school year. Like the other fraternities on campus, Eta Omicron Chapter was tasked with raising a minimum of $400,000 in a few months to be able to have access to the new house when it is completed. Raising this amount of money in such a short amount of time was only possible with the help of the alumni. At first Eta Omicron Chapter was off to a slow start raising the money and compared to the other fraternities on campus was last in terms of the amount of money raised. To combat this issue, Eta Omicron Chapter’s Alumni Chair, sophomore Connor Callais, worked diligently to reach out to all of the alumni of Eta Omicron Chapter. With the daunting task of calling all of the alumni to help spread the word about the new house, Brother Callais employed many brothers to help with the task of calling the alumni. Under the guidance and help of Eta Omicron alumnus Jim Yarbrough with calling the alumni, the Chapter was able to not only raise the minimum $400,000 but according to Wofford College’s website, the Chapter was able to raise $518,060 as of June 18th with the help of the alumni. An unofficial count of the Chapter’s total, according to Mr. Callais, is at just under $550,000.The only way Eta Omicron Chapter could have raised this amount of money in just a short time was due to the Chapter’s alumni. The Chapter was awarded with enough money for the new house, and strengthened ties and facilitated communication with alumni.To send the old house off, give the Chapter’s alumni one more night at the old house, and to say thank you to the Chapter’s alumni, the Chapter hosted an alumni event at the house. The Chapter provided food, music and a good time for the alumni. Eta Omicron Chapter hopes to further strengthen their relationship with their alumni, but more importantly the Eta Omicron Chapter would like to thank the alumni for all they have done for the Chapter over the years. 

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9 North Lewis Street, P.O. Box 1869, Lexington, Virginia 24450
Phone: (540) 463-1869 | Fax: (540) 463-1669 | Email: headquarters@sigmanu.org

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