FRATERNITY & SORORITY LIFE ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS Fraternity & Sorority Advisor Remarks...........................................3 Fraternities and Sororities...........................................................4-6 Academics..................................................................................7-8 Philanthropy.................................................................................9 Leadership Opportunities & Growth..............................................10 Achievements & Advancements....................................................11 Fraternity and Sorority Award Recipients 2016..............................12
Fraternity & Sorority Advisor Remarks 2016-2017 was an exciting year for the Fraternity & Sorority Community at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Thanks to hard work on the part of committed student leadership, we saw some great things happen during the course of the year. Gamma Phi Beta celebrated its 50th Anniversary on campus, and Sigma Nu celebrated its 30th in Spring 2016. This year saw continued conversations about the potential for the development of university-sponsored/recognized Greek housing. This is an ongoing process that is exciting to be a part of. We look forward to continued dialogue and decision making in 2017-2018. Fall 2016 sorority recruitment again saw an increase in the total number of women registering and completing the recruitment process. The National Panhellenic Conference now requires an automatic reset of “total,” or the number that chapters are allowed to recruit to if they do not exceed it during the formal recruitment process, to the average or median chapter size at the completion of formal recruitment. Our campus has opted to use the median number, and due to our continued high numbers, total was set at 74. Our community hopes that the consistent increase in chapter size and the growing interest in sorority life will soon lead to the formation of an Exploratory Committee, which will be tasked with looking at the potential for expansion of our sorority community. The participation in Men’s structured recruitment in Fall 2016 was also up, with nearly 30 men taking part in that opportunity. While participation in structured recruitment is up, men’s chapters have seen a decrease in the overall number of men joining. The fraternity community needs to embrace year-round recruitment, including summer recruitment, in order to see the growth it has the potential to experience. Fraternity & Sorority Community members continue to achieve above the all-men’s, all women’s, and all university Grade Point Averages on a consistent basis. This is a trend that began four and a half years ago. The student-led and student-initiated Diversity and Outreach Committee has gotten off the ground, and it hopes to begin developing strategies for reaching more students from traditionally under-represented populations and for developing more campus and community partnerships. Our members continue to take on significant campus and community leadership opportunities, whether with the Minnesota State Student Association, the orientation staff, as Community Advisors in the residence halls, or in community organizations. Our students also lead the way in terms of giving of both their time and their treasure to worthwhile causes. The Fraternity & Sorority Community is consistently turning big ideas into real-world thinking, and I’m privileged to be a part of it! John Bulcock Student Activities Assistant Director for Fraternity & Sorority Life
Fraternities DELTA CHI
PHI DELTA THETA
Delta Chi had a good last semester with an addition of nine great guys to our chapter. We worked hard and were very successful with our Jimmy V Week fundraiser and were able to reach our goal that we pledged to our national headquarters. All of our members worked extremely hard in all of their classes and many joined other clubs and organizations to further diversify themselves as a student and as a member of Delta Chi.
Phi Delta Theta had a great year developing the chapter as a whole. Our members continuously excelled in not only improving the chapter as a whole, but also working to improve the Fraternity & Sorority Community. For academics, we achieved the highest GPA among all the fraternities during the Spring of 2017, which makes us proud. Overall, the men Phi Delta Theta are always working towards becoming the greatest versions of themselves.
LAMBDA CHI ALPHA
PHI KAPPA PSI
In Fall 2016, Lambda Chi Alpha fundraised $785 and 744 pounds of non-perishable food, which was donated to the local ECHO Food Shelf. We were also recognized by our headquarters for our outstanding new member education program. During the Spring 2017 semester, we received a notice from our headquarters stating that our chapter had the best operating performance in the Great Plains Region, which includes Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
During 2016-2017, Phi Kappa Psi emphasized continued growth of community involvement and outreach. We achieved our goal of over 500 collective hours of community service, and made great strides to improve relations both within our neighborhood as well as our community as a whole. On top of this, we also had one of the largest years in terms of new membership in recent history.
Fraternities SIGMA CHI
TAU KAPPA EPSILON
In the 2016-2017 academic year, the brothers of Sigma Chi-Kappa Tau initiated 8 brothers into the fraternity. Our new members took initiative by assuming at least one position in the chapter. During the year, Sigma Chi members volunteered for Rake the Town, Golden Heart Daycare, the Red Cross, the Women’s Center, and the Humane Society. Four of our members were elected into the Interfraternity Council, including IFC President, Council Management, Member Education, and the Philanthropy and Community Service chairs. We hosted our Annual Derby Days and Flapjack Feast Philanthropy, which both benefit Huntsman’s Cancer Institute. Between the two Philanthropy events, Sigma Chi raised over $1,500 for Huntsman’s. Our chapter continued to strive to be the best it can be and to reach out to the Mankato community in any way it can.
Tau Kappa Epsilon put another year of greatness in the books by creating a new generation of better men for a better world. The men of Tau Kappa Epsilon dedicated themselves to serving over 1100 hours of their time to the community in the last year, as well as donating hundreds of dollars to greater causes such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Special Olympics. We are an organization started and ran by students, held together for life by brotherly bonds, and we strive to serve others in need. Most say strength is in numbers, but Tau Kappa Epsilon’s strength comes from the everlasting bond of the brothers, and the highest quality of men the world has to offer.
SIGMA NU Sigma Nu was overjoyed to have an impressive class in Spring 2017. We proudly initiated 7 new members, and had a bittersweet end to the semester that we graduated 7 members into the alumni chapter. The semester was one full of brotherhood, scholarship, and growth.
Sororities ALPHA CHI OMEGA
GAMMA PHI BETA
Alpha Chi Omega was awarded with the 2016 Chapter of the Year award at the 2017 Greek Week banquet. Alpha Chi Omega recruited 11 new members in the spring and 27 in the fall. We took second place in Homecoming with our partners Sigma Nu. Our homecoming float won first place and we were proud to show our school spirit. Alpha Chi Omega held two very successful philanthropy events, our third annual Sloppy Joes with A Chi O’s and our first Cup of Joe with A Chi O. The proceeds from each event went to the local Committee Against Domestic Abuse (CADA) and to raising awareness for domestic violence.
Fresh off its 50th Anniversary celebration in Spring 2016, Gamma Phi Beta recruited 25 new members during Fall 2016 formal recruitment. They also had seven women represent their chapter to make up half of the campus’ fourteen Panhellenic Recruitment Counselors. The members of Gamma Phi Beta won the 2016 Homecoming championship with Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Gamma Pi received Gold Scholarship status from International Headquarters as well as being named a Five Crescent Chapter, which is the highest possible ranking that a Gamma Phi Beta chapter can receive for all areas of chapter operations. Two of their members served on the 2016 Panhellenic Council and their 2016 President was selected as one of ten Gamma Phi Beta presidents to serve on an International Collegiate Advisory Board under the International President. Gamma Pi hosted their annual Grilled Cheese with the G Phi B’s event and raised $1,800 for Girls on the Run.
ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA
SIGMA SIGMA SIGMA
We recruited 18 members through formal recruitment. We had one member serve on the Panhellenic Council as President. We won the sisterhood award at the 2017 Greek banquet. We teamed up with Sigma Chi to form a team to raise money for Special Olympics, and we won the award for donating the most money to Polar Plunge in St. Peter, Minnesota. We donated over $1300. We also raised the most money for Circle of Sisterhood, our Panhellenic Philanthropy.
Sigma Sigma Sigma received an award from national headquarters highlighting their Panhellenic excellence. They received the highest sorority grade point average on campus for the Spring 2017 semester. Two members served on the MSSA. A member also served as a National Collegiate Foundation Ambassador. Five sisters are highly involved and on the executive team for Dance Marathon, and three of their members serve on the Panhellenic Council. During 2016-2017, the chapter put together the first Run for Robbie 5K. More than $3000 was raised and given to the Sigma Sigma Sigma Foundation. This was the most money raised by any chapter’s individual philanthropy events at MSU. For 2016, the chapter reached Pillar 4 for Accreditation. The chapter had members attend both Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute and the Dunham Leadership Academy.
2016-2017 Academic and Membership Statistics Fraternities FALL16
Spring17
Chapter
New Total Members Members
Chapter GPA New Members
Total Members
Chapter GPA
Delta Chi
8
19
2.81
2
19
2.84
Lamda Chi Alpha
13
32
3.08
3
26
3.05
Phi Delta Theta
10
27
3.19
4
30
3.24
Phi Kappa Psi
6
27
2.76
7
32
2.78
Sigma Chi
7
32
2.88
7
35
3.05
Sigma Nu
11
40
2.79
3
32
2.92
Tau Kappa Epsilon
1
9
2.56
1
11
2.35
Sororities FALL16
Spring17
Chapter
New Total Members Members
Chapter GPA
New Members
Total Members
Chapter GPA
Alpha Chi Omega
27
74
3.20
2
65
3.22
Alpha Sigma Alpha
17
58
3.15
3
54
3.11
Gamma Phi Beta
25
74
3.07
5
64
3.25
Sigma Sigma Sigma
28
74
3.19
4
66
3.22
Philanthropy CIRCLE OF SISTERHOOD The Panhellenic Council hosted the 2nd annual Circle of Sisterhood event. Circle of Sisterhood is a non-profit organization founded and powered by sorority women on a mission to raise financial resources to help remove education barriers for girls and women facing poverty and oppression. The sorority community will host a fundraising event in October.
DANCE MARATHON On February 27, the annual Dance Marathon took place. This event was the celebration of year-long fundraising for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. During 2016-2017, we raised over $27,000, and the goal for 2017-2018 is $50,000.
Leadership Opportunities & Growth U-LEAD The Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils provided several great opportunities for values-based, leadership development during the 2016-2017 school year. We had the third annual U-Lead Conference in October, which was open to all students. Keynote speaker, Vince Fabra, with Phired Up Productions, spoke to Fraternity & Sororityaffiliated students on the topic of recruitment. He then presented to the entire group about achieving Social Excellence. The keynote was followed by breakout sessions where students had the opportunity to learn from community and campus leaders.
EMERGING LEADERS The councils held Emerging Leaders classes in the fall and spring semesters. These classes focused on giving new members of the Fraternity & Sorority Community confidence in their ability to lead. Twenty students completed the sessions this year.
FRATERNAL VALUES The Fraternal Values Society initiated six members, and new officers were elected Many great conversations were had in both Emerging Leaders and the Fraternal Values Society about improving ourselves, our chapters, and our community!
Council Presidents’ Update The Fraternity & Sorority Community at Minnesota State University, Mankato continues to develop and flourish as a vibrant and influential aspect of university life. Fraternity & Sorority Life at Mankato has continued to promote and lead one of the university’s major philanthropic events, Dance Marathon, which serves Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This year’s event raised over $28,000 for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in Minneapolis. The Fraternity & Sorority Community has also continued to hold the annual U-Lead Conference. In this leadership conference, individuals take part in education sessions with guest speakers including a keynote speaker. During these educational sessions, individuals learn to be stronger individuals, leaders, and scholars. This year we improved the conference with the addition of an etiquette dinner lead by the College of Business. The Fraternity & Sorority Community launched a new initiative to expand our impact on the community by creating a diversity and outreach position on our executive councils. We are on the forefront of creating a position dedicated to strengthening campus and community culture. We are working towards creating an inclusive environment for all by partnering with a variety of other campus departments and student organizations. The Fraternity & Sorority Community at Minnesota State University, Mankato has seen growth within the past couple of years, and it hopes to progress forward in the coming years. With two new historically black fraternities looking to expand onto campus, and discussions of university Fraternity & Sorority housing continuing, we are looking forward to progress our lively traditions.
Emily Sweeny President, Panhellenic Council
Hunter Gross President, Interfraternity Council
2016 Award Recipients Awards presented at 2017 Awards Banquet John & Kristy Buck Leadership Scholarship Josh Leuzinger, Phi Kappa Psi Rachel Newinski, Alpha Chi Omega
Order of Omega Faculty/Staff Member of the Year Dr. David Jones, Vice President for Student Affairs
Public Relations & Marketing Award
Sisterhood Award Alpha Sigma Alpha
Brotherhood Award: Sigma Chi
Sorority Chapter of the Year
Gamma Phi Beta
Alpha Chi Omega
Scholars of the Year
Greek Week First Place
Zoe Schaefer, Alpha Chi Omega Caleb Ebeling, Lambda Chi Alpha
Outstanding Alumnus Volunteer Award Jim Whitlock, Phi Delta Theta
Sorority and Fraternity Presidents of the Year Katelyn Telthoester, Alpha Chi Omega Hunter Gross, Sigma Chi
Rissa Amen-Reif Award for Advocacy and Awareness Carina Aguilar, Gamma Phi Beta
PHC and IFC Executive Board Members of the Year Brett Marshall, VP of PR and Marketing Haley Severson, VP of PR and Markeing
Outstanding New Members
Brian Kelly, Lambda Chi Alpha Rachel Newinsky, Alpha Chi Omega
Marie Bruce Fraternity Man and Sorority Woman of the Year Brett Marshall, Phi Delta Theta Haley Severson, Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta
A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. Minnesota State University, Mankato is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accomodation to participate in this event, please contact Student Activities at 507-389-6076 (V), 800-627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY) at least 5 days prior to the event. This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilites by calling the above numbers. www.mnsu.edu/activities