Chapters Take the Plunge

By Dillon Davis (NW Missouri State)

Brothers from at least eight chapters across the country hosted or took part in an event for Special Olympics called “Polar Plunge,” which is an event that requires participants to jump in freezing water to raise money for Phi Sigma Kappa’s national philanthropy.

Early in the morning of February 12, Beta Epsilon President Jake Guenther (Pitt State) and three other brothers got ready to plunge into a pool, which was lined with participants on the outside waiting to jump into the water, which Jake said, “was just below 40 degrees.” Although the chapter doesn’t host Polar Plunge on its campus, it is a city-wide event that Brother Guenther said, “Is a pretty big event. Usually, eight to ten businesses are involved, and both the police and fire departments usually host.”

Even though the chapter doesn’t host Polar Plunge, the brothers are always happy to participate in the event. Brother Guenther is still delighted that he participated but said, “I don’t know what was worse, the water or getting out of the pool into 20-degree weather.”

The thing that Brother Jake said he was the proudest of was, “together with the four of us that jumped, we raised just under $500, and overall, the event raised around $40,000.” This amount made every second worth jumping in on that cold February morning. The brothers at Epsilon Tau at Ball State also participated in the Polar Plunge event. The chapter’s event was held two weeks after that on the Pitt State campus.

For the Epsilon Tau Chapter, the brothers had to run booths and start a social media campaign to get participants to take the plunge. With February 26 approaching, Epsilon Tau President Daniel Hood (Ball State) said, “We had to build a pool in the snow and freezing cold weather,” which wasn’t an easy task. The next step was filling the pool. Brother Hood said, “we called the fire department, and they came and filled it.” Even though the water was from a hose, Brother Hood said, “The water was beyond cold.”

Even with the temperature outside and in the pool, the chapter never doubted the event would take place because Brother Hood said, “The chapter had 40 brothers and 30 other members of the student body participating in the plunge.” The brothers of the Epsilon Tau Chapter had a phenomenal time, and Brother Hood said, “The event was a success and raised more than $4,500 for Special Olympics.” With the chapter raising that amount of money and putting in a lot of work for the event, the brothers are incredibly proud of what they accomplished.

In Oklahoma, the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter had a unique experience because the town of Tahlequah, which hosts the Polar Plunge event every year, said that it had been canceled due to weather. However, the brothers of the chapter were not going

Brothers from the Epsilon Octaton Chapter at Cincinnati (above) and Delta Triton brothers at Purdue (below) participated in local Polar Plunges. to let that stop them. Epsilon Epsilon Chapter President Cameron McCrary (Northeastern State) said, “it was too cold for Tahlequah to put it on, so we went to the river and jumped in.” However, that wasn’t the worst part for the brothers.

Brother McCrary said, “We got to the river and were ready to jump in, but the park owner asked us to go.” After all of that, the brothers persevered and finally found an open park that let the guys jump in for the plunge.

After the jump, Cameron said, “We posted the video and got a lot more donations for Special Olympics because we were the only ones who carried out the tradition.” That was Cameron’s favorite part because the chapter was able to raise $600 for Special Olympics and still had 11 brothers jump even though the event was canceled.

Overall, these three chapters experienced completely different Polar Plunges, but together they were able to raise a combined $5,600.

The Polar Plunge is a popular event across the nation and raises a significant amount of money for Special Olympics. Fraternally, the brothers always look forward to this event when it comes up during the year, and it is something the brothers who take the plunge will never forget.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL was

chosen by delegates to the 55th General Convention in 1995 as the international service project of Phi Sigma Kappa.

Special Olympics is an international program of year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Its goal is for all persons with intellectual disabilities to have the chance to become useful and productive citizens who are accepted and respected in their communities.

The benefits of participation in Special Olympics for people with intellectual disabilities include improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence, a more positive self-image, friendships, and increased family support.

Herbert Fuller (Cornell ’68)

In conjunction with Phi Sigma Kappa’s 150th anniversary, to be celebrated in 2023, the Fraternity has partnered with Publishing Concepts for the Oral History Project.

This initiative will capture unique stories from our alumni members. These stories will then be transcribed and stored to help tell the story of Phi Sigma Kappa for generations to come! These memories will be compiled in book format for purchase and also available digitally.

In recent months, you should have received an invitation via mail, email, or telephone to make an appointment to tell your story. There is no cost to alumni to be included in the digital version of our Oral History.

Please know that we have worked with Publishing Concepts on multiple projects in the past. This is a reputable company that works with several universities and social organizations. This project comes at no cost to the Fraternity but will also yield valuable contact information in addition to your stories. You may be given the opportunity to purchase commemorative items during your call, but please know that you are under no obligation to purchase items.

Start thinking about the story you’d like to tell and collect any photos you’d like to share.

We have already collected more than 5,000 stories, but we want to hear from everyone!

Below are samples of stories already recorded:

“I thought the active brothers when I was pledging were a great group, and I wanted to be a part of it. I was a first-generation college student. Dr. Anthony Fusaro was our chapter adviser and

a faculty member of the Political Science Department at Northern. Dr. Fusaro spent a great deal of time with us. He expected us to be gentlemen—a lofty ambition for undergraduates. Part of our initiation pledge that has always stuck with me, probably the most important part, is that we committed to living a life of faith and purpose. That has always stayed with me, and I think about it every day. It’s quite a challenge to live up to that. I met some really smart people in the Fraternity. I learned by working with them, and that prepared me. The house itself, the physical structure, the chapter meetings, the fun times, and the camaraderie with the other brothers and my former roommate are what I enjoyed.”

“The camaraderie and brotherhood of it and being in something bigger than myself inspired me to join. For example, I joined the military right after—it’s kind of the same concept. The events and ceremonies stand out to me. Being a part of a fraternity, we conducted secret ceremonies. There’s an attraction to that. It’s a secret; you don’t really know what’s going on. It’s cool being in the know. There were social events and philanthropic stuff we did, like helping with the Special Olympics. They’re all memorable, and it makes you feel good as an individual. It isn’t just party and get tired—there are other responsibilities that people don’t see.

In a nutshell, it’s something more than yourself. My connections with other fraternity members have impacted my life after graduation. I can talk to brothers in different areas of work and see if they can help me in the right direction. Phi Sig is a great organization to be a part of. Once you get in, you meet other brothers and members just like you whom you will know for a lifetime. I still talk to a lot of my fraternity brothers. Going to school was a great chapter in my life. They made it more than just going to school. I’m more rooted in the school because now I can always go back to the house, meet brothers, and share stories.”

“I joined Phi Sig because of the sense of brotherhood that I encountered on my first rush experience. My experience was great, cemented by the fact that 41 full years later, I am still best friends with more than 35 brothers. My experience was nothing but positive. I even formed a blues band with Phi Sig brothers called “The Triple Tease.” There are nine members in our band, four of whom are PSK / Pi Pent alumni. I have so many good memories there. The core tenants of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Character are more important in today’s society than ever. Every time I’m around my brothers, whether it’s a social event or an alumni event, I can sense that those core values are still very important to all of us.”

“Phi Sigma Kappa was welcoming and friendly. I graduated in 1984, and I stayed on and got my Master’s in 1985. I lived in the house, and I was in the Corps Cadets while I was an undergraduate.

I went to the military, and I flew fighter jets. Fighter squadrons are like a fraternity, and there was a brotherhood there as well. The fraternity experience helped me feel more comfortable in that situation than I might have otherwise felt.

I still do a lot of charity work and volunteer work, and some of that is from having been in the Fraternity. Some things I keep with me that I learned in the Fraternity are to keep your options open, don’t burn any bridges, and keep in touch with people. You never know when you’re going to run into people down the road. It could become a lifelong friendship. Because I live in England, I don’t get back very often to see people in person, but I’m able to keep up with them on Facebook. It’s a lifelong friendship group.”

“At Cornell, just about every sophomore was in a fraternity. There were 52 fraternities and those were the only living arrangements available for sophomores. We had orientation counselors in our freshman dorms and the sharpest of those was the guy who rushed me for Phi Sigma Kappa. Once there, I encountered guys I knew from a job I had in a bar, one who had been a fraternity brother of my brother at Dartmouth and two from the Hotel School, my college at Cornell.

Then there was the diversity; we had a Jewish president one semester and an Egyptian president the next. My class joined the effort to increase diversity.

Winning the intramural football title over 51 other fraternities, as we did in 1967, certainly raised our chapter’s reputation on the campus and was a crowning achievement to this Green Bay boy’s football career.

Phi Sigma Kappa incredibly impacted my opportunity to be a leader in tough times. I was a chapter president at the end of the 1960s, which was a very challenging time for fraternities and that kind of life at college. I helped our house through that time in terms of a lifestyle, as it were, and politics. We all got together for dinner and weekly, we’d have speakers from both sides.

I went on to community development in the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps training for community development, which my wife also went through, allowed us to always live in a good place because if we didn’t like it, we changed it. The leadership experience helped with that and was one of my greatest benefits.

Thomas Donalds (Virginia Tech ’86)

Heading to college, I hadn’t imagined joining a fraternity and considered the whole institution to be superfluous. The combination of Cornell University’s fraternity rules and policies, combined with Gamma’s quality, made fraternity life an important part of my excellent college experience.”

When I went through rush, I really didn’t know anyone there at the chapter. The Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity guys made me feel at home, so I joined. They were all friendly. Over the years, from 1970 to today, I’ve still got lifelong friends from when I pledged and became active. I’ve got Phi Sig friends who are of all ages. Now I’m in the financial services business, and it’s all about relationships, so Phi Sig has helped me develop relationships. It’s taught and helped me interact with people, develop long-term relationships, and do business with them. Phi Sig has helped me, and it’s helped me in my business. We had a great bunch of guys.”

“I liked the brothers that were there at the time, and I am a legacy member. I lived in the house for three years, and I was the treasurer for two years. It was good to interact with all different kinds of people with whom I probably would not normally be friends. There were some pretty cool philanthropic events we used to do. We used to take phone calls to Santa Claus from little kids who would call in. It was fun.”

“I liked the guys. It was a small chapter, and I liked the guys better than the other fraternities. I felt like I could have an impact on the Fraternity. I was chapter president for a year. We were a fairly small chapter, but we doubled in size while I was president. I’ve always felt it was very important to the things I did later because of the opportunities I had as president to deal with issues and problems. It molded my management career for later.”

As of April 5, 97.7 percent of survey respondents would recommend that other brothers call in to tell their story. One brother commented, “Jessica was efficient and proactive … she was friendly and engaging as well, which made for a very pleasurable experience. Please thank her for an enjoyable trip down memory lane.”

The Grand Council held a strategic planning weekend at the International Headquarters on November 12 and 13. The purpose of the weekend was to set the direction for the Fraternity for the next 3-5 years.

Those in attendance included Grand President Chris Hoye (Ferris State ’91), Grand Council Directors David Cohen (Union ’88), Matt Gregory (Southern Illinois ’95), Jeff Liesendahl (Northern Illinois ’87), Brandon Paternoster (Ferris State ’04), and Darald Stubbs (Stetson ’88); Phi Sigma Kappa Foundation President Tom Grunwald (Ferris State ’91), Phi Sigma Kappa Properties President Shawn Shivnen (Eastern Michigan ’00), Court of Honor member David Spreitzer (Kentucky ’80), Foundation Trustee John Sheehan (Northern Illinois ’82), past Grand Council Director Bart Sheeler (Dayton ’81), and International Headquarters staff members Nick Zuniga (Ball State AI), Kathy Cannady, Grant Carpenter (Northern Arizona ’13), Augie Farwig (Ferris State ’17), Joe Kern (Radford ’09), and Leslie Pedigo.

After two days of discussion, five areas came to the forefront. The focus for the near future will be: • Strategic Growth • Undergraduate Experience • Alumni Experience • Volunteer Experience • Financial Growth

A discussion was held concerning the current bright spots, what’s working, areas with room for improvement, the value provided by the Fraternity, etc.

Topics such as brotherhood for life, relationships, mental health resources, job networking, and character building were listed as items that provide value to members of the Fraternity. Those in attendance recognized educational programming, a focus on values and ritual, and a culture of perseverance as bright spots.

What’s working? Day of Giving, planning for the 150th Anniversary, the Shonk Archive and Educational Center, Cardinal Journey, volunteer networking, and professional staff resiliency were mentioned.

A discussion was held on those areas that have recently seen improvement. Board collaboration, diversity and inclusion, and communication with local chapters were discussed.

It was also recognized that there are areas where there is room for improvement. For example, communication with alumni clubs, volunteer engagement, internal growth (current chapters), expansion to new campuses, chapter adviser training, and technology were mentioned.

Discussion around strategic growth included being more selective about prospective campuses for expansion.

Career coaching and a mentoring program were discussed as potential aspects of the undergraduate experience.

The possibility of forming regional alumni clubs was discussed, and more regional alumni events.

Virtual volunteer training, a plan for chapter adviser recruitment, and a volunteer training conference were discussed.

Ideas for financial growth included ways to increase non-dues income, the Life Loyal program, a planned giving program, and an increase in membership.

Following the weekend meeting, the professional staff set about developing an operational plan, which will include a staffing plan. Objectives to obtain these operational goals will be determined and shared this fall.