spend three weeks excavating precious artifacts in this holy site. None are archaeology majors; they simply enjoy the adventure and the opportunity to grow and experience life. The endeavor is a precious artifact of its own. In addition to masterminding the trip, Fulco spends countless hours personally raising funds (nearly $2,500 per participant) for the trip, so these man can make the trek. He is driven by a deep sense of love and brotherhood for his chapter. Fulco’s colleagues always see a SigEp or two in his office. The SigEps share their lives, their joys and their sorrows with him.
“They are the reason I wake up in the morning,” Fulco expressed. “I truly love them. I find it thrilling to see the men do wonderful things and see them have new experiences.” They return his brotherly love. Last year, Fulco underwent life-threatening kidney surgery. His Fraternity brothers never left his side as he recovered. “SigEps would sleep on the hospital floor all night,” recalled Fulco. “They would hold my hand at night. They would care for me. They were so nurturing.” As much as it meant to Fulco to have the chapter’s support, it was equally meaningful to his broth-
ers to be there in his time of need. Several chapter members got tattoos of Fulco’s signature. Upon learning about this, Fulco decided to return the sentiment. He tattooed all of their initials on his chest. From the rubble of ancient Israeli sites to the quiet of hospital rooms, Fulco and his chapter’s undergraduates invested in one another. They embraced academia and personal growth. They found brotherhood in a great diversity of experiences. The connection across them all is shared learning, learning from the past, learning from each other and learning from adversity. That’s what life and brotherhood are about.
The excavation crew digs deeper at the archaeological site of Megiddo, Israel. Chapter news
19