Emerald_Summer_2004

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Sigma Pi Fraternity’s Official Publication

Howard Beyer

Summer 2004

Michael Bilirakis

Anthony G. Siress Founders’ Award is presented to distinguished brothers.

Story begins on page 4.

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FROM THE GRAND SAGE PUBLISHED SINCE 1911

VOLUME 89, NUMBER 3

SUMMER 2004

F E AT U R E S Founders’ Award 4 Caffiene Relief Army 6 Alpha-Pi Finds the Fun in Fund Raising 11 NJIT Alumni Take Over the Media 26 Alumni Services 28

D E PA R T M E N T S Chapter News 8 Adytum on High 21

Alumni News 22

E D I T O R I A L S TA F F Andrew D. Smith ( , Troy State ’00) Managing Editor Mark S. Briscoe ( , Arkansas State ’82) Business Manager

V O L U N T E E R S TA F F PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Adam Shores ( , Troy State ’98), Chairman Larry Rovira ( , Cal State Fullerton ’85) Jeffery Seay ( , Florida State ’91) Chris Mundschenk ( , Southern Ill.-Carbondale ’97) CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bill Marrs ( , Troy State ’98), Chairman Adam Shores ( , Troy State ’98) Robert Shurley ( , Arkansas State ’06) Sigma Pi thanks Honeybee Robotics, NASA, the Associated Press, Jason Elzy of Warner Strategic Marketing/Rhino, Frank Fryburg, Denny Stewart, and all alumni who helped by contributing information and materials for this issue.

Sigma Pi Fraternity was founded at Vincennes University, Vincennes, Indiana, on February 26, 1897.

Sigma Pi has chartered more than 200 chapters in North America and has initiated more than 81,000 members since 1897. The Founding Fathers of the Fraternity are: Rolin Rosco James (1879–1953) William Raper Kennedy (1877–1944) James Thompson Kingsbury (1877–1950) George Martin Patterson (1877–1960) The EMERALD OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY (ISSN 10745289, USPS 011-013), is published quarterly by Sigma Pi Fraternity, P.O. Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024. Periodical Postage paid at Brentwood, Tennessee, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SIGMA PI FRATERNITY, P.O. Box 1897, Brentwood, Tennessee, 37024. MEMBERS: When making an address change, please send your full name and chapter with both the old and new addresses to the International Headquarters (see address below).

Submission Deadlines: Fall Winter Spring Summer

June 21 September 21 December 21 March 21

Submit Emerald news to:

Member, National Interfraternity Conference

Member, College Fraternity Editors Association

Sigma Pi Fraternity, Attention: Emerald Post Office Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024 Telephone: (615) 373-5728 Fax: (615) 373-8949 E-mail: sigmapiemerald@yahoo.com Web site: www.sigmapi.org

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Dear Brothers: It seems just a short time ago that I was elected Grand Sage of Sigma Pi Fraternity. So much has been accomplished during these two years, thanks to everyone working together toward our common goal of making Sigma Pi the Greek leader in North America. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of our executive staff, from Mark Briscoe on down.

We have used our Strategic Plan as a road map toward advancing our cause. We set out to improve our chapters by adhering to our Gold Standard. For those chapters that needed extra help, our Renaissance program was successful in many chapters, and I thank Dave Edwards for those efforts. We needed new ideas to put a different perspective on why we exist. Mark Briscoe developed the ACE Project, which encourages chapters to serve their university in a meaningful way so a place at the table is reserved for Sigma Pi. We sought to be distinctive and to gain a feeling of accomplishment as we offer the university worthwhile service. So many universities have told us how much they appreciate our efforts.

We have worked diligently to improve Sigma Pi University. In the past six years, it has moved in the direction of an academic program, that will be worthy of college credit someday. Sigma Pi University has been an opportunity to learn while sharing brotherhood with representatives throughout North America. It has gained recognition and is spoken about in interfraternal circles. We have recognized outstanding achievements of our brothers and alumni in The Emerald and our other publications. We all need to see that our brothers are making substantial contributions to society. We have enhanced our Founders’ Awards program to recognize those brothers who have gone above and beyond in their service to society—and we are proud of that.

Our mission, as stated in the Strategic Plan, is to serve undergraduates as well as our alumni brothers. We have embarked on a bold plan to bring alumni back into the main stream of Sigma Pi. We have targeted major cities with large concentrations of alumni in North America and have already had major functions in those cities to generate a renewed interest in Sigma Pi. Our new relationships with our alumni brothers will translate into stronger bonds between alumni and undergraduates, and the Grand Chapter.

We have moved our International headquarters to Brentwood, Tenn. While this was a difficult decision, our beloved home in Vincennes was not sufficient to meet our needs in the 21st century. Within the next few years, a new headquarters will be built, equipped to handle our needs for many years to come. I want to thank all of you for your support and input in this decision.

In an effort to financially support our Fraternity, part of our Strategic Plan was to raise $10M by 2008. As you know, our Sigma Pi Educational Foundation and our Sigma Pi Fund merged last year, resulting in a Sigma Pi Educational Foundation made up of 16 members.

Those members came from both corporations and also included new members. All of these men are experienced and dedicated businessmen, as well as great brothers, who give selflessly of their time and talent to Sigma Pi. Great progress has been made, and their work will make a profound difference in our Fraternity forever.

There are so many wonderful things that are happening in Sigma Pi. Most importantly, we are creating opportunities for our members to be all that they can be. When we see the quality of our brothers as men, we know that Sigma Pi played a role, and we can be grateful. What better contribution can we make?

I want to thank my brothers on the Grand Council. Never have I met and worked with such fine individuals. Somehow, they reach deep in their souls to give the best that they have and they dedicate it to the Fraternity. Thank you for supporting me during my term as Grand Sage.

Finally, I wish to thank my brothers from Epsilon-Psi. I was privileged to spend 22 years as their chapter director. They supported me in my career on the Grand Council while treating me as their brother. I will cherish those years and the deep friendships I made. I love you all.

May the goal of greatness be always there. When we fall down, let us pick each other up.

When we do great things, let us give thanks. There is room for us all. Together, nothing is impossible. I wish you the best that life has to offer.

Fraternally, John H. Williams Jr. Grand Sage

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Theta alumni continue tradition n 1913, a young Christian Arab named Samuel Albed left his home in the Middle East to escape conscription into the Muslim Turkish army: which would have certainly led to his early demise. He came to the United States, landed in Philadelphia, and soon found himself selling rugs and linens in the area. In 1914, he discovered the New Jersey Shore resort of Cape May and opened his first store on its historic boardwalk in the new Convention Hall. Like many of the Syrian Christians who settled in the United States prior to the First World War, he wanted to raise a family and provide the best in education and values. Now, 90 years later, Samuel Albed’s family has continued his tradition of hard work and strong values.

Samuel Albed ( , Penn State ’57) wanted his son, Ray ( , Penn State ’85), to get a good education and sent him to Penn State to study business and liberal arts. Ray met George Haddad, who is of the same ethnic background, and that led to Ray’s introduction to Sigma Pi. In the Fraternity, Ray met Al Azar, Dave Hajjar, and Victor Hajjar over a period of years, and Ray continued the line of Christian Arabs in the house.

After his graduation in January 1957, Ray and his father opened a store in Wayne, Pennsylvania, to better serve their cus-

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tomers’ needs. While the business grew and prospered, Samuel’s store in Cape May was destroyed by the vicious noreaster of March 1962. Convention Hall was destroyed, which meant Samuel could now retire. Ray took over the operation of the Wayne location, and Samuel was able to enjoy his travels to the rug producing areas of the Middle East.

Samuel passed away in 1967 and Ray continued on.

Ray married Shirley Caldwell, whom he met at Penn State, in 1960. They had three children: Renee, Ray Jr., and Michelle. Renee joined the business in 1979 after completing high school and today is the secretary for the company. Ray Jr., followed his father to Penn State and made his independent decision to join Sigma Pi’s Theta Chapter. After graduation in 1985, Ray took a job in the mortgage industry. A few years later he joined his father at Albed Rug Company. By 1997, Ray Jr. had succeeded to the presidency of the company. With Renee and his younger sister, Michelle, who joined the company after her college graduation; the three formed a strong operating team. Ray Sr. has been very active in the national trade association for the Oriental rug industry and served as its president in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. He claims he will not miss a board meeting for fear that

Alumni Event—Detroit Metro Area Every Sigma Pi alumnus is invited to attend an alumni gathering on Saturday, August 21, 2004, in Detroit, Mich. This is going to be a fun event for everyone. No matter which chapter you were initiated into, come in the lifelong experience of Sigma Pi. We expect a good turnout for the event, which will begin at the Hockytown Cafe, located within walking distance of Comercia Park, and include a baseball game. Root for the Tigers or the Mariners, we don’t care. Just be there and have fun with new and old Sigma Pi friends.

You only get out of the Sigma Pi Fraternity experience what you put into it, and the benefits of membership can be appreciated for a lifetime. Don’t forget, we will meet from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hockeytown Cafe, 2301 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan (313) 965-9500 before walking over to the Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners baseball game, which starts at 7:05 p.m. Group rates are $12 per ticket. Please RSVP by Aug. 18 by e-mailing or calling Director of Alumni Services Paul Wydra at (800) 332-1897 or pwydra@sigmapi.org.

Ray Albed, Jr. ( , Penn State ’85) left and his father, Ray Albed, Sr. ( , Penn State ’57), stand in front of their award winning Oriental and Domestic rug store in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

they will put him back in the presidency again.

Albed Rug Company was honored as the 2002 Oriental Rug Retailer of the Year by the trade association and is considered a leader in the field. Ray Sr., has finished his overseas travel and is busy with his certified appraisal business. Ray Jr., has made numerous buying trips overseas and is highly regarded. With more than 6,000 rugs in his inventory, and a fine cleaning, repairing, and storage facility, Albed Rug Company is one of the most successful rug businesses in the country.

Hopefully, Tommy Albed, son of Ray Jr. and his wife Nancy, will join Theta Chapter at Penn State and become the fourth generation of Albeds in the rug business. We anxiously await Thomas Matthew Albed, age 7.

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FOUNDERS’AWARD Ever y two years at Convocation, the Fraternity recognizes a select group of alumni with the most prestigious honor of our organization: the Founders’ Award. Since 1962, this award has been given to only 78 of our more than 81,000 initiates. This year, three additional members have been selected to receive this distinction from the Fraternity.

These men have proven themselves to be of exceptional character and have continued to promote the Fraternity’s ideals long after graduation.

Previous award winners have been high achievers in the world of entertainment, literature, space exploration, business,

education, government and litigation. In 2004, the Grand Council nominated and extended the honor to the 22nd class of inductees, adding the supreme honor to Past Grand Sage Howard Beyer, U.S. Congressman Mike Bilirakis, and entrepreneurial business guru Anthony Siress.

Each of these men has helped strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and has fostered their belief in Sigma Pi Fraternity long after their graduation. They are brothers who share their lifelong experience as a member. For these, and for many other reasons, we honor the 2004 Founders’ Award recipients.

Howard H. Beyer Past Grand Sage Howard H. Beyer ( , NJIT ’58) hails from Watchung, New Jersey.

Howard is a lifelong resident of Northern New Jersey. Upon graduation from Newark College of Engineering (New Jersey Institute of Technology) with a degree in mechanical engineering, Howard went to work as vice president of Unique Wire Weaving Company Inc. of Hillside, New Jersey. Howard’s son, Kenneth, ( , Worcester Polytechnic Institute ’82) also is with the firm and is the fifth generation of the family in the industry.

In 1967, Howard became president of Unique Wire Weaving and still serves in that capacity. He is a life member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a member of the American Management Association. Howard has served as president of the American Wire Cloth Institute (the industry association of North America). His achievements include designing and producing the only equipment in the world that manufactures platinum mesh used for pacemaker leads, into which the heart tissue grows.

Howard’s service to Sigma Pi started in 1957 when he became a chapter director for 4

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Howard H. Beyer

Alpha-Mu Chapter. He then served for 10 years as province archon of what was then Beta Province, consisting of 13 chapters.

Howard’s service on the Grand Council began in 1968 as Grand Herald. He moved to Grand Third Counselor, Grand Second Counselor and, in the 1974–76 biennium, Grand Sage.

Howard is one of only two Sigma Pi brothers who have served on all four corporations of the Fraternity: the Grand Council, the Sigma Pi Foundation (the original housing board), the Sigma Pi Fund, and the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation.

Howard has served four times as chairman of the Nominating Committee. This will be his 26th consecutive attendance at Convocation. Further, he has been on the installation team of more than 20 chapters.

Howard’s interest in young people carried over to other areas as well. He was a longtime treasurer of the Hillside High School Scholarship Fund. As an Eagle Scout himself, Howard served as scoutmaster of the 64-member Watchung, New Jersey, Boy Scout Troop.

When not involved in one of the above, Howard enjoys fishing. He has caught all kinds of ocean species, including marlin and giant tuna up to 865 pounds. In association with his love of fishing, Howard served as president of the United States Atlantic Tuna Tournament and is a member of several other fishing groups.

Howard and his wife of 45 years, Dorothy, have three grown children.

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Michael Bilirakis

Michael Bilirakis Michael Bilirakis ( , Pittsburg ’59), Republican Congressman from Tarpon Springs in Florida’s Ninth District, was first elected to Congress on Nov. 2, 1982, and has been re-elected to each succeeding Congress. His committee assignments in the 108th Congress include membership on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, and as a member of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Mike also is vice chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a member of the Oversight Subcommittee.

As chairman, Mike has played a leading role in protecting Medicare from bankruptcy, ensuring the safety of our drinking water, improving the quality of our food, modernizing the drug approval process and expanding access to affordable health insurance.

It’s not surprising that National Journal’s “Almanac of American Politics� called Mike one of the most “legislatively productive� members of Congress.

In past Congresses, Mike has authored many other health-related bills that have become law. These include bills to improve research into a myriad of children’s health

issues; to protect nursing home residents from being evicted when their facility withdraws from participation in the Medicaid program; and to improve women’s health.

During the 107th Congress, Mike worked tirelessly to add a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program. Mike also played a key role in securing enactment of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act. Furthermore, Mike worked in a bipartisan fashion to provide pharmaceutical companies with incentives to conduct pediatric testing of their products—to ensure their safety and effectiveness in children—and to reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which has helped provide the Food and Drug Administration with the resources to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs and biologics in a more timely fashion. Mike also was the lead congressional sponsor of legislation that addresses our nation’s nursing shortage. The Nurse Reinvestment Act, which will help increase recruitment of new nurses and improve retention of existing nurses, was signed into law on August 1, 2002.

Mike has continued to build on that impressive record. In the 108th Congress, the House has already approved the Organ Donation Improvement Act that Mike authored, which is designed to increase the number of donated organs available for transplantation. He also introduced legislation, approved by the House, to improve patient safety.

tech industry that he gained his greatest knowledge.

After a number of independent ventures, Anthony joined Sun Microsystems in 1991.

From his past experiences and the knowledge he gained at Sun, he opened a software company in 1993 called Tidalwave Technologies, and eventually sold this venture to Veritas Software in 1995. He joined Veritas for a year, but wanted to return to Sun to be part of what was to become the Internet boom. Anthony returned to Sun to join JavaSoft, which was one of the high points of his career.

Anthony served his chapter as chapter director a number of years after graduating until his business travel forced him to give up the post. In 1998 and 1999, Anthony founded three endowment funds: the ZetaEta Scholarship Fund, the Anthony Siress Endowment for Zeta-Eta Chapter, and the Anthony Siress Endowment for Educational Programs. Anthony’s generosity also has provided for the establishment of Sigma Pi University and other local and national educational programs. As our largest benefactor to Sigma Pi Fraternity, Brother Siress believes in the vision and the creed of Sigma Pi Fraternity.

Tony lives in the Bay area and is exploring opportunities to move to Sydney, Australia, to pursue a number of personal and professional ventures.

Anthony G. Siress A native of Mountain View, Calif., Tony Siress ( , Santa Clara ’87), received his bachelor’s degree in commerce in 1987 from Santa Clara University, where he was initiated into Zeta-Eta Chapter on Jan. 19, 1985. He served the chapter as third counselor during his sophomore year, the first chartered sage during his junior year, and pledge trainer of the Delta class during his senior year.

After graduating, Anthony founded a number of ventures and gained valuable insight into running and building successful businesses. It was from his many business challenges and multiple experiences navigating the ups and downs of the high-

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Brothers and Others Serving U

Mobilizing the C

by Bill Marrs ( , Troy State ’74)

he thousands of troops the United States has deployed overseas, and those who serve closer to home, have a lot in common. Universally, they enjoy hearing from home. Today’s soldiers of today benefit from technology in that many, even in remote locations, have at least occasional use of e-mail. My brother, Lt. Col. Jim Marrs, is a member of the Air National Guard. He recently returned from Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

This story began when he left the country three days after Christmas. Members of the family were determined to stay in touch with him.

Our family has a long history of military service. Some of you are able to tell similar stories. The Marrs side, our heritage is one of soldiering centuries before the founding of the United States. In each generation, correspondence was key in maintaining morale and the bonds that keeps families close. The Red Cross and many other organizations work hard to see that those connections remain strong and viable. As individuals, we also have a role to play, encouraging the men and women who serve our country in the military. The simple “Hello,” “Hope you are well” or “What do you need?” may make the difference for any soldier.

Prior to Jim’s most recent deployment, his sons, Daniel and Jeremiah, both members of the same Air National Guard unit, were sent to similar areas with different responsibilities. They are more representative of the military—young, highly skilled, motivated warriors who feel they are making a difference in the world. At home, when not on duty, they and their brother Michael are college students. Their sisters, Jamie and Stephanie, are at home with their mom, Claudia. Jim has other choices for employment, as do his sons. They have decided to take an active role in the defense of their country.

While we did keep in touch with all of them as they moved around the world, the communication was not really organized into a project or something like “family.” On this deployment, Jim mentioned they had one “gross” coffeepot in his office, totally unsuitable for a good cup of tea. Ground coffee and tea were hard to come by. Family and friends might send coffee

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beans so they could grind their own for a really fresh cup. But no grinder was in the area. Sure, the meal facilities were great, and Jack’s Coffee House (then a tent set aside for casual meeting, staffed by volunteers) provided some variety when off duty.

But what about access during 12-hour shifts in a secure environment? This identified for us something tangible we could do to support Jim and the many other soldiers who worked in or depended on the operation of his office.

E-mail exchanges among family members are relatively continuous. Mom (Annette), an artist in Albuquerque, New Mexico, naturally values our staying in touch. Lee, our sister in Berkeley, California, is an educator/artist/author. (Mom and Lee were in the Civil Air Patrol in Montgomery, Alabama.) A note that may be of interest: Lee was working on a comic book about 25 years ago. The story involved a group of fraternity gentlemen who assisted the hero to “win the day.” Lee phoned me to ask about some elements of realism. The result was the use of my National number on the license plate of their vehicle. At least, that’s the way I remember it.

John is in San Diego and served as a JAG captain in the Marine Corps. Dodson, now in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, served in the Air Force and the Army Guard, recently being able to retire. Our father, Ted, started his career in 1933 in the Army Guard (cavalry), retiring some 50 years later as a major general in the Air National Guard. Ted’s father was a flight instructor in 1918. Each of them knew—each of us knows how important it is to stay in touch.

So, back to Jim and his need for caffeine and a clean coffeepot. Daily messages back and forth with family. Packages being assembled—unused coffeemakers, tea, coffee, a coffee grinder, a microwave…anything we could think of that they could use. Almost immediately it was more than Jim could consume on his own. Some of it went to those who were passing through the tent/office. Then some went to Jack’s Coffee House. More e-mails sent to a few friends and extended family.

A personal message to some online vendors of coffee, tea and equipment resulted in many contributions. As people were

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g Us

e Caffeine Relief Army starting to ask questions or wanted to know how they could help support the troops, giving the explanation of the “project” was taking a good deal of time. Dodson coined the name for the project–the Caffeine Relief Army.

A Web site was developed with FAQs, messages to the troops, other information and some fun stuff. Lee designed the initial logo. “Enlistment” certificates were generated for those who contributed to postage or donated cookies. Those who “enlisted” individuals or a business became Recruiters. Funny stories or mock exchanges, attributed to family members, helped to entertain the troops.

We appreciate the interest and involvement of everyone who sends a note or a box of cookies to the soldiers. Anyone who participates by sending a package is recognized by us with what has become a prized certificate of enlistment. Just an email letting us know what you did, or that includes a message to the troops that we can post on the Web site, will result in a reply with a certificate.

Jim commented at one point that while he might be able to find a box of ginger snaps on base, those sent from home mean so much more.

This is meant to be fun and rewarding for those who decide to “join.” It is only one of the many ways you can support our troops. We are enjoying ourselves and providing what we believe to be a valuable, enriching service. We supported our brother, as each of you will support your brothers. The “fellowship of kindred minds” expands far beyond Sigma Pi. Take a few minutes to thank those who do so much for us.

Somewhere on these pages you will find e-mail and postal addresses that will reach them. The men and women of our armed services deserve much more, but this is one thing we can do today, now, with a few keyboard strokes and a mouse click. Visit the Web site. Establish a link from your site. Who knows, maybe there will be enough of you to establish the Sigma Pi Division of the Caffeine Relief Army.

Be sure to visit the Web site to see the growing list of individuals who send caring messages or snacks. Anything will do.

See the businesses, some of international scope, that share their good fortune. There is nothing worth having in this world unless it is shared with others.

For messages to the troops, coffee, tea, snacks for the troops: Jack’s Coffee House C/O Chaplains’ Assistants 379 AEW/HC APO AE 09309 For school and other items to help the children in Kirkuk, Iraq: Charitable Giving Program C/O Chaplains’ Assistants 379 AEW/HC APO AE 09309 For information on the Caffeine Relief Army, or other questions: cra@marrsnet.com or visit: www.marrsnet.com/cra Bill is a charter member of Delta-Psi Chapter at Troy State University. He served as Delta-Psi’s chapter director for four years, and was Executive Secretary of Sigma Pi from 1978–80.

Bill recently moved to a new role in the Air Force Reserve in Finance, Headquarters, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He previously served 18 years in the Indiana and Illinois Air National Guard. In September, Bill will be promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Bill’s civilian career has primarily involved educational institutions—Troy State University, Vincennes University and Morton College. Bill is now Business Division chair at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois. Heartland supported Bill to an exceptional level when he was on active duty during the year following the terrorist attacks in September 2001.

Bill lives in Springfield, Illinois, with his wife, Nona, and stepson, Gregg.

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CHAPTER NEWS Join your brothers at Convocation this summer in Chicago.

CALIFORNIA-IRVINE Eta-Upsilon Chapter

Members of several chapters in the Southeast gathered for Province Archon Jason Beck’s regional workshop in Athens, Georgia., on January 17, 2004.

Eric Rice of Xi colony chats with one of the hosts of the Valentines Day Dance at a local retirement home on February 14, 2004.

ARKANSAS STATE Alpha-Pi Chapter The brothers of Alpha-Pi had an excellent spring. They inducted four extraordinary gentlemen to become a part of their brotherhood. Most of the brothers went to the hills of Donovan, Missouri, during spring break to hang out at Brother Andy Wills’ (’06) cabin.

From social functions to the ACE Project, everyone is doing his part.

Brothers are excited about what they have accomplished this semester.

The university’s president was excited when Alpha-Pi presented the idea for the ACE Project. The president is willing to help the chapter in whatever endeavor they choose, so the chapter should have something scheduled real soon.

Brothers helped to collect more than $90,000 for the Make-A-Wish

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Foundation by collecting donations at two intersections in Northeast Arkansas. In April, the chapter also held a blood drive with the Red Cross. Alpha-Pi started a recycling program as a sort of constant fundraiser. Hopefully, it will be a huge success and inspire other fraternities on campus to be more environmentally friendly. The Alpha-Pi basketball team won the regular season championship, and brothers are looking forward to floor hockey season.

The chapter’s Founders’ Day golf tournament was a huge success, drawing nearly 20 teams of two.

Those of us going to Convocation this summer look forward to seeing everyone and are ready to show the Sigma Pi world how the brothers of Alpha-Pi get down.

—Jay Bir, Herald

BRIDGEWATER STATE Eta-Eta Chapter Eta-Eta gives many thanks to their graduating seniors for their wisdom and leadership. The chapter accepted 11 pledges. Brothers recently held their Sweethearts Dance and Miss Sigma Pi contest, both of which were very successful. A Car Crush fundraiser has been scheduled for the coming months as well as a blood drive and a sleep out for the homeless. The chapter is looking forward to its 15th anniversary Orchid Ball.

—Ryan Nee, Herald

CALIFORNIA Iota Chapter Iota Chapter UC Berkeley experienced a great spring semester. With

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great pledges and active brothers, Iota Chapter made great strides toward excellence in and outside the realm of academics. Recent graduates are going to law school, medical school, and are excelling in other careers. Many seniors are applying to top medical and law schools, while others are preparing for their respective careers in architecture and business, just to name a few.

Not only is the chapter promoting scholarship at Cal, but they are also promoting Sigma Pi by participating in many philanthropy events. Earlier in the semester, Iota brothers participated in a 5K race/run to benefit the Berkeley Free Clinic. In April, brothers supported the fight against cancer by participating in the Relay for Life while walking for 24 continuous hours on the track.

In addition to the chapter’s many accomplishments in academics and community service, brothers still find time to have plenty of fun. In the beginning of the semester, brothers took a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe.

The scenery and recreational activities were the perfect for relaxing before the semester began.

Iota’s annual Pirates Grotto took place in the spring semester and attracted hundreds of students to the chapter house to experience the legendary decorations. Brothers planned a camping trip to Yosemite to escape the stress of Berkeley and relax before finals. The chapter is working hard to promote the ideals of Sigma Pi while having fun at the same time.

—Ray Benaza, Herald

2004 has been a great success for UC Irvine’s Eta-Upsilon Chapter. With the initiation of 18 strong members from Omicron class during fall quarter, the chapter has improved by leaps and bounds. A great new Executive Committee was sworn in, and they have already made an impact with their innovative ideas.

The chapter participated in Greek Songfest with Delta Gamma sorority.

After hundreds of hours of preparation, the chapter performed in the Spring Quarter. Brother John Bauche organized a successful campuswide blood drive with the American Red Cross. Eta-Upsilon is number one in sports and is destined to win the sports trophy this year.

The chapter continues to dominate Greek scholastics and has the number one GPA among all fraternities.

Spring quarter was filled with great athletic teams for softball and floor hockey. The chapter also had another well-organized Orchid Ball in Las Vegas.

—Joshua Marsland, Herald

CAL STATE-DOMINGUEZ HILLS Eta-Iota Chapter The brothers of Eta-Iota came off a successful fall and welcomed five young and very promising gentlemen to Sigma Pi. Sigma Pi is still one of the leading organizations at CSUDH, and Eta-Iota was able to raise $1,400 for their chapter fund. Brothers have set many goals and have high expectations, and they look forward to meeting and exceeding them. For more information, e-mail Herald Angel Garcia at sock101101@ yahoo.com.

—Angel Garcia, Herald

CAL STATE-SACRAMENTO Eta-Alpha Chapter The brothers of Eta-Alpha Chapter had a successful spring rush, with seven prospective members. With their newly elected Executive Council, Eta-Alpha had one of the finest semesters the chapter had ever seen.

In the spring, Eta-Alpha held the biggest philanthropy at Sacramento State: Sorority Superbowl. The event was unrivaled at Sacramento State in terms of participation and the amount of money collected for charities. This year, the chapter donated the proceeds to the American Red

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CHAPTER NEWS Chapter reports are those submitted by the March 21, 2004, deadline.

Cross and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Chi Delta sorority won this year’s championship in overtime to Alpha Phi sorority. Afterward, brothers held an awards ceremony and party for the teams and everyone who participated in philanthropy.

As for athletics, Eta-Alpha participated in the basketball playoffs and were favored to win again this year.

Brothers are gearing up for intramural soccer and continue to dominate the field as one of the top houses on campus in athletics.

With a newly elected Executive Council of Stefan Sanborn (sage), Nick Filice (first counselor), Anthony Filice (second counselor), Shaun Hughes (third counselor), Matt Flaherty (fourth counselor), EtaAlpha is focusing on growing as a chapter and striving to be the best fraternity on campus.

—Mike Sanchez, Herald

The Theta-Mu petition to charter received many compliments from Grand Sage John Williams and other officers, and can now be viewed at International Headquarters.

Theta-Mu held their Alumni and Parents Weekend March 26–28.

Events included a softball game, catered meals at the chapter house, and showing our parents and friends what Chico nightlife is all about.

Eight fathers went through initiation that weekend.

In sports, Theta-Mu is in a close second place for Greek Cup. Brothers took the championship in volleyball, and they are in the playoffs for basketball. The chapter’s softball team is expected to dominate and put them in first for the year.

Congratulations and good luck to graduating seniors Dave Sierra, Brent Silberbauer, and Christopher Hall.

—Christopher Hall, Herald

CHICO STATE

CHRISTOPHER-NEWPORT

Theta-Mu Chapter

Epsilon-Pi Chapter

Since chartering on November 15, 2003, Theta-Mu has continued to excel. Brothers are proving their leadership capabilities as Mike Palotay (’06), Tom Brockert (’05), and Nick Miller (’05) are running for offices in student government. Nick Miller was elected IFC president at the end of last semester, and Sage Nick Hollingsworth (’06) was elected vice president of recruitment for the council.

The brothers of Epsilon-Pi had an excellent spring semester. They got their name out on campus and are expecting a big rush in the fall.

Spring brotherhood events included a pig roast, the annual Founders’ Day Formal, a road trip to Alpha-Nu Chapter at Wake Forest, spring break trips to New Orleans and Myrtle Beach, and football games every Sunday on campus.

The chapter had two big philanthropy events, including raising more than $1,000 for Habitat for Humanity and helping out the American Diabetes Association. Brothers had one weekend dedicated to fund raising and held a car wash and an event at UNO’S restaurant, from which they received 20 percent of the money made that night. Epsilon-Pi will continue to work with UNO’S and do these fund-raisers as often as possible.

Epsilon-Pi’s intramural soccer and softball teams had fun and successful seasons. Brothers continue to work with the sororities on campus and have really improved their relations with all of them. The chapter is planning on having a lots of events with them in the fall.

—Brad Sisson, Herald

COLORADO Zeta-Delta Chapter There are many reasons for the brothers of Zeta-Delta Chapter to be proud of their recent events and their upcoming plans for the semester. Brothers completed a great spring rush where they pulled in 12 quality men, and the chapter’s fundraising efforts have been outstanding.

Zeta-Delta held a successful alumni barbecue for the founders of the chapter and also had a great turnout for their annual March Madness philanthropy tournament. The chapter also held their annual mom’s weekend event.

Finally, Zeta-Delta would like to congratulate the intramural teams for winning the championship in volleyball and soccer. Congratulations to Brad Mild, Adam Singleton, and Kyle Rattet for winning the election for secretary, treasurer, and vice president in the prestigious Order of Omega Greek Honor Society.

Congratulations are also in order for Logan VanDuzer for his appointment to the IFC Judicial Council.

—David Greengard, Herald

COLORADO STATE Eta-Sigma Chapter

Beta-Psi brothers at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania won the Great Pretenders Spirit Free-Mix Off sponsored by AAA. Their winning drink in the sweet category was called the Sweet Spot. The event was held to help prevent drinking and driving during the winter holiday season.

On April 1, Eta-Sigma began its ACE Project. Brothers set up a program that showed students the dangers driving under the influence of alcohol. The chapter had shirts made with the ACE logo, Sigma Pi letters, and the names of sponsors. Brothers also put up flyers and the chapter passed out 1,500 information cards with Sigma Pi letters on them. The cards also included a red ribbon,

which students were asked to wear for the two-day event. In addition, the chapter teamed up with a man who helps raise awareness of driving under the influence. He brought in a car that was totaled in a drunken driving accident, a drunken driving simulator, and a few show cars to draw attention. On April 2, a guest speaker from Anheiser-Busch spoke about the dangers of drunken driving.

This project was a huge success and a great way to help better the community and promote our Fraternity. Eta-Sigma has already begun planning next year’s ACE Project and plan to focus on driving under the influence again, but they are going to make it much larger.

Brothers called Carter Blood Care and scheduled a blood drive for the two-day event, and brothers are still passing out sponsorship letters to local businesses asking for their involvement. The chapter is going to make this an annual event and hopes it gets bigger and bigger each year.

On February 21, Eta-Sigma held their Founders’ Day Dinner and had an excellent turnout. The chapter’s first counselor did an outstanding job planning the day and setting it up. It was a great way to have a good dinner, talk to alumni, and hear how the chapter has evolved.

Eta-Sigma has the highest GPA of any organization on campus. As of last semester, the chapter GPA was sitting strong at 3.07. The Executive Council recently finished compiling Greek Night Out awards and are confident that we will take home numerous awards in the coming months.

—Sam Goldstucker, Herald

CORNELL Mu Chapter The brothers of Mu Chapter returned from winter break refreshed and ready for winter rush. During this year’s rush program, brothers met more than 500 students and ultimately decided on 27 promising young men.

Mu Chapter continues to promote “chapters of excellence” and recently inaugurated this program by hosting an art exhibit at a local gallery. Josh Katcher was recently elected to Cornell’s board of trustees. In this capacity, Josh will represent more than 21,000 students.

In April the chapter held their annual murder mystery dinner theatre, an event that raises more than $2,000 for the Brittle Bones Foundation.

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CHAPTER NEWS it. Finally, Theta-Theta would like to congratulate graduating members Jason Kimmel, Steve Bertogli, Greg Graebner, and Theo Kohaif. Farewell and good luck!

All Sigma Pi brothers are encouraged to come by the chapter house at 730 University Avenue at any time.

Feel free to contact the chapter at (607) 277-8756 or jdk38@cornell.edu.

—Josh Katcher, Herald

FITCHBURG STATE

EAST STROUDSBURG

Eta-Tau Chapter

Beta-Psi Chapter The fall and spring semesters were prosperous for Beta-Psi Chapter.

Brothers continue to recruit large numbers of new members, and the chapter is steadily growing to the status it once held.

In early November, the campus held its annual Mix Off, sponsored by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Students were encouraged to make nonalcoholic mixed drinks that could be used as beverage alternatives. Every team had to present two drinks, one sweet and one sour, which were then sampled and judged by members of the ESU staff, the Monroe County 911 dispatchers and responders, and local news reporters. The scores were tallied, and the team with the best sweet and/or sour drink was presented with a check for $500. After taking second place in both categories last year, the chapter proudly accepted a check for best sweet drink this year.

In February, Beta-Psi held a supply drive for the troops in Iraq. Brothers collected items such as baby wipes, stationery, and powered drink mixes.

The five days brothers sat in the student union collecting these items were very important because three of their active brothers, Robert J. Miller, Donnie Lee, and Ian Hughes were shipped off to Iraq at the close of the fall ’03 semester.

During Founders’ Day, brothers enjoyed seeing all the old faces back in the house and mingling with different generations of brothers.

Spring events for April and May included Greek Week, Fraternity Football, and Spring Fest.

—Phil Kulan, Herald

EASTERN KENTUCKY Epsilon-Lambda Chapter Brothers began spring semester with rush, taking some good-quality guys to aid them in continuing their excellence throughout the Greek community and on campus. During Greek Week, brothers were paired with Kappa Delta Sorority and Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity for Greek Sing with the theme “Best Clubbing Songs.” During Greek Week, the fall

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Spring semester was busy for EtaTau Chapter. Rush Chairman Bryan Massey put together an excellent rush program, resulting in four new pledges. The chapter is excited about the pledge program put together by Pledge Captain Mateusz Bryskowski.

The chapter also recently raised more than $350 for the National Alliance for Autism Research.

—Matthew Curtis, Herald Beta-Gamma chapter members proudly display their championship trophy from a sorority paintball tournament. The chapter has won the tournament at Eastern Illinois University for the last three years. pledge class was awarded the Best New Member Class award; the new member class was also first in grades.

Spring semester was busy with philanthropy events such as Excel Gym, where the brothers played with Down Syndrome children and attention deficit disorder children. All of the guys enjoyed doing this.

This year’s Orchid Ball was held in Cincinnati. The chapter also elected a new Executive Council. Most recently, the chapter hosted numerous brothers and guests at their annual Pig Roast/Softball Tournament on April 17.

If you have questions about the chapter, feel free to contact Herald Ryan Dwyer at (502) 608-7847.

—Ryan Dwyer, Herald

EASTERN ILLINOIS Beta-Gamma Chapter Founders’ Day was a huge success, and brothers thank all of the alumni for their attendance and continuing dedication to Beta-Gamma Chapter.

The chapter celebrated Mom’s Day, during which mothers of the men of Sigma Pi visited Eastern Illinois and enjoyed a dinner and silent auction.

Dad’s Day was held April 24.

If anyone has questions about the chapter, contact Zac Lesh (’04) at (217) 345-5374.

—Tim McNulty, Herald

EMBRY-RIDDLE (FL) Zeta-Beta Chapter Spring semester was extremely busy for Zeta-Beta Chapter. Brothers

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had a wonderful time meeting and visiting with brothers from all over the country who came to Daytona Beach for spring break, including brothers from Ohio Northern and Loyola universities. Several Zeta-Beta brothers traveled around the country on a road trip, meeting and visiting with other chapters, including Michigan State and Wisconsin. The chapter also had lots of fun with brothers from Radford University, who they always love to hang out with. Zeta-Beta congratulates the chapter at Radford on their new charter.

—Nick Berry, Herald

EMPORIA STATE Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter held their annual Orchid Ball, which went over very well. There was a live band at the ball, which was outstanding.

About 70 people were in attendance, including alumni and actives.

FERRIS STATE Theta-Theta Chapter The men of Theta-Theta Chapter have been moving forward at an exceptional rate. For starters, ThetaTheta initiated 11 new members during fall semester and picked up 11 strong potential members spring semester. Theta-Theta is proud of these men who will help keep Sigma Pi at Ferris State growing and maturing.

Theta-Theta found a new chapter house close to campus for next year, and brothers are really excited about

GRAND VALLEY Colony As their first semesters on campus came to a close, the brothers of the Grand Valley State University colony were still hard at work. They were pumped up for their spring ACE Project, which was the largest event held by any organization. The colony hosted a Laker Luau for the community consisting of volleyball courts, tiki torches, a steel drum band, a pig roast, and many more things for the public to enjoy.

For philanthropy, the colony donated to the Give to Detroit fund, worked at American Red Cross blood drives and donated blood, and participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. During the holiday season, colony members joined other Greeks on campus in decorating Christmas trees at Fredrick Meyer Gardens.

For more information about the colony, contact Sage Matt Maletich at (734) 777-8839.

—Sam Skeels, Historian

ILLINOIS Phi Chapter Phi Chapter made big strides on campus in many fields and has a bright outlook for fall semester. In student government, Phi Chapter has the largest contingent of representatives of any fraternity on campus.

Members are involved in bringing culture to campus as a brother starred in the production “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The chapter’s Scholarship Committee received numerous applications for their 2004 entering freshman scholarship, and they look

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CHAPTER NEWS forward to interviewing the applicants. Brothers look forward to welcoming alumni back for homecoming on October 30.

—John Campbell, Herald

Alpha-Pi Finds the Fun in Charitable Fund Raising

By Robert Shurley ( , Arkansas State ’06)

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN Epsilon-Gamma Chapter Epsilon-Gamma wishes to congratulate their six newly initiated members on completing their pledgeship and becoming active brothers in Sigma Pi. Congratulations are also in order for Justin Everett (’07) and Paul Teipe (’07) for receiving the alumni scholarship for attaining a GPA of 3.25 or higher during their pledging semester.

Epsilon-Gamma had another very successful spring rush. For the second year in a row, Sigma Pi had the most pledges out of any house on campus. The chapter held a retreat for the new pledges to make them closer as a group and to get to know the actives better. The event went extremely well.

Second Counselor Matt Apger (’05) is getting the wheels in motion on the ACE Project, which was established to improve the relationship between the Fraternity and the university. Brothers are excited to begin the project.

For more information, e-mail lpolansk@iwu.edu.

—Larry Polanski, Herald

IOWA STATE Sigma Chapter Spring semester went great for the men of Sigma Chapter. Performance of the intramural athletic teams was outstanding with championships in hockey and basketball. During Iowa State’s annual Greek Week celebration, brothers were paired with Acacia Fraternity and Delta Delta Delta sorority.

The chapter’s 10 newly initiated members are doing very well, and many are stepping up to take leadership positions on campus and in the Fraternity. Sigma Chapter hosted several successful social events, which made for a fun semester. For more information, e-mail ztm@iastate.edu.

—Zach Mangrich, Herald

INDIANA Beta Chapter Beta Chapter would like to congratulate its graduating seniors for their years of hard work and dedication to the university, the Greek com-

It was a chilly day when the brothers of Alpha-Pi Chapter and the sisters of Chi Omega Fraternity set off to help the children of the Jonesboro, Arkansas, community by collecting money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The two organizations, with the assistance of Make-A-Wish volunteers, created “road blocks” on two high-traffic street corners in Jonesboro and raised $91,000 for charity. Triple FM, a major radio group in the Jonesboro area who helped sponsor the event, did a great job informing motorists of the donation totals and inspired them to give.

Sigma Pi was represented by 18 brothers who took shifts ranging from one hour to six hours to stand in the cold and collect money. A few people donated up to $100, while most motorists gave whatever they had in their car at the time.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich their lives. “During the day, a family came with their 7-year-old son who had a wish granted by Make-A-Wish the previous year,” said Brother Andy Wills. “That makes you feel good inside— actually seeing the good this hard work is doing. We knew it would be a worthwhile experience (to help Make-A-Wish) as they have helped so many kids over the years.”

The chapter was happy to put in the hours because the proceeds went to a great cause and because they had a lot of fun raising funds. “I feel life is like a house of mirrors. What we project is what we get back,” said Brother Robert Shurley. “We proved this point in this philanthropy. We could have gotten bogged down since it was cold and dreary, but we joked around and kept smiling, which helped make the event a success.”

“At one point, it felt like we where having a party on our street corner,” said Brother Chris Kendrick. “I was glad that the city of Jonesboro was so supportive. It was as if there was no dead time during the day, that the people supported the event to its fullest.”

During the day brothers dumped five-gallon buckets filled with cash into a big pot. “I dumped four buckets in about three hours,” Shurley said. “That’s a lot of cash.” In the end, Make-A-Wish volunteers collected enough money to grant the wishes for 15 to 18 sick children.

Alpha-Pi Chapter continued its philanthropic efforts with its annual blood drive in April at the ASU armory. They held a barbecue “on the 6” while the Triple FM group did a radio spot at the Armory. “The radio station said that since we helped them so much with Make-A-Wish, they would help us as much as possible,” said Shurley.

The reaction to the chapter’s hard work helped inspire the new philanthropy chair to work even harder to help the community. “Philanthropy had faded out in the past year or two at Alpha-Pi, and I wanted to bring it back, since service is a major point in our Fraternity,” said Shurley. Brother Jones worked hard to get the entire community involved, not just the campus and Greek community. He also added an element of fun to the event. “When I thought of the radio spot and barbecue, I knew it would attract more people and have more of an exciting atmosphere.”

Sigma Pi congratulates Alpha-Pi Chapter and every chapter that has worked hard on philanthropy, ACE projects, and other selfless acts this year.

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CHAPTER NEWS munity, and laying the foundation for the future success of our great chapter. Beta Chapter would like to wish every newly graduated Sigma Pi brother the best of luck in the future endeavors he hopes to explore upon graduation.

Beta Chapter is proud to report that once again, they are among the best chapters in terms of academics, philanthropy, and intramurals.

Having such high credentials and a large number of brothers allows Sigma Pi to choose the highest quality pledge class on campus. The chapter’s pledge class wrapped up the spring semester with a visit to Windsor, Canada, for their annual “walk out.”

Brothers are sad to announce the death of their house dog, Titan Robb Zigler. On a lighter note, the chapter would like to congratulate brothers Matt Kaplan and master pledge Kevin Harmon, who both recently became engaged.

Brothers are anxious to return from their summer jobs, internships, studies abroad, and summer classes to start yet another amazing year of brotherhood not seen anywhere else on campus.

For more information, contact the chapter at sigmapi@indiana.edu, or check out their newly developed Web site at http://www.indiana.edu/ ~sigmapi/.

—Paul A. Young, Herald

Alpha-Upsilon colony members at URI take a break during a brotherhood event in the great room of their chapter house. Colony Development Consultant Lamel Moore (front center) also attended the event.

LAWRENCE TECH Zeta-Omicron Chapter One of the main area brothers are improving is philanthropy service.

Brothers feel that it’s important to give back to their school and other organizations around them. Last semester, the chapter sponsored Food for Finals with the help of Student Government. For the event, brothers placed tables in various

The brothers of Zeta-Omicron Chapter at Lawrence Tech.

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buildings at different times of the day during finals week, supplying hardstudying students with some sustenance to keep them fueled through the rest of their day. This event was a success.

The chapter held its Orchid Ball on February 21 in downtown Detroit at the Hotel Pontchartrain. About 32 couples showed up, including brothers and alumni, making this one of the chapter’s biggest Orchid Balls

ever. The service, food, music, and view of downtown Detroit and Windsor, Canada, were excellent.

Another area that brothers are always looking to improve is ties with other Greek organizations. During fall semester, brothers had a Big/Little mixer with Chi Omega Rho sorority, where the new members were welcomed into another aspect of Greek life by getting big sisters from the “O-Rho” girls. In the spring, brothers held a chivalry dinner with Chi Omega Rho and made the ladies a spaghetti dinner.

Spring break was a great week of rest for many of the brothers as they road tripped to Daytona Beach, Florida. Brothers rented a house on the river across from A1A, Beachfront Avenue With their own pool and spectacular view, the week was the best one the brothers could ask for as they lounged in the sun and got away from the cold and snowy Michigan weather.

On April 17, Zeta-Omicron competed in the annual Greek Day on campus. This was a day of competitions between all Greek organizations. Also on that day, brothers hosted their annual campuswide Sigma Pi pig roast.

Contact the chapter at BGLTU10@aol.com, or check out their Web site at www.ltusigma pi.com.

—Brian Green, Herald

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CHAPTER NEWS MIAMI (OHIO) Eta-Phi Chapter Eta-Phi had an outstanding spring semester. The chapter initiated 27 new members, bringing their total to around 100–110 active members.

Through continued effort, philanthropy chairmen Matt Ruza, Mark Munier, and Andy Goddard worked hard to ensure that Relay-for-Life was a success. During the chapter’s main philanthropy, Relay-for-Life luminary sales, the Philanthropy Committee worked constantly to help Relay-for-Life exceed the $50,000+ that was raised last year. Sigma Pi brought Relay-for-Life to Miami University several years ago, and it has grown so large that the university is trying to take it from Sigma Pi to make it a university-sponsored event.

With brothers working all day and night at the event wearing their letters, members of the school and community have recognized the chapter’s great contributions to this philanthropy.

Brother Bill Forsythe was recently elected student body president. Many brothers contributed their time campaigning for Bill. Eta-Phi has a member of the IFC executive council in their midst—Brother Brandon Calderon. Through his innovative work as the vice president of recruitment, the Greek community at Miami is expanding. The chapter also has several brothers on influential committees, including the IFC Recruitment Team, the IFC Foundations Leadership Program, and the IFC Conduct Board.

Scholastically, Eta-Phi ranked seventh out of 27 fraternities with a 3.01 GPA. Scholarship Chair Mike Buckley had a successful Battle of the Sexes game show with Alpha Xi Delta sorority and a dozen professors. Brothers hope to improve their ranking so they are in the top three next year scholastically.

Eta-Phi had two major, registered theme parties spring semester. One was their annual Roam-n-Foam party, where brothers filled the basement with foam, dressed in togas, and partied with their dates in the foam. The other party had a jungle theme, which was new this year. Both events were huge successes. The chapter had full sorority calendars and are already planning events for next year.

Eta-Phi brothers were all over the country and all around the world last year. Several brothers studied abroad in Luxemburg and Spain. Brother

Dave DiCosola is studying abroad in the Pacific Rim over the summer.

Several other brothers traveled to London, Mexico, and around the U.S. for spring break. Whatever part of the world or country you’re from, Eta-Phi Chapter encourages you to visit them in Oxford, Ohio.

MICHIGAN STATE Zeta-Mu Chapter The brothers of Zeta-Mu Chapter were busy maintaining their dominance in the Greek community at Michigan State by way of philanthropy, academics, sports, and social events. In philanthropy, Zeta-Mu held its fifth annual Miss Greek Beauty Pageant and raised $1,200 for the American Red Cross. Congratulations to the winner, Miss Emily Penn of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. The event is quickly becoming the most popular and anticipated philanthropy event at Michigan State, with some 23 contestants participating.

Sigma Pi was also recognized and honored by the East Lansing Police Department in front of a city council meeting for service the chapter provided in setting up for the city’s Gus Macker Basketball Tournament.

Zeta-Mu also participated in Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash (placed third), Chi Omega’s Kickoff (placed first), Kappa Alpha Theta’s Cook-Off, and in the MSU Greek community’s Safe Halloween for the children of East Lansing.

At the Greek Gala Banquet, ZetaMu received the Most Improved Chapter GPA award, moving from 23 out of 29 fraternities to 10th overall, only two-tenths shy of the MSU AllMen’s Average. Congratulations to brothers Rob Kent (’04), Jason Habeger (’05), and Philip Bolus (’05) for being inducted into the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society.

Zeta-Mu was also awarded the 2003 Fraternity All-Sports Trophy at the Banquet, concluding a year of total domination in Greek sports. After taking first place at the Chi Omega Karen King Kickoff Soccer Tournament (benefiting domestic assault victims), Zeta-Mu recorded back-to-back first place championships in football and soccer in the Greek intramural sports league.

During spring semester, brothers competed in softball, basketball, and volleyball.

The chapter had a strong fall rush and is pleased to have initiated 11 of the highest quality brothers of the

Kappa-Sigma fall pledge class. The chapter’s prayers and best wishes go out to one of their newest brothers, Alex White, who left in early December on military orders to serve his country in Iraq.

Zeta-Mu wants to congratulate several brothers for their outstanding achievements. Brothers Eric Tritch (’05), vice president for finance, and Curtis Smith (’05), vice president for external affairs, were elected to the 2004 IFC executive board, keeping Sigma Pi as having the most positions on IFC then any other fraternity.

Special thanks to outgoing IFC members Jim DiVita (’04) and Nick Morris (’03) for their service.

Socially, the chapter exploded in the fall. As well as holding many successful parties, their annual Halloween, Thanksgiving, and End-ofSemester parties became popular offcampus events. The chapter had a great semester of one-on-ones with many sororities, including their closed rush with the ladies from Kappa Kappa Gamma at Times Square Night Club in Detroit. In November, brothers held their annual Orchid Ball Formal in Windsor, Canada.

please contact Jamie Jakubiak (’03) at jakubiak7@msu.edu. For additional information about the chapter, check out the chapter’s award-winning Web site at http://www.msu. edu/~sigmapi, contact Sage Derek Bush at bush103@hotmail.com, or contact Alumni Representative Nick Nykerk at nnykerk@hotmail.com.

MISSOURI SOUTHERN Eta-Mu Chapter It has been a great semester for Eta-Mu. This spring, the chapter had five bids accepted by quality new members. The chapter has become organized and productive through the efforts of their new EC and committee chairs. Recently, four brothers were elected to Student Senate.

Spring has been full of great activities. The chapter’s annual Founders’ Day Camping Trip was a great success. Eta-Mu enjoyed hanging out with Epsilon-Rho brothers at Drury in their wonderful new house.

Please keep brothers who are in the armed forces in your thoughts and prayers.

—Adam Marold, Herald

Alpha-Iota chapter members at Missouri-Rolla make good use of a campus statue during Operation Giant Sigma.

Congratulations to the new 2004 Executive Board: Sage Derek Bush (’05), Second Counselor Matt Ledesma (’05), Third Counselor Mike Ratliff (’05), Fourth Counselor Ross Bernardi (’06), First Counselor Nick Nykerk (’04), and Herald Philip Bolus (’05). Special congratulations and many thanks go out to graduating brothers Matt Quart and Nick Morris.

Brothers, your Sigma Pi experience does not end when you leave college.

Several alumni are in the process of creating the Spartan Sigma Pi Alumni Association. If interested,

MISSOURI-ROLLA Alpha-Iota Chapter The men of Alpha-Iota Chapter had a busy spring semester. For St. Patrick’s Day, the chapter had a great showing of alumni, which made the event even larger than usual. The chapter also continued its recent local tradition of Operation Giant Sigma. For those not familiar with this tradition, it involves the construction of a 20-foot-tall sigma, then carrying the sigma through the streets of Rolla to the pi-shaped gran-

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CHAPTER NEWS ite sculpture known as the Millennium Arch on campus. This is a lot of fun for brothers, and it improves their visibility on campus and in the community.

For spring break, a large group of brothers went to Panama City and had a great time; they also met Dale Earnhardt Jr. The chapter has been participating in some interesting service activities, ranging from helping at a middle school math competition to building a shed for a local organization to helping the needy.

The chapter would like to see a good showing of alumni for homecoming, which is October 15 and 16.

It’s guaranteed to be a great time.

—Rich Milburn, Herald

MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS Delta-Zeta Chapter Delta-Zeta is a fairly young chapter with around 30 members, and it’s safe to say that they are going strong.

Congratulations to Jonas Zakour and Jeff Samoska for being among the top three in UM-St. Louis’ Big Man on Campus.

Delta-Zeta sponsored a blood drive on campus and was rewarded by the school. Also, the chapter held a battle of the bands competition in late April and donated the proceeds to the STRIPES anti-drunk-driving program at UM-St. Louis.

The main focus for spring semester was on improving the chapter house.

Brother are in the process of remodeling the basement, adding a parlor room, and improving the general appearance of the house. Special thanks to the brothers who came by the chapter house after the Sage’s Conference in St. Louis. Delta-Zeta brothers are always glad to see brothers from different chapters.

Special thanks to the brothers of the UM-Rolla chapter for showing the brothers of Delta-Zeta Chapter such hospitality during St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Brothers are always welcome to visit Delta-Zeta Chapter in St. Louis. Contact the chapter at (314) 426-0078.

—Mike Davis, Herald

Tau and Xi colonies get ready to play softball on the ice of Lake Hendota. inside out. The chapter has taken a new focus toward learning more about its past at Monmouth while looking toward the future.

Many of their seniors are graduating, but the chapter is taking in some great new guys. The chapter is having a good time but is still staying focused and goal oriented.

Delta-Beta Chapter successfully defended its crown and repeated as Greek Week champions. The chapter has won the championship three out of the last four years and hopes to continue its streak for many years to come.

—Brian Murray, Sage —Bill Weissman, Herald

In April, Brother Adam Chilton came back home after serving more than 12 months in Iraq. The chapter is happy he’s back and can’t thank him enough for what he has done.

The chapter would like to congratulate our newly inducted pledges: Brenton Crane (’07), Chris Lowe (’07), Travis Ranson (’07), and Scott Slaughterbeck (’07).

The chapter is planning for their annual summer picnic in July. All alumni and brothers from other chapters are invited to attend.

Delta-Rho would like to thank the alumni for their help and contributions this past semester.

For more information about the chapter, contact Sage Wade Russel at wadlywad@hotmail.com.

—Andy Asbrock, Herald

Theta-Zeta Chapter

Delta-Beta Chapter

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Delta-Rho Chapter

LYNCHBURG

MONMOUTH Congrats, Alpha Eta pledge class.

It’s nice to see such desire to learn our history and traditions. Delta-Beta Chapter has been doing some good things for the community, all the while bettering themselves from the

MOREHEAD

Beta-Omicron Chapter at Cal. State-Long Beach held a sorority pizza social in March with the women of Gamma Phi Beta.

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The first thing that many brothers noticed when returning from spring break was the construction crew at their old chapter house. The building itself, being part of the Fraternity for the past 18 years, was forfeited when the school made the decision to stop all off-campus housing. With the hard work and support of alumni, the chapter was able to convince the

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Rafael Perez, Nick Winslow, Rich Jakubowski, Mike Balangitao, Gabe Villalovos, Jerry Sanchez, and Nick Shipilov of Beta-Eta Chapter work the concession stand at a San Jose Sharks hockey game. school to buy the house from the Fraternity with an agreement that they would keep it exclusively for Sigma Pi brothers and that they would renovate it inside and out. This is probably the most important event to happen in the history of ThetaZeta Chapter. Lynchburg College agreed to put more than $25,000 into the chapter house, some of the money going toward a new roof, carpeted floors, fire and security systems, a new kitchen, and new furnishings. The house will be returned to the chapter during the first semester of next year. Brothers are extremely excited, for this will keep their brotherhood strong and maintain a dominating fraternal reputation on campus.

Though they will have to wait anxiously for the return of their original chapter house, brothers had plenty of

events to look forward to last semester. Brothers hosted various community activities, including Sibs n’ Kids, a weekend festival during which they entertained and got to know the younger community of Lynchburg. Brothers also adopted a highway and are taking care of a specific section of Lynchburg’s scenic roadsides. In late April, the chapter hosted the Special Olympics on campus and provided sporting events and games for handicapped children.

On May 1, Theta-Zeta held their annual Crabfest, an all-day and night celebration where brothers, alumni, and friends come to enjoy live music, beverages, and tables piled high with seafood.

In athletics, the chapter once again excelled in almost all intramurals, ranking first in Wiffle Ball, kickball, and basketball. Brother Whit

Tenent, an active player of Lynchburg lacrosse, worked hard with teammates to once again break into the ODAC conference. And Craig Wermuth, power forward for the Lynchburg Hornets, was a member of the 2003–2004 basketball team that made ODAC history, being part of the first eighth-seed team ever to beat the number one seed (fourth-ranked team in Division Three) in the first round of a conference tournament.

Many brothers received academic awards, including Peyton Burchell.

Peyton is a Sommerville Scholar nominee, which is Lynchburg College’s highest academic award, as well as being part of “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” for 2003–2004. And Chad Luibl was awarded the Charles H. Barrett Creative Writing Award for submissions in the college’s magazine, The Prism.

Before signing off, the brothers of Theta-Zeta Chapter would like to give a shout out to the brothers of DeltaBeta Chapter at Monmouth. ThetaZeta brothers had a great time in Cancun and hope to see you again down the road —Chad Luibl, Herald

NORTHERN COLORADO Zeta-Tau Chapter Zeta-Tau Chapter had a great spring semester. The chapter initiated four new brothers who have the potential to do great things. Brothers participated in the Taste of Weld County, which was one of their most anticipated philanthropies, because all proceeds were donated to the C.A.R.E. Foundation.

Zeta-Tau would like to congratulate brothers Jeff Cadiz, Ryan Dickson, and Kevin Kestenbaum on their graduation from the University of Northern Colorado. Your outstanding leadership throughout your time here was an inspiration to all.

For information about the chapter, contact Sage Jimmy Foster at (303) 619-8341.

—Chris Lauck, Herald

OAKLAND Zeta-Pi Chapter

Theta-Beta chapter brothers from Saginaw Valley Darin Flores (’05) and Matt Wingblad (’06) volunteered with members of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority to volunteer at a Special Olympics Michigan Basketball Tournament.

Zeta-Pi Chapter had another great fall semester, which included winning the Greek Olympics in a dominating fashion. The chapter also held their annual pledge/active football game, which always seems to go well with the active team putting another ‘W’ on the win list.

DJ Nate Barbaccia was the popular performer at Beta-Eta’s Sigma-PiLooza 2003, a nonalcohol party set up as a mixer between Greeks and non-Greeks at San Jose State.

The Alpha-Nu pledge class was initiated early this year, which turned out to be an incredible initiation that included many other Michigan chapters due to the province workshop held the same day. Also in attendance at the workshop and initiation were George Hakim, Ed Levesque, and John Williams of the Grand Council. The chapter cannot thank them enough for taking time from their busy schedules to make this initiation one of the best the chapter has seen.

The chapter’s 10th annual pig roast will be held September 10 from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., and brothers welcome anyone to come and enjoy the fun.

The event will be held at the Upper Fields on the campus of Oakland University. For more information, please contact Sage Matthew Rice at (586) 419-0542.

—Darrell Anhel, Herald

OHIO NORTHERN Zeta Chapter Zeta Chapter had an eventful winter quarter. Dustin Lewis, who was voted homecoming king earlier this year, was elected as Ohio Northern’s student body vice president. The chapter would also like to congratulate their seven new brothers who were recently initiated.

Philanthropically, the chapter has taken on a new stretch of highway for Adopt-A-Highway and has formed a team for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Brothers have also been tutoring elementary students at a local school, and other fraternities have begun to follow their lead.

—Nicholas Walters, Herald

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CHAPTER NEWS PENN STATE

SAN JOSE STATE

Theta Chapter

Beta-Eta Chapter

Sigma Pi Fraternity is proud of the efforts of Theta Chapter on the campus philanthropy THON™, as they collected $42,418.69 for charity. The Executive Office received a press release from the Penn State Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life notifying us of their dedication to the Greek charity.

We featured the work of Theta Chapter in an issue of last year’s Emerald, informing readers of their accomplishments in the nation’s largest student-run philanthropy.

THON™ has been a significant event on campus at Penn State since 1977, and has contributed more than $29 million to The Four Diamonds Fund to help families in the battle against cancer. This year, the students of Penn State raised $3.5 million as 704 volunteers took part in the 48-hour danceathon. These students dedicate themselves every year to the cause by spending the full time on their feet, with no sitting or sleeping, to create awareness and to fulfill obligations of the pledged money collected.

For more information on the event and Theta Chapter’s involvement, call (814) 863-8056 or e-mail greek@psu.edu.

Beta-Eta had a profitable semester.

The chapter raised $1,300 working in a concession stand during the San Jose Sharks games. This would not have been possible without the help of Brother Gabe Villalovos and his boss, Justin Renville, Zeta-Sigma, North Carolina Wesleyan.

The chapter raised the minimum GPA to 2.40 in preparation for the possible change of GPA standards for Sigma Pi. Beta-Eta had three members (Kevin Huntzinger, Rogel Esguerra, and Marcel Thomas) in the running for Order of Omega. The chapter is working toward attaining and surpassing a 2.50 GPA. Beta-Eta celebrated the 107th Founders’ Day at the Marriot in downtown San Jose. While there was a great showing of alumni, what was more impressive was the variety of alumni. There were men from the original Beta-Eta Chapter that was established in the 1950s, then became dormant in the late 1970s.

They were joined by men from the resurrected Beta-Eta Chapter— alumni from the mid 1990s to today.

A treat for the chapter was keynote speaker Gary Scott Thomas ( , Troy State ’84). Gary is a local celebrity who is the morning DJ for the country radio station KRTY. He spoke on about his days in college and when he was with Tracy Lawrence ( , Southern Arkansas ’89.) All actives, alumni, and pledges had a great time.

In late April, the chapter hosted their Sigma-Pi-Looza event. This

SAGINAW VALLEY Theta-Beta Chapter Theta-Beta continues to be the dominant organization at Saginaw Valley State, as their numbers continue to grow. Theta-Beta is now a chapter of 38 undergraduates, and their

Trevor Devendorf ( , Western Michigan) and Nicholas Frees ( , Saginaw Valley) find an instant photo opportunity to pose with a statue on a break from the 2004 Mid-Year Leadership Conference in St. Louis.

Nu pledge class is the largest one they’ve ever had in the winter.

The chapter’s Executive Council elections were a huge success.

Congratulations go out to new council members Jason Schnell (’05), Bryan Otto (’06), and Wayne Hofmann (’05).

In March Theta-Beta hosted Pi Games IX, which continues to be SVSU’s premiere philanthropy event each year. Later in the month, they held their annual Orchid Ball in Windsor, Ontario.

Congratulations to graduating brothers Bill O’Neill (’04), Rob Piroozshad (’04), Kal Palmer (’04), and Brian Merrill (’04).

—Matt Wingblad, Herald

event gives students a night of great live music and a chance to see how Greeks live. Three years ago, the chapter came up with the idea to join both Greeks and non-Greeks in a nonalcoholic environment. Each year this event has grown, and this year the event will be held on campus and with the help of the Associated Students organization. This event doubles as the chapter’s ACE Project because it involves the whole campus, includes faculty, and promotes a great time without alcohol. Beta-Eta was awarded a grant for $1,000 and another grant for $2,900 by San Jose State University for use in promoting and running the nonalcoholic event.

—Rafael Perez, Herald

SANTA CLARA Zeta-Eta Chapter The brothers of Zeta-Eta helped out the community during spring semester. Three brothers are in the Santa Clara Reserve Fire Department and helped extinguish a seven-alarm fire at a local elementary school. Fire crews worked for more than 12 hours, and Matt Tuttle (’05), Alex Bruni (’04), and Chris Wilderotter (’06) were the three brothers who helped out. In other news, Zeta-Eta has 20 new members and had a great new member education period.

—Matt Tuttle, Herald

SOUTHERN ARKANSAS Epsilon-Kappa Chapter The brothers of Epsilon-Kappa had a great fall semester. They had many social gatherings that had great turnouts. They also had a blood drive with the American Red Cross, which collected 45 units of blood. The chapter had a slow rush period with only three new brothers being added, but they are anxious to prove themselves.

In the spring, Epsilon-Kappa held another blood drive and had a fundraiser for a friend of the Fraternity.

Brothers also had several social gatherings and their annual river trip, where they got to know each other even better.

If there are any questions or comments, please e-mail Kevin Strunk at kmay682@aol.com.

—Kevin Strunk, Herald

SOUTHERN ILLINOISEDWARDSVILLE Delta-Omega Chapter Towson University’s Altruistic Campus Experience Project is a huge success, as Eta-Nu Chapter led more than 150 volunteers from 15 Greek-letter organizations in a campus cleanup for their first ACE Project in 2004.

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The chapter had another successful rush with another great group of

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CHAPTER NEWS Special congratulations to Brother Michael Goldberg who graduated in the spring. The chapter wishes you the very best!

—Justin McDowell, Herald

Things are outstanding at the University of Texas! Gamma-Theta had a great spring rush and added a group of phenomenal guys to its numbers. Thanks to the chapter’s hardworking social chair, Steven Swogger, the calendar was packed and included Orchid Ball Formal, several date parties, mixers, a spring break trip to Florida, crawfish boil, and Round-Up weekend, which is a Greekwide event at UT. Clayton Stewart, with the help of the whole chapter, was elected to a student government position and was part of the largest victory in school history. Travis Devitt was selected to be in the Texas Blazers, which is the top service organization on campus.

Brad Poronsky was selected for membership in the Texas Cowboys, a premier honorary organization on campus, which is a huge honor for him and a great thing for the chapter.

Brad also headed up the chapter’s ACE Project, which featured an event to raise awareness of drunken driving. This project was put on with help from the Austin Police Department, the Austin Fire Department, and many other sponsors.

Some of the chapter’s goals are to strengthen their ties with alumni, and increase alumni relations and activities. If any alumni want to come to the next event or get involved with the chapter, please contact the chapter at (512) 708-1897) or claytonia55@aol.com.

—Dustin Williams, Herald

of highway so they can take care of it.

Brothers went out continuously throughout the year to pick up trash on their two-mile stretch of highway.

Greek Week was really fun and successful because the chapter participated in all the events. Brothers started off by competing in a go-cart race with carts that were hand made by fraternities and sororities. Next, they competed in the appetizer contest, attended a conference with motivational speakers, and attended the annual banquet. The chapter ended our Greek Week by raising money for the annual Relay for Life and participated all day by jogging and all night by camping out for this event.

Brothers had fun socializing with other student organizations and playing games to keep them up for the whole night. The event was successful by raising a lot of money for cancer patients throughout the country.

Brothers did a great job making this years Greek week very successful.

Our chapter also participated with sororities in their philanthropy events by helping them raise money and also had a great time playing sports.

In April, the chapter had their first ever Orchid Ball which was very successful. The theme was Casino Night, and brothers and their dates had a blast.

The chapter has been doing well in intramurals by participating in all the sports offered and being one of the most competitive teams in their division.

The chapter’s current goal is to find a house, and they have been working hard to accomplish that.

Overall, the semester was one of great progress and brothers will continue the journey of being the best fraternity at Texas Tech University.

TEXAS TECH

TOWSON

Theta-Kappa Chapter

Eta-Nu Chapter

To kick off spring semester, brothers worked really hard on rush. The chapter was fortunate to have a Sigma Pi alumnus, Brad Phillips, come down and give them some help on how to get good, quality men for the chapter. Rush this spring was not that great for the Greek system due to lack of rushees, yet Theta-Kappa was able to pledge five new members.

The chapter was very active in the Adopt-a-Highway service, which is a community service event that lets student organizations adopt a stretch

Eta-Nu Chapter continued to operate efficiently and successfully this spring semester. The chapter pledged six quality men, bringing Eta-Nu’s total membership size to well above 60. On March 13, the brotherhood kicked off its massive and highly publicized two-day, two-event ACE Project. One hundred fifty-five volunteers from 15 NIC, NPC, and NPHC Greek-letter organizations participated in the Sigma Pi-sponsored Greek Unity Campus Cleanup. The university newspaper enthusiastically cov-

TEXAS Gamma-Theta Chapter

Beta-Omicron brothers at Cal. State-Long Beach’s enjoy fellowship with LBSU President Dr. Maxim during spirit night in December 2003. pledges. Brothers won the PHI-Esta Bowl football tournament and the Toilet Bowl football tournament for the second year in a row. Most importantly, Delta-Omega is in the final stages of getting their first chapter house.

—Martin Sutherland, Herald

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE Alpha-Rho Chapter Things are looking great at AlphaRho. Thanks to a strong fall rush and quality initiates, membership has risen and brotherhood has remained as strong as ever. The chapter’s social calendar is the best it’s been in recent semesters with numerous exchanges and brotherhood events.

Children’s Miracle Network received the proceeds from the chapter’s three-day philanthropy Search for Athena.

Alpha-Rho placed third in weightlifting and competed in the bowling final four.

Recently, alumus Aaron Dotson (’98) returned from Iraq and was greeted by fellow alumni and the active chapter for a memorable weekend at SMS. An alumni golf tournament is being set up for the fall, and homecoming is scheduled for the week of October 18-23. Thanks to the alumni for your continued support.

For more information, contact the chapter at (417) 865-1008 or amr232s@smsu.edu.

—Adam Rainey, Herald

SUNY-BUFFALO Epsilon-Omicron Chapter As spring semester drew to a close, the brothers of Epsilon-Omicron

anticipated one of the Greek system’s biggest events of the year on campus.

Organized by IFC, Epsilon-Omicron participated in the Fraternity Campus Crawl, an event in which all the fraternities on campus get together for a day of planned events at their respective houses. Though this event only began last year, it is now becoming a great tradition that all fraternities are excited about. The best part about it is all the different fraternities coming together as one to have a good time and celebrate the end of another school year.

Greek Week was a huge success, as all Greek organizations aim to make it bigger and better than the year before. A new event was added this year—the Greek chariot race, organized by IFC. In March, the chapter celebrated their 25th year anniversary formal in Niagara Falls. It was a great time, and undergraduate brothers had a chance to meet and bond with so many alumni, including one of the chapter’s founding brothers. The chapter would like to thank all the alumni who attended and for making this year’s formal a memorable one.

This semester, brothers also had the privilege to welcome four great individuals into their chapter, making them the Beta Gamma pledge class.

Epsilon-Omicron is looking forward to fall semester. During a weekend in July, the chapter will be holding their annual active chapter campout at the Torchlite campsite in Cairo, New York.

All alumni are encouraged to come.

Finally, with the acquisition of a new chapter house, Epsilon-Omicron is looking forward to next semester’s rush, as well as to making new memories in a new home.

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CHAPTER NEWS

Tau colony plays softball on the ice in early 2004. ered the event in its pages, spotlighting both Sigma Pi Fraternity and the Greek community for its positive philanthropic efforts.

On March 18, brothers held a car wash at a local gas station to raise money for the TU Alumni Affairs Department, which had been seeking financial assistance from student organizations for its 2004 homecoming fund.

The ACE Project was well received by students, faculty, and administrators. The overwhelming success of the program prompted the administration to nominate the ACE Project for its 2004 Student Affairs Leadership Awards Outstanding Program.

In other news, the chapter’s Web site is up and running. Eta-Nu alumni are encouraged to check it out and contribute their ideas to Webmaster Russell Bestenheider (’04) at www.etanu.org. You can contact Sage Dustin Seidman at (443) 326-2550.

—Christian Miele, Past Sage

UCLA Upsilon Chapter The fall and winter quarters were action-packed for Upsilon Chapter.

Brothers maintained a perfect balance between philanthropy, social activities, and academics.

Philanthropy this year has been excellent. Brothers participated in Chi Omega sorority’s annual Halloween pumpkin carving for blind children. The chapter also raised money for various charities alongside Alpha Phi and Chi Omega. The chapter’s own philanthropy included a casino night at the chapter house,

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including craps tables, black jack, roulette, and a poker tournament to raise money for the American Red Cross.

Socially, the last few quarters were more than the chapter could have ever expected. With at least one event per week for the last two quarters, brothers were more than satisfied with the amount and quality of their events.

Highlights from winter quarter include the chapter’s ’80s Prom, for which they hired an ’80s cover band.

The annual Moonshiner Week was a hit as usual. Brothers enjoyed Water Wars each day followed by various events each night. The week was capped off on Friday by the Moonshiner Party, which had a great turnout.

Upsilon’s Founders’ Day celebration was also quite successful, as many alumni came to the chapter house and enjoyed a gourmet dinner.

Academics have been great these quarters as well. The brothers of Upsilon earned the second highest cumulative GPA on the row at UCLA. Overall, brothers are proud of their chapter in all aspects of Greek life and hope to improve on the success they have had the past few quarters.

For more information, e-mail ckonzen@ucla.edu.

—Chris Konzen, Herald

fall and a Band Fest this spring. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the alumni bands that participated. Best of luck to graduating seniors Dan Andersen, Mike Collins, Nate Groff, Matt Johnson, C.J. Jones, Sam LeCompte, Richard Thompson, and Matt Wilke.

Beta-Tau added 11 remarkable gentlemen to their brotherhood spring semester and is planning an even more aggressive recruitment program for next year.

The chapter’s midsummer work call is July 10. Several projects such as the remodeling of our 803 chapter house basement and several other rooms are planned.

Homecoming planning is already underway. The chapter hopes to surpass last year’s enormous alumni turnout. The dates of Valparaiso’s homecoming are October 8-10.

Contact Sage Matt Smith at (219) 465-7215 or matt.smith@valpo.edu

with any questions concerning our summer or fall activities.

VIRGINIA Beta-Pi Chapter Beta-Pi Chapter continues to strive for excellence at the University of Virginia. Due to strong academic performance, Beta-Pi still maintains the second highest GPA within the Greek system. After winning the high point standings in intramural sports last year, Beta-Pi is now in the race for winning back-to-back championships.

Spring rush was a huge success, as the chapter welcomed 14 pledges into their brotherhood. The chapter looks forward to seeing these young men progress.

Through the combined efforts of Chris Ferenc (’05) and Sam Ennis (’06), a new philanthropy event was introduced as a part of the chapter’s ACE Project. Blood, Sweat, and

VALPARAISO Beta-Tau Chapter This year was a glowing success for Beta-Tau. The chapter had two outstanding philanthropy events this year: their seventh annual Tighty Whitey Volleyball Tournament in the

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Zeta-Beta brothers set up a display and get ready for a rush event.

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CHAPTER NEWS Cheers involved a Sigma Pi blood drive for the American Red Cross, as well as Relay for Life, and a social function sponsored by two other organizations. Comfort Zone, which brings together fraternities and sororities, was also a huge success this semester. Members of the Interfraternity/Sorority councils, the Black Fraternity Council, and the Multicultural Greek Council all came together to teach high school students about the college experience.

Beta-Pi Chapter is looking forward to another successful year at UVA. For more information, please contact Herald Jeffrey Adams at jda2m@virginia.edu.

—Jeffrey Adams, Herald

WAKE FOREST Alpha-Nu Chapter Alpha-Nu began fall semester with a great fall rush, ending up with the school’s largest pledge class. The chapter looks forward to initiating 24 new brothers. Over the school’s spring break, a group of brothers traveled to Tutwiler, Mississippi, and volunteered at Habitat For Humanity, building a dorm for future groups.

Alpha-Nu received a visit from the brothers of Epsilon-Pi chapter at Christopher Newport, making for a memorable weekend. The whole brotherhood enjoyed Alpha-Nu’s 44th annual Orchid Ball at Hilton Head, South Carolina, and their our threeon-three basketball tournament, which was a fund-raiser for the Piccolo cancer foundation.

—Zach Barker, Herald

WEST ALABAMA Theta-Gamma Chapter The 2004 spring semester was a blessed semester for the brothers of Theta Gamma. The chapter continued the year with a strong focus on brotherhood, philanthropy, and overall unity. Never before has there been a more involved and committed brotherhood when it comes to getting the job done. The chapter began the semester by initiating one brother and picking up a handful of outstanding pledges.

Philanthropy within the community, as well as the university, increased greatly. Theta-Gamma sponsored such events as their annual canned food drive, which collected more than 500 kinds of canned food for the needy during the holiday seasons.

To go along with helping the community, brothers established their

Tau colony members celebrate after defending their title at Delta Gamma Sorority’s Anchor Splash competition at Wisconsin-Madison. first ever clothing drives and giveaways. These events are set up around the university and exist primarily to benefit those in the surrounding community. The chapter was especially astounded at the success of their annual Oozeball (mud volleyball) tournament. Unlike previous years, many businesses jumped at the chance to donate anything possible. The brothers of Theta-Gamma, along with the help of surrounding businesses, were able to easily collect more than $500 for the American Red Cross. A local radio station, 97 OKK, advertised the event.

Aside from this, brothers received awards and honors. Brother Danny Hyche was elected Student Government Association president for the 2004–2005 school year. Three brothers, Dustin Rinehart, Danny Hyche, and Thomas Cooley, were invited to join Blue Key Honor Fraternity. Brother Cooley was also invited to be initiated into the national honor fraternity Omicron Delta Kappa and received SGA Legislature of the Year ’04 Brother Rinehart, Brother Hyche, and Brother David Laster all received favorite votes in the ’04 Mr. University of West Alabama election.

New brothers Kaylan McDuff and Jamie Parker received honors at this year’s annual Higher Education Day, which is held at the capitol in Montgomery.

Aside from these events and honors, each year Sigma Pi must say goodbye to some of its brothers. Best of luck to David Laster, who graduated during spring term. David has been a true leader for Sigma Pi since

his initiation and he will be greatly missed. Herald Dustin Rinehart also graduated this semester. For more information, e-mail rinehartd@ uwa.edu.

—Dustin Rinehart, Herald

WESTERN MICHIGAN Gamma-Rho Chapter Gamma-Rho enjoyed a successful, outstanding, and accomplished spring term. Quickly recapping the fall semester, Gamma-Rho started out by having an excellent fall rush, initiating 15 new members. With their added enthusiasm, the chapter went into homecoming being the only Greek organization to have a float in the parade. Brothers included on the float were Ed Chope, a founding father, and David “Doogie” Lancaster.

The energy continued to grow during the chapter’s annual blood drive as they exceeded their goal of 95 pints by going over 100 pints.

In January, the chapter had the privilege of having some of their neophytes be initiated at the province meeting that was held in Detroit at the Masonic Temple. Zeta-Pi Chapter sponsored the initiation with members of the Grand Council and Province Officials presiding.

Everyone involved was awestruck at the surroundings combined with our Ritual.

In January, the chapter pinned eight gentlemen into their Gamma Alpha pledge class. Starting out the winter semester, brothers made an excellent showing at Delta Gamma sorority’s annual Anchor Days. Chris Daum, one of the newly initiated brothers, took first in the talent competition after singing a rendition of O.A.R. “Crazy Little Game of Poker.”

Orchid Ball was held March 27 at Double JJ Ranch in Rothberry, Michigan. The chapter had an excellent showing with more than 75 brothers in attendance. Thanks to all of the alumni who returned and participated in Orchid Ball. Additional thanks to all of the alumni who helped with the following: additions to the family tree, alumni updates, presentations to the chapter on important issues, and taking time to work with the chapter to fulfill its goals and obligations.

The time between spring break and the end of the academic year has always been the chapter’s time to shine; this year was no different.

Gamma-Rho continued the tradition of Teeter Totter as their annual ser-

Beta-Chi chapter members from Loyola-Chicago take time out of their busy finals schedules to volunteer at a local soup kitchen.

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Beta-Gamma chapter brothers get ready for the barn dance at Eastern Illinois.

Xi colony gathers after a meeting at The University of Iowa with Colony Director Eugene Hibbs.

vice event. The chapter completed Standards of Excellence presentations and look forward to an outcome similar to last year, when they won overall best chapter. The chapter credits its alumni for not only starting the programs and traditions needed to be competitive, but also for their ongoing support and leadership.

The chapter congratulates the following brothers for becoming alumni.

Gamma-Rho looks forward to their continued assistance and leadership to the chapter: Hermon Barbe, Joe Budzynski, Phil Guster, Randy Hoerauf, Jimmy Jolly, Mathew Magretta, Adam McClausland, Scott Ortel, Josh Schmidt, and Shaun Zimuda.

Seth Sugars was recognized as the top paper engineering student at Western Michigan. Phil Randall and Brian Leonard were elected to the IFC executive board. Sean Zimuda won the Michigan Accountancy Scholarship. Hermon Barbe and his band SpitShine continue to gain recognition in the Kalamazoo area.

Special thanks to David “Doogie” Lancaster and Tom Moore for their continued guidance and assistance with the chapter. And special congratulations to one of Gamma-Rho’s founding fathers, Tom Moore, for being selected as chairman of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation.

With that in mind, the colony dedicated itself even more and had a great spring rush with the addition of nine members.

Tau colony would like to thank the members of Xi colony who drove from Iowa City to spend Founders’ Day weekend with them in Madison. The Founders’ Day festivities were enjoyed by all, and the colony looks forward to future events with the members of Xi colony.

For the second year in a row, Sigma Pi was victorious in Delta Gamma sorority’s Anchor Splash. This Greekwide philanthropy pits teams of fraternities and sororities in swimming relays, a synchronized swim/dance competition, and the Mr. Anchor Splash competition. The colony was paired with the juniors of Delta Gamma who were great teammates and contributed greatly in the swimming relays. The team featured two state champion swimmers in Aaron Swaner and Joe Zinsli, who led the swimmers to victory in several of the relays. The colony’s dance team, comprised of a dozen brothers, won the dance competition with an expertly performed routine. Brother Zach Griswold did a fantastic job choreographing the dance routine and coordinating the colony’s efforts with those of Delta Gamma. The colony’s Mr. Anchor Splash contestant, Timmy Voelker, gave an inspired and entertaining effort in the individual competition.

Tau colony continues to establish itself as a force at UW and in the Greek community. For further information, contact the colony at (608) 257-0315 or e-mail Billy Warner at wmwarner@wisc.edu.

—William Warner, Herald

WEST VIRGINIA TECH Gamma-Xi Chapter Gamma-Xi experienced a productive spring. The chapter wrote plans and brainstormed for renovations to the chapter house, including the recent installation of a long-awaited heating and cooling unit. The chapter is also implementing some new proce-

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dures within the chapter’s inner workings. Plans are in the works concerning the renovation of the upper floor of the Gamma-Xi house, as well as redoing the kitchen and bathrooms.

The recent province conference held in Davis Hall on Tech’s campus was a big success, with wonderful speeches and great fellowship.

Gamma-Xi implemented a revolutionary plan of dual pledge classes with the hope of picking the chapter out of its recent shortcomings. The chapter is expected to double its numbers by next semester.

Gamma-Xi’s annual Orchid Ball met with much support from brothers and alumni. The chapter thanks their alumni for all the great help. The chapter was also represented during Greek Week events and made its formidable presence known throughout the competitions.

The chapter assisted the Student Activities Board with a Mardi Gras gathering. Some other cold-related gatherings were orchestrated in light of the strange spring season.

Sigma Pi still remains the most respected of the fraternity’s on the WVU Institute of Technology campus. If anyone is interested in contacting Gamma-Xi Chapter, please direct correspondence to Ernest “D.” Chafin, Terminal_Undergr0und@ hotmail.com.

—Ernest Chafin, Herald

WISCONSIN Tau Colony The brothers of Tau colony came into spring semester motivated to keep improving their standing at UW. The colony had a somewhat successful rush last fall, but failed to reach their goal of doubling their numbers.

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YORK Eta-Theta Chapter Spring semester went well for EtaTheta Chapter. Eight new members joined the chapter. Brothers held their spring ball at the end of April.

Editor’s note: Every active chapter should have their chapter e-mail account set up through the sigmapi.org Web site, and can be contacted by that means if other contacts fail. The chapter account, which is checked by the sage, is the chapter’s name (without spaces or hyphens) at sigmapi.org. For example, Penn State (Theta, a single-letter chapter) is theta@sigmapi.org; Saginaw Valley (Theta-Beta Chapter, use no hyphen) is thetabeta@sigmapi.org. Our Web site is more useful than ever and constantly under revision to give more useful items to our members. Thanks to Webmaster Bryce Carder and the Executive Office staff, our Web site has doubled in size during the last year, and almost every form is now available online.

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ADYTUM ON HIGH Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma) Wilson Bohaning ’50 4/1981

North Carolina State (Rho) Eugene G. Jenkins ’84 1/13/03

Auburn (Alpha-Delta) Robert H. Johnson ’50 Edward Gilgenast ’74

Oregon State (Omega) Walter C. Kraft ’36 1/26/04

Beloit (Alpha-Theta) David Ginn ’39 1991 California (Iota) Ian M. Sharpe ’81 2/22/04 James D. Mallon ’25

Rochester Tech (Beta-Phi) Larry Linham ’63 7/96 Rhode Island (Alpha-Upsilon) Daniel Batty ’57 7/14/02 St. Lawrence (Alpha-Zeta) Wayne J. Shilkret ’55

Central Michigan (Delta-Alpha) Kevin Gentry ’86 3/04

Temple (Kappa) Wilbur E. Ford Jr. ’56 12/29/03

Cornell (Mu) Dale Grinnell ’60

UCLA (Upsilon) Major C. Burnham ’37 1/09/04 Jay Roebuck ’61 1993

Drexel (Beta-Theta) Frank Fisler ’66 George Degutis ’62 Eastern Illinois (Beta-Gamma) Todd Oliver ’93 2/19/03 Franklin & Marshall (Nu) Gilbert L. Nicklas ’45 10/20/01 Richard C. Boyer ’37 Edward M. Sandridge ’63 3/18/04 David L. Carson ’54 Henry “Hank� Braunlich Jr. ’77 Illinois (Phi) Kurt Koentopp ’70 1/00 Iowa (Xi) William Berghuis ’24 1988 Marko Kalinich ’38 10/13/97 Iowa State (Sigma) Walter Hayes ’41 7/09/00 Kenyon (Lambda) George Sibbald ’30 1/10/91 Mercer (Alpha-Epsilon) Richard A. Chappell ’26 10/23/01 Mississippi State (Alpha-Lambda) Alvin J. Hill ’40 8/23/97 Missouri-Rolla (Alpha-Iota) Melvin Hagan ’48 12/93 Murray State (Gamma-Upsilon) Jonathan Bryant ’92 2001 Northern Arizona (Beta-Iota) Robert Ravella ’69 1989

Utah (Pi) William Frailey ’49 2/11/04 Herbert Ungricht ’37 3/07/04 Collins B. Cannon ’42 Western Illinois (Epsilon-Zeta) Alan Dempsay ’87 1/04 William and Mary (Alpha-Eta) G. Lorimer Walker ’39 8/16/03 Walter N. Worrell ’49

Robert K. Goehle ( , California StateFullerton ’83) Robert K. Goehle, 43, died on March 10, 2004, as a result of injuries sustained from an auto accident. He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Linda (Galloway) Goehle; three sons, Kyle, Matthew, and Sean; his parents, Alan and Geraldine (Haun) Goehle; brothers Jeff, Nelson, and John; a sister, Diane; and several nieces and nephews.

He graduated from California State University-Fullerton and was the vice president of real estate for TJX Companies, Inc. in Framingham. Previously, he was the vice president of real estate at Staples. Bob enjoyed fly-fishing, woodworking, reading, and vacationing with his family at their cabin in New Hampshire.

Second Sigma Pi brother killed in Iraq combat Sigma Pi Fraternity regrets to inform our membership that we lost a second brother during the conflict in Iraq.

Captain John E. Tipton ( , Southern Illinois Univ.

Edwardsville ’95), died in Iraq May 2, 2004, of wounds suffered from and explosion during combat operations.

Tipton was commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Division, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. John enlisted in the Army in 1989 and served in the Persian Gulf War before returning home, joining Sigma Pi, and becoming a distinguished military graduate of the SIUE ROTC program. John was an excellent soldier and decorated with numerous honors.

Tipton had been stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, since August 2000 and was deployed to Iraq in September, The Associated Press reported.

He is survived by his wife, Susannah, and two children, Austin, 4, and Caitlyn, 2, of Ft. Riley, Kansas, as well as his parents, Dwight and Sandy Tipton, and two siblings, Harry and Becky, who live in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Society of the First Infantry Division Foundation, which maintains the DePuy Scholarship program. The scholarship is awarded to children of First Infantry Division soldiers killed in combat, said SIUE officials. Donations may be mailed to: First Infantry Division Foundation, c/o DePuy Scholarships, 1933 Morris Road, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, 19422.

Ian MacDonald Sharpe ( , California ’82) Ian MacDonald Sharpe, 44, tax director and tax counsel at GE Equity in Stamford, died on February 22 after a long illness.

Ian was the husband of Lisa Sharpe and the father of Jennifer, 10, and Robert, 8.

Born in Sacramento, California, his career in tax accounting started when he was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1986 after earning a J.D. degree at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of

Law in 1985. He went on to earn an M.B.A. in finance from the University of California at Davis in 1987. Sharpe was a Golden Bears fan, having become so during his undergraduate years at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received an A.B. degree in environmental geography in 1982.

Ian is survived by a brother, Marc Hammond, many relatives in the San Francisco Bay area, a large extended family, and many friends.

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ALUMNINEWS “I believe . . .� —from the Sigma Pi Creed Editor’s note: In the April 2004 Bulletin, our regular newsletter to our chapters and alumni volunteers, we asked if anyone had contact from members who are serving in the armed forces overseas.

Alumnus Denny Stewart sent us a response and a letter from one of our brothers. “When I received this note, it brought tears to my eyes. Eric Nelson, as a pledge, was a member of our little man tug rope team two years ago. He was instrumental in an incredible tug that lasted several minutes—to the point of exhaustion for many men. Needless to say, Beta-Gamma prevailed and we were once again champions!

Shortly thereafter, Eric was called to active duty in Iraq.

When I unexpectedly received his note, I used it as the cornerstone of my motivational speech to the chapter prior to the beginning of Greek Week this year. Beta-Gamma kicked butt in the little man and big man tugs, as well as most of the other Greek Week events. The best part was that Eric returned from Iraq just in time to cheer his brothers from the sidelines. He will be back in school next year. People who wonder why we do this just wouldn’t understand.�

The letter that Brother Eric Nelson sent from Al-Nasiriya, Iraq, on February 21, 2004, written on cloud-design stationery, gave true inspiration to his chapter and all of his brothers. Two words were all that were needed to bring home another championship and our brother back to his chapter from the front. The letter to Stewart simply said, “I believe.‌â€?

Thank you, Brother Nelson, and welcome home. We believe as well!

John Merino ( , Cal State University, Long Beach ’66) reports that all Beta-Omicron alumni are invited to the 50th anniversary, which will be held Saturday, February 26, 2005. SAVE THE DATE, and contact him at jjmerino1@comcast.net for more information.

Bob Hauer ( , San Diego State ’69) was promoted to GS-13 and reported to Grand Forks Air Force Base as an Education Services and Training Officer in February 2004. Prior to that, Bob was Education Services Officer for the U.S. Army Military Community in Schweinfurt, Germany, from 1999 to 2004. Bob spent 18 of his 28 years in Europe. Highlights 22

from the most recent European stint include a Papal Audience at the Vatican; deployments to Bosnia and Kosovo; and being on the crew of officials for three Department of Defense EuropeAmerican high school football championship games as well as several playoff games in the German-American Football League. Bob’s wife, Bobbie, daughter, Barbara, and Golden Retriever, Mack, are with him.

Marvin “Lee� Eldridge ( , Murray State, ’87) reported this information to us after he found himself listed on our Web site as “missing:� “I have spent last 20 years building a successful career in

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The River-City Alumni Association defeated the undergrads in a 9–7 victory at the Eighth annual alumni/active barbeque.

broadcast journalism and have worked in many parts of the country. I presently run a CBS news operation outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.�

Check the Web site today and provide us with contact information for anyone who is listed as missing. Missing brothers do not receive The Emerald. Help these brothers receive all of the news from Sigma Pi Fraternity!

A quick announcement from Tom Keuten ( , Central Michigan ’93). Nicholas Charles Keuten was born April 27, 2004, at 1:57 p.m. (Please note: Mom and Dad were at the hospital since 12:57 a.m.) Nicholas was a solid 9 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches long. Mom, Dad, big sister Maddy and baby are all doing well.

Matthew Paul Swaneck was born April 25, 2004, at 10:07 a.m.

He weighed 5 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. Matthew was born at Bon Secours Hospital—four weeks early—to Kenneth Swaneck ( , Central Michigan ’92) and wife Roanne.

Both Matthew and Roanne are doing fine.

In March, alumnus Morgan Weatherly ( , Arkansas State ’02) sent greetings from Iraq. “I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for keeping me and others in your prayers and for supporting us. We’re keeping busy and find loads of unexploded ordinance all the time, detain HVT (high-value

targets), and dodge the occasional mortar or rocket attack we receive at our FOB (forward operating base). We’re all doing well and no one from my unit has been hurt yet. Two months down, and 10 to go. Thanks again, and everyone take care!

Gilbert Riley ( , UC San Diego ’89) began a business designed to help consumers become empowered and take control of customer service situations.

ResolveYourConflict.com is the Web site he developed to sell “Resolve Your Conflict Guidelines,� an 80-page how-to manual. The RYC guidelines give an overview of the customer service industry, basic negotiating skills, and tips to avoid conflict in the future.

Gilbert is very proud of his site and manual, and wanted to share them with some of the people who honed his leadership skills in college—his Sigma Pi brethren.

Gilbert is still single and childless and having a great time living in Santa Monica, California.

Ralph S. De Simone ( , Rowan ’98), public relations manager of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Greater Delaware Valley Division, reports that alumnus Bill Farnan ( , Drexel ’84), 12-year survivor of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, recently received The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (Greater Delaware Valley Division) Volunteer of the Year award.

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Sigma Pi Fraternity is happy to announce that the site of the former International Headquarters in Frichton, Indiana, (a suburb of Vincennes) has been kept in the Fraternal family after the sale of the house and property to alumnus Dennis Chattin ( , Indiana State ’71).

The money from the sale has been saved in a fund for the updated headquarters, which the organization is planning to build in the future.

Sigma Pi Fraternity’s Executive Office has been located in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, Tennessee, since the winter of 2003, and has been prospering in its new home. If you would like to contribute to the Executive Office Building Fund, please contact John Swales at the Executive Office by calling (800) 332-1897. Sigma Pi Fraternity is pleased to be able to honor the memory of our past, as we make strides to ensure a successful future for all members.

Brother Farnan began his involvement with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 10 years ago as a member of the chapter’s board of trustees and served as its president from 2001 to 2003. Currently, he is involved with the society’s division board overseeing the activities of the Southern New Jersey/Shore Region, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware Chapters.

Along with serving as a trustee, Bill has enjoyed participating in numerous fund-raising activities.

As a participant of the society’s Team in Training program, he has completed several marathons (26.2 miles) and century bike rides (100 miles). Bill serves on the Don Tollefson Golf for Lives Celebrity Tournament Committee and chairs his own tournament, the Gourmet Golf Classic, featuring food from area restaurants every Columbus Day. Overall, Bill has raised $100,000 for research and patient service programs.

In addition to his family, Bill always credits his brothers for

helping him during treatment and when he participates in various society activities. A large portion of the money Bill has raised came from Sigma Pi brothers. Bill is a great example of making community service a lifelong experience and beating the odds against cancer.

Bill can be contacted anytime during the day at (610) 521-8274 ext. 231 or desimoner@lls.org.

Christian Heausler ( , LSU ’95) is living and working in Houston, Texas. Trained as a chemical engineer at LSU, Christian attended Loyola Law School (New Orleans) and graduated in 2001. He is a USPTO registered patent attorney who specializes in patents, trademarks, copyrights, and intellectual property with the Buskop Law Group.

Christian and his wife, Sandra, recently celebrated the birth of twins.

Michael Hachey ( , Toronto ’96) and all Eta-Omicron brothers in Toronto congratulate alumnus Joe Vivieros ( , Toronto ’93) and wife Jill for the birth of their

Sigma chapter members Luke Schoebelen (’04) and David Kahl (’04) present a 25 Years of Excellence award to alumnus Steve Lawler at Iowa State’s Orchid Ball in February.

second child on March 9, 2004, thus giving their first child, Jessica (age 4), a baby brother named Colin.

Brian Kochman ( , Seton Hall ’97) and wife, Danielle, proudly announce the birth of their 9-pound, 1-ounce daughter,

Abigail Danielle, on February 16, 2004. Abigail joins her big brother, Brian Jr., in Eaton, New York.

Brian Sr. is a senior inspector with the New York State Racing and Wagering Boad, Bureau of Gaming Regulation. Brian can be reached at srinspkochman@yahoo.com.

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ALUMNINEWS

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans (left), stands with Sigma Pi Alumni Harry Zechman and Rob Marchalonis as President George W. Bush presents Stoner Inc. with the 2003 Malcom Baldridge National Quality award.

Sigma Pi Alumni Honored by President Bush

By Andrew Smith ( , Troy State ’00) The work of alumni Rob Ecklin ( , Penn State ’83), Rob Marchalonis ( , Penn State ’83), and Harry Zechman ( , Penn State ’86) of Stoner Inc. was honored by President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Donald Evans with the 2003 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in Washington, D.C. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement.

Stoner Inc. is a small manufacturer and direct marketer of specialty cleaners, lubricants, coatings, and car care products. The company is one of only 13 small businesses to have received the Baldrige Award since the award’s inception by Congress in 1987.

Stoner Inc. is the smallest company to have ever received this honor and is the only small business from Pennsylvania to achieve the award.

Alumnus Rob Ecklin is president of Stoner Inc. and the grandson of company founder Paul Stoner. Rob has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Penn State and joined Stoner in 1983 after graduation. Prior to Paul’s death in 1986, Rob purchased the company from his grandfather.

Rob has held roles in sales and managed the daily operations of the company through the 1980s. As president, Rob provides visionary guidance to the company’s senior leaders and is also active with other business and real estate investments outside of Stoner.

Alumnus Rob Marchalonis is Stoner’s general man24

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ager. Rob received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Penn State and joined Stoner in 1985 after employment with General Electric. During Rob’s 18 years with Stoner, he has held roles in sales, sales management, and marketing management.

Rob’s current responsibilities are equally divided between serving the company’s 48 team members and leading the company’s marketing efforts.

Alumnus Harry Zechman is Stoner’s technology manager. Harry received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Penn State and his master’s degree in agricultural engineering from Michigan State. Harry joined Stoner in 1996 after employment with M&M/Mars and Kraft Foods.

Prior to joining Stoner, Harry held positions in engineering, manufacturing, and research and development. Today, Harry’s responsibilities are divided between serving Stoner’s technology team members and leading Stoner’s technology and operations efforts.

The efforts of these three brothers deserve the respect and admiration of all members of our organization. Their work is to be commended, as is the value they place on their lifelong bond to one another as brothers. The men of Stoner Inc. are living proof that the benefit of working hard with your brothers can yield success long after college.

Chris “Shifty” Schiffert ( , East Stroudsburg ’92) is alive and doing well. He teaches at Easton High School in Easton, Pennsylvania. Chris is married and has a child on the way. “For all those brothers associated with the Fraternity between 1986 or so to 1993 or so, I hope you are all well.

Drop me an e-mail if you care to at shifty@ot.com.”

William “Bill” Eckman ( , JMU, ’79) received his master’s degree in accounting from James Madison University in 1997 and is currently employed as the controller for The National Legal Research Group in Charlottesville, Virginia. Bill and his wife, Edie, live with their children, Meg and Charlie, in Waynesboro, Virginia.

Jeff Burnside ( , Louisiana State ’96) earned his master’s degree in computer fraud investigations from George Washington University in December ’03. Jeff is a special agent with the United States Secret Service where he is currently assigned to the Washington Field Office. Jeff and his wife, Jennifer, live in the Washington, D.C., area with their son, Jackson.

Patrick J. McHugh, DO, CPT, MC, USA, ( , Drexel ’90) is an emergency medicine physician stationed at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Patrick was married this past September to Keri Jo A. Vinson, DO, CAPT, USAF, MC. “Keri and I met in medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine,” said Patrick. “We now live in San Antonio and invite brothers passing through town to contact us. We would enjoy the opportunity to share our experiences as military physicians with anyone considering a career in military or civilian medicine. Our home is also open to anyone passing through San Antonio and needs a place to stay.

Call us anytime. And, of course, any Beta Theta chapter brothers are always welcome to contact us at patrick@mchughdo.com.”

Jeremiah Anders, MD, ( , Illinois Wesleyan ’98) is a secondyear internal medicine/pediatrics

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ALUMNINEWS resident in Peoria, Illinois.

Jeremiah is the proud dad of 15month-old Alexa Lynn. Jeremiah and his wife, Stephanie, live in Morton, Illinois, with their daughter and his basset hound, Gus. Lt. Col Rob Labriola, ( , Millersville ’84) of Millennium Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was activated for duty with the U.S. Marine Corps.

Rob is serving with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, presently based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and preparing for deployment. , Cal. State-Sacramento alumnus Dan Castanho reports that Rob and Annie Anderson are expecting their second child. Rob, Annie, and their son and future Sigma Pi, Dylan, are excited about the future addition to their family. , Cal. State-Sacramento alumnus Eric Pettersen and Amy Norton became engaged in New York City on Valentine’s Day. Eric is a juvenile probation officer for Sacramento County. , Cal. State-Sacramento alumnus Rick Brunke (Omicron class) graduated August 22, 2003, from The California State Fish and Game Academy. Rick, better known as “Slick Rick the Ruler” is currently working in Half Moon Bay as a marine warden.

Brandon Lue-Sang ( , Cal. State-Sacramento ’95) and wife Gail proudly announce the birth of their son, Richard Dylan, on February 22, 2004. Richard made his debut at 8 pounds and was 21 inches long.

Will Cox ( , Cal. StateSacramento ’95) married Stacy Correa on October 12, 2003, at the Sterling Hotel in Sacramento, California. Will states that he did not live up to his Delta name (Puke Bucket) at the reception.

Thank God.

Dave Gulledge Breaks Power Lifting Record Alumnus Dave Gulledge ( , Drury ’03) is the first person under age 25 to successfully complete a 700-pound bench press.

Check out the following Web site to learn more about Dave’s goals

and aspirations as a professional power lifter: www.bodybuilding. com/fun/dennis76.htm.

Kentucky Thoroughbred Alumni Club Gamma-Upsilon Chapter at Murray State University will have its annual summer reunion July 16 and 17. Some of the activities will include the annual alumni vs. actives softball game on Saturday; there will also be opportunities for golfing, boating, and swimming.

There will be an alumni meeting Saturday afternoon that will include new officer elections.

Please contact President Mark Sullivan or Tex Shellhart ( , Murray State ’93) at Sigmapi alumni@hotmail.com for more information.

The chapter established a Web page for its alumni at www.sigma pialumni.net. You will need a password and an ID. Please contact Tex Shellhart at Sigmapi alumni@hotmail.com for your login information. The chapter also has a new online version of its newsletters. The chapter is trying to contact as many of our “missing” alumni as possible. If you haven’t heard from us in the past three months, please contact us at Sigmapialumni@hotmail.com or mail your new information to Tex Shellhart, 2238 Valley Grove Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37128.

Eta-Eta Alumni Association The Eta-Eta Alumni Association began its third year of existence with the election of officers at its biennial meeting in late March.

Though the alumni association is relatively young, the group is continuing to develop short-term and long-term strategic goals. Some of these goals are independent of the undergraduate chapter, while others are closely aligned with the continually evolving objectives of Eta-Eta Chapter. For more information, contact Brian Beerman at bbeerman@meditech.com.

Rotunda Alumni Club The Rotunda Alumni Club had its birth at homecoming at the University of Virginia on October 26, 2003, during a brunch at the

Dave Gulledge (EP, Drury ’03) breaks the power lifting record.

Beta-Pi chapter house. The 39 founding alumni filed a formal petition to charter the alumni club, which has been approved by the Grand Council. Membership is open to alumni of Beta-Pi Chapter, as well as alumni residing in Albemarle County, Virginia.

The newly formed club kicked off preparations for its 2004–2005 activities. The group is in the process of forming two committees— the Help the Brotherhood Committee and the Camaraderie Committee. The first committee’s major objective is to find meaningful and achievable ways to help and support the brothers in BetaPi. The latter committee’s objective is to grow the fellowship and reestablish past friendships between Beta-Pi alumni. The club will be contacting existing RAC members and asking them to participate in these committees.

Secondly, the alumni club is taking steps to ensure that homecoming 2004 will be an outstanding social event and a productive opportunity for planning future RAC activities for both the current brothers and visiting alumni. A newsletter describing the various activities was mailed to all alumni during May and June. This will truly be a great time to see great friends and to relive old memories, so please mark your calendars! The dates are September 17–19, 2004!

RAC’s officers are currently having monthly teleconference calls

and held a two-day planning retreat earlier this summer.

Should any alumni like to chat about our activities (or hopefully join them!), please feel free to contact Tom Johnson at (912) 5981135 or tjohn83969 @palm.com!

The River-City Alumni Association The River-City Alumni Association of Sacramento State is anticipating a fun and exciting year. More than 80 members of the Sigma Pi family attended the eighth annual alumni/active barbeque and softball game. The alumni were victorious after a hard-fought 9-7 game. Alumni Steven Dean and Lawrence Helmsley showed true brotherhood as they traveling all the way from Los Angeles to make the event. We are still hosting our Boy’s Night Out events, a night where we leave the wives at home and enjoy the fellowship of brothers. In June we held our annual “Vices of Virtue” Reno trip, and in September, we will be hosting our fourth annual RCAA golf tournament at Wildhawk Golf Course in Sacramento.

Our very own Lt. Fernando Garcia (U.S. Army) will be making his way home soon from months of fighting in Iraq. We continue our prayers for all our troops to safely return home.

To contact the RCAA, e-mail us at dcas1897@yahoo.com.

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NJIT Alumni T

T

he works of Sigma Pi alumni from Alpha-Mu Chapter at the New Jersey Institute of Technology have recently been featured in the media. The NJIT media exposure began last August when the communications staff at International Headquarters noticed a picture of Earth in an ad for Hassalblad camera company in GQ magazine, taken by alumnus Walter Schirra ( , NJIT, ’44) during his journey on Sigma 7, the Mercury 8 mission to space. Though most people would have overlooked the ad, Sigma Pi Director of Communications Andrew Smith, who is a former professional photographer, identified the photo while skimming the magazine.

“Seeing the photo almost brought me out of my seat with excitement,” Smith said. “It’s such a great photo that I remembered it immediately from my studies as a photojournalist at Troy State. I knew immediately that I was once again seeing the earth through the eyes of another Sigma Pi. It’s always cool to find that connection with brothers in places I least expect.”

Schirra, who has been featured in several Sigma Pi publications, became famous for being not only one of the original seven NASA astronauts, but also as our first “Pi in the sky.” Schirra did something that no other astronaut of his era did: He flew in all three spacecraft (Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo) during the infancy of space travel.

Though he began his collegiate experience and was initiated at NJIT, Schirra became a Naval Academy graduate in 1945 on his way to the top of aeronautics. During his outstanding military and NASA career, he was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal; three Distinguished Flying Crosses; two Air Medals; two NASA Distinguished Service Medals; two NASA Exceptional Service Medals; Navy Astronaut Wings; the Collier Trophy; the Kitty Hawk Award; the Great American Award; the Golden Key Award; and the Haley Astronautic Award. Schirra is also a member of the Aerospace Hall of Fame.

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The work of another Sigma Pi alumnus has also been featured in the media. Jesse Farbman ( , NJIT, ’88), the original drummer of the ’80s band Dramarama, was featured on VH-1’s series “Bands Reunited.” Through the diligence of alumni Pete Burke, Greg Farbanish, and James McGoldrick, the communications staff at International Headquarters was encouraged to view the program and catch a glimpse of the life of one of our musical brothers.

Farbman and his band mates became famous with their original release of the 1985 album “Cinema Verite,” featuring the single “Anything, Anything (I’ll give you).” When the song received regular airplay on WROQ, the New Jersey band gained a strong Southern California following. Farbman also laid down the drum licks and percussion of the second album, “Box Office

December 12, 1965: Astronauts Walter M. Schirra Jr. (on steps), command pilot, and Thomas P. Stafford, pilot, leave the suiting trailer during the Gemini 6 pre-launch countdown.

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TakeOver the Media Bomb,” in 1987 and the third album, “Stuck in Wonderamaland,” in 1989 before leaving the band.

AMG (All Music Guide) at www.allmusic.com will give new listeners of the band good biographical information; www.vh1.com has several mp.3 tracks from the band, including their recent rendition of “Anything, Anything (I’ll give you)” from the “Bands Reunited” broadcast that aired in late January and early February.

Moving from rock music to rock grinding, Sigma Pi alumnus Tom Myrick ( , NJIT, ’83) has received a great deal of attention for his work with the two NASA Mars Rover projects (Spirit and Opportunity), which are currently on the surface of the red planet. Myrick’s work with the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) will give the world a greater understanding of the evolution and formation of Mars.

Myrick, who is the chief engineer on the project, has been working with Honeybee Robotics for the past few years to perfect a tool that will grind the exterior of targeted rocks and allow scientists to look beneath the surface for the first time in history. This is by far the most advanced project on Mars in space exploration history, and Myrick’s design and operation of the RAT will make it all possible.

The RAT is an amazing piece of engineering. The compact tool is about the size of a 12-ounce beverage container and weighs about a pound and a half. The RAT is a tough tool for it’s size, capable of creating up to 20 45-millimeter, perfectly flat circular grinds (at a typical depth of five millimeters) before its cutting tool is gone. The precision instrument steps down into the rock in two-millimeter increments until the desired depth is reached. The RAT is a key element of the two rovers in helping scientists plan for our next steps in space exploration. Anyone interested in learning more about the project can check out the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Web link at http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/home/.

The interesting link between these brothers is that they all lived on the same hall at NJIT. Schirra lived in room 5 of the Alpha-Mu chapter house in the 1940s, and both Farbman (room 7) and Myrick (room 6) lived in the house during the 1980s.

TOP: Honeybee Robotics engineer Tom Myrick. LOWER LEFT: RAT, up close.

LOWER RIGHT: Mars rover model. RAT is in the front of the picture.

Alpha-Mu alumni have made us proud, and Sigma Pi Fraternity thanks everyone who helped inform us of their media exposure. If you or a brother you know are featured in the media, please contact Director of Communications Andrew Smith at (800) 332-1897 or asmith@sigmapi.org. Pictures are always needed for features in the magazine, and they can be mailed to P.O. Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024.

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ALUMNINEWS From the Director of Alumni Services I have been asked many questions since I took this position in January. The most intriguing question has been, “What, exactly, can an alumnus do?” I did not know how to answer that at first. There are so many ways an alumnus can help out. An alumnus can start an alumni club, join an alumni club, join an alumni advisory board, join a housing corporation, or simply help out an area chapter. All of these things are needed within Sigma Pi. I also view my role as helping the undergrads in locating alumni to help them in various areas. I believe alumni play an important role in recruitment, education, philanthropy, fund raising, and career counseling. Undergraduates love to hear stories about Director of Alumni Services Paul Wydra prethe history of their chapter—the various events that sents the Rutherford Scholarship to Delta-Zeta alumni enjoyed as undergrads and suggestions on how undergraduate member Garret Urgerer. to improve the current chapter. Alumni play an important role in the vitality of our organization.

We are working hard to improve alumni affairs, but Sigma Pi Fraternity needs your help. If you know of anyone who has not received an Emerald or any information from the Executive Office, Educational Foundation, or their local chapter, please urge them to update their contact information. This can be done easily at www.sigmapi.org by selecting their undergraduate chapter and clicking on their name under the lost alumni list. They can also e-mail their new information to our Executive Office at sigmapihq@sigmapi.org or e-mail me at pwydra@sigmapi.org. We would love to see all of our alumni consistently receive mail from the Executive Office, their chapters, or local alumni clubs.

Sigma Pi also needs to fill positions as chapter directors, faculty advisors, and province archons.

If you are interested or want to learn more about these positions, please contact me. Once again, these positions are crucial to the lifeblood of our Fraternity. Undergraduates need the guidance and support that alumni brothers provide.

Even if you do not have time to volunteer as a director or advisor, I encourage you to search for alumni from your chapter and in your area to continue enjoying the benefits of your lifelong membership. As adults, the number of true friends we have may seem a bit limited, but within the brotherhood that you joined, true friends are closer than you may think. Since the move of our International Headquarters to Nashville, our staff has become acquainted with more than a dozen Sigma Pi alumni who live in town, and have enjoyed their company at dinner, ball games, and in other social settings.

Make sure you track down a few of your college buddies this weekend, and make sure they are on the mailing list. The value of your Sigma Pi membership will be rejuvenated when you do. Though you are a graduate, one thing has not changed since you were an undergraduate: You only get out of Sigma Pi Fraternity what you put into it. Discover the lifelong benefits of your brotherhood, and enjoy it more in 2004.

Ten questions w EMERALD: This is your third article in The Emerald. Your editorial “A Consultant Without a Toothbrush” in the spring 2003 issue was one of our most popular features in years and placed second in the College Fraternity Editor’s Association competition for Editorials in 2003–04. Our alumni have seen the humor in your writing and may wonder about your educational background. What did you study as an undergrad?

WYDRA: After jumping around in many different areas, I settled on radio broadcasting, where I wrote public relations, news, and sports articles on a weekly basis. I have been writing since I was really young—mostly short stories.

EMERALD: Your promotion to Director of Alumni Affairs makes sense due to your volunteer involvement with your chapter.

What roles have you played as a Sigma Pi alumni volunteer?

WYDRA: After reaching alumni status, I was elected president of the Delta-Zeta Housing Management Corporation in November 2000. I have served in that role ever since. Last year, Jon Frost (Director of Chapter Services) and I formed an alumni advisory board to assist our chapter, and I am the rush advisor on that board. But most importantly, I am simply a person who the sage or any member can call and ask for help.

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s with Director of Alumni Services Paul Wydra EMERALD: What advice would you give an alumnus who has been out of the loop for a while? What is the easiest way to get reconnected and continue to enjoy the benefits of brotherhood?

WYDRA: The easiest way is to call your chapter house and see what's going on. If your chapter has been closed, find a chapter in your area and stop by to chat. You can locate an area alumni club at www.sigmapi.org.

EMERALD: The Sigma Pi Educational Foundation is doing more than ever to help make our membership a lifelong experience.

How are you helping the Foundation with its efforts?

WYDRA: I am the paid staff go-to guy for alumni who want to join a club, start a club, or simply reconnect with lost brothers. I also plan national alumni events around the country, so look for one near you!

EMERALD: As one of the key members of the Executive Office staff and a major contributor to the relocation effort, you have bent your knee to move the Fraternity forward. What benefits will alumni receive from this move, and what contact have you had with alumni in your new Nashville location?

WYDRA: The benefits are numerous. We are surrounded by technology. I love Shadowwood and realize it is a crucial part of our history. Running a major business from Shadowwood was almost impossible due to travel and resources. Since moving our International Headquarters, we have hosted two successful alumni events and have met a good number of area alumni who are willing to help Sigma Pi move forward.

River City alumni host a brotherhood event in Sacramento, California.

EMERALD: Many alumni want to help out, but don't think they have the time to be a volunteer. How much time does it take to be a chapter director or province archon, and what do these positions entail?

WYDRA: Time is an issue. But as we told pledges as undergrads, Sigma Pi and the Fraternity experience is what you make it. I tell alumni brothers who want to help to be someone the undergrads can contact and talk with. I suggest that chapter directors attend at least every other meeting and that the province archons try to stop by their chapters monthly. A good chapter director and a good province archon make a chapter strong. That’s the bottom line.

EMERALD: What about alumni who live far from their campus? Can an alumnus from one chapter work as an advisor for a chapter of which he is not a member?

WYDRA: Certainly. We are all Sigma Pi, regardless where we went to school. We are connected because of what we were taught in the “I Believe” manual and in our

pledge class. It is a positive thing that various brothers from various schools and backgrounds work together. Different views can lead to new ideas.

hard time getting involved in their alumni clubs. How have regional alumni clubs helped Sigma Pi increase the value of the alumni experience?

EMERALD: If a man does not have time to volunteer right now, but wishes to make a monetary contribution to Sigma Pi, how can he do that?

WYDRA: We’ve hosted alumni events in Nashville and Los Angeles, and have future events planned in Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. By using the Web page and an e-mail group, you can reconnect no matter where you live. We have initiated more than 81,000 people, so chances are there’s a brother close to you. If there’s a chapter near you, call the chapter or contact the Executive Office to be placed on the chapter’s area alumni list so you can be kept in the loop. We want you to be an involved alumnus, so let us know how we can help.

Please remember to keep your information current by logging on to www.sigmapi.org and updating your address and phone number when they change. Please help us find lost alumni as well, so we can all share in the lifelong experience of Sigma Pi Fraternity.

WYDRA: Making a contribution is easy. There is a donor card in every issue of The Emerald, which can be filled out and mailed in. You can also make an online donation at www.sigmapi.org. Brothers can members of the Brotherhood of the Golden Cross by donating at least $1,000 annually.

EMERALD: How can an inspired alumnus get more information? Is there a direct number where he can call you?

WYDRA: I can be reached at the Executive Office at (800) 332-1897 ext. 223 or pwydra@sigmapi.org.

You can also go to www.sigma pi.org and drop me a line.

EMERALD: Many men live far away from their chapter and have a

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Foundation Hosts Southern California Alumni L.A. Area Group Urged to Support the Fraternity’s Future Growth

By Adam Shores ( , Troy State ’98) gathering of nearly 40 Sigma Pi alumni from Southern California met at the Upsilon Chapter house at UCLA on April 17 to interact, share stories, and learn about the new, progressive programs the Fraternity and the Educational Foundation are offering undergraduates.

Billed as an official Sigma Pi Regional Alumni Reception, as well as the kick-off of an organized alumni group in the region, the event saw brothers from nearly a dozen chapters come together for a night of food, camaraderie, and brotherhood.

Those in attendance heard from a handful of speakers who outlined the current state of the Fraternity, as well as plans to grow and expand the organization through a stronger emphasis on chapter leadership, campus involvement, and alumni support.

Executive Director Mark Briscoe ( , Arkansas State ’82) briefly discussed the Fraternity’s financial and membership situations, indicating that Sigma Pi has seen solid growth and stability during the last eight years.

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“Sigma Pi is at a very healthy point right now in relation to the collective picture of the national Greek system,” said Briscoe. “That said, we’re working to be No. 1 and we aim to get there.”

Echoing Briscoe’s remarks was Grand Second Counselor John Kitch ( , Purdue ’73). Kitch outlined the educational and leadership programs the Fraternity, as well as the Foundation, has developed and has offered to undergraduates and alumni volunteers. Some of the key programs Kitch highlighted were Sigma Pi University, a three-day chapter and campus leadership training event held every other summer, and the Fraternity’s Midyear Leadership Conference, a weekend training program in February for chapter sages, third counselors, chapter directors, and province archons.

Kitch also focused on the important role the Fraternity’s educational leadership consultants (ELCs) play in instructing chapter members on the importance of financial management, risk management, and leadership. Finally, brothers heard about the revamped efforts to reach out to alumni through planned alumni social events and activi-

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ties, established regional and local alumni clubs, and expanded alumni networking and communication.

“Membership in Sigma Pi doesn’t stop at the chapter’s front door on graduation day,” said Kitch. “We are encouraging all alumni to get involved locally, regionally, and nationally in the Fraternity.”

Educational Foundation Chairman Tom Moore ( , Western Michigan ’69) encouraged brothers in attendance to get involved in the future of the Fraternity by taking an active role in volunteer efforts, as well as offering financial support for these endeavors.

“The Foundation is excited to team up with the Grand Chapter to give more of our brothers the opportunity to get involved in the future of Sigma Pi,” said Moore. “Events such as these are great ways for alumni to learn how they can be a part of that future.”

As the first regional alumni organization of its kind, Southern California Province Archon Justin Beck ( , Santa Clara ’95) will head the group. In the coming weeks and months, Beck will be working to coordinate alumni activities in the region.

To learn how to get involved in alumni or undergraduate activities in your area, contact Sigma Pi at (800) 332-1897 or .sigmapihq.aol.com.

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A Quarterly News Update

Why I joined the Brotherhood of the Golden Cross After I graduated from Penn State University in 1957 and left Theta Chapter of Sigma Pi, I realized that the friendships I made in the Brotherhood would be lifelong ones.

My son, Ray Jr., ( , Penn State ’85) had the time of his life in the house and his circle of brothers remains strong to this day.

While we have always been major supporters of Theta Chapter we realized that a strong local chapter would be only as good as the strength of the International Fraternity. We had made some small contributions to the Fraternity and when Past Grand Sage Frank Fryburg ( , Penn State ’49) called us to discuss the Educational Foundation we were ready to make a more substantial contribution. Ray, Jr. and I have committed to a ten year payout of our donation and we firmly believe that this contribution, along wth the many others, will aid Sigma Pi Fraternity in rising to the top of the nationwide fraternity system.

Hopefully all alumni will contribute not just to their local chapter but also to Sigma Pi Internationally. It is a most worthwhile contribution.

Ray Albed, Sr. ( , Penn State ’57), left, and Ray Albed, Jr. ( , Penn State ’85) stand in front of a beautiful imported rug.

INSIDE

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