From the Grand Sage

A Message from Grand Sage Joe Palazzolo

Brothers, Some see this continuing pandemic as an opportunity to focus on the worst. You know who these individuals are - they are the ones who relish in being the first to tell you the latest bad news, that the worst may be yet to come. They are the broken-spirited people who try to darken any light that tries to shine during these times. I pity those people and their defeatist attitude. Especially considering that Sigma Pi Fraternity’s path to the future is lit by so many points of light. GRAND SAGE Joe Palazzolo For example, even with the complications of remote recruitment, nearly 25 of our chapters either (Monmouth '00) met or exceeded their new member numbers during fall 2020 as compared to one year earlier, pre- grandsage@sigmapi.org pandemic. The Fraternity’s success stories run the gamut from large-sized groups like Zeta-Mu Chapter at Michigan State improving from 22 new members in Fall 2019 to 28 new members in Fall 2020 to medium-sized groups like Theta-Theta Chapter at Ferris State improving from 8 new members in Fall 2019 to 10 in Fall 2020. Even our smaller-sized groups saw growth, including Epsilon-Chi Chapter at the University of San Diego, who improved from two new members in Fall 2019 to 5 new members in Fall 2020. These chapters, and many others, prove that Sigma Pi undergraduates are resilient. And that resilience was on display in the next major point of light for the Fraternity: the first-ever virtual Mid-Year Leadership Conference (MYLC) in January 2021. Not only was this the largest MYLC in recent memory, but it was the first MYLC that offered completely free registration to every executive council member in every chapter and colony. The Fraternity could offer this incredible benefit due to the support from the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation and the generous gifts of GTC Justin Todoroff (Cal State Long Beach ‘01) and PGC Steve Lawler (Iowa '78). We are thankful for the validating support from these men, which reinforces the critical role that alumni can play in being a source of light for our undergraduate leaders. And finally, one of the brightest points of light that we experienced in the last few months was the virtual awards ceremony, recognizing the top accomplishments from the 2018 - 2020 biennium. I wanted to use this space to recognize our William Raper Kennedy Grand Sage’s Award winner (Tier 2), Gamma-Gamma Chapter at the University of Central Missouri, and our James Thompson Kingsbury Grand Sage’s Award winner (Tier 3), Epsilon-Nu Chapter at Cal State-Fullerton. And in a special way, I want to recognize our two repeat Grand Sage’s Award winners - the Rolin Rosco James Grand Sage’s Award winner (Tier 1), Omega Chapter at Oregon State University, and the George Martin Patterson Grand Sage’s Award winner (Tier 4), Iota-Tau Chapter at St. John’s University. These chapters achieved remarkable success and are great models of the very best that Sigma Pi Fraternity has to offer. I am incredibly proud of them! Resilience continues to light the path forward for Sigma Pi Fraternity as we face an ever-changing environment. Our undergraduate leaders and alumni volunteers have preached the power of personal connections during times of social distancing. They have promoted the audacity of authentic and genuine relationships in a loud and deceptive world. And they have proven the resilience of real brotherhood in a brutal and unfair landscape. History will remember those men and the new points of light they provided for Sigma Pi Fraternity during these times. I hope that the alumni reading this magazine consider how they can support our brotherhood, which has provided generations of men with a beacon of light even in the worst of times. And I hope that our emerging undergraduate and young alumni leaders will continue to forge a path forward by choosing to make the Fraternity stronger tomorrow than it is today! Fraternally,

GS Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth '00) Grand Sage #47 of Sigma Pi Fraternity