emerald_summer_2004

www.s igmapi .org S igma P i F ratern i ty’s Off i c ia l Pub l i cat ion Summer 2004

Founders’ Award is presented to distinguished brothers.Story begins on page 4.

Howard Beyer Michael Bilirakis

Anthony G. Siress

Sigma Pi summer 04 8/15/05 3:58 PM

2 SUMMER 2004/EMERALD OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY

FROM THE GRAND SAGE

Member, College FraternityEditors Association

Member, NationalInterfraternity Conference

PUBLISHED SINCE 1911

VOLUME 89, NUMBER 3 SUMMER 2004

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

D E PA R T M E N T SChapter News 8 Alumni News 22Adytum on High 21

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

V O L U N T E E R S TA F FPUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Adam Shores (��, Troy State ’98), ChairmanLarry Rovira (��, Cal State Fullerton ’85)Jeffery Seay (��, Florida State ’91)Chris Mundschenk (�, Southern Ill.-Carbondale ’97)

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSBill Marrs (�, Troy State ’98), ChairmanAdam Shores (�, Troy State ’98)Robert Shurley (��, Arkansas State ’06)

Sigma Pi thanks Honeybee Robotics, NASA, theAssociated Press, Jason Elzy of Warner StrategicMarketing/Rhino, Frank Fryburg, Denny Stewart, and allalumni who helped by contributing information andmaterials for this issue.

Sigma Pi Fraternity was founded at VincennesUniversity, Vincennes, Indiana, on February 26, 1897.Sigma Pi has chartered more than 200 chapters inNorth America and has initiated more than 81,000members since 1897. The Founding Fathers of theFraternity 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 1074-5289, USPS 011-013), is published quarterly by Sigma PiFraternity, P.O. Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024. PeriodicalPostage paid at Brentwood, Tennessee, and additionalmailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes toSIGMA PI FRATERNITY, P.O. Box 1897, Brentwood,Tennessee, 37024. MEMBERS: When making an addresschange, please send your full name and chapter with boththe old and new addresses to the InternationalHeadquarters (see address below).

Submission Deadlines:Fall June 21Winter September 21Spring December 21Summer March 21

Submit Emerald news to:Sigma Pi Fraternity, Attention: EmeraldPost Office Box 1897, Brentwood, TN 37024Telephone: (615) 373-5728 Fax: (615) 373-8949E-mail: [email protected] site: www.sigmapi.org

Dear Brothers:

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

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

We have worked diligently to improve Sigma Pi University. In the past six years, it has movedin the direction of an academic program, that will be worthy of college credit someday. SigmaPi University has been an opportunity to learn while sharing brotherhood with representativesthroughout North America. It has gained recognition and is spoken about in interfraternal cir-cles. We have recognized outstanding achievements of our brothers and alumni in The Emeraldand our other publications. We all need to see that our brothers are making substantial contri-butions to society. We have enhanced our Founders’ Awards program to recognize those broth-ers 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 alum-ni brothers. We have embarked on a bold plan to bring alumni back into the main stream ofSigma Pi. We have targeted major cities with large concentrations of alumni in North Americaand have already had major functions in those cities to generate a renewed interest in SigmaPi. Our new relationships with our alumni brothers will translate into stronger bonds betweenalumni and undergraduates, and the Grand Chapter.

We have moved our International headquarters to Brentwood, Tenn. While this was a difficultdecision, our beloved home in Vincennes was not sufficient to meet our needs in the 21st centu-ry. Within the next few years, a new headquarters will be built, equipped to handle our needsfor 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 Fundmerged 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 menare experienced and dedicated businessmen, as well as great brothers, who give selflessly oftheir time and talent to Sigma Pi. Great progress has been made, and their work will make aprofound difference in our Fraternity forever.

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

I want to thank my brothers on the Grand Council. Never have I met and worked with suchfine individuals. Somehow, they reach deep in their souls to give the best that they have andthey 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 astheir chapter director. They supported me in my career on the Grand Council while treating meas 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 isimpossible. I wish you the best that life has to offer.

Fraternally,

John H. Williams Jr.Grand Sage


SUMMER 2004/EMERALD OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY 3

In 1913, a young Christian Arab namedSamuel Albed left his home in the Middle

East to escape conscription into the MuslimTurkish army: which would have certainly ledto his early demise. He came to the UnitedStates, landed in Philadelphia, and soonfound himself selling rugs and linens in thearea. In 1914, he discovered the New JerseyShore resort of Cape May and opened his firststore on its historic boardwalk in the newConvention Hall. Like many of the SyrianChristians who settled in the United Statesprior to the First World War, he wanted toraise a family and provide the best in educa-tion and values. Now, 90 years later, SamuelAlbed’s family has continued his tradition ofhard work and strong values.

Samuel Albed (�, Penn State ’57) wantedhis son, Ray (�, Penn State ’85), to get a goodeducation and sent him to Penn State tostudy business and liberal arts. Ray metGeorge Haddad, who is of the same ethnicbackground, and that led to Ray’s introduc-tion to Sigma Pi. In the Fraternity, Ray metAl Azar, Dave Hajjar, and Victor Hajjar over aperiod of years, and Ray continued the line ofChristian Arabs in the house.

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

tomers’ needs. While the business grew andprospered, Samuel’s store in Cape May wasdestroyed by the vicious noreaster of March1962. Convention Hall was destroyed, whichmeant Samuel could now retire. Ray tookover the operation of the Wayne location, andSamuel was able to enjoy his travels to therug producing areas of the Middle East.Samuel passed away in 1967 and Ray contin-ued on.

Ray married Shirley Caldwell, whom hemet at Penn State, in 1960. They had threechildren: Renee, Ray Jr., and Michelle. Reneejoined the business in 1979 after completinghigh school and today is the secretary for thecompany. Ray Jr., followed his father to PennState and made his independent decision tojoin Sigma Pi’s Theta Chapter. After gradua-tion in 1985, Ray took a job in the mortgageindustry. A few years later he joined hisfather at Albed Rug Company. By 1997, RayJr. had succeeded to the presidency of thecompany. With Renee and his younger sister,Michelle, who joined the company after hercollege graduation; the three formed a strongoperating team. Ray Sr. has been very activein the national trade association for theOriental rug industry and served as its presi-dent in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. He claims hewill not miss a board meeting for fear that they will put him back in the presidency

again.Albed Rug Company was honored as the

2002 Oriental Rug Retailer of the Year by thetrade association and is considered a leaderin the field. Ray Sr., has finished his overseastravel and is busy with his certified appraisalbusiness. Ray Jr., has made numerous buyingtrips overseas and is highly regarded. Withmore than 6,000 rugs in his inventory, and afine cleaning, repairing, and storage facility,Albed Rug Company is one of the most suc-cessful rug businesses in the country.Hopefully, Tommy Albed, son of Ray Jr. andhis wife Nancy, will join Theta Chapter atPenn State and become the fourth genera-tion of Albeds in the rug business. We anx-iously await Thomas Matthew Albed, age 7.

Ray Albed, Jr. (�, Penn State ’85) left and hisfather, Ray Albed, Sr. (�, Penn State ’57), standin front of their award winning Oriental andDomestic rug store in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Theta alumni continue tradition

Alumni Event—Detroit Metro AreaEvery 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 chapteryou 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, locatedwithin walking distance of Comercia Park, and include a baseball game. Root for the Tigersor the Mariners, we don’t care. Just be there and have fun with new and old Sigma Pifriends.

You only get out of the Sigma Pi Fraternity experience what you put into it, and the bene-fits 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) 965-9500before walking over to the Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners baseball game, which starts at7:05 p.m. Group rates are $12 per ticket. Please RSVP by Aug. 18 by e-mailing or callingDirector of Alumni Services Paul Wydra at (800) 332-1897 or [email protected].



Howard H. BeyerPast Grand Sage Howard H. Beyer (��,

NJIT ’58) hails from Watchung, New Jersey.Howard is a lifelong resident of NorthernNew Jersey. Upon graduation from NewarkCollege of Engineering (New JerseyInstitute of Technology) with a degree inmechanical engineering, Howard went towork as vice president of Unique WireWeaving Company Inc. of Hillside, NewJersey. Howard’s son, Kenneth, ( �,Worcester Polytechnic Institute ’82) alsois with the firm and is the fifth generationof the family in the industry.

In 1967, Howard became president ofUnique Wire Weaving and still serves in thatcapacity. He is a life member of theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineersand a member of the American Manage-ment Association. Howard has served aspresident of the American Wire ClothInstitute (the industry association of NorthAmerica). His achievements include design-ing and producing the only equipment inthe world that manufactures platinum meshused for pacemaker leads, into which theheart tissue grows.

Howard’s service to Sigma Pi started in1957 when he became a chapter director for

Alpha-Mu Chapter. He then served for 10years as province archon of what was thenBeta Province, consisting of 13 chapters.Howard’s service on the Grand Councilbegan in 1968 as Grand Herald. He moved toGrand Third Counselor, Grand SecondCounselor and, in the 1974–76 biennium,Grand Sage.

Howard is one of only two Sigma Pibrothers who have served on all four corpo-rations of the Fraternity: the Grand Council,the Sigma Pi Foundation (the original hous-ing board), the Sigma Pi Fund, and theSigma Pi Educational Foundation.

Howard has served four times as chair-man of the Nominating Committee. This willbe his 26th consecutive attendance atConvocation. Further, he has been on theinstallation team of more than 20 chapters.

Howard’s interest in young people car-ried over to other areas as well. He was alongtime treasurer of the Hillside HighSchool Scholarship Fund. As an Eagle Scouthimself, Howard served as scoutmaster ofthe 64-member Watchung, New Jersey, BoyScout Troop.

When not involved in one of the above,Howard enjoys fishing. He has caught allkinds of ocean species, including marlinand giant tuna up to 865 pounds. In associa-tion with his love of fishing, Howard servedas president of the United States AtlanticTuna Tournament and is a member of sever-al other fishing groups.

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

Every two years atConvocation, the Fraternity recog-nizes a select group of alumniwith the most prestigious honor ofour organization: the Founders’Award. Since 1962, this awardhas been given to only 78 of ourmore than 81,000 initiates. Thisyear, three additional membershave been selected to receive thisdistinction from the Fraternity.These men have proven them-selves to be of exceptional character and have continued to pro-mote the Fraternity’s ideals long after graduation.

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

education, government and litiga-tion. In 2004, the Grand Councilnominated and extended thehonor to the 22nd class ofinductees, adding the supremehonor to Past Grand SageHoward Beyer, U.S. CongressmanMike Bilirakis, and entrepreneuri-al business guru Anthony Siress.

Each of these men has helpedstrengthen the bonds of brother-hood and has fostered their belief

in Sigma Pi Fraternity long after their graduation. They arebrothers who share their lifelong experience as a member. Forthese, and for many other reasons, we honor the 2004Founders’ Award recipients.

FOUNDERS’AWARD

Howard H. Beyer



Michael BilirakisMichael Bilirakis (�, Pittsburg ’59),

Republican Congressman from TarponSprings in Florida’s Ninth District, was firstelected to Congress on Nov. 2, 1982, and hasbeen re-elected to each succeedingCongress. His committee assignments in the108th Congress include membership on theEnergy and Commerce Committee, wherehe serves as chairman of the Subcommitteeon Health, and as a member of theSubcommittee on Telecommunications andthe Internet and the Subcommittee onOversight and Investigations. Mike also isvice chairman of the Veterans’ AffairsCommittee and a member of the OversightSubcommittee.

As chairman, Mike has played a leadingrole in protecting Medicare from bankrupt-cy, ensuring the safety of our drinking water,improving the quality of our food, moderniz-ing the drug approval process and expand-ing access to affordable health insurance.It’s not surprising that National Journal’s“Almanac of American Politics” called Mikeone of the most “legislatively productive”members of Congress.

In past Congresses, Mike has authoredmany other health-related bills that havebecome law. These include bills to improveresearch into a myriad of children’s health

issues; to protect nursing home residentsfrom being evicted when their facility with-draws from participation in the Medicaidprogram; and to improve women’s health.

During the 107th Congress, Mike workedtirelessly to add a prescription drug benefitto the Medicare program. Mike also playeda key role in securing enactment of thePublic Health Security and BioterrorismPreparedness and Response Act. Further-more, Mike worked in a bipartisan fashionto provide pharmaceutical companies withincentives to conduct pediatric testing oftheir products—to ensure their safety andeffectiveness in children—and to reautho-rize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act,which has helped provide the Food andDrug Administration with the resources toevaluate the safety and effectiveness ofdrugs and biologics in a more timely fash-ion. Mike also was the lead congressionalsponsor of legislation that addresses ournation’s nursing shortage. The NurseReinvestment Act, which will help increaserecruitment of new nurses and improveretention of existing nurses, was signedinto law on August 1, 2002.

Mike has continued to build on thatimpressive record. In the 108th Congress,the House has already approved the OrganDonation Improvement Act that Mikeauthored, which is designed to increase thenumber of donated organs available fortransplantation. He also introduced legisla-tion, approved by the House, to improvepatient safety.

Anthony G. SiressA native of Mountain View, Calif., Tony

Siress (��, Santa Clara ’87), received hisbachelor’s degree in commerce in 1987 fromSanta Clara University, where he was initiat-ed into Zeta-Eta Chapter on Jan. 19, 1985. Heserved the chapter as third counselor duringhis sophomore year, the first chartered sageduring his junior year, and pledge trainer ofthe Delta class during his senior year.

After graduating, Anthony founded anumber of ventures and gained valuableinsight into running and building success-ful businesses. It was from his many busi-ness challenges and multiple experiencesnavigating the ups and downs of the high-

tech industry that he gained his greatestknowledge.

After a number of independent ventures,Anthony joined Sun Microsystems in 1991.From his past experiences and the knowl-edge he gained at Sun, he opened a soft-ware company in 1993 called TidalwaveTechnologies, and eventually sold this ven-ture to Veritas Software in 1995. He joinedVeritas for a year, but wanted to return toSun to be part of what was to become theInternet boom. Anthony returned to Sun tojoin JavaSoft, which was one of the highpoints of his career.

Anthony served his chapter as chapterdirector a number of years after graduatinguntil his business travel forced him to giveup the post. In 1998 and 1999, Anthonyfounded three endowment funds: the Zeta-Eta Scholarship Fund, the Anthony SiressEndowment for Zeta-Eta Chapter, and theAnthony Siress Endowment for EducationalPrograms. Anthony’s generosity also hasprovided for the establishment of Sigma PiUniversity and other local and national edu-cational programs. As our largest benefac-tor to Sigma Pi Fraternity, Brother Siressbelieves in the vision and the creed ofSigma Pi Fraternity.

Tony lives in the Bay area and is explor-ing opportunities to move to Sydney,Australia, to pursue a number of personaland professional ventures.

Michael Bilirakis

Anthony G. Siress


T he thousands of troops the United States has deployedoverseas, and those who serve closer to home, have a lot

in common. Universally, they enjoy hearing from home. Today’ssoldiers of today benefit from technology in that many, even inremote locations, have at least occasional use of e-mail. Mybrother, Lt. Col. Jim Marrs, is a member of the Air NationalGuard. He recently returned from Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar.This story began when he left the country three days afterChristmas. Members of the family were determined to stay intouch with him.

Our family has a long history of military service. Some ofyou are able to tell similar stories. The Marrs side, our heritageis one of soldiering centuries before the founding of the UnitedStates. In each generation, correspondence was key in main-taining morale and the bonds that keeps families close. TheRed Cross and many other organizations work hard to see thatthose connections remain strong and viable. As individuals, wealso have a role to play, encouraging the men and women whoserve our country in the military. The simple “Hello,” “Hope youare well” or “What do you need?” may make the difference forany soldier.

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

While we did keep in touch with all of them as they movedaround the world, the communication was not really organizedinto 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 teawere hard to come by. Family and friends might send coffee

beans so they could grind their own for a really fresh cup. Butno grinder was in the area. Sure, the meal facilities were great,and Jack’s Coffee House (then a tent set aside for casual meet-ing, staffed by volunteers) provided some variety when off duty.But what about access during 12-hour shifts in a secure envi-ronment? This identified for us something tangible we could doto support Jim and the many other soldiers who worked in ordepended on the operation of his office.

E-mail exchanges among family members are relativelycontinuous. Mom (Annette), an artist in Albuquerque, NewMexico, naturally values our staying in touch. Lee, our sister inBerkeley, California, is an educator/artist/author. (Mom andLee were in the Civil Air Patrol in Montgomery, Alabama.) Anote that may be of interest: Lee was working on a comic bookabout 25 years ago. The story involved a group of fraternity gen-tlemen who assisted the hero to “win the day.” Lee phoned meto ask about some elements of realism. The result was the useof my National number on the license plate of their vehicle. Atleast, that’s the way I remember it.

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

So, back to Jim and his need for caffeine and a clean cof-feepot. Daily messages back and forth with family. Packagesbeing assembled—unused coffeemakers, tea, coffee, a coffeegrinder, a microwave…anything we could think of that theycould use. Almost immediately it was more than Jim could con-sume on his own. Some of it went to those who were passingthrough the tent/office. Then some went to Jack’s CoffeeHouse. More e-mails sent to a few friends and extended family.A personal message to some online vendors of coffee, tea andequipment resulted in many contributions. As people were


Brothers and Others Serving U

Mobilizing the CMobilizing the Cby B i l l Mar r s (��, Troy S ta te ’74)



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

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

We appreciate the interest and involvement of everyonewho sends a note or a box of cookies to the soldiers. Anyonewho participates by sending a package is recognized by us withwhat has become a prized certificate of enlistment. Just an e-mail letting us know what you did, or that includes a messageto the troops that we can post on the Web site, will result in areply with a certificate.

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

This is meant to be fun and rewarding for those who decideto “join.” It is only one of the many ways you can support ourtroops. We are enjoying ourselves and providing what webelieve to be a valuable, enriching service. We supported ourbrother, as each of you will support your brothers. The “fellow-ship 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 postaladdresses that will reach them. The men and women of ourarmed services deserve much more, but this is one thing wecan do today, now, with a few keyboard strokes and a mouseclick. Visit the Web site. Establish a link from your site. Whoknows, maybe there will be enough of you to establish theSigma Pi Division of the Caffeine Relief Army.

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

See the businesses, some of international scope, that sharetheir good fortune. There is nothing worth having in this worldunless it is shared with others.

For messages to the troops, coffee, tea, snacks for thetroops:

Jack’s Coffee HouseC/O Chaplains’ Assistants379 AEW/HCAPO AE 09309

For school and other items to help the children in Kirkuk,Iraq:

Charitable Giving ProgramC/O Chaplains’ Assistants379 AEW/HCAPO AE 09309

For information on the Caffeine Relief Army, or other ques-tions:

[email protected] or visit: www.marrsnet.com/cra

Bill is a charter member of Delta-Psi Chapter at Troy StateUniversity. He served as Delta-Psi’s chapter director for fouryears, and was Executive Secretary of Sigma Pi from 1978–80.

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

Bill’s civilian career has primarily involved educationalinstitutions—Troy State University, Vincennes University andMorton College. Bill is now Business Division chair atHeartland Community College in Normal, Illinois. Heartlandsupported Bill to an exceptional level when he was on activeduty during the year following the terrorist attacks inSeptember 2001.

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

g Us

e Caffeine Relief Armye Caffeine Relief Army



CHAPTER NEWS

ARKANSAS STATEAlpha-Pi Chapter

The brothers of Alpha-Pi had anexcellent spring. They inducted fourextraordinary gentlemen to become apart of their brotherhood. Most of thebrothers went to the hills ofDonovan, Missouri, during springbreak to hang out at Brother AndyWills’ (’06) cabin.

From social functions to the ACEProject, everyone is doing his part.Brothers are excited about what theyhave accomplished this semester.The university’s president was excit-ed when Alpha-Pi presented the ideafor the ACE Project. The president iswilling to help the chapter in whatev-er endeavor they choose, so the chap-ter should have something scheduledreal soon.

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

CALIFORNIA-IRVINEEta-Upsilon Chapter

2004 has been a great success forUC Irvine’s Eta-Upsilon Chapter. Withthe initiation of 18 strong membersfrom Omicron class during fall quar-ter, the chapter has improved byleaps and bounds. A great newExecutive Committee was sworn in,and they have already made animpact with their innovative ideas.The chapter participated in GreekSongfest with Delta Gamma sorority.

After hundreds of hours of prepara-tion, the chapter performed in theSpring Quarter. Brother John Baucheorganized a successful campuswideblood drive with the American RedCross. Eta-Upsilon is number one insports and is destined to win thesports trophy this year.

The chapter continues to dominateGreek scholastics and has the num-ber one GPA among all fraternities.Spring quarter was filled with greatathletic teams for softball and floorhockey. The chapter also had anotherwell-organized Orchid Ball in LasVegas.

—Joshua Marsland, Herald

CAL STATE-DOMINGUEZ HILLSEta-Iota Chapter

The brothers of Eta-Iota came off asuccessful fall and welcomed fiveyoung and very promising gentlemento Sigma Pi. Sigma Pi is still one ofthe leading organizations at CSUDH,and Eta-Iota was able to raise $1,400for their chapter fund. Brothers haveset many goals and have high expec-tations, and they look forward tomeeting and exceeding them. Formore information, e-mail HeraldAngel Garcia at [email protected].

—Angel Garcia, Herald

CAL STATE-SACRAMENTO Eta-Alpha Chapter

The brothers of Eta-Alpha Chapterhad a successful spring rush, withseven prospective members. Withtheir newly elected ExecutiveCouncil, Eta-Alpha had one of thefinest semesters the chapter had everseen.

In the spring, Eta-Alpha held thebiggest philanthropy at SacramentoState: Sorority Superbowl. The eventwas unrivaled at Sacramento State interms of participation and theamount of money collected for chari-ties. This year, the chapter donatedthe proceeds to the American Red

great pledges and active brothers,Iota Chapter made great stridestoward excellence in and outside therealm of academics. Recent gradu-ates are going to law school, medicalschool, and are excelling in othercareers. Many seniors are applying totop medical and law schools, whileothers are preparing for their respec-tive careers in architecture and busi-ness, just to name a few.

Not only is the chapter promotingscholarship at Cal, but they are alsopromoting Sigma Pi by participatingin many philanthropy events. Earlierin the semester, Iota brothers partici-pated in a 5K race/run to benefit theBerkeley Free Clinic. In April, broth-ers supported the fight against can-cer by participating in the Relay forLife while walking for 24 continuoushours on the track.

In addition to the chapter’s manyaccomplishments in academics andcommunity service, brothers still findtime to have plenty of fun. In thebeginning of the semester, brotherstook a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe.The scenery and recreational activi-ties were the perfect for relaxingbefore the semester began.

Iota’s annual Pirates Grotto tookplace in the spring semester andattracted hundreds of students to thechapter house to experience the leg-endary decorations. Brothersplanned a camping trip to Yosemiteto escape the stress of Berkeley andrelax before finals. The chapter isworking hard to promote the ideals ofSigma Pi while having fun at thesame time.

—Ray Benaza, Herald

Foundation by collecting donationsat two intersections in NortheastArkansas. In April, the chapter alsoheld a blood drive with the RedCross. Alpha-Pi started a recyclingprogram as a sort of constant fund-raiser. Hopefully, it will be a hugesuccess and inspire other fraternitieson campus to be more environmen-tally friendly. The Alpha-Pi basketballteam won the regular season champi-onship, and brothers are looking for-ward to floor hockey season.

The chapter’s Founders’ Day golftournament was a huge success,drawing nearly 20 teams of two.Those of us going to Convocation thissummer look forward to seeing every-one and are ready to show the SigmaPi world how the brothers of Alpha-Piget down.

—Jay Bir, Herald

BRIDGEWATER STATEEta-Eta Chapter

Eta-Eta gives many thanks to theirgraduating seniors for their wisdomand leadership. The chapter accept-ed 11 pledges. Brothers recently heldtheir Sweethearts Dance and MissSigma Pi contest, both of which werevery successful. A Car Crush fund-raiser has been scheduled for thecoming months as well as a blooddrive and a sleep out for the home-less. The chapter is looking forwardto its 15th anniversary Orchid Ball.

—Ryan Nee, Herald

CALIFORNIA Iota Chapter

Iota Chapter UC Berkeley experi-enced a great spring semester. With

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

Join your brothers at Convocation this summer in Chicago.

Eric Rice of Xi colony chats withone of the hosts of the Valentines DayDance at a local retirement home onFebruary 14, 2004.


which students were asked to wearfor the two-day event. In addition,the chapter teamed up with a manwho helps raise awareness of drivingunder the influence. He brought in acar that was totaled in a drunkendriving accident, a drunken drivingsimulator, and a few show cars todraw attention. On April 2, a guestspeaker from Anheiser-Busch spokeabout the dangers of drunken driving.

This project was a huge successand a great way to help better thecommunity and promote ourFraternity. Eta-Sigma has alreadybegun planning next year’s ACEProject and plan to focus on drivingunder the influence again, but theyare going to make it much larger.Brothers called Carter Blood Careand scheduled a blood drive for thetwo-day event, and brothers are stillpassing out sponsorship letters tolocal businesses asking for theirinvolvement. The chapter is going tomake this an annual event and hopesit gets bigger and bigger each year.

On February 21, Eta-Sigma heldtheir Founders’ Day Dinner and hadan excellent turnout. The chapter’sfirst counselor did an outstanding jobplanning the day and setting it up. Itwas a great way to have a good din-ner, talk to alumni, and hear how thechapter has evolved.

Eta-Sigma has the highest GPA ofany organization on campus. As oflast semester, the chapter GPA wassitting strong at 3.07. The ExecutiveCouncil recently finished compilingGreek Night Out awards and are con-fident that we will take home numer-ous awards in the coming months.

—Sam Goldstucker, Herald

CORNELLMu Chapter

The brothers of Mu Chapterreturned from winter break refreshedand ready for winter rush. Duringthis year’s rush program, brothersmet more than 500 students and ulti-mately decided on 27 promisingyoung men.

Mu Chapter continues to promote“chapters of excellence” and recentlyinaugurated this program by hostingan art exhibit at a local gallery. JoshKatcher was recently elected toCornell’s board of trustees. In thiscapacity, Josh will represent morethan 21,000 students.

In April the chapter held their annu-al murder mystery dinner theatre, anevent that raises more than $2,000 forthe Brittle Bones Foundation.

The chapter had two big philan-thropy events, including raising morethan $1,000 for Habitat for Humanityand helping out the AmericanDiabetes Association. Brothers hadone weekend dedicated to fund rais-ing and held a car wash and an eventat UNO’S restaurant, from which theyreceived 20 percent of the moneymade that night. Epsilon-Pi will con-tinue to work with UNO’S and dothese fund-raisers as often as possible.

Epsilon-Pi’s intramural soccer andsoftball teams had fun and successfulseasons. Brothers continue to workwith the sororities on campus andhave really improved their relationswith all of them. The chapter is plan-ning on having a lots of events withthem in the fall.

—Brad Sisson, Herald

COLORADOZeta-Delta Chapter

There are many reasons for thebrothers of Zeta-Delta Chapter to beproud of their recent events andtheir upcoming plans for thesemester. Brothers completed a greatspring rush where they pulled in 12quality men, and the chapter’s fund-raising efforts have been outstanding.Zeta-Delta held a successful alumnibarbecue for the founders of thechapter and also had a great turnoutfor their annual March Madness phi-lanthropy tournament. The chapteralso held their annual mom’s week-end event.

Finally, Zeta-Delta would like tocongratulate the intramural teams forwinning the championship in volley-ball and soccer. Congratulations toBrad Mild, Adam Singleton, and KyleRattet for winning the election forsecretary, treasurer, and vice presi-dent in the prestigious Order ofOmega Greek Honor Society.Congratulations are also in order forLogan VanDuzer for his appointmentto the IFC Judicial Council.

—David Greengard, Herald

COLORADO STATEEta-Sigma Chapter

On April 1, Eta-Sigma began itsACE Project. Brothers set up a pro-gram that showed students the dan-gers driving under the influence ofalcohol. The chapter had shirts madewith the ACE logo, Sigma Pi letters,and the names of sponsors. Brothersalso put up flyers and the chapterpassed out 1,500 information cardswith Sigma Pi letters on them. Thecards also included a red ribbon,

The Theta-Mu petition to charterreceived many compliments fromGrand Sage John Williams and otherofficers, and can now be viewed atInternational Headquarters.

Theta-Mu held their Alumni andParents Weekend March 26–28.Events included a softball game,catered meals at the chapter house,and showing our parents and friendswhat Chico nightlife is all about.Eight fathers went through initiationthat weekend.

In sports, Theta-Mu is in a closesecond place for Greek Cup. Brotherstook the championship in volleyball,and they are in the playoffs for bas-ketball. The chapter’s softball team isexpected to dominate and put themin first for the year.

Congratulations and good luck tograduating seniors Dave Sierra, BrentSilberbauer, and Christopher Hall.

—Christopher Hall, Herald

CHRISTOPHER-NEWPORTEpsilon-Pi Chapter

The brothers of Epsilon-Pi had anexcellent spring semester. They gottheir name out on campus and areexpecting a big rush in the fall.Spring brotherhood events included apig roast, the annual Founders’ DayFormal, a road trip to Alpha-NuChapter at Wake Forest, spring breaktrips to New Orleans and MyrtleBeach, and football games everySunday on campus.

Cross and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.Chi Delta sorority won this year’schampionship in overtime to AlphaPhi sorority. Afterward, brothers heldan awards ceremony and party forthe teams and everyone who partici-pated in philanthropy.

As for athletics, Eta-Alpha partici-pated in the basketball playoffs andwere favored to win again this year.Brothers are gearing up for intramu-ral soccer and continue to dominatethe field as one of the top houses oncampus in athletics.

With a newly elected ExecutiveCouncil of Stefan Sanborn (sage),Nick Filice (first counselor), AnthonyFilice (second counselor), ShaunHughes (third counselor), MattFlaherty (fourth counselor), Eta-Alpha is focusing on growing as achapter and striving to be the bestfraternity on campus.

—Mike Sanchez, Herald

CHICO STATETheta-Mu Chapter

Since chartering on November 15,2003, Theta-Mu has continued toexcel. Brothers are proving theirleadership capabilities as MikePalotay (’06), Tom Brockert (’05),and Nick Miller (’05) are running foroffices in student government. NickMiller was elected IFC president atthe end of last semester, and SageNick Hollingsworth (’06) was electedvice president of recruitment for thecouncil.

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


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

CHAPTER NEWS



CHAPTER NEWS

All Sigma Pi brothers are encour-aged to come by the chapter house at730 University Avenue at any time.Feel free to contact the chapter at(607) 277-8756 or [email protected].

—Josh Katcher, Herald

EAST STROUDSBURGBeta-Psi Chapter

The fall and spring semesters wereprosperous for Beta-Psi Chapter.Brothers continue to recruit largenumbers of new members, and thechapter is steadily growing to the sta-tus it once held.

In early November, the campus heldits annual Mix Off, sponsored byMADD (Mothers Against DrunkDriving). Students were encouraged tomake nonalcoholic mixed drinks thatcould be used as beverage alterna-tives. Every team had to present twodrinks, one sweet and one sour, whichwere then sampled and judged bymembers of the ESU staff, the MonroeCounty 911 dispatchers and respon-ders, and local news reporters. Thescores were tallied, and the team withthe best sweet and/or sour drink waspresented with a check for $500. Aftertaking second place in both categorieslast year, the chapter proudly accepteda check for best sweet drink this year.

In February, Beta-Psi held a supplydrive for the troops in Iraq. Brotherscollected items such as baby wipes,stationery, and powered drink mixes.The five days brothers sat in the stu-dent union collecting these itemswere very important because three oftheir active brothers, Robert J.Miller, Donnie Lee, and Ian Hugheswere shipped off to Iraq at the closeof the fall ’03 semester.

During Founders’ Day, brothersenjoyed seeing all the old faces backin the house and mingling with dif-ferent generations of brothers.Spring events for April and Mayincluded Greek Week, FraternityFootball, and Spring Fest.

—Phil Kulan, Herald

EASTERN KENTUCKYEpsilon-Lambda Chapter

Brothers began spring semesterwith rush, taking some good-qualityguys to aid them in continuing theirexcellence throughout the Greekcommunity and on campus. DuringGreek Week, brothers were pairedwith Kappa Delta Sorority and SigmaAlpha Epsilon Fraternity for GreekSing with the theme “Best ClubbingSongs.” During Greek Week, the fall

pledge class was awarded the BestNew Member Class award; the newmember class was also first in grades.

Spring semester was busy with phi-lanthropy events such as Excel Gym,where the brothers played with DownSyndrome children and attentiondeficit disorder children. All of theguys enjoyed doing this.

This year’s Orchid Ball was held inCincinnati. The chapter also electeda new Executive Council. Mostrecently, the chapter hosted numer-ous brothers and guests at theirannual Pig Roast/Softball Tourn-ament on April 17.

If you have questions about thechapter, feel free to contact HeraldRyan Dwyer at (502) 608-7847.

—Ryan Dwyer, Herald

EASTERN ILLINOISBeta-Gamma Chapter

Founders’ Day was a huge success,and brothers thank all of the alumnifor their attendance and continuingdedication to Beta-Gamma Chapter.The chapter celebrated Mom’s Day,during which mothers of the men ofSigma Pi visited Eastern Illinois andenjoyed a dinner and silent auction.Dad’s Day was held April 24.

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

—Tim McNulty, Herald

EMBRY-RIDDLE (FL)Zeta-Beta Chapter

Spring semester was extremelybusy for Zeta-Beta Chapter. Brothers

had a wonderful time meeting andvisiting with brothers from all overthe country who came to DaytonaBeach for spring break, includingbrothers from Ohio Northern andLoyola universities. Several Zeta-Betabrothers traveled around the countryon a road trip, meeting and visitingwith other chapters, includingMichigan State and Wisconsin. Thechapter also had lots of fun withbrothers from Radford University,who they always love to hang outwith. Zeta-Beta congratulates thechapter at Radford on their newcharter.

—Nick Berry, Herald

EMPORIA STATEEpsilon-Epsilon Chapter

Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter held theirannual Orchid Ball, which went oververy well. There was a live band atthe ball, which was outstanding.About 70 people were in attendance,including alumni and actives.

FERRIS STATETheta-Theta Chapter

The men of Theta-Theta Chapterhave been moving forward at anexceptional rate. For starters, Theta-Theta initiated 11 new membersduring fall semester and picked up11 strong potential members springsemester. Theta-Theta is proud ofthese men who will help keep SigmaPi at Ferris State growing andmaturing.

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

it. Finally, Theta-Theta would like tocongratulate graduating membersJason Kimmel, Steve Bertogli, GregGraebner, and Theo Kohaif. Farewelland good luck!

FITCHBURG STATEEta-Tau Chapter

Spring semester was busy for Eta-Tau Chapter. Rush Chairman BryanMassey put together an excellentrush program, resulting in four newpledges. The chapter is excited aboutthe pledge program put together byPledge Captain Mateusz Bryskowski.The chapter also recently raisedmore than $350 for the NationalAlliance for Autism Research.

—Matthew Curtis, Herald

GRAND VALLEYColony

As their first semesters on campuscame to a close, the brothers of theGrand Valley State University colonywere still hard at work. They werepumped up for their spring ACEProject, which was the largest eventheld by any organization. The colonyhosted a Laker Luau for the commu-nity consisting of volleyball courts,tiki torches, a steel drum band, a pigroast, and many more things for thepublic to enjoy.

For philanthropy, the colony donat-ed to the Give to Detroit fund,worked at American Red Cross blooddrives and donated blood, and partic-ipated in the American CancerSociety’s Relay for Life. During theholiday season, colony membersjoined other Greeks on campus indecorating Christmas trees atFredrick Meyer Gardens.

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

—Sam Skeels, Historian

ILLINOISPhi Chapter

Phi Chapter made big strides oncampus in many fields and has abright outlook for fall semester. Instudent government, Phi Chapter hasthe largest contingent of representa-tives of any fraternity on campus.Members are involved in bringingculture to campus as a brotherstarred in the production “Josephand the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat.” The chapter’s Scholar-ship Committee received numerousapplications for their 2004 enteringfreshman scholarship, and they look

Beta-Gamma chapter members proudly display their championship trophyfrom a sorority paintball tournament. The chapter has won the tournamentat Eastern Illinois University for the last three years.


It was a chilly day when the brothers of Alpha-Pi Chapter and the sistersof 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, creat-ed “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 whohelped sponsor the event, did a great job informing motorists of the donationtotals and inspired them to give.

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

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threat-ening medical conditions to enrich their lives. “During the day, a familycame with their 7-year-old son who had a wish granted by Make-A-Wish theprevious 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 aworthwhile experience (to help Make-A-Wish) as they have helped so manykids over the years.”

The chapter was happy to put in the hours because the proceeds went toa great cause and because they had a lot of fun raising funds. “I feel life islike a house of mirrors. What we project is what we get back,” said BrotherRobert Shurley. “We proved this point in this philanthropy. We could havegotten bogged down since it was cold and dreary, but we joked around andkept 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 sosupportive. It was as if there was no dead time during the day, that the peo-ple supported the event to its fullest.”

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

Alpha-Pi Chapter continued its philanthropic efforts with its annualblood 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 stationsaid that since we helped them so much with Make-A-Wish, they would helpus as much as possible,” said Shurley.

The reaction to the chapter’s hard work helped inspire the new philan-thropy chair to work even harder to help the community. “Philanthropy hadfaded 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 Jonesworked hard to get the entire community involved, not just the campus andGreek community. He also added an element of fun to the event. “When Ithought of the radio spot and barbecue, I knew it would attract more peopleand have more of an exciting atmosphere.”

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


CHAPTER NEWS

Alpha-Pi Finds the Fun in Charitable Fund RaisingBy Robe r t Shu r ley (��, Arkansas S ta te ’06)

forward to interviewing the appli-cants. Brothers look forward to wel-coming alumni back for homecomingon October 30.

—John Campbell, Herald

ILLINOIS WESLEYANEpsilon-Gamma Chapter

Epsilon-Gamma wishes to congrat-ulate their six newly initiated mem-bers on completing their pledgeshipand becoming active brothers inSigma Pi. Congratulations are also inorder for Justin Everett (’07) andPaul Teipe (’07) for receiving thealumni scholarship for attaining aGPA of 3.25 or higher during theirpledging semester.

Epsilon-Gamma had another verysuccessful spring rush. For the sec-ond year in a row, Sigma Pi had themost pledges out of any house oncampus. The chapter held a retreatfor the new pledges to make themcloser as a group and to get to knowthe actives better. The event wentextremely well.

Second Counselor Matt Apger (’05)is getting the wheels in motion onthe ACE Project, which was estab-lished to improve the relationshipbetween the Fraternity and the uni-versity. Brothers are excited to beginthe project.

For more information, [email protected].

—Larry Polanski, Herald

IOWA STATESigma Chapter

Spring semester went great for themen of Sigma Chapter. Performanceof the intramural athletic teams wasoutstanding with championships inhockey and basketball. During IowaState’s annual Greek Week celebra-tion, brothers were paired withAcacia Fraternity and Delta DeltaDelta sorority.

The chapter’s 10 newly initiatedmembers are doing very well, andmany are stepping up to take leader-ship positions on campus and in theFraternity. Sigma Chapter hosted sev-eral successful social events, whichmade for a fun semester. For moreinformation, e-mail [email protected].

—Zach Mangrich, Herald

INDIANABeta Chapter

Beta Chapter would like to con-gratulate its graduating seniors fortheir years of hard work and dedica-tion to the university, the Greek com-


munity, and laying the foundation forthe future success of our great chap-ter. Beta Chapter would like to wishevery newly graduated Sigma Pibrother the best of luck in the futureendeavors he hopes to explore upongraduation.

Beta Chapter is proud to reportthat once again, they are among thebest chapters in terms of academics,philanthropy, and intramurals.Having such high credentials and alarge number of brothers allowsSigma Pi to choose the highest quali-ty pledge class on campus. The chap-ter’s pledge class wrapped up thespring semester with a visit toWindsor, Canada, for their annual“walk out.”

Brothers are sad to announce thedeath of their house dog, Titan RobbZigler. On a lighter note, the chapterwould like to congratulate brothersMatt Kaplan and master pledge KevinHarmon, who both recently becameengaged.

Brothers are anxious to returnfrom their summer jobs, internships,studies abroad, and summer classesto start yet another amazing year ofbrotherhood not seen anywhere elseon campus.

For more information, contact thechapter at [email protected], orcheck out their newly developed Website at http://www.indiana.edu/~sigmapi/.

—Paul A. Young, Herald

LAWRENCE TECHZeta-Omicron Chapter

One of the main area brothers areimproving is philanthropy service.Brothers feel that it’s important togive back to their school and otherorganizations around them. Lastsemester, the chapter sponsoredFood for Finals with the help ofStudent Government. For the event,brothers placed tables in various


CHAPTER NEWS

The brothers of Zeta-Omicron Chapter at Lawrence Tech.

buildings at different times of the dayduring finals week, supplying hard-studying students with some suste-nance to keep them fueled throughthe rest of their day. This event was asuccess.

The chapter held its Orchid Ball onFebruary 21 in downtown Detroit atthe Hotel Pontchartrain. About 32couples showed up, including broth-ers and alumni, making this one ofthe chapter’s biggest Orchid Balls

ever. The service, food, music, andview of downtown Detroit andWindsor, Canada, were excellent.

Another area that brothers arealways looking to improve is ties withother Greek organizations. Duringfall semester, brothers had aBig/Little mixer with Chi Omega Rhosorority, where the new memberswere welcomed into another aspectof Greek life by getting big sistersfrom the “O-Rho” girls. In the spring,brothers held a chivalry dinner withChi Omega Rho and made the ladiesa spaghetti dinner.

Spring break was a great week ofrest for many of the brothers as theyroad tripped to Daytona Beach,Florida. Brothers rented a house onthe river across from A1A,Beachfront Avenue With their ownpool and spectacular view, the weekwas the best one the brothers couldask for as they lounged in the sunand got away from the cold andsnowy Michigan weather.

On April 17, Zeta-Omicron compet-ed in the annual Greek Day on cam-pus. This was a day of competitionsbetween all Greek organizations. Alsoon that day, brothers hosted theirannual campuswide Sigma Pi pigroast.

Contact the chapter [email protected], or check outtheir Web site at www.ltusigmapi.com.

—Brian Green, Herald

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



CHAPTER NEWS

MIAMI (OHIO)Eta-Phi Chapter

Eta-Phi had an outstanding springsemester. The chapter initiated 27new members, bringing their total toaround 100–110 active members.

Through continued effort, philan-thropy chairmen Matt Ruza, MarkMunier, and Andy Goddard workedhard to ensure that Relay-for-Lifewas a success. During the chapter’smain philanthropy, Relay-for-Lifeluminary sales, the PhilanthropyCommittee worked constantly to helpRelay-for-Life exceed the $50,000+that was raised last year. Sigma Pibrought Relay-for-Life to MiamiUniversity several years ago, and ithas grown so large that the universityis trying to take it from Sigma Pi tomake it a university-sponsored event.With brothers working all day andnight at the event wearing their let-ters, members of the school and com-munity have recognized the chapter’sgreat contributions to this philan-thropy.

Brother Bill Forsythe was recentlyelected student body president. Manybrothers contributed their time cam-paigning for Bill. Eta-Phi has a mem-ber of the IFC executive council intheir midst—Brother BrandonCalderon. Through his innovativework as the vice president of recruit-ment, the Greek community at Miamiis expanding. The chapter also hasseveral brothers on influential com-mittees, including the IFCRecruitment Team, the IFCFoundations Leadership Program,and the IFC Conduct Board.

Scholastically, Eta-Phi ranked sev-enth out of 27 fraternities with a 3.01GPA. Scholarship Chair Mike Buckleyhad a successful Battle of the Sexesgame show with Alpha Xi Delta soror-ity and a dozen professors. Brothershope to improve their ranking so theyare in the top three next yearscholastically.

Eta-Phi had two major, registeredtheme parties spring semester. Onewas their annual Roam-n-Foam party,where brothers filled the basementwith foam, dressed in togas, and par-tied with their dates in the foam. Theother party had a jungle theme,which was new this year. Both eventswere huge successes. The chapterhad full sorority calendars and arealready planning events for next year.

Eta-Phi brothers were all over thecountry and all around the world lastyear. Several brothers studied abroadin Luxemburg and Spain. Brother

Dave DiCosola is studying abroad inthe Pacific Rim over the summer.Several other brothers traveled toLondon, Mexico, and around the U.S.for spring break. Whatever part of theworld or country you’re from, Eta-PhiChapter encourages you to visit themin Oxford, Ohio.

MICHIGAN STATEZeta-Mu Chapter

The brothers of Zeta-Mu Chapterwere busy maintaining their domi-nance in the Greek community atMichigan State by way of philan-thropy, academics, sports, and socialevents. In philanthropy, Zeta-Mu heldits fifth annual Miss Greek BeautyPageant and raised $1,200 for theAmerican Red Cross. Congratulationsto the winner, Miss Emily Penn ofKappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Theevent is quickly becoming the mostpopular and anticipated philanthropyevent at Michigan State, with some23 contestants participating.

Sigma Pi was also recognized andhonored by the East Lansing PoliceDepartment in front of a city councilmeeting for service the chapter pro-vided in setting up for the city’s GusMacker Basketball Tournament.

Zeta-Mu also participated in DeltaGamma’s Anchor Splash (placedthird), Chi Omega’s Kickoff (placedfirst), Kappa Alpha Theta’s Cook-Off,and in the MSU Greek community’sSafe Halloween for the children ofEast Lansing.

At the Greek Gala Banquet, Zeta-Mu received the Most ImprovedChapter GPA award, moving from 23out of 29 fraternities to 10th overall,only two-tenths shy of the MSU All-Men’s Average. Congratulations tobrothers Rob Kent (’04), JasonHabeger (’05), and Philip Bolus (’05)for being inducted into the Order ofOmega Greek Honor Society.

Zeta-Mu was also awarded the 2003Fraternity All-Sports Trophy at theBanquet, concluding a year of totaldomination in Greek sports. Aftertaking first place at the Chi OmegaKaren King Kickoff SoccerTournament (benefiting domesticassault victims), Zeta-Mu recordedback-to-back first place champi-onships in football and soccer in theGreek intramural sports league.During spring semester, brotherscompeted in softball, basketball, andvolleyball.

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

Kappa-Sigma fall pledge class. Thechapter’s prayers and best wishes goout to one of their newest brothers,Alex White, who left in earlyDecember on military orders to servehis country in Iraq.

Zeta-Mu wants to congratulate sev-eral brothers for their outstandingachievements. Brothers Eric Tritch(’05), vice president for finance, andCurtis Smith (’05), vice president forexternal affairs, were elected to the2004 IFC executive board, keepingSigma Pi as having the most positionson IFC then any other fraternity.Special thanks to outgoing IFC mem-bers Jim DiVita (’04) and Nick Morris(’03) for their service.

Socially, the chapter exploded inthe fall. As well as holding many suc-cessful parties, their annualHalloween, Thanksgiving, and End-of-Semester parties became popular off-campus events. The chapter had agreat semester of one-on-ones withmany sororities, including their closedrush with the ladies from KappaKappa Gamma at Times Square NightClub in Detroit. In November, brothersheld their annual Orchid Ball Formalin Windsor, Canada.

Congratulations to the new 2004Executive Board: Sage Derek Bush(’05), Second Counselor MattLedesma (’05), Third Counselor MikeRatliff (’05), Fourth Counselor RossBernardi (’06), First Counselor NickNykerk (’04), and Herald Philip Bolus(’05). Special congratulations andmany thanks go out to graduatingbrothers Matt Quart and Nick Morris.

Brothers, your Sigma Pi experiencedoes not end when you leave college.Several alumni are in the process ofcreating the Spartan Sigma PiAlumni Association. If interested,

please contact Jamie Jakubiak (’03)at [email protected]. For addi-tional information about the chapter,check out the chapter’s award-win-ning Web site at http://www.msu.edu/~sigmapi, contact Sage DerekBush at [email protected], orcontact Alumni Representative NickNykerk at [email protected].

MISSOURI SOUTHERN Eta-Mu Chapter

It has been a great semester forEta-Mu. This spring, the chapter hadfive bids accepted by quality newmembers. The chapter has becomeorganized and productive throughthe efforts of their new EC and com-mittee chairs. Recently, four brotherswere elected to Student Senate.

Spring has been full of great activi-ties. The chapter’s annual Founders’Day Camping Trip was a great suc-cess. Eta-Mu enjoyed hanging outwith Epsilon-Rho brothers at Druryin their wonderful new house.

Please keep brothers who are inthe armed forces in your thoughtsand prayers.

—Adam Marold, Herald

MISSOURI-ROLLAAlpha-Iota Chapter

The men of Alpha-Iota Chapter hada busy spring semester. For St.Patrick’s Day, the chapter had a greatshowing of alumni, which made theevent even larger than usual. Thechapter also continued its recentlocal tradition of Operation GiantSigma. For those not familiar withthis tradition, it involves the con-struction of a 20-foot-tall sigma, thencarrying the sigma through thestreets of Rolla to the pi-shaped gran-

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


MOREHEADDelta-Rho Chapter

In April, Brother Adam Chiltoncame back home after serving morethan 12 months in Iraq. The chapteris happy he’s back and can’t thankhim enough for what he has done.

The chapter would like to congrat-ulate our newly inducted pledges:Brenton Crane (’07), Chris Lowe(’07), Travis Ranson (’07), and ScottSlaughterbeck (’07).

The chapter is planning for theirannual summer picnic in July. Allalumni and brothers from otherchapters are invited to attend.

Delta-Rho would like to thank thealumni for their help and contribu-tions this past semester.

For more information about thechapter, contact Sage Wade Russel [email protected].

—Andy Asbrock, Herald

LYNCHBURGTheta-Zeta Chapter

The first thing that many brothersnoticed when returning from springbreak was the construction crew attheir old chapter house. The buildingitself, being part of the Fraternity forthe past 18 years, was forfeited whenthe school made the decision to stopall off-campus housing. With the hardwork and support of alumni, thechapter was able to convince the

ite sculpture known as theMillennium Arch on campus. This is alot of fun for brothers, and itimproves their visibility on campusand in the community.

For spring break, a large group ofbrothers went to Panama City andhad a great time; they also met DaleEarnhardt Jr.

The chapter has been participatingin some interesting service activities,ranging from helping at a middleschool math competition to buildinga shed for a local organization tohelping the needy.

The chapter would like to see agood showing of alumni for home-coming, which is October 15 and 16.It’s guaranteed to be a great time.

—Rich Milburn, Herald

MISSOURI-ST. LOUISDelta-Zeta Chapter

Delta-Zeta is a fairly young chapterwith around 30 members, and it’ssafe to say that they are going strong.Congratulations to Jonas Zakour andJeff Samoska for being among the topthree in UM-St. Louis’ Big Man onCampus.

Delta-Zeta sponsored a blood driveon campus and was rewarded by theschool. Also, the chapter held a bat-tle of the bands competition in lateApril and donated the proceeds tothe STRIPES anti-drunk-driving pro-gram at UM-St. Louis.

The main focus for spring semesterwas on improving the chapter house.Brother are in the process of remod-eling the basement, adding a parlorroom, and improving the generalappearance of the house. Specialthanks to the brothers who came bythe chapter house after the Sage’sConference in St. Louis. Delta-Zetabrothers are always glad to see broth-ers from different chapters.

Special thanks to the brothers ofthe UM-Rolla chapter for showing thebrothers of Delta-Zeta Chapter suchhospitality during St. Patrick’s Dayweekend. Brothers are always wel-come to visit Delta-Zeta Chapter inSt. Louis. Contact the chapter at(314) 426-0078.

—Mike Davis, Herald

MONMOUTHDelta-Beta Chapter

Congrats, Alpha Eta pledge class.It’s nice to see such desire to learnour history and traditions. Delta-BetaChapter has been doing some goodthings for the community, all thewhile bettering themselves from the

Delta-Beta Chapter successfullydefended its crown and repeated asGreek Week champions. The chapterhas won the championship three outof the last four years and hopes tocontinue its streak for many years tocome.

—Brian Murray, Sage—Bill Weissman, Herald

inside out. The chapter has taken anew focus toward learning more aboutits past at Monmouth while lookingtoward the future.

Many of their seniors are graduat-ing, but the chapter is taking in somegreat new guys. The chapter is havinga good time but is still stayingfocused and goal oriented.


CHAPTER NEWS

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

Tau and Xi colonies get ready to play softball on the ice of Lake Hendota.


school to buy the house from theFraternity with an agreement thatthey would keep it exclusively forSigma Pi brothers and that theywould renovate it inside and out. Thisis probably the most important eventto happen in the history of Theta-Zeta Chapter. Lynchburg Collegeagreed to put more than $25,000 intothe chapter house, some of themoney going toward a new roof, car-peted floors, fire and security sys-tems, a new kitchen, and new fur-nishings. The house will be returnedto the chapter during the firstsemester of next year. Brothers areextremely excited, for this will keeptheir brotherhood strong and main-tain a dominating fraternal reputa-tion on campus.

Though they will have to wait anx-iously for the return of their originalchapter house, brothers had plenty of


CHAPTER NEWS

events to look forward to lastsemester. Brothers hosted variouscommunity activities, including Sibsn’ Kids, a weekend festival duringwhich they entertained and got toknow the younger community ofLynchburg. Brothers also adopted ahighway and are taking care of a spe-cific section of Lynchburg’s scenicroadsides. In late April, the chapterhosted the Special Olympics on cam-pus and provided sporting events andgames for handicapped children.

On May 1, Theta-Zeta held theirannual Crabfest, an all-day and nightcelebration where brothers, alumni,and friends come to enjoy live music,beverages, and tables piled high withseafood.

In athletics, the chapter onceagain excelled in almost all intramu-rals, ranking first in Wiffle Ball, kick-ball, and basketball. Brother Whit

Tenent, an active player of Lynchburglacrosse, worked hard with team-mates to once again break into theODAC conference. And CraigWermuth, power forward for theLynchburg Hornets, was a member ofthe 2003–2004 basketball team thatmade ODAC history, being part of thefirst eighth-seed team ever to beatthe number one seed (fourth-rankedteam in Division Three) in the firstround of a conference tournament.

Many brothers received academicawards, including Peyton Burchell.Peyton is a Sommerville Scholar nomi-nee, which is Lynchburg College’shighest academic award, as well asbeing part of “Who’s Who AmongStudents in American Universities andColleges” for 2003–2004. And ChadLuibl was awarded the Charles H.Barrett Creative Writing Award forsubmissions in the college’s magazine,The Prism.

Before signing off, the brothers ofTheta-Zeta Chapter would like to givea shout out to the brothers of Delta-Beta Chapter at Monmouth. Theta-Zeta brothers had a great time inCancun and hope to see you againdown the road

—Chad Luibl, Herald

NORTHERN COLORADOZeta-Tau Chapter

Zeta-Tau Chapter had a greatspring semester. The chapter initiat-ed four new brothers who have thepotential to do great things. Brothersparticipated in the Taste of WeldCounty, which was one of their mostanticipated philanthropies, becauseall proceeds were donated to theC.A.R.E. Foundation.

Zeta-Tau would like to congratulatebrothers Jeff Cadiz, Ryan Dickson,and Kevin Kestenbaum on their grad-uation from the University ofNorthern Colorado. Your outstandingleadership throughout your time herewas an inspiration to all.

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

—Chris Lauck, Herald

OAKLANDZeta-Pi Chapter

Zeta-Pi Chapter had another greatfall semester, which included win-ning the Greek Olympics in a domi-nating fashion. The chapter also heldtheir annual pledge/active footballgame, which always seems to go wellwith the active team putting another‘W’ on the win list.

The Alpha-Nu pledge class was ini-tiated early this year, which turnedout to be an incredible initiation thatincluded many other Michigan chap-ters due to the province workshopheld the same day. Also in atten-dance at the workshop and initiationwere George Hakim, Ed Levesque,and John Williams of the GrandCouncil. The chapter cannot thankthem enough for taking time fromtheir busy schedules to make this ini-tiation one of the best the chapterhas seen.

The chapter’s 10th annual pig roastwill be held September 10 from 7p.m. to 1 a.m., and brothers welcomeanyone to come and enjoy the fun.The event will be held at the UpperFields on the campus of OaklandUniversity. For more information,please contact Sage Matthew Rice at(586) 419-0542.

—Darrell Anhel, Herald

OHIO NORTHERNZeta Chapter

Zeta Chapter had an eventful win-ter quarter. Dustin Lewis, who wasvoted homecoming king earlier thisyear, was elected as Ohio Northern’sstudent body vice president. Thechapter would also like to congratu-late their seven new brothers whowere recently initiated.

Philanthropically, the chapter hastaken on a new stretch of highway forAdopt-A-Highway and has formed ateam for the American CancerSociety’s Relay for Life. Brothers havealso been tutoring elementary stu-dents at a local school, and other fra-ternities have begun to follow theirlead.

—Nicholas Walters, Herald

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

Rafael Perez, Nick Winslow, Rich Jakubowski, Mike Balangitao, GabeVillalovos, Jerry Sanchez, and Nick Shipilov of Beta-Eta Chapter work theconcession stand at a San Jose Sharks hockey game.

DJ Nate Barbaccia was the popularperformer at Beta-Eta’s Sigma-Pi-Looza 2003, a nonalcohol party setup as a mixer between Greeks andnon-Greeks at San Jose State.


PENN STATETheta Chapter

Sigma Pi Fraternity is proud of theefforts of Theta Chapter on the cam-pus philanthropy THON™, as theycollected $42,418.69 for charity. TheExecutive Office received a pressrelease from the Penn State Office ofFraternity and Sorority Life notifyingus of their dedication to the Greekcharity.

We featured the work of ThetaChapter in an issue of last year’sEmerald, informing readers of theiraccomplishments in the nation’slargest student-run philanthropy.THON™ has been a significant eventon campus at Penn State since 1977,and has contributed more than $29million to The Four Diamonds Fundto help families in the battle againstcancer. This year, the students ofPenn State raised $3.5 million as 704volunteers took part in the 48-hourdanceathon. These students dedicatethemselves every year to the cause byspending the full time on their feet,with no sitting or sleeping, to createawareness and to fulfill obligations ofthe pledged money collected.

For more information on the eventand Theta Chapter’s involvement,call (814) 863-8056 or [email protected].

SAGINAW VALLEYTheta-Beta Chapter

Theta-Beta continues to be thedominant organization at SaginawValley State, as their numbers contin-ue to grow. Theta-Beta is now a chap-ter of 38 undergraduates, and their

SAN JOSE STATEBeta-Eta Chapter

Beta-Eta had a profitable semester.The chapter raised $1,300 working ina concession stand during the SanJose Sharks games. This would nothave been possible without the helpof Brother Gabe Villalovos and hisboss, Justin Renville, Zeta-Sigma,North Carolina Wesleyan.

The chapter raised the minimumGPA to 2.40 in preparation for thepossible change of GPA standards forSigma Pi. Beta-Eta had three mem-bers (Kevin Huntzinger, RogelEsguerra, and Marcel Thomas) in therunning for Order of Omega. Thechapter is working toward attainingand surpassing a 2.50 GPA.

Beta-Eta celebrated the 107thFounders’ Day at the Marriot indowntown San Jose. While there wasa great showing of alumni, what wasmore impressive was the variety ofalumni. There were men from theoriginal Beta-Eta Chapter that wasestablished in the 1950s, thenbecame dormant in the late 1970s.They were joined by men from theresurrected Beta-Eta Chapter—alumni from the mid 1990s to today.A treat for the chapter was keynotespeaker Gary Scott Thomas (�,Troy State ’84). Gary is a localcelebrity who is the morning DJ forthe country radio station KRTY. Hespoke on about his days in collegeand when he was with TracyLawrence (��, Southern Arkansas’89.) All actives, alumni, and pledgeshad a great time.

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

event gives students a night of greatlive music and a chance to see howGreeks live. Three years ago, thechapter came up with the idea to joinboth Greeks and non-Greeks in anonalcoholic environment. Each yearthis event has grown, and this yearthe event will be held on campus andwith the help of the AssociatedStudents organization. This eventdoubles as the chapter’s ACE Projectbecause it involves the whole cam-pus, includes faculty, and promotes agreat time without alcohol. Beta-Etawas awarded a grant for $1,000 andanother grant for $2,900 by San JoseState University for use in promotingand running the nonalcoholic event.

—Rafael Perez, Herald

SANTA CLARAZeta-Eta Chapter

The brothers of Zeta-Eta helpedout the community during springsemester. Three brothers are in theSanta Clara Reserve Fire Departmentand helped extinguish a seven-alarmfire at a local elementary school. Firecrews worked for more than 12 hours,and Matt Tuttle (’05), Alex Bruni(’04), and Chris Wilderotter (’06)were the three brothers who helpedout. In other news, Zeta-Eta has 20new members and had a great newmember education period.

—Matt Tuttle, Herald

SOUTHERN ARKANSASEpsilon-Kappa Chapter

The brothers of Epsilon-Kappa hada great fall semester. They had manysocial gatherings that had greatturnouts. They also had a blood drivewith the American Red Cross, whichcollected 45 units of blood. The chap-ter had a slow rush period with onlythree new brothers being added, butthey are anxious to prove themselves.

In the spring, Epsilon-Kappa heldanother blood drive and had a fund-raiser for a friend of the Fraternity.Brothers also had several social gath-erings and their annual river trip,where they got to know each othereven better.

If there are any questions or com-ments, please e-mail Kevin Strunk [email protected].

—Kevin Strunk, Herald

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS-EDWARDSVILLEDelta-Omega Chapter

The chapter had another success-ful rush with another great group of

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

The chapter’s Executive Councilelections were a huge success.Congratulations go out to new coun-cil members Jason Schnell (’05),Bryan Otto (’06), and WayneHofmann (’05).

In March Theta-Beta hosted PiGames IX, which continues to beSVSU’s premiere philanthropy eventeach year. Later in the month, theyheld their annual Orchid Ball inWindsor, Ontario.

Congratulations to graduatingbrothers Bill O’Neill (’04), RobPiroozshad (’04), Kal Palmer (’04),and Brian Merrill (’04).

—Matt Wingblad, Herald


CHAPTER NEWS

Trevor Devendorf ( �, WesternMichigan) and Nicholas Frees (�,Saginaw Valley) find an instantphoto opportunity to pose with astatue on a break from the 2004 Mid-Year Leadership Conference inSt. Louis.

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.


pledges. Brothers won the PHI-EstaBowl football tournament and theToilet Bowl football tournament forthe second year in a row. Most impor-tantly, Delta-Omega is in the finalstages of getting their first chapterhouse.

—Martin Sutherland, Herald

SOUTHWEST MISSOURISTATEAlpha-Rho Chapter

Things are looking great at Alpha-Rho. Thanks to a strong fall rush andquality initiates, membership hasrisen and brotherhood has remainedas strong as ever. The chapter’s socialcalendar is the best it’s been inrecent semesters with numerousexchanges and brotherhood events.Children’s Miracle Network receivedthe proceeds from the chapter’sthree-day philanthropy Search forAthena.

Alpha-Rho placed third inweightlifting and competed in thebowling final four.

Recently, alumus Aaron Dotson(’98) returned from Iraq and wasgreeted by fellow alumni and theactive chapter for a memorableweekend at SMS. An alumni golf tour-nament is being set up for the fall,and homecoming is scheduled for theweek of October 18-23. Thanks to thealumni for your continued support.

For more information, contact thechapter at (417) 865-1008 [email protected].

—Adam Rainey, Herald

SUNY-BUFFALOEpsilon-Omicron Chapter

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

Special congratulations to BrotherMichael Goldberg who graduated inthe spring. The chapter wishes youthe very best!

—Justin McDowell, Herald

TEXASGamma-Theta Chapter

Things are outstanding at theUniversity of Texas! Gamma-Thetahad a great spring rush and added agroup of phenomenal guys to its num-bers. Thanks to the chapter’s hard-working social chair, Steven Swogger,the calendar was packed and includ-ed Orchid Ball Formal, several dateparties, mixers, a spring break trip toFlorida, crawfish boil, and Round-Upweekend, which is a Greekwide eventat UT.

Clayton Stewart, with the help ofthe whole chapter, was elected to astudent government position and waspart of the largest victory in schoolhistory. Travis Devitt was selected tobe in the Texas Blazers, which is thetop service organization on campus.Brad Poronsky was selected for mem-bership in the Texas Cowboys, a pre-mier honorary organization on cam-pus, which is a huge honor for himand a great thing for the chapter.Brad also headed up the chapter’sACE Project, which featured an eventto raise awareness of drunken driv-ing. This project was put on with helpfrom the Austin Police Department,the Austin Fire Department, andmany other sponsors.

Some of the chapter’s goals are tostrengthen their ties with alumni,and increase alumni relations andactivities. If any alumni want to cometo the next event or get involved withthe chapter, please contact the chap-ter at (512) 708-1897) or [email protected].

—Dustin Williams, Herald

TEXAS TECHTheta-Kappa Chapter

To kick off spring semester, broth-ers worked really hard on rush. Thechapter was fortunate to have aSigma Pi alumnus, Brad Phillips,come down and give them some helpon how to get good, quality men forthe chapter. Rush this spring was notthat great for the Greek system dueto lack of rushees, yet Theta-Kappawas able to pledge five new members.

The chapter was very active in theAdopt-a-Highway service, which is acommunity service event that letsstudent organizations adopt a stretch

anticipated one of the Greek system’sbiggest events of the year on campus.Organized by IFC, Epsilon-Omicronparticipated in the FraternityCampus Crawl, an event in which allthe fraternities on campus gettogether for a day of planned eventsat their respective houses. Thoughthis event only began last year, it isnow becoming a great tradition thatall fraternities are excited about. Thebest part about it is all the differentfraternities coming together as oneto have a good time and celebrate theend of another school year.

Greek Week was a huge success, asall Greek organizations aim to makeit bigger and better than the yearbefore. A new event was added thisyear—the Greek chariot race, orga-nized by IFC.

In March, the chapter celebratedtheir 25th year anniversary formal inNiagara Falls. It was a great time,and undergraduate brothers had achance to meet and bond with somany alumni, including one of thechapter’s founding brothers. Thechapter would like to thank all thealumni who attended and for makingthis year’s formal a memorable one.

This semester, brothers also hadthe privilege to welcome four greatindividuals into their chapter, makingthem the Beta Gamma pledge class.

Epsilon-Omicron is looking forwardto fall semester. During a weekend inJuly, the chapter will be holding theirannual active chapter campout at theTorchlite campsite in Cairo, New York.All alumni are encouraged to come.

Finally, with the acquisition of anew chapter house, Epsilon-Omicronis looking forward to next semester’srush, as well as to making new memo-ries in a new home.


CHAPTER NEWS

of highway so they can take care of it.Brothers went out continuouslythroughout the year to pick up trashon their two-mile stretch of highway.

Greek Week was really fun and suc-cessful because the chapter partici-pated in all the events. Brothersstarted off by competing in a go-cartrace with carts that were hand madeby fraternities and sororities. Next,they competed in the appetizer con-test, attended a conference withmotivational speakers, and attendedthe annual banquet. The chapterended our Greek Week by raisingmoney for the annual Relay for Lifeand participated all day by joggingand all night by camping out for thisevent.

Brothers had fun socializing withother student organizations and play-ing games to keep them up for thewhole night. The event was success-ful by raising a lot of money for can-cer patients throughout the country.Brothers did a great job making thisyears Greek week very successful.

Our chapter also participated withsororities in their philanthropyevents by helping them raise moneyand also had a great time playingsports.

In April, the chapter had their firstever Orchid Ball which was very suc-cessful. The theme was Casino Night,and brothers and their dates had ablast.

The chapter has been doing well inintramurals by participating in allthe sports offered and being one ofthe most competitive teams in theirdivision.

The chapter’s current goal is tofind a house, and they have beenworking hard to accomplish that.

Overall, the semester was one ofgreat progress and brothers will con-tinue the journey of being the bestfraternity at Texas Tech University.

TOWSONEta-Nu Chapter

Eta-Nu Chapter continued to oper-ate efficiently and successfully thisspring semester. The chapter pledgedsix quality men, bringing Eta-Nu’stotal membership size to well above60. On March 13, the brotherhoodkicked off its massive and highly pub-licized two-day, two-event ACEProject. One hundred fifty-five volun-teers from 15 NIC, NPC, and NPHCGreek-letter organizations participat-ed in the Sigma Pi-sponsored GreekUnity Campus Cleanup. The universi-ty newspaper enthusiastically cov-

Beta-Omicron brothers at Cal. State-Long Beach’s enjoy fellowship with LBSUPresident Dr. Maxim during spirit night in December 2003.


ered the event in its pages, spotlight-ing both Sigma Pi Fraternity and theGreek community for its positive phi-lanthropic efforts.

On March 18, brothers held a carwash at a local gas station to raisemoney for the TU Alumni AffairsDepartment, which had been seekingfinancial assistance from studentorganizations for its 2004 homecom-ing fund.

The ACE Project was well receivedby students, faculty, and administra-tors. The overwhelming success ofthe program prompted the adminis-tration to nominate the ACE Projectfor its 2004 Student AffairsLeadership Awards OutstandingProgram.

In other news, the chapter’s Website is up and running. Eta-Nu alumniare encouraged to check it out andcontribute their ideas to WebmasterRussell Bestenheider (’04) atwww.etanu.org. You can contact SageDustin Seidman at (443) 326-2550.

—Christian Miele, Past Sage

UCLAUpsilon Chapter

The fall and winter quarters wereaction-packed for Upsilon Chapter.Brothers maintained a perfect bal-ance between philanthropy, socialactivities, and academics.

Philanthropy this year has beenexcellent. Brothers participated inChi Omega sorority’s annualHalloween pumpkin carving for blindchildren. The chapter also raisedmoney for various charities alongsideAlpha Phi and Chi Omega. The chap-ter’s own philanthropy included acasino night at the chapter house,

fall and a Band Fest this spring. Thisevent wouldn’t have been possiblewithout the support of the alumnibands that participated. Best of luckto graduating seniors Dan Andersen,Mike Collins, Nate Groff, MattJohnson, C.J. Jones, Sam LeCompte,Richard Thompson, and Matt Wilke.

Beta-Tau added 11 remarkable gen-tlemen to their brotherhood springsemester and is planning an evenmore aggressive recruitment programfor next year.

The chapter’s midsummer workcall is July 10. Several projects suchas the remodeling of our 803 chapterhouse basement and several otherrooms are planned.

Homecoming planning is alreadyunderway. The chapter hopes to sur-pass last year’s enormous alumniturnout. The dates of Valparaiso’shomecoming are October 8-10.

Contact Sage Matt Smith at (219)465-7215 or [email protected]

with any questions concerning oursummer or fall activities.

VIRGINIABeta-Pi Chapter

Beta-Pi Chapter continues to strivefor excellence at the University ofVirginia. Due to strong academic per-formance, Beta-Pi still maintains thesecond highest GPA within the Greeksystem. After winning the high pointstandings in intramural sports lastyear, Beta-Pi is now in the race forwinning back-to-back championships.

Spring rush was a huge success, asthe chapter welcomed 14 pledgesinto their brotherhood. The chapterlooks forward to seeing these youngmen progress.

Through the combined efforts ofChris Ferenc (’05) and Sam Ennis(’06), a new philanthropy event wasintroduced as a part of the chapter’sACE Project. Blood, Sweat, and

including craps tables, black jack,roulette, and a poker tournament toraise money for the American RedCross.

Socially, the last few quarters weremore than the chapter could haveever expected. With at least oneevent per week for the last two quar-ters, brothers were more than satis-fied with the amount and quality oftheir events.

Highlights from winter quarterinclude the chapter’s ’80s Prom, forwhich they hired an ’80s cover band.The annual Moonshiner Week was ahit as usual. Brothers enjoyed WaterWars each day followed by variousevents each night. The week wascapped off on Friday by theMoonshiner Party, which had a greatturnout.

Upsilon’s Founders’ Day celebra-tion was also quite successful, asmany alumni came to the chapterhouse and enjoyed a gourmet dinner.

Academics have been great thesequarters as well. The brothers ofUpsilon earned the second highestcumulative GPA on the row at UCLA.

Overall, brothers are proud of theirchapter in all aspects of Greek lifeand hope to improve on the successthey have had the past few quarters.For more information, [email protected].

—Chris Konzen, Herald

VALPARAISOBeta-Tau Chapter

This year was a glowing success forBeta-Tau. The chapter had two out-standing philanthropy events thisyear: their seventh annual TightyWhitey Volleyball Tournament in the


CHAPTER NEWS

Tau colony plays softball on the ice in early 2004.

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


Cheers involved a Sigma Pi blooddrive for the American Red Cross, aswell as Relay for Life, and a socialfunction sponsored by two otherorganizations. Comfort Zone, whichbrings together fraternities andsororities, was also a huge successthis semester. Members of theInterfraternity/Sorority councils, theBlack Fraternity Council, and theMulticultural Greek Council all cametogether to teach high school stu-dents about the college experience.

Beta-Pi Chapter is looking forwardto another successful year at UVA.For more information, please contactHerald Jeffrey Adams at [email protected].

—Jeffrey Adams, Herald

WAKE FORESTAlpha-Nu Chapter

Alpha-Nu began fall semester witha great fall rush, ending up with theschool’s largest pledge class. Thechapter looks forward to initiating 24new brothers. Over the school’sspring break, a group of brotherstraveled to Tutwiler, Mississippi, andvolunteered at Habitat For Humanity,building a dorm for future groups.

Alpha-Nu received a visit from thebrothers of Epsilon-Pi chapter atChristopher Newport, making for amemorable weekend. The wholebrotherhood enjoyed Alpha-Nu’s 44thannual Orchid Ball at Hilton Head,South Carolina, and their our three-on-three basketball tournament,which was a fund-raiser for thePiccolo cancer foundation.

—Zach Barker, Herald

WEST ALABAMATheta-Gamma Chapter

The 2004 spring semester was ablessed semester for the brothers ofTheta Gamma. The chapter contin-ued the year with a strong focus onbrotherhood, philanthropy, and over-all unity. Never before has there beena more involved and committedbrotherhood when it comes to gettingthe job done. The chapter began thesemester by initiating one brotherand picking up a handful of outstand-ing pledges.

Philanthropy within the communi-ty, as well as the university, increasedgreatly. Theta-Gamma sponsoredsuch events as their annual cannedfood drive, which collected morethan 500 kinds of canned food for theneedy during the holiday seasons.

To go along with helping the com-munity, brothers established their

The energy continued to grow duringthe chapter’s annual blood drive asthey exceeded their goal of 95 pintsby going over 100 pints.

In January, the chapter had theprivilege of having some of their neo-phytes be initiated at the provincemeeting that was held in Detroit atthe Masonic Temple. Zeta-Pi Chaptersponsored the initiation with mem-bers of the Grand Council andProvince Officials presiding.Everyone involved was awestruck atthe surroundings combined with ourRitual.

In January, the chapter pinnedeight gentlemen into their GammaAlpha pledge class. Starting out thewinter semester, brothers made anexcellent showing at Delta Gammasorority’s annual Anchor Days. ChrisDaum, one of the newly initiatedbrothers, took first in the talent com-petition after singing a rendition ofO.A.R. “Crazy Little Game of Poker.”

Orchid Ball was held March 27 atDouble JJ Ranch in Rothberry,Michigan. The chapter had an excel-lent showing with more than 75brothers in attendance. Thanks to allof the alumni who returned and par-ticipated in Orchid Ball. Additionalthanks to all of the alumni whohelped with the following: additionsto the family tree, alumni updates,presentations to the chapter onimportant issues, and taking time towork with the chapter to fulfill itsgoals and obligations.

The time between spring break andthe end of the academic year hasalways been the chapter’s time toshine; this year was no different.Gamma-Rho continued the traditionof Teeter Totter as their annual ser-

his initiation and he will be greatlymissed. Herald Dustin Rinehart alsograduated this semester. For moreinformation, e-mail [email protected].

—Dustin Rinehart, Herald

WESTERN MICHIGANGamma-Rho Chapter

Gamma-Rho enjoyed a successful,outstanding, and accomplishedspring term. Quickly recapping thefall semester, Gamma-Rho startedout by having an excellent fall rush,initiating 15 new members. Withtheir added enthusiasm, the chapterwent into homecoming being the onlyGreek organization to have a float inthe parade. Brothers included on thefloat were Ed Chope, a foundingfather, and David “Doogie” Lancaster.

first ever clothing drives and give-aways. These events are set uparound the university and exist pri-marily to benefit those in the sur-rounding community. The chapterwas especially astounded at the suc-cess of their annual Oozeball (mudvolleyball) tournament. Unlike previ-ous years, many businesses jumped atthe chance to donate anything possi-ble. The brothers of Theta-Gamma,along with the help of surroundingbusinesses, were able to easily collectmore than $500 for the American RedCross. A local radio station, 97 OKK,advertised the event.

Aside from this, brothers receivedawards and honors. Brother DannyHyche was elected StudentGovernment Association presidentfor the 2004–2005 school year. Threebrothers, Dustin Rinehart, DannyHyche, and Thomas Cooley, wereinvited to join Blue Key HonorFraternity. Brother Cooley was alsoinvited to be initiated into thenational honor fraternity OmicronDelta Kappa and received SGALegislature of the Year ’04

Brother Rinehart, Brother Hyche,and Brother David Laster all receivedfavorite votes in the ’04 Mr.University of West Alabama election.New brothers Kaylan McDuff andJamie Parker received honors at thisyear’s annual Higher Education Day,which is held at the capitol inMontgomery.

Aside from these events and hon-ors, each year Sigma Pi must saygoodbye to some of its brothers. Bestof luck to David Laster, who graduat-ed during spring term. David hasbeen a true leader for Sigma Pi since


CHAPTER NEWS

Tau colony members celebrate after defending their title at Delta GammaSorority’s Anchor Splash competition at Wisconsin-Madison.

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


With that in mind, the colony dedi-cated itself even more and had agreat spring rush with the addition ofnine members.

Tau colony would like to thank themembers of Xi colony who drove fromIowa City to spend Founders’ Dayweekend with them in Madison. TheFounders’ Day festivities wereenjoyed by all, and the colony looksforward to future events with themembers of Xi colony.

For the second year in a row, SigmaPi was victorious in Delta Gammasorority’s Anchor Splash. ThisGreekwide philanthropy pits teams offraternities and sororities in swim-ming relays, a synchronizedswim/dance competition, and the Mr.Anchor Splash competition. Thecolony was paired with the juniors ofDelta Gamma who were great team-mates and contributed greatly in theswimming relays. The team featuredtwo state champion swimmers inAaron Swaner and Joe Zinsli, who ledthe swimmers to victory in several ofthe relays. The colony’s dance team,comprised of a dozen brothers, wonthe dance competition with anexpertly performed routine. BrotherZach Griswold did a fantastic jobchoreographing the dance routineand coordinating the colony’s effortswith those of Delta Gamma. Thecolony’s Mr. Anchor Splash contes-tant, Timmy Voelker, gave an inspiredand entertaining effort in the individ-ual competition.

Tau colony continues to establishitself as a force at UW and in theGreek community. For further infor-mation, contact the colony at (608)257-0315 or e-mail Billy Warner [email protected].

—William Warner, Herald

YORKEta-Theta Chapter

Spring semester went well for Eta-Theta Chapter. Eight new membersjoined the chapter. Brothers heldtheir spring ball at the end of April.

dures within the chapter’s inner work-ings. Plans are in the works concern-ing the renovation of the upper floorof the Gamma-Xi house, as well asredoing the kitchen and bathrooms.

The recent province conferenceheld in Davis Hall on Tech’s campuswas a big success, with wonderfulspeeches and great fellowship.Gamma-Xi implemented a revolution-ary plan of dual pledge classes withthe hope of picking the chapter outof its recent shortcomings. The chap-ter is expected to double its numbersby next semester.

Gamma-Xi’s annual Orchid Ballmet with much support from brothersand alumni. The chapter thanks theiralumni for all the great help. Thechapter was also represented duringGreek Week events and made itsformidable presence known through-out the competitions.

The chapter assisted the StudentActivities Board with a Mardi Grasgathering. Some other cold-relatedgatherings were orchestrated in lightof the strange spring season.

Sigma Pi still remains the mostrespected of the fraternity’s on theWVU Institute of Technology cam-pus. If anyone is interested in con-tacting Gamma-Xi Chapter, pleasedirect correspondence to Ernest “D.”Chafin, [email protected].

—Ernest Chafin, Herald

WISCONSINTau Colony

The brothers of Tau colony cameinto spring semester motivated tokeep improving their standing at UW.The colony had a somewhat success-ful rush last fall, but failed to reachtheir goal of doubling their numbers.


CHAPTER NEWS

vice event. The chapter completedStandards of Excellence presenta-tions and look forward to an outcomesimilar to last year, when they wonoverall best chapter. The chaptercredits its alumni for not only start-ing the programs and traditionsneeded to be competitive, but also fortheir ongoing support and leadership.

The chapter congratulates the fol-lowing brothers for becoming alumni.Gamma-Rho looks forward to theircontinued assistance and leadershipto the chapter: Hermon Barbe, JoeBudzynski, Phil Guster, RandyHoerauf, Jimmy Jolly, MathewMagretta, Adam McClausland, ScottOrtel, Josh Schmidt, and ShaunZimuda.

Seth Sugars was recognized as thetop paper engineering student atWestern Michigan. Phil Randall andBrian Leonard were elected to theIFC executive board. Sean Zimudawon the Michigan AccountancyScholarship. Hermon Barbe and hisband SpitShine continue to gainrecognition in the Kalamazoo area.Special thanks to David “Doogie”Lancaster and Tom Moore for theircontinued guidance and assistancewith the chapter. And special con-gratulations to one of Gamma-Rho’sfounding fathers, Tom Moore, forbeing selected as chairman of theSigma Pi Educational Foundation.

WEST VIRGINIA TECHGamma-Xi Chapter

Gamma-Xi experienced a produc-tive spring. The chapter wrote plansand brainstormed for renovations tothe chapter house, including therecent installation of a long-awaitedheating and cooling unit. The chapteris also implementing some new proce-

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

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

Editor’s note:

Every active chapter should havetheir chapter e-mail account set upthrough the sigmapi.org Web site,and can be contacted by thatmeans if other contacts fail. Thechapter account, which is checkedby the sage, is the chapter’s name(without spaces or hyphens) atsigmapi.org. For example, PennState (Theta, a single-letter chap-ter) is [email protected];Saginaw Valley (Theta-BetaChapter, use no hyphen) is [email protected]. Our Web site ismore useful than ever and constant-ly under revision to give more use-ful items to our members. Thanksto Webmaster Bryce Carder and theExecutive Office staff, our Web sitehas doubled in size during the lastyear, and almost every form is nowavailable online.



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

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

Beloit (Alpha-Theta)David Ginn ’39 1991

California (Iota)Ian M. Sharpe ’81 2/22/04James D. Mallon ’25

Central Michigan (Delta-Alpha)

Kevin Gentry ’86 3/04

Cornell (Mu)Dale Grinnell ’60

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 10/20/01Richard C. Boyer ’37 Edward M. Sandridge ’63

3/18/04David L. Carson ’54 Henry “Hank” Braunlich Jr. ’77

Illinois (Phi)Kurt Koentopp ’70 1/00

Iowa (Xi)William Berghuis ’24 1988Marko 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

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

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

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

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

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

Utah (Pi)William Frailey ’49 2/11/04Herbert Ungricht ’37 3/07/04Collins B. Cannon ’42

Western Illinois (Epsilon-Zeta)

Alan Dempsay ’87 1/04

William and Mary (Alpha-Eta)

G. Lorimer Walker ’39 8/16/03Walter N. Worrell ’49

Robert K. Goehle(��, California State-Fullerton ’83)

Robert K. Goehle, 43, died onMarch 10, 2004, as a result ofinjuries sustained from an autoaccident. He is survived by hiswife of 18 years, Linda(Galloway) Goehle; three sons,Kyle, Matthew, and Sean; hisparents, Alan and Geraldine(Haun) Goehle; brothers Jeff,Nelson, and John; a sister,Diane; and several nieces andnephews.

He graduated from CaliforniaState University-Fullerton andwas the vice president of realestate for TJX Companies, Inc.in Framingham. Previously, hewas the vice president of realestate at Staples. Bob enjoyedfly-fishing, woodworking, read-ing, and vacationing with hisfamily at their cabin in NewHampshire.

Ian MacDonald Sharpe(�, California ’82)Ian MacDonald Sharpe, 44, taxdirector and tax counsel at GEEquity in Stamford, died onFebruary 22 after a long illness.Ian was the husband of LisaSharpe and the father ofJennifer, 10, and Robert, 8.

Born in Sacramento,California, his career in taxaccounting started when he wasadmitted to the State Bar ofCalifornia in 1986 after earning aJ.D. degree at the University ofthe Pacific’s McGeorge School of

Law in 1985. He went on to earnan M.B.A. in finance from theUniversity of California at Davisin 1987. Sharpe was a GoldenBears fan, having become soduring his undergraduate yearsat the University of California atBerkeley, where he received anA.B. degree in environmentalgeography in 1982.

Ian is survived by a brother,Marc Hammond, many relativesin the San Francisco Bay area, alarge extended family, and manyfriends.

ADYTUM ON HIGH

Second Sigma Pi brother killed in Iraq combat

Sigma Pi Fraternity regrets to inform our membershipthat 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 andHeadquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 16th InfantryDivision, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Johnenlisted in the Army in 1989 and served in the Persian GulfWar before returning home, joining Sigma Pi, and becominga distinguished military graduate of the SIUE ROTC pro-gram. John was an excellent soldier and decorated withnumerous honors.

Tipton had been stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, sinceAugust 2000 and was deployed to Iraq in September, TheAssociated Press reported.

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

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


John Merino (�, Cal StateUniversity, Long Beach ’66)reports that all Beta-Omicronalumni are invited to the 50thanniversary, which will be heldSaturday, February 26, 2005. SAVETHE DATE, and contact him [email protected] for moreinformation.

Bob Hauer (��, San DiegoState ’69) was promoted to GS-13and reported to Grand Forks AirForce Base as an EducationServices and Training Officer inFebruary 2004. Prior to that, Bobwas Education Services Officer forthe U.S. Army Military Communityin Schweinfurt, Germany, from1999 to 2004. Bob spent 18 of his28 years in Europe. Highlights

targets), and dodge the occasionalmortar or rocket attack we receiveat our FOB (forward operatingbase). We’re all doing well and noone from my unit has been hurtyet. Two months down, and 10 togo. Thanks again, and everyonetake care!

Gilbert Riley (�, UC SanDiego ’89) began a businessdesigned to help consumersbecome empowered and take con-trol of customer service situations.ResolveYourConflict.com is theWeb site he developed to sell“Resolve Your Conflict Guidelines,”an 80-page how-to manual. TheRYC guidelines give an overview ofthe customer service industry,basic negotiating skills, and tips toavoid conflict in the future.

Gilbert is very proud of his siteand manual, and wanted to sharethem with some of the people whohoned his leadership skills in col-lege—his Sigma Pi brethren.Gilbert is still single and childlessand having a great time living inSanta Monica, California.

Ralph S. De Simone (��,Rowan ’98), public relations man-ager of The Leukemia &Lymphoma Society, GreaterDelaware Valley Division, reportsthat alumnus Bill Farnan (�,Drexel ’84), 12-year survivor ofnon-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, recent-ly received The Leukemia &Lymphoma Society (GreaterDelaware Valley Division)Volunteer of the Year award.


ALUMNINEWS

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

“I believe . . .”—from the Sigma Pi Creed

Editor’s note: In the April 2004 Bulletin, our regular newsletter toour chapters and alumni volunteers, we asked if anyone had con-tact from members who are serving in the armed forces overseas.Alumnus Denny Stewart sent us a response and a letter from oneof our brothers.

“When I received this note, it brought tears to my eyes. EricNelson, as a pledge, was a member of our little man tug rope teamtwo years ago. He was instrumental in an incredible tug that lastedseveral minutes—to the point of exhaustion for many men. Needlessto 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 corner-stone of my motivational speech to the chapter prior to the begin-ning of Greek Week this year. Beta-Gamma kicked butt in the littleman and big man tugs, as well as most of the other Greek Weekevents. The best part was that Eric returned from Iraq just in time tocheer his brothers from the sidelines. He will be back in school nextyear. People who wonder why we do this just wouldn’t understand.”

The letter that Brother Eric Nelson sent from Al-Nasiriya, Iraq, onFebruary 21, 2004, written on cloud-design stationery, gave trueinspiration to his chapter and all of his brothers. Two words were allthat were needed to bring home another championship and ourbrother back to his chapter from the front. The letter to Stewart sim-ply said, “I believe.…”

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

from the most recent Europeanstint include a Papal Audience atthe Vatican; deployments toBosnia and Kosovo; and being onthe crew of officials for threeDepartment of Defense Europe-American high school footballchampionship games as well asseveral playoff games in theGerman-American FootballLeague. Bob’s wife, Bobbie, daugh-ter, Barbara, and Golden Retriever,Mack, are with him.

Marvin “Lee” Eldridge ( ,Murray State, ’87) reported thisinformation to us after he foundhimself listed on our Web site as“missing:”

“I have spent last 20 yearsbuilding a successful career in

broadcast journalism and haveworked in many parts of thecountry. I presently run a CBSnews operation outside ofRaleigh, North Carolina.”

Check the Web site today andprovide us with contact informa-tion for anyone who is listed asmissing. Missing brothers do notreceive The Emerald. Help thesebrothers receive all of the newsfrom Sigma Pi Fraternity!

A quick announcement fromTom Keuten (��, CentralMichigan ’93). Nicholas CharlesKeuten was born April 27, 2004, at1:57 p.m. (Please note: Mom andDad were at the hospital since12:57 a.m.) Nicholas was a solid 9pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 3/4inches long. Mom, Dad, big sisterMaddy and baby are all doing well.

Matthew Paul Swaneck wasborn April 25, 2004, at 10:07 a.m.He weighed 5 pounds 10 ouncesand was 19 inches long. Matthewwas born at Bon SecoursHospital—four weeks early—toKenneth Swaneck (��, CentralMichigan ’92) and wife Roanne.Both Matthew and Roanne aredoing fine.

In March, alumnus MorganWeatherly (��, Arkansas State’02) sent greetings from Iraq. “Ijust wanted to say thank you to allof you for keeping me and othersin your prayers and for supportingus. We’re keeping busy and findloads of unexploded ordinance allthe time, detain HVT (high-value


ALUMNINEWS


Brother Farnan began hisinvolvement with The Leukemia &Lymphoma Society 10 years ago asa member of the chapter’s boardof trustees and served as its presi-dent from 2001 to 2003. Currently,he is involved with the society’sdivision board overseeing theactivities of the Southern NewJersey/Shore Region, EasternPennsylvania, and DelawareChapters.

Along with serving as a trustee,Bill has enjoyed participating innumerous fund-raising activities.As a participant of the society’sTeam in Training program, he hascompleted several marathons(26.2 miles) and century bikerides (100 miles). Bill serves onthe Don Tollefson Golf for LivesCelebrity Tournament Committeeand chairs his own tournament,the Gourmet Golf Classic, featur-ing food from area restaurantsevery Columbus Day. Overall, Billhas raised $100,000 for researchand patient service programs.

In addition to his family, Billalways credits his brothers for

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

Brian Kochman (��, SetonHall ’97) and wife, Danielle,proudly announce the birth oftheir 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 withthe New York State Racing andWagering Boad, Bureau of GamingRegulation. Brian can be reachedat [email protected].

helping him during treatment andwhen he participates in varioussociety activities. A large portion ofthe money Bill has raised camefrom Sigma Pi brothers. Bill is agreat example of making communi-ty service a lifelong experience andbeating the odds against cancer.

Bill can be contacted anytimeduring the day at (610) 521-8274ext. 231 or [email protected].

Christian Heausler (��, LSU’95) is living and working inHouston, Texas. Trained as achemical engineer at LSU,Christian attended Loyola LawSchool (New Orleans) and gradu-ated in 2001. He is a USPTO regis-tered patent attorney who special-izes in patents, trademarks, copy-rights, and intellectual propertywith the Buskop Law Group.Christian and his wife, Sandra,recently celebrated the birth oftwins.

Michael Hachey (��, Toronto’96) and all Eta-Omicron brothersin Toronto congratulate alumnusJoe Vivieros (��, Toronto ’93)and wife Jill for the birth of their

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

Sigma Pi Fraternity is happy to announce that the site of the former International Headquarters in Frichton, Indiana, (a suburb of Vincennes) hasbeen 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 hasbeen 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 toensure a successful future for all members.


The work of alumni Rob Ecklin (�, Penn State’83), Rob Marchalonis (�, Penn State ’83), and HarryZechman (�, Penn State ’86) of Stoner Inc. was hon-ored by President George W. Bush and CommerceSecretary Donald Evans with the 2003 MalcolmBaldrige National Quality Award in Washington, D.C.The Baldrige Award is the nation’s premier award forperformance excellence and quality achievement.

Stoner Inc. is a small manufacturer and direct mar-keter of specialty cleaners, lubricants, coatings, andcar care products. The company is one of only 13small businesses to have received the Baldrige Awardsince the award’s inception by Congress in 1987.Stoner Inc. is the smallest company to have everreceived this honor and is the only small businessfrom Pennsylvania to achieve the award.

Alumnus Rob Ecklin is president of Stoner Inc. andthe grandson of company founder Paul Stoner. Robhas a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Penn Stateand joined Stoner in 1983 after graduation. Prior toPaul’s death in 1986, Rob purchased the companyfrom his grandfather.

Rob has held roles in sales and managed the dailyoperations of the company through the 1980s. As pres-ident, Rob provides visionary guidance to the compa-ny’s senior leaders and is also active with other busi-ness and real estate investments outside of Stoner.

Alumnus Rob Marchalonis is Stoner’s general man-

ager. Rob received his bachelor’s degree in electricalengineering from Penn State and joined Stoner in1985 after employment with General Electric. DuringRob’s 18 years with Stoner, he has held roles in sales,sales management, and marketing management.Rob’s current responsibilities are equally dividedbetween serving the company’s 48 team members andleading the company’s marketing efforts.

Alumnus Harry Zechman is Stoner’s technologymanager. Harry received his bachelor’s degree inchemical engineering from Penn State and his mas-ter’s degree in agricultural engineering from MichiganState. Harry joined Stoner in 1996 after employmentwith M&M/Mars and Kraft Foods.

Prior to joining Stoner, Harry held positions in engi-neering, manufacturing, and research and develop-ment. Today, Harry’s responsibilities are dividedbetween serving Stoner’s technology team membersand leading Stoner’s technology and operationsefforts.

The efforts of these three brothers deserve therespect and admiration of all members of our organi-zation. Their work is to be commended, as is the valuethey place on their lifelong bond to one another asbrothers. The men of Stoner Inc. are living proof thatthe benefit of working hard with your brothers canyield success long after college.


ALUMNINEWS

Sigma Pi Alumni Honored by President Bush

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

By And rew Smi th (��, Troy S ta te ’00)

Chris “Shifty” Schiffert (�,East Stroudsburg ’92) is aliveand doing well. He teaches atEaston High School in Easton,Pennsylvania. Chris is married andhas a child on the way. “For allthose brothers associated with theFraternity between 1986 or so to1993 or so, I hope you are all well.Drop me an e-mail if you care to [email protected].”

William “Bill” Eckman (��,JMU, ’79) received his master’sdegree in accounting from JamesMadison University in 1997 and iscurrently employed as the con-troller for The National LegalResearch Group in Charlottesville,Virginia. Bill and his wife, Edie,live with their children, Meg andCharlie, in Waynesboro, Virginia.

Jeff Burnside (��, LouisianaState ’96) earned his master’sdegree in computer fraud investi-gations from George WashingtonUniversity in December ’03. Jeff isa special agent with the UnitedStates Secret Service where he iscurrently assigned to theWashington Field Office. Jeff andhis wife, Jennifer, live in theWashington, D.C., area with theirson, Jackson.

Patrick J. McHugh, DO, CPT,MC, USA, (�, Drexel ’90) is anemergency medicine physicianstationed at Brooke Army MedicalCenter in San Antonio, Texas.Patrick was married this pastSeptember to Keri Jo A. Vinson,DO, CAPT, USAF, MC. “Keri and Imet in medical school atPhiladelphia College ofOsteopathic Medicine,” saidPatrick. “We now live in SanAntonio and invite brothers pass-ing through town to contact us. Wewould enjoy the opportunity toshare our experiences as militaryphysicians with anyone consider-ing a career in military or civilianmedicine. Our home is also opento anyone passing through SanAntonio and needs a place to stay.Call us anytime. And, of course,any Beta Theta chapter brothersare always welcome to contact usat [email protected].”

Jeremiah Anders, MD, (� ,Illinois Wesleyan ’98) is a second-year internal medicine/pediatrics

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resident in Peoria, Illinois.Jeremiah is the proud dad of 15-month-old Alexa Lynn. Jeremiahand his wife, Stephanie, live inMorton, Illinois, with their daugh-ter and his basset hound, Gus.

Lt. Col Rob Labriola, (� ,Millersville ’84) of MillenniumPharmaceuticals of Cambridge,Massachusetts, was activated forduty with the U.S. Marine Corps.Rob is serving with the 24thMarine Expeditionary Unit,presently based at Camp Lejeune,North Carolina, and preparing fordeployment.

��, Cal. State-Sacramentoalumnus Dan Castanho reportsthat Rob and Annie Anderson areexpecting their second child. Rob,Annie, and their son and futureSigma Pi, Dylan, are excited aboutthe future addition to their family.

��, Cal. State-Sacramentoalumnus Eric Pettersen and AmyNorton became engaged in NewYork City on Valentine’s Day. Ericis a juvenile probation officer forSacramento County.

��, Cal. State-Sacramentoalumnus Rick Brunke (Omicronclass) graduated August 22, 2003,from The California State Fish andGame Academy. Rick, betterknown as “Slick Rick the Ruler” iscurrently working in Half MoonBay as a marine warden.

Brandon Lue-Sang (��, Cal.State-Sacramento ’95) and wifeGail proudly announce the birth oftheir son, Richard Dylan, onFebruary 22, 2004. Richard madehis debut at 8 pounds and was 21inches long.

Will Cox (��, Cal. State-Sacramento ’95) married StacyCorrea on October 12, 2003, at theSterling Hotel in Sacramento,California. Will states that he didnot live up to his Delta name(Puke Bucket) at the reception.Thank God.

Dave Gulledge Breaks PowerLifting Record

Alumnus Dave Gulledge (��,Drury ’03) is the first personunder age 25 to successfully com-plete a 700-pound bench press.Check out the following Web siteto learn more about Dave’s goals

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

Kentucky ThoroughbredAlumni Club

Gamma-Upsilon Chapter atMurray State University will haveits annual summer reunion July 16and 17. Some of the activities willinclude the annual alumni vs.actives softball game on Saturday;there will also be opportunities forgolfing, boating, and swimming.There will be an alumni meetingSaturday afternoon that willinclude new officer elections.Please contact President MarkSullivan or Tex Shellhart ( ,Murray State ’93) at [email protected] for moreinformation.

The chapter established a Webpage for its alumni at www.sigmapialumni.net. You will need apassword and an ID. Please con-tact Tex Shellhart at [email protected] for yourlogin information. The chapteralso has a new online version of itsnewsletters. The chapter is tryingto contact as many of our “miss-ing” alumni as possible. If youhaven’t heard from us in the pastthree months, please contact us [email protected] ormail your new information to TexShellhart, 2238 Valley Grove Drive,Murfreesboro, TN 37128.

Eta-Eta Alumni AssociationThe Eta-Eta Alumni Association

began its third year of existencewith the election of officers at itsbiennial meeting in late March.Though the alumni association isrelatively young, the group is con-tinuing to develop short-term andlong-term strategic goals. Some ofthese goals are independent of theundergraduate chapter, while oth-ers are closely aligned with thecontinually evolving objectives ofEta-Eta Chapter. For more infor-mation, contact Brian Beerman [email protected].

Rotunda Alumni ClubThe Rotunda Alumni Club had

its birth at homecoming at theUniversity of Virginia on October26, 2003, during a brunch at the

Beta-Pi chapter house. The 39founding alumni filed a formalpetition to charter the alumniclub, which has been approved bythe Grand Council. Membership isopen to alumni of Beta-Pi Chapter,as well as alumni residing inAlbemarle County, Virginia.

The newly formed club kickedoff preparations for its 2004–2005activities. The group is in the pro-cess of forming two committees—the Help the BrotherhoodCommittee and the CamaraderieCommittee. The first committee’smajor objective is to find meaning-ful and achievable ways to helpand support the brothers in Beta-Pi. The latter committee’s objec-tive is to grow the fellowship andreestablish past friendshipsbetween Beta-Pi alumni. The clubwill be contacting existing RACmembers and asking them to par-ticipate in these committees.

Secondly, the alumni club istaking steps to ensure that home-coming 2004 will be an outstand-ing social event and a productiveopportunity for planning futureRAC activities for both the currentbrothers and visiting alumni. Anewsletter describing the variousactivities was mailed to all alumniduring May and June. This willtruly be a great time to see greatfriends and to relive old memories,so please mark your calendars! Thedates are September 17–19, 2004!

RAC’s officers are currently hav-ing monthly teleconference calls

and held a two-day planningretreat earlier this summer.Should any alumni like to chatabout our activities (or hopefullyjoin them!), please feel free tocontact Tom Johnson at (912) 598-1135 or tjohn83969 @palm.com!

The River-City AlumniAssociation

The River-City AlumniAssociation of Sacramento State isanticipating a fun and excitingyear. More than 80 members of theSigma Pi family attended theeighth annual alumni/active bar-beque and softball game. Thealumni were victorious after ahard-fought 9-7 game. AlumniSteven Dean and LawrenceHelmsley showed true brother-hood as they traveling all the wayfrom Los Angeles to make theevent. We are still hosting ourBoy’s Night Out events, a nightwhere we leave the wives at homeand enjoy the fellowship of broth-ers. In June we held our annual“Vices of Virtue” Reno trip, and inSeptember, we will be hosting ourfourth annual RCAA golf tourna-ment at Wildhawk Golf Course inSacramento.

Our very own Lt. FernandoGarcia (U.S. Army) will be makinghis way home soon from months offighting in Iraq. We continue ourprayers for all our troops to safelyreturn home.

To contact the RCAA, e-mail usat [email protected].

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


The works of Sigma Pi alumni from Alpha-Mu Chapter at the NewJersey Institute of Technology have recently been featured in themedia. The NJIT media exposure began last August when the

communications staff at International Headquarters noticed a pictureof Earth in an ad for Hassalblad camera company in GQ magazine,taken by alumnus Walter Schirra (��, NJIT, ’44) during his journeyon Sigma 7, the Mercury 8 mission to space. Though most peoplewould have overlooked the ad, Sigma Pi Director of CommunicationsAndrew Smith, who is a former professional photographer, identifiedthe photo while skimming the magazine.

“Seeing the photo almost brought me out of my seat with excite-ment,” Smith said. “It’s such a great photo that I remembered itimmediately from my studies as a photojournalist at Troy State. Iknew immediately that I was once again seeing the earth through theeyes of another Sigma Pi. It’s always cool to find that connection withbrothers 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 NASAastronauts, but also as our first “Pi in the sky.” Schirra did somethingthat 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 atNJIT, Schirra became a Naval Academy graduate in 1945 on his wayto the top of aeronautics. During his outstanding military and NASAcareer, he was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal; threeDistinguished Flying Crosses; two Air Medals; two NASADistinguished Service Medals; two NASA Exceptional Service Medals;Navy Astronaut Wings; the Collier Trophy; the Kitty Hawk Award; theGreat American Award; the Golden Key Award; and the HaleyAstronautic Award. Schirra is also a member of the Aerospace Hall ofFame.


ALUMNINEWS

The work of another Sigma Pi alumnus has alsobeen featured in the media. Jesse Farbman (��,NJIT, ’88), the original drummer of the ’80s bandDramarama, was featured on VH-1’s series “BandsReunited.” Through the diligence of alumni PeteBurke, Greg Farbanish, and James McGoldrick, thecommunications staff at International Headquarters wasencouraged to view the program and catch a glimpse ofthe life of one of our musical brothers.

Farbman and his band mates became famous with theiroriginal release of the 1985 album “Cinema Verite,” featur-ing the single “Anything, Anything (I’ll give you).” When thesong received regular airplay on WROQ, the New Jersey bandgained a strong Southern California following. Farbman also laiddown the drum licks and percussion of the second album, “Box Office

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

NJIT Alumni T



ALUMNINEWS

Bomb,” in 1987 and the thirdalbum, “Stuck in Wonder-

amaland,” in 1989 beforeleaving the band.

AMG (All Music Guide) atwww.allmusic.com will give

new listeners of the band goodbiographical information;

www.vh1.com has several mp.3tracks from the band, including

their recent rendition of“Anything, Anything (I’ll give you)”

from the “Bands Reunited” broad-cast that aired in late January and early February.

Moving from rock music to rock grinding, SigmaPi alumnus Tom Myrick (��, NJIT, ’83) hasreceived a great deal of attention for his workwith the two NASA Mars Rover projects (Spiritand Opportunity), which are currently on thesurface of the red planet. Myrick’s work with theRock 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 work-

ing with Honeybee Robotics for the past few years to perfect a toolthat will grind the exterior of targeted rocks and allow scientists tolook beneath the surface for the first time in history. This is by farthe most advanced project on Mars in space exploration history, andMyrick’s design and operation of the RAT will make it all possible.

The RAT is an amazing piece of engineering. The compact tool isabout the size of a 12-ounce beverage container and weighs about apound and a half. The RAT is a tough tool for it’s size, capable of cre-ating up to 20 45-millimeter, perfectly flat circular grinds (at a typi-cal depth of five millimeters) before its cutting tool is gone. The pre-cision instrument steps down into the rock in two-millimeter incre-ments until the desired depth is reached. The RAT is a key elementof the two rovers in helping scientists plan for our next steps in spaceexploration. Anyone interested in learning more about the projectcan check out the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Web link at http://ori-gin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/home/.

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

Alpha-Mu alumni have made us proud, and Sigma Pi Fraternitythanks everyone who helped inform us of their media exposure. Ifyou or a brother you know are featured in the media, please contactDirector of Communications Andrew Smith at (800) 332-1897 [email protected]. Pictures are always needed for features in themagazine, and they can be mailed to P.O. Box 1897, Brentwood, TN37024.

TOP: Honeybee Robotics engineer Tom Myrick. LOWER LEFT: RAT, up close.LOWER RIGHT: Mars rover model. RAT is in the front of the picture.

TakeOver the Media


From the Director of Alumni ServicesI have been asked many questions since I took this

position in January. The most intriguing question hasbeen, “What, exactly, can an alumnus do?” I did notknow how to answer that at first. There are so manyways an alumnus can help out. An alumnus can startan alumni club, join an alumni club, join an alumniadvisory board, join a housing corporation, or simplyhelp out an area chapter. All of these things are need-ed within Sigma Pi.

I also view my role as helping the undergrads inlocating alumni to help them in various areas. Ibelieve alumni play an important role in recruitment,education, philanthropy, fund raising, and careercounseling. Undergraduates love to hear stories aboutthe history of their chapter—the various events thatalumni enjoyed as undergrads and suggestions on howto 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 youknow 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 informa-tion. This can be done easily at www.sigmapi.org by selecting their undergraduate chapter andclicking on their name under the lost alumni list. They can also e-mail their new information to ourExecutive Office at [email protected] or e-mail me at [email protected]. We would loveto see all of our alumni consistently receive mail from the Executive Office, their chapters, or localalumni 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 andsupport that alumni brothers provide.

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

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


ALUMNINEWS

EMERALD: This is your third articlein The Emerald. Your editorial “AConsultant Without a Toothbrush”in the spring 2003 issue was one ofour most popular features in yearsand placed second in the CollegeFraternity Editor’s Associationcompetition for Editorials in2003–04. Our alumni have seenthe humor in your writing andmay wonder about your education-al background. What did you studyas an undergrad?

WYDRA: After jumping around inmany different areas, I settled onradio broadcasting, where I wrotepublic relations, news, and sportsarticles on a weekly basis. I havebeen writing since I was reallyyoung—mostly short stories.

EMERALD: Your promotion toDirector of Alumni Affairs makessense due to your volunteerinvolvement with your chapter.What roles have you played as aSigma Pi alumni volunteer?

WYDRA: After reaching alumnistatus, I was elected president ofthe Delta-Zeta HousingManagement Corporation inNovember 2000. I have served inthat role ever since. Last year, JonFrost (Director of ChapterServices) and I formed an alumniadvisory board to assist our chap-ter, and I am the rush advisor onthat board. But most importantly,I am simply a person who the sageor any member can call and askfor help.

Ten questions w

ALUMNI SERVICES

Director of Alumni Services Paul Wydra pre-sents the Rutherford Scholarship to Delta-Zetaundergraduate member Garret Urgerer.


EMERALD: What advice would yougive an alumnus who has been outof the loop for a while? What isthe easiest way to get reconnectedand continue to enjoy the benefitsof brotherhood?

WYDRA: The easiest way is to callyour chapter house and see what'sgoing on. If your chapter has beenclosed, find a chapter in your areaand stop by to chat. You can locatean area alumni club atwww.sigmapi.org.

EMERALD: The Sigma PiEducational Foundation is doingmore than ever to help make ourmembership a lifelong experience.How are you helping theFoundation with its efforts?

WYDRA: I am the paid staff go-toguy for alumni who want to join aclub, start a club, or simply recon-nect with lost brothers. I also plannational alumni events around thecountry, so look for one near you!

EMERALD: As one of the key mem-bers of the Executive Office staffand a major contributor to therelocation effort, you have bentyour knee to move the Fraternityforward. What benefits will alumnireceive from this move, and whatcontact have you had with alumniin your new Nashville location?

WYDRA: The benefits are numer-ous. We are surrounded by tech-nology. I love Shadowwood andrealize it is a crucial part of ourhistory. Running a major businessfrom Shadowwood was almostimpossible due to travel andresources. Since moving ourInternational Headquarters, wehave hosted two successful alumnievents and have met a good num-ber of area alumni who are willingto help Sigma Pi move forward.

pledge class. It is a positive thingthat various brothers from variousschools and backgrounds worktogether. Different views can leadto new ideas.

EMERALD: If a man does not havetime to volunteer right now, butwishes to make a monetary contri-bution to Sigma Pi, how can he dothat?

WYDRA: Making a contribution iseasy. There is a donor card in everyissue of The Emerald, which canbe filled out and mailed in. You canalso make an online donation atwww.sigmapi.org. Brothers canmembers of the Brotherhood of theGolden Cross by donating at least$1,000 annually.

EMERALD: How can an inspiredalumnus get more information? Isthere a direct number where hecan call you?

WYDRA: I can be reached at theExecutive Office at (800) 332-1897ext. 223 or [email protected] can also go to www.sigmapi.org and drop me a line.

EMERALD: Many men live far awayfrom their chapter and have a


ALUMNINEWS

EMERALD: Many alumni want tohelp out, but don't think they havethe time to be a volunteer. Howmuch time does it take to be achapter director or provincearchon, and what do these posi-tions entail?

WYDRA: Time is an issue. But aswe told pledges as undergrads,Sigma Pi and the Fraternity expe-rience is what you make it. I tellalumni brothers who want to helpto be someone the undergrads cancontact and talk with. I suggestthat chapter directors attend atleast every other meeting and thatthe province archons try to stopby their chapters monthly. A goodchapter director and a goodprovince archon make a chapterstrong. That’s the bottom line.

EMERALD: What about alumni wholive far from their campus? Can analumnus from one chapter work asan advisor for a chapter of whichhe is not a member?

WYDRA: Certainly. We are allSigma Pi, regardless where wewent to school. We are connectedbecause of what we were taught inthe “I Believe” manual and in our

hard time getting involved in theiralumni clubs. How have regionalalumni clubs helped Sigma Piincrease the value of the alumniexperience?

WYDRA: We’ve hosted alumnievents in Nashville and LosAngeles, and have future eventsplanned in Detroit, Chicago,Philadelphia, St. Louis, andWashington, D.C. By using the Webpage and an e-mail group, you canreconnect no matter where youlive. We have initiated more than81,000 people, so chances arethere’s a brother close to you. Ifthere’s a chapter near you, callthe chapter or contact theExecutive Office to be placed onthe chapter’s area alumni list soyou can be kept in the loop. Wewant you to be an involved alum-nus, so let us know how we canhelp.

Please remember to keep yourinformation current by logging onto www.sigmapi.org and updatingyour address and phone numberwhen they change. Please help usfind lost alumni as well, so we canall share in the lifelong experi-ence of Sigma Pi Fraternity.

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

s with Director of Alumni Services Paul Wydra


Agathering of nearly 40 Sigma Pi alumni from Southern Californiamet at the Upsilon Chapter house at UCLA on April 17 to interact,

share stories, and learn about the new, progressive programs theFraternity and the Educational Foundation are offering undergradu-ates.

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

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

Executive Director Mark Briscoe (��, Arkansas State ’82) brieflydiscussed the Fraternity’s financial and membership situations, indi-cating that Sigma Pi has seen solid growth and stability during the lasteight years.

“Sigma Pi is at a very healthy point right now in relation to the col-lective 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 JohnKitch (�, Purdue ’73). Kitch outlined the educational and leadershipprograms the Fraternity, as well as the Foundation, has developed andhas offered to undergraduates and alumni volunteers. Some of the keyprograms Kitch highlighted were Sigma Pi University, a three-daychapter and campus leadership training event held every other sum-mer, and the Fraternity’s Midyear Leadership Conference, a weekendtraining program in February for chapter sages, third counselors,chapter directors, and province archons.

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

2 SUMMER 2004/FOUNDATION NEWS

FOUNDATIONNEWS

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

By Adam Shores (��, Troy S ta te ’98)


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

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

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

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

As the first regional alumni organization of its kind, SouthernCalifornia Province Archon Justin Beck (��, Santa Clara ’95) willhead the group. In the coming weeks and months, Beck will beworking to coordinate alumni activities in the region.

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

SUMMER 2004/FOUNDATION NEWS 3

FOUNDATIONNEWS


Sigma Pi FraternityPost Office Box 1897Brentwood, TN 37024

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDMidland, MI

Permit No. 482

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Your dollars make a difference in the lives of the thousands of brothers who are making Sigma Pi a Symbol of Progress on campuses all over North America!

Why I joined the Brotherhood of the Golden Cross

FOUNDATION

INSIDE

SIGMA PI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONA Quarterly News Update

After I graduated from Penn State Universityin 1957 and left Theta Chapter of Sigma Pi, I real-ized that the friendships I made in theBrotherhood would be lifelong ones.

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

While we have always been major supportersof Theta Chapter we realized that a strong localchapter would be only as good as the strength ofthe International Fraternity. We had made somesmall contributions to the Fraternity and whenPast Grand Sage Frank Fryburg (�, Penn State’49) called us to discuss the EducationalFoundation we were ready to make a more sub-stantial contribution. Ray, Jr. and I have committedto a ten year payout of our donation and we firmlybelieve that this contribution, along wth the manyothers, will aid Sigma Pi Fraternity in rising to thetop of the nationwide fraternity system.

Hopefully all alumni will contribute not just totheir local chapter but also to Sigma Pi Inter-nationally. It is a most worthwhile contribution.

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


emerald_summer_2004

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