emerald_winter_2004

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

S I G M A P I H E L P S O T H E R S W O R L D W I D E .

Inthe service of God and ManInthe service of God and Man

Sigma Pi Winter 04 2/3/04 6:54 AM

2 WINTER 2004/EMERALD OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY

Member, College FraternityEditors Association

Member, NationalInterfraternity Conference

PUBLISHED SINCE 1911VOLUME 90, NUMBER 1 WINTER 2004

F E AT U R E SIn the Service of God and Man 4

Brian Newton wins poker tourney 24

D E PA R T M E N T SChapter News 10

Alumni News 22

Adytum on High 26

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 WRITERS

Mark Reed (�, Georgia ’69)Mike Liskey (, UCLA ’90)Oliver Culley (��, Virginia ’95)Christian J. Miele (��, Towson ’04)

Sigma Pi Fraternity was founded at VincennesUniversity, Vincennes, Indiana, on February 26,1897. Sigma Pi has chartered more than 200 chap-ters in North America and has initiated more than82,000 members since 1897. The Founding Fathersof the Fraternity are:

Rolin Rosco James (1879–1953)William Raper Kennedy (1877–1944)James Thompson Kingsbury (1877–1950)George Martin Patterson (1877–1960)

The EMERALD OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY (ISSN 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:Spring December 10Summer March 10Fall June 10Winter September 10

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

Correction: This is the Winter 2004 edition (Vol. 90,Number 1.) The 2003 Winter edition (Vol. 89, Number1–Chivalry cover) was erroneously listed as “Winter 2004.”

Sigma Pi alumni and

undergraduates:It’s time to prepare for

success in 2005!

Sigma Pi alumni and

undergraduates:It’s time to prepare for

success in 2005!

Get ready to join us for the Mid-yearLeadership Conference

February 4–5, 2005Call (800)332-1897 for more information

on this event.

You’re Invited!All alumni, especially those in the St. Louisarea, are officially invited to attend the SigmaPi International alumni event on Friday,February 4, 2005, at the Airport Hilton, homeof the 2005 Mid-year Leadership Conference.

For more information, contact Director ofAlumni Services Paul Wydra [email protected] or (800)332-1897.

Enjoy the benefits of lifelong membership!Join us in St. Louis!


FROM THE GRAND SAGE

WINTER 2004/EMERALD OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY 3

Gilmer’s Law of Leadership states “Look over yourshoulder now and then to be certain that someone is fol-lowing you.” I don’t know who Gilmer is, but this is prettygood advice and I intend to follow it. However, it occurs tome that the only way to be certain that the brotherhood iswilling to stand behind me as Grand Sage, behind theGrand Council, behind the Educational Foundation, andbehind our headquarters staff, is to let you, the brothers ofSigma Pi, know what I see our Fraternity doing for thenext year and a half. To do that I first need to explore withyou who we are and why we do what we do.

The first step in this exploration, I think, is to identifywhy Sigma Pi Fraternity exists. What is its purpose? Whatis its reason for being? Why do we take such pride in a 19thcentury organization formed by four college men at a smallschool in the heartland of the Midwest? Are there validreasons justifying our continued existence? Well, of courseI believe there are, or I wouldn’t have remained involvedwith Sigma Pi after my college graduation, I would neverhave run for the Grand Council, and I wouldn’t have askedfor the job of Grand Sage at the Biennial Convocation inChicago. Okay, so then what is that purpose? What arethose reasons for being?

Obviously, since we are a social fraternity a significantelement of our focus is on social matters. Our chapters andalumni groups “gather round the fireside bright” becausewe like each other’s company and because we have com-mon bonds that draw us together in a spirit of brother-hood. The Fraternity gives us a social identity, and whenwe wear our Greek letters on our chests we are telling theworld that we’re a part of something good, something spe-cial, and something fun.

However, I submit to you that our Fraternity’s mostimportant purpose is not just social. I believe it is nothingless than to foster the highest and best personal develop-ment of each and every one of its members, undergraduateand alumnus alike, so that all of us will be positive assetsto our society. Look at the first line of our century-oldmotto: “Progress, man’s distinctive mark alone. . . .” Ourcreed establishes a highly personal goal for each brother“to advance truth and justice, promote scholarship,encourage chivalry, diffuse culture and develop character,”and we “strive to make real the Fraternity’s ideals” in ourindividual lives “in the service of God and man.” OurFraternity’s slogan, “A New Generation of Leaders,”demonstrates our dedication to the goal of helping ourundergraduate brothers become strong and valued mem-bers of society through education and example. Therefore,to be true to our mission we must direct our efforts tothese purposes.

I am pleased to report that incooperation with and supportedby the Sigma Pi EducationalFoundation we are doing exactlythat. For example, the GrandCouncil and headquarters staffhas initiated the ACE Project,which stands for AltruisticCampus Experience. This pro-gram, which sets Sigma Pi apartfrom any other Greek organiza-tion in North America, is a philanthropic partnership withour host colleges and universities to carry out a serviceproject directly benefiting the host institution. The pur-pose is to give something back to our respective almamaters and to develop a strong relationship with ourschools. The ideas for ACE projects vary widely, and we arestriving this year for participation in an ACE Project byevery chapter and colony in the world of Sigma Pi. Pleasego on our website, sigmapi.org, and click on “ACE Project”for more information.

Another important program is our Mid-year LeadershipConference, which will be held in St. Louis February 4–5,2005, at the Hilton Hotel Airport Property. At this educa-tional conference sages and third counselors will learnprinciples of leadership and financial management, andalumni volunteers will gain valuable information to helpthem better serve the brotherhood. Won’t you block thisout on your calendar now and plan to attend? TheEducational Foundation and the Grand Council will hostan alumni reception that weekend, and we would like tosee you.

These are just two of our programs; there are manymore. Browse the website and you can see that Sigma Pi iscommitted to its mission of progress, personal develop-ment, and service. I hope that you will join with us in thismission, and that when we look over our shoulders to see ifwe have any followers, you’ll be there.

Fraternally,

John D. KitchGrand Sage



Brother Mark “Beatle” Bailey (��, Central Michigan ’79)rides for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, July 2003.

Brothers at Millersville University (Zeta-Gamma) sponser a campus-wideclean up as part of their ACE Project.

Long after our undergraduate years, the lessons we learned and

the habits we created during our collegiate and our Fraternal experi-

ences still shape and define us as men. For many of us, the words of

our Creed have been burned deep into our hearts, and we are

conscious to follow it in our daily lives.

Of all of the ideals in the Creed of Sigma Pi Fraternity, the one that

may be the most important is the last mission of our membership: To

develop character in the service of God and Man. The effects of service

from our membership can be felt by countless people, as good will and

charity brings out the best in everyone. The Fraternity’s current

emphasis on service projects, including our devotion to assisting local

church groups, the Red Cross, and our own campuses with the

Altruistic Campus Experience (ACE Project), has increased as under-

graduates are building a strong service ethic that will last a lifetime.

We now take a moment to acknowledge the work of a few of our

members and encourage readers to support these individuals in their

efforts to serve others internationally. We hope the following personal

accounts will inspire alumni to become more involved in their commu-

nities and encourage undergraduates to keep up the good work in their

chapters. Together, we will help make this world a better place as we

do what we can to help others as we strive to make real the

Fraternity’s ideals in our daily lives.

In the

service of Godand Man


S ince pledging Sigma Pi as a freshman at the University ofGeorgia and first memorizing The Creed of Sigma Pi, I have

tried to put into action the various components of the Creed. Inmy view, the most important words in the Creed are “. . . in theservice of God and man.” After 39 years of carrying these wordswith me, I may have finally put them to full use.

From May 12–17, 2004, I went on a mission trip to Haiti,sponsored by my church, Fellowship Bible Church, in Roswell,Georgia. I accompanied Crawford Hitt, a missionary from mychurch affiliated with New Directions International (NDI).Crawford is an old Haiti hand, having been to Haiti many times.He took good care of me and exposed me to many of the almostoverwhelming needs in Haiti.

This past year I felt led to explore the possibility of takingteams of men to Haiti on mission trips, and I felt it was imperativethat I see Haiti firsthand in order to give credibility to my efforts.I have now been to Haiti, and it was an eye-opening experience.While the United States Department of State still has a traveladvisory on Haiti for American citizens, I must say that I felt abso-lutely safe during my time there. In fact, I was told by numerousmissionaries, pastors, local officials, and rank-and-file Haitianpeople that it’s safe to travel in Haiti. It’s a dangerous world inwhich we live, and traveling in any country outside the UnitedStates can have certain dangers associated with it. The recent

past has shown that it can be dangerous within our borders aswell. In Haiti, using common sense and the same caution youwould use crossing a mall parking lot after hours serves you well.

That being said, I had a wonderful trip. Haiti is a feast for theeyes and all the other senses. It is a beautiful country in many


In the Service of God and Man

Brother Mark Reed pictured left (right,)spent time in Haiti helping others in 2004with a group from Fellowship Bible Churchat Roswell, Georgia.

Mission to Haiti

Reed helps a young child.

By Mark Reed (�, Georg ia ’69)




ways, although it has the dubious honor of being the westernhemisphere’s poorest nation, and for good reason. There aretremendous needs in Haiti, from the most basic, such as foodand health care, to the simple things we in America and the restof the developed world take for granted—things such as runningwater, electricity, and air conditioning. We are spoiled and donot even realize it. I don’t say that to give us a hard time; it’s justthat we are blessed in so many ways. I know there are people inAmerica who are in great need also, but count your lucky starsand thank God that you live in America.

I had the honor to meet and spend time with some ofAmerica’s finest young people while in Haiti. No, I’m not refer-ring to Sigma Pi brothers. I’m talking about U.S. Marines. Liftthem up in your prayers. Whenever you have the opportunity, letthem know how much you appreciate them. The men andwomen serving our country appreciate being appreciated morethan you know.

During my trip, Crawford and I had the honor of being invit-ed to the National Presidential Palace (Haiti’s White House) fora morning of prayer for Haiti, led by prominent Christian pastors

and religious leaders from all across Haiti. Although the presi-dent and prime minister were not present, many governmentofficials and administrators were. Surprisingly, as the only“blanc” (white) people present, we were escorted to VIP seats inthe front row with an interpreter behind us to translate the pro-ceedings, which were in French-Creole.

Haitian school children are glad to see the Americans and wave hello.

Haiti is a beautiful country, but has the dubious honor of being thepoorest nation in the Western hemisphere.




There is a contingent of U.S. Marines living on the palacegrounds to provide security to the new government. Their hel-mets and weapons are stacked within easy reach in a row besidetheir billet area. We talked to some of them as we passedthrough security at the palace grounds, and one young Marine,being a Tennessee boy, got a big Georgia boy hello from me!

From the time I arrived in Port Au Prince to the time I left, Iwas on the move and received an introduction to Haiti that youdon’t get from a travel guidebook or a Club Med vacation. Whatan interesting country! What lovely people! Haitians may seemsomewhat reticent at first. While they may not be the first totalk to you or wave at you, once you say bon jour and wave, theybreak into great smiles, call to you, and wave with abandon. Forthe most part, Hatians seem to love Americans and appreciateus being in their country, probably because they know there canbe no other reason for us to be there than to help them in someway. Haiti is not a big tourist destination!

All of the missionaries and the various missions to which Iwas introduced while in Haiti are doing unbelievably good thingsin unbelievably harsh conditions. They need so much. It mayseem, because of the great need, that anything we do is just adrop in the bucket. How easy it would be to think that no singleperson could possibly make a difference. Let me tell you, that isnot the case. I have seen the difference one person can make inturning a life around. Haiti, and for that matter, any placearound the world that needs help, can be helped by one person,one situation at a time.

That one boy or girl who is given a helping hand to escapeabject poverty and need, who is given hope for a better life, and,even more importantly, is introduced to God, may be the futureleader of his or her home, church, community, or country. Ibelieve we are called to give people this chance. As Jesus said inthe Bible, “What you do for the least of these, you do for me.”

There is so much more I could share about this trip, butthere is no way to say it all and fit the parameters of this article.Experiences from my trip are still whirling in my head. AlthoughI journaled during my time in Haiti, the gaps in that narrativeare considerable. I have a feeling I will be adding a lot to myjournal as time goes by and as more and more comes to mind.

Going on this mission trip has been one of the most impor-tant things I’ve ever done. I don’t know what God has in store forme with regard to my future involvement in Haiti or any othermission field in the world, but I do know this: I wholeheartedlyrecommend that you go on a mission trip or participate in somefashion. It just might change your life or the life of a person withwhom you come in contact. As a friend of mine said, “It’s justyour everyday, ordinary, life-changing experience!’

I’ll be going back to Haiti at some point. Come with me.There just might be something exciting in store for you. We canmake a difference in the world. Maybe just one child, one man,or one woman at a time, but that’s OK, as long as it’s “in the ser-vice of God and man.”

The country is ravaged by annual hurricanes and poverty, yet Haitican be quite scenic.

American influence is helping the young residents, and they arethankful.



Dear Brothers,During my Sigma Pi days in Upsilon

Chapter at UCLA, I received an excellent edu-cation that went beyond textbooks and lec-tures. I experienced and learned many painfullife lessons that are required to grow andmature. The Creed of Sigma Pi also taught mea great moral code of conduct and chivalrythat encourages our Brotherhood to live ourlives “. . . in the service of God and man.” Thesehallowed words and my Christian faith havebeen my rallying points, and have directed mypath to where I am today.

In August 2003, I had the opportunity to goon a mission trip to Benin, Africa, to teachbasketball and Christian principles to mem-bers of the Benin National Team and otherplayers who were being developed in theirsports/basketball academy. Coach John Block,a former NBA All-Star, organized the trip andincluded a small group of Christian coachesfrom across the country.

Benin was an adventure that has foreverchanged my life. The experience challengedmy views on education, politics, economics,religion, and everything in between. My heartand soul were irreversibly touched by com-plete and unconditional love from impover-ished strangers. This trip to Benin mayarguably be the most influential event in mylife so far.

Benin is located inWestern Africa, borderingthe North Atlantic Ocean,between Nigeria and Togo.Colonized by the French,Benin won its independenceonly 40 years ago. After aseries of military coups, thecountry went red with aMarxist Leninist ideology inthe early 1970s. After beingthe People’s Republic ofBenin for about 15 years, theNational Conference votedto abolish the Marxist ideology and movetoward a democratic and multiparty system.Benin is now in its first decade of democracy.

This colorful political past creates aunique environment. Economically, Benin isin the beginning stages of capitalism, but amajority of the country still lives in povertyand has not recovered from its colonizationfrom France. Most of the Benin infrastructureand culture, including education and lan-guage, is still French. However, the communistinfluence from China shows politically in avery slow, bureaucratic, and corrupt govern-ment. The architecture from the past 40 yearsis also greatly influenced by the financial con-tributions of the Chinese, including the BeninNational Sports Complex. Regarding religion,the country is a blend of Christians, Muslims,and voodoo worshippers. Voodoo actually origi-nated in the Benin slave port of Ouidah, which

was the primary slave port inWest Africa.

Luckily, President MathieuKerekou of Benin is a fellowChristian who is very support-ive of our efforts and goals. Hehelped arrange our safe travelwhile in the country and cre-ated opportunities to shareGod’s word and God’s lovewith the Benin nationals.President Kerekou also metwith our team and talkedabout his process of “reconcil-

iation” with the surrounding African coun-tries. Benin is taking its blame for participat-ing in and benefiting from the African slavetrade and having one of the largest slave portsin Africa. The president’s efforts at reconcilia-tion and forgiveness are truly humbling andspeak of God’s words.

Our time in Benin consisted of numerousbasketball camps in both the southern andnorthern parts of the country. Our daily sched-ule included camp for beginners from 8–11a.m., camp for more advanced and developedplayers from 1–4 p.m., and practice for theNational Team from 6–9 p.m. The temperaturewas always at least 90 degrees and was oftenin the 100-degree range. The humidity oftenfluctuated between 80 and 90 percent. Whenwe were lucky, we held our camps in theNational Sports Complex in the southern partof the country. Unfortunately, the complex hadno air conditioning and few windows to allowa breeze. When the sports complex wasnítavailable or when we were in the northernpart of the country, our team of coaches heldcamps outside in the African sun. Despite ourgrueling work schedule, the coaches devel-oped many friendships with the players andcamp participants. The coaches also had theopportunity to play in an exhibition game withthe Beninese National Basketball Team, andwe actually won with a burst of scoring in thefourth quarter. The final score was U.S.Coaches 67, Beninese National Team 47. Isomehow scored 10 points, but my main jobwas to be the scrappy and defensive stopper.

Coach Mike Liskey Shares Faith and Basketball i


Basketball is a way to bring missions to Benin.

Mike Liskey (R) with a friend.

By Mike L i skey (, UCLA ’90)



Dear Sigma Pi International,

My years as a Sigma Pi at the University of Virginia were the best part of my colle-giate experience. Some of my best friendships were forged during those years.Currently, I am volunteering for 27 months in the United States Peace Corps in thetown of Isperih, Bulgaria. During my time here, I am working on a multitude of pro-jects primarily geared toward helping the local community organize sustainable devel-opment projects that can enhance their lives long after my service ends.

The town of Isperih has 10,000 residents. It is an extremely poor town, with anunemployment rate around 40 percent, having suffered mightily during the transitionfrom a centrally planned to a market-based economy, exacerbated by the overall emi-gration of the population to larger cities in Bulgaria and overseas. As a result, the peo-ple in Isperih are much more focused on trying to find work than they are on beingable to create positive, long-lasting organizations for their children.

Like elsewhere in Europe, Bulgarians are soccer crazy. We have a budding soccerleague in Isperih that is trying to get its feet off the ground. There are approximately250 children between the ages of eight and 19 who have signed up for the league,including 32 children from the local orphanage. These children will form the basis forapproximately 17 teams, including two women’s teams. We are planning for the inaugu-ral season to run from April through August of 2005.

Through the formation of this league, we are hoping to capitalize on the broadinterest in Isperih to play soccer, encourage competition, and hone the playing skills ofthe participants. In addition, we want to encourage greater cooperation and teamworkbetween the three ethnic groups that exist here: Bulgarian (30 percent of the popula-tion), Turkish (60 percent of the population), and Romas (who are commonly knownas “Gypsies,” 10 percent of the population). Thus far, we have received strong supportfor this idea from all three groups.

Unfortunately, in a community living under trying conditions, it is extremely diffi-cult to obtain all of the necessary equipment to properly start a soccer league. Thereare many families that have difficulty paying their monthly electricity bills, let alonepurchasing shin guards or soccer shoes for their children. This situation presents anexcellent opportunity for you to make a real impact on some very needy children.

If you would like to make a contribution to help purchase/construct the followingitems that are essential to start such a league in Isperih, please let me know. Our

needs include soccer goals, soccer nets, soccer balls, a chalkingmachine, chalk, and jerseys.

Please accept my heartfelt thanks, as well as theappreciation of the people of Isperih.

Yours in Brotherhood,

Oliver A. Culley, CPAUnited States Peace Corps

Volunteer—Isperih, [email protected]

Our Benin team experienced many victo-ries on the court and with the people. We alsostruggled and transformed from within as ourvision united and the fruit of our soul harvestmaterialized. Our team was also blessed by anamazing trip to the northern part of the coun-try, where we experienced true faithfulnessby Christian villages who love God and theirneighbors unconditionally.

My first mission trip was a blend of fearand anticipation of what lies ahead. I learnedobedience and faithfulness to God, especiallywhen the weather and long coaching daystook their toll. I rested with comfort that theBiblical missionary Paul shared the word ofGod with fear, trembling, and without elo-quent words. I allowed my heart and actionsto speak for me. But during my most difficulttimes, I always came back to Sigma Pi. In theevening of my memory, I heard the echoes“. . . in the service of God and man.” I heard athundering of a great moral code from broth-ers past, calling out “. . . in the service of Godand man.” And I know in my heart that mypursuit of these ideals and traditions hashelped me “strive to make real theFraternity’s ideals in my own daily life.”

The trip to Benin, Africa, has foreverchanged my life and made me a better coach,man, husband, brother of Sigma Pi, andfaithful follower of God. I hope to continue towork with the Beninese National Team andthe people of Benin to solidify positivechange and growth in faith.

I want to thank all of the Sigma Pi broth-ers who supported our Benin Team financial-ly and in prayers for our safety and success.

l in Benin Brother builds a community through soccer


Brother Liskey reaches out to the children ofBenin through basketball camps.

By O l l i ve r Cu l l ey (��, Virg in ia ’95)



CHAPTER NEWS

ARIZONA STATEBeta-Kappa Chapter

Things are looking great for Beta-Kappa Chapter. After winningChapter of the Year in spring ’04,brothers put much effort into winningit again this year. The chapter initiat-ed 12 men in spring ’04, and they arealready starting to take chair posi-tions in the house and improve thechapter even more. Since the start offall ’04, Beta-Kappa has had 65 menwho are interested in becomingSigma Pi brothers, so the chapter isplanning to have a successful rush.

Brothers have been working hardon an upcoming philanthropy event,which will include a blood drive and acanned food drive for the victims ofhurricane Charlie.

Congratulations to former SageFerron Dunham who was elected tobe a student body president for ASU.The chapter’s new sage, MichaelO’Hair, is doing a great job so far. Bestof luck to brothers Scott Blair andJared Lauer who graduated in spring’04 and are starting a successful lifeafter college.

—Ryan Swanson, Herald

CALIFORNIAIota Chapter

Brothers made major improvementsto the house over the summer, whichhelped the chapter come back fromsummer break with a lot of momen-tum. The brothers who lived in thehouse over the summer spent much oftheir time making the common areamore comfortable. Brotherhood

fun and school spirit.” Sigma PiFraternity was greatly appreciated bythe Office of Student Life.

—Samuel Moreno, [email protected]

CAL. STATE-LONG BEACHBeta-Omicron Chapter

Beach City’s alumni reminds every-one to contact John Merino at [email protected] to get details forBeta-Omicron’s 50th anniversary cele-bration, which will be held Saturday,February 26, 2005, at the Westin Hotelin Long Beach.

CAL. STATE-SACRAMENTOEta-Alpha Chapter

Eta-Alpha has begun to move for-ward in community service and cam-pus involvement. Chapter numbersare growing, and brothers look for-ward to having a successful rush thissemester. Teams have already begunpracticing for intramurals, and mem-bers expect to do very well in all areasof Sigma Pi.

—Stefan Sanborn, [email protected]

CARLETON Eta-Rho Chapter

Rush week is booming, thanks tothe actives’ large participation inCarleton’s Orientation Week. Specialthanks to rush chairs Eric Hazeltonand Kyle Comber for their fantasticefforts.

Eta-Rho’s annual golf tournamentwas the most successful one yet, rais-ing $1,450 for the Reece J. ScofieldBursary Fund. Tournament organizersPreetham Natarajan, Ian

Shepard, and Shawn Willick arethanked for nearly doubling last year’sturnout.

CAL. STATE-DOMINGUEZ HILLSEta-Iota Chapter

Welcome Week was held on campusSeptember 13–17. Like always, SigmaPi was among the most active organi-zations on campus. Most of the Eta-Iota actives volunteered to set upcanopies early in the morning and toset up for a live performance by alocal rock band. Later that day,Brother Angel Garcia volunteered as acook in the traditional free barbequefor students in the Sculpture Garden,were all major events are held. OnSeptember 14, Brother Alex Gutierrezvolunteered in the dunk tank, wherehe was dunked plenty of times.Brother Alex said, “It’s all part ofrecruitment. When someone seesyou’re Greek, they immediately think

remained strong over the summer asmembers, who were scattered allaround the state, came together for aroad trip to Southern California.

The chapter was very busy duringthe first weeks of the semester.Brothers worked hard to put togethera successful rush week that broughtquality new members to the house.Members enjoyed a weekend brother-hood trip to Las Vegas in the middleof September. The chapter had anexcellent semester with the manysocial, brotherhood, and philanthropyevents.

—Matt Campos, [email protected]

CAL. STATE-CHICOTheta-Mu Chapter

Theta-Mu Chapter started off theyear strong. Brothers completed asuccessful fall rush, ending up with 19pledges, almost doubling their chap-ter size. Sigma Pi has the largestpledge class out of any of the Chicofraternities.

Theta-Mu is hoping to becomeback-to-back champions in volleyballand should be contenders for thechampionship in football thissemester.

Brothers are still promoting leader-ship by holding positions as presidentand head of recruitment for IFC, andby having members in Order ofOmega. With a young executive board,the chapter has high hopes for thecoming year.

—Andrew Williamson, [email protected]

Brothers of Epsilon-Zeta on the first night of rush week

“and I will strive to make real the Fraternity’s idealsin my own daily life.” —from The Sigma Pi Creed

Help is here! Beta-Kappa brothers help freshmen move in at Arizona State.


by someone new. New paint, new car-pet, new furniture, as well as a refin-ished basement, and front and backporches. The new house was chris-tened with some excellent socialevents. Parties, road trips, and camp-ing brought back alumni as well asstudents living off campus for thesummer.

Detroit’s new executive council is:Sage Jeff McCarthy, SecondCounselor Jon Pearn, ThirdCounselor John Adams, FourthCounselor Bill McVae, First CounselorDave Pantaleo, and Herald JeffGuina. They came together despitedifficult summer schedules to planfor fall rush. We are excited to startthe school year.

Finally, the active brothers atGamma Alpha would like to honor ourmost recent alumni: Jim Bishop, JoeStangle, Kyle Anderson, PatrickMcCarthy, Robert Paxton, SaifulIslam, and Yung-chi Chia. Thank youfor all your hard work in the past andgood luck on the future.

The chapter is looking to start anew beginning in the fall term. Ifyou’d like to know more, check outthe new website www.udmsigmapi.com.

—Jeffrey Guina, [email protected]

DRURYEpsilon-Rho Chapter

Epsilon-Rho proudly welcomed 18new pledges. Thanks go out to rushchairs Ryan Corely and AndrewAtteberry, who spent an incredibleamount of time on rush over the sum-mer. Brothers worked hard lastsemester to complete their mission of

Finally, chapter members wouldlike to send their prayers to Brotherand Past Herald P.J. Spigner, who isserving in Iraq. Everyone wishes P.J. afast and above all safe return home.

—Mike Frankel, [email protected]

COLORADOZeta-Delta Chapter

There are many things for Zeta-Delta Chapter to look forward to dur-ing the coming year. Members com-pleted an amazing rush, led by rushchairs Tom Wartman and Brad Long,where 35 quality guys were recruited.Within this pledge class, Zeta-Deltaobtained the most cross bids and wasonce again among the leaders interms of a quality rush. There aremany expectations for this new classof pledges, especially when it comesto winning pledge foot-brawl. Lastyear, the chapter’s team came in sec-ond, and brothers look forward towinning it all this year.

The fall semester also included anACE Project, homecoming, and semi-formal. Congratulations are in orderfor the entire chapter as Zeta-Deltawon Greek Week, making it three outof four years in the top position. Greatjob, guys!

—David Greengard, [email protected]

DETRIOT-MERCYGamma-Apha Chapter

The brothers of Gamma-AlphaChapter were busy all summer withrenovations and new plans for thefall. The house was entirely trans-formed with every room being filled

enjoy football Saturdays and tailgat-ing. The chapter initiated six brothersinto the Fraternity and had one of thelargest fall pledge classes on campus.

The chapter’s brotherhood hasgrown even stronger with large groupsof brothers traveling all the way toTexas A&M and Miami to follow theClemson football team. Anotherbrotherhood event that everyonelooked forward to was formal at LakeLanier in Georgia. Formal is always ahighlight of the semester, and thisyear was no different. The chapteralso participated in several philan-thropy events, including Kappa KappaGamma sorority’s dodge ball tourna-ment and cleaning the chapter’s“Neat Street” in Clemson. Finally, spe-cial congratulations are due to PastSage Adam Hammond, who was elect-ed undergraduate student body presi-dent. Everyone in Eta-Psi Chapterworked hard to campaign for Adam,and brothers are extremely proud ofhis accomplishment.

—Daniel Toeppner, [email protected]

COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEYTheta-Delta Chapter

The brothers of Theta-Delta areexcited to embark on anothersemester at TCNJ. It was quite aneventful summer, as the chapterbrought home a plethora of awardsfrom convocation, including theGrand Sage’s Cup. The fact that somany founding brothers were inChicago to accept the award made itthat much sweeter.

Thanks to the help of brothers dur-ing the chapter’s annual BrotherhoodWeek in June, some major renovationswere made to the chapter house.These renovations included guttingthe kitchen and installing new cabi-nets and sinks, thoroughly cleaningthe yard, and installing a washer anddryer.

It was a busy and fun-filled fallsemester as the chapter worked oncommunity service projects such ashelping at an autism home and volun-teering in the Trenton Adopt-a-SchoolProgram, not to mention planning forthe chapter’s much anticipated PiSale Bachelor Auction, with all pro-ceeds going to the American RedCross.

From a social aspect, brothersteamed up with Zeta Tau Alpha sorori-ty members to defend their title asGreek champions during the school’shomecoming week. Homecoming wasa great chance for the undergraduatesto catch up with its alumni brethrenat Theta-Delta’s giant tailgate.

Don’t forget, Eta-Rho is hostingtheir annual TundraBowl in lateJanuary/early February. Check out thechapter’s our new and improved website, www.sigmapicanada.com, forupdates and contact information.

—Ian Shepard, [email protected]

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORTEpsilon-Pi Chapter

This summer, Epsilon Pi Chapterreceived three awards at convocation:the William J. Cutbirth CommunityService Award, the (chapter efficien-cy) 800 Club award, and All-CollegiateHonors, which was won by Sage AlanMoore. The chapter is very proud ofthese awards.

This fall went well for Epsilon-Pi.The chapter had a great rush andexpects an even better one in thespring. Epsilon-Pi’s relations with theschool and with all of the otherGreeks on campus continue to getbetter. Brothers had a camping tripwith Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority and

The men of Beta-Gamma celebrate their third year in a row as overall cham-pions for EIU intramurals.

Zeta-Gamma brother John Reichertand a rushee clean up the parkinglot at Millersville University.

Chapter reports are those submitted by the September 10, deadline.

are planning events with other sorori-ties on campus.

One way members hope to grow inbrotherhood is by taking a road trip tovisit a Sigma Pi chapter at anotherschool. Although the chapter isunable to play in the school’s intramu-ral league, brothers still regularly playfootball on campus on the weekends.The chapter hopes to have anothergreat year in philanthropy and fundraising, and is in the process of plan-ning events.

—Brad Sisson, [email protected]

CLEMSONEta-Psi Chapter

Eta-Psi Chapter is off to anothergreat semester. Everyone was glad tobe back at school after the summer to

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“getting back to the basics” by work-ing with their academic chair to putEpsilon-Rho back on a winning trackfor grades. This semester, brotherslook forward to reaping the benefitsof last semester’s hard work.

Epsilon-Rho’s brotherhood isstronger than ever. A special thanksgoes out to Brotherhood Chair NathanFitzgerald who stepped up and madeit happen.

—Jeff Seifried, [email protected]

EASTERN ILLINOISBeta-Gamma Chapter

Beta-Gamma has a lot of trophiesand accomplishments to defend, andthere is always room for improve-ment. Brothers got an early start onintramurals this year, as the chapteris the three-year, back-to-backdefending champs. Brothers had agreat time participating in homecom-ing and defending their HomecomingChampion title. The chapter alsoreceived the Best Float award.

As always, the chapter encouragesalumni to visit so they can witness thatSigma Pi has a strong group of leadersdominating the Eastern Illinois cam-pus. Anyone with questions can callcall Zach at (217) 345-3200.

The chapter is excited to welcomeback Sgt. Eric Nelson, who was inNasiriyah, Iraq, for the past year as achemical operations specialist. Thechapter is glad to have him safelyback home and has nothing but pridefor brothers who serve this country. Ifyou have questions about the chapter,please contact Jeff Houch at (217)345-2658.

—Tim McNulty, [email protected]

EASTERN KENTUCKYEpsilon-Lambda Chapter

Epsilon-Lambda Chapter preformedwell during fall semester. Rush wentwell, and the chapter recruited manyquality guys who are all about SigmaPi. Sigma Pi is the largest fraternityon campus, which helps with thechapter’s continuing dominance overthe other fraternities in academicsand athletics.

The chapter will be starting itsannual philanthropy events, begin-ning with Excel Gym, which the chap-ter has participated in everysemester.

Members are proud to say that theirbrotherhood has grown stronger andis continuing to grow. Weekly brother-hood events are the main reason whythe chapter has grown so strong.

Hopefully, as time progresses, thechapter will grow even closer to bestrepresent Sigma Pi and continue tohold a dominating presence on theEastern Kentucky campus.

—Ryan Dwyer, [email protected]

EMBRY RIDDLE-ARIZONA Epsilon-Phi Chapter

The semester started out really wellfor Epsilon-Phi with a successful fallrush. The chapter’s goal was to have anew member class of 20, a numberthat the chapter has not seen in manyyears.

Brothers enjoyed seeing alumni at“Octoberwest” during the first week-end of October. Undergraduate andalumni brothers had a great time, asalways.

If anyone is going to be in theNorthern Arizona area, please stop by.

FITCHBURG Eta-Tau Chapter

After a restful summer, Eta-TauChapter tackled fall semester headon. The chapter had a successful rush,run by Brother Bryan Massey, andpinned eight pledges. The chapter’snew pledge program is being run byBrother Andrew James Leduc. Eta-Tau has been busy with their fund-raiser, which is working at NewEngland Patriot games. The chapterenjoyed alumni weekend; it was fun tosee a lot of brothers from years past.

—Matthew Curtis, [email protected]

GEORGIAAlpha-Phi Chapter

Alpha-Phi Chapter reached anincredible moment in its history dur-ing fall semester. After months ofnegotiations, the chapter finallyacquired its own, brand new house,an accomplishment long dreamed ofby Alpha Phi undergrads and alumni.This grand achievement is due tocountless hours of tremendous effort,which will not be forgotten. The chap-ter would like to thank the ExecutiveOffice and Grand Council for theirtremendous support during thisendeavor, as well as alumni MarkReed (’69), Matt Collins (’84), BrianConley (’98), and the entire Alpha PhiHousing Corporation for its tirelesswork and determination in finding apermanent home.

Another group that should be rec-ognized for its hard work is Alpha-Phi,Inc. The chapter would not have beenable to achieve this goal withoutalumni brothers like GregKarambelas, Jason “Gilligan” Walker,

You can reach us at our house: (928)442-0083. Ask for Sage Hermes Garciaor Herald Ian Wright.

—Ian Wright, [email protected]

FERRIS STATETheta-Theta Chapter

The men of Theta-Theta Chapterreturned for fall semester with 40active members who were prepared tobring the chapter beyond that afterthe semester’s rush period. The chap-ter worked closely with IFC to orga-nize an all-Greek FIPG risk manage-ment seminar. Brothers welcome Mr.Brian Kurisky to the chapter as theirnew chapter director. Theta-Theta haspositioned itself to be the best frater-nity on campus in 2005. Sigma Pi tothe top!

—Andrew Babik, [email protected]

Beta-Gamma Chapter and Sigma Kappa Sorority organized a car wash to raise money for a local charity.

Brothers of Phi Chapter kick back and play a game of bags.


and, of course, Chapter Director J.J.Jackson. This house and these menencompass all that is good about thechapter and Sigma Pi Fraternity.

The chapter began the year with anincredibly successful rush, attracting15 pledges. Soon after, the chapterheld its semester-opening party,Pajama-rama. During the semester,the chapter thrived at UGA with foursocials with outstanding sororities,including a toga social with thewomen of Alpha Gamma Delta.

In philanthropy, Alpha-Phi contin-ued its tradition as a community ser-vice-oriented chapter. Biannually,brothers visit a local retirement homecalled Iris Place and host a pokerevent. This is an incredible time offellowship with some of the elders ofthe community. Brothers also partici-pated in Dance Marathon, benefitingthe Children’s Miracle Network ofAtlanta. Many brothers played in thegolf tournament to raise money forthe Network, while even more broth-ers participated in Dance Marathonitself. Tim Waite (’07) was invited tospeak at the event for the secondyear.

Homecoming was a momentousevent with the presence of Past GrandSage John Williams and Grand SageJohn Kitch, among other Nationalofficers. The chapter was pleased thatthese and so many other brotherscould come to Georgia to cheer on“them Dawgs” to one of the best foot-ball seasons the campus has everseen.

Finally, the chapter would like toinvite all brothers to the Founders’Day Celebration in February. Formore information, call BrianBlackwell at (678) 231-8691.

—Brian Blackwell, [email protected]

GRAND VALLEYColony

Since school started at GVSU,brothers have been hustling to get thepetition to charter. The colony is hop-ing to charter on December 3 or inlate February. Members are gettingtheir act together, especially withrecruitment. Colony members wouldlove to hear from alumni who areinterested in helping them find ahouse.

—Ryan Slusarzyk, [email protected]

ILLINOISPhi Chapter

The brothers of Phi Chapter hadanother great start to the semesterafter attending a recruitment semi-nar, hosted with the help of EdMcLane. Congratulations to RandyWimmer on becoming the new alumniassociation president, and thanks toBill Connell for his many years of ser-vice in that position.

Phi Chapter’s adopted pathway islooking great, and brothers look for-ward to more community efforts. Themen of Phi Chapter appreciate all ofthe help alumni have been givingthem, from contact information forincoming freshman to new windowsand plumbing for the house. It’s anexciting time to be a Phi!

—John Campbell, [email protected]

ILLINOIS WESLEYANEpsilon-Gamma Chapter

The brothers of Epsilon-Gammacame to school after an extremelysuccessful convocation in terms ofpolicy and general progress, and hadanother great year at Illinois

Wesleyan. Rush brought in a newgroup of quality pledges who willsomeday become involved members inthe chapter.

Brothers would like to congratulatealumnus John Michelich (’75) onbeing elected Grand Herald, and MattIwanicki (’06) on his initiation at con-vocation by Grand Council.

The chapter is sad to report thatEpsilon-Gamma founding father,Chapter Director and PSG Jack Fieldsdied during the fall semester.Brothers’ thoughts and prayers arewith his family.

—Larry Polanski, [email protected]

INDIANABeta Chapter

Brother Nic Habicht passed awaydue to injuries sustained in a fire latelast year. The brothers of BetaChapter will always remember Nic forhis optimistic attitude, genuine kind-ness, a smile that could turn any situ-ation into a positive, and dedicationto what brotherhood really means.Nic will be truly missed but will neverbe forgotten.

Beta Chapter won its fourth consec-utive Greek Intramural Championshipin 2004. This year, brothers look tocontinue their dominance in thequest for five consecutive intramuralchampionships in the Greek division.

The chapter is working on betterrelations with alumni. If you havequestions about the chapter, pleasecontact First Counselor Scott Stouderat [email protected] or (574)265-3445.

—Paul A. Young, Herald

INDIANA OF PENNSYLVANIATheta-Epsilon Chapter

Theta-Epsilon Chapter is hittingback hard on the campus of IUP. Witha second place homecoming floatunder their belt and a 10-man pledgeclass, the future is looking great. Thechapter would like to thank theiralumni who traveled to see them dur-ing homecoming. The chapter alsothanks ELC Tim Walker for comingback to hang out with them.

Some things to look forward to inthe future are the alumni pig roast inthe spring and more active communi-cation with alumni. The chapter hasthe format for a great newsletter. Ifyou haven’t received one yet, you will.

Changes have been made in thechapter’s constitution to allow fundsfrom the chapter to be deposited intothe housing corporation account.Brothers have a few prospective, per-

manent homes in mind, and are work-ing hard to obtain a house for theiralumni to come back to each year.

—Richard Macurak, SecondCounselor, [email protected]

IOWA STATESigma Chapter

Sigma Chapter reached newheights by finally achieving itsdecade-long goal of purchasing andmoving into a permanent residence.The chapter has put $250,000 towardrenovations, including four new execu-tive officer suites, air conditioning,new windows, new doors, new carpet,and even a new cook, Ira, who makesevery meal like a five-star restaurant.None of this could have been possiblewithout the generous donations ofmore than $30,000 from Sigma alumni.

Brothers are excited about thechapter’s performance at Convoca-tion, earning awards for the BestOverall Ace Project, the 900 Club, theGrand Council Award, and the GrandChapter Award. In addition, BrotherKyle Hewitt received All-CollegiateHonors. The chapter looks forward tothe chance to win the Grand SageAward in 2006.

Sigma Chapter enjoyed its home-coming pairing with Kappa DeltaSorority and Phi Kappa ThetaFraternity. Brothers had a great timetrying to win events such as the lawndisplay, Yell Like Hell, the banner dis-play, and blood drive participation.

The rush committee did an out-standing job of pledging 14 great guys.Brothers participated in a communityservice event to raise money for theK9 Cadaver Response Association andheld a powder puff football event toraise money for the American RedCross.

Congratulations to all of the deanslist members, to Pat Trizila for beingone of 11 finalists for a national TauBeta Pi Engineering Society award, toZach Mangrich for his completion ofAir Force ROTC field training, and toBrett McCarthy and Tony Latoria forleading the number one ACE Project.Thanks also to Xi Chapter at TheUniversity of Iowa for hosting a funweekend, and to everyone whoattended the house dedication cere-mony during homecoming weekend.

—Zach Mangrich, [email protected]

JAMES MADISONEpsilon-Mu Colony

Greetings from Epsilon-Mu colonyat James Madison! Colony membersare excited about moving closer to


CHAPTER NEWS

Alpha-Nu brothers (back row) with the visiting brothers from ChristopherNewport and PGS Gary Tash (front, left) on the Wake Forest campus.


earning their charter. The colony hasset a spring 2005 chartering date.Members wish to thank alumnus J.D.Carlin for his contribution to thechartering fee.

Colony members recently sent golfouting invitations to alumni, and allalumni are invited. The colony isincreasing its numbers and expects toinduct 10 more founding fathers thissemester. For more information, callus at (540) 421-9770.

—Christian Barmoy, [email protected]

KENTUCKYEpsilon-Beta Chapter

The actives of Epsilon-Beta Chapteragree that the academic year startedwith a bang. After acquiring a newbig-screen TV, Sunday football gamesturned into great opportunities tohang out with brothers.

During rush, brothers met morethan 400 potential pledges, finallychoosing 40 quality applicants. PledgeEducator Jared LeFaivre is pleasedwith the quality of the pledges.President Justin Klensch stated, “I’ma senior. I’m happy and nervous tograduate. However having 40 classyindividuals pledge Sigma Pi makes iteasier to leave, knowing that thechapter will be in good hands when Ireturn as an alumnus.”

The chapter helped with the cam-paign for Jay McChord, a distin-guished alumnus, who ran for a posi-tion on Lexington’s city council.Brothers and pledges held up signs inhope of swaying voters Mr. McChord’sway.

Epsilon-Beta continues to be aforce in athletics. With an early win intennis singles, and with both A and Bfootball teams looking strong, the skyis the limit.

One of the highlights of fallsemester was the chapter’s annualParents Weekend, which was jam-packed with a full day of activities.The day started out at one of the mostprestigious racetracks in America,Keeneland. After Keeneland, broth-ers, pledges, and parents went toCommonwealth Stadium to watchKentucky’s surprising Wildcat footballteam take on a tough South Carolinaball club.

Finally, brothers in Lexingtonencourage all Sigma Pis from aroundthe country to stop by and say hello.

—Zachary Miller, [email protected]

LAWRENCE TECHZeta-Omicron Chapter

Summer was an exciting time forthe guys of Zeta-Omicron Chapter at


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Lawrence Tech. One word can explainit all: convo. At this year’s convoca-tion, the chapter received the MostImproved Chapter award. Brothershave been diligently working towardthis award for the past two years. Itseems that their hard work paid off.However, there is still a lot of work tobe done.

Fall semester started off on theright foot with a solid pledge classand a positive attitude within thechapter, which will keep Zeta-Omicron on an upward climb. Withsome new ideas from new E-board,members, and actives, and with mindsopen to suggestions, brothers areexcited to see what they can accom-plish.

—Brian Green, [email protected]

LOUISIANA TECHDelta-Lambda Chapter

Things are going great for brothersat Louisiana Tech. The chapter had asuccessful fall rush after going into

the semester with a large number ofinterested rushees. Brothers held anumber of rush events, which includ-ed numerous open houses, open cook-outs before football games, and a dayat Lake Claiborne where they wenttubing and water skiing. Membershave also been working on the houseand have made renovations, repaintedtheir crest, and built a backyardfence.

Things are looking very good forDelta-Lambda, and brothers feel thiswill be the year for Sigma Pi andLouisiana Tech.

—Chris Pedeaux, [email protected]

LYNCHBURGTheta-Zeta Chapter

Echoing laughter and smiles fromear to ear are present in the newhome that was once Theta-Zeta’s orig-inal stomping ground. There’s some-thing about the old/new chapterhouse that makes everything feelgreat. After $60,000 was put into 225Vernon Street, brothers moved in withold memories and new expectations.Though times have changed, the spiritof Sigma Pi still rings through thehallways.

Recently adopted Vernon Street isthe chapter’s new cleanup area aftermany days of wear and tear from thecommunity. The sign was placed rightin front of the chapter house for all tosee.

The chapter’s ACE Project holds anew idea for the campus. Brotherswill place a plaque under a newlyplanted tree to go along with all of theexpansion on and around campus.

Brothers had a great time playingintramural flag football under thelights in the finals this season, andthey expect to carry their success intothe spring.

—Stephen Davis, [email protected]

MONMOUTHDelta-Beta Chapter

Delta-Beta Chapter had a greatsummer. Seven brothers attendedconvocation in Chicago and had agreat time. The chapter was surprisedto receive several awards.

Brothers worked on various philan-thropy events, ranging from the Handin Hand Festival, the Light the NightWalk, and a campus blood drive.There are many brotherhood nightsplanned in the spring, as well as rushevents.

—Brian Murray, [email protected]

Eta-Mu brothers sponsored the “Campus Car Bash.”

Members of Alpha-Iota Chapter put the finishing touches on the new BBQ pit.


MICHIGAN STATEZeta-Mu Chapter

The brothers of Zeta-Mu Chapterwere busy fall semester maintainingtheir dominance in the Greek commu-nity through philanthropy service,academics, sports, and social events.During the Greek Gala banquet, Zeta-Mu was awarded the 2004 All-SportsChampions trophy for the second con-secutive year and the Chapter of theYear award.

In philanthropy, the chapter washighly competitive in raising moneyfor the American Red Cross during itsfifth annual Miss Greek BeautyPageant. The chapter hosted a sell-out crowd of students at the TempleClub in Lansing and raised more than$1,500.

Zeta-Mu placed first in Chi Omegasorority’s Karen King KickoffFraternity Soccer Tournament to ben-efit battered women, and third inKappa Alpha Theta sorority’s GreekCookoff. The chapter also completedits ACE Project as more than 45brothers cleaned the Red Cedar Riverin early October for Michigan State’sClean River Day.

In sports, Sigma Pi maintaineddominance in Greek intramurals. Thechapter repeated back-to-back firstplace championship titles in Greekleague football and soccer.

Fall rush went very well. Zeta-Muhad many young men come throughfor rush, and the chapter ended upwith a record-setting pledge class of34 quality guys.

Congratulations to graduatingbrothers Jim Divita, Troy Horning,Ronald Austin Marks, and JonKomorowski. Best of luck in yourfuture endeavors! Brothers’ thoughtsand prayers continue to go out to AlexWhite (’07) who is serving his secondtour of duty for the United StatesArmy in Iraq.

Socially, Zeta-Mu had a fun fallsemester. The chapter was blessed tohost closed rush events at awesomenight clubs in downtown Detroit withAlpha Chi Omega and Kappa Deltasororities. The chapter also held itsannual hayride date party in lateOctober, as well as a slew of one-on-one events with Michigan Statesfinest sororities.

Zeta-Mu had its best turnout everduring Alumni Weekend, which isheld every year during MichiganState’s homecoming weekend. Thechapter also had a good turnout for its2004 Orchid Ball in Windsor, Ontario.

For the spring, Zeta-Mu looks for-ward to increasing its numbers evenmore through rush. Brothers are also

looking forward to closed rush withAlpha Phi sorority, to achieving firstplace in intramural basketball andsoftball, and to great brotherhoodevents such as the annual Founders’Day event.

Brothers, your Sigma Pi experiencedoes not end when you leave college.Several alumni are in the process ofcreating the Spartan Sigma Pi AlumniAssociation. If you’re interested,please contact Jim Divita (’04) at [email protected] or Jamie Jakubiak(’03) at [email protected]. Foradditional information about thechapter, check out Zeta-Mu’s awardwinning web site at www.msu.edu/~sigmapi, or contact Sage DerekBush at [email protected] orAlumni Rep Greg Baracy (’05) [email protected].

—Philip Bolus, Herald

MISSOURIGamma-Sigma Chapter

The men of Gamma-Sigma contin-ued their good fortune by signing 14new members during the fall, makingthe house full for the first time inyears. Brothers made some much-needed renovations to the house,thanks to the strong alumni supportthat has come from the chapter’s suc-cess over the past year and a half.

Members worked with the womenof Chi Omega sorority and the men ofAlpha Gamma Sigma Fraternity dur-ing this year’s homecoming. Brothersalso worked hard to bring their ACEProject to reality by hosting a GreekTown Smackdown, which involvedwrestling in sumo suits.

If you’re interested in visiting thechapter or if you have questions aboutthe chapter, feel free to contactHerald Kevin Kilker at (573) 999-3577or [email protected].

—Kevin Kilker, Herald

MISSOURI-ROLLAAlpha-Iota Chapter

The men of Alpha-Iota Chapter hada great start to the semester. Thechapter signed 14 great pledges overthe summer. Brothers continued thetradition of devoting the week prior tothe beginning of classes to a work-week to beautify the house and makegeneral improvements, which includ-ed finishing a barbeque pit and shedfrom the previous year.

Greek Week began September 18,and the chapter finished second over-all in the opening games. At convoca-tion, Alpha-Iota won several awardsincluding the 900 Club Award forChapter Efficiency, the Top Ten GPAaward, the Grand Chapter award, andthe Grand Council award. Sage RobRogers (’05) won the Michael P. CareyRunner-up Leadership Award.

—Scott Buchholz, [email protected]

MISSOURI-ST. LOUISDelta-Zeta Chapter

The men of Delta-Zeta Chapter hada great time during fall semester, win-ning its first Greek Week champi-onship in six years.

Many improvements were made tohelp with the upkeep of the house.The chapter thanks alumni Jeff

Ingram, Todd Carlson, and JustinShacklette for their help.

The men of Delta-Zeta raised alarge amount of money to help withthe STRIPES anti-drunk driving pro-gram at UM-St. Louis with a Battle ofthe Bands. Another Battle of theBands is already scheduled to helpthe campus even more. Needless tosay, the Sigma Pi name remains greaton campus.

As always, the chapter invitesbrothers to visit and have a good time.Please contact the chapter at (314)426-0078.

—Mike Davis, [email protected]

MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATEEta-Mu Chapter

After attending convocation inChicago, the brothers of Eta-Mu gotsome fantastic ideas for rush, philan-thropy, and the chapter house.

Eta-Mu worked hard to ensure thattheir float clinched the homecomingparade first place trophy. Sigma Piwas the only fraternity to participatein the area Relay For Life benefit overthe summer, which gave the chapter alot of publicity. Brother Mark Kinsleyis the weekend anchor for the localABC affiliate, and he reports everyphilanthropic event and all of ouractivities to the community.

—Adam Marold, [email protected]

NORTH CAROLINA STATERho Chapter

Fall semester was quite a successfor Rho Chapter. The chapter pledgednine great guys and looks forward togetting more in another rush. Rho cel-ebrated homecoming with some of itsalumni on October 2 and hopes tohave alumni participation in manymore events.

Later in the semester, brothers par-ticipated in Adopt-A-Highway as wellas other chapter events to fosterbrotherhood. The spirit of Sigma Pi isstrong in Rho Chapter!

—Tommy Rodwell, [email protected]

NORTHERN COLORADOZeta-Tau Chapter

Zeta-Tau Chapter had a fantasticfall rush, which brought in 12 excel-lent guys. The chapter looks forwardto seeing what these new memberscan do for the house in the years tocome.

Zeta-Tau’s domination in athleticsjumped right out of the gates with a

Eta-Mu Chapter gathers at a philanthropy event.


CHAPTER NEWS


were also several changes from anadvisory standpoint. Tom Mooredecided to focus on his position asChairman of the EducationalFoundation and left the MichiganProvince to Mike Grant, a Zeta-PiAlumnus and former rush advisor.Brothers send their thanks to SteveMoore, who passed on the torch aftermany years of service as pledge edu-cation advisor. Taking their places arePat Kroulik as rush advisor and JeffHaase as pledge education advisor.

Zeta-Pi kicked off the school yearwith its 10th annual pig roast,planned by Justin Doescher, whichwas a great success. A special thanksgoes out to Rob Waters and his wife,Kim, who helped raise money at thepig roast for the Children’s TherapyFund. Thanks also to all of the broth-ers who came to the event, includingGrand Third Counselor GeorgeHakim, Educational FoundationChairman Tom Moore, and Alan Scott,past academic advisor.

Attention alumni. Orchid Ball isbeing planned for mid-March. Pleasecontact Sage Matt Rice at (586) 419-0542 or Zeta Pi Alumni AssociationPresident Bob VanAcker at (586) 337-1897 if you have any questions orwould like more information aboutupcoming events. If you have movedrecently, please update the chapter soyou can be informed of future events.

—Jeff Zapinski, [email protected]

OLD DOMINIONTheta-Eta Chapter

During the summer months, Theta-Eta’s Executive Board (many of whomattended convocation) and RushCommittee revamped the way thechapter approached rush. Two weeksinto the fall semester the chapter had20 pledges, with the hope of attainingits goal of 30 pledges by the end ofsemester.

Fall events included camping, fundraising, and working to improve chap-ter community service and philan-thropy projects. Brothers hope tofinalize their efforts in setting theirfirst alumni event, during which theywill release new projects that they’vebeen working, such as a brand newweb site.

—Mike Whelan, [email protected]

OREGON STATEOmega Chapter

Omega Chapter at Oregon Saterecently moved into a new house. Thehouse is by far the best fraternity or

clean sweep of the IFC softball tour-nament, putting Sigma Pi in the lead.By the end of the year, brothers hopeto bring the Greek Cup back where itbelongs.

The chapter is planning its newACE Project, which will be a DrunkenDriver Awareness Week on campus.Brothers hope to hold the event inMarch and will keep everyone postedif anything changes.

If you have questions about thechapter, contact Sage James Foster at(303) 619-8341.

—Chris Lauck, [email protected]

NORTHERN ILLINOISBeta-Sigma Chapter

Fall semester was busy for Sigma Piat Northern Illinois. The new house iscoming along nicely, and brotherswould once again like to thank theiralumni for their continued efforts andcontributions to house improvements.The Alumni Room and the ChapterRoom will be completed soon. Thevolleyball court was cleaned up andput to good use during fall semesterwhen the chapter hosted its women’svolleyball philanthropy. Fund-raisingefforts were high this fall as brothersmade multiple trips to Great Americaduring the semester.

The chapter thanks ChapterAdvisor Kevin Kegarise for guiding theofficers in the right direction and forhis support over the last severalmonths.

During homecoming weekend,Beta-Sigma held its alumni barbequefor alumni, family members, andfriends. The chapter hopes to seemany people come out for otherevents in the coming months.

Lastly, the chapter encouragesmembers from other chapters tocome to Northern and visit Beta-Sigma. Contact us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up.

—Chris LoVerde, [email protected]

NJITAlpha-Mu Chapter

Greetings, brothers! Fall semesterwas a wonderful success because ofnew member recruitment, whichbrought in the largest number of newmembers the chapter has seen in fouryears.

A wonderful gift of music has beengiven to New Jersey Institute ofTechnology: a carillon bell tower. Itwas donated by one of the chapter’salumni, H. Gail Clarke (’44), and hiswife, Dorothy. The tower was dedicat-

alumni) and brought about manychanges for the Top-15 Zeta PiChapter. Not only was there arenewed sense of energy and motiva-tion coming out of Chicago, but there

ed to all of NJIT’s presidents—past,present, and future—in recognitionof their role in guiding NJIT throughthe decades. The carillon bell tower isa clock tower that also plays songsthroughout the day instead of justchiming the parts of the hour. Thistower provides a spark of imagination,creativity, and knowledge for all of thecampus.

Along with the carillon bell tower,the new student center was complet-ed this semester, replacing the oldstudent center (formerly known asthe Hazell Center). William Hazellwas one of NJIT’s past presidents, aswell as an Alpha-Mu founding father.The brothers of Alpha-Mu would liketo see the new student centerrenamed the Hazell Center. If anyNJIT alumni could help make this areality, both the campus and Sigma Piwould appreciate it. It is always nicehaving a building on campus namedafter an alumnus. May the New Yearbring happiness to each of you andyour loved ones.

—Niles Leisti, [email protected]

OAKLANDZeta-Pi Chapter

After a summer filled with planningand relaxing, Zeta-Pi Chapter wentinto fall semester with a strong planfor a promising year. Despite having afew brothers graduate in the spring,the chapter went into the semester 34members strong. After the first pin-ning on September 12, the chapteralready had eight pledges.

The summer convocation inChicago was attended by 15 Zeta-Pibrothers (seven actives and eight


CHAPTER NEWS

Theta-Gamma Sage Danny Hyche serves snowcones at the Tiki “bar” duringa rush event.

Alpha-Mu alumnus H. Gail Clarke’43 donated a carillion bell tower tothe NJIT campus.


sorority house at Oregon State andmakes Omega’s previous house lookobsolete. Because of the new house,brothers pledged 24 men into the newOmicron rush class, one of the biggestclasses ever. The men of OmegaChapter would like to thank theiralumni for helping them purchase thehouse.

—Nicholas Pommé, [email protected]

PENNSYLVANIADelta Chapter

Delta Chapter started the schoolyear in a new house and got ready forfall rush. Many brothers are hard atwork planning and organizing thisprocess for spring, and Delta Chapteris proud to have alumni around tohelp with the planning.

Delta Chapter graduated its firstlarge alumni class of nearly 20 mem-bers. The chapter is happy to havemany of these alumni in the area.Delta Chapter congratulates andwishes the best of luck to the graduat-ed brothers who are starting theircareers. Thanks for your years of dedi-cation to Delta Chapter.

—Mark Mushkin, [email protected]

PURDUEEta Chapter

Once again, Eta Chapter would liketo congratulate John D. Kitch onbecoming Grand Sage of Sigma Pi. Wecan all take a page from his book.Hopefully all Eta alumni can be assuccessful and as honorable asJonathan.

Progress is a word that every SigmaPi knows well, and it is just the wordto describe Eta Chapter. Each newyear brings change, and in the case ofEta Chapter, nothing could be moretrue. “Restore Eta Day” in August wasa terrific success, thanks in part tothe alumni who came to help out andthe active brothers who participated.Because of Restore Eta Day and thetireless efforts of brothers over thesummer, the house is recapturing itsoriginal charm and glory, the kind ofcharm that can only be seen in ahouse approaching its 100th birthday.

With an extremely promisingpledge class, thanks to our rush chair,morale better than ever.

—Andrew Fisher, [email protected]

ROWANZeta-Chi Chapter

During fall rush, Zeta-Chi obtainedthe proper men so they may learn


CHAPTER NEWS

what it means to be a member ofSigma Pi. Several brothers continueto volunteer for a club called QuixoteQuest, which is a non-school basedservice club for South Jersey teens.The organization assists and mentorsteen volunteers who donate their timeto the selected “quest.” Brothersteach these teens about the valuesand commitment of brotherhood. Thisservice takes a major commitmentand is suitable only for those driven tomake a difference.

Zeta-Chi received some publicityduring fall semester. President MattMalagerie and Secretary MikeScicolone were quoted in TheGloucester County Times on thechapter’s participation in freshmanmove-in day.

—Nick Capriolo, [email protected]

SAGINAW VALLEYTheta-Beta Chapter

Theta-Beta had an outstanding fallsemester that culminated with the 12-member Xi pledge class, which wasone of the best classes the chapterhas ever had. Other highlights includ-ed a “Pi Stock,” which was the chap-ter’s ACE Project. The men of Theta-Beta also threw several events withsororities on campus.

This past summer, Sage Nick Frees(’06) attended the 2004 convocation,during which Theta-Beta received twoGrand Council awards for being a Top25 and Top 15 chapter, an ACE Projectaward, and the 900 Club Award forChapter Efficiency Points. This wasthe second time that Theta-Beta haswon the 900 Club award.

Congratulations go out to RobPiroozshad who was elected Brotherof the Year by the chapter for 2003-2004. Theta-Beta also sends bestwishes to alumni Josh Swackhammer,Chris O’ Dea, Jeffery Hogan, BradChanter, and Chad Dunlap on theirrecent marriages. Brothers would alsolike to acknowledge the engagements

of alumnus Jason Sierocki and EliAdams (’06).

—Matt Wingblad, [email protected]

SAN DIEGO STATEAlpha-Omega Chapter

Sigma Pi is one of the top fraterni-ties on campus and continues to growas a result of each semester’s increaseof quality new brothers. Thanks toRush Chair Jon Goodwin, fallsemester was filled with lots of poten-tial new pledges who visited thehouse.

Alpha-Omega recently held a broth-erhood event to repaint the chapterhouse. It was a good day of bonding,barbecuing, and painting. Everyone isexcited for future events such as phi-lanthropies, social exchanges, fund-raisers, intramural sports, communityservice, and more.

The entire Alpha-Omega Chapterwould like to congratulate the Muspring ’04 pledge class for becomingAlpha-Omega’s newest active mem-bers. They are a great group of guysand have already been a great addi-tion to the chapter.

—Jason Wilbur, [email protected]

SAN JOSE STATEBeta-Eta Chapter

Every chapter has an outstandingalumnus who devotes time and effortto the chapter. For Beta-Eta, MichaelPanos is that alumnus. Michael is inevery sense of the title, HousingDirector. He has done everything fromadding track lighting to designing andimplementing a bunk bed system. AtFounders’ Day, the chapter gave anaward to Michael for his devoted ser-vice. The chapter even named itsannual spring party after him.Although it may not always show, theactive chapter is more than gratefulfor Michael’s efforts, ideas, and sacri-fices.

Matt De Witt has made it his mis-sion to raise money for the chapter.He purchased recycling containers sothe chapter can recycle its cans. WithMatt’s determination and brothers’cooperation, this has turned into asuccessful campaign. In just twomonths, Matt has amassed a dozen50-gallon trash bags filled with cans.He has yet to cash them, but assuresthe chapter it will be a nice return.

The chapter recently pinned 11pledges. Brothers anticipate their ini-tiation, as this is the last class in thealphabet. Since the chapter was rein-stated in 1993, it has obtained classpaddles from Beta to Psi. The paddleswere organized in such a way that aspot is assigned for the Omega pad-dle. This class promises to be a greatone.

SETON HALLDelta-Epsilon Chapter

Sage Santi Formoso and Herald JoeMazza attended the 47th biennialconvocation and brought back a lot ofuseful information to advance thechapter. Much of brothers’ energy thissemester focused on living up to theGold Standard in their daily lives.This is being accomplished by moni-toring efficiency points, reaching per-fection, helping the South Orangecommunity through philanthropy ser-vice projects, and helping Seton Hallthrough the chapter’s newly adoptedACE Project.

Another strong focus for the chap-ter is its rush program. Delta-Epsilonhas been improving its rush programsimply by meeting the incoming fresh-men and the rest of the student body.Brothers actively participate in fresh-man move-in day and achieved muchsuccess from the event.

Sigma Pi continues to gain an excel-lent campus image, and brothers arein the process of making a Sigma Picampus newsletter to list: rush, phi-lanthropy, and ACE Project achieve-ments. Brothers feel this is anothergreat way to increase their member-ship and improve their campus image.

—Joe Mazza, [email protected]

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS-EDWARDSVILLEDelta-Omega Chapter

Sigma Pi is dominating all fraterni-ties on campus in academics, athlet-ics, and philanthropy. For example,Delta-Omega’s fall rush set newrecords not only in the chapter, butfor all fraternities on campus. Lastsemester, the chapter had the highest

Eta-Omicron actives and pledges have a good time during Greek Week 2004.


cumulative GPA among all Greeks atSIUE in the last six years and also seta new record for themselves.

Brothers are currently raisingmoney for the walk for diabetes andmany other charities. Brothers arelooking for guidance in project plan-ning and working on the house. Ifyou’re interested, please contactHerald Martin Sutherland [email protected].

Most importantly, the chaptersends its regards to the family of JohnTipton, one of our brothers who waskilled in Iraq.

Hello to the brothers at UMSL!—Martin Sutherland, Herald

SOUTHWEST MISSOURIAlpha-Rho Chapter

Another successful rush started theschool year off well for Alpha-Rho.Out of the 30 selective invitations thatwere given, 27 quality men decided tobecome new members.

Football, hockey, and softball arejust around the corner, and expecta-tions are high. It’s almost a guaranteethat the chapter will once again be inthe running for the Greek athleticchampionship.

Homecoming was held the week ofOctober 18–23, and the chapterenjoyed being paired with the womenof Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority andthe men of Kappa Alpha Order.

More great news is that BrotherJohn Klopstein will soon be returningfrom his tenure in Iraq. Also, majorhouse improvements are in the plan-ning stages and will be made soon.Thanks to everyone who helped makethese improvements possible. Thechapter would like to give specialthanks to alumni for their continuedhelp and support. For more informa-tion, contact the chapter at (417)685-1008.

—Adam Rainey, [email protected]

SOUTHERN TECHEpsilon-Alpha Chapter

The brothers of Epsilon-Alpha hada very busy semester. Fall rush wentjust as well if not better then expect-ed, giving the chapter several newmembers. A few brothers from Zeta-Beta Chapter in Daytona Beachdecided to pay a visit to the brothersat Southern Tech while hurricaneFrancis visited their school. Epsilon-Alpha brothers wish them the best ofluck as they get back on their feet.

Epsilon-Alpha is also planning tocompete in intramural sports with theother groups on campus. If this year

goes anything like last year, the chap-ter is in for some fun!

—Jake Veilleux, [email protected]

TORONTOEta-Omicron Chapter

The brothers of Eta-OmicronChapter returned from their summerholidays energized and ready to tack-le the challenges of the new academicyear. Energy was immediately focusedon organizing a successful fall rush. Abooth was set up at the university’sannual Clubs Carnival, which attract-ed the interest of many potentialmembers. Many of these potentialmembers were introduced to brothersat exciting rush events such as thehockey-themed night spent cheeringon Canada in the World Cup of Hockeyfinals, and at an afternoon barbequeand evening poker night. After meet-ing so many quality men interested inbecoming part of Sigma Pi, Eta-Omicron is confident that it will begreatly enriched by the addition ofmany new brothers.

The beginning of the school yearalso saw the completion of two base-ment bedrooms. These rooms allowthe chapter to accommodate morebrothers who wish to live in the houseand also provide extra revenue to helprun chapter activities.

For more information about thechapter, please visit iamsigmapi.ca.

—Francis Tong, [email protected]

TOWSONEta-Nu Chapter

Progress truly is man’s distinctivemark alone. No one knows this betterthan the brothers of Eta-Nu Chapterat Towson. Just four years ago, thechapter cleared a longstanding debtwith the Executive Office and attend-ed its first convocation in six years inan attempt to save a ship that hadbeen sinking. Since then, the leadersof Eta-Nu have been committed torestructuring the chapter and itsoperations. Tireless work and dedica-tion, coupled with a focus on theRitual, propelled the chapter to excel-lence in every area of fraternity devel-opment. The brothers of Eta-Nu madea conscious decision to not just settlefor mediocrity, but strived for great-ness. Eta-Nu leaders envisioned achapter that would be a model andinspiration to other fraternities oncampus and to other chapters inSigma Pi.

The achievements of Eta-Nu overthe past two bienniums speak for


CHAPTER NEWS

themselves. The chapter won the2003 IFC President’s Cup for bestoverall fraternity on campus; claimedfive consecutive IFC Greek Weekchampionships; received three con-secutive Beyer-Fryburg Awards forperfect efficiency; won the MostImproved Chapter Award, a GrandChapter Award, and two GrandCouncil Awards; maintained goodscholarship and the largest chaptersize at TU; and, had in its member-ship, an SGA senator, an SGA directorof communications, an IFC president,executive vice president, vice presi-dent of programming, and director ofpublic relations; and members of theCollege Republicans, CollegeDemocrats, and several other worthystudent organizations.

Finally, years of hard work andunwavering devotion to doing thingsthe Sigma Pi way paid off at theFraternity’s 47th Biennial Convoca-tion in Chicago. On the evening ofAugust 7, in front of an audience ofmore than 500 brothers and guests, itwas announced that Eta-Nu Chapterhad won the coveted Grand Sage’sAward, the highest honor bestowedupon a chapter. This pinnacleachievement is a testament to thenotion that dreaming big and actingon those dreams can lead to the real-ization of goals once thoughtunachievable. Eta-Nu Chapterbelieved.

—Matthew Weiner, Herald

URSINUSColony

The Ursinus colony had an out-standing summer and was ready tobegin the second year of its existenceafter starting in the spring. The sum-mer started off with a trip to

Malaysia, where four brothers spenttwo weeks bonding and enjoying theenvironment of a different culture.The colony then took part in workingat a local amusement park inPennsylvania, where brothers workedin various sections of the park.

President Michael Malone (’07)and Sergeant-at-Arms Nate Wagner(’07) came back from convocationwith a better understanding of howan international fraternity works, andinspired the colony to move forward.

During the fall semester, theUrsinus colony decided to take care ofthe recycling around the campus.Colony members wanted to show thestudents and faculty that they arestriving to be the best fraternity inthe social service aspect of Greek life.

The colony still has the same goalsit had last spring, which is to enhancethe service side of Greeks on campusand show incoming freshmen the ide-als in which Sigma Pi believes. Colonymembers sized up the new studentsand found some good prospects thatthey hope to recruit.

For more information, please e-mail [email protected].

—Patrick Waldron, Historian

VALPARAISOBeta-Tau Chapter

The brothers of Beta-Tau had anexciting summer and start of the aca-demic year. With the help of alumni,many improvements were made tothe houses, including renovating abathroom, redoing two staircases, andrewiring the houses for internet.These improvements helped the hous-es feel homier.

The fall pledge class had everyoneexcited about their impact on Beta-

Alpha Chapter at Germanfest. (L–R) Rushee Marty Beleher, Alumnus JimHills, Brother Mark Warpenburg, and Sage Jeff Lavery.


CHAPTER NEWS


Tau and the Greek community as awhole. The chapter’s favorite philan-thropy event, the Tighty WhiteyVolleyball Tournament, was a hugesuccess. It was a great day of philan-thropy, volleyball, and friends. Thechapter’s carwash with the Pi BetaPhi sorority was also a resoundingsuccess.

If you have any questions or com-ments, please contact Sage MattSmith at (219) 465-7215 [email protected].

—Keith Vogel, [email protected]

VINCENNESAlpha Chapter

Fall rush was very successful. Eventhough the campus Greek system isslowly weakening, the chapter isgrowing after the signing of 35pledges for the fall class. The chap-ter’s traditional hog roast was a bighelp in finishing rush. A specialthanks goes out to Jim Morrison andhis sponsorship. With support fromthe new university president, Dr.Helton, everyone had a good time andbrothers got to interview somerushees.

The fall tube race was very compet-itive. The chapter’s team finished sev-enth out of 18 teams, which was agreat finish with the tube “Not ReallyToo Serious.”

Alpha Chapter is healthy, growing,and becoming even more active uponcampus.

—Derek Knowling, [email protected]

WAKE FORESTAlpha-Nu Chapter

Alpha-Nu completed another funfall rush and happily took four newguys. All the brothers who went toconvocation had a great time and aregetting ready for New Orleans in twoyears.

During the fall, Alpha-Nu enjoyedtheir 44th annual Mountain Weekendin Fontana Dam, Reggiefest (a fund-raiser for the American Red Cross),their seafood fry, and a visit fromBeta-Pi Chapter at Virginia.

The intramural teams are lookingstrong, and brothers hope to bringhome multiple championship shirts.

—Zach Barker, [email protected]

WAYNE STATEGamma-Omega Chapter

Things are going great for brothersat Wayne State. Over the summer,brothers did some fund raising at

Michigan International Speedway,helping prepare and serve food torace fans. The chapter also broughttelevision personality Mo Rocca to theuniversity to lecture on the impor-tance of voting. The chapter also hada packed fall social calendar.

—Brian Moineau, [email protected]

WEST ALABAMATheta-Gamma Chapter

The brothers of Theta-GammaChapter made a noticeable impres-sion on campus. During the fall,incoming freshmen were welcomedby Brother Jamie Parker (’07) whoserved as an orientation leader, andby Brother Kaylan McDuff (’07) whoserved as a university ambassador.Brother Danny Hyche (’05) also spenta good amount of time with new stu-dents as SGA president.

The summer was capped off by arewarding trip to convocation. Thechapter was thrilled to accept theHomepage Award and a Top-25Chapter Award. Also, many congratula-tions to Brother Danny Hyche (’05) forbeing presented with the covetedHarold Jacobsen Award. All of theseevents led into another promising year.

Fall rush was fantastic. Theta-Gamma held a luau, which brought ina large number of interested guys.The chapter now has eight new asso-ciate members and are working on acouple more.

All of the brothers are very pleasedwith the year so far, and they all feelvery confident about having a suc-cessful year.

—Daniel K Bryars, [email protected]

WESTERN MICHIGANGamma-Rho Chapter

The chapter’s annual alumni golfouting was held in July and was ahuge success with many alumni par-ticipating. Best of luck to formerChapter Advisor Brian Kurisky, whoaccepted a job at Ferris State.Congratulations are also in order forScott Wilde, the chapter’s new advisor.

Despite changes to a formalrecruitment, fall rush went very wellfor the chapter. Throughout thesemester, the chapter house receivedmany improvements, including paint-ing, reflooring, and landscaping.

Brothers have been involved inmany community service events suchas Walk for Breast Cancer and blooddrives, with the hope of breaking thechapter’s untouchable record of 1,200service hours.

Chapter members are trying to con-tact alumni that they’ve lost contactwith over the years. Please e-mail thechapter at [email protected].

—Jimmy Weakland, [email protected]

WEST VIRGINIA TECHGamma-Xi Chapter

Gamma Xi experienced a produc-tive fall. The chapter is finally closingout house remodeling and renova-tions, and is now endeavoring in otherprojects concerning the makeup ofthe house. The most pertinent ofthese projects is enabling the houseto allow more people to move in.

Tech chapter is also very happywith the outcome of homecoming andall the alumni support they areblessed with. Alumni were very sup-portive throughout the homecomingprocess in October and made SigmaPi glisten.

Newly implemented pledging tech-niques seem to be paying off forGamma-Xi, and the chapter is well onits way to achieving its goal of replen-ishing the chapter ranks.

This year’s Whitewater Weekendwill be held in Gamma-Xi’s home areaover Memorial Day weekend towardthe end of May. The price is still inthe air as of the time of submission,but includes food for the weekend,refreshments, and two days of camp-ing, along with other perks. The actu-al price will be based on head count,so if you’re interested in coming thisyear, call Gamma-Xi at (304) 442-8237. The estimated price, as ofSeptember 2004, is $125.

Alumnus Mike Maxson was namedin the 2004 edition of Who’s WhoAmong American Teachers. As a part-ing note, Sigma Pi is still the mostrespected and respectable house on

campus, in light of recent events. Ifanyone is interested in contactingGamma-Xi Chapter, please direct cor-respondence to Ernest “D.” Chafin atChaos_Th3ory@hotmail .com.

—Ernest Chafin, Herald

WILLIAM AND MARYAlpha-Eta Chapter

Alpha-Eta has been having anothergreat year. Despite losing many greatbrothers to graduation, the chapterhas grown very cohesive. Brothersstarted off by running a rush retreatfor the second consecutive year. Thefocus paid off as the chapter now hasa solid group of pledges who are eagerto join the house.

Alpha-Eta also threw some greattheme parties to kick off the socialyear. Events included the annual NerfSuperBowl philanthropy to benefitthe Make-A-Wish Foundation, home-coming, and Formal Date Party.

—R.J. Delnicki, [email protected]

WISCONSIN-MADISONTau Colony

Tau colony had a productive sum-mer during which minor repairs weremade on the house. Brothers werevery optimistic about fall rush andwere determined to meet their goal ofa 25-man class.

Brothers took the final steps neces-sary to meet all of the requirementsto receive a charter in January.Brother Vineet Sudame deservescredit and thanks for his work onmaking plans for the event and com-piling the Chartering Petition.

For information about Tau, contactWilliam Warner at [email protected].

—William Warner, Historian

Alpha-Nu brothers present a check to the American Red Cross. The moneywas raised at the chapter’s annual Reggaefest fund-raiser.


William Paterson University ColonyBy Ch r i s t i an J . M ie le (E ta -Nu , Towson ’04) , Expans ion Consu l tan t

EXPANSION NEWSEXPANSION NEWS


The expansion effort at Jacksonville StateUniversity began on April 5, 2004, when then SigmaPi Fraternity Director of Expansion Keith Ritsongave a presentation to the JSU fraternity selectioncommittee. The panel, consisting of AssistantDirector of Student Life Megan Radison, facultymembers, and one representative from each Greekorganization, chose Sigma Pi as the next fraternityto emerge on campus.

Sigma Pi Expansion Consultant Christian Mielearrived in late September to begin the recruitmentcampaign. He targeted student leaders and a diversegroup of men to become founding fathers. After mak-ing hundreds of students at Jacksonville StateUniversity aware of the benefits of Sigma Pi, 35excited young men were ready to pursue excellenceas a part of our organization and become the sixthNIC fraternity on campus.

On the evening of October 3, 2004, Miele, ColonyDevelopment Consultant Lorne Book, Expansion

Committee Chairman Jim Wisherd, and SouthAtlantic Province Archon Jason Beck installed thecolony in the Roundhouse Building on campus.

The following men were elected and installed asthe colony officers: Adam Narrell, president; JustinDavis, vice president; David Howton, treasurer;Joseph McElrath, secretary; Cary Poarch, sergeant-at-arms, and Caleb Flanagan, historian. In addition,the colony voted unanimously to select Zeta TauAlpha sorority member Cambrey Jordan as its firstsweetheart.

Sigma Pi Fraternity is represented at JSU bymen who make a difference on campus, includingfour Student Government Association senators, theSGA vice president of student activities, three mem-bers of the marching band, numerous NationalGuardsmen and ROTC cadets, and the vice presi-dent of the JSU History Club.

Mr. Richard Heath Anderson ’08Mr. Benjamin Jeffrey Blevins ’06Mr. Cody Nathaniel Bonds ’09Mr. Axel Rolando Borrero ’06Mr. Adam Kendell Brooks ’06Mr. Nathan Ashley Bryan ’07Mr. Daniel Preston Burford ’06Mr. Matthew Aston Burns ’06Mr. Josh Lynn Busby ’06Mr. Jesse Michael Chandler ’08Mr. Jesse Dan Daniel ’05Mr. Justin Kyle Davis ’05Mr. William Thomas Dowdy ’07Mr. Robert Michael Esneault Jr. ’07Mr. Joseph Spencer Fetyko ’07Mr. Caleb Allen Flanagan ’06Mr. Daniel Francis Fry ’08Mr. Jonathan Derek Greene ’06Mr. Shawne Matthew Greene ’06Mr. Jason Matthew Hallberg ’06Mr. Michael David Howton ’06Mr. Dovaris Tremaine Kelley ’06Mr. Rance Dean Kelly Jr. ’06Mr. Matthew Alan Law ’07Mr. Joshua Clay Matthews ’07Mr. Joseph Preston McElrath Jr. ’05Mr. Michael Allen Miller ’07Mr. Mark Adam Narrell ’05Mr. Kyle Brent Osborn ’08Mr. David Carrington Poarch ’06Mr. Mardracus Ladell Russell ’06Mr. Charles William Simmons Jr. ’05Mr. Aaron Michael Swenson ’07Mr. Derek Lane Talley ’05Mr. Neil Jon Thoney ’08Mr. Donnie Lynn Wells Jr. ’06

Jacksonville State University Colonization on October 3, 2004.

Colony Members

Jacksonville State University ColonyBy Ch r i s t i an J . M ie le (E ta -Nu , Towson ’04) , Expans ion Consu l tan t

An interest group led by sophomore psychology major MatthewKrupka contacted Assistant Executive Director J. Dave Edwards aboutthe possibility of starting a new fraternity at William Paterson University.The group had been looking into several inter/national fraternities, andafter several conversations with Edwards and Expansion ConsultantChristian Miele, decided to affiliate with Sigma Pi Fraternity. “We feltcomfortable with this organization,” Krupka said.

In mid-October, Miele traveled to Wayne, New Jersey, to meet withthe interest group and discuss the expansion process. He also met withWPU Assistant Director of Campus Activities Christopher Conzen, whowas excited about expanding the Greek system at William Paterson.

On the evening of October 17, Miele, Jason Murphy (��, Towson),and Patrick Palmieri (��, NJIT) installed the William Paterson Colony.Murphy will serve as colony director, and Palmieri, the older brother ofone of the colony members, will serve as recruitment advisor.

The following men were elected and installed as the colony officers:Matthew Krupka, president; Kenneth Ellsworth, vice president; MatthewPalmieri, treasurer; Aaron Visco, secretary; Brad Kotuski, sergeant-at-arms; and Robert Velasquez, historian.

Members of the colony are involved in varsity athletics and studentorganizations such as the Education Club and the Music &Entertainment Industry Student Association.


Kennesaw State University ColonyBy Ch r i s t i an J . M ie le (E ta -Nu , Towson ’04) , Expans ion Consu l tan t


EXPANSION NEWSEXPANSION NEWS

Mr. Brent Allsup ’08Mr. Donnie Alf Balenger Jr. ’05Mr. Joshua David Cox ’05Mr. Benjamin Curry ’05Mr. Joshua Glenn Davis ’08Mr. Paul Michael Ferguson ’05Mr. Scott Taylor Fleming ’05Mr. Jude Michael Fontenot ’08Mr. Jerry Ross Fowler ’05Mr. Brad Michael Hendrix ’05Mr. Jared Matthew Hopkins ’06Mr. Andrew Stephen Johnson ’05

Mr. Lawrence Patton McDonald Jr. ’05

Mr. Andrew Miller ’08Mr. Jonathan Charles Pascoe ’06Mr. Scott Ashley Rager ’06Mr. Travis Russell Schweitzer ’06Mr. Kevin Keane Skelly ’05Mr. Daniel Harrison Smith Jr. ’06Mr. Paul Shawn Telaro ’05Mr. John Robert Terry ’06Mr. Michael David Thompson ’07Mr. Nicholas Christopher

Wood ’06

Mr. Hil Garvin McWhorter Jr. ’05Mr. Scott Joseph Guthrie ’08Mr. Brian Michael Sutton ’08Mr. Andrew Hong Djoen Tan ’06Mr. Parker Monroe Waller ’06Mr. Tyler Thomas Wiman ’08

Colony Members

William Paterson Colony Members

J. Ross Fowler, an initiated member fromAlpha-Phi Chapter at the University ofGeorgia, transferred to Kennesaw StateUniversity in the spring of 2003. He had littleproblem adjusting to the new campus, but feltlike something major was missing from thecollege life he was accustomed to.

Thus, Fowler conceived the idea of start-ing his own Sigma Pi chapter at KennesawState, but would certainly need to enlist thehelp of others. He began correspondence withExpansion Committee Chairman Jim Wisherd(Alpha-Phi, Georgia) and fellow KSU studentsJohn Terry (Alpha-Phi, Georgia) andBenjamin Curry (Epsilon-Alpha, SouthernTech), who were eager to join the expansioneffort. The three undergraduates began therecruitment phase of their journey and inter-ested some 20 other men in Sigma Pi.

The university opened its doors for fraternity andsorority expansion at the beginning of the fall 2004semester. The interest group wasted no time in estab-lishing contact with Director of Student Life KathyAlday, who encouraged Sigma Pi Fraternity to expand toKSU.

Expansion Consultant Christian Miele arrived inKennesaw (just outside of Atlanta, Georgia) to workwith the interest group, helping them recruit and pre-pare for colonization. On the evening of September 12,Miele, Wisherd, South Atlantic Province Archon JasonBeck, and Michael “Sparky” Bushaw installed theKennesaw State University Colony. The following menwere elected and installed as the colony officers: J. RossFowler, president; John Terry, vice president; LawrenceMcDonald, treasurer; Benjamin Curry, secretary; ScottRager, sergeant-at-arms; and Paul Ferguson, historian.

Kennesaw State University Colonization on October 12, 2004 .

Mr. Brett Bogden ’08Mr. Daniel Paul Brautigam ’07Mr. Edward Alexis Echeverri ’07Mr. Kenneth Michael Ellsworth ’07Mr. Davin Larse Forsberg ’08Mr. Brett Edward Graffeo ’08Mr. Keith Robert Hildebrandt ’08Mr. Ryan Mikael Holder ’08

Mr. Brad Jeffrey Kotuski ’08Mr. Matthew Ryan Krupka ’07Mr. Matthew Bryan LaRusso ’07Mr. Jesse Matthew Mazza ’08Mr. Thomas Paul Morris ’07Mr. Alexander Joseph Muniz ’07Mr. Jordan Michael O`Donnell ’07Mr. Matthew Steven Palmieri ’07

Mr. Anthony I. Perchicca ’08Mr. Christopher John Reed ’07Mr. Antonio San Roman ’07Mr. Nicholas Robert Schulz ’07Mr. Harold Ben Tat ’07Mr. Robert Douglas Velasquez ’05Mr. Aaron Ross Visco ’07


“Kindred Minds . . .”—from the Sigma Pi Creed

Brother Eric Smith (��, CentralMichigan ’88) was elected MacombCounty prosecutor by a wide marginon November 2, 2004. MacombCounty is a large, suburban area inDetroit and is one of the most popu-lated counties in Michigan.

Pierre Charmasson, CMP (��,Northern Arizona ’85), has beentapped by the San Diego Old AztecAthletic Club to act as their directorof protocol and the assistant directorof corporate sponsorship for theGolden Oldies World Rugby Festival,scheduled for May 15–22, 2005.Charmasson has been an active mem-ber of the Old Aztecs Ruby FootballClub since 1989 and currently servesas the U.S.A. rugby youth develop-ment officer for San Diego County.Charmasson is an experienced corpo-rate meetings and events plannerwith Professional Event Solutions inSan Diego, California.

Any Sigma Pi member interested inobtaining international exposure fortheir business or product is urged tocontact Brother Charmasson (��,Northern Arizona ’85) at (619) 299-2991 ext. 15 or [email protected].

Michael W. Brown (��, Cal State-Fullerton ’82) was promoted to vicepresident, assistant general counsel,

highlight. Local alumni are welcometo join in the fun. Contact Brian atblemon@ rochester.rr.com or call“Mole Man.”

Jason Dix (�, SUNY Buffalo ’96)resides in Orlando with his wife,Christina. Jason is a meeting plannerfor Marriott International at the JWMarriott Orlando, Grande Lakes.

The Beach Cities AlumniAssociation will celebrate the 50thanniversary of Beta-Omicron Chapter(Cal. State-Long Beach) Saturday,February 26, 2005, at the WestinHotel in Long Beach. For more infor-mation, contact PGS John Merino [email protected].

The Upsilon Alumni Associationreports: Jim Ballard, Rob Ward, SteveLantz, Rich Marcus, and Jay Rossroad tripped to Seattle on September18 for the UCLA-Washington game,and also caught a Mariners game.The brothers ran into former UCLAquarterback Cory Paus after thegame.

Herman Quispe (, UCLA ’93)hosted a pre-game cookout forUCLA’s opener against Oklahoma


assistant compliance officer and pri-vacy officer at InSight HealthServices Corp. Brown lives in AlisoViejo, California, with his wife of 15years, Donna, and their two children,Taylor and Vanessa.

Congratulations to Dave and WendyBarnard (��, chapter ’??) on the birthof their son and future Sigma Pi,William Cole Barnard. William wasborn July 29, 2004. He was a reallybig boy (probable three-sport star atlineback, third base, and eight-manat USC), weighing 9 pounds 6 ouncesand measuring 21-inches long. Thefirst thing out of the doctors’ andnurses’ mouths was, “He’s huge!”

Congratulations to John (��, CalState Sacramento ’95) and KaseyMuraoka on the birth of their son,Joseph John, who was born June 22.Joseph weighed 8 pounds 2 ouncesand was 21-inches long.

Andrew Hackman (��, Kutztown’99) and wife Kristen proudlyannounce the birth of their firstchild, Alyssa Sage Hackman, bornAugust 9, 2004. Alyssa weighed 7pounds 11 ounces and was 21 1/2-inches long. Everyone is in goodhealth and lives in Bethlehem,Pennsylvania. Alumni can contactAndy at [email protected].

Dr. Adam Teichman (� , ColoradoState ’95) was elected chief surgicalresident for 2004–2005. He will com-plete his training in June 2005.Brother Teichman is currently train-ing in Hoboken, New Jersey, special-izing in foot and ankle reconstructionand trauma.

Mike Hatchey reports: Geoff Flynn(HO, Toronto ’02) and the Mad Mendart team he captains in the QueenStreet Dart League took first place atthe end of the summer season. Thesummer league consisted of 26 teamsfrom Toronto with skill levels rangingfrom beginner to provincial andnational championship.

Brian Lemon (��, Rochester Tech’81) reports: A small summer gather-ing took place at our annual Sigma Pialumni pool party. The fifth annualpool party was attended by sevenlocal alumni and their families. Thisgroup gets together four to six timesper year. Additional annual eventsinclude Christmas at the Vlosky’s andMardi Gras at the Berndt’s.Impromptu dinner trips to Geneva,hosted by the D’Amico’s, are also a

ALUMNINEWS

Eta-Nu Alumni Club CharteringEta-Nu Alumni Michael James Bakert, Christian Miele, Jason

Murphy, and Christopher Frew formed an Alumni Club CharteringCommittee soon after their chapter had won the coveted GrandSage’s Award at the Fraternity’s 47th Biennial Convocation thispast summer. “Our alumni have been very excited about the chap-ter’s achievement and we felt now would be the right time to getthis thing started while their interest is peaking,” said Miele. Onthe morning of October 9, the alumni and active chapter met todiscuss the purpose and mission of such an association. Officerswere elected, a constitution and bylaws adopted, and speeches onthe chapter’s history and recent successes were given. After themeeting, the 40+ alumni in attendance would join the actives in amemorable tailgate for Towson’s homecoming game. The GrandCouncil approved October 27 (the founding date of the chapter)as the chartering date for the alumni club.

White Water Weekend 2005Gamma-Xi Chapter invites all brothers and their families to the annual White

Water Weekend. This event is an entire weekend of camping, mountain biking,hiking, horseback riding, and river rafting. There is something exciting foreveryone. For more information, contact Alex Watson at [email protected]; (540) 207-1266 (cell); (304) 442-3448 (home); or www.songerwhite-water.com.



ALUMNINEWS

How long has it been since you met with your alumni. Plan a meeting soon.

Beta-Mu alumni (from left to right)Thomas A. Goodwin, IV, Barry W.Jenkins, and Mark Byrne pose infront of Virginia Dale, Co. Café andPost Office

Heitmeier finishes career with brotherNot everyone gets to finish a great

career in the presence of anotherSigma Pi brother, but alumnus BillHeitmeier (�, Iowa ’66) had thatprivilege as a pilot for SkywestAirlines. During his time as a profes-sional pilot, Heitmeier discovered notonly a love for the sky, but a kindredmind in his company. While there is agreat fraternalism among pilots,Heitmeier also found a Sigma Pi con-nection with pilot and Brother JeffWarren (��, Cal. State-DominquezHills ’95).

The two men discovered their com-mon bond during a conversation they

shared in 2001. The two brothers teamed up and flew together for eightmonths in a row, leading up to Heitmeier’s retirement this summer.

“I knew when I was going to retire,” Heitmeier said, “and I wanted tofly my last flight with Jeff. Skywest arranged for us to go to Las Vegas,and together we flew the last flight back to Palm Springs in an EMB120 Brazilia (twin turboprop). We were the only two in the cockpit formy last trip.”

After decades of flight, which began with the U.S. Air Force,Heitmeier described his last flight routine. The retired lieutenantcolonel said that during his last flight, he and Jeff reminisced a whileabout their careers, but the flight back was a little quiet.

As the wheels touched down in Palm Springs, the airport fire depart-ment brought two trucks to create an archway of water over the planeas it taxied into the terminal, a custom for pilots who have finishedtheir final flight. This honor was a nice tribute before Heitmeier’s offi-cial retirement party at Warren’s home.

Although Sigma Pi has several pilots in our membership, Jeff Warrenwas the first Heitmeier had ever met. “We get along great,” saidWarren. “Bill is not only personable and easy to fly with, but he’s also agreat pilot.”

State. Tom Miller, Bill Kealey, DavidFinkel, Chris Daughters, GaborFabian and others showed up. JeffBara attended, and then double-dipped with the NASCAR race inFontana the next day to jeer DaleEarnhardt Jr.

Sean Bloch (, UCLA ’92) roadtripped to Las Vegas for the AVPfinale.

Mike Liskey (, UCLA ’90) is busyrecruiting for his new job as assistantbasketball coach for Santa AnaCollege.

Dan Romero (, UCLA ’98) andhis wife, Amy, welcomed a daughterApril 18.

Abel Somilleda (, UCLA ’95) andhis wife, Liza, welcomed a son, Noah,this summer. Abel, Sean Bloch, andJay Ross went to the Big Bad VoodooDaddy concert at the Hollywood BowlAugust 6.

Former Sage Sean Topp (, UCLA’98) married April Phillips October 2.

Mike Martin (, UCLA ’94) orga-nized an epic bachelor party roadtrip in Las Vegas.

Won Park (, UCLA ’93) hasindulged in late-night, online pokerand watched every episode of“American Idol III.”

Larry Furst (, UCLA ’91) and hiswife, Nu, returned from a trip toThailand in the winter.

John Parker (, UCLA ’51) made atrip to Indochina and Mongolia, fol-lowing in the steps of Xanadu chapterfounder Marco Polo.

Derrick Hindery (, UCLA ’91)began his professorship in environ-mental studies at the University of

Hawaii and hopes to catch somewaves on the north shore.

Ajay Patel (, UCLA ’91) works ascounsel at USC and attended theDodgers-Padres Western Divisionshowdown on September 14, gettingcomped for field-level dugout seats.He saw Olympic softball pitcherJennie Finch throw out the firstpitch, then went for seconds on theprime rib.

Check out the Upsilon AlumniAssociation web site, www.SigmaPiUCLA.com, or for more information,e-mail Jay Ross at [email protected].

Thomas Krumenacker (��, SUNY-Plattsburgh) was kind enough tothank his brothers for saving his lifein a story that ran in The San DiegoUnion-Tribune on Friday, August 13,2004. “Twelve years later, I have notgiven up and look forward to the rest of my life,” Krumenacker said in an

e-mail to Sigma Pi.In the story by staff writer Don

Norcorss, Krumenacker talked abouthow his congenital liver failure wasso bad that he was “living much ofhis life in a nightmarish daze.”Krumenacker first became aware ofthe problem as an undergraduatewhen he thought he was just havingflu-like symptoms, but instead,passed out. Though he was just light-headed, his brothers got him to thehospital where doctors discoveredKrumenacker had been bleedinginternally, and the acts of his friendsmay have saved his life.

Doctors performed an endoscopicprocedure (where bleeding veinswould be tied with rubber bands)several times over the next 11 yearsbefore more problems made it neces-

sary for Krumenacker to have a livertransplant in May. Though at onetime things were so tough on himthat he suffered weakness and confu-sion because of toxins in his blood,Krumenacker, who is now muchhealthier, was able to enter and runthe American’s Finest City HalfMarathon earlier this year.

After waiting 10 years for a liver toreplace the one that had been ailinghim, a living donor, Krumenacker’ssister-in-law, Heather Colombo,donated 60 percent of her liver to ourbrother.

We thank Colombo and the staff atScripps Green Hospital for every-thing they’ve done to helpKrumenacker get his life back andmake him strong enough to play withhis family, especially young daughterSamantha.

Jeff Warren (L) and BillHeitmeier pilot for Skywest.



ALUMNINEWS

Just about all of us have seen a great poker movie or a poker show ontelevision and have dreamed about the chance to sit with the best ofthe best at the final table. Yet, often the most excitement we get in

our card-playing lives is in besting our friends in a game of Texas Hold ’emon tables that are a far cry from the soft, felted tables of the World Seriesof Poker held annually in Vegas.

Few people ever get the chance to play for something that matters, totest wit and will against the best bluffers and card sharks in the neighbor-hood, let alone the whole city. Brother Brian “Newt” Newton (��,Missouri-Saint Louis ’03) is one of those rare men who has. . .and afterplaying the best card sharks in St. Louis, he came out on top.

The following interview was graciously given by Newt less than amonth after his dramatic victory. Sigma Pi is proud of Newt and wisheshim luck in the future. May the rest of you feast off the flop, triple up onthe turn, and float winners on the river.

1. Sigma Pi: What’s the name of the tournament that you won?

Newt: I defeated 152 other players at Pokerpub.com’s Tournament ofChampions—St. Louis Region.

2. Sigma Pi: How did you find out that a tournament was being held?

Newt: Every Monday night, a few of my friends go to Caleco’s in SouthSt. Louis County for “Monday Night Football.” In late September, The PokerPub started having no-limit Hold ’em games at 7:00 and 10:00 p.m., andthere was no cost to enter. On October 4, I played in both games and madethe final table in both, out of about 25 to 30 players. I finished second andseventh, respectively. If you made it to the final table, or “the final 8,” youautomatically qualified to play in the Tournament of Champions game onOctober 9, in downtown St. Louis. The tournament itself had 152 playersfrom the St. Louis area.

3. Sigma Pi: How long have you been a poker player?

Newt: I’ve been playing cards since I was 4 years old, but I actually startedplaying poker 8 years ago when I was in high school.

Alumnus Brian Newton wins St. Louis pBy And rew Smi th (��, Troy S ta te ’00)



4. Sigma Pi: Has the recent publicity on ESPN and other TV networksboosted your interest in the game?

Newt: I actually started playing in small no-limit Hold ’em games aboutthree years ago, but I would have to say that yes, it has boosted my inter-est. I now know who people are when I watch the games on TV. GusHanson is my favorite because he isn’t afraid to play any hand and no onecan ever seem to read him.

5. Sigma Pi: Where was the tourney held?

Newt: In a downtown St. Louis nightclub called Velvet.

6. Sigma Pi: What did you win?

Newt: I won a $400 voucher good for a trip to Las Vegas that covers airfareand three days, two nights in the hotel of my choice.

7. Sigma Pi: Do you plan on making a run at the World Series of Poker inLas Vegas?

Newt: Since I won this tournament, I’m automatically qualified to play in aPokerPub.com-sponsored tournament where first place wins an automaticbid to the World Series. I think it’s going to be held in Kansas City.PokerPub is supposed to call me with the details. As soon as I find out, I’mgoing to make plans to play in that game. Playing in the World Series wouldbe amazing, but I certainly don’t have the 10 grand it costs to enter!

8. Sigma Pi: Poker is part of American folklore and has been featured inseveral films. How many poker films have you seen, and what is the bestpoker movie of all time?

Newt: I honestly haven’t seen too many poker movies, but “Rounders” and“Maverick” are classics. “Tombstone” had some classic poker scenes in itas well. If you’re a Hold ’em fan, you have to love “Rounders.” Maverick hadmore luck on his side than anything. Matt Damon in “Rounders” had theskill. His character showed you don’t have to have the best cards to win.

9. Sigma Pi: Do you play poker at the casinos in St. Louis or online topractice?

Newt: I used to play every now and then at the casinos, but since these free,no-limit games have been popping up in the area, I’ve been playing in thoseon Mondays and sometimes Tuesdays. The casino tables aren’t no-limitgames, so the person who sits down at the table with the most money isusually the person who wins the money because they can afford to fish forcards. I can’t tell you how many hands I’ve lost because of that!

10. Sigma Pi: Where are the best places for people to play for free andhone in their skills?

Newt: You can play for free online. There are plenty of poker sites nowa-days, but I find playing for free at area bars is much better for sharpening

your skills. The only thing wrong with playing online is you can’t play theplayer as well. You can’t pick up tells by looking at a computer screen.

11. Sigma Pi: Besides playing, where have you learned the most aboutthe game’s strategy?

Newt: By watching games on TV. Try this: Watch the pros play on ESPN andthe Travel Channel, and then try watching the celebrities play on Bravo. Thedifference between how to play and how not to play is so evident. It allcomes down to experience and knowledge of the game, and some of thosecelebrities haven’t even played the game before! Listen to the commenta-tors too. They know what they’re talking about.

12. Sigma Pi: What is your favorite draw?

Newt: Before any cards come up on the board, I love seeing a pair of any-thing in my hand. Seeing that third one come after the flop makes calling apre-flop raise with a pair of fours all worthwhile!

14. Sigma Pi: As a gambler and a superstitious person, I can’t ask you a13th question! Are you superstitious?

Newt: Not really when it comes to poker. I don’t have any fossils, rabbit’sfeet, or funny sunglasses with me at the table. I just try to play my hand thesame way, no matter what cards I have, and try and make sure I can’t beread. I do play 3, 9 whenever I’m dealt it, because 39 is my number.

15. Sigma Pi: As an educated Sigma Pi, you understand the risksinvolved in gambling. How do you make sure you enjoy the game in ahealthy manner and don’t become addicted?

Newt: By understanding my financial limits and not crossing them. I lovethe thrill of playing for money, be it at the casino or at a home game, but Ialso realize that at this stage in my life, I don’t have much money to spareon gambling. I don’t care how talented or how skilled or even how lucky aperson may be, gambling is never a sure thing. If it was, I certainly wouldn’tbe working for a living! Taking advantage of free games around the area hascertainly soothed my itch for poker, and so far, it’s paying off because Ifinally get to go to Vegas!

s poker championship

ALUMNINEWS

Brother Brian “Newt” Newton, right, (DZ, Missouri-St. Louis ’04) sits happilyas the last man at the final table of Pokerpub.com’s Tournament of

Champions. (Photo courtesy of pokerpubs.com)



Cornell (Mu)John Oliver McDonald ’66

Drexel (Beta-Theta)Allen D. Kremer ’51 12/26/03

Detroit-Mercy (Gamma-Alpha)James E. Butke ’73

Emory (Psi)James R. Flournoy ’39 7/12/02

Franklin and Marshall (Nu)Glenn E. Irwin Sr. ’47 7/5/04Peter Fortis ’46 2/13/04

Houston (Theta-Nu)Jeremy Hyett ’04 10/23/04Matthew Glowacz (P)’0910/23/04Joseph Marsh III (P)’0910/23/04

Indiana (Beta)Borden R. Purcell ’34 5/5/01

Lycoming (Beta-Lambda)Mark R. Stevens ’89 7/02

Missouri-Rolla (Alpha-Iota)Mark J. Smith ’80

Northern Arizona (Beta-Iota)Russell Ready ’51 6/1/04William W. Mitchell III ’62

Ohio (Epsilon)William J. Kuhner Jr. ’41

Oregon State (Omega)Robert A. Baer ’40 2/04

Parsons (Gamma-Zeta)Edmund Wysocki Jr. ’71

Pennsylvania State (Theta)Richard D. Gates Jr. ’52

Purdue (Eta)Richard Hendricks ’51Col. William R. Ourand Jr. ’40Richard Frederick ’33 10/01

Southern Illinois-Carbondale(Beta-Nu)Nathan Stahlke ’72

Utah (Pi)Dr. L. Reid Shepard ’399/13/04Roland Wise ’35 9/8/04

Richard “Dick” Lee Kruger(, UCLA ’51)9/19/1928–9/6/04

Richard “Dick” Kruger stoodtall and proud, and wasrespected and admired by allwho knew him. He grew up inLos Angeles, the son of Gusand Minnie Lee Kruger. Whileattending UCLA, he met andmarried Jan Johnson, andtogether they raised fourdaughters in Whittier,California. During these years,Kruger graduated from the

Police Academy, earned therank of sergeant in the Los Angeles PoliceDepartment, obtained hisbachelor’s degree fromCSULA, and cofounded MTKEnterprises to operate HuskieFreightways.

Kruger also worked forCalifornia DistributionServices, then DittemoreInsulation Contractors. Heenjoyed the friends he madethrough Sigma Pi, relaxing atthe family cabin, hunting, fish-ing, gardening, photography,traveling, and surfing the ’net.Many enjoyed his politicalnewsletter “Krugerskwips” andother e-mails. He is survivedby his mother, wife, and fourdaughters.

Alpha-Rho Loses Young Leaderin Auto Fatality

On October 29, 2004, Alpha-Rho Chapter atSouthwest Missouri State suffered a tragic loss as 21-year-old Ryan Trigg, a fall 2004 pledge and dedicatedU.S. Marine, was killed on a slick road as he was headinghome to St. Louis.

Everyone who met Trigg saw a well-rounded youngman who was a perfect pledge. Trigg was the leader inhis pledge class of more than 20 men. He was themature pledge brother who everyone looked up to; hewas a dedicated Sigma Pi.

Although Trigg was a Sigma Pi for a very short time,the entire chapter benefited from his presence. Trigg’ssmile could light up a room, and he had a big heart.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, hisgirlfriend, and his close friends. We are proud he choseto be part of our chapter, and we’re proud to call him abrother. Brother Trigg will be sorely missed but neverforgotten.

For more information, contact Alpha-Rho ChapterSage Ryan E. Johann at [email protected].

ADYTUM ON HIGH

Ryan Trigg (1983–2004)



ADYTUM ON HIGH

PGS Jack Fields (Epsilon-Gamma, Illinois Wesleyan ’75) passed in hissleep to Adytum on High on October 21, 2004. Fields had been suffering fromcancer since early August. Grand Herald John Michelich, who had spent considerable time by his chapter brother’s side, was in Bloomington, Illinois,when Brother Fields passed.

Fields had a love for helping others, which is probably what led him to acareer in higher education. He served as the registrar and assistant dean atIllinois Wesleyan University until his illness made it impossible for him to continue.

Fields was initiated into Epsilon-Gamma Chapter as a founding father onJanuary 25, 1975. During his tenure at Epsilon-Gamma, Fields served ascolony president, pledge educator, rush chairman, and Epsilon-Gamma’s firstchapter sage.

Fields began his service on the Grand Council on August 9, 1986, as GrandThird Counselor. In 1988, he did not seek reelection, but rejoined the Council asGrand Third Counselor on August 1, 1992. Fields continued his service on theCouncil as Grand Second Counselor in 1994, Grand Sage in 1996, and PastGrand Sage from 1998–2000. After his service on Grand Council, Fields volun-teered as a trustee for the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation from October 15,2001, through August 3, 2002. Brother Fields also served on the Fraternity’sScholarship and Standards, Housing and Finance, and Expansion committees.

During his involvement with the Fraternity, Field’s commitment and dedica-tion to his undergraduate chapter never wavered, which he demonstrated byserving as chapter director from 1983 until his death.

“We all have fond memories of Jack, and we are all fortunate to have knownhim,” said Executive Director Mark Briscoe. “Jack epitomized the values andideals of Sigma Pi, and was truly one of the finest men I have ever known.”

Sigma Pi Mourns Loss of Past Grand Sage


From the Desk

of the Chairman

Dear Brothers, Parents, Friends, and Supporters of Sigma Pi:

The new biennium has gotten off to a great start.The board conducted a fall retreat with the GrandCouncil to review key joint strategic objectives. As aresult of our meeting, we established the followinggoals:

■ Focus on alumni development■ Enhance our Annual Fund program■ Develop pre-campaign planning activities■ Expand regional alumni events■ Continue support of educational programming

We are pleased to welcome Jay Vaden and John Kitch to our board. Eachyear we seek new board members who have fund-raising or developmentbackground. Should you be interested, please contact me [email protected], or our office at 800-332-1897. I would also like to thankretiring board member PGS Howard Beyer for his many years of dedicationto the Foundation and to Sigma Pi.

It is not often that our Fraternity receives a fund-raising challenge. TheFoundation Board and Grand Council are grateful to Tony Siress for his pastand current support. Siress received the Fraternity’s highest award, theFounders’ Award for Business and Support to Sigma Pi.

We have a number of events planned for this year. I invite you to attend:

■ The Mid-year Leadership Workshop and alumni reception in St. Louis, Missouri, February 4–5

■ The inaugural Sigma Pi cruise, May 21–26. It leaves from New Orleans, Louisiana

■ Sigma Pi University in Nashville, Tennessee, July 28–31

Thank you for your support as we build and grow our Foundation. Ourgoal is to make 2005 bigger and better for our Next Generation of Leaders.

Fraternally,

Thomas A. MooreChairman

Sigma Pi

Fraternity

Educational Foundation

Foundation Board of

Trustees

Chairman

Thomas A. Moore, Western Michigan

Vice Chairmen

G. Mason Cozart, Southern ArkansasGary T. Dvorchak, Iowa

Ed J. Panconi, Loyola-MarymountGary B. Tash, Virginia

Treasurer

L. Nelson Farris, Cal State-Long Beach

Secretary

John J. Merino, Cal State-Long Beach

Trustees

Donald J. Cox, TempleFrank C. Fryburg, Pennsylvania State

Brenan C. German, Cal State-FullertonPaul W. Hansen, Valparaiso

John D. Kitch, PurdueJohn J. McCann, New Jersey Tech

Adam R. Shores, Troy StateCliff A. Wilke, Missouri-Saint Louis

John H. Williams, WidenerJay Vaden, Texas Tech

Foundation Staff

Chief Operating Officer

Mark S. Briscoe, Arkansas State

Director of Operations

J. David Edwards, Christopher Newport

Director of Alumni Services

Paul V. Wydra, Missouri-Saint Louis

Administrative Assistant

Jennifer R. Wyatt

Administrative Offices

Sigma Pi Educational FoundationPost Office Box 1897Brentwood, TN 37024

Tel (800) 332-1897 Fax (615) 373-8919

[email protected]

Helping our Fraternity to build

“A New Generation of

Leaders”


FOUNDATIONNEWS

The Educational Foundation is activelyseeking fellow Brothers to help the Foundation as an Advisor orTrustee who have:

Worked professionally as a fundraiserWorked for a university Development OfficeParticipated in a fundraising campaign

Volunteering to help the Foundation will be a rewardingexperience. Our Staff and Board leadership will make sure yourtime is well managed.

If you are interested, please contact Ed Panconi at [email protected] or call Sigma Pi at (800)332-1897.


By Paul Wydra (��, Missouri-Saint Louis ’01)Director of Alumni Services

There have been many exciting events this year in AlumniServices. On Saturday, September 25, 44 Atlanta-area alumni andundergraduates went to an Atlanta Braves baseball game. Before thegame, members met in a picnic area for food and drinks. There werebrothers from numerous Sigma Pi chapters: Georgia (Alpha-Phi),Emory (Psi), Kentucky (Epsilon-Beta), California (Iota) WesternMichigan (Gamma-Rho), and members from our Kennesaw Statecolony. It was great meeting and talking with a spectrum of memberswho came from different chapters and had different experiences.The night went better than expected as the Braves won the game.

On November 5, we had an alumni event in Nashville, Tennessee.The event was a gathering of local alumni, the Grand Council, theEducational Foundation board, and the Executive Office staff. Duringthis informal event, alumni got to meet some of the Fraternity volun-teers. It was a great evening of food, drink, and memories. I wouldlike to thank everyone who attended or contacted me about an inter-national alumni event.

Future international alumni events will be held in St. Louis, NewOrleans, Philadelphia, New York, and possibly in Texas, Arizona, andFlorida. Please check the web site for other future locations. If youwould like to have an event in your area, please contact me at theExecutive Office.

We are excited to announce that Sigma Pi is planning a five-day,five-night Western Caribbean cruise from May 21–26, 2005, whichwill be open to all members as well as their wives, children, fiancés,and girlfriends. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet otherbrothers and their families. For more information, visitwww.sigmapi.org, or call Paul Wydra at the Executive Office, (800)332-1897. Call now, because we only have a certain number of cabinsreserved.

Sigma Pi is always looking for volunteers to assist in various roles.Chapter/colony directors, province archons, housing corporation

advisors, and alumni advisory board volunteers are sorely needed.Our undergraduate brothers need the support of alumni who havebeen through many of the same things they are going through rightnow! A strong chapter has great alumni support. If you have someextra time, please consider becoming a volunteer for Sigma Pi. It canbe a rewarding experience.

The following chapters/colonies need chapter directors: IndianaTech, Illinois Wesleyan, East Carolina, Johnson and Wales, OldDominion, Radford, and Cal State Chico. The following coloniesneed colony directors: James Madison, Florida, and JacksonvilleState (Alabama).

Alumni advisory boards are also being formed forchapters/colonies right now. We need alumni who enjoy assisting agroup and watching them move in the right direction.

Sigma Pi Alumni Advisory Boards

Sigma Pi Fraternity initiated a new program to help our chaptersand colonies improve and maintain alumni involvement. One of thekeys to a successful organization is the involvement of a core groupof alumni advisors to assist and guide undergraduates with variousaspects of chapter operations. The bottom line is this: A successfulchapter/colony has good alumni support. The descriptions below out-line the various alumni advisor positions. Alumni advisory boards arenot voted on; they do not have or need bylaws or corporation status.Alumni advisory boards are in place for one reason: to guide theundergraduates. Advisors do not have to be members of Sigma Pi.

Chapter DirectorThe main role of the chapter director is to guide undergraduates

in everyday chapter operations. The director is also the liaisonbetween the chapter, the Province Archon, and the Executive Office.The chapter director helps with officer training, finances, paper-work, member recruitment, risk management, and the recruitmentof other alumni to assist the chapter/colony. The chapter director is


FOUNDATIONNEWS

Alumni Services

Atlanta alumni gather for a time of fun and baseball.


the contact person for parents, new members, or potential memberswho have questions or concerns. The chapter director position is theonly position that’s voted on by the chapter.

Faculty AdvisorThe faculty advisor helps with undergraduate scholarship and

programming. Acting as a liaison between the university and thechapter, the faculty advisor may assist with study hours, academicadvising, campus image, and ways to improve/maintain overall chap-ter GPA.

Housing AdvisorImage is an important aspect of a college fraternity. Our chapter

houses must maintain a safe and livable standard. The housing advi-sor is the contact for the undergraduate house manager. The advisormakes sure fire safety equipment is checked regularly and remainscurrent; that the chapter house is kept clean through the timely per-formance of house duties; and that there are no safety issues in thechapter house or on chapter house property. If there is a major pro-ject that needs to be completed, the house advisor can assist theundergraduate house manager to ensure the work or maintenancegets done properly. The housing advisor must know the risk manage-

ment policy of the Executive Office and the university, and see thatthe chapter maintains a good relationship with neighbors and com-munity members.

Member Education AdvisorHazing is a thing of the past and is detrimental to what brother-

hood and being The New Generation of Leaders is all about. Themember education advisor is in contact with the undergraduatemembership education chair(s) and makes sure new members aretaught the proper values and core ideals of Sigma Pi. The newFoundation of Membership Manual should be used by all new mem-ber education chair(s) to teach new members of Sigma Pi.

Finance AdvisorThe finance advisor guides the undergraduate Third Counselor

(treasurer) on chapter finances, fund raising, auditing the books,and saving/budgeting for the chapter’s future. The finance advisoralso is a liaison between the undergraduate chapter and an alumnicomptroller of the housing corporation. The finance advisor shouldbe aware of the dues paid per member, what payments the chapterowes the Executive Office, and what bills the chapter may have. Thefinance advisor should be able to see the accounts that the chapterhas at a bank and/or with a financial service company.


FOUNDATIONNEWS

2004 Atlanta Alumni at a Braves game.


Alumni AdvisorThe alumni advisor maintains communication between the under-

graduate chapter and alumni through an e-mail list, a group page,and/or an alumni newsletter. The alumni advisor maintains commu-nication with the undergraduate First Counselor regarding updateson area alumni. The alumni advisor also assists in organizingactive/alumni events such as homecoming, Founders’ Day, chapterformals, and golf outings.

Rush AdvisorThe rush advisor assists the undergraduate rush chairmen in

preparing for and executing the recruitment period. The rush advisorshould know all of the university and Executive Office policiesregarding recruitment. The advisor should maintain an open line ofcommunication between undergraduate chapter brothers and keepthem focused on rush, which is the lifeblood of the chapter and theFraternity. The rush advisor should also make sure all of the properforms and fees are submitted to the Executive Office.

Additional resources

Please use www.sigmapi.org as a resource for officer, recruitment,scholarship, housing, and volunteer manuals. The web site can also beused for ideas and communication with other alumni volunteers.

For more information on Alumni Volunteers checkout www.sigmapi.org/alumniservices/advisory.cfm


FOUNDATIONNEWS

Alumni from all over Georgia gathered for a Braves game.

Los Angeles alumni event at UCLA in 2004.

Grand Third Counselor George Hakim and Addam Arrington at theNashville alumni event.


Sigma Pi FraternityPost Office Box 1897Brentwood, TN 37024

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDMidland, MI

Permit No. 482

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

FOUNDATIONSIGMA PI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

A Quarterly News Update

We need your help. Please send us this information today so we can stay in touch with you.

Please take a moment to fill out the formbelow so we can update our records. Sigma Piis doing more to reach its members than everbefore, and we want to make sure that youreceive the news as early as possible. We needyour help.

Parents, if this publication is reaching yourhouse after your son’s graduation, please help

us update his information by sending his newaddress to our offices.

This year we want to reach all of our alumniat their homes and continue to build the life-long bonds of brotherhood we share in SigmaPi. We have several regional alumni eventsplanned for 2005, and we need this informa-tion for your invitation.

Sigma Pi Alumni Address Update for 2005

Name: ______________________________________ Graduation Year: __________

Chapter/School: ________________________________________________________

Street Address: ____________________________________ Apt: ________________

City/State: ________________________________________ Zip: ________________

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