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20

IN PROFILE

(GENTlE)mAN Of THE YEAR:

KENNETH HALL

One award besides the Zeal Award earns

the envy of our collegiate brothers everyyear when it’s announced at the John

O. Moeley Leaderip scool. Te Tre

Gentleman of the Year serves as our role

model of what a Sigma Alpha Epsilon

brother should personify. He should

personify our creed and embody its

definition trog i ord, deed and

action. In addition, te onor come it

a genero financial reard, made poible

by warren P. Polny from kettering

univerity. kennet hall (Ne haven ’13)

explains his reaction to winning one of our

biggest honors and provides advice forother collegiate members on their paths

to success.

lEADERSHIP ON HIS mIND

What part o “The Tre Gentean”do yo think yo ost exepiy?

Passionate

ResponsibleCourageousInspirationalApproachableCharismatic

30%

15%15%

15%

15%

10%

What are the different qualitiesthat a leader must possess? Least desirable quality in a leader:

APATHY

“‘WHOSE DEEDfOllOWS HIS WORD’RINGS TRuE TO mE.”



21THE RECORD • WINTER/SPRING 2013

SleepingWorking OutClassWorkStudyingRelaxing/Hanging With Friends/Phonecalls/Meetings

Q: How did you find out you had earned our top

award for collegiate members?

It was a truly a humbling experience. I found out

during the awards ceremony at the 77th Leader-

ship School. I was serving as an ambassador,

so I was up front with all of the other ambassa-

dors from the group. Ken racey announced theaward, and I remember being congratulated by a

lot of the brothers around me, including Father

Bob and Marty Wiglesworth, which meant a lot

to me. I was pretty overwhelmed when I went on-

stage to get the award; there were a lot of hand-

shakes and hugs.

Q: How did our creed, “Te rue Gentleman,”

inspire you or relate to you when you first read it?

Some people say exemplifying “Te rue Gentle-

man” in its entirety is impossible; however, thatshouldn’t stop anyone from trying. I essentially

viewed the creed as a goa l for me, and it inspired

me to improve myself and my character. I know I

still have a lot of room for improvement, and “Te

rue Gentleman” helps bring some of those areas

to light.

Q: With which part of “Te rue Gentleman” do

you identify the most? And tell us why.

I think “Te rue Gentleman” must be identified

as a whole. It’s not like you can pick and chooseparts that you want to uphold. Te phrase “… who

thinks of the rights and feelings of others rather

than his own …” has resonated with me ever since

my grandmother passed away last year. She was

always able to make people feel great, like they

were the most important people out there, and I

want to be able to bring happiness to my friends

and family the same way she did.

Q: Te award comes with a $5,000 scholarship

made possible by Warren Poslusny (Kettering

’69). How are you planning to use that financial

reward?

Te scholarship went right to my tuition at the

University of New Haven. I’m intending on get-

ting my MBA in the future as well, so I need as

much help as I can get to pay for everything.

Q: What is the one of the greatest benefits that your membership in Sigma Alpha Epsilon has

given you?

Without a doubt, I’m so thankful for the second

family that Sigma Alpha Epsilon has given me. I

value family so much, and I needed to have a sense

of family while at school. I know I’ll be close with

my chapter brothers for the rest of my life. Tey’re

some of the best friends I’ll ever have, and I’m

honored to call them my brothers.

Q: We’re wondering what made you sign yourbid card with the Connecticut Nu-Eta chapter at

the University of New Haven?

I was actually a member of the Alpha Class at

Connecticut Nu-Eta and joined during our stage

as an “interest group.” I decided to join because

of the relationship between our two Founders,

Gavin Maxfield and Chris D’eletto. Tey’re com-

plete opposites, but they were able to use each

other to help better themselves individually, and I

look at them both as role models and inspirations.

I looked at myself as a person who undoubtedlyneeded improvement, and I k new that a group led

by those two would help me out. Also, the sense

of family that I value was, and still is, so strong in

the group.

Q: Some collegiate brothers aspire to be good

leaders but battle apathetic members or brothers

who are in the Fraternity for the wrong reason.

What would you say to inspire those potential

leaders?

One of the quotes with which I identify is from

Vince Lombardi, who said, “Leading by example

is not the best way to lead ... it’s the only way.”

When the busiest people and leaders in a group

are setting an example and doing everything

they should, they make everyone else account-

able. Good leaders should set the example in the

classrooms, the community, within the chapterand as individuals. If the busiest people in the

chapter are also volunteering and getting the best

grades, they leave no room for other members’

excuses. Also, you have to take the time out for

those members who are apathetic. It’s wrong to

expect improvement from someone if you truly

don’t try to help him improve; a coach doesn’t ex-

pect a player to improve without taking time out

to actually coach him.

Q: When you look back at your experience as anundergraduate member, is there anything you

wish you had done differently based on what you

know now?

I spent so much time working to help our chapter

succeed that I didn’t take a chance to stop and en-

joy everything. Everything went by really quickly.

If I could have done anything differently, it would

have been focus more on the relationships and

friendships I have within the chapter.

Q: In your opinion, what are some of the biggestchallenges that fraternities and sororities face

on today’s campus?

Obviously, shedding the stereotypes surround-

ing Greek life is the biggest problem on campuses

throughout the country. Te culture of a chapter

won’t change itself, so it takes everyone to make a

change within the chapter away from the stereo-

type. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of freshmen

HIS DAY AT A GlANCE

HOW OFTEN I’VE GONE TO BED

BEFORE MIDNIGHT IN THE

LAST 2 YEARS:

NeverSometimes

Zzzzz...



22

IN PROFILE

mature enough to make the decision to join a val-ues-based organization instead o the stereotype.

But those same people are ofen parts o the big-gest issues in Greek lie, so it’s probably best that

they aren’t interested in our organization anyway.

Q: We encourage our members to promote inter-

fraternalism and to collaborate with the Greek-

letter community. Because you have experience

in that area, tell us why being interfraternal is

important.

One o my avorite aspects about Greek lie is how

it educates you in ways that class cannot. Joininga raternity is an excellent way to broaden your

education, especially considering the immeasur-able lessons that you learn rom members. I think

being interraternal helps educate you even more

and prepare you or lie afer college. It will alsohelp with networking, and you’ll benefit rom be-

ing exposed to even more personalities and per-

spectives. At the end o the day, all Greek orga-nizations promote the same ideas and values, so

overcoming your differences and benefiting romother organizations really is not that hard.

Q: As the rue Gentleman of the Year, you serve

as a mentor and as a role model for our members.

Who is one of your biggest role models?

My biggest role model in my lie is definitely mydad. He has always worked selflessly or others

and our amily. He came rom very little and is

one o the biggest motivational actors in my lie.Tere are also so many leaders in the chapter who

have served as role models throughout my under-

graduate career. Gavin, Chris, im Farmer (our

EA at chartering) and Kevin Goralski (served as

my EDA or a year) all have helped me so much.

Our chapter has so many unique personalities

that it’s easy to look up to everyone one way or

another.

Q: ell us about some of the other awards and

recognition you received through the years,

whether or not it’s related to Sigma AlphaEpsilon.

I’m currently a financial representative or North-

western Mutual Financial Network, and I was

honored to receive the op Intern Award or our

district office in 2012. Within Greek lie, I was

lucky enough to be awarded the Fraternity Man

o the Year and the Greek Scholar o the Year rom

the University o New Haven in 2012. I also re-

ceived my chapter’s rue Gentleman o the Year

Award in 2011, which was an incredible honor be-

cause it was rom my closest riends.

Q: What’s your definition of a gentleman, and

is possible for our members to achieve what he

embodies?

A gentleman is someone who tries to make lie

better and easier or others. He does the right

things, he does them or the right reasons and he

does the right things even i no one will know that

he’s doing them. Our members should strive al-

ways to improve themselves every day. Someone

can be a gentleman only through his actions, and

nothing else.

Q: You graduated from Leadership School and

served as a Leadership School ambassador. What

did those opportunities provide you?

Te 76th Leadership School was my first exposureto ΣAE on such a large, national scale. While I

learned things in the classroom that will helpme academically and proessionally, the lesson Ilearned rom the brothers on a personal level willstick with me throughout my lie and wil l help im-

prove my character. I think every brother shouldtry to serve as a Leadership School ambassadorat least once to give back to the Fraternity. It wasan incredible experience. Te ambassadors in thegroup exempliy ΣAE and are some o the bestgentlemen I’ve ever met, and I know they will bethere or me i I need anything.

Q: What’s some of the best advice you could offer

other Eminent Archons?

While you shouldn’t suppress the eelings o

wanting to enjoy yoursel in college, it’s importantto realize how mature you must act as a leader.Te quicker that you can come to the realizationthat your title will change lives, the better. A posi-tive act, such as a successul community-serviceproject, will change the lives o your brothersand people in the community, but one negativeincident could ruin the lives o brothers in thechapter, people at the school, countless amiliesand brothers across the country you haven’t evenmet. You need to do whatever the Fraternity needs

you to do, not what you want to do or whateveris the popular decision. On a different note, it’s a

tough job because it’s what you make o it. You’renormally giving yoursel orders, so it’s your jobto challenge yoursel and the chapter. Also, takea ew moments to enjoy yoursel because collegedoesn’t last orever.

Q: You’re originally from Maine, right? A lot of

people have never been there, so give us a quick

sell on what your home state offers and what you

liked the most about growing up in Te Pine

ree State?

I always love going back to Maine. I’ve workedthroughout a lot o Connecticut, and I internedin Manhattan or a semester, so Maine is always areally relaxing getaway. I miss the people there be-cause o how riendly and unique most people are.It’s a great place to raise a amily, and the summersare so nice that they make up or the winters —most o the time. O course, the seaood is nothingto complain about. END

< Kenneth Ha chats

with his chapter

brothers, francisco

Avarez (et) and

Jason Grundy

(center), during

the Province Apha

leadership Schoo

in Boston, hosted by

the chapter at mIT.

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