Sigma Phi Epsilon - Kansas State University

Sigma Phi EPSilon • KanSaS BEta ChaPtEr KanSaS StatE UnivErSity • Fall 2018 t h e H O O P o f S T E E L Urgent Need for New AVC Board Members and Mentors I n the spring Hoop of Steel, Dan McEntee '86 shared he was relocating to the Chicago area, and after nine years of service, would have to step down as President of the Alum- ni Volunteer Corporation. He also issued a plea for alumni to re-engage to provide our Fraternity the alumni leadership we all benefitted from during our time in the Chapter. By the middle of summer, Chapter Advisor Pat Pesci '91, now retired from KSU, was ready to take a significantly di- minished role after so many years of dedication to Kansas Beta. During the summer we received a few names of alum- ni who considered stepping onto the board but wanted more information about the roles. To this point we have received no commitments to serve. We are still in need of more volunteers, so if you are interested in learning more and giv- ing back to your Fraternity, email dirk.daveline@spsci.com. For the inter- im, Dan continues as the President from a distance, but is unable to be as active as he was. I have stepped into the role of Chapter Advisor. I'm not sure it's possible to overstate the need we have to put together a new Alumni Volunteer Corporation board, now! The last two AVC Presidents served terms of nearly a decade each with many of the same volunteers in other board roles, which means a very small group of alumni have spent 20 years volunteering. Fresh leadership and perspectives are healthy, as is the need to reduce the time any given AVC volunteer commits during their tenure. If more men step up to serve, more often, we can create a pipeline of alumni leadership that can turn over every two to four years providing continual new thinking and enthusiasm. We need a President, Vice President, Chapter Counselor, Hoop of Steel and Communications Director, and many men- tors. Dan and I will help mentor each new AVC board mem- ber to assist with the transition and remain available in the future to help provide guidance when needed. High-quality Buchanan Cup chapters have had alumni mentors for each officer on the chapter's executive committee. This mentor role is not a formal AVC board position, but mentors would communicate at least once a week with their mentee to pro- vide guidance and task accountability. These roles are likely two to four years, and we can rotate every couple of years to keep things fresh. In addition, we need alumni to mentor undergraduates not on the executive committee. To me, it's about giving 30 minutes a week to stay connected. For all alumni volun- teers, I would see a quarterly AVC conference call lasting 90 minutes likely the other part of your commitment. In the late '90s, before the remodel, we had a call to action and SigEps came to the aid of those of us who call Manhattan home. Our current un- dergraduates are desperately looking to their alumni to provide leadership and we owe it to them to help them develop as young men and future lead- ers. There has never been a more urgent time for you to get involved. Please consider answering this call to action, especially if you are a graduate in the last 20 years. Fraternally, Dirk Daveline '87 Interim Chapter Advisor AVC Treasurer dirk.daveline@spsci.com Call to Action—Alumni, How Will You Serve Kansa Beta? W e started the year without our house- mother, Diann Veith, who lost her bat- tle with stomach cancer on August 28. Diann had been with us for two years and during that time she was recognized by the Kansas State Greek community as the House Director of the Year for 2018. Having raised sons, she under- stood the dynamics involved in working with 68 young men. She loved her role as housemother and will be missed by the entire Chapter. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. Mrs. Lou Claassen, a recently retired advisor from the agriculture engineering program at K-State, stepped in to assist the house when we realized that Diann would not be able to re- turn. Mom Lou is at the Chapter House during the day and is learning how to best manage her time to benefit the Chapter. She is married and her husband is a faculty member in the biolo- gy department. Typically, we have always had a live-in housemother, but we will see how the year progresses and the Chapter will evaluate if this arrangement works for everyone. Mom Lou has a great understanding of how the university academic system operates and this is one of the qualities that led to her being hired. We are also fortunate to have Mrs. Ronda Cam- eron back with us as our chef. She works for our contract food service provider, Campus Greek Chefs, and is a graduate of the Kansas (Continued on page 2) CHAPTER HOUSE STAFF UPDATE Wednesday Night Formal Dinner Tradition Endures

• Cover