Sigma Pi - Missouri University of Science & Technology

Spring 2021 THE CROSSING A. I. SP SP The The CROSSING CROSSING A s we slowly emerge from the pandemic and life starts to return to normal, exciting plans are underway at Alpha Iota. First and foremost, our focus has turned to fall recruitment with the goal of filling our new chapter house. With our facility being the newest on campus, we recognized the need for a new, innovative approach this year that would set us apart from the other houses. AIBA and AIEF retained the services of Th!nk Tank a marketing company out of St. Louis, to help the chapter overhaul its recruitment materials, rebuild the website, and improve social media outreach. We believe that fresh, "outside of the box" thinking is needed to stay ahead of the competition on campus—both from other fraternities and new campus housing. The chapter, key alumni, and Th!nk Tank have all committed to implementing these new tools to maximize our results come fall. Special thanks to Jeff Tottleben '91 for spearheading and coordinating these efforts. In conjunction with that, AIEF has unveiled a new scholarship program that provides incredible incentives to the undergraduates for scholarship success. I'm excited to see the coordinated efforts among the chapter, AIBA, and AIEF. Both boards have added new alumni, bringing fresh energy and ideas. These continued efforts from both the chapter and alumni improve our presence on campus and validate our belief that Sigma Pi is the best choice at MS&T. Fraternally, Kurt W. Steinmann '97 AIBA President Preparing for a Strong Fall Semester AIEF now has three major efforts to support Alpha Iota: 1) House Educational Operations: Percentage Grant Program – Similar to the funding of the capital campaign, a percentage of house expenses defined as "for educational purposes" can now be reimbursed back to the chapter. In 2021, AIEF expects to contribute roughly $24,000 to offset house operation costs attributed to "educational purposes," including utilities, taxes, insurance. Additionally, 100% of specific educational expenses like IT, internet, printers, can be funded via AIEF. 2) New Scholarships for incoming MS&T freshmen: • In Honor of Dr. Richard Miller '64 ($1,500 awards for two individuals) • In Memory of Richard and Ruth Swanson '62 & family ($5,000 award for one individual) These scholarships will be awarded starting in fall 2021 to incoming freshmen to MS&T to support their educational expenses and promote the fraternity to prospective new members. 3) Scholastic Achievement Grant Program – Recognizing that house bills have increased substantially over the last two years (a trend likely to continue), AIEF started a new scholastic grant program to encourage and reward exemplary scholastic performance and brotherhood. The grants provide the following financial awards / incentives: • $1,000 to any brother achieving a 4.0 GPA for the semester. This award grows up to $2,000 if the brother continues to earn a 4.0 for three consecutive semesters. • Tiered awards to pledges achieving 3.5 or higher GPA and 3.25- 3.49 during the pledge semester • $1,000 awards to brothers (as voted on by the undergraduate chapter): o Active of the Year o Brother of the Year o Pledge of the Year • $10,000 award to the chapter if it finishes in first place among all fraternities in GPA. The first recipients were honored at a scholarship dinner on April 25, 2021. • 4.0 semester GPA: Evan Williams '21, Alonzo Edmond '24, Garrett Schuster '20, Justin Hart '23, Caleb Cummings '23 • Pledge with 3.5+ semester GPA: Robert Marquart '24 AIEF RESPONSIBILITIES EXPAND (Continued on page 2) AIEF President Mike Munsell '93 presenting a scholastic grant to past Sage Evan Williams '21.

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