Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Florida

University of florida, sigma Phi ePsilon information www.flalPha.org SigEp Gator Heart "B ack-to-back" is something we haven't uttered since the late 2000s. Florida Alpha's undergraduate Chapter has us bringing that phrase back with their tremendous win at the 57th Grand Chapter. Our Chapter was awarded its second Buchanan Cup (out of only two opportunities for the coveted award!) since recolonization. Our alumni and volunteers are extremely proud of these young men, as they have gone above and beyond in all areas of brotherhood and Chapter operations to receive this prestigious award. Let the streak begin! Florida football is back, and the stadium is beginning to fill up again. Tailgates are happening, and we look forward to seeing you at the house, stopping by the alumni room, or simply around Gainesville. The Alumni and Volunteer Corporation (AVC) has been very busy since the last for alUmni and friends of the florida alPha ChaPter no. 42 • fall 2021 Serving Up Success Active Brothers and Alumni Go Above and Beyond newsletter, and a few of our highlights are below. We started the process of refinancing the house, which Treasurer Lee Catledge '90 is helping spearhead. VP of Operations John Sandstrom '74 had the great idea this summer to help some of our young men earn extra spending money by doing some needed maintenance around the house. It worked out great for the undergraduates as well as our budget. On a more somber note, one of our longtime board members, Al Alsobrook '60, passed away on March 19, 2021. To help celebrate his tremendous contributions to the Chapter and the AVC, our board, led by committee chair Todd Bonlarron '93, put together a memorial scholarship to be awarded to an in-house brother who practices the values that Al instilled in the Chapter and in mentoring undergraduates. We will be launching the application and selection process by the end of fall. Finally, we are excited to add some youth to our alumni board with the addition of Luis Enrique Fernandez '19, who will serve as VP of communications to help us reach out to more alumni through social media and other modern forms of communication. We are excited to add more diversity to the board and to better communicate what is going on in the AVC in real time. We also look forward to getting an annual event planned for 2022. As always, if you would like to get involved, please reach out to me anytime. Fraternally, Manny Vargas '07 President, Alumni and Volunteer Corporation manny.f.vargas@gmail.com T he biannual SigEp Conclave took place in Denver, Colorado, from July 28 to August 1 with close to 1,000 people in attendance. We were represented by eight collegians and six alumni (Jeff Opalko, Coastal Carolina '81, John Sandstrom, Oregon State '74, Bryson Ridgway '05, Bert Harris '74, Mike Watford '75, and Stephen Shewbrooks '66). Here are the highlights for Florida Alpha: • FL Alpha was one of 32 chapters (out of 221 in the entire country) awarded the Buchanan Cup for the second time in a row. Read more by scrolling down to Florida Alpha at https://sigep.org/sigepjournal/buchanan-cup- chapters-2021. • Brady Alexander '22 was elected to the SigEp Board of Directors. He is one of three from the entire SigEp nation to receive this honor. This is the first time in history we have a national board member (Brady), Educational Foundation member (Mike), and SigEp National Housing board member (AJ Siccardi '98). Winning Big a Second Year in a Row Our Balanced Men Celebrate Another Successful Conclave Continued on page 2 Alumni and active brothers grab dinner during the week of Conclave.

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