Sigma Phi Epsilon - Purdue University

From the heart Alumni Reminisce on their Undergraduate Years during Homecoming 2013 F or the third consecutive year, Karen Wilczewski, friend of SigEp, stopped by the house to record alumni memories from brothers who returned during this year's Homecoming. Just about all alumni who were interviewed shared how they valued their experience as SigEp brothers and how they have remained friends for life. Mike Volpp '70 recalls a brother using a wooden plank to drive his motorcycle onto the front porch of the then nearly 65-year-old house. Tom Pearcy '76 pledged right out of high school because he didn't want to live in a dorm. He recollects the brothers roasting a pig on a spit on the front lawn. John Steele '60 remembers a brother parking his red MG sports car on the street. After retiring to his room to study, the brothers removed the wheels of his car, carried it into the Great Hall, and put the tires back on to the surprise of the owner when he came downstairs the next morning. Rich Schroeder '82 shared how a student who lived in a quad across from the house had the bad habit of parking his car in one of SigEp's spots behind the house. Parking was at a premium, so to teach that student a lesson, his car was found sitting in the middle of a busy intersection! 2 Indiana alpha Rich recalls brothers coaching the sophomore intramural softball game, the team winning, and everyone celebrating on the house veranda. The only access to the veranda was by crawling through the window in Rich's room (#5). He ended up meeting his wife while she climbed through the window to get to the party. Rich also remembers his brothers building a water slide in the front yard for Grand Prix weekend two years in a row. It had scaffolding and required digging a hole in the ground to accommodate a makeshift pool filled with water. Then there was the time when some of the brothers formed a "Flying Bat Patrol." Brothers living in the cold air dorm didn't have the luxury of heat or air conditioning. When the weather changed, Rich recalls brothers lying in their bunk beds and bats flying directly over their faces. Once when a bat was sited, the Flying Bat Patrol team, with rackets in hand, could be seen jumping from the top of one bunk bed to another swatting at the bat. One time, a team member fell short of the bed, landing on the floor, but he eventually wrestled down the bat. Their "trophy" was proudly displayed on the second floor bulletin board. Rob Andino '93 said his greatest memory was creating dance moves that he and his house brothers performed to the song "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire. According to Rob, "All the brothers in the house knew the dance. It was a combination of disco and the Hustle." They practiced till they mastered perfect synchronization. "Every brother four years prior to our graduating class and four years after knew the dance," he said. Rob and the brothers performed at dances in Chicago and Indianapolis, with as many as 100 at a time participating. Rob describes the dance routine as similar to today's popular flash mob events. There were even brothers at Rob's wedding who stood up with him at the reception to perform for their guests. Even his wife and children learned the moves and gladly perform with him today, when requested. Rob also recalls the brothers building a boat on the front lawn of the house that resembled the one in the TV show The Love Boat. According to Rob, "Construction majors built it, complete with a dock." When Adam Jaeger '94 lived in the house, there were strict rules, including no guests venturing past the front door's threshold and none of the brothers were allowed to bring drinks or food into the Great Hall. And when brothers assembled in the Great Hall, they had to use proper etiquette and sit using perfect posture. One guest broke all those rules. After a softball game against a local sorority, everyone was at a bar celebrating when, around 11:30 p.m., some of the sorority sisters stopped by the house. According to Adam, one sorority sister, Lynn, whom he described as "a babe," boldly broke all the house rules when she stepped into the Great Hall with a beer in hand. His fraternity brothers dared him to ask her out, and 19 years later, Adam is married to Lynn and they have nine children.

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