Sigma Chi - University of Nebraska

Fall 2014 Newsletter

Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Chi Fraternity at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln

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MISSION 365 Be a part of Mission 365 by sending your referrals to Josh Johnson '16 at (402) 587-0104 or jjohnson3512@ gmail.com or Ky Veney '17 at ky.veney63@gmail.com or (402) 802-2828. Page 2 O ur first summer rush program, since coming off of suspension, has been a tremendous success. We have pledged 22 outstanding quality young men who have demonstrated values-based leadership and expressed, through our extensive vetting interviews, a strong desire to grow in this area. This pledge class was of particular importance to us in terms of rebuilding our numbers, which suffered during our suspension, so the results are all the more gratifying. Now, imagine the new challenge before us as we begin to train up these new young men into our Sig values. We have 35 very motivated actives to undertake this important task in the fall term and will need all of them to be effective with such a large pledge class. Josh Johnson '16 and Ky Veney '17, rush chairmen, organized a string of events over the summer to help us get to know candidates for pledging. As the Husker Sig goes to press, we are pleased to announce that we already have signed bid cards from 22 young men who will join us in the fall. It is hard to generalize about this great group of young men, but here are some things that we think they hold in common: • They are serious about their education. • They are strongly committed to the values- based presentation we represented to them based on the Jordan Standard. • They all seem to have a strong sense of community. Some are legacies and several have been referred (thank you!) by Sig alumni who hail from their hometowns. In short, we're very excited about our promising start to this pledge season and believe we are certainly in the top tier of P ast to Present. I grew up on a farm near Comstock in central Nebraska, where the first eight grades were spent in a one-room country school built by my grandfather, on land donated by him, and also attended by my father. I graduated from Comstock High School with 14 members in my class. Then, I graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1964 and the Harvard Law School in 1967. Due to the tolerance of my wife, Sara, and that of my law partners, I have had only one spouse and one job with the Baird Holm Law Firm in Omaha, where I continue to concentrate in the areas of estate planning and taxation. Becoming a Sig. I was the first member of my family to attend college on a full-time basis and I knew nothing about the Greek system. By the early part of my sophomore year, I had been invited to dinners at some of the houses and had received warm responses, but I was uncertain about my decision. Ann Barger, now Mrs. Jack Richard, and my cousin, Karen, were roommates at Wesleyan University and sisters in the Willard Sorority. I believe Ann, after we met, suggested to Jack, already a Sigma Chi, that they might want to consider me. After meeting the brothers at dinners in the house, and forming my own conclusion that this was a top fraternity on campus, I had no hesitation in saying yes when I was invited to become a pledge. Lessons for Life. I had always been a reasonably serious student (sometimes I secretly wondered if I had been pledged just to help MY VIEW: Alumni Musings By Gary W. Radil '64 fraternities in terms of our quantitative and qualitative goals. Our new members come from traditional strongholds like Lincoln and Omaha, but also from many other locations. We like the geographic diversity and are convinced it adds a great sense of community to our life at 1510 Vine Street. Here are the new Sigma Chi pledges to date: Thomas Alderman (Lincoln, Neb.) Nathan Augustine (Columbus, Neb.) Joe Barratta (Omaha, Neb.) Clay Dukewich (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) David Eickholt (Columbus, Neb.) David Galloway (Omaha, Neb.) Jack Glover* (Bellevue, Neb.) Mitchell Granahan (Bellevue, Neb.) Calen Griffin (Imperial, Neb.) Colin Hill (Omaha, Neb.) Jacob Ihnen (Sheldon, Iowa) Jared Johnson (Sioux City, Iowa) Johnny Keeley (Omaha, Neb.) Pat Kotek (Gurnee, Ill.) Matt Kramer (Hastings, Neb.) Zach Lewis* (Franksville, Wis.) Keaton Mumby (Omaha, Neb.) Patrick Newman (Vernon Hills, Ill.) Ben Smith (Omaha, Neb.) Mikey True (Lincoln, Neb.) Levi Vap* (New Orleans, La.) Colton Walters* (Palm Desert, Calif.) *Legacy We're proud to have these guys on board! GROUNDBREAKING RESULTS FOR ALPHA EPSILON SUMMER RUSH It is important to note that we have achieved these results in the context of running a completely dry rush; something we have committed to—and stuck with—as a matter of principle. We wanted these young men to buy into Sigma Chi for the right reasons. Remember, rush doesn't end simply because summer has ended. We're always on the lookout for good young men attending UNL who haven't gone through the formal rush process. We are fully invested in Mission 365, which means we rush 365 days a year. Alumni members, thank you for the references you provided for this summer's rush, they were enormously helpful. Please continue to give us referrals, any time all the time! We cherish them and they provide us a true competitive edge. Please contact us! Josh Johnson '16 at (402) 587-0104 or jjohnson3512@gmail.com or Ky Veney '17 at ky.veney63@gmail.com or (402) 802-2828. For perspective, when we are evaluating a rushee, we look for someone who stands out from the rest. He has to make a lasting impression on the rush chairmen and other members. Importantly, we feature our commitment to the Jordan Standard and judge them based on their response to it. We also have conversations about how they want to leave their legacy at UNL and Sigma Chi. All are pretty good indicators of what kind of guys we want and what kinds of guys will have a successful experience as a Sigma Chi.

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