Sigma Chi - University of Nebraska

Page 4 A BUSY AND SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR ALPHA EPSILON T he word extraordinary tends to get overused, don't you think? But I can't think of another way to describe how Alpha Epsilon is closing out our 2014-15 academic year. Membership. This has been a banner year for us from a recruitment standpoint. Over the course of the year—and adhering to our toughest screening process since I've been here—we brought in 31 new pledging members. Freshmen counted for 20; upperclassmen for 11. Our new members came from traditional strongholds like Lincoln and Omaha, but representation was gained from out-state and out-of-state members as well. Importantly, we have now set the stage for 1510 Vine to be fully occupied for the upcoming fall semester, which is remarkable. Further, we have fully embraced and implemented Rush 365, creating a culture of proactive membership development. Finally, we just elected two promising new recruitment chairmen this year. We have high confidence and high hope in Jake Kawamoto '17 and Jack Glover '18 to build on our momentum. Scholarship. We narrowly missed out on the Peterson Award last year, but have high hopes for the coming year. Our GPA for the first semester was 3.01 vs. 2.8 for the same semester year prior. Over the past year we have adopted a new bylaw that requires our members to maintain a 2.9 GPA per semester. This has added a level of urgency and importance to grades that did not exist in the past. Also, our scholarship chairman, Brother Calen Griffin '18, from Imperial, Nebraska, has been very successful in implementing all-house study hours, increasing accountability among our brothers. Pledge Training. We had three initiations this year that presented our ritual in a most favorable way. The shorter and more focused pledge training program initiated by Headquarters has worked enormously well for us. It treats each future member with dignity and presents the ideals of Sigma Chi so strategically. Because of the effectiveness of this pledge training program—and our more stringent pledging standards—I'm proud to say that we initiated 28 of the 31 we pledged this year, a great improvement over previous years. House Leadership and Succession. We have had our first election of officers for the coming year. I am extremely proud that, in addition to our recruitment chairmen, we have elected an excellent tandem to serve as Consul and Pro Consul. Consul-elect Andrew Chase '17 is from Chicago and is majoring in architecture. Andrew is a natural leader who has prepared himself for this position with significant duties in risk management for Alpha Epsilon. Trevor Jorgensen '16 will be our new Pro Consul. Trevor is a journalism major from Papillion, Nebraska, and has been a part of the maturation and leadership of the house for three years now. I feel we are in good hands going forward. Incidentally, next year is my senior year as well. I plan to stay actively involved in Alpha Epsilon and am organizing myself to run for a member-at-large position for the International Fraternity. I'd be remiss not to mention my thanks to Joel Girouard '15, our current Pro Consul, who has been a great partner in helping me lead the house. Leadership Programs. We sent eight actives to the Balfour Leadership Training Workshop last summer and will send eight again this year to the conference at Bowling Green State University. This year we have hosted three workshops from the International Fraternity. In November we took part in the Sigma Chi Crossroads workshop. This is the new program that is facilitated by Sigma Chi to teach our brothers about alcohol and drug use and how to make better choices regarding those issues. We also did Mission 365 this spring, which is Sigma Chi's recruitment training. Additionally, we had the privilege of working more closely with our fellow Greeks at the University of Nebraska. Since our reinstatement, we have worked diligently with IFC and other chapters to continue to underpin the longevity of our Greek community at Nebraska. Hospitality. We were privileged to host the Nebraska-Iowa Province Workshop in Lincoln this year. Sixty Sig leaders participated from UNL, Iowa, Iowa State, and Drake. The workshop was the first we have hosted for over eight years and was a resounding success. We were also pleased to host a Homecoming reception for our over 60 alumni for the Illinois game. Our dinner speaker program is thriving, as well. Over the past year, we have hosted speakers who spoke about career and academic related topics. We have also had the privilege of hosting University officials, including Luke Bretscher, Greek Affairs IFC advisor. Philanthropy. A recalibrated Derby Days is finally back this year, following negotiations with the administration to guide its content. This event does so much for our recognition on campus and our Lincoln-directed philanthropy work. Look on page 6 for details on the new Fifteen Ten Charity Golf Tournament to be held in late April. We have also made many strides in service and philanthropic events. The brothers have participated in Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, and the Big Event, just to name a few major efforts. All in all it has been a busy, productive, and values-driven year for Alpha Epsilon. Congratulations to all. You honor Sigma Chi! In Hoc, Alex Moore '16 Consul (402) 947-1360 almoore11@gmail.com Enjoying the 2014 Homecoming Parade. The Sigs invited the ladies of ACW to the house to decorate Halloween cookies. Everybody had a lot of fun! Consul's Report

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