Sigma Phi Epsilon - Purdue University

Inside: Alumnus Spotlight t 2 Alumni Update t 3-4 Visit Us on the Web t 4 From the heart A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI OF INDIANA ALPHA t SIGMA PHI EPSILON t SPRING 2015 WWW.PURDUE-SIGEPS.COM I hope this letter finds you well. After attending Carlson Leadership Academy in late February and our Alumni Volunteer Council (AVC) Strategic Direction Retreat in early March, there is encouraging progress to report; however, that is tempered by the work and challenges that remain to bounce back from the loss of approximately 75% of our membership over the past year and a half. AVC Treasurer Brian Todd '97 and I joined our undergraduate executive board in attending Carlson Leadership Academy in Lombard, Illinois. Our primary goals were to further expand our understanding of the Balanced Man Program, identify AVC best practices, and educate our undergraduates on how to best reinstall the program within our current membership. In my opinion, we achieved our goals, as well as left with a renewed sense of urgency in driving for tangible results and the reestablishment of standards that have existed at Indiana Alpha for many years but had recently fallen off. In early March, we kicked off a half-day meeting with alumni volunteers and undergraduate executive board members with the intent of refocusing our efforts related to recruitment, member development, and development of our chapter leadership. What we found was quite humbling! Though we have been able to make large strides in areas of finance and chapter facilities, we are not seeing good enough results in the areas of recruitment and member development. Recruitment numbers over the past year have been historically low—12 fall new members and six spring members to date. This is partially due to low to no underclassman membership and negative perception from university sanctions. However, we can also attribute low overall active membership support on poor planning and execution. We continue to struggle to deliver the experience that we sell during recruitment, but the good news is that we are committed to fixing it. The way forward includes setting high expectations and standards and moving past using what may be legitimate excuses for how we got where we are for the sake of moving toward where we want to be. I am extremely encouraged by the young leaders we have on the undergraduate executive board and the core group of upperclassmen serving as the example of what good young men act like. What we need, however, are alumni volunteers willing and able to donate time to help us get where we need to be. Below are the positions we are working to fill, both locally and across the country. • BMP steward • Faculty advisory • Chapter counselor • Mentor to the chaplain - standards board • Mentor to the VP of communications • Mentor to the VP of programming • Alumni relations - help with event planning If you are interested in joining the board or serving any sort of complementary role, please contact Jay Bilunas '99 at jay@angryape.com. Fraternally, Brian Rodell '99 Alumni Volunteer Corporation President avc-president@purdue-sigeps.com In with the New Members Shift Focus to Recruitment—How Will You Get Involved? O ur Indiana Alpha Chapter has been in some tough situations recently, but we are prevailing and looking forward to the future. Even through times of struggle we have stuck to the basics of virtue, diligence, and brotherly love, which has given us excellent results. In the fall of 2014, we achieved a chapter GPA of 3.13, which placed us fourth in academics among all fraternities on Purdue University's campus. Along with our stellar academics, we have had some great publicity from The Exponent, which recently ranked us third best fraternity on campus. With this being so, it has showed that if we stick to our fundamental aspects of our fraternity it can take us extraordinary places. Though we had some rough times, I believe that the worst is behind us. Currently, we have 33 active members who are all heavily involved and maintain the right intentions. Members have been busy this spring semester, hosting a brotherhood paintballing event, Parent's Weekend, and raising support for our philanthropic event, Sandy Slam. This spring we recruited six new members and are looking forward to recruitment in the fall because the chapter will be more active, which will naturally make recruitment easier. Next fall we are looking to have 25 excited members living in the chapter house, which is a huge increase from this spring with only four. With an enthused group of guys living-in and the Balanced Man Program beginning to function, we remain optimistic for the future of the chapter. Thank you to our loyal alumni who volunteer their time to the chapter. We strive to continue the legacy and build balanced men for another 100 years. Fraternally, Nick Burgess '17 Chapter President Undergraduates Keep Heads High in Time of Change Chapter Named Top Three on Campus, Fourth in Academics Brothers teamed up to win the fraternity gold basketball championship.

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