Theta Xi - Bradley University

THE TAXI NEWS PAGE 3 W hen Jon Kujanski '00 visited fraternities during the Greek block party of his freshman year, he noticed that Theta Xi was different from the rest. "The Theta Xi guys were like me," Jon shares. "They were normal, inviting guys who liked to have fun and didn't fit the usual fraternity stereotype." Jon, along with his roommate, Dave Jarvas '01, joined Alpha Sigma in the second semester of their freshman year and embarked on an experience that refined Jon's leadership skills and built friendships to last a lifetime. As an undergraduate, Jon has fond memories of being the Greek Week chairman, leading the chapter to compete among fraternities much larger than Theta Xi. He also looks back on the alumni weekends, remembering how much fun he and his brothers had listening to the crazy stories that the alumni would tell them. Now, Jon is one of the alumni who attends alumni weekends, spends time with his good friends, and takes pride in sharing stories with the active chapter. Jon explains that even though years have passed since his collegiate days, his closest friends are Alpha Sigma brothers. "Over the years, many of us have spread out across the country, yet we pick up right where we left off when we see each other. When you form such close friendships with your brothers, you find ways to stay in touch and remain in each other's lives." In order for the current undergraduates to build relationships as meaningful as Jon's Alpha Sigma friendships, alumni support is necessary. Jon explains that since Theta Xi has done so much for him, he embraces the opportunity to give back now. He is extremely impressed with the current group of undergraduates and encourages alumni participation since the chapter consists of high-caliber members. "The current actives reach out and realize when they need help. They welcome involvement and have really formed relationships with the alumni. I can see that they care about each other, Theta Xi, and their legacy." Jon stresses that alumni need to do what they can to support the chapter so members can not only thrive, but also continue to recruit men as dedicated as themselves to ensure the future of Alpha Sigma. Jon's studies in electrical engineering at Bradley University and leadership opportunities with Alpha Sigma have certainly paid off, as he now works as an engineering manager for Skyworks Solutions, one of the largest wireless semiconductor companies in the world. He shares that the parts he and his team design are found in most of the cell phones throughout the world. When Jon isn't hard at work, he enjoys rollerblading; he has completed three inline skating marathons. He also has his pilot's license and loves the freedom of taking trips to visit family, or fraternity brothers. Jon and his wife, Carmen, have two children, Kaley (3) and Gavin (8 months). E-mail: kujo806@hotmail.com T hroughout the spring semester and into this fall, the Alpha Sigma Chapter has continued our pursuit of excellence in a number of areas. While furthering last semester's goals of alumni involvement and improving our scholarship rating, we have placed further emphasis on increasing our philanthropic efforts and developing our relationships with other organizations on campus. In order to achieve these goals, we hosted several events with different sororities and teamed up with other Greek organizations to raise money for our collective philanthropies. Additionally, we have hosted a number of events to raise awareness and donations for the MS Foundation. In terms of our scholarship, we were able to raise our overall GPA another .13 to a 3.05, for a total improvement of .25 over the past year! Highlighting the change in efforts has been the introduction of two new scholarships, the Gary Gleespen Memorial Scholarship and the Blue Iris Bonds of Brotherhood Inspire Jon Kujanski '00 to Support Alpha Sigma UndergradUate Brothers excel academically and PhilanthroPically Alpha Sigmas Strive to Increase Relationships with Alumni Alpha Sigmas boost their philanthropic efforts at the Walk MS event. Scholarship. Thank you to all who have donated and encouraged our success. Moving forward with our alumni relations efforts have been a focal point for the past couple of years. During the 6294 celebration weekend, alumni and actives came together for a community service project at Wildlife Prairie Park. Additionally, I would like to thank Craig Janus '00 and Sean Fagan '05 for their support in our second successful executive board retreat. Our drive to increase our philanthropy efforts has been led by Philanthropy Chairman Max Rydell '17, who has worked tirelessly in organizing (Continued on page 4)

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