Sigma Phi Epsilon - Purdue University

Inside: Alumnus Spotlight t 2 Help SigEp Brothers Today t 2-3 Alumni Update t 4 From the heart A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI OF INDIANA ALPHA t SIGMA PHI EPSILON t FALL 2015 WWW.PURDUE-SIGEPS.COM Indiana Alpha Grows Even Stronger Alumni And undergrAduAtes Work toWArd the Future I t is with a great sense of encouragement that I write to you about the state of our chapter. After a great deal of hard work by undergraduates and alumni alike over the summer and during the first several weeks of the fall semester, I had the good fortune last night of giving the interpretation for the Sigma Rite of Passage to 34 new members. For those alumni that are unaware, our chapter was put on student organization probation in late 2013 for a period that runs through May 2017. In addition, we were restricted from having any alcohol in the chapter house or property or from sponsoring or co-sponsoring any function with alcohol through May 2016. Despite what would be considered by many to be an insurmountable roadblock, our men set out with a mindset that this was an opportunity to recruit other men to start a new fraternity, one with a rich 110 years of history at Purdue and one based upon virtue, diligence, and brotherly love. The undergraduates and alumni who took part in the daunting task of recruitment under these conditions should be commended and will forever be memorialized into our local history as the reason our great chapter survived yet another near tragedy and turned the corner toward a bright new future. From a membership perspective, our chapter had approximately 125 active members in late 2013 when the joint Sigma Phi Epsilon/ Purdue member review team interviewed our young men. The intent of the interviews was to determine who was enabling or what led to the university sanctions/probation and who would lead our chapter forward. After the interviews and proceedings were completed in early 2014, approximately 60 percent, or 75 active members, had their membership suspended until graduation. With the unrest over the removal of over half of the new member class and a number of influential brothers, as well as the perceived likelihood that our chapter would close, our chapter saw its numbers dwindle from 50 down to approximately 24 last spring. However, undergraduates, Indiana Alpha Alumni, and the National Fraternity simply would not accept that the only option was to close. There were good young men and leaders that remained, and by pooling resources, time, and money, the team was able to accomplish great things in the areas of cost control, room renovations, facilities remediation, scholarship, ritual, and recruitment. Much of the renovation and facilities remediation work was a result of well-timed loan money, CIF fund dollars, insurance proceeds, and alumni donations. What was available was utilized to the full extent and combined with countless alumni hours; a lot of money was actually saved. The 34 new members we recruited this fall signal a university-wide perception of our chapter's recovery, and as we shift our focus to the reinstallation of the nationally accepted Balanced Man Program, we are encouraged by the opportunity to ensure our gains will withstand the test of time. This development program will deliver a one-of-a- kind opportunity to teach young men skills that will not only prepare them for the ever-changing job market, but for life after college and the challenges that that brings. Fraternally, Brian Rodell '99 Alumni Volunteer Corporation President avc-president@purdue-sigeps.com Brian Todd '97 took this beautiful picture of our house.

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