Sigma Chi - Montana State University

3 SIGMA CHI Undergraduates Continue Reign of Excellence at MSU B eta Rho is off to a great start for the fall 2016 semester. With a strong recruitment program, the chapter extended bids to 25 potential new members early in the semester, all of whom are undergoing the new Preparation for Brotherhood pledge program. In addition to recruitment, Beta Rho has also shown strong suits in philanthropy, volunteer work, alumni relations, and intramurals sports. CHAPTER SETS GOALS FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS Last spring, the chapter experienced a slight decrease in GPA. Tribune and Scholarship Chairman Brady Anderson '19 has high hopes for chapter academics this fall however. According to Brother Anderson, "Last spring, the chapter earned a 2.84 GPA, which was third on campus out of all of the fraternities, although it was much lower than what we were striving for. We aim this semester, with a strong scholarship policy in place, to bring the chapter GPA back to over a 3.0." Brady has created a new scholarship platform that creates more incentive for brothers to get good grades, which includes a raffle-based system rewarding brothers for receiving A's on any quizzes, exams, or projects. An additional initiative the chapter has taken is to reward brothers with higher room selections for earning the highest GPA in the chapter, as well as receiving the "most improved" GPA award. BROTHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY We have goals set of participating in at least six volunteer events throughout the community each semester and continuing to hold Derby Days every year, which was hosted the week before Halloween this year. A few of the volunteer events we have held thus far in the semester include a highway cleanup in memory of Brother Karston Waarvik '15, helping set up and run events for the Bozeman Senior Center, harvesting food and doing farm work at God's Garden of Bozeman, and raking leaves for surrounding neighbors to collect cans of food for our annual Can the Griz efforts. We also helped the city of Bozeman set up their annual Halloween Haunted house at the Story Mansion. Many of our volunteer events include sororities to enrich the overall experience and expand our influence on the community during these events. RECRUITING FUTURE LEADERS Recruitment resulted in an astonishing 25-member pledge class. With the enforcement of the new Preparation for Brotherhood (P4B) pledge program, Beta Rho seems to be adapting well despite the immense change the original program has undergone. "Although P4B is an entirely new program, the chapter and pledge class seems to be doing well with it. We have a strong pledge class, primarily composed of guys with hometowns in a variety of different states, including Montana, Washington, Colorado, and California. Many pledges are taking on difficult degrees, such as chemical and mechanical engineering, and will be the backbone of our chapter in the coming semesters," says Magister Evan Thomoff '17. MEMBERS TAKE THE COURT BY STORM With many athletes from around the country, Beta Rho intramurals have improved immensely and we are hoping to put a few new trophies in the case this year as we compete in many different intramural leagues. This fall, the chapter sponsored a football team in the most competitive league that Montana State has to offer. The Sigma Chi team went undefeated (6-0) in the regular season games and lost in the semifinals. Now we look to take our talents to coed basketball and volleyball. CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT SHEDS POSITIVE LIGHT ON CHAPTER With a high number of actives attending school at Montana State (around 65), members have a lot of involvement on campus. Many brothers are orientation leaders, involved in student senate, and taking on leadership roles in Interfraternity Council (IFC). ALUMNI, WE WANT TO SEE YOU Overall, I am pleased with the state of Beta Rho. We received yet another Peterson Award as a chapter last summer at the Balfour Leadership Training Workshop, which makes it the fourth award out of our last five years. I am grateful for all of the continued alumni involvement, especially from those brothers closer to home. For those of you who are less involved, I challenge you to swing by, meet a few of the active brothers, and check out the chapter house! Our door is always open, and there are always brothers around who love reminiscing on the good old days with alumni. We would not be where we are without our alumni, and for that, I thank you all! I hope to see most of you soon. For you out-of-staters, come celebrate our 100- year anniversary next September 7-10, 2017! In Hoc, Blake Bowman '18 Consul bbowman2501@gmail.com (406) 396-2501 Beta Rho volunteered at God's Garden of Bozeman this fall. chApter eternAl William E. "Bill" Grabow '50 entered Chapter Eternal on October 18 as a resident of Bozeman, Mont. He was 92 years old and partnered with Ozzie Berg for many years in the only architectural firm in Bozeman. After Ozzie departed, Bill was the only architect in Bozeman during the 1960s. His monumental project was the new Sigma Chi house in 1961. He was a solid citizen, a fine soldier, a good Sigma Chi, and a good guy. Bill served as mayor of Bozeman from 1972 to 1973. He was one of the founding fathers of Gallatin Valley Presbyterian Church, later to be Trinity Church of Bozeman. Bill is survived by his children, Robin, Kurt, Gary, and Libby; 18 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Lt. Gen. James R. Brown '53 entered Chapter Eternal on October 29, 2015, at the age of 85. After graduating with a degree in education, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. James served a tour of duty during the Vietnam War, and was a flight commander and instructor to pilots of the F-4 Phantom II fighter jet. In the 1970s, he was assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and became the vice commander of the third Tactical Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. James was a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours. His military decorations include the Defense Distinguished (Continued on page 4)

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