Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Connecticut

SPEACONN A PUBLICATION OF SIGMA PHI EPSILON AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT WINTER 2019 INSIDE: ALUMNI AND VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT 2 AVC UPDATE 3 UNDERGRADUATE UPDATE 4 The SigEp @ Alumni Newsletter T he Connecticut Alpha Chapter received its original charter in 1956 when Iota Nu Delta, a local fraternity at the University of Connecticut, petitioned to become SigEp's 51st chapter. e group initiated 323 brothers before the Vietnam era ushered in challenges for the Greek system that ultimately led to a temporary closure in 1972. SigEp returned to campus in 1980 and enjoyed great success for decades, earning four Buchanan Cups and producing many local and national volunteers for the fraternity. When under- performance led to a second period of dormancy in 2008, Connecticut Alpha alumni committed to breathing new life into the chapter. SigEp's new chapter development team arrived on campus in Fall 2014, interviewed over 600 men for the Balanced Man Scholarship and recruited 61 students to help re-establish SigEp at Connecticut. Within two years, the group grew to 92 men with an average GPA of 3.33, well above the all-campus and all-Greek averages. e new brothers worked to improve their Balanced Man Program and, with the support of an active alumni and vol- unteer base, moved into the school's Greek housing complex, Husky Village. New furniture was purchased, and composites and other memorabilia were dug out of storage, repaired and cleaned, and displayed proudly throughout the house. Aer two years of continuous growth, the chapter submitted a successful chartering application in fall 2016, and celebrated with a banquet in Hartford on April 1, 2017. Hosted by Paul DeAngelis '16 and Samad Khan '17, over 280 brothers and guests attended the event, including members of the school's administration, SigEp staff, and alumni from every decade of the chapter's history. Several new scholarships were announced at the banquet. e Gildhouse Brotherly Love Scholarship Fund was unveiled by its sponsor, Vern Gildhouse, CT A Renaissance '87. Established to recognize altruistic members who promote brotherly love within the chapter, this fund will also support chapter-wide activities that foster fellowship. e Alumni and Volunteer Corporation presented its Outstanding Sophomore Scholarship to Ryan Jarnutowski '19. Joseph Langella '83 and Steven Chaneles '83 spoke about the lifetime experience of brotherhood and announced five Conclave scholarships had been established for the 2017 Grand Chapter Conclave. We are indebted to the generations of brothers who built this chapter and who continue to support CT Alpha through high times and low. CT ALPHA RETURNS TO UCONN W elcome to the first CT Alpha newsletter since our return to campus in 2014! Dedicated alumni and volunteers have been working diligently with our undergraduate brothers on building a stable chapter with a strong culture of success and ac- countability. While that work continues, it is time to re-engage our alumni. ere are now close to 1,300 initiated brothers in CT Alpha, spanning graduating years from 1956 to 2018! (Continued on page 4) For photos from the 2017 chartering banquet, visit our Facebook page, "SigEp at UConn Alumni." For the chartering story in the SigEp Journal, visit www.sigep.org/ sigepjournal/ category/fall-2017- print-edition/ Let's Connect! Our new annual alumni relations program is designed to help our members stay in touch and to cultivate awareness and involvement in SigEp at UConn. ere are several elements that are key to the program's success:

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