Sigma Phi Epsilon - Florida State University

p. 3 Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon T his year has been quite interesting for most people, even our beloved Fraternity. Despite the challenges that COVID-19 brought, the leadership of the Chapter never wavered from the executive board to the Alumni Volunteer Corporation and even the staff members at Headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. The virtue, diligence and brotherly love throughout these difficult months truly show what makes Florida Epsilon special and the leaders of the Greek community at Florida State. I'm proud to call myself the president and even prouder to call myself a brother of the Florida Epsilon Chapter. I am proud to be leading this Fraternity and cherish the brothers who came before, especially the previous executive boards who have set the standard of excellence in their roles. Florida Epsilon will continue to succeed with our culture. Chapter Member Achievements on Campus Florida Epsilon has set the standard for fraternities at Florida State University through our many accomplishments of our overachieving brothers. Brother Kevin Rutois '21 was elected the 2020 Intrafraternity Council president, where he leads the 17 fraternities with his executive board as the liaison to administration and other outside bodies. Brother Manny Osaba '20 served as the president of the Seminole Stu- dent Boosters, one of the preeminent student organizations on campus that strives to connect the student body to Seminole Athletics working with the Seminole Boosters. Brother Osaba was also the runner-up in the highly contested Homecoming Chief election, our first nominee since 2015. Brother Tony Luna '20, former Chapter president, now serves as the chairman of the Mental Health Council, leading a team of 40 dedi- cated individuals to provide resources and awareness for Mental Health support for all students. Brother Kyle Dimatteo '22 continued his success on campus and as a student athlete swimmer serving on the Seminole Student Boosters board and Student Athlete Advisory Committee while placing first in several meets and recently being appointed as chairman-elect of the Mental Health Council. These men embody what it means to be a SigEp, and we look forward to seeing what more they can achieve. Exemplary SigEps As a Chapter, we have remained committed to our cardinal principles through our Balanced Man Program, which has led us to reaching new highs. In spring 2020, we extended 33 bids and had 31 young men fin- ish the Sigma Challenge. Utilizing our better and different new member process, our retention rates have skyrocketed. We have steadily increased our chapter GPA to a new high at 3.3, coming in second among all of IFC chapters. We attribute the increase to our Sound Mind Programming with weekly study hours at the Chapter House, and our academic team biweekly check-ins led by Brother Wyatt Walther '21. Florida Epsilon is also launching a new initiative, Undergraduate and Alumni Engagement Plan, and its purpose is to connect brothers of past and present through media communications and programming. Please be on the lookout for more information regarding this initiative. More recently, Florida Epsilon out-recruited every chapter at FSU and had 62 accepted bids with three scholarship athletes among the class. We could not be more proud of the success of our recruitment team, led by Vice President of Recruitment Will Proctor '21 in his fourth and final rush. We encourage all alumnus brothers to come by the house when it is safe to do—we would love to meet with you all in the near future! HFF. Fraternally, Andres Salas '21 Chapter President andressalas99@gmail.com Florida Epsilon Gains Strength in Numbers as 62 New Members Join This Fall Brothers Remain Dedicated to Fostering Positive Brotherhood and Stay Focused on Academics A lthough 2020 was not the year that the Florida Epsilon Chapter planned for, the executive board has been working hard to ensure our Chapter keeps operating while following the guidelines set by the university and CDC regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. All of our brothers were extremely excited to turn a new page as we opened the doors to our new house in August. The reactions provided by active members and alumni have been nothing but positive and shown promise in the future of our Chapter. Our brothers were welcomed back to campus and greeted by the towering new mansion that has been in the works for several years, and we are excited to have all our brothers back for the semester. Focused on Health and Safety Throughout the pandemic, our brothers have remained healthy and safe. Many of our brothers returned home early in the spring and were forced to finish their school year remotely. As the summer approached, internships or jobs started for a majority of our brothers. Staying busy and keeping a positive, open-door policy has been instrumental in our Chapter's approach to surviving the pandemic throughout the summer. It has been hard on our brothers to adjust but being positive and motivated has helped our Chapter keep pushing through these trying times. Adjusting to a New Normal This fall, the entire campus, as well as our Chapter, is adjusting to being back in Tallahassee. While keeping proper social distance and wearing our masks, our brothers haven't lost a step in getting involved on and off campus. We look forward to sharing our progress with our alumni and hope once all this has passed, that our alumni are able to come see the new house and our progress from when we were brought back to campus. Fraternally, Michael Reynolds '21 VP of Communications mdrjunior25@gmail.com WEATHERING THE STORM TOGETHER How Florida Epsilon Is Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic

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