Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Missouri

• 3 • SigmaPhiEpsilon TheSigEpTigerHeart W hile there have certainly been challenges in building Missouri Alpha into a thriving chapter, I can say with the utmost confidence that SigEp is on the rise at Mizzou. We have an extremely strong nucleus with the 40 men who comprise our active membership. We were sad to lose two of our brothers who graduated in the spring, but we can't wait to see what the future holds for them. As those brothers carry on SigEp's legacy as alumni, I'm excited that we have seven young men who have accepted bids during summer recruitment. It's been a very busy yet exciting summer full of activities, including large gatherings at Sporting Kansas City and St. Louis Cardinals games and smaller get-togethers for lunch and at homes of alumni. We've also had virtual brotherhood and professional development events, including freshman info sessions, SigEp Leadership Academy, and trivia nights. Summer recruitment has been broken up by region, with teams operating in St. Louis, Kansas City, Mid-Missouri, and Chicago. It's been incredible to see potential new members buy into SigEp's Balanced Man initiative. More than 80 young men have applied for the Balanced Man Scholarship, giving us an excellent pool to recruit from. The Balanced Man Scholarship program is used by most SigEp chapters to get our name out and recruit prospective new members. However, winners of the scholarship do NOT have to be members—some are and some aren't. We're excited to have our Balanced Man Scholarship luncheon on September 25 with Lt. Gov. of Missouri Mike Kehoe as keynote speaker. Approximately 20 BMS finalists will be recognized at the luncheon and roughly $3,000 will be awarded in scholarships. While the June 7 deadline to be recognized at this year's luncheon has passed, we encourage you to spread the word to any young men who you think would be deserving of the Balanced Man Scholarship and have them apply in the future at missouri.sigep.org/bms. I know I'm not alone when it comes to benefiting from the Balanced Man Program. Brothers have been progressing through all four challenges (Sigma, Phi, Epsilon, and brother mentor). BMP meetings take place approximately every two weeks for each challenge and are required for all brothers. These meetings help brothers develop in five key areas: SigEp, intellectual, physical health and wellness, leadership, and professional. All brothers progress through all four challenges throughout their time with the chapter. Brothers have also reaped the rewards of the SigEp Leadership Academy, which is a speaker series that Missouri began during the pandemic to connect brothers with successful individuals in a variety of careers. Speakers have included Vice Chancellor of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Maurice Gipson, Honors College Director J.D. Bowers, John Hartman '61 and Greg Keller '86, and MU Social Relations Professor Candace Korasick. This virtual series engages speakers from across the country and is an excellent recruitment supplement, as all events are open to prospective members so they can experience the development aspect of being a SigEp. Although many events during 2020-21 were hosted virtually, we still found several ways to make a difference in the Columbia community. We completed 150 hours of community service as a chapter, including participation with MKT Trail cleanups, The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, and Greek Week events. Missouri Alpha also coordinated a book drive with three Greek organizations that resulted in more than 2,000 books being donated to Columbia Public Schools. A special shoutout to Zach Lovelace '24 for his efforts with the book drive. SigEp joined Delta Chi and Sigma Kappa in tying for third in the Greek Week service category. Brothers are excited about the possibility of returning to in-person classes this fall, but online classes haven't been too much of a challenge for us. We posted a 3.66 chapter GPA in the spring and have been the top MU fraternity in GPA for four consecutive semesters since returning to campus in fall 2019. Our efforts in academics, leadership development, conduct, and community impact haven't gone unnoticed, as Missouri Alpha received accreditation with distinction from the university for excellence in each of those categories. This is an honor that very few fraternities at MU ever achieve. We will look to replicate this success in the 2021-22 academic year. We want to extend a special thank-you to SigEp Membership Experience Director Shawn Cable for spending an entire year on Mizzou's campus to get our chapter up and running. He trained our first executive board and recruited about 20 men to build the new chapter. His contributions to our success can't be understated. As we head into our second year of independent operations, we are excited to have Blake Gurney on board as the chapter's regional director and volunteer specialist. He manages a portfolio of four chapters and will spend at least 25% of his time on Mizzou's campus as well as live in the chapter house. He'll work closely with us on chapter leadership and culture, recruitment, and member development. Blake shares our vision for the future of this chapter and will make an excellent addition to our team. Fraternally, Greg Pierson '23 Chapter President greg.pierson@mail.missouri.edu Building Balanced Men at Missouri Alpha semester will be followed by an in-person presentation at the Balanced Man Scholarship luncheon on September 25. Greg Raeman '91 also received the SigEp National award for Volunteer of the Year for our region. As you can see by Missouri Alpha's abundance of awards, our brotherhood is adapting extremely well to the recent and necessary changes in fraternity life in recent years, all while forging lifelong friendships that make SigEp special. It's important that alumni of all generations know they are not only welcomed but encouraged to help Missouri Alpha raise the bar for fraternities at Mizzou and nationwide. Please make sure that we have your current contact information so we can keep you posted on all things Missouri Alpha. All alumni are invited to Columbia for Homecoming to see the chapter house and to tailgate at the stadium. I hope to see you there! Fraternally, Mark Schordock '84, Alumni Board President mark.schordock@gcserv.com Missouri Alpha Prepares to Move Back in at 405 Kentucky (Continued from page 1)

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