Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Oregon

ΣΦΕ EARTBEA H T UNIVERSITY OF OREGON s SIGMA PHI EPSILON Oregon Beta FALL 2021 I t remains an interesting time for Oregon Beta, as we have entered our second academic year without an active undergraduate Chapter on the University of Oregon campus. But we haven't let that dampen our spirits, as seemingly more and more alumni continue to connect across generations than ever before. This is highlighted by our Alumni Reunion Weekend in September before the Oregon vs. Arizona game, along with a number of reunions and get-togethers that took place last summer. At these events, we have seen a strong bond between brothers from all generations, but especially the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s. The best part of these get-togethers are the stories! Initiations, intramurals, songs, dances, cramming for finals, road trips, pinning ceremonies, the millrace—the list goes on and on. These great memories we all cherish are essentially the same, regardless of what decade we joined the brotherhood. I guess that is why, after all these years, the bonds of brotherhood remain so strong; because we experienced these things together at a transformational time of life where we were growing into young men. We hope to have more alumni socials and events, and if your class is already connecting, please let us know! As for our undergraduate Chapter, we are in our second year of the three-year cease of operations, with our expected return date set for fall 2023. As a reminder, we were able to lease the Chapter House to Hyland Construction last year and are currently leasing to the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity this year, with the option to renew for the next two years as well. As I've said before, it is still a shock to have a different fraternity occupying our house, but this decision allows us to remain financially sound during this interim period. Along those lines, we continue to work on a sell or stay plan for our future facility once we return to campus. The Alumni Volunteer Corporation is working with SigEp National Housing to identify the features needed in a facility for today's college student, which is one step in us deciding if we can best achieve that at 1000 Alder Street or if a new Chapter facility is needed. The other key factor we are evaluating is that we are now essentially surrounded by Bushnell University (formerly called Northwest Christian College). They have converted the Phoenix Inn into student housing and, if you have not been to campus for a while, the old Kappa Sig and Sigma Nu houses have been converted to offices/classrooms. We are now in the unusual position of having our house right in the middle of a different university with a student culture very different than that of Oregon. This is a complex situation and a tough decision. We could use some architecture and commercial real estate expertise. If any of you have that experience, please give us a call. That being said, we strongly encourage you to call in to this year's Oregon Beta Alumni Leadership Meeting in February! We are doing this via a Zoom conference call. We are very excited to see and hear from all of you and encourage any feedback. Please email Brian Stewart '82 for a link to the meeting. Happy holidays to you all, we look forward to more SPE alumni connections in 2022! Fraternally, Todd Ruberg '82 AVC President ruberg1@yahoo.com A Brotherhood That Spans the Test of Time Oregon Beta Begins Planning for the Future Gary Harris '67 and Bob Randall '67 at the Oregon vs. UCLA game.

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