Sigma Phi Epsilon - Kansas State University

Page 2 STRONG LEADERSHIP AND A LASTING LEGACY A Letter from Esteemed Alumnus A.J. Scribante '56 W hen I was an undergraduate, Sigma Phi Epsilon at Kansas State consisted of a wonderful bunch of guys. We had campus leaders, two first-team basketball players, a great baseball player, a member of the football team, six military veterans, and two dedicated AVC members. We enjoyed great relationships with the top sororities and fraternities, and we were looked upon as a desirable and welcoming Chapter House. Thanks to the efforts of the great Greg Pestinger '86, I'm excited to know that the current collegians and the AVC are working hard to instill strong, skilled leaders who can revive and maintain that same standard of excellence on campus. I graduated in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. One of the guys gave me this advice: "Never let your books interfere with your education." That's still true today! College provides a variety of important opportunities, including time to study and learn your area of interest in preparation for life after graduation, to practice how to communicate in front of and with others, and to forge relationships that will last a lifetime (including time to find the love of your life. Get yourself a college sweetheart and put a ring on their finger, ASAP!). As a Korean War veteran from the U.S. Navy Amphibious Force, I went to college on the GI Bill. (On September 15, 1950, under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur, I made the landing at Incheon, Korea, as a part of the U.S. Marines!) I quickly found the brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon brought out the best in me. Before joining, I did not know the value of experiencing college life as a member of a fraternity, but in the years since, I have stayed in close relationships with more than a dozen brothers and their wives. My own dear wife, Sunny, is a graduate of Texas University and a Kappa. She was the first Presidential appointee under the Reagan administration and served on the USAF Academy Board for eight years starting in 1981, the year they first admitted women to military academies. President Reagan once told me, "Sunny has the courage to go where angels fear to tread." She is a great American, mother, and wife. Most of my peers have passed on, but at 94, I am still in good health. I have found great success as an entrepreneur, and I've written a book to tell the whole story. (Shelf Life by AJ Scribante is available now.) Fraternally, A.J. Scribante '56 ajscribante2@gmail.com (720) 633-0085 Welcome, New Members Jack Aldridge | Lincoln, Neb. Robert Allmond | Roeland Park, Kan. Sig Anderson | Roeland Park, Kan. Landon Bragg | Smithville, Mo. Matthew Cordell | Shawnee Mission, Kan. Drew Franke | Overland Park, Kan. Braden Graves | Fairfax, Mo. Henry Hubbell | Lenexa, Kan. Joe Hudson | Leawood, Kan. Ryan Kuhlmann | Denver, Colo. Cal Lechtenberger | Olathe, Kan. Jayden Mabion | Lenexa, Kan. Armani McGovern | Newton, Kan. Andrew Nichols | Park Hill, Mo. Cameron Oswald | Fairfax, Mo. Jack Otto | Vail, Colo. Grant Pacer | Park Hill, Mo. JP Root | Lenexa, Kan. Riley Sine | Omaha, Neb. Ty Smith | Olathe, Kan. Jack Stafford | Long Island, New York Harper Urban | Dallas, Texas Ryan Withrow | Great Bend, Mo. Chapter Officers Chapter President Aidan Shaffer '26 VP of Programming Drew Franke '27 VPs of Recruitment Aiden Lancaster '26 Armani McGovern '27 Joe Hudson '27 Riley Sine '27 VP of Finance Aidan Ward '26 Chaplain Brady Fankhauser '26 VP of SLC Jack Aldridge '27 VP of New Member Development Josh Pileggi '26 House Manager Jimmy White '26 VP of Services Max Franklin '27 VP of Communications Harper Urban '27 VP of Risk Management Braden Graves '27 AVC Takes Home the Hardware A t a recent AVC meeting, District Governor Tyler Laughlin, Missouri Theta '08 presented our AVC with two very impressive awards: the AVC Operational Excellence Award and the Excelsior Award for Volunteers. According to Tyler, "These awards were presented due in part to the phenomenal growth your AVC has experienced. We have gone from having no mentors for Kansas Beta's executive board to recruiting 16 volunteers. You could've been content to stop there, but you're also actively recruiting additional volunteers to mentor challenge coordinators and serve in other advisory roles. Each of your executive board members now has a mentor! Your executive officers are meeting with these mentors at least once a month. They've taken the guidance provided by your volunteers and run with it. It's resulted in improved chapter operations, particularly in recruitment and member development." He went on to say, "It's clear you've also put a great deal of effort into asset management. By working with SigEp National Housing to improve learning community spaces and others, these improvements will not only make for a more comfortable living environment for current brothers but will likely enhance the recruitment of future brothers as well. Your hard work culminated in a Homecoming event that brought over 60 alumni through the red door to reminisce and meet current undergraduate brothers. This groundwork you've laid is sure to lead to even higher alumni engagement in the coming years."

• Cover