Sigma Phi Epsilon - Virginia Tech

Page 2 B oth John Lawson '75 and Sam Lionberger '87 understand how a quality house enhances the Fraternity experience. The two Virginia Kappa brothers appreciated the atmosphere they found at the old SigEp house, and as alumni, they extended their fraternal commitment by building the current Chapter House. "We were proud to wear our SigEp letters on campus," John said. "You and everyone else knew you were representing the best Fraternity there was." Sam shared the sentiment while reflecting on college friendships and Sigma Phi Epsilon's sense of community. Both brothers came from construction backgrounds and eventually joined their family's respective companies. Their careers led to collaboration with fellow alumni on Virginia Kappa's new house—a facility modeled after houses John saw at other schools while serving as AVC chairman. "Since we were based in Roanoke, my company took on the role of general contractor," Sam added. The construction faced several obstacles from university funding discussions to encasing the duct bank below the property, but the result was a 21,000-square-foot house for the strongest Fraternity on campus. Virginia Kappa's arrangement with Virginia Tech stated that the school would provide the land and house maintenance in exchange for SigEp's commitment to filling the house. The university paid for two-thirds of the construction cost, up to $4 million, while Virginia Kappa paid the remainder of the $5.4 million cost. They also agreed that in case of conduct issues, SigEp could automatically return to the house upon fulfilling terms to recharter. John emphasized Virginia Kappa's campus-leading membership numbers, the highest Fraternity GPA nearly every semester, and their recent Buchanan Cup. He also noted that SigEp has the only mansion- style house due to Virginia Tech's leadership changes after the project. "There will probably never be another one other than ours, which is unusual, but you can say it's a nice positive because nobody else can have that experience at Virginia Tech." "Like a church, the house is merely a physical structure; what truly matters is the brotherhood and members who reside within it," Sam said. "This commitment to fostering a vibrant community has been a cornerstone of our Fraternity experience. I hope this spirit of involvement and dedication continues for future generations of Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers." John and Sam cherish their Sigma Phi Epsilon and Virginia Tech experiences, and they continue to support their communities while maintaining fraternal bonds. You can connect with John at jlawson@wmjordan.com and Sam at sam@lionberger.com. Building for the Brotherhood Two Alumni Share Their House Construction Experience John Lawson '75 Sam Lionberger '87 "It was an interesting ride from the beginning. There's nothing that compares to what we experienced in making this happen." –John Lawson '75 "I felt truly honored to collaborate with Bill Thomas '72, Don McNamara '75, and John on the construction project." –Sam Lionberger '87 S igEp's courageous leadership in the Fraternity world is differentiated by the people we bring together and the powerful experiences and supportive environments we provide. Our volunteers are key to this leadership. Seventeen brothers strong, the Virginia Kappa AVC is working together to support the future of Virginia Kappa Chapter. As SigEp prepares to welcome new members into its brotherhood at Virginia Tech in 2025, volunteers are investing their time to ensure the long- term growth and success of the chapter through connection with you, our alumni, and managing assets and corporate health to reopen the chapter! We will need a team of volunteers to serve as key chapter operations volunteers, ranging from chapter counselor to faculty fellow and all the mentors in between. While the members of the Virginia Kappa AVC are proud to support the chapter and our Fraternity within these roles, there are many ways for alumni to volunteer with SigEp to shape the organization for the better. Visit sigep.org/resources/alumni-and- volunteers to learn more about volunteering with SigEp today! Guiding SigEp Forward Through Volunteerism

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