Sigma Chi - University of California-Berkeley

THE CAL SIG ALPHA BETA CHAPTER OF SIGMA CHI FRATERNITY Spring 2015 G reetings from the Alpha Beta Chapter of Sigma Chi. With an unusually early spring in Berkeley this year the University of California Berkeley campus is looking especially beautiful. Trees are blossoming, flowers are in full color and students are enjoying the warm weather. It has been an exciting season at the chapter house as well. New officers and leadership positions have been elected and filled. The energy that our new officers have is contagious and we are all excited to be working with a group of such enthusiastic Sigma Chi brothers. Our House Corporation meetings all end with members of the board telling me things such as "The chapter house has never looked better" or "What a great idea the actives had!" It is really rewarding as an alumnus to see our membership show such concern for the house and its value to the members and to the community. A full group of quality pledges are enjoying their first taste of the Sigma Chi lifestyle, and they will all be great additions to the chapter once initiated. Alpha Beta Goes Green Our chapter has made a concerted effort to promote recycling. Bins for cardboard, glass, plastics, and yard cuttings are all being utilized for the first time in coordination with the City of Berkeley garbage services. Members are researching the feasibility of installing solar panels on the roof of the chapter house in an effort to minimize the electrical costs required to run the house. Updated Meal Plan Is a Hit Our food steward has come up with a creative plan to network with other houses on campus to share in the cooking of the meals served to our members. This is an entirely new method of providing the nightly dinner meal, and the quality of food served, combined with healthy selections, has made this new food service a hit with members. Great idea, food steward! Summer Updates Planned Planning is underway for improvements to the house over the summer. Four rooms on the second floor that face the front of the house on College Avenue are set for renovation. Additional work will be done to the kitchen and to the outside of the house. An icemaker has been purchased and will be installed in the kitchen along with more cabinets. A decorative screen will be installed around the garbage dumpster to improve the appearance of the front of the house and landscaping is being improved monthly. Even while keeping up with the rigorous curriculum our members are taking at Cal, they have not forgotten their commitment to philanthropy. Derby Days was a great success as it is always the signature philanthropic event on campus. Keep up the good work, brothers. If you find yourself in Berkeley this spring please stop by the house and see what is going on. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Go, Bears! Fraternally, Jeff Bordalampe '77 Housing Corporation President (510) 755-0744 jeff@tcinorth.com SIGMA CHI KEEPS AN INNOVATIVE EDGE House Corporation Plans Summer Updates T he Alpha Beta Chapter of Sigma Chi at UC Berkeley has enjoyed a prosperous year, building upon recent success. The 13 young men comprising the fall 2014 pledge class were initiated at the conclusion of the fall semester. Thanks to Magister Clay Carey '16 for being impactful throughout the pledge process. We now have an active membership of 71 members, the largest number in recent memory for the Alpha Beta Chapter, making us one of the largest fraternities on campus. Max Benjamin '15 and Greg Brostek '15 finished their terms as consul and pro consul, respectively, at the conclusion of the fall semester. They oversaw, among other things, a rise in chapter GPA to 3.34, ahead of the 3.24 Greek men's average and the 3.21 all- men's average. We thank these seniors for their service. Matt Anderson '17 and I have been elected to succeed them and the chapter. At the beginning of the spring semester, Recruitment Chairmen Andrew Eichten '17 and Nima Shajarian '17 ushered in the new spring 2015 pledge class, which will be under the direction of Magister Osama Nawab '16. We look forward to teaching them the values of our chapter and fraternity. Our chapter hosted another successful Derby Days March 7-13, building upon the rich tradition started by the Alpha Beta Chapter. We thank our Derby Days Chairmen, Matt Campbell '17 and Jonathan Chernoguz '17, for their efforts. Alpha Beta at the Top Chapter Excels in Recruitment, Philanthropy, and Academics Brothers volunteer with the Berkeley Food and Housing Project to help ease and end the crisis of homelessness in the community. (Continued on page 2)

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