Sigma Chi - Kansas State University

3 B orn and raised in Wichita, Gary Bauer '77 never imagined that after 38 years of trav- eling the world, he'd be living in the same town he spent his childhood. After a career that brought him to Kansas City, Houston, and for ap- proximately 22 years, Singapore and New York, Gary decided to retire and return to Kansas in Jan- uary 2017 to help care for his 89-year-old parents. Although he was thousands of miles away from Manhattan throughout the years, Gary has remained friends with fraternity brothers and supported the KSU Business School Finance Department through donations. For several years, Gary was active with the KSU finance advisory board and while in Houston, he would travel back to K-State once a year to help teach a finance derivative class. Then, when he received a call asking for his sup- port of A New Era campaign, Gary knew it was a great time to give back to Sigma Chi too. "I believe in giving back," he said. "I got the call and felt as if it was my obligation to help out. Being gone for so long, this was an opportunity for me to help and make up for those years of absence." For Gary, supporting Sigma Chi's campaign was his chance to preserve the chapter's longevity at KSU and show his gratitude to past generations who supported the chapter throughout the years. "Everyone should try to donate what they can, no matter if you can give $500, $5,000 or $50,000; all monies will be accepted and considered important," he said. "I believe in the fraternity system and think everyone has a responsibility to help and make it prosper." Looking back on his own college years, Gary cannot imagine his under- graduate experience without the Greek system. Despite joining a different fraternity than his twin brother, Gary found himself at home in Sigma Chi and lived in the chapter house for three years before moving to the annex at 1011 Laramie. "Living in a fraternity, you learn a lot about other people, how to get along and, more importantly, to socialize," he said. "Definitely being in a fraternity helped me in the business arena." Gary graduated in finance but returned to KSU to take another 45 hours in accounting and passed the CPA exam in May of 1979. After a four year stint at Touch Ross in Kansas City, he gravitated into oil commodity, trad- ing at Koch Industries and opened Koch's office in Singapore in 1985. In 1988, Gary was hired by Goldman Sachs to open their Singapore office and continued with Goldman Sachs back to New York in 1995. In 2006, Gary moved back to Singapore with Hetco and in 2008, started Ocean Petroleum with three other experienced oil traders. They concentrated 100% in China, trading physical oil along with futures, swaps, and other derivatives. Gary is retired, but still trades stocks, fixed income, and oil futures/options to stay busy. Gary has two adult children, Jason (30) and Brittany (28). Both were born in Singapore and graduated from Arizona State. "I cannot com- plain. It's been a long road but life has been pretty darn good!" Gary can be reached at bauer1954@msn.com and (316) 644-3455. Raising Expectations Sigma Chi Sets New Academic, Philanthropic Goals S igma Chi began the spring semester in the Jardine Apartment Com- plex as the chapter house renovations began. Focuses for this se- mester have been improving the chapter's academic performance, maintaining a culture that reflects the values of Sigma Chi, recruiting a class of quality young men this fall, running a successful Derby Days cam- paign, and implementing the new policies handed down to undergraduate chapters by Sigma Chi International. Implementing New Academic Standards Going into effect in the fall semester, two new bylaws will be enforced. First, the minimum grade requirement of all in-house brothers has been raised from 2.5 to 2.75. Any brother who does not reach a 2.75 or higher two semesters in a row will be suspended from chapter activities and not be permitted to live in the chapter house until he is able to achieve a 2.75. Second, any brother who does not reach a 2.0 for one semester will be suspended in the same fashion. Scholarship Chairman John Summerlin '21 said, "With the help of alumni, we have been able to look at offering scholarships for those who perform at a high level academically. This way we can also incentivize the guys to perform well, rather than only enforc- ing the rules for not meeting expectations." Brothers Set $100,000 Fundraising Goal This semester, we are continuing to look for projects around Manhattan that hold the passions of brothers and represent ways in which we can better our community as a group. Along with the three other chapters in our prov- ince, we made a commitment to cumulatively raise $100,000 through Derby Days. In order to do this, we began fundraising early, having already raised $1,500 before the official start of the fundraising process. In addition, we have explored new ways to advertise Derby Days. This year, the chapter and alumni will be meeting for a fundraising night to connect both groups. Also, we have explored new ways to involve area businesses and fraternities. Planning for Recruitment As the completion of the chapter house draws closer, a good portion of the brothers' attention has been paid to recruitment. With increased capac- ity in the new house, we strive to recruit a quality group of young men to be members of one of our chapter's largest pledge classes to date. We Brothers on the intramural football team. (Continued on page 4) Welcome, New Members Dane Cashion • Overland Park, Kan. Parker Esworthy • Wichita, Kan. Steven French • Foothill Ranch, Calif. James Gamble • Lenexa, Kan. Cameron Greenfield* • Wichita, Kan. Connor Davis (brother) Spencer Kennedy* • Olathe, Kan. Mitch Kennedy (brother) Lawson Smith • Prairie Village, Kan. *Legacy Gary Bauer '77 Returns to the U.S. After Years Abroad in Singapore Alumnus Remains Connected to KSU, Sigma Chi

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