Sigma Phi Epsilon - Florida International University

C ollege students spend the majority of their time outside of the classroom. Many of the life lessons and skills that an undergraduate should develop during his college years must be learned during this vast amount of largely unstructured time. ese lessons include communication skills, conflict management, decision making, relationship building, organizational skills, project management, stress management, tolerance, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. RISING COSTS AND A CHANGING LANDSCAPE • In addition to maintaining strong grades and being involved in campus organizations, almost 80% of our members work to pay for school and fraternity; 70% of them are on financial aid. • Our brothers are dedicated to the fraternity and want to be part of the brotherhood. With the rising costs of attending college, it has become evident that we as alumni need to do something to help recruit top-notch men who may not be able to pay for the fraternity experience on their own. • rough an endowed scholarship, we're planning to offer scholarships for SigEp dues and tuition. is will offset the cost of school, as well as help us recruit and develop leaders on campus. A SIGEP LEARNING COMMUITY e Residential Learning Community (RLC) program is a SigEp National program focused on maximizing an undergraduate's fraternal experience to complement his academic experience. Research shows that SigEp RLCs perform at a much higher rate than chapters that do not have an RLC component. e Florida Nu program will be a groundbreaking effort to create a purpose-built SigEp Learning Community. e facility will be used as a learning center where members will progress through all phases of the Balanced Man Program. e space will also be used for events, meetings, studying, presentations, educational programs, and storage. It will also create a collaboration between undergraduates and university faculty to enhance the academic experience and further the development of our members. A HOME FOR FLORIDA NU While the SigEp experience is certainly more than any physical OUR ACADEMIC NEEDS structure, a gathering place for Florida Nu to call "home" would undoubtedly play a significant role in the development of our brothers and serve as a proud symbol of our shared values and goals. We've come to learn that the nature of the FIU student does not support a live-in Greek facility. Other fraternities have tried to fill traditional chapter houses without much success. ere are 56,000 students at FIU with 15% online and 68% as commuters. To date, there are only 9,500 residential students (17%). So, a residential build does not make sense. We see that our future would be best suited in a learning community. Our SigEp Learning Community (SigEpLC) will be the first of its kind. It will be accredited through the same rigorous application process that RLCs go through to ensure the Chapter is committed to the philosophies of the program. SigEp has 50 accredited RLCs. We would be the first Purpose-Built SigEpLC and would be a model for other unhoused chapters across the nation. • RLC chapters average a 3.27 GPA versus SigEp's national 3.17 GPA. • RLC chapters have an average chapter size of 89 members versus SigEp's national average of 67. • At the 2013 Conclave, 28 of the 40 Buchanan Cups were awarded to RLC chapters. • RLC chapters engage faculty fellows and resident scholars to aid in the academic, professional, and personal development of their members. • Many RLC chapters are reinventing the classroom experience by providing for-credit classes exclusively for SigEps within their facilities. RLC Highlights

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