Our Biggest Brother Heroes Recognized

Several brothers have earned high honors for their leadership, dedication and service to both Sigma Alpha Epsilon and to the interfraternal community. The North-American Interfraternity Conference, or NIC, presented Awards of Distinction to 2008 True Gentleman of the Year Brian Gettinger (Missouri-Kansas City ’08) and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers (Kansas State ’64) at its annual meeting. The awards recognize those who make a difference for fraternities and who advance the ideals of fraternity. They are committed to brightening the future of fraternity and ensuring that fraternities are living to their espoused mission and values. In addition, Eminent Supreme Warden Ken Tracey earned the Evin J. Varner Award from the Fraternity Communications Association at its annual meeting in May. The award honors an individual who had helped to advance the fraternal movement through excellence in communications to the Greek-letter community.

Where is My Directory?

Many of our alumni purchased the newest alumni directory, a joint project between Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Publishing Concepts, Inc., or PCI. In addition, members have inquired as to why they haven’t received their directories yet. The directory is currently in publication and, as a 12-month project, it takes quite a bit of time to compile since we have to get information for more than 190,000 living alumni. Once the book has been published, PCI will begin mailing the books to fulfill the orders that Sigma Alpha Epsilon members placed. For additional questions about the directory, contact Associate Executive Director of Communications Brandon Weghorst at (847) 424-3038 or at bweghorst@sae.net.

Future Faces of Leadership: The Phoenix Institute

On the weekend of April 3-5, 2009, 25 of the Fraternity’s most promising leaders attended the fourth annual Phoenix Institute. This program allows the men an opportunity to meet and learn from some of the organization’s biggest alumni leaders, including the Supreme Council. Attendees met in small groups, each led by a Council member, and discussed fraternal, professional and personal topics. The event took place at the Levere Memorial Temple, where brothers learned about the building and got a glimpse of what makes our headquarters so unique. The 2009 Phoenix Institute attendees included:

Russel Best, Cincinnati
Adam Bullock, East Tennessee State
Royal Carson, Colorado
Jordan Cross, Missouri-Kansas City
Lawrence Dearth, Washington (Washington)
Adam Detwiler, Boston Consortium
Patrick Devine, Villanova
Joseph Diaferia, Tennessee Tech
John Docter, Louisville
Sam Fankuchen, Stanford
Justin Fargason, Birmingham-Southern
Nicholas Fogleman, Loyola
Paul Ashby Foltz, Georgia Tech
Alex Hand, Cal State-San Marcos
Joel Heine, Minnesota
Nick Holmes, Memphis
Andrew Honeyman, North Dakota State
Max Leavey, UC-Irvine
Noah Levin, Carnegie Mellon
Wallace McKinney, Auburn
Robert McNamara, Millikin
Craig Miller, Evansville
Jordan Moss, Cincinnati
Spencer Pittman, Oklahoma
Curtis Roddy, Cornell

An Enhancement for Excellent Service

The Fraternity Service Center has announced several changes in the structure related to the Regional Director program and its extension program. These items take effect immediately and help to reaffirm the commitment of the FSC and the field staff to exceed the expectations of our constituents and to continue providing excellent customer service.

Blaine Ayers, Regional Director for the Patton Region, has been appointed to the position of Associate Executive Director of Fraternity. In this role, Ayers will supervise the entire Regional Director program and continue to serve chapters in Maryland, southern Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. In addition, Ayers will remain based in Lexington, Kentucky. This position reports to Eminent Supreme Recorder Steve Priepke.

Tony Kerins, who served as AED for the past few years, is stepping down to pursue other opportunities. In his place, Brad Kloha (Central Michigan ’06) has been hired as the new Regional Director for the Kerr Region, which includes Indiana, Michigan, northern Ohio, Wisconsin and parts of Illinois. Previously, Kloha served on the Fraternity Service Center staff as a Coordinator of Chapter Development. He will be based in Michigan and will report to AED Blaine Ayers.

In addition to the staff realignments, the Fraternity Service Center has announced several regional service realignments with provinces as well. Province Lambda will be encompassed in the Foster Region, serviced by Mike Mansfield. Province Upsilon will be encompassed in the Dennis Region, serviced by Deran Abernathy. And Province Pi will be encompassed in the Kerr Region, serviced by Kloha.

Our Fraternal Trifecta

Among the items at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Marketplace are three that stand out among the rest. First is our official tie designed by Brooks Brothers. Its silk and gold stripes show your fraternal zeal, so it’s the perfect accent for that formal event. It’s also available as a bow tie. Or you might like a “The True Gentleman” plaque, a wooden version of our organization’s creed. Give it as an award to an exemplary brother for his efforts. Then again, the SAE flag is always a good choice for chapter houses or tailgates. The flag can be ordered in its classic 4′x6′ size or in a smaller 3′x5′ size — perfect for hanging on your wall. All of these items and more can be found by visiting the Greek Marketplace at www.greekmarketplace.net/sae.