text and photos by Nicholas A. Ziegler, Editor-in-Chief

To see hundreds of other photos from the 153rd Anniversary Convention,
visit the Fraternity’s collection on Flickr.

In the summer, New Orleans is a city where anything can happen. The steamy bayou textmperatures give way to muggy evenings, where a carriage ride can show visitors the ghosts that haunt the historic French Quarter and where parades of jazz bands through the streets give hint of a tradition that, despite being created nearly 300 years ago, is still very much alive. It was no accident that a convention that would continue to shape Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s history and heritage was held there — in the depths of that summer heat.

In the short time between July 30 and August 1, 2009, more than 400 brothers met in the Big Easy for the 153rd Anniversary Convention of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, ready to perpetuate the business of Fraternity and to elect the men who would lead them for the next two years — either as the Supreme Council or on the board of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation or the SAE Financial & Housing Corporation. The event kicked off in style, with convention co-chairmen Province Theta Archon James Irwin (Nicholls State ’05) and director of the SAE World Series Geary Mason (Louisiana State ’84) leading a parade of men from the New Orleans Area Alumni Association through the luncheon hall. The eight brothers were dressed as Mardi Gras revelers, hiding their faces with veils and masks in true Carnivale style. “Having the convention return to New Orleans was an incredible honor,” Irwin said. “It allowed those of us in the area to share our Southern hospitality and rich culture.”

But while the festive mood continued, delegates knew it was time to get down to business, and that first order of business is always the election of the Fraternity’s leadership for the upcoming biennium. While many of the elections were uncontested there was some good and vigorous debate about the men best qualified and prepared to serve the organization with their time and expertise. In the manner of most previous conventions, debates could be heated at times. Tough questions were asked: Who has the best plan for alumni networking? How would each candidate’s proposals affect undergraduate dues? But in the end, fraternal camaraderie won the day as five men, along with honorary Eminent Supreme Archon Robert A. Dickinson, were slated to join the ranks of the Supreme Council. The Foundation and F&H boards, too, presented their slates of candidates to reaffirm their leadership for the next biennium.

At that point, the most contentious part of the 153rd Anniversary Convention was over. But now delegates had to deal with the long, tedious and very necessary part of business — that of picking through the 66 law proposals that faced the books. And, just like in previous conventions, those proposals ran the gamut from mere housekeeping amendments to existing law, all the way to changing the structure of the Supreme Council by adding an undergraduate member — a proposal that required two full pages in the Phi Alpha, the official convention booklet, ten legal subsections and an appendix to fully explain. While that initiative did not pass the vote on the convention floor, some notable changes to Fraternity law did take place, including changes to the duties of Province Archons and the Council of Province Archons, as well as measures calling for the expulsion of members who knowingly reveal Fraternity secrets — a necessity in a world of digital information that can effectively mask the original source.

And in what must surely be a record in Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s history, the New Orleans convention marked the second consecutive lawmaking meeting that finished its business early. Former Eminent Supreme Archon M. Todd Buchanan, filling his last official duty in his leadership role, kept the sometimes unruly floor on task. He did have some help, though, in breaking up the monotony of voting and parliamentary procedure. Four Distinguished Service Awards were given at convention — three during business sessions and one at the final banquet — each celebrating the life of an important brother and volunteer, featuring a “This is Your Life”-style video presentation created by the Fraternity Service Center.

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