Department: Portrait of a Gentleman
Why Stephen Shopher is Armed With Experience
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Sometimes the direction of a brother does not follow a typical path. We know undergraduate life conjures up notions of 18-22-year-olds fresh out of their parents’ homes with a bounty of freedom. But Sigma Alpha Epsilon has a large crop of collegiate members who could be classified as non-traditional students, for they’ve had other life-changing experiences before they even set foot in our chapter houses.
At 23, Steve Shopher from Tennessee Tau — whom the brothers have nicknamed “Sho” — arrived on campus with a well-established skill set and the maturity of a grown man. Still in high school, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and served as a team leader while he was in Iraq. His deployment took him to the hotbed called the Middle East, sharpening his leadership skills and teaching him some vital life lessons. After he completed his commitment, he headed for school — a process that required an adjustment.
“The first thing I had to do when I got back [from active duty] was to get acclimated back to the lifestyle,” he says. “Coming from Iraq, the college lifestyle is a complete 180.” During that adjustment phase, he sought to get involved on campus, but he noticed something. Most of the students who were actively engaged were members of Greek-letter organizations. As he dove into extracurricular activities, he started to meet sAE members on a first-name basis. His future in the Fraternity was already finding its roots. Plus, he came well-prepared with an artillery of his own experience.
Through his tenure as a soldier, Shopher learned to deal with diversity and different personalities. “Every day, someone different is coming up to you with a problem or issue or assistance he needs,” he says. “There is so much I was able to bring back from my deployment, such as patience. It helped me work on my planning process.” Shopher compares his brothers in arms to his brothers in fraternal bonds. “You can be friends, but when it comes right down to it, you have to hold people accountable for their actions,” he says. “And when you disseminate information, you have to make sure it goes through as smoothly as possible.”
He believes that wherever life takes us, it’s important for us to leave our mark. And he thinks the ability of a brother to leave something better than we found it will define our legacy ultimately. The dent Shopher is leaving behind comes from a continuous zeal for Sigma Alpha Epsilon and a little bit of inspiration from what he learned from his peers.
He brought back an idea from Leadership School to his chapter about a philanthropic cause but had no idea just how much the Greek-letter community would embrace it. During the school, he wrote a big note down on his notepad that read, “Walk a mile in her shoes.” When he got back, he told his brothers they had to follow through on the idea. So, using his leadership experience, he communicated his idea with his brothers, tweaked the concept a bit and got buy-in from other fraternity and sorority presidents. Women donated hundreds of pairs of high heels, and the community rallied behind the event, which was a first-of-its-kind at UT-Martin. Following the event, proceeds went directly to the campus security department in the name of all Greeks, not just Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
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