Texas Tau: Ramp Project

Texas Tau members volunteered their time to help a local woman in need. Through the Texas Ramp Project, the brothers built a wheelchair ramp at her home. They demolished the existing stairs to make room for the ramp, giving her complete access so getting in and out of the house would be easier for her. The Brazos County Chapter of the Texas Ramp Project aims to help those in need each weekend.

Virginia Kappa: Easter-Egg Hunt

For their True Gentleman Day of Service experience, the brothers of Virginia Kappa partnered with the women of Gamma Phi Beta to host an Easter-egg hunt for the Williamsburg community. Both chapters expressed interest in planning and hosting a community event, so they combined their efforts. The men spent several fun-filled hours playing with the children and interacting with members of the community, including faculty members, who live in the local community. As a colony, this was one of the first, large-scale events the group planned.

Nebraska Iota: Kicks for a Cure

The men of Nebraska Iota volunteered their time at an event called Kicks for the Cure, an annual weekend-long soccer tournament. The event’s goal is to raise money and awareness for cancer education and prevention, and it benefits Liz’s Legacy, a local charitable program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. When a brother’s family members came to him asking for volunteers, the chapter decided to help out. Chapter members said they enjoyed their volunteerism and hope to make Kicks for a Cure an all-SAE event in the future. We recognize the good efforts and hard work of our chapters and colonies during the 2011 True Gentleman Day of Service, and with more than 240 chapters and colonies across the country, we’ve collected a smattering of what they accomplished. These groups helped to make a different in their communities and show us what being a true gentleman and a true fraternity man should embody. The total number of hours they spent cleaning, constructing and caring were supported through many letters of praise and thanks we received at the Fraternity Service Center.

Chapter Achievement Award

• Excelled in being determined to maintain traditional strengths, persevering through weaknesses, and being enthusiastic about exemplifying “The True Gentleman” and the values of Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Smith-Huffman Chapter Management Award

• Published “This Week in SAE,” a one-page summary of day-by-day chapter events for all members
• Held an Executive Board retreat over the summer
• Held a chapter retreat each semester that corresponded with an officer-transition meeting at the end of each semester
• Maintained a strong judicial board to preserve the expectations of brothers in relation to the chapter and “The True Gentleman”

Robert C. Cousins Recruitment Award

• Extended 14 bids in the fall and pledged 13 men
• Pledged ten new members in the spring
• Interviewed potential new members to find out whether they fit the mold of a true gentleman

Scholarship Award

• Reserved a non-mandatory study room at the university library for all active members and pledges; person who logged the most hours received a dues reduction
• Sponsored workshops on time management, study habits, class registration, resume and job interviewing
• Maintained a database of classes and majors to help with study programs
• Kept a strong faculty adviser who helped with workshops, individual brother relations and feedback on members’ academic needs
• Awarded brothers with a GPA greater than 3.5 a 10-percent dues reduction
• Ranked first on campus both semesters with a chapter GPA 3.1 on a 4.0 scale

Alumni Relations Award

• Produced the newsletter Minerva’s Call, which is distributed to all alumni
• Held a family and alumni weekend that included a visit to the Levere Memorial Temple
• Invited alumni to chapter meetings to help with recruitment, share lifetime experience perspectives and sponsor workshops to extend traditions
• Reached out to members of a young alumni association to help serve as liaisons and mentors to all members
• Increased involvement with the Chicago Area Alumni Association

Financial Management Award

• Managed funds efficiently and securely to keep the chapter financially sound
• Used a financial committee that provided a business viewpoint and broadened the participation and understanding of the chapter’s finances
• Created electronic forms for reimbursement and funding requests, which are reviewed weekly by the financial committee
• Structured dues to include a payment plan, if needed
• Supplemented dues and charitable fundraising by working the concession stand at Soldier Field

Risk Management Award

• Kept risk-management program geared to stay updated with Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s and Loyola University’s policies
• Reviewed Minerva’s Shield, the chapter crisis-management protocol, first-aid basics, alcohol and drug effects and anti-hazing stance with all members
• Spoke with all new pledge classes about behavioral expectations and relayed policies and expectations that support what the chapter holds most important: brotherhood
• Assembled a security team that covered entrances, roaming guests and refreshments with one security member assigned to every 20 guests at all events

• Raised more than $75,000 for charity in the Jail n’ Bail event
• Received the school’s top intramural ranking with more than 75 percent of brothers participating
• Kept the calendar packed with events so all brothers had an opportunity to participate
• Used a detailed transition report to ensure there is not a lull in leadership during the transition period
• Invited the parents to the Formal Pledging ceremony, allowing them to ask questions about the Fraternity
• Worked with Iowa Gamma to create the J.W. Walt Award, which is given to the best pledge class from either chapter
• Organized a sexual-assault prevention program for the entire Greek community
• Used the Ritual team to keep the active and new members appraised of the Ritual’s importance
• Combined alumni relations and scholarship during the annual scholarship awards dinner
• Gave each brother $400 for a GPA above 3.5 and $175 for a GPA between 3.15 and 3.49 GPA
• Performed more than 2,500 hours of community service
• Employed a sober-brother monitoring system to ensure the safety of members

We Stand Together is an interactive, educational endeavor that reaffirms our zero-tolerance policy for hazing. The program contains several vital components, many of which utilize multimedia and online resources. Sigma Alpha Epsilon has created an exclusive section of the True Gentleman Initiative, the Fraternity’s educational website at www.thetgi.net, specifically for We Stand Together. The exclusive content includes documents, presentations, tips, links and customizable tools on how to recognize hazing and how to prevent it.

We Stand Together is leading the way in the Greek world and includes components for alumni, parents, actives, and pledges. Hazing is not a problem for just one organization. To stop it, we need everyone’s help. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is strongly against hazing and is committed to creating a safe, meaningful environment for all of our members, regardless of status. Our undergraduate members, as well as parents and alumni, are urged to go to the TGI’s website and check out the section for their group.

The program’s highlights include:

An open letter to actives and pledges
There are two letters available to share. One is directed towards the pledges and should be read to them at a meeting. The other is for active members and should be read at a weekly chapter meeting. Each letter outlines the new program and presents effective ways of achieving brotherhood. Members can print the letter for each brother or post it in the chapter house as a constant reminder that Sigma Alpha Epsilon does not tolerate hazing.

PowerPoint presentations for undergraduates
The www.thetgi.net site has two PowerPoint presentations full of information on the new hazing-prevention hotline, as well as alarming statistics from a recent hazing study. The presentation for the active chapter should be presented by the Eminent Archon or the continuing education chairman. The pledge educator should present the pledge PowerPoint.

The new hazing hotline: 1-888-NOT-HAZE
Sigma Alpha Epsilon has established a new anti-hazing hotline for anyone, on any campus or in any situation, to report hazing anonymously. The new hotline number is 1-888-NOT-HAZE. Sigma Alpha Epsilon takes every message seriously, and the hotline is available for anyone, including actives, alumni and parents.

The Response Ability DVD
Response Ability is a reality-style educational DVD package that brings viewers to understand how group dynamics can prevent people from taking action. It also demonstrates how to intervene successfully when brothers witness hazing or other dangerous or unhealthy behavior. The Response Ability video is being presented by each Regional Director during chapter visits, and all chapters will receive a copy of the DVD to use as part of its educational programs. Chapters should also share the DVD with alumni or other interested groups.

A reassessment of activities: What is hazing?
After reading the documents and hearing the presentations, chapters should have a good idea of what would constitute hazing – and how individual members can stand up to it. Although some chapter activities may seem harmless, it is important to assess those traditions and make sure they are not harming any member physically or mentally. The www.thetgi.net documents also include alternative programming that fits each chapter’s needs but does not include hazing.

A sharing of resources with alumni associations
Sigma Alpha Epsilon has outstanding and dedicated alumni who devote countless hours of time and service to promote the Fraternity and its mission. In order to help alumni and undergraduates understand hazing and its negative effects on the Fraternity, the online repository is full of tools and resources to help each member become a better adviser, alumnus or brother, whatever his role.

A sharing of resources with parents
Chapters are encouraged to communicate their pledge programming to parents and alumni. Many chapters maintain a parents’ or Minerva’s Club, used to keep parents up-to-date on the chapter’s activities. We Stand Together includes a specific section on the role that parents play in preventing hazing, and a section of www.thetgi.net is just for parents.

The We Stand Together program has been created to help save lives and live our values. As more documents and resources become available and as new components to the program are introduced, chapters will receive further notification.

For more information or for any questions about We Stand Together, contact Director of Educational Programs Zach Rus at zrus@sae.net or at (847) 424-3032.

Louisiana State, Louisiana Epsilon

The men at Louisiana Epsilon tackled the Day of Service in 90-minute shifts by helping a local day-care facility prepare for its grand opening. The brothers worked on mowing the lawn, weed-eating, edging, cutting down bushes, power-washing fences, removing debris, picking up trash, ripping out carpet, moving furniture and painting the facilities. Alumni adviser Derek Mitchell was pleased with the result, saying, “The guys had a great time serving and working, and the day-care workers were overwhelmed with the amount of participation and the magnitude of work that was completed.” With the men’s help, the facility was able to open June 1, 2009.

Cal State-San Marcos, California Alpha-Gamma

The men of California Alpha-Gamma took advantage of the entire True Gentleman Day of Service weekend, packing in five different events. The first, the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education, sees nearly 4,000 students from all over the state attend a graduate-school recruitment seminar on the San Marcos campus. The brothers helped with setup and with serving lunch. That same day, another group of members worked to clean up Dixon Lake, picking up trash and beautifying the outdoors. For their third event, men volunteered at an event called Meet the Chefs of Del Mar, which benefited Casa de Amparo. The children’s shelter holds the annual culinary event as a fundraiser, and the men did behind-the-scenes setup work the night before. A relief effort for children in Africa called Invisible Children was the fourth recipient of the chapter’s help, as members wrote letters to politicians — in conjunction with thousands of other high school and college students — to raise awareness for the cause. And finally, the men participated in a walkathon for multiple sclerosis, raising more than $500 along with the women of Alpha Xi Delta.

SUNY-Oswego, New York Zeta

The men of New York Zeta took a simple approach to the Day of Service: Brothers walked across SUNY-Oswego’s Lake Ontario beach on April 25, 2009, cleaning up trash and beautifying the campus for all university members. New York Zeta brothers got together on a beautiful Oswego Saturday afternoon and cleaned up all the trash on the beach so everyone could enjoy its beauty. For three hours, 11 men each collected a bag of refuse and earned the gratitude of their fellow SUNY students.

Appalachian State, North Carolina Epsilon (colony)

On Friday April, 24, members of the North Carolina Epsilon colony traveled to the Wolf Sanctum in Bakersville, North Carolina, a sanctuary for captive-bred wolves and wolf-dogs. The facility, located in the Black Mountains of North Carolina, works to provide a living environment for animals that would otherwise be neglected or killed. Colony brothers worked for approximately seven hours and constructed a deck for Denali, a 130-lb captive-bred wolf. They also helped to extend the isolation pen that will allow new members of the community to be placed in quarantine until they adjust to their new environment.

Evansville, Indiana Epsilon

The brothers of Indiana Epsilon held their 2009 True Gentleman Day of Service on April 26, 2009. Instead of having one program, the chapter worked with two non-profit centers in Evansville, Indiana. The first, The Potter’s Wheel, is a community outreach and assistance program in the downtown area. The second, Keep Evansville Beautiful, which is part of the Great American Cleanup, helps to keep streets and alleyways clean in a low-income neighborhood.

Villanova, Pennsylvania Eta-Gamma

A few rain showers didn’t slow the men of Pennsylvania Eta-Gamma down during their annual golf tournament. Alumni, friends and family members helped the chapter raise more than $40,000 for Children’s Miracle Network. Senior Pat Devine said, “Even though the weather wasn’t ideal I got the opportunity to golf with a chapter brother and his family. It was a great event and something I was proud to be a part of.”

Responding to students’ drinking habits has been a long-standing issue — and there aren’t any clear solutions. A new program from Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the Alcohol Skills Training Program, aims to provide straightforward lessons. The bottom line is simple: Whether or not you approve of students’ consumption of alcohol, it’s important that everyone be educated on alcohol’s effects on the body.

And you can be a part of that program. The Fraternity is recruiting alumni interested in serving as moderators for ASTP events around the country — making the program unique because it meets students on their own ground. The entire effort is coordinated by staff at the Fraternity Service Center, and chapters that are eligible to receive the program’s training are dictated by the ability of our volunteers to visit them.

The ASTP is an educational effort that starts with the premise that some college students make the choice to drink. While the program acknowledges that abstinence is the best way to avoid consequences associated with drinking, it also recognizes that steps toward risk reduction are steps in the right direction. The ASTP takes the topics students are interested in — tolerance, beer goggles and how alcohol affects social skills — and challenges their expectations. It clarifies what’s considered “normal” on their campus and in their chapters, and then, it helps students develop new strategies for making better choices.

Earlier this decade, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism commissioned a group of scientists to review the best ways to reduce college-student drinking. Of the only three strategies that were identified as effective in reducing drinking and related consequences, the Alcohol Skills Training Program was the only one identified by name as an example — and so Sigma Alpha Epsilon is implementing an extension of this promising program.

This is where you come in. After more than two years of training alumni like you all over the country, Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s alcohol-education training is now available to the entire Realm. We equip alumni to visit chapters, helping them educate undergraduate members on how alcohol can affect them. No sad stories. No emotional pleas. Just the simple facts.

Volunteers were trained by Dr. Jason Kilmer, an expert in his field and a researcher who has been a part of many alcohol-intervention evaluations. Kilmer teaches volunteers about the role of expectations, alcohol’s effects on the body and consequences that could be lessened or eliminated if students make changes in their drinking. That education includes the concept of “diminishing returns.” Those concepts allow those who choose to make responsible decisions and to minimize their risk while both saving money and making decisions on how to change their drinking habits. Abstainers aren’t left out, either. They’re given information on the positive effects of their healthy choices. And, of course, participants are reminded that if they are under 21, it is illegal to drink.
The ASTP has already been presented at various chapters across the country as well at as the 73rd John O. Moseley Leadership School. James Balandran, an undergraduate at the University of Texas-Dallas, immediately saw the program’s benefits. “I believe that this program is unique because it does something that I have not seen any other program do,” he said.

“ASTP is not the same program every time it is given. The interactivity makes it specific to the people in the room. The program also shows the audience the science behind alcohol and what it does to the body. Both these items make the Alcohol Skills Training Program a great resource for educating my chapter on alcohol.”

You can make the difference for a chapter in your area. For more information on ASTP or to submit you name as a volunteer, e-mail ASTP@sae.net with your name, chapter and contact information.

Zeal Award Winner:
Louisiana Chi, Nicholls State University

A chapter that’s only a few years old has achieved the pinnacle of excellence as the best in the Realm, all because the men have consistently gone above and beyond what it takes to be a great chapter. For its dedication to all the ideals of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Louisiana Chi has been named the winner of the 2008 John O. Moseley Award for Fraternity Zeal. A dedication to many aspects of Fraternity — but most of all the Ritual and the values it instills — helped Louisiana Chi emerge as the leader. As the men wrote in their application: “Louisiana Chi believes that the Ritual cannot be understood unless we, as a chapter, realize that our commitments to the Ritual are commitments to a way of life we all will try to live.”

The ideals put forth by our guiding document, the Ritual, influence everything the men of Louisiana Chi attempt to do on their campus. Just four years after its conception as a colony, the chapter can now boast:

• A number-one ranking among campus fraternities in both active- and pledge-class GPA
• A commitment of more than 4,000 hours of community service as a chapter
• A requirement that all chapter members be involved in at least two extracurricular activities
• A first-place ranking in the school’s intramural events
• 75-percent participation by the chapter in intramurals
• A first-place finish in the 2008 SAE World Series
• The top award at the Nicholls State Greek Life Songfest

A number of IFC awards:

• Best Fraternity Leadership
• Best Fraternity GPA
• Best Fraternity
• Community Service
• Athletics Award
• A number of Province Theta awards:
• Chapter Achievement Award
• J.L. Pope Zeal Award
• Chapter Management Award
• Community Service and Philanthropy Award
• Ritual Award
• Election of five members to homecoming court (out of eight spots)
• 24 initiates into Who’s Who Among Colleges and Universities for the 2007-2008 school year
• 31 men recognized on the president’s list, dean’s list and honor roll at the university

To view the rest of its award-winning program, see the chapter’s application online at www.thetgi.net.

Other Nominees

The awards-selection committee identified four other chapters as the best in the Realm when they were nominated for the Zeal Award. This prestigious group includes:

Minnesota Alpha (Minnesota), standard of excellence in Province Tau, has taken member education to a new level — and it’s paid off. A calendar full of leadership and educational events also helped the chapter get nominated for every award at the University of Minnesota Greek Awards.

Wyoming Alpha (Wyoming) has distinguished itself by taking stances on issues not common to fraternities. In the 2007-2008 school year, the men worked to uphold “The True Gentleman” by working with the Albany County SAFE Project; SPECTRUM, the Gay-Straight Alliance; and the Women’s Action Network for Take Back the Night.

Illinois Alpha-Omega (Loyola), is no stranger to success within the Fraternity or on Loyola’s campus. It was named organization of the year out of all extracurricular activities, not just within the Greek system; has 100 percent of its members involved in other activities on campus; and received six of the eight individual Greek Life awards.

Michigan Delta-Omega (Central Michigan) was described in its awards application as not only the best fraternity on its campus but also as the best chapter in Province Omega. Its members excel in campus involvement, representing organizations as diverse as Leadership Safari, Sibs Weekend, the Student Government Association and Program Board.