Sigep Newsletter

Brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon Pennsylvania Beta Beta assembled on Saturday, November 7th at the Van Rensselaer Hall to prepare for the 2015 Balanced Man Scholarship (BMS) Luncheon. Sigma Phi Epsilon turned the old Victorian room into a perfect venue for the fraternity’s scholarship presentation, adorning the hall in violet and red. The Balanced Man Scholarship has been a tradition for Sigma Phi Epsilon Chapters across the nation in recognizing freshman students at universities for their exemplary achievements inside and outside of the classroom. Candidates and winners are often recognized for outstanding community service involvement as well as impressive performances on the sports field.

Drexel University’s Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter has conducted the BMS Luncheon since their chartering date fourteen years ago. This year’s luncheon included attendance by Sigma Phi Epsilon alumni, campus officials, Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers, and the scholarship finalists. The luncheon was opened by a notable Sigma Phi Epsilon Renaissance Brother from Steven’s Tech University, Dr. Jonathan Wharton, who spoke on behalf of the fraternity’s century old tradition as well as congratulating the candidates on all of their wonderful achievements throughout high school. Following Dr. Wharton, I had the pleasure of recognizing various Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers on their achievements in the chapter. One of the awards presented was “Brother of Year” awarded to Brother Justin San Juan for his outstanding involvement in the chapter while simultaneously being a resident assistant on campus studying to attend medical school. Justin San Juan is pictured to the left receiving his prestigious award.

But Justin was not the star of the luncheon. The scholarship candidates were the stars of the gathering and it was their time to shine. Mr. San Juan announced each of the candidates and their achievements having them stand in front of the audience to be recognized. After finishing the short bios on each of the candidates, Mr. San Juan announced this year’s winners of the scholarship, Ali Harb, Cole Secor, and Ryan Benjamin. Each of the winners possessed GPAs well over 4.0 accompanied by a Soccer State Championship, a multitude of community service projects, and a notable donation to the St. Baldrick’s foundation.

This November, many of our members traveled to participate in programs that the SigEp national community organized for our benefit. One weekend, two of these events took place. In Reinholds, Pennsylvania seventeen Drexel SigEps stayed overnight at a YMCA camp for the EDGE program, while seven others traveled to Stamford, Connecticut for the two-day Life After College event hosted in a Marriott Hotel.

EDGE is an event designed to educate new members about our fraternity. Volunteers facilitate group discussions designed to help them thrive in our fraternity environment. Many of the topics centered on challenging the perception of Greek Life, and empowering our members to stand out and make a difference. We focused on collaboration skills, living a values-driven lifestyle, and contributing to make SigEp the best organization it can be.

In addition to the structured development sessions, EDGE provides members with their first experience to form relationships with Brothers from other chapters. The event was open to all SigEp chapters in our part of the country, and all the participants stayed on-site overnight. After the scheduled programs were over, everyone was able to further bond with facilitators, alumni, and undergraduates from other chapters in a more casual environment.

Besides being an important, impressive experience for members new to SigEp, EDGE also offers a unique opportunity to older members as well. Five of us from SigEp at Drexel volunteered as facilitators for the November EDGE program. We were given the responsibility to lead a variety of small group activities as well as lead discussions in front of the whole body of 80 participants. While many of us have leadership experience in small clubs on campus, rarely do we get the chance to speak before a group that large.

Life After College is a relatively new program – 2015 marked the third year since the first of these events. As Drexel students, several members from our chapter that participated were no strangers to the working world. Many of them had substantial work experience from co-op, and assistance from co-op coordinators in providing resume and interview suggestions. However, Life After College offers our members professional guidance from a different perspective. Many of the Alumni and volunteers at this SigEp event offer advice not as counselors but as professionals who have been in recruiting and hiring roles themselves. Rather than standard guidelines about professionalism, the facilitators at Life after College provide insight to help our members better understand what hiring officers are looking for, and how they can stand out as potential employees.

Life After College is designed to accommodate students with various levels of professional experience. Information sessions cover everything from resume building and interview skills, to personal finance and professional networking. Each of these topics has 2 sessions, an introductory level and a more advanced level. This way, younger students can get their first exposure to these professional topics, while older students can explore in more detail. This event also offers a private job fair. Students get the chance to network with companies across a variety of industries. Our members can practice discussing their co-op experience directly with recruiters.

Overall these two programs are excellent opportunities for SigEp members to explore extra-curricular interests. EDGE provides us with information to help us make the most out of our fraternity experience. It also offers an opportunity for older members to develop their leadership and public speaking skills. Life after College aims to enhance the professional skills that our members gain through the Drexel co-op program. That weekend in November, a total of twenty-four of our members took part in either program. Volunteers and SigEp’s national leaders ensure that these events effectively prepare each of us for future success in a variety of ways.

The professor stood tall before the brothers of SigEp, feet shoulder-width apart, arms raised at his side, and chest proudly puffed out.

“I’m feeling especially powerful today,” recited Dr. Stan Ridgley in the deepest voice he could muster that had a slight resemblance to that of Darth Vader.

“This is a stance of invigorating power, flooding your body with testosterone, inhibiting the flow of cortisol: the hormone of stress. You tell yourself that before a presentation and I guarantee, with the right preparation, you’ll have won the affection of the entire crowd,” continued Dr. Ridgley.

This was just another Wednesday at the house for the brothers of the Pennsylvania Beta Beta chapter. The brothers coordinated a book club with Dr. Stanley Ridgley, a decorated professor of Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business. Dr. Ridgley has had an extensive amount of experience with public speaking, and agreed to discuss the premise of the book, How to Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie: a profound book that offers a step-by-step manual on how to successfully deliver a presentation. The book was separated into halves, in which, after each half was a discussion hosted at the house to review and reiterate the key points introduced by Dale Carnegie.

The first discussion was centered on first impressions and initial thoughts. Upon the close of the first discussion, Dr. Ridgley presented to each of the brothers in the book club a tiny piece of paper. Words had been inscribed onto each slip of paper, holding the premise for our next discussion: presentations. The brothers went around the room announcing each of their topics. “Let me tell you a secret,” brother Ali Harb proclaimed, “I don’t get it.” “Do with it as you please, but by next meeting I expect a two-minute presentation on your secret,” retorted Dr. Ridgley, and the brothers were on their way.

The next presentation gave the brothers a chance to stand up and present on the previously selected topics. Dr. Ridgley and the others gave feedback and critique on each presentation. I presented on the topic of the "World's Greatest Shoe" after which Dr. Ridgley taught me the importance of having a "hook" at the beginning of my presentation to better engage the crowd.

The brothers were blessed with the opportunity to have had such a powerful public speaker offer constructive criticisms on presentations that used the tactics suggested by Dale Carnegie, a renowned public figure. In addition, the brothers were offered the one on one coaching, including help crafting their golden statement, in which is a guaranteed hook at any job interview. This was just another Wednesday for the brothers of the SigEp fraternity providing its members a different fraternity experience at Drexel University.

Brotherly love. It’s the bonds of brotherhood that make SigEp and other fraternities more than just a social-philanthropy club with fantasy football and parties. I joined SigEp for many reasons, but it was the brotherhood of men I could count on and have real camaraderie with that made me stay. I thought I’d share a personal story about the lasting value of the bonds we make together.

This past summer my Uncle Jeff very unexpectedly passed away. While setting up the memorial service my cousin Lauren was contacted by a group of older men who began telling her amazing things about her father. They turned out to be Jeff’s Lambda Chi brothers from Gettysburg College, his alma mater he attended 40 years ago. They spoke about Jeff as if they had just hung out the day before.

They shared a lifetime of vivid stories and experiences that Lauren had never knew about her father. Stories that included hilarious memories they had together as pledges, trips they went on, and all the weddings they enjoyed together. Some even told Lauren how proud Jeff was when she was born. Lauren had recognized some of them from pictures of her father’s wedding but never knew just how many brothers her father kept in contact with after college. It brought a warm feeling to Lauren knowing how cherished her father was with these guys.

So when Jeff passed away, a large group of his fellow Lambda Chi’s showed up to honor and remember their lost brother. In addition, they raised money for the renovation of the porch they shared so many good memories on and dedicated his name to it.

At the end of the day SigEp is a brotherhood. We may sometimes argue over disagreements, but we’re still held together by a common bond. I can confide in many of my brothers just as I would my own family, and sometimes, even more. Hopefully college is just the beginning of our many journeys together. The story of my Uncle Jeff goes to show that the brotherhood and friends you make in college can truly last beyond a lifetime.