Why SigEp growth bears hope for the future
This spring’s fraternity recruitment period was characterized by an impressive amount of interest in fraternity life. According to Stacey Sottung from Office of Student Leadership and Activities and Interfraternity Council’s Kevin Ryan, with nearly 100 men attending formal recruitment two weeks ago, the three fraternities on campus were on track to have successful recruitment periods. A total of 70 bids were accepted between the three fraternities, with the biggest surprise being Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp), who captured 25 of them.
A historically small fraternity, SigEp perennially hovered at around 30-45 active members in past years. Virtually overnight, the small fraternity, one that has long been characterized as the “Joe Schmoes” and the “nobodies” of campus, grew from 35 active members to 60. With images of the “Lion’s Den,” misbehaving and ill-mannered men stomping around campus, and a troubled past slowly disappearing from the overall image of SigEp, the fraternity can be characterized as an organization on the rise.
“SigEp has always had the potential to be a strong organization,” said former president of SigEp, Joe Radico ’18. “Over this past year, with devotion and hard work from brothers, we were able to improve internally, externally, and develop meaningful relationships with other organizations on campus. SigEp’s future is incredibly bright, we’re just getting started.”
The excitement extends throughout the entire chapter, as the fraternity will be better represented at social functions, Greek Week, and campus-wide events. In addition to the excitement, there will be many changes and adjustments, being that a typical new member class for SigEp ranges between five to 15 men. Since the new members comprise over 40 percent of the current chapter, the twenty-five new men represent the future of the fraternity.
“I am super excited for these guys; they are so deserving of their recent success,” said Josie Covello, ’18, current president of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority on campus, said of SigEp. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”
The brothers are extremely proud of their hard work over the past several months that has included constant communication with potential new members, organizing recruitment events, and strong brother participation overall. Much of this success can be attributed to former and present recruitment chairs, Mitch McIlhenny, ’18, and Liam McGarry ’18.
Since its founding in 1988, there are no records that show SigEp receiving a larger recruitment class since its chartering. With the new members, the fraternity will be more financially stable and have an even larger presence on campus. The large new member class came at a very fortunate time with the re-chartering of Pi Kappa Phi and a large number of seniors graduating. Pi Kappa Phi folded in 2012 due to lack of membership. With a charter already on campus, representatives from the national fraternity are already actively recruiting men to be founders. By the middle of March, the chapter expects to be at around 50 new members.
The re-chartering of Pi Kappa Phi will further strengthen fraternity life at Saint Joseph’s University and Greek life as a whole. The brothers of SigEp are excited and ready to welcome a new fraternity to St. Joe’s. The environment and image surrounding fraternities are changing for the better, especially for that of SigEp. The 35 brothers and 25 new members are taking the proper steps toward overall improvement. A chapter that nearly folded only a few semesters ago due to diminishing numbers, is now set to be successful for years to come.
