By Jim Lundy ’82
Brothers, it has been a fast spring and summer and there has been a flurry of activity. Since I last updated you, Sigma Chi International (SXHQ) had been meeting with Penn State regarding our suspension. The bottom line is that while Penn State has us in a suspended mode, Sigma Chi International did not agree. As a result, we are still the Alpha Chi Chapter of Sigma Chi and are in good standing with headquarters.
The bottom line is we are moving ahead will open this fall and operate Alpha Chi independent of Penn State. We have 29 members moving into the Chapter house two weeks from now. I’d like to thank Advisors Art Weber ’82, Jay Holler ’19, Grand Praetor Bill Sapoch and Past Consul Jon Shuster for the tireless hours they put in to gain the support of Headquarters and to keep Alpha Chi alive. Also, new Consul Michael Kaiser has big plans for Alpha Chi – see his article.
While this is new ground for us, other chapters have been separating from their respective universities due to overzealous administrators.
The Fall Operating Plan
So, as a result of the Executive Committee’s vote to allow Alpha Chi to run independent, we have been very busy preparing a fall opening plan.
This plan includes:
- Renovated chapter house
- Back to the future approach – House Mother and Cook
- New fenced-in side yard for privacy
- Standing Stone roving patrol 7 days a week
- Active involvement of Chapter Advisors
House Mother Returns to Alpha Chi
Our new House Mother arrives the first week of August. Her name is Elizabeth Berryman and she has 24 years of House Mother experience. Besides one sorority, we will be the only house with a live-in House Mother at Penn State (Sig Ep does have a grad student). We are also hiring a dedicated Cook.
So that will be two adults in the house nearly every day. That, along with the fence for outdoor events and Risk Management support from Standing Stone Security (roving patrol 7 days a week), will help to ensure that the chapter has a successful return to the chapter house.
New Privacy Fence will protect Privacy
Most of the other major fraternities have had privacy fences for two years. Some are small and as you can see, our is large. It was constructed over the weekend of July 17-18 by a group of actives and alumni (see article from Michael Kaiser).
We do need help from our alumni brothers. Our Paving the Way campaign is still in the early stages and we have not yet had a pledge class get to 100% participation. More on the campaign in our fall newsletter.
Getting involved with Alpha Chi
Based on the above, we are also asking for more alumni involvement at the chapter level, the board level as well as becoming a Captain for the Paving the Way campaign. We will be hosting an alumni call to provide more details on the involvement request.