In November, the Penn State Alpha Chi House Corp earned a Gold Outstanding recognition from the Grand Trustees of Sigma Chi. This honor was only shared by eight total house corporations and came during a year with a record level of corporation participation.
Alpha Chi was chosen for this honor after the Grand Trustees reviewed this year’s Annual Report submissions from chapter house corporations. Annual Reports are part of a voluntary program that allows Sigma Chi to collect crucial information about every participating chapter’s house operations and governance.
After reviewing the submissions each year, the Grand Trustees distribute their Outstanding House Corporation Awards, which recognize the highest levels of housing operation excellence among eligible house corporations.
The record level of Annual Report submissions in 2025–over 90 percent–reflects record engagement levels across all chapters, which led to tough competition for this year’s honors.
According to the Board of Grand Trustees, The Gold Outstanding award recognizes corporations for “demonstrating the highest level of performance and adherence to best practices.” In addition, Gold recipients are able to receive the maximum premium reduction on Risk Management Foundation (RMF) property insurance (with approval).
House corporations may also be awarded in the Blue category, which recognizes “strong performance and continued commitment to excellence, with a partial premium reduction on RMF property insurance.”
RMF property insurance is required for a House Corporation to be eligible for an Outstanding House Corporation Award, in addition to their participation in the Annual Report.
The Annual Reports allow Sigma Chi to gather insights on “corporate structure and ownership, property valuation and characteristics, health and safety compliance, financial sustainability, and alumni communication programs,” according to the Board of Grand Trustees. Along with the RMF, this information is used to support Sigma Chi as a whole, and the Constantine Housing Initiative, to help protect our chapter homes and provide guidance to housing volunteers.