Summer 2010 Sigma Chi - Amazon Web Services · letter to First Lady Michelle Obama who is a strong...

Sigma Chi Epsilon Chapter The George Washington University

Summer 2010

1 ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010

From the Consul………………………………………………

Greek Excellence Awards…………………………………….

Alternative Winter Break…………………………………….

Epsilon Men aid military veterans and families……………..

Spring Pledge Class stands out at annual Relay for Life….

Brotherhood Overseas………………………………………..

Sigma Chi Day of Service…………………………………….

Alumni Update………………………………………………..

Alumni Weekend 2010 Information…………………………

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C o n t e n t s

Sigma Chi The Alumni and

Community Magazine

of the Epsilon Chapter

of the Sigma Chi

Fraternity

Sigma Chi Brothers and their

respective dates gather at the

corner of 22nd and F Streets

before departing to VA Beach

for Formal. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN

BUAROTTI

On the cover:

Epsilon Chapter House PHOTO BY ZACH KRAHMER

On the back cover:

Epsilon Chapter House

living room PHOTO BY ZACH KRAHMER

THE SIGMA CHI

FRATERNITY

EPSILON CHAPTER

2156 F STREET, N.W.

WASHINGTON, DC

20037

SAMUEL J. TILDEN

Editor of the Bulletin and

Public Relations Chairman

tel.: (307) 250-2905

email: [email protected]

SUMMER BULLETIN 2010

ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010 2


From the Consul

Dear Brothers,

This past year has brought much prosperity to the Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Chi at GWU.

Thanks to the success of two great recruitment periods the Chapter witnessed the initiation of

over 30 members in the fall as well as an additional 13 men in the Spring. The chapter has

not only grown in number but has continued to progress in every other aspect of fraternity

and university life as well.

With the implementation of the Sigma Chi Day of Service, to increased presence in leadership

positions around campus and a record number of Balfour LTW participants for this summer,

the chapter is advancing and working towards the goals that are set before us. Our Brothers

are motivated individuals who pursue the unique interests and passions that they possess

while at the same time inspiring others around them to do the same.

We hope that you enjoy this first edition of the Epsilon Chapter bulletin. More so we hope to

see you between September 30th and October 3rd for Alumni Weekend and the 1st Annual

Sigma Chi Alumni Challenge Golf Tournament, located at East Potomac Golf Course. The

chapter is looking forward to meeting you and we sincerely hope you visit our website at

www.sigmachiepsilon.com to register for the weekend.

We wish you a great rest of the summer and hope to see you in the fall.

In Hoc Signo Vinces,

Ashish Kumbhat

Consul


As recent alumni know, the task of

completing the Greek Excellence binder is not

only a dreaded project but one that takes hours

and in this past year‟s case, months of work to

finish. The binder encompasses every aspect of

fraternity life from community service and phi-

lanthropy to public relations and risk manage-

ment. The massive publication is assembled

based on a list of requirements set forth by the

university and is used by the Office of Greek

Life to assess a chapter‟s overall conduct, pro-

gress, and standing.

In the Spring, the Epsilon chapter

proudly submitted a 500+ page testament to the

current well-being of the Fraternity. Compiled

by many brothers, the binder showcased our

accomplishments and highlighted the areas

where we are looking to advance and improve.

After weeks of review the annual Greek

Excellence awards were held to announce the

recipients of either bronze, silver, or gold stan-

dard as well as the nominees to various awards

that were presented later in the week at the an-

nual GW Excellence Awards. Joined by Grand

Consul Wayne Tucker and Sigma Chi Interna-

tional Headquarters Executive Director Mike

Dunn the Chapter was awarded gold standard in

recognition of our efforts to consistently strive

for the highest marks in the areas set forth by the

Office of Greek Like.

More so, Brothers Jason Lifton ‟11 and

Chris Cafero ‟10 were both nominated as GW

Greek Man of the Year, an honor that just two

other men were given. The Chapter was ex-

tremely proud of producing two Brothers for the

honor.

Brother and Pro Consul Ryan Heger

„12 was also awarded with the Gate and Key

Award for Emerging Leaders presented by the

Order of Omega.

Greek excellence &

Sigs around campus

Greek Excellence Awards

By S.J. Tilden ‘13 Public Relations Chairman

Left:

Brothers

attend Sigma

Kappa’s Sig-

malympics PHOTO COUR-

TESY OF LEA

THIERMAN

Left:

Brothers

attend an

AEPhi phi-

lanthropy

event in the

spring. PHOTO COUR-

TESY OF CASEY

SPELLMAN


Right:

(from left)

Brothers T.C.

Flowers ’13 and

Ryan Heger ‘12

on a climb to

Machu Pichu PHOTO COUR-

TESY OF RYAN

HEGER

Alternative Winter Break Epsilons and Sweetheart travel to Peru By T.C. Flowers ‘13


In January of 2010, a group of 20 students

went to Cusco, Peru through GW‟s Alterna-

tive Breaks program. Alternative Breaks is

an organization that allows students to par-

ticipate in domestic or international service

trips through fundraising. Alternative Winter

Break Peru was led by four students, includ-

ing Brother Ryan Heger ‟12, and our Sweet-

heart at the time, Elizabeth Lisowski ‟11.

In October 2009, the final list of par-

ticipants was set and fundraising started. The

final cost for the entire trip was around

$40,000, all of which had to be raised in less

than 6 months time. Every single participant

and leader was expected to formulate and

execute their own fundraiser. We entered

video contests for websites, held bake sales,

pancake breakfasts, and solicited donations

from corporations. In the end we were able to

put a sizable dent in our $40,000 tab and

raised half that, $20,000. In December, GW

decided to let us go despite our monetary

shortfall, so it was set in stone. We were go-

ing to Peru.

Our group had to leave GW for Dulles

airport at 3:30 AM on New Year‟s Day. On

New Year‟s Eve most of us just slept or

watched the Jersey Shore marathon in one of

our houses on campus. After watching the

last ten seconds of the Times Square New

Year‟s Special we all decided to get what-

ever sleep we could before we headed out to

Dulles to start what would amount to be

around 24 hours straight of travel time. We

flew from Dulles to JFK in New York where

we had a 12 hour layover. A bird pooped on

my head inside the terminal while we all

waited for our next flight to Lima, Peru. We

got on our flight to Lima at 8 PM and con-

nected to Cusco two hours after.

Our landing in Cusco was rough, but

we made it in one collectively unshowered

piece. We had two home stays in Cusco be-

cause there wasn‟t one large enough to ac-

commodate all 20 of us. One house was

dubbed “The Real World: Cusco,” while the

other, more modest house was called “The

Ski Lodge.” The next day, we made our way

to Maximo Nivel, the volunteer organization

that we were working through. We learned

that we would be building a community cen-

ter in the rural mountainous outskirts of

Cusco where many people didn‟t speak Span-

ish, but the indigenous language Quechua.

The high altitude made it difficult to work

for long periods of time, so most days we

only worked for four or five hours plastering

the walls in the community center.

Our entire group learned a lot about

teamwork in Cusco. We all depended on each

other for one thing or another. Water, which

was necessary to make the plaster we were

using, was hard to obtain most days. The

spigot on the site was very unreliable so we

had to make a chain of people to pass buck-

ets of water down a hill while standing in the

largest chunks of hail I have ever seen. One

day, after a rainstorm, the truck carrying the

heavy plaster could not make it up the muddy

hill so we had to carry around 50 hundred-

pound bags of plaster up the hill ourselves.

At the end of every day though, despite being

muddy and exhausted, we all felt an intense

fulfillment with our work there.

It wasn‟t all hard work and no play,

though. The kids that lived in the village got

curious as to what we were doing there and

came up to visit us while we worked. We

played games with them and they tried to

climb onto our backs and play “caballito.”

We had to constantly let them know that we

were not really horses. We got to see many

parts of Cusco and even took a trip to Machu

Picchu.

The trip had such a profound impact

on me and another participant that we de-

cided to plan our own trip. Unfortunately

AWB Peru was shut down because of the

price tag, so we are planning on going to

Costa Rica to help build a school in January

of 2011.

Epsilon men aid military veterans and

families By Mike Henn ‘12 Community Service Chair

The Vinson Hall Retirement Commu-

nity is supported by the US government

and cares for military veterans and their

families. The veterans are primarily

from WWII and the Korean War, many

of whom have thirty plus years of mili-

tary service. Vinson Hall‟s mission is

to provide quality care and foster an

environment of dignity, friendship and

security for all its residents. Through-

out the 2009-2010 school year, the

George Washington University coordi-

nated group discussions that Vinson

Hall hosted, which is where students

and faculty came to their facility to talk

about various issues involving topics

from international affairs to healthcare.

The small group discussions are very

interesting and insightful for many of

the veterans who prepare for their top-

ics ahead of time and bring strong opin-

ions and insight from their experiences

traveling the world in the military.

There is then a reception after the dis-

cussion where the students can mingle

with the residents. The Epsilon Chap-

ter started involvement in October

2009 and throughout the school year

gradually became more involved. By

the last group discussion of the year in

April 2010, Epsilon made up over 30%

of the students attending. Vinson

Hall‟s special events manager gave us

a special thanks for our involvement at

the reception following the discussion

in April and mentioned Sigma Chi in a

letter to First Lady Michelle Obama

who is a strong supporter of Vinson

Hall. The Epsilon Chapter now has

close ties to Vinson Hall management

and plans on coordinating future

events for brothers to attend in the fu-

ture. All the brothers who have at-

tended the discussions have enjoyed

the stories and opinions of the resi-

dents. Brothers have met a Pearl Har-

bor survivor, an admiral, and an Assis-

tant Secretary of the State. All with

unique untold stories that you don‟t

read in your history books.

Right:

Brother Mathew

Heck ‘11 partici-

pates with fellow

brothers at

Vinson Hall

Retirement

Community PHOTO COURTESY

OF MIKE HENN


Spring Pledge

Class stands out

at annual Relay

for Life By W. Hunter Thomas Philanthropy Chair

Above:

Members of the Spring pledge class—(foreground) Cody

Scott ‘13, and (background from left) T.C. Flowers ‘13,

Julio Ortiz ‘13, and Dan Mordarski ‘13 PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY HYTHA

Everyone knows someone with cancer. Whether a

family member, close friend, or neighbor, the disease

has become commonplace within daily conversation

and interaction. Relay for Life is the main volunteer-

driven fundraising event of the American Cancer Soci-

ety. At GW, Relay for Life was held on April 10,

2010, in the Lerner Health and Wellness Center. Over

700 GW students, staff, and alumni, participated in the

event, which raised over $65,000. Among those par-

ticipants were 30 Epsilon Sigs, whom raised over

$1,000.

In addition to the funds contributed, the participating

Sigs found themselves at the forefront of many of the

night‟s fun activities. The Epsilon men eagerly volun-

teered to help where needed, from bringing in over

250 boxes of pizza, to holding the Relay banner at the

front of the opening ceremony parade.

About half of the Sigma Chi‟s presents were members

of the Spring Pledge Class, whom had been initiated a

week earlier. The Spring PC had decided to partici-

pate in a community service event as a part of the

pledge process. The event was a great way to present

the newest members of the Epsilon chapter to the GW

community, raise funds for cancer, and connect with

other student groups. Hunter Thomas, a member of

the spring class and the Fall 2010 Philanthropy Chair,

spoke about being a caregiver to his father during the

Luminaria Ceremony.

At GW, Relay for Life is the most successful fundrais-

ing event of any community service effort. It is a re-

warding experience for all who participate and donate.

The Epsilon chapter is proud to have had an important

role in making the event so successful.


Above:

Brothers (from left)

Kedar Reddy ‘13,

Gabe Schonfeld ‘12,

Parker Hine ‘12,

Mike Henn ‘12, and

Alex Caffrey ‘13 PHOTO COURTESY OF

PARKER HINE

Brotherhood Overseas A trip to Panama exemplifies fraternal values

By Parker Hine Annotator


“It‟s Panama!” For the five Epsilons

who spent their summer in Panama that phrase

came to symbolize the mysterious and oftentimes

illogical characteristics of this country. As the

leader of this trip, I have witnessed first-hand the

absurdity of this country, but also its unique abil-

ity to highlight the minutest of details. In particu-

lar, this trip has revealed another layer of the ex-

cellence found in our brotherhood. The Sigs,

Mike Henn, Gabe Schonfeld, Alex Caffrey, and

Kedar Reddy, worked at a variety of institutions

and companies to act as student consultants and

interns. Their work was strenuous and often

above their “pay-grade;” however, they consis-

tently exceeded the expectations of their bosses –

and ahead of schedule. I had the privilege to

oversee the work of our Brothers: Gabe wrote

critical reports about the United Nations‟ opera-

tions as an intern, Alex was the right-hand man

for the CFO of an international banking com-

pany, Kedar reviewed and evaluated off-shore

contracts, and Mike built from the ground-up an

academic vision for future US students in Pa-

nama. During these projects, I not only witnessed

our brothers exemplify their personal skills, but

also the quality of their character in comparison

to the other participants on the trip. From my day

-to-day meetings, to the constant calls of com-

plaints from students, to dealing with emer-

gency situations, somewhere in between it be-

came painfully obvious that there was some-

thing exceptional about our Brothers. I always

knew that our Brothers were men of greatness.

We hear about the famous alumni, donation

amounts, and service hours. Especially as Anno-

tator, I know every detail of the accomplish-

ments of the Epsilon chapter. But despite know-

ing all these facts, statistics, and numbers, I

really did not understand the quality of our

Brotherhood – in a metaphysical sense. It does

not matter that we have Brothers who are Sena-

tors or movie stars or CEOs – what separates us

from the rest are our values. We say those words

at rush and at chapter, but I am not sure we fully

understand the significance. The way we con-

duct ourselves - at work, with friends, around

strangers – is truly different from the rest. It‟s

something we all know exists but is nonetheless

mystifying. I know I will never fully understand

the greatness of this organization, but this trip

has significantly expanded my Sigma Chi con-

sciousness and left a deeper fondness of our

Brotherhood.



Since our re-chartering, the Epsilon

Chapter has focused a considerable

amount of effort on community ser-

vice. Starting in the fall of 2009, we

decided we were going to do the

most of any Greek organization on

GW‟s campus. From this decision

came the “Sigma Chi Day of Ser-

vice.” We challenged every brother

and pledge to complete twenty-four

hours of community service during

the academic year. While we came

short of meeting our goal of twenty-

four hours per brother, we had the

highest number of hours per member

of all the fraternities and sororities.

This year we are confident that we

will reach twenty-four hours for

every brother. We have twelve Epsi-

lon men serving as leaders for GW‟s

“Freshman Day of Service,” an event

in which over two thousand members

of the freshman class will participate

in community service across Wash-

ington, DC. Last year the Sigma Chi

Foundation gave a $500 grant to help

fund Alternative Winter Break: Peru,

led by Brother Ryan Heger and

Sweetheart Elizabeth Lisowski. This

year four brothers are serving as

leaders for Alternative Breaks. These

trips take GW students across the

country and Latin America for a

week of community service during

the breaks to the academic year. We

are hoping that many more brothers

sign up as participants. Brother

Mike Henn will be coordinating

smaller service projects throughout

the year, often in conjunction with

other sororities and student organiza-

tions. As we look to the next school

year we are very excited to lead both

the Greek and the overall campus

community in service.

Right:

Brothers attend

the GWU

HippoTHON, a

dance marathon

to benefit Chil-

dren’s Miracle

Network. PHOTO COURTESY

OF MIKE HENN

Sigma Chi Day of Service By Ryan Heger ‘12 Pro Consul


Alumni update

After graduating this past

spring, the newest Epsilon alumni

are all looking forward to writing the

next chapter of their lives. Several

brothers are spending the summer at

home to prepare for graduate pro-

grams in the fall. Brothers Jordan

Werner (Beta F‟06) and Kunal Mer-

chant (Theta F‟10) will be joining

brother Jared Kirzner (Beta F‟06) at

the George Washington University

Medical School in September while

brother Michael Belleville (Beta

F‟06) will be attending law school at

Temple University. In addition,

many of our brothers have also en-

tered the work force. Eric

Schlesinger (Gamma S‟06) has ac-

cepted a customer service position at

Flipkey in Boston, MA while Brett

Campion (Gamma S‟06) recently

began working at Miracle Systems

LLC in Virginia. Brother Aram

Baghdjian (Epsilon S‟07) has contin-

ued his internship as an executive

assistant at the Armenian Assembly

and Trung Le (Delta F‟07) will soon

be employed as a hearing screener in

the neonatal clinic at INOVA Hospi-

tal in Falls Church, VA. Former con-

sul Chris Cafero (Beta F‟06) has re-

turned home to Connecticut and is

pursuing his passions in politics and

acting. Meanwhile, Brother Edgar

Neely (Kappa, F‟10) has accepted a

job and moved to Atlanta, GA. We

wish our new alumni the best of luck

and we hope that they will continue

to make us proud.

2010 By Trung Le ‘10

The Epsilon Class of 2009

has been keeping busy and adjust-

ing to professional life. Members of

the '09 class have spread themselves

around the country working for the

US Treasury Department, the World

Bank, Dell, in hotel management in

New York City, as a financial data

analyst in Boston, and as a writer

for a respected blog. One of our

brothers is even spearheading social

media efforts for our very own

George Washington Colonials- just

to name a few. Other members of

our class are in graduate school.

In the last year, one of our

fellow ‟09 classmates recently be-

came engaged

(congrats, Jason!)

But while our lives have

taken us in various directions, we

all have had a chance to revisit the

house and reunite around the coun-

try. We are proud of recent chapter

accomplishments and all look for-

ward to seeing another successful

year!

2009 By David Boyajian ‘09

Want to include your class in

the Alumni Update page?

Send an email to PR Chair

S.J. Tilden

at

[email protected]

Alumni Weekend 2010

September 30th - October 3rd featuring the

Mark your calendars for Alumni Weekend 2010. Scheduled events be-

gin Thursday, September 30th and continue through Sunday, October 3rd.

The weekend kicks off with the first of two rush dinners, both of which

all alumni are encouraged to attend. The weekend continues with the second

dinner Friday night. Saturday will include the First Annual Sigma Chi

Alumni Challenge at East Potomac Golf Course. Included will be a luncheon

followed by awards and the pinning of the Fall 2010 pledge class. Other

events follow the afternoon. The weekend wraps up Sunday with a ritualistic

chapter meeting followed by a farewell BBQ.

We hope you choose to attend to celebrate with fellow Alumni and to

witness the continued progress of the Epsilon Chapter.

A detailed schedule is found on the next page. For more information

and to register, please visit us online at

www.sigmachiepsilon.com


Alumni Weekend 2010

Thursday, September

30th

7:00pm-10:00pm Recruitment Event:

Dinner at Old Glory

BBQ. All Alumni in-

vited

Friday, October 1st 7:00pm-10:00pm Recruitment Event:

Three Course Dinner.

All Alumni Invited

TBD

Saturday, October

2nd

10:00am Golf Tournament East Potomac Golf

Course

1:30pm Buffet Lunch East Potomac Golf

Course

2:30pm Awards and Pledge

Pinning

East Potomac Golf

Course

5:00pm Open House Sigma Chi House

2156 F Street NW

9:00pm-12:00am Alumni Bar Night TBD

Sunday, October 3rd 11:00am EHT Call Marvin Center

12:30pm-2:00pm Ritualistic Chapter Marvin Center

3:00pm-5:00pm Farewell Open House

and BBQ

Sigma Chi House

2156 F Street

Schedule

For more information and to register, please visit

www.sigmachiepsilon.com

Questions?

Contact Public Relations Chairman S.J. Tilden at

[email protected] or (307)-250-2905


The Epsilon Chapter The Sigma Chi Fraternity

2156 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20037

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