Pi Sigma Chi – Sigma Nu

WHAT'S HAPPENING & WILL HAPPEN WITH

SIGMA NU-KAPPA GAMMA RE-ESTABLISHMENT?

Brief Summary:  In the last three weeks there has been a lot of effort by on-site Sigma Nu HQ staffers Mac McNeilly, Chaysen Babcock, Ricardo Guevara, and Reagan Basil, with our own Vice President, Jordan Wu, very involved. Brothers from different eras have lent their support, helped man recruiting tables and have attended the Preference Dinner (photo above) as well as other events.  Right now there are about 2 dozen rushees with 17 accepting bids so far. These young men are in the process of committing by paying the candidate initiation fee and being inducted as “candidates.”  The recruiting will continue throughout the semester as the colony forms and grows. The goal is to have a re-founding member class of 25-30 men by the end of this semester and we have made great progress toward that goal.

Plan to meet the candidates, who will be our guests, see old friends and learn more about re-establishment of Kappa Gamma at our luncheon Friday, April 19th, 11 am at RKR restaurant at Collins Center, Kellogg Hill.

THE MORE FULSOME STORY

The Process at Cal Poly Pomona 

For those of us for who pledged Pi Sigma Chi, and even those who pledged in the early Kappa Gamma years, a lot of this is new, so here is more info to help you understand what is happening and what the future holds:

Oversight:

• There is much more oversight than we ever experienced--by our own Alumni Advisory Board (AAB), the University and the student-led Interfraternity Council (IFC).
• Minimum requirements for units needed to be eligible as a full-time student: 12 units.  This is validated through the University and not self-reported.
• Minimum GPA requirement is a 2.5 cumulative. This is also validated through the University and not self-reported. 

Recruiting Process:

• IFC has established the second week of the semester for recruiting--delayed this year because of the teachers' strike and shortened because of the rainstorms. 
• Students who decide to rush one or more fraternities are considered.
• Checks are made through the University on whether each rush meets the GPA and full-time student requirements. 
• Each fraternity chooses which rushees will be offered a bid. 
• The rushees/prospective candidates have one week to accept a bid.
• However, IFC has agreed that because we are in the process of forming the colony and re-establishing the chapter, we can continue recruiting on a rolling basis for the rest of the semester, which we are doing.

Kappa Gamma Colony Candidate Process:

• If a candidate accepts a bid from SN, he has to pay a candidate initiation fee of $125. 
• In the SN fraternity, there is an initiation ceremony called the "Candidate Ceremony." This is a Sigma Nu secret ritual in which the person is initiated to become a "candidate" (what we used to call a “pledge”). 
• An initiated candidate is entitled to call himself a Sigma Nu, wear SN gear, etc. 
• The new Kappa Gamma colony’s first Candidate Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, February 25th.  
• Because our recruiting will continue this semester, there may be more than one Candidate Ceremony as additional students are recruited and commit to joining Sigma Nu.

• The election of officers.
• Establishing a bank account and collecting dues.
• Organizing regular weekly meetings.
• Creating bylaws.
• Successfully recruiting additional members this semester and in coming semesters to reach a sustainable size.
• Engaging actively with the University and the community in social, service and academic pursuits. 
• While not a requirement by Sigma Nu, there may be a desire to establish a fraternity house to rent and use as a meeting place and the center of their fraternity activities.
• Once the colony has met the requirements, Sigma Nu will re-issue a charter to Kappa Gamma Chapter and all the candidates who have met the requirements will be initiated as Knights/Brothers. 

The Goal: "ROCK CHAPTER"

• The good news is that Sigma Nu staff are committed to making Kappa Gamma not just a chapter, but a “Rock Chapter”. 
• More on that later, but it means what it sounds like — a solid, strong, permanent, unmoving and unchanging Chapter and meeting place with Brothers who have achieved excellence in all areas and represent the permanence of the Sigma Nu principles of Love, Honor and Truth that will enrich their lives. 

Pi Sigma Chi-era Alumni Option:

• The philosophy of our alumni group, Pi Sigma Chi-Sigma Nu Legacy, Inc., has been and will remain that we are all part of one fraternity.  All alumni from all eras are our brothers and welcomed as members of our alumni group to all of our alumni activities.  That will never change.
• However, once the Kappa Gamma chapter is re-chartered, Pi Sigma Chi-era Brothers will also have the option of being initiated into Sigma Nu. 
• There is a fee associated with the initiation, which currently runs $250.  This fee covers the cost of a badge, membership certificate and card, and enters you into the national Sigma Nu database.
• Being initiated as a Sigma Nu would entitle you to all the benefits of being a Sigma Nu, including attending all fraternity rituals and ceremonies in perpetuity, and you can still wear your RJ proudly!
• When Kappa Gamma was first chartered In 1982, the late Gary Andrews (W68/SN82; CE 22), who was closely connected to some Sigma Nu brothers at the time, chose to be initiated into Sigma Nu and was very proud of having done so.  It is an option you should know about and consider when the time comes.