Undergraduates and alumni from Delta-Beta Chapter in February 2017

Before I became the Chapter Director at Monmouth, our Faculty Advisor held the position. Our Faculty Advisor is probably the best, most engaged Faculty Advisor in the entire fraternity (in fact, when Sigma Pi started giving out a #1 Faculty Advisor in the nation award, our advisor was the first recipient). However, when I graduated in 2003, the position was ripe for a new person to hold it. I spent two years as the President of my chapter and during that time I was required to research the many events, reports, and issues that our chapter was completely out of the loop on. Shortly after I graduated, the new President of the chapter and I traveled to Sigma Pi’s leadership school and talked to the fraternity’s Executive Director about our situation. During our trip, I was asked to become the new Chapter Director and we implemented that change immediately.

What I learned from my time as an undergraduate leader through my time as a young alumni volunteer and now to someone who has some seasoning as a volunteer is that undergraduates are, naturally, not as connected to the on-going workings of the national organization as one might expect. In other words, national student organizations like fraternities and sororities should not expect every single undergraduate leader at every single undergraduate chapter to take an impassioned interest in the finer points of completing and submitting monthly or quarterly or annual reports. There is going to be an equally less-than-enthusiastic understanding of why it is necessary and beneficial to attend national conferences and regional workshops.

It is one of the many jobs of a local and regional volunteer to connect with their undergraduates in an educational, uplifting, and genuine way. The connection must be educational because we need to make the mundane reporting relevant to their everyday experiences as undergraduate leaders. The connection must be uplifting because today’s young men are berated and denigrated by nearly every corner of society just because they are young men. Who will tell our young men, “Good job!” or “I’m proud of you,” if not for us?

But most importantly, the connection must be genuine because undergraduates can see through lies and falsehoods with laser-like accuracy. And they should cut through the nonsense!

I’ll be writing more about mentoring undergraduates soon, so stay tuned!

COLLEGIANS: WE’RE NOT ALL ROWDIES

As any fraternity leader can tell you, press like this is very exciting in the Monmouth University area. I understand that most college areas are against students from the very start, but the “witch hunt” that goes on around Monmouth University is extremely frightening at times. Not only are the civil liberties of our these young men trampled on a weekly basis, but the local governments back the actions that you’ll read about in the article. And remember, I’m a guy who routinely had police just walk into his house at all hours of the night after the majority of the roommates were asleep. They were “just checking” – sound a little fascist to anyone?

I’m extremely proud of the Sigma Pi guys at Monmouth University. It’s not easy to put yourself out there like these guys have. I remember getting all different types of great responses to my student loan article last year, but I also remember getting some really vicious, unintelligent responses, too. I applaud the effort that these guys are putting into making the reality of their situation work.

Good job – stay classy.

And remember that we have a Jersey Shore Alumni Club meeting at 1:00pm at the Big House. Topics for the meeting include revising the dues policy to make it more friendly to recent graduates and graduate students as well as planning a summer event at the Monmouth Park Racetrack for both undergraduates and alumni.

Oh, and the undergraduates have this thing being catered by QUIZNO’S! And they also have some Dominoes pizza, too! Why didn’t we ever get free pizza?

The Delta-Beta Chapter Scholarship will be awarded to an active, full-time member of the Delta-Beta Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity at Monmouth University. This award will recognize the initiated member who most exemplifies the ideals of Sigma Pi through academic excellence, chapter leadership, philanthropic service, and community involvement.

We hope to award this scholarship as early as December 2007!

And if any of you are interested in making a donation to the tax-deductible fund, let me know!

DELTA-BETA CHAPTER OF SIGMA PI FRATERNITY AT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY NAMED BEST CHAPTER IN THE NATION!

Fraternity brothers from Monmouth University’s chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International returned home from their 2006 national convention with their arms full of awards. The Delta Beta chapter closed in the mid-1970s, but reopened in 1991, though the chapter has endured many highs and lows on their way to their current accomplishments. Over the last half decade the chapter underwent a fraternal rebirth by dedicating themselves to first being the best Sigma Pi brothers that they could be –shattering stereotypes in the process. Shedding petty, campus-based inter-fraternal fighting, rearranging alumni advisors, establishing an alumni organization, and working with the international Executive Office were all key components of Delta Beta’s turn-around.

Their efforts, though sometimes misunderstood by their host institution, paid off in dividends at Sigma Pi Fraternity, International’s 48th Biennial Convocation. At this conference, awards were given out for everything from operational performance to educational excellence to community and campus service and more. Delta Beta chapter came home with the top award in almost every category.

Sigma Pi Fraternity’s Delta Beta Chapter, currently the largest fraternity at Monmouth University, was awarded with the 2004 – 2006 Grand Sage’s Cup, an award given to the number one chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International for the last two years. There are currently 118 chapters of Sigma Pi Fraternity, so this award is certainly a mark of distinction for the chapter. Along with the Grand Sage’s Cup, the chapter won the Grand Chapter Award for their top 25 performance and the Grand Council Award for their top 12 performance.

Delta Beta was also one of only two chapters in the entire fraternity to win the Beyer-Fryburg Award for scoring perfectly on the fraternity’s efficiency self-evaluation reports. In addition, the chapter won 11 All-Sigma Pi Collegiate Honors out of a total of 30 given out. These awards recognize brothers who carry at least a 3.25 GPA and are involved in myriad extracurricular activities.

Monmouth University and Sigma Pi Fraternity alumnus Joe Palazzolo, Delta Beta’s Chapter Director since 2003, was awarded with his second consecutive Most Outstanding Chapter Director award. These awards follow Monmouth University’s S.O.A.R. Awards where Dr. Joseph Mosca, the Delta Beta’s Faculty Advisor, was awarded Faculty Advisor of the Year Award. These awards show that while the chapter functions at an extremely high level, the alumni foundation around these young men is arguably the best it nation (Sigma Pi’s Regional Director for New Jersey was also awarded the “Best in the Nation” award).

Back in April 2006, the Delta Beta chapter hosted a Sam Spady/Alcohol Awareness Week as their annual ACE Project. For their efforts, the chapter was awarded the 2006 ACE Project of the Year Award.

The ACE Project and Recruitment Chairman Brett Stevens was awarded with the Frank E. Gray Scholarship for aiding Sigma Pi Fraternity in expansion. Delta Beta Chapter was also flattered at Convocation to have two members serve on the prestigious International Philanthropy and International Nominating Committees, respectively. Finally, the chapter was awarded with certificates of excellence for exceeding pledge goals and exceeding initiate goals; Delta Beta increased their membership by over 100% in the last year alone and has maintained 100% retention of pledges over the last two years.

Sigma Pi Fraternity invites anyone who has any questions about or wants to comment on the above information to contact Joe Palazzolo, Delta Beta Chapter’s Chapter Director and the new Regional Director of Sigma Pi Fraternity for New Jersey. More information is also available by calling Sigma Pi Fraternity’s Executive Office in Brentwood, Tennessee at (800) 332-1897.

Sigma Pi Fraternity was founded in 1897 at the Vincennes University, in Vincennes, Indiana and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. The Fraternity is one of the fastest expanding men’s college organizations in North America, with 118 active chapters and 14 colonies in the United States and Canada, and over 85,000 alumni. The Fraternity teaches its core standards and values of scholarship, leadership, and service through educational programming, and is the only Greek organization with an international philanthropic program, The ACE Project, specifically designed to give back to our host institutions.

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I really enjoyed reading this book as I suspect many fraternity volunteers would enjoy reading it. What really got me about the book was the universality of the message (to fraternity men, that is). Anyone who has ever taken over a chapter of a struggling fraternity knows that it is one of the hardest things in the world to change that chapter into something worthwhile. Not only do you have the innate problem of running a fraternity chapter which is most likely stacked with hormone-enraged young men, but you have the old 1970’s stereotypes that you have to overcome, too.

But rest assured, it CAN be done! The secret to reforming a failing chapter of any fraternity is shared by the Phired Up team in “Good Guys” and was the same method that we used at the Delta Beta Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity at Monmouth University – look at your ritual, read it, understand it, and follow it. For fraternity men, the “ritual” is what makes you unique. There are things said and ideas brought up in Sigma Pi’s ritual that are wholly unique to our organization, just as there are likely to be the same secrets and mysteries in your own organizations. If you’re a fraternity man, ask yourself this question:

If you are NOT following what it is that makes you unique, then what exactly is the difference between joining your organization or another one? The letters on the shirt? Guys – shirts are just made of fabric. What? Are you going to talk about how “tight your brotherhood” is? Well look at that for a minute. If you do the same thing that a bunch of guys who live off-campus and are NOT in a fraternity would do for each other, then what’s the difference other than that you’re wearing the same fabric on your chest?

There IS something that makes fraternity men different and it’s got nothing to do with Bluto Blutarsky and his drunken rampages. Fraternity men stand for something. What do you stand for? Do you even know? Is it time that you picked up your ritual book and really, actually read through it?

This is just one area in which “Good Guys” excels as a “How to Guide” for operating a fraternity. Which brings me to my next point – though this book is being marketed as a guide to recruitment it really is a guide to overhauling your chapter and making it something worthy of being proud of. I e-mailed the guys from Phired Up and told them that they’re really selling themselves short by saying it’s simply a recruitment book – and they understood my point. However, I also understand their point that recruitment is the lifeblood of a fraternity.

Often, as alumni volunteers or even men working for fraternities, we tell our undergraduates that they are running a small business. And that’s true, except that there are no long-term employees in this particular business other than the volunteer advisors and the Executive Office staff. This is a hard concept for undergraduates to grasp because they are joining a lifelong brotherhood, and that is also true. What the “catch” is here, though, is that you won’t have a chapter to go back to during Homecoming or other alumni-themed events if you choose to be shitty with your recruitment. “Good Guys” teaches you how to have solid recruitment throughout the entire year and how to constantly bring in men that are worth your organization’s time and effort.

Sure, some bone-headed fraternity guys would read this and say, “Whatever, man. I’ve got a bunch of guys who like to party and I’m sticking with what works for us.” Well hey, that’s good for you. And please, party your asses off now, because the chances of you having a chapter that you’d want to bring your family back to one day or have your son join are slim to none. But hey, kegger this weekend, right?

That’s the other thing that “Good Guys” touches on and something that I’ve begun to talk about with my undergraduates – being a top-ranked, highly efficient chapter and having ridiculous parties that you’ll always remember are NOT mutually exclusive! No one EVER said it’s one or the other. In fact, I think there is a solid argument to say that if you have a highly efficient chapter, your parties will be better overall. Think about it – doesn’t it make sense?

My recommendation for “Good Guys” is as high as it could be. It’s a quick, good read that many of you could probably get through in a night. And what’s also great about it is that you can purchase an e-copy of the book for about $12 instead of a hard copy. If any fraternity men would like to talk some more about the pros and cons of this book, please contact me. It’s definitely worth the money!

• 11 of only 30 All-Sigma Pi Collegiate Honors were handed to Delta Beta brothers
• I was asked to serve on the prestigious Nominating Committee to help select the new Grand Council for Sigma Pi Fraternity
• Delta Beta was awarded the Best ACE Project in the nation (will be featured in a separate spread in the Emerald)
• Delta Beta met and far exceeded their pledge and initiate goals for the last biennium, receiving awards for each
• Paul Salvesen served on the Philanthropy Committee and helped change Sigma Pi’s international philanthropy
• The Gold Standard submitted in May garnered one of the highest scores in the nation at 96%
• Brother Brett Stevens was awarded the Frank E. Gray Scholarship for helping grow and develop Sigma Pi chapters
• Delta Beta was 1 of only 2 chapters in the nation that received the Beyer-Fryburg Perfect Efficiency Award
• Our Province Archon received the Most Outstanding Province Archon Award
• I was humbled to win the Most Outstanding Chapter Director Award again and to be named the new Province Archon for New Jersey (will receive a separate spread in a future Emerald)
• Our brothers received the Grand Chapter Award for being a Top 25 Chapter nationwide
• Our brothers received the Grand Council Award for being a Top 12 Chapter nationwide
• And at the Grand Banquet, Delta Beta received the Grand Sage’s Cup for being the #1 chapter in the nation

This night was a night many, many years in the making. So many of us worked so hard for so long to achieve the accolades listed above that it literally breaks me up every time I even think about it.

In the face of ridicule from the general public for being a fraternity, disrespect from Monmouth University (remember, a 4-person sorority was named their chapter of the year), mocking from older members of this chapter who were and still are aggravated that we took away their drinking club and made it into our fraternity, and general disbelief in success by undergrads who were are are constantly concerned about a superficial image – we did it. We succeeded.

To all of those on the outside who said it couldn’t be done, I say we win. To all of those on the inside who actively fought against success, I pity you but will not return the same ridicule back to you. This is the culmination of a dream that a small group of men in this chapter had many years ago. And now, that dream has come true.

Thank you to everyone who worked towards it and congratulations to all of them who received these honors.

The crowd topped 270 high school and college students and also saw a number of Monmouth University administration and officials present. The event lasted about an hour and a half and drew both laughs and tears through the event. Other speakers included Reza Zedah of the Sam Spady Foundation and the Lighthouse organization as well as Chris Brown, an Eatontown lawyer who focusing on risk management situations.

Overall, the event was a rousing success. Please see the uploaded pictures for a view of how great the night was.

I put this in my blog because every major media outlet in the tri-state area from local Monmouth County papers like The Link, Atlanticville, and The Coaster to regional papers like the Asbury Park Press to bigger outlets like UPN 9 News, NBC 4, and Fox News were all invited. Of the 15+ news outlets that were invited to attend, not one showed up – not even the campus newspaper, radio station, or television station. This is an absolute disgrace.

As fraternity men, we understand that the media loves to highlight the situations that focus on the negative aspects of less than 0.1% of fraternity men in this nation. But when so many news outlets are invited to very large gathering with a positive focus, it shows you what a disgusting media we have today that not 1 person came to cover it.

THIS is why blogs are starting to overtake the conventional media and why the internet is such a great tool to move information around the globe. When the media fails at covering real, good news – the bloggers pick up their slack.

Congratulations to the men of the Delta-Beta Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity on a job well done.