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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
3 ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010
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
ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010 4
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
5 ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010
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
ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010 6
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
7 ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010
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.
ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010 8
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
9 ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010
“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.
ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010 10
11 ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010
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
ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010 12
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
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
13 ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010
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
ΣΧ Epsilon Chapter Summer Bulletin 2010 14
The Epsilon Chapter The Sigma Chi Fraternity
2156 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
POSTAGE