Financial

     With over 226,000 brothers initiated since its founding and over 263 active chapters, today's reality is... Sigma Phi Epsilon is the preeminent fraternity in the country according to its peers.  The other reality is... our Texas Rho chapter is lagging in endowment support behind many of the other fraternities present on the Baylor campus. Demands on undergraduate finances are beginning to far exceed their resources.  If someone looks at Sigma Phi Epsilon's most successful chapters over time, it is clear that alumni financial and volunteer support has been a key success factor. When you invest in Sigma Phi Epsilon you create a legacy that continues the value you received.  If alumni invest in Sigma Phi Epsilon to help build long-term resources, our young Brothers will have the tools they need to continue our Fraternity's great record of leadership.

     Back in 1995, our Conclave saw the passing of legislative action that encouraged chapters to develop a plan with its alumni to establish a $50,000 scholarship fund, restricted for its educational programs.  This may seem like a lofty goal to a few of you, but there are 27 SigEp chapters that have already established funds of that amount.  We are quickly becoming a mature membership (with close to 700 initiates) that has the power to easily make this goal attainable.  The strongest Sigma Phi Epsilon or any fraternity chapters gain strength based on its ability to provide scholarships for its members. If just 200 Texas Rho alumni averaged a gift of $25, that would raise $5000.  Your participation is the most important thing...  so please participate by contributing any amount.

1999 Texas Rho Honor Roll
Thanks to the following alumni for making voluntary contributions last year.  Apologies to those who have been mistakenly left off.

Jim Beam ('87) 
David Dooley ('86)
Jeremy McKinnis ('92)
Mark Lynn ('94)
Brian Hobbs ('92)
JK Nowejski ('97)
Collins Deloach ('91)
Marshal McSpadden ('95)
David Newberry ('91)
Will Stokes ('87)
Ryan Tevis ('92)
Mike Gary ('90)
Mark Brooks ('91)
Greg Nelson ('92)
Bart Behrhorst ('89)
Chris Frizzell ('90)
Jeff Williams ('90)

     Until two years ago, it seemed no one was even aware that Texas Rho had its own Restricted Fund Balance as a part of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation.  This Restricted Fund, known as the Texas Rho Winn-Centennial Fund, must contain a minimum balance of $2500 to be part of an pooled investment fund.  Before 2000, our balance was about $600 and ranked 166th among participating Educational Foundation chapters.  Nothing had been contributed to the fund since the early 80s when one of our alumni donated his prize winnings from a golf tournament to the charity of his choice.
      Since the Spring of '99, the balance of the Winn-Centennial Fund has increased by 553% via contributions made at the 99 Spring and Fall Alumni Golf Tournaments as well as other activities including online March Madness and NFL Pools.  Our fund now ranks 120th among the 335 participating chapters...  not a bad improvement.  Kind of reminds you of looking at Jeff Sagarins USA Today Power Rankings for college football teams and see Baylor down at number 75 of the 240 teams rated.  With a balance of $3381.85, our Winn-Centennial Fund balance today allows it to be a part of the Pooled Investment Fund and to make distributions for scholarships beginning in 2001.
     The other fund that has been designated to support the chapter is referred to as the "Winn Foundation".  This is a credit union account that Roger Davis manages on behalf of the chapter.  Gifts are utilized to secure the necessary financial support to provide a continuing alumni program of promoting and maintaining contact with and between alumni brothers.  The cornerstone of this program will be a regularly published newsletter which will strive to keep alumni informed about their chapter and their alumni brothers, to secure alumni support for worthy chapter projects, to encourage alumni attendance at alumni events, to obtain rush recommendations, and to provide the basis for promoting Sigma Phi Epsilon Texas Rho as a lifetime experience. The Alumni Board designates gifts distributed to the chapter from the Winn Foundation as the need arises.

Boone Atkins (’90), Brian Hobbs (’92)
Chad Carlson (’92), Chris Jones (’89)
Craig Weigel (’91), David Curtis (’90)
David Dooley (’86), Dick Kennedy (’78)
Duane Rensby (’88), Franco Diaz (’91)
Glenn Coward (’87), Greg Fuller (’81)
Jason Helm (’92), Jeff Williams (’90)
Jim Ogden (’89), Jon Lund (’91)
Kolby Kettler (95), Mike Gary (’90)
Mike Stapleton (’86), Robin Boldin (’86)
Steve Davis (’89), Todd Speer (’90)
Tye Basham (’91), Will Stokes (’87)

Newsletter Brief

     In ongoing efforts to increase alumni involvement and support for the chapter, we have taken a few steps over the past year or two via the internet to try and generate some financial support for the chapter.  It has been a while since Texas Rho has put out a newsletter mailing, so many of our alumni probably aren't aware of the progress we have made.  The chapter has directed their efforts and finances more toward recruitment, etc.... and in the process the newsletter has lost attention.  Using online email address lists has allowed us to relay information to many alumni, but with every mass email sent, we've found a dozen or so are returned because the recipients address had changed and we hadn't obtained a current one for our records.  We have found that only about 150 alumni have current email addresses in our database at one time or another.  Many of you may have never received any type of email communication or even know about the chapters web site (www.sigepbaylor.com).

      Thus, we are once again initiating a newsletter program, only this time there will be integral alumni involvement in the process.  Newsletters will be funded by alumni sponsors prior to printing, so the cost doesn't impact the active chapter.  If enough newsletter sponsor funding is not obtained then the newsletter will not be published. Newsletters will also contain more alumni focused material.  Of course alumni material is always best provided by the feedback and responses we get from alumni who receive the newsletters.  So please complete and return the profile forms with every newsletter you receive.  It's important not only for the alumni to know how the chapter is doing, but that all alumni know how everyone is doing.

Thanks,
Mike Gary, Alumni Board