Actives Page

It gives me pleasure to write you with good news. TX Rho is thriving, and I have high hopes for this spring semester to continue our success. Our current chapter consists of 58 balanced men, and the brotherhood developed between us all is something noticed by the entire campus. We are a close-knit bunch, continuing the same traditions and practices that you once experienced as an undergraduate.

We are performing well in all aspects of fraternity life. A solid recruitment period headed up by the work of Ty Sheehan and the membership got us the 15 outstanding young men who are currently pledging our fraternity. Among these 15, there are two in-house legacies, two Baylor football players, two 4.0 GPA’s and an overall pledge class GPA of 3.1. These men are athletes, scholars, leaders, and well-rounded individuals, and represent the ideals and principles of Sig Ep. Kevin Kleist is the pledge trainer for these men, and has instituted a challenging yet rewarding program; along with adapting the program to the recently mandated IFC pledging procedures.

Kyle Herring has outlined our usual outstanding social semester, with Sing Matters, Retreat, and several other functions on the horizon. Social has been, is, and always will be are mainstay, and we work hard to have fun. With social a given, our commitment to service is our latest and greatest victory. Both Kyle and Jeff Beck have made us again the #1 fraternity on campus in total service hours, with 1212 hours served last semester. We are right on track for winning the Abner McCall Service Award and the $1000 Fletcher Communications Service Award for the second year in a row. With the dedication of the membership, TX Rho was the 4^th leading Sig Ep chapter in the nation for total service hours.

The fraternity is doing several things to promote our ideal of Sound Mind/Sound Body. With the help of Chris Jones, a ROPES course is planned for the membership in late April. Team building, problem solving, and physical endurance activities will all be incorporated with the goal of increasing our brotherhood. A structured and strict study hall has been developed, to reserve a slot of time each week that members will study and try to better their grades. Several speakers will be brought in to speak to the chapter, including Career Services representatives, study skills speakers, and health instructors.

We want alumni involvement. Two separate alumni activities are calendared, including the annual Alumni golf tournament on March 31^st, and a “Baseball Homecoming” tailgate, which will be a full day’s worth of baseball, food, and George’s. The date for the tailgate is April 21^st, and the opponent is UT. Details for both of these events are included in this newsletter. I am also asking for alumni to support the active chapter in our efforts to acquire new ritual equipment. The equipment we have is torn, broken, and aged. Jeff Williams and Mike Gary have come up with a plan to help us replace our ritual equipment, look for the details also in this newsletter. I feel that our alumni relations are at a high point, with steady improvement over the past few years. All actives recognize the great benefit from supportive alumni, and encourage your participation with us in any capacity. Please call me with any questions or concerns; I’d like to hear from you.

As V.P. of Communication and Alumni Relations, I am proud to be the first person to take on this newly elected position. This new executive board position that Nationals has created, takes on the roll of Secretary, and also deals with the Chapters Alumni Activities. My job is to keep in touch with the Alumni, and to organize such events as Parents Weekend, Homecoming, and Alumni Golf, which will be coming up on March 31^st. These events are very special for the chapter and for Alumni as well. I hope to have all of the Alumni involved as much as possible; and look forward to seeing everyone very soon.

Miscellaneous Concert Dates
2/25 Riverside Band opening up for Pat Green, and Cory Morrow
Corsicana, TX at the Livestock Youth and County Expo.

3/17 Riverside Band---TGI Friday’s Block Party. St.Patrick’s Day Celebration
Location TBA

Spring Rush has recently come to a close and I am pleased to report that we have successfully recruited 15 more new members. These 15 men meet the ideals of the balanced man as they are scholars, athletes, gentlemen, and leaders all in one. Our new recruits include two members of the Baylor football team, one former football player, two 4.0 students, and two in house legacies. With a pledge class GPA of a 3.2, they have one of the most impressive pledge class GPA’s on campus (2^nd best). Already they are having success meeting the criterion of the ideal Sig Ep, being of sound body and a sound mind. The chapter is dedicated to teaching them well and making sure they keep a good head on their shoulders so the future is in good hands with these men.

Dustin Almaguer - Colleyville, TX	Brett Atchley - Dallas, TX
Whitney Beck - Jakarta, Indonesia	Scott Bilinski - Woodlands, TX
Ryan Carter - Kansas City, Kansas	Geoff Case - Dallas, TX
Brett Chapman - Corpus Christi, TX	Michael Grover - Colleyville, TX
Matt Halpin - Dallas, TX	TJ Helmcamp - Smithville, TX
Brandon Lewis - Houston, TX	John McClure - Abilene, TX
Derrick Pearcy - Sugarland, TX	Chris Spaulding - Sugarland, TX
Clark Steffens - Sugarland, TX

As you know, Fall Rush is just around the corner and we have already lined up seven or eight potential recruits for next term. This puts the chapter a step ahead of where we were last year and the years before. As far as fall rush is concerned, we will be looking for a much larger fall class than usual. It has been a great rush and keep your eyes open for even more good news in the future. We appreciate alumni support in all its different forms, and I want to thank everyone for their help.

As V.P. of Brotherhood Development, I am pleased to announce that we have taken another truly exceptional pledge class. Spring 2001 consists of 15 men of true character and commitment. Over the next five weeks, it will be our goal to train these men in accordance with our cardinal principles of Virtue, Diligence and Brotherly Love. Our pledges will participate in a variety of orientations and retreats designed to emphasize the brotherhood aspect of the pledge process. Upcoming events include a camping trip/retreat for members, as well as a ropes course in April. In addition we are setting up the all-campus Stride for Life run. Which will benefit the American Heart Association, and help us to further enhance campus relations. Also, we have had great success with our member study hall program, which meets twice a week. The overall GPA of the chapter has increased significantly as a result of these mandatory study hall hours. The brotherhood aspect of the fraternity has always been very important to me, and it is my goal to continue to promote the friendship of the chapter as well as to provide a positive learning environment for our pledges.