Sigma Rho is back and we have made our presence known on campus with a successful first semester at the University of Illinois. The gentlemen of the Sigma Rho Chapter have come together to lay the foundation for years to come. Shown here are Betas before their game at the AZD philanthropy football event.

Left to right: Curt Olbrich ’17, JR Domalewski ’16, Griffin Charnas ’16, Clay Wotton ’16, Raim Izhar ’16, and Brad Kosinski ’17.

Some of the spring semester highlights were:

•  Our first pledge class is exceptional and we will be initiating 19 new members during the first week of school along with the pledge class from Truman State. Alumni will receive an invitation to join the ceremony.
•  Sigma Rho stands at the forefront of fraternities in academic excellence and are ranked second out of 49 fraternities for the second semester in a row with a 3.38 average.
• We have a well-developed external philanthropy program and have participated in numerous events, such as Alpha Phi’s King of Hearts male pageant where we placed second among nine fraternities.
• We sent eight men to the award-winning John and Nellie Wooden Institute for Men of Principle, where they gained valuable insight into the lore and rituals of Beta Theta Pi, as well as the ability to enact positive change on a chapter level.
• We are sending 13 members to Beta Theta Pi’s 175th General Fraternity Convention in Oxford, Ohio, in August, where we will be joined by over 2,000 undergraduates, and many more alumni.
• We are continuing to support the Andrew Weishar Foundation and many of our members will attend Weishfest to support families who are battling cancer. With the success we had in one semester, I am sure that you can tell we are excited to be back in the house for the fall of 2014. Some goals that we would like to achieve are:
• Begin the year off on the right foot by recruiting a strong incoming class of men.
• Continue to reconnect with alumni and provide opportunities for undergraduates and alumni to interact (specifically at the alumni tailgate before the Texas State game).
• Cultivate a culture of excellence in both personal and academic pursuits for our members by encouraging them to join other organizations on campus.
• Continue to stay a top-ranked academic fraternity on campus.
• Maintain relationships with the Greek community and further integrate ourselves with other fraternities and sororities. • Develop the undergraduate body, along with the chapter house and the housing corporation, in order to make 202 E. Daniel a place that all members of the Sigma Rho Chapter are proud to call home. Without the support of our alumni and the consistent effort put forth by our undergraduates, we would have never gotten this far in less than a year. Thank you! Yours in __kai__, Jack Kalanik ’16, Sigma Rho President