Bradley University, Greek Life

Vannesia Darby, a senior at Bradley University and the current Chapter President of the Theta Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., has been selected to serve as the Illinois State Facilitator of the Sorority.

 

This position is one of the highest an undergraduate member can achieve, and only one sorority members is selected each year to serve. Darby was appointed to this position by the Midwest Regional Representative through an application process.

 

As the Illinois State Facilitator it will be Darby's responsibility to assist the Midwest Regional Representative and the Illinois State Coordinator with any duties assigned and work to promote effective relationships between collegiate and alumnae chapters. She will also assist with planning and coordinating state wide activities, such as the 2012 Statewide Founders day that will be co-hosted her own chapter and the Peoria Alumnae Chapter.

 

As to why she applied for the position, Darby stated, "I felt that it was time to give back to an organization that has given so much to me and afforded me so many opportunities. Becoming a member of this organization has been a very life changing part of my collegiate experience and is something I know I will be part of forever."

 

Reflecting on receiving the notification of her selection, Darby quipped, "I was notified by a phone call from my Regional Director, so I had to contain myself until I got off the phone! After jumping, thanking the Lord, and texting my chapter members, I finally ran and called my parents. It was a very humbling experience."

Hide

Note: The following letter was submitted to The Scout editorial board, but not published. This letter is in reference to an editorial published in the April 22, 2011 edition of The Scout, found here.

 

 

 

To the Members of the Scout Editorial Board,

 

We would like to take this opportunity to correct the inaccuracies contained within the recent editorial, Greeks must fund sprinklers on their own. While we do not argue with the opinion of the board, we would like to inform your readers of the realities of this situation.

 

Throughout the editorial, reference is made to interest-free loans being requested through a Student Senate resolution. However, the authors opted to include only a select portion of this resolution to justify their argument.

 

What was not mentioned was that this resolution requests that “Bradley University offer a 5/10/15 year loan for those chapter houses who need it, at reasonable or zero rates of interest.”

We feel that failing to mention this key element of the resolution is misleading to the readers, and compromises the main arguments contained within the editorial. To be clear, we would be fully supportive of the University setting an interest rate comparable to the standard rate of inflation, so that the University would not lose any money as a result of this investment in infrastructure.

 

Another argument made within this editorial is the board would “Have little faith those…houses would stick to a payment plan, even if it was legally mandated.” To clarify, these loans would not be signed by the chapters, but rather the housing corporations who own the facilities.

 

These dedicated alumni and alumnae serve in both an advisory and landlord capacity for the chapters. Should the University offer these loans, it would be the responsibility of these individuals, not the undergraduate members, to uphold the agreements therein. Through fundraising and cost of living adjustments, these housing corporations can make strategic long-term plans to recoup the University’s investment.

 

The next disingenuous statement made within the editorial identifies our community as a closed system. The fraternity and sorority community is comprised of men and women of all backgrounds, beliefs, appearances and attitudes. We strive to support all students at Bradley University, and take great pride in the diversity that exists within our community. By celebrating the individual differences within our organizations, we are able to understand that which makes our community truly unique. To say that we are a closed system is simply untrue and unfounded.  

 

Finally, the editorial makes claim that this is not the University’s problem. However, what was not mentioned is that all of these houses reside on University property, while the houses are owned by their housing corporations. Accordingly, should these houses be shut down by the Illinois Fire Marshal’s Office on January 1, 2013, the University would have to deal with a number of large, vacant buildings on their property.  Vacant properties will cause the University a number of concerns, but in order to be brief, please contact us with any questions.

 

We thank you for providing us with this forum to express our concerns and clarify this complicated situation.

 

 

Ken Dickenscheidt, Interfraternity Council President

Danielle Glascott, Panhellenic Council President

Candace Gunby, National Pan-Hellenic Council President

Hide

April 22, 2011

 

Jesse Reynolds, a junior accounting major, and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at Bradley University will become a published author tomorrow when his novel, The Truth behind a Lie: The Road to Commitment, officially becomes available.

 

According to the books description, “This self-help book tells the truly inspirational coming of age story of Avel Knight, an African American teen who overcomes poverty, family tragedy, and his own sometimes self-destructive drive to succeed and forget about his roots. In between snippets of the tale, the reader receives provocative and inspirational advice designed to make us focus on the important things in life: our souls and our families.”

 

Reynolds, who has been writing poetry since the third grade, says that writing has always been a passion. “Generally, when something is going on in my life, I write.  When I started writing the book, I was in a relationship and it wasn't working out the way I wanted it to.  I decided to try and figure out what was wrong with my relationship.  I began to analyze it and other people's relationships that were close to me.  I started seeing trends and commonalities and this started the writing process for this book.”

 

Not satisfied with this milestone, Reynolds says that he is already working on two new books. He has also created a non-profit organization designed to promote personal development, and is in communication with a screenwriting company to further develop The Truth behind a Lie: The Road to Commitment.

 

For more information, and to purchase the book, visit: http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000200134

Hide

Written by Mike Zeniecki, Phi Kappa Tau Chapter President

 

For college students, spring break means taking time off of school, visiting a warm vacation spot, or spending a week at home watching television. For several members of the Gamma Mu chapter of Phi Kappa Tau, it marks the beginning of a week-long trip to Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, CT.

Paul Newman (Ohio ’43) founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988 to give terminally ill children a chance to just “raise some hell.” The children who attend Camp are usually confined to hospital beds. While at Camp, they experience a gritty and authentic outdoors experience at no cost to their families.

Since 1995, the fraternity has officially adopted the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps as its national philanthropy. For their Founder’s Month of Service, members are encouraged to participate in philanthropic and community service events related to the Camps.

During the Bradley University spring break in the middle of March, Gamma Mu commits ten members to the original Camp in Ashford, CT. While there, members work for an entire week on various projects around the Camp. Some of these projects include chopping firewood, painting, and organizing storage areas. Once a day’s work is done, members are allowed to have fun with the Camp’s facilities like the theater and gymnasium.

Senior George Kontos has attended the Camp for three consecutive spring breaks. When asked about this year’s visit he said, “It’s a really fun time at Camp. The work is hard but it feels good knowing that kids will be benefiting from what we’re doing. Plus we have a lot of time to enjoy the Camp and to appreciate our national philanthropy first hand.”

In fact, this year’s trip featured eight members who had visited before and four of them had been there a total of three times. Just two of the members were first time volunteers. “I am looking forward to going again next year,” said sophomore President and first timer Michael Zeniecki. “It’s too bad the seniors won’t be there anymore but I know we can get another group together for next year.” For Gamma Mu, it does not matter who attends the trip but rather ensuring that the camp receives the community service it deserves.

Hide

Kate Green, a senior double majoring in political science and history, will be traveling to Washington D.C. this April to lobby on behalf of her fraternity, Chi Omega. Kate's was one of only two women selected by Chi Omega to lobby within Congress as part of a larger effort planned by the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). In total, approximately 75 undergraduate fraternity and sorority members from across the United States will make the trip.

Kate will be lobbying for the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2011, known as CHIA. If passed, the CHIA would allow not-for-profit entities such as fraternities and sororities to use charitable contributions for housing improvements including such safety requirements as sprinkler systems. This would give alumni and supporters the ability to contribute directly towards “bricks and mortar” improvements while being given the same tax benefits as they would receive when contributing towards any other not-for-profit organization.

Kate views this as an essential piece of legislation for fraternities and sororities. She said, “The overall goal of CHIA is to make housing more affordable for students with a focus on not-for-profit housing. Since Greek chapter houses are often a major source of housing for students, it is important for the Greek community to push for CHIA.”

During her trip, Kate will be meeting with various Congress members, with the primary focus on educating members of Congress about the fraternity and sorority experience in hopes of gaining sponsors for CHIA.

The CHIA has more than 230 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, putting it in the top one percent of cosponsorship amongst House bills. The bill also has gained more than 30 cosponsors in the Senate, according to the Capitol Fraternal Caucus.

For more information of the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act, visit the Capitol Fraternal Caucus website.

To petition your Congressman or Congresswoman, click the link below to utilize the Capitol Fraternal Caucus’ “Petition your Congressmen” Facebook application.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hide

Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity will be hosting series of events entitled "Push Week" from March 21-24 in support of their national fraternities philanthropic organization, Push America. The chapter will be supporting the mission of Push America by providing assistance to local community members with disabilities.

 

On March 21st, starting at 4:00pm, the chapter will take part in a 24 hours scaffold sit. The purpose of this event is to help raise awareness for people with disabilities as well as the coming events for the week. Donations for Push America will be collected on site.

 

On Thursday, March 24th from 1pm-4pm the chapter will give participants a first hand perspective of life for wheelchair users as they will set up an obstacle course in front of Olin Hall which will include samples of everyday challenges for individuals in wheelchairs.

 

The week will wrap up with the fraternity's semi-annual Empathy Dinner, at the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity House on March 24th from 5pm - 7pm. This is a $5 spaghetti dinner, open to the entire campus. The chapters will ask for volunteers to go through the dinner with an assigned simulated disability in order to experience what living with a disability is like for many Americans.

 

All proceeds from the week will be going to Push America. After the week of events on campus, the chapter will be heading a PARC group home to serve members of the local community. For any questions or more information regarding Push Week, contact James Sapp at jsapp@mail.bradley.edu

Hide

Stephanie Dacuma, a Junior Art Education Major, and member of Sigma Delta Tau Sorority has found a unique way to apply her skills to enhance the lives of those less fortunate. For the past five months, Stephanie has been regularly volunteering her time at the Guardian Angel Home, a long-term treatment facility for boys ages 6-18, primarily serving those who have been victims of abuse or neglect and present significant behavioral problems. The Guardian Angel Home is operated by the Catholic Charities Diocese of Peoria.

 

As an art education major, Stephanie combined her passion for service her with her Catholic upbringing and love of art to paint three murals in the facilities. Her work included images of classical superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, as well as modern day heroes like Buzz Lightyear.

 

“It was nice because the different generations of employees and boys could all remember these characters as part of their childhood and enjoy it when they saw the mural” Stephanie said. “It was nice to have something in a place that would remind everyone about their fun childhood, no matter what their age.”

 

Stephanie said that one of the greatest rewards was the response from the boys. “They were really excited about my work. It was really funny to see their facial expressions and to hear them say how cool it was. I didn't really realize how much they would appreciate the murals until the Volunteer Coordinator…told me that a lot of the boys in the orphanage came from a rough past of foster homes, violence, and home problems…even small things like murals really brighten their day, because they're not used to having something done for them."

 

Although she had originally planned to only paint the murals, Stephanie has already begun to teach art lessons for the boys, and continues to volunteer at the Guardian Angel Home.

Hide

Kappa Delta will be hosting its annual Shamrock Week, benefiting Prevent Child Abuse (PCA), April 4th-9th, 2011. The week-long series of events is aimed and raising awareness and money to benefit PCA. Events include:

 

Double Swipe Meal

On April 4th, students will be given the option to double swipe their IDs to donate to PCA.

 

Shamrock Sale

On April 4th, 6th, and 8th, the chapter will sell paper shamrocks outside the cafeterias during the lunch hours with proceeds going to PCA. Shamrocks will also be sold April 4-8 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Student Center

 

Minute to Win It

At 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8th, the chapter will host Minute to Win It, a game event based on the hit NBC show in which teams complete a series of challenges under a minute to win prizes. The event will be held in Neumiller Hall, and tickets will be $3 and can be purchased at the door at the door or in advance at the Shamrock Sale.

The chapter is currently accepting team registration for Minute to Win It. There is a registration fee of $10, however entrance to the event will be free for those registered teams. If interested, contact Lindsey March (lmarch@mail.bradley.edu) or Lauren Cuddy (lcuddy@mail.bradley.edu) to register a team of two.

 

All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 9th, and continuing until 2 p.m., Kappa Delta will be serving the annual All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast at the Kappa Delta chapter house. Tickets are $5, and will be sold throughout the week and at the door.

 

80% of the proceeds raised will go towards Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, while the remaining 20% will go towards PCA America.

 

Questions?
Contact Lindsey March, Hope Batterson, Leyki Diaz, Lauren Cuddy or Michelle Kuby for details.

Hide

The Kappa-Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha was recently awarded with the Grand High Alpha Award. This award recognizes chapters that have sustained excellence in all aspects of their chapter operations for three consecutive years. One of the highest awards that can be bestowed upon a chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, Grand High Alpha status is reserved for only the elite chapters in the fraternity.

 

More impressive, is that Bradley's chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha was able to accomplish this feat in their first three years of operation after reactivating their charter on campus. We are extremely proud of the men of Lambda Chi Alpha for all of their hard work and positive contributions to our campus.

 

For an in-depth look at the Kappa-Upsilon Zeta Chapter, and a summary of their accomplishments, read the full article on the Lambda Chi Alpha National website.

Hide

In an effort to keep our entire community informed, we have created a Sakai tab devoted to the Bradley Fraternity and Sorority Community!

Our Sakai site will give you quick access to our community calendar, recent news stories (via RSS feed), important announcements, and documents of significant importance.

 

To join our site, follow these steps:

1. Log-in to Sakai (https://sakai.bradley.edu/portal)

2. Under your "My Workspace" tab, select "Membership" from the left column.

3. Click the "Joinable Sites" link at the top of the page.

4. Scroll down until you see "BU Greeks", and click join!

If you  have any questions regarding the Sakai site, or if you have suggestions for improvements, please contact:
IFC - Mike Derer (mderer@mail.bradley.edu)
Panhellenic - Kathryn Lyne (klyne@mail.bradley.edu)
NPHC - TBD
or Jesse Koch (jckoch@bradley.edu)

Hide

On the evening of December 6, 2010, the Beta Rho Chapter of the Order of Omega National Greek Leadership Honors Society welcomed fifteen new members.

 

The fall 2010 initiates are:

Laura Breier, Chi Omega

Katie Clemens,

Lauren Cuddy, Kappa Delta

Cortney Dammeier, Chi Omega

Allie Fitzgerald, Chi Omega

Jilliam Kelly, Chi Omega

Erica Morris, Sigma Delta Tau

Brittany Mulderink, Sigma Kappa

Courtney Schlink, Chi Omega

Alex Sebastian, Kappa Delta

Nicholas Swiatkowski, Sigma Chi

Rebecca Valladares, Kappa Delta

Ashley Vanderhyden, Chi Omega

Annabelle Vang, Kappa Delta

Amanda Wenger,

 

During this meeting of the chapter, new officers were officially installed to fill vacant positions on the executive board for the spring 2011 semester. The current Order of Omega Executive Board is:

President: Katy Feddersen, Pi Beta Phi

Vice President: Nick Swiatkowski, Sigma Chi

Secretary: Trisha Deerhring, Pi Beta Phi

Treasurer: Erica Morris, Sigma Delta Tau

 

Order of Omega is a leadership honor society for members of social fraternities and sororities.  Order of Omega recognizes juniors and seniors who have exemplified high standards in the areas of scholarship, leadership, involvement within their respective organization and within the Greek, campus, and local community. Members are selected from the top 3% of students at each institution. To date, over 500 chapters have been chartered throughout North America, each sharing the common goal of recognizing the many outstanding student leaders at their institution.

 

The fall 2010 initiates represent the twenty-sixth group of initiates of the Beta Rho Chapter, which to this date has initated over 390 members.The Beta Rho Chapter at Bradley University was founded in 1991.

 

For more information, visit the Beta Rho chapter website, or the Order of Omega national website.

Hide

Last night, the Bradley University Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council continued their annual tradition of the Grand Chapter Awards. These awards recognize the individuals and chapters who have excelled during the past academic year.

 

The big winners of the night were Sigma Delta Tau Sorority and Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. Both of these chapters took home top honors for their councils, as well as the distinction of being the first two chapters to receive five star accreditation status through the newly revamped Grand Chapter Accreditation and Awards Program.

 

Download a complete listing of all the awards given out at Grand Chapter.

 

Congratulations to all of the chapters and individuals recognized last night!

Hide

On Sunday, November 14, the Interfraternity Council approved the proposed slate of officers for 2011. The Interfraternity Council will be represented by the following individuals:

 

Ken Dickescheidt, President

Mike Konieczny, Vice President

Chris Kovach, Secretary

Sam Ulloa, Treasurer

Wil Colburn, Judicial Affairs

Sharif Ali, Recruitment

Keith Dickenscheidt, Assistant Recruitment

Jacob Adcock, Assistant Recruitment

Jeff Baumgartner, Membership Development

Eric Ruck, Risk Management
Louis Waller, Assistant Risk Management

Brett Williams, Service and Philanthropy

Anthony Isherwood, Special Events
Daniel Moir, Scholarship
Mike Derer, Public Relations
Brandon Miller, Sports
Noah Kumpf, Student Senate Representative

 

The 2011 executive board will officially take office on November 21, 2010.

 

For more information on the Interfraternity Council, visit their website.

Hide

Over the past week, Bradley’s fraternity and sorority community celebrated Greek Week, a staple of the University for over sixty years. This eight day event allows members from all chapters and councils to come together and showcase what it truly means to be a fraternity or sorority member at Bradley University.

 

As always, the week consisted of friendly competitions including Greek Games (field games), trivia contests, Win it in a Minute gameshow, and dodgeball. More importantly, the Bradley fraternity and sorority community utilized their collective strength to give back to the community through various efforts duringthe week.

 

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday during the week, a Blood Drive was hosted in conjunction with the American Red Cross. Through the generous donations from fraternity and sorority members, as well as their ability to recruit additional donors, the blood drive was able to surpass the goal of 159 units of blood set by the Red Cross, and a total of 195 units of blood were collected.

 

Friday saw the debut of a day-long community service event entitled “Greeks Give Back”. During the day, fraternity and sorority members volunteered their time to help local agencies including the Salvation Army, Crittenden Centers, and the Peoria Art Guild. Over 125 hours of service were performed in support of these programs.

 

Finally, Greek Week culminated with what many consider to be the premier event of Greek Week, PanFraSing. Originally started in 1950, this year marked the sixtieth anniversary of this singing and dancing competition. PanFraSing made it’s premier in the brand new Rennasaince Coliseum to a crowd of 1,475 attendees. A total of $1,338 was collected through admission fees; this money will be divided, and donated to the charity of choice for the three top teams of the night. Congratulations go out to Pi Beta Phi, Theta Chi, and Sigma Chi, who outperformed all of the other teams to become the 2010 PanFraSing Champions.

 

At the end of the very busy week, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Chi Omega Women’s Fraternity emerged as the overall champions for their respective councils. Congratulations should go out to 23 fraternities and sororities who actively participated in this years Greek Week. Their hard work and dedication were able to make a tremendously positive impact for Bradley University, the Peoria community, and beyond.

Hide

 PEORIA, Il. – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Epsilon Eta Chapter, marks its return to the Bradley campus with several programs this October geared toward the sorority’s mission of Service to All Mankind.  

October 5 to  7 was AKAtober. During these three days, the chapter hosted a free aerobics class at the Markin Center, a bake sale, Jeo-Pretty game show and a Cyber Safety presentation at a local primary school. 

The three-event began with AKAerobics. More than 25 Bradley female students enjoyed a fun night of PiYo, a fitness workout that blends Pilates and yoga, which was instructed by a certified PIYO instructor. On Wednesday, Oct. 6, the chapter held two philanthropy events: a bake sale and Jeo-Pretty which was a fun interactive game where Jeopardy met Family Feud. Proceeds from both events will be used toward the purchase of canned and dry goods for the South Side Mission’s food pantry.

 

“The Jeo-Pretty event was fun yet informative,” said junior Jewel Jones and game participant. “It gave me a chance to take a break from studying for mid-terms and socialize with fellow students while learning fun facts about BU, sports, movies, people and music.” 

The half week concluded with a Cyber Safety presentation to 5th grade students at Irving Primary School in Peoria, Ill. Students were taught the importance of proper Internet use, how to recognize and report cyber bullying and safe sites for their age group. The students received a certificate of completion signed by their principal, teacher and the president of Epsilon Eta Chapter. 

In addition to the AKAtober events, Epsilon Eta Chapter volunteered at the Girl Scout’s Outdoor Artist event and the Children’s Hospital NICU Small Wonders Walk volunteer event. 

On October 16, members traveled to Camp Tapawingo in Metamora, Ill., for the Girl Scout Outdoor Artist event. They helped Junior Girl Scouts learn about outdoor art and the methods that can be used to create it. The girls learned how to express themselves through their own artwork inspired by nature and the importance of one’s carbon footprint. 

On October 22, members went to the Peoria RiverPlex to help stuff over 100 giveaway bags for the 2010 NICU Small Wonders Walk participants. 

“Of all the events we participated in this month, this one was probably the one dearest to our hearts, because the younger sister of our chapter member Emmanuelle Bailey-Greene was a small wonder,” said Candyss McGhee, the chapter’s president. “She was born several months premature, however is now a thriving and active three year old” 

Showing school spirit, Epsilon Eta chapter also participated in the ‘Paint it Red’ Homecoming event. Members decorated a library window to help display school spirit during the week of homecoming. The chapter tied for 3rd place in this year’s competition. 

AKAtober only marked the awaking of Epsilon Eta Chapter at Bradley University, as the chapter has several more events planned for the school year. The chapter will be hosting their 2010 Step Show Celebration on Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. in the Dingledine Music Center. The event is a free and open to all students. The ladies of  the Epsilon Eta Chapter are back and are excited for what the future holds. 

Hide

The Theta Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc and Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc teamed up with the Peoria Boys and Girls Club and the American Red Cross to host a blood drive during Bradley University's Homecoming week. The blood drive took place on October 15, 2010 and drew in a large amount of students, faculty, and community members with over 40 people attempted to give blood. In the end, 26 units of blood were collected from 34 donors making this an extremely successful blood drive for Bradley University.

 

The Theta Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc and Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc plan to collaborate again for more "Fire and Ice" Affairs. By combining forces for the betterment of the community, these two organizations showed that with a little hard work, they have the potential to change lives.

Hide

On November 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th from 12 to 5pm at the Markin Center, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Sigma Delta Tau Sorority will be signing up fellow students to join the national marrow registry, Be the Match. This marrow registry drive will coincide with the already successful blood donation drive that will be held during Greek Week. 

 

Everyday, thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases hope to be matched with an unrelated donor.  Sigma Phi Epsilon President Peter Stephan experienced the impact that marrow donation can have on a person’s life.  “One of our prominent brothers’ father was diagnosed with lymphoma several years ago”, he said.  “The transplant gave him many more quality months which otherwise would have been impossible.”

 

With new technology, the marrow donation process has been revolutionized.  A procedure called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) is a non-surgical, out-patient process that is similar to donating plasma.  The donor’s blood is removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood forming cells.  The remaining blood is returned to the donor through the other arm.

 

Anyone between 18 and 60, in good health and willing to donate to any person in need is eligible to join the Be the Match Registry.  The registration process involves filling out a form concerning contact information and health history.  Then the volunteers swab cheek cells to test tissue type. 

 

Sigma Delta Tau President Monica Ray is happy to be making a difference.  “Hosting the drive at Bradley will give hundreds of students an opportunity to join the national registry.  It feels great to know that we are part of connecting people and saving lives.”

 

Any questions can be directed via email to Peter Stephan at pstephan@mail.bradley.edu or Monica Ray at meray@mail.bradley.edu

Hide

Once again the Delta Rho Chapter of Sigma Chi received their fraternities top award for excellence. The Sigma Chi Foundation has announced that the Delta Rho Chapter has been selected as a winner of the Peterson Significant Chapter Award. Delta Rho was the only chapter in Illinois to receive the award for the 2009-10 school year.

 

Named for Past Grand Consul J. Dwight Peterson (Indiana 1919) the award recognizes superior performance in 11 areas of chapter operations. Some of these areas included scholarship, financial stability, chapter and member character and reputation, campus activities and leadership, community service, faculty and alumni relations, pledge programs, and use of the Ritual.

 

The application process encourages chapter officers to evaluate chapter operations against a Sigma Chi standard of achievement. Through this process, it is expected that officers will establish goals and a plan of operation for the next academic year. For the past 40 years, the Sigma Chi Foundation has presented a distinctive wooden plaque to each winning chapter, as well as a cash contribution to the counseling and tutoring program of the chapter’s host institution.

 

The Peterson Award was originally established in 1963, and this marks the ninth time Delta Rho has received this honor. The other years were: 1973-74, 1984-85, 1992-93, 2000-01, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-2008.

 

Congratulations to the Delta Rho Chapter of Sigma Chi for their continued success and many accomplishments. 

Hide

For the second consecutive year, the Kappa-Upsilon Zeta chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha held a canned food drive in conjunction with the United Way's National Day of Caring. On September 10, the men of Lambda Chi Alpha took over Olin quad and collected canned goods from fraternities, sororities, faculty, and residence halls in hopes of helping the United Way.

 

Through their hard work, over 900 pounds of food was collected in just 4 hours. The men are especially grateful to Kappa Delta Sorority, who made the largest contribution of the day.

 

Lambda Chi Alpha works hard every semester to collect as many canned goods as possible to support their national philanthropy the North American Food Drive. One of the biggest motivations for them is the fact the food they collect and donate helps right here in Peoria, and to them that's what is important because many families in Peoria struggle to put food on the table.

 

For more information on the chapter, visit their website: http://www.bulambdachi.org/

Hide

This past weekend, the seven sororities within the Bradley University Panhellenic Council hosted a successful weekend of recruitment activities, and welcomed 220 new members to the Panhellenic Community!

 

The Panhellenic community changed things up a lot from last year, and all of their changes seemed to pay off. In the past, Panhellenic Recruitment consisted of two weekends worth of formal recruitment rounds, with either one to two weeks in between. This year, they chose to move recruitment one week earlier on the academic calendar, and shortened the event to just one weekend. Despite having one week less for women to enroll, they were still able to enroll 388 women for recruitment.

 

Clearly, the biggest change was moving from two weekends to one weekend. This proved to be very helpful for the community as it did not require a two weekend commitment from current and prospective members.

 

Round one took place on Friday, with potential new members visiting all seven of our chapters that evening. On Saturday, the women visited 5 chapters, which was narrowed down to just two chapters on Sunday. Through a process of mutual selection, the Panhellenic community was able to place these women in their new homes.

 

The highlight of recruitment is, of course, the bid ceremony, which took place in the Markin performance court Sunday night. At this event, the new women were given their official bids to join each chapter, and learned the affiliation of the Panhellenic Recruitment Counselors. After receiving their bids, the new members then ran to their new homes to be greeted by their new sisters.

A total of 388 women who signed up for recruitment this year, which puts enrollement well over the average over the three year avegare of 366. However, this number is slightly down from last years 402. The final bid acceptance number of 220 is actually exactly the same as last year’s fall semester bid acceptance number. 5 Chapters met quota this year, which was set aggressively at 34. With the addition of these new women, our Panhellenic community now consists of 738 women!

 

For more information on the Bradley University Panhellenic Community, please visit their website.

Hide

It was all smiles and hugs for the Eta Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority as they walked home with top honors – both individually and as a whole – at the 2010 National Leadership Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. 

 

The Chapter received the 5 Star Recognition Award, which recognizes chapters that not only excel in one particular area but those who excel in all areas of chapter excellence.  This honor puts the Eta Beta Chapter as one of the top 25% nationally recognized chapters.

 

The Eta Beta Chapter also received awards that honored individual members. Casey Stark was honored as this year’s Corre Anding Stegall Leadership Award – one of 10 nationally nominated– for exemplifying the highest individual honor that Kappa Delta gives to an undergraduate member based on high academic performance and exemplary leadership within the chapter, on campus and in the community.  For the past three years, the Corre Stegall Leadership Award has been awarded to the Eta Beta Chapter, which past recipients include Lauren Teune and Ana Trujillo.

 

Past Eta Beta Chapter Presidents Ana Trujillo and Megan Wendland received national scholarships at this year’s National Leadership Conference.

 

For more information on the Eta Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta, visit their website.

For more information on Bradley University Fraternity and Sorority Life, go to our homepage.

Hide

In what has been a long standing tradition at Bradley University, the fraternity and sorority community ensured that the first day for students back on campus would be full of fun, energy, and assistance. This past Saturday was certainly an extremely busy day for the fraternity and sorority community as they supported the all-campus move-in day as well as hosted the evenings Block Party.

 

A hot, muggy Saturday morning started off bright and early for fraternity and sorority members  who showed up in droves to help move in new  and returning students on campus. Through a coordinated effort between the Interfraternity, Panhellenic, and National Pan-Hellenic Councils, over 350 fraternity and sorority members spent the day carrying boxes, suitcases, refrigerators, TV’s, and an occasional textbook up countless flights of stairs. With each vehicle unloaded in just a matter of minutes, the fraternity and sorority community ensured a stress-free move-in process for Bradley students.

 

With little time to spare, the focus quickly shifted from moving in the last couple car loads, to preparing for the evenings Block Party. Fredonia Avenue was blocked off to traffic, and a campus-wide alcohol free party quickly sprang up.

 

Walking down the street, visitors were greeting with smoking volcanoes, live bands, swimming pools, a mechanical bull, games of cornhole, and plenty of free food and drinks. The National Pan-Hellenic Council, in what has become a great Block Party tradition, hosted a step show that gathered a huge crowd which included President Joanne Glasser, Provost David Glassman, and Vice President for Student Affairs Alan Galsky.

 

Allen Goebl, President of the Interfraternity Council quipped, “Block Party offers students the chance to unwind in a safe, alcohol-free environment after move-in day. I think our fraternities and sororities have done a great job of showcasing how enriching membership in their organizations can be, as well as their desire to contribute back to the campus community.”

 

Move-In Day and Block party kick off the weeklong schedule of events for Welcome Week. For more information on Bradley Fraternity and Sorority Life, visit www.bugreeklife.com

Hide

A big congratulations go our to our Kappa-Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha. Their hard work and accomplishments were recognized at the 53rd Annual Lambda Chi Alpha General Assembly in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

The Chapter recieved the Grand High Alpha Award, which is the highest award that a chapter can receive. Only three chapters were given this award in 2010, which means they are one of the top three Lambda Chi chapters internationally. To receive this award, the chapter must demonstrate superior operations and fraternal spirit for a minimum of three consecutive years.

 

The chapter also recieved the Campus Involvment Award, which is given to chapters with the highest extracurricular involvement amongst members. In addition, they recieved the Academic Achievement award, which is given to chapters who record the highest GPA among fraternities on their respective campuses.

 

Congratulations on your accomplishments, and keep up the great work!

Hide