Epsilon
Mu's Scholarship Program Breeds Success
Six
years ago, a group of dedicated alumni
took their vision for a "different
kind of fraternity" and re-colonized
the Epsilon Mu Chapter at Butler University.
Around that time, results from a university
survey of upperclassmen and campus leaders
indicated that fear of hazing and falling
grades were two of the reasons that had
kept men from joining fraternities in the
past. Given that information, alumni advisor
Dick Thompson (Butler) says, "We wanted
to make the fraternity different from what
was already on campus." So, they emphasized
Sigma Nu’s founding principle of
eliminating hazing and implemented high
grade point average standards for new members
-- no man could join without a
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3.0.
Despite hearing from the Assistant Dean of Students
that they’d never get enough men to join,
they went ahead and did it anyway. Tom Lofton,
also a Butler alumnus, made a significant gift
to the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation that would
open a Chapter Scholarship Account for Epsilon
Mu. They established a scholarship program and
standards that they felt would attract the kind
of men who were looking for a different type of
fraternity experience.
Scholarship recipients are selected based on the
previous semester’s grades and awards vary
based on GPA. Every member earning at least a 3.0
will receive some assistance for the next semester,
starting at $100 for those earning up to a 3.09.
The next tier is $200 for those earning up to a
3.19 and $300 for those earning up to a 3.29. Brothers
who earn a perfect 4.0 receive a $1500 scholarship
for the next semester.
The scholarship program has paid off in spades.
Every semester since the chapter returned to campus,
they have ranked either 1st or 2nd among all fraternities
in grades. Last spring, nine brothers earned a
4.0, while the chapter boasted a GPA of 3.38, the
highest they’ve ever attained. "We are
very proud of that," says Thompson. "We’ve
also found that pursuing a more academically minded
student has helped keep the facility in good order.
We opened the house with brand new furniture and
to this day we haven’t had to replace a thing," he
explains. "I’m convinced that good grades
and good behavior go hand in hand," he shares.
In 2007, the chapter was named LEAD Chapter of
the Year, and they’ve been was selected as
a Top 10 Pursuit of Excellence chapter every year
since 2004.
And contrary to what the administration predicted,
the chapter has grown from 25 to 70+ men in the
last six years, enough that they had to build an
addition to the house last year. Thompson believes
the growth is at least in part because of the scholarship
program. "Some of them really depend on the
scholarship. They need every source of funding
they can get because Butler costs about $25,000
a year," says Thompson. Eligibility requirements
also ensure that brothers are well-rounded. They
are required to participate in one non-athletic
activity on campus, be part of a student club,
and live in the chapter house.
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Nu distributes about fifty scholarships
per year to eligible Epsilon Mu brothers.
One of those was Bryan Frauhiger (Butler)
who joined the chapter as a junior in spring
2006. He received a scholarship every semester
until his graduation to a total of $4,000.
Bryan was a chemistry major, and he says
the scholarship program not only helped
offset the ever-increasing cost of attending
a private university but also provided
motivation to achieve high grades. Bryan
graduated Cum Laude from Butler with Highest
Honors in chemistry, and he is now pursuing
a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at the University
of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In 2007,
he was named Sigma Nu’s International
Scholar of the Year, an award given to
the individual who most upholds the academic
values and endeavors of the international
fraternity.
But he wasn’t just academically successful. "Being
a brother in Sigma Nu helped my personal
development in a variety of ways. Most important
was the ability to |
lead
and contribute to a team effort. I have greatly
improved in recognizing others’ strengths
and weaknesses in order to best utilize everyone’s
efforts to accomplish any given task," says
Bryan.
He's
thankful to alumni like Thompson, Lofton,
and long-time House Corporation President
Fred Gronau (Butler) who have faithfully
served the chapter and who helped establish
Epsilon Mu’s scholarship program. Bryan
recognizes that chapters are able to grow
and achieve unprecedented levels of success
because of alumni who are willing to give
back of their time and financial assistance. "Sigma
Nu truly is a second family to me. I know
I can always count on my brothers to be there
for me in both the good and bad times - even
now when I’m 500 miles away from them," he
shares.
For more information about opening a Chapter
Scholarship Account for your chapter, please
contact Brad Hastings at brad.hastings@sigmanu.org or
540.463.1869.
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