Sigma Chi honored with receiving national award
Some brothers of the Theta chapter of Sigma Chi gather around Grand Consul, Mike Greenburg, to accept their Peterson Gold, RMF Award and Pop C. Henning Award (Photo credit: Gettysburg College)
By Brendan Raleigh, News Editor
Gettysburg’s Sigma Chi chapter won its fifth consecutive Peterson Award last month, earning the highest score in the entire fraternity, both in America and Canada. The Theta Chapter of Sigma Chi was one of only 5 of the 243 chapters to win the Peterson “Gold” Award, which requires a score of 97% or higher in the evaluation.
The Peterson is awarded based on the chapter’s recruitment numbers, financial stability, record keeping, grades and ritual performance. This is not even the first time that the Theta chapter has been the highest rated in the organization; in 2012, the Gettysburg brothers also received the highest overall score with a 99.7 out of 100.
“The groundwork was there,” said Theta chapter President Matthew Nadler. “The most important part after that was strong leadership and strong recruitment to ensure the right type of guys are coming in to the chapter.”
“At the end of the day, it all comes down to how hard the brothers are willing to work to keep this place functioning as highly as it is,” Nadler added.
Professor Jennifer Bloomquist, the chapter’s advisor, expressed her belief that Theta had labored to earn such distinction.
“Our chapter has worked really hard over the past couple of years to distinguish themselves in many ways, both on campus and at the national level,” said Bloomquist “I’m incredibly proud of them.”
In addition to the Peterson award, Gettysburg’s Sigma Chi brothers were also awarded $1,000 for an honorable mention for their risk management plans.
The house has not yet decided what to do with the award money, though they are looking to make the house safer and more enjoyable for those in attendance.
Despite their remarkable rankings, Gettysburg’s chapter of Sigma Chi is still relatively new, having returned in 2009 after being kicked off campus in 2005.
In addition to the choices in recruitment, Nadler partially attributes this turn- around to the chapter’s advisors.
“We are lucky to have 2 incredible alumni advisors who have helped us every step of the way,” said Nadler. “Richard Krisch and Joe Santacroce, his assistant, […] have been aiding us in everything from keeping the chapter functioning well to facilitating retreats to ensuring strong future performance in all areas, especially recruitment.” The chapter was also able to stand out in fundraising events, such as the Derby Days fundraiser, which brought in $10,000 thanks to some retooling and, as Nadler stated, “some brilliance from the then-Philanthropy Chair Eric Lee.” This more than doubled the turnout from previous years and put the Theta chapter on par with schools that are significantly larger than Gettysburg.
This success was repeated last year with Philanthropy Chair, Dave Byerley, as well, and the fraternity hopes to continue increasing the fundraising amounts throughout the year.
