The SigEp Scroll The Alumni Newsletter of the Nebraska Gamma Chapter 18 th Annual Augie Nelson Tees Off for the Nebraska Kidney Foundation Contributed by Luke Grossnicklaus On April 9 th, 2016 the Nebraska Gamma RLC chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon hosted its 18 th annual Augie Nelson Memorial Golf Classic. Money raised from the tournament was donated to the Nebraska Kidney Association. This year s field for the tournament included twentythree teams of four and took place at Meadowlark Golf Course. An alumni reception took place at the alumni house on Friday night. Alumni brothers had the opportunity to catch up with undergraduate students and many alumni who attended the event. This is by far my favorite philanthropy event, said Nick White, Augie Nelson Chairman. Not only are we raising money for a good cause, but we also give our alumni a chance to come back. I will always remember the stories from Augie Nelson from my years as an undergrad and I look forward to making more memories as an alumni. After the golf tournament concluded Continued on 4
Ripp, Lallman Lead SigEp at UNK Greek Awards Contributed by Adam Ripp Sunday, April 3 through Thursday, April 7 marked Greek Week at UNK. This year s events focused on collaboration and community over competition. The week started out with recruitment workshops and continued with a faculty appreciation day, Greek Night at a UNK baseball game, and community service day. Greek Week came to a close on Thursday evening, with an awards ceremony and a team-building session by Josh Erickson. Sigma Phi Epsilon came home with two chapter awards and two individual awards from the ceremony on April 7. Chapter individuals are nominated, and then staff and faculty reviewers choose the winners. Additionally, members Luke Grossnicklaus 18, Clark Pohlmeier 18, Austin Partridge 18, and Keaton Young 17 were initiated into Order of Omega, which represents the top 3% of Greeks nationally. In reflection of its academic strength and efforts in motivating members to be diligent in their studies, SigEp won the Scholarship Programming award. The chapter offers a 20% academic excellence discount on dues to those members earning a GPA of 3.50 or higher, and the VP of Scholarship puts on raffles, enforces study hours, and works hard to help members realize the Sound Mind aspect of the Balanced Man ideal. For his leadership in the chapter, Joshua Lallman 17 outgoing Chapter President from Omaha, Nebraska earned SigEp the Innovation award along with receiving the Outstanding Chapter Leader award. Lallman brought back the Concert in the Courtyard philanthropy from its absence last year with the help of the event s chairs, Evan Calhoun 16 and Nick Stevenson 16. The chapter hired Lemon Fresh Day, a popular cover band from Omaha, to play in the courtyard just outside the house to raise money for the Youth AIDS Foundation. The event raised over $1,000, and Josh is already planning next fall s event with the same band. Lallman has also worked to establish written membership development ritual trackers. In addition to his involvement in SigEp, he has held numerous campus positions, including Student Diplomat, Chancellor s Ambassador, New Student Enrollment Leader, as well as membership in Mortar Board, Undergraduate Research Fellows, and on the UNK Men s Basketball team. The most prestigious awards of the night are Greek Man and Woman of the Year. A SigEp has won this award five times out of the last six years. This year, Adam Ripp 16 former Chapter President from Pleasanton, Nebraska continued the tradition and brought home the award. In his application, Ripp stated, Entering college, I was extremely shy and introverted. Bit by Continued on 4 2
UNK SigEp Continues Representation Streak on Chancellor s Ambassadors Contributed by Tyson Lanka Chancellor s Ambassadors is one of the most selective and historical groups on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Students selected, serve as the official host for events held by the office of the Chancellor and the University Of Nebraska Board Of Regents. While serving as an ambassador, student s aide with commencement ceremonies, escort distinguished guest to the university for campus visits, and act as hosts for numerous other events. The basis for being accepted into this prestigious group of student leaders consists of a competitive application process and an interview with a panel of board members. Chancellor s Ambassadors provides students with numerous opportunities to further their leadership and communication skills while networking with donors, guest, and prospective staff and administration. As with every other organization across campus, Sigma Phi Epsilon has a strong presence in the leadership roles. After competing against a highly competitive applicant pool for the 2016-2017 academic year, the brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon continue to represent the chapter well by continuing to hold five out of the nine male ambassador positions. Brothers selected for the upcoming academic year include: Drew Thompson Aurora, NE Mitch Long Hastings, NE Luke Grossnicklaus Aurora, NE Austin Partridge Grand Island, NE Joshua Lallman Omaha, NE 3
Augie Nelson Tees off Continued from Page 1 on Saturday afternoon, alumni and undergraduates attended dinner at Nicks on the Bricks in downtown Kearney. Prizes and awards were handed out to the winners of flag prizes and flights. Winners of the first flight shot a score of 60 (-11) and winners of the second flight shot 61 (- 10). After all events took place, our fraternity was able to raise $7,631.94. The alumni weekend is an overall incredible experience, said undergraduate Mitch Long. It is a rewarding feeling when you can raise money for such a great organization. Every year we see more and more new faces along with the familiar ones. It s a great feeling to see how much our brotherhood has grown over the years. Nebraska Gamma Elects New Officers President Luke Grossnicklaus VP of Programming Doug Clark VP of Membership Development Sam Sutherland VP of Communications Riley Ostdiek VP of RLC James Kramer Chaplain Aaron Ohri SigEp Greek Awards Continued from Page 2 bit, my involvement in SigEp has exposed me to a multitude of new professional, academic and social experiences Nearly every student organization or activity listed on my résumé can be attributed to SigEp in one way or another. In addition to serving as Chapter President, Ripp also held the positions of MDA Philanthropy Chair, Ritual Study Chair, and Merchandise Chair. He has been a passionate advocate for SigEp involvement in the MDA philanthropy and MDA children s summer camps each summer and served as the re-founding President of Greeks Advocating for the Mature Management of Alcohol (GAMMA) this year. Adam has also been a leader on the greater UNK campus through his positions as Chancellor s Ambassador, Student Diplomat, and Chief of Staff in Student Government, as well as his involvement in Mortar Board, Undergraduate Research Fellows, and St. Jude. Ripp just graduated from UNK and plans to attend University of Iowa Law School in the fall. 4
Undergraduate Spotlight: Jachob Weideburg Contributed by Sam Sutherland Although he is a relatively young member, Freshman Jachob Wiedeburg is very comfortable taking any and all opportunities that make him a better student as well as a better man. Aside from being a brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon, Wiedeburg also takes on the strong body portion of being a balanced man in the form of being a collegiate runner for the Lopers. Wiedeburg first got introduced to running when he was in the fifth grade growing up in Sidney, Nebraska. "My mom is the one who kind of turned me into a runner, Wiedeburg said. She was the assistant coach on the cross country team in Sidney, and so I joined the team early and started running with them. At first, I was a pretty below average runner, but stuck with it and became the team's top runner my junior year." Persistence with the sport has led him to elevate his competition and compete on the collegiate level. "I contacted Coach Bonsall over the summer and met with him at an FCA camp and we talked about me running at UNK and what he was looking for, Wiedeburg said. I was lucky enough for him to say yes and I was allowed onto the team!" Currently, Wiedeburg represents the Lopers in a variety of events including the 3000, mile, and the 3000 steeple chase. Wiedeburg also gives his full effort in the classroom by achieving and maintaining an above average GPA. Overall, Wiedeburg is a prime example of what makes up a balanced man. Running and SigEp are what he credits as shaping his current college experience. "Running has taught me a lot about life. It is one of the simplest metaphors for life because, truly, you get out of it what you put into it, Wiedeburg said. Being a part of a Greek Organizat ion is basically like being a part of a big family, no matter what group you are in. SigEp has turned me into a social person and I have become more and more confident in my abilities to be a good student and a good man." Jachob's involvement not only in our fraternity, but nearly all aspects of college life are something to admire. Not only is he a student, an athlete, and a brother, he is outstanding at all of these. It is safe to say that the sky is the limit for Wiedeburg, and there is no doubt that he will continue to be a force to be reckoned with not only on the track but in the classroom as well. 5
ROCK MORRIS MEMORIAL Golf Tournament & Reunion Saturday, July 9th PACIFIC SPRINGS GOLF COURSE 16810 HARNEY STREET- OMAHA 12pm Start $75 Registration Fee Corporate Sponsor: $250 Hole Sponsor: $100 Pin Prizes! TO SPONSOR, DONATE OR REGISTER FOR GOLF PLEASE CONTACT: Brad Hawks at 402.699.6460 or bradhwks@gmail. com DINNER & PRIZES SHEVY'S SPORTS & STEAKS 2607 N. Main Street- Elkhorn