Ginny Skalski
For additional information about Phi Sigma Kappa, log
onto its alumni page at www.kappatet.com or contact Jared
Brunk at 536-6013, director of recruitment for the
fraternity.
The men of the Kappa Tetarton Colony of Phi Sigma Kappa
strive to live by the Golden Rule.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
They're a band of brothers looking to extinguish many of
the fraternity stereotypes made famous by Hollywood and
other fraternities.
So the 19-member colony is in the process of
re-establishing Phi Sigma Kappa on the SIUC campus. Their
goal is to create a fraternity that doesn't encompass the
stereotypes of beer-guzzling, womanizing partiers. Sure,
they want to have fun, but having faith and a purpose, in
many ways, outweighs that desire.
The colony was ordained in December and since then it has
taken all the steps it needs to return to the SIUC campus
after a rocky departure in 1998. With Registered Student
Organization status and colony papers in hand, Phi Sigma
Kappa President Bill Archer and the other members are
working to get the Kappa Tetarton Colony chartered.
"As far as I know we don't fall in any of the
stereotypes of a fraternity," Archer said. "Some
day we hope to compete for sports trophies and biggest house
on campus but right now we're just working on recruiting
good guys."
By December the organization hopes to receive its charter
and with that begin an overhaul of SIUC's greek system. As
the University's greek population percentage hangs in the
single digits, Phi Sigma Kappa hopes its emphasis of
academics and community improvement encourages more men to
get involved.
"We are trying to attract people who put school
first," said Rob Saylor, director of media relations
for the fraternity. "We all maintain a great sense of
closeness and we all have common goal to change greek
life."
During the spring semester last year, Archer was exposed
to different aspects of greek life as the Undergraduate
Student Government president. He took his plan to help
re-establish Phi Sigma Kappa to Director of Student
Development Katie Sermersheim. Sermersheim put him in
contact with an alumnus from the fraternity.
Archer found other students interested in bringing back
the fraternity, which released its charter with the
University after suffering declining membership and debt in
1998. Together they worked through the summer out of
Archer's living room rewriting the fraternity's constitution
and by-laws and seeking RSO status.
Archer said the initial interest in the fraternity was
low so he and the other members began recruiting members
more actively. They sought out men who shared their desire
of establishing a fraternity that is academic and community
oriented while still balancing fun.
The fraternity has a year-round rush so the members are
constantly busy recruiting new students. Its goal is to have
40 members by Oct. 8, two months before the organization is
expected to receive its charter.
In the meantime, the group is busy organizing a
fund-raiser for a terminally ill cancer patient, maintaining
its Adopt-A-Spot on the Strip and helping out the community
in anyway it can.
"We want a good reputation," Archer said.
"If our [fraternity] comes out as the gentleman of the
campus then we've succeeded our goal."
The fraternity is in the process of renting a house on
West Main Street, another step in establishing itself in the
greek community. And as it seeks more members and a new
reputation, Saylor hopes the fraternity is instrumental in
changing the outlook of greek life at SIUC.
"We are out to do something different," Saylor
said. "We're trying to break the mold of a fraternity,
and I think so far, we're doing a good job of that,"
Saylor said.
Reporter Ginny Skalski can be reached at gskalski@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 4/1/02; 4:30:42 AM
