Walking through the University Center, it is hard to miss the two exceptionally well-dressed men eagerly talking away to whomever they come across. The buzz is going around and now the rumors can finally be put to rest. For the next five weeks these gentlemen will be on our beloved campus recruiting only the best to begin a new chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity. If you slacked on the academics a few years and are still here from 2008 you may remember the old Sigma Pi, however, this time around things will be different. Ryan Khuri and Zachery Spillner have incredible, driven hearts and minds to bring Sigma Pi’s standards and traditions to our lovely home here at CMU.
After getting the chance to sit down and talk with both of these men, it is easy to see the passion they have for their fraternity. An amazing opportunity that the men of Sigma Pi started in the fall of 2002 called The Altruistic Campus Experience, or ACE Project, works to benefit each individual campus to bring to light the importance of giving back. They believe that it is important to not only raise money to help those in need, but raise the money in a way that will also benefit others. It is the chapter’s job to help the campus in any way they can. Each chapter has a different way to help their campus; they can range from organizing clean-up projects to assisting the school with awareness seminars. This program has been an overwhelming success since it took off ten years ago. Clearly, drive and leadership are key traits that are considered when looking for Founding Fathers of Sigma Pi on Central’s campus.
Adding another fraternity on campus may bring the assumption that they are going to post up on Main St. ready for the weekend, but Ryan and Zack are hoping to recruit men with something else in mind. So, what exactly makes Sigma Pi stand out from the rest? A proud and strong trait that this fraternity holds is their diversity. They are looking for men who make an impact and are not afraid to go above and beyond the daily norm as well as those with an all around good center of morality. A fresh start on this campus is exactly what these men hope to bring in the next year of recruiting. Part of their public creed reads, “I will strive to make real the fraternity’s ideals in my own daily life,” which holds dear to each and every Sigma Pi as a reminder to constantly strive for success in everything they do. Ryan explains that it is easy to say these types of things, but unless it is reflected in your life, it’s worthless. The changes that CMU Greek life has made in the past few years have created a positive and healthy environment for all Greeks to grow and succeed. Sigma Pi hopes to join the community and contribute to the positive direction Greek life is headed.
The process of starting a new chapter on a campus is an extensive project. For the next few weeks these men will spend countless hours meeting and talking with potential recruits. They hope to begin with 45-65 men to create their Colony. A Colony has most of the rights of a Sigma Pi member without being initiated with the ritual. They set guidelines to follow throughout this 12-14 month period to prove that they can be an official chapter, after this time they become initiated and are an official Chapter in which they hope to have close to 80 members.
Unfortunately, they have a large amount of ground to cover. With only two recruiters on a campus of almost 29,000 students it is hard to spread the word around. Time to crack open those phone books and start searching for all those fantastic men meeting the requirements above. Not only could they impact this fraternity, this fraternity could change their life for the better. From getting the chance to talk with Ryan and Zack, it is easy to see the impact and benefits that Sigma Pi has given them and the impact that they have on Sigma Pi, as well. No need to admit we all complain about not having enough gentlemen around campus, and now the time is here! We have the chance to pick out those men and lead them on the right track to be the best kind of person they can be.
If you or anyone you know is interested in speaking with Ryan Khuri and Zack Spillner, they can be contacted by email/phone.
Also, check out Sigma Pi Fraternity at Central Michigan on Facebook.
Ryan Khuri – rkhuri@sigmapi.org 502-741-8634
Zach Spillner – zspillner@sigmapi.org 616-773-8069