Sitting Down with the Sigma Alpha Mu President Andrew Ramirez

Andrew Ramirez, the president of Sigma Alpha Mu, recently sat down with Her Campus Brandeis’ Ellen Franz for an interview.
 
Ellen Franz:What is it like to be the president of the newest fraternity at Brandeis? 
Andrew Ramirez:Being the president has been a lot of work because a lot of the foundations and traditions from the old chapter were lost in the past, so our council and I had to figure out how we wanted to build a withstanding organization. I didn’t have someone to pass down the knowledge to me when I was elected, so a lot of it was improvisation.
 
EF:Has the Greek community at Brandeis welcomed you all or have they turned their backs on you? 
AR:We have received a lot of support from all of the Greek organizations [at Brandeis]. When we first recolonized, I think a lot of the organizations didn’t know if it was real or not, but a year later, and a lot of obstacles passed, I think we’ve gained the legitimacy we needed.
 
EF:As a re-founding father, what made you decide to re-found Sigma Alpha Mu? 
AR:As a freshman, I definitely considered going Greek, but I didn’t feel particularly connected to any of the fraternities I visited. When I heard about the re-founding of Sigma Alpha Mu, I saw the opportunity to build a fraternity from the ground up, and I’ve never looked back.
 
EF:What do we have to look forward to from Sigma Alpha Mu this semester?
AR:This semester I am focusing a lot on community outreach. This is an important aspect of any fraternity that we hope to improve upon. We’re also in the process of finding a second house for our new members to move into this fall.
 
EF:What differentiates Sigma Alpha Mu from the other Greek fraternities at Brandeis? 
AR:We are an eclectic group of motivated Brandeis students who all joined the fraternity under a common goal. We really emphasize the brotherhood and resources that we receive from our alumni and national organization.