Page 2 - Gamma Mu News - Winter 2009-10

State of the Chapter

Chapter News
by William Niemira, Eminent Commander

Dear Brothers in Sigma Nu,

he most important thing I can do in this
Tletter is to thank ALL of our alumni
for all that they have done to rebuild our
chapter over the past two years. The
actives are grateful that you have stuck
with us during this challenging time in our 1
fraternity’s history. The acts of kindness
and generosity from so many alumni are both motivating and
true testament to the lifelong nature of the Sigma Nu Fraternity.
My understanding is that since April 2008, the Alumni
have donated over $40,000 in new furnishings for the house.
As such, I will let these pictures (right) show the current state of
our Chapter House. 3
I particularly want to thank Michael Ritchie, David von
Nirschl, Steve Berry, Adrian Terrones, Jerry Lindley, Joe
Lodesky, Gregg Rithmiller, Steve Cox, Jim Eaton, Chris 2
Mann, John Paul Buzard, Bob Peacock, Jeff Hays and
Robert Jantz for their unique involvement in the Chapter’s
revitalization. 4
We are also grateful for our alumni who are funding our
Pursuit of Excellence (POE) Scholarship which has become a
key component of our recruiting efforts. We had 120 applicants
this year. Three of our current pledges came from these
applications, including Jeremy Palgen, profiled herein, who was 5
the recipient of the POE Scholarship. We plan to improve our
recruitment through scholarship efforts in the upcoming year
and welcome alumni participation at our Pursuit of Excellence
Reception for Applicants to be held Saturday, August 21, 2010
at the chapter house. Most importantly we expect to have at
least 40 active members by Fall of 2010. Consistent with our
goal of reaching a 60 man chapter by Fall of 2011.

Fraternally,

William Niemira
Eminent Commander 6

Sigma Nu Fraternity’s Inaugural Christmas Toy Drive

by Juan Flowers, Philanthropy Chairman
he holiday season brings out many traditions that have been passed on through the ages. In Sigma Nu Fraternity
Twe have many traditions, one important tradition is philanthropy. The holidays are the perfect time to teach the
pledges, as well as some actives, about giving and volunteerism in order to convey the principles of our fraternity.
In early November we started the holiday season with charity in mind, partnering with the Champaign County
Toys for Tots Foundation (Marine Corps Reserve) to host a toy drive at our chapter house. The chapter house served as
Urbana’s only Toys for Tots drop-off site. To promote our drop-off site we received help from the campus radio station
WPGU and the Toys for Tots Foundation.
The toy drive created a friendly toy donation competition among the local sororities. The ladies of Alpha Delta Pi
were the winners, donating over 20 items. The ladies of Phi Mu came in a close second. The toys collected from the
sororities, the active chapter and the Urbana community placed Sigma Nu fraternity as the most successful drop-off 7
site in Champaign County.
On Dec. 3rd to culminate the month long toy drive, the chapter organized an open house event to celebrate the
efforts of the community, the sororities and the active chapter. The open house event was sponsored by local businesses
in Savoy, IL. With the current economic conditions, we were unsure about how much the community would be able to 1. Chapter Room, 2. Blue Room/Living
help. However, much to our surprise, there was an overwhelming positive response from the Savoy community. Local Room, 3. Moose Head, 4. Moose Room,
businesses, like Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree, were eager to donate food and toys to help put together this event. 5. Pool Room, 6. Sigma Nu Granite
Hosting the toy drive kept the members of the active chapter as well as the pledges in the holiday spirit while Plaque, 7. Sigma Nu Granite Plaque
supporting an organization that help make the holidays better for underprivileged children across Champaign County. -Side Porch
The chapter would like to give an extra special thanks to alumnus David von Nirschl for his generous contributions.