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January 04, 2006
Consul's Word - January 4, 2006
Consul’s Word – January 4, 2006
In light of an inspiring semester and the long awaited renewal of our Iota Sigma website, it is my distinct pleasure to issue my first “Consul’s Word”. This brief address is a more recent tradition within our chapter and has contributed to our sense of continuity as leadership changes from year to year. As past Consuls have remarked, it offers an appropriate opportunity for reflection and focus on the “pulse of the chapter”. Alumni, parents, undergrad brothers, and other readers alike, I hope that you find this to be an accurate assessment of the immeasurable potential for our chapter’s continued growth, and our success in striving toward our most honorable ideals.
To say that this Fall 2005 semester has been productive, busy, challenging, and dynamic would be a statement of the obvious. The pace of life for an organization of active, full-time college men is often unrelenting; a truth to which most everyone can attest. However, while the elements of a busy schedule and a full social calendar remain consistent from year to year, the personality of this chapter takes on new faces with the cyclical initiation and graduation of every class. In a similarly refreshing way, new officers gear-up to spearhead the demanding tasks of their positions with their own unique characters and talents. As I attempt to communicate the current state of our chapter and the experiences of its undergrad brothers, let me individually address some of the most recent endeavors of our organization.
Iota Sigma traditionally carries a high banner for Sigma Chi on the intramural fields and this semester has been no exception. Led by the efforts of our Intramural Chair Ben Nice, we have taken home three championships in the last few months alone. With each event there is an energetic team of committed brothers who wish to continue the practice of honorable sportsmanship while they seek the thrill of victory. Every year, intramurals prove to be a venue for us to publicly uphold the values and ideals for which we strive.
Another area of refreshing improvement for Iota Sigma this semester has been philanthropy. Of course our premier event, Derby Days, was again successful in raising nearly $5000, under the direction of Derby Daddy Matt Gutwein. While Derby Days continues to be Valpo’s largest philanthropy event of the year, thanks to the dedication and energy of so many sororities and independent females on this campus, this chapter is exploring new avenues for contributing to the community. Philanthropy Chair Brent Park took on the project of selling hurricane relief buttons for a donation to the American Red Cross of over $800.
While the impact we can make as an organization for national charities is significant, the men of this chapter are now setting their sights on the immediate Valparaiso community with a new event called “Pancakes with Santa”. Hoping to reach families all over the area, we will be selling pancake breakfasts in the student union with the opportunity to sit on Santa’s lap for a picture and to tell him your Christmas wish-list. Donations of food and money have already been made by the local Burger King and Walmart while all proceeds will be donated to our local Spring Valley Homeless Shelter for the holiday season.
The energy in our brothers to carry the burden of service for others is inspiring to say the least. As officers and chairs meet to discuss ambitions for the future, the question is often brought up; “How do we get a lot of guys involved?” Well, it seems that, as displayed by these instances, the best motivator for involvement is that contagious energy carried within every brother for reaching a common goal. It is so contagious indeed, that it crosses the boundary between even graduate and undergraduate brothers.
I will go so far as to say that as carriers of this energy, our brothers can be the positive influence that is so desperately needed all over campus, in other organizations of which we are members, and within our workplaces and families as well. This is at the very heart of what it means to be a Sigma Chi. This is the way that our ideals, which serve to benefit everyone around us, can be lived out in our lives.
Nearing the end of a semester such as this one, I am confident that a belief in that truth lives in the heart of each of this chapter’s brothers. Moving into the future, our ambition will be to exercise our strong arms of brotherhood and support, and to let the whole world know exactly what we’re about.
Guard well my Brothers,
Jesse Kurth
Consul