Initiation Set for Saturday (12/8/07)

The Rho Rho chapter of Sigma Chi continues to increase its numbers.  This fall’s initiation is scheduled for this Saturday December 8, 2007.  If you want to witness the final ceremony, you should arrive at the Sigma Chi Heritage House by 8:00 am.  More news on our new brothers will be released in the near future.

 

Homecoming Schedule

Fellas,

It’s that time of year again, and this year looks to be very busy.  First and foremost, our Alumni Chapter (yes, chapter – now formally recognized by Sigma Chi nationals) will hold a ritualistic meeting in the Chi Lodge chapter room beginning at 10 a.m.  Don’t be late!  The rest of the day is as follows:

11 am (or directly after meeting):  Annual softball game between actives and alums.  Game will take place at H.E. Sergeant Community Center on the Bennoch Road in Old Town, just off Stillwater Ave by the legendary Riverplex. 

12 – 3 pm:  Annual tailgate party with Kimball & Co. in Lot A between TKE and the football field.  Bring along whatever spirits you fancy as well as any foods you would like to share with everyone.  Word has it that Abe Frohman, the “Sausage King of Chicago”, will be serving up his famous sausage bombs during the party. 

3 pm :  Maine Black Bears take on The Tribe of William & Mary.  It would be great to have an all Sig section to cheer them on; maybe our support will help to pull them out of a four-game losing streak…

5 pm – 8 pm:  Homecoming reception at the old Sigma Chi house on College Ave for all alumni and actives.  Light refreshments, snacks, etc. will be provided, as well as a CASH BAR on the first floor.  Bring plenty of cash; it’s been a long time since anyone’s been able to reminisce over cocktails in our beloved house, and it could be a great time for all of us.

8 pm – Whenever we fall:  Party with the actives in their new location in Old Town.  Come see the new underground bar!  Ice cold beer always on tap and plenty of young co-eds that love to dance (let’s see if any of you old codgers have still got it….this means you, Tipsy McStagger!)

Directions to new house:

Follow Stillwater Ave toward Old Town.  After the Hannaford on your right, the first street you come to will be Abbott.  Take a right on Abbott and follow it until you come around a sharp bend.  A little ways after the bend, look for the house on the corner of King St and Abbott, and more than likely you will see plenty of cars around the house.

I hope everyone can make it to Homecoming this year.  Any Sigs who attend the game but are unaware of our plans will more than likely see the giant Miller Lite ‘Welcome back Rho Rho Alums’ banner hanging from the pillars of our old house.  Chances are, it will grab their attention as well as their curiousity and maybe they’ll swing by for a beer.  I’ll be there waiting.  See you this weekend!

IHSV

Rick

 

Homecoming Football Tailgate Party–Sat. Oct. 13 12 noon

Homecoming has a special meaning for all University of Maine Sigs and fellow Greeks. We hope that you will return this year for Saturday October 13 (or even better the full weekend) to rekindle some past friendships and meet more of your Rho Rho brothers (active and alumni).

There is much more to the full weekend plans including the traditional softball game and chapter meeting, but I wanted to share the football tailgate plans now so that you can make plans to come to the University and meet your brothers and their significant others prior to the football game.

Click on the graphic above to go to the UMaine Football webpage.

Bring a drink or two and something small to share. There will be snacks, desserts, hot dogs, chili, and the famous tailgate sweet sausage sandwiches available with grilled onions and peppers on fresh Brick Oven sub rolls.

We look forward to seeing you at the tailgate party. Right now the plan is to locate in Tailgate Lot A between TKE and the football field.  Each year I try to get as close to the field and along the wooden fence farthest away from Alfond Arena.  That gives us some extra grassy area and something to tie a tarp to in case of inclement weather.  Yes, this is a rain, snow, or sunshine event.

Come early as we need to get caught up on the past and present while getting fired up for a good football game.

For more information, email (kimballs@hermon.net) or call Shawn Kimball at 207-735-3704 (leave a message if there is no answer).

 

Consul McLaughlin Reflects on ‘06-’07

The following post was emailed to me by Consul Jason McLaughlin (’08). Hopefully we can work out some challenges real soon so he and other brothers can post here more easily. If you want to post something, email it to kimballs@hermon.net and then I will get make sure you can post your own articles. Thanks Glock for keeping all Rho Rho Brothers informed.

Greetings Brothers –

First off I would just like to say that this past year (Fall ’06 and Spring ’07) has been quite a year for the Rho Rho chapter and I would like to take the time to tell a little bit about our great accomplishments and goals for the future.

The latest feat of Rho Rho was receiving the Most Improved Fraternity award from the University earlier this month! I can honestly say that the chapter was very deserving of this reward this year and also that I am thrilled and honored to have led the chapter as Consul during such a great year.

The fall semester started out with a small chapter size of only 12 brothers. Rush went well this first semester, however, we were only able to have 2 pledges make it through the pledge process and they were initiated in December 2006. The two new brothers are Jason Knowles and Clay Cavness.

The first semester at UMaine also witnessed Sigma Chi’s First Annual “Camping for A Cure”. This is a new philanthropy that Rho Rho started this year and hopes to improve upon and strengthen it in the Fall Semesters to come. This philanthropy raises money for Huntsman Cancer Institute. Basically we decided to camp out on the mall by the library on campus for 24 hrs straight. We were sponsored by Coca-Cola and gave away free energy drinks, hot chocolate, and accepted donations, as well as sold raffle tickets for various prizes. The chapter was able to raise approximately $600 with this event, of which we are already planning ways to improve upon for next fall.

This past January many active brothers as well as Rho Rho Alums could be found at the “Hovell in Lovell” thanks to the generosity, as always, of Doug Duschenes and Tom Murphy. The Retreat proved to be very beneficial to the chapter and the alumni support was great as we had one of the biggest turnouts of alumni ever. Sigma Chi pretty much takes over the town of Center Lovell and always manages to have a blast. Thanks again to these generous alumni (Tom and Doug) and we hope to continue this tradition for years to come.

One of the biggest things that made the Spring Semester so successful was that the motivation of the actives was high after the Retreat, as it always is; however, it remained in tact as the Spring Semester got underway. This is something that is hard to keep as brothers get busy with their lives and schoolwork and whatnot. However, this year was different as the entire chapter was motivated to have a great rush and see the chapter grow for the Spring Semester, and that it did!

Spring Rush was great, and under the leadership of Rush Chairman Eric Anderson the chapter was able to have a Spring Pledge Class of 7, the biggest since I pledged in the Spring of 2004. One strategic plan of the chapter that was decided at the Winter Retreat was to shorten the rush period so that brothers and rushes alike would not grow bored with the process. So, we cut our rush period down to 3 and organized 2 or 3 rush events per week. We gave our bids earlier than normal this semester, and had brothers perform a lot more one on one interaction with the recruits. Our actions proved successful as we will start the Fall ’07 with 18 brothers.

So, on April 14th, the Rho Rho Chapter happily initiated Zach Hunt, James Spilsbury, Andrew Haley, Brad Bachelder, Maxwell Beck, Steve Barker, and Ken Harvey. These 7 men show a lot of heart for the organization and I personally see leadership coming from them very quickly.

Great things also happened to the active chapter in the end of March when Rho Rho was given the chance to have Mission 365 brought to UMaine. This is a Recruitment Workshop that is totally paid for by Sigma Chi National and is a weekend long event where a facilitator comes to town and teaches brothers about Rush Techniques and ways to Recruit New Members all year long and not just during the “Rush Period” at the beginning of each semester. There were many interesting tactics that were preached and demonstrated during this workshop and the actives plan on implementing a few of the new ideas into recruitment this fall.

Alumni were very supportive this year as well. I cannot use words to express all the help and success that newly appointed chapter advisor Rick Haney has had for the active chapter and its individual members such as myself. He has been very motivated, has attended many chapter meetings and events, and helped with Initiations as well as history night during pledging, just to name a few. The alumni chapter itself has helped out immensely as well. They have tightened the bonds of the chapter I do believe, because we always know that we have them to fall back on for help and support. Whether it be myself or Quaestor Neil Spillane, we tried to make as many monthly alumni meetings down in Portland to keep the two groups as closely tied together as possible.

I had a tremendous year being Consul of the chapter and would like to extend many thanks to my great fellow top-5 officers and Exec Board composed of Nick Webster (Pro Consul), David Parker (Magister), Eric Anderson (Rush Chair) , and Neil Spillane (Quaestor).

This summer we have several brothers that will be attending the Balfour Leadership Training Workshop in August out in Missouri. Also, brother Clay Cavness will be attending Grand Chapter out in California!

One final note, PLEASE MARK YOU CALENDARS FOR THE WEEKEND OF JUNE 9TH, as Sigs will be gathering in Lovell again for the summer retreat. Lets get a little work done on the house, talk about the upcoming semester, and have one hell of a weekend as always.

Guard Well Brothers,
Jason McLaughlin (’08)
Consul

 

A long time coming…

Brothers,

Remember back when you were in school, when that dark cloud known as “finances” hung over Rho Rho?  I know I do; In fact, our financial affairs in the early 1990’s overshadowed everything we did.  I have never known a Rho Rho chapter that hasn’t shared its crop of financial burden, but I’m pleased to announce that today, we have once again passed a milestone at Rho Rho.

Worthy brothers, it is written:  Rho Rho is officially out of debt!  Dedicated and highly motivated Quaestor and Consul-elect Neil Spillane is the man to thank for this, as his skills and perseverance have carried our chapter into new territory.  To my knowledge, Rho Rho has been in continuous debt since its reformation campaign in 1992.  That year was supposed to mark a new direction for us, but bad decisions were made that set a negative tone for the following decade.  Thanks to Neil and the rest of our highly committed active brotherhood, those days appear to be long behind us now. 

What an exciting time to be an active brother!  With all these great things happening at Rho Rho, I hope we can all find some time to get involved again and share the excitement.  It hasn’t happened overnight, but the wheels are in motion for a bright future for our chapter, and it all starts with the active brotherhood.  Keep up the fantastic work, brothers!  Your efforts are very much appreciated!

In Hoc,

Rick Haney

 

Rho Rho Soars to New Heights

Brothers,

It is my great pleasure to inform you that Sigma Chi has just been voted UMaine’s Most Improved Fraternity for the 2006 – 2007 academic year!  The award was presented to Rho Rho at a ceremony earlier this evening, and will no doubt serve as a testament to the hard work and tireless dedication our active brothers have recently shown.  I can speak for all of us when I say I’m particularly proud of this accomplishment; if it doesn’t prove that alumni involvement can make a difference, I don’t know what would. 

Cheers, brothers!  Tip a few cold ones back and celebrate.  You’ve certainly earned it!

In Hoc!

Rick Haney

Very Proud Rho Rho Chapter Advisor

 

Derby Days completed

Hello brothers,

The active chapter has just concluded our annual Derby Days philanthropy for the Children’s Miracle Network. This year was a huge success, with Joe Burnham at the helm. Sororities took place in a variety of events including sign-a-sig, olympics, and the rock-a-thon. There was also a blood drive held, sponsored by us, that raised 46 pints of blood. All in all, there was $1,700 dollars raised, an incredible feat. Up next on the agenda is the formal this Friday the 27th, and more philanthropy work at Camp Roosevelt Sunday, to help build cabins. All alumni are welcome to show up to formal.

In Hoc,

Neil Spillane

Quaestor, Rho Rho Chapter

 

Spring Active Chapter Newsletter (Feb 2007)

Current chapter president Jason Mclaughlin shared this newsletter via email and snail mail back in late February. I hope that more people will be better informed by posting it here. Please pass along the address of this blog (http://kimballs.wordpress.com) so that more brothers will become better informed and become more involved.

Thanks Glock! The chapter is doing very well this year under your leadership.

Sigma Chi Newsletter for Spring Semester 2007 (1 of 2) – Rho Rho Chapter

Greetings Brothers! These days there are many great things happening within the Rho Rho Chapter of Sigma Chi. It is my absolute pleasure to inform you of some of the great plans we have in store for our future.

Before I dig too deep, I would like to discuss some of our most recent accomplishments. First and foremost, Sigma Chi was this year’s winner of the Winter Carnival, and we are excited to start the year on a high note. Many of you remember Winter Carnivals of years past, and we are proud to once again carry the tradition.

We are now about 3 weeks into the Spring Semester here at good ol’ UMaine and Rush is going really well! One asset that I believe had a major impact on this was our annual Winter Brotherhood Retreat held in January at “The Hovell in Lovell”. I would like to extend the chapter’s many thanks to Tom Murphy (’81) and Doug Deschenes (’81) for having us again this year for a fabulous weekend. This year proved to be a huge success as all but 1 active brother was present, as well as a great turnout of Alumni Support. THANKS GUYS! The chapter came back to school for the Spring Semester with a burning desire, one that can sometimes fade rather quickly as we get back to our studies and become busy with usual college life. However, this was not the case this year! We came back, geared up, and enthusiastically put our ideas to work. We have had a great Rush period this semester, which just ended recently with a Super Bowl Party. (Let’s not even talk about the game!) We have 7 signed bids and are waiting to hear back on 2 more. This is great news for the active chapter, as our numbers have really struggled with a total of only 7 initiates in the past 3 semesters. We are excited at the possibility of exceeding that number in just this one semester, and the timing could not have been better. Sure, we need the numbers, but we will be graduating only one member in the spring. Though we are sad to see Brother Justin Dunbar leave us for the real world, at the end of the school year we will be sitting at 18 actives.

This brings me to my next topic of interest, a wonderful program that Rho Rho Chapter will take part in this March. The program is known as Mission 365 and is based on improving the recruitment process for “chapters in need”. Having talked with the right people out in Indiana this summer and at our Province Conference, Rho Rho Chapter has been placed on the “Fast-Track” with this program and we are towards the top of the list. We will participate in this workshop the weekend of March 30th – April 1st 2007, and would be more than happy to have you join us. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me for more information, as it has been proven that the more alumni participation, the more our chapter will benefit. We are looking forward to this workshop a great deal, as it will likely enable Rho Rho to experience productive semesters such as this one for years to come.

Another great program currently underway is known as Conrnerstone, and can quickly be summarized as a mentoring program for alumni. During the weekend of January 11th -14th, Rho Rho chapter sent the dedicated and motivated Brother Austin R. Harrell (’06) to Boston for the first Cornerstone training session. Cornerstone is a program that deals strictly with alumni and has proven a great success for the regi ons in which it has been facilitated. We are fortunate to have this program, as the North Atlantic Province is only the third region in the U.S. to receive it. It is specifically designed to train dedicated alumni to be leaders, mentors, and advisors to their local chapters. It is a resource from which alumni can learn a lot about the Fraternity that they may not have previously known, they can also learn many ways to deal with undergraduate chapter issues “from the other side of the fence”, and they can make great connections within the international fraternity. Should you have any questions regarding the Cornerstone Program, please feel free to contact Austin at [ mailto:Austin.harrell@umit.maine.edu ]Austin.Harrell@umit.maine.edu.

The chapter is also pleased to announce that we have a new chapter advisor. Alumnus Brother Rick Haney (’98) has proven his dedication to the chapter and was voted in to take the reigns at the last chapter meeting. We are looking for some great advice and guidance from him, as his motivation has played a vital role in our recent success. Th ough he currently resides in Old Orchard Beach, he is often in the Orono area visiting family and will no doubt aid in the ongoing efforts to brighten the future of Rho Rho. Rick is also “doubling” as the Active Chapter Liason for the Southern Maine Sigma Chi Alumni Association, so we will be seeing a lot of him in the weeks and months to come. Should you have any questions, feel free to email him at [ mailto:rphaney@inhoc.com ]rphaney@inhoc.com, or call him at 207-615-4806. Keep up the great work, Rick!

Speaking of alumni, the Southern Maine Sigma Chi Alumni Association in the greater Portland area is making great strides with their organization’s work, and has already proven to be a major asset to the spirit of Rho Rho. For those of you who take part in the regular monthly meetings, thank you for your dedication. You have already shown your great support with your attendance at this year’s Winter Brotherhood Retreat. For more details on the events and plans of the alumni association, please contact their president, Craig Coolidge at [ mailto:Craig.Coolidge@umit.maine.edu ]Craig.Coolidge@umit.maine.edu. I know from talking with them at the Retreat that they are currently brewing some great ideas, so let’s support them in their quest and look forward to their great future within Sigma Chi!

Finally, I would like to touch on Pledging and give you some important dates to keep in mind. As mentioned earlier we have 7 signed bids and are still waiting to hear back from 2 more candidates. Pledging is slated to begin next week, the first meeting taking place during the week of February 12-18th. Initiation is going to be Saturday April 14th at the old Chi Lodge at 9am. If you are able, please try to attend! Initiations are always more enjoyable with a room full of brothers. We put a great deal of effort into the ceremony because we treasure it dearly. We would love nothing more than for you to enjoy it with us! The Spring Formal is being planned for April 28th so mark that one down on your calendars also! If you have any questions regarding pledging events feel free to contact our current Magister, David Parker at [ mailto:david.parker@umit.maine.edu ]david.parker@umit.maine.edu or 207-459-8746.

Brother, I thank you for your time. I plan on sending out another newsletter towards the end of the school year with a recap of the year’s successes, as well as an update for summer events such as brotherhood retreats, reunions, etc. Please keep an eye out for them in the weeks to come. Also, a plan is in the works to resurrect the official Rho Rho newsletter, The Pine Tree Sig. Unfortunately, the Pine Tree Sig has become a thing of the past in recent years, but it is my goal to see it brought back into production. For years it served as an update for the goings-on within the active chapter, but the last decade has been quite tumultuous for Rho Rho, and sadly, many chapter traditions such as the Pine Tree Sig have been lost. We regret this deeply, but truly look forward to bringing it and many other legacies back to life!

Godspeed,
Jason Mclaughlin
Consul, Rho Rho Chapter
Jason_Mclaughlin@umit.maine.edu

 

Rho Rho Initiates 7 New Brothers

This past Saturday April 14, the active brothers of Rho Rho came together and pulled off an initiation with barely a hitch. One candidate during the final ceremony was a bit overwhelmed and appeared to need a seat. When he was helped and quickly dropped into the chair, the chair surprisingly broke into pieces. The brother assisting in the process and the chair itself broke the candidate’s fall. A different chair was quickly provided and the ceremony was not interrupted.

As an older brother who has seen two initiations in the past three years and close to ten over the years, I was impressed with the commitment of the all the brothers involved.   Their ability to pull off an entire initiation and perform the final ceremony despite the relatively small size of the active chapter was impressive.  The seven new brothers seemed to fully appreciate the process and were proud and to join our brotherhood.

Approximately ten alumni attended and helped throughout the initiation process.  Over a month ago representatives of the alumni chapter expressed with pleasure that the chapter was training seven pledges. If the active chapter is able to recruit and initiate 7-10 new brothers each semester, active numbers could grow to 35+ within 2 years.  All seven new brothers are first semester freshmen with intentions of completing their education at the University of Maine.

Way to go Rho Rho!  We are proud of you and will continue to support your work and  continue our own efforts to increase capacity among the alumni.

 

Initiation Update

Active Brother Austin Harrell Says:
April 10th, 2007 at 10:06 pm

“Initiation is scheduled for 9:00am this Saturday April 14, 2007 in the Chapter Room.  The Banquet is scheduled for 5:00pm at the Heritage House.”
All initiated Sigma Chi brothers are encouraged to attend the initiation. Please try to be there before 8:30 am. This ceremony is the first big step in bringing the numbers back to Rho Rho. Your involvement will make a difference.

 

Active Chapter News

Important Upcoming Date:

• Initiation  Saturday April 14th 8:00 am in Rho Rho Chapter Room.

Keep and eye out for more news from the actives when they start publishing to the blog.