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
May 11, 2007
A long time coming…
Posted by hanedog76 under Active Chapter News, Alumni Chapter News, Announcements, Chapter Advisor Space, Chi Lodge CommentaryLeave a Comment
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