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

 

Booze Cruise 2007

Fellas,

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 8th, 2007, for that evening will kick off the first annual Rho Rho Alumni Chapter Booze Cruise at 6 p.m. in Portland!  Financial details are still being ironed out, but as of now we’ll be sailing courtesy of Casablanca Cruises, located on the wharf behind the Comedy Connection, Porthole Restaurant and Gilbert’s Chowderhouse on Commercial St.  The cruise will  last until 9 p.m., at which point we will continue our journey on a pub crawl through Portland’s Old Port District. 

This will be wonderful opportunity to bring people together for an enjoyable evening.  Those of us who now have families will have the chance to re-acquaint ourselves beyond our college years as well.  It goes without saying, but wives and children are encouraged to join us. 

Please stay tuned for details, and don’t be afraid to spread the word to other sigs who are not on the blog list!  This may also be a good opportunity to get some new blood in the blog as well.  If we fill this boat with 15o people, we will be welcomed back for future cruises.  Let’s do this!!!! 

Questions?  Send me and email or ring me at 615-4806.

For more info, click here:  http://www.maineharbourcruises.com/

I simply cannot wait…

Rick

 

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

 

Past, Present, and Future: An Alumnus Perspective

Along with the active chapter’s mid-February email and snail mailing, Brother Haney shared the following message.  Rick Haney is the new chapter advisor and former president of the alumni chapter.  Rick has gone above and beyond the call of duty.  It doesn’t take long to see his passion to get more people involved in helping the active  Rho Rho brothers.  The active chapter’s February 2007 Newsletter written by Consul Jason Mclaughlin can be seen below (or click on it in the lists of recent posts on the right side of this page).

My Brothers,

As a participating member of the Southern Maine Sigma Chi Alumni Association, I write you with great hope of opening new doors within our organization, as well as into the active chapter. We are a growing and unified organization, whose primary objective is to assist our active undergraduate brothers through guidance, support, and, most importantly, encouragement. It is our belief that efforts thus far have sparked a transformation within our 105 year-old active chapter; a transformation that, in my own opinion, has much been needed since the early 1990’s. Thoug h the active chapter is small, it is a stand-up group of young men fully committed to representing their fraternity and their school in a positive light.  As an actively participating alumnus, I could not be more pleased with the focused direction in which the chapter is headed.

The better part of the last two decades has indeed been quite troublesome for Rho Rho, and I have made it my obligation to try and put some of the missing pieces back in place.  Though we are fortunate in our willingness to secure a bright future for the chapter, we owe the same debt of gratitude to the past.  Living in the house in the early 1990’s was enjoyable, but we knew next-to-nothing about the brotherhood that occupied it in the thirty years prior.  We accepted the animosity generated in the aftermath of the “Renaissance at Rho Rho” campaign in 1992.  What we didn’t know was that generations of brothers were scorned in a written letter, commanding them never to return to the chapter house which they allegedly ruined with years of irresponsible behavior.  As a result, Rho Rho chapter lost decades of heritage, tradition, and legacy in one fell swoop.  Without these very things, how can a brotherhood sustain itself?  Whose right was it to throw them away?  What was it that made those brothers less worthy of their fraternal order?

Please understand that today, s uch feelings are no longer a part of the brotherhood at Rho Rho.  Our house is gone and the chapter has carried the torch without it.  They have managed to push forward and stay afloat during the darkest time in our long and favorable history at UMaine, all the while with severely limited alumni resources.  Having the house close twice in six years dealt a crushing blow to those involved, but it must be understood that valiant efforts were made to keep it open.  The housing corporation did everything it could, but the finances just weren’t available.  Fingers were pointed and egos were crushed, and though it has been nearly a decade, the hurtful days are long behind us.  I believe the time has come for us to put back into the chapter what it has given so many of us throughout the years:  The strong arms that surround us, the true hearts upon which we rest, and the tender sympathies from which we draw consolation for the past, comfort for the present, and hope for the future.  It is my deepest hope that these solemn words will bring a resurgence in alumni involvement at Rho Rho.  It is also my hope that together we will continue to achieve greatness on and off campus, and throughout our lives in the friendships this great fraternity has enabled us to create.

In closing, I would personally like to add that I’ve enjoyed leading the Alumni Association a great deal over the past two years.  Not only have I strengthene d my ties to Sigma Chi by rekindling some old friendships, I have also had the privilege of forming new ones.  Since joining as an undergrad in the early 1990’s, I have seen both ends of the Rho Rho spectrum.  I remember the days when the house was full of brothers and times were enjoyable, but I also recall with a heavy heart the dark days after we lost the house and meetings were held in off campus apartments and in the drab basements of dormitories.  It was a tough, confusing time to be an active brother, and for many of us, the wounds have yet to heal completely.  Through it all, the chapter has managed to survive, proving once and for all that it can carry the torch through challenging and tumultuous times, even without the house on College Ave.  In truth, nothing has made me more proud to be a Rho Rho.  I will always remember with fondness the days I spent living in the old Chi Lodge, but times have changed drastically, even in the short decade or so since we occupied it, and we must adapt in order to ensure survival.  As a contributing member of the Alumni Association, I am very proud to serve as a mentor to the young undergraduate brothers, and it is my hope that together we can accomplish great things, the most important being the continued growth and success of Rho Rho chapter.

Proud to be a Rho Rho Sig,

Rick Haney
Former Alumni Association President
Newly elected Active Chapter Advisor

rphaney@inhoc.com