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

 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a House again!

Do you think that the following guys would have been short-sighted and made the same decisions to close the chapter house and turn it over to the University?

Read below to see how two past brothers look back upon this difficult time.

 

My Thoughts on the Renaissance at Rho Rho

The house should still be ours…

The point of this web space is to bring out a broader perspective about events which many younger generation Sigs have yet to learn about. I realize that what follows is more of an editorial, but I’ve sat on these thoughts and feelings for years and hope that some good can come out of what I have to say. If nothing else, younger generations can learn from the past and use it to their advantage in the future. Yesterday I visited the vague and somewhat disappointing history page on the UMaine Sigma Chi website. What follows is a more articulate depiction of the last ten to fifteen years. As with anything else I’ve posted, I welcome any corrections/disputes from anyone who sees it necessary.

 

When our house was closed in 1991, our brotherhood was strong. It is true that things were out of hand at times, but Rho Rho was a solid chapter, full of brothers who cared for one another and were committed to their cause. They were robbed of their house and legacy by powerful people who didn’t agree with their lifestyle, and have since been labeled as party animals, vandals, and even rapists according to some. They were not acting any differently than many had acted in previous years. They happened to be there during a time when UMO was beginning to clean house around campus, getting rid of what it saw as problem areas. UMO would have closed the house for good at that point, had it not been for the behind the scenes political manipulations between then Grand Praetor Mike Ursillo , the University, and prominent Rho Rho alumni who foolishly thought the house would flourish if brought back to its original glory of the 1930’s – 1950’s.

 

I’m not one who believes in degrading others to prove a point, but I do believe particular attention should be paid to the many false beliefs that led us to where we are as a chapter today. First, I’ve always believed that Ty Bateese has been given more credit than was due for his role in the “Renaissance at Rho Rho” in 1992. He was not even a Rho Rho! He was initiated while attending Boston University and transferred to UMO prior to his involvement with our chapter. He and John Moon (more on him later) were recruited by Mike Ursillo to lead the effort in a new Rho Rho chapter, after it was decided that the house would close. Prior to this decision, the chapter was on thin ice as it was and restricted to no alcohol in the house. When a party was planned during this time, both Ty and John Moon were aware and kept it to themselves. They did not try to prevent it from happening; instead, they both left for the night and therefore were not implicated in being involved with the party. Thus, when the hammer fell, it avoided the two of them altogether. The brothers at the time knew this and felt betrayed because they had accepted an outsider into their circle who had turned on them. Adding insult to injury, the outsider was then praised for it, making his mark in our chapter’s history as the hero that saved Rho Rho. This was not fair to the true Rho Rho brothers. It’s no wonder they disassociated themselves with our chapter, and they justifiably carry hard feelings about Ty to this day.

 

John Moon was a grad student live-in advisor who kept booze in his room and often invited brothers in to drink with him during the first no-alcohol disciplinary period.  Because he was an older, non-traditional brother with business experience, he was entrusted with the finances of our reformed chapter. He was quickly put in charge of the extravagant renovations and spending, most of which he used to fund his own financial endeavors with his company, Marsh Island Developments. Should anyone wish to see where Rho Rho money went, go to 137 Main St. in downtown Bangor. There you’ll find a beautiful four-story brick townhouse, on the corner of Main and Union next to the old opera house. Renovated and financed with heartfelt donations from scores of Rho Rho alumni who only wished to help their beloved chapter, who also had no idea their money was being squandered by a crook. Moon was brought to justice in the years that followed, and if anyone would like to read about it, click here:

 

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=me&vol=00me142m&invol=1

 

In the mid 1990’s the chapter thrived. At one point we had over forty brothers and the “Renaissance at Rho Rho” was in full effect. It looked like a sure bet, despite the fact that we could not fill the house. Each semester was more difficult for the house association, who could not understand why, with more than forty active undergraduate brothers, over half of them did not want to live in the house. There were many reasons for this, ranging from lack of privacy to living costs to being forced to go elsewhere to have a beer, among many others. It was supposed to be our home but in many ways we never really felt like it was ours to begin with. An immense debt over our heads made it difficult to succeed, especially considering it was not a debt we had incurred ourselves. As a result, tremendous amounts of apathy began to spread. We were hounded by the house association every semester to get more people in the house, but what were we supposed to do? It wasn’t our fault that they overextended themselves financially and falsely assumed people would flock to Rho Rho. It wasn’t our fault that Moon skipped town with money that should have kept us afloat. And it certainly was not our fault that there was little alumni support. We had no idea David Greenlaw, ’41, wrote a chastising letter to brothers from the 1960’s -1980’s. In the letter he scorned them for the house disrepair and told them the chapter’s irresponsible behavior was their fault, and to never come back to Rho Rho. No wonder we never had any support! With this mentality, it’s also no wonder that the new direction for Rho Rho had been doomed from the start. If anyone has a copy of this letter I’d like to read it someday.

 

I’ve heard it said that the reason we lost the house in 1998 was because of a house party. This is also untrue. We lost the house because several members of the nearly bankrupt house association disagreed with creating a new direction, and panicked because actives were drinking in the house again. Some members of the association were in favor of changing the rules in an effort to keep the house open, but those who weren’t swiftly opted to shut us down. When they did, the chapter decided it had nothing left to lose and hosted the largest party the house had seen in years. We hired a DJ and the line to get in the back door extended into Phi Eta’s parking lot. It was clearly an act of defiance, but the bottom line was that for one night, short lived as it may have been, we were all brothers fully enjoying what little time we had left in our house. What a way to go out!

 

Our chapter house didn’t slip away because of finances. It was taken from us by people who couldn’t stand to be corrected, who were not willing to admit that their “plan” had failed.  The simple truth is that there really was no “plan”.  They re-opened our over-extravagantly renovated house and expected people to flock to the one-of-a-kind fraternity they had created.  Their false assumptions were based on their own memories of the house and campus from forty years before.  They didn’t do their homework and also didn’t realize that times had changed drastically since the 1950’s.  In those days recruitment was not the challenge it has become in recent times, yet they based the new direction on the premise that the house would fill every semester, in turn enabling itself to cover the massive operational costs as well as paying off the enormous debt of the house renovations.  It was a foolish gamble that cost them and every brother since our long-standing legacy.  Many of them were supportive of the chapter’s cause and were willing to work with us in finding a way to keep the Chi Lodge open, even if it meant allowing booze back in the house.  Some of them weren’t willing, so they pulled the plug and the rest of us have suffered since. Some may see this as speculative, perhaps even cynical, but you and I know better. Why else would they have closed the house TWICE in a six year period? Piss poor guidance by an older generation that should have known better.  They drank in that house as much as anyone else did.  Who told them how to run things?  Did anyone shut them down?  As members of the house association, they were more than supportive toward the chapter when the house was open.  If they had so much passion for Rho Rho, where are they now?  Where have they been for the last decade????  Thanks, Brothers!

 

Since that cold January night that we lost our house, Rho Rho has seen little to no alumni support whatsoever.  A major goal in my position of chapter advisor is to help change that; to facilitate a discussion about who we are, where we came from and why things are the way they are today. Biased and inaccurate histories have plagued us for far too long, and it’s time we stood on common ground and put the past to rest. Right now many things are changing for the better at Rho Rho, and I believe an accurate depiction of past events will only help increase our new found fortitude. Let’s continue fighting the good fight!!!!!

 

Thoughts on Losing our House & More

Patrick Haney (‘96) like many others still struggles with the closing of the Chapter House. Pat recalls the frustration and anger of the time. He originally posted this composition into the wiki, but it seems much more appropriate here in the blog. Thanks for contributing and seeing the need to get back in touch with our brotherhood. Several of us feel the same. Hence, the creation of this blog and the “Rho Rho Life”  history wiki.

When I try to remember the sequence of events that took place with the final closing of the house, it’s kind of hazy. Maybe I’ve suppressed the bad stuff because I don’t have any trouble recalling the fun times like partying at North 4th or Riverplex or the formals held at various random locations. It wasn’t all parties though. Some of my favorite memories include hiking up to Rainbow Ledges to put the shield out for the pledges, brotherhood retreats to places like Pazzy’s camp, pulling off a successful Founders’ Trail out on the Studmill Rd. and various community service projects on Saturday mornings (who’s bright idea was that?)…

But losing the house was tough. We tried like hell to keep it, but the odds were just stacked against us. I was Consul, Adam Page was Pro Consul and Josh Nason was Quaestor (I think this is right). We were still a relatively young group of officers and it felt like we had inherited a sinking ship. There was a lot of apathy going on in the chapter at the time. It was like pulling teeth to get some guys to do things like attend chapter meetings and pay dues…

We had one final meeting with the Housing Corporation where it was decided that it wasn’t financially possible to keep the house. I know we were a bit less mature than we are now, but at the time it felt like we were being abandoned–almost like they were saying “well, we gave you six months, you didn’t raise the money, so we have to sell the house to the University.”

So we did what any group of reasonable young men would have done. We said, “well f*** this, we’re gonna have a house party.” We called the guys into the chapter room to discuss how we’d make it happen. We were so damn excited at the thought of actually drinking in the house. Hell, we certainly deserved it after all those years of resisting temptation, right? I remember Hauck and Milley making fun of me for suggesting we get cases instead of kegs. “F*** that dude, we’re gettin’ f***in’ kegs man” was their professional assessment.

It didn’t take long to get the word out. “What? Sigma Chi is having a party IN their house? I thought they couldn’t do that?” I’m pretty sure that people abandoned whatever plans they had and headed over to 101 College Ave.

What a great night that was. Well, that is until the party got broken up. I don’t remember how far into the night we got, but it only felt like about 20 minutes. Burned into my memory is the image of one older, “more responsible” alumnus (who shall remain nameless) bursting through the door yelling “get the f*** out of MY house!” I remember thinking, “YOUR house?! It’s OUR house too. And pretty soon, it’s gonna be THEIR house. It got kinda ugly from there, but that’s all water under the bridge…
And that was that.

We pretty much had to move on from there. We had lost the house, but it was never a consideration for the chapter itself to go anywhere. We secured a room in the basement of a dorm (Somerset?). I won’t lie, that felt like shit at first. We didn’t want to be known as “the actives that lost the house”, but it was out of our hands.

So we took some time to evaluate what needed to be done to make the chapter strong again. And I feel like we made some great strides. We knew that it was going to be even harder to rush guys now that we didn’t even have a house. But we just tried not to think about it that way and we pressed on. We had some really strong pledge classes that came in at a most important time. Employing some strategy unlike before, we started thinking about the future and went to the dorms and targeted younger guys. If the chapter was to survive the next few years, we needed to replace ourselves with some good strong leaders.

Thankfully, we were successful because the Rho Rho chapter is alive and well at the University of Maine. I look forward to hearing plenty of memories from other guys. It truly is amazing how they come flooding back in when you just sit down to really think about it for a minute. It makes me realize that I’ve been pretty out of touch these last few years. I’d really like to change that.

Oh, and as a side note, I’d like to thank my brother Rick for his dedication. He got knocked around a bit during his final days as an active brother, but he put that all aside and now plays an extremely important role in the survival of Rho Rho. The current actives are lucky to have such a devoted Sig on their side.

In Hoc,
Patrick Haney ‘96

 

Time Capsules?

Somehow, I seem to remember something about buried time capsules.  Does anyone know more about these?  Have they been uncovered?  I think we put one in one of the Chi Lodge bar when studded and put up the rough-cut walls.

 

Hello Brothers! Welcome to the Rho Rho Blog!

After creating a wiki (an open, editable webspace) for the purpose of compiling a collaborative Rho Rho history, I thought we would attempt to have a blog presence as well. Since this may contain some opinions and more sensitive information, I have initially set this blog to require readers/writers to log in. Right now, I think we will also invite brothers via to join the blog. I will establish categories to help get discussions and sharing to occur. This site might be most valuable as a quick an easy way for the active brothers to share their activities and operations of the chapter. Our current active chapter advisor, Rick Haney, can have his own area. Also we can have a category for the Alumni Chapter. Let me know if you want additional categories or links to appear on this blog.

It is very important that you forward email addresses of Rho Rho brothers so we can invite them to read and add content to our blog. Send these email addresses and your comments to Shawn Kimball, your blogmaster, at kimballs@hermon.net.

Rho Rho has gone high tech! Join the discussion by clicking “Comment” or “No Comments” directly below the entry title to which you wish to respond.