Fall 2018 Alumni Newsletter
Jeff Wray
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Hi everyone,
Good afternoon from Sam Silverman, your abroad Vice President of Communications and George Ferridge, the newly elected Vice President of Communications for the fall semester.
For some of you, this is just another day in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or any of another dozens of cities around the country. For others, maybe it involves a big presentation, or the start of a big move, or plans for a wedding in the near future. But wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, one thing holds consistent: you are all Georgetown Sig Eps, and you all have a network of hundreds of brothers thinking of you and looking out for you at all times.
For the current undergraduate members of the DC Gamma Chapter, the semester is already in full swing. It is hard to believe how quickly the summer ended and the fall semester began in full swing, but the excitement of the chapter at school has never been higher. The idea of summer is far away now, with us now united in brotherly love on the hilltop.
Before I move on to a look forward at what is unfolding as one of the greatest semesters this fraternity has ever seen, I thought it might be a nice exercise to look back at some of the highlights of the past semester:
Academics
Once again, our Chapter GPA was strong. At 3.56, this is exactly in line with the standard of excellence we now expect. Our average GPA nearly had Greek Honors; this is miles ahead of the average GPA for Georgetown students as a whole, which sits closer to a 3.2. We must not rest on our laurels, and of course should strive to improve. But it is a testament to the high bar set by you all as alumni and the determination of current brothers that we continue to exemplify the ideal of being balanced men in the classroom.
Philanthropy
Echoing this ideal of sustained excellence and not being just balanced men, but balanced men for others is yet another year of leading Georgetown in fundraising for Relay for Life. Even with a smaller chapter and the graduation of some off our biggest fundraisers, yet again we made a huge difference in fighting cancer with over $22,000 raised. We are the standard to which all other teams are held. A special shoutout here to new alumnus Eric Menna, who was the second best fundraiser in the entire school. Next week we are also holding our annual 5k for Doorways, a local women’s shelter in the DC area. Last year we managed to raise almost $6,000, and we’re looking to exceed that this year as our fundraising ramps up ahead of the event.
Programming
Another great achievement of last semester was an increased focus on MD-Programming events. With the help of Campus Minister Paul Billings, we were able to hold a discussion on manhood every week before chapter. This was a chance to sit back and reflect upon how we could be even better as Sig Eps and as men. Attendance at these talks was excellent, and it was amazing to see Sigmas, Phis, and Epsilons alike come together, opening up about strengths and weaknesses, talking about all aspects of life, from career goals to thoughts on marriage. These talks culminated in a paint balling trip, mostly paid for by the Campus Ministry. 50 brothers gathered into vans for a day of fun in the woods. And at the end of the day, we came back together for a pig roast, offering yet another opportunity to reflect on what makes our chapter so special.
The rest of the semester had plenty of highlights as well. This included a continuation of our goal of taking the most racially, socially and economically diverse class as possible to replace an amazing batch of outgoing seniors. It also includes our progress on becoming a Residential Living Community (RLC), one of the new criteria for us to maintain our sterling record of winning Buch cups year after year. Last, but certainly not least, it included graduating a record number of chapter brothers as Brother Mentors, an example of just how much we have improved in keeping seniors extremely engaged.
As you can see, last semester was amazing. So far, the fall has shown us more of the same. We have Sophomores who have seen the importance of paying it forward and are ready to do it themselves. We have a stupendous class of juniors traveling abroad, ready to roam the world and then bring back to the chapter stories and advice with new world views. We have seniors who want to make sure their last year on the Hilltop is as impactful as possible both for them, and the rest of the fraternity. And we have brought in a class of Freshman so impressive we wonder how we were ever able to get in ourselves.
It is on this topic if impressive freshmen and giving back that I’d like to conclude this letter. As you all should know, last year we gave out our inaugural Cura Personalis Scholarships. These awards, financed so generously by the donations from our alumni, were given to 4 semi-finalists and 2 winners, boys and girls alike, all from the Georgetown Scholarship Program. Used not necessarily as a recruitment tool, but more as a way to continue the ideal of the Balanced Man, we are now continuing this scholarship for its second year. As you read this, our Cura Personalis Scholarship Board has decided on our winners for this year and is working to help them as much as they possibly can.
We were lucky enough that one of those two winners from last year decided to rush. For any of you that have not had the pleasure of meeting Josiah Laney, I hope you will soon because he is one of the most impressive people Georgetown SigEp has ever seen. If we can find a winner half as qualified as him this year, I would consider us lucky. But in order for us to continue the award, we need to continue to fundraise.
Now I could explain the good the money does, or try and tell you why the scholarship is so important. But my words would pale in comparison to Josiah’s. Attached below is a letter he has written, explaining the impact the scholarship money had on him. If you are so moved to donate, please contact George Ferridge (gl...@georgetown.edu) to learn more. Every dollar makes a difference.
I look forward to a great next semester back on campus and from what George has told me so far the fall has been fantastic. I hope many of you enjoyed coming back for Homecoming and are planning to visit us again soon.
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What does the Cura Personalis Scholarship mean to you?
On May 1, 2017, I committed to my dream school. Not even two months later, I was on the verge of dropping out.
Despite always pushing myself, I live with that constant barrier that prevents me from following my goals: poverty. Weeks had passed of me trying to manage school and multiple jobs. My situation felt hopeless. By July, I barely even had enough money to buy my plane ticket for fall semester.
Coming from California as someone who rarely left their hometown, I not only needed the basics like textbooks, school supplies, and dorms essentials but resources to survive a year on the east coast as well. Struggling to pull together the money for the year, this scholarship did just that.
For me, being awarded the Cura Personalis Scholarship gave me a fighting chance at my goals. Regardless of size, it was an investment in my future. It made me hopeful that I, indeed, could afford college and reminds me everyday of why it’s important to give back to my community in any way that I can.
Thank you for all who contributed last year but our job is not done. There are students just like myself, who are considering letting go of their dreams because of challenges that were completely out of their control. Being able to grant this scholarship to students is one of the most meaningful efforts of our fraternity. Even a dollar can have a substantial impact!
HFF,
Josiah Laney