State of the Chapter August 19th, 2013
Brothers,
As the newly elected executive council prepares for an exciting 43rd year on campus, I wanted to update everyone on the state of our chapter. We have continued to excel in all aspects; academically, socially, and in the community.
Over the past year we have moved into the delta pledge classes, as we initiated two energetic and well-rounded pledge classes. Delta Alpha of twenty-five and Delta Beta of thirteen replace nearly thirty senior graduates. Our brotherhood has ranged between 90 and 117, our greatest numbers to date. During this past year’s Derby Days, we raised over $15,000 for Children’s Miracle Network. This was in incredible fashion, despite having the length shortened from a week to simply 3 days. Additionally, we raised a record breaking $10,000 from our annual Huntsman golf tournament, which took place during Parent’s Weekend. This event of over 100 golfers was an absolute blast for everybody involved and I highly encourage all to come out next year to join in the fun.
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Huntsman Golf Tournament 2013 |
We also excelled in philanthropy this year across the board, by placing top five in every event we participated in. Furthermore, we continued to help the community through our community service programs including: Linkous Lads, Greeks Giving Back, Relay for Life, Hokie Helpers, and the Merlin Olsen Day of Service.
Our average GPA for the year was a 3.127, well above previous averages and topping both the all-university average, and the all-fraternity average. In the realm of athletics, we excelled on the playing fields this year. We took home Inter Fraternity Council Championships in Soccer, Softball, Football, Dodgeball and ultimately won the IFC Hokie Grail.
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Top: IFC Softball Championship Middle: IFC Football Championship Bottom: IFC Soccer Championship |
We also had many brothers landing incredible jobs and internships, and were gratified that our brothers attributed their success to our chapter’s environment. This past weekend, we enjoyed a day meeting with the House Corp and are excited to continue working to improve our house in a variety of ways. I also had the honor to represent Eta Lambda at the 79th Grand Chapter this past June, which was a unique and great learning experience. Our next step was the Balfour Leadership Training Workshop at Purdue University, to which we sent 7 brothers. We had a great weekend of bonding, learning and planning for the coming year. It was great to share ideas with brothers from all across the country.
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Balfour Leadership Training Workshop Group From left to right: Jack Sistare (Emerging Leader), Ethan Bickford (Centurion), Curtis Calder (Magistor), Eric Iverson (Quaestor), A.J. Cagle (Emerging Leader), Dan Lee (Pro Consul), Ryan Gram (Consul). |
We look forward to another successful year to build upon, and exceed, all that we have accomplished thus far. Moreover, we would love for all of you to come out to our events, whether it be Derby Days, a home football game and tailgate, or an athletic event. I speak on behalf of everyone when we say this kind of involvement is what keeps our chapter healthy and moving forward. Additionally, our chapter is planning to have a house cleanup during the weekend of September 14th. We invite everyone to come out to the house to lend a hand and of course catch the Hokie Football game away at ECU. Also, Sunday, October 6th is the date set for a meeting to discuss the future of our housing. We are also planning a white rose ceremony for Brother Mark Warlick. I hope each of you is able to attend these two events. Please refer to our website for updates throughout the semester (https://sigmachivt.org). I will be in touch and hope you will feel free to contact me with any questions about events, tips or comments via phone or email.
In Hoc Signo Vinces,
Ryan Gram
43rd Consul
ryangram@vt.edu
(845) 702-7431