On behalf of every brother of the Eta Lambda chapter of Sigma Chi, we’re very appreciative of your hard work and enthusiasm involving Derby Days.  Below is the final standings as well as total points earned for each respective organization.  To see a complete breakdown of the points, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/236528339759985/ and refer to the chart.  Congratulations Kappa Delta!

1. Kappa Delta – 1,665
2. Zeta Tau Alpha – 1,298
3. Delta Delta Delta – 1,257
4. Delta Gamma – 1,024
5. Alpha Phi – 960
6. Alpha Chi Omega – 874
7. Sigma Kappa – 731
8. Gamma Phi Beta – 682
9. Alpha Delta Pi – 591

If participants wish to donate online, please use the link below to do so.  If you decide to donate online, please write your sorority name under “Company Name” when filling out the donation form.

http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/event/sigmachiderbydays/

Opening Ceremonies- Sunday, April 1st – 3 pm – Squire’s Colonial Hall

A “Miracle Family” will speak about Children’s Miracle Network, programs will be distributed, and the week’s events will be outlined. Addressed envelopes will be collected. Attendance points will b…e doubled for this event.

Derby Chase – Monday, April 2nd – 5:30 pm – On Campus

At 5:30, brothers will run for their lives from one end of campus to the other. Participants will attempt to steal their hats in this giant game of tag.

Night Field Games – Tuesday, April 3rd – 7 pm – Blacksburg Municipal Softball Field

Come out under the Sunday Night Lights and test your mettle. Teams will compete in various field games such as tug-o-war, three legged race and other games. *Theme Night*

Roller Derby – Thursday, April 5th – 9:30 pm – Adventure World

Slap on your skates or (for the extreme) your blades, and prepare to let out your inner John Travolta under the disco ball. It will be $3 to enter and an additional $3 to skate. *Theme Night*

Brother Auction– Friday, April 6th – 7 pm – O-Lounge

Coaches, this is your chance to shine on stage. Impress the crowd with a 2-3 minute skit/song/dance or anything that shows why you should be bought. There will be a $3 cover. *Theme Night*

Airbands – Saturday April, 7th – 5 pm – Top of the Stairs

Each team will create an 8-12 minute skit or group of skits with any or all of singing, dancing, jokes, etc. This is your last chance to call people out, make us laugh, and show the judges why you deserve to win.

The Eta Lambda Chapter will be hosting their annual parents weekend on the weekend of April 13th & 14th.  Additionally, the chapter will be hosting it’s 5th annual Huntsman Golf Tournament, benefiting the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah.  If any alumni are interested in playing in the tournament or anyone is interested in sponsoring the tournament, please feel free to contact Mark Wilkinson (mwilk13@vt.edu) or Daniel Hughes (dano227@vt.edu) for more information.  All team registration and sponsorship information is available in the link below.  More information on parents weekend will be available shortly.

2012 Huntsman Application

Please refer to the image below to allow yourselves to become familiarized with the dates, times, and locations for all events regarding the 40th Anniversary.  We’re all looking forward to seeing familiar faces, as well as meeting some new ones.

Please refer to the image above for information and dates regarding our rush schedule.  If you have any questions feel free to contact Daniel Hughes or Lee Scott.

This past weekend, the Eta Lambda chapter initiated 14 young men to our chapter.  The Gamma Psi pledge class had a cumulative GPA of 3.5 this past fall, one of the highest pledge class GPA’s ever.  We’re very excited to have these guys step up and continue to excel academically and fraternally as the semester progresses.  Keep up the good work guys!

On Friday, December 2nd, Sigma Chi announced the new addition of 6 Sweethearts to the Eta Lambda chapter at their annual Christmas party. From left to right: Marlee Newman,  Danielle Bechtel, Erica Denfeld, Mackenzie Shelton, Ali Newton, and Shauna Hermann.

Pictured above: Sam Mattern (’13) and Ryne McCoy (’13), cornhole tournament winners

On October 29th, Sigma Chi managed to pull off another victory of Kappa Delta’s Fall Festival for a 2nd year in a row. The philanthropy consists of a pumpkin carving contest, a hot dog eating contest, and a cornhole tounrament, which Sigma Chi placed 1st in each event. The philanthropy raised over $8,000 for the Richmond’s Children Hospital and included live music, a rock climbing wall, and raffles/giveaways.

After almost 30 years at Virginia Tech and 42 years in student affairs, former Eta Lambda chapter advisor Edward Spencer has announced his retirement, planned for June 2012. “Dr. Spencer has had a long and distinguished career at Virginia Tech.  He will be greatly missed by all of his colleagues, but more importantly by the Virginia Tech students — past, present, and those who will join the Hokie Nation in the future,” said University President Charles W. Steger. As Vice President of Student Affairs, Ed provides leadership and oversight to the 15 departments in the Division of Student Affairs, including Career Services and Dining Services.

Some other highlights to add to Spencer’s tenure include:

• Coordinating the addition of all 4 phases of the Oak Lane Greek Housing Program
• Creating an independent Fraternity and Sorority Life office
• Serving on the Care Team and first Threat Assessment Team
• Most Outstanding Faculty Advisor award
• Significant Sig award
• Most Outstanding Chapter Advisor award
• Order of Constantine award

Following retirement, Spencer says he plans to spend more time with his grandchildren and volunteering, consulting, and traveling. He also plans to return to involvement with Sigma Chi on a national level and hopes to catch up on reading and home projects.  On behalf of the entire Eta Lambda Chapter, we’d like to say “Thanks Doc!”

To read the full article on Spencer’s retirement, feel free to check out this article on the Virginia Tech website: http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2011/10/101711-dsa-spencer.html

With the help of our Philanthropy Coordinator, Mark Cecchini (’13), the Eta Lambda chapter had the proud honor of winning Tri-Delta’s Flapjack & Football Philanthropy for the 3rd time in 4 years this past Sunday.  With high attendance at their pancake eating contest on Tuesday and a 2nd place finish to SAE in the Flag Football competition on Sunday, Sigma Chi was crowed the champions of the 5th annual philanthropy.

Sigma Chi will be holding their fall rush for all potential members starting October 4th, 2011.  The events are as follows:

Rush Schedule

Wednesday October 5th 5-7pm- Hokie House meet and greet

Thursday October 7th 3-4:30pm- Cox Driving Range – Unlimited golf balls

Tuesday October 11th 1-3pm- Basketball & Cornhole in War Memorial Gym

Wednesday October 12th 7pm- Closed Rush at Sigma Chi house (Invitation only) 68-Oaklane

Thursday October 13th 6pm- Bid Handout

Sunday October 16th- Bid Acceptance (Time TBA)- Sigma Chi house

For more information, feel free to contact our Rush Chairmen: Daniel Hughes (dano227@vt.edu) or Lee Scott (Lee91@vt.edu).

-Mark Wilkinson, Webmaster

The Eta Lambda chapter carried the momentum from its strong start to the year into October, raising the most money in the history of the Huntsman Golf Tournament (with the $5,500 donated, the chapter will now have its own engraved brick in the walkway leading up to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah). Since then, the chapter has added two more impressive notches to its 2010 belt: Winner of Homecoming 2010 and Champion of the 2010 Kappa Delta Fall Festival.

Paired with the sisters of Alpha Delta Pi and the brothers of Farmhouse, Sigma Chi was able to earn the most points of any Greek team and be consequently crowned winners of Homecoming Week 2010. We were able to do this by coming out in strong numbers to donate blood, participate in communitty service events like Greeks Giving back, build a parade float, and attend various school-sponsored comedy performances.

Fresh off the homecoming victory, the Eta Lambda chapter marched on to win Kappa Delta’s Fall Festival philanthropy this past Saturday. To win, brothers participated in a cornhole tournament, a corn-eating contest, a pumpkin carving contest, an overall attendence count, and a Moe’s night. By winning the Fall Festival, the Eta Lambda chapter has now won both of Kappa Delta’s 2010 philanthropies (the other one being the Shamrock Project this past Spring).

Sigma Chi, Eta Lambda held the fourth annual Huntsman Charity Golf Tournament on October 17, 2010 benefitting the Huntsman Cancer Institute.  The Huntsman Cancer Insitute became Sigma Chi’s additional beneficiary in 2005 and since, Sigma Chi chapters across the country have raised money that helps fund the center’s treatment and accommodations.  The Eta Lambda chapter was able to raise $5,500 at this year’s event, $3,000 more than last year’s fundraising tournament.  Undergraduates, Alumni, family, and friends gathered for this year’s tournament to help expand the field to 21 teams.  This is the 2nd year in which the tournament has been in honor of Duane Perdue and Norrine Spencer, two vital members of the Eta Lambda community who have fallen succumb to cancer recently.

This year’s tournament winners (pictured below) were Michael Doughty (’11), Andrew Lavinder (’11), Chad Williams (’00), and Gray Patterson (’11 – Roanoke College Tau Chapter).  We’d like to take this time to thank all participants, sponsors, and other guests who were made this event so successful this year.  See you next year!

For the second time in three years, the Eta Lambda Chapter (led by Philanthropy coordinator Mark Larsen (’11)) was crowned champion of Tri Delta’s Fashion, Flapjacks, and Football Philanthropy. We did so in dominating fashion, winning each competition in the week long event. In the first event on Tuesday (the fashion walk-off at Top Of The Stairs), we took home first place in both the skit category and overall attentence. We also had the best attendence on Thursday, as we had 12 more brothers than any other fraternity come out to eat some flapjacks. To top it all off, David Kruchko (’12) and the rest of the flag football team dominated PIKE for the second time in eight days, bringing home the trophy and title of 4th Annual Fashion, Flapjacks, and Football Philanthropy Champions.

Brothers dressed up as Poke`mon to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Tuesday. The event, held at Top of the Stairs, was part of Delta Delta Delta’s week long philanthropy entitled, Three Days of Fashion, Flapjacks, and Football. Brothers performed a skit to the theme of, Sigma Chi Helping Tri Delta Cure Em` All. The overall theme for the day was “Childhood Memories.” Brothers performed a brief skit, and did their best “Dougie” routine to take home first prize. Philanthropy coordinator Mark Larsen (11′) worked with brothers to put together a humorous skit for a great cause. We hope to continue our winning streak this Sunday as the philanthropy concludes with a Flag Football tournament.

This past Sunday afternoon, quarterback Matt Ritt (’11) led the Sigma Chi flag football team to a dominant victory over PIKE in the championship game, coming within a 2 yard catch of having the game called by mercy rule. This adds great momentum for our athletics teams, as we look forward to the other two fall sports (volleyball and soccer), each of which we won last year.