UNK Sigma Phi Epsilon Chapters Earns Top National Award For Third Time

Casey Glatter
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This is the third year the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity has received one of the highest ranking national awards for their chapter.

The UNK Chapter has been awarded the Buchanan Cup, which is given to those Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities that rank in the top 10 percent in the nation. Sigma Phi Epsilon is the largest college fraternity nationally with more than 14,000 undergraduate members at 260 chapters across the United States.  Of the seven fraternities on the UNK campus, the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter is one of the largest.    

This year, the UNK Chapter was awarded the Silver Cup; the Gold Cup is given to those chapters that have five consecutive Buchanan Cup wins. Buchanan Cup recipients are evaluated based on their achievements in academics, campus involvement, chapter environment, financial operations, responsible programming, volunteer support and letters of recommendation.  

The chapter attributes earning the Buchanan Cup this year to their success last spring with on-campus awards. At the annual Greek Awards Banquet, the UNK chapter received a total of six top awards.

Dusty Fread of Kearney won the Individual Community Service and Philanthropy Award for his chairmanship of the chapter’s annual Augie Nelson Golf Tournament in 2006, which raised more than $8,000 for the Nebraska Kidney Foundation.

The house also received the Chapter Community Service and Philanthropy Award for volunteering more than 700 hours and donating more than $7,000 to various philanthropies in the last year. In 2007, the Augie Nelson Golf Tournament raised $6,500 dollars, alone, and was their primary fund-raising event.

Other awards earned by the UNK Chapter were Leadership Programming, Ritual Education, Overall Chapter Improvement, Chapter House Improvement and an award for campus involvement. The award for campus involvement was earned, in part, because Sigma Phi Epsilon held three Interfraternity Council positions. In addition, two of the last three student body vice presidents have been members of Sigma Phi Epsilon,

The Chapter House Improvement Award has been the goal for all members since 2006. Among areas of the house that the Sigma Phi Epsilon members improved were the game room, lounge and residence hallways.    

In addition, the Sigma Phi Epsilon Chapter’s faculty adviser Charles McGraw was named the UNK Greek Chapter Faculty Adviser of the Year for the second consecutive year.  

Sigma Phi Epsilon (paired with Alpha Phi) also prevailed by winning the Greek Week Sweepstakes by a margin of more than 1,000 points, and Scott Vincent of York was named the Greek God of the Year.                                

UNK students who held leadership positions in Sigma Phi Epsilon this winning year include:
         President – Grant Campbell – Tecumseh
         Vice President of Programming – Tyler Macke, Grand Island
         Vice President of Finance – Brian Hying – York
         Vice President of Membership Development – Mason Doughty – North Platte
         Vice President of Recruitment – Evan Volzke – Hastings
         Vice President of Communications – Casey Glatter – Kearney
         Chaplain – Jimmy Blex – Syracuse