Graduate students are often an underutilized pool of potential SigEp volunteers. These individuals can fill numerous roles on the AVC – resident scholar, recruitment mentor, balanced man steward and even chapter counselor. Undergraduate brothers benefit from mentors who are on campus, are committed to academic success and share relevant experiences.

Enlisting the time and talents of the right graduate student can directly impact your chapter’s performance. Recruiting a resident scholar can provide the on-the-ground mentorship that offers undergraduates the best possible SigEp experience. You don’t have to be an RLC to have a resident scholar, but having one will definitely help you get there.

Resident scholars provide leadership training, academic guidance, and counseling to the chapters they serve. They live in the chapter house (when applicable) and work with the Alumni and Volunteer Corporation, and Headquarters staff. Like a resident advisor in a campus residence hall, resident scholars are expected to serve as role models for chapter members.

To give you a better picture of the resident scholar role, and how to recruit the right individual, we caught up with Chris Campbell, resident scholar for our Washington Alpha chapter at Washington State, to learn more.

Campbell is a lot of things to a lot of people. He is a Ph. D. candidate in criminology, a competitive Olympic weightlifter and throwing coach and resident scholar for a 100+ man chapter. However, there is one thing he isn’t: a SigEp. Campbell wasn’t even Greek at his alma matter, Ohio University.

As resident scholar, Campbell lives in the chapter home just as many SigEp resident scholars do for chapters ranging from 40 men to 150. He counsels 101 men in scholarship and academics, hosts a monthly forum called Man Talk, coordinates guest lectures at the chapter home and mentors chapter officers in risk management.

Campbell put together a resource that your AVC can use to identify and recruit resident scholars. You can work with graduate departments to send this through listervs or post it to online message boards. If you have questions about the resident scholar position, please contact SigEp’s member development manager, Shane McKee.

Campbell answers questions about his role below:

SigEp: Your job as resident scholar includes a number of responsibilities. Where do you spend most of your time?
CC: I try to spend the majority of my time inquiring about the students’ academic lives. This includes interviews and assessments of the first-year students, some people on social probation, as well as the men who are doing well but would just like someone to take interest in what they are studying. The second biggest section of time is devoted to aiding in exposing the men to studies they would otherwise not be involved with.


SigEp: All freshmen are required to meet with you in their first semester to discuss study habits and academic goals. Can you explain your approach to academic support in the first year?
CC: I interview the students to find out what their majors are, their ambitions, goals for the semester, and plans of how to reach those goals. Most of all, I take this opportunity to find out and assess what their study habits are. If their study habits are transferred directly from high school where they felt everything was relatively easy, I try to assure them that this is not the best way of approaching college, and then we collectively try to think of better options. After the initial assessment I try to have a follow up meeting with the students who I thought would have a hard time meeting the Fraternity standards and also for those whose midterm grades are subpar.

SigEp: The lecture series that you are helping to coordinate with the chapter introduces topics like political science and financial planning. Do chapter members seem to appreciate having these opportunities available to them?
CC: The men seem to come to these talks with many questions already in mind as if to show their willingness to challenge their preconceived notions about a topic as well as to show their eagerness of learning something new and beneficial. With the good turnouts so far, the members seem to be taking advantage of these sound mind avenues to better themselves as individuals and expand their knowledge base overall.

SigEp: Where should an AVC look to find a resident scholar?
CC: I think one of the best bits of advice that I can give to an AVC would be that they should first solidify exactly what they want in a resident scholar. After that, they should perhaps send a memorandum of interest to various departments on campus. I highly encourage AVCs to look into the social sciences. Many students in the social sciences typically have a greater than average interest in the investment of people, human interaction, learning, and social justice. It is in this interest that you tend to find the drive to positively interact with and aid in the betterment of undergraduate men.

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