THEY RAISE THE TOTAL NUMBER TO 48 RESIDENTIAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

By JJ Kowalski, VCU '12

Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount join 46 chapters with their recent accreditation as Residential Learning Communities, bringing the total number to 48. These two chapters gained their RLC accreditation despite the fact that neither has an officially recognized chapter house.

Loyola Marymount (LMU) brothers had a 3.23 chapter-wide GPA in the fall, higher than the all-male and all-campus averages. They have unwavering commitment from multiple faculty fellows, most notably Fr. William J. Fulco, LMU, Renaissance, who attends all chapter meetings, works with students on academic probation and teaches a SigEp-only course: Archaeology and the Bible.

Also, LMU worked with the Greek Life office to create a one-credit course focused on the Balanced Man Ideals of the 21st century. Several brothers hold campus leadership positions, including the student body president.

Pepperdine has consistently ranked above the all-campus and all-fraternity GPA since 2009. The chapter offers many incentives to those who excel in academics, including a discount on dues for those exceeding a 3.7 GPA each semester. They host a seminar with an English professor for members who need to improve their writing. Pepperdine founded and co-sponsors a for-credit convocation series aimed at becoming a better man in today’s society.

“The coolest part was how much the faculty bought into it and their excitement. We were worried about getting our fellows but that ended up being easy because they were excited about getting involved,” said Chapter President Reid Stewart, Pepperdine ’14.



“One advantage for non-housed chapters is that they are allowed to utilize campus facilities designated for the development of college students,” said Shane McKee, Washington State Renaissance, member development manager on the Headquarters staff. “The RLC becomes more of a mindset than just a room. The RLC is a concept that is infused into the chapter and what they do. It tells the university that you’re more than just a social organization and that you believe in promoting academics along with the social experience,” McKee said.

“We don’t have a house, but that gives us more opportunities to do things around the community, rather than just focus inside the house,” said LMU’s vice president of RLC, Felipe Ruiz, ‘13.
“We’re really excited about the process and other chapters that don’t have houses should not be discouraged. It’s possible and can make a big difference for the mindset of the Fraternity,” said Stewart.

“Pepperdine has awesome facilities. For one event we used a nutrition lab on campus. It’s state of the art, and something you wouldn’t have in a chapter house. We’ve made the best of it and gotten to use some pretty cool facilities in the process,” said Stewart.

These chapters were already performing at a high level and supporting the academic experience of their members. RLC accreditation officially recognizes their accomplishments, and helps establish the difference between SigEp and the other chapters on campus. This can only make it easier to recruit the right kind of men and engage more faculty members.

“Above anything, we’re always trying to better ourselves, not only academically but as human beings,” Ruiz said. “Even though the RLC Is our newest thing, we’re not going to stop there.”

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