SIGEP NOW HAS 46 RESIDENTIAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Colorado School of Mines and Lawrence Tech have both recently been accredited as Residential Learning Communities, bringing the total to 46 of SigEp’s 240 active chapters. RLC status is reserved for SigEp’s truly elite chapters. They most directly fulfill the Fraternity’s promise to serve as valued partners in higher education. RLCs push the envelope not just in GPA relative to the campus average, but in establishing academic programming that enriches a student’s college experience and brings value to our host institutions.

The four components of an RLC are faculty fellow engagement, a living-learning environment, a network of volunteer support and a commitment to personal and academic development. Accreditation is earned once a chapter meets specific criteria in each area.

While these two chapters are newly accredited, the focus on a living-learning environment is already woven into the fabric of their chapter cultures. “I don’t think accreditation will change a whole lot of what we do,” said Chapter President Nick Linck, Colorado School of Mines ‘11. “We’ve been developing this over a long period of time, so it probably won’t affect daily life a whole lot.”

His chapter has held the highest GPA on campus since 2009, and their 3.23 GPA, approximately .25 above the all-campus average, would have remained a priority for the chapter regardless of accreditation. The chapter house is substance free at all times, and it provides a great living-learning environment for their faculty fellow and resident scholar to work with the chapter.

Lawrence Tech has been so successful over the last couple years that the university actually allowed it to become the first residential fraternity in the school’s history. SigEp is serving as a pilot, to see if fraternity housing could be a viable long-term option at the school. The continued success of the Michigan Theta RLC could lead to the establishment of a future Greek Row.

This chapter has also had the top GPA on campus since 2009, and also sits about .25 above the all-campus average.

Lawrence Tech Chapter President Mike Newton, ‘12, said that the chapter's programming is critical in offering his brothers a well-rounded education. “Our school is so pointed, in that it’s a technical school,” Newton explained, “so the degree programs are extremely focused. That’s not necessarily good if you’re trying to round out a balanced intellect. Some of the academic programming that we find most valuable are programs that help diversify us. We have brothers who have gone on study abroad trips or missions trips give reports on current events, the countries they’ve visited and the cultures they found there.”

One thing each chapter president said is the RLC programming gives them an advantage in recruiting new members. “We definitely discuss our resident scholar and our faculty fellow, and all the academic programming when we’re recruiting people,” Linck said. “The kind of guys we’re looking for are the kind of guys who know how to balance being a good student, while still having fun.”

When it comes to recruiting based on academics, Lawrence Tech has put its money where its mouth is— the chapter gave out Balanced Man Scholarships to 12 incoming freshmen this year. That’s a high number but is worth the pay-off.

“We’re the only fraternity on campus that offers academic development,” Newton said. “It’s a huge hitting point for us. It sets us apart because everyone else recruits a specific way, and we’re able to not just do the fun side of things but supplement that with the academic programs that we offer. In large part because of that advantage, we recruited 20 new members. The second closest recruited 10 pledges, not all of whom will make it through.”

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