The Epsilon Chi chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi was recognized as the third leading chapter within the entire U.S. and Canada at this past summer’s Elevate conference, and they were also awarded a gold cup.
The Elevate conference was established to award and recognize Greek life chapters across the U.S. and Canada for their philanthropic work, for maintaining a high brotherhood retention rate, for bringing in new brothers each semester, and for the number of service hours they complete.
All of the chapters are invited to attend the conference, and bronze, silver, and gold cups are given out. The top 10 schools receive a gold cup, 11-20 receive a silver cup, and 21-30 receive bronze cups.
Alpha Sigma Phi has been a Greek organization at Capital since 2010.
“We are one of the younger fraternities on Campus,” Spencer Delk, Alpha Sigma Phi’s alumni director, said. “But it’s one of those things where we have also been very successful in our short seven years.”
Successful might be a bit of an understatement in regards to what they’ve accomplished so far.
“In terms of the gold cup, we actually have received two gold cups, four silver, and a bronze in these seven years,” Delk said.
Getting a gold cup at the Elevate conference is not very easy, since each chapter is being compared to every other chapter in the nation.
“There are 127 different chapters across the U.S. for Alpha Sig,” Delk said, “so getting a gold cup, being recognized as top ten in the nation, out of all the other chapters that are competing just as hard as you are, it’s a … feat.”
Not only was Alpha Sig recognized as a top 10 school, they actually finished third overall despite the size difference between Capital and all of the other schools.
“On top of the gold cups are the GSP, the Grand Senior President award, which is given out to two chapters, a large one and a small one,” Delk said, “and we finished five points behind the small school grand chapter.”
Knowing that they came so close to being awarded the GSP, Alpha Sig’s goal for this year is clear: do whatever it takes to improve from third overall.
“We know what our faults were. We know how to fix them,” Delk said. “It’s just small, minute things. I think for the small campus chapter we can definitely take home the GSP for next year. I have very high hopes.”
Greek life isn’t all about recognition and awards, though. It’s about the bond created through brotherhood, the friends made for life, and doing the service work for someone or something that you put before yourself.
“Our motto for Alpha Sig is to better the man. And we want to do just that,” Delk said. “We want to be gentlemen, we want to raise ourselves above others, but not be arrogant about it. Being higher than others so that we can help out and get others there also.”
Not everyone joins a fraternity for the same reason, but once they do join they never regret it and they never look back, Delk said.
“The reason I wanted to join Alpha Sig is because of the idea of brotherhood,” Delk said. “I’d never seen that idea of brotherhood be exemplified in my life before I got to college […] the idea that these people are there for you to better yourself and you’re there to better other people in some way.”
