Sigma Phi Epsilon
Ohio Gamma Newsletter
Bucks Battle Cancer For the
Kids
By Bryan Takayama ‘14
B
uckeyeThon is the largest student-run philanthropy at The Ohio State University. BuckeyeThon
aims to raise money to research childhood cancer by supporting the Oncology/ Hematology floor at
Nationwide Children’s Hospital. BT raised $767,227
in 2014, $608,000 in 2013, and $454,000 in 2012 by
SigEps Participating in Buckeyethon on Team Green
engaging thousands of students in year-round fundraising that culminates at a 12-hour dance marathon
in the Ohio Union. Sigma Phi Epsilon has been a part
of BuckeyeThon since its founding in 2002, making the
fraternity one of the oldest sponsors of the event. This
past year, Sigma Phi Epsilon sent over 40 gentlemen
to the event raising over $10,000 for the kids. Furthemore, SigEp’s Cole Fennel served as Vice President of
Operations and Jim O’Brien served as the Director of
Operations. Jim is now serving as the President of BuckeyeThon this 2014 – 2015 school year. BuckeyeThon
has seen such great success over the past years because
of the passion it inspires in the student body. By bringing the children from Nationwide Children’s Hospital
to events all over campus and empowering students to
strive endlessly to fundraise this event, BuckeyeThon
has further developed the pay-it-forward mentality in
students at the Ohio State University. u
Fall 2014
Phlexible Phis:
Sound Mind and Body Through Yoga
By Nick Fraunfelter ‘15
T
here are two fundamental things that SigEps love
to do: exercise and think. So when it was time to
plan an event for the Phi Challenge, yoga was the
obvious choice. Last spring, the brothers welcomed
OSU student Rachel Welch into the chapter facility to
lead an hour-long power yoga class for the Phi Challenge.
Rachel began with some simple stretches to
warm up, but the intensity turned up when she led the
group in the Sun Salutation. As they moved through the
twelve positions, smiling faces turned into canvases
of concentration as everyone struggled with balance
and flexibility. But Rachel was just getting started. We
soon moved into the Eagle pose, followed by each of
the Warrior positions, all which challenged the brothers’ strength and stamina. Just as many brothers were
on the brink of cramping up, Rachel ended the power
positions and transitioned into the second portion of
the class: meditation.
Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means “to unite,”
unite the mind, body, and spirit. Rachel led some exercises that focused on the importance of breathing,
and the brothers attempted to relax and de-stress from
their hectic semesters. The group moved into Child’s
Pose, still practicing their breathing, and finished in
Corpse Position. With both the minds and bodies of the
Phis unwound, a discussion on reflection ensued.
As involved members of an active campus and
fraternity, it’s easy for SigEps to forget to reflect and
take time for relaxation. The Phis discussed the importance of self-reflection, the best times to reflect, and
how to implement this practice. The Phi Challenge is
about self-discovery, and with yoga and reflection in
their arsenal, our brothers are well on their way.u
Brothers David
Mog and Philip
Weil get flexible
at the Yoga Phi
Challenge Event
with Ohio State
University yoga
instructor Rachel
Welch.
1
OHIO GAMMA GREEK
AND LEADERSHIP AWARDS,
SPRING 2014
Academic Excellence
Outstanding Scholarship
Program
Buckeye Fraternal
Citizenship Series Award
Matt Littman
Outstanding Community
Service
Outstanding Philanthropy
Outstanding Citizenship
Outstanding Recruitment
Outstanding Membership
Development
Outstanding Safety, Health
and Wellness
Outstanding New Member
Ryan Bixler
Abdallah Hamza
Amar Nadkarni
University Involvement
Tyler Siekmann
Volunteer of the Year
Josh Senn
Outstanding Collaboration
Living the Ritual
Brett Geiger
Outstanding Chapter
President
Matt Littman
Outstanding House Director
Dr. Matt Stolzfus
House Corporation of the
Year
Chapter Advocate of the Year Rob Jech
Chapter Advisor of the Year
Dr. Don Stenta
Chapter Alumni of the Year
Patrick Klein
Ross Gainer Man of the Year
Matt Littman
Luke Fenik​
Message from an Epsilon (My Guide to College)
By Giovanni Nardi ‘14
W
hen I was
asked to give a
talk about balance I didn’t know how
to approach the subject.
I did not want it to be
a lecture, and I did not
want to claim that I was
an expert in balance myself. However, I’ve come
to realize that balance is
completely subjective.
I’ve found that
balance in my life is
directly related to the
priorities I set. Family,
relationships, school,
SigEp, all have priority
in my life. These are
what drive my decisions
and my goals. Priorities
are ever changing. I have
noticed that it is important to keep priorities
in perspective. If your
priorities have changed,
then embrace the
change; only a fool will
chase after something
that is meaningles.
Who do you
want to be in five years?
What kind of person do
you want to be in ten?
These are questions we
should constantly be
asking ourselves. We
should reflect on our
goals and not stray from
the path we want to follow.
The following
advice comes from my
four years of experience
and failure.
Stick to your
priorities. Like I’ve
stated, balance is relative. One can only be
balanced and be happy
if he knows himself. I
would argue the most
important thing in life
is to be self-actualized.
When you make
a schedule, be realistic
with your time. If you
think something is going to take two hours,
budget three. Expect to
work more than you have
to so when you finish
early you can appreciate
the extra time.
Set a schedule
and do not stick to it. I
know this sounds funny
but it is true. It is necessary to keep a schedule
in order to get stuff
done. And you have to
stick to it sometimes,
but you should spend
time enjoying yourself
and doing what you love.
Even just going to diner
with buddies helps make
life more meaningful.
Allow yourself to cheat
your schedule for your
own sanity.
Do an activity
that balances out your
academics. For example,
I was part of the philosophy club freshman year.
It helped me get away
from all the math and
science and forced me to
think in a different way.
Maintain a sound
body, mind and spirit.
This mostly goes without
saying. Sometimes there
is nothing more refreshing than getting a lift in
between study sessions.
Or reading a book when
you have a free moment. And whether you
are spiritual or not, you
can still have a healthy
spirit. Be a man for others. Give of yourself,
and your spirit will be
strong.
You won’t be able
to do everything. Sometimes there will be an assignment you just do not
have the time to finish.
Do not beat yourself up.
The
purpose of college is to
learn what is important
and what is not, but set
goals and stick to them.
Be balanced
within each aspect of
your life. Read and
listen to both sides of
an argument. Odds are
you will find that you
be come even firmer in
your views, and a better arguer too. Read
fiction and nonfiction.
Do cardio and strength
workouts. Take science
and English classes if
time permits. Listen to
all genres of music. You
can only be made better by having a diverse
experience in life.
And finally, life
is what you make it.
You must learn to enjoy
the simple things in life
or you will just go crazy.
Enjoy even the pain
because it makes you
appreciate happiness.
Enjoy the gloomy days
because rain is the giver
of life. Enjoy failure, for
you learn from it and
become a better person
for it. Life is what you
make it.u
Giovanni Nardi graduated from
the Ohio State University in 2014
with a degree in Chemical Engineering and is now working at the
Chemical Abstract Service.
New Member Leadership Development: EDGE
By Nick Pelz ‘17
B
eing a Sigma, I wasn’t sure
what to expect from the
EDGE but what I did get
out of the program has helped
shape me into a more Balanced
Man. When we arrived, we were
in the middle of nowhere. However, the campground was actually a great location, and there
were plenty of activities to keep us
busy. First, my group did a team
building exercise. We had to lift
team members, and pass them
through openings created by a
weave of rope between two trees.
This forced us to work together
with the SigEps from Northwestern
University and Indiana University.
The next day and a half were filled
with similar activities that allowed
us to develop more brotherly love,
and learn more about other BIG
10 SigEp chapters. Some of these
Letter from the Editor
By Simon Dallas‘17
C
oming to the
Ohio State
University for
my freshman year,
I didn’t really know
what to expect. A
big university with
60,000 people walking on it’s campus, I
wasn’t sure how I was
going to fit in. Lucky
for me, I found the
men of Sigma Phi
Epsilon.
I found this
fraternity had morals
and values very similar to my own. First
semester, I participated in the Balanced
Man Success Series,
actively meeting
activities and topics included
creating a life map, learning how
to balance your life, and how to
take the first steps to becoming a
leader. After talking with the other
chapters, it was surprising the differences between them and us. For
example, the Northwestern chapter
was recolonizing. They only had
ten people but the SigEp motivation was still present. Another
difference I learned dealt with
IU’s election process. Instead of an
open election at chapter like we do,
they have closed elections where
only certain members vote. Despite
subtle differences like this, it was
really enjoyable to hear about their
chapter and school. And what we
learned from the group facilitators
is still valuable in our chapter. I
got the opportunity to meet several
new brothers and grow closer to
brothers
and developing a sound mind,
body, and spirit. By
the end of the semester, I knew I had
found the group of
people that I wanted
to call my brothers.
Since joining
SigEp, I have grown
exponentially and
truly developed into
someone I want to
be. My brothers have
pushed me beyond
any limit I could have
previously dreamed
of, they don’t allow me to slack,
and they’re always
there to help me.
Every member of
the Gamma chapter
lives out the values
of Virtue, Diligence,
and Brotherly Love.
Unlike other organizations, a fraternity is
a timeless entity and
I look forward to the
lifetime commitment
to my brothers and
Sigma Phi Epsilon. u
Brother Simon Dallas,
currently as sophmore
studying Business, he is
currently the editor of the
SigEp Newsletter.
the ones I already knew. The
chance to attend EDGE was transformational for me, and I hope I
can embrace the leadership qualities taught.u
GRADUATED
BROTHERS, SPRING 2014
Martin Binau
Mike Cerutti
Nick Crowley
Cameron DeMarsh
Kevin Dressler
Lucas Fenik
Cole Fennel
Brett Geiger
Kurt Gildenmeister
Morad Hmeidan
Jordan Kelsey
Michael Lause
Matt Littman
Michael Mahoney
Chris Maskevich
Mark Mills
Brian Mog
Jonathan Morena
Alex Morrison
Ronny Mujica
Mark Mulka
Giovanni Nardi
Basem Rashwan
Chris Reyes
Mark Rudolph
Abrar Samad
Joshua Senn
Mark Serpico
Tyler Siekmann
Ryan Snodgrass
PJ Stobel
Bryan Takayama
Cam Trefny
Carter Wallace
Jimmy Zimmerman
Cort Zoller
Congratulations, and thank you for
all you’ve done for Sigma Phi Epsilon. Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly
Love.
3