SigEp Becomes First Fraternity To Completely Dissolve Pledging By Way Of Undergraduate Vote
Yesterday, at Sigma Phi Epsilon’s 54th Grand Chapter Conclave, undergraduate brothers passed a resolution to replace the pledging process nationwide with the “Balanced Man Program.” The BMP was first introduced back in 1990, and by the end of the 2014-2015 school year, 215 of the 228 active SigEp chapters had already adopted the program, but Thursday’s decision made the fraternity the first to officially abolish pledging by way of undergraduate vote rather than a top-down mandate.
From SigEp.org:
“The modern fraternity world is broken,” [Max] Fowler [South Carolina ’15] said. “Hazing allegations, mortalities, substance abuse and a number of other serious issues riddle fraternity chapters across the country. Society needs to see that the American college fraternity is still relevant, and we have to show them SigEp is leading the charge.”
New members will have full rights the day they accept their bid: chapter, ritual, intramurals, etc. Anything a four-year brother can do on behalf of the letters, so can some punk who just walked out of high school.
Unfortunately, I fear this is exactly where all fraternities will eventually go over the next few decades, adapting to the modern social climate. My unborn kid will most likely never have the opportunity to go through the pledging process, which I still stand by as the best experience I’d never want to do again. And that’s a damn shame..
[via SigEp.org]
I come from a “balanced man chapter” too. I defiantly was still a pledge for a long while. This doesn’t change a thing. Not saying it should because I believe there defiantly should be a pledge process.
10 years ago at 1:59 pmYou’re pledge master (balanced man master?) should “defiantly” have taught you how to spell definitely, it would seem.
10 years ago at 3:15 pmSo next “Why your fraternity sucks” has to be Sig Ep.
10 years ago at 2:18 pmShortly after I joined my fraternity I started wondering why, after 90+ years we never considered going national, but reading about stuff like this that nationals control and the traditions we get to keep by staying local, I completely understand.
10 years ago at 2:45 pmIt’s kinda like sarcastiball has jumped from South Park to pledging. I’m honestly sick enough to vomit. Being told, typically shouted, that I “Will not walk into this fraternity” that I had to “Earn these letters” and that we would not cross until we became one is what gave me the drive to grit my teeth and bear it to push thru and become a better man for it. To take this integral part of fraternity life away undermines the whole process and makes everything after weaker and less meaningful. Taking away the pledging takes away from every bond that hold a fraternity together. Truly a sad state of affairs.
10 years ago at 3:22 pmBalanced Man chapters don’t give the ritual to kids right away. You’ve got it all wrong. My chapter has been Balanced Man since 2003, and I didn’t learn our ritual until a year after joining. This is how almost every one of the chapters that operates this way does it. All this does is convert the of the few “traditional” pledging chapters into the Balanced Man chapters. Still doesn’t seem fair for those chapters, but it’s not a bad deal.
10 years ago at 5:42 pmAlso, SAE is way worse than this.
10 years ago at 5:42 pmThis is cute
10 years ago at 5:47 pmSigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity National Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Los Angeles, California May 29-30, 2009
Strategic Planning
10 years ago at 5:56 pmBrother Harris stated that it was his understanding that the plan did not provide for charter removal to compel pledge model chapters to convert to Balanced Man Chapters. No one objected to that interpretation.
I’m not reading the comments bc I don’t care but please read mine. That’s sad boys!
10 years ago at 6:06 pmIdeas like this are going to come back to bite individual chapters in the ass when it results in a revolving door of members joining and leaving months later, especially freshmen who lack a sense of identity. Organizations who follow in these foot steps will soon find themselves to be a haven for “high school frat stars”, high-risk individuals who couldn’t get other bids, and wallflower beta-male freshmen who follow their floor mates through rush only to drop after eventually finding their own friends. If pledges aren’t willing to learn the basic national history or do a couple of stupid projects for you, what on earth would make you think they’re going to be any happier planning homecoming, working with university bureaucracy, or running a chapter? Pledging sucks, but sometimes so does being active.
10 years ago at 6:31 pm