Greek Profile:

Fraternity creating 'balanced men'

Through the media, everyone has heard horrific stories of fraternity pledging and hazing -- young men forced to scrub floors with their toothbrush, mental degradation and beatings -- all in the name of brotherhood.

But one fraternity on campus has successfully voted to eliminate this negative image and return to its cardinal principals of virtue, diligence and brotherly love.

With an average 2.8 GPA, Sigma Phi Epsilon already surpasses the national average by .125, according to the Greek grade report.

The report is produced each semester by the Greek Affairs program advisor, the Panhellenic Council, the Inter-fraternity Council and the office of Admissions and Records.

Now, the Sig Ep brothers are striving to become even more prestigious by adopting a program called the Balanced Man Project.

"The Balanced Man Project is going to be an entire change of philosophy for the fraternity," said Wayne Mattson, the chapter's counselor.

Under the BMP philosophy, all new members gain full rights and privileges without pledging.

"You become a brother from the very start of the program and spend your time in the fraternity achieving various stages of personal development," said Mattson.

Each new member receives a guidebook called "The Quest." It outlines the fraternity's history as well as a series of challenges and objectives for achieving the various stages of brotherhood.

Each stage requires brothers to make written plans and goals for their future with the help of a mentor.

Also included in the BMP are the fraternity's expectations, which focus on academic success, health, substance abuse, relationships, ethics and career development.

One of Sigma Phi Epsilon's membership requirements is a minimum GPA of 3.0, out of high school, or a minimum GPA of 2.7 in college.

"For some, that is a little high, but after all, the reason you are in college is for the grades. Grades do matter," said Mattson.

Although recruitment numbers are expected to be slightly lower for the fraternity, a major benefit of becoming a Balanced Man chapter, is a higher retention rate for new and continuing members.

"The beliefs and values upon which the Greek system was formed, where people were there to promote the best in each other, that has been lost," said John Jaquish, Sigma Phi Epsilon president. "Hopefully the Balanced Man Project can bring some of that back."

The Balanced Man Project was created during Sigma Phi Epsilon's 1991 national convention, in order to bring the Greek system into the 90s, according to Jaquish. The fraternity recently approved the project by the required 80 percent vote.

"It was a very close vote, especially among the older members who did not want to see traditions changed, but I'm glad it passed," said Mattson.

Anyone interested in getting more information about the Balanced Man Project or Sigma Phi Epsilon can call the fraternity's house at 448-2942 or visit their Web site at www.csus.edu/org/sigep.