Alumni Chapters: The Beginning After the End
As you sit here and read this article, ask yourself how you view your membership in Sigma Nu? Is it just something you are doing while in school, or do you view it as a lifetime commitment? As an alumnus, I will tell you that I hope you view your membership as more than just “something you did in college” and that you stay connected and engaged with the Fraternity for life. How do you do that, though?
When your collegiate tenure ends, you will step into a completely different world than the one you are accustomed to. It is not that you are unfamiliar with it, it is just different – a different schedule, different pressures, different people. Your time will likely become more valuable too and, suddenly, you are doing cost-benefit calculations about everything:
- If I go out tonight, how hard is it going to be to get up for work in the morning?
- What else could I get with the money this new TV will cost?
- Do I really want to spend six hours driving to and from the beach this weekend?
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- You will not even realize that with each passing day your connection to your fraternity and your chapter is fading just a little. Before you know it, without intention, your fraternity experience becomes “just something I did in college.”
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You will spend most of your Sigma Nu membership as an alumnus, so it is important that you understand how you can stay connected and engaged with the Fraternity and your chapter. While there are many ways alumni can stay involved, alumni chapters are THE mechanism that will keep you directly connected and engaged.
Alumni chapters are the continuation of the fraternal chapter experience into adulthood. They are a stronghold of camaraderie, fellowship, and enjoyment for alumni brothers. They do not look, or necessarily function, the same as your collegiate chapter – nor should they – but they are an extension of your collegiate chapter. They serve many purposes, not the least of which is to give back by supporting the collegiate chapter:
- Share news and information about alumni with alumni.
- Plan, schedule, and host events to bring alumni together to renew fraternal bonds.
- To support chapter brothers - collegian and alumni - in times of struggle and celebration.
- Provide guidance and support, where necessary, to the collegiate chapter.
As the calendar leads us into the summer, I hope you will take some time to consider what Sigma Nu means to you, today, and what you would like it to mean to you as an alumnus. Your collegiate tenure will end and, when it does, you will begin the rest of your journey as an alumnus. I hope you will let your alumni chapter be the vehicle to take you on that journey.
For more information about alumni chapters, including a list of alumni chapters, click here.