News Reporter
As another school year commences, Colorado Mesa University’s fraternity, Kappa Sigma-Mu, hopes to increase its numbers during Rush Week as well as focusing heavily on its on-going charity efforts like the Wounded Warriors Project and Relay for Life.
During the first two years as a fraternity at CMU, the Mu chapter was more focused on establishing themselves in the community and working out all the kinks of running a successful fraternity than rushing incoming freshmen.
“Especially [our] first semester, we weren’t really a chapter yet, so we didn’t have a lot of pledges because we were essentially all pledges,”
Cooper Cartmill, fraternity brother, said. “This is the first semester the school has an initiated fraternity, so we’re trying to make this Rush Week as good as possible.”
This year, as rush commences, the 36 members of Kappa Sigma are going to incorporate many outdoor events into their plans, including barbecues, group hikes, football and volleyball games.
Senior Kappa Sigma President Aaron Tran-Swope admitted that last year the fraternity didn’t really know what to expect regarding rush and that this year the members have been attending informal meetings with all potential pledges as well as compiling a list of all those interested in joining.
Kappa Sigma “strives for excellence in fellowship, leadership, scholarship, and service” according to the national fraternity’s website. Alongside devastating news that one of its brothers was diagnosed with lung cancer three weeks ago, the Mu chapter has put a strong focus on charity this year, as well as fundraising for its brother.
“That’s what brotherhood is about. That’s what we signed up for as brothers,” John Bauer, fraternity brother, said. “We don’t have a specific event planned yet, but as the semester rolls along and everyone gets settled in, we’ll figure out how we’re going to help him. It’s not a question of if, but when.”
In addition to the Wounded Warriors Project and Relay for Life being its primary philanthropies, Kappa Sigma also plans to host an underwear run to benefit Catholic Outreach or Homeward Bound. Last year, after a door-to-door drive, the fraternity donated 800 pounds of food and clothing to Catholic Outreach as part of Kappa Sigma’s nationwide day of service.
Kappa Sigma also has hopes of hosting a large donation event and potentially another date auction. Each year, Kappa Sigma has donated at least $1,000 to various charities.
Recently Kappa Sigma has garnered a bad reputation, in part to CMU’s Missed Connections and Confessions pages on Facebook, on which other, anonymous students have posted complaints and claims about the fraternity, those of which are “completely unfounded and based on outside observation,” according to Cartmill.
“Anymore, we’re beginning to be a bigger name on the campus,” Bauer said. “Other clubs are harder to target than a fraternity. With us, there’s that whole ‘Animal House’ reputation. But anyone that would want to believe that [reputation] only needs to come spend a little time with us, and Rush Week certainly gives them an opportunity to do that.”
This year, junior Kappa Sigma member Ronan Bennett would like to “drift away from what was perpetuated over the summer from the Missed Connections page and to get out there be and positive so that the community can see through the fog that is the online forum.”
With the newly established Greek Code of Conduct at CMU, Kappa Simga’s hopes of revamping their public image may be successful as members engage in fundraising and charity work.
As rush is just beginning, any male student who shows interest in joining can contact Aaron Tran-Swope at 303-717-0737. Kappa Sigma will have a table set up in the University Center throughout the upcoming week. Signs with information about the fraternity can be found around campus, and a few of the members are always in the Student Life offices in the University Center.
cchiovit@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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