Initiation and Chartering Ceremony Recap

Finally, after multiple setbacks due to the pandemic, Gamma Nu's charter has officially been reinstated! It was a significant moment in our process of bringing back Sigma Nu's legacy to 700 Oxford. It was also wonderful to see many of our alumni attend the virtual ceremony and witness the beginnings of a new chapter in Gamma Nu history. We heard from a few alums about the impact that being a Sigma Nu has meant for them, as well as the dedication that went into bringing Gamma Nu back to campus.

In addition to the Chartering Ceremony, the candidates of Sigma Nu, Gamma Nu from Alpha class to Delta class were officially initiated on February 13th. Many of the older brothers of 700 Oxford were able to finally see their hard work pay off, and it feels great to finally be a Sigma Nu! Lastly, we would like to give a special thank you to the alumni who took part in the process of passing the torch to the younger generation of Gamma Nu Snakes.

The YouTube link to the Chartering Ceremony is below:

Commander's Corner

by Commander Drishaan Jain

Hi all, my name is Drishaan Jain (DJ) and I am Gamma Nu’s 2021 Commander. I’m currently a sophomore studying Computer Science and live at 700 Oxford. The past two months in this position have demonstrated to me the high level of enthusiasm amongst brothers and the overall ability to respond to challenges presented by COVID this semester.

We returned to campus in January with some exciting initiatives. Eight of the freshmen members of our Fall 2020 pledge class opted to move into the chapter house after the University closed the dorms for this semester, bringing our current live-in number to 20. Additionally, we forged ahead with Winter Rush to recruit a new class of pledges as we continue to grow since our return to campus. The chapter had to navigate the ever-changing state, local, and university guidelines regarding COVID and social gatherings, but our Recruitment Chairmen and their committee members did a fantastic job of delivering a hybrid recruitment period, featuring a mix of virtual and in-person events. We got the opportunity to meet and interact with many students across campus, and ultimately extended 23 bids, of which 13 were accepted. Combined with the Fall ‘20 pledge class of 14 members, this brings our total year recruitment number to 27 new members!

While this year has continued to pose challenges and restrictions, the brothers of Gamma Nu have learned to adapt and overcome in the face of adversity. We were initially looking forward to hosting a modified version of our annual philanthropy event Winterfest (which raised $127,000 for charity last year and won the chapter a National Philanthropy award) this semester, but advice and feedback from the University and law enforcement suggested that it should be postponed. Thus, we are now exploring other avenues of philanthropy, namely partnering with Dance Marathon on campus, which fundraises for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. 

Additionally, with classes being primarily virtual, we have had the opportunity to further develop brotherhood internally as well as focus on improvements to 700 Oxford. For example, in February, our Chaplain organized a brotherhood ski trip to Boyne Falls, which was a great opportunity for the chapter to relax, bond, and hit the slopes. Our members, spanning from seniors to the newest freshman class, have also been working together to propose renovations to our basement.

With optimistic news about the availability of vaccines and an overall decline in COVID cases nationwide, there is light at the end of the tunnel for this pandemic. After seeing the successes that our chapter has shared over the past year in the face of adversity, I have no doubt in my mind that Gamma Nu will continue to progress forward and make strides in our development, and I’m honored to serve my brothers as we look forward to the Fall.

Alumni Advisory Board Notes

by AAB Chairman Mike Thwaites

It's been quite a quiet school year for the AAB, Alumni Advisory Board, with the Covid-19 shutdowns at the University of Michigan. A virtual Initiation was approved from Sigma Nu National and was finally completed on Saturday, February 13, 2021, after 5 postponements. Congratulations to Gamma Nu's 42 new Brothers!

Not only have these men worked hard to get Sigma Nu successfully back on campus, but they have also gotten the Sigma Nu Charter finally back to the University of Michigan! The young men at 700 Oxford have had a very difficult school year navigating the twists and turns presented by the U of M and the City of Ann Arbor Covid-19 restrictions, that often changed daily.

Two successful, mostly virtual, Rushes were completed bringing two quality Pledge classes to the Chapter. I couldn't be prouder of watching the Officers and Brothers navigate this challenging pandemic to have a productive year!

Gamma Nu House Corp Notes

by House Corp President Mark Brown

This past semester has been an interesting one, to say the least. With COVID shutting down the residence halls on campus for the Winter semester, 700 Oxford became a safe haven for many of our incoming candidates to live. The good news is that the house is now at max capacity! The bad news is that the max capacity for the house is just 19 people. While Sigma Nu was absent from campus for about a decade, the city of Ann Arbor rezoned our house and reduced the allowable live-in number to 19 people because there are only 19 rooms in the house. Our tenant at the time, PIKE Fraternity, used 700 Oxford as a clubhouse rather than a home, so they didn’t seem to mind. With our Fall ’21 live-in roster projected to be more than 20 students, we are currently working with the city of Ann Arbor to increase the allowable headcount from 19 to 40 people. 700 Oxford is capped at 40 people due to the number of restrooms/showers available; there is a certain ratio needed to pass city inspections. Via our property management company, Alpha, we’ve provided architectural plans to the city of Ann Arbor and are making progress towards increasing the capacity of the house. It appears we are on track for an increased capacity for the Fall ’21 semester.

When the house is at max capacity, it provides an operating budget to sustain the house. Pay close attention to that comment – to sustain the house – not to improve the house. Since we were away for the better part of a decade, and PIKE Fraternity was not a very good tenant at the house, a lot of deferred maintenance is now coming to fruition. We’ve challenged the active chapter to fill the house to help us pay the bills and keep the lights on. They are doing a great job of recruiting the right people and increasing the live-in numbers to prove this is a long-term, sustainable fraternity. But we are at a “chicken or the egg” point in the process. How do we get more people to live in the house without major improvements? How do we make major improvements without getting more people to live in the house? We are three years into the resurrection of our chapter and in the 2nd year of living in the house. The first year of living at 700 Oxford we were below max capacity. In the first half of this year, we were also below max capacity. One bright spot from COVID is that it helped us fill the house this semester. Next semester, Fall ’21, we already have a live-in roster forecast to be at max capacity. With back-to-back-to-back strong rushes, the active chapter is living up to their end of the bargain by filling the house. We’ve all come a long way in a reasonably short amount of time! We are at a point where major house projects and renovations will need to be done. This next phase of our journey begins now.

We’re also in the middle of a major inspection done by the city of Ann Arbor.  Every two years the house gets inspected to ensure that it is safe and up to code. This means sealing windows, making sure fire doors close properly, and many other fixes/improvements. Fortunately, the first round of inspections found no major (read: costly) repairs. We are following a plan to get the house up to code prior to the next inspection, which should take place around the time classes end in late April. City inspections are very important and we are positioned to ensure our house is up to code, giving the active chapter a safe place to live.

A Word From a Fellow Brother

by Maxwell Barnes

Hello Brothers of Gamma Nu,

My name is Maxwell Barnes and I am the current Public Relations Chairman here at Michigan Sigma Nu. I joined Sigma Nu as a member of the Gamma pledge class in the Fall of 2019. Since then, I’ve watched Gamma Nu’s reestablishment onto campus go through many arduous periods, all of which have resulted in our brotherhood becoming stronger and our mission more resolute.

I had just transferred that Fall from NYU, where I had left due to my general dissatisfaction with the University’s treatment toward its student body and my inability to find ways to socialize on an entirely urban campus. I picked Michigan because my Mother went here, and I grew up hearing stories about the wonders of Ann Arbor and her time spent in Greek Life. Curious to see if Greek Life would also be a community fit for me, I did some research on the IFC only to discover a new, non-hazing fraternity that was in the process of recolonizing.

I first arrived at 700 Oxford that September for an open-house, where I met many members of the Alpha PC. From what I learned, they had just begun to enjoy calling their house on Oxford a home once again after many years away. I believed that because of Sigma Nu’s commitment to non-hazing and the warmth of the brothers I met, that I would easily be able to picture myself as a part of this community. In short, I suicide-rushed Sigma Nu.

Since becoming a brother, I have noticed that every subsequent pledge class has gotten better and better. Each PC has formed cohesive friendships that are sure to last a lifetime. Many brothers also saw last year’s success in hosting Winterfest, the largest Greek philanthropy event at Michigan, to be a strong signal of our reentrance to campus.

Unfortunately, much of my time at Michigan has been marred by the Covid-19 Pandemic, which has upended many of our bright goals of further expansion, recruitment, and social agendas. However, no challenge has been too tall for us to overcome! This year alone, we were able to take in over 30 pledges across two semesters, ensuring that Alpha PC’s legacy will continue long after their graduation. Two members of my pledge class, D.J. Jain and Ben Gottlieb have also stepped up to serve as Commander and Lt. Commander, respectively.

I am optimistic about Sigma Nu’s presence on campus this coming Fall. News concerning worldwide declines in Covid-19 cases, the expansiveness of vaccines, and the University’s Fall reopening plans may in fact leave us in a stronger place leaving the pandemic than when we entered.

Many of Sigma Nu’s current brothers have secured football tickets for the Fall, and our upperclassmen are thrilled to share the experience of the Big House with the current freshmen who have not yet had the chance to see this great University at 100%. The state of Sigma Nu is strong, and I am proud to call myself a brother.

In LHT,

Maxwell A. Barnes

Alumni Spotlight

By Tejas Kulkarni

I would like to recognize a few alums that have accomplished much outside of Sigma Nu, in the workforce.

A Note For Our Graduating Brothers

by Tejas Kulkarni

As the semester comes to a close in the next few weeks, I would like to take the chance to congratulate our senior brothers on graduating! They are mainly members of our Alpha and Beta classes and have all been imperative in getting our chapter to where we are today. As a member of our Delta class, I know I speak for all of the younger brothers when I say it has been great having you all in leading the way and showing us the ropes.

Being able to spend time with you for the last year, I know that every one of you will be successful in your future endeavors as official Sigma Nu, Gamma Nu men.

A list of those graduating this year: Adam Jablon, Alex Löndal, Andrew Miller, Brett Peterman, Jack Behm, Justin Weiss, Karthik Mohan Raj, Keaton Berger, Logan Kraatz, Mason Faculak, Michael Getty, Nathan Mudge, Ned Kenny, Paul Jakobson, Robert Beverage, Sean Getty, and Zarif Sami.

We also want to emphasize that Alumni are always welcome at 700 Oxford. Whether it's at a scheduled event or just a spur of the moment visit, we encourage you to swing by and say hello! Brothers are always on hand and will be happy to show you around the house! If you want to schedule a time to make sure you get easy access and an awesome tour, please contact me at (203)-568-4212 or tejaskul@umich.edu. 

In addition, if you have any recent personal achievements that could be included in the Gamma Nus, reach out to me and I will include it in upcoming editions. Also, if you know of any brothers that are not receiving the Gamma Nus, please let me know, and I can add them to the email list!