A national fraternity new to the state of Alabama has recently decided to colonize their latest chapter on the campus of The University of Alabama.
Leaders of Sigma Tau Gamma said they hope to become the 27th member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference currently active at the Capstone.
“Sigma Tau Gamma is excited to become part of one of the leading fraternity and sorority communities in the country,” said Michael Smoll, the expansion director for Sigma Tau Gamma. “[It] is unique because of its long and rich history of students seeking to affiliate with a greek organization, which is reflected in the impressive chapter sizes.”
In the wake of another record-setting year for sorority recruitment and the naming of The University of Alabama as the largest greek community in the country by population, Sigma Tau Gamma leaders aspire to add to the already large number of students in fraternities and sororities on campus with the founding of their latest chapter.
The national fraternity’s expansion team arrived in Tuscaloosa at the beginning of last week, keeping busy by seeking out and interviewing potential founding members for their organization from every student class.
“We’re currently reviewing a list of over 2,000 men that have already been referred to us by various members of The University of Alabama campus, including faculty, administrators and even sisters of some of the sororities on campus,” said Paul Manly, the expansion counselor for Sigma Tau Gamma. “The University of Alabama has such a rich tradition of students seeking to affiliate with a greek organization, and Sigma Tau Gamma is incredibly excited to become a part of that tradition.”
Founded in 1920 by 17 students at the University of Central Missouri, Sigma Tau Gamma has expanded to over 70 active chapters nationwide. Primarily concentrated in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, Sigma Tau Gamma’s nearest chapter to Tuscaloosa can be found on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University.
Hoping to expand their presence in the Southeast, the fraternity is planning the creation of new chapters at both Auburn University and the University of Georgia after the colonization in Tuscaloosa is complete.
“What we really hope to see for this chapter is the bringing together of a group of high quality men with similar values,” said Woody Woodcock, a member of the Sigma Tau Gamma expansion team. “We’re going to work our hardest to find the right people on this campus for Sigma Tau Gamma and hopefully bring together a truly high performing group of student leaders this fall.”
With the large number of fraternities and sororities already on campus, many students question the need to add another organization to the UA greek community.
“It’s nice to see more fraternities trying to make their mark on the Alabama landscape, but I don’t really see the need for creating any more organizations on campus.” William Stokes, a junior majoring in history, said. “The population of the campus is sizeable and continuing to grow, but the greek organizations already here have had no problem growing along with it.
Stokes also said potential new members already have so many options when going through rush that he couldn’t see the campus needing additional houses just yet.
Derek Kaimann, another member of the Sigma Tau Gamma expansion team on campus, said he hopes that those students who eventually make up the group of founding members selected for Sigma Tau Gamma will take away as much from this organization as he did during his time as an undergraduate student.
“What really drew me to Sigma Tau Gamma as an undergrad were the various personal connections I made not only while going through rush, but as a brother as well,” Kaimann said. “Positive traditions, like those on The University of Alabama campus, mean a lot. But the opportunity these young men have to build a brand new tradition at a great school like this is something that will mean so much more.”
Students interested in learning more about Sigma Tau Gamma should contact Paul Manly at [email protected].
