Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter of Fresno

Mike Patton

August Alumni Chapter Zoom Meeting

On August 20 our second virtual Alumni Chapter meeting was hosted by Mike Patton (S’63). Invitations were limited due to the nature of a virtual meeting and as we gain experience from this setting. Our next meeting will be held on September 17,2020..
 
Brothers Bill Smittcamp (S’73), and Bill Robinson (S’70) shared how the pandemic has both positive and negative impacts for their business. Brothers John Ballinger (S’65), 2019 William T. Bringham Best House Corporation Officer Award, President and Evan Selander (S’12), Treasurer of the House Corporation provided updates. Brother Selander presented a Powerpoint on the new video surveillance system at the Epsilon Eta Chapter House.

Brothers attending included Consul Jordan Ayerza  (17’F), John Ballinger (65’S), Past Consul Tom Downing (62’F), Brad Fischer (78’S), Tony Flores (56’S), T.A Heckel (82’F), Past Consul Ron LaRocca (61’F), Bill Matesso (63’F), Rick Nelson (65’S), Mike Patton (63’S), Bruce Quan (72’F), Gary Renner (62’S), Dave Reuland (69’F), Bill Robinson (70’F), Evan Selander (12’S),  Bill Smittcamp (73’S), Mark Springer (09’F), Tim Vaux (66’F), Jerry Waters (62’F) and Kevin Wren (74’F).

House Corporation Completes CCTV for Exterior of Chapter House

Fresno Sigma Chi House Corporation president, John Ballinger 65-S, announced on July 15, 2020 that the video surveillance  project is complete. Almost every square foot of the exterior is covered by 14 high-definition cameras in 8 separate housings.

Through the years there have been some car break-ins and thefts in the parking lot at night. Although the exterior lighting was upgraded several years ago to increase the foot-candles by a factor of 10, it still happens occasionally. There also have been a few Chapter House break-ins.

We have had uninvited party crashers in the recent past. They were asked to leave, refused and then caused physical harm to brothers and guests. These new cameras will capture any future incidents of this nature and will be evidence for law enforcement.

The cameras and lighting provide 24-hour surveillance and more than 30 days of storage. Evan Selander 12-S, the House Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer, says the cameras may qualify for a discount for the House’s insurance. The night lighting is adequate to allow for color recording for better identification of wrongdoers.

How Much Has the Cost of College Changed?

Some of us are old enough to remember the past as the “good old days.” When I started Fresno State September of 1962, tuition was $50 per semester and healthcare at the Fresno State Health Center was $10 per semester. The 2020/2021 undergraduate tuition and fees are now $6,591 for California residents, and the estimated annual cost for books and supplies is $1,918. What a difference 58 years makes.


Past EH Quaestor, Consul and Delta Gamma Anchorman, Art Renney (64-S), posed for this 1966 rush brochure. If you peruse the article you will find some interesting cost estimates for various activities. You know they were pretty accurate because Art was Quaestor at the time. The one I like most is the cost of dates and TGIFs, $20-$25 per month.

Things are really different for today’s undergraduates, and this is why our endowment scholarships are so important to our Active Chapter.

Mike Patton (63-S)
President, Fresno Sigma Chi Endowment Board

Fresno Sigma Chi Endowment Awards $28,000 to Active Chapter Brothers

 

Mike Patton (63-S), Fresno Sigma Chi Endowment President, announced that the Endowment Board has awarded 14 scholarships of $2,000 each to undergraduate members of the fraternity for the fall 2000/spring 2021 school year.  The scholarships are split into two payments, September 2020 and January 2021.  Monies for the scholarships are from earnings from endowments held by the Fresno State Alumni Association and the Sigma Chi Foundation (Headquarters).

Fresno Sigma Chi alumni began creating the endowments and making donations in 1975 to recognize and reward academic excellence, outstanding chapter leadership and outstanding brotherhood contributions.

The undergraduate brothers who accepted the scholarships are Jordan Ayerza (17-F), Sham Batth (17-F), Cole Blagen (17-F), Brayden Bronson (17-F), Diego Fernandez (18-F), Tyler Gardner (20-S), Taj Gill (20-S), Raj Johal (20-S), Luke Karagozian (20-S),  Cody Koch (20-S), Matthew Morales (20-S), Gio Primavera (17-F), Lane Pulliam (20-S), Christian Reta (18-F), Gabe Rodriguez (20-S), McKay Romero (18-F), Nick Sheehan (20-S) and Bryson Stephens (20-S).

The scholarship pool consists of those brothers who successfully apply on the Fresno State scholarship portal, and who are living in the Chapter House during the 2020/2021 school year. The purpose of the scholarships is to offset part of the cost of tuition, books, fees, supplies and equipment required to attend Fresno State.  The 2020 undergraduate tuition and fees are now $6,591 for California residents, and the estimated annual cost for books and supplies is $1,918.

In addition, undergraduate brothers Nolan Long (20-S) and Christian Reta (18-F), both Smittcamp Scholars, each received a $1,500 scholarship, and Luke Karagozian (20-S) received $3,000 from the Dante Simi (58-F) Endowment.  All three Simi recipients are 4.0 students.

Past Epsilon Eta Consul and Significant Sig Dante Simi

The Fresno Sigma Chi endowments totaled $821,467 on January 1, 2020 allowing Epsilon Eta to fund more scholarships than almost every Sigma Chi chapter in North America.

House Corporation Meets by Zoom, Elects Officers, Adopts COVID-19 Policy for Chapter House


On May 18 board President John Ballinger pounded the gavel and opened the May monthly meeting. In attendance was Jerry Waters, recently named Seven Lights Alumni, who announced his retirement as board secretary after 12 years of service. Some of the highlights of the meeting are:
1. For the first time in many years the Chapter House will be open during the summer, and about a dozen undergraduates will be living in.
2. There was much discussion about the pandemic and its potential effect on the Active Chapter.
3. At present there are hand sanitizer dispensers at each exterior door, and each day all commonly touched surfaces are sanitized with disinfectant.
4. A draft of the COVID-19 Policy for the Chapter House was discussed and approved.
5. Chapter Advisor Dusty Lacefield suggested writing letters to all Active Chapter brothers and their parents detailing the steps being taken to insure the Chapter House is safe. A copy of the COVID-19 Policy will be included. Click here to view letter: Letter to Parents Click here to view COVID-19 Policy EX COVID-19 Policy
6. A paragraph has been added to the Active Chapter and individual leases that details the COVID-19 policies.
Nominations for House Corporation officers for the 2020-2021 fiscal year were opened, and the following brothers were elected:
President, John Ballinger
Vice President, Darin Tockey
Secretary, Mark Springer
Treasurer/CFO, Evan Selander
Chief Technology Officer, Titus Moore