On Saturday, November 6, 2021, the Active Chapter performed the required Sigma Chi ritual and initiated the last new brothers into Epsilon Eta ending the first 100 years of bringing in new members.  Past Consul and Magister, Gio Primavera (17-F), proudly taught the history and values of Sigma Chi to the pledge class of fall 2021 with the help of assistant magisters Luke Karagozian (20-S), Trey Wood  (20-F), and Nolan Sumter (20-F).  There were nineteen new initiates in the Fall 2021 pledge class including brothers Erik Barrera, Joseph Bernardo, Emilio Carranza, Maher Dimassi, José Gonzalez, Connor Gotz, Matt Habig, Noah Hornburg, Bassel Khoury, Rafael Lanzagorta, Cooper Lilles, Max Mahoney, Chris Miller, Seth Preheim, Anthony Rojas, Navid Sadavi, Chris Sousa, Payton Thomason and Austin Tuell.

An aside to initiation, when the solar installation was complete on August 4, 2018, two electric vehicle chargers were installed.  Many alumni asked why, and the answer was that electric vehicles were the future, and Sigma Chi wanted to be ready.  As soon as the chargers were installed, Quaestor Sham Batth (17-F) began to use the chargers with his BMW i8 Roadster, an awesome-looking car, and he continues to use it today.  On November 8, 2021, two days after initiation, this Tesla Model 3 was seen charging.  It belongs to new initiate Navid Sadavi (21-F).

Consul Jordan Ayerza (17-F) is officially and literally in the Epsilon Eta history book after his scholarship award of $10,000 from Sigma Chi International.  Brother Jordan was selected out of 900 applicants to be awarded the Founder Thomas Cowan Bell Academic Scholarship which is only awarded to seven brothers across the nation and is the first brother to have ever received this scholarship in Epsilon Eta history.

From the Sigma Chi International Website – Jordan Ayerza, CAL. STATE-FRESNO 2022 | Bob & Sabrina Johnson Scholarship

 

A major in Agricultural Biology, where he is working towards a career as a Botanist, Brother Ayerza held a 3.1 GPA entering his senior year at California State University-Fresno while serving as Consul of the Epsilon Eta chapter.  Within the chapter, he has continuously held offices from his date of initiation also serving as Kustos, Philanthropy Chairman, Brother at Large, Social Chairman, Consul Fall 2020-Spring 2021 and again as Consul Fall 2021-Spring 2022, while volunteering annually through Epsilon Eta’s Derby Days and Kids Day events.  Through his leadership as Consul, the chapter pulled through the COVID-19 pandemic with strong brotherhood, a full chapter house and collective GPA exceeding the school’s all-men’s average. 

His academic pursuits have been entirely self-funded through scholarships and a full-time position at the agribusiness company Wilbur-Ellis, which specializes in agri-chemicals.  Ayerza plans to continue work for the company post-graduation as works towards his career objectives.

Jordan has served in many leadership roles as an undergraduate including Kustos, Philanthropy Chairman, Brother at Large, Social Chairman, Consul Fall 2020-Spring 2021 and again as Consul Fall 2021-Spring 2022.  For his strong and persistent leadership in the Active Chapter and his academic excellence, Jordan received the Alumni President’s Citation at the November 18, 2021 Alumni Chapter Dinner.  He is the first Epsilon Eta undergraduate to receive this honor.

Jordan has now scored a trifecta at Epsilon Eta, he is the first brother to serve as Consul for four straight semesters, he is the first brother to receive a Founders Scholarship from the Sigma Chi Foundation, and he is the first undergraduate brother to receive the Alumni President’s Citation.

The Sigma Chi House Corporation board members work hard to run the House as efficiently as possible so that rent for our undergraduate brothers can be kept at a minimum. Apartment owners play the supply/demand game and charge as much as the market will bare.

Fresno Sigma Chi charges $650/month during the school year which includes meals, and $425/month during the summer without meals. The rent includes all utilities, cable TV and the fastest commercial broadband that Comcast offers. Apartment rent excludes all three. Average energy cost in Fresno is $220 while cable/broadband starts at $80.

There really is not an apple-to-apple comparison though since apartments don’t offer the experiences available at a fraternity house such as enhancing brotherhood and learning leadership and social skills.  And 50% of the Chapter House is common area that all brothers can enjoy, even those who cannot live in. In addition, brothers who apply, academically qualify and choose to live in the Chapter House can obtain $1,000 scholarships for each semester of the school year.  But suffice it to say, the Fresno Sigma Chi House Corporation is holding the line as apartment rents rise in Fresno.

Apartment Rents in Fresno Rise 19.8%, Makes International News

The Guardian, a British news and media website on November 6, 2021 presented an article relating to apartment cost increases, and noted that the largest increase was in Fresno, California. With a median cost of $1,141 for a one-bedroom and $1,421 for a two-bedroom, Fresno rents are still below those of San Francisco or Los Angeles. 

Fresno is the largest city in the agricultural Central Valley, and has historically been one of the most affordable places to live in California. But during the pandemic, rents began to rise dramatically, climbing by 26% over 12 months.

Locals attribute the surge to people seeking to escape the high cost of living in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. But even as life returns to pre-pandemic norms, those who live here say the situation isn’t getting any better. Rents, which had been steadily climbing for years before the pandemic, are still rising and, coupled with a shortage of homes, that’s hitting low-income residents hardest.

At the October monthly alumni dinner about forty brothers had the privilege of watching Significant Sig Leo Wilson (55-F) receive the Epsilon Eta Outstanding Alumni award. Brother Wilson was only the second alumnus to receive the award, the highest honor in Epsilon Eta.

He served on the House Corporation Board from 1963 to about 1984, and he made scores of contributions to the Chapter House over the last 57 years including coordinating construction and maintenance for the Chapter House. For about ten years he donated monies to the “food supplement” for undergraduate meals at the Chapter House, served as Vice President of the Endowment Board since 2015, was a “heavy hitter” in Campaign 2010 that raised $500,000 for the remodeling of and addition to the Chapter House.