Sigma Chi

[[Thumbnail(bldg_sigChi.jpg, right, 320, "The previous, well-maintained, Sigma Chi house — the chapter's new house is on Parkway Circle.")]][[Thumbnail(attachment_title1.gif, right, 320)]]

Location

400 Parkway Circle]

Website

National Site ucdsigs.com

Sigma Chi is a nationwide leadership fraternity with a focus on the ideals of friendship, justice, and learning. It once shared a parking lot with the freshman Emerson, Webster, and Thoreau residence halls where it was challenged by controversy. The local chapter is known as the Theta Omicron Chapter.

The Sigma Chi Fraternity was founded at Oxford, Ohio's Miami University on June 28,1855. Its mission is to be a values-based organization that stresses the character development of each member. These seven founders believed that the principles they professed were imperfectly realized in other fraternal organizations. Although this vision of Sigma Chi was based upon the notion of shared ideals, they believed that true brotherhood would thrive best among men of different temperaments, talents and convictions. Like all Greek organizations, Sigma Chi's ideals and purposes are set forth in a secret document called our Ritual. Sigma Chi also has a set of signs, symbols and heraldry which supports our teachings. There are over 220 undergraduate Sigma Chi chapters and 140 alumni chapters across North America.

Derby Days is Sigma Chi's annual philanthropic event to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. Sigma Chi has officially affiliated itself with Children's Miracle Network since 1992, and now raises funds at chapters across the country through various events such as this. Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit alliance of 170 hospitals throughout the United States and Canada dedicated to research and community outreach, and to providing the finest care for 17 million children a year with diseases and injuries of every kind, from broken bones to cancer.

Derby Days, founded in 1934 at UC Berkeley, offers an excellent opportunity for public relations while making a contribution to a deserving cause as well as promoting Greek Life as a whole. Since its inception, Derby Days has raised over $2 million nationwide for numerous philanthropies. In fact, such a program is a pioneer among men's fraternities.

Derby Days pits UC Davis sororities against each other in an arena of friendly competition in order to raise money for charities. Sororities earn points for both participation and generosity. The revenues are split evenly between Sigma Chi's philanthropies of choice—locally the Sac Kids Hospital and internationally the Children's Miracle Network.

Perhaps due to its close proximity to the undergraduate dorms (guilt by location?), or maybe because of more substantial reasons, many have called Sigma Chi "the date rape frat." To date, nobody has come forward with concrete proof to substantiate this claim.

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2005-07-13 08:39:40   Nice ideals of friendship, justice, and learning, Mr. Caporusso! Perhaps there's some truth to the controversy. —AlphaDog