I remember walking into the SigEp house at Steven’s Tech in the fall and interrupting a candlelit dinner between two brothers in the common room. They had the lights off and even had a tablecloth. They greeted me as if everything was completely normal and I went on my way. When I settled back into my room I couldn’t help but appreciate the effort that these men put into the simple things that they do. I work with a lot of chapters and hear great ideas from all of them, but it is rare to see a chapter follow through with all of their unique ideas.

 

For some, running SigEp can be “extra work”, so they let it fall by the wayside. The chapter at Stevens sees their operations as bonding and brotherhood. I know this because when I talked with the vice president of recruitment in early April he sent me a google calendar with all of the chapter’s remote operations. Not only do they have daily programming for exercise and education, but they have even found a way to build relationships with other student organizations. They are the first chapter I have ever talked to that pulled off a social event with a sorority over google hangout. They have even inspired other chapters, like the one at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, to do the same. This kind of leadership can help SigEp improve more than any kind of service that I can provide.

 

The candlelit dinner that I stumbled upon stuck with me throughout my entire year as a regional director. It didn’t just give me an idea for other chapters, it inspired me to make things I do more meaningful by making them unique. This is especially true for this quarantine.  There is no better time to be creative with ideas than right now. When things go back to normal, this chapter and the people that they inspired will be more capable than they ever were before.