A brief history of Gamma Sigma

The Gamma Sigma Chapter of  Sigma Nu Fraternity was chartered on the  Iowa State University campus in  Ames, Iowa  in 1904 and has the distinction of being the oldest fraternity at this university. Since its founding nearly a century ago at Iowa State approximately 1,200 men have been initiated into the Legion of Honor. Following a series of setbacks, the undergraduate chapter has been absent from the campus since 1998. But the story does not end.....

New Beginnings

Brother Frederick (Fritz) Raab, Gamma Sigma 772, 1965, with legal advice from Brother Bob Thompson, Gamma Sigma 789, 1966, assumed the role of acting President of the Gamma Sigma House Corporation. Working diligently with Sigma Nu National headquarters, a national election was held late in 1999 and seven new board members were selected to serve the Sigma Nu House Corporation, Inc. In addition, new bylaws for the reorganized house corporation were adopted. The new bylaws were written by Richard Scheffler, Gamma Sigma 759, 1964, and were designed to provide greater flexibility in the activities of the house corporation including operation as an alumni association.

Goals of the House Corporation

The reorganized Gamma Sigma House Corporation has adopted two formidable goals. The first is to establish a viable and active alumni association. Once this is accomplished, the board will direct their efforts towards re-establishment of an undergraduate chapter on the Iowa State University campus. For these efforts to be successful, many brothers will need to step forward and volunteer their time and talents toward the recolonization and the on-going success of the fraternity.

Recolonizing the Future - It is HERE & HAPPENING!

The dedication and leadership of the board has brought us to the point where the necessary steps to recolonize the Gamma Sigma chapter at Iowa State is happening.  The Sigma Nu Director of Expansion, Christopher L. Healy provided information to the alumni in attendance at the 2009 fall reunion banquet.  The national fraternity provided the investment of funded manpower to assist us in establishing a new undergraduate chapter at Iowa State.

It is the intention of the Board of Trustees to have an active undergraduate chapter present at Iowa State by Spring 2011 with a new Charter from National. The specific timing and success of this lies with the initiative and desire of the alumni to step up to the task of contributing some of their time and talent to the process whether serving as a chapter advisor or as an active involved supporter of the Chapter.  This commitment of the alumni is the  bedrock foundation of the Chapter and the source of pride and support needed to recruit and retain the young men we choose as candidates to become members of the Legion of Honor.  This is our opportunity to actively realize our vision of the Gamma Sigma chapter.

This effort is being spearheaded by Chris Swailes GS 1129 ( CjzSwailes@mchsi.co ) as our Board Member advisor to the new Colony.  Click on the "Recolonization" webpage for updated information and status.

How You Can Get Involved

It is going to take a strong committed alumni group to form the foundation for a long term sustainable organization.  We need your time and talent for this to happen.  You can get involved in any number of ways:
  • Please call or email or send a letter to Shawn Ovenden, GS1109 or Chris Swailes to let them know you are interested in supporting the recolonization effort.  Also let them know what you are willing to commit as for time and talent and find out how you can utilize your talents for Gamma Sigma.  You can also visit the blog site and leave your information and comments there.  This information will be routed to the sigmanuisu@gmail.com email address for review and approval before being posted to the blog site.  If you do not want the information posted please indicate this in the comments.  The blog site can be found at: http://sigmanuisu.blogspot.com.
  • Call, email or send a letter to your Gamma Sigma brothers to let them know that the recolonization is in process and encourage them to join you in getting involved in the chapter activities.
  • Plan to attend the fall Reunion activities and other Gamma Sigma functions.  This is a great way to share our brotherhood,  get up to date on the chapter recolonization  and to rekindle that passion for Gamma Sigma, Sigma Nu and Iowa State.

Call For Sweat-Equity

Lets be clear that we will not be asking the alumni for financial contributions at this time. As always we will accept donations if you feel you would like to contribute; however, it is much more important for each of us to invest in the contribution of our time and talents. It is a clean slate...let's make a legacy of success for generations to come to be proud of.