Scope United States Symbol King Cobra | Colors Red Black Green | |
Motto "Brotherhood Beyond All Barriers" Pillars Society, Brotherhood, Remembrance | ||
Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc. (ΣΒΡ, also SigRho) is a national, collegiate, multicultural, Greek-lettered fraternity. Sigma Beta Rho was founded on August 16, 1996, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The fraternity was originally dedicated to the advancement of South-Asian males in America, but has since expanded to a broader focus.
Contents
Organization
The National Executive Board (NEB) is the governing body of Sigma Beta Rho, and presides over the nationwide fraternity, which is divided into eight interim regions. Each region is appointed a Regional Governor (RG) by the NEB, who acts as the envoy to his respective region on the behalf of the NEB. Under each RG, there is also a Regional Advisory Committee (RAC).
The fraternity’s national philanthropic focus is on its partnership with SOS Children's Villages. Sigma Beta Rho is currently working on establishing an internet-based newsletter, the Seven Star Journal.
Sigma Beta Rho is a charter member of the National APIA Panhellenic Association (NAPA). Sigma Beta Rho member Akash Kuruvilla co-authored the original constitution of NAPA. The fraternity was also accepted into the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) on 15 April 2007 as its 69th member.
Sigma Beta Rho maintains a non-hazing policy.
Founding
The first eight members of Sigma Beta Rho, known as the National Founding Fathers, are Saiful Khandker, Shoor Kalam, Russell Abdullah, Bonit Sharma, Rajan Dogra, Neil Datta, Suman Ghosh, and Anuj Datta.
The eight founders originally attended three different college campuses, and came together to form Sigma Beta Rho as a South-Asian Interest fraternity. Sigma Beta Rho’s pronouncement, however, occurred upon the establishment of its Beta Chapter at Binghamton University on August 22, 1998. That same year the fraternity incorporated under the State Department of New York. Since 1998, Sigma Beta Rho has expanded to over 40 chapters and colonies in the United States, and has a total membership of over 2000.
Diversification
In its first few years of existence, Sigma Beta Rho changed its focus from a South-Asian interest fraternity to one with a multicultural mission. The fraternity's mission advocates the idea that the United States is a cultural salad bowl, and that members should actively embrace both their own cultural heritage, as well as a work towards a better understanding of the greater community.