Sigma Tau Gamma

History

Four of the Founders; Emmett Ellis, Leland Thornton Hoback, Edward George Grannert, and William Glenn Parsons, had enlisted and served their country together during the First World War in France. Parsons commented that in founding the Fraternity they wanted to sustain a "sense of service, responsibility and affection for their companions." These four, together with Allen Ross Nieman, Edward Henry McCune, Carl Nelson Chapman, Buell Wright McDaniel, George Eugene Hartrick, A. Barney Cott, Chiles Edward Hoffman, Rodney Edward Herndon, William Edward Billings, Clarence Willard Salter, Frank H. Gorman, Alpheus Oliphant Fisher, and Daniel Frank Fisher, were the 17 founders of the Fraternity.

When they returned to school in the summer of 1920, the Normal School they knew had been elevated by the Missouri legislature to a 4-year college granting bachelor's degrees.

Several of the founders were members of the Irving Literary Society, but they wanted to cut across the boundaries of this and other literary societies to form their new fraternity. They wanted the most desirable men from each to join. On the morning of June 28, 1920, "at an unusually early hour" according to the original minutes, a list containing the names of about thirty men was posted on the college bulletin board by Emmett Ellis with a request to meet that afternoon for what was, to them, an unknown purpose.

According to the minutes, "the notice had the proper effect and, as requested, there appeared a goodly number of men to learn what was in store for them." Founder Nieman, who had become familiar with fraternities while attending William Jewell College, was the principal organizer of the meeting. He explained the purpose of the meeting and told them what such an organization could mean to the men of the college. The men elected Leland Hoback temporary chairman and Emmett Ellis temporary secretary. They agreed to begin crafting the organization and adjourned until July 7, 1920.

The Founders were accompanied by Dr. Wilson C. Morris to present their petition to the faculty. Dr. Morris was a Sigma Nu in his college days and his influence was significant and the new Fraternity received recognition. Dr. Morris became the Fraternity's first honorary member and served the Alpha chapter at Central Missouri as patron, counselor, and advisor until his death in 1947.

In the fall of 1920 a ceremony for initiation of new members was written and the chapter of 17 grew to 31 by its first anniversary in 1921. Founder Edward H. McCune recalled later that, "from the very beginning, Sigma Tau Gamma prospered, both in membership and service. Its challenge to students to live well and promote the spirit of brotherhood was continually being met by those who were seeking membership."

College chapters

The principal unit in the organization of the Fraternity is the college chapter. Delegates from the college chapters comprise the major part of the Grand Chapter, having the ultimate authority and responsibility for the Fraternity.

Alumni chapters

Alumni members living in a geographic area may organize an alumni chapter for the purpose of maintaining social ties with other members and continue their activity in the Fraternity. Alumni chapters are chartered by the Fraternity and send a delegate to the Grand Chapter. Unlike an alumni association, which includes alumni from a single college chapter, an alumni chapter includes alumni in a particular region, from any college chapter.

Grand Chapter

Sigma Tau Gamma is organized into a Grand Chapter. The body of the Grand Chapter meets biennially and is the supreme legislative authority of the Fraternity. Representatives of the collegiate chapters, alumni chapters, alumni associations, members of the Board of Directors, past presidents of the Fraternity, and members of the Society of Seventeen are voting delegates of the Grand Chapter.

The Grand Chapter has the authority to legislate for the good of the Fraternity and to adopt and amend the Constitution and Laws. Through the acts voted upon at the Grand Chapter meeting, voting delegates determine the broad policies of the Fraternity.

Board of Directors The Board of Directors is the governing body elected by the Grand Chapter, and is made up of the president, president-elect, four directors at large, and the two immediate past presidents. An executive vice president is employed by the Board of Directors and is the chief executive officer. He directs the professional staff of the Sigma Tau Gamma Headquarters who in turn direct the efforts of volunteer staff that support the regions, advisors, and chapters of the Fraternity.

The Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation exists to support the programs of the Fraternity. It is governed by an 18-member Board of Trustees that is elected by the Fraternity Board of Directors. The Executive Vice President of the Fraternity serves in a similar role for the Foundation.

Membership

All members of Sigma Tau Gamma fall into 1 of 3 classes according to Article 3 of the Constitution: Collegiate Members, Alumni Members, or Honorary Members. Any male student that is regularly enrolled in a college at which a collegiate chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma exists is eligible for membership, provided he is not a member of another North-American Interfraternity Conference fraternity.

Path of Principles

The Path of Principles is the lifelong member development program of Sigma Tau Gamma.

New collegiate members of the Fraternity are titled Associate Members. Associate members will organize themselves into a model chapter, with meetings, officers, events, and standards that parallel that of the full chapter. Using the first four weeks of membership as an opportunity to practice membership.

After the initial four weeks, associate members participate in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Degree of the Ritual of Initiation ("Initiation" for short) and are elevated to the status of Brother. At this time they become full members excepting one capacity- to hold appointed or elected office in a chapter. Newly initiated brothers may now attend and participate in chapter meetings, but for another four weeks they will also continue practicing good membership in the associate model chapter.

Eight total weeks having past, four as associates and four as brothers, the new members have sufficiently practiced membership to become fully capable members. The 4th Degree of the Ritual of Initiation (the "4th Degree" for short) is conducted and members are elevated to the level of "Leader", the first of 17 levels of the Path of Principles. Having attained the first level, the member may now wear a Ritual stole during appropriate ceremonies

For the remainder of his time as a college member, and throughout his life as an alumnus, a member of Sigma Tau Gamma continues his progress through the Path of Principles by attaining new levels. Titles are bestowed to members that continue quality, principle-based involvement in the Fraternity after reaching new levels. To advance 1 level, a member must complete tasks associated with each of the six principles. While in college, those tasks may include attaining a high grade point average or serving in a chapter office. As an alumnus, they may include advising a chapter or remaining involved with an alumni association.

Rituals

Sigma Tau Gamma utilizes ceremonies, both public and private, to mark the progress of members through important milestones of membership. Ritualists wear the Sigma Tau Gamma Ritual stole during the ceremonies.

Foundation

The Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation, Inc. was organized December 10, 1966 and established as an educational foundation qualified as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity.

The Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation awards scholarships for undergraduate and graduate study, primarily with restricted funding designated for particular chapters named Chapter Heritage Funds. Alumni Associations help administrate the disbursement of Chapter Heritage Funds.

The Foundation is also particularly active in supporting citizenship and leadership development programs through the use of funding from the Chain of Honor Annual Fund.

The Foundation also awards grants to help collegiate members participate in interfraternity leadership development programs such as UIFI (Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute) sponsored by the NIC.

Philanthropy

Sigma Tau Gamma has a collection of philanthropies. Though Sigma Tau Gamma nationally has two philanthropies, the philanthropies among the chapters at various colleges is different. For example, at Monmouth University located in West Long Branch, New Jersey, the Epsilon Omicron chapter's philanthropies include Special Olympics and the Michael McNeil Foundation. In other colleges like the University of Alabama, their philanthropies include The Humane Society of West Alabama and the RISE program.

BACCHUS

In 1986, delegates to the Michael J. Steinbeck Grand Chapter in St. Louis, Missouri adopted BACCHUS (Boosting Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students) as Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity's official philanthropy.

Dr. Gerardo M. Gonzalez, President and Founder of BACCHUS, was initiated as an honorary member of Alpha Chapter (University of Central Missouri) in 1982. He is an Honorary Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation Trustee.

Books For Kids

In 1994, under the leadership of past Foundation President, Ken Hoover, Books For Kids is a charitable project created by the Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation that was created as a project that would tie the fraternity back to its educational heritage.

After two successful years, the Board of Directors decided that due to the tremendous success of the Books For Kids project, they would make it the national philanthropy of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity.

As of 2004, Books For Kids has donated over 28,000 books and $30,000 to the public libraries and school districts of the region selected to host the fraternity's annual National Convention.

Special Olympics

On June 30, 2011, the Board of directors announced that Special Olympics is the new national philanthropy of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity.

Recognition and honors

Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity recognizes both individual and group achievement each year at the annual Awards Banquet held as the concluding event to the Grand Chapter (in even number years) and the Strategic Leadership Conference (held in odd number years).

Collegiate member awards

Alumni member awards

Chapter awards

Chapter awards recognize those college chapters that exemplify the Principle of Excellence. Most chapter awards measure chapter performance during the academic year. This time period does not coincide with the term of the chapter executive board, as it is generally elected in November and takes office in December. Thus the awards are designed to assess a chapter, and not simply the quality of a particular set of officers. Most awards are not judged by a panel or committee. Rather, they are earned by McCune Metrics score achievement.

Other recognition

The Saga

The official magazine of the fraternity, The Saga of Sigma Tau Gamma, is published quarterly by the fraternity. Members are entitled to a lifetime subscription, which provides an important membership link for alumni of the fraternity.

Creed

Our Creed

I believe that the true spirit of Fraternalism is a personal devotion to one's ideals. It has its roots in definite, tangible things. It springs out of a love of God and worth of one's fellow man. It grows into qualities of mind and soul. It is not the attitude toward a few selected ends, but rather the abiding spirit in which all things are done, all difficulties met, all successes received, all obstacles overcome.

I believe that the true spirit of Fraternalism is a breath that breathes itself into the life and being of those who live it, becoming an unconscious part of them, ruling and molding their thoughts and acts. We may call it the right attitude towards life, towards the world, towards right and wrong, towards the beautiful and good, towards duty and faith in God.

I believe that the true spirit of Fraternalism is a thing that grows. It is first associated almost exclusively with a narrow circle of fellow students, but it broadens with a widening understanding until it takes in all the important relationships of life. It enters the domain of private life as thoroughly as in public life. It teaches the fulfillment of obligations to school, state and church.

I believe that Sigma Tau Gamma endeavors to bind men together in a fraternal brotherhood based upon these eternal and immutable truths, which are set forth in the Principles and in the Code of Conduct of our Fraternity.

Purpose

From Article 1 of the Fraternity Constitution:

The Purpose of this Fraternity shall be to promote the welfare of its members as provided in this Constitution, and the Laws of the Fraternity, which are based upon it. It shall endeavor to promote the highest ideals of manhood, brotherhood and citizenship according to the Principles of the Fraternity. it shall uphold the tradition and ideals of the institutions in which its collegiate members are students.