About | Kappa Sigma at Southern Poly

ΚΣ - Our National History
ΟΛ - Our Local History
Our Values
Parents

Early History

For Kappa Sigmas, Bologna, Italy holds special meaning. For it was here, in "The City of Letters," that our Fraternity had its beginnings. In 1400, at the University of Bologna, Manuel Chrysoloras and his disciples formed a society for mutual protection. Their work inspired the Ritual and beliefs of a modern-day Greek-letter Fraternity — Kappa Sigma.

The University of Bologna in the year 1400 was the center of learning in Europe. At the time of Kappa Sigma's founding in America, the University of Virginia was a centerpiece of education in the United States. On December 10, 1869, William Grigsby McCormick occupied the room at 46 East Lawn. Known as the Five Friends and Brothers, on this chilly evening he, with four friends founded the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and planted the seed of Brotherhood.

Not only did the Founders formalize their friendship, but they also created a fraternity steeped in the traditions of the past and dedicated to the Pursuit of Learning. The new brothers recorded their bond in a Constitution and in an Oath which set forth the ideals and principles to all Kappa Sigmas today.

The Golden Hearted Virginian

Stephen Alonzo Jackson is regarded as possibly the most important man in Kappa Sigma's history. Through his efforts a struggling local fraternity became a strong national organization. He was the architect of out Ritual, writer of our Constitution, and was our first Worthy Grand Master. The following is and excerpt from the Bononia Docet, our pledge manual:

"Gentle as a woman, firm as a rock - a perfect bundle of nervous energy. His love of the Fraternity knew no bounds, and his enthusiasm was so contagious that it influenced everybody who came within his reach. His one ambition was to make Kappa Sigma the leading college fraternity of the world, and to that end he thought and worked by day and night, until the end of his busy life."

During the Fraternity's second Grand Conclave in 1878 in Richmond, Virginia, Jackson was reelected as Worthy Grand Master. In his speech, he expressed his ideal and goal of an enduring and expanding brotherhood as he addressed the Order:

"Why not, my Brothers, since we of today live and cherish the principles of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, throw such a halo around those principles that they may be handed down as a precious heirloom to ages yet unborn? Why not put our apples of gold in pictures of silver? May we not rest contentedly until the Star and Crescent is the pride of every college and university in the land!"

Jackson died on March 4, 1892. His legacy to the Fraternity included its Ritual, a revised Constitution, a precedent-setting Grand Conclave, the first southern Fraternity to extend a chapter to the north, and above all else, a spirit for expansion.

Today, Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 245,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living alumni and more than 13,500 undergraduate members. Click here to learn about the history of our local chapter.

The Beta Sigma Chi Days

The Kappa Sigma Colony of Southern Polytechnic State University originally began on July 28, 1997 with the goal of becoming a Sigma Chi Chapter. We named ourselves Beta Sigma Chi understanding that we had many fraternal lessons to learn. As we began our intellectual journey of becoming Brothers of Sigma Chi, we recognized many of the hurdles we would face. Gaining a national charter is a task we all quickly realized was a tremendous undertaking that required humbleness and dedication.

We included our Sigma Chi goal as part of the chapter name and humbly took the second letter in the Greek alphabet to symbolize our position to stand behind Sigma Chi, thus we were named Beta Sigma Chi.

Scot Kirkpatrick from Knoxville, Tennessee befriended by Sigma Chi's at ETSU (East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee) wanted to become a Brother in that chapter due to the strong examples of Brotherhood and the Christian way he witnessed young men living their lives. Sadly, to become an Architect, Scot had to transfer to SPSU in Marietta, Georgia, leaving ETSU behind.

SPSU has a wonderful School of Architecture, but did not have a Sigma Chi chapter for Scot to pledge. Having missed the opportunity to learn more about Sigma Chi in Johnson City and now in Marietta, Scot decided that the 5-year architecture program would be enough time to create a Sigma Chi Chapter. Naturally of course, 'anything easy ain't worth a damn'; chapters and charters do not just grow on trees these days. Many issues had to align together to allow for the creation of any fraternal chapter on any campus. He introduced a fellow Architecture student (William Exum of Macon) to Sigma Chi, and the two began to recruit primarily from the School of Architecture. In a short time, from these humble beginnings grew the finest fraternity on the SPSU campus.

Even though Beta Sigma Chi was performing at a high academic level, conducting many community service projects, and winning or competing in most Greek campus events, SPSU was not on the developmental drawing board for Sigma Chi. After nearly seven years of dedication, Sigma Chi suggested that SPSU would not benefit Sigma Chi's international goals for expansion and that the Brothers of Beta Sigma Chi would be better suited perusing other organizations for expansion and chartering. This ended the successful, educational relationship with Sigma Chi that was instrumental to our fraternal success as a Chapter to this point.

Beta Sigma Chi had become the largest and most successful fraternity on campus and excelled every year at many different fraternal goals. Our dedication to friendship, justice, and learning was appealing to many other organizations that did have SPSU in their expansion goals; quickly we began interviewing these organizations. After careful consideration and debate, three interested international fraternities were selected for an election. On December 13th, 2004, Kappa Sigma won in glorious fashion and we have since become a colony of Kappa Sigma. We eagerly look forward to the day we can aid in the continued pursuit of Stephen Alonzo Jackson's dream of making the Star & Crescent the pride of every college and university in the land.

Since the beginning, our Chapter has recruited and initiated nearly 100 members and today we stand poised to bring over half of those men into brotherhood with Kappa Sigma. Over the years, our ranks have thinned, but those Brothers not with us, are continually bound fraternally with the unmistakable bonds of struggle. Brothers who have been part of the finest local fraternity SPSU or the Greek world has ever seen. With the teachings of our Lord, Sigma Chi and singular desire, our fraternity has fiercely defended itself against many internal and external obstacles. We bare many scars of Brotherhood and have a complex lineage that will continue to display our strength of character that has been built through adversity. Becoming a part of Kappa Sigma will deliver us into a new family that will continue to nurture our Chapter and let generations of men share friendship on a higher order.

The Four Pillars

At the heart of Kappa Sigma lie the Fraternity's Four Pillars, which guide our ambitions and underpin our successes. Striving for excellence in Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship and Service produces Brothers who are involved in all aspects of campus life; who excel academically as students and professionally upon graduation; who develop lifelong bonds with those around them and who support those peers; and who serve their colleges and communities. Becoming a Kappa Sigma provides the framework to build yourself into the man you want to be.

Fellowship

Want to get more from your college life? Kappa Sigma makes it happen. Joining Kappa Sigma provides opportunities for fellowship, fun and personal growth that you simply can't get elsewhere. Over 230,000 men have joined and enjoyed the unmatched experiences, involvement and lifelong Brotherhood that Kappa Sigma offers. Kappa Sigma is no secret...our goal is to build better men.

Leadership

Take the lead. In Kappa Sigma, Brothers learn to get involved in their communities and take the lead when something needs to be done. Countless Brothers, including Senators, Governors and CEOs, have said Kappa Sigma gave them the leadership skills they needed to succeed.

Scholarship

You're in college for an education. Kappa Sigma helps you excel in the classroom. From its earliest beginnings in Renaissance Italy, Kappa Sigma has existed to promote scholarship among its members. Nearly $300,000 is awarded each year by the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund to Brothers who excel in scholarship and leadership. At the chapter level, Brothers help you learn about the campus, provide advice on professors and classes and help you study for those important assignments.

Service

Helping others is part of being a Kappa Sigma. Brothers spend thousands of hours working in their communities and raise thousands of dollars for worthy causes each year. From organizing park clean-ups to serving as Big Brothers to organizing charity rock concerts, Kappa Sigmas work hard for their causes. College is fun, but only service gives you the great feeling of knowing you've helped someone and made a difference.

Mission Statement

The Fraternity should complement and enhance the educational mission of the host institution.

The Fraternity is committed to fostering a close cooperative partnership with all colleges and universities where its chapters exist. The Fraternity should promote academic achievement and assist each member to achieve his academic potential. By helping members adjust to the college environment, we can help them pursue their degree goals. Co-curricular activities can be as valuable as the classroom experience; hence, the Fraternity should promote involvement in all aspects of campus life.

The Fraternity should promote the ideal of Brotherhood.

The creation of lifelong friendships is a primary benefit of Fraternity membership. The Fraternity fulfills the need of students to belong to an extended family and frequently provides the opportunity to enhance those personal relationships through group living situations. As Brothers, our members have an obligation to have a caring concern for the welfare of our members. Brotherhood is a lifetime commitment; therefore, we should encourage strong alumni-undergraduate relationships for the mutual ben Arnold efit of the students and the alumni.

The Fraternity should actively contribute to the personal growth and development of its members.

We teach young men social skills that will benefit them throughout their lifetime. The multitude of leadership opportunities available through the Fraternity prepares members for success in their chosen careers. Chapters should organize well-rounded programs and strive for excellence and quality in all undertakings.

The Fraternity should promote ethical behavior and decision-making.

The lessons taught from Fraternity ritual should be incorporated into the daily lives of the members. Kappa Sigmas are expected to act as gentlemen at all times, and the Fraternity must demand the highest standards of personal conduct. The Fraternity should instill a sense of responsibility and integrity. The dignity of all persons shall always be respected Boyd ; intolerant or abusive behavior cannot be tolerated.

The Fraternity should encourage service to others.
Members, individually and collectively, should work toward the betterment of their campus and community... and in so doing contribute to the betterment of themselves.

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Fraternities in General

What is a Fraternity? What does it do to further the goals of today's undergraduate men?: Simply put, a fraternity is an organization of women or men bound together by friendship, aspirations, and common goals. On a college campus a student will find many opportunities to get involved in an array of different fraternities, whether they are solely based on academic honorary, academic major, community service, religion, ethnicity; or whether they are social fraternities such as Kappa Sigma.

Kappa Sigma's main objective is based on building a better man, while encouraging him to participate in as many other campus organizations that he may choose. More specifically, Kappa Sigma looks to provide the opportunity for the male student to enhance his fellowship circle, leadership skills, scholastic involvement, and service contribution to the local community.

Kappa Sigma

Why does Kappa Sigma call itself a "values-based" fraternity?: Far too often a parent may have a preconceived notion that a fraternity is based purely on an "animal house" party atmosphere. It is not within Kappa Sigma's ideals to promote the party, but instead our four cornerstones of Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship, and Service.

Fellowship
Joining Kappa Sigma provides opportunities for fellowship, fun and personal growth that you simply can't get elsewhere. Over 245,000 men have joined and enjoyed the unmatched experiences, involvement and lifelong Brotherhood that Kappa Sigma offers.
Leadership
In Kappa Sigma, Brothers learn to get involved in their communities and take the lead when something needs to be done. Countless Brothers, including senators, governors and CEOs, have stated that Kappa Sigma gave them the leadership skills they needed to succeed.
Scholarship
Kappa Sigma helps men excel in the classroom. From its earliest beginnings in Renaissance Italy, Kappa Sigma has existed to promote scholarship to its members. Over $250,000 is awarded each year by the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund to Brothers who demonstrate success in scholarship and leadership. At the chapter level, Brothers help Brothers learn about the campus, provide advice on professors and classes and help study for class assignments.
Service
Helping others is part of being a Kappa Sigma. Brothers spend thousands of hours working in their communities and raising thousands of dollars for worthy causes each year. From organizing park clean-ups to serving as Big Brothers to organizing charity rock concerts, Kappa Sigmas work hard for their causes. College is fun, but only service to others gives men the great feeling of knowing they've helped someone and made a difference.
Through these principles a male student will enhance his college career and become a better man for joining the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

My son is considering joining a Kappa Sigma chapter, what can I expect him to be involved in?: Instantly, a parent will find his son meeting a whole new social circle which will put him in contact with various student leaders, teachers, and alumni in the community.

As your son begins his membership in Kappa Sigma, he will initially begin as a pledge. The term pledge is in no way meant as a degrading term, but as a term to describe his period of membership in which he evaluates Kappa Sigma. During the pledging process, your son will be considered a prospective member and will undergo a pledging period.

At the end of the pledging process, your son will be asked by the chapter if he would like to join the members and undergo initiation. In no way is the initiation to be construed as hazing or degrading, but rather the opportunity for the pledge to learn the founding and history of Kappa Sigma. Again, your son will be given a choice of which he is free to choose from; and his answer will be respected.

What is Kappa Sigma's anti-hazing stance?

Membership in Kappa Sigma is a privilege. Each member, pledge or initiate, undergraduate and alumnus, is bound by this Code of Conduct.

Each member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity is responsible for seeing that he:

Acts as a gentleman, setting an example of moral behavior
Conducts himself as a good student, good neighbor, and good citizen
Obeys the laws, rules and regulations of his country, state or province, city and county, and college or university
Understands and abides by the Constitution, By-Laws and Rules of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, including the Standards of Conduct, the acts and resolutions of Grand Conclaves, and his chapter's by-laws
Does not engage in, permit or tolerate hazing, or the unlawful use of alcohol or possession of controlled substances

When the Fraternity finds that any member fails or refuses to abide by this Code of Conduct, the Fraternity may take such actions as permitted in the Constitution, By-Laws and Rules up to and including removing the individual from membership in Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

What is Kappa Sigma's perspective on alcohol?: Kappa Sigma promotes only responsible drinking to students of legal drinking age. Kappa Sigma goes even further to promote responsible drinking by use of Kappa Sigma's "My Brother's Keeper" program. Leadership amongst Kappa Sigma members is also fostered and encouraged through Kappa Sigma's new value and character-based training called the "Kappa Sigma University."

Who are some of Kappa Sigma's alumni, and what do they have to say about the Kappa Sigma experience?: The greatest thing about Kappa Sigma alumni is the diversity and the span from successful politician and esteemed business leader to famous singer/songwriter and PGA tour golfer. Kappa Sigma doesn't want a cookie-cutter image of its members, but actually looks for group dynamics in order to develop stronger life-time bonds. You can find some of our prominent Kappa Sigma alumni below.