The two weeks Sigma Phi Epsilon President Scott Bendure spentpreparing the 55-page application to be considered for the BuchananAward, the highest award given to the fraternity, paid off twoweeks ago.
The Grand Chapter Conclave, held Aug. 13-15 in San Antonio,Texas, hosted over 1,400 fraternity brothers representing the over200 chapters in the United States.
Of the 246 chapters, only 37 received the award, and for thefirst time in 49 years, the local chapter at The University ofMemphis was one of the winners.
Established in 1961, the award is a national recognition ofoutstanding chapters. Vice-President Carter Dedrick said heconsiders it a great honor to be chosen to receive "the highestaward given by the national chapter to an individualfraternity."
Bendure said the current chapter is part of a fresh new groupthat was allowed back on campus in 1996. Though the fraternity hasbeen a part of U of M life for 49 years, there were three years ofdormancy for the fraternity. They were kicked off campus in 1993for not performing to U of M standards.
Now, with 48 members, a 2.93 GPA member average and threevarsity athletes, not only has the fraternity managed to live up tostandards set forth by The University, they have gone further andperformed at standards that gained them national attention.
Under the leadership of Bendure, The U of M chapter was able toturn itself around and gain attention for the good it is doing.
In deciding which chapters should receive the award, thecommittee of the national chapter examines aspects of thefraternity such as member grades, recruitment and involvement inculturally diverse programs. Another criterion the fraternity mustmeet is no involvement in Judicial Affairs.
In other words, Bendure said, "the chapter must have a cleanslate."
Bendure said it is hard to express how proud he is of The U of Mchapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
"This is the first time we've applied for the award, and it paidoff," he said.
Not only does receiving this award mean that Sigma Phi Epsilonranks among the top 10 percent of all 260 chapters, Dedrick said"it also means we dominate over all fraternities on campus."
