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I am pleased to announce the introduc-
tion of an alumni newsletter. Our goal is
to produce one semi-annualy to educate
and strenghten the bond between the
men who once called 630 N. Dubuque
St. home. The majority of this newslet-
ter was composed by the active mem-
bers who recognize that the strongest
chapters are the ones with the great-
est alumni involvement. You may be
wondering why now? Formal rush this
year was very disappointing and made
us re-evaluate
our place on the
Iowa campus.
Instead of shrug-
ging it off , we
have been pro-
active. In just
one semester we
have taken many
positive steps
that most are unaware of. We improved
our grades to above the UI mens aver-
age, began taking meetings more seri-
ously, improved attendance at socials,
removed members not fully committed
from exec positions and ultimately the
house, and renovated areas to make our
house feel more like a home.
It makes me very proud to be a member
at this time; a smaller chapter makes us
closer and a zeal of self improvement
is being nurtured. Previous conversa-
tions about how to improve were merely
ideas that never took shape. That has
changed and an outgrowth of that is this
newsletter.
Ultimately though, this newsletter is not
about the active chapter. As we gradu-
ate and move on with our lives, we have
more important things to worry
about. For this reason, an alum-
ni newsletter is needed more
than ever. It will be your forum
to break away from monotony,
remain in contact with friends,
to forge new relationships with
future alumni, and hopefully
organize events where you can
remember old stories about
your time at Iowa.
A successful newsletter is going to
require your support. You can help by
giving us suggestions for improvement,
contributing articles and photos, updat-
ing us on things that happen in your
lives, sharing stories, and contacting the
people to the right and let them know
you want to be more involved.
First Newsletter
Connecting With our Past for a Stronger Tomorrow Connecting With our Past for a Stronger Tomorrow Inside This Issue:Central Iowa Alumni Club
Renovations
Alumni Spotlight
Old photos
By the numbers
Alumni Spotlight
Call to Alumni
Visit the Chapter
Calendar of Events
New Website
Ways to get involved
Alumni Newsletter Published by the Beta Mu Chapter at The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa Spring 2008
Jerry Jewett
Central Iowa Alumni Chair(515) [email protected]
Matthew Warren
Newsletter editor Alumni Database Manager(847) [email protected]
Continued On Page 2
Alumni Relations BoardAlumni Relations Board
John Morgan III
Chicago Area Alumni Chair(773) [email protected]
Dino Ranieri
Active Alumni Chair(847) [email protected]
Chapter House Receives $20,000 Renovation
During the winter break, the Sigma Nu chapter house received a makeover to several key areas.The study received new carpet, new paint, and furniture to help support the educational needs of its members. Two new computers were purchased thanks to generous donations from the Parents Club. The Honor room was entirely redone and includes new fl ooring, a social room, and a meeting table for exec. Hallways received new carpet and our composites were hung on the wall to remind us of our past. The least used room in the house, the Brotherhood Room, has been turned into a social room thanks to the creation of a media centre by the ‘08 class project. We hope you will be able to see the renovations for yourself as we have immense pride for our home.
Members Attend Central Iowa Alumni Club
On December 5th, four undergraduate members attended the annual Central Iowa Alumni Christmas Dinner held in
Des Moines. The event was a success with more than 35 alumni attending for cocktails and dinner. The Sigma Nu Alumni Club
of Central Iowa has been convening the fi rst Wednesday of each month at the downtown Holiday Inn for lunch for almost 10
years. On a whim, the club director sent an inviation to several Iowa active chapters for the fi rst time; the only response com-
ing from Beta Mu. Almost all of the members are in their 50’s or older as a knowledge gap occured and the club was unable to
contact any younger alumni.
Interested in attending or learning more about when the
club meets?
Contacts:
The actives who attended recalled many stories told that evening. Their favorite
was learning about the Lilac party held every spring. Sigma Nu’s would scour
Iowa City in search of Lilacs to pick from homes and fi elds. Sometimes they
would get caught in the act and have to run away, but for the most part,
everyone made it back safe. The heavy scented fl owers were supported above
the ceiling of the front room by nets and their aroma would drift down and
create the perfect atmosphere for dancing next to the fi replace with candle
and moonlight shining through the three sets of french doors to provide
the ambiance.
Continued On Page 3CoCoCoCCoCoCoCooCCCoContntnntntnnnnnttininninnnnnnnuuuuuuueueeueeeuuuueueeeueeuuuueeeeuuuueuuedddddd ddd ddd d OnOnOnOnOnOnOnOnOnnnnnOOnnnnnOnnnnnOnnnnOOOnnn PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP PPaaaaaagaggaaaaaagge e 333
le
Con
“EEvvveeenn tthoooouuuuugghh wwwee weere the only chapter to attendd , tthheeyy
wwweeerree thhhrrrriiiiilllledd ttoo seeee us. The ages of the alumnii ranngee
aannnyywwwwhhhhheeree ffrroomm 550’s to late 80’s and they stillll knneww hooww
g p ytto tttthhhhhrroww aa gooood party.” gChris Lago,, BM 166002o
Bill Garten
(515) 279-0317
3000 Grand #213
Des Moines, IA 50312
Kenton M. Klein
(515) 224-6535
3660 Grand Ave #740
Des Moines, IA 50312
Jerry Jewett
(515) 277-8866
100 35th Street
Des Moines, IA 50312
Tell Us Your NewsTell Us Your News
Graduating college is an
accomplishment for every individual. It gives us the opportunity to explore the world and start
our professional careers. Many do not know where they may end up after college. We have
brothers working in cities across the United States. Some of us are working in fi nance, consult-
ing, and the military. A way to keep us updated with each other for years to come is through
this new Sigma Nu newsletter. We need information from YOU! It has been proven that news-
letters help fraternities keep friendships and also strengthen brotherhood. Please do not hesi-
tate to contact us via email with new and exciting information! We look forward to hearing from
you soon. We want this newsletter to be about our alumni, just as much as our current mem-
bers. With that being said, we want your old pictures, stories and new contact information.
There was a great gathering at the NIU game this past September, and probably much more
that we didn’t hear about, so contact us with whatever you can give because all is welcome.
Continued On Page 4
Alumni Spotlightp g James Ehrmann
After serving as Eminent Com-
mandor from ‘05-’06 and IFC presi-
dent thereafter, it is no surprise
that James has continued to work
towards bettering the Greek Com-
munity. He is currently traveling
across North America to serve as a
Leadership Consultant for Sigma
Nu international. Just recently he
announced his engagment to Kelly
Anderson, a nursing student and
ADPi sorority member here at Iowa.
Congratulations!
We Need Alumni Contact Information
Know somebody that did not receive our e-mail? Give us their contact information so we can reach them. Contact:
By The NumbersBy The Numbers
Beta Mu Alumni Spotlight
Craig Haesemeyer BM 998, joined the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation Board as a Director in 1997. He has served the Foundation as Secretary (2001-2003), President-Elect (2003-2005), President (2005-2007) and, currently, as Chairman (2007-2009). Craig earned his master’s de-gree in business from Harvard University and went on to pursue a career in investment bank-ing in San Francisco. In 1991, Craig founded Transcontinental Capital Partners, a boutique investment banking fi rm in Palo Alto, California. He is also the principal owner and Chairman of Central State Bank in State Center, Iowa. Craig and his wife Wendy live in Menlo Park, Cali-fornia with their son, Christian.
Visit Beta Mu in Iowa City
Calendar of EventsMarch
-15th-24th, Spring BreakApril
-12th, Parents Weekend-14th-18th, Greek Week with Theta-25th, Formal @ Eagle RidgeMay
-15th, GraduationJune
-TBAJuly
-TBAAugust
-25th Fall Classes BeginSeptember
-7th-12th, Rush-12th, Bid Night-13th, Fall Alumni Event, ISU Game Iowa City
This year is fi lled with great opportunities for Sigma Nu, Beta Mu chapter at the University of Iowa. We feel we had a small pitfall in the past couple years with a lot of brothers graduating that possessed true leadership for our chapter. Even though we may have struggled, we are turning this chapter around for the better. We have made many improve-ments and hope to keep bettering ourselves. We have had 9 members on the Dean’s List and our active member GPA was a 3.0. Sigma Nu was fi fth in grades this semester and we were above the all men’s average for the University of Iowa. We are currently working on starting up a permanent scholarship for potential new members as well as active members in our chapter. Even though this is a small step, we know that we can maintain the level of achievement that has made Sigma Nu a fi xture on the Iowa Campus. Chapters that have been awarded the Rock Award do not achieve it relying solely on their active members; it takes the entire Sigma Nu chapter to achieve. We look forward in seeing many of you in the near future. If you’re planning on coming to Iowa City in the near future, please let us know. We would love to have you stop by the house to see all the great improvements. Our doors are open to all alumni, so come by and meet our actives.
Continued On Page 5
-Send us feedback on the newsletter-Contribute articles, photos, suggestions for the newslet-ter and alumni events-Update your contact information on the new website-Forward the newsletter to people who did not receive it-Provide us with e-mails of people who did not receive the newsletter-Visit the Beta Mu chapter-Help us during rush to make sure we get the best mem-bers possible-Mark your calendars for the ISU game on September
13th and arrive a day earlier to participate in the Bid
Day festivities, or even earlier to help with rush.
-Join the scholarship committee where you will help decide who receives the new scholarship we are forming (Contact [email protected])-Help us form an 8-person Alumni Advisory Board to assist the active chapter run smoothly, carry on traditions and focus on their academics instead of structural improve-ments. Alumni from around the Iowa City area preferred.(Contact Kevin Kamp, [email protected])
Wanna Help? Here’s How!!
We’re Online!
Come visit us online at http://www.sigmanuiowa.org/
What you can do with it:
Update your alumni profi le
Keep track of alumni events
Communicate with active members
Check on the progress of the house
Upload photos
Give feedback
1982 2006
Continued On Page 6
When we became initiated members of Sigma Nu fraternity we made a promise to perpetuate life-long friendships and commitment to the fraternity. While in college it is quite easy to be fully dedicated to the fraternity, but as we get older and have families it becomes harder and harder to stay involved. The Sig-ma Nu, Beta Mu Alumni Association is one way that an active member can continue to fulfi ll their promise. With a revived interest in the Beta Mu Alumni Chapter, a group of alumni and undergraduates have decided to reform the chapter. Along with this new formation we have decided to create an alumni website, set up social outings, and create a new annual (or semi annual) alumni newsletter. Some of the events that we are in the process of planning are a family picnic, Cubs or Sox day out-ing, an alumni golf outing, and an alumni formal. We also hope to have a few members of the alumni chap-ter attend this summer’s Grand Chapter in Austin, TX. By re-opening the doors to this alumni chapter we can expand networking opportunities, become more involved with the undergraduate chapter and build on those relationships that we made while in Sigma Nu. If you have any interest or know other alumni that are interested in being involved in the alumni chapter, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or at (773) 315-6090.
John Morgan IIIBM 1537
Alumni Corner
Matthew Warren
Newsletter editor Alumni Database Manager(847) [email protected]
Dino Rineri
Active Alumni Chair(847) [email protected]
John Morgan III
Chicago Area Alumni Chair(773) [email protected]
Message From the President
I hope you enjoyed our fi rst edition of what hopes to be a long run of
newsletters. I am very excited about this coming semester. Our newly reno-
vated house looks great, we have quality members, and we are already well
on our way to a strong spring pledge class. It is an exciting time for Sigma
Nu, Beta Mu and I encourage you to come by the house, take a tour, and just
say hello to some of the guys in orur house. Strong alumni realations is key
to the continued success our fratenity, so you are welcome anytime. If you
have any questions, comments, or concerns, please e-mail me at
[email protected], and I will be happy to reply.
Thanks for reading!
Brian Underwood, ‘09
Eminent Commander
Jerry Jewett
Central Iowa Alumni Chair(515) [email protected]
If only those old walls could talk. They would have quite a few things to say. Some of Iowa’s Greek chapter houses have been around since the turn of the century. They’ve seen wars, bathtub gin, depressions, fl attops and T-birds, Vietnam protests, men on the moon, bellbottoms and fl attops again. In a sense they are a landmark of stability at the University of Iowa. Tens of thousands of students have called them home. Each chapter house has Its own style and tradition that it has built up over the years. Tradi-tion gives a sense of identity and security to both active members and alumni. No mat-ter where a student lives throughout his college career, they still have a place where they can occasionally touch base; a place they can call home. This sense of security is very important with the stress and pressure facing today’s students. Knowing they will always have a place to turn to that is always full of friendly faces is a comforting thought. And when you fi nally graduate, pursue a family and a career and return in 20 years to show your son or daughter the University of Iowa and where you spent your undergraduate years, the old chapter house will probably have new carpet, a fresh coat of paint and excited young faces. But as you stand in an old familiar room where many friendships and memories were made, you will say to yourself and to your children, “if only these old walls could talk.” -Brad Homstron, Hawkeye 1986
