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An Honorable Showing

  • Members of Washington College's Kappa Sigma Fraternity accepted top honors at the national organization's biennial gathering.
    Members of Washington College's Kappa Sigma Fraternity accepted top honors at the national organization's biennial gathering.
October 16, 2015

WAC’s chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity racked up nearly a dozen awards at the organization’s biennial gathering, among them the highest honor the national fraternity bestows.

Washington College’s Omicron-Phi Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity earned 10 of the organization’s most prominent honors at its 70th Biennial Grand Conclave, recognizing academic accomplishment, philanthropy, leadership, and public service.

“Most notably, the chapter won the Founders Award of Chapter Excellence, the single highest award a Kappa Sigma chapter can earn. It is awarded for the chapter’s dedication to leadership development, community engagement, and service above self,” says faculty advisor Aaron Krochmal, associate professor of biology, who attended the event this summer in Las Vegas with seven of the fraternity’s brothers. “This award was given to roughly 10 percent of the organization’s chapters this year.”

Shane Benz ’16, Josh Hyde ’16, and Stephen McFall ’16 won individual awards for exemplary service in their executive office positions. The chapter won the Academic Silver Bowl for earning a GPA for the past academic year that exceeds the College’s all-men’s average; the chapter has won this award for eight years running, each year it has been in existence. The chapter also earned the Outstanding Single Service Event award for its popular (and delicious) semi-annual pancake breakfast, which last year alone raised nearly $6,000 for charity. And for their dedicated study of Kappa Sigma ritual and for fully embracing its moral lessons, the chapter’s members won the coveted 100 percent ritual proficiency award, one of only 45 given—out of 320 active chapters.

Three of the chapter’s volunteer advisors were awarded for their mentoring efforts. John Nicholas Tremper ’13 and Ryan Smuz ’14 won awards for their work mentoring the men of the chapter, and Krochmal won the Outstanding Alumnus Advisor Award, given to only 10 percent of the organization’s 320 advisors. This is the fifth year out of the last six that Krochmal has earned this honor.

Along with honoring notable fraternity members and chapters, the event featured four days of intense leadership training and mentoring for students, as well as professional development for advisors who received further training in conflict resolution, mentoring millennials, and techniques to further engagement with students.

 “The chapter represented Washington College exceedingly well,” Krochmal says, “and exemplified the good that can come from participation in Greek life.”


Last modified on Oct. 20th, 2015 at 1:53pm by .