Governance

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Board of Control        Alumni Association        Chapters

Sigma Rho Fraternity consists of two governing bodies and an Association. They are the Board of Control, the individual chapters, and the Alumni Association. Each group is composed of a number of individuals, with each member having stated areas of responsibility. All meetings of Sigma Rho are conducted using parliamentary procedure as defined by Robert’s Rules of Order.

The membership of Sigma Rho is very flexible and allows for involvement from a variety of men, whether they are undergraduate students, community leaders, graduate students, staff or faculty of Michigan Technological University (MTU), or alumni. Members are categorized as follows:

Active: Those regularly initiated members who have gone through a formal pledging process and subsequent formal initiation. They are dues-paying members of the Fraternity and are students enrolled at MTU.

Alumni: Those regularly initiated members who have gone through a formal pledging process and subsequent formal initiation but are no longer active because they have graduated from MTU or discontinued their duties with the active Chapter.

Associate: Those regularly initiated members who, by virtue of their position at the University, may be considered and elected by the members.

Honorary: Those regularly initiated members who are not affiliated with MTU, but who have made an impact in engineering, other professional fields, or in the community

Inactive: Those regularly initiated members who have gone through a formal pledging process and subsequent formal initiation, have with good reason chosen to discontinue duties with the active Chapter, but are continuing their studies at MTU.

Incorporate: Those regularly initiated members who may or may not be affiliated with MTU, but have made an impact in their professional field or community. Incorporate members shall be responsible for aiding the active membership in making decisions regarding the Chapter House, and shall take an active role in the finances of the Chapter.

Chapter Organizational Chart

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The Chapters
The purpose of our Fraternity has been consistent throughout the years: To promote the high principles and values which constituted the foundation of Sigma Rho. These principles, so eloquently penned by the founders, predicate an organized brotherhood in which members support each other in daily life in a way that allows college days to pass in a more enjoyable and useful manner. Indeed, the nine founders were visionaries. They outlined ideals and values practical to both the individual and to the Chapter. They are core values based on trust, courage, and humility. These three values are applied in a variety of areas that govern the Chapter and our personal lives.

The Chapter is that group of active members who are undergraduate or graduate students of MTU. Each generation or “era” of Sigma Rho Fraternity possesses its own unique qualities and character. Although that identity might change slightly over time, they share the same primary goal: to continue the Sigma Rho experience at MTU. In addition to being responsible for the day-to-day operations of Sigma Rho, the Chapter also:

  • Manages efforts of membership recruitment
  • Holds weekly meetings for strategic and other planning
  • Enforces standards of its members
  • Maintains required MTU documentation
  • Manages and enacts plans for academic performance
  • Conducts community service and philanthropy activities
  • Attends Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) meetings
  • Participates in sanctioned university events
  • Provides for social interaction with other fraternities and sororities
  • Promotes brotherhood through special Chapter activities and events

First and foremost, the Chapter is a family. The brothers participate in activities that allow them to work, live, and socialize together. It is an environment conducive to the development of long-lasting ties, the sharing of similar aspirations, and the fostering of concern for others. The Chapter in Chassell, Michigan is often simply referred to as “The House”. For the brothers, it becomes a home for life. 

The Chapter is a classroom. Members learn a great deal from participation in our Fraternity, including management ideas, event-planning strategies, social skills, and perspectives on topics of interest on and off-campus. A college education involves more than learning from textbooks or lectures, and Sigma Rho provides this vital education outside the standard curriculum.

The Chapter is a democracy. Group decision-making and management are part of the fraternity experience. Brothers participate in the election of leaders and vote on the various policies and activities of the fraternity. By working together in a democratic society, members learn valuable organization and leadership skills.

Our fraternity is also a business. Members develop and approve budgets, receive and disperse money, procure various services and products, and follow general accounting practices with financial statements. Through this process, the brothers learn the importance of sound fiscal planning and financial management.

Overall, the Chapter provides excellent opportunities. It presents the chance for members to grow and develop as leaders, helps build lifelong friendships, encourages good scholarship performance, and teaches the individual responsibility to a larger group.

Board of Control (INC) Organizational Chart

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Board of Control
The Board of Control is the non-profit corporation for the Sigma Rho Fraternity. It is made up of twelve dedicated volunteer Sigs who are either elected or appointed. The nine elected directors and the three ex-officio directors are empowered to exercise all the powers and discharge all the duties conferred by the corporate charter originally granted by the State of Michigan on April 14th, 1906. The corporation owns and operates the house for Sigma Rho Fraternity. It also serves as the legal entity which holds title to any property owned.  The Board of Directors, which includes one undergraduate member, and various Committee members to assist the board, holds responsibility to:

  • Provide a quality resident chapter house including upkeep, maintenance, and expansion
  • Handle payment of mortgages and property taxes
  • Maintain insurance and liability coverage
  • Create and maintain reserve funds that insulate the Fraternity from future financial hardship
  • Fund scholarship awards and leadership programs
  • Foster and maintain positive relationships with MTU
  • Review and provide advisement for key MTU policies that impact the Fraternity
  • Maintain a Student Assistance Fund for loans to active members in need
  • Manage donated gifts
  • Work in cooperation with the Alumni Association on various initiatives
  • Act as necessary for the preservation of the Fraternity

The corporation name was officially changed from Sigma Rho Fraternity to Sigma Rho, Inc. on October 24th, 1952. The Board of Control is referred to simply as “INC” (pronounced ink). This is short for Sigma Rho, Incorporated. The purpose of INC is to promote an overall culture of academic, social, and personal achievement among active members of the Fraternity. This includes the responsibility to foster a sense of stewardship among active members such that their ongoing care and management of the Chapter House reflects pride of ownership and growth. Although INC is independent of the Chapter and its primary responsibility is to control financial and property operations, it is still one and the same due to the bond of brotherhood.

Men who serve on INC are generally Sigma Rho Alumni looking to give their time and knowledge back to the Chapter. They may also be community or other leaders inducted into membership to lend their expertise for the good of Sigma Rho. INC members advise on a variety of issues and may act as necessary for the preservation of the Chapter. INC members are the keepers of the flame, the stewards of the organization who have concerns and interests beyond financial considerations. They seek to perpetuate Sigma Rho Fraternity as a thriving student organization, with particular attention to the long-term vitality of the Fraternity. Some INC members have been involved for ten, twenty, or even thirty years and more because of their dedication to perpetuate and maintain a strong and everlasting Sigma Rho.

The Board of Control was originated to improve the fraternity experience for the undergraduate Chapter. As times have changed, so has INC’s role. It has evolved into more than its original 1906 purpose, which was “To promote social intercourse among its members and to provide for them the convenience of a Club House and to enable them to acquire, hold and convey all real, personal and mixed property suitable to and necessary for the above named object, and to do all things and be liable for all acts in the same manner and to the same extend as a natural person.”

President: Calls for Board meetings, sets meeting agendas, and represents the corporation at external meetings and functions.

Vice President for Physical Assets: Responsible for physical assets upkeep and maintenance and compliance with any code or safety standards.

Vice President for Fund Management: Responsible for nurturing a culture of giving within Alumni and both project and endowment fundraising.

Treasurer: Responsible for collecting rent, managing corporation funds, preparing essential financial reports, and filing and paying all local, state, and federal taxes.

Secretary: Duties include preparation and publishing meeting agendas and minutes, making meeting arrangements, maintaining membership lists and corporate reports.

Student Advisor: Responsible for attending Greek Advisor meetings, academic philanthropy reports, and provides guidance to assure compliance with university policies and procedures.


Sigma Rho Alumni Association (SRAA)

The Alumni Association
The Sigma Rho Alumni Association was originally formed in 1907. The objective was to promote the welfare of its members along with arts and sciences relating to the production of minerals and metals. This was done by a variety of means including conven­tions for social intercourse, the reading and discussion of papers appertaining to mining and its allied industries, and circulation of the informa­tion obtained among its members by means of publications. Over the years the role of SRAA has changed somewhat.

The Association consists of Alumni, Honorary, and Associate members of Sigma Rho. It is presided over and managed by the elected President and supporting Alumni. In 1996 a newly formed Alumni Association was organized to continue the Sigma Rho Brotherhood beyond graduation. The primary purpose of the Association is to foster and promote brotherhood and mutual interests of its Alumni members while strengthening the ideals and objectives of Sigma Rho Fraternity. The SRAA holds responsibility to:

  • Create and circulate information to Alumni by electronic, publication, and other means
  • Organizing or support of regional and local Alumni social events
  • Annually organize a cumulative financial donation for the benefit of the Chapter
  • Provide any resources or programs as to be beneficial to all Alumni of Sigma Rho

The goal of the Sigma Rho Alumni Association is to allow brothers to keep abreast of what's happening at Sigma Rho, allow Alumni to keep in touch with other brothers, and learn more about our past, present, and future. Gatherings organized or assisted by SRAA range from fishing/hunting trips, Kentucky Derby, even weddings and including those world famous stag parties. There are also larger more traditional events that have been around for decades.

  • Chassell Bay Goat Herder’s Open in Rochester Hills, MI - first weekend after Memorial Day
  • EP Annual "Goat Float" Canoe Trip on the Manistee River in Manton, MI during July.
  • GLI (Great Lakes Invitational) NCAA hockey tournament held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit between Christmas and New Years. We own this place!
  • MTU Football Tailgate events often held in lower Michigan such as Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.