About
The Gamma Chi Chapter of Sigma Nu at the
University of Washington, Seattle, was founded on Honor and
Excellence in 1896. As of the spring of 2006, over 2038 members
have been initiated. The chapter continues to grow through
close brotherhood, athletics, social events, and alumni
networking.
Sigma Nu Fraternity's past is a proud
and colorful one. Founded by three cadets at the Virginia
Military Institute in a period of civil strife known as the
Reconstruction, Sigma Nu represented a radical departure from
the times. The system of physical abuse and hazing of
underclassmen at VMI led James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield
Quarles, and James McIlvaine Riley to form the "Legion of
Honor" which soon became Sigma Nu Fraternity. So, amidst a
backdrop of turmoil, North America's first "Honor"
fraternity was established.
History
The story of Sigma Nu began during the
period following the Civil War, when a Confederate veteran from
Arkansas enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute in
Lexington, Virginia. That cadet was James Frank Hopkins, and it
is to him and two of his classmates that Sigma Nu owes its
existence. When Hopkins enrolled at VMI, the south was in a
state of turmoil and just beginning to recover from the
devastating military defeat it had suffered. The Virginia
Military Institute was highly recognized for its civil
engineering program and the South badly needed to repair its
bridges and railroads. At the Institute cadets suffered, not
only of the ravages of war and a disrupted homelife, but
because of the system of physical harassment imposed on lower
classmen by their fellow students in the upper classes.
Hopkins had experienced military
subservience during the war, and was willing to tolerate a
reasonable amount of constraint intended to induce discipline.
However, Hopkins was unwilling to accept the hazing that was
then being allowed at VMI. Not one ounce of hazing was he
willing to suffer and he was doggedly adamant about eliminating
it.
Hopkins soon was joined by two
classmates and close friends who were also equally unhappy with
the hazing situation. They were Greenfield Quarles and James
McIlvaine Riley. These three men began a movement to completely
abolish the hazing system at VMI. Their efforts climaxed on a
moonlit October night in 1868, presumably following Bible study
at the superintendent's home, when the three met at a limestone
outcropping on the edge of the VMI parade ground. Hopkins,
Quarles and Riley clasped hands on the Bible and gave their
solemn pledge to form a brotherhood of a new society they
called the Legion of Honor.
The vows taken by these three Founders
bound them together to oppose hazing at VMI and encouraged the
application of the Principle of Honor in all their
relationships. That the founders should adopt Honor as a
guiding principle was a natural move since a rigid code of
Honor was already an established tradition of the VMI Corps of
Cadets. The Honor system at VMI required each cadet to conform
to the duty imposed by his conscience that each act be governed
by a high sense of Honor.
To this day, the men of Sigma Nu still
do not haze and honor is still our guiding principle.
Values
Our values date back to our founding in
1869 and still exist in our fraternity today. Sigma Nu exists
to develop the Mind, Heart, and Character of each member
through the principles of Love, Truth, and Honor. The Creed,
which was written by Walter James Sears, (Nu 50, Beta Nu 1) is
what every Sigma Nu lives by.
Our fraternity was founded on a
non-hazing policy. Our founders believed that hazing was a
childish act and would not be tolerated in Sigma Nu. Hazing is
kids stuff, not that from men of honor.
Sigma Nu was established at Virginia
Military Institute, where one of our values originated, the VMI
honor code. "I shall not lie cheat or steal, nor tolerate
those who do."
LEAD Program
Sigma Nu's LEAD program is geared to
help develop leaders. LEAD stands for Leadership, Ethics,
Achievement, and Development. The lead program is not only
designed to teach the candidate class, but is used throughout
ones experience in Sigma Nu.
LEAD is a four-phase member development
program. The purpose of LEAD is to develop ethical leaders for
society, brothers who will make an impact on their chapter,
campus and community. Each of the phases includes a unique
curriculum. Sessions include exercises, simulations and
discussions to highlight leadership issues students will face
while in school and later in their lives and careers.
Creed
To Believe in the Life of Love,
To Walk in the Way of Honor,
To Serve in the Light of Truth--
This is the Life, the Way,
and the Light of Sigma Nu--
This is the Creed of our Fraternity.
