by Danielle McGhee / contributing writer

 

Several students may receive a charter in February to restart a former chapter of the fraternity Sigma Pi.

The fraternity, two years in the making, may receive its charter in February 2005. It started with 25 members and now are up to 40, making it the third-largest fraternity on campus.

Junior Tim Smith, chapter president, said they are enthusiastic about the activities that they can partake in once recognized officially by the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and nationally by their national organization chapter.

"We all rushed for fraternities and received bids, but decided to turn them down," junior Jeff Seidler said.

The fraternity will not hold an official recruitment during rush week, Smith said. Seidler said they will be recruiting people that are interested in the fraternity that they have met.

Sigma Pi is not fresh to campus — it previously was charted at JMU from 1971 to 1996, with more than 300 alumni. The new era of brothers wants to promote just that — "brotherhood," according to Seidler.

"We want to know the people before they join the fraternity, because being good friends is important before becoming brothers," Seidler said.

Senior Ian Lambeets, Sigma Pi’s public relations officer, said community service ideas for the future include the Lance Armstrong "Live Strong" promotion and participating in an Altruistic Campus Experience Project to better an aspect of campus life.