Greek life has always been a subject of discussion among many incoming freshmen. The notions of constant drinking and partying have forever been instilled in the minds of college-bound students. Modern fraternities and sororities have been working vigorously to change that perception: The standard of what a greek organization should be has changed greatly over the past decade. No longer just a place to party, now they offer a system of support for members and non-members alike, and they are integral in the academic and local community—giving back to the community has been a norm for many greeks, but some are looking to break out of the pack and do that which has not been done before. Sigma Phi Epsilon, the largest national fraternity for undergraduates, has been building balanced leaders for the world communities since it was established in November of 1901. The New York Delta chapter, founded at RPI on April 23, 1938, has been constantly working to expand and exceed its goals, foremost of which is finding new ways to integrate academics and greek life.

The New York Delta chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, located at 2005 15th Street, has been working closely with RPI faculty to help set up a Residential Learning Community. The RLC program is one way Sigma Phi Epsilon is looking to reshape academics in greek life at RPI. In fact, they are the first among Rensselaer’s greek system to develop this type of program­­—the idea behind the RLC is that students will perform better when there is an academic figure active in their daily lives. Sigma Phi Epsilon has been fortunate enough to have on board the services of Mark Changizi, who works in Rensselaer’s cognitive science department, and Dean Nieusma, assistant professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer. Sigma Phi Epsilon has devoted a room solely for this purpose, where professors and Teaching Assistants alike come to hold office hours. Working with Changizi and Nieusma, they have held presentations open to both the brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon and the greater Rensselaer community. SigEp is constantly looking forward to working with RPI faculty and attracting more people to an innovative program that is important for us all.

Anthony Zhu