There is a new kid on the block -- 619 Cabell Avenue, that is. Thanks to the help of students like third-year Commerce student Josh Weiss, third-year Engineering student Joseph "JC" Toe, and alumni like Sam Bellas, the University of Virginia Chapter of the national fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu has reopened.
Founded in 1968, Sigma Alpha Mu, or "SAMMY," prospered for over 30 years. But after 1997, SAM had trouble attracting large rush groups and also struggled to pay dues. In 2003, due to lack of membership and general disorganization, SAM opted for a fresh start and withdrew from spring rush.
Bellas, a graduate of the class of 2001, was elected president of the Housing Corporation Board of Alumni in the spring of his fourth year. The Housing Corporation Board of Alumni owns the chapter house, is responsible for helping with the maintenance and upkeep of the house and also helps finance recruitment.
Bellas, who pledged during his first year in 1997, said although SAM had acquired the reputation of being a predominately Jewish fraternity nationally, the brothers of SAM at the University are known for being a diverse group of young men.
"We really did not concern ourselves much with reputation, but I always felt good when I would meet someone on Grounds and, when they learned that I was in SAM, they always had something good to say -- that they had a great time at one of our parties, or knew some of the other guys in the Chapter that ... had helped them through a difficult point in their life," Bellas said.
Bellas added that SAM was also known for attracting crowds to its usual parties and unique events.
"People used to cancel trips for some of our regular parties, not to mention annual events, such as the Foam Party or Swamp Romp, because it was [a] safe, fun, laid-back place to be," he said.
In Bellas's years in SAM, some of the philanthropic events they participated in included raising money for the pediatric AIDS foundation through the SAM Slam, a four-on-four basketball tournament organized with the Inter-Sorority Council and the men's basketball team.
Bellas's Housing Corporation and the Alumni Foundation decided it would be best to let the fraternity's national chapter handle the reinstatement of SAM at the University. Matt Wittenstein, the assistant executive director of Sigma Alpha Mu, and other concerned alumni searched for a group of "men of good moral character" to begin recruitment on Grounds, Bellas said.
These alumni and national representatives recruited, met with and interviewed young men until they formed a "re-founding group." This initial group included Weiss, SAM's president, and Toe, SAM's Recruitment Director, who were inducted as a "full chapter" on Dec. 3 last year by the National Chapter.
This group of 17 founding brothers also made an extensive presentation for the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) on Jan. 18 through which they gained acceptance at the University. Induction was "almost guaranteed," according to Weiss, because SAM is a national fraternity. SAM held its first date function on Dec. 6 and are currently holding formal rush at their house on Cabell Avenue. The group will recruit on their own "with guidance and support from the fraternity's executive office," Bellas said.
Part of the goal of the Jan. 18 presentation to the IFC was to discuss what SAM will bring to the University community. Bellas noted that in the first years of the Chapter, SAM earned the IFC Community Service awards for an estimated 17 years in a row.
The re-founding brothers hope to continue with this commitment to service and community by raising money for the Alzheimer's Association and also plans to help out at schools in the community. Another aspect of the new SAM that both Bellas and Weiss hope will stay the same is the fraternity's diversity in all aspects of life.
The old SAM was "a work-hard, play-hard group of guys -- [we want to] keep with that," Weiss said. There will be a "big emphasis on academics, but we'll know how to throw a party, too."
Bellas agreed with SAM's goals of a unique pledge class. He hoped for a "diverse group of differently-minded, motivated and, for lack of a better term, good guys."
As it seems, SAM alumni and re-founders are getting just what they're looking for.
"This is a great group of new guys and we expect great things from them in the coming years," Bellas said.
And after over a week of rush had passed, it seemed great things were indeed happening.
"We've had a pretty good turnout so far," said Toe, who is in charge of rush. "We've gotten more than we expected."
This turnout may seem surprising since the fraternity is new, but this high rate could partly be due to the fact that the IFC sent out an e-mail regarding SAM's induction.
"A lot of it is [spread] by word of mouth," Toe said. "They might have talked to someone who read the e-mail or who knew one of the brothers."
Toe also said he thought the fact that SAM is new is a good thing.
"I think that's a selling point -- [the rushees] get to be a part of building the traditions and image of this frat," Toe said.
The rush process itself is something the founding brothers are still figuring out. Besides a SAM national representative attending the open houses, Toe said the alumni are leaving the procedure up to the current brothers, but helping out when needed.
"There are a lot of things you don't know [but figure out] as you're going," Toe said. "I have been talking to recruitment chairs and brothers in other frats."
SAM even seemed to be attracting the same kind of diverse group they did in the past and hoped to continue to do so.
"We've gotten kids from all over: Chicago, West Coast, New York, the South and a couple kids from England," Toe said.
They've gotten many first- and second-years, but have met no legacies yet.
Weiss said he hoped to continue with the aspects of SAM that originally drew Bellas to the fraternity: SAM, according to Bellas, "was a diverse group of outgoing guys that somehow managed to maintain a top GPA ranking, start businesses while in school and still find time to develop enough outrageous stories to last a lifetime."
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