Wyoming Chapter History
Our chapter was founded on May 1st 1943 and the chapter functioned smoothly from then until 1963 when the draft claimed 75% of the current members. At that time the chapter went dormant and was not on campus until 1995 when the second group of dedicated men re-founded it.
Founding Fathers of 1995:Kevin Brietbach
Noah Buckley
Michael Chavez
Darin Despain
Stephen Harlow
Chad Helgeson
Wade Johnson
Jeffrey Mack
Bryan Phinney
Eric Simmons
Jamie Smith
Cory Weber
Mark Wollesen
Don Wood
In 1998 the AAC, a regulatory commission from the national chapter, cleaned our house of over 30 men who were not living up to the ideals of Sigma Phi Epsilon. The men who remained were not discouraged and eventually earned a national charter in 2000. From that time on our chapter at UW has adhered to the national Balanced Man Program which eliminated pledges and hazing.
Sigma Phi Epsilon at UW has had more than one place they call home over the years. The first was a two story house near the Laramie post office. The second was a small house in what is now the Pi Beta Phi parking lot. From there our brothers secured the large house on Sorority Row that currently call home.
The house itself has many subtleties that represent many Sigma Phi Epsilon values. The front and rear doors are painted red in accordance to a tradition started in a New York SigEp chapter. They first painted their door red in an effort to show support for the troops returning from World War I. It now serves as a universal welcome to all the brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon across the nation. Our house also displays two silver awards and one golden award. The silver, called Excelsior cups, honor a chapter's drastic improvement over the course of the school year. The gold is called the Buchanan cup and is awarded only to the most outstanding Sigma Phi Epsilon chapters across the nation. We received this award in 1997.
Through its trials and tribulations the Wyoming chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon has adapted to the changing times and only grown in esteem. The current brothers strive to uphold the virtues our founders believed in and are a force to be reckoned with on the UW campus today.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon crest was created at the first chapter, and serves as a representation of all the SigEps stand for.
The Founders Badge is the pin stands for the creators of our noble fraternity, and subtly displays many of the Sigma Phi Epsilon virtues and beliefs.
The Flag of SigEp proudly shows the colors of the fraternity, and serves as a link that is easily visible that unites all SigEp Chapters.