Dear Kappa Sigma Friends & Brothers,

I am proud to announce that the 2010 National Student Peace Alliance Conference will be held at Southwestern University on February 26-28. This conference will focus on evidence-based programs that are effectively reducing and preventing violence both at an international and domestic level. The conference will bring together 500 pro-active, pro-peace and solution-oriented young people from across the country to unite around a common, and practical, goal — peace.

Such a prestigious honor for our University could not have occurred without the hard work of the recently deceased Rob Atkinson, the national legislative director for SPA, and the hard work of many other active Iota members involved in Student Peace Alliance at SU. This Conference will most certainly make an impact in Texas as well as on Kappa Sigma nationally.

As we want to make this conference as effective and impactful as possible, Kappa Sigma actives are launching a fundraising campaign to support the conference with the goal of raising $1000 by the date of the conference. We are one month away.

Please consider making a contribution to help provide the proper resources and financial support students need to make this conference exceed the University’s expectations and make a difference in Student’s lives.

You can donate at: http://www.studentpeacealliance.org/give/give or mail a check payable to “Student Peace Alliance” at The Peace Alliance, PO Box 27601, Washington, District of Columbia 20038. If you are interested in sponsoring the conference or would like more information please call 325-518-5889.

Sincerely,

Martin Fergus A.E.K.D.B.

President Student Peace Alliance Southwestern Chapter

325-518-5889

fergusd@southwestern.edu

http://www.studentpeacealliance.org/conference

Saturday Nov. 7:

• Active/Alumni meeting 3pm
• Open house at Sigma 4pm
• Kappa Sigma Reception at the  Alumni Hospitality House 6pm

Notable reunion events:

• 60^th reunion for Roger Davidson’s class
• 40^th reunion for Harry Crenshaw’s class

If you’ve got a reunion year celebration or other group event to announce, post a comment to this post.

Our active brother Martin Fergus is running for Student Congress President. For those of us who can’t vote, we wish you the best of luck on election day, April 8, 2009!

Martin’s running on a robust platform…

• Martin will enforce transparency in Student Congress activities, policies, and resolutions. There is no reason why information about our initiatives as Student Congress should be difficult or a challenge to find. Student Congress has an obligation to represent its constituents in a clear and professional manner.
• Martin plans to develop more effective and efficient organizational practices for Student Congress. As President, Martin will move our Congress in to the 21st century of student government by using centralized information with electronic and internet tools like Wiggio, Twitter, blogging, and websites in order to create a stronger Congress that responds quickly to problems and allow the voice of the campus to be heard.
• Martin will facilitate public exposure for Southwestern’s Congress. Our student Government is a body that is supposed to work for the students. He will work to make Congress well recognized and promoted on campus so that students are energized about the issues that matter.
• Martin will revitalize partnerships between Student Congress and Student organizations. There are a lot of strong organizations around campus that make up the life and energy of Southwestern and Student Congress should be there to help work alongside these organizations. Martin will promote policies that will help give all student organizations the resources they need to fulfill the initiatives they are striving for.
• Martin will strengthen communications between representatives and the Executive Council.
• Martin will work with the administration of Southwestern University to allow for greater autonomy and freedom among the student body.
• Martin will launch strategies to help alleviate the financial burden on students in this time of economic struggle.

About Martin:
Martin hails from Abilene, Texas, and he graduated from Abilene High School in 2006. Throughout his high school career, Martin was active as an Eagle Scout, a lifeguard, he served as Captain of the AHS swim team, and he worked as a summer camp counselor at Camp Rio Vista in Hunt, Texas.

Martin is a Political Science major with a Sociology minor, and he is active at Southwestern as President of the SU Student Peace Alliance, and he also serves as the National State Organizer for SPA. Martin is a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and he currently serves as Philanthropic Chair. Martin has served as Senatorial district 24 democratic Chair. Martin spent his summer working as a campaign field organizer fort he Dwight Fullingim Political Campaign for Congress, and he also has experience in the legal field having worked as a Legal Assistant for a law firm in Abliene.

Martin is a Dean’s List student with a passion for serving the Southwestern community. He strives to listen to all student concerns, has strong relationships with members of the Southwestern administration, and Martin wants to be YOUR Student Congress President for the 2009-2010 school year.

Feature stories

Alumni Weekend 2009, March 27-29
Taking place over the weekend of March 27-29, the advanced planning for Alumni Weekend 2009 is in full effect. Come join us at 1 PM on Saturday for the Alumni/Active meeting and learn the latest news on active chapter achievements, alumni and active philanthropic activities, and much more. Lunch and Softball will take place immediately following. Saturday night live music plans are in the works as well…[Read more]

Chuck Merrill Peace Scholarship inches toward $100,000 in donations 
Since being officially launched in 2007 with the support of Trish Merrill and Brother Bruce Barrick, the Southwestern endowed scholarship in the name of Chuck Merrill as captured the imaginations and support of the many friends and brothers of late Brother Chuck Merrill. The campaign continues to solicit contributions to Southwestern in the name of the “J. Charles Merrill Endowed Scholarship.” [Read more]

Iota Chapter joins Fisher House project in support of military families
The Fisher House program is a private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The Fisher House Foundation has given Kappa Sigma the unique opportunity of naming rights to one these “comfort homes” for a minimum donation of $100,000. The active chapter of Iota Chapter has set a goal to raise between $1,000-2,000 toward this national fraternity goal. [Read more]

Assistant Alumni Advisors announced
Working in conjunction with Alumni Advisor Marshal Crenshaw and the national fraternity, three Assistant Alumni Advisors (AAA) were recently appointed: Stephen W. Butler, AAA/gp, William C. Mathers, AAA/gt, and Jonathan B. Goodman, AAA/gs. The role of the AAA is to work collaboratively with the active chapter leadership and individual office holders to support their leadership development and execution of their roles. The AAA will also help to provide additional continuity of knowledge through active leadership transitions. [See all alumni leaders here]

Alumni Association Business

Join the “Alumni Dues” effort in 2009 and these generous donors from 2008:

Thomas Hambleton
Roger Davidson
Scott Clearman
Brian Walsh
Bruce Barrick
Mark Rangle
Chet Lofgren
Charles Bedard
Matt Lawrence
Mohammed Raheem
Matt Browning
Steve Butler
Robert E Lee
Joe Abel
Paul Bakouris
Russell Ramsey
Danny Middlebrooks
Tanner Garth
Erik Harpst
Perry Zigbly
Chris Mathers
Ben Orgain
Mike Orsak
William McCall
John Schmidt
Lee Boyle
George Morrison
Dylan Wood
Mitch Brownlee
Pat Sparks
Tim McGarity
Matt Barnes
Jeremiah Jarrell
Blake Stanford
Alan Haworth
Marshal Crenshaw
J.L. Love

Thanks to all of our alumni who have donated time, money, and their expertise these past years!

(Please send us a note if we wrongly left your name off this list.)

Membership dues to the Iota Chapter Alumni Association are a suggested minimum contribution of $60 per year. Many brothers, especially younger alums, have opted for a monthly credit card donation. Contact Alan Haworth, Treasurer, by phone (214) 536-6268 or email to set-up a regular donation.

You may also send a check, payable to Iota Chapter Alumni Association to the address listed below:
Alan Haworth
9135 Drumcliffe Ln
Dallas, TX 75231

News & Notes

Brother Brad Francis and his wife Kerri announced the birth of their baby son [note: editorial correction made 5/2/09] Kepler on Novermber 17, 2008.

The parents of our late Brother Rob Atkinson visited Southwestern campus in January for the memorial service honoring their son, tragically killed on December 4, 2009 while walking from campus across University avenue where he was struck by an oncoming car. [See the video celebrating Rob's life here]

Brother James Grace completed another marathon to raise support and awareness for autism research. He finished the Chevron Houston Marathon and raised $7,985 for the Organization for Autism Research (OAR). [Read more]

Brother Bret Starr was featured in the online edition of Business Week in an article titled How SaaS Helps Cut Small Business Costs. [Read the full article here]

Actives Andrew Ivy, Martin Fergus, and Jack Frazee joined alumni Jonathan Goodman at the Lone Star Conclave in Richardson, Texas. [Read more]

The Grand Conclave of Kappa Sigma will take place in San Antonio, Texas, July 22-26. All actives and alumni in good standing are encouraged to attend. Iota Chapter will be sending a delegation. Contact any active or alumni leader if you’re interested in joining. [Read more]

Alumni on the Web: On the Iotachapter.org Web site, check out the “Links” section to Alumni on the Web. Many Iota brothers are active online, personally, professional, academically, and charitably and we’ll take advantage of the Iota Chapter Web site to serve as a hub for this rich collection of online content.

Next Issue of Iota Alumni News:
To submit news, notes, or ideas for Iota Alumni News, please contact Jonathan Goodman at 817.923.1997 or jbgoodman (at) alumni (dot) southwestern [dot] edu

From John Atkinson, Rob’s dad, “The San Diego celebration was beautiful. You can see the multimedia montage produced for the service by Mark Weaver of Deep Story Works.”

The Texas service and celebration of Rob’s life is at 4pm Central, January 23 at the Southwestern University Chapel.

Texas (Southwestern University) Memorial Service for Rob Atkinson

Date/Time: Friday, January 23, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.

Location: Southwestern University Chapel (Lois Perkins Chapel), 1001 East University Ave., Georgetown, Texas, 78626. Phone: 512-863-6511.

Type of Service: The service will be non-denominational. It will include prayers, music, a eulogy, and speakers. It will last about two hours.

Who May Attend: The service is open to everyone who would like to attend. Parents who want to bring their children, and who feel their children could handle the intensity and length of a service like this, are welcome to bring them.

Local media coverage:
CBS keyetv.com – Remembering Central Texas Student

More…
The Peace Alliance – Campaign for a Department of Peace – In Memoriam: Rob Atkinson

Dearest Brothers,
Last night as I’m sure most of you are aware our brother Mr. Robert Patrick Atkinson was hit by a car. Rob died without any suffering immediately thereafter. The active brothers are pulling together and have received an immense amount of support from the Southwestern community. What we can all walk away from this tragedy with, is gratitude. Gratitude for being fortunate enough to know Rob intimately he was and is a beacon of hope and peace for all of us. I sincerely apologize for not contacting you all sooner if you have any questions or need support please feel free to contact me. With that my only wish is that you will show the people nearest you how much you love them and that we will see you soon. As Rob would say with Love and Respect.
A.E.K.D.B
G.M. Tanner Garth
Please forward this to your brothers

As more information becomes available, we will post it on this site.

Copied here is the communication from SU President Jake Schrum to the Southwestern campus community.

Dear Members of the Southwestern Community,

Tragedy struck the campus Thursday night when senior Robert Atkinson was hit and killed by a car as he was crossing University Avenue around 8:20 p.m.

Rob was a leader on campus and was involved with numerous organizations, including the Theatre for Social Justice group and the Student Peace Alliance. His death is a tremendous loss for us, particularly coming at this time of year.

Those who knew Rob and would like to gather together today may do so at 1 p.m. in the ballrooms. We will keep you posted as additional services are scheduled. As always, members of our Counseling Services staff are available in the Robertson Center for those who need help coping with this tragedy.

Please keep Rob’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Jake B. Schrum
President

Local news coverage:
KVUE.com news report
KXAN.com story and video

Rob in his own words:

Students Unite for a Department of Peace
by Rob Atkinson

My motivation in doing political and social activism work is rooted in a strong spiritual desire for strengthening community identity and creating a normalization of compassion, which can be significantly furthered through political work. Along with being very involved in the Student Peace Alliance, I practice the Lakota spiritual tradition and am president of a Native American student organization on my campus, I am a musician, painter, and public speaker. I have also studied urban environmental sustainability through a collective I lived at last summer, and am looking forward to a possible internship this next summer working with nonprofit violence-prevention groups in central Texas. For me, it all boils down to political and social activism as a vehicle of spiritual integrity, and the deep joy that emerges when our abstract visions for a good world actualize into realistic and concrete initiatives.
—Rob Atkinson

Rob Atkinson – Teaching Peace Conference – Part 1

Active Brother John “Johnny B” Burden was awarded the scholarship for the 2008/09 academic term.

Johnny B is pictured far left, with the group who participated in the SING competition at Homecoming.

For those not familiar with the scholarship, here’s a full copy of the Memorandum of Understanding with the University

KAPPA SIGMA IOTA

ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Memorandum of Understanding

This permanent endowment fund is established by the Iota Alumni Association, and shall be named and known in perpetuity as the Kappa Sigma Iota Endowed Scholarship.

The University agrees to invest the funds donated to this endowment in a prudent manner pursuant to the applicable endowment investment policies promulgated by the Board of Trustees of the University, as may be revised from time to time, and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. Any policy to the contrary notwithstanding, the University agrees that all annual withdrawals from the Kappa Sigma Iota Endowed Scholarship Fund shall be applied at least annually to support the purposes described herein and shall not be applied to any other account or used or distributed in any manner except as provided below.

This Endowment is permanent, and therefore, only the annual withdrawals are available to support the purposes described herein. Annual withdrawals from the endowment shall be calculated by applying the spending formula determined by the Board of Trustees, as revised from time to time. The University shall endeavor to make the first scholarship distribution from this scholarship fund within the first year from the date this endowment reaches the collective funding level of $25,000.

Subject to the distribution provisions above, the University’s Office of Financial Aid shall award scholarships on an annual or semi-annual basis to students of the University who meet the characteristics set forth below as evaluated by the University annually or semi-annually.

First Preference: University students in good standing who are members of the Iota Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Among such eligible recipients, preference should be given to such members who demonstrate the highest levels of academic excellence and/or leadership in the University community.

Second Preference: If no University students meet the First Preference guidelines above, the annual withdrawal will be awarded to University students in good standing who are members of any fraternity which is traditionally social in nature (for example, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity or Kappa Alpha Order). Among such eligible recipients, preference should be given to fraternity members who demonstrate the highest levels of academic excellence and/or leadership in the University community.

Third Preference: If no University students meet the First or Second Preference guidelines above, the University may award the annual withdrawal to any University students of its choice.

The Fund shall become active when gifts to the fund attain a level of $25,000 or more.