Man Charged in Murder of Cal Sigma Pi Senior

Berkeley Man Arrested in Cal Murder

By Patrick W. Connelly
Co-Editor, The Frat Boy News

Police have arrested a man they say played a role in the murder of a 21-year-old brother of Sigma Pi at the University of California in Berkeley.

Andrew Thomas Hoeft-Edenfield, 20, admitted to fatally stabbed Christopher Wootton at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday in the rear parking lot of the university's Chi Omega sorority house, police said.

Wootton was stabbed in the left side of his upper chest, police said. He was an engineering major and was set to graduate later this month. He planned to stay at Berkeley to attend graduate school.

Wootton grew up in Long Beach, Calif., and was a pledge educator for Sigma Pi and served as the fraternity's vice president his junior year, university Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said.

Hoeft-Edenfield is the only suspect in the stabbing and was taken to Berkeley City Jail and held without bond, police said.

The homicide was the third at the university in the past 16 years, police said.

Stolen Yacht Club Statues Found at Alabama Frat House

Stolen Statues Found

By Patrick W. Connelly
Co-Editor, The Frat Boy News

Two statues valued at about $17,000 stolen from a local yacht club were found last week at the University of Alabama's Sigma Pi house, police said.

While brothers were home for winter break, a university employee was doing a routine inspection of the fraternity's house when she found the two statues first reported stolen sometime between Dec. 14 and 19 from the NorthRiver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa, Ala., police said.

One of the statues, a goat worth about $16,000, would have need three or four people alone to move, police said.

Because of the break, students and brothers of the fraternity haven't been questioned or charged in the theft. Police plan to begin inquisitions when students return to campus.

The club's Web site says the facility is a premier golf, recreational and social facility.

Valpo Sigma Pi Chapter Plans New House

Fraternity Seeks Legal Damages Before Demolishing Old House

Valparaiso University (compiled by Post-Trib.com)

Sigma Pi fraternity plans to tear down one of its houses and build one that looks more like a traditional Georgian/Greek revival fraternity house.

Before that happens, the Valparaiso University chapter needs to clarify a legal concern about its status in the neighborhood. The legal issues go back to the early 1980s, when the neighborhood at Brown Street and Garfield Avenue was primarily owner-occupied housing.

Although it had been there since the 1970s, the fraternity was a nonconforming use, the fraternity's attorney, Timothy Vojslavek, said.

Neither he nor city staff were sure exactly what the legal situation is, though, and Sigma Pi needs to clarify it before demolition of one its two houses and rebuilding begins. Vojslavek said fraternities, like the neighborhood, have changed since past party days.

"What we're trying to do is improve the neighborhood," he said.

The house the fraternity owns at 803 Brown St. would be torn down, with the house at 805 remaining as temporary housing.

The second house would eventually come down, and the volleyball court at 801 would remain.

Sigma Pi also owns the vacant lot at 807. The work could start after the academic year, architect Brent Wagner said. The fraternity needs to do more fund raising, which began several years ago, Vojslavek said.

Sigma Pi originally intended to improve both houses, which were built sometime in the late 1800s to early 1900s, Wagner said. Because of extensive remodeling and alterations done to both over the years, it's more cost-effective to remove them, he said.

Cal State Chico Looks to Move On Without Betas

Fraternity Suffers Hazing Fallout

By Patrick W. Connelly
Co-Editor, The Frat Boy News

Students returning the California State University in Chico this fall may notice a considerable difference on campus as Beta Theta Pi fraternity won't be active this school year.

"We've lost 40 good guys," said Greg Bruce, a Sigma Pi brother and the university's IFC president. Beta Theta Pi was disbanded on the campus after a university investigation into a hazing incident cause the fraternity to lose its national chapter's recognition.

Brothers of the fraternity were said to have forced pledges to submerge in a bathtub filled with ice and water until they answered a series of questions. They were also said to have locked pledges in a closet where they threw beer and other disgusting things at them, reports said.

So.Illinois Sigma Pi Chapter Appeals Suspension

Fraternity Appeals Five-Year Suspension

The brothers of Southern Illinois University's Sigma Pi chapter are appealing a two year suspension given to the fraternity for failing to register a social event.

Sigma Pi was already on probation with the university after the fraternity had violated the campus risk management policy. The second violation in less than a year played a significant factor in the seriousness of their discipline from the university.

If the fraternity still ends up getting suspended, they won't be allowed to rush, take new pledges or initiate new members through the duration of the penalty.

In order for the suspension to be overturned, Sigma Pi must prove that their was an error in their April hearing, a lack of evidence or new evidence that would deem the suspension too stringent.

Minnesota's Sigma Pi Has Dinner With Janitors

Fraternity Honors Campus Custodians

The Altruistic Campus Experience project, a national project of Sigma Pi fraternity has another successful event under its belt.

The Sigma Pi house at University of Minnesota hosted a Unsung Heroes' Dinner, honoring the custodial state at the university. The huge cook out provided dinner to the staff of 320 custodians.

"It's excellent that they acknowledged us," said custodian Cathy Reihe.

She said she had never been formally thanked by a fraternity before in her 33 years at the university.

Arizona's Sigma Pi Crowns Hottest Sorority Girl

Frat Caps Alcohol-Awareness Week With Miss Greek Pageant

Sigma Pi hosted its first ever "Miss Greek" competition Friday at the University of Arizona.

The event raised about $1,000 for an alcohol awareness organization. Twenty campus girls competed and answered questions and shared their thoughts on alcohol awareness with the more than 300 people who attended.

Lauren Blier, a pre-communication freshman and member of Gamma Phi Beta, was the lucky winner of the competition.

Sigma Pi Hosts Sorority Football at Sacramento State

Sorority Super Bowl Showdown

Sorority girls at Sacramento State University have taken their aggression toward other campus chapters out on the gridiron this spring.

All 10 sorority chapters at the university have participated in the sorority football league. The brother's of Sigma Pi organized the "Sorority Super Bowl Showdown," where the girls from Alpha Phi and Chi Delta met in the league's championship game.

"This year we raised $1,600 for the foundation, which is really good," said Anthony Filice, a member of fraternity Sigma Pi and the event's head organizer. "The last two years, the spirit from the girls was low, but this year spirit was high and it really showed. This year a lot of people put a lot of effort into the event."

Cheeseburger In Kappa Sig Paradise

Frat Guy of the Week: Kappa Sigma's Jimmy Buffet

Believe it or not, but "Parrothead" Jimmy Buffet was a brother of Kappa Sigma during his college days at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Buffet originally attended the Auburn University, where he began pledging Sigma Pi. He would later transfer to Southern Miss, where he was initiated as a brother of Kappa Sigma and received a degree in history in 1969.

After graduating from college, Buffet began working as a correspondent for Billboard magazine. Around that time, he began recording songs, and the rest became history.

Today, Jimmy Buffet remains one of the most popular entertainers in the world and is adored by millions.

Long Beach Sigma Pi Chapter Caught in Feud with Neighbors

Incident Provokes Concern Between Fraternity, Neighbors

An evening of green-beer debauchery has restarted a long time feud between the brothers of Sigma Pi at California State University, Long Beach and the neighborhood surrounding their fraternity house.

On evening of St Patrick's day one of the Sigma Pi brothers broke a window at a nearby coffee shop. However, no charges were pressed because the brother reached a financial settlement with the shops proprietor.

Now neighbors are planning on calling a community meeting to bring up some of the issues they have with the fraternity. One of the communities concerns is the frat houses close proximity to a elementary school. Anna Christensen, a resident of the area said “We want some dialogue.”

The fraternity's feud with the neighborhood goes back to at least 2002, when the frat was receiving a visit from the police 10 to 20 times a month at their neighbors request.

In the same year they were hit with an injunction from the Long Beach City prosecutor’s office. It stopped them from having parties, or events with more that 60 people at the house.

Long Beach has a history of clashes with fraternities. With no designated area for Greek housing, the houses are scattered amongst the surrounding neighborhoods. Phi Kappa Tau was hounded out of their house in 2002 after similar neighbor issues.

West Alabama's Sigma Pi Gets Suspended For Fight

UWA Suspends Frat After Fight

University of West Alabama's Sigma Pi house has been suspended after a brawl that started in the vicinity of their house and spilled out into a nearby dormitory parking lot. The fight was allegedly started with the use of a racial epithet by one of the fraternity members.

“We’re in the middle of our investigation, and we’re poised to follow our procedures we normally would in the case of student incidents," said Danny Buckalew, vice president for student affairs. “Until we can investigate, it’s in their best interest for them to be on this status. It’s our normal procedures where there is an identifiable group."

Yeah, like that time they suspended the Thespian Club. -FBN Ed

The school plans to have a hearing after it collects all the facts surrounding the case. There are no charges filed at this time.

Executive director of Sigma Pi’s nationals,Mark Briscoe, supports the temporary suspension during the investigation. The suspension prevents members from holding social or campus events,

“The facts have not really come out on this, and that’s what we want, We want to get all sides."

Briscoe said his understanding was that the fight began when several non-brothers, vandalized a brother pick-up truck. Other reports said the fight started within the fraternity house.

Related: Racial Slur Starts Sigma Pi Fight

Racial Slur Starts Sigma Pi Fight

Alledged Fight Prompts Investigation

The University of West Alabama was witness to a roving mob of fraternity guys last Sunday. It all started when a member of Sigma Pi fraternity used a racial in the direction of a black guest at their party. The guest then hit a member of the fraternity and left the building.

Several angry brothers were not far behind him. The incident occurred around 2 am.

The surly group found its way over to a dormitory parking lot, where they found Edmond Kelly, Jason Graham and two other, presumably black, students.

"As we were walking, a white guy ran up to us and said, 'which one of you guys cold-cocked my friend with a bottle?" said Edmond Kennedy a West Alabama student.

"Before I could even ask any questions or anything, by that time they had done bum rushed me, about 30 or 40 of them had done bum rushed me, my roommate and the other two guys", said Jason Graham.

All individuals involved with the assault could face suspension, pending an investigation. The fraternity lost its status as a recognized organization while the school conducts its investigation.

Both Graham and Kennedy claim they were not present at the Sigma Pi fraternity that night, and were not aware of the incident there, until after the ordeal was over, broken up by campus police.

Cal Frats Can't Pass the Fire Code, Can't Party

Failed Fire Inspections Block Frat Party Registration

Four fraternities at the University of California in Berkeley won't be allowed to officially register parties with the college until their fire codes meet par.

The frats - Alpha Epsilon Pi, Chi Psi, Sigma Pi and Sigma Alpha Mu - failed fire inspections last week. Brothers believe that the rule may force them to have underground, unrecognized parties until the meet the fire standards.

Sigma Pi Chapter Re-Established at Ohio State

Historic Frat Sets Up Shop on OSU's Campus

Way back in 1908 Sigma Pi was established at Ohio State University and maintained their gamma designation until 1995 when it closed due to low membership. In January 2007 consultant from Sigma Pi's nationals came to the OSU campus to re-establish chapter.

The fifteen new recruits are going to be known as the founding fathers of the Gamma chapter of Sigma Pi. As founding fathers, their names will be inscribed on the charter. The new brothers also have plans on giving back to the OSU community. The Altruistic Campus Experience Project, is a program designed by the Sigma Pi fraternity to contribute to the campus of each of chapters. The re-colonized chapters president, Aiden Quinn, a junior in architecture commented on the Altruistic Campus Experience and being a chapter president. He is pictured at left.

"The ACE Project is a way to give back to Ohio State," Quinn said. "We can do anything from picking up trash around campus to laying brick at the new Ohio Union."

"The best thing about being the president of a re-colonized chapter would be being the president of a re-colonized chapter," Quinn said.