By Will Ciolino
Sigma Alpha Epsilon began on March 9, 1856 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Having fought through the Civil War and surviving into two centuries, earning the motto of The True Gentlemen, we are now one of the largest social fraternities in the country with over 300,000 brothers initiated. Sigma Alpha Epsilon was also one of the first fraternities nationally to come out strongly opposed to hazing, bullying, and alcohol abuse. Every prospective individual introduced to our brotherhood who wishes to join is considered a brother from the moment they accept our bid. We are proud of this fact, and we urge all fraternities and sororities to oppose hazing as well.
Locally, we colonized on November 1, 2013 as the NJ Iota Tau Colony of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at NJIT and we are closing in on our charter process. We happen to be one of the most diverse fraternities on campus. When you walk into a room full of us, you can really get a piece of everything. Brothers of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions are who makes us, well, us.
Starting from scratch, we have built everlasting connections with our philanthropies: the Children’s Miracle Network and the Newark Public Schools. Every week several brothers volunteer their time and service to the Camden Street Elementary School, only a few blocks away from NJIT. This experience cannot be put into words. We get to work closely with young children who unfortunately have various learning disabilities, but nonetheless they are energetic, vibrant, and just joyful to be around.
On campus we are still trying to make our mark. We started Soak-A-SAE a few years ago and we continue to hold it every semester. In the past we’ve put a lot of focus on building internally; however, now we are ready to branch out and offer our ideas and energy to the rest of the Greek and NJIT community. We have come up with several ideas already for fundraising and awareness events, and we are currently in the process of setting up dates and times for the events. The NJ Iota Tau colony is looking forward to working closely with campus clubs, organizations, and the Greek community in the near future.
As the saying goes the sum of all parts is greater than the individual pieces, and the greatest thing about our “parts” is the determination and willingness to achieve our goals and make a lasting impact on the college community.
