K-State will have a new fraternity May 5 that will be one of the fastest fraternities ever to charter on campus.

Sigma Pi will become the first group to charter at K-State since Delta Lambda Phi chartered last year with fewer than 15 members. When they charter, Sigma Pi hopes to have more than 60 members.

Sigma Pi president Martin Wilson said he was excited about the number of members the fraternity has.

"This hasn't happened in a really long time at K-State," said Wilson, sophomore in biology. "There's a really good chance that it won't happen for another very long time at K-State."

It is good for K-State and for Greek Affairs, said Scott Jones, director of Greek Affairs.

"It's a very exciting time for us to be adding a new fraternity into our greek community," he said. "It's a great opportunity for the entire campus."

forming a colony

Sigma Pi colonized as a fraternity on Sept. 1, 2006, with 24 members, Wilson said.

To become a colony at K-State, members from the national Sigma Pi approached the K-State greek system and administrators. They deliberated and the Interfraternity Council voted to approve it, Wilson said.

The fraternity was in the process of gathering potential founding fathers of K-State's chapter for two weeks before being recognized as a colony Sept. 1.

Because they are not yet a chartered fraternity, Wilson said the members have as many rights as an initiated member at K-State, but they are in a limbo between a pledge and a fully initiated member internationally.

"I know some of the inner workings of our fraternity, but I don't know all of the secrets and the handshakes," he said.

During their colony period, they have recruited almost 60 members.

"We've used the database that they have on greek affairs," said Jason Swartz, recruiting chair. "Also, guys in the house have referred guys to me. That's how we got a lot of the guys."

earning a charter

The next step in becoming a fraternity at K-State is to charter.

"As from day one, it was like, 'oh, my God, how are we going to do this?'" Wilson said. "But it's one of those things that over time you get a membership made, and it's a lot easier to do."

In the chartering process, the fraternity has participated in homecoming, worked with other group's philanthropies, and worked with K-State PROUD. They also have worked with the Interfraternity Council president, Wilson said.

To get its charter, the members will write a 250-page petition to the national Sigma Pi headquarters as well as K-State's greek affairs. The petition will include the history of what happened through the year, the constitution and bylaws of K-State's Sigma Pi and risk-management policies.

"All of these things that other groups have had for 50 or 60 years, we've had to write in a matter of weeks," Wilson said. "It's been a crazy amount of work."

The fraternity is set to charter May 5 with a banquet at the Clarion Regency Ballroom.

"I think it's going to be great," said Jason Ohr, vice president of Sigma Pi. "A lot of us have put a lot of work into it. We haven't slept for a lot of it. I think that it's going to be a great experience for a lot of the guys, dates and guests."

Jones said it is amazing how fast the fraternity will earn its charter.

"They have moved through the process more quickly than an average chapter would," Jones said. "Part of it is the strong support from headquarters and strong commitment from local student leadership."

founding the frat

The people who become members of Sigma Pi will be founding fathers of K-State's chapter. Wilson said it is one of the coolest things about being in Sigma Pi.

"A founding father is somebody who is remembered through a fraternity for as long as it exists, forever and ever," he said.

Each member will have their name on the paper that says they are chartered, and they will be known by all of the members of the fraternity as long as it exists.

"Literally, as a founding father, you're a legend in that fraternity," Martin said. "The founding fathers will forever be legends."

The group still is recruiting, and people can sign up until they charter to be founding fathers. But members of the fraternity said it would be best if they joined by April 15.

"We're still looking for a few guys to join before that time period," Swartz said. "Once we charter we'll keep going toward our pledge class in the fall."

Martin said the more members they have before chartering, the better, because it will make their chapter house cheaper to live in next year.

Jones said the number of members they have recruited so far is impressive.

"I think it's a testament to their hard work that they've been able to sign as many members as they had," he said. "It's a reflection of them delivering on the promise they made 'unique groundfloor leadership experience.'"

having a voice

In most fraternities, the pledges do not have much of a say in what goes on at the meetings. But in Sigma Pi, since it is a colony, people can make a difference a few days after they say they are interested.

New members will be able to sit through the chapter meetings, Wilson said.

"They won't see the ritual, but they won't be completely kicked out of the house like other groups do," he said.

"Literally, within a week of meeting somebody, as a brother in the house, he could have an influence on our house," Wilson said. "Not just what kind of date party we're going to have but making a constitution of bylaws, our house rules and our judicial program."

These decisions will be the foundation of the fraternity, Wilson said.

planning events

While they are just a colony, the members of Sigma Pi have a philanthropy event planned with the Women's Health Center for April 9-13.