Brothers,
The world has changed. In a matter of moments, we went from going about our daily lives to living in a new world of quarantine. Our undergraduates have gone home for the year, chapter houses closed, and a first in our lifetime health scare took over the daily news. What hasn’t changed is the need for Brotherhood.
In fact, I have been very encouraged to see how our Kappa Sigma chapters have improvised using technology, how they are answering the call to flatten the curve by staying home, giving back through much-needed blood drives, sending notes to healthcare workers on the front lines, and buy gift cards to support their local communities when they most need it.
Brotherhood can’t be quarantined and Kappa Sigma continues, albeit a bit differently today. What I do know is that we will come out of this stronger and the power of relationships, human connectivity, and the need for Brotherhood will win the day.
Prior to this pandemic that will be written about for years to come, a new decade of dominance had started for Kappa Sigma, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to showcase all that we do for our Military Heroes and for the greater good in the newest issue of The Caduceus. Community Service and Philanthropy is what Kappa Sigma calls “A Greater Cause.” It’s not just something we do for public relations; it’s a pillar that we all remember learning about during pledging and something we do as Brothers of Kappa Sigma. It’s in our DNA and something that continues throughout your journey as a lifelong Brother.
Having clients throughout the world, being a member of the Supreme Executive Committee, and having an affinity towards skiing keeps me on planes often (until recently). Every time I hear the safety presentation prior to take-off, I think about Kappa Sigma. It’s the line where the flight attendant talks about putting on your own oxygen mask before helping a child or someone else near you. What they are effectively saying is you can’t help others until you help yourself. The same applies to Kappa Sigma. Often, we talk about all the great things we do for others around the world. Before we get there, it’s important to ensure that Kappa Sigma is in the best position of strength.
One of the three goals of this biennium is to have more well-trained volunteers in Kappa Sigma than ever before. We are making progress with over 1,200 active alumni volunteers. In The Caduceus, you will see what chapters our volunteers derive from. These Brothers understand the need to give back to Kappa Sigma as a volunteer-led organization and have made it a priority. We thank them for their selfl ess service as Kappa Sigma is better because of their efforts.
Another one of our three goals is to raise $1,000,000 for Scholarship-Leadership Awards during the biennium. In early March, we held Stephen Alonzo Jackson Weekend of Giving, and I’m proud to say that once again Kappa Sigma broke records by raising over $545,000, led by our Delta-Mu Chapter at the University of North Dakota. Brother Jeff Frane (Delta-Mu, University of North Dakota, ’83) is a 767 captain and travels the world. In addition to being Housing Corporation President, he steps up every year for the betterment of Delta-Mu and for Kappa Sigma as a whole. You will learn more about Brother Frane in our volunteer spotlight. Every dollar raised during the event goes right into the donor’s Chapter Scholarship Fund for the benefit of their chapter. No more needing chapter by chapter infrastructure, no more needing to come up with criteria each year, etc. Simplicity wins!
The bottom line is that we must assist ourselves to continue to grow, support that growth through volunteer service, and offer more scholarships in conjunction with the lowest dues structure in the fraternal world if we are going to effectively help others throughout the globe. In fact, the stronger we get as an organization, the more we will be able to do for others.
As you go through this edition of The Caduceus of Kappa Sigma, think about what you can do for your Fraternity. This will allow us to help others in a much bigger way. Time and treasure are the two best ways to assist, and you will see countless opportunities as you read this magazine. We all love Kappa Sigma, and we all make time for things in our lives that are important to us. For those of you already giving back, thank you. For those that aren’t giving in some form today, my ask is that you find an area of Kappa Sigma where you can make that impact.
As a new decade begins, the Kappa Sigma Fraternity stands as the most preferred fraternity in the world. With your help, we have the opportunity to continue to differentiate ourselves from our competition, give the best undergraduate experience in the world, and be more relevant than ever before. Whether its a major pandemic, war, or economic turbulence… men need Brotherhood more than ever, and there is no better brotherhood than Kappa Sigma.
Keep it simple and stay healthy.
A.E.K.Δ.B.
Justin A. Hansen
Xi-Beta, Northeastern University, ’01
Worthy Grand Master
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