New professional fraternity offers free suit worth $1500

Morgan Galloway

Pi Sigma Epsilon is offering what Professor Ellen Daniels calls “a wonderful opportunity for someone that’s interviewing.”

The professional fraternity is holding the Second Annual Suit Raffle. Any person interested in winning a custom-tailored suit from Tom James, an international clothier, can participate in the raffle. Tickets cost $10 each and are on sale until the day of the drawing, Dec. 7.

“Someone comes to you and takes something like 38 different measurements,” Daniels said. “And it’s transferable. So you may not need a suit, but someone in your family might.”

The winner of the raffle receives a custom-made suit, two shirts or blouses, and two ties or scarves, depending on the sex of the winner.

With the holidays right around the corner, Zane Powell, senior marketing major and Sergeant at Arms of Pi Sigma Epsilon offered the idea of the winner of the raffle gifting it to someone as a present.

Kent State alumnus Josh Smith, who works for Tom James, made the raffle possible. Smith has come back to Kent State for the past decade to speak to students in the personal selling classes, Daniels said.

Pi Sigma Epsilon started last fall as a result of the advanced selling class taught by Daniels and her colleague, Gregory Graham. The class only had six students registered.

“We talked in class about what we could do to enhance the possibilities for (the students) to get jobs,” Daniels said. “And those six students became the foundation for this group.”

Daniels said the fraternity started with eight or nine students in Dec. 2009 but quickly escalated to 24 members in the spring. Brian Hoover, senior marketing major and Vice President of Administration, said the fraternity currently has 18 members.

“We started this fraternity for the students, really,” Graham said. “They get an opportunity to network with businesses and go to conventions and participate in sales contests.”

Daniels and Graham pointed out a major benefit to joining the fraternity is that members get to attend the Sales Marketing Executive International meetings and events at the Akron chapter for only $10.

The fraternity is open to all students in any major at Kent State. The only requirements are that the student have a 2.25 GPA and be in good standing with the university.

“It’s a business advantage for life,” Hoover said.

Contact Morgan Galloway at [email protected].