Two and a half years after turning in their charter, the Zeta Gamma chapter of Sigma Nu is rebuilding and trying to re-charter.

In spring 2020, the chapter left campus due to its dwindling size, said Dennis Campbell, the assistant director for events and operations for the Kent Student Center.

During fall recruitment, the fraternity initiated seven founding members, one of which is Chapter President and freshman biology pre-med major Jonathan Harper.

Harper said that he joined Sigma Nu to eliminate negative stigmas surrounding Greek life.

“Our fraternity is founded on anti-hazing, love, honor and truth,” Harper said. “A lot of fraternities are painted in a bad light, but there are good fraternities out there.”

When fraternities recruit, they strive to build a brotherhood and the chapter aims to use this method, Harper said.

“We try to go out and make friends with people and not throw the fraternity on them,” Harper said.

Chance Duffy, a sophomore political science major, serves as the treasurer for Sigma Nu. Duffy did not plan on rushing a fraternity, but was approached by Sigma Nu and felt that the chapter fit him well.

“I liked their message of making you a better person,” Duffy said. “Rather than some of the negative connotations associated with fraternities.”

Duffy noted that the fraternity is creating awareness about the chapter by hosting a variety of events. Duffy said he hopes that this can create a personalized connection for prospective members.

“We’ve done tabling events and hosted a game night,” Duffy said. “We also invited people to come out to dinner with us.”

Duffy and Harper both said that being a founding member of a fraternity is an amazing opportunity, but brings its challenges.

One of these challenges is going through a time-consuming re-chartering process, Harper said.

“Trying to re-establish connections and effectively getting our message out are definitely the biggest challenges,” Duffy said.

Despite these challenges, Duffy and Harper agree that it has been rewarding to watch his brothers grow and connect with others.

“Even though our chapter is new, it’s awesome to see each other grow and make new connections with others,” Duffy said.

Harper and Duffy also credited Dennis Campbell, the assistant director for events and operations for the Kent Student Center, with providing assistance in rebuilding the chapter.

“Dennis has helped us so much and has connected us with alumni in the area,” Harper said.

Duffy also said that Campbell gave the chapter guidance, as well as making sure they stay on track.

As a Sigma Nu alum from the University of Akron, Campbell said that it is fun to see the excitement a new fraternity brings to campus.

“Whether it’s my own or not, it’s all about creating the best fraternity experience for students,” Campbell said. “It’s the best thing on a college campus for students.”

Another resource that Campbell has connected the chapter with is Sigma Nu’s national headquarters.

“I worked closely with their headquarters to plan and organize their return, as well as their inaugural recruitment process,” Campbell said.

Within the next year, Harper said he hopes that Zeta Gamma is chartered as an official Sigma Nu colony.

On the other hand, Duffy is eager to see the chapter grow in size.

“Ideally, we’d like to get to at least 20 to 25 members within the next year,” Duffy said. “Our chapter is also working on holding more social events and community service projects.”

Blake Serrano is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].