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Jeremiah Taylor Woodby

Rebecca Agosta
UWRT1103-007
7 November 2014
Annotated Bibliography
What does Sigma Phi Epsilon value?
"Sigma Phi Epsilon." Personal interview. 2 Nov. 2014.

1. What sort of virtues does the NC Nu chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon value?
To live a virtuous life, one must keep all relationships honest and just. We
dont live by specific virtues, but by the definition of virtue. We challenge our men
to be truthful and righteous in their everyday lives. Whether it be their
relationship with their University, Workplace, Family, or other Brothers, they are
expected to make the right decision. If they are honest with everyone, their
reputation will never be corrupt and they will be able to succeed as men.

2. What role does motivation play in the NC Nu chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon?
Motivation plays a key role in our chapter. Without the motivation to
succeed, we would not have won the dozens of accolades we have achieved over
the last two years. Our guys strive to be the best in everything they do and will not
stop until they have achieved victory. Now that they have achieved the highest
honors, it is hard for them to find motivation to aspire higher. It is our job as
brothers to constantly push and foster a motivating environment for one another.
Without motivation, we wouldnt exist on this campus.

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3. Why is diligence vital for a SigEp?
Without diligence, this Fraternity would be a one hit wonder. With
members constantly remaining diligent in their everyday lives, it allows for
innovation and increased success in, and out, of academic walls. Without
diligence, our fraternity would not be the most successful fraternity there has ever
been. We would not have 6 leadership continuums, 315,000 members, or the
highest GPA of any fraternity in the country.

4. What sort of connections are made through being a part of Sigma Phi Epsilon?
Some of the best business connections I have ever made have come from
this organization. From top level executives at fortune 50 companies and
professional athletes to pastors and government officials, SigEp has afford me
many opportunities to better myself that would never have been possible without
it. Business aside, I have made lifelong friends and allies in this organization. Its
more than a student organization. There is a saying in Greek life. From the
outside looking in you can't understand it, and from the inside looking out you
can't explain it. I believe that rings true. The types of connections I make in my
Fraternity are unexplainable.

5. What different lexis (or methods of communications) are specific to this

chapter?
Our chapter relies heavily on three social media sites and one public
meeting to relay information. We use Facebook, Groupme, and Chapterspot to

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remain in contact while apart and we have chapter meetings once a week to
discuss matters big and small.
I interviewed Joshua Antonious, Sigma Phi Epsilons Chaplain, via email, asking
him to answer five questions centered around his involvement in the fraternity.
My questioned were designed to cue Joshs interest in why he decided to become
involved in this organization. He told me about certain virtues this chapter
upholds, such as honesty and righteousness as well as why motivation plays a
vital role in the fraternity and without it, they would not be where they are. Josh
also explained why diligence is key for the fraternitys innovative process and
continued success. He elaborated that the fraternity uses technology to
communicate as well as face-to-face meetings and his connections made from
being involved in this organization have been greatly beneficial in the business
realm. Joshs answers to the questions lead me to assume that he is very happy
with his decision to join Sigma Phi Epsilon.
My interview with Josh leads me to believe that joining a fraternity is a very
beneficial decision that creates substantial resources and opportunities. He clued
me in to what the fraternity stands for and gave me perspective as to how brothers
strive to live their daily lives. Like I stated earlier, Josh is the fraternitys
Chaplain, which means he enforces the rules and punishments within the
fraternity. This position is not easy to achieve, it takes much support and
experience within the chapter to be elected Chaplain. Josh has been in the
fraternity 2.5 years and has reached Epsilon status, the highest of three levels
within the fraternity. He running for President this semester and his opinion is one

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of the most widely valued within NC Nu. I anticipate using this in my final
research piece as a base for further questions and a sufficient starting place for
further inquiry.
How can I judge how typical my initial experience within the fraternity is?

How is the power divided within this organization?

Chapter Meeting. Observation. 2 Nov. 2014.
I observed a weekly Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter meeting, and although I am a part
of this discourse community, I am a Sigma. This means I am the lowest tier within
the fraternity based on experience in a chapter of 71 members, therefore I was
able to observe without having to give much input to the meeting and without
interruption. Because many brothers have their laptops open during chapter, I
observed the meeting without reaction to my observation. This meeting was held
the second of November at 6:30pm in CHHS147. Josh Antonious, one of the
presidential candidates for this semesters election, directed chapter. Usually the
President holds the power within chapter meetings, but seeing as how elections
are close, our president decided to allow candidates to operate meetings to allow
them to get a feel for how they would be run if they were to be elected for this
position. Chapter meetings are usually held at 7:00pm but this one was held early
on account of the large amount of information that needed to be covered along
with Sweetheart elections that were taking place. Sweetheart is an elected
position usually held by girls who campaign for the spot. The fact that this was
happening during this chapter meeting allowed me to observe how brothers

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interacted with women. They treated women with the utmost respect, standing and
applauding each time a candidate would enter the room. They would then listen to
the candidates speech and stand and applaud as they exited the room. Each
candidate usually brings some sort of food for the chapter as a gift, so as each
girl entered the room, a new scent usually accompanied her, such as bacon
wraps, cookies, or beer-scented candles. After Sweethearts were elected, the
meeting shifted towards fraternity business, including topics like executive board
position specific discussions, new business, reports of sickness, brother thanks,
and remarks for the good. Observing chapter from the position of someone not
involved in the organization helped me put into perspective how similar a
fraternity is to a business and how it is organized as such. The organization and
flow of the meeting exemplified aspects of fraternity life such as diligence and
motivation. This observation was eye-opening and also very easy for me to
complete because I am a part of the discourse community I am observing. There
were certain aspects to the meeting that I only understood what was happening
because I have been attending chapter meetings all semester and this allows me
to see how observing a discourse community that one is not an active member in
maybe be confusing or difficult.
Observing the Sweetheart election chapter meeting helped me to see how the
fraternity is operated and who operates the fraternity in such a manner. Truly
stepping back, I saw that Josh had a large say in how the chapter was run and who
was given permission to speak and when and open forum discussion format was
allowed. He dictated which sweethearts spoke in what order and when the

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Executive board discussions were opened. The sweethearts presented, gave their
gifts, and left. After their elections were completed, the meeting was much more
formal and business oriented. Through this, I can infer that the fraternity respects
women, but also keeps business separate and even secret from any outsiders.
This observation impacted my research by allowing me to see where the powerful
voices lie in the fraternity and who holds influence, formally or informally. There
was definitely a noticeable hierarchy of power within the room, with the president
and E-board being at the top of the food chain. The meeting was characteristically
similar to how meetings have been run up to this point in the year. This semester
is our current Presidents last term in office, so we have had Presidential
candidates running chapter meetings up to this point in the year, some taking
more power than others during meetings. With the topic of power being in
question, the only thing that can be done is to wait and analyze consistency or
lack of at the end of the semester when new guys are elected to executive board
positions.
How will the hierarchy of power within the chapter change based on who is elected
President?

What different lexis are used within this discourse community on a regular basis?
Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis:
English in Academic

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and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print.
John Swales, a highly qualified linguistics professor at the University of
Michigan, wrote a book titled Genre Analysis. In his book, he discusses discourse
communities and their characteristics, such as having a set of broadly agreed
common goals, having mechanisms of intercommunication amongst members,
and having a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant
content and discoursal expertise. Swales elaborates on the difference between a
discourse community and a speech community, while portraying the dire
necessity of different methods of intercommunications through exemplification.
Swales discussion on the needs of intercommunication proves true within Sigma
Phi Epsilon. Intercommunication within the fraternity goes beyond basic forms of
interaction. This aspect of a discourse community is intertwined with brotherhood
and the nature of the organization. In essence, intercommunication is one of the
core principles within the fraternity. Brotherly love continues to play a key factor
in the organizations success, for example, when a brother is going through a
rough time, many brothers will reach out to him and ask what they can do to help.
Acts such as this is more than being an active member in the discourse
community, but also a motivator, for similar actions in the future and the desire to
a part of such a tight-knit bond. This characteristic of the discourse community is
the most vital to Sigma Phi Epsilon because of what a large role
intercommunication plays in the grand scheme of a fraternity. Swales is qualified
to write on characteristics of a discourse community such as these because of his
status within the educational realm. Being a linguistics professor at the University

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of Michigan and the Codirector of the Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken
English there as well, he has experience in the field of language and communities
such as these. This piece will fit in well in my final research project because it is
such a broad topics that several of my sources apply to different characteristics of
the discourse communities Swales discusses, making it easily recyclable in
similar situations.
How is brotherhood incentivized within the organization?

How is Sigma Phi Epsilon different from other fraternities?

"Balanced Man Program." Balanced Man Program. Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, n.d.
Web. 06 Nov. 2014.
One of Sigma Phi Epsilons slogans or mottos is This fraternity will be
different. This objective dates back to the founding of the organization in 1901.
A significant founding brother of the fraternity made this statement and held his
brothers accountable to meeting this standard, beginning a cycle of responsibility
within the group. Brothers passed down this notion to other brothers throughout
the years until 1999. During this year, a revolutionary program was introduced
based on the need to once again separate themselves from other fraternities. The
Balanced Man Program, a single-tier development program based on leadership,
scholarship, and bettering the man. The abolishment of the pledge process was
something no other fraternity had implemented before, making Sigma Phi Epsilon
different than their peers. This program is based on five characteristics: equal
rights and responsibilities, continuous development, accountability, living the
ritual, and mentoring. One of the keys to this program was pushing new members

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to develop the sound mind, sound body concept. No other fraternity has ever
created goals similar to these.
This website provides insight to Sigma Phi Epsilons need for diligence because
of how heavily the organization relies on innovation. Without constant effort to
thinking how this fraternity can set itself apart from other fraternities, the
organization would not be as large or successful as it is today. The information
gathered from this site gives perspective to motivations within the fraternity and
how they look to operate their business. I found information on the Balanced Man
Program and the history of the fraternity on the Sigma Phi Epsilon national
website, a site representative of the fraternity with the largest number of active
members in the country. I will efficiently use this information in my final research
piece when investigating whether or not I made the right decision to join Sigma
Phi Epsilon because of these differences.
How do Sigma Phi Epsilons differences make the organization better or
worse than a stereotypical fraternity?