Florida State rechartered!
The FSU chapter was originally founded in 1996 and chartered in 1998. But like many new chapters, they struggled in their early years with keeping up membership and unfortunately closed in 2013.
The founding alumni always remained committed to bringing the chapter back.
Opportunity knocked… and Pilam knocked it out of the park
In the spring of 2019, the IHQ was contacted by a group of FSU students who wanted to establish a Pilam chapter at FSU. The college hadn’t supported an expansion effort in years, so recruitment efforts were highly successful.
IHQ sent an expansion team and compiled over 1,600 leads from prospects and referrals. The team canvased the campus and interviewed over 200 students, ultimately extending 84 bids. The chapter initiated a re-founding class of 45 brothers, which was one of the largest ever at the time.
An inopportune time for celebration
A banquet to celebrate recolonization was scheduled in 2020. Ian Lowe recalled, “The new brothers and alumni were pretty pumped about re-starting, so we scheduled a ‘welcome back’ banquet for the chapter in March 2020. It was a great event with a keynote speaker, and the IEC attending at a downtown hotel. The alumni showed their excitement and support with a great turnout.”
At about this time, stories were coming out of New York about an unknown, uncontrolled illness. It was the outbreak of COVID-19. A week later, schools started announcing shutdowns, sending students home, and moving toward virtual education.
Stayin’ alive
In the midst of the pandemic, FSU faced the challenge of being a new fraternity on campus where social organizations were restricted from being “social.”
Ian Lowe said, “For most chapters, the focus for a year or two was on survival.”
The Florida climate and less restrictive COVID policies contributed to the chapter’s survival. They could host socially distanced, open-air events. Ian surmised that they also got through it because, “They were a dedicated and popular group, and still the talk of the campus. Many brothers were referred by women and sororities, so they had a lot of support.”
“Tremendous” chapter coaching and support
Ian credited strong alumni support for the chapter’s success. He said, “Over the past six years, they’ve had a tremendous chapter coaches board, near the top of what I’ve seen my time as executive director in terms of their level of engagement. They were really tuned in and realistic with student expectations.”
He specifically praised founding Rex Drew Sfugaras, and Nick Azadian for their leadership and dedication. Drew and Nick also led the efforts to acquire a chapter house for brothers, reinforcing their staying power and ensuring a permanent presence on campus. They also established a restricted fund with the Educational Foundation to provide long-term funding to the FL Epsilon Lambda chapter.
Drew Sfugaras said of the re-founding, “Witnessing the chapter we founded nearly 30 years ago come back to life, revived and rechartered by an exceptional group of young men, fills me with pride and gratitude. To see them carry on our legacy and surpass it, earning prestigious honors and awards along the way, makes the time spent mentoring and supporting them entirely worth it.”
Eye on the prize — a charter
After managing their other challenges like COVID, housing, and community relations, the chapter focused on earning their charter.
The 2024 chapter rex, Kory Gehring, made it a priority to earn their charter before his term ended. Ian Lowe said, “Kory prioritized it, assigned a small team of brothers that worked on the chartering checklist, determined what they needed, and the brotherhood got it done.”
The chapter also recently distinguished itself with a highly successful fundraising campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters, raising over $17,000.
The current rex, Brady Shae, who presided over the chartering ceremony, said “The path to re-chartering has not been an easy one. Kory and I spent two years working to accomplish this feat, and I’m very proud of the efforts of our brotherhood. I think I have talked to Ian Lowe more at FSU than I have my own parents.”
Ironically, the chapter held their re-chartering banquet in the same hotel that hosted the original chartering. To the best of our knowledge, it was not a super-spreader event.
Congratulations to Florida State undergrads, alumni, and supporters! Please continue to stay involved, “Not Four Years, But a Lifetime.”