The Buchanan Cup, or “Buc Cup,” recognizes the best-of-the-best Sigma Phi Epsilon chapters. Chapters are measured in relation to the accomplishments of their peers on campuses across the country. Only the chapters that excel in every area of operations and further the Grand Chapter’s strategic plan qualify for this high honor. This year’s application review period covers January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024. All supplemental attachments, letters of recommendation and responses must be submitted on mySigEp by March 1, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Any applications submitted after this time will not be considered.
The Application
Similar to the previous application cycle, the 2025 Buchanan Cup application is to be completed in mySigEp. This application process will allow you to easily collaborate with your executive board and volunteers, save your answers and come back to continue working on them, and view pre-populated dashboards on your chapter’s performance throughout the review period.
To complete this year’s Buchanan Cup application, follow these instructions:
1. Login to mySigEp. If this is your first time logging in to mySigEp, follow method #3 to set up your account.
2. As a chapter officer or volunteer, click on the chapter’s name in the top right corner of mySigEp.
3. Click the “2025 Buchanan Cup Application” form link to continue.
4. The application consists of nine (eight for unhoused chapters) sections. Click into a section to view the questions. You’ll be given the opportunity to download an offline Microsoft Word version of the application. When you’re ready to submit your responses, type your answers into the appropriate open-response fields below each respective question. The character limit is 2,000 characters, so make sure your answers are concise and to the point.
5. After typing your responses, save your answers by clicking the “Save” button at the bottom of the application.
Note: Many of the features in mySigEp are mobile-friendly. However, for the best viewing experience, we recommend filling out the 2025 Buchanan Cup application on a desktop computer or laptop.
Who has access to edit/view the 2025 Buchanan Cup application in mySigEp?
To prevent misuse or unintentional deletion of responses, only officers and committee members will have access to complete the 2025 Buchanan Cup application in mySigEp. To see which individuals have access, click on the “Officers” tab in mySigEp. All members listed on this page will have access to edit the chapter’s responses in mySigEp. If a non-officer undergraduate member wishes to contribute to the chapter’s application, you may assign him a new temporary role from the mySigEp “Officers” tab of “Buchanan Cup Application Committee Member”.
To allow for volunteers to provide chapter officers feedback, all volunteers also have access to view the chapter’s responses. Responses should not be edited directly by volunteers. Applications may be disqualified if filled out directly by volunteers.
Viewing Dashboards
The 2025 Buchanan Cup application uses pre-populated dashboards to view the chapter’s statistics. These statistics are based on self-reported results or registrations, actions taken in mySigEp (such as reporting a new member or updating someone’s status to “expelled”) and Headquarters staff-based assessments. These dashboards are available year-round and updated in near real-time.
Note: Many of the features in mySigEp are mobile-friendly. However, for the best viewing experience, we recommend only accessing the dashboards from a desktop computer or laptop.
Can we edit the dashboards?
The only dashboard that you’re able to edit is the Academic dashboard. This dashboard is where your chapter can self-report your chapter’s academic performance compared to all-campus averages. You are required to upload proof of documentation, such as a chapter or community grade report, as back up. If the data submitted is incorrect or unverifiable, the data is subject to be deleted. The other dashboards are not able to be edited or changed.
What do I do if the data is wrong?
At the beginning of each applicable section, you’ll be prompted to review the relevant dashboard and have an opportunity to provide context or color commentary on the data displayed in the dashboard. If you feel the data is not a good representation of your chapter, use that opportunity to explain why.
If the dashboard is displaying an error, email support@sigep.net for support.
Why do some dashboards show more than two years of data?
Many of these dashboards have been in mySigEp for several years and available for viewing throughout the entire year. Once the application deadline is behind us, these dashboards will still be viewable in mySigEp. They’re meant to provide your chapter and volunteers insight to your performance over time and allow you to set goals and track progress for your chapter. Rest assured, only data from the review period will be taken into consideration during this application process.
Uploading Supplemental Documentation
The final section of the 2025 Buchanan Cup application in mySigEp is to upload supplemental documentation. These documents are required as part of your chapter’s application. Without them, the application is incomplete and will be ineligible for review for this year’s application cycle. The following documents are required for this year’s application:
• Chapter bylaws
• Membership Agreement
• Improvements to the chapter’s BMP with outcomes
• Photo of chapter’s Ritual equipment set up to perform a Rite of Passage
• Chapter’s budgets for the last two years (must be uploaded to the finance dashboard on mySigEp)
• Chapter’s latest federal tax filing (Form 990) (must be uploaded to the finance dashboard on mySigEp)
• A recent monthly financial report for the chapter (template here)
• An annual financial review of the chapter’s finances (template here)
• Chapter’s calendar of events. The calendar should include events of all types (BMP, SLC, social, philanthropy, etc.)
• 3-5 photos of chapter events with brothers (to be displayed during the awards ceremony; images must be high-resolution and above 1MB)
• Grade reports for each term during the review period — 2023 Spring and Fall, 2024 Spring and Fall (must be uploaded to the academic dashboard on mySigEp)
To upload supplemental documentation:
1. Click into the “Supplemental Documents” section of the Buchanan Cup application.
2. Under each required document line, click the “Choose new file” button immediately below the required document name (i.e. Chapter Bylaws).
3. Select your document and click “Open”.
4. Click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page.
5. When a document has been successfully submitted, the file’s name will appear above the “Choose new file” button in the corresponding area and will be available for download.
6. To remove an already uploaded document, click the “Delete File” button.
7. To upload a newer version of the document, simply click “Choose new file” and upload the new version — deleting the old file is not necessary. To ensure proper submission, be sure to click save at the bottom after uploading all the necessary documents.
Photos of your chapter are required for this year’s application. We recommend 3-5 photos that would be appropriate to display on a screen during the awards ceremony at Grand Chapter Conclave. To upload photos to your application, follow the same steps outlined above.
As a reminder, grade reports for each term during the review period (2023 Spring and Fall, 2024 Spring and Fall) must be uploaded to the academic dashboard on mySigEp. Chapter’s budgets for the last two years and the chapter’s latest tax filing (form 990) must also be uploaded to the finance dashboard on mySigEp. Failure to upload these additional documents will result in an incomplete application.
Requesting Letters of Recommendation
In this year’s application, uploading letters of recommendation are required. Letters should help support answers supplied by the chapter and help clearly show why the chapter should be considered as one of SigEp’s best. Recommendation letters will be accepted from the following individuals:
• Fraternity and Sorority Life Advisor (required)
• Chapter Counselor
• AVC President
• Balanced Man Steward
• District Governor
• Faculty Fellow or Faculty Advisor
• Dean of Students/Vice President of Student Affairs.
It is required to obtain one letter from your Fraternity and Sorority Life advisor. If your campus does not employ a professional in this (or similar position) please upload a statement explaining that for the committee to review. In addition to this letter, reviewers typically like to see at least two other recommendation letters from the above listed volunteers and university/college professionals.
In the event that the individual you’re requesting a letter of recommendation from wishes to upload the letter anonymously, send them this form to have them upload their letter. The chapter will not be able to see the contents of the letter. Otherwise, after receiving the letter from an individual, you may complete the same form on their behalf. Upon successful submission, you will see the latest upload date of the letter in the “Supplemental Documents” section of your Buchanan Cup application on mySigEp.
Submitting Your Application
Within each section, you’ll be given an opportunity to indicate whether the section is “In Progress” or “Completed”. This is your way of indicating when each question within the section has been answered to your satisfaction. Switching the status to “Completed” does not prevent you or others from continuing to edit your responses within that section. On the main page of the application, you’ll be able to quickly see which sections still need to be completed.
Once all sections have been completed, and all supplemental documents have been uploaded, please ensure all sections are set to “Completed” status. This is how we will know you are finished with your Buchanan Cup application. All sections must be marked as “Completed” by the application deadline. Any responses submitted or modified after the deadline will be ineligible for review.
Feel free to download this document to prepare your responses offline. However, the final responses and supplemental documentation must be submitted directly in mySigEp by the March 1, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. deadline. This document will not be accepted as your submission.
