At the 2017 Orlando Conclave, 10 recent graduates were recognized as recipients of SigEp’s Clayton-Doud Award. The brothers were selected for their effort to help all chapters deliver on the Fraternity’s mission and founding purpose through the Balanced Man Program.

In 2014, the death toll from fraternity-related incidents had reached the double digits. Many of these tragedies were hazing-related. Universities began temporarily or permanently shutting down their fraternity systems. In response, several SigEp chapters approached the Fraternity’s National Directors and Headquarters staff wanting to lead change. Their hope was to help every SigEp chapter implement the Fraternity’s pledging-free and nationally acclaimed Balanced Man Program.

From eight schools, the coalition of 10 chapter leaders emerged. In April 2015, they met in Columbus, Ohio, along with chapter volunteers to draft Conclave legislation and discuss potential objections to their effort. They continued to meet weekly by conference calls until they had a draft of a far-reaching proposal to align all chapters behind the Balanced Man Program.

To gather support for the legislation, the brothers placed calls to chapter leaders across the country. When their resolution reached the legislative floor, 140 chapters had already weighed in to voice support.

The final resolution called for full adoption of the Balanced Man Program as well as additional staff support and resources — including a mobile and desktop app — required to effectively implement the program at all chapters. The August 2015 vote was decisive and made SigEp the first national fraternity to abolish pledging with an undergraduate vote.

2017 Clayton-Doud Award Recipients

Ryan Bixler, Ohio State ’16

Conner Foster, Ohio State ’16

Max Fowler, South Carolina ’15

Garrett Hendricks, Georgia ’16

Ben Hutto, South Carolina ’16

Conner Jackson, Nebraska ’16

Kevin Madden, South Florida ’16

Brian Rosebrook, Oklahoma State ’15

Riley Shearer, Montana State ’17

Mario Squicciarini, Drexel ’17

When SigEp Citation recipient Jim Clayton, Tennessee ’56, encountered hard times with the company he started, Clayton Homes, a SigEp and fellow Citation recipient, Wally Doud, Wisconsin ’48, came to his aid. Doud joined Clayton’s board, helping him navigate the difficult juncture and put Clayton Homes back on its successful course. In appreciation of Doud’s demonstration of Virtue, Diligence, and most importantly, Brotherly Love, Clayton established and endowed the Clayton-Doud Award. Today, this $10,000 biennial scholarship recognizes brothers who come to another’s aid, helping overcome the obstacles that accompany the pursuit of SigEp’s cardinal principles despite all odds.