Dear Journal Editor,

A breeze of fresh air arrived in my mail yesterday: the summer 2015 issue of the SigEp Journal. At first, I put the Journal aside in the “to read” file. I assumed it would contain familiar stories of successful SigEps. But then I read it. All of it! Now, let me tell you why this issue had such an impact on me.

I was a member of the Oregon Alpha Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon from 1946-1950, 10 years before the SigEp social “revolution” of 1959. As an undergraduate, I became disillusioned with the white, Christian membership standards of the Fraternity. My feelings were strongly expressed both at the university and with the SigEp chapter, where they were disdained by some and supported by others.

In my senior year, I formally proposed both a Jewish and black friend as pledges. My proposal was turned down by my brothers; and as a symbolic objection, I did not eat in the house in my last term. The black student I had recommended was William Maxwell, who later obtained a doctorate from Harvard and is now an internationally renowned educator.

When I opened the recent Features, I was genuinely surprised and pleased to find a description of the (often unknown—or at least, not spoken of) internal fight in the Fraternity about racism, creedism, religious exclusionism and hazing. I was also pleased to see the reference to “anti-homophobia” positions taken by certain chapters and the moving story about the cowardly, evil and blatant sexual assault problem. And finally, I read the hard, cold, clean words of brother Max Fowler in “The Truth About Pledging” article.

The Fraternity should be proud to have promoted these stories. Congratulations!

Cordially and Fraternally,

ROBERT J. NISSEN
Oregon State ’50