Several weeks ago Grand President Phillip A. Cox wrote a letter to all SigEp undergraduates and alumni in response to Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s announcement of their new development program. In this letter, our Grand President rightfully took pride in the accomplishments of SigEp’s Balanced Man Program. He thanked each of you for the role you are playing in “raising the bar” for other fraternities. He commended you for having the courage to be different and shattering the negative stereotypes that surround college fraternities. His message started by saying “America is reading that you led the way.” 

My question to you is: should America really be watching you? 

I had the distinct pleasure of working with Past Grand President Frank J. Ruck, Michigan ‘46 as he provided the motivation and leadership that developed and nurtured the Balanced Man Program in the early 1990s. His clear-cut vision was to build a membership experience that embodied the oldest and finest traditions of our Fraternity. Charged with that great challenge, SigEp built a program centered on the tenets of

• Equal rights and responsibilities
• Continuous development
• Living the Ritual
• Accountability, and
• Mentoring.

These five philosophical tenets are the very foundation of the BMP. Without them, the BMP is nothing more than a name. With them, the BMP can be the single most transformational experience on a college campus. 

Grand President Cox is right; America noticed we led the way. Awards, government grants, and other fraternities emulating our program all prove that the BMP is still the inspiration for the future of the fraternal movement. 

However, as I reflect on my 40+ years of the volunteer experience, I am tortured by mixed emotions. I am reminded that so many of our chapters actively pursue our values and tenets every day through sacrificial efforts in the implementation of the BMP. But I am also reminded that all too many chapters subscribe to the BMP as nothing more than a kitschy slogan and empty sales rhetoric. These chapters carry only the name and good reputation of the BMP ideal. To them, the BMP is only a logo, not a way of life.

So my brothers, I must ask you again, should America really be watching your chapter? Do you deliver on what we promise? Is your chapter truly fulfilling the vision of Frank Ruck and our Founders? 

Unless your answers to those questions are a resounding “Yes!” I challenge you to take the first step today to make a change. Sit down with your AVC, chapter counselor, or regional director and start making plans to improve your member development program. We have the tools to help you, but you have to be the one to stand and say, “We can do better.”

To find resources that will help your chapter implement the BMP, visit the BMP Implementation Page on www.sigep.org. 

Steve Shanklin is a Past Grand President and lifelong volunteer and donor with SigEp. He currently serves as a member of the National Advancement Council and the Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. In 2001, he was inducted into SigEp’s Order of the Golden Heart.