Buchanan Outstanding Chapter Award

Every two years at Conclave, we recognize our highest performing chapters with the Buchanan Outstanding Chapter Award. Named in honor of past Grand President Edwin Buchanan, Ohio State 1911, the Buchanan Cup, as we commonly refer to it, represents superior and sustained achievement in our Fraternity. 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. An engraved silver bowl is presented to Buchanan Cup winners at the Grand Chapter Conclave. Chapters winning five consecutive Buchanan Outstanding Chapter Awards receive an engraved gold bowl, symbolizing a decade of excellence.

The 2023 Buchanan Cup application — which measures chapter performance from Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2022 — is now available on your mySigEp platform! The completed application and all attachments must be received by Monday, March 13, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Only chapters that submit a complete application by the deadline will be considered for a Buchanan Cup. However, all chapters that submit an application by March 13 (whether complete or incomplete) will receive feedback from reviewers with suggestions on how to improve chapter performance.

As you begin working on your application, you will find:

All data fields will be pre-populated with the information already on file for your chapter or that you previously submitted to Headquarters. You will only need to review that data and answer the open-ended questions to provide context or color commentary.
An easier to navigate experience with each section of the application designated by an icon within mySigEp.
The ability for multiple members of your chapter to work together toward completion while being able to save answers and return later. Additionally, your volunteers will also have access to review the application in real time and help you stay on pace to submit before the deadline.

To help you more easily navigate the application, we’ve created a “how to” guide and a training video to help you. Please check out these resources before beginning your application.

For chapters planning to apply for the 2023 Buchanan Cup, please reference this resource to see what is considered ‘excellence’ in each area of operations. A version of this rubric is used by the volunteers who will be reviewing all applications.

As determined by the National Board of Directors in the fall of 2019, starting with this Buchanan Cup cycle, chapters will be required to be an accredited SigEp Learning Community to be eligible to receive a Buc Cup. New applications to become a SigEp Learning Community must have been submitted by January 27, 2023 to allow for the chapter to be considered for a 2023 Buchanan Cup. Chapters must receive confirmation from the SigEp Learning Community committee that the chapter has been fully accredited by the Buc Cup deadline of March 13, 2023. Chapters looking to apply to the Buc Cup without SigEp Learning Community accreditation will receive feedback from the review committee on strengths and areas of improvement in their chapter operations, but will not be eligible for the award.

Below, you will find answers to some frequently asked questions:

Buchanan Cup FAQs

I’ve never used mySigEp. What is it and how do I access it?

mySigEp is a digital space to manage information, interact with your chapter or AVC and easily log in to your other SigEp platforms like the BMP App, greekbill and the Buchanan Cup application. You can find resources on the platform and information on how to access mySigEp here.

Who has access to my chapter’s application?

Every chapter officer and volunteer will have access to the Buchanan Cup application, and everyone with access can make changes or additions to the application. All changes are automatically saved. If someone else in your chapter needs access, you can assign them a new, temporary role as a “Buchanan Cup Application Committee Member” in mySigEp.

I reviewed the pre-populated data in my chapter’s application and it looks incorrect. What should I do?

The data points you are seeing in your application are calculated based on various actions taken by chapter officers (ex: reporting new members), members (ex: submitting activities in the BMP App) or Headquarters staff assessments (ex: Balanced Man Scholarship assessment results). The first open-ended question of each section that references a dashboard allows you an opportunity to provide color commentary or context on the data. For example, if your new members show 0 and your campus was on a recruitment moratorium, you should provide that context in the respective question’s response field. You will have the ability to edit/upload academic results from prior semesters on the academic dashboard, as well as supplemental documentation in the final section of the application. If you run into any issues during the application process, or feel the data on the dashboards are inaccurate, you should email membership@sigep.net for support, well in advance of the deadline, to troubleshoot the concern.

My chapter has done some awesome things this semester (spring 2023). Can I talk about them in the application?

The review period for this application encompasses the 2021 and 2022 calendar years only. Please limit your answers to just that time period and make note of the awesome things you’re doing right now for your 2025 application!

We want to get our volunteers and fraternity/sorority life office on campus to write letters of recommendation. Can those be submitted with our application?

Absolutely! You’ll see a section on the application to submit those documents. Just note that those letters of recommendation need to also be submitted by the application deadline (11:59 p.m. on March 13).

How do I actually submit my chapter’s application?

Please follow the directions at the bottom of this page

Who decides whether or not my chapter gets a Buchanan Cup?

A diverse group of longtime, experienced SigEp volunteers are asked by the Grand President to review all applications. These volunteers are grouped into teams of three, and all applications are reviewed by various teams. After the process is complete, their recommendations are given to the National Board of Directors, who make the ultimate decision on whether or not to award a Buchanan Cup.

How do these reviewers decide whether or not to recommend awarding a Buchanan Cup?

All volunteers have years of experience working with SigEp chapters and understand what constitutes the “best of the best.” Additionally, they are provided with this rubric to help guide their decision making. This resource helps show what excellence looks like within each area of the application.

I still have questions. Who should I contact?

If you still have questions, please send them to BucCup@sigep.net, and a Headquarters staff member will help you right away!