For the fourth consecutive year, Stanislaus State’s Omicron-Omega chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity is the recipient of the Founders Circle Award, a distinction given to just five chapters in North America.
“People think we only care about partying and getting drunk,” said chapter president Devin Moore, a senior liberal arts major who aspires to teach elementary school and serves as an after-school program leader at Fox Road Elementary School in Hughson.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about fraternities,” said senior Trent Murphy, a political science major who serves as the vice president of legislative affairs for the Stanislaus State Students Association. “The main thing I tell people is that there’s a time and a place for getting to know people on that level. But it’s really about community and how we can make a difference in the world.
“Also, we’re really big on helping each other graduate.”
The Omicron-Omega chapter was awarded the university’s Silver Bowl Award for academic excellence. The Kappa Simgas had a cumulative house grade-point average north of 3.5, above the campus average.
With 39 members, the Omicron-Omega chapter was recognized during the 2021-2022 academic year for its cumulative GPA of 3.5; for engaging in more than 4,500 hours of community service; raising $27,000 for charitable causes; raising more than $4,500 for the fraternity’s Military Heroes Campaign, which is committed to supporting the care of military veterans and their families; and raising more than $2,000 for its Chapter Scholarship Fund (within the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund), which provides scholarships to chapter members based upon academic achievement, campus involvement and leadership within the fraternity, according to a press release issued by the fraternity.
“Kappa Sigma is North America’s largest college social fraternity,” Adam J. Merillat, president of Kappa Sigma’s International board of directors, said in a press release. “We pledge more men and have more undergraduate members than any other fraternity, and we give more time in community service and more money to charitable causes than any other fraternity.
“Winning a Founders Circle Award means that our chapter California State University, Stanislaus, is not just one of the best chapters in Kappa Sigma, but is one of the best fraternity chapters on any college campus in North America.”
Kappa Sigma has more than 200,000 living members, with 17,000 undergraduates and nearly 300 chapters and colonies located throughout the U.S. and Canada. The fraternity was founded in 1869 at the University of Virginia. Its headquarters are based in Charlottesville, Va.
Some of the well-known Kappa Sigma members include Academy Award winner Robert Redford, former U.S. Senator and 1996 presidential candidate Bob Dole, media mogul Ted Turner, NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, NFL Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks, former Notre Dame football player Daniel “Rudy” Reuttiger, “Margaritaville” musician Jimmy Buffett; and television actor Gordon Jump.
The Omicron-Omega chapter was the lone chapter in California to garner a Founders Award. It will be holding its Sets for Vets volleyball tournament in November. Students or members of the community are invited to assemble a volleyball team – $10 per person – to compete in a one-day tournament. Donations to the fraternities’ veterans-outreach program also are welcomed. For more information, email trentjmurphy@gmail.com.
