THE BEAVER SIG ALPHA THETA CHAPTER OF SIGMA CHI FRATERNITY CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS HTTP://SIGMACHI.MIT.EDU SPRING 2008 From the Alumni Corporation A Message From Chapter receives Legion of Honor Award The Alumni Corporation In February, Shawn P. George, the demic interactions between brothers by Dear Brothers: grand praetor of Sigma Chi Internation - archiving practice exams and problem I hope this edition of The Beaver al’s North Atlantic province, unexpect - sets and creating a chapter list of all Sig finds you well. As usual, inside edly joined the active brothers of Alpha classes taken by each brother. Brother you’ll find the latest updates from Theta over lunch to inform them Jette’s continued efforts have the brothers at 532 Beacon Street, that the chapter had been awarded increased the effectiveness of aca - plus alumni news and correspon - Sigma Chi’s Legion of Honor demic communication between dence. The chapter continues to be Award. Consul Douglas Halket brothers and allowed younger healthy and strong, as you’ll read in ’09 was presented with a certifi - brothers to seek out advice and these articles. cate from the general fraternity consultation more easily from As always, feel free to contact to be framed and displayed in the senior brothers. me if you have any questions about the chapter library. The Legion The active brothers hope to the alumni corporation or Alpha of Honor Award is bestowed continue and build upon Alpha Theta in general. Wishing you and upon chapters deemed to exemplify Theta’s long tradition of academic your families the best— the highest levels of academic excel - achievement in addition to our frater - lence among all undergraduate Sigma nal, professional, and social endeavors. In hoc, Chi chapters. Karl Büttner ’87 Over the past term, efforts to fur - Corporation Board President ther the academic success of the active Guard well, [email protected] brothers have continued as Scholarship Joshua J. Campoverde ’08 Chairman Caine L. Jette ’10 fosters aca - [email protected] Consul reports on state of chapter Dear Brothers: Fraternity has brought to them through we have had to be flexible as a chapter to This spring has been a semester of new their years at MIT. maintain brotherhood, sometimes having challenges and adventures for the chapter. The beginning of the spring term saw to move around dinner and other events to Before it began, our brothers enjoyed their the departure of two of our most involved accommodate everybody. As consul, I have IAPs in various ways: From visiting exotic brothers, Ben Pope ’08 and Chris Bukows - made it one of my goals to ensure that all countries, to taking fun classes at the insti - ki ’09. Ben graduated early and is spend - brothers can attend chapter meetings and tute, to frequenting a boxing gym, to ing the spring and summer working at events, which I believe is essential to the working at various companies for the Apple. He plans on returning next year to purpose of our fraternity. month, many people used IAP to try some - attend graduate school at MIT and has In March, we all took a three-hour thing new. All in all, IAP allowed brothers already accepted an invitation to be our drive north to Bryant Pond, Maine, for to return to the chapter not only with fresh new chapter advisor. Chris, on the other our annual rush retreat. The weather energy and determination, but also with hand, is taking it easy in Madrid, Spain, might have been cold, but spirits were high new experiences and different outlooks. for the semester with the MIT-Madrid pro - as we discussed rush strategies and took At the end of IAP, the chapter per - gram. He will also be returning next fall, time away from school to relax. Recruit - formed a successful initiation week, led by and we wish him the best of times while he ment Chair Andrew Ji ’09 led us in discus - Magister Eugene Jang ’09. We initiated is enjoying his unique experience. sions on how to have a successful rush and seven new brothers into the fraternity and The brothers staying back in Boston maintain the high level of character that renewed current brothers’ dedication to for the semester have been participating in has been associated with Sigma Chi over the chapter. Through their participation in an unprecedented number of extracurricu - the years. I-Week, the upperclassmen were reminded lar activities, including 13 involved in Throughout the spring, the chapter of what Alpha Theta and the Sigma Chi spring varsity and club sports. As a result, (continued on page three) PAGE TWO THE BEAVER SIG A recap of the accomplishments of Brother James Rhyne Killian ’29 James Rhyne Killian, Massachusetts and the Sloan School of Management were President Harry S. Truman’s communica - Institute of Technology class of 1929, added to MIT. The campus was transformed tions policy board, 1950-1952, the presi - earned an S.B. in engineering and business under Killian: Hayden Library was complet - dent’s foreign intelligence advisory board, administration. As we all know, he was an ed, Baker House was built, and Eero Saari - 1961-1963, and the general advisory com - Alpha Theta Sigma Chi and a member of nen designed Kresge Auditorium and the mittee of the U.S. arms control and disarma - the 1925 pledge class. After his graduation, MIT chapel. It was said that Killian had a ment agency, 1969-1974. Most notably, he he remained at MIT as the assistant manag - special love for the MIT chapel despite the came back to MIT in 1965 and began to ing editor of the Technology Review , the controversial design. Killian also led MIT’s work with the Corporation for Public Broad - well-known magazine of the alumni associ - movement into the era of digital computers casting to help develop public television. ation. He became editor in 1930 and helped during a time when their future impact on Killian was described as a man of envi - found what is now the MIT Press. He held the world was not so evident. As chairman able erudition who had a natural elo - the position until 1939, when he became of the corporation, Killian organized the Sec - quence and charm, a warm and gracious executive assistant to MIT President Karl ond Century Campaign. In 1960, his initial manner, and a gentle, wry humor that was Taylor Compton. Killian took over direct - goal was $66 million, but by 1963, he had never unkind. In times of dispute, he was ing MIT temporarily during World War II achieved $98 million. He also increased exceptional at resolving differences and when Compton’s involvement in the annual giving from $3 million in 1949 to achieving consensus, making advances National Defense Research Committee kept over $22 million in 1971. He was known possible. He was always courageous, and him away from MIT for extensive periods affectionately to generations of students as he spoke out at times when it might have of time. In 1943, Killian was appointed “Mr. MIT.” been easier to remain silent. His words executive vice president, and then vice presi - Killian moved on from MIT to become were always thoughtful, reasonable, and dent in 1945. He served as the tenth presi - the special assistant for science and technolo - persuasive. It is no wonder that the Sigma dent of MIT from 1948 to 1959, and then gy to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In Chi Fraternity awarded this great man the as chairman of the MIT Corporation from 1957, he formed and chaired the President’s Significant Sig Award. We hope we can all 1959 to 1971. Science Advisory Committee (PSAC), which learn from his character and ambition and Killian supported the arts and believed later took on important roles in national make a positive difference in the world, no “that the modern research university offers educational reforms in science and technolo - matter how small. unique opportunities to cultivate many new gy and in establishing the National Aeronau - integrations between the liberal arts and the tics and Space Administration (NASA). In hoc, sciences.” It was during Killian’s years that Between 1950 and 1974, he served on Dominik Kmita ’10 the School of Humanities and Social Studies dozens of national science boards, including Chapter Editor Alpha Theta welcomes seven outstanding men On February 3, 2008, the Alpha Theta ened by guiding the pledges through their campus and has been an outstanding histori - Chapter of Sigma Chi welcomed seven new transition into brothers. an for Sigma Chi. Eric Roselli ’11, of Plano, members into our brotherhood. A very suc - Spencer Currie ’11, from Burlingame, Texas, has had great success on the MIT cessful I-Week was concluded with the initi - California, has emerged as an enthusiastic varsity swimming team and has taken on a ation of Spencer J.A. Currie, Garrett L. leader in his pledge class and has taken on multitude of leader’s roles in the chapter, Winther, Brandon D. Briscoe, Pall M. Korn - the position of tea master. Garrett Winther including webmaster, undergraduate associ - mayer, Eric J. Roselli, Michael J. Dobson, ’11, from Broomfield, Colorado, is a starter ation representative, and network adminis - and Matthew F. Luchette. on the MIT varsity volleyball team and trator. Michael Dobson ’11, of Houston, Throughout the pledge program, these serves as social chairman in Sigma Chi. Texas, has had a record-breaking season on young men not only learned about the ideals Brandon Briscoe ’11, from Aspen, Col - the swim team and has been a solid presence and values of Sigma Chi, but also strived orado, is a kung fu expert and also serves as in the house.