“You know, John Wayne was a Sigma Chi,” said senior Andrew Klare, president of the Sigma Chi fraternity’s Hillsdale College chapter. “He said, ‘Men join fraternities; leaders of men join Sigma Chi’ — and I really think that’s what we offer to campus.”

Sigma Chi’s Alpha Kappa chapter is one of four fraternities on Hillsdale’s campus. As a tenet of their brotherhood, each undertakes philanthropic work to give back to the community and develop their members’ character.

A major part of making leaders of men within Sigma Chi is partaking in that tradition, according to Klare. 

Junior Chistopher Tufaro, magister for the chapter, said Klare’s leadership and the work of chapter philanthropy chair Jack Foley have allowed the fraternity to make great strides with its philanthropic work.

“This semester, Jack decided that it would be more important for us to do good in our community,” Tufaro said.  “This year, we’re dedicating all of our money to Camp Hope, which is a homeless shelter in the Hillsdale area.”

According to Foley, a junior, their philanthropy event this semester raised more than $1,000 in about eight hours.

“I have been blessed with the opportunity to work very closely with Missy DesJardin over at Camp Hope, who has put me in the position to be able to put on the Sigma Chi Thrift Store, which has been an outstanding success,” Foley said. “We put it all together over the course of the last few weeks, and received box trucks full of clothes, racks, and hangers, all the night before the event was going to occur.”

Foley said volunteerism is a major part of Sigma Chi’s identity.

“We have groups of guys who go help at the homeless shelter on a weekly basis, as well as all of our other fundraisers we do on campus, such as Rent-A-Sig, Shave-A-Sig, Derby Days, and others,” Foley said. “We also have seasonal volunteer outings, such as helping out at the Greater Hillsdale Area Humane Society and other outings as we become aware of the need.”

Klare said he was impressed by the fraternity’s emphasis on character development when he first joined.

“I was really pleasantly surprised when I pledged — I saw that we have a five-week process where we learned about the values and virtues of the fraternity, and you see that these guys actually care about holding each other accountable, that they actually care about being serious individuals,” he said.

Klare said he thinks many people outside fraternities fail to see the importance of values-based practices and Christian ritual that often form the basis of Greek life. Although Klare was at first unsure if fraternity life would detract from other aspects of his social and academic life at Hillsdale College, said he that Sigma Chi adds to the college’s mission in many ways.

“Coming here, I was really worried that joining a fraternity would really take away from my time at the college,” Klare said. “What I found is that it actually has been the greatest supplement here — the greatest fulfillment 

of what the college promises to give us. It’s really worked hand in hand in a way that I never would have seen before I became involved in it for years.”

Tufaro said the fraternity has allowed him to learn habits and undergo character development that is necessary for leadership and life outside college.

“I felt like in order to truly flourish and grow as a man, in leadership capabilities, in friendship and in all the other standard male virtues, I needed something where they were going to treat me as an adult with responsibility,” Tufaro said. “At Sigma Chi, you get that. At our house, we do everything ourselves — all the landscaping, all the cleaning. Nobody is coming in to vacuum the floor, clean out the toilets, or take out the trash.”

Tufaro added that in addition to fraternity life’s practical responsibilities, there are also many opportunities for men to develop their character.

“When it comes to conflict resolution, there’s no RA to go to, nor another higher authority you could appeal to, for resolving your situation. It’s up to you if you’re having a disagreement with a brother, or if you need to fix something,” Tufaro said. “If you want to plan an event or do anything like that, you have to figure out the resources to get it done. The house is very supportive of that.”

Foley credits the culture within Sigma Chi with the success the fraternity has had in its community work. He said brotherhood forms long-lasting friendships.

“Ultimately, it’s closer to a family than it is to a frat. I’m surrounded by the future godparents, ‘uncles,’ and lifelong friends who would drop everything should another one of us have the need,” Foley said. “At the end of the day, it is truly a lifelong commitment to brotherhood.”

Tufaro expressed his love for the brothers of Sigma Chi similarly to Foley.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the phrase, ‘to share a foxhole with someone,’ but I’d share a foxhole with any one of these guys. I’d feel comfortable going to any one of them with any problem I might be dealing with,” Tufaro said. “I know that they would lead me right, and I know that they’re always there for me — any one of the guys.”