For the past two years, Sigma Pi hasn't let its "colony" status stop it from accomplishing feats like winning the 2003 Greek Week intramural football championship.
And, as of Saturday, the fraternity shed that status.
Sigma Pi was reactivated as a full-fledged chapter, an "amazing achievement," according to ASU Greek Life adviser Lara Klinkner.
"It's a wonderful thing to have another full chapter at ASU," Klinkner said. "It speaks very highly of its members."
Fraternity colonies are required to have 30 members, while full chapters need 60.
In order to gain full-fledged chapter status, members had to submit a 100-page petition to charter, including articles, member biographies and letters of recommendation. They also had to take a test to demonstrate knowledge of the chapter and its history.
As a colony, Sigma Pi was still able to participate in Greek Life events, including Greek Week, which chapter director Shea Stickler said was "extremely unusual for a colony to win."
Sigma Pi president Ferron Dunham said every member currently in Sigma Pi would be considered a "founding father" of the organization. The founding fathers will remain on the charter as long as it is at ASU, and the fraternity will soon be accepting pledges.
The Sigma Pi fraternity has been a chapter at ASU two times since the 1980s, and most recently closed in the mid-1990s. Stickler said the closing was due to the "cyclical patterns" of the closing and openings of fraternities.
Stickler is an ASU alumnus who volunteers his time to Sigma Pi. He said the fraternity has worked its way up from zero members in April 2001 to its current 64 members.
Despite past problems with hazing at ASU fraternities, Dunham said Sigma Pi would not put up with hazing, describing it as "causing physical or mental stress."
"We focus on academics, service and brotherhood," he said. "Everyone is together as a team. We built Sigma Pi."
Sigma Pi vice president and construction management sophomore D.J. Risk said he joined the fraternity because he saw "an opportunity to start something different on campus."
"I wanted to break the stereotypes people have of fraternities, that they are jocks that just like to party and drink," Risk said.
The fraternity is planning a spring service project to reach out to ASU faculty and students. It is called the Altruistic Campus Experience.
Reach the reporter at lindsay.butler@asu.edu.
