ABC's of Affirmative Action

Faculty Reflection

Opportunities for Giving

Campus Collage

	Sigma Chi Rises from the Ashes
	1998-99 Outstanding Advisor, Proffessor, and Service Awards
	New Telecom-munications Master's Degree
	In the News
	Sportsline
	With Respect
	Of Courses
	Visitors of Note

Helping To Make CSU, Chico Better

The week before finals in May 1998, members of Sigma Chi watched helplessly as their rented fraternity house burned, destroyed by arson. The building and its contents were completely ruined.

Fraternity members who had been sleeping when the fire started emerged from the burning building with nothing but the clothing they had worn to bed the previous night. Firefighters provided additional clothing at the scene—but that was only the beginning.

The campus community sprang into action, with counseling, advising, and student activities personnel supporting fraternity members through the aftermath of the fire. A fund was established and publicized by the campus and the local media. Radio and television stations had multiple airings of how-to-help information, and the community responded with money and donations of clothing, furniture, and other items. The Associated Students offered to replace lost textbooks. Another fraternity held a fundraiser. The Greeks got permission from the athletics department to solicit donations by passing buckets at a baseball game.

Some Sigma Chi members lived in a nearby house, which the Chico City Council allowed them to use as a temporary fraternity house. Meanwhile, the owner of the burned building was interested in rebuilding and in continuing the lease. The building had been set up as a series of apartments. To make it more amenable to the fraternity, the rebuilt version will have more meeting space and will be better suited to use as a fraternity house.

As the new home was rising from the ashes, Rick Rees, assistant director of Student Activities, commented, "You enjoy living in Chico when you see this huge amount of support."

Barbara Alderson, University Publications