Rush

Virginia Tau Chapter
University of Richmond

Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) was founded March 9, 1856 at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa; the first Greek-letter fraternity founded in the South, and the only general fraternity with continuing existence founded in the South before the Civil War.

SAE is North America's largest social fraternity with more than 280,000 initiated members all-time (as of 3/2005). The mission of Sigma Alpha Epsilon is to promote the highest standards of friendship, scholarship and service for its members based upon the ideals set forth by the Founders and as specifically enunciated in "The True Gentleman."

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was the first fraternity to establish a national headquarters (1929), a National Leadership School (1935), a national Men's Health Issues Committee (1980), and a career-development program entitled the Leading Edge (1990). The Fraternity communicates through The Record magazine, a quarterly publication that has been published continuously since 1880.

Their are currently more than 10,000 undergraduates members at more than 200 chapters in 48 states and Canada. Over 203,000 living alumni are active in more than 75 alumni associations across the Nation.

Rush is nothing more than a process of making friends. It brings men together of different interests, backgrounds, and philosophies for the initial exchange of ideas which form a base for the growth of the most solid friendships. As a process of forming friendships, rush is the oldest and most basic chapter operation in Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Indeed, it is the force which formed the fraternity. Its effect is described in the first pages of William "Billy" Levere's Three Volume History of Sigma Alpha Epsilon:

"The Fraternity...grew quietly and silently from a seed planted
in the hearts of its eight founders long before they dreamed
what the fruit of that seed would be. The seed was friendship.
From a college companionship, in which these eight men shared,
there was a gradual evolution which resulted in the birth of the fraternity."
- Billy Levere

And so the ideal of friendship, so important to SAE's beginning, remains an integral part of the rush process. Even as rush is a means of establishing friendships, it is also a function of survival. It must be done to continue the chapter, to improve it, to maintain its strength and make it ever better. By completing these tasks, you are enabling fellow students to know what it means to be your Brother in SAE for life.

Did You Know...
· Approximately 80% of the top executives in Fortune 500 are fraternity men
· 71% of men listed in Who's Who in America are fraternity men
· 76% of the current United States Senators and Congressmen are fraternity men
· 40 of the 47 Supreme Court Justices since 1910 have been fraternity men
· 100 of the 158 cabinet members since 1900 have been fraternity men
· All but 3 United States Presidents since 1825 have been fraternity men

· SAE is the # 1 rated fraternity by the Gallup Poll
· SAE is the # 1 rated fraternity by the Heller Survey
· SAE is the # 1 rated fraternity by Bantas for 35 years
· SAE is the # 1 rated fraternity by Playboy on 19/20 campuses
· SAE has been rated the # 1 national fraternity for more than 53 years (out of 60) by the College Survey Bureau
· Out of the Forbes Super 500 list of America's largest corporation, SAE is tied with the most CEO's at nine
· SAE has the greatest number of initiates of any International Greek Letter at over 300,000 men.

Fraternity symbols: Lion, the Phoenix, Minerva, the Coat of Arms & the Fleur-de-lis
Official Flower: Violet
Official Colors: Royal Purple & Old Gold

Contact Webmaster @ jordan.mcghee@richmond.edu