The brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity at the University of Tennessee at Martin awarded $2,500 in scholarships to incoming freshmen as part of their annual Balanced Man Scholarship Awards Banquet.
The banquet, held in the University Center ballroom Sept. 6 and featuring keynote speaker Dr. Tom Rakes, provost and vice chancellor for student affairs, celebrated the Balanced Man ideal as well as honored the distinguished work of this year’s award recipients.
Joey Baker, a nursing and athletic training major from Middleton, Tenn., won the coveted Balanced Man Award, which is awarded to the individual with the strongest balance of scholar, athlete, leader and gentleman. The Balanced Man Award is a $2,000 grant given for tuition, books and other expenses.
Baker was valedictorian and graduated Middleton High School with a 3.97 GPA. He was president of the Beta Club, which stresses academic success and community service, as well as the National Honor Society. Among his many accomplishments, Baker also was a Junior Civitan Member, an SGA leader and an Eagle Scout. Baker also played football and was the schools first seed in varsity tennis.
In addition to the Balanced Man Award, SigEp honored the best leader and best athlete among the applicants.
Jacob James Seeley was awarded the Most Athletic Award, and Kyle Kragenbrink was honored as the Best Leader. Both received $250 awards for their outstanding dedication.
Dr. Tom Rakes keynoted the event and gave brothers and applicants pointers for improving their future. Rakes said that everyone should strive for balance in their lives. Rakes added that “grace under fire” was important to staying ahead in today’s fast-paced global market and to “let good things happen.”
Rakes also applauded the Balanced Man ideal and how UT Martin SigEps have gone about implementing the program into its chapter.
“I want to see more of you fellows on campus,” Rakes said.
SigEp Vice President of Recruitment James Baker further described the Balanced Man concept to the award finalists, as well as discussed the history of American fraternities.
Baker said that fraternities all like to have fun, but that “some are different.”
“Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded to be different,” Baker said, “and we continue to be different to this day.”
SigEp implemented the Balanced Man program during the 1980’s to further distinguish itself from the rest of the fraternity system, which was suffering from negative public image. Through the Balanced Man program, pledging is no part of the SigEp experience, but the fraternity focuses instead on member development and building leadership skills.
Furthermore, SigEp teaches that it is not enough just to make good grades or be a star athlete; rather, the fraternity believes that striving for balance makes its members more successful individuals.
The event was the culmination of a summer’s worth of scholarship interviews conducted by brothers of the UT Martin chapter throughout the state. After brothers reconvened in Martin, they compared notes and sent the most balanced applicants to a community board, which selected this year’s scholarship winners.
This year marks the first year a $2,000 award was given by Sigma Phi Epsilon. In previous years, three $500 scholarships were given to Balanced Man finalists. However, SigEp decided to raise the stakes for this year’s awards and give one large award in addition to two more awards.
The brothers of the UT Martin chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon have given over $10,000 in scholarships during their 10 years on campus, and the Balanced Man ideal continues to guide their lives and set them apart from other social fraternities.