For the third time in the five years, the Oklahoma Beta chapter at the University of Oklahoma has won the President’s Trophy, which is the most prestigious award given to a campus organization. Each year, OU President David Boren awards the trophy to the top fraternity on campus along with a $5,000 cash award. The award is given based on excellence in academic programming, campus activities, and community service, as well as interaction with multi-cultural organizations on campus.  Click HERE for an OU press release re this coveted award.

Oklahoma Beta has certainly stood out in each of these areas. Academically, the chapter achieved an overall GPA of 3.26 in the Fall 2010 semester, as well as a 3.15 cumulative GPA in Spring 2010. The men also hosted the “Sound Mind Entrepreneurship Forum” in the basement of the fraternity house, during which three Oklahoma Beta alumni shared their experiences as entrepreneurs and gave advice on creativity and innovation. Many in-house members have received campus leadership awards; Matt Deimund (’11) won Outstanding Senior Man, Brett Bone (’12) won Outstanding Junior Man, and Michael Elliott (’13), won Outstanding Sophomore Man during the past academic year.

However, the chapter’s most impressive achievements came in the form of serving others. Oklahoma Beta contributed over 7000 hours of community service, including the creation and organization of the Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes. Ryan Fightmaster (’11) coordinated the event, and, with the help of his SigEp brothers, raised over $47,000 for the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center. Taylor Doe (’11) founded a non-profit organization called REACH Ministries that, according to Doe, is designed to “get students excited about serving.” Doe coordinated REACH Renovation, in which the organization remodeled a house in the style of “Extreme Home Makeover”. Members of Oklahoma Beta pitched in to make the interior of the home more accessible for 13-year old Joey Hosler, who has Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. SigEp also paired with the Delta Delta Delta sorority to hold “SigEp and TriDelt Coffeehouse and Desserts,” an annual fundraiser which is held in the basement of the Sigma Phi Epsilon house. The event drew 1,200 attendees and raised more than $5,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. "I'm happy for all of the guys in our chapter, and I'm grateful for all of their hard work over this past academic year,” says chapter President Brett Bone (’12). “This trophy is a tangible symbol of our efforts in scholarship, community service, campus leadership, and more. More importantly, it is reminder of our bond in brotherly love as we unite to seek out lofty goals.” The chapter won the trophy twice from 2007-2008, which made Oklahoma Beta the first organization to win the award in back-to-back years.