The 41st Sigma Phi Delta General Convention was held in St. Louis on the second weekend of August with joint cooperation by the sisters of Alpha Omega Epsilon, our sister sorority. Convention consisted of various important meetings, presentations, and discussions per usual, but one of the most notable was the announcement that Sigma Phi Delta is now teaming with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to provide mentoring for their programs. This teaming will allow members of Sigma Phi Delta to mentor kids in the fields of science and technology as they compete in various types of robotics competitions. Another interesting activity was a team building event involving building catapults using only coat hangers, spoons and rubber bands. The Convention attendees also enjoyed a trip to the St. Louis City Museum and a formal dinner at the Westin Hotel where everyone was staying. The Kappa Chapter attendees included about a dozen members between Alumni and Actives. The Kappa Alumni General Convention Delegate, Casey O'Brien, had some inspiring words to say about the weekend's events: "There's nothing quite like the excitement of getting to rekindle the bonds of brotherhood except perhaps the opportunity to form new ones, and that's exactly what you can expect from attending General Convention. GC offers more than just informational sessions on the latest International improvements, electing the newest officers and voting on changes to the By-Laws it offers opportunities to create lifelong friendships. This year was an exceptional experience to meet many of the sisters of Alpha Omega Epsilon, our sister sorority organization." For anyone who has ever attended a General Convention, those words cannot be more true.
Additionally, there were also numerous Kappa Alumni involved with the Sigma Phi Delta International leadership team. Of course we all know that Kappa Alumni, Alix Minden, is the Grand President, but other members include Tyler Condon (Treasurer), Jon Eastham (Central Province Director), and Brian Townsend (Assistant Treasurer). In addition to being the Central Province Director, Jon also acted as the Convention Chairman and was the main Sigma Phi Delta point of contact in planning the events of the convention. Jon started the planning process in the early spring where he soon realized the magnitude of the task he was expected to take on. Here's what Jon had to say about his experience: "My organizational skills kicked into high gear for Convention, and I had a few different Excel spreadsheets to make sure I had things on track and running smoothly. This past year, we had over 120 brothers come to St. Louis along with around 90 AOE members. I thoroughly enjoyed planning Convention and would use the phrase “the most fun I never want do again” to describe my time as the chairman. I am glad that I had a great Supreme Council team, the International Intern, and a Beta-Omicron Active to help make sure everything went smoothly while preparing for and throughout the Convention. This was a great opportunity for me and I am glad to have had accepted the role. We are always looking for more volunteers and I would gladly offer guidance for the next one!" I think everyone can appreciate the amount of effort that went into the planning of Convention. It was a great time had by all, and everyone is already looking forward to the next one.