Revision 155782361 of "Sigma Beta Rho" on enwiki

{{Infobox Fraternity
|letters=ΣΒΡ
|name=Sigma Beta Rho
|colors=[[Red]], [[Black]], and [[Green]]
|Mascot=[[King Cobra]]
|motto=Brotherhood Beyond All Barriers

|pillar=[[Society, Brotherhood, Remembrance]]
|founded=August 16, 1996
|birthplace=[[University of Pennsylvania]]
|address=1 Rockefeller Plaza
UPS Box 107
|city=New York
|state=New York
|country=USA
|chapters
|homepage=http://www.sigmabetarho.com
}}

"Sigma Beta Rho", or Sig Rho, is a national multicultural Fraternity based upon the principles of Society, Brotherhood, and Remembrance. These pillars were established upon the formation of the Alpha Chapter at the University of Pennsylvania on August 16, 1996 and continue to guide the brotherhood to this day. Their founders realized the unique promise of a Greek-lettered organization that instills positive values amongst its members, provides an avenue for leadership, and stresses self-betterment. 

In its nascent stages, these founders understood that they must maintain a constant and growing nationwide network in order to truly manifest their organizational vision. As such, several new brothers were inducted on August 22, 1998 at the State University of New York at Binghamton, which became the Beta Chapter. At this time, eight men from three different universities were given the status of National Founding Fathers as they were the visionaries who established the Fraternity for years to come.

==Sigma Beta Rho National History ==

"Before Great Honor Comes Great Humility" 

The Alpha Chapter of Sigma Beta Rho was founded on August 16, 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - the only institution of its kind founded at an Ivy League institution. The founders came together with a vision of an organization for the betterment and preservation of all cultures. They envisioned a Greek-lettered organization to this extent in which membership would remain constant and growing and would facilitate involvement from its alumni members. They realized that in order for their vision to truly become a reality they needed to spread their principles and ideals to other college campuses and establish a nationwide network.
National Founding Fathers

*Mr. Saiful Khandker
*Mr. Shoor Kalam
*Mr. Russell Abdullah
*Mr. Bonit Sharma
*Mr. Rajan Dogra
*Mr. Neil Datta
*Mr. Suman Ghosh
*Mr. Anuj Datta

These eight men together established this fraternity to foster the ideals of Society, Brotherhood, and Remembrance amongst its members. They believed that through their bonds of brotherhood they would be able to establish an organization that would instill unity amongst its members, promote cultural remembrance, and aid the greater community at large. They felt that the principles of Society, Brotherhood, and Remembrance would develop leaders from young men both as undergraduate students on their college campuses and as professionals in their lives upon graduation. 

These young men would serve as role models and mentors in their respective communities, break down barriers between different ethnic groups, and through their leadership would aid their communities in this country in attaining a better and brighter future than it would have had. 

It is to this end that the brothers of Sigma Beta Rho work so diligently towards this day. All the brothers strive to uphold the ideals of Society, Brotherhood, and Remembrance so that one day, our future may be a brighter one.


==Sigma Beta Rho Today ==
“The Largest and Fastest Growing Fraternity of it's Kind”

Today, Sigma Beta Rho has grown considerably since its inception. It has expanded from its roots in the East Coast with 17 recognized chapters and colonies that span the breadth of the nation. Through the efforts of our brothers and the reputation that precedes them, we have become the largest and most expansive fraternity of our kind in just ten short years. As every day passes, we realize that we are another day closer to the nationwide network envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Through the years, we have carried our ideals of Society, Brotherhood, and Remembrance beyond our original objectives. We promote diversity within our organization and are proud to accept brothers of all cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. With such a diverse foundation of brothers, we continue to create capable and upstanding leaders for the community that has done so much for us.

== Philanthropy ==
"Youth Education & Development"
After recently selecting their national philanthropic focus of Education/Youth Development in the March of 2006, the brothers of Sigma Beta Rho has collectively logged thousands of volunteer hours directly impacting our official philanthropy, as well as other significant service endeavors in their communities. According to the national community service list for each chapter and colony that was developed in June 2006, most chapters and colonies far exceeded the minimum requirements for community service as established by the national board.

Additionally, two chapters in particular received community service awards and were recognized for their outstanding achievements. The colony at Georgia Tech received the Sigma Award at the 2006 National Conference for their community service program, which included tutoring inner-city children on a weekly basis in the Reading Adds Program in Atlanta, GA.  The Lambda Chapter at Virginia Commonwealth University was also recognized as an outstanding community service organization winning the VCU Greek Award for Best Community Service Program (2005-2006).

Finally, with the creation of Sigma Beta Rho Philanthropy Fund, Inc and a separate Tax ID; any donations from chapters, alumni, or outside sources will go directly to the fund for charitable purposes.  This is an important step to maximizing fraternity donation dollars, especially once the fraternity selects a non-profit organization to work with us exclusively in helping perpetuate our goals in Education/Youth Development in the spring semester ahead.

== Organizational Goals ==

The founders of Sigma Beta Rho sought to foster the ideals of Society, Brotherhood, and Remembrance amongst its members. Through the bonds of brotherhood, they believed Sigma Beta Rho would function as a vehicle to instill unity amongst its members, promote South Asian culture, and aid the greater community at large. Furthermore, on an individual level, Sigma Beta Rho sought to create leaders who excel not only in their respective college campuses, but also as successful professionals after graduation.

Through their leadership, these brothers serve as role models and mentors in their communities and break down barriers between different ethnic groups, thus contributing their time and effort to attaining a better and brighter future for all.  It is to this end that the brothers of Sigma Beta Rho work so diligently. All brothers strive to uphold the ideals of Society, Brotherhood, and Remembrance because they believe that by doing so, their futures may become a more promising one.



=Facts & Figures=


== Growth ==

Sigma Beta Rho is currently the fastest growing fraternity of its kind. Upon reaching its 10 year anniversary (August 16, 2006) the fraternity is estimated to have near 1,000 brothers from over 40 schools dedicated towards the ideals of the fraternity and each other. 

The fraternity stretches across the nation with active chapters in over 14 states and more than 8 chapters in the state of New York alone.


== Multicultural Aspect ==

Brothers of this fraternity come from the following nations:

'''Africa'''
*Cameroon
*Ethiopia
*Ghana
*Ivory Coast
*Kenya
*Morocco
*Nigeria
*South Africa
*Somalia
*Tanzania
*Zambia

'''Americas'''
*Argentina
*Canada
*Chile
*Dominican Republic
*El Salvador
*Guyana
*Jamaica
*Puerto Rico
*Trinidad and Tobago
*United States
*Uruguay

'''Asia & Pacific'''
*Bangladesh
*China
*Hong Kong
*India
*Japan
*Korea
*Malaysia
*Indonesia
*Pakistan
*Philippines
*Taiwan
*Sri Lanka
*Thailand
*Vietnam

'''Europe'''
*Czech Republic
*Germany
*Italy
*Poland
*Portugal
*Romania
*Spain
*United Kingdom

'''Middle East'''
*Bahrain
*Iran
*Israel
*Palestine
*Kuwait
*Saudi Arabia
*United Arab Emirates



= External links =
*[http://www.sigmabetarho.com Sigma Beta Rho National Website]
*[http://www.sigrhohouston.com University of Houston Associate Chapter]

==Press==