Xi Chapter took home seven awards at the Kappa Sigma Leadership Conference East held in Albuquerque, NM.  The awards included the John Covert Boyd House Prize for the best fraternity house in Kappa Sigma, an award for our 1st Annual MADD Relay Race, the academic award, intramural award, rush award, best publication award for our annual report, and the award for an outstanding brotherhood development program.  Xi was at the top for the most awards as usual.  Additionally, Xi pledged to raise $1,000 for the Kappa Sigma Military Heroes Campaign.

Leadership Conference is held every other summer and is divided between the east and west chapters in North America.  Every other summer Kappa Sigma host the Biennial Conclave with every chapter in attendance.  Next year's Conclave will be held in San Antonio, TX

(Left to right- Brothers Alex Miron, Drew Angel, Cody Kees, Ryan Mattiza, Ryan Belcher, Trey Becton, Cody Mathews, Alumns Advisor Malcolm McNair, and Xi Alumnus C. Cole Jeffries diplay Xi awards.)

Both the Kappa Sigma Annual Dad's Day, held April 5th, and Mom's Day,  held April 19, took place at the Xi house and both events welcomed Kappa Sigma Parents from around the state.  It has always been a Xi tradition to welcome moms and dads to the house on different weekends to bond with their sons.  Our Dad's Day featured a day at the ballpark to watch the Hogs take on Auburn.   It was followed by a casino night at the house  with Penguin Ed's Bar-B-Q. The top prize winners in the casino had their pick at a full size butane grill,  a$150 gift card to Best Buy, a large drink dispenser, or a mural painted and donated by our house sweetheart, Kirsten Blowers. 

Mom's Day offered a more formal occasion at the house with a live jazz band, dinner, and an auction.  The house always looks its best when welcoming moms to our home.  This year the silent and live auctions raised $15,000 that will be used for various house improvement projects and miscellaneous events for our members.  Last year Mom's Club furnished the new weight room and this year there is talk of an outdoor basketball court!

A combined parent's weekend is held in the fall semester for a football weekend, but the tradition of a split weekend for members to spend time with dads and moms alone will always live on!

Dad's Day

Brother Don Edmonson was initiated into Xi Chapter September 18, 1954 and received Xi pin number 1300.  He was an active member of the chapter while an undergraduate and was a leading donor in Xi Project 2000 to rebuild and refurbish the chapter house.  This past year he and his wife pledged $13 million to the University for the School of Architecture, Medical Center Cancer Institute, and the Arkansas Children's Hospital.   Edmonson explained his $10 million gift to the School of Architecture was sparked by interest he found in in the arts while at the UA.  He was lectured under prize winning architect E. Fay Jones who was also a brother of Xi and Kappa Sigma Man of the Year in 1991.

The first Kappa Sigma Relay Race was a great success, not only raising money for M.A.D.D. but also helping promote drunk driving awareness.  Phi Delta Theta won the fraternity division followed by Kappa Sigma and Sigma Chi.   Kappa Kappa Gamma took home the first place trophy in the sorority division.

Members Robert Wells, Ryan Belcher, and Bryant Crooks helping direct traffic at the race.

President Cody Kees with M.A.D.D. Director Teresa Belew.