Noah Ziemann, a graduate of Cheney High School, stands in front of the official flag of his fraternity at Eastern Washington University, Kappa Sigma.
Noah Ziemann started as the kid who graduated from Cheney High School in 2014, then went on to Eastern Washington University to just get a degree and move on with life.
That mentality changed when he was elected to run a fraternity, Kappa Sigma, from the ground up.
Kappa Sigma is the largest national fraternity in the world, pledging 10,000 men last year and Ziemann started its chapter at EWU.
"I had a guy tell me there was a new opportunity (for a fraternity) and asked if I wanted to be a part of it. I said 'no way,' but then I heard there was pizza so I agreed to go," Ziemann said. "I wasn't planning on going to the next meeting either, but then I heard there would be Jimmy John's, so I went."
But then after the second meeting, Ziemann decided to run for the chapter's president, not thinking he would actually get elected. Plus, he was not able to make the elections due to another commitment. He wrote up his speech and emailed it. He later received a phone call saying he won the election unanimously.
The first five guys on the executive committee included Ziemann, Cody Burk, Mitchell Clements, Kole Musgrave and Seth Richey. They all got together and wrote the bylaws and first rushed in the fall of last year. The fraternity went through a rough patch at that point, losing nine members.
The committee sat down and agreed that they needed a change to make the fraternity more team-building focused. With this change, they are now currently a 48-man chapter after summer rush.
The fraternity has been a positive impact for Ziemann in his college and adult life.
"I went from having only five word conversations with adults and the older population," Ziemann said. "But now, it makes me want to have a connection with adults. It forces you to communicate all the time, because no communication leads to failure."
The fraternity has also had a positive impact on Ziemann's grades, bringing them up since he started. The members push each other for grades, resulting in the highest GPA for fraternities on the campus. The guys get together for study hours and meet up at the library, helping each other out.
"It forces you to succeed," Ziemann added.
Each member of the fraternity is also required to give 25 hours of community service throughout the year. The money raised at events goes to their national cause, the Military Heroes Campaign, which focuses on building houses and hiring caretakers for injured veterans.
At the upcoming fall rush in September, the fraternity will hold its official initation. The new executive committee still includes Ziemann, Burk and Richey from the original five, but has now added Carson Todd and Dillon Hadaway.
The fraternity is currently looking for a house to claim as their own. Ziemann and a few members live together now, but they are hoping to find a house for everyone soon.
The official rush week for the fraternity will be from Sept. 26 – 30, and they will also be participating in little events during freshman welcome week. Ziemann can be contacted for more information on the fraternity at ewukappasigma@gmail.com.
Ziemann will be a junior at the start of fall quarter, majoring in athletic training.
For more information on Kappa's Sigma Military Heroes Campaign, or to donate, visit http://kappasigma.org/military-heroes/.
Grace Pohl can be reached at grace@cheneyfreepress.com.
Reader Comments(0)