Resources
Written By: Summer Clarkson 
Province Archon of the Quarter
David Magnano (Worcester Polytechnic ‘10) New England
While certainly a younger alumni volunteer, David Magnano has gone above and beyond to assist all of the New England chapters. Despite the recent national pandemic outbreak, Magnano was still able to organize a province workshop in mid-February, in which all chapters were present for a total attendance of 165 members. He has made sure that each of his chapters have excellent leadership and sustainability in hopes that they could potentially win the Grand Sage Cup and other awards once again. Additionally, he has set the example for Chapter Directors and other alumni in the area to stay very involved to ensure the success and legacies of their respective chapters. Magnano, himself, is an alum from the Gamma-Iota Chapter at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is the first, and only, Master of Ritual in Sigma Pi history.
Outside of Sigma Pi, Magnano is originally from Connecticut but has been living in Massachusetts since 2009. Magnano is a structural engineer who designs and oversees projects in various areas including but not limited to: fire stations, biopharmaceutical labs (including one who is doing research to treat COVID-19), government facilities, and many others. Currently, he is finalizing a design for the construction of East Providence High School in Rhode Island and will be taking lead until it is complete.
Quote from Chapter Management Team “’Mango’ is constantly raising the bar of what it means to be a good volunteer and leader to all Sigma Pi undergrads and alumni! The quest for excellence never ceases for the true Master of Ritual! Congrats, brother!”
Chapter Director of the Quarter
Jeremy Lessmann (Franklin & Marshall ‘88) Washington State
Dr. Jeremy Lessman is a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Washington State University and also represents Sigma Pi well in his teaching and mentorship to the undergraduates he instructs. Although teaching natural sciences is not an easy job, Dr. Lessmen volunteers his time to the Fraternity as a Chapter Director. The undergraduate leadership of the Iota-Nu Chapter at Washington State University shared that “Doc” balances being a brother and being a mentor to the chapter. Dr. Lessman frequently attends chapter meetings, keeps the values of the chapter at the forefront in deliberations, and gives honest feedback when prompted. This year, the Iota-Nu Chapter celebrates its 10 year anniversary. With such a milestone, Dr. Lessman planned the reunion for the chapter and has dedicated hours to develop their alumni association. Dr. Lessmann has made such a profound impact, that the Washington State Alumni Association is to be named after him.
Quote from Chapter Management Team “Dr. Lessman has been selected as the Chapter Director of the Quarter due to his dedication to excellence in serving the undergraduates at the Iota-Nu Chapter at Washington State University. Thank you for all that you do, Brother!”
Sage of the Quarter
Tier I – Ryan Kelly (Virginia ‘18)
With an always-changing Greek culture at the University of Virginia, Ryan Kelly has been a phenomenal Sage to show that the Beta-Pi Chapter is not only pushing to be a top chapter at Virginia but also one of the best amongst Sigma Pi. Early in the Spring 2020 semester, Kelly was able to motivate his chapter to have a very good recruitment class that was larger than most IFC fraternities on campus. Within the chapter, he has shown true leadership amongst his brothers. This has even led to parents and Beta-Pi alumni donating and investing money to the chapter for their operations and housing renovations.
At Virginia, Kelly, on behalf of the Beta-Pi Chapter, has taken the initiative to partner with five other Greek organizations to petition for a Campus Cooks program which would allow in-house chefs and meal plans. With the recent national outbreak, Kelly has been teaching his brothers how to adapt during these times via weekly Zoom remote meetings. Perhaps their biggest philanthropy event, Surf & Turf, has been postponed until the Fall 2020 semester as a result. During this event, the chapter will be raising money towards breast cancer awareness by selling tickets where anyone can come to the house to get a nice steak and shrimp meal. The chapter takes pride on being very diverse, going on to have educational events to highlight different cultures across the world which are brother-led. With this mindset, Beta-Pi is looking to get involved with other organizations and volunteer to help with their events when campus opens back up.
Quote from Chapter Management Team “Congratulations Ryan and keep doing big things for the Beta-Pi Chapter at UVA!”
Tier II – Daniel Dingman (Central Missouri ’18)
Daniel Dingman from the Gamma-Gamma Chapter at Central Missouri has been selected to be Sage of the Quarter. In just his two years as an undergraduate member of Sigma Pi, Dingman has served as the Fourth Counselor and now as Sage for his chapter. Standing out immediately in his group as a man of passion and a man of dedication, he quickly made strides to help improve his already thriving chapter. Compared to the other groups on campus, the Gamma-Gamma Chapter has consistently recruited the largest number of men on campus. Despite the university closing all fraternity housing, and all events for the remainder of the semester being canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, Dingman strives to maintain momentum and strong brotherhood.
Dingman gives this advice to all other Sages “This doesn’t mean we can’t connect with your brothers, keeps spirits high!”
Quote from Chapter Management Team “Congrats Daniel! Glad to see you thrive after your hard work and dedication to your chapter.”
Tier III – Dominic Cassisi (Grand Valley State ’17)
Dominic Cassisi is selected to be the Sage of the Quarter for Tier 3! Cassisi has shown leadership for his chapter and his community. Cassisi has held multiple positions with the campus, with the most notable being an executive board member in the Inter-Fraternity Council. Cassisi has continued traditions for the chapter such as parents weekend, a philanthropic hockey tourney, ACE week, and a “Stuff the Bus” event. Despite the coronavirus canceling the remainder of the events for this semester, Cassisi is still organizing and striving to keep operations going while keeping his brother safe. The chapter is hosting virtual brotherhoods, committee discussions, and new member education. Theta-Rho Chapter is also slowly transitioning into a new property as well.
Cassisi shares this piece of advice with other sages in this time “Understand that everyone is also figuring stuff out as they go – it’s okay to be unsure! Try your best to get some me-time.”
Quote from Chapter Management Team “In hard times, it takes a leader to keep spirits high and momentum going, and that’s why the Theta-Rho Chapter stands out this quarter.”
Tier IV Sage – Eamonn Graeme (Bridgewater State ’18)
Since taking over as Sage, Eamonn Graeme has done a phenomenal job at ensuring Eta-Eta Chapter is both the best at Bridgewater State, and continuing to gain international recognition from Sigma Pi. Dating back to November 2019, Eta-Eta Chapter hit the ground running by planning events with other organizations. They assisted Gamma Phi Beta during their Wellness Week by tabling during Men’s Mental Health Day to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. They also had planned to do Walk a Mile with Phi Sigma Sigma where participants walk around campus wearing high heels to raise awareness for sexual violence, assault, and harassment prevention. The chapter overall tries to stay involved as much as possible where every member has a leadership position in another on-campus club or organization outside of Sigma Pi. Graeme is a Resident Assistant, Orientation Leader, and Peer Advisor along with some other active members.
Although the COVID-19 outbreak has altered operations for the chapter, Graeme has still been a leader of guidance to Eta-Eta Chapter so that they can continue to be successful. This semester, Eta-Eta Chapter was able to get a recruitment class of 22 new members, topping their previous record of 14 in Fall 2019. They plan to continue utilizing their social media platforms to engage followers in online challenges and also plan to start doing weekly faculty/professor spotlights for those who have made an impact on the BSU community. As their ACE Project got cancelled this semester, they want to go bigger and better next semester by using an entire week of events geared towards engaging students with the overall campus experience. Some topics for this week include: financial literacy, food drive, campus cleanup, and a leadership summit.
Quote from Chapter Management Team “Congratulations Eamonn and always push for the Grand Sage Cup! #Repeat?”