FROSTBURG — Frostburg State University recently hosted the 2024 Fraternity and Sorority Life Stars of Excellence program, recognizing chapters and members for maintaining all aspects of the university and national guidelines.
“Although Fraternity and Sorority Life is smaller in membership over the last couple of years, they are mighty in leadership,” said Robert Cooper, FSU’s assistant vice president of Student Engagement. “Collaboration and empowerment of others have become the key to success for this cohort.”
The Stars of Excellence program was established in 2007 and is based on expectations of university chapters to include intellectual and social development, personal health and moral values growth, organizational responsibility, proper risk management, scholarship, community and philanthropic service monetary donations and chapter programming.
To remain in good standing with FSU’s Office of Civic Engagement, each chapter is required to maintain 80% in all aspects of university and national guidelines, including chapter management, risk management, fundraising, scholarship, community and philanthropic service, membership development and community development.
The awards are presented to a chapter or chapters that have excelled in those categories.
The 2023-2024 Stars of Excellence winners were:
- Flame Award (service to fraternity and sorority life and leadership within the community), Caleb Heller, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
- Zeus Award (outstanding leadership and council service), Ayden Roberts, Alpha Phi Omega and Kappa Delta Rho Fraternities
- National Excellence Award, Kimberly Hinds-Brush, Phi Mu Delta Fraternity
- Fundraising Excellence (fundraised more than $378.28 per member), Phi Mu Delta
- Chapter Management Excellence, Iota Phi Theta
- Philanthropic Excellence (17 hours per member), Sigma Alpha Epsilon
- Community Relations Excellence, Iota Phi Theta, Delta Zeta and Phi Beta Sigma
For the first time, all 13 chapters earned 90% or above in the overall score in all areas of the standards required. This year’s winners of Chapter Excellence Awards include Delta Zeta, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Pi Lambda Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Mu Delta, Iota Phi Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, Alpha Phi Omega, Phi Sigma Pi and Delta Sigma Pi.
In addition to the student awards, Jamie Winters, assistant director of Organizations and Community Programming at FSU, is a 2024 recipient of the Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes an individual’s dedication to volunteer service. Winters’ community service totaled 183.5 hours.
In all, FSU’s fraternities and sororities hosted 85 programs last year, boasting an attendance of nearly 2,500 participants. The chapters earned six leadership awards, fundraised $11,457.24 and earned high marks in the fall and spring semesters.
Of the 121 fraternity and sorority members last fall, 84 made the Dean’s List; 83 of 114 made the Dean’s List in the spring. These students served a total of 362 hours and provided 72 hours of philanthropic support.
