Scott Russo came to Cal Poly in the fall of 1987 ready for college and all the activities that it had to offer. He knew from his brother's stories that he wanted to be in a fraternity, so he rushed many of the houses on campus (this was in the days of free-flowing beer rushes, so the events were more about partying than anything else). He received bids from a few houses, accepted one, and went to work as a pledge (this was also the day of hazing, sleep deprivation, insults, etc.). The house that he joined was TKE, which at that time was one of the biggest fraternities on campus. As he went through the pledging process, he became more and more disenchanted with the whole system. He rethought his decision and at the end of the program he de-pledged TKE.

Meanwhile, Scott's older brother Greg, was enjoying himself at San Diego State. Greg had joined a fraternity at State when he arrived there, and it was his retelling of his experiences that made Scott want to be in a fraternity. So, that spring, Scott went down to State for a "Family Weekend" and saw firsthand what Greg was telling him. The events were not based solely on liquor, the atmosphere was positive and the brotherhood was phenomenal. Greg's fraternity was Sigma Phi Epsilon. Scott knew that this fraternity was for him.

When Scott went back to Poly, he looked around, but he didn't find a Sig Ep chapter on campus. So, he called his brother to get information about Sig Ep and the National Fraternity. During this process, Scott started talking to some of his friends, who were also unhappy with the current fraternities on campus. That group, which numbered ten, are the original founders of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Cal Tau. However, before the Chapter was chartered three of the ten departed, which is why we list our founders as: Scott Russo, Michael Azevedo, Kirk Azevedo, Tony Castiglioni, Michael Hansen, Montgomery Menezes and Anthony Talbott.

The next five paragraphs are directly out of the program from our installation banquet. The author was never credited, but I believe it was written by Carl Lemon.-A.S.

Sigma Phi Epsilon officially began at this campus on January 29, 1989, when the first ten men were pledged by the brothers of Cal Gamma. These men came together because they felt, by starting a new chapter, a difference could be made in the greek community at Cal Poly. Some of them had rushed other fraternities, others were anti-fraternity, and one had even gone through an entire pledge program from another fraternity. But all of these men had one thing in common, the feeling that no other organization on campus could provide the sense of brotherhood that they believed should be a part of such an organization.

As one of the original ten had a brother who was already a Sig Ep, it was easy to find out more about the fraternity. When the group reviewed this information, they became convinced that Sigma Phi Epsilon was the organization that they were looking for. Again, through the brother, the number of the District Governor, Rod Smart, was obtained. He was interested in a meeting, so one was initiated for the coming week.

On January 13, 1989, the ten men met with Rod Smart to discuss the possibility of starting a chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. The meeting went extremely well and a date was established for these ten men to be pledged into the Fraternity. The members of the Cal Gamma Chapter agreed to come up, and they were pledged on January 29, 1989.

After the pledging, the group sat down and began the awesome task of building a structure with which to operate and expand the colony. Positions were assigned and priorities were established. The colony grew quickly with the use on an ongoing rush program. By the end of Spring Quarter., 1989, the brotherhood had reached thirty men.

Fall quarter brought with it the first formal rush program and some major changes for the Chapter. Six of the thirty men moved on, including three of the original ten. Those remaining, however, worked to reach new highs in efficiency and laid the foundation for the current structure. The members then turned their energies to the Rush Program. Everyone had to work overtime, but the effort paid off. By the end of Rush Week, the Sig Eps had twenty-six new members to pledge. This was the second largest pledge class on campus! Not bad for a fledgling fraternity's first rush."

In Fall Quarter of 1989, the Fraternity started to look toward its official Installation, slated for the Spring of 1990. The National Fraternity had given the group of young men several goals to reach by that Spring, and with the help of the Regional Director Tim Bryant, they started to achieve those goals. The paramount of these goals was recruitment, which was seen as the key to attaining most of the other goals. After effectively doubling its size that Fall, the colony set to work on reaching their goal of 60 men, the number recommended by the National Fraternity to be installed as a Chapter in the Spring.

A special Winter Quarter Rush was held at the beginning of 1990 before the official Spring Rush of 1990, and between these two separate, but combined, pledge groups, the Chapter added twenty-two more men. These last few months leading to Installation were hectic, since no one really knew what to expect. Even though there were seven true Founders and multiple groups of pledges, these men were all pledges. Everyone was expected to wear his pin and it was up to his honor to police himself. On the last days leading to their Installation the colony lost a few members due to grades, other commitments or a lack of commitment. So, on April 7, 1990, sixty five men were installed as Founding Fathers of the California Tau Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

That Spring, the men of Cal Tau relaxed a little. Their focus had always been Installation and they had finally arrived there. The pressure was off, since they had reached their goal. All of their hard work paid off, now the fun was going to begin, and they wouldn't have to work that hard again. If they only knew the hard work was still ahead of them.

In those days, the officers of the fraternity were voted on each May and they took office at the very end of each school year. When elections were held in the late Spring of 1990, many of the older brothers had declined nominations. Many were satisfied that the Chapter had been Installed and wanted to work no longer. Others knew that if Cal Tau was going to succeed, the younger brothers had to take the reins. Early in the Fall of 1990, the elections were changed to February for a variety of reasons, so the first official President of Cal Tau served a shortened term. Good thing, because a full term may have killed him.

When the men returned that Fall and prepared for Rush, they had a new leader to look up, and his name was Otto Baierlein. The older brothers had succeeded. A younger brother had become President. In fact, the youngest brother had become President. Cal Tau needed a young, but STRONG, man to be their leader and Otto was that man.

The Fall of 1990 was a time of great concern for the men of Cal Tau. They had added five new men in the Alpha Class, which was well below their expectations, and morale was low. Many of the Founding Fathers had simply stopped caring and this was reflected in the Chapter's performance on many levels. Throughout that Fall several brothers quit or were expelled for a variety of reasons and this left their numbers very low. Otto held Cal Tau together, and led the remaining Founding Fathers and Alpha Class brothers to work, rebuilding their young Chapter.

In the Spring of 1991, the Beta Class was pledged and Brian Bieller was elected President of Cal Tau. The Brothers were hard at work rebuilding Cal Tau, but added a new goal to their list. They wanted to be in IFC, the Interfraternity Council. The Chapter had never been recognized by the IFC during the colony years and the first year as an official Chapter didn't change things. The primary reason given for Cal Tau's exclusion was the fact that it had not been nationally installed as a Chapter. Well, a year had passed since that event and things with IFC still had not changed. So, Brian vowed to work tirelessly until Cal Tau was admitted into the organization.

When they returned that Fall, the Gamma Class was pledged and the brothers were in good spirits. They had survived the post-Installation letdowns and were on the way back up. With Brian Bieller's direction they were working on entering IFC and were starting new traditions. In October, they had an Octoberfest Barbecue and in November they had their first Thanksgiving Potluck.

The smooth times wouldn't last long for Cal Tau, as the Spring of 1992 was a tenuous journey at best. The Delta Class was pledged and negotiations with IFC were progressing. Things seemed to be going well until April of that year. One of the members of the Delta Class was a young man named Mark Wingren. Mark was an extraordinary young man who had a great future ahead of him. Mark was majoring in both Architecture and Engineering and enjoyed everything outdoors. He was a hiker, backpacker, camper, climber and sailor. Along with Sigma Phi Epsilon, he was a member of the Cal Poly Sailing Club. One afternoon in early April, he and two friends went on an afternoon sail on Avila Bay, something they had done previously. As the afternoon progressed into night, the three didn't return to their homes, in fact they never returned. Mark Wingren and his two friends had an accident and were lost at sea. The authorities enlisted the men of Cal Tau to search the shoreline from Pismo to Vandenberg, but Mark was never found. Mark's father, Marty Wingren, (the National President of another fraternity) was initiated in place of Mark. That remains one of the most emotional moments in Cal Tau's history. Today a plaque honoring Mark hangs on the wall of the Sig Ep house.

Earlier that Spring, Paul Oliver took over as President of Cal Tau. Paul could not have predicted the full plate he would have as President. The situation with IFC still required his attention, and the tragedy that took place with Mark Wingren would test his resolution. Nonetheless, a new and happier opportunity presented itself in late Spring that brought the Sig Eps back to life, the chance to get a house. Up to this point, Cal Tau met on campus and had events at neutral sites or brothers' houses. While this had worked, they still desired a house. Another fraternity on campus had lost their house and Cal Tau contacted the owners to inquire about availability. Paul and the Alumni Board handled negotiations, and on July 1, 1992 the California Tau Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon moved into their house at 280 California Boulevard.

In the beginning, filling the house was a challenge. Many of the brothers had already made living arrangements for the coming year and others were just unwilling to move into the house. When all was said and done, 19 brothers made the commitment to live in the house and were ready to get to work. When they moved into the house it was a disaster. The exiting fraternity had punched holes in many of the walls, paint was needed everywhere and there were mountains and mountains of trash. About ten brothers stayed that summer and under the direction of the House Manager, Mike Harmon, refurbished the house. They would go to school during the day, study in the afternoon and then clean, patch or paint into the night. Weekends were worse. Each weekend they would tackle the bigger projects using any brothers that had come up for the weekend. The sacrifice of those men was enormous, and they can never be totally thanked.

That Fall, the Epsilon Class was pledged and Cal Tau started their probationary period in IFC. They had their house, they participated in IFC sports for the first time, and they won Homecoming. Things were looking good. There was one growing concern, however, manpower. Each of the first five pledge classes had all included good men, but they had only averaged about five new brothers. Considering the fact that all of the Founding Fathers were nearing graduation, the Chapter was very top heavy. In fact, over thirty brothers were to graduate over the next year and a half. The brothers realized this problem and focussed their energies toward Spring Rush.

Every Brother of Cal Tau put his total commitment into Spring Rush of 1993 and when all was said and done, they had added fourteen new pledges to the rolls. This was the largest pledge class Cal Tau had since Installation and the Brothers were elated. If they had only known that the Zeta Class would boast two future presidents and many Chapter leaders.

Soon after Rush, Andy Seesemann became the new President. Andy had it easy compared to his predecessors, since Cal Tau was already in IFC, had the house and was increasing its numbers. That Spring, Cal Tau competed in its first Greek Week and finished in the top half of the field. This was a good showing for their rookie outing and was better than the other fraternities had expected. They started planning for next year and were excited that things would be even better.

In the Fall of 1993, the Eta Class was pledged, Cal Tau repeated as Homecoming Champions and the Chapter finally won a sporting championship. The Brothers had competed in Intramural Sports for the four years since the colony days, but had never won any championships. In the beginning, they could not compete in the IFC leagues since they were not a recognized fraternity, so they competed in the open leagues. This was only their second year in IFC sports and they had won a championship. They were the 1993 IFC Football Champions. For many of the Founding Fathers their dreams had finally come true. They had built a fraternity from the ground up, gone through good times and bad. They had achieved membership in IFC, they had obtained a house, had exchanges, won Homecoming and now won a sporting championship.

The Spring of 1994 would hold another milestone for the Brothers of Cal Tau. After pledging the Theta Class, the Chapter had elections and Mike Montoya was chosen as President. Mike was the first president the Chapter had that was not a Founding Father. For the Founding Fathers the future was truly beginning and it was beginning with Mike. That Spring they competed in their second Greek Week and finished in the top five. They also won the Mr. Fraternity contest, the first time they had done that. The Chapter was officially out of the Founders' hands. In fact after that Spring's graduation, there were only two Founding Fathers left. The Founding Fathers could be proud of the Cal Tau they had built, for it was in the good hands of the men they had chosen to take over.