Phi Chi Epsilon founded on April 21, 1921 was the first fraternity in Whitewater, and to date is the only known chapter in the Midwest continuing to run strong today. The chapter focuses heavily on their philanthropy to Active Minds, a non profit organization that is dedicated to improving mental health. They are looking to expand their fraternity once more as they currently have a collective number of eight members that actively participate in outreach activities and events with other organizations across campus. 

Becoming the second fraternity in the state of Wisconsin to reach 100 years of active membership has not come without its challenges as the chapter experienced many obstacles over the last few decades, the most recent being the redesignation of leadership last semester. Newly elected President, sophomore Seth Lozano has stepped up to the plate to bring life back to the chapter. Along with him, members Jac Vonachen and Joseph Brown have also participated in ensuring success as event planners for the upcoming rushing season which runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 9. Various activities ranging from a lakeside bonfire to pizza night at Gus’ Pizzeria will be hosted for all potential new members to attend.

“We lost half of our fraternity due to graduation at the end of 2020 and there were many worries that we would not be able to survive in the coming years since we are the smallest fraternity in Whitewater, especially since we were the largest in the United States at one point,” said President Seth Lozano. 

Along with the many other forms of adversity the fraternity has faced, traditional celebration was off the table for Phi Chi Epsilon and their centennial amid the ongoing pandemic in Apr. 2021. Simultaneously, there has been a significant decrease in membership, similar to many other organizations across the country which members are hoping to combat, turning a new page heading into 2022 to grow their chapter substantially. 

“We are men of high standing and going strong, at one point we had 176 brothers. We currently have eight active and three committing so we are continuing to grow once more,” said Vice President Joseph Brown. 

If you are interested in rushing for Phi Chi Epsilon or have any other questions regarding Greek life, feel free to reach out to President Seth Lozano at [email protected] or Vice President Joseph Brown at [email protected]. Interested in learning a bit more about before reaching out? Check out their Instagram page @phichiepsilon.