The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was introduced onto the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus in January of 1997. It all began when 12 men decided that they were not interested in being a 'frat boy', but were interested in being a part of a fraternity. These 12 men, our Founding Fathers, worked hard to establish a SigEp colony here at UW-Platteville.

In the early going, recruitment was the hardest part. It was a real challenge to convince the right kind of men that SigEp is something that they would like to be a part of. Many were afraid and reluctant, saying that they were not frat material. Our founding fathers explained that SigEp is here to demolish the 'frat boy' image and to dispel the myth that all fraternities are the same. Sigma Phi Epsilon is different.

The SigEp brothers worked over the next year to establish a sound Executive Board to govern the fraternity and provide leadership. Eric Tverberg took command as the first SigEp president at UW-Platteville. He worked with several men, his executive board, to turn SigEp into something that they could all be proud of. Todd Kirkpatrick, first Vice-President of Programming, took charge of scheduling events that focused on the building of a sound mind and sound body as this is one of the major aims of Sigma Phi Epsilon. John Heller, newly appointed VP of Finance took it upon himself to manage fraternity funds and create a yearly budget. Marc Young took on the role of VP of Recruitment and set out to recruit the best men that UW-Platteville had to offer--those who displayed the qualities of leaders, scholars, athletes, and gentlemen. Ryan Vickerman, VP of Member Development, was responsible for educating the men of SigEp in the principles and ideals of the fraternity. Ben Zeier stepped into the position of Chaplain and thus was responsible for all fraternity Risk Management and for the establishment of the Standards Board.

It was on the shoulders of the first three Executive Boards with the brotherhood at their back, that Sigma Phi Epsilon at the University of Wisconsin Platteville was carried toward the largest milestone in a fraternity's history: The National Charter.

With the help and hard work of every member of the fraternity, the Executive board was able to build upon the efforts of the past board and attain the goal. The fraternity received its National Recognition as a Sigma Phi Epsilon Chapter Wisconsin Theta on October 14th, 2000.

Since our founding, the chapter has been a leader on campus. We have consistently lead much of student government and have worked hard to improve the campus community. We have been a chapter that others on campus point to when looking to make improvements. Along with that, over 430 men have joined our organization and many continue to be involved long after graduation.