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SAE hosts workshop on leadership

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity hosted its 69th annual Southern California Regional Leadership School on Saturday. The event brought out keynote speaker Jim Pope (left), past national president of SAE, and Bill Kahale (right), president of the SAE Long Beach Alumni Association. Pope promoted the well-rounded SAE member in his speech. The day also featured seminars and model initiation. / photo by Gloria Diaz
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity hosted its 69th annual Southern California Regional Leadership School on Saturday. The event brought out keynote speaker Jim Pope (left), past national president of SAE, and Bill Kahale (right), president of the SAE Long Beach Alumni Association. Pope promoted the well-rounded SAE member in his speech. The day also featured seminars and model initiation. / photo by Gloria Diaz

by Julie Kim
Staff Writer

Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers from chapters all over Southern California and Nevada gathered at the University of La Verne for their annual regional leadership school Feb. 21.

Fourteen different universities attended the one-day conference to discuss several topics within the fraternity, develop leadership skills and meet fellow SAE brothers, said James Breitling, adviser for ULV’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Some of the attendees were the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles.

“The regional leadership council gives you different experiences,” said Chris Uttecht, 22, a communications major at San Diego State.

One specific issue amongst the SAE brothers was the negative portrayal of fraternities and sororities.

“We’re always doing bad stuff on the news, but no one focuses on our philanthropic works,” said Brandon Avakian, 23, a finance and philosophy major at Long Beach State.

Fellow Long Beach State student Lorenzo Occhipinti, 20, a marketing major, agreed: “There’s a TV mock-up of fraternities.”

SAE has been known to hold several charitable works every year, said Robbie Jeffers, president of the ULV chapter.

“The Make-a-Wish Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of La Verne are just some of the organizations we are a part of,” said Blaine Bacher, vice president of the ULV chapter.

Another issue discussed was the hefty initiation fee. It varies from school to school, but at ULV, it costs $275 per semester to be part of SAE, Breitling said.

“We need to have our fraternity grow for the expenses to go down,” said Jim Pope, an SAE alumnus and the keynote speaker for the event.

Several workshops were held throughout the day to train SAE members for leadership roles.

“I want to expand my leadership abilities and bond,” Occhipinti said.

The fraternity, which was founded in 1856 by eight students from the University of Alabama, has steadily increased in membership over the years and now has the most members in America.

It was the first time the regional leadership school was held at ULV, Breitling said.

Julie Kim
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Gloria Diaz, Arts and Entertainment Editor
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