BUIES CREEK — Just four months after organizing as a colony, Kappa Sigma became Campbell University’s first chartered social fraternity on Saturday.
Fifty-six students were recognized as founding fathers of the fraternity’s Sigma-Phi chapter after their initiation by the national Kappa Sigma Supreme Executive Committee. Fraternity brothers from Duke, North Carolina State, UNC Chapel Hill, East Carolina, UNC Wilmington, Methodist and Old Dominion universities were on hand for the private initiation ceremony, which was followed by a public installation banquet held at the Pope Convocation Center.
“This is a special day for Campbell University. Our first fraternity chapter is now official,” Campbell President Jerry Wallace said at the banquet. “There will be many generations of Kappa Sigma pledges at Campbell in the decades to come, but this is the very first group — the founding fathers. I’m so very proud — Campbell Proud — of each student who worked to make this chapter a reality.”
Campbell joined the ranks of more than 315 active chapters of Kappa Sigma, one of the nation’s largest fraternities with 200,000-plus living alumni and more than 17,500 current undergraduate members. In September, Campbell’s first fraternity set a goal of completing the colonization process in 60 days or less. According to founding Grand Master Joseph “Miles” Wobbleton, the process was complete in 40 days. The colony then created bylaws and operational programs and achieved several fundraising and service goals — collecting more than $4,000 in private donations, completing more than 1,000 hours of community service, raising more than $3,000 for charity and launching a local “Campaign for the Cure” initiative, which was dedicated to family members of the fraternity who had been affected by cancer.
Speaking at the initiation banquet, Wobbleton thanked the University for its support of Greek Life and the creation of the chapter.
“I’m humbled by my Kappa Sigma brothers for letting me serve in this leadership role,” he said. “And I have one simple challenge to my brothers — never stop succeeding, never stop achieving in school, never stop serving others, and seek God’s guidance in all that you do. Greek Life grows a university, and this chapter will help make Campbell University a better place.”
He said the Sigma-Phi chapter will focus on the four pillars of Kappa Sigma — fellowship, leadership, scholarship and service — and will continue to champion all Greek Life for the University.
Campbell Vice President for Student Life Dennis Bazemore, who led the way in bringing Greek Life to Campbell (Sigma Alpha Omega became the first chartered sorority in December), called Saturday a historic day for Campbell.
“Kappa Sigma is the largest fraternity in the United States, and I’m very proud of the young men who have worked so hard to make this organization happen,” he said.