Sigma Gamma Fraternity is one of the oldest, most historic organizations at SUNY Oswego. Our brothers take tremendous pride in keeping up the many traditions that extend back to our founding in 1947. Our founders purposefully chose the same color schemes for our fraternity (green and gold) as the college we are affiliated with. We are a local organization, with deep ties to the college and the Oswego community. We have a vast network of successful alumni who remain deeply committed to our fraternity. We have a long history of helping shape leaders who are focused on making a difference. When you join a historic organization such as ours, you are not just “in a frat”. You join an organization that will help you develop valuable skills that you will you use long after your college years. You become a lifelong member of a proud group of men who share a bond that extends across the generations.  

There’s no doubt about it, by being in Sigma Gamma you will become more comfortable and effective in social situations. You will become more comfortable in and around large groups of people you don’t know. You’ll become better able to break the ice with people you want to meet but haven’t yet. You will meet and interact with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Although some people are naturally more social than others, Sigma Gamma’s many social events offer all brothers an opportunity to hone their social skills. While Gamma’s social events are always fun, brothers are continuously developing social know-how they will use throughout life in situations such as networking events and casual social interactions.

Being in Sigma Gamma means you will be expected to demonstrate leadership. You may have grown up looking into your smartphone, but in our fraternity, you’ll stand among your peers and advocate your views. You’ll lead by example and learn what it takes to be persuasive. During our weekly meetings and many organizational events, you’ll have many opportunities to practice speaking in front of people. You will improve your listening skills, abilities to reason, and how to present and advocate your points of view. You will be more confident in the classroom, in social settings and, after graduation, in the “real” world. Like all skills, it takes practice to become a better communicator, but once you become more confident, you will be on your way to being a leader in your fraternity, your college, and your career.

To succeed as a college student and as a member of the fraternity, you will need to learn the importance of good time management skills. This starts with the beginning of the new member education program, where you’ll learn certain key concepts that you’ll use throughout your life. Developing solid time management and personal productivity skills will help you become more organized and become more efficient as you plan your daily and weekly activities. 

Like being a part of any successful organization, the life of a Sigma Gamma brother is one that is busy planning and carrying out events. We regularly plan and host social, athletic and community service events and maintain an active presence in the academic and alumni communities. All of our officer positions involve responsibilities to help plan and carry out different events.  You don’t just “show up” to a fraternity event when you’re a Gamma brother. There is a lot of behind the scenes work required to plan even the simplest of events– the planning, logistics, content, food and beverages, marketing, hosting, and so much more. You’ll see for yourself how useful it is throughout your life to develop logistics and planning skills.

Have you ever thought of starting or running your own business? Oh, but you don’t like accounting? Then you will probably be a part of that statistic that says 90% of businesses fail within the second year. Being in our fraternity means you will learn first - hand what it takes to run a business. You’ll have opportunities to develop budgets, administer cash flows, see how checks and balances work and develop effective ways to brief your peers. These are invaluable skills that appeal to any future employer, and can help you be prepared to start or run viable businesses after college. 

Many experts teach the secret to happiness is genuinely helping people and making a real difference in the lives of other people. Joining Sigma Gamma will give you the opportunity to make that difference through planning and participating in numerous community service projects. Regrets are few or non-existent when you’re doing good for others. Whether it’s helping to clean a park, spending time with seniors at an assisted living facility, hosting a BBQ for folks who need help, or grabbing a shovel to help dig out someone who needs a hand, you’ll put on your Sigma Gamma sweatshirt, roll up your sleeves and feel good that your efforts are making a difference and helping others.  

Being in Gamma means you will be part of a successful organization that takes pride in its activities. Your time as a Sigma Gamma brother will teach you to be able to conduct yourself more professionally. From the basics of being prompt and prepared when you attend and participate in meetings, to learning how to dress well, to improving your presentation and communications skills, we are all about helping our members mature and develop. When your time as an active student concludes, your participation in Sigma Gamma will look good on your resume, and you’ll look and feel the part for any professional networking event or job interview.

The power of networking is consistently demonstrated within Sigma Gamma. It’s one of the strongest benefits of being a brother. We are fortunate to have a very active alumni base that dates back to 1947. Our alumni have led Fortune 500 companies, worked in the White House, started enormously successful businesses from scratch, held senior leadership positions in the armed forces and law enforcement, turned into successful medical professionals, served in the highest echelons of elective offices, become highly respected educators, and become some of the most sought after professionals in just about any profession you can think of.

Unlike someone who may have spent their entire college career cultivating a small, but close group of “dorm buddies”, as a Sigma Gamma brother you’ll meet and get to know literally thousands of alumni who regularly return to Oswego and attend numerous alumni events we sponsor during the course of the year. You’ll learn the importance of developing good networking skills just by being a brother relating to other brothers, who while they may have come before you, share certain bonds together that everyone associated with Sigma Gamma can continue to relate to. 

On top of learning networking skills, you will also be able to reap the benefits of networking itself. Many a Sigma Gamma brother has been introduced to potential career opportunities through their connections to a member of our extended organization.  

In Sigma Gamma, you will have the opportunity to hold many offices. In all of these, you will work closely with others to develop, articulate, and achieve our fraternity goals. You’ll have the opportunity to spell out why you believe a given point of view or policy is beneficial to the fraternity. You’ll help represent Sigma Gamma in the many college related groups that Greek organizations are affiliated with. You’ll lead by example, you’ll impart the lessons you learn on those brothers that follow you. Every potential future employer wants to hear about how you developed and demonstrated leadership abilities. We will help you develop these important skills!

We have alumni though out the country and in a lot of different fields. Our alumni are very active helping our current brothers gain knowledge and experience to help them be successful during their life. Our friendships and commitment to helping one another remain strong during and after college.

Everything on this list so far speaks to our continuing focus on developing the skill sets and overall character of our members. That focus was outlined as a core mission on our founding charter and continues to be what we are all about. We want guys who “get it” and know what it means to be a good person and make a difference. If you share our objectives and are looking to grow and become a better person, we personally believe there is no better place to do this than with Sigma Gamma.

Any member of Sigma Gamma will tell you this is the biggest benefit of joining. You don’t just make friends, you create productive, close and incredibly rewarding relationships that last a lifetime.  A fellow Sigma Gamma brother is there for you when you’re in need, they’ll always be there to listen but they’ll always keep you accountable as well. They’ll always know what to say or do, and will help you keep growing as a person, whether you’re 18 or 80.  

As our fraternity song goes, when you are part of Sigma Gamma, you are “always a brother”. Come see for yourself how powerfully impactful this statement has been for so many of us proud Gamma brothers.