Harry Clayton ’21 has jumped into Sigma Chi Maryland at full speed. Clayton ’21 came to the University of Maryland less than a year ago and he now serves as the new chapter scholarship chairman at Sigma Chi Maryland. He came to the University of Maryland after spending the early days of his collegiate career at Virginia Tech, and Sigma Chi was the primary motivator. One of Clayton’s best friends from high school was a member of Sigma Chi Maryland and encouraged him to check it out.
“When I was looking to transfer I had met all the guys and got a really great feeling about them,” Clayton ’21 says. “I felt like they really cared about me and I would really fit in with them.”
Clayton ’21 was right. He made the move, started hanging out with Sigma Chi guys right away, rushed as soon as he got to campus and wanted to get even more involved in the Chapter. He ran for scholarship chairman, and after losing a close race at his first attempt, he ran again and succeeded in the Fall 2019 semester.
Clayton ’21 went after the position because he is passionate about seeing his Brothers, and Sigma Chi as a whole, succeed academically. As the scholarship chairman, Clayton ’21 keeps his finger on the academic pulse of the fraternity. He receives the grades of the Brothers and monitors them to ensure his Brothers are thriving academically. When a Brother is struggling, Clayton ‘21 seeks them out to discuss resources and strategies for improvement.
“We’re always trying to improve,” Clayton ’21 says. “There isn’t an exact standard or number… When we look for new members to become pledges, we consider their grades and talk to them about their academic standing before. That’s important to us.”
When elected in Fall 2019, the fraternity had just ranked 7 out of 25 IFC chapters on campus with a 3.23 GPA. With 89 members, Clayton ’21 calls it a solid accomplishment.
“All these guys are super passionate about what they’re doing and really care about academics,” Clayton ’21 says, “which obviously makes my job easier.”
While Sigma Chi hasn’t had many Brothers struggling academically, Clayton ’21 does have a challenge on the horizon. The new member pledge class ranked 24 of 25 in new member GPAs. Clayton ‘21 is already strategizing with other fraternity leadership on ways to get ahead of the challenge and encourage new members to be academically mindful.
There are many contributing factors to the new member GPA, including students acclimating to college life, transitioning into classes and learning about the fraternity. Clayton ’21 anticipates GPA growth for the new pledges as they become upperclassman, but he is on high alert in his new role as scholarship chairman.
“It’s a little bit alarming, so that’s definitely where most of my attention is at right now,” Clayton ’21 says.
Clayton ’21 has been brainstorming options for additional incentive programs specific to new pledges and the potential to form study groups by major within the fraternity. He has even gone as far as looking into prearranged spaces and times at the McKeldin Library on campus.
“I thought it’d be a good place for them to motivate each other and focus on their studies,” Clayton ’21 says.
As part of his responsibilities monitoring the academic state of Sigma Chi Maryland, Clayton ’21 is also in charge of the Bell Cup, which is an academic incentive program. Team captains are selected and a draft commences to form teams. The members of the team with the highest GPA each receive a cash prize and recognition at the scholarship dinner, the last of the primary responsibilities for the scholarship chairman.
This year’s scholarship dinner is scheduled for February 24, 2020. It includes a Sigma Chi or Gamma Chi alumni speaker, announcement of the Bell Cup winners and an award for the most improved GPA. Clayton ’21 recruited Brother Herbert Cares, Jr. ’95 as the guest speaker, who will be sharing how his experience with the fraternity has translated into real-life experiences such as character development and networking.
Clayton ’21 is eager to be part of Sigma Chi’s academic legacy and play a role at the fraternity that has felt like home from the very beginning. His role as scholarship chairman will allow him to give back to the Brothers at Sigma Chi through diligent attention to their academic standing, ultimately ensuring that Sigma Chi Maryland continues to thrive in its academic achievements.