2023 Chapter of the Year Award Winners
The Alpha Sigma Nu Board of Directors is pleased to announce the 2022-2023 Alpha Sigma Nu Chapter of the Year award winners. The awards honor student chapters that exemplify exceptional chapter engagement that embodies the Alpha Sigma Nu tenets of scholarship, loyalty, and service. This year, the chapter of the year awards categories include Chapter of the Year (overall), Scholarship, Loyalty, Service, Promotion of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Measures, and Innovation.
Alpha Sigma Nu is proud of the inspiring work taking place across all our member institutions and commends our student chapters for their dedication, energy, and devotion in promoting the Alpha Sigma Nu mission. Each of the Alpha Sigma Nu chapters demonstrate their commitment by engaging with members, partnering with their campuses, creating original programming, and serving our global communities. The annual chapter of the year awards provides an opportunity to recognize those chapters that have been extraordinary in their efforts. Each winning chapter will receive a framed certificate and a financial contribution for their chapter for the next academic year.
The winners were announced on Instagram Live by Alpha Sigma Nu board members, Brandon DaGrosa, University of Scranton '22 and Mashaal Shameem, Seattle University '22 on May 10, 2023. If you missed the live announcement, visit Alpha Sigma Nu’s Instagram page at www.instagram.com/alphasigmanu to view the recording.
Alpha Sigma Nu applauds all the chapters for their hard work and leadership this year and congratulates the winning chapters!
Chapter of the Year: Fordham University
Chapter President: Nolan Chiles
Fordham University is the overall Chapter of the Year award winner because they excelled in every category. They regularly discern, coordinate, execute, and participate in offerings centered on the Alpha Sigma Nu mission. They are having timely conversations surrounding scholarship, service, loyalty, social justice, diversity and inclusion measures, and collaboration. Fordham’s chapter partnered with the University’s Office of Mission Integration & Ministry for the Lunch and Learn/Dine and Discuss Series: Love & the Fordham Family, Civil Discourse in Theory & Practice which gathered ASN and other Fordham community members together to promote community and learn about new topics through an Ignatian lens. Fordham’s chapter co-sponsored a Common Grounds Conversations Series: Empowering Migrants to Lead, Celebration of Irish Culture and Faith, The Intersection of Migration and Houselessness, and LGBTQ+ Pride Month Conversation and Celebration. Fordham chapter members volunteered with the Mexican Coalition, participated in the StriveHigher Virtual Reading Buddy Program, in addition to numerous other volunteer activities. Fordham inducted an impressive 218 members this year and are attracting members by the campus awareness that they are raising. They are maintaining a standard that should be commended.
Scholarship: Gonzaga University
Chapter President: Jack Pauly
Gonzaga University is the Chapter of the Year award winner for Scholarship. At their induction ceremony, Gonzaga’s speaker Dr. Darien Spearman spoke about “Myth, Faith, and the Foundations for a new world.” Gonzaga also hosted a speaker series consisting of three presenters which included the following thought provoking and educational topics:
"St. Thomas Aquinas on Complete Human Persons and Incomplete Human Souls" with Dr. Kendall Fisher
“Reverence for Life as an Environmental Virtue: From Ecological Conversion to the Goodness of Being” with Dr. Chandler Rogers.
“Deep Time and an Ethics of Sustainability” with Dr. Roisin Lally. This final academic talk focused on contemporary scholarship in the study of time, but also inspired service toward ecological justice. It also contributes to loyalty to the Jesuit tradition, particularly the 4th Apostolic Preference: Caring for our Common Home.
Loyalty: Universidad Loyola Andalucía
Chapter President: María de los Reyes Barrenengoa Bulnes
The Universidad Loyola Andalucía is the Chapter of the Year award winner for Loyalty. The Universidad Loyola Andalucía hosted social, service, and scholarship programs with the Claver Association, a non-profit organization promoted by the Arrupe Center and the Christian Life Community in Seville. The Claver Association is part of the Social Apostolate and belongs to the Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM) of Spain, working for the defense of the rights of migrants and their full access to citizenship. The chapter also hosted programs with the school’s Jesuit community hosting gatherings to discuss their chapter’s work on the campus and vocational discernment. Their loyalty to the Jesuit and Alpha Sigma Nu mission is intertwined with their chapter offerings, partnerships, and activities.
Service: Universidad del Pacífico
Chapter President: Claudia Maria Gallo Prado
The Universidad del Pacífico is the Chapter of the Year award winner for Service. The chapter leaders of Universidad del Pacífico have put in tremendous efforts to mobilize their members and friends of Alpha Sigma Nu on their campus to promote service and the Jesuit honor society. They hosted Corriendo por Alliance for a sustainable Amazon, collected shoes to donate to low-income areas in Lima and other Peruvian cities, administered a Christmas campaign making food baskets, school supply kits, and toys for children. The chapter focuses on the importance of service as a fundamental pillar of Alpha Sigma Nu.
Promotion of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Measures: Seattle University and Marquette University
Seattle University and Marquette University are the Chapter of the Year award winners for Promotion of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Measures.
Seattle University
Chapter President: Mashaal Shameem
The Seattle University chapter’s SU Experience Dinner was themed Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and it served as a liaison between the upper-level administration, including the President, Provost, Vice Provost, and other University cabinet members. The dinner discussed reforming the University curriculum to more accurately reflect the University's Mission and commitment to the issues of climate injustice, racial and economic injustice, and the impact of technology in society. Students were able to connect with University leadership one-on-one and share what has made their experience unique at Seattle University, what things can be improved on, and what they would like to see implemented in the future.
Marquette University
Chapter President: Megan McGuire
This year, Marquette added a question on their member application, “How do you support and engage in making Marquette an inclusive place for all students?” to incorporate systems improvement, and capture what it means to be an academic leader promoting inclusion on campus. Marquette also hosted a Hot Wing Throwdown in which their chapter advisor, Father Ryan Duns, and the Vice President for Inclusive Excellence, Dr. Chris Navia, answered “spicy” questions about diversity at Marquette.
The Seattle and Marquette chapters demonstrated their commitment to promoting equity and inclusion measures in their campus community.
Innovation: Loyola University Maryland
Chapter President: Caroline Farrell
Loyola University Maryland is the Chapter of the Year award winner for Innovation. Loyola University Maryland’s chapter excelled in having meaningful conversations about Alpha Sigma Nu’s impact on their campus. In addition to a number of other programs, they hosted their first Discernment Day in February. They welcomed 50 current members and future inductees for a morning of activities related to discernment and applying Jesuit values. Their keynote speech was provided by Fr. Rick Malloy, the Director of Mission Integration at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore, and the incorporation of other elements like the Examen allowed for a greater opportunity to explore what it means to discern, the types of decisions we may face that require discernment, and the impact discernment can have on our roles as leaders on campus and beyond. The Loyola University Maryland chapter planned and executed new events on their campus with topical discussions and reflections surrounding the Alpha Sigma Nu mission.