Louisiana State Sigs to Host First Crossroads Program

Former Louisiana State Consul Nick Poché, 2013, summed up his chapter’s 2012 donation to Sigma Chi’s Choices alcohol and drug awareness program in one simple sentence.
“If the program can make a difference and help save lives — even if it is just one life — that’s all we can ask for,” he said in December 2012.
More than a year later, his chapter will see its fundraising efforts put into action. When the chapter’s brothers graciously donated $25,000 to the Fraternity’s Choices alcohol and drug education program in 2012, they had just experienced the tragic suicide of Keller Zibilich, LOUISIANA STATE 2015.
Now, to show gratitude for the Louisiana State chapter’s donation and to pay homage to Zibilich, the Fraternity is making Louisiana State the first chapter — the program’s “Alpha” test chapter — to experience the new Crossroads alcohol and drug program curriculum at the end of January 2014.
The chapter’s donation went toward setting up Sigma Chi Lifeline, the Fraternity’s new online resource for suicide prevention and depression awareness, in partnership with the Jed Foundation, which is a leading organization in the effort to reduce the emotional distress of college students, as well as preventing instances of suicide among them.
What the chapter will be getting back is the Crossroads experience, which is a program that will integrate technology, hands-on teaching techniques and the Fraternity’s values to aid trained facilitators in conducting an interactive and expanded chapter-level experience.
Crossroads will require Fraternity facilitators to perform pre- and post-session work to provide each chapter that undergoes a Crossroads presentation with a road to making values-based decisions regarding alcohol and drug use. The program’s ultimate goal is bettering the chapter, not only immediately after a presentation but also in the long-term health of its members.
Fraternity officials expect Crossroads’ Alpha phase testing to take place at one more school in February 2014 before the program’s Beta testing phase commences at two yet-to-be named schools in March and April. The Fraternity expects to roll out Crossroads in full at the 2014 Balfour Leadership Training Workshop at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
The program would then be available for all undergraduate chapters at the start of the 2014 to 2015 academic year.
If you have questions about Sigma Chi Crossroads, please contact David Hackworthy, ST. THOMAS 2012, leadership programs coordinator, at (847) 869-3655, ext. 224, or david.hackworthy@sigmachi.org.