Octagonian Winter 2025

November 2025- Happy Founders’ Day! As we pause to honor the eight men whose vision established our Fraternity so many years ago, I’m reminded of how deeply their values continue to shape my own life and the lives of so many of us. The strength of our brotherhood has always come from the character and commitment of its members, and I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to serve as your Supreme Prior.

Thank you to our undergraduates across North America who carry our values and traditions forward with energy and purpose, and to our alumni whose continued support, mentorship, and example keep our fraternity strong. It’s a privilege to stand alongside each of you in this work.

Wishing you a meaningful Founders’ Day and Happy Thanksgiving. May we continue to honor our past by living out our values as we look ahead. There is much to celebrate and be grateful for at this moment.

Fraternally,

Supreme Prior Benji Bearman

The Octagonian- Winter 2025
The Winter 2025 edition of The Octagonian is now available online. This issue is packed with engaging content that highlights the achievements, stories, and insights of our fraternity members. The Octagonian serves as a platform to celebrate the diverse talents and contributions of our Sigma Alpha Mu fratres. We hope you find inspiration and pride in the stories shared within these pages.

Publication Schedule Update
As we continue to enhance how we keep our members and alumni connected, we’ve made some updates to The Octagonian’s publication schedule to help ensure you never miss an issue.

Beginning this year, The Octagonian will follow a quarterly format. The November edition will remain our only printed and mailed issue, while the February, May, and August editions will be digital-only, delivered directly to your inbox and available online.

To ensure you receive each edition without interruption, please take a moment to sign in at portal.sam.org and confirm your contact information is up to date. Updating your information only takes a moment—and ensures you stay connected to the latest stories from across Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity.

This issue features:

A Message From Our Supreme Prior

Evolution Of The Badge

Our Commitment To Sharing Your Stories

Dennis Paese Named Recipient of William P. Schwartz Distinguished Service Award

Finding Brotherhood Beneath The Waves

Have You Heard

Mutual Moral Aid In Action

Transforming Brotherhood

Honoring Excellence

Around The Chapters

Honoring Howard Miller

Thank You Hanno Mott

Scholarship Spotlight

In Honor Of / In Memory Of

Chapter Eternal

Sires and Sons / Dividends and Mergers

Our digital production is also bolstered by more content on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. If you would like to share news about professional accomplishments, marriage/newborn announcements, or alumni gatherings online, go to sam.org/heard and sam.org/family.

Thank you for your continued support of Sigma Alpha Mu. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the latest edition of The Octagonian!

Click here to update your Octagonian delivery preferences. 

Joining Today: Tradition, Safety, and the True MDH Initiative

What Does Joining Look Like Today?

TRUE MDH Initiative – National Hazing Prevention Week

During National Hazing Prevention Week, Sigma Alpha Mu proudly demonstrates how tradition and safety can thrive together through our groundbreaking True MDH Initiative.

Leading the Way Forward

For generations, more than 70,000 men have committed The Creed, Fast and Firm, and The Founders to memory when joining Sigma Alpha Mu. As evolving anti-hazing policies and state laws created new challenges for fraternal education, Sigma Alpha Mu chose to lead rather than simply comply.

Our Solution: The True MDH Initiative

In 2018, Sigma Alpha Mu pioneered the True MDH Initiative, ensuring every new member receives consistent, comprehensive candidate education while maintaining the brotherhood experience that has united our members for decades. This groundbreaking program delivers standardized educational programming across all Sigma Alpha Mu chapters.

What Makes It Effective

Comprehensive Training & Support:

• Required train-the-trainer certification for all Candidate Educators
• Adaptable curriculum spanning 4-8 weeks to meet local regulations
• Complete educational resources including PowerPoint meeting slides

Rich Educational Experience:

• Deep exploration of our eight core values: simplicity, holiness, purity, justice, sincerity, fraternalism, idealism, and truth
• Focus on developing true manhood, democracy, and humanity
• Integration of fraternity & chapter history through the Purple Book 

Built-in Safety & Compliance:

• Curriculum designed to eliminate potential hazing and risk management issues
• Full compliance assurance for chapters following the program
• Safe, engaging candidacy process that protects both active members and candidates

The Result

Chapters gain confidence knowing their new member program is fully compliant, educationally robust, and builds the strong brotherhood bonds Sigma Alpha Mu is known for. Today’s Sigma Alpha Mu brothers carry forward the same cherished traditions—The Creed, Fast and Firm, The Founders—while building even stronger, safer bonds of brotherhood.

Executive Director Andy Huston added, “Our consistent effort to provide anti-hazing education and development of the True MDH Initiative are factors that strengthen the health and wellbeing of our members and chapters. As a result, Sigma Alpha Mu has not had a chapter closed for hazing-related policy violations in the past four academic years.”

The bonds of brotherhood are stronger than ever, and our commitment to developing principled men remains unwavering.

About Sigma Alpha Mu

Our vision is to transform Sigma Alpha Mu into the first choice of collegians seeking a forward-thinking, inclusive fraternity which enhances the university experience and prepares the fraternity member for a fulfilling life. Sigma Alpha Mu’s Mission is to foster the development of collegiate men and our alumni by instilling strong fraternal values, offering social and service opportunities, encouraging academic excellence and teaching leadership skills. We will continue to attract members of all beliefs who appreciate our great heritage as a fraternity of Jewish men.

Learn more at https://sam.org