Phi Sigs Share Campus Experience with New Gathering Place
Written by Doug Goodnough
For Ross Anderson, ’79, and his fellow Phi Sig brothers, it’s all about perspective.
When they were part of the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity house that sat on the property at 180/190 Hillsdale Street, it was about friendships, socializing, shared experiences, and education, not necessarily in that order.
More than 40 years later, perspectives have changed. The fraternity closed its doors in the late 1980s, and the house soon was demolished. However, with only an empty lot as a reminder, that wasn’t the end of the story. Considering their property “hallowed ground,” a strong contingent of Phi Sigs continues to gather on the property at Homecoming and other special events to reconnect, remember, and celebrate their friendships. They are now trying to write a new chapter.
“It’s still a place where we have our chapter meetings,” Anderson said. “It’s still a place where we have our parties. And now we set our schedule around Dr. Arnn and his wife (Penny) coming over to spend some time with us on Saturday (Homecoming) morning. Your perspective changes. And in my case, it has.”
In 2016, Phi Sig Alumni Chapter President Doug McPherson, ’76, came up with a pavilion idea and concept for their property, and he presented it to his brothers. From there, chapter alumni met with College administrators, who agreed to partner on a plan.
“We wanted to work with the College,” Anderson said. “We wanted to find a way to share those ideas, those concepts, and the goodness that can come from that property with current and future students and others.”
That plan was finalized, and once the Phi Sig Pavilion project is funded, the Phi Sigs will donate the property to the College. The Pavilion project is a multipurpose facility featuring an indoor and outdoor space that will be a new gathering place for alumni and others at the College. The Phi Sigs have raised nearly one-third of the fundraising goal of $600,000, as well as their donation of the property.
But they still need some help. A gift from Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity alumni ($15,000) and a matching gift from an anonymous donor ($200,000) have the project in the home stretch. The Pavilion Challenge was created to ask former Greeks and alumni of other Hillsdale student groups and organizations to help make the Phi Sigs’ dream a reality. Each house will have a recognition pillar on the site with a $15,000 goal per house.
Anderson said the Phi Sigs want to share their experience—and their property—in a special way.
“We’ve done something really quite unusual, and we’re really, really proud of it,” Anderson said. “We think it can be a model for how others work with the school in the future. We believe that property belongs as part of the college campus, and we want it to be a long-term part of the college campus. We think it’s going to have a lot of impact on a lot of people.”
They hope others will eventually share their passion for the property. The planned indoor prep kitchen and bathrooms will complement the outdoor grill, patio, and firepit. It’s a perfect gathering place in the heart of campus.
“If you stand on that property and you look across the street, you’re looking at Broadlawn,” Anderson said. “If you glance to your left, you’re looking at Central Hall. It’s a beautiful spot. We’ve designed the complex so that it is geared for gatherings. It’s geared to create a comfortable, safe space for conversation, for fellowship, for contemplation. Whatever the weather, if you book an event there, you can enjoy yourself. It’s all about creating fellowship. It would be amazing to see a professor hold class in that facility.”
He said the Pavilion will also be a tribute to Greek life and other social groups at Hillsdale.
“That fraternity experience entirely complemented the Hillsdale experience,” Anderson said. “I tell people it’s not just about being in a fraternity and all the things that go with that as a young person, but it was really with all the perspective of years. We did a lot of learning on that campus, but we also learned a lot on that property—lessons in character, in teamwork, in leadership, in working together and in collaboration. These things carried us through our lifetime.”
He said the next time the Phi Sigs gather on campus, it will hopefully be among friends of other fraternities, sororities, and social groups.
“We keep coming back and standing around the fire, in the dark, in the cold, for Homecoming because it’s that important to us and we understand what it’s meant to us,” Anderson said. “We have that perspective.”
To learn more about the Phi Sig Pavilion and the Pavilion Challenge, visit hillsdale.edu/pavilionchallenge.
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in March 2023