When Nigel Karuletwa first came to the UA in 2021, Kappa Sigma was just a memory.
The chapter had been on thin ice even before it was busted in 2018 for hosting events with alcohol in violation of the Arizona Board of Regents Code of Conduct prohibiting alcohol at Kappa Sigma events.
A UA incident report also cited fraternity members for attacking hired security guards and setting up a secret fund to hide their activities from the university.
Karuletwa is from Canada and didn’t have much of an understanding of Greek life or Kappa Sigma until alumni Matt Noble, an advisor and alumnus, spearheaded an effort to relaunch the chapter in 2021.
Noble wanted to fully rebrand the fraternity, first founded in 1915 as Arizona’s first national fraternity or sorority, to regain its charter.
Collaborating with other alumni, Noble raised $100,000 to establish a scholarship fund to encourage students to join. Karuletwa was one of those students. He wasn’t convinced at first.
“A fraternity… who would want to do that,” he said.
But when Noble laid out his plan, Karuletwa was in.
“I was sold on the fact that Mr. Noble explained that they take kids that don’t really want to join a fraternity, but can make space for themselves in this group,” he said.
When they relaunched in 2021, Kappa Sigma didn’t have a house. They are now back on University of Arizona Greek Row
Kappa Sigma takes pride in enrolling members who did not initially seek out Greek life but eventually joined for the right reasons. The academic scholarship allowed recipients to join the Gamma Rho chapter of Kappa Sigma at the University of Arizona.
To rebuild itself as a recognized chapter, Noble put together a group of 10 individuals dedicated to the fraternity’s re-invention. Their first challenge was restoring the university’s trust, which prompted creating “The 15 Steps to Chapter Excellence.” This organized plan prioritized leadership, strategic planning, alumni involvement and operational excellence.
Karuletwa joined 16 other recruits who called themselves the founding fathers, who spent a year cultivating a shared fraternity culture before fully launching the fraternity.
They didn’t have a house when they hosted their first fall rush in 2022. They set up a space in a room above Panda Express in the Student Union.
“Trying to get other students to pick us…” Karuletwa explained. “It was difficult but once we realized it was just a normal conversation – all of a sudden our table was swarming with potential new members.”
Their first pledge class was around 40 members. Without having a house, the founding fathers had to sell parents on why they should pay their student’s dues without having a house or anything to show.
“For a fraternity to succeed there has to be a level of trust built between the undergraduates and the alumni volunteers,” Noble stated. “The alumni volunteers put a lot of time and dedication into this.”
Karuletwa and his fellow founding fathers also put in the time. Karuletwa, who graduated in December and is returning to campus to walk in the May ceremonies, wrote the bylaws that could stand for generations of Kappa Sigma members.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
