The men of the Delta Iota chapter of Sigma Nu Fraternity at WSU volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Palouse to help build a home for a family in need on Saturday.

The house is still in the process of being built for a single mother and her two children.

“We helped this family with a brand-new, very strong house,” Sigma Nu President Andrew Card said. “It makes us feel good, and we hope others see that giving back to the community is a great thing to do. With the amount of men we saw show up, I know we’ll make an impact in our community.” The men worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They spent time roofing the house, building a fence and helping with interior work such as finishing walls and laying trusses. There is a full structured-skeleton of the house.

“This was a good start for us, especially since our fraternity has only been together about a month,” said Danny Chau, historian and petitioner for Sigma Nu. “We don’t plan on stopping community service once we reach our requirements. We want to keep at it and help out our community in anyway we can. I hope we can set an example for not only the Greek community but our community as a whole.” The Delta Iota chapter was shut down in 2007 after allegations of hazing in the house. Chau said that just this year, new members along with initiated members from another chapter have been trying to reinstate the charter and become a positive member in WSU’s Greek community.

Sigma Nu Fraternity has four national philanthropies: Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Character Counts! and the College Charity Bowl Foundation. The chapter also plans on fundraising in the spring for these philanthropies.

“Making an impact is what motivates us and drives us to continue working hard and helping in any way we can,” said Bryan Blackburn, Sigma Nu community service and philanthropy chairman. “Knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life is the best feeling in the world, incomparable to any other experience.” The men have also participated in other philanthropies including Alpha Chi Omega’s Battle of the Bands. Sigma Nu won first place in this philanthropy out of six fraternities. Battle of the Bands raised $500, and the money went to Alternatives to Domestic Violence on the Palouse.

“We felt it was a huge accomplishment for our group because we are new on campus and have really been trying to make our fraternity the best around,” Blackburn said. “It was a great start.”