Sigma Tau Gamma shall endeavor to promote the highest ideals of:

MANHOOD

BROTHERHOOD and

CITIZENSHIP according to the Principles of our Fraternity.

That is a high calling. It comes directly from the Purpose of Sigma Tau Gamma, stated in Article 1 of the Constitution.

Sig Tau should be fun. But, it is our Purpose that sets us apart.

Manhood is a concept rarely discussed in modern society. In order to pursue this ideal, we must know what manhood means – really means – and we must know the meaning well enough to explain it to new members and prospective members.

Strength is perhaps the first descriptor we think of. Men are supposed to be strong: physically strong, emotionally strong, and ethically strong. Toughness matters. You cannot achieve ideal manhood without it.

Tenderness also matters. Real men do care about family and friends. They love. They nurture. They have compassion. They draw upon their strength to protect.

Dr. Emmett Ellis, our revered founder, exemplified the balance of toughness and tenderness so essential to true manhood. He volunteered for service in the Army when the United States entered the First World War. He endured, with exemplary toughness, the harshness, weariness, and suffering of a terrible human conflict.

Yet, he exemplified tenderness as well. In that very war he served as a corpsman, comforting and tending to the wounds of injured and dying soldiers. Later, he nurtured young men and women as a revered teacher and mentor.

Sigma Tau Gamma Brothers are called to the nobility of manhood.

Brotherhood demands manhood, and by doing so helps us to achieve it.

Emmett Ellis understood that he had to count on his comrades and they on him for their very survival during the war. This mutual reliance created a bond among men that was both reassuring and uplifting. Upon his return to college Ellis sought to perfect an organization that would create similar bonds among men, but do so in the dignity of education rather than in the horror of war.

In Sigma Tau Gamma we are unwaveringly dedicated to the support, encouragement and protection of each other. Our bond is brotherhood.

Citizenship grows from manhood and brotherhood.

In our Creed we say that: “the true spirit of Fraternalism is a thing that grows.” We understand that our brotherhood commitment teaches us that we have a broader commitment to our community, our nation and to all mankind.

Fraternity life demands the mechanics of organization and leadership to support brotherhood. We know that our communities require the same mechanics employed through varied institutions. These institutions require citizens who are willing to step from the shadows and give of themselves in unselfish leadership. We are those citizens.