ΣΑΕ

Nature's finest brotherhood, scholarship, and athletics — since 1856.

The Michigan Delta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Western Michigan University. Part of a national fellowship of over 12,000 active collegiate members and 250,000 living alumni across 220 chapters.

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1856Founded, Tuscaloosa AL
1961Michigan Delta Chartered
250,000+Living Alumni
220Chapters Nationwide
1856 — 2026

A blue ribbon chapter, refounded by a new generation.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was established in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1856. Michigan Delta's own story began at Hoejke Hall in 1957, was chartered in 1961, weathered a closure in 2011 — and was brought back to life by a new generation of men in 2024.

1856
Sigma Alpha Epsilon founded at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
1957
The idea for a new fraternity takes root at Hoejke Hall, WMU.
1958
Chi Sigma Kappa forms, then dissolves and re-forms as the Phi Alpha Fraternity, petitioning SAE for membership.
1961
73 charter members found the Michigan Delta Chapter, October 8.
1959
The chapter finds a home at 1325 Douglas Ave., remembered for its barracks-style attic sleeping quarters.
1976
The chapter moves to 919 Short Rd. near East Campus — three decades of record membership and awards follow.
2009
The chapter relocates to 3315 W. Michigan Ave., near Fraternity Village.
2011
The chapter closes after a period of difficulty.
2024
A small group of young men set out to refound Michigan Delta.
2026
Over 45 men are formally initiated on March 21, continuing the legacy.
SAE Blue Ribbon Fraternity commemorative plaque, Michigan Delta
Commissioned by the Michigan Delta Alumni Advisory Board, 2026
From the Archives
Michigan Delta chapter photo, March 1975
Chapter Photo — March 1975
Michigan Delta chapter photo, April 1976
Chapter Photo — April 1976
The SAE Record, May 1966, featuring the 1325 Douglas Ave. chapter house
The SAE Record, May 1966 — 1325 Douglas Ave.
Read the 1961 Initiation Story, from The SAE Record →
The True Gentleman
“The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others, rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.”
— John Walter Wayland

Our mission is advancing the highest standards of friendship, scholarship, leadership, and service for our members throughout life. Our vision: True Gentlemen making our global community better.

What We Stand On

Three pillars, one standard.

01

Brotherhood

A lifelong fellowship built in the chapter house and carried well past graduation.

02

Scholarship

Academic standards that hold every member accountable to the classroom first.

03

Athletics

Competing across intramurals and campus life with the same discipline we bring to everything else.

Michigan Delta annual pig roast
Upcoming

The Annual Pig Roast

A Michigan Delta tradition — brothers, alumni, and friends of the chapter together for the year's biggest cookout. Details and dates coming soon.

Think you've got what it takes to wear the letters?

Rush is open to all Western Michigan University students. Come meet the brothers of Michigan Delta and see what nature's finest brotherhood is about.

Rush Chair — Tyler Reiff · (847) 744-3532

Contact Rush Chair
Executive Leadership Board

The men running Michigan Delta.

Chapter President (EA)
Don Van Koevering
Ryland Fairbanks
Member Education
Ryland Fairbanks
Finance Major, Fenton, MI · (810) 844-3915
Rush Chair
Tyler Reiff
Guiding the Chapter

Michigan Delta Alumni Advisory Board

Alumni who advise and assist the chapter on goal setting, recruitment, new member education, financial management, and health and safety.

Chairman of the Advisory Board · '95
Tobias Roberts
President/Owner, Community Resource Consultants, Inc.
Chapter Advisor · '83
Jim Curry
Kalamazoo, MI — retired Zoetis Principal Scientist
Alumni Advisor · '78
Dana Smith
Retired bank regulator; longtime MIDE Alumni Assoc. & House Corp. President/Treasurer
Board Member · '94
Chuck Tafel
Partner, GLT International — former chapter EA
Andre' Fairbanks
Board Member · '95
Andre' Fairbanks
Boeing 747 Captain, UPS — former chapter EA
Board Member · '96
Tim Wilhelm
Former MIDE House Corporation President
Board Member · '96
Jeremy Howard
Director of Liquids Manufacturing, North America — SOPREMA USA

Interested in joining the Alumni Advisory Board? Contact any board member above.