Nearly 700 young men entered Columbia University this fall as
first-years, looking to make their mark on the world. Every single
one of them was highly qualified, having survived one of the
toughest admissions processes in the nation. But only 28 were
recognized Wednesday night in the Faculty Room of Low Library.

The 28 young men recognized Wednesday, Sept. 17, were semi-
finalists for Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Balanced Man scholarship, who
had been culled from a record-setting 150 applications. Now in its
seventh year, the program is a national effort by Sigma Phi
Epsilon to recognize entering freshman—who are not required to
join a fraternity—who embody the Greek principles of a Sound Mind
and a Sound Body. Sigma Phi Epsilon, the nation’s largest-
fraternity, was founded in 1901 at Richmond College in Richmond,
Virginia. Since its humble birth, it has grown to cover over 260
campuses and involve more than 15,000 brothers every year. The
program, which was first introduced nationally in 1989, also aims
to go beyond Phi Beta Kappa in demolishing the “frat boy”
stereotype that plagues fraternities across the nation.

Out of the 28 semi-finalists, 10 finalists were chosen. The
finalists were an awe-inspiring group, whose resumes, when read
aloud, impressed the audience of 100. Actually, impressed may be a
bit misleading in describing the effect on the audience. The
effect was much more one of shock and awe. Master-of-Ceremonies
and Balanced Man coordinator Chris Parker, CC ’04, said that, “The
overwhelming quantity and quality of this year’s applications is
due in no small part to this institution, Columbia University.
For the past several years, Columbia has attracted more and more
of the country’s top students. At SigEp, we are not surprised.
Columbia’s longstanding core curriculum and broad-based education—
yes, even the swim test—builds balanced students, which is exactly
what SigEp is all about, and exactly what we celebrate with this
scholarship.”

Finalists Anthony Walker, CC, Thomas Keenan, CC, Keith Hernandez,
CC, Jarod Were, SEAS, and Anand Krishnamurthy, SEAS, were all
recognized in front of the audience for their outstanding
achievements athletically, academically, extracurricularly, and
for their dedication to community service. Included amongst their
collective accomplishments were a 4.656 GPA, star cornerback of
the football team, public speaker at national forums, recipient of
the YMCA Youth of the Year award, and amongst all of them, an
overriding sense of duty towards improving the lives of people in
their hometowns. The choice, as Master-of-Ceremonies and Balanced
Man organizer Chris Parker, CC ’04, put it, “was almost impossible
to make, with so many talented individuals competing.”

After the non-scholarship finalists were announced, the two
honorable mentions, Andrey Kazachkov, SEAS, and Andy Wolfe, CC,
were brought forward to receive $100 scholarships. Andrey’s
impressive background, as described to the audience, included
displays of Kenpo Karate in the independent film “Blazing Fists of
Fury;” a national top-three ranking in self-defense, kata, and
sparring; guitar-playing in his band Motherfunk; and graduating
with honors from Brooklyn Tech after spending seven years living
in Russia.

Andy was what one might call a “perfect student” in high school:
he was valedictorian and he won the English, Spanish, French,
music, king, and many other prizes. He serves in his community as
an Eagle Scout, and before he injured his knee, was a varsity
tennis and soccer player. Along with these qualifications, he is
also an award-winning saxophonist and a professional photographer
with his own company—Wolfe’s Photo Works.

Then it was time to announce the three place-winners. The third
place winner, David Chait, CC, was unable to attend because he had
just been elected first-year president of Columbia College. In
high school, he received awards at 11 Model United Nations
Sessions. He was first chair in his jazz band, member of national
and international honor societies, editor in chief of his school
newspaper and four-year president of his class, voted most
valuable member of his class all four years.

Jonathan “Jono” Chanin, CC, the second-place winner, graduated
from high school with a 1570 SAT and 4.2 GPA. He too was an award
winning delegate at Model United Nations sessions. An AP scholar,
he received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. He
also excelled athletically as a soccer player. A five-year member
of the NJ Olympic Development Team, his teams have consistently
won state and national titles, and he has been honored with MVP
awards and as captain of his school team, and has joined the
varsity team at Columbia.

Finally, the first-place winner was announced, with a list of
accomplishments that actually succeeded in topping the other
winners. Valedictorian of his high school, Allireza Allo, CC,
served as an academic tutor and mentor. His family emigrated from
East Africa, and he was the first to attend secondary school. He
took full advantage of his opportunity, going on to become
National Honor Society President, Editor-in-Chief of his school
newspaper, and vice-president of Students Against Destructive
Decisions. In addition, he was captain of his volleyball team and
was awarded the Jaffrey Soccer Club Rising Star Award for his
effort on a club team that traveled throughout New York and
London. His demeanor and athletic achievements were recognized as
he became the Union Sports Association Sportsman of the Year. He
also looks to the future: as president of the Future Business
Leaders of America he placed second in the New York State FBLA
competition and appeared nationally as a state representative. He
was a semi-finalist in both the Intel Science Talent Search and
the Coca Cola Scholars Program, and winner of the New York Science
Talent Search Award. He participated substantially in a medical
research projects, most notably this summer at the NYU Medical
Center where he worked specifically in motor axon guidance.

The three place winners received, respectively, $250, $500, and
$1,000 scholarships to be used towards furthering their education
at Columbia.

The highlight of the evening was guest-of-honor Sigma Phi Epsilon
Grand President William G. Tragos, who delivered an eloquent
speech on the nature of the Balanced Man. He noted at several
points that he might as well be giving a Core lecture, as he
constantly invoked Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, The Iliad, and
other staples of the Core Curriculum. He told the young men
present that they should strive for “that in man that allows him
to live for something. That is passion.” Tragos, founder of TBWA,
one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, also praised the
extensive activities and interests of the applicants,
stating, “Enthusiasm is a trait that can be very powerful.”

Also during the evening, brother David Jelenko, CC ’04, was
recognized by chapter alumni president Conrad Eberstein as the
recipient of the first annual Most Balanced Brother Award.
Jelenko, a leader of his class’s Senior Fund, and also a former
president of the Inter-Greek Council, received a copy of Walter
Isaacson’s new biography of Benjamin Franklin, who Eberstein
recognized as being the first true balanced man in the United
States.

Other special guests of the evening included chapter alumni
president Conrad Eberstein, Penn ’66, Chapter Counselor Eric
Welsch, CC ’99, Chapter Resident Scholar James Schmidt, CC ’00,
and others. Also in attendance were brothers from SigEp’s NYU and
Yale chapters.

Parker ended the event with a bit of senior advice for the first-
years, telling them, “You are the cream of the freshmen crop—the
future scholars, athletes, and leaders of this campus. I encourage
you to meet the people at your table and beyond, as the men and
women around you are the past, present, and future of Columbia
University.”