OHIO Eta Pi places first in competition, selected as new chapter of the year at national convention

Ohio University’s Eta Pi chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon won big in this year’s Pi Sigma Epsilon National Convention. The OHIO chapter won the Marvin D. Loos Top New Chapter award, placed first in the case-study competition of the award program, and two OHIO students also won scholarships during this event. 

Pi Sigma Epsilon is a national and professional fraternity for those in sales, marketing and management. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s national convention went virtual from March 30 to April 5 with the award ceremony taking place on Saturday, April 11.

“I am very proud of the Eta Pi chapter succeeding at the national level while representing Ohio University,” said OHIO President M. Duane Nellis. “These students won the case-study competition while also juggling the transition to online classes and not being able to practice together in person, showcasing their hard work and determination. I congratulate them for this accomplishment and also for Eta Pi winning new chapter of the year.”  

The Eta Pi chapter is a new organization on campus, founded at OHIO in fall 2019. The chapter inducted 41 members last semester, and held a Battle of the Bands competition as their first event to raise organizational funds while also donating to a philanthropic cause. 

“When people really started to become involved and interested in becoming a part of [Eta Pi], I said let’s take it step by step and just do every little thing right,” said Jacob Sapolin, president of Eta Pi, about bringing the new organization on campus. “All the little things that we did right turned into getting these awards and doing the big things right. It was that foundation we built [in the beginning] that really moved us into that success.”

First, the students had to request entry in Pi Sigma Epsilon’s case study competition. After being accepted to compete, the students worked together to record a sales presentation based on the case study. Eta Pi placed first out of 10 different groups. 

The case study competition team included Sapolin, a junior communications studies major; Isabelle York, a junior marketing and management double major; Hunter Evans, a senior marketing and business analytics double major; and Sarah Sanford, a junior marketing and management information systems double major. 

The Eta Pi students credited the Integrated Business Cluster for their success in the competition. The cluster is a coordinated group of classes where students work together in teams to complete projects that focus on industry research and analysis, as well as business concept development. 

“We had to compete with chapters that are more established and have had more experience than us,” said Evans. “I think what set us apart as a chapter was our ability to adapt to the transition online and our experience through the Business Cluster. The College of Business at Ohio University is nationally ranked due to the cluster program and our ability to analyze the various environments surrounding a business.”

The curriculum for the classes includes finance, management, management information systems, and marketing. Professors from these disciplines also serve as mentors to the students, and students have to present their work to their faculty members throughout the duration of the cluster.

“Through this process, students develop valuable skills in teamwork, business information literacy, critical thinking, and professional communication,” said Gabriel Giordano, chair and associate professor of analytics and information systems, who directs the cluster. “We believe that the Integrated Business Cluster puts Ohio University Business students a step ahead of the competition in these valuable skill areas.”

“The Integrated Business Cluster provides OHIO students a safe and encouraging environment to engage in team-based academic and professional development activities. By researching and analyzing current industry trends, students utilize their learned foundation to then synthesize, create, and communicate their own innovative concepts to a panel of Senior Partners,” said Andrew Pueschel, assistant professor of instruction in management and a faculty member involved in the cluster. 

The students were also excited to place first in their first competition at their first convention as an organization. 

“Many things I was looking forward to this year were canceled due to COVID-19, and winning this competition was one of the first positive things to come out of these unique times in my life. I am so proud to win for our chapter and get our name out there,” said Sanford. 

Pi Sigma Epsilon also hosts 19 other competitions that are recognized during the national convention, along with announcements of the organization’s corporate partners’ scholarships. 

In February, Sapolin and Devon Soltis, a senior marketing major, were both notified that they were scholarship finalists. During the award ceremony of the convention, Sapolin and Soltis were awarded the Gartner Scholarship and Apex Scholarship, respectively.  

“[Winning the scholarship] reflects on the hard work and dedication I had this semester with the founding of PSE [at OHIO],” Soltis said. “It means the world to me because I am able to give students the opportunity to join an organization that will help them improve certain business skills and provide them with professional development opportunities that will help them in the future.” 

The biggest surprise for the Eta Pi students during the convention came when Eta Pi was announced as the Marvin D. Loos Top New Chapter. This award recognizes the development of a chapter’s operations, programming, recruitment and communication during its first year.

“I’m over the moon. Just seeing this great group of people that I’m around and the great things that we’ve already done, it just opens up even more possibilities,” Sapolin said. “We can make some really amazing things happen for this chapter and for the community as a whole. It’s really motivational for everyone in our organization.”

Eta Pi is open to all majors, and recruitment occurs during both spring and fall semesters. To find out more about Pi Sigma Epsilon and OHIO’s Eta Pi chapter, visit ohio.pse.org.