Sig Ep. names Neb. frosh 'balanced man'

Bradley Whiteley is a man for all seasons. At least the brothers of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity think so. Whiteley was among 30 anxious freshmen gathered at the Sig Ep house Wednesday night for the third annual presentation of the Balanced Man Scholarship Award. The lucky Whiteley was this year's winner, beating out the fierce competition. The 30 finalists were chosen from a pool of 290 applicants, up from 230 last year. The award is based on high school extracurricular activities such as athletics, community service and leadership qualities, said Sig Ep's Balanced Man Scholarship Chairperson Mark Arnold, a Wharton senior. Arnold told the finalists that "the scholarship seeks to recognize those outstanding individuals who display leadership and balance of character in their daily lives." Sig Ep funds the award annually to offer a positive contribution to the Penn community. All incoming male freshmen are eligible for the award. Whiteley, from Lincoln, Neb., received a $600 grant as part of the first prize award. He called the award "a true honor," adding, "It's a lot of hard work...but it is worth being a balanced man." Keynote speaker Steve Kreider, a former Rhodes Scholarship finalist and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, opened the evening with a humorous anecdote dating from his time at the Bengals' training camp. A teammate assumed that Kreider's electrical engineering background would be of help in the repair of an air conditioner. As it turned out, the problem was that the player "had the air conditioner sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, with the cold air going out one end and the hot air going out the other." Kreider joked, "You can see the virtues of being a balanced man. There I was in that difficult situation, and because I'd had that engineering education, I was able to help him out." In assessing the value of a "balanced man," Kreider said, "I think if you have balance in your view, and balance in your experience, then it's a lot easier to make good decisions under stress." He said, however, that he does not agree with the traditional view that a balanced person is one who has many accomplishments in diverse fields. "To me," Kreider said, "balance means, often, sacrificing things. And balance means making decisions that lead you places where you don't get credit." He also asked the finalists to think about their goals for the future. Although they are probably thinking, as he once did, of success in their careers, he advised them to remember: "I should work very hard at my job...[but] I should save some of myself for my family and my community." After Kreider's remarks, Conrad Eberstein, a Sig Ep alumnus, spoke briefly, telling the finalists that "the purpose of the...scholarship is to acknowledge achievement and to encourage you to keep on." The second place award of a $300 grant went to Nick Lemen, a Wharton freshman. Third place winner Parker Gregg, also a Wharton freshman, received a $250 grant. The winners' list of accomplishments was impressive, and many combined academic achievement with athletic prowess, as well as success in other fields.

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