By TISA MASON
Fort Hays State University President
In times of crisis, true character is revealed. And once again, Fort Hays State University students have shown that our Tiger Nation is defined by compassion, leadership, and service to others.
When an EF3 tornado tore through the town of Grinnell on May 18, the destruction left behind was almost beyond comprehension. Everyday life was upended in moments. Homes were gone. Machinery was broken and twisted. As images and stories of the devastation circulated, a group of our students, the brothers of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, decided they couldn’t simply watch from afar. They would go. They would help.
Sig Epp Cade Becker, a junior from Hays, heard about the damage through family and friends. Moved by what he learned, he rallied his fraternity brothers to gather tools and supplies—rakes, shovels, contractor bags—and head to Grinnell on May 31. What they encountered was, in the words of junior Anthony Arial of Hays, “like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole.”
In addition to Cade and Anthony, Sig Ep brothers Ryan Oglesby, Wichita, and Micah Von Stroh, Wichita, along with Sig Ep alum Julian Bixenman of Colby, Cade’s dad, Nathan Houser, and grandpa Lynn Houser, both of Plainville, pitched in to help.
They got to work in a nearby wheat field, just half a mile from town, near a farmhouse that had been reduced to rubble. A church nearby stood without its roof. The brothers cleared debris—metal, wood, fragments of lives interrupted—so the community could begin harvesting again in a few weeks. Their work didn’t erase the damage, but it moved Grinnell one step closer to recovery.
What struck me most about Cade and Anthony’s reflections wasn’t the magnitude of the task but the altruistic mindset they brought with them. They weren’t looking for recognition. They were guided by the core values of their fraternity—virtue, diligence, and brotherly love—and by the culture of care we strive to nurture in our Tiger Nation.
“If you don’t put action behind the words, what does it mean?” Anthony asked. That’s a question all of us should take to heart.
At FHSU, we talk often about our deep connection to western Kansas. Many of our students come from rural communities. Many of our alumni return to those communities as leaders, educators, builders, and changemakers. What these young men demonstrated in Grinnell is the very spirit of western Kansas—neighbors helping neighbors, showing up when it matters most, and choosing community over convenience.
Cade said it best: “Helping your neighbor is the Kansas heart. That’s what we are known for.”
Indeed, it is. And this group of young men showed that being a Tiger means more than academic success or personal growth. It means rising to the moment, responding with empathy, and making a difference in the lives of others.
To Cade, Anthony, and all the Sig Ep brothers who stepped up: thank you for reminding us what it means to live the Tiger Pact. You are building more than balanced men—you are building hope, one act of service at a time.