This fraternity is very special to me. The camaraderie is all there. Uh The brotherhood’s all there a year after the killings on King’s Road. The Sigma Chi fraternity brothers at the University of Idaho are sharing their memories about Ethan Chapin.
The four students we talked to are from Eagle Meridian and Grangeville Idaho, our Maggie o’mara went to the Sigma Chi house and heard about their love for Ethan and how they’re trying to heal together here at the Sigma Chi House at the University of Idaho. Memories of Ethan Chapin are everywhere.
I have never met someone who’s so like universally loved. Everyone liked him. He was just like the happiest person to be around. Everyone wanted to be around him. Losing Ethan in such a tragic way has impacted each of these students. The feelings and the emotions are still fresh right after that happened.
I mean, it was, it was a madhouse up in Moscow. There’s news people everywhere and I don’t know it was just no one knew what was going on really because it stuff like that doesn’t really happen in a town like this. But I think as a house, we all banded together.
It was hard because a lot of people went home. I felt way better when I was up here with my brothers rather than being at home. I needed to be around these guys talking about what I was feeling, talking about.
Maybe we wanna talk about memories of the year. All of us knew that no one was gonna look down on them for sharing their emotions or, you know, anything like that, how we handled that as a fraternity. It wasn’t one person handling the situation. We handled it as a brotherhood
And I think that really helped us get through. They each shared happy memories of you think the coolest guy you’ll ever meet. That’s, that’s about it right there. He was a really big funny happy guy. Wouldn’t someone walk in the room? Like not just me, anybody.
Um He would welcome you into the room. He was always very kind in everything that he did. He always called me Gussie Gus in this little raspy voice, you know, emotionally always there for people. One of my favorite memories with him was my apartment flooded one night after a big party because
There was all sorts of plumbing problems with its in house. Went over to Zana’s and I was hanging out with the two of them and we just talked for like hours and hours and Zana made us grilled cheese sandwiches and
Ethan and I are just sitting there talking. So that’s one of like my, my most like cherished memories with him. You know, like I just, I think back to that night a lot and I try to focus on nights like that rather than the sad ones when it comes to e
The brothers lost Ethan’s girlfriend, Zana Coronal that terrible night too. Him and Zana were just like the most perfect couple. You can imagine. That’s just how she was like, she was just able to come over here and hang out with all the dudes. And it was like, oh, hey, what’s up, Zana?
He said that Ethan was like the most universally loved person on campus. I think Zana was right up there with Ethan. Like I everyone loves Zana, everyone loved Ethan. Both of them were just flourishing, flourishing for sure. Hunter Chapin Ethan’s brother is also a member of this house.
It was kind of tough because it was a subject that he didn’t want to talk about for a while. Just kind of letting him know that we are there. If he ever does want to talk, just kind of knowing that that’s open for him
If he ever does need a release to, to let his emotions out to us. When we were there, the first Sigma Chi Ethan Chapin Memorial scholarship was awarded to Hunter, the Chapin family was there, his mom, his dad, his sister Maisie
And there was a standing ovation. I think it obviously means a lot. Um going to Hunter, you know, we’re talking all about e right now, but Hunter is right there with him, you know, like they’re, they’re very, very similar people, especially with what hunter’s coming through, obviously.
And then the way he’s come out on the other end, like the person he is now, like, personally, I don’t think I could be not ok. The word isn’t ok but be, yeah, that strong, um, in a situation like that, like if I were to lose one of my brothers for a hunter
To go through all that and then come out on the other end, you know, as strong and as great of a man as he is now like that exemplifies everything Ethan did. Um, in the past and I think it’s 100% hunter is deserving of it.
I think it means a lot that, uh, Sigma guy took the, the bull by the horns and made this scholarship a thing in the world, uh, raised 100 and $25,000 for the scholarship, which is absolutely insane. Um, and that’s $5000 to a Sigma Chi every single year, which is incredible.
And I don’t think there’s a better way to honor Ethan than to just help some more people help more people go to college. Exactly. He did. He gave his whole life. So let’s keep on giving in the name of
Ethan, the scholarship award plaque and photos of Ethan will live on here at Sigma Chi Forever. We all are wearing these bracelets. I don’t know if I can’t see. Yeah, we all are from, yeah, mine’s all faded.
We got these at his memorial last year and they said live life like Ethan on him. And I haven’t taken mine off since and every morning when I look at my wrist and I see this, I just know I should live life like Ethan that day.
So I think that the the stories of Ethan are gonna just go from generation to generation from pledge class to pledge class. And I think that’s amazing that his story will be shared with everyone. Everyone can hopefully live life like Ethan. Over the last few nights,
Maggie has spoken with the University of Idaho about healing for the students and staff. She spoke to the Gonzalez family about Kaylee and Maddie and she sat down with the Chapman family as well and to watch all of those stories and to see the extended interviews and
More content on this one year anniversary, which is this week you can go to K TV B dot com. We are also airing a half hour long special honoring the victims coming up this Friday at 7 p.m. on K TV B.
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