MOSCOW, Idaho — Hunter Chapin, the surviving brother of Ethan Chapin - one of the victims in the tragic University of Idaho murders that occurred last November - was awarded the Ethan Chapin Memorial Scholarship Wednesday evening by the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Ethan was a triplet with his brother, Hunter and sister, Maizie. The ceremony took place at the Sigma Chi fraternity house in Moscow. Both Ethan and Hunter are members of the fraternity.
Donors from around the world raised more than $125,000 to honor the late Ethan Chapin. The total funds raised will go towards the University of Idaho chapter of Sigma Chi through an annual gift of $5,000 in perpetuity, according to Jeff Burnside, Sigma Chi Director of Development for the Northwest Region.
"Hundreds of donors (including New Zealand and Europe and elsewhere) were inspired to give to this scholarship - lots of Sigma Chi alumni but mostly non-Sigma Chis," Burnside added.
Hunter was unanimously chosen to receive the first Sigma Chi scholarship in Ethan's name. The Ethan Chapin scholarship will be awarded annually, with Hunter being the first recipient, as a way to honor his beloved late brother.
The University of Idaho Sig recipient(s) of the scholarship are those who best exemplify the character of Ethan Chapin - making it incredibly poignant that Hunter is the first recipient.
Ethan's immediate family was in attendance to witness Hunter receive the scholarship. His mother and father, Stacy and Jim, as well as his sister, Maizie.
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Burnside said the scholarship funds may be distributed in a variety of ways - awarded to one person or even five - with $1,000 each or any combination thereof.
"It's largely up to the local scholarship committee that includes Stacy, Maizie and, next year, Hunter too, as well as several local alumni who volunteer with the chapter," Burnside elaborated. He stated that all such funds pay the university directly for tuition for the awardee. The funds do not go directly to the undergraduate.
Maizie, too, is involved in the fraternity, as the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi at UI. She helped present the scholarship to her brother in Moscow at the event Wednesday.
"We have a beautiful bronze plaque to mount in the chapter house so that future generations will know about Ethan and the scholarship - to help see that his memory lives on," Burnside said.
The scholarship website for the Ethan Chapin Memorial Scholarship Fund states that the award was established to "honor the memory of brother Ethan Chapin, IDAHO 2025, who entered Chapter Eternal following the tragic events of Sunday, November 13 in Moscow, Idaho."
The site says the Memorial Scholarship will forever recognize Ethan Chapin's legacy. Included is the following:
"We join the Gamma Eta Chapter in remembering a young man who was deeply loved and respected, as well as extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of Ethan, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen."
"All Honor To Their Names."
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