Before going fishing Sunday, some new members of Sigma Phi Epsilon volunteered their time with Carbondale Clean and Green to clean debris from a section of the railroad tracks.

Thirteen new members of the Alpha Rho class spent an hour and a half Sunday cleaning garbage from the railroad tracks from Grand Avenue to Walnut Street.

An active member of the fraternity, Chris R. Kepka, a senior in Cinema from Addison, said this area was chosen by the new members after they called the city to find out what areas needed to be done.

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The fraternity has exceeded its required weekly two hours of community service per member.

“[The new members] have done 10 hours this week,” said Sigma Phi Epsilon new member educator Rob Honke, a senior from Alton.

The fraternity participates in other volunteer activities such the multiple sclerosis walk, blood drives and car washes and has the second-highest number of community service hours.

Each new member class of Sigma Phi Epsilon is expected to do volunteer work.

“It feels good to help the community while representing our house,” said Matt D. Werkman, a freshman in biological science from Decatur.

The men picked up a variety of garbage ranging from an old barbecue to eight tires.

The object they found most interesting was a fishing rod holder they debated keeping for their fishing trip that afternoon.

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