Sorority Spotlight: The New Girls on the Block

Watch out Penn State— with the one-year anniversary of the Phi Sigma Sigma chapter at Penn State coming up, the new(est) girls on the sorority block, are ready to make their mark in the community.

Recently, Valley was able to speak with sophomore hospitality major, and a founding member of Penn State’s Phi Sigma Sigma chapter, Emily Sweigart about her sorority and the impact they hope to make on campus.

Building a sorority from scratch can be a challenge, but it’s one the founding girls were happy to accept. They completed their first formal recruitment process this past Sept. with the main focus of the chapter being to establish their reputation and make a name for themselves on campus.

For Phi Sigma Sigma, personality and girls who seek to “aim high,” as their motto signifies, is what went into picking girls for their new member class, which they are very excited about.

Although they sought to pick a new member class that would have similar attributes, Sweigart made it clear that Phi Sigma Sigma doesn’t have a cookie-cutter image that could be attached to their name.

“We’re just a collage of girls with different goals and interests but all blend together and mesh well, which is what makes a sorority successful,” says Sweigart.

Being new on campus left a lot of room for making impressions and because there was so much unknown about the chapter last year, the girls were given the chance to meet lots of different people throughout the Greek community. “We’ve gotten the chance to social with all different frats because no one knew the kind of girls we were yet. It’s been great getting to meet the different people of Greek life,” says Sweigart.

One way the girls are planning to make their mark on campus is through philanthropy. Sweigart says, “we’re all down to earth genuine girls, who want to make a difference not only with Penn State and the community, but in each other’s lives. That’s why we’re so excited for our philanthropy event. Philanthropy is such an important part of our sorority, so with THON and our event coming (up) we’re excited to make an impact.”

Their first philanthropic Kickball event is going to be at Spikes Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Oct. 4 2015, from 12-4p.m. Sweigart says to expect carnival games, a photo booth, dance performances and a whole bunch of other fun activities, which anyone can participate it for $5. The proceeds are going towards their national philanthropy, School and College Readiness.

Regarding the event, Sweigart says “it’s our first impression on campus and reflects how hard we’ve worked so far!”

With a solid first year so far and a chance to be a positive group on the campus, the girls of Phi Sigma Sigma are ready to show Penn State who they are and what they can do.