There is, without a doubt, a lot of buzz about the new girls in town – Sigma Delta Tau, or SDT, is the most recent addition to the Stevens Interfraternity Council. In response to the growing enrollment of female students as well as the concurrent rise of Greek pledges, the university sought out potential candidate sororities to join the IFC, and in the past semester SDT won out against all other sororities that submitted their bid for a presence in Stevens campus life. And it’s easy to see why.
Sigma Delta Tau began at Cornell University in 1917 as a Jewish women’s society, during a time when solidarity amongst religious and social minorities was crucial. As such, the sorority advocates for equality and diversity when seeking out pledgees. Their mission is committed to Empowering Women, which is a redeeming message for the modest female population of Stevens. This year, SDT Stevens aims to recruit at least 50 women in total to compose the Founding Class.
One of the most pressing challenges that SDT faces is whether it has historically thrived at tech schools or predominantly male campuses, and how a brand-new sorority can seamlessly incorporate itself into university life.
“Sigma Delta Tau has always sought out the most prestigious colleges and universities to establish new chapters,” remarks Beth Gruber, the National Extension Chairwoman of Sigma Delta Tau who hails from Lake Grove, New York.
Sigma Delta Tau holds its sisters in high regard, and advocates for strength in character in several core facets, including academic achievement and leadership development. “SDT is committed to providing every sister with the opportunities to gain a skill set that will serve her well in her personal and professional life,” adds Gruber. “ Being a founding member of Sigma Delta Tau will allow women to create the first chapter programs and traditions, jump into leadership chapter leadership positions and attend national and regional leadership training and development conferences.”
The sorority founded the Safe Smart Dating program, and was the first to do so in coalition with a fraternity. It’s more than your average sex talk: the program includes assertion lessons and even self-defense classes in the event they are needed. SDT seeks to encourage all girls to be learned in protecting themselves, and continues to grow and add new programs, even amongst its already successful ones.
On that note, a wonderful circumstance of SDT’s existence is that it cares not only about the women within its sorority, but also women around the globe. In addition to the emphasis placed on scholarliness, SDT also sets the bar high in philanthropy – the sorority is a national partner with not one but three charity organizations: Prevent Child Abuse America, Jewish Women International, and Women for Women International. Sigma Delta Tau raises over $100,000 annually for their causes towards research, aid, and awareness, once again solidifying the unity between scholarly and humane development in SDT sisters.
At the Meet the Greeks Super Smoker on Wednesday, student representatives from SDT’s Beta Tau chapter at Rutgers University and Gamma Xi at Montclair State University made a splash – at a table set up at Palmer Lawn, they warmly greeted potential pledges and fellow Greek organizations, and were eager to introduce themselves and their mission with Sigma Delta Tau. They were thrilled to discuss the possibilities of collaboration with a new chapter nearby, and encouraged interested rushees to attend an interest meeting to discuss the perquisites of pledging (and the free goodies were certainly a plus).
Said interest meeting took place in Babbio 319 immediately after the Smoker. In addition to the basic information session, the meeting took a forum-style approach, welcoming discussion of the sorority’s integration into the university as well as an extensive Q&A for those who were totally unfamiliar with the pledging process. During the interest meeting, the SDT representatives informed attendees of the Fraternity & Sorority Orientation on Wednesday, September 3rd at 9:00 in Fielding to learn more about joining the Stevens Greek community.
Though SDT is a reputable sorority nationwide, it has particularly strong leverage on the east coast, where many of its national philanthropic and seminarial conferences are located. Thirty-four of SDT’s approximately 100 chapters are located at colleges in the tri-state area alone, so Stevens should expect an easy transition onto the national stage.
Stevens warmly welcomes the Delta Nu Chapter of Sigma Delta Tau. Ladies, it’s not too late to check it out!
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