Greek Life fundraisers and events have been canceled due to the pandemic, however, our Greek Life Organizations have been finding unique ways to stay connected during this difficult time. Although these organizations can not physically be together in the same room, many have started to incorporate online activities and meetings into their weekly routine.
Sigma Phi Epsilon strives to keep their chapter as normal as possible. Their president, Daniel Raleigh, mentioned that they continue to regularly hold chapter meetings and all committee meetings virtually. They also have come up with a new way to hold discussions with their brothers. Raleigh added, “Along with all of these virtual meetings every week, we have been having ‘Sound Mind’ talks that are discussions on different topics such as Virtue, Diligence, Brotherly Love and other values we have dedicated ourselves to. We also have yoga sessions, discussions about the market, and normal hangouts every day. Finally, we are working on different community service, philanthropy, and large scale events now that we are accustomed to being virtual.”
Theta Phi Alpha has also come up with unique ways to stay in touch. Their president, Rachel Bailey, mentioned that all of their future events are optional so that the sisters can focus on things such as schoolwork or staying healthy when necessary. Bailey added, “A lot of our sisters came up with great ideas on how to move forward! One of our sisters, Jen Searing, created a “movie club,” deriving inspiration from your usual book club, where sisters stream a Netflix movie together virtually and talk about it! Our next movie is The Princess Diaries and I am very excited about it.”
“Moreover, one of our graduating sisters, Katie Van Orden, revitalized our “coffee-buddies” application that pairs two sisters together each week to, under normal circumstances, get coffee together. Now, we are making our own coffee at home and FaceTiming one another to enjoy it together/catch up.”
Since their formal was cancelled, they also plan to host a virtual formal. “We still plan on dressing up virtually for fun (some of our sisters have been planning their outfits, you know). We also want to host a virtual zoom meeting at the end of the semester to honor and hear memories from our graduating sisters, since they have given so much to our chapter these past years, and deserve a proper sendoff.”
Theta Phi Alpha, along with the majority of the Greek Life Organizations, continues to keep their Instagram active. Many have been posting pictures of their members doing things they enjoy and creating unique Instagram stories involving polls and questions to keep their followers engaged.
Mary Mcneil, president of Phi Sigma Sigma, says that they plan to continue their regular meetings and post unique Instagram stories. They also have started to utilize Zoom, the online platform that classes are now held on. “Several initiatives we are focusing on maintaining is our biweekly Chapter meetings now being conducted via Zoom, continuing our social media presence by highlighting sisters’ hometowns as well as our wonderful seniors, and working on integration with our newest initiated class”
Mcneil expressed that their chapter has been focusing on the importance of communication. Their risk management chair has been making sure that sisters stay in touch and focus on their physical and mental health. “Throughout this entire time, communication has been key in making sure everyone is accommodating to the situation as smoothly as possible and ensuring the well being of our members. I am proud to say that the entire sisterhood has shown nothing but love and support for one another, and we are all eager to see how the virtual events playout for the remainder of the semester!”
This has been a very difficult time for our Greek Life Organizations. They must say goodbye to their senior members that they expected to have more time with. However, they are all coming up with unique ways to stay connected online while staying healthy at home.
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