Sigma Psi is one of the oldest and largest local women’s fraternities in the United States. It is the oldest sorority on Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

’s campus.

History

In the late 19th century, students at universities across the country began meeting to study and socialize on a formal basis. They began to label their group meetings with Greek letters. On the Western Reserve University campus, Elsie Davies broke from one of the Greek groups (that had no lettered name) on March 7, 1897, and immediately formed the sorority of Sigma Psi. The girls that remained in the group that Elsie had left later became a formal sorority, Delta Phi Upsilon. Delta Phi Upsilon was later colonized as the Delta Omega chapter of Phi Mu

Phi Mu

Phi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...

 in January, 1985.

Elsie Davies, Cornelia Olmstead, Grace Lottridge, Edith Lottridge, and Anna Camp founded the sorority and then immediately pledged Mary Case, Clare Metcalf, and Elizabeth Coit. So immediate was this pledging that all eight of the women are considered founding members. Having initiated the first pledge class, the original members set off fireworks from the roof of Clark Hall on the Mather Quad, nearly burning the building down. Currently, there is a room in the basement of Clark Hall named ‘The Sigma Psi Room,’ in recognition of a donation from the sorority.

The centennial of the sorority was celebrated on the CWRU campus in 1997. A party was held in Thwing student center and attended by several hundred alumnae and current members. Additionally, in honor of this milestone, Representative Louis Stokes

Louis Stokes

Louis Stokes is a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives....

 flew the flag on the behalf of Sigma Psi

Sigma Psi

Sigma Psi is one of the oldest and largest local women’s fraternities in the United States. It is the oldest sorority on Case Western Reserve University’s campus.-History:...

 Sorority on May 27, 1997, over the U.S. Capitol Building.

The founders

• Elsie Davies
• Cornelia Olmstead
• Grace Lottridge
• Edith Lottridge
• Anna Camp
• Mary Case
• Clare Metcalf
• Elizabeth Coit

Scholarship

Sigma Psi maintains that academics are the primary reason students seek a collegiate education, and as such have established programming and minimum GPAs in order to help keep members academically successful. The Scholarship Chairs of Sigma Psi hold several study jams every week and run both the Daffodil and Emerald Sisters Programs. The Daffodil Program is a friendly competition, in which teams that keep track of their best scores can win prizes at the end of each semester. The Emerald Sisters program is a mentorship program in which an older sister studies with a younger sister of the same or a similar major.

Philanthropy and Volunteerism

As a local sorority, Sigma Psi tends to concentrate its philanthropic and volunteer efforts in the Cleveland community. The major philanthropy event is the annual Mr. CWRU (Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

) Beauty Pageant. All proceeds from the event benefit the East Cleveland Neighborhood Center, which features afterschool programming, summer camps, tutoring, and more. The 32nd Mr. CWRU was held in 2010, with the theme being "The Magic of Mr. CWRU." The competition is held to be a faux humorous pageant, and contestants have been known to sing ballads in Batman

Batman

Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

 costumes and participate in generally slapstick behavior. In 2007, the Plain Dealer listed Mr. CWRU as a top event to attend for the upcoming weekend in the city of Cleveland.

The Sigma Psi corporation has also donated back to Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

 when the opportunity has presented itself. Room 210 in Clark Hall, located on Mather Quad, is named The Sigma Psi Room, in honor of a charitable donation the sorority has made towards the upkeep of the building.

Recruitment

The sororities of Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

 practice formal recruitment. Every Spring semester, all eight of the sororities participate in a four day recruitment process.
In the past, Sigma Psi used to participate solely in informal recruitment, but changed their practice when they joined the Panhellenic Council.

Awards and citations

In Fall 2010, Sigma Psi was awarded the Theta Chi

Theta Chi

Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta...

 Citation of Honor by their Beta Nu chapter. This award was given in recognition of over 100 years of friendly and helpful relations between the two chapters. Sigma Psi is the only chapter on Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

’s campus to have ever received this award. For a better definition of this Citation, please see this