My name is Stacey McShane and I am the Recruitment Co-Chair for Phi Sigma Sigma along with my friend and new member sister, Jackie Raseman. American University offers young women on our campus the amazing chance to go through sorority recruitment in the Spring. Sororities on our campus offer amazing leadership, philanthropic, and social opportunities that one could not receive from any other campus organization. Spring recruitment is great because it gives you the chance to meet women from every sorority and gives us a chance to share with you what makes Phi Sigma Sigma so unique.
Joining Phi Sig was the best decision I ever made in college- I can’t imagine how my college experience would have played out without the support and friendship of my sisters. Jackie and I provide a great example of this. We had never met until bid day and might have never crossed paths at American University without Phi Sig. Our friendship continued to grow over the years and now as seniors we live near each other off campus, go out together on weekends, and work really well together as recruitment chairs. This is just one story, but I'm sure my sisters could give you thousands of others.
Feel free to contact Jackie or me with any questions. We would love to meet you before recruitment begins and look forward to seeing you there!
Stacey McShane (mcshane.stacey@american.edu)
Jackie Raseman (jr5183a@student.american.edu)
Phi Sigma Sigma is a dynamic sisterhood of powerful women dedicated to inspiring the personal development of each sister. We believe in creating a fun, safe environment fostering friendship and offering a variety of enriching experiences. We accomplish these goals through our:
Based on our core values, our programming is designed to meet the lifestyle of today’s college woman, encourage academic achievement, and provide the means for personal growth.
Our sisters have access to resources and support from staff at our international Phi Sigma Sigma Headquarters. The Beta Upsilon chapter also has dedicated advisors and alumnae who assist with academic and personal challenges, programs, and administrative functions.
After graduation, local alumnae groups ensure that wherever a Phi Sigma Sigma moves she will have a network of sisters to rely on.
Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies are available to members through the support of the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. Phi Sigma Sigma also offers Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) scholarships to members desiring to further their leadership potential.
The accomplishments of our chapters and individual members are recognized at Convention and Leadership Training School. We believe in acknowledging achievement as our sisters strive to aim high and uphold Phi Sigma Sigma’s goals and values.
Phi Sigma Sigmas are exposed to a wealth of opportunities for building leadership, management, financial, and organizational skills. Members can assume leadership positions in local chapters, and take part in national and regional workshops and national conferences such as Convention and Leadership Conferences.
Phi Sigma Sigma is passionate about sharing individuality. Religion, cultural beliefs, and traditions are openly accepted throughout all of our chapters. We welcome women of all religious backgrounds and customs. No member of Phi Sigma Sigma will ever have to feel uncomfortable participating in our rituals because they are not based on scripture from any religion. Instead, Phi Sigma Sigma celebrates the qualities that make each sister unique while uniting all members through common ritual.
What we offer: Phi Sigma Sigma is a great way to meet people on campus - whether they are involved with Greek life or not. We think it’s great when our sisters have friends and roommates outside of Phi Sig! Phi Sigma Sigma makes it easy for you to choose your level of involvement. While we do have required weekly meetings and philanthropy events, we also offer many other optional activities such as sisterhood dinners and wellness workshops. You can count on Phi Sig for adventures too, like snow tubing in the winter and river rafting over the summer.
We’re well rounded too: The women of Phi Sigma Sigma are all over campus. Each of us participates in other aspects of life at AU. Our sisters are captains of sports teams, dedicated intramural players, Student Government leaders, writers for The Eagle, directors of Women’s Initiative, talent in Dime A Dozen, assistant at the GLBTA Resource Center, tour guides for the Student Ambassadors, coordinators of alternative breaks, members of both the College Democrats and the College Republicans, musicians in the orchestra, religious followers with Jewish Student Union, and so much more.
Ways we get involved in the community: Our sisters hold impressive internships with the National Institutes of Health, Department of Homeland Security, D.C. Public Schools, the United States Navy, and more.
Believe it! A Phi Sigma Sigma can balance good grades, a real job, multiple campus commitments and still have time for her Phi Sig sisters.
More questions about having time outside of Phi Sig? Contact Stacey, one of our Membership Recruitment Chairs, at mcshane.stacey@american.edu.
What we do: We hold mandatory study hours for new members where current sisters may also join to do school work. The academic performance of our new members is important to us. Therefore, our Scholarship Chair works closely with new members to make sure their grades are not compromised during the new member process.
Why we do it: Phi Sigma Sigma understands that school comes first. We are all students, just like you, and we also feel the pressures of academic life at American University. Luckily for us, we have sisters in all five schools at AU who display a wide variety of experiences and academic interests. Our Scholarship Chair will match new members up with someone more experienced in any particular subject based on a database we keep of sisters' past and present classes. This database provides a powerful mentoring system in which one sister can help another sister further her studies in a multitude of subjects. No matter the need—Spanish, international studies, accounting, or film and media arts - we have somebody who can help you succeed.
More questions about Phi Sig and your GPA? Contact Avery, our Scholarship Chair, at ab6201a@student.american.edu
Who says?: Universities around the country are adopting strict regulations forbidding hazing of any kind, such as American University. Moreover, Phi Sigma Sigma is proud to administer and uphold an Anti-Hazing Policy for every chapter of our international organization. Hazing is illegal and therefore not tolerated under any circumstances - nationally and here at AU.
What you get instead: After bid night, new members will have four weeks to get to know each other through a variety of activities including group outings, community service events, sisterhood dinners, study hours, and day trips. New members will have the chance to meet all of our sisters and develop an understanding and personal connection with our ideals, goals, and character as a sorority.
We look forward to our Spring 2010 New Member Class!
More questions about the new member process? Contact Farah, our Sisterhood Development Chair, at fs5521a@student.american.edu.
Why you pay: Didn’t we learn an important lesson in “Confessions of a Shopoholic”—it’s not about the cost it’s about the WORTH. Our strong numbers prove that we value the worth of this sisterhood far beyond its monetary cost. Phi Sigma Sigma is an exciting and meaningful way to get involved on campus, make a difference in the D.C. community, jump-start your career, and build lifelong friendships.
What you pay for: Your dues pay for your membership in our respected international sorority. Dues also support the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation, and all other philanthropy events in which Phi Sigma Sigma is involved. Dues make everything possible— from formal and crush to our parents’ brunch and the annual Leadership Conference.
How we help you: To ease the financial burden, Phi Sigma Sigma offers payment plans where sisters can pay their dues over the course of the semester. Phi Sigma Sigma also offers a variety of scholarships, supported by alumnae and the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. Last year, the Beta Upsilon chapter established a fund of $10,000 to aid sisters of our chapter in paying for their education! We were recognized at the biennial Phi Sigma Sigma Convention for this honorable donation.
Register for Spring 2010 Recruitment with American University Office of Greek Life here.
American University Greek Life
Phi Sigma Sigma - Beta Upsilon's Facebook Page
Phi Sigma Sigma International Web Site