fall 2013 anchor

Vol. 36 No. 2 Fall 2013

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Rachel Hale:Our American Idol9 Service Immersion

Trip 201314

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2 The Anchor fall 2013

In This Issue

20

26

Alumnae

Collegians

Service Immersion Trip 2013

Collegians and AlumnaeWorking Together for a Good Cause

14

15

Greeks on the Hill12

Panhellenic: Am I Usingthe Right Language?13

National Council Nominations10

Gamma Delta Reactsto Boston Marathon Bombings11

Collegiate Chapters Transition to New Officer Structure6

A New Look for The National Foundation7

From the President5

Advisor Academy8

Alpha Sigma Tau’s American Idol9

Smart Choices16

Sorority Soldier17

The Heart of a Warrior18

Miss Arkansas USA19

35 Anchoring Thoughts

fall 2013 The Anchor 3

Alpha Sigma Tau is a National Sorority dedicated to promoting the ethical, cultural and social growth of our members. Founded at Michigan State Normal College (Eastern Michigan University), November 4, 1899, by Mable Chase, Ruth Dutcher, May Gephart, Harriett Marx, Eva O’Keefe, Adriance Rice, Helene M. Rice and Mayene Tracy.

National CouncilNational President: Christina Duggan Covington, Alpha LambdaNational Vice President: Tamara Stegehuis Bonifield, Beta XiNational Vice President: Jamie Jones Miller, PsiNational Vice President: Allison Miller, PhiNational Vice President: Tiffany Street, Delta MuNational Vice President: Kristin Walker, Alpha Lambda

National FoundationPresident: Deborah McCain Pyszka, Alpha NuVice President: Gail Shockley Fowler, Alpha LambdaVice President: Michel Hujarski Golob, Delta AlphaVice President: Kristin Haskin, Beta PiDirector, Stewardship Development: Charlotte Evans Floyd, PsiDirector, New Donor Development: Melinda Henry Oates, Gamma Gamma

National Panhellenic ConferenceAlpha Sigma Tau Delegate: Elizabeth Knaus McOsker, Alpha LambdaFirst Alternate Delegate: Carol Zorger Mooney, Alpha LambdaSecond Alternate Delegate: Jamie Jones Miller, PsiThird Alternate Delegate: Joanne Rupprecht Walter, Psi

Alpha Sigma Tau National Home Pagewww.alphasigmatau.org

National Headquarters3334 Founders Road; Indianapolis, Indiana 46268Phone: (317) 613-7575 Fax: (317) 613-7111

THE ANCHOR is the official magazine of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority, and is published semiannually by the Alpha Sigma Tau National Sorority, 3334 Founders Road; Indianapolis, Indiana 46268

How to Receive THE ANCHORCollegiate members receive THE ANCHOR through payment of their annual Sorority dues to their chapters. Copies are mailed to each undergraduate member’s permanent address as designated on her membership list submitted to National Headquarters. Alumnae members receive THE ANCHOR through payment of their annual alumnae dues to either National Headquarters or through their local alumnae association ($40 annually).

How to Update Your Name and AddressYou may call (317) 613-7575 or e-mail us at [email protected]. If you prefer to submit your information via US mail, please complete the form on the National Homepage and mail it to: Alpha Sigma Tau National Headquarters, 3334 Founders Road; Indianapolis, IN 46268.

How to Contact THE [email protected]

How to Send a Letter to the EditorDo you have a comment about an article in this or any other issue of THE ANCHOR? We want to hear from you! Letters to THE ANCHOR can be sent to the editor via email [email protected]; regular mail THE ANCHOR, 3334 Founders Road; Indianapolis, IN 46268; or fax (317) 613-7111). Please include your name, chapter, school and year of initiation. THE ANCHOR reserves the right to publish any letter addressed to the Editor and edit for space and clarity.

A Note to Parents of CollegiansYour daughter’s magazine is being mailed to her home address while she is in college. We hope you enjoy reading it, too. If your daughter is no longer in college or living at home, please send us her updated address, as indicated above.

THE ANCHOR StaffEditor: Erika McManus Bukva, Delta RhoAssociate Editor: Carole Bicking Keily, Alpha XiCollegiate Editor: Beverly Singel Molnar, DeltaAlumnae Editor: Kirsten Newman Heck, Gamma PiDesign Editor: Rachel Carlson, Beta EtaPhoto Editor: Melanie Martin, Delta Eta

On the Cover: Sisters in Hawaii during the 2013 Service Immersion Trip May 19-26, 2013.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Summer passed so quickly with the Alpha Sigma Tau Service Immersion Trip to Hawaii in May, both the Officer Academy in Indianapolis and the Advisor Academy in Chicago in June, and the National Council Meeting in August in Atlanta.

I can hardly believe fall is here! Each day I see our members’ excitement as Alpha Sigma Taus share our exceptional sisterhood through fall recruitment. Chapter leaders are using the skills they learned at Officer Academy to strengthen and focus chapter growth through member skill development and execution and clear goal setting based on our values. It is so thrilling to see Alpha Sigma Tau succeed like never before with recruitment.

Alpha Sigma Tau continues to not only grow our existing chapters – we had over a 33% growth in membership over the past five years - but by also growing our chapter roll. This past spring Alpha Sigma Tau welcomed our Epsilon Rho (State University of New York at Geneseo) and our Epsilon Pi Chapters (Rhode Island College), and this fall we welcome our Beta Rho Colony (Arkansas Tech University).

Alumnae involvement in providing chapter support is high! Over 300 advisors have been appointed, over 70% of our Chapter Advisory Board positions

filled, and every collegiate chapter has at least one appointed advisor! We are well on our way to filling all advisory positions with excited, trained and participating advisors.

This issue of THE ANCHOR shares alumnae excitement for the Sorority by engaged alumnae and individual achievements of members. You’ll see the experiences of members like Rachel Hale, Delta Eta (Belmont University), who made the top 25 on American Idol, and the lovely Hannah Billingsley, Upsilon (University of Central Arkansas), Miss Arkansas, who represented her state at the Miss USA Pageant.

You’ll also get an opportunity to see the brand-new Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation logo!

THE ANCHOR team has put together an issue full of fulfillment of self, beauty of spirit and exceptional sisterhood to inspire you. I hope you enjoy every word and every day as a member of our Exceptional Sisterhood!

Dream big,

Christina CovingtonNational PresidentAlpha Sigma Tau Sorority

Dear Sisters,

Officer AcAdemy by the numbers June 28-30, 2013

200 } Attendees &T-shirts swapped

Pillars of Social Excellence Curiosity, Generosity, Authenticity, Vulnerability4

7hours of Social Excellence training with Jessica Gendron Williams, Beta Pi Chapter (Phired Up Productions)

14 chapters piloting the new Member Development Program

21 chapters took a tour of HQ 32 chapters attended

RecruitmentBoot Camp

16 volunteer presenters from the Fraternal industry

10 Hot Topics discussed


Collegiate Chapters Transition to New Officer Structure

In November 2013, all Alpha Sigma Tau collegiate chapters will begin using a new collegiate chapter officer structure. The new structure, which is primarily based on chapter size, utilizes teams and committees to engage the maximum number of members. With a heavier emphasis on collaboration than the previous officer structure, the new structure promotes the development of teamwork, responsibility, accountability, and engagement among collegians.

Collegiate chapters, depending on their size, will transition into either the Crown Officer Structure, designed for chapters of 76 or more members; Pearl Officer Structure, designed for chapters of 31-75 members; or Anchor Officer Structure, designed for chapters of 30 or fewer members.

The Crown, Pearl, and Anchor Officer Structures all include an Executive Committee consisting of a Chapter President, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Organization Development, Vice President of Member Development, Vice President of Growth, and Vice President of Community Relations. Each of the Executive Committee officers oversees a team of officers. For instance, the Vice President of Finance oversees the Finance Team.

Also in the new officer structure are prescribed committees. Each chapter is expected to include the following committees: Nominations Committee, Bylaws Revision Committee, Budget Committee, Recruitment Committee, Risk Reduction Committee, Philanthropy Committee, and New Member Education Committee. The committee-based portion of the new collegiate chapter officer structure is intended to enhance leadership skills in chapter officers, reduce chapter officer burnout, and increase member engagement.

The new collegiate chapter officer structure was introduced in June 2013 at both Advisor Academy and Officer Academy, and many members, both collegiate and alumnae, are already looking forward to the transition. Following the structure’s introduction to collegiate officers at Officer Academy, collegians provided their feedback on the change. “I am very excited for this new structure,” said a collegiate officer. “It should help with communication and organization.”

“Based on experience in both a higher chapter size when a collegian and now a smaller size as an advisor, I think this is a GREAT idea and am looking forward to the transition,” stated a Chapter Advisory Board member. “I really think it’s going to take the stress off smaller groups that may feel like they’re drowning and keep larger groups’ members active and involved!”

Each stage of the creation and implementation of the new collegiate chapter officer structure included feedback from members. The decision to transition to a new structure was based on survey results from collegiate and Chapter Advisory Board members. Additionally, after introducing the new officer structure to collegians at Officer Academy, slight adjustments were made in the structure to best meet members’ needs. To ensure a smooth transition for collegiate chapters, Alpha Sigma Tau National Headquarters staff members are providing ongoing education to chapters through live webinars, accessible resources, and individualized attention. For questions regarding the new collegiate chapter officer structure, please call Alpha Sigma Tau National Headquarters at 317-613-7575 or email [email protected].

By Justina Solties, Gamma Theta Member Engagement Coordinator

Riley Wurtz, Delta Phi (New York University), is from a place where nothing happens. At least, that is, until horror came to her hometown of Sandy Hook, Connecticut last December.

According to Riley, Newtown and the village of Sandy Hook are as “small town” as you can get. Kids ride their bikes on the street, people visit the General Store in Newtown for sandwiches and, since there’s not much to do, people have to make their own fun. People know their neighbors.

That changed December 14, 2012, when tragedy struck Sandy Hook Elementary School. A school shooting took the lives of 26 people, most of them children.

Riley, away at NYU for her freshman year, couldn’t believe it. To her, it was unreal – things like this didn’t happen in Sandy Hook.

To honor the families affected and to give back to her community, Riley spent a day during her winter break that December doing arts and crafts projects with students from Sandy Hook Elementary. “I did arts and crafts in one of the rooms at the Newtown Youth Academy and played basketball and dodgeball with the kids about a week after the shooting,” said Riley. “It was an amazing experience. At one point, teachers from their school came into the arts and crafts room and the kids ran over and hugged them. Parents in the room started to tear up. But it was cool to see how close these little kids are with their teachers,” particularly after such a tragedy.

Riley is a guard on the NYU women’s basketball team. During her senior year at Newtown High School, she was a member of the state championship team, and the school’s

all-time leading scorer. Hearing that Newtown sports teams were wearing green socks as a silent tribute to Sandy Hook Elementary (whose school colors are green and white), Riley decided that she would do the same. After all, NYU’s teams sported pink during designated Breast Cancer Awareness games. Why not wear green in support of Sandy Hook? She did – for the rest of the season.

Riley joined Alpha Sigma Tau during the second semester of her freshman year. She was looking for friends outside of her basketball teammates. She’s happy she made the decision to become a member ofAlpha Sigma Tau. Riley’s take is that “you don’t need a tragedy to bring people together. Newtown and Sandy Hook have a great sense of community. That translates well to sorority, too.”

Basketball Star Honors Hometown VictimsBy Sally Brancheau Belknap, Alpha


FOUNDATION

With the recent move to Indianapolis and changes to our Board structure (more information on this change soon), the Alpha Sigma Tau Foundation decided to change its look.The Foundation chose Willow Marketing in Indianapolis to help us with this change. Several Board members joined with our team at Willow on a conference call to provide background information and ideas for the new logo. The discussion started with the Sorority’s contemporary logo and how the Foundation’s new look could complement it. We also discussed the symbols of ΑΣΤ – specifically, the anchor and the rose. While in Indianapolis in August, the Willow team presented the Foundation Executive Committee with three concepts for its new look. All three of these concepts were well thought out and well designed based on the information given in our conference call. The Executive Committee discussed and evaluated all of the concepts. As we were meeting at Headquarters, we asked the ΑΣΤ Headquarters team members to join us for reactions and feedback. The response was unanimous and the Foundation is pleased to present our new logo on our suite of marketing materials. This suite of materials includes letterhead, envelopes, thank you cards, and business cards.

A New Lookfor The National Foundation


In an effort enhance the collegiate member experience and provide more support to chapter advisors, Alpha Sigma Tau hosted Advisor Academy, the Sorority’s first academy exclusive to Chapter Advisory Board members. Advisory Academy 2013 was held in Schaumburg, Illinois, June 7-9, 2013; approximately 30 Chapter Advisory Board members participated in the event.

The programming at Advisor Academy didn’t focus on the operational side of Sorority life, such as reports, events, budgets, or even officer positions. Instead, Advisor Academy focused on providing advisors the tools and knowledge they need to work with today’s college students and as a member of a Chapter Advisory Board team. The weekend also provided the opportunity for advisors from chapters across the country to connect with one another and share ideas. Sessions were led by Executive Director Jim Paponetti and other Headquarters staff, and by Michelle Marchand, Director of Educational Programs, Delta Upsilon International Fraternity.

The educational programming began on Saturday with Decoding Generational Differences, a session devoted to helping chapter advisors understand the characteristics of millennials and discover better ways to communicate with them. The next session, Dysfunctional Teams, focused on helping advisors achieve a cohesive Chapter Advisory Board. Because working as a member of a Chapter Advisory Board is a team effort, the attendees learned about the qualities of both functional and dysfunctional teams and how to navigate some dysfunctions with their Chapter Advisory Board.

In the afternoon, the attendees participated in Coaching vs.

Managing, a program intended to educate advisors on the difference between coaching and managing the chapter. The advisors learned different techniques on how to empower, coach, and mentor the collegians, rather than try to manage their behaviors and actions. Keep Calm and Empower Change taught advisors how to identify opportunities to empower positive change within the chapter. Advisor Academy educational programming concluded with Creating Your Game Plan, a session devoted to providing the participants with the opportunity to develop a game plan of putting their new knowledge into action.

National Vice Presidents Tiffany Street and Kristin Walker, and Kris Haskin, Vice President of the Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation, attended the weekend’s events and connected with the individuals who work so closely with the Sorority’s collegiate chapters.

The current structure for the Alpha Sigma Tau Chapter Advisory Board consists of six positions: Chapter Advisor, Assistant Chapter Advisor, Recruitment Advisor, New Member Advisor, Chapter Consultant, and Faculty Advisor; all Chapter Advisory Board members were invited and encouraged to attend Advisor Academy.

Based on the positive feedback regarding the event, the Sorority plans to host another advisor-focused educational event in 2014.

If you are interested in sharing your passion for the Sorority by mentoring and empowering young women and helping them have a positive collegiate experience, please consider applying to become a member of a Chapter Advisory Board. Visit http://alphasigmatau.org/alumnae/volunteer/ or call Kellee Neary, Chapter Services Specialist, at 317-613-7564 for more information.


Advisors Connect and Learnat Advisor Academy 2013


As a small child in Prescott, Ark., Rachel Hale was so shy that she would only talk to her parents; she wouldn’t even talk to her grandparents, aunts, or uncles. Rachel’s career as a singer began in a preschool musical when she walked past the other children on her way to be front and center on the stage, and her shyness disappeared almost overnight. “I would talk to my family, but I would not sit in their laps, and I was never the full version of myself. I would communicate though, just not a lot,” said Rachel.

Rachel started voice lessons at age 10, and at 13, she won the title of Pre-Teen America. As Pre-Teen America, Rachel traveled across the United States singing and speaking to hundreds of girls at state conventions.

In high school, Rachel entertained at various festivals, fundraisers, telethons, and political rallies across Southwest Arkansas and East Texas. She competed and won the opportunity to open for country star Tracy Byrd and the following year, she opened for Joe Nichols. She got her first guitar when she was 16. She laughed as she recalled, “My parents said it would take me further than a car ever could, and they were right.”

Rachel is in her final semester at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, majoring in Songwriting with a minor in Music Business. In addition to Alpha Sigma Tau-Delta Eta Chapter, she is a member of the Student Government Association’s congress, Service Corps, Belmont University Songwriter’s Association, and Belmont’s Women’s Choir. While at Belmont, Rachel has entertained for Belmont’s 2009 Mistletoe Ball and was seen in the nationally-televised Christmas at Belmont in 2009. In 2012, Rachel was asked to perform an original song at Belmont’s “Homecoming in the Round” Concert, sharing the stage with a number of music celebrities.

While interning in Los Angeles for Patriot Records in June 2012, Rachel auditioned for Season 12 of American Idol. “It’s definitely a big cattle-call crowd. American Idol allowed online auditions this year, so a lot more people auditioned than the just the crowds you saw on TV.” Rachel had three auditions before the celebrity judges, about three months apart, beginning in the summer of 2012; the segments aired beginning in February 2013.

The show’s producers want to feature good singers, of course, but also look for interesting backstories among the contestants. Rachel is not sure what made her “jump off the page” for the producers; she attributes her success to “a lot of hard work and a lot of prayer.”

While Rachel said “it was exciting to be on TV,” it could get somewhat nerve-wracking. The amount of rehearsal time for the singers depended on the stage of the competition. During Hollywood Week, contestants were given new musiclate in the evening and needed to learn it and perform it the next day. Still, Rachel said she was very happy to appear on American Idol; the judges must have agreed because they called her the “happiest contestant” because she was always smiling

Rachel appeared so confident and poised on TV, and yet all performers deal with nervousness on occasion. “I pray before going on stage,” said Rachel. “That helps calm my nerves. But for the most part, I feel so at home on the stage, so at ease... it’s as if singing is what I was created to do.”

Although Rachel was eliminated from the competition at #15 of the Top 20 women, she roomed with Candice Glover, the overall winner. “I was really rooting for her,” Rachel said. “But I also roomed with Angie, and Janelle and Aubrey were two of my best friends on the show. I couldn’t just choose one to root for. I was rooting for all of them.”

Overall, her American Idol experience was positive. “It’s hard to not be put in a box. I felt like I was being pushed to perform country music – which I do love – but my heart is really in performing Christian music. The biggest pressure in American Idol, and in life, is not changing for anyone else and being true to who you are!”

Rachel plans to continue her music career after graduation. We can follow her at www.rachelhalemusic.com, and on Twitter @rachelhalemusic. In addition, she has started a motivational speaking ministry called Fingerprints. The idea of Fingerprints is to show that each person is unique, like a fingerprint, and that each person has a purpose. Already, Rachel has begun singing and speaking before audiences of students of all ages; this once-shy child is now, in her own words, “a real extrovert.”

By Carole Keily, Alpha Xi ANCHOR Associate Editor

Alpha Sigma Tau’s American Idol

RACHEL HALE


National Council Electionsto Be Conductedat 40th Convention in Atlanta

Our Sisterhood has grown and transformed over the last 114 years, as have our members and chapters. Our 40th National Convention this upcoming year will be an exciting and energizing event. At each convention we elect the leadership that will take us into the next era. This procedure gives our organization the ability to be nimble, strategic, visionary, and relevant. The nominations process is a fundamental piece to the entire puzzle.

The National Council of Alpha Sigma Tau operates under a non-profit board model. This means that the decisions made are to create the vision of where Alpha Sigma Tau is moving. The Headquarters staff uses this vision to implement operations for all chapters and alumnae, in order to meet the needs and goals for the sorority as a whole. As we look to develop our membership and leadership, there are some key competencies that are necessary. We look for sisters who have an image of what Alpha Sigma Tau is and what it could become. While every sister has a special affinity for her collegiate chapter, a member of the National Council must be able to see the entire organization at the national level. Strategic thinkers are what a national board needs and while no one is strong in every area, there are particular strengths sought. The competencies the Nominations Committee seeks to understand about each individual sister we interview are the abilities to anticipate, challenge, analyze and interpret, decide, align, learn, and be interpersonally dynamic.

The National Council is made up of a president and five vice presidents. Four vice presidents are alumnae members and one is a collegiate member. This upcoming election is exciting because we will be electing our collegiate vice president for the second time; Alli Miller, the incumbent collegiate member vice president, is completing the first term in June 2014. The collegiate vice president is a full voting member of our National Council; this member brings the voice of the current collegiate experience directly into decisions. In presenting the “Get on Board” workshop

with Alli this past summer at Officer Academy, it was interesting to hear her perspective on the collegiate role on National Council. She worked to emphasize the level of responsibility, commitment, and enjoyment she had received from the position. The role on our National Council was not exactly what Alli had expected, but since she was the first to take the position, there was no person or history to reference. It was a wonderful learning experience that helped her develop her leadership voice and gave her opportunities that she will cherish. The conference calls, reading, preparation, deadlines, and some travel helped her learn to manage her time carefully, but she also had wonderful experiences like installing a new chapter and speaking with members from all over the country. It is exciting to think that another collegiate woman will get the opportunity to serve on our National Council every two years. It is a unique chance to serve on a strategic board, build leadership skills, and work at the highest level of a national organization.

The Nominations Committee is currently taking applications for National Council slate and will do so until January 15, 2014. The slate will be announced by March 1, 2014. Sisters who submit an application before January 15 will be interviewed and her references will be checked. Any candidate in good standing who applies after the January15 deadline will have the option of running from the floor at Convention. After the slate is announced in March, nominations from the floor will proceed until seven days before the opening of convention (June 19, 2014). The process of running for National Council continues during Convention, as each candidate (slated or not) is expected to make a speech of no more than three minutes. Any sister interested in running for National Council should keep in mind the key dates and check www.alphasigmatau.org for updates. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

By Sarah Hinshaw, Delta Nu Nominations Committee

ANTICIPATEAbility to recognize challenges and opportunities both in and outside of Alpha Sigma Tau, noting and evaluating progress and struggles of similar organizations, as well as having a finger on the pulse of innovation and searching for what could possibly best fit our organization. Using internal organization reflection and evaluation in order to cultivate nimble response to current and future needs.

CHALLENgEStrategic thinkers question the current status quo and their own personal assumptions. Strategic thinkers are able to look at issues from multiple points of view (seeking divergent thoughts and perspectives) in addition to the root causes (not just symptoms) ofproblems. This involves a strong developed sense of patience, courage, and open mindedness.

ANALYzE ANd INTERPRETAnalysis of all information inputs and the ability to synthesize everything in order to recognize patterns, see the small and big picture. Evaluating whether there are missing parts and seeking new insights allows for testing and debating many options before coming to a conclusion.

dECIdEDevelop multiple options, with short and long term goals in mind, through a methodical approach that balances rigor with speed. Once consensus is made, the leaders must have the courage of their convictions, unified support of the decision on all levels, and know that fidelity to the process brings the best possible outcome for Alpha Sigma Tau.

ALIgNmENTUsing proactive communication, trust building, and frequent engagement to create common ground and buy-in from the entire membership and stakeholders. When decisions have been made and are in implementation, reach directly out to those with opposing views to understand their concerns and address them.

LEARNBe the focal point for organizational learning, promoting a culture of inquiry, evaluating lessons learned from successes and failures. This is done by sharing knowledge gained through conferences, reading, growing in one’s personal or professional life in a systematic fashion.

INTERPERSONAL dYNAmICSAs a strategic leader, becoming the public face of Alpha Sigma Tau means a sister must have a high capacity to develop and maintain effective relationships with others (both within and outside our membership). This is the most pivotal aspect for cultivating strategic leadership. There must be an understanding of conflict through healthy discussion and resolution. The candidate must have the ability to reach out, work to understand other viewpoints, ask the tough questions, and have a respectful space for the exchange of supporting and opposing ideas, understanding that all this will produce superior results.


From Career to Committment:Headquarters Staff Member Becomes Sister For Pam Myhre, Director of Finance at Alpha Sigma Tau National Headquarters, working for the Sorority is more than simply a job. From the time she was introduced to Alpha Sigma Tau, she has always appreciated the Sisterhood and believed in the Sorority’s mission, but now things are different for Pam. Now she is a member of the organization!Pam was initiated on July 25, 2013.

Please visit www.alphasigmatau.org to learn how you can share Alpha Sigma Tau with the special women in your life.

On Friday, April 19, 2013, just a few days after the Boston Marathon bombings, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth declared an evacuation of the school as police searched for the alleged bombers, who authorities believed they may have placed a bomb on campus. Among those evacuated were members of the Alpha Sigma Tau Gamma Delta chapter.

As Boston and the surrounding towns were on lockdown as the manhunt was underway, Gamma Delta sisters quickly packed up their bags and headed out of town, not knowing how long they’d be gone.

According to Emily Starvaski, Gamma Delta Chapter President, the campus evacuated as smoothly as it could have been based on the nature of the situation. News trucks, police officers, and Blackhawk helicopters made their presence on campus as the Gamma Delta hapter members fled.

Sydney Bouchard, Gamma Delta member, opened her doors to 12 chapter members, Emily included, who needed a place to go. Her small third floor apartment in New Bedford, Mass. had little food and no cable television to watch the news unfold.

Emily contacted every chapter member by text and Facebook to make sure they were safe and had a place to go, and thankfully they all did. “Everyone who lived in the area offered their home as a place to stay, and it did not matter who or how many were coming to stay,” said Emily.

While at Sydney’s, the chapter members saw picture of the school through social media outlets. “It was unbelievable to see our school, the place where we call home, the place where we have grown as people, and the place where we all became sisters, under such distress and utter madness,” said Emily.

“I did not realize how big of a deal everything was until after I left campus,” said ΑΣΤ member Nikki Tyler. “I left campus very calmly and thought I would be back by that night. After the whole weekend went by and the campus was still closed and there was continued press, I started to understand how much this was going to impact my school community.”

“The outreach and generosity was overwhelming and definitely helped us all get through this scary time,” said Emily. “Every active sister is from New England and the bombings affected all of us. It broke through a wall of security that had never been pushed down before. The only thing to help us make sense of the whole situation was knowing that we were not going through it alone.”

On Sunday, April 21, the members of the school community returned to campus. “It took a lot of strength, perseverance, and courage to return to campus,” recalled Emily. “The members of Gamma Delta banded together, alumnae included.”

The Greek community on campus then set up fundraisers. The Gamma Delta chapter contributed to the efforts, including several members running in the June 30 Torch Relay, which was a 54-mile run from UMass Dartmouth to Boston. Proceeds benefitted the One Fund.

“To this day I still feel uncomfortable and there is a consistent uneasy feeling when I think about the situation as a whole,” said Nikki. “I am just happy that the school and my sisters united and were courageous.”

Gamma Delta Reacts to Boston Marathon BombingsBy Joanna Barrett, Epsilon Epsilon Staff Writer

Gamma Delta members took part in the Torch Relay for the One Fund.


Greeks on the Hill

Alyssa Sahr is sure that there are few things more exciting than getting a call from an Alpha Sigma Tau National Vice President to congratulate you on being chosen to represent Alpha Sigma Tau at the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) Student Congressional Visits. After the excitement comes the important decision: can I take a whole week off of school to travel to our nation’s capital to lobby Congress? After discussions with professors and teammates, the answer was a resounding “yes!”

Each year, the FGRC gathers Greek alumni and undergraduate leaders to learn about legislative efforts supporting Greek life. The participants spend two days in training about Washington D.C., the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC), and the legislation that they are looking to have included in the current tax reform efforts going on in the House and the Senate. This includes facts, figures, and statistics to rally backing for the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act, or CHIA, which would improve the condition and safety of student housing facilities, including those owned by fraternities and sororities. Specifically, the bill would allow tax-deductible charitable contributions made to fraternity and sorority educational foundations to be used for infrastructure improvements and the installation of fire detection and prevention systems in local not-for-profit student housing. On day three, the participants meet face-to-face with Members of Congress to enlist their support for the legislation.

This year, Alpha Sigma Tau was represented by Alyssa, from the Beta Xi Chapter at Michigan Technological University, and Emily Starvaski, of the Gamma Delta Chapter at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Along with the collegiate representatives, many National and International Presidents, staff, and alumni of various Greek organizations join the effort.

ΑΣΤ alumnae Kris Haskin, National Foundation Vice President and Jamie Jones Miller, National Vice President, joined Emily and Alyssa for Greeks on the Hill.

Emily’s trip to Washington started off with a bit of a scare. She was evacuated from her UMass Dartmouth campus on Friday due to the Boston Marathon bombing and was not allowed back on the campus until Sunday. She had to change her flight departure time and for a little bit did not know if she was going to make it to Washington for sure or not. Thankfully she did!

Emily says, “Going into this experience, I did not know anything about lobbying and I was so impressed with how well the FGRC teaches and preps the students. I felt very prepared and would definitely go back and lobby for them or any other cause I am passionate about.”

Alyssa’s team met with the staff of Congressmen from Texas, North Carolina, North Dakota, Minnesota, and many from her home state of Michigan. She says, “The first meeting was a little shaky, but by the end of the day, I felt like I could lobby with the best of them!”

Emily was placed on “Team Susquehanna” with student lobbying partner John Rehm, a sophomore who attends Susquehanna University and a brother of Phi Mu Delta Fraternity, Kris Haskin of the ΑΣΤ National Foundation, Tami Silverman of Alpha Chi Omega, and James Owens of Sigma Nu.

Tami and James were very helpful and resourceful as they both serve on a national level for their respective organizations and have lobbied previously for this cause. Team members came from all different parts of the country, so the teams met with Democratic and Republican congressmen from all regions.

Emily was most impacted by meeting with Congressman William “Bill” Keating, a Democrat representing the 9th district of Massachusetts, which includes Cape Cod and the South Coast. UMass Dartmouth is located on the South Coast of Massachusetts and is the only major university in that region of the state.

Congressman Keating was very interested in all the points raised about UMass Dartmouth residential life and the prospect of safer and more affordable housing. He was impressed at the high number of students involved in Greek life on campus and by Emily’s individual efforts of lobbying on behalf of her fellow students. “He asked to take a picture at the end of the meeting and I was very excited about that!” Congressman Keating’s office is the former office of John F. Kennedy and Emily was awed to be in the former President’s Congressional office. “I felt like I took a little piece of history with me,” she remembers.

Emily’s team also met with Congressman Thomas Marino of the 10th district of Pennsylvania. Congressman Marino represented her partner John’s region. Congressman Marino was inviting and nice. He was very interested in supporting CHIA and was very interested in getting to know the student participants.

The night wrapped up with a reception and dinner where more than 20 Greek Members of Congress joined in celebrating a successful day on the Hill. Two students addressed the audience followed by short

By Emily Starvaski, Gamma Delta & Alyssa Sahr, Beta Xi

continued on next page

Alyssa Sahr, Beta Xi and Emily Starvaski, Gamma Delta


The members of Alpha Sigma Tau’s National Panhellenic Conference delegation have been busy this semester. With fall recruitment season almost officially behind us, we want to congratulate all the chapters on their excellent efforts and a warm welcome to our Sorority’s newest members!

After recruitment, the topic in the College Panhellenic turns to discussion of total. In an effort to have all of our members using the correct language when engaging in the discussion with our Panhellenic friends, we provide the following for your reference.

Do you know the difference between quota and total? Should we use NPC when referring to our position as the campus College Panhellenic/Delegate? What is COB? What do the letters RFM mean? The answers to these questions and others can be found in “Working With the Correct Language” in the ΑΣΤ Officer Portal under Panhellenic Resources. Use this document as you educate our newest members so that they will understand the correct terminology to be used on your campus and with Greeks everywhere.

Instead of: Use:Rush RecruitmentPledge New MemberRushee Potential New Member; PNMExpansion Extension

Have you wondered what about the meaning of some of the words you hear in the Panhellenic community on your campus or when speaking with national volunteers? Here is what you need to know:

■ Quota The number of women that may be pledged during fully structured recruitment, partially structured recruitment or minimally structured recruitment.

■ Total The maximum allowable size of a chapter, determined by the College Panhellenic; includes both new members and initiated members.

■ Unanimous Agreement Agreements that all 26 NPC member groups have unanimously approved and agreed to enforce. The agreements are binding on all NPC groups.

■ Positive Panhellenic Contact Normal Friendly Contact Used to promote participation in Greek Life on campus and not to promote an individual sorority/fraternity. Any discussion of recruitment of a general and Panhellenic nature is usually acceptable.

■ Silence Strict Silence Observed only between the end of preference events and extension of bids.

As always, if you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your chapter’s assigned Alpha Sigma Tau NPC Delegate either by phone or email. Your assigned ΑΣΤ NPC Delegation member can be found in Officer Portal.

by Carol Mooney, Alpha LambdaNational Panhellenic Conference 1st Alternate Delegate

Panhellenic: Am I Using the Right Language?

Beth McOsker, NPC Delegate, [email protected] Mooney, NPC 1st Alternate Delegate, [email protected]

Jamie Miller, NPC 2nd Alternate Delegate, [email protected] Walter, NPC 3rd Alternate Delegate, [email protected]

speeches by each Member of Congress. Alyssa said this was her favorite part of the night because “it showed how important the fraternity and sorority experience is, not for college only, but to carry throughout life. It is a bond that ties us together and guides us in the decisions we make every day. It was the perfect end to an amazing experience that I will remember forever.”

Emily would encourage any ΑΣΤ to take part in this event. “It was a wonderful experience and you do not have to be a political science major to gain something from the trip. I took away a lot more than just political jargon. I learned how to engage in conversation about a topic I am passionate about and how to gain support with facts and figures. I was able to connect with many other Greeks around the country and learn about

the culture and customs of their organization. I networked as a Psychology major and hopefully made some worthy connections. And most importantly I learned to come out of my shell and put myself out there on Capitol Hill with the support of my Sorority behind me.”

Alyssa agrees that “seeing the democratic process in action from the inside was an amazing experience that would not have been possible without the hard work and organization of the FSPAC. It was an honor to be selected to represent Alpha Sigma Tau in Congress and with our fellow brothers and sisters.”

To learn more about CHIA and the FGRC, go to www.fgrc.com.

Greeks On the Hill continued

Emily and Congressman William “Bill” Keating


After hearing about Alpha Sigma Tau’s first service immersion trip to Hawaii in 2012, there were dozens of applications for the second trip. This year’s participants were chosen based on their applications and the field was narrowed down through interviews with each candidate.

From May 19-26, 2013, thirteen sisters from chapters across the country served the people of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu by volunteering for the Natural Area Reserves System Commission, helping to eliminate invasive species which threaten the native Hawaiian plant and animal life. The women also worked with a stream restoration grant to clear debris and logs from a local stream. While on site, they planted native trees and learned about the impact of the island’s fresh water supply to the native people.

They continued their journey by volunteering at the Hawaiian Fish Company, a small hatchery that provides locally grown fish to the island. The women sorted the fish by size and built feeder tanks for the quarry. Most importantly, they learned the story and struggle of owners Ronald and Lita, fighting to make a living, keep their land and preserve their culture.

The final day of service was spent learning about Hawaiian history and plant life at Waimea Valley State Park. Here, the women helped the park prepare for its annual festival, so Waimea can more easily share the history of the islands with natives and guests.

In addition to service, the women practiced and developed leadership skills and

made personal self-discoveries. The service immersion experience began with a non-traditional icebreaker – a double-decker ropes course emphasizing teamwork and overcoming fear. In addition to tirelessly volunteering during the day, the women participated in leadership development curriculum each night. The topics consisted of personal values and authentic confidence in women, the value of validation and its importance for leaders, as well as confrontation and conflict management. Additionally, they created and shared their personal vision boards of who they see themselves as, and who they want to be.

Service and leadership training were not the only things on the agenda. Sisters spent an afternoon at the Polynesian Culture Center learning about the Polynesian islands. After a week of working hard, the women had a free day in Waikiki. They spent time together on the beach, went shopping, and took paddle boarding lessons before having a final group dinner.

The sisters who began the experience as strangers grew incredibly close throughout the week. Through their shared experiences of service and personal development, they experienced firsthand the limitless possibilities of the Alpha Sigma Tau Sisterhood.

Alpha Sigma Tau is planning another Service Immersion experience and details will be announced when the timeline is finalized.

Sisters who participated:

Cassandra Allen, Alpha Xi,Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Kiersten Bumgardner, Beta Mu,Salisbury University

Beverley DiGiacobbe, Delta Upsilon,Saint Leo University

Adrianna Duchene, Alpha,Eastern Michigan University

Allison Gleiss, Beta Xi,Michigan Technological University

Alexis Keegan, Beta Mu,Salisbury University

Melanie LaFlam, Delta Tau,Oakland University

Kathleena (Katie) Morgan, Gamma Zeta,Frostburg State University

Gillian Rizza, Beta Upsilon,New Jersey Institute of Technology

Lindsey Rothrock, Epsilon Nu,McDaniel College

Alyson Simpson, Delta Tau,Oakland University

Kimberly Topel, Gamma Rho,Seton Hall University

Sarah Wellner, Alpha Epsilon,Western Illinois University

Also attending:Gretchen Stahl, Director of Membership Growth, Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority

Erin Fischer, Chief Program Officer,The Leadership Institute - Women with Purpose


2013 Service Immersion Trip


By Lauren Crawford Welch, Delta Psi Staff Writer

The Fast Lane to an Internship

Callie King, Epsilon Lambda, completed an internship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the summer of 2013. Callie will receive her B.S. degree in marketing in December from Indiana University South Bend, and she’s looking forward to a career in sports marketing. The Speedway was a perfect fit!

“I’ve been a race fan for over 10 years, and have been attending the races at the track since I first became a fan,” said Callie. “I visited the website for the track, and saw they had a posting for a marketing intern! I sent in my resume and cover letter. I first had a phone interview, and then an interview via Skype, since I was not able to make it to Indianapolis. Finally they brought us in for a group interview, and informed us we had the position!”

As an intern, Callie says she does “pretty much a little bit of everything. Our primary duty is to be promotional brand ambassadors. We travel to events across the Midwest, and promote the events at

thetrack. On race weekend, we are in charge of the social media garage, autograph sessions, kids’ zone, and party. There were also a few times I had to dress up as our kids’ club mascots, Axel and Alley!” Callie worked and promoted the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, and MotoGP events.

Interning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you need to “be prepared for anything and everything! You have to be willing to wake up at 4:00 a.m. on when there is activity at the track, and be willing to work 16 hour days,” said Callie. “You also have to be able to adapt to changes quickly, as your job duties can change hourly!” In fact, Callie returned home from work at 4:00 a.m. the day we interviewed her.

“The best part of this internship has been the amazing people I’ve been able to connect with in the motorsports world,” said Callie. “I also love seeing the fans, knowing that I’ve made their day. The simple thank-yous honestly make me smile!”

Focus: HOPE – Collegians and AlumnaeWorking Togetherfor a Good Cause

It is becoming a local tradition for the Detroit Northeast Suburbs Alumnae Group (DNES) and the Delta Tau Chapter from Oakland University (ΔΤ) to team up for Focus: HOPE. Founded in 1968, Focus: HOPE is dedicated to finding “intelligent and practical solutions to the problems of hunger, economic disparity, inadequate education, and racial divisiveness.” The organization has many different volunteer programs, but the program the DNES alumnae and ΔΤ sisters enjoy most is packing boxes of food for the needy.

One Saturday morning in the spring, sisters from all over the Detroit area woke up early and head downtown to the food packing assembly line. For three hours, sisters are assigned an item to put into the box and pass the box down the conveyor belt to another sister to add their item. At the end of the line, sisters lifted packed boxes off the conveyor and stacked them on pallets. The boxes were then delivered all over the Metro-Detroit area to those in need.

Sisters from both the collegiate and alumnae chapters truly enjoy participating in the event. Teri Faillace, a Theta Chapter alumna, has participated for four years and says, “It’s a great cause. It makes me proud to help support a well-respected organization helping people

in our community.” Nadia Maddens, another alumna from the Theta Chapter, adds that “doing service projects hands on, as a group, is a good way to get to know people better. It’s amazing how much we can accomplish when we work together.” Jenny Ignatowski, a Delta Tau alumna, says “I’ve been able to participate as a collegian and as an alumna. I’m so glad this has become a tradition!”

Each year, sisters try to beat the number of boxes packed the previous year. In 2011, sisters packed 850 boxes. In 2012, sisters packed 1,000 boxes. This year, the two chapters collectively packed 1,100 boxes and even made the assembly line stay open longer so the pallet could be finished! Nicole Kogowski, a collegian from Delta Tau, says, “I like trying to beat our record from the previous year because it shows that we are there to try to make a difference in someone else’s life by trying to pack as many boxes of food as we can.”

All the sisters who participated said they would love to do it again, and that’s the plan! Reservations for spring 2014 have already been made and we’ve warned the people at the factory: Have lots of boxes prepared and the assembly line ready – we’re coming back to beat our record!

By Katie VanGorder, Delta Tau


Frugal Isn’t Cheap: Spend Less, Save More, and Live Better is a new book by Clare Birx Levison, Alpha Lambda. As a Certified Public Accountant in Blacksburg, Virginia, Levison was inspired to write the book to spread the messageof changing the way you think about money.

After her graduation from Radford University in 1998 with an accounting degree, Levison took on volunteer work with the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA). She learned about the public relations world and became involved with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). She is currently a personal finance spokesperson for the national industry group and, coupling her passion for personal finance with her interest in writing, she began the long journey to her goal of publishing a book.

The main theme of Frugal Isn’t Cheap: Spend Less, Save More, and Live Better is that you should embrace frugality! You should be proud of making smart choices to spend less on the things you need and want. Consider less expensive options and be clever about timing, coupons, and discounts.

In tough economic times, too many people go to extremes of either cutting out all “fun”, or ignoring financial realities and overspending. According to Levison, it’s better to prioritize what’s important to you. “Many people think it’s not possible to ‘live better’ while you ‘spend less’,” says the mother of two daughters. “But life isn’t just about material possessions: it’s relationships like family, friends – and ΑΣΤ of course – that enhance life.” If you think about those college days, she encourages, you’ll realize you were probably very happy and pretty broke!

Levison especially wants to reach women of her generation, so that they will understand that being in control of your money and debt is important. “It’s like a diet, or quitting smoking. You’re not going to

make those lifestyle changes unless you really believe that it’s better for you.” Saving money for exciting things like travel or being debt free makes the short-term sacrifices worth it and helps alleviate the boredom you may feel about managing your money.

This is Levison’s first book. It was released in July 2013 and she is excited to see where it leads. Her advice is to persevere: it took “a few years” to reach this goal and she considered giving up multiple times! She also counsels becoming involved in professional organizations in order to recognize the value of volunteering for professional development.

Smart Choices Alpha Sigma Tau Sister PublishesPersonal Finance BookBy Erika McManus Bukva, Delta Rho ANCHOR Editor

This ΑΣΤ wants you to take control of your financial life – but she’s not going to tell you to cut up your credit cards.

Get your copy of Frugal Isn’t Cheap: Spend Less, Save More, and Live

Better at Amazon!


Caroline, what military journey did you take to go from graduating from California University of Pennsylvania in 2010 to just returning from a year-long deployment to Kuwait?

Well, shortly after I graduated I realized that I did not want to be in an entry-level job in the psychology field. I had a part-time job working for USAA answering phone calls for their credit card department. I really enjoyed talking to veterans and decided that I wanted to serve in the military. I graduated college in December 2010, and in February 2011 I enlisted as a Specialist in the Army Reserves. My MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is Information Technology Specialist. I went to Basic Combat Training shortly afterwards, and during my last week of Basic I got a call from my unit (the 316th ESC) letting me know that we were going to deploy to Kuwait. We deployed in April 2012 and returned in March 2013.

What are the best ways for Alpha Sigma Tau sisters to support military while deployed?

Send mail! Every soldier looks forward to mail call. No matter what it is, we are always glad to receive mail. Making yourself available on Skype also is a great way to show support.

My chapter sisters sent me a DVD that they recorded at the alumnae luncheon we have after Homecoming each year. They all said their own little greeting, sang songs, and made me laugh. I was so touched that they actually took the time to make the video for me. It really meant a lot to hear them say they were still thinking of me, and wishing me the best. Sometimes when you are overseas it’s easy to feel like all of your friends have forgotten about you, so it was a great feeling to know that the chapter did something special for me.

What does the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command do? What is your favorite part of being a part of this command?

The 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command’s mission in Kuwait was retrograde operations, meaning we were in charge of bringing back anything that supported the troops on the front lines. We tracked fuel supplies, food supply, any and all equipment such as HMMWVs, MRAPs (both which are military vehicles for moving personnel), and even Army watercraft. It’s hard to pick my favorite part of the deployment but I would have to say it was watching some of our Army

watercraft training exercises and experiencing firsthand what our unit and what our downtrace units (units that report to other larger units) were doing in Kuwait. I watched our Army watercraft (yes, the Army has boats) load up several HMMWVs and then climbed aboard while it set sail in the Arabian Gulf. Another event I will never forget was getting promoted from Specialist to Sergeant aboard a Blackhawk helicopter in the air. That was probably the most fun I’ve had in the Army to date.

What should ΑΣΤ sisters know if they are considering joining the military?

Make sure you do your research before joining any of the services and talk to those who have been through it. For me, it’s been a challenge at times, but I wouldn’t change any of my experience.

What are your future plans with the Army Reserve?

I will be in the Army Reserves at least until February 2019. I plan on becoming a Commissioned Officer inthe Army Reserve and will hopefully deploy again, this time to Afghanistan with the Army’s Cultural Support Team. They are an all-female team of soldiers who engage the local female and youth population when it would be culturally inappropriate for a male to do so.

Is an all-female team a rare thing, or is it typical for this type of mission?

An all female team is very rare; the team serves on the “front lines” and deploys with Special Forces groups. They are probably the most elite group of female soldiers in the Army today and will pave the way for other females looking to serve in combat roles that are not yet open to women.

What do ΑΣΤ and the military have in common?

Sorority life and the military have much more in common than one would think. For the most part, in the military and in the sorority, if you workhard and do the right thing, people will follow and trust you as a leader and as a soldier.

Where do you go from here?

I am currently working at my unit for a while assisting with administrative duties. I hope to obtain a civilian IT job in Pittsburgh.

Caroline Shaw, Beta Phi, an IT Specialist for the Army Reserves, speaks to us about her journey, the similarities between the military and sorority life, and how sisters can best support the military. Caroline also talks about serving our country, growing in your career and finding a job you are passionate about –all at the same time.

Sorority SoldierBy Lauren Crawford Welch, Delta Psi Staff Writer


Ady (Smith) Dorsett grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and attended Lycoming College in her hometown. As a freshman, Ady joined the Gamma Pi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau in the spring of 1998. She says she joined for a few reasons, the first being that as a legacy (her older sister Tatum is also an alumna of Gamma Pi), Ady had spent a lot of time with the sisters and already felt like part of the family. However, her decision came down to something more than that. “I respected the vision and passion I saw in the sisters and wanted to be a part of a group of women who were so driven,” she said.

Post-college, Ady moved to New Jersey to teach art, and married Rob. Their son Jackson, now four, followed several years later. With much joy, the Dorsetts found out in 2011 that their little family would be growing, and they prepared to welcome a new little one. At her routine 20-week ultrasound, it was revealed that Baby Dorsett was a boy. However, Ady’s doctor also discovered that the baby, now named Hayden, would be born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome occurs in one out of 10,000 births. It is incredibly rare, and fatal if not cared for immediately. HLHS means that the left side of the heart is not large enough to perform as a normal left side functions. Patients must undergo three open-heart surgeries in the first few years of life to survive. These procedures are not a cure; the child still only has half a heart.

“The first thing I thought was that it would be okay, that Hayden had plenty of time in utero for his heart to grow,” Ady said. “A second later I remember totally flipping my thoughts, and asked the doctor if he thought my baby was going to live.”

Ady and her family quickly realized that it

would take a village to support them through this pregnancy and the subsequent surgeries. Three days after the devastating ultrasound, Ady started a page on Facebook. The Prayer Page for Baby Hayden quickly garnered thousands of fans, many of whom were strangers to the Dorsett family. All were praying for a little baby boy, not yet born, who had captured their hearts.

On March 12, 2012, baby Hayden Jeter Dorsett joined his family here on earth. On August 16, 2012, just five months and four days later, baby Hayden took his last breaths.

Hayden’s prayer page had close to 8,000 people, mostly strangers, praying for him and sending the Dorsetts love and support every day. Now, his page is followed by well over 20,000 people.

“Way back before Hayden was even born, we would check the people who ‘liked’ Hayden’s page, and there came a time when so many people were liking the page, we couldn’t even figure out the connection to them. They were complete and total strangers. That was amazing,” Ady recalled. “Fast forward to his passing: these same strangers helped raise $20,000 so that we could properly bury our son without a financial worry in the world. The remainder we donated to two heart coalitions and a nonprofit very close to our hearts, Sisters by Heart.”

Through Hayden’s journey, Ady and those close to her learned more about CHD than they ever cared to know. Congenital Heart Disease affects one in one hundred babies born; each year approximately 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect.

Ady conceived the notion of a foundation to honor Hayden long before his death. “After the overwhelming response to his Facebook page, I knew we would get a lot of support and figured it would be a great way to help raise

awareness and give back to all the people who had done so much for us,” she said. “I planned to get started when he was more stable and I had more time to focus on it, but when he passed away, I truly didn’t know what else to do with myself. Hayden was my full time job for five months and four days. I felt lost and needed to do something to occupy my thoughts and time.”

Founded in October 2012, just two months after its namesake passed away, Hayden’s Heart INC strives to not only raise CHD awareness and to help keep Hayden’s memory alive, but to also help many heart families with their immense medical bills and travel expenses. They have already provided direct financial assistance to several heart families, including travel and lodging expenses.

The organization also has supported heart families through their care package efforts. To celebrate Hayden’s first birthday, the group created 25 care packages for patients in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Most recently, Ady and her team have started the Grieving Hearts program, which sends care packages to families who have recently lost their heart warrior. “We are constantly trying to find new ways to help families in need,” Ady said. “Unfortunately, since the number of heart families is so great, I know we will never run out of families who need our help.

“I want my sisters to know that CHD is the leading cause of death in children under one year old. Not cancer, not SIDS, but CHD,” Ady stressed. “And I want to thank you for allowing me to tell Hayden’s story, and for your support. It means a great deal to me and my family to have the support of a group of women and an organization that I hold very close to my heart.”

The Heart of a WarriorBy Kristen Heck, Gamma Pi ANCHOR Alumnae Editor


Hannah Billingsley stood on stage nervously awaiting a life-changing announcement. After two days of preliminary competition, interviews and a final night of competition, her name was called - and she was officially crowned Miss Arkansas USA 2013.

A member of the Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau at the University of Central Arkansas, Hannah is a senior studying Family and Consumer Sciences. She got involved in pageants during her freshman year, “My roommate talked me into doing a pageant with her. I thought well, I could win scholarship money, and I already have a dress in my closet.” She said, “A lot of people told me afterward I should keep doing it.”

She kept doing pageants, eventually switching from the Miss America system to the Miss USA system, which does not have the talent portion of competition. “I truly believe that everyone has a talent, but it may not be something you can be judged on in ninety seconds. I needed to set myself up for success,” she said. Clearly, she did exactly that, and she won it all at the state competition against 35 other women.

Hannah is more than a beauty queen though; she grew up on a farm, and when she was 10 years old, she took out a loan to buy cattle. “Most kids want to save up for a bike, but my dad had cattle, so I wanted a cow. I saved up for a cow and then a year later I took out a loan to buy more,” she said. She used the proceeds from her cattle to put herself through college.

Hannah chose Alpha Sigma Tau during her sophomore year because “they had the perfect mixture of philanthropy and sisterhood, and all the girls were really close,” she said. “You could say Alpha Tau anywhere on campus and they had a great reputation.”

Her title as Miss Arkansas USA has taken her all over the country, including traveling to Las Vegas to compete in the national competition for the title of Miss USA. The title allows Hannah to do charity events,

such as fashion shows, fundraisers and cancer awareness walks, in addition to visiting schools to speak to students about leadership and philanthropy. “Our roles as state representatives are really to bring a spotlight to issues that need to be highlighted. People think we’re just pretty pageant girls but we use the title and the spotlight to bring attention to important causes,” she said.

Even though the Miss USA pageant system does not require contestants to have a platform, Hannah decided to continue working with the platform she had cultivated in the Miss America system, childhood hunger. “I feel passionate about eliminating hunger, especially among children,” she said. “When I speak at schools, I talk about that, and I want to bring

awareness to hunger in our own country. People think about it as something far away, but it is a problem in our own backyard and that’s something I’ve tried to bring awareness to.”

Hannah volunteers her time with Feeding Arkansas Kids, preparing backpacks of food for kids to eat over the weekends, since so many students only eat the meals in their schools. She has also worked with larger organizations and food banks and has participated in events designed to make the public aware of childhood hunger issues.

Hannah exemplifies the values of Alpha Sigma Tau in her daily life through these service projects, as well as serving as a role model. “It’s an honor to be representing my state. I know that I am a role model to younger girls and I try to be aware of that,” she said.

She acknowledges how much her experience with Alpha Sigma Tau helped her to grow as a person. “My sorority experience taught me about planning and time management and those are some of big things I’ll take from it. You also learn that, even when everything is stressful, it has a purpose and you grow closer through it,” she said.

Hannah knows what it means to live the values of Alpha Sigma Tau. She carries her sorority experiences with her all the time, especially when she is working with kids or speaking in schools, “I think that education is so important, and so are all the things that Alpha Tau has taught me,” she said. “I want kids to know that it’s important to be involved.”

Hannah Billingsley, Miss Arkansas USA

By Darcy Coulter, Epsilon Xi


BALTIMOREAs we approach our third anniversary as an alumnae chapter, our group continues to grow and mature. We are thrilled to share our lives with friends, and these sisters who are more than friends.

Our March luncheon at the new home of Nazie Spurrier, Beta Mu, was filled with laughter and good food. We collected over 1,000 diapers for My Sister’s Place, a shelter for women and children in downtown Baltimore. In May, we supported the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research in their 7th Annual Fiesta 5K. Treasurer Kirsten Heck, Gamma Pi, is a development officer with the Center.

We were thrilled to name dedicated member Joell Sperry, Gamma Theta, as the 2013 Baltimore Top Tau. Joell’s resolution this year is to attend every alumnae event, and we couldn’t be happier to have her.

Pam Emory, Beta Mu, invited our families back to her home for a pool party and BBQ in August, and we were blessed with wonderful weather and a great turnout. In September, we returned to Little Havana for brunch and were so glad to welcome newcomer Surraya Khan, Delta Delta.

Looking ahead, our chapter is excited to celebrate Oktoberfest with a beer tasting hosted by Diane Raycob, Psi. We will observe Founders Day at the home of Debi Meeks, Beta Mu, and finish off the year with our annual Cookie Exchange, hosted by Tina Tiley, Zeta.

Are you living in Charm City and looking to get involved? We’re very social, and we’d love to meet you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Facebook!

BOSTON Transitioning from summer to fall has made an impact on our chapter as we realize that the 2014 National Convention in Atlanta is just around the corner! We are eager to build our treasury so that we may send our delegate to represent us. Our first fundraiser for this new academic year was held Sunday, September 8 at the home of Trisha Brien, Delta Iota, who is also a representative for Thirty-One products. We have collected $120 for our treasury, which is a good beginning for this academic year. Thank you, Trisha, for hosting our fundraiser! Plans are currently underway to have a second fundraiser with Thirty-One to be hosted by Sailynn Doyle, Gamma Delta, solely for her staff at her company – way to go Sailynn!

Congratulations to the following members who have shared their accomplishments with us: Joanna Barrett, Epsilon Epsilon, participated in the annual Yoga Reaches Out New England Yogathon and raised $500 for the Boston Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Joanna also has become a certified vinyasa, restorative, yin, prenatal, and trauma yoga instructor, in addition to taking graduate course at Lesley University in Cambridge. Cindy Thibault Macmillan, Gamma Delta, was married last fall and has been busy running half marathons, including her third run in Boston’s Run to Remember Half

Marathon in honor of the Boston Police. This particular half marathon focused on the first responders from the April marathon bombings. Athena Mota, Gamma Delta, is entering her second semester as the Gamma Delta Chapter Advisor. She was honored with the collegiate chapter’s first annual alumnae award, the 2013 Anchor Award. She attended Advisor Academy in June along with the Gamma Delta Recruitment Advisor, Michelle Macey, Gamma Delta. Athena also is an advocate for the March of Dimes and participates in the annual March for Babies as her own children, Dominic and Sophia, were born prematurely. Congratulations, ladies, on your accomplishments!

Since fundraising is our primary focus at this time, we continue to sell tote bags that can be used for books, for the beach or for groceries. These totes are silk-screened with our statement of sisterhood, “alpha sigma tau: forging friendships forever,” and can be ordered by contacting Yolanda Bauer at [email protected].

If you are living in the Boston area, or plan to visit, and would like to join our meetings or our social gatherings, we invite you to join us! We recently welcomed three new arrivals to the Boston area – women who relocated for either graduate school or for their jobs. We are also eager to reconnect with women who arrived in our city over the past two years. Boston is a town that continually attracts newcomers!

BUFFALOOur Buffalo Alumnae Chapter had a fun-filled spring, beginning with our January luncheon meeting held at Rizzoto’s Restaurant. We had a great time sharing post-holiday news at the event hosted by Michele Luppino, Susan McNamara, Pamela Wales Szafarczyk and Maria Dispenza Lagona. As a philanthropy project, we collected women’s toiletries for Vive’ la Casa, a local refugee shelter.

Cassandra Pershyn hosted February’s business meeting at Friendly’s Restaurant. Her co-hostess was Dolores Crapsi Schmidt.

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Catherine Kieffer Gervase supplied our customary candy, nuts and door prizes. Rachel Binda Lis was surprised to find that our meeting was also her baby shower! She has since given birth to a beautiful little girl, Marinella Sophia. During the evening, we also assembled goody bags for members of our local Sigma and Epsilon Mu collegiate chapters.

Our annual Pound Auction always generates much anticipation. This March, the event was held in the home of Susan McNamara. Each attendee brought an item weighing a pound to be auctioned off as a fundraiser. Sue was assisted by Holly LaBrake Ndeze and Michele Luppino.

We don’t usually have a business meeting in April yet the month is always busy. President Nicole Moretta Ball, along with members of the Sigma chapter traveled to Geneseo, New York to attend the installation of Epsilon Rho Chapter. Both Nicole and our Sigma sisters were honored to play key roles in the Ritual. The next day, we attended the Greater Buffalo Alumnae Panhellenic Scholarship fundraiser at the Paddock Golfdome. The Buffalo Alumnae were well represented and we had a great time playing miniature golf under the dome.

We returned to Friendly’s Restaurant for a fundraiser in April. For anyone who brought the designated voucher, the restaurant supplied a portion of the meal cost to our chapter. Family members, co-workers and the public also had an opportunity to participate in our Basket Raffle with prizes donated by our members. We offered a discount to members of Sigma and Epsilon Mu, and were pleased with the turnout from our local collegiate sisters. Nicole Ball and her committee deemed the event a great success, and plans are in the works for an encore this fall.

In early May, seven alumnae members and Kristine Assue from the Sigma chapter assisted the Junior League with their biennial Decorator Showhouse. After completing our docent responsibilities, we enjoyed lunch in the quaint village of East Aurora.

We welcomed five new members into the Buffalo Alumnae Chapter in May. Our newest sisters represent both Epsilon Mu and Sigma. A dessert meeting was held at the Bellevue hotel, hosted by Nicole Ball and Rachel Lis with assistance from Sally Strum Wales and Elizabeth Syposs Maerten.

Sigma’s Assistant Chapter Advisor Nicole Ball was able to attend Advisor Academy held June 7-9. She said it was a very worthwhile experience and had lots of information to share with the advisory team upon her return.

Last year’s wine tour was so popular that Sue McNamara arranged for our members and guests to tour the Niagara Wine Trail again in lieu of our usual June Mystery Trip. In addition to visiting several wineries, everyone enjoyed lunch at the Wilson Boat House near Lake Ontario.

DETROIT/NORTHEAST SUBURBSIn February we had a night out with husbands and significant others at Dino’s lounge in Ferndale, complete with karaoke. We enjoyed a social event in March that included comedy and wine tasting in addition to our regular monthly meeting. In April we planned another social event (we are a social bunch!) at a local brewery. Our monthly meeting in April was hosted by Kathleen Raleigh Monticello, Theta. Little did we know that it would be the last time many of us would see her: she passed away on August 22, 2013 at 82 years of age. Kathleen truly embodied being an active, self-reliant, and trustworthy individual and will be greatly missed.

In May, we held our annual Mother Daughter luncheon at Sweet Lorraine’s in Southfield. With over 40 people in attendance, we enjoyed a light lunch followed by the café’s famous cheesecake. Our raffle raised $243 for Pine Mountain Settlement School. An additional 50/50 raffle tallied $89 and will be used to assist with chapter fundraising. Also in May, we teamed up with the Delta Tau Chapter and packed 1,100 food boxes for senior citizens that will be delivered throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

At our June meeting, we inducted five new members into our

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alumnae chapter. We held an ice cream social and a Pet Shower to collect donations of cash and supplies for the Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society. The summer is a busy time for all of us, but we do get together in July and have a night out with just our sisters. In September we will resume our regular meeting schedule.

For more information on our chapter, please contact Lauren Bendes Warren at [email protected].

ERIE Our chapter has been busy over the past months. In February we held a Claytopia fundraising event where we painted anchor boxes and other items. We joined the Alpha Tau collegians in April to volunteer at Second Harvest Foodbank, and packed several hundred food boxes for senior citizens. In May, we held our annual meeting and election of officers.

We remained active into the summer months. Three of us participated in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community on June 8th at Presque Isle State Park. Juliann Zawadzki even brought her dogs, Hank & Hurley! Together, we raised $150.00 for Habitat for Humanity. In August, sisters went on a tour of four local wineries in North East, PA.

We volunteered at the food bank again on the afternoon of August 17th, after supporting Juliann at her half-marathon race in the morning.

On September 29th we celebrated our chapter’s third anniversary with a Sunday brunch at Pufferbelly Restaurant.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to celebrate Founders Day at the Stonehouse Inn Tea Room. Our new philanthropy project is Adopt-A-Highway on a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 79 between the Kearsarge exit and the I-90 interchange. This is adjacent to the Delta Alpha Chapter’s area to the north, so our name will be getting more visibility.

Our new e-mail address is [email protected] and our Twitter account is @AST_ErieAlum. We’re always looking for new members, so please contact us.

GREATER CHICAGO After taking the summer off, sisters gathered in August for our Annual BBQ and to plan our calendar of events for 2013 and 2014. After catching up and eating some great burgers, we started planning the year with our first event in September – a brewery tour. In October, our chapter will be heading to Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s children, both in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and we ship the meals to nearly 70 countries around the world.

In December, we will continue with a favorite event, the Holiday Party. We all bring gifts for an exchange that can get quite intense at times. The gifts go into the circle and everyone gets a number. After the first person picks a gift and opens it, the second person can choose a new gift or steal the first person’s gift, and so on. No one is safe from a steal! We will re-group in February for another favorite: fondue. We always enjoy both cheese and chocolate fondues, with a variety of goodies for dipping. At this meeting, we start to discuss Convention activities and any potential bylaw revisions.

In April, sisters will celebrate our 18th Local Founders Day with dinner at La Tasca, a great local tapas restaurant. We share stories about our experiences with Alpha Sigma Tau and enjoy the sisterhood time. At this meeting, we will share Convention updates. Several sisters are already planning a road trip to Atlanta for the 40th National Convention.

We will finish off the year by starting over again – our Annual BBQ in August 2014. We encourage everyone in the area to join us – we meet all over the Greater Chicago area. For more information, contact Kris Haskin at [email protected] or follow us on Facebook at Greater Chicago ΑΣΤ Alumnae.

INDIANAPOLISIt’s been a busy and exciting year for our alumnae group…we are growing! We’ve welcomed six new alumnae sisters to our chapter. We were sorry to see Allison Bressler, Alpha Tau, move back to Pennsylvania; it’s been wonderful having her with us!

Our delegates to the Indianapolis Alumnae Panhellenic (IAP) are Kathy Orrison Sharp, Alpha Alpha, and Sally Brancheau Belknap, Alpha. In March, Kathy and Sally helped with a successful Tasters Luncheon at the Delta Gamma house on Butler University’s campus.

Several sisters channeled their creative side in April at Kiln Creations in Noblesville, and crafted ceramic pieces with their own personal touch.

We gathered at the home of Barbara Heeb, Alpha Alpha, in June for our business meeting and to set the schedule for the upcoming year. A few of our alumnae met with collegians from the Beta Pi and Epsilon Lambda chapters at Officer Academy, held here in Indianapolis also in June.

We initiated Pam Myhre as an Alumna Affiliate in July. Pam works at ΑΣΤ Headquarters as the Director of Finance. Welcome to our sisterhood, Pam!

Several of our members are on Facebook, and others wanted to know more about it. Justina Solties, Gamma Theta, ΑΣΤ’s Member Engagement Coordinator, offered to host a “Facebook 101” seminar at Headquarters in July. We combined the event with a potluck and quick tutorial on cupcake decorating, compliments of Kimberley Layne Cottrell, Βeta Xi.

There’s a new restaurant in Indianapolis and we wanted to try it out. In August, eight of us met at MacKenzie River Pizza Company

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Want to become involved in an Alumnae Chapter? Visit www.alphasigmatau.org/alumnae/alumnae-chapter-directory

to test the wares: good stuff! A mix of “older” and “younger” alumnae made the outing fun and interesting.

We wrapped up the summer with a chocolate party hosted by Kim Cottrell on September 11.

Our group is energized by the young alumnae who have moved into the area. At the same time, we mourn the passing of Becky Venne Appleman and Susan Schirr Hargrove, both of the Alpha Alpha Chapter.

LOWELLThe Lowell Alumnae Chapter has been quite busy with a number of events. During the holiday season, our chapter adopted a family with three children and two parents. An overwhelming amount of support was shown by our members, more than enough to buy all the things the family needed. As such, we hope to adopt two families this year.

Our chapter held two meetings in the spring, plus a collegiate-alumnae social in May, complete with trivia and an ice breaker. This year’s big push for Beta Tau was to welcome more alumnae to their Yellow Rose Semi-formal. Hoping to encourage alumnae attendance, the chapter added a silent auction table and lower ticket prices to their event. These changes significantly increased the alumnae presence, and the night was quite a success.

During the summer our chapter held a BBQ. This year we invited our collegiate chapter to attend. Personal invitations were mailed out and the turnout was great. Alumnae were welcome to bring their children as well, and a wonderful Sunday afternoon was spent with sisters.

NORTHERN VIRGINIAIn April, we celebrated our 65th anniversary as an alumnae chapter at the Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton. Sisters and their families had a wonderful luncheon on the winery patio. Marie Stott was recognized as our Top Tau.

We are looking forward to the events our executive board has planned for the coming year. We have welcomed three new sisters to the group. We meet once a month for lunch at a restaurant, usually in the Fairfax or Springfield areas. Our “Lunch Bunch” attendees are often sisters who cannot attend our evening meetings.

We will be relying on social media to promote our events, so we encourage you to check out our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter at @ASTAlumnaeNOVA.

PHOENIX/VALLEY OF THE SUN The PVOS Alumnae Association held our Annual Meeting on April 20, 2013 at the home of Nicole Davis Turnquist, Epsilon Alpha, in Mesa, AZ. We enjoyed a lovely visit and potluck luncheon. Donations collected at the event were sent to Pine Mountain and Habitat for Humanity.

In June, we gathered at Liberty Market Café in Gilbert for a farewell luncheon to honor Janet Hauke Larson, Zeta. She and her husband have moved to Everett, PA. On August 24, members and two guests enjoyed a wonderful meal at Stone and Vine in Scottsdale, and discussed plans for the upcoming months. Our next event will be a luncheon at Tempe Marketplace on September 28.

We are proud of member Nicole Davis Turnquist, Epsilon Alpha, and her dedication to Alpha Sigma Tau. Nicole serves as Chapter Advisor for Epsilon Alpha and meets with them regularly at Embry Riddle in Prescott, AZ. During the year we’ve been happy to welcome three new members.

We continue to have members who are active in the Salt River Alumnae Panhellenic Association, including Cynthia McCrory, Alpha Alpha, as treasurer, and Karen Anderson, Alpha Alpha, as secretary. Janet Larson has also maintained her membership in the Panhellenic Association.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANAThe Southeastern Louisiana Alumnae Chapter has been quite busy for the past several months. In April, we donated over 1,000 new and gently used books to the children of St. Helena Parish. The chapter is looking forward to scheduling our first ever Habitat for Humanity Build Day with Phi Chapter. Our current philanthropy project is the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, scheduled for Saturday,

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November 9 in Hammond, Louisiana. Our theme for this year’s Relay is “The Relay BIG Cheese,” and sisters from our chapter will be selling grilled cheese sandwiches to help raise money for The American Cancer Society. Our team “Alpha Sigma Tau Alums,” led by Team Captain Kazanna Mancuso, Phi, has a fundraising goal of $1,000. Any donations to our team would be greatly appreciated and can be made online at www.RelayForLife.org/HammondLA; questions regarding Relay for Life can be directed to our Team Captain at [email protected].

In June, we installed our newly elected officers at our annual Officer Installation Banquet, held at Murphy’s Seafood in Hammond, Louisiana. The Chapter presented Beth Ebberman, Phi, with the 2013 Alumnae Top Tau Award for her dedicated service to the Sorority. It was a beautiful gathering, and congratulations again to Beth and all of our newly elected officers!

This year, the Southeastern Louisiana Alumnae Chapter is launching a new “Alum Chum” program with the Phi chapter. Led by Danielle Woessner, Phi, the program pairs Phi chapter seniors with an alumna member prior to graduation. The “Alum Chums” then attend alumnae meetings, socials, and events together. Our goals for the program include showing the “Chums” the functions, operations, and culture of our alumnae chapter, encouraging new graduates to join an alumnae chapter, and strengthening the idea that you’re an Alpha Sigma Tau for life, not just four years.

On September 15th, we held our first business meeting of the 2013-2014 year at the home of Rita Bertolino, Phi. A total of 22 sisters got together, wearing black and gold to cheer our Saints on to a victory after we took care of chapter business. It was the first of many gatherings we will have throughout this year.

We are continually striving to fundraise for our scholarship. In March, sisters from our chapter helped raise scholarship money by selling grilled cheese sandwiches at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Rock N Roar event. Rita Bertolino also holds sorority themed raffles at our gatherings to help raise money for this great cause. Between and Rock N Roar and the raffles, we recently raised $475 for our scholarship.

The Chapter is looking forward to celebrating Southeastern’s Homecoming in October, National Founders Day with the Phi Chapter in November, and a Holiday Party in December. If anyone in the Southeastern Louisiana area would like information on how to join to our chapter, please email Chapter President Esther Fontenot Barrios, Phi, at [email protected].

ST. LOUISThe St. Louis Alumnae Chapter began the year with a New Year’s Luncheon at Bixby’s Restaurant, located on the upper level of the Missouri History Museum. In winter, the view high above the treetops in Forest Park is beautiful. Our cultural endeavors included two exhibits: the Civil War in Missouri and the Life of George Washington. We then celebrated the Chinese New Year with authentic Chinese cuisine crafted by Chef Tsu.

Ride On St. Louis, an equestrian therapy ranch, and our local Habitat for Humanity received our financial support. We continue to support the national philanthropies, the St. Louis Alumnae Scholarship, and the Elizabeth Wilson/Dorothy Bennett Robinson Scholarship.

An exciting close to the school year was the Grand Opening of the new wing of the St. Louis Art Museum. We took a guided tour of the new exhibits and learned about the new technology used to create a desirable climate for the art pieces. There was a large turnout for lunch in the new museum restaurant, Perspectives, which overlooks the grand basin from the 1904 World’s Fair and the iconic statue of St. Louis himself. It was a great season of sisterhood, culture, education, and sharing.

STARS & STRIPESThe Stars and Stripes is an honorary alumnae association founded on the principle of “Always Someone There”. We meet virtually through our Facebook page and are always seeking alumnae who are current military members, previous military members, veterans, significant others, and family members. One of our goals is to help sisters stay connected, especially through the unique situations that those in military families may face.

Our alumnae association completes several service projects, and our first campaign of the year set a new record. Members of Stars and Stripes gathered in Allentown, PA on September 28th for our annual Treats4Troops campaign. Led by Tracy Bond Ciabattoni, Zeta, we collect items to make fall and Halloween goody bags for our deployed service members. In this fifth year of the project, we created over 425 bags with the support of other collegiate and alumnae chapters. Three Alpha Sigma Tau husbands (a Soldier, an Airman and a Marine) will be among the deployed heroes receiving goody bags this year.

We are excited to announce the sisters who have given birth in recent months and would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to their families. Tiffany Rosin Basham, Beta Xi, Joan Schmidinger Nye, Beta Omega, Vanessa Smith Nolan, Delta Pi, and Joanne Rupprecht Walter, Psi, all recently welcomed precious little boys into their families. Alexzandra Montoya-Cipollone, Epsilon Eta, welcomed a beautiful little legacy.

We would like to keep our sisters with loved ones currently deployed in our thoughts and prayers, and are looking forward to their safe return home.

The Stars and Stripes alumnae will continue to be a group of sisters fulfilling the role of “Always Someone There” for our many deployed and soon-to-be deployed sisters and their family members. We would love for you, as a chapter or individual, to assist us in supporting them, too. You do not need to be a member of our group to do this (although we would love for you to join us!). For more information please contact [email protected], or seek us out on Facebook: Alpha Sigma Tau Stars & Stripes Alumnae Association.

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Janet Hanson Dodson, Iota, was appointed to the NPC Foundation Board of Directors in 2009 and currently serves as President. Her professional career as a student financial aid officer, as well as volunteer experience with Alpha Sigma Tau as a District President, NPC Alternate Delegate, Director of Expansion, and National Vice President make her uniquely qualified for this role. As a financial aid officer, Janet served as the president of the regional board, Rocky Mountain Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the national board, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Janet is the second member of Alpha Sigma Tau to serve on the NPC Foundation Board since its founding in 1995. Her friend and mentor Cynthia Peckhart McCrory, Alpha Alpha, was a founding director of the NPC Foundation. “The women who created

the foundation were tremendously far-sighted,” said Janet. “When the foundation was started, the purpose was to plan and fund NPC’s 100th anniversary celebration. They did it right, dotting all the Is and crossing all the Ts, including obtaining the 501(c)3 designation.”

The NPC Foundation Board has been a major supporter of the Something of Value (SOV) program. In addition, all Greek women are encouraged to regularly check the NPC Foundation website https://www.npcwomen.org/foundation.aspx for scholarship opportunities.

Over the years, the focus of the NPC Foundation has shifted from risk management activities. Current and upcoming programming, tailored specifically for women, will focus on issues such as diversity and life skills. “We are continually searching

for ways we can support Greek women through programming and scholarships,” Janet said.

Janet was recently named the associate director of communications for The Tuition Exchange. “Never underestimate the power of the connections you’ve made,” she said. A longtime friend and sorority sister connected Janet to the man she had dated when they were in college, knowing that Janet and he were both financial aid officers. He’s now the CEO of The Tuition Exchange and knew that Janet would be the right person for this new position.

“If you have the opportunity to become involved in NPC work, embrace it!” Janet urges. “It’s hard work, and it’s fun, and you get a new and different perspective on your Greek experience!”

The National Panhellenic Conference Foundation was established to promote values and ethics in women’s fraternities, and encourages all members to be active and responsible leaders in their respective communities. The mission issupported through the sponsorship of National Panhellenic Conference educational and charitable programs addressing health, safety, education, leadership and general women’s issues in today’s society.

-NPC Foundation website

Alumna Serves as NPC Foundation President

TIDEWATERWe had a very active spring and summer in the Tidewater Alumnae Chapter. Our March meeting was held at the home of Veronica Hill. Kerry Dougherty, a columnist with the local newspaper, joined us as speaker.

The Tidewater Alumnae Panhellenic Association (TAPA) held its annual luncheon and fundraiser on the campus of Old Dominion

University, organized by Panhellenic President and fellow ΑΣΤ Rebekkah Bury. Several sisters attended the lunch, heard the words of the wonderful speaker, witnessed a fashion show and participated in a gift basket raffle. Laura Beth Stricker was not only a fashion show model, but also won ΑΣΤ’s own basket and two other prizes at the luncheon.

We unanimously voted to nominate Joyce Jonak as our Top Tau for this year, and we mourn her passing. We unanimously voted to buy a brick in her memory, and chose a line from the Creed to be inscribed in her memory.

Our May meeting was held at Lynnhaven United Methodist Church for a potluck dinner and new officer elections and inductions. Robbie Cool received a special gift as outgoing president. It was a bittersweet time as we said goodbye to Rebekkah Bury, who accepted a job in civil engineering in Chicago, IL.

Our June social was held at the home of Joy Wotherspoon. Several sisters and their significant others attended. We enjoyed good food, laughter, memories, and participated in a fun scavenger hunt around the neighborhood.

We continue to support our local and national charities: Habitat for Humanity, Pine Mountain, and the Citizens Committee to Protect the Elderly (CCPE). This winter we have been collecting food donations for the “Beach Bags” program that helps Virginia Beach high-school students with food on weekends. We also support the Victory Home men’s shelter in Portsmouth with toiletry donations.

STARS & STRIPES

By Carole Keily, Alpha Xi ANCHOR Associate Editor


ZETA Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, PAThis fall, we will host our 30th annual Rock-A-Thon, a fundraiser benefiting Pine Mountain Settlement School and our local philanthropy, the Clinton County Women’s Center. The 24-hour event features members and guests rocking in rocking chairs and collecting money on the busiest corner of campus. We will have a DJ and lawn games to attract attention and more participation. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has participated for the past five years and matched a portion of the funds raised. Since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this is the perfect time to raise awareness of the Women’s Center. This is a great opportunity for our chapter have fun, and it is an excellent opportunity to show the campus and community that the members of the Zeta Chapter-the oldest sorority on campus and the oldest continuous ΑΣΤ chapter-recognize this as a great social responsibility.

OMICRON Concord University, WVThe Omicron Chapter has just finished formal recruitment and post-formal interest meetings. We picked up seven wonderful new members and could not be more excited about how well they display our core values. We are beginning to plan a trip to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity very soon and are also participating in the Conquer Chiari Walk Across America in Charleston, West Virginia, on September 21. We will walk under the Keegan’s Konquers team with one of the alumnae from the Gamma Mu Chapter. We are also participating in Homecoming, which has a Rumpelstiltskin theme this year.

PHI Southeastern Louisiana University, LAThe Phi Chapter is having a great semester. Recruitment could not have gone better. We have 33 outstanding new members, and now have more than 100 collegiate members. Our staff has done a great job planning social events, which include cup decorating, kickball, and “old school” themed socials. We have been busy preparing for Mocktails and Homecoming Week, two very big Greek events on our campus. We are selling shaved ice “snowballs” in the student union and donating the money to Pine Mountain Settlement School. For fundraising, we are holding Mr. Green and Gold, a men’s pageant.

CHI Shepherd University, WVWe have been implementing a lot of great changes over the last few months. Sisters who attended Officer Academy over the summer have been working to bring about the enthusiasm and knowledge established that weekend. We welcomed seven new sisters who have already brought

tremendous efforts to our chapter and ΑΣΤ as a whole. We are currently working on adopting new philanthropies in the community to give back to those who support not only our chapter but our beautiful campus as well.

PSI James Madison University, VAWe had a successful fall recruitment and were happy to invite 72 new members to join our sisterhood. So far, we have taken a trip to Camp Horizons for a fun retreat, where we played icebreaking games and ate s’mores around a campfire. In November, we will hold our annual Philanthropy Month, when we will raise funds and awareness for Habitat for Humanity; Pine Mountain Settlement School; our local philanthropy, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; and other local organizations. A 5K and various proceeds nights at local businesses are also planned. The Psi Chapter was fortunate to be selected to pilot ΑΣΤ’s new Four Year Member Development Program. Four of our sisters went to Indianapolis this summer to be trained on facilitating this new program. The sessions are meant to help sisters discover and discuss new ways to improve the chapter. The entire chapter will return to Camp Horizons for a sisterhood retreat. Other sisterhood events planned include apple picking and a DIY craft night.

ZETA TAULongwood University, VAIn spring semester, we raised more than $1,450 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through our annual weeklong Rock-A-Thon event. During this week, at least four sisters were out on campus from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, collecting money and spreading awareness. We plan to continue our support for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through a walk to be held later this semester on campus to raise funds and bring the community together for a great cause. Many of our sisters participated in Relay for Life in April, and we gave nearly $1,900 to the American Cancer Society. We started off our fall semester celebrating convocation, a Longwood tradition in which underclassmen decorate seniors’ graduation caps. We had a lot of fun making and seeing all of the crazy Alpha Sigma Tau caps and celebrating the many accomplishments of our seniors. We continue to hold open houses and recruitment events in preparation for formal recruitment in the spring.

ALPHA EPSILON Western Illinois University, ILWe welcomed 20 new members in the fall semester and six in the spring semester. We are always very excited for our alumnae and family weekends. At our annual alumnae weekend in March and family weekend in April, we had a cookout, open house and Sunday brunch. We conducted a silent auction at dinner to help raise money for our chapter. This was a fun way for the ΑΣΤ families to get involved!

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We also presented awards to show the parents that we appreciate the hard work their daughters do during the school year. We also held a formal in the spring semester. Over the summer, Sarah Wellner went to Hawaii to help with the service immersion project and participate in leadership training. She enjoyed the trip and encourages other ΑΣΤ members to get involved! Every fall semester, our chapter puts on an event called Tau Challenge to help raise money for philanthropic endeavors. It is a challenge among the WIU fraternities that is held at our chapter’s house. Each day the fraternities compete against one another in a different sports bracket. We used the funds raised last year to donate books to local schools in memory of the WIU women’s soccer coach’s son, Shaymus, who passed away from leukemia in the fall. (For more information, go to YouTube.com and search “Trains for a Cause – Shaymus.”)

ALPHA LAMBDA Radford University, VAOver the summer, eight sisters attended Officer Academy and Recruitment Boot Camp. They learned about a variety of valuable life skills, such as leadership and social skills, and have been sharing what they learned with the rest of the chapter. Recruitment Boot Camp taught us many tactics and skills to improve our overall recruitment. The fall semester started off strong as we hosted the second annual Girls’ Night In event, where we welcomed Radford University students to spend some time with us while enjoying fun activities, crafts and refreshments. We welcomed nineteen values-based women on Bid Day. This brings the Alpha Lambda Chapter membership to a total of 78! The sisters of Alpha Lambda are active not only on campus, but also outside of Radford University. Twelve sisters took a road trip on September 6 to visit Pine Mountain Settlement School. We have also been working hard to fundraise for the chapter by working at the Virginia Tech football games in Blacksburg, Virginia. This fall, we hosted the inaugural Alpha Male competition October 18–24, a competition among the fraternities on campus, with all proceeds going to Pine Mountain Settlement School. We are also proud to have four sisters on the Panhellenic Council.

ALPHA PHI West Chester University of Pennsylvania, PAWe are excited to welcome a new group of women and hope to help them flourish with the passion and enlightenment that Alpha Sigma Tau brings to each of us. Over the past year we have been more involved within the community. We hit the streets of West Chester for monthly block cleanups and held a volleyball tournament with Sigma Alpha Epsilon to benefit Camp Dream Catcher. The DJ, prizes, and immense support made it a wonderful experience. During spring semester, our chapter held a fashion show and pet rescue at the local nursing home. We helped the residents down to the main room to pet the rescued animals and watch the fashion show. Seeing the smiles on the residents’ faces made it an experience to remember. We hope to visit the residents again soon as many of us formed a connection with them. We are proud to say that Alpha Sigma Tau received second place overall in the Greek games last spring.

BETA DELTA Duquesne University, PASpring 2013 was arguably one of the greatest semesters the Beta Delta Chapter has ever seen! We breezed through recruitment, taking on a new member class of 35 exceptional women—the largest new member class of any Greek chapter on campus. Our largest philanthropy event, the ninth annual Miss Duquesne Pageant, was held in March. With contestants from several student organizations, we raised more than $8,000, which was split between Habitat for Humanity and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, our local philanthropy. We also sponsored Duquesne’s first annual Earth Week. To cap off the semester, we were awarded Outstanding Sorority Recruitment and New Member Program, Best Risk Management Program, and Sorority Chapter President of the Year (Emalea Helisek).

BETA ETA Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, ILWe took a new member class of seven new members and participated in many philanthropic events on the SIUE campus. In February, the chapter was asked to volunteer at the Athletics Department’s Pink Zone event, a basketball game dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness and donating all proceeds to the St. Louis affiliate of Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. We participated in SIUE’s first annual Dance Marathon, helping to raise more than $10,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network. In April the chapter participated in SIUE’s Relay for Life and hosted our annual Trivia Night. Family members, friends, and classmates came out to participate in a night full of fun and games, breaking the previous attendance record. We sold food, drinks, and raffle tickets and put together gift baskets for a silent auction, raising $6,000!

BETA XI Michigan Technological University, MIThis summer, four sisters attended Officer Academy and Recruitment Boot Camp in Indianapolis. They had an amazing experience meeting

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BETA PI Eastern Illinois University, ILWe have had a year full of accomplishments. Sisters developed their leadership skills not only within Alpha Sigma Tau, but across our entire campus. We are represented in the leadership of more than 80 registered student organizations. Within our sisterhood, you can find the student body president, editor-in-chief of the campus yearbook, EIU cheerleading captain, and numerous presidents and executive members of student organizations. Our chapter has impacted our campus community as well as the local community. We devoted our time to more than 1,500 community service hours during the past year, and we are currently working on more projects. We have hosted philanthropic events such as World Series, a softball tournament, and Tau Trivia, a pop culture trivia tournament; participated in Relay for Life; and assisted in numerous community service opportunities. We have really grown as a chapter! We come together for a least one sisterhood event a week to get to know the new members and help them through the process of becoming an Alpha Sigma Tau.

BETA TAU University of Massachusetts Lowell, MAWalk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international campaign in which men march in red heels to raise awareness about rape culture and sexual assault against women. For the past four years, we have hosted a Walk event in the residential area surrounding our campus. We were fortunate enough to have state representative and UMass Lowell Greek Life alumnus Tom Golden kick off our event for the third consecutive year with an eye-opening and motivational speech. The event brought together crowds of people from numerous organizations, sports, and offices throughout the university to work together toward the goal of reducing sexual and gendered assault in our community, with Greek Life being the most widely represented. Every organization had a strong presence; several fraternity men from each organization proudly took on the challenge of walking a mile across campus in bright red pumps. The event ended with refreshments and music, as well as time to reflect on what it meant to take part in the event. Hosting a Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event on campus at the beginning of each academic year has become a tradition of the Beta Tau chapter. Of course, the event has a comical aspect, as it is impossible to watch a group of grown men wobble and whine their way through campus in women’s shoes without

bursting into fits of laughter. However, it is this quality that encourages attendance and sets the atmosphere for addressing such issues in an optimistic manner. Through this event, we raise awareness and remind people of a serious and prevalent issue in our society. Most of all, we promote the concept of looking out for one another, as sisters always do.

BETA MU Salisbury University, MDTo make a larger name for ourselves on campus, Beta Mu took the initiative to promote “going green.” We participate in “meatless Mondays” and spread the word through various social media outlets. At each chapter meeting we collect our spare change to help provide clean water for UNICEF. Last September, we took part in the three-mile walk to defeat ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). For our local philanthropy, we participated in the PJ Aldridge Foundation three-mile walk/run to support the fight against lung cancer. Last spring, we welcomed 32 new members, who were excited to take part in our efforts to promote environmentally friendly activities throughout campus. To strengthen our relationship with our local philanthropy, the PJ Aldridge Foundation, we held a weeklong event raising $714. Another important event was the Multiple Sclerosis Walk in Ocean City, Maryland. We showed great numbers at this event for the second year in a row. The MS Walk holds a dear place in our hearts since two of our alumnae are battling the disease. To end this rewarding school year, we were named the top team at our annual Relay for Life, with the most active participants.

BETA NU Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, PAThe sisters of the Beta Nu Chapter could not be happier about kicking off the fall semester. Working at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the second summer in a row, we raised about $7,000 for the chapter. We are proud to have one of the largest new member classes during recruitment this semester. Many community service projects are underway: Bocce Bash (a Special Olympics event), a breast cancer walk, and the local Color Run to raise money for cancer research.

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BETA OMEGA Monmouth University, NJLast spring we held our annual philanthropic Love Struck event, raising more than $1,000 for Relay for Life and Habitat for Humanity. Over the summer we helped rebuild homes in New Jersey shore areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. This semester we had our annual Suicide Awareness Week, where we sold yellow ribbons, had a bake sale, and informed students about suicide prevention. We also hope to help with the Big Event, which will help us get involved with local towns by participating in community service. Another event we will host will be called “Are You Smarter Than a Fraternity Guy?” The proceeds will be donated to the Ashley Lauren Foundation, which helps children with cancer. We look forward to participating in Greek Week in the spring; we won first place last spring.

GAMMA ZETA Frostburg State University, MDMany sisters helped welcome the new freshman class by ushering at freshman convocation, scooping ice cream at a campus social, and speaking to freshman classes about Greek life. We are hosting a blood drive with another Greek organization on campus this semester, as well as co-hosting a sexual assault awareness forum. Along with participating in Wreaths Across America in Arlington, Virginia, we will raise money for supporting the troops, breast cancer awareness, and of course Pine Mountain Settlement School and Habitat for Humanity. Last semester Lauren Schoelen was honored with the Pillar of Community Achievement award and Andie Gambrel was named Greek Goddess at our annual Greek Week. We also tied for first place in fundraising at Frostburg, as well as coming in second place for most total philanthropy hours by an organization.

GAMMA LAMBDA Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, PALast semester we held our annual philanthropy event, Mr. Kutztown, a male pageant. All of the profits were donated to Habitat for Humanity and other local philanthropies. For Mr. Kutztown, members from different Alpha Sigma Tau chapters joined us as we watched men from different sports teams, fraternities, and clubs prove to us why they should be Mr. KU. In the spring, we welcomed five new women, bringing us to 60 members! For this fall, we have decided to try something new. Instead of a single local philanthropy, each month we want to help a different organization that one of our sisters is involved in or affected by (such as the Humane Society, Make-a-Wish Foundation, ALS awareness, etc.). During fall recruitment, we gained 17 new members, making the chapter the largest it has ever been. This fall, our sisters will walk together in the Alzheimer’s walk around Kutztown, with all donations going toward fighting Alzheimer’s disease.

GAMMA MU West Virginia University Instituteof Technology, WVSince the last update in THE ANCHOR, we finished the spring semester with a Dean of Students Outstanding Student Organization Award. Additionally, our faculty adviser, Dr. Cortney Barko, won an Outstanding Organization Adviser Award. We welcomed Heather Carpenter as our new recruitment adviser. We sent two sisters to Officer Academy; they had a blast learning about recruitment and sisterhood and seeing Indianapolis! We have calendar numerous sisterhood and

recruitment events on our chapter calendar, as well as fundraisers for Pine Mountain Settlement School and Convention. This fall, we volunteered at the Conquer Chiari Walk Across America in Charleston, West Virginia, in honor of our sister Lori Shaffer’s daughter. We helped to raise money and awareness of Chiari malformation. We plan to continue our work with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation by helping WVU Institute of Technology exceed their donations from last year. In addition, many of us will participate in the Jingle Bell Walk/Run for Arthritis in Charleston in honor of a fellow student.

GAMMA RHO Seton Hall University, NJWe hosted our first “Rock-A-Thon” benefit concert last spring to raise money for Pine Mountain Settlement School. We gathered several local bands and singers to perform for students and raised $740 for our philanthropy. We also participated in Greek Week and our sister Christine Byrne won Greek Goddess. Although we didn’t win overall, our chapter walked away with two awards: Best College Panhellenic Council (CPC) Organization and Highest CPC GPA. During the semester, we also won Greek Organization of the Year. Two sisters, Kimberly Topel and Madelyn Abdalla, were inducted into the Order of Omega Greek Leadership Honor Society. We started the fall semester by helping an alumnae sister, Kristen Manga Akian, raise money for her son Avedis “Avi” Akian, who has ataxia telangiectasia (A-T, or Louis-Bar syndrome), in an event called Ride 4 Avi. The money raised will go toward helping to find a cure and allowing Avi to live his dreams. We also participated in Hazing Prevention Week by hosting a discussion panel and co-sponsoring other hazing prevention events throughout the week.

GAMMA UPSILON California State University, Los Angeles, CAThe ladies of Gamma Upsilon Chapter hosted a Valentine’s Day fundraiser to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims and for Sydney, a nine-year-old leukemia patient. We crafted and sold Valentine-grams that included a bouquet of Hershey’s Kiss “roses” and a teddy bear. We started this fundraiser in winter 2012 and it has been a big success. This year we raised over $1,000. Throughout winter quarter, sisters played volleyball and basketball in Greek intramurals. After a tough season, we finished the quarter strong and undefeated in volleyball, bringing home a well-earned trophy. We spent spring break at a beach camping retreat in San Clemente, digging our toes in the sand and basking in the sun. As spring quarter came to an end, we welcomed 10 new sisters into our chapter.

GAMMA PSI Fitchburg State University, MAWe are excited to welcome 15 new members as they begin new member education. This is one of our biggest turnouts ever, and we are holding continuous open recruitment events hoping to get even more additions to our sisterhood. We want to thank Allyson Gnoza’s parents for hosting our retreat for the second year in a row. We had so much fun with swimming and “synchronized diving” competitions in the pool, and especially playing with alumna Kelly Callahan’s little girl, Anya! This fall, we are holding our annual 12-hour board-game-a-thon to raise money for Pine Mountain Settlement School. Though it is one of our smaller fundraisers, we always have fun playing board games with sisters, friends, and faculty. In the spring we held our 24-hour swing-a-thon to raise money for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). As the weather changed from hot to cold to sprinkling to pouring rain over the course of the 24 hours, we raised more than


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$4,000. Thanks to the great planning efforts of our Collegiate–Alumnae Director, Stacey Thomas, we are planning numerous events to get to know our alumnae better. The next few months hold an apple-picking event, a rededication ceremony, and a potluck dinner. Finally, we are pleased that we are second-time champions of the Greek Week events that take place in the spring! We are the first sorority on campus to make it onto the Greek Week trophy, and we are holding on tight to our title. We hope to do it again this spring!

DELTA ALPHA Gannon University, PAWe started the year rejuvenated and ready to accomplish great things. Most recently, we sponsored a youth soccer team of first- and second-graders from Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the hometown of one of our sisters. It is important to us to show our home communities the positive impact Alpha Sigma Tau has had on our lives. We plan to cheer them on at one of their fall games, and are making signs and snacks for them to show our support. Locally, we have had many volunteer opportunities to kick off the semester. Some of our sisters helped out at Presque Isle’s Half Marathon, where one of our alumnae was running. We also participated in Gannon’s Invitation to Volunteer Everywhere (GIVE) Day. Some sisters helped out at the Erie Zoo, others weeded gardens, and many wrote letters to eighth-graders to inspire them to stay in school. Additionally, we have kept busy with events like “Fall in Love with Alpha Sigma Tau” and a game night with paint twister—an activity we highly recommend! Fall recruitment has brought in enthusiastic new sisters.

DELTA DELTA University of Illinois at Chicago, ILWith last fall’s new member class of 25 women, our chapter size reached an all-time high. Since then, Delta Delta has continued to grow, complete philanthropic projects, and fundraise. In Spring 2013, we initiated another

new member class. We have adopted Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network (UCAN), an organization that fights gun violence in Chicago, as our local philanthropy. We invited other campus organizations to help us make bracelets consisting of 26 beads (one for each victim of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting) and sold them in UIC’s student center for $5, with all proceeds going to UCAN. We teamed up with Theta Xi Fraternity for a date auction to benefit Habitat for Humanity. The event was a huge success, raising a total of $1,500. Together with the men of Tau Kappa Epsilon and Kappa Alpha Psi, we won UIC’s annual Greek Week Championship Games. Greek Week is a weeklong competition of sports games, the annual Knowledge Bowl trivia competition, and other campus unity events. Also during Greek Week, our president, Nicole Sammartino won Collegiate Panhellenic Council President of the Year. In addition, we ranked first in completed service hours out of all the organizations at UIC.

DELTA PI Oglethorpe University, GAOur spring philanthropy event, A Very Southern Picnic with the Taus, was a huge success. The money we raised went to our local philanthropy, the Atlanta branch of Habitat for Humanity. Even though we had a few obstacles along the way to fall recruitment (our sorority house flooded!), we had a lovely Lilly Pulitzer–themed recruitment. On bid day, we had the privilege of welcoming 11 new members into our chapter.

DELTA RHO Chowan University, NCWe have been busy upholding our motto: Active, Self-Reliant, and Trustworthy! Our chapter raised money for domestic violence victims by putting on “A Walk in her Shoes.” This event is known on campus by the men walking around in heels to raise money and awareness about domestic violence. We held our annual “Womanless Fashion Show” to help our chapter raise money for Relay for Life and Pine Mountain Settlement School. For this event, a group of men dress up in a range

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of garments from formal wear to bikinis, on which they are judged. Another philanthropy in which we are involved every year is the Relay for Life on campus. At this event we sell crafts and walk to raise money for cancer during a 24-hour period. We were excited to work with Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity during an educational forum on sexism. With the start of a Greek Council on campus during the 2013–14 academic year, we have upcoming events that involve all the fraternities and sororities. These include educational forums, campus ministries, basketball, and a service project.

DELTA SIGMA University of the Sciences, PAOur sister Abby Hoffer was chosen Greek Woman of the Year and our chapter took home the award for Greek of the Year. We added 15 new members to our group. We are confident they have what it takes to keep ΑΣΤ strong at the University of the Sciences! This summer we assembled in Ocean City, New Jersey, for our annual Anchor Splash weekend retreat. Throughout the weekend, we held meetings to reflect on our strengths and improve on our weaknesses. We also discussed recruitment strategies and chapter goals for the coming school year. There are numerous events this semester that we are all excited about. A day cruise in the area is being organized as an opportunity to reunite with alumnae. During the fall, it is a tradition for us to participate in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. Last year we raised almost $2,000. We continue to collect can tabs for Ronald McDonald House, which uses the donations to support families.

DELTA TAU Oakland University, MIWe nearly doubled our chapter size for the second year in a row. This is the first year we met quota, and we are now three members from total. We extended bids to 28 women, bringing our chapter size to 58 members. This year we will continue our annual philanthropy of Focus Hope with the Detroit alumnae chapter. Focus Hope is “an organization dedicated to intelligent and practical solutions to … hunger, economic disparity, inadequate education, and racial divisiveness” (www.focushope.edu). This past year we packaged more than 1,300 boxes of food for the homeless. Aside from Focus Hope, we will work with our local philanthropy, Haven, a domestic violence shelter for women, for Make A Difference Day, a day of service sponsored by our school.

DELTA PHI New York University, NYWe used Relay for Life as our vehicle for both fun and philanthropy. Our new members enjoyed the organization (and success!) of a bake sale with proceeds going to Relay for Life. Later in the semester, the chapter collaborated at Relay for Life’s main event by hosting a booth and contributing to NYU’s collective funds for donation. We are proud to announce we placed third overall in Greek Games, an inter-Greek competition here at NYU.

DELTA PSI Johnson & Wales University - Denver, CODuring the spring 2013 trimester, we welcomed eight women, including our 100th member. In addition to holding our annual “Big Man on Campus” university-wide event, we won two campus awards for Citizenship and Most Active Organization. This trimester, we look forward to initiating nine amazing women, and we are also excited to

celebrate our advisor Jenn Marshall’s 20th year of being a member of Alpha Sigma Tau.

DELTA OMEGA Penn State Altoona, PAWe welcomed 15 new members who hail from Alaska to Hawaii and everywhere in between. After our rejuvenating bonding in nature at a gorgeous nearby lake, we will be eager to carry out campus events such as Breast Cancer Week. Our annual Date Auction will be the week’s final event. All of the proceeds collected are donated to Pine Mountain Settlement School and research to fight breast cancer. With the other Greek organizations on campus, we help out the local Mountain Lion Backpacks organization, which provides schoolchildren with backpacks full of nutritious foods to encourage their focus on learning. We also help raise funds for Penn State’s noted Dance Marathon (THON), the largest student-run charity in the world. THON provides moral support and funding for unpaid medical bills for local children suffering from cancer.

EPSILON BETA The University of Texas–Pan American, TXLast spring, we hosted the ninth annual Mr. ΑΣΤ, our main philanthropic event, which features a male beauty pageant. Male students across campus support our cause by participating and we take a lot of pride in this event. This spring we raised more than $800! We kicked off the fall semester with nonstop preparations for recruitment, including our own recruitment boot camp.. Our hard work paid off as we welcomed 25 new members, doubling our chapter size! This semester, we will participate in National Latino AIDS Awareness Week in October and Diabetes Awareness Week in November to bring awareness and educate the community on these very important topics. We are planning a 5K run on campus, where participants who bring in canned food will help the community during Thanksgiving. Planning is also under way for our end-of-the-year Yellow Rose banquet with a Great Gatsby theme.

EPSILON LAMBDA Indiana University South Bend, INLast semester, we helped our local Habitat for Humanity, as we do every semester. This time we helped insulate the house and put shingles on a roof. It was cold and raining but, as always, it was a good time helping others in need. We also participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, another annual tradition. We wore yellow ribbons for a sister who is a survivor of bone cancer. We organized our first kickball game with Theta Phi Alpha, which was a blast! We also began forming a campus Panhellenic Council, which has been very exciting. We worked hard on academics this past semester and it paid off. We ended up with a chapter GPA of 3.2, beating the campus all-women GPA of 3.0! We applied to attend Recruitment Boot Camp and to be a pilot chapter for the Membership Development Program and we were accepted for both. Over the summer we had six members representing us at Officer Academy, Recruitment Boot Camp, and Mastering Facilitation in Indianapolis.

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S EPSILON OMICRON University of Southern Indiana, INStarting off the spring semester, informal recruitment was the first order of business for our chapter. Toward the middle of our spring semester we held our first major philanthropy event, TASTE. We chose S.M.I.L.E On Down Syndrome as our local philanthropy and invited the public to come and support this great event, which was a cook-off among the Greek organizations. For our next philanthropy, Puppies for Pine, we borrowed puppies from a local adoption facility for an afternoon. The

public could buy treats and play with the puppies for a donation, which went to Pine Mountain Settlement School. Outside of our chapter, we participated in other Greek philanthropies such as Gamma Phi Beta’s Lip Sync, Greek Week, Kappa Alpha Order’s Southern Belle (where one of our own was crowned), Lambda Chi Alpha’s Pumpkin Bust, Phi Delta Theta’s Buy a Phi, and many more. This month we participated in our first formal recruitment. Starting with only 42 women, we more than doubled our size with an additional 46 new members. Seeing their excitement to join our sisterhood was icing on the cake for a successful first recruitment.

Nestled in the Keweenaw of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the small town of Houghton, Michigan is home to Michigan Technological University. Houghton is recognized as the third snowiest city in the United States, receiving an average snowfall of 200+ inches every winter. While the record of 355.90 inches occurred in 1978-1979, this past year’s snowfall of 225.75 inches allowed Michigan Tech students to set a new Guinness World Record for the biggest snowball ever created.

Snow is a popular topic among Michigan Tech students, alumni, and the community of Houghton with the most popular topic seeming to be...Winter Carnival. The first Winter Carnival festival began in 1922, when Michigan Tech students decided to hold a one night ice carnival that was circus themed. Since that time, Winter Carnival has transformed into a month of exciting traditions, events, and competitions, conducted every February with a new theme each year.

One of the most popular Winter Carnival events is the month-long statue competition. During this time, sororities, fraternities, student organizations, residence halls, and community groups work together to create snow statues of epic proportions. Groups are not allowed to use power tools in forming

their snow statues, so they use wooden forms, buckets, hatchets, chisels, snow, water, and ice. “Stomping,” as it is called, is one of the most common practices in the creation of a snow statue. The process is conducted in an assembly line with one to five people inside wooden forms, constantly stomping their feet up and down as snow is continuously dumped into the form with a consistent flow of water. The forms are then left on for a couple of hours to allow the snow to solidify in shape. Some of the other statue practices of ice work like making bricks and scaling are kept secret because the detail work is what typically sets a statue apart from the others.

The Beta Xi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau at Michigan Tech actively participates in Winter Carnival and has won the month-long statue competition three times in the past five years. The members put in around 1,400 hours of total labor. The chapter won first place this past year, and donated over $300 to Pine Mountain Settlement School. The chapter has also received national recognition for their work. In 2012, the Weather Channel traveled to Houghton and broadcasted live from the ΑΣΤ-Beta Xi statue site!

Sister Erin Bertocchi says, “My favorite moment would have to be the Carnival 2011

All Nighter. There was a group of sisters who skipped naps and worked straight through the night. At 8:00 AM, when we were finally done with statue, we stood at the end of the driveway and watched the sun rise while singing “ah zabenya” from The Lion King. A few hours later we saw the “First Place” sign in our front yard, making the last month of cold days and sleepless nights totally worth it!”

Other Winter Carnival events include the human dogsled race, snow volleyball, snow tug-o-war, ice bowling, a beards competition, comedy skits, ice fishing, curling, broomball, and a queen’s competition. When asked about her favorite Winter Carnival event, Kelly Garringer says, “Tug-o-war and human dogsled are my favorite! I like the teamwork aspect of it because without all of the sisters helping, we wouldn’t be successful in the competition. We have to work together!”

Winter Carnival provides an opportunity for the sisters of Beta Xi chapter to demonstrate the values of ΑΣΤ by their participation, dedication, and excellence during the festival. Like the Alpha Sigma Tau sisterhood, Michigan Tech’s Winter Carnival is unforgettable and one of a kind.

“Snow” Problem for Beta XiBy Allison Gleiss, Beta Xi

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Chapter Installations

By Christina Mortellaro, Epsilon Rho Chapter Editor

Geneseo, New YorkAlpha Sigma Tau was invited to colonize on the State University of New York at Geneseo campus in early 2013. Recruitment began that February, and the women immediately started to make a positive mark on campus. The college’s Relay for Life is their largest campus fundraiser; Alpha Sigma Tau’s team was the third highest fundraising team for the event by raising over $4,000 in a few weeks. Their participation during the event, including winning the trivia Pentathlon, raised their profile as a new organization and resulted in some positive publicity. The event also helped the new colony strengthen relationships with one another and stood out as a highlight of the colonization period.

On April 28, 2013, the colony became the Epsilon Rho Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau. The installation team who initiated the women consisted of: Kristin Walker, Alpha Lambda, National Vice President;

Alli Miller, Phi, National Vice President; Ashley Meyer, Gamma Pi, Assistant Chapter Advisor; Tara Shaffer, Gamma Pi, New Member Advisor; Allison Bressler, Alpha Tau, Associate Director of Chapter Services; Cayte Merryman, Psi, Educational Consultant; Nicole Ball, Sigma, Buffalo Alumnae Chapter; Shauna Jackson, Delta Alpha, Erie Alumnae Chapter; and Kelly Darcy, Sigma, Chapter President.

The new chapter’s Installation Brunch was held in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom on the SUNY Geneseo campus. Family and friends were invited to celebrate the new chapter, as well as other Sigma Chapter sisters.

Epsilon RhoSUNY Geneseo

Providence, Rhode IslandIn April of 2009, Lambda Chi sorority was established at Rhode Island College by Stephanie Mastrostefano and Jordan Day. Before Lambda Chi, Rhode Island College only had two sororities. Neither Stephanie nor Jordan felt connected to either of them, and they did not fit the “Greek Life image” that they wanted for themselves at the time. As a result, they made a brave leap when they decided to petition Alpha Sigma Tau for colonization in fall 2012.

Alpha Sigma Tau representatives presented to the campus the Sorority’s principles and beliefs. Twenty-eight women accepted bids and we began our journey to Alpha Sigma Tau sisterhood. We participated in a book drive with United Way, our local philanthropy. In March, we showed our support by participating in our first Greek Week. Everyone was so enthusiastic about Greek Week, even some classmates and faculty joined in!

The chapter Installation was held at Rhode Island College. Attending the celebration were Jamie Jones Miller, Psi, National Vice President; Bayley Lesperance, Psi, New Member Advisor; Allison

Bressler, Alpha Tau, Associate Director of Chapter Services; Gretchen Stahl, Director of Membership Growth; Erica Richards, Beta Mu, Educational Consultant; and other supportive area alumnae. Twenty-eight women were initiated.

We are excited about being part of a large network of members throughout the United States. It gives us great pleasure knowing that we have sisters who share the same diversity, principles, and ideals of sisterhood.

By Mariana Rei-Mohammed, Epsilon PiChapter Editor

Epsilon PiRhode Island College


NOWTRENDING

How did I get so lucky to be part of such an amazing group of women!? #blessed #ΑΣΤ #anchoredforlife ⚓10:10 PM - Sept 15, 2013

Makenzie Hall@MakenzieHall21

“Like a drum, baby, don’t stop beating.” I love my sisters. Alpha Sigma Tau you mean the world to me. :) @ASTdeltaeta #anchoredforlife12:22 PM - Sept 12, 2013

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Love my letters. Love my sisters. #AST #loveforever11:20 PM - Oct 12, 2013

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JOIN THECONVERSATION

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While on her way to the Dave Matthews Band concert in Hershey, Pennsyvania, Emily Kraus, Zeta, never thought she’d be giving Dave himself a ride there. Emily happened to see the singer stranded on the side of the road with a popped bicycle tire and gave him a lift!

I believe in the fulfillment of self and will strive to contribute my share to the progress of mankind #alphasigmatau #ast 1:44 PM - Aug 11, 2013

Trisha Marie@Trishaguyette

I love being a part of something that’s bigger than I am. Makes every late night worth it. #ast ⚓12:26 AM - Oct 7, 2013

Mary DeWilde@mkdewilde


ANCHORING THOUGHTS

The Epsilon Gamma chapter teamed up with Armstrong Atlantic State University’s student body and campus police this past spring to raise awareness on the dangers of alcohol with a program called Fun Without the Hangover. It took the entire chapter’s participation to organize the event, which was held in a high-traffic common area of the school’s freshman dorms. It featured games and activities all night, including water pong, a mock blood-alcohol content calculation based on individual students’ reported drinking habits, a station serving mocktails, and a game called Alcohol Awareness Jeopardy. One of the biggest highlights of the night was ΑΣΤ’s Drunk Driver Course, in which participants wore drinking goggles and attempted to navigate around a golf course on campus. The goggles provide the wearer with an experience much like the one a drunk driver would have-hazy, distorted vision and a head-spinning sensation-in order to educate and discourage students from driving under the influence. Epsilon Gamma also gave out orange ribbons and gave students an opportunity to take a pledge against drinking and driving.

At the end of the night, a drunk driving video was presented, showing teens that decided to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. It showed the dramatic shift from fun to fatal when the teens were in a gut-wrenching accident. After, it showed what the deceased teenagers left behind: grieving families,

torn communities, and broken hearts all around. It really stirred up emotion in the students at the event. Following the video, a student who barely survived an accident that was a result of drunk driving spoke to the students about the experience, leaving a strong impression on all involved. Although it wasn’t in the light-hearted mood of the rest of the night, this was definitely one of the high points-the room was filled with tears and shocked faces. It reminded us all that while the event was supposed to be fun, the message we were sending was one that was a lot more important than a game of water pong.

The event was a huge success, attracting the support of other Greek organizations on campus and the attention of many students across campus. The school enjoyed it so much that they asked us to make it an annual event, and we are happy to oblige. The event was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work to organize. Freshman sister Missy Tirone called the event “eye-opening” and truly “fun without the hangover”. At the end of the night, we knew that as a chapter, we had come together to do something bigger, and that we really made a difference to the students who attended Fun Without the Hangover. It brought us closer as sisters, created a tradition that will be upheld for years to come, and hopefully helped to positively affect the lives of Armstrong’s students.

Epsilon Gamma Presents Fun Without the HangoverBy Tori Dixon, Epsilon Gamma Chapter Editor


Registration RatesCollegiate Chapters - $1,600 entitles each chapter to• 1 Convention Delegate• 1 Convention Alternate Delegate• 1 Chapter Advisory Board Delegate

Additional Collegians - $350 eachAlumnae/Non-member Advisors - $450Guest meal packages, day rates, and Yellow Rose Banquet tickets are available.

LodgingRoom rates: $125 per night, plus tax (roughly 16%)Attendees should reserve their room with the Alpha Sigma Tau room block.

TransportationFlying: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International AirportDriving: 3300 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305

Arrival and DepartureTentative Scheduled Start Time:Thursday, June 26 – 1:00 pm Opening Ceremony RehearsalThursday, June 26 – 2:00 pm Opening Session BeginsDeparture: Sunday, June 29 – time varies Specific pricing, hotel information, registration, and additional information available at www.alphasigmatau.org/convention.

National Headquarters3334 Founders RdIndianapolis, IN 46268

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fall 2013 anchor

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