Recruitment Fall 2011

        This year recruitment's theme was "Classic... Beautiful... Timeless" We hit quota by recruiting 12 amazing new ladies, raising the chapter to 55 wonderful women of character! The most we've ever had, and five members over the set total :)

 "All summer I was planning and buying things for recruitment. It is a hard job, but once you actually get to formal recruitment and see the parties and how well we were doing it really pays off :) It was a great relief to have the help of my sisters with setting up and helping each party run smoothly. I loved seeing how well our chapter connected with the girls and helped them understand why we love Tri Sigma and why we want to share this sisterhood with them!  Some of our new girls already want leadership positions and I love to hear that motivation from our new girls! I am so excited for this semester and to get to know them all! All my sisters make me very proud! :)"
~ Kelsey Jackson, Recruitment Director.

      Friday was more of a "getting to know you" and discussion of chapter requirements night. Saturday was fun, we focused on our philanthropy and made baby tie-blankets to be donated to Berean Baptist Church for their bi-annual Kids Closet :) Sunday was "Pref Day" where we got to know our ladies on a much deeper level. Sunday night we handed out our bids and received our lovely new members! 

"Excitement! Formal Recruitment is always full of it. As a senior member of Tri-Sigma, recruitment this past fall was bittersweet for me. On one hand, I could not wait to meet and fall in love with who would be my new sisters, but I also knew that I would not get to see them rise to their full potential while I remain an active member of Epsilon Rho.
I know that some ladies may be nervous to meet and talk to potential new members, and I understand their reserve. It can be intimidating to meet so many wonderful young women who exhibit the qualities we search for in our members. In reality, nerves are simply the body's physical reaction to the excitement and anticipation of all the events of the week. Even seasoned members such as myself still get butterflies during formal recruitment!
My advice to members for formal recruitment is to just be yourself when talking to potential new members. Your sisters love you and saw in you the heart of a true Sigma. It is easy to spit facts out to Potential New Members but I urge you to go deeper into the love you have for our chapter. Talk about the ladies who have become your family, the roles you have taken on to gain a greater knowledge of yourself, and talk about the events that have shaped who you are today and who you will become tomorrow.
Just remember that recruitment is a continuous process. Even though a lot of our energy is focused into formal recruitment, we still should be reaching out to women on our campus who we could see as our sisters!"
~Marija Trence, Senior Member of ∑∑∑.

Summer Retreat!

This summer 2011 we had our retreat at RedBarn Retreats in Garden City, MN. (http://redbarnretreats.com) 

The ladies of ∑∑∑ EP really enjoyed themselves. Lots of business was taken care of, as well as lots of fun!

"I really enjoyed retreat, it was great to see everyone after the long hot summer!  The best parts were our fun breakout sessions when we got to do games and activities together, playing "mafia" the card game, and of course the pedicures from Christina's sister!  I think that it was the right way to start off this fall semester, keeping our goals and values in mind and getting us excited about recruitment."
  Sara Tauer, new member class Fall 2010.

One of our sisters, Christina Miller, had her sister come and do pedicures for the sisters! What a great way to unwind after all that planning! :)

"I had a lot of fun at retreat, it was nice seeing everyone that I have not seen over the summer.  I was able to get to know more of the newer members.  Retreat to me was a way to get excited for the upcoming recruitment.  It made me excited for the upcoming school year and motivated me to get ready for what was ahead in the school year.  Also, the pedicures were a great way to end the night after a long day."
  Jessica Krueger, new member class Spring 2010.

Tri-Sigma EP Feature!

We were honored to be featured by SimplySorority on our incredible sisterhood!
Check out the link to read all about it! :)
So proud (always am!) to be a member of the Epsilon Rho chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma!

∑∑∑ EP ladies! ♥

http://simplysorority.com/2011/05/09/tri-sigma-sisterhood/

Greek Week and Chapter of the Year!!!!!

Greek Week at MNSU was held April 11 through the 18th.  With a competitive Greek community, we challenged each other mentally and physically.  We are proud to announced that we received the 2010 Chapter of the Year.  We had four of our sisters achieve personal awards, Sorority Scholar of the Year, Sorority President of the Year, PHC Executive Member of the Year, and Vawracz Award for Community Service.  Here are some highlights of the week.

Lip Sync/Greek Goddess participant

Christina Miller

 Greek Week Clothing Drive

Game Stand

Greek Olympics-Go Sigma!

Team Sigma

Officer Board 2010 (minus former President and Vice President)

Sigma Winners:  Katelyn (middle), Christina (next), Rachel (next)

 Chapter of the Year 2010

Inspiration Week

Hey, everyone! 

I am so proud and honored to let everyone know that we initiated 6 wonderful new members and 4 moms this past weekend.  We had a great Inspiration Week full over events including our popular Family Olympics, Unity Night and breakfast get together among other things.  The last event before Initiation was a bonfire held at one of the sister's home which she opened up to us. 

Here is a quick week in review with pictures:)  Love!

DAY 1:  Unity Night

This was an event planned from the New Members to the chapter members.  We took photos with each other wearing purple accents.

DAY 2:  Family Olympics

Each family participated in fun non-competitive events.  Musical chairs and carrying eggs in mouth are pictured here.

DAY 4:  Family Dinners

Teddy Bear family Toga-Themed dinner pictured here.

DAY 5:  Sisterhood Bonfire

We gathered at a sister's home for a pre-initiation bonfire.  Popcorn, chips and s'more!  Yummy!

DAY 6:  Initiation Day

Sisters waiting after for lunch.

We eat!  Sisters cooked a delicious meal of Spaghetti.

Sisters chatting:)

The 6 newly initiated women

Newly initiated women and Alumnae Initiates

Big and Little plaques

Sigma Formal

We recently held our semesterly dance at the Kato Ballroom last Friday.  There was no theme so sisters were not constraint to specific dress.  We had a delicious dinner (Chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and cupcakes) starting at 7 pm followed by awards from our Spirit Chair and her helpers:)  The music started and off to a great memorable night.  Here are some pictures of the night:

Cupid Shuffle time

Dance floor

Sisters smiling

One of the highlights of the night.  Sister CarlaMarie Uber sings to the chapter definitely making use of her "Best to win American Idol Award" 

Limo Ride back...Looking great after the dance

Sister of the night.  Thanks for organizing such a great event!

Thanks for everyone and their guests for making this a fun and safe event.  

Homecoming 2011 Annoucement!

We are proud to announce that we are collaborating with the Delta Chi Fraternity and Sigma Chi Fraternity on the MSU campus for Homecoming 2011.  We announced this earlier this evening at All Greeks meeting.  We are estatic to be working with such great and excellent men.  The theme for Homecoming 2011 is Innovation so this should be a great homecoming.  We cannot wait for it.  Get ready for some hard competition!

Poster made for announcement

Spring New Member Class

On snowy February 26th, we arc'd in 4 lovely new members and 5 alumnae new members.  After that, Mom's Day took place with a plethora of food and fun.  The following day, we arc'd in the last of our new members.  We are so excited for everyone to start their new member journey:)

Sigma Spotlight #3: Melissa Anderson

With our Annual Taco Feed coming in about 2 weeks, I would like to introduce you to the head of our Foundation Committee as the receipient of our Sigma Spotlight #3. 



Name: Melissa Anderson

Current Chairs: Tri-Sigma:  Foundation Head

                      Panhellenic: VP of Community Service and Philanthropy

Three words of your choice to describe Tri-Sigma and why:

Love, Faith, and Passion.

Everyone is so giving and caring and I know that we all have a lot of faith in each other. We believe that we all can succeed and we support each other. Everyone has such passion for doing things within Sigma, such as Community Service.

Your favorite memory yet:

I love every moment that I am with my sisters. However, my favorite moment was recruitment of this year. I had so much fun meeting new girls and telling them all the wondering things that Sigmas do and how much fun it is!

 

Why is it important to be involved not only in Tri-Sigma, but also on Panhellenic:

I believe that we as a Greek Community can't segregate each other or exclude based on what Chapter you are in. We all need to help each other out because then we are truly a community. I want to represent Sigma but I also want to represent a strong woman in the Greek life. You get to know so many people by being greek and it is such an amazing experience. It has provided me with so many leadership opportunities. Sigma motivated me to step up and apply for the position on phc. I love working with other fraternities and sororities. I wouldn't trade the experiences I am having right now, for anything.



We are awaiting great things from you:)

SLAM!

3.0 GPA and over! Congrats Ladies:)

Here is a little recognition to all the lovely ladies of Tri-Sigma that earned a 3.0 or higher in Fall 2010. 

• Sara Borchert
• Lynsey Jacobson
• Melissa Anderson
• Melissa Jones
• Rita Olson
• Stephanie Olson
• Emma Onyancha
• Jenny Pollock
• Jennifer Severson
• Justine Stein
• Katelyn Taylor
• Elise Bolemen
• Nicole Williams
• Erin Bruesehoff
• Katrina Culhane
• Jennifer Dooley
• Emily Enforf
• Jessica Krueger
• Jessica Hanevik
• Christina Miller
• Courtney Nelson
• Rachel Nystrom
• Heidi Sletta
• Xe Yang
• Jolissa Yonker
• Emma Deppa
• Emily Haag
• Kelsey Jackson
• Marla Kautzman
• Caitlyn Lindsey
• Arielle Mastellar
• Sara Tauer
• Kathryn Tschida
• Shannon Van Liere

According the last All Greeks Meeting, we had the most women receive "Pie for Pi" from any of the sororities:)  We highly pride ourselves in high academics.  To accomplish this, the Officer Board, Honor Council and Education Committee facilitate study table hours in the 3rd floor of the library.  Each women will complete a certain amount of study tables depending on GPA from the prior semester. 

Again, congratulations to all those above.  Keep up the great work, ladies.

Sigma Semester Goals

At our winter retreat, we discussed some of our goals for the chapter as well as expectations from ourselves, the chapter, National Headquarters, officer board, and our Collegiate Advisory Board.  We used this time to hold everyone accountable for making aware of our expectations.  Our expectations ranged from improving communication among sisters for ourselves to National Headquarters providing assistance when needed. 

To effectively come up with achieveable goals, we used the SMART approach.  (Anyone can use and apply this to any goals that are setting.)

Our chapter goals includes some of the following:

• Have each member attend 5-10 non-Big 10 events.
• Creating a binder for your chair before January 30th and implementing one new activity for your chair by the end of the semester.
• Each person improve their GPA by midterms.
• Achieve Accrediation with Honors (again!)  Strive to complete 60% this semester.

With these and a few more, we will periodically check and remind ourselves of these and hopefully at the end og the semester, we can proudly say we accomplished that goal. 

Sigma Spotlight #2: Emma Deppa

Name: Emma Deppa.

Current chair(s): Resource Coordinator on Honor Council and Family Day Planner!

When you joined Sigma: Fall 2010!

How did Tri-Sigma appeal to you?

I connected on a very deep level with the girls of Tri-Sigma during recruitment, and I could just feel the love and passion in all of the women.

What are you looking forward most to this semester?

I'm looking forward to lots more fun with my amazing sisters! And I'm also excited to get to know more of my sisters better.

What has been one of the most fun event you been to since you have joined?

I LOVED RETREAT! The first night was super fun sister bonding time, and then the next day ice-skating was a ton of fun! I just love to spend time and by goofy with all my amazing sisters! :))

Sigma Winter Retreat

So on Jan 16th, we had our semesterly retreat.  It was hosted my our lovely CAB in Bloomington.  At the retreat we discussed SMART goals we had for the chapter as a whole and ourselves as individuals.  Team building activities were also facilitated.  The retreat was a great experience for the chapter.  After a month off from school, the retreat refocused all sisters back into school and Sigma business mode.  I plan to post some of our goals soon so we can share them with you all! 

Winter Chapter Retreat Jan 2011

After the business part of the retreat, we drove to Centennial Lakes and ice skated with each other.  It was a great bonding time with each other and our advisors.  Here are a few of our great moments from the night:) 

Sigmas getting laced up

Beautiful Sigmas

Acting "naturally"

Group Shot

This was a great time to bond and get business done.  I will share goals with you soon!  Until next time, my friends...

Sigma White Elephant Sisterhood

Hey readers, so we recently held a Sigma White Elephant Sisterhood right before school started.  We also wore festive sweaters.  I know that I searched for some but came up empty-handed.  It was located at the one of our sister's apartment.  Everyone was to bring a "gift" from their home.  We also had hot cocoa and cookies.  There were a great variety gifts, ranging from little car trinkets to Sigma memorabilia to old CDs and cassette tapes:)  Here are a copy of pictures.

Apartment renter and hostess:)  

SAWSUG  (Sisters at watching sisters unwrap gifts)

Group Photo.  Look at all our gifts.

I hope we can continue to have this particular event in the future.  I had fun and I hope others did too.

Sigma Spotlight: Christina Miller

This will be the first of many Sigma Spotlights.  Sigma Spotlight will focus on a specific Sigma and their experience.  With this, I hope that many non-Greeks will be able to see that Greek Life is not the typical stereotype they see in the media.  So, I present the first ever Sigma Spotlight!  Enjoy:)

Christina Lynn Miller

Current chair: Vice President 

When did you join Sigma: Fall of 2008

Chairs held: Secretary, Chapter Relations, Parliamentarian, Alumnae Relations

Favorite Sigma memory: 

Convention this summer, staying with my little and her wonderful family, seeing her honor initiation, meeting Laura Sweet, and our chapter being awarded the national standards of efficiency award!

What Sigma has taught you? 

My experience in Sigma has taught me to realize the potential that I have to make a difference and to achieve the goals that I set for myself. I am proud of the woman that I have become through my membership in Tri-Sigma. 

What are you looking forward to this semester the most? 

So many things... I am looking forward to being able to help our new members plan Unity Night, I am looking forward to traveling to Officer Academy with my sisters and also the opportunity to attend AFLV as a conference intern.

Welcome to our Blog

We would like to welcome all readers to our first and official blog of the Epsilon Rho Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma.  We hope to share our goals, accomplishments and sisterhood with our readers and the public.  This will be an electronic memory to carry on. 

As the blogger, I am very estatic to be writing a blog as it is my first.  I plan to have a posting every few days so that our followers be updated with what is happening in our chapter.  I will also post pictures and anything else that will promote the sisterhood of the Epsilon Rho chapter. 

Get ready for a wild and detailed ride this semester:)