Sigma Psi () is local

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

founded at Western Reserve College, in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

on March 7, 1897. Sigma Psi is the oldest sorority on Case Western Reserve University's campus, and one of the oldest local sororities in the United States. Sigma Psi's values are Sincerity, Faithfulness, and Fidelity.

History

The first sororities at Western Reserve University began as Greek study groups with a focus on self-improvement. On March 7, 1897, one woman broke from one of these unlettered Greek groups and she and four of her friends decided to form their own group, Sigma Psi Women's Fraternity, "for the intellectual and social benefits of its members." These women were Elsie Davies, Cornelia Olmstead, Grace Lottridge, Edith Lottridge, and Anna Camp. The first pledge class was composed of these five, plus Mary Case, Clare Metcalf, and Elizabeth Coit. All eight women are considered to be founding members of the fraternity. In 1997, Sigma Psi celebrated its centennial anniversary. A community-wide celebration was held, with alumni from across the country in attendance. The Sigma Psi common room contains an American flag that was flown over the United States Capitol by former Senator

Louis Stokes Louis Stokes (February 23, 1925 – August 18, 2015) was an American attorney, civil rights pioneer and politician. He served 15 terms in the United States House of Representatives – representing the east side of Cleveland – and was the firs ...

in honor of the centennial, as well as a letter from then-President Bill Clinton congratulating the sorority on its accomplishment. In 2015, the sorority amended membership bylaws to allow non-binary individuals.

Symbols

Sigma Psi's colors are

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

. The official flowers of Sigma Psi are the

daffodil ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''Is ...

and the yellow

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

, and the official symbol is the

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group compris ...

. Sigma Psi's official gemstones are

emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

s and

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

s, which edge the formal badge. The crest is a black triangle edged with gold and emblazoned with the Greek letters, surrounded by several golden wreaths. The badge is a simple black triangle featuring the Greek letters ΣΨ and edged with gold. This badge is given to all active sisters upon initiation.

Philanthropy

Sigma Psi has supported a variety of philanthropies throughout its history, but beginning in 2020, Sigma Psi supports the Cleveland Metroparks, a local organization consisting of eighteen reservations, 24,000 acres with more than 300 miles of trails, and a zoo.

References

External links

{{Fraternities and sororities Fraternities and sororities in the United States Case Western Reserve University Sororities Student organizations established in 1897