Sigma Psi

Sigma Psi ( ΣΨ) is one of the oldest and largest local women’s fraternities in the United States. It is the oldest sorority on Case Western Reserve University’s campus.
History
Sigma Psi was founded on March 7, 1897, at the then all women's college at Western Reserve University. The founder, Elsie Davies began the sorority when she broke from an unlettered Greek organization to form the sorority of Sigma Psi. Elsie Davies, Cornelia Olmstead, Grace and Edith Lottridge, and Anna Camp made up the first class and they immediately pledged Mary Case, Clare Metcalf, and Elizabeth Coit. All eight women are considered founding members. Sigma Psi is now celebrating its 115th year, with 72 active sisters.
The centennial of the sorority was celebrated on the CWRU campus in 1997. A party was held in Thwing student center and attended by several hundred alumnae and current members. Additionally, in honor of this milestone, Representative Louis Stokes flew the flag on the behalf of Sigma Psi Sorority on May 27, 1997, over the U.S. Capitol Building.
The founders
*Elsie Davies
*Cornelia Olmstead
*Grace Lottridge
*Edith Lottridge
*Anna Camp
*Mary Case
*Clare Metcalf
*Elizabeth Coit
Scholarship
Sigma Psi maintains that academics are the primary reason students seek a collegiate education, and as such have established programming and minimum GPAs in order to help keep members academically successful. The Scholarship Chairs of Sigma Psi hold several study jams every week and run both the Daffodil and Emerald Programs. The Daffodil Program is a friendly competition in which teams keep track of scholastic accomplishments made throughout the semester, and they can win prizes at the end of each semester. The Emerald Program is a mentorship program that partners older sisters with younger sisters in similar classes and majors.
Philanthropy and Volunteerism
As a local sorority, Sigma Psi tends to concentrate its philanthropic and volunteer efforts in the Cleveland community. The major philanthropy event is the annual Mr. CWRU (Case Western Reserve University) Beauty Pageant. All proceeds from the event benefit community groups, and in the past have gone to the East Cleveland Neighborhood Center, which features afterschool programming, summer camps, tutoring, and more. The 33rd Mr. CWRU was held in 2011, with the theme being "Who Will Be Your Prince Charming?" The competition is held to be a humorous faux pageant, and contestants have been known to sing ballads in Batman costumes and participate in generally slapstick behavior. In 2007, the Plain Dealer listed Mr. CWRU as a top event to attend for the upcoming weekend in the city of Cleveland.
The Sigma Psi corporation has also donated back to Case Western Reserve University when the opportunity has presented itself. Room 210 in Clark Hall, located on Mather Quad, is named The Sigma Psi Room, in honor of a charitable donation the sorority has made towards the upkeep of the building.
Recruitment
The sororities of Case Western Reserve University practice formal recruitment. Every Spring semester, all seven of the sororities participate in a four day recruitment process.
In the past, Sigma Psi used to participate solely in informal recruitment, but changed their practice when they joined the Panhellenic Council.
Awards and citations
In Fall 2010, Sigma Psi was awarded the Theta Chi Citation of Honor by their Beta Nu chapter. This award was given in recognition of over 100 years of friendly and helpful relations between the two chapters. Sigma Psi is the only chapter on Case Western Reserve University’s campus to have ever received this award. For a better definition of this Citation, please see this
Notable alumna
* Florence Ellinwood Allen

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu