Silver Anniversary for Central Michigan University
Celebrating 25 years, Delta Iota Chapter dreams big - and represents the best of Phi Sigma Sigma
June 1, 2009
If you feel you’ve heard a lot about our Delta Iota Chapter at Central Michigan University (CMU) over 
the years – and considerably more as the years go on – there’s a pretty good reason for it.
Delta Iota is arguably one of the top chapters internationally – not just operationally, but in nearly every respect. Consider the following:
- Donations from Delta Iota sisters to the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation are among the highest among all chapters because of creative fundraisers and a “gung ho” commitment by sisters to make them insanely successful.
- They’re experienced at pulling off some of the best sisterhood events many in the Fraternity have ever heard of – at least one that’s so beloved, it goes back more than a decade.
- Their chapter house – a charming, stained-glass-windowed affair – has been in the same location all these years, and is the same “home away from home” all Delta Iota sisters have always known and loved.
- GPA among sisters is consistently high – with half earning a 3.5 or higher in recent semesters.
- The chapter’s roster reads like a virtual “who’s who” of Phi Sigma Sigma leaders, both past and present. And that’s a trend the proud sisters of Delta Iota expect to continue.
What’s the driving energy behind this powerhouse chapter?
If you ask Archon Whitney
Dubay, it’s the support, guidance and love of the chapter’s very active alumnae.
“We have a lot more alumnae support than the average Greek chapter,” she says simply. “They’re so passionate about what they’ve left behind that it makes a lasting impact on every (collegian) sister here.”
Among the honors the chapter received this year alone: Gold Chapter status in Chapter Excellence (fewer than 5% of chapters internationally achieve this distinction), Chapter Marketing Communications Award (for Cinderella's Closet, see below), Outstanding Collegiate Chapter and an honorable mention for Outstanding Membership Recruitment.
Giving back
That’s precisely how Chapter Key Advisor Becky Pifer envisioned Delta Iota’s future when she and 40 of her own sisters celebrated its installation on Feb. 11, 1984.
“From the beginning, the founders really wanted to emphasize the importance of our values, and of giving back,” explains Becky, who has fond memories of serving as the chapter’s first bursar. “For the sisters of Delta Iota, it’s not enough to simply be ‘a member of Phi Sigma Sigma’…. We want to leave a positive legacy for the sisters to come. We believe we can and will make that kind of difference. That’s why we do what we do.”
Ask the chapter women, Whitney says, and they’ll tell you Becky has done much in recent years to strengthen the connection between the alumnae and collegians – working with both groups to suggest new ways to reinforce and perpetuate the bonds of true sisterhood.
So it was no surprise this past April when nearly 100 alumnae joined 69 collegians for a weekend of 25th anniversary festivities that included house tours, their annual golf outing, a celebratory dinner and, on Sunday, even a parents’ day.
Whitney admits it took a ton of planning on everyone’s part. But it was worth it.
“We really believe every sister must contribute to our chapter’s success,” she explains. “And you know what? Everybody does.”
Golf: A 12-year fundraising tradition
This year’s golf outing was especially impressive, alumnae sisters report – featuring as many as 32 teams of four players, with each person paying $75 for a full round of golf, a
luncheon and opportunities to win any number of awards.
The event is such a massive undertaking, sisters begin planning months in advance:
- Sisters find sponsors for each of the holes, posting advertising signs at the greens.
- They encourage campus fraternal organizations to become sponsors – picking one of the group’s names from a hat before the event’s end and making a reciprocal donation to that group’s own philanthropy.
- They don’t just give out gifts, Whitney says, but “really nice prizes” at the awards ceremony, such as golf packs, high-quality T-shirts and other things sisters secure from – you guessed it – devoted local sponsors.
That’s why the golf outing, now in its 12th year, is Delta Iota’s largest fundraising event. (That’s right: They don’t have a traditional Rock-a-thon.) It consistently draws participants, raises thousands upon thousands toward their Foundation donation and has become a part of the chapter’s tradition.
Winning event: 'Cinderella's Closet'
Even so, Delta Iota isn’t content to rest on its laurels.
This past year, they launched an entirely new community service project called “Cinderella’s Closet” that raised more than $1,300 an
d earned them local media attention, Whitney says.
The concept is simple: Chapter sisters get as many gently-used formal dresses, accessories and shoes as possible, organize them in a centrally located high school in the community, and advertise a huge sale where great fashions go for $19.13 apiece (in honor of Phi Sigma Sigma’s founding year, of course).
“We didn’t know what kind of response to expect,” Whitney admits.
But when she arrived on the day of the event, “The line was out the door,” she adds, laughing. “We couldn’t believe it.”
Hundreds of people attended - a sign of these challenging economic times, especially for young people. In the end, Delta Iota had gathered 300 dresses, 70 of which sold – making the event not just one of the most successful among Phi Sigma Sigma chapters nationwide, but among CMU’s Student Life organizations as well. (In fact, Delta Iota won CMU’s Most Outstanding Event of the Year for 2008-2009.)
“Our giving to Foundation is up 40% this year,” Whitney says. “Cinderella’s Closet had a lot to do with that, so I’m sure we’ll do it again.”
'Fortunate,' and forging ahead
With all this success, Delta Iota sisters can afford to dream big. And they do.
Having already established a Chapter Educational Fund that offers one scholarship to an outstanding sister each year, their goal is now to create several such funds with the continuing help and generosity of alumnae, family and friends.
“We feel so fortunate – but, like all Phi Sigs, we work for it, too,” Becky says. “We couldn’t be prouder of Delta Iota’s achievements to date. And we can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish in the next 25 years.”
Do you know an outstanding chapter that deserves to be profiled? Write us at phisighq@phisigmasigma.org