Our Golden Girls

As one of Phi Sig’s top chapters internationally, Xi holds a special place in our history and hearts

October 15, 2009

IN THE PHI SIG WORLD, EVERY CHAPTER IS SPECIAL – because the women who choose to join our sisterhood, sharing our values and cherishing our rituals for a lifetime, are special.

So whenever a group of sisters works together to go above and beyond, consistently demonstrating a commitment to excellence that sets new standards for outstanding chapter performance, that extra-special effort is something every Phi Sigma Sigma can and should celebrate. And each year for more than a decade, we’ve done precisely that – when leaders from Xi Chapter at Philadelphia’s Temple University step forward at glittering award ceremonies to accept our most prestigious honors and scholarships, time and time again.

Counted among our top five chapters internationally (and five times named the top chapter since 1995), Xi earns the admiration, respect and even awe of its sister chapters on campuses throughout North America, not to mention among sororities and fraternities at Temple.

But they’ve got a message for Phi Sigs everywhere – one they hope you’ll take to heart.

If they can do it, so can you. Every Phi Sigma Sigma chapter can be a “best of” chapter if you believe in your sisters, live our core values and commit to doing the work it takes to achieve top performance and stay there.

Sisters of distinction

Archon Amy Smith knows what Phi Sig sisters outside Xi often say about her chapter, because she hears it at Leadership Conferences and even around the greater Philadelphia community (home to four metropolitan chapters, and within easy driving distance of another six or so in and around the tri-state region).

“They’ll say, ‘There’s ‘Zeee,’ (how the Greek letter “Xi” is pronounced) like we’re impossible to catch up to,” she says with a laugh. “But we’re just like them. We’re all Phi Sig sisters – special in our own way.”

Obviously, there are distinguishing features about Xi women. Three, in fact.

Being part of a vibrant northeastern U.S. metropolitan campus, Phi Sigs here truly represent the gamut of American society, says Chapter Key Advisor Dr. Diane Spatz (a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and an initiate of our Nu Chapter there). “The women come from all different ethnic origins, cultures, religions…. Some have money, some work their way through school. But none of them are exactly the same,” Diane explains. “We talk about being ‘inclusive’ in Phi Sig, and Xi sisters truly are – because they intentionally seek to recruit remarkable women from every walk of life, and they specifically look for what those women can add to the chapter.”

Secondly, Xi sisters passionately pursue service projects that help define who they are and who they want to be in life, Archon Amy explains. In addition to being one of the biggest annual donors to the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation (often in excess of $5,000 – holding a Rock-a-thon in both the fall and spring), here are some of their other philanthropic works:

• When sisters were touched by the untimely death of a student killed by a drunk driver, they bonded to launch a successful Greek-wide MADD dance-a-thon that raised thousands for the cause and has now become an annual event for them. (See video here.)
• They devote time and funds to Tree House Books, a local establishment dedicated to helping disadvantaged children learn to love reading.
• And through an almost single-minded vision to broaden the scope of their impact on the world, sisters have created a long-term connection with a small African village in Ghana called Ho, where children who’ve been abandoned or abused can now attend school in a safe environment with a concrete floor – created through the back-breaking work of Phi Sigma Sigma sisters.

“The water we carried on our head to mix the concrete and stone was literally a half-mile away,” Amy recalls. “We did it – back and forth, back and forth – and then unloaded 1,000 bricks in the extreme heat.” It was uncomfortable, she admits, giving the 11 sisters who participated a greater appreciation for the blessings in their lives. “But we’d do it all again,” she adds. In fact, chapter sisters are in the process of raising the $3,000 per person necessary to return and continue helping the children and people of Ho.

“I’m so proud of them,” Diane says simply. “They push themselves to the limit – and it shows in the classy and fabulous women they ultimately become.”

Outstanding support

The third distinguishing feature about Xi would be – well, Diane herself, as the collegians admit readily and with no small measure of pride.

A highly respected researcher, educator and clinician - and internationally recognized expert in the field of breastfeeding and lactation - Diane has still found time to serve as CKA of the chapter since 1987, fully 22 years. That makes her one of the longest-serving (if not the longest-serving) advisors in Phi Sigma Sigma history. (She also helps manage their 17-person home – a cozy haven in the midst of the gritty neighborhood surrounding Temple’s campus.) As such, the chapter women respect her opinion, they appreciate how she lets them try new things (even if she knows they’ll sometimes make mistakes in the process), and they understand if she gently guides them to even better decisions as a group and as individual members.

“She loves all of us, she truly does,” says Amy, who leads the nearly 100-woman chapter with confidence, knowing she can rely on Diane’s wisdom when necessary. “The feeling is absolutely reciprocated: every member here knows Xi wouldn’t be the chapter it is today without Diane.”

Success, the Xi way...

So what does it take to get on a “Xi path,” so to speak? After all, not every chapter advisor can commit to a lifetime of volunteer service. (Indeed, many Phi Sig volunteers give their time and talents at various times, and at various stages, in their lives. Click here for details.) What’s more, not every chapter has the benefit of being surrounded by multiple local chapters thriving in their own right.

Here are three key suggestions to help any chapter achieve even greater success, straight from the Xi sisters themselves:

• Set your goals high, and once you achieve them, go higher. It’s not enough to do great things in a single academic year. A chapter that plans for the long-term, and shares a vision for how to get there by respecting the work their leaders achieved before and supporting the work that needs doing ahead, will keep ratcheting up their levels of success. It takes time, stick-to-itiveness and, above all, patience.
• Follow the Chapter Excellence program. “It’s all there, in black and white,” Diane says. Xi consistently earns “Gold Chapter” status because it religiously follows the manual, which explicitly defines how to achieve outstanding results in every aspect of the Phi Sig sorority life. “If you do exactly what’s written there, and invest the time it takes to go through the information carefully and then follow through, you’ll become a top chapter,” she adds.
• Encourage open dialogue and respect among sisters. Good chapters understand there are bound to be differences of opinion (even “clashes”) among members. Great chapters go a step further - using those differing viewpoints to weave an even richer understanding of the people and world around them, encouraging respect and creating a culture where every sister is valued precisely because she is a Phi Sigma Sigma (and therefore very special).
• Cultivate the most trusting, positive relationships between sisters and advisors. Whether an advisor serves two or 22 years, she can have an enormously important role on a collegiate chapter – if members are willing to be open-minded and embrace whatever level of guidance she is able and willing to offer. “That’s the key to success,” Diane says. “There has to be trust.”

Amy agrees. “We know how lucky we are to have Diane. The trust is strong and mutual.”

Which explains why sisterhood at Xi Chapter is truly golden – and a success story we can all celebrate as an example of truly remarkable young women (and their dedicated mentors) lighting the way for an even stronger future for Phi Sigma Sigma in the new millennium.

Do you know an outstanding chapter that deserves to be profiled? Write us at phisighq@phisigmasigma.org