Their Greek letters are Sigma Phi Mu, their colors are royal blue, light pink and ivory, their symbol is an anchor, and they are the newest women’s social club. Sigma Phi Mu officially began at the end of last semester under the leadership of senior and current club president Kellum Tate. Currently, the club has garnered 28 members.
Tate said she first approached the deans about forming a new club during club week last fall. One week later, nine students attended the first meeting. It was there, Tate said, that the members first proposed reviving the name Sigma Phi Mu.
The first incarnation of Sigma Phi Mu started in 1981 and disbanded in 2000. Ironically, Tate’s mother, Debbie, was one of the founders of the original Sigma Phi Mu.
“We were just throwing names around when one of the girls suggested ‘What about Sigma Phi Mu? My mom was in that club and it’s not here anymore,'” Tate said. “We made the connection that some of our moms had been in the club and really loved it, so we thought, ‘Why not bring back that name?'”
Tate said that while they are not resurrecting the same club that existed 12 years ago but only using the same name, she still hopes to mimic the strong sisterhood of the original Sigma Phi Mu. Tate said that at the heart of the club is the desire to be inclusive instead of exclusive. She said she hopes to use this opportunity to extend that sisterhood to girls of all different backgrounds.
“I would really love for Sigma Phi Mu to be all sorts of girls, brought together by the mutual interest of finding a place to belong and serving God and serving each other,” Tate said.
The club has already begun organizing service projects for the semester. Their plans include raising funds for Jeans for Jessie, a charity benefitting families with children being treated for chronic diseases, and The Havens, an orphanage in Zambia.
According to Tate, Sigma Phi Mu also plans to a hold a campus-wide function each year with hopes of including more students in club activities.
The girls are already hard at work getting their name and colors recognized on campus. According to Tate, their anchor symbol was inspired by the original club’s sailboat emblem and their club verse, Hebrews 6:1, which says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.”
After attending the club’s first official meeting this spring, Assistant Dean of Students Kara Abston said she believes Sigma Phi Mu will be as strong as the other clubs on campus.
“This club developed from friendships and not necessarily girls leaving established clubs to start a new club,” Abston said. “These are all new girls and new friendships so they’re experiencing this together for the first time, and that’s exciting.”
The co-vice president for Sigma Phi Mu, junior Ashley Russell, said that she along with her co-vice president freshman Moriah Blankenship and Tate, is looking forward to discovering the new outreach opportunities the semester holds for Sigma Phi Mu.
“This semester is going to be all about creating a firm foundation of relationships between the girls that are in the charter,” Russell said. “We want the girls to know that we’re a club that accepts them and we want to utilize whatever they have to offer.”
