Arizona State University Revives its Sigma Pi Sigma Chapter
Arizona State University’s Sigma Pi Sigma chapter commemorates its first induction since before the COVID pandemic with a photo of inductees and speakers doing the right-hand rule. Photo courtesy of the chapter.
In the ebb and flow of the life of a Sigma Pi Sigma chapter, activity often dwindles and then revives. During the stress of the COVID pandemic, many previously active chapters “went dark” long enough to lose the sense of tradition that sustains a chapter. This happened at Arizona State University (ASU). The department was able to maintain the vitality of its SPS chapter through the challenges, but Sigma Pi Sigma fell by the wayside. Until recently.
In 2022 the SPS Council formed a Sigma Pi Sigma Task Force charged with reaching out to chapters like ASU, encouraging them to get active again. Articles in the SPS Observer and the biweekly e-newsletter also prompted chapters to restart their activities. The common threads in all those messages: Bring your chapter back to life, and reach out to the SPS Office if you have questions along the way! That is exactly what the leadership at ASU did.
ASU simultaneously contacted their SPS zone councilor Dwight Luhman, associate zone councilor Charles Wszalek, and me (I was then interim director). Together we resolved ASU’s questions and got the chapter on track to host its first induction ceremony since before the pandemic.
The chapter put together a great ceremony in the spring of 2023. I facilitated the induction, welcoming 20 new members to the chapter, some virtually and some in-person! Two featured guest speakers and former SPS chapter presidents, Samantha Borges-Eckert and Gregory Babiç, spoke about their time in ASU SPS and their career paths since graduation. Wszalek was also on hand to support the chapter’s revitalization. As ASU’s SPS chapter was chartered in late April of 1968, the event aptly concluded with a birthday cake and ice cream.
If your Sigma Pi Sigma chapter has not had an induction in a long time, reach out to your zone leaders and the SPS Office. We can help you get back on your feet, just like the ASU chapter!
