Keeping the Legacy Alive

by: pamela pedersen, university of north carolina at charlotte

Uncover the remarkable transformation of a DFL Collegiate Chapter and their evolution from facing immense challenges as a single member on campus to orchestrating a successful recruitment, fostering a thriving community, and solidifying the foundation of their Chapter.

Founding or chartering a Chapter is no easy task but what happens once the initial spark dies down and you have to keep feeding the flame? What happens when the campus life changes, when demographics, location, and resources are all stacked against you? What happens when your Chapter is literally down to one member and you have to rebuild almost from the ground up again? This is the reality of what our Omicron Chapter at the University of West Florida had to face over the past year.

Quality Over Quantity

Recruitment week is an often exciting but also nerve wracking time for any Collegiate Chapter. But in Fall 2022, it was down to Nayeli Perez, a junior and the sole active member at UWF, to carry out the difficult task of recruiting members on campus to grow the Chapter again and prevent extinction. The Chapter was chartered in 2010 by a class of seven and had initially grown large by having two bigger classes but then fairly quickly initiated smaller classes consistently with spouts of no classes back to back. But those tides turned when the Chapter crossed a class of 5 in Fall 2022, their biggest class since 2011.

Nayeli really had to put herself out there to make those connections that ultimately grew into new members of our Everlasting Sisterhood. It was through striking up conversations in class, and genuinely trying to be friends with potential new members that Nayeli was making connections which convinced members such as Carmen Mayorga, the current Chapter President, to join the organization. “I never thought about joining a sorority, but once Nayeli invited me to support her for a recruitment event she was hosting and I was participating, I was surprised how comfortable and safe this little community is. So I started to ask more questions, met alumnae, and even though everyone comes from different spaces and you wouldn’t think we would have things in common, I found that we are actually going through the same things. I felt that sisterhood bond which motivated me to join,” said Carmen.

Staying Involved As An Alumnae

But it was not only Nayeli that contributed to the successful transformation of the Chapter, it was also the Alumnae that showed up when it was most needed. The Chapter celebrated their 13th anniversary recently, and the Chapter hosted a Charterversary brunch which Alumnae near and far traveled to attend. The newest class was also educated by their Charter Member, Jennifer Albesa, who has educated multiple affiliate classes since she joined the Sorority herself including charter classes.

“I don’t know of any communities currently catering to the APIA community on campus, so I like to continue to have that space for us,” said Jennifer. “And even though we are not Asian exclusive, I know that it was very empowering for me when I was an undergrad to have that space to be a leader and be involved and stay involved with the campus community. I found value in it and I still want that to be there for other people. That’s why I still show up to this day.”

What Lies Ahead

Though the Chapter just grew by five new members, the Chapter is staying level headed and not focusing too much on just recruiting members to grow numbers. “We do a lot of Sisterhood events. We’ve always been a really small chapter so it’s hard not to become close knit,” says UWF Chapter Advisor, Bethany Ryan. The Chapter enjoys being a small knit community and is working on providing a lasting impact on their campus and the Greek life community while also reestablishing their foundation and fostering their sisterhood. Now made up of almost all neophytes, says Nayeli, the Chapter decided not to intake this semester but instead focus on establishing their leadership positions, plan quality events, and grow their connections in the Greek community. It is evident that while the Chapter may have struggled to recruit members in the past, the sisterhood is very much alive and as strong as ever with a new generation of Sisters. ∞