Sophomore Katie Logsdon was ready for PanHellenic recruitment last fall, recommendation letters in the mail, fees paid. Then she started thinking about Christian organizations like Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX) and Eta Iota Sigma (Eta Sig), and changed her mind.
“I found out about Sigma Phi Lambda because it’s really big in Texas,” said Logsdon, who now serves as the sorority’s treasurer. “At that point I realized that I wanted something different.”
The organization, called Phi Lamb for short, was formed at the University of Texas in 1988, and has spread to several southern states. Texas A&M; boasts the largest chapter, with around 400 members.
Logsdon, along with fellow sophomores Whitney Babin, vice president; Sara Langone, chaplain; and senior Sarah Day, president, began taking steps to found a Sigma Phi Lambda chapter at SMU. The process started this January, and by February, they were holding general interest meetings for potential new members.
The founders and their charter member class of 26 were initiated last week, forming an official organization. Phi Lamb hosted Light the Night with BYX, which was sponsored by Program Council’s Mustang Welcome Weeks. They plan to host more open on-campus events in the future.
“We really want to be able to do at least one open event per semester that’s open to the entire SMU community, no matter what you’re involved in, whether you’re male or female,” said Logsdon. “We don’t want to be insular inside ourselves. We don’t want to be a cliquey group of people who have these beliefs.”
In addition to open events, Phi Lamb is planning several service projects for the semester with Mercy Street, Uplift Charter School and more. The group is holding recruitment this week, which includes events like volleyball under the stars at Dedman Center and a more formal evening at Highland Park United Methodist Church.
Day wants women of SMU to be aware that there are organizational options outside of PanHellenic sororities.
“As the founders, we all were able to relate to ourselves as freshmen, and why we would’ve wanted something like this. I think that helps drive our passion for it,” she said. “We always say that ‘you choose us; we don’t choose you.’”
For more information about Sigma Phi Lambda, visit the organization’s Facebook page.
