Initiation: A new brother's perspective

Hi! My name is Marisa. I am one of the newest brothers of Phi Sigma Pi, and I absolutely love it. I'm here to tell you about my experience as an initiate (my initation period was Winter 2012), and why I think you should rush Phi Sigma Pi. Phi Sigma Pi is a National Honors Fraternity based on a tripod of values: Scholarship, Leadership and Fellowship.


That's me. Yep! The one the arrow is pointing to. I'm not sure if you can tell by the way I'm smiling, but I'm tremendously happy to be spending time with my brothers at the delicious Mexican restaurant El Vaquero, one of my first events as an official brother. Food and FELLOWSHIP.. what more could I ask for?!

My big and sib!

Anyway, in Phi Sigma Pi, initiation is a process one goes through after he or she accepts a bid from the chapter.  It's an eight week process, and it was during initiation I met some of awesome friends. The chapter initiate a new class twice a year, and each initiate class is assigned a Greek letter name. We're called the Alpha Nu's, and we're a goofy bunch!

The most ANticipated class since 1994

As initiates, the class is given the opportunity to work as a sort of "mini-chapter." We got to plan one of each of the "big four" events: service, social, programming and fundraising. I was on the programming committee. Personally, programming is my favorite type of event from Phi Sigma Pi because it is so unique and totally my style. Programming is basically something both educational and fun, such as checking out a museum or taking a neat class in something you didn't know much about. That's SCHOLARSHIP at work! As an initiate class, we planned a salsa dancing lesson, and by the end of the night, we were all Latin dance superstars.

Here's a photo from our initiate social event. We went ice skating, followed by a late night snack at Johnny Rockets. It was a really great way to get to know my future bros.

Phi Sigma Pi Ice Skating! 

Another awesome aspect of the initiation process was getting a big brother, who is an older member of the chapter who uses their LEADERSHIP skills to guide you through initiation and be there for you not only when you have questions, but just when you want to hang out. Bigs and Littles pairs are usually two super compatible people. My big Allie and I get along great; we love cooking and baking together!

Big & Little

Now that I'm a brother, I look back on my initiation experience so fondly. However, I'm super excited to be starting my experience as an active brother of Phi Sigma Pi. Rushing Phi Sigma Pi is such a worthwhile endeavor. In fact, I would consider it the best decision I have made in my college career so far. PSP has given me a family in college, a group of people I can depend on, and a cornucopia of experiences I would not have had the chance to have otherwise. If someone were to ask me whether or not he or she should rush Phi Sigma Pi, my immediate reaction would be to say "Yes! Don't miss this opportunity." So, if you are reading this and are considering coming to a rush event in the fall, or spring, or whenever you get the chance, don't hesitate to do it. We're a bunch of happy, unique, and incredibly interesting people, and we'd love to tell you about our stories. But, even more, we'd love to hear yours. There will probably be free food as well. Rush Phi Sigma Pi. 

Brothers Are We