Big - Little Bonding: Pumpkin Edition!

Nate and Marisa organized a great Big-Little event today! Everyone had a blast!

The Pumpkin Masters!

AND NOW FOR PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST TIME!

Vote for one of these pumpkin beauties and the winning group will receive a special surprise at Chapter on the 28th!

The Contestants:

Greg, Tyler, Michael, Nishan and Harry

Gabby and Krissy

Eric and Jarret

David and Raahim

Brooke and Alec

Rachel and Jocelyn

Dylan and Dan

Autumn and Emily

Shaun, Dylan and Zach

Mrinali and Jenny

Gia and Amber

Katie and Katie

Nate Hanna

Cast your votes for your bros here!!!!!

Mrinali Sethi

An Alpha Pi Perspective on Being a New Brother

For many people, part of the typical college experience entails “going Greek” and joining a sorority or fraternity.  Heading into my second year at The Ohio State University, I was skeptical; I couldn’t really see myself in such a situation, and felt like Greek Life maybe just wasn’t for me.  Upon insistence from some good-intentioned friends, however,I gave the system one last shot in winter of 2012, and rushed Phi Sigma Pi (after a brother, who was also a friend, recommended it to me).

Alpha Pi Class and their IAs at Spring Banquet 2013!

            When people think “fraternity”, the first word that pops into their head is most certainly not “co-ed”.  Even, so that’s exactly what Phi Sigma Pi is - a coed national honors fraternity, filled with some of the most amazing and intelligent people that I have had the pleasure of meeting while at college. 

 Alpha Pi Buckeye Bonding!

            As a newly inducted brother, I’m still getting acclimated to all of my responsibilities; but, more importantly, I’m beginning to realize all of the opportunities that Phi Sigma Pi has presented to me.  Whether it be the fraternity’s yearly retreat, or a simple movie night, I have never felt more comfortable with a group of individuals as I do when I’m with my brothers (yes, even the female members are referred to as “brothers”). 

The Alpha Pis ready for some canoe action at Fall Retreat!

            College is a fantastic experience filled with some of the most amazing people, and moments, of your life, though sometimes you need more than just friends; you need people you love like family.  And that’s where Phi Sigma Pi comes in.

New Brothers reppin' PSP at the Involvement Fair!

Chad Blackham

I found this stellar picture of Chad with his Big, Schuler, creeping on Annemarie - Mrinali

A Great Discussion for All!

 

On Wednesday, Phi Sigma Pi members came together to discuss a famous coming-of-age novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. We discussed major themes of the book and discussed deeper meanings of the plot and the actions of the main character, Charlie. One question that was asked, "How does reading this book now in college compare to reading it as a high school student?" really seemed to get people thinking. We talked about the differences of being an adolescent in high school versus becoming an adult in college. In all, Brothers had an amazing time learning from each other and putting our own input into the discussion!

A Day of Old and New!

Phi Sigma Pi members visited Mother Angeline McCrory Manor today, spending quality time with the residents as part of our commitment to service and bettering the community!

Volunteers were divided into groups and taken to different sections of the manor to interact with the residents. Some of us played classic games like euchre, checkers, and bingo. (And were creamed by the residents, might we add!) Others painted some of the women's nails and listened to the many amazing stories told by the people who had lived them. What's better than having fun while attending a history lesson?!

Brother bonding can happen anywhere and everywhere, and today was no different!

So, what's next on PSP's agenda for service? So far, we have the following events scheduled:

• WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26: Mid-Ohio Food Bank 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17: Manna Cafe 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
• SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4: Buckeyethon Canning 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7: Manna Cafe 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

And don't forget our involvement next semester with Buckeyethon and Relay for Life! We're so excited to do as much as we can, and can't wait to share it with you!

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