Sigma Psi Zeta (ΣΨΖ) Sorority, Inc., also known as Sigmas or SYZ, is a progressive multicultural sorority. It was founded on March 23, 1994 at the University at Albany and incorporated in New York on March 15, 1996 by the 10 Founding Mothers. The sorority's colors are red and gold and its flower is a yellow rose with baby's breath. It is a part of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA).
Sigma Psi Zeta is a cultural, social, educational and community service–oriented Greek organization. It is the third largest Asian-interest sorority in the nation. Its philanthropic focus is to combat violence against women in its various forms. Sigma Psi Zeta is an official partner of the White House initiative, It's On Us, which launched as a result of the ARC3 Survey.
Sigma Psi Zeta currently has active memberships in the states/commonwealths of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. It has 43 memberships in the United States.
History
Plans for the Sigma Psi Zeta sorority were formed in the Fall semester of 1993 at SUNY Albany by a group of female undergraduates from different backgrounds. The sorority was formed in part to address the dual difficulties faced by Asian women. On March 23, 1994 the sorority was officially recognized by the University. Within a year, a second chapter was formed at SUNY University at Binghamton.[1][2]
The founding mothers were:
- Gina Han
- Sally Hsieh
- Jean Kim
- Jenny Kim
- Sandra Lam
- Winnie Liu
- Yan-Chieh Liu
- Michelle Macaraig
- Sung-Yon Noh
- Loan Trang
Internally, the sorority uses the term "womxn" instead of "woman" or "women"; Similarly, it uses "sxsters" or "syzters" in place of "sisters". Similar terminology has been adopted by other multi-cultural organizations.
Philanthropy
Since 1999, Sigma Psi Zeta's philanthropy has been to combat violence against women. The sorority has worked against violence against women in many forms, and has focused specifically on Asian women who are historically objectified and disempowered. Local chapters and colonies participate in events such as the Take Back The Night rallies, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence's Domestic Violence Awareness month.[3]
Membership locations
The sorority differentiates between three levels of organization at its campus units. "Chapter" status appears to be the ultimate goal of any of their campus groups, with approximately half the active chapters having reached that stage. Newer or emerging groups are called "Charters", and a third type is denoted as "Interest Groups". An interest group must have permission to form from campus administration, must include at least ten members, and eight of these must be freshmen or sophomores.[4] Active groups are listed here in bold, inactive groups are listed in italics.[2]
Chapters
- [Α] Alpha Chapter – University at Albany, The State University of New York – Albany, NY
- [Δ] Delta Chapter – University at Buffalo, The State University of New York – Buffalo, NY
- [Η] Eta Chapter – Stony Brook University – Stony Brook, NY
- [Ι] Iota Chapter – University of Rochester – Rochester, NY
- [Λ] Lambda Chapter – University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA
- [Ν] Nu Chapter – Drexel University – Philadelphia, PA
- [Ξ] Xi Chapter – University of Nebraska–Lincoln – Lincoln, NE
- [Ο] Omicron Chapter – Stanford University – Stanford, CA
- [Π] Pi Chapter – The George Washington University – Washington, D.C.
- [Ρ] Rho Chapter – University of Washington – Seattle, WA
- [Τ] Tau Chapter – University of Maryland at College Park – College Park, MD
- [Υ] Upsilon Chapter – University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA
- [Φ] Phi Chapter – University of Colorado at Boulder – Boulder, CO
- [ΑΒ] Alpha Beta Chapter – Northwestern University – Evanston, IL
- [ΑΔ] Alpha Delta Chapter – Rutgers University – New Brunswick, NJ
- [ΑΕ] Alpha Epsilon Chapter – University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign – Champaign, IL
- [ΑΘ] Alpha Theta Chapter – Wichita State University – Wichita, KS
- [ΑΙ] Alpha Iota Chapter – University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, CA
- [ΑΚ] Alpha Kappa Chapter – University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, MN
- [ΑΛ] Alpha Lambda Chapter – Rochester Institute of Technology – Rochester, NY
- [ΑΜ] Alpha Mu Chapter – University of Kansas – Lawrence, KS
- [ΑΝ] Alpha Nu Chapter – George Mason University – Fairfax, VA
Charters
- [Β] Beta Charter – Binghamton University – Binghamton, NY
- [Θ] Theta Charter – University of Massachusetts – Amherst – Amherst, MA
- [Κ] Kappa Charter – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) – Blacksburg, VA
- [ΑΓ] Alpha Gamma Charter – Villanova University – Villanova, PA
- [ΑΖ] Alpha Zeta Charter – University of the Sciences – Philadelphia, PA
- [ΑΞ] Alpha Xi Charter – Syracuse University – Syracuse, NY
- [ΑΟ] Alpha Omicron Charter – Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis – Indianapolis, IN
- [ΑΠ] Alpha Pi Charter – University of Wisconsin – Madison – Madison, WI
- [ΑΡ] Alpha Rho Charter – Stevens Institute of Technology – Hoboken, NJ
- [ΑΤ] Alpha Tau Charter – New York University – New York City, NY
- [ΑΥ] Alpha Upsilon Charter – Northeastern University – Boston, MA
- [ΑΦ] Alpha Phi Charter – Western Michigan University – Kalamazoo, MI
- [ΑΧ] Alpha Chi Charter – Washington State University – Pullman, WA
- [ΑΨ] Alpha Psi Charter – Temple University – Philadelphia, PA
Inactive groups
- [Γ] Gamma – Jamaica, NY
- [Ε] Epsilon – Oneonta, NY
- [Ζ] Zeta – New York, NY
- [Μ] Mu – Geneseo, NY
- [Χ] Chi – Shippensburg, PA
- [ΑΑ] Alpha Alpha – New Haven, CT
- [ΑΗ] Alpha Eta – New York City, NY
