The Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority held an informational meeting in the Hale Center on February 5.

During the interest meeting, the president of the sorority, junior Criminal Justice major Savannah Francois from Harrisburg, explained what differentiates Sigma Lambda Gamma from other sororities on campus.

“The one thing that sets us apart here at Robert Morris University is that we are based on being multi-cultural,” said Francois, “I think that’s super important because the Hispanic and African American population in Pittsburgh is continuously growing as well as at Robert Morris University. I think that it’s important to have a space here for women who support that.”

This unique focus on multicultural inclusivity has attracted interest from students at Robert Morris.

“I’ve never been in a sorority before and I have never had the option to because I transferred so this is my first time looking into it,” said Camryn Ruby, one of the students at the interest meeting. “I need to meet more people here since I just transferred and I think these are a great group of girls to meet because we are all different and I think that’s really awesome.”

As a new sorority on campus, Sigma Lambda Gamma is still in the process of petitioning and gaining a minimum of two new members to fulfill their 10-member requirement. This will allow them to achieve associate member status and become an official chapter at RMU.

Despite the sorority’s status, current member Symone Aiken, a freshman communications major, explains Sigma Lambda Gamma will host upcoming events. These include the Mariposa Social February 11 in Yorktown as well as Sisters in Freedom on February 24, 2010, in Franklin Center 204. These events will raise awareness of the sorority and will seek to attract new members.

“The Mariposa Social is basically a social event for the sorority inviting all the different Greek life associations on campus,” said Francois. “It’s to prove that we have a right to be here on campus. We want to basically emphasize the multi-cultural aspect of the sorority as well, which is another reason why we are bringing in all of the other Greek life organizations to learn a little bit more about that.”

While the sorority faces uncertainty in whether they will achieve the 10-member limit in order to achieve associate member status, Francois explains her excitement and vision for the future of Sigma Lambda Gamma.

“Everybody is different and everyone comes from different backgrounds and traditions,” Francois said, “I’m excited about learning about that and bringing all those different experiences to Robert Morris University.”

For more information about Sigma Lambda Gamma, students can contact the President of the sorority, Savannah Francois, at [email protected].