Sigma Delta Tau Senior Leadership Consultant Samantha Herman told us all about the group’s experience establishing themselves at Kent State. Whether you’re interested in joining their sorority, or you’re curious about the new addition to the Greek community, keep reading!
Her Campus: When is your recruitment?
Samantha Herman: Our recruitment will be immediately following primary recruitment cycle. When bid day ends, we will start our two week recruitment process where we will have three to five events going on. They will all be open, casual events, such as Cupcakes with Consultants. There will also be informal interviews with individual people.
HC: Do the people who want to go through your recruitment process have to be freshman and sophomores?
SH: Not at all! We’re very happy to take everybody from freshman year to senior year. We really want a dynamic, diverse group of women to join SDT at Kent State. We really think it will help the dynamics of our new group.
HC: What is your recruitment process going to be like?
SH: Our founding program is based off of our six pearls and our diamond. Our diamond is scholarship. Our pearls range from things like campus pride to women’s health and empowerment. The founders will actually have the opportunity to create their own program within that pearl. For one of our pearls, philanthropy, this chapter will have the ability to create their own philanthropy, seeing what they feel is best on (Kent State’s) campus. The event can be anything they want!
HC: Why is SDT most excited to be coming on to Kent State’s campus?
SH: From what we’ve seen so far, Kent is an amazing, open community. Everyone is so diverse, and that is something that we really love. We love the different types of people that come to Kent. You have out-of-staters and over 10% of your community is international students, and we really love that this community has so many levels to it and is so dynamic. Kent is honestly so unique in so many aspects.
HC: If someone wants to know more about SDT, what should they do?
SH: The best thing to do would be to register on our website, Sigmadeltatau.org. We have a link on there that talks about Kent State specifically. You can also email us at SDTatkentstate@gmail.com. Those two avenues are probably the best, but also follow us on social media. That way you can keep up with us over the summer to see what we’re doing. You can also see fun, exciting things that we are bringing to Kent State’s campus in the fall, and how excited we are for primary recruitment (formally known as Formal Recruitment).
HC: What are your philanthropies?
SH: We have three! Our oldest partnership is with Prevent Child Abuse America, and that centers around advocacy and education to regarding to the prevention of abuse and neglect of our nation’s children.
Our second one is Jewish Women International. We are actually so excited because we are bringing one of JWI’s programs to Kent State this coming year, which will be a financial literacy program called Life$avings. This program helps women of all ages. Every chapter will be invited, and that is really from the start to finish of when you go through college, how do you know what your finances are? How do you budget? How do you do your taxes? This program covers everything. That will be a really exciting program. We also sell OPI nail polish every year through our Girls Achieve Grapeness Campaign. Each year we have a different shade of purple, which is the color of domestic violence prevention, and helps raise awareness.
Our third one we work with is Women for Women International, so our chapters have the opportunities for themselves or other women in other chapters to sponsor a woman in a war torn country. They can give money, they can write letters, it’s a really great opportunity for them to be able to help empower women around the world.
Don’t worry ladies, we asked to see if they will be selling gel nail polish, and they are working on it!
HC: Will the women that join have the same experience joining SDT and becoming a founding sister as they would joining an established sorority on campus?
SH: Our experience will be a little unique just because they are founders and we are starting from scratch. That will give these women the opportunity to grow and build the organization to be what they want it to be. They will be able to build their own traditions. They will be able to build in their staple philanthropy events. They will be able to build what types of service they want to do around the community. They can also choose which local philanthropy they want to work with. A lot of our chapters choose something that they can do hands-on, where they can feel that interaction and see themselves giving back to the community.
HC: Will a young woman feel comfortable in SDT if they are not Jewish?
SH: Absolutely! Sigma Delta Tau was founded by seven Jewish women at Cornell University in 1917 because they experienced the subtle, but very real discrimination practiced by sororities and fraternities against religious minorities. Today, Sigma Delta Tau is the largest historically Jewish sorority – and just as it was 99 years ago when our founders created SDT. Our traditions are relevant and our members are still appreciated for their individuality, encouraged to be inclusive and empowered to be leaders on their campus, in their community and beyond. We were founded by women who were discriminated against and therefore we are open to women of all backgrounds. The mission of SDT is to enrich the lifetime experience of women of similar ideals, to build lasting friendships, and to foster personal growth. SDT is committed to empowering women.
HC: What are your main colors and symbols?
SH: Our main colors are Cafe Au Lait and Old blue and our symbol is our the torch, which is also our badge. Our pin is actually our torch and the teddy bear. We also identify our flower as the yellow tea rose.
HC: As a collegiate, what was your favorite memory?
SH: I loved the bonding experience during my new member period. I think there is no experience that is quite like going through the recruitment period, and then going into an organization who you don’t know yet, and really forming those sisterhood bonds. To me that was something that was so important. That bonding really helped me gain my core group of friends, but from that I was able to join Panhellenic and do other things that were built off of my foundation of my new member period.
HC: What are some qualities you are looking for in a potential new member?
SH: We are looking for women who are driven, leaders, they might be women who want to gain a new group of friends or women who have an established group of friends and only want to continue to enhance the community through service and philanthropy.
HC: Is there anything else that you want the women of Kent State to know about SDT?
SH: We are so excited to be here! I think Kent especially is a really great community. I mean over the two weeks that we have been here, so many people from other organizations have come up and said hello or posted online on one of our social media sites, everyone has been so welcoming!
Follow Sigma Delta Tau on social media:
Twitter: @SDTatKentstate
Instagram: @SDTatKentstate
Thank you, Samantha for sitting down with Her Campus today to let us know more about Sigma Delta Tau at Kent State.