With my sorority chapter slated to close in May, I felt it only right that I write some sort of appeal letter. I'm not thrilled with the letter, but it's from the heart, and that's what counts. This chapter means more to me than words can express, but this chapter is something I wholeheartedly believe in...and therefore I will fight for it with everything I can.
To the National Council of Phi Mu Fraternity,
I can’t even begin to put into words what this chapter has meant to me. The Delta Phi chapter of Phi Mu was so many things to me while I was at Ashland, but above all it was a home.
I began at Ashland not very long ago in the Fall of 2007. It was my first time away from home, and the best word I can use to describe how I felt at the time is “lost.” I had an extremely close bond to both my brother and my father, but they were at home and I had no one to turn to when I felt overwhelmed or stressed out. Then my RA (a Phi Mu) asked me to come to an ice cream social with her. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I agreed on the promise of free ice cream. She introduced me to other girls in the chapter and I found myself signing up for formal recruitment. I was the kind of girl who had sworn up and down in high school that I would NEVER join a sorority. That kind of thing “wasn’t for me.” I was soon proven wrong by the girls in the chapter who quickly won over my heart. By the time recruitment rolled around I was on the phone with my father telling him that if I were to get a bid from Phi Mu that I was going to accept. That decision changed my life forever.
Being in the chapter taught me more about myself than I could have ever imagined. It shaped who I am today and not a day goes by where I don’t think about my sisters. Phi Mu helped me become a leader. I became an executive board officer starting my freshman year because being on the executive board meant I would be allowed to live in the suite—there was nothing more that I wanted. Some of my favorite memories in the chapter come from late nights in the suite where sisters would sit around and talk about everything and anything. Those were the nights that mattered. The nights of pints of ice cream and discussions about life…those are the nights I will never forget.
Being a Phi Mu also led me to the career I have chosen today. My Big entered the field of student affairs after she graduated, and from my conversations with her I could tell she loved it. As my senior approached its end and I still had no clue what I wanted to do, she suggested I try to apply for the program she was in. I applied, was accepted, and obtained an assistantship working in residence life. If it hadn’t been for being in Phi Mu I would have never found this career field that has become my calling and passion.
I have met so many people by being a part of this chapter. These girls have changed my life. My two Littles are two of the kindest, open-hearted people I have ever met, both of whom I would have never met had it not been for this chapter. The girls I still keep in contact with from college are all girls from the chapter. These are the girls who picked me up off the floor when my life was falling apart. These are the girls who sat in the audience at my thesis defense and gave me their love and support just by being there. These are the girls who would drop anything for a sister, even one they weren’t particularly close to, because it was a sister. That’s the kind of chapter we are.
The Delta Phi chapter has made me who I am today. If it wasn’t for these girls I would not be the woman I am today. I would not be as confident as I am, nor would I be as comfortable with who I am. I feel that for the chapter to close, other girls will be losing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. Somewhere there is a quiet, shy, insecure young woman who just needs to be shown that they are worth it, that they can do it, and that they are amazing…and the thing they need is a sisterhood like this one.
“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But…because of Phi Mu I have been changed for good.”
Love in Our Bond,
Michelle Daymon
Delta Phi, Ashland University, 2011
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