The Fall term, like many things this past year, was strongly defined by the implications of this pandemic. When SCU officially announced a closed campus back in August, our Executive Committee and pledge team were given a month to completely shift gears and plan for a virtual recruitment and pledge process. Despite the challenges of the virtual format, our recruitment brought in an extremely strong pool of applicants, and from that pool, we were able to form a pledge class of 14 exceptionally bright and zealous individuals.

The Alpha Xi pledge class came in at a time of rapid change—both within the fraternity and in the world—and they were pioneers in a pledge process that was starkly different from what we have done in the past. Given weekly Zoom meetings and bonding primarily consisting of party games like skribbl.io and Among Us, they were able to demonstrate remarkably high levels of enthusiasm, warmth, and perseverance. They formed personal connections with Brothers and each other. They underwent professional and leadership development. They essentially took what one might have perceived as an adverse circumstance, and made the absolute most out of it, going above and beyond in embodying the Purpose of Delta Sigma Pi.

On November 20, 2020, the Alpha Xi’s were formally initiated into the Gamma Xi chapter. We are eager to see how they will shape our community as newly initiated brothers. It is the goal of every recruitment cycle to produce a pledge class that will not only remain active in fraternity matters but also strengthen the sense of community that we all share and love. We undoubtedly achieved this and more with the Alpha Xi’s.

Letter from the President

I would like to start off by thanking our chapter for giving me the opportunity to serve as President of the Gamma Xi chapter this term. Despite the challenges of going completely virtual, this experience has become one of my most memorable times as both a brother and over the last three years at SCU. I am so proud of how our chapter has been able to remain present, connected, and supportive of each other despite being miles apart and during the highs and lows of such a challenging time in our lives.

Reimagining recruitment and the pledge process with Ashley, Brennen, and the rest of the Executive Committee was an incredible learning experience as we went back and forth on how to support and engage our chapter as well as the campus community. Back to back Zoom meetings never get tiring when you are with such a loving and enthusiastic group of individuals.

Some of the highlights of this term were recruiting an incredibly talented group of pledges, deepening our relationships with the Leavey School of Business and other student organizations, hosting insightful consultation meetings with the National Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, and getting to see everyone's’ smiling faces every week at GBM.

Everything we did this term was only possible because of a very dedicated Executive Committee, and a chapter of brothers really invested in each other and the future of Gamma Xi. It has been an honor to serve as President, and I am really looking forward to where our chapter will go from here!

-Sameehah Hussain ‘21

Letter from the Senior Vice President

It has been an honor to serve as the Senior Vice President this term, and as I reflect on these last few months, I am filled with gratitude to the Gamma Xi Chapter. First and foremost, I want to thank the chapter for granting me the opportunity to give back to an organization that has been such an important part of my college experience. We successfully completed our first ever virtual recruitment, and I am so proud of the time and effort the entire chapter dedicated to making Fall 2020 recruitment week a success.

This has been a year of uncertainty especially with our transition to a virtual college experience, which is why we chose the recruitment theme “Learning Apart, Succeeding Together.” Even in different locations and time zones, our chapter stayed connected to each other and engaged with the community. Redesigning our recruitment week to a virtual format was definitely a learning experience, but I was lucky enough to have the support of an incredible Executive Committee and chapter. We planned and accomplished a recruitment week centered around personal and professional growth, service, and new connections and friends over Zoom. I couldn’t have pulled it off without such an amazing chapter, and I feel so lucky to be part of the DSP family. I am so excited for the future of our chapter, and I look forward to seeing where the next Senior Vice President and EC take us! Thank you, Gamma Xi.

- Ashley Anderson ‘21

Letter from the Pledge Educator

Hi Brothers! First and foremost, thank you all for giving me the honor of serving as the Vice President of Pledge Education for this term. It was such a gratifying experience and I hope you were able to share in the excitement and friendship that resulted. I ran for this position last Spring because I realized that being involved in the pledge process was my favorite aspect of being a Brother. With each new pledge class comes a renewed sense of camaraderie within the chapter and I wanted to be front and center in amplifying that experience for everybody.

Throughout the process, my first priority (aside from the standard fraternal and professional development) was to facilitate bonding within the pledge class. I knew going in that the virtual format would hinder this goal, so I made sure to provide as much opportunity as possible for the pledges to meet, collaborate, and get to know each other better. My second priority was to facilitate pledge interactions with all of you. As the pledges are the future of the chapter, it’s super important that they are smoothly integrated into the chapter, and the best way to accomplish that is by supporting real, genuine friendships.

Huge shout out to Aly and Andrew for being so dedicated to this role. You gu—y’all have been more helpful than you realize, and I appreciate you both for dealing with my chaotic work style. Thank you also to Sameehah and Ashley for being there to take in and process all of my random ideas. It was such a privilege serving as Big 3 with two of my closest friends. You guys are SO lucky to have had the opportunity to work with me this quarter!

Finally, I’d like to thank the Alpha Xi pledge class for charging headfirst into an online pledge process with a vigor I honestly did not expect. Your energy made everything so much easier and I hope I was able to provide you all with a memorable and fulfilling experience!

-Brennen Oen ‘21