2019 February Arrow Submission
Earlier this year the members of Indiana Delta were featured on the front page of The Exponent, a local newspaper. Members of Indiana Delta welcomed New Members with tenacious cheers. It is tradition at Purdue University for potential new members to gather in the basketball gym at the recreational center on bid day with their Gamma Chi groups before they receive their bid. The New Members gather with their groups in a circle and sit on an envelope that has the members’ name written on the top. A bid is enclosed. A countdown begins. As it winds down excitement elevates. The countdown ends and young women tear the envelopes apart. The bid says “Welcome to the Indiana Delta Chapter of Pi Beta Phi”. Everyone in the gym begins racing to Krach Lawn where each chapter awaits its new members. Pi Phi is located closest to where members arrive so that New Members are welcomed as quickly as possible.
Members ran back to the house, as is customary on bid day, for a gathering to celebrate becoming a part of the chapter. The theme of the 2018 Bid Day for Purdue Pi Phi was Rock n’ Roll. The house was decorated with orange and red streamers. Equipped with a snow cone truck outside members enjoyed one of the last warm days before summer faded into fall. Bid Day is a special day for New Members as well as returning members because with it comes additions to the Pi Phi sisterhood and all that is has to offer.
As Bid Day moved forward the house was filled with exasperated voices singing along to some of today’s top songs but also to classic Pi Phi songs. “Our blood runs cold” could be heard from down State Street from passersby hearing the excitement that was overflowing for a promising start to the 2018-2019 academic year.
Many of the New Members of Indiana Delta have become deeply involved since arriving at Purdue -- not only with Pi Phi but also extensively on Purdue’s campus.
One of our New Members, Megan O’Brien, is a freshman at Purdue University. Megan is currently on a five year plan working towards earning her Master’s degree in accounting with a minor in international business. In the Fall of 2018, Megan attended a Doster’s leadership conference in Indianapolis. She was recently accepted into Sigma Alpha Lambda, which is a leadership and honors society. Megan will also be traveling to Bogota, Colombia this summer to take Purdue affiliated courses. Ideally, she hopes to work in international accounting in the future.
Another one of Indiana Delta’s New Members is Val Hart. Val is seeking her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. As a freshman, Val has already been elected to serve on the executive board for Indiana Delta as Vice President of Philanthropy. She has come in with an abundance of new ideas and initiatives such as volunteering at the preschools located on Purdue’s campus and to read to students as part of our mission for Read > Lead > Achieve. She is also apart of the Purdue Women’s Crew team as a coxswain. Val joined Pi Phi for it’s values. She knows she has found lifelong and sincere friendships at Indiana Delta.
Two other New Members are also involved in Purdue athletics. One New Member Macy Moore, presently, is the only female baseball manager. As manager she is in charge of entering recruitment information into a database, collecting footage, and charting the pitchers, as well as many other responsibilities. Macy is also a participant in Purdue University Dance Marathon, a fundraiser that donates the proceeds to Riley Children’s Hospital. Additionally, New Member Victoria Williams is on Purdue’s Dance Team. Victoria has been dancing since she was two years old. In the Fall of 2018, Victoria made the National Pom team. In April, she will be competing in the national competition which is located in Daytona, Florida.
Through recruitment, members of Indiana Delta were able to find additions to the Pi Beta Phi family. The young women of this chapter embody the values our founders instilled. Indiana Delta members demonstrate those values day to day through their involvement on Purdue’s campus.