Alpha Sigma Tau, or AST, at Eastern Michigan University celebrates its Founders Day on Monday, Nov. 4, marking 125 years of sisterhood.
First founded in 1899, Alpha Sigma Tau at EMU is defined as the Alpha chapter, being the first of their chapters to be established on Eastern’s campus and setting the tone for other AST chapters to be established on other campuses. Being a social sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau helps members with personal growth, promotes inclusivity and acceptance among the members, as well as doing service work through volunteer events.
Taken from Alpha Sigma Tau’s national website, “From our beginnings in 1899 to today, we are proud to have continually promoted the ethical, cultural, social, and professional development of our members.”
The eight women who founded Alpha Sigma Tau were Helene M. Rice, Mayene Tracy, Adriance Rice, Eva O’Keefe, May Gephart, Mabel Chase, Ruth Dutcher and Harriet Marx.
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be able to say we’re celebrating in the same halls and pathways as our founders. Those eight women pathed the way for us to be here not only as women, but as sisters,” Megan Shackelford, president of AST at EMU, said.
Throughout 125 years, Alpha Sigma Tau at EMU has faced many challenges, one especially difficult challenge was recruiting and increasing their membership numbers. Due to the pandemic, their chapter was disbanded back in 2020 because all the seniors were graduating and they were unable to recruit during that time. However, now that AST has been reinstated, recruitment has returned to being a routine process. The recruitment process is organized by the College Panhellenic Association, or CPA, creating a partially structured and more relaxed recruitment experience.
“All chapters hold different events on different days and at different times,” Sydney Burnette, vice president of community relations, said. “If you sign up for recruitment, you go through [all the] different rounds.”
This year, Burnette had the opportunity of being a Gamma Rho Chi, also known as recruitment counselor, helping those going through rush and learning about sorority chapters on Eastern’s campus. To do so, Burnette first had to disassociate from AST and wipe everything off her personal social media that would have shown any connection to her sisters in Alpha Sigma Tau.
“It was really hard for me because those are my best friends, they are my sisters... I met so many incredible women from different chapters and it was an experience I will never forget,” she said.
Burnette and Shackelford explained that Rush has four different rounds of recruitment: two sisterhood rounds introducing the potential new members or PNMs to the values of the sorority, a philanthropy round introducing the PNMs to the philanthropy organizations the sorority works with, and a preference round.
"The sisterhood rounds had icebreakers, [we] were just getting to know each other and introducing everyone to our sorority and to our philanthropy goals," Shackelford said.
Similarly, the philanthropy round is a more in-depth look at what the philanthropy events look like. While the first three rounds act as fun getting-to-know-the-sisters events, the preference round is more serious.
"Preference [round] is not original per se," Burnette said. "It is a ceremony to get to know us in a deeper way."
Each ceremony is sacred to each sorority, built upon the traditions initiated by its founders.
“Ours have been the same since 1899,” she said.
While the roots of AST's traditions have remained the same since the beginning, with every new year of recruitment Shackelford emphasizes that “you can feel their [the founder’s] presence and the strength of their bonds that have carried on throughout the years.”
Every year for their Founders Day celebration, AST at EMU partners with their Oakland chapter to throw a huge celebration, with alumni in attendance from both chapters, in an effort to showcase the communal sisterly bond that their founders instilled in their sorority 125 years ago.
"We are a colorful rainbow of sisters," Burnette said.
With their Founders Day celebrations, every year the Eastern Chapter and Oakland Chapter switch off hosting the celebration, this year it is the Oakland Chapter’s turn to host. While the event looks different each year, Shakelford expresses that there are some aspects that remain the same.
“Each year, we all have an amazing dinner, hear wonderful speeches from each alumna and collegiate chapter’s Presidents, and hold raffles for Alpha Sigma Tau-themed gifts,” Shackelford said. “This year, it sounds like there might be even MORE exciting features, but that’s a Tau secret!”
One additional aspect that makes this Founders Day even more meaningful to the members of Alpha Sigma Tau at EMU is being able to have all members of AST, both past and present and on other campuses, share in the pride of AST at EMU winning the Program of the Year award.
"We are women supporting women, but we are more than that," Shackelford said. "We are people supporting people."
The supportive community that is AST, continues even after graduation. Shackelford expresses that because AST at EMU is the Alpha chapter, they have the largest alumni network in the area.
“Our alumni chapter is huge and right here at all times,” Shackelford said. "You constantly have support wherever you turn."
Both Shackelford and Burnette express that although they are proud to be a part of such a strong and supportive community that is not only their sisterhood, but Greek life in general, they often feel judged for their choice of joining a sorority.
"You shouldn't judge something until you are in it," she said.
Taken from the Aurora Yearbook year 1901, written by the past members of Alpha Sigma Tau: “We can only predict its future from its brief past, and from the fidelity of its members to its interests, its high ideals and lofty aims, we feel assured that it is destined to become a permanent and ennobling element in the college.”
With this Founders Day marking 125 years, Shackleford and Burnette reflect back and hope the founders would be proud of how the sorority has been able to flourish and continue to grow alongside the sisterhood that is found across their national chapters.
“Not only is it the day of Alpha Sigma Tau’s creation as a sorority, but it marks the beginning of generations full of friendship, love, support, and connections,” Shackelford said.
