Delta Means Change
the community spirit of a columbia sorority
On January 13, 1913, 22 black Howard University women formed the Delta Sigma Theta sorority with a mission of social action and political engagement. Three months later, they walked together in the Women’s Suffrage March in Washington, DC.
“From the very founding, the sorority has been politically engaged,” explains Tyeisha Chavis, CC ’08, president of the Columbia chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, “Rho.”
The night Chavis speaks with me, along with social chair Glenda Smiley, BC ’09, Rho is screening a documentary about Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress, as part of Rho’s “Social Action Week.” Every year the sorority hosts a “Delta Week” for which the members organize programming relating to a chosen theme. The women of Rho find this year’s theme of social action to be quite appropriate considering the sorority’s foundations.
“One of the main reasons we decided on this theme is because social action has been so historically important to Delta Sigma Theta. Every day we have a program or event geared toward social action, whether it is about the Sean Bell case or the issue of black pain, and we are ending with a luncheon which celebrates the legacy and culture of black people,” Chavis says.
While this week might be directly geared toward social action, Rho finds the issue of community engagement to be a year-round commitment. Rho hosts a number of programs and events throughout the school year that seek to fulfill this mission. One main feature of Rho’s activities is the twice-yearly town halls, forums that highlight a pressing current issue. Chavis cites a past town hall on Manhattanville as one of the group’s most successful, as it brought together administrators and community leaders in a constructive way “despite our differences on the topic.”
This year’s town hall will discuss the deeply controversial Sean Bell case.
“We will be remembering the case and the verdicts and the protests. The beginnings of social action around the case are starting to build, and we’ll be looking at how that is playing out as well,” Chavis says.
Another program the sorority runs is “financial fortitude.” They are one-time “clinics” open to both Columbia and Harlem residents where participants learn “how to save, invest, and why it is important to do so.” In the past, Rho has partnered with Chase Bank, Manhattan Bank, and Bank of America for these informational meetings.
Recently, the Rho chapter has begun a series of youth-based workshops through the Harlem Children Zone, a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance underprivileged communities through education, social service, and recreational programs.
“The workshops are on college preparation and finances, the importance of saving, and getting them in the habit of doing so,” Chavis says.
Additionally, Delta Sigma Theta has an “Arts and Letters” division that does unique work for the artistic community.
“It endeavors to support artists of color, who tend to be underrepresented and underfunded, through scholarships to help support their activities,” Smiley says.
The ladies of Rho are serious about service, and their dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. They were awarded the Chapter of the Year Award from both the Multicultural Greek Council at Columbia and the InterGreek Council at Columbia. They won awards for Outstanding Campus Involvement, which looks at how involved members are in the Columbia community outside their own sorority or fraternity. Also, they won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Service.
“Being in Delta Sigma Theta has taught me the importance of service and selflessness,” Smiley says. “In college, it’s hard to maintain that balance between school and civic engagement, and Delta makes it easier for me to do that.”
This past week, Rho welcomed two new members to their sorority, and Smiley notes that Delta Sigma Theta only accepts pledges who are at least of sophomore standing because they feel freshman are too new to the college experience to pledge.
“They need to be acclimated before joining so they know that it is the right sorority for them,” Smiley says.
The six members who will make up Rho next year will live together in an East Campus townhouse for the first time, as they were just approved this year to receive one.
“It’s really important to have a central place, not only to keep sorority property but also for fellowship purposes, such as our Delta down-home dinners,” Chavis says of their future space.
The Delta down-home dinners to which Chavis refers are another example of Rho’s commitment to civic engagement. While these meetings have a lighter tone, the women of Rho certainly don’t miss an opportunity to tackle pertinent issues.
“At one of our last ones we discussed the Don Imus controversy,” Smiley says. “We discussed the remarks as well as its implications and got in to a discussion about the hip-hop movement and how it plays a role in the image of the black female body in the media.”
“The dinners allows for fellowship with other members of the Columbia community. We engage in socially-conscious yet playful discussion. It is a combination of the two,” Chavis says. \\\