Tri Sigma Foundation

Tri Sigma chapters across the country celebrated character during CC! Week last month. Some celebrated by hosting programs during chapter meetings. Other chapters spread kindness throughout their campuses and communities. Read on to learn how different chapters chose to celebrate CC! Week and note ideas your chapter could use next year!

Alpha Beta, Kent State University:

Alpha Beta members created notes about issues they were struggling with during CC! Week as a reminder about the need to be compassionate to one another.

Erykah-Nicole Scruggs organized Alpha Beta’s CC! Week activities, focused on the six pillars of character and compassion. Sisters made chocolate-covered Oreos and delivered them to 24 chapters on Kent State University’s campus to brighten their week. Through the delivery of the cookies, the Alpha Beta chapter spread awareness of Character Counts and showed compassion to the entire Greek community.

Scruggs held events each night in the sorority house, in which sisters would attend and participate in activities. Through group activities and discussions about responsibility and respect, the chapter learned how to have a strong, positive character. Chapter members also reviewed how to act when they hear something about another sister, what to do when they have an item that needs returned to its correct place in a store, and how to show compassion to all sisters.

On the final day of CC! Week, Scruggs had sisters anonymously write on a piece of paper something they were struggling with and needed their sisters help with, then displayed those in the chapter house. This emphasized to the chapter how to show compassion to their sisters.

Alpha Epsilon, Northwest Missouri State University:

Kramer Ragsdale and Kaitlyn King, Alpha Epsilon, display a message about character during Character Counts! Week.

Members Avree Sealey and Kaitlyn King coordinated daily events for Alpha Epsilon’s celebration of CC! Week. Monday’s theme was Compassion Across Campus (Caring and Citizenship). Members decorated posters detailing what character means to Tri Sigma, and placed these on public bulletin boards.

Alpha Epsilon members wrote character-focused notes and posted them around their campus as part of CC! Week.

On Tuesday, members celebrated what character means to them personally on social media with a “Humans of New York”-style photo shoot. Sisters celebrated trustworthiness on Wednesday with “Touch a Sigma Who.” Small groups of sisters performed Random Acts of Kindness on Thursday, which included leaving a dollar taped to a vending machine, giving water to joggers, leaving post-it notes around campus, buying coffee for a stranger and smiling at 10 strangers.

Alpha Phi, Central Michigan University:

The chapter held two different activities during CC! Week. The first was a letter writing session where each member wrote a letter to a person who has had a great impact on the person and helped develop the member’s character. The chapter collected these to mail out on behalf of members.

Sisters were also tasked with performing two random acts of kindness during the week, and leaving behind a Sigma Pay It Forward card. Member Amanda Yats said she purchased a coffee for a colleague at work and left behind one of the cards. The next day, the colleague said he paid it forward by purchasing coffee for someone else.

Alpha Rho, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania:

Alpha Rho showcased Character Counts! during an open recruitment event. The chapter opened the event with explanation and an open discussion about what it means to be a woman of character. Members and potential new members worked in groups to create posters with words of wisdom and what it means to have good character. The chapter displayed the posters around campus to show what it means to have good character.

Alpha Theta, Radford University:

Instead of regulating the Character Counts! celebration to just one week, Alpha Theta used the entire month of October to show the importance of character and what it means to Tri Sigma. Throughout the month, sisters left notes around campus with kind and uplifting messages.  Some left dollar bills on vending machines with a message reading, “Enjoy a treat on us! Love, Tri Sigma.” Other sisters left extra change in parking meters with a note saying, “Enjoy the extra minutes! Love, Tri Sigma.”

Beta Epsilon, Western Illinois University:

Courtney Brown, Beta Epsilon, shows off some of the positive notes she posted on campus during CC! Week.

Libby Weaver and Rachel Shive, Beta Epsilon’s Dunham Women of Character Institute attendees, presented a Character Counts! educational to the chapter. The program reviewed how the six pillars of character relates to the values of Sigma. The chapter celebrated the week by spreading positive notes with encouraging messages around campus.

Mu, Truman State University:

Sydney Spain, the chapter’s Dunham Women of Character Institute delegate, planned several activities for CC! Week.  Sydney challenged every member to sum up their legacy into a single sentence. The members also reflected on what Truman’s campus would say about the chapter, as well as what they would want them to say, and to think of ways to bridge the difference.

Throughout the week, each pillar of character was spotlighted on the chapter’s Instagram account, along with a nominated member who lives out that pillar well in their daily life. This was encouraging for not only the women who were nominated, but gave every member the opportunity to personify the pillars and recognize role models within our sisterhood.

Sisters were also charged with performing a “Pay it Forward” act of kindness within the chapter or the community. Stories were told of sisters taking care of each other when they were ill, giving cdes to familiar faces they saw walking to class, helping a sister with a broken-down vehicle, picking up books a Truman student had dropped, and many more. The acts were contagious and brought a giving spirit to Mu’s sisterhood for the week and hopefully beyond.hard

Pi, Emporia State University:

Pi chapter members celebrated CC! Week with a night of character-focused activities they completed together. The leadership co-chairs created posters with the six pillars of character to hang in the chapter’s study room in their house. Members wrote notes with the names of sisters who best represent a certain pillar of character.

The chapter also completed a compassion activity titled “If You Were in my Shoes You Would Know…” Each member anonymously wrote down two issues or struggles they are currently facing on separate pieces of paper and placed them in a pile. Then each member picked up two random pieces of papers and the chapter sat in a circle and read them to each other. The chapter asked processing questions about how this activity relates to character and how to find commonalities between sisters. The leadership chairs of the chapter reported the activity being a great success, with members unexpectedly having deep moments with one another.

The chapter closed the night with fun and light-hearted activity, “Touch a Sigma Who,” a program available on Sigma Connect.

Epsilon Epsilon, Stockton U:niversity

Epsilon Epsilon member Dara Baker hands out goodie bags during CC! Week.

Epsilon Epsilon celebrated CC! Week by giving out free goodie bags on campus. The bags were filled with candy and motivational quotes all about character. The chapter used the bags to spread a little positivity around campus.

Epsilon Zeta, Southern Arkansas University:

The Epsilon Zeta Chapter baked cookies and delivered them to campus staff during CC! Week.

The chapter held a character retreat to kickoff CC! Week, facilitated by Essential Sigma Advisor and Character Counts! Advocate Missy Martin. Sisters bonded while learning about the six pillars of character and different ways to demonstrate character every day. During the week, members baked and delivered cookies to their on-campus advisor, Fraternity/Sorority Advisor and Director of Student Activities. Members also chalked the campus with inspiring and encouraging messages to make the students smile.  Pictures of the messages started popping up on social media and everyone loved the idea.

Eta Kappa, Texas Women’s University:

The chapter’s Dunham representative gave handouts about the six pillars at chapter meeting to kick off the week. Throughout the week, members wore a different colored shirt, depending on the day/pillar and then also posted a picture or “selfie” for CC! Week. Along with the picture, each member would write a little phrase about the pillar and use the CC! Week hashtags, along with #TWUTriSigma so the chapter could keep track of what they were posting. The chapter worked to inspire conversations both on campus and online about character.