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Two On-Campus Greek Organizations Earn National Distinctions

Two Greek organizations at Pepperdine University were recently recognized nationally for their exemplary accomplishments within the university community and beyond.  

Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity

Sigma Phi Epsilon ("Sig Ep") fraternity earned the highest honor a chapter can receive—the Buchanan Cup, awarded to the top 10 percent of all chapters in the nation. The prestigious accreditation is given to those chapters for demonstrating excellence in all areas of chapter operations over the two-year period between Conclaves, or fraternity conferences.

"The award has gotten our members really hopeful and excited about things to come to improve our chapter," notes Sig Ep president, senior James Daniels. "It has brought a lot of momentum to not only get involved on a national level, but also with our alumni association, because they are really excited about our future after hearing that we're winning these types of awards."

Award evaluators considered the previous year's recruitment, the chapter's cumulative grade point average, activities that nurture holistic development, and alumni involvement. Sig Ep completed the rigorous application process, which included 70 pages of paperwork, last spring.

Sig Ep will seek accreditation as a Regional Learning Center chapter, recognized as those particularly focused on higher learning, in an effort be considered for future recognition. The fraternity hopes to provide members with study and tutoring activities, and faculty fellows or mentors to aid members with certain academic struggles or in areas in which they wish to improve.

Tri Delta sorority

After raising their annual accreditation score from 79 to 89 percent as a result of improved financial and academic success, internal leadership, philanthropy, and service leadership initiatives, Pepperdine's Delta Delta Delta ("Tri Delta") sorority earned national "one star" status, indicating an outstanding chapter. There are currently fewer than 20 one-star chapters in the nation and only one chapter is awarded three-star status each year.

Tri Delta's Pepperdine chapter is smaller than most other on-campus Greek organizations and national chapters, so this recognition "puts us on the map, nationally, as one of only a handful of chapters that has received this accreditation this year," explains Elisabeth Dillon, Tri Delta's vice president of administration. "It is a big accomplishment for us, because it reflects the amount of work we've been doing to really make the sorority the best we can."

Achieving the higher accreditation score and recognition was a result of advancing internal programs, including digitizing workflow processes to improve organization and communication. Among the sorority's various recent offerings are Club Convos and academic development/study sessions once a week to ensure that the sorority is enabling its members to do their best.

"We want to make sure we offer programs internally either at our chapter events or during the week, and make sure we are offering our members everything they need to succeed," continues Dillon. "Tri Delta should be an asset versus a deterrent from anything at Pepperdine and should only allow members to be better rather than take time away from other areas of their lives."