Sigma Alpha Sorority
About Us
National Organization
Sigma Alpha is a professional agricultural Sorority. It is a relatively new sorority that was founded at The Ohio State University in January of 1978.
Mission
Cultivating Professional Women in Agriculture
Objective
The objective of this sorority shall be to promote its members in all facets of agriculture and to strengthen the bonds of friendship among them. It is the purpose of its members to strive for achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service, and to further the development of excellence in women pursuing careers in agriculture.
Vision
To be the foremost organization fostering academic excellence and professional development while encouraging networking and lifelong bonds for women leading the agricultural industry. We strive to build diversity by marketing our organization on an international level.
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Chapter History​
The quest to bring Sigma Alpha to the campus of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale began during the fall semester of 1993. The interest in an agricultural sorority stemmed from the Alpha Gamma Rho Rhomates, an auxiliary of the agriculture fraternity. The Rhomate organization formed a special committee in December of 1993 to research Sigma Alpha.
Throughout the 1994 spring semester, support and enthusiasm for Sigma Alpha strengthened. Towards the later end of the spring term, Leah Thompson, The National Sigma Alpha Sorority in Development Coordinator, visited SIU-C to deliver an informative presentation. After considering the options available, the Rhomates requested to be disband from the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. The coexistence of Sigma Alpha and Rhomates would seem to undermine the recruiting efforts of both organizations. Therefore, an overwhelming vote to terminate Rhomates and to then pursue Sigma Alpha commenced.
To meet the standards of the National Sigma Alpha constitution, the first requirement involved the acquisition of SID or Sorority in Development status. To gain this status, it is necessary to become a Registered Student Organization here on campus. This has proven to be a continuous uphill struggle due to severe opposition from Student Development.
The fall semester of 1994 was a very important time for the Sigma Alpha Sorority in Development chapter at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. On November 17, 1994, the Sigma Alpha SID was accepted as a member of the local Panhellenic Chapter at SIU-C. Shortly after membership into Panhellenic, the SID became a member of the Inter-Greek Council on December 1, 1994.
The Sigma Alpha Sorority in Development Chapter draws to a close upon activation on December 2, 1995. The Southern Illinois University Sigma Alpha Sorority in Development Chapter will now be called the Alpha Gamma Chapter. This now concludes the Sigma Alpha Sorority in Development history for the Alpha Gamma Chapter.
The Alpha Gamma Chapter of Sigma Alpha Sorority at Southern Illinois University was founded on December 2, 1995 The founding members were: Katrina Spear, Christi Andras, Mary Baker, Challie Donaldson, Kerry Hembrough, Jessica Hoffman, Margaret Jahnke, Leslie Luft, Colleen Moss, Jeri Ann Warnes, & Stacey Woodyard.