My experience with the Collegiate Leadership Council has been nothing short of life-changing. Unlike my fellow members of the CLC, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Belfast Northern Ireland during the first half of my time on the council. During this time, I was completely by myself, having no support system of my family, my university friends, or my sisters, and being a part of the CLC helped me stay connected in the sisterhood. On some of the loneliest days while abroad, I would take those days to make graphics or help educate my chapter, Beta Upsilon, about the Foundation.

One of the most beneficial days of being a part of the CLC was on October 22nd, or 18 Hours and 52 Minutes of Giving, where the Foundation tries to raise the most money possible within that timeframe. This day was particularly important to me because it was the day after my 21st birthday. Since I was away from my friends and family at home, I asked everyone, for one thing for my birthday, to donate to the thing that gave me so much love and hope. In total, I had about $150 in donations in my name for my birthday. To me, Phi Mu has given me confidence, friendships, and leadership opportunities that I could never imagine, and the least I could do is ask my friends and family at home to give what they can to help others.

After coming back to the States, my number one goal was to help the Foundation both nationally and within my chapter. With the current spread of COVID-19, I helped my sisters apply for scholarships to help them continue their studies at Westminster College, and help those how may need to apply for emergency funding.

I would like to thank the sisters of Beta Upsilon for the continuous support in my endeavors with the Phi Mu Foundation and the Collegiate Leadership Council, my Panhellenic Council advisor, Francesca Manilla, for helping me with the responsibilities of being a national representative of the Westminster Greek Community, and the Phi Mu Foundation staff correspondent for the CLC, Jessi Horne. You are an inspiration to all young Phi Mus everywhere on where they can go with hard work and kindness in their hearts.

Through my CLC experience, one line on the creed rang true during the entire experience. “Being steadfast in every duty small or large”. Whether it was an Instagram Story post or campaigning for M3, everything was for the betterment of sisters everywhere.

Past Collegiate Leadership Council member Yiannoula Katsadas, Beta Upsilon, is a senior at Westminster College in Pennsylvania. 

Apply for the 2020-21 Collegiate Leadership Council!

Phi Mu Foundation has a longstanding tradition of spreading joy and happiness through Caring Carnations that sisters can send to one another as a symbol of love and friendship. We are proud that this summer, Caring Carnations will mean even more to the sisterhood we hold so dear.

Virtual Caring Carnations will be available for purchase beginning today and will be sent to sisters and friends through email with a message that a contribution has been made by you in their honor to benefit the Foundation’s Fraternity Grant Fund specifically to support Phi Mu’s diversity, equity and inclusion work.

There are two Caring Carnations available to send to Phi Mu members and friends – Golden Quatrefoils ($10) and Radiant Roses ($5). All you need is the recipient’s name and email address, and we will send the virtual Caring Carnations to their inboxes. Virtual Caring Carnations will land in inboxes on Fridays of each week from June 19 through July 17. (Delivery schedule is subject to change.)

You can also make a gift to Phi Mu’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives without purchasing Caring Carnations by visiting www.phimufoundation.org/give and selecting ‘Established Funds.’ From there, you can apply your gift to the Fraternity Grant Fund which will be designated to support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Click here for more information on Phi Mu Fraternity’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

 June 3, 2020

Dear Sisters,

On May 29, Phi Mu Fraternity released a statement denouncing the recent acts of racial discrimination and violence faced by members of the Black community, a community that includes many of our sisters. We received an outpouring of responses from our members, many of whom demanded action about one particular aspect of our history.

In the late 1860s, the Philomatheans named Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson as honorary members. They did not go through any Ritual Service and these three men were never granted membership status of any type in Phi Mu Fraternity. Regardless, we must acknowledge that this has been incredibly hurtful for many of our members, especially Black women.

On behalf of National Council, I unequivocally denounce the association of these men with our organization. Having these men as honorary members is not reflective of Phi Mu. We cannot change the decision the Philomatheans made, but we can acknowledge the pain that it has caused and how that informs our path forward.

In 2016, National Council created five Ends Policies to set strategic priorities for our organization. I have directed our staff to make the policy focused on diversity, equity and inclusion an immediate priority. They are forming a Diversity and Inclusion Working Group that will focus on ways Phi Mu has perpetuated racism. They will seek feedback from members on experiences of marginalization or microaggression in their chapters and learn from experts on ways we can make Phi Mu a stronger, more inclusive organization.

This work will take time to do well. It will require honest, difficult conversations regarding parts of our history of which we are not proud. We will do these things and more because we have an obligation to our past, current and future members to eliminate all forms of racism and exclusion.

If you have feedback, suggestions or want to be a part of this work, please complete this form.

Thank you for joining me in learning from our history to keep true to the meaning, spirit and reality of Phi Mu.

Yours in Our Bond,

Andie Kash, Delta Eta

National President