Students pursue their studies often envisioning a future version of themselves. For example, as a student takes leadership and finance classes, they visualize themselves as a manager. In their vision, the student effectively motivates their subordinates. Sometimes, however, students’ visions can be blurry, and they may find it hard to tell if pursuing that role is fitting for them.
Delta Sigma Pi is a fraternity developed to give students the opportunity to try out the roles they envision. “We try to imitate the business model,” explained President Isabella Villegas-Leal. Fraternities are very common in universities and aim to give students a common experience to ease their transition into college and onto the job market. There are two very distinct kinds, professional fraternities and social fraternities.
Social fraternities focus on the connections members make during their time as students. They host events for people to get to build connections with others on campus and enrich their college experience.
Delta Sigma Pi is a professional fraternity and it, alongside the medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon, serve as the only fraternities at UMass Boston. As such, it puts a greater emphasis on preparing students for the job market. According to their mission statement on their website, Delta Sigma Pi aims to equip management-adjacent majors to be ethical and successful business leaders. (1)
Students can volunteer to fulfill the role of president, vice president of finance, vice president of marketing or vice president of fundraising, among others.
UMass Boston’s chapter of Delta Sigma Pi has 35 members and nine pledges. To join, students have to attend a recruitment event, complete an online application, and meet one-on-one with a current member to become a pledge. Once accepted, they are asked to pay initiation fees ranging between $82-$107 to confirm their participation as a member. Once they are a member, they are asked to pay about $50 as their dues every semester.
President Villegas-Leal explained that the fraternity chapter is awarded recognition by fulfilling a set of requirements set by the headquarters. Basic requirements include developing a strategic plan, hosting seven professional events, hosting six service events and keeping up-to-date financial records.
Andrew Alswanger is the vice president of community service; in his role, he focuses on planning events that are engaging for members and significant for the communities they serve.
On April 7, Delta Sigma Pi volunteered for the Shamrock Foundation’s 50/50 raffle during the Celtics game against the Portland Trail Blazers. As a volunteer group, they were able to enjoy the game for free and help the foundation run the raffle.
Similarly, Delta Sigma Pi members look forward to volunteering at the finish line of the Boston Marathon for the Para Athletics Division.
The events they host are open to all students in the university. To celebrate the end of the semester and the graduating students, they will be hosting a gala at Venezia Restaurant Boston on May 8. Tickets are $65 and include a meal and a night of festivities.
For their professional events this semester, they hosted an interview workshop with representatives from Grand Thornton. Beyond connecting students with the recognized accounting and advisory firm, the event was also credited as a management achievement program, often abbreviated as MAP. Management majors are required to attend a certain number of MAP programs to access their capstone seminar.
They also partner with fraternity chapters from other universities to attend events. For example, during the fall semester they participated in the American Boston Common Heart Walk alongside students from Boston University. To stay up to date with the events they host, students can follow them on Instagram @dspxiphi.
Another benefit members of the fraternity obtain is exclusive access to scholarships. Every term, one scholarship is provided for each chapter to award the person that demonstrates most commitment to the chapter; the award varies but is around $1,000. The scholarships are funded in part by the initiation fees and dues members are required to pay.
As a fraternity, DSP also has a strong social appeal. From the formal networking that has allowed students to find internships, to the personal connections with other members.
Alswanger credits DSP in part for connecting him to his current internship at KPMG, a recognized consulting company. More importantly, though, he is thankful for the friendships he has made.
He shared that on a recent commute, he ran into another DSP member, and they enjoyed spending the ride sharing their summer internship plans and giving each other advice. He recognized that if it weren’t for the connection the fraternity provides, he would have been quietly on his phone.
“A lot of people [at UMass Boston] are commuters, so you feel that separation,” Alswanger explained. “At DSP you get [that connection] back.”
(1) https://www.deltasigmapi.org/about/values-and-mission