Introducing: the Iota Psi Class

Congratulations to our neos! We're all so proud of you! Here's a little introduction from our three wonderful additions to our syzterhood!

#60 

Hui Miao 

"Resurrexion"

Hi, this is Hui Miao, "Resurrexion", Iota Psi, Fall 2012. My big is Victoria Pietruszka "Reaper". I am a transfer student from China, coming into University of Rochester as a sophomore, majoring in business. My motto is "Be the change you want to see in the world." I view the sunflower as my symbol because I am confident, passionate, and I love smiling. For now, I am involved in Student Government at U of R. The proudest thing I’ve accomplished since I came to the United States is becoming a sister of Sigma Psi Zeta. The most appealing factor that drived me to rush Sigma was the kindness of all the sisters. They are so nice and caring. They showed me the bond of sisterhood and family, which is exactly what I was looking for and what wanted to be a part of. I received and offered help, I learned more about love and care, I was deeply moved and inspired by the sisters, and finally I became a sister of the SYZterhood. This is a wonderful experience, and this is just the start.

 #61 

Yinuo (Enoch) Zhang 

"Amalia"

Hiiiii there! My name is Yinuo (Enoch) Zhang ”Amalia”. Ughhh, it seems that my name is super complicated. Anyway, I want to clarify that my Chinese name is just a translation from Enoch (from the Bible), so you can call me either one. I am part of the class of 2015, and my major is mathematics. The reason why I chose pure math is because I didn’t want to learn physics ANYMORE. XDD My Big is Morgan Preziosi “Aquilina” <3. I am crazy about “teacher-student love ” stories, seriously. >///< I was attracted to Sigma by the idea of sisterhood and the closeness of the sisters.

#62

Lindsey Harris

"Valor"

Hello, all. My name is Lindsey "Valor" Harris, and I'm honored to be a part of the Psi Class of Iota Chapter. My Big is Andrea Wong "Starlit" (*^_^*). At the beginning of the semester, I never would have guessed I'd be where I am today. In addition to being a part of Sigma, I'm on the varsity softball team at U of R and a Brain & Cognitive Science major with a minor in Japanese. I was born and raised in the sunshine state of Florida but desperately needed a change of scenery, which is how I ended up going to school in New York. My dream is to travel to Japan some day and maybe take a tour of Asia while I'm there. Whatever my future may have in store for me, I'll be sure to wear my letters with confidence and make my SYZters proud!

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Domestic Violence Awareness Week, Fall 2012

Iota actives, minus Morgan :( , at the DVA Week Banquet.

This year we had a very eventful and successful Domestic Violence Awareness week organized by our very own Victoria Pietruszka "Reaper"! During the entire week, we (along with the help of our co-sponsors) gave out free purple ribbons and sold purple Livestrong bracelets that said "Love shouldn't hurt" on them. The two main events that we had was a speaker event and our 2nd Domestic Violence Awareness week banquet. 

For the speaker event, we had one of the co-founders from Stand Up Guys, Jack, talk about his views on domestic violence and how he thinks it should be dealt with today. He gave a very informative talk that allowed us to see a different point of view on the topic. It was especially interesting to listen the a male's perspective on domestic violence. The presentation was about 45 minutes long followed by a series of thoughtful question and answer. Jack also had some forms that we signed stating the we pledged not to abuse our partners.

The Domestic Violence Awareness week banquet had a huge turn out of over 70 people! In fact the turn out was so big that we even had to turn away some people at the door because there was not enough seating in the dining area. Everyone arrived all dressed up and had a great time enjoying talking with each other an the delicious Italian food served by the Meliora. During the banquet, we had a glowstick ceremony in honor of those who have experienced domestic violence lead by Victoria. 

It was a great week and it seems like the Domestic Violence Awareness week banquet is starting to become an annual event! Thanks to the hard work of all the sisters, we were able to make Domestic Violence Awareness week successful!

- Firefox


For more photos from the banquet, visit our Facebook Page.

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Cute post of the day

 

Cuz I don't have Facebook to share

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Sigma Psi Zeta National Convention in Orlando, FL

Happy summer everyone!!!

I can honestly say that this was one of the best Memorial Day weekends I have ever had. “Why?” you may ask, and I will answer very happily, “because of Sigma Psi Zeta’s National Convention :)”

This year, Sigma Psi Zeta’s National Convention took place in sunny Orlando, Florida. We had five active sisters attend convention from the Iota Chapter, Wai Ling “Revelation”, Yichen “Misaki”, Trissha “Nouvella”, and our Fall 2011 neos, Morgan “Aquilina” and Victoria “Reaper". We were also joined by two of our alumnae, Camille “Nocturne” and Stephanie "Thalia". 

The most exciting news of convention was that the Iota Chapter won 4 Psi Sistership Awards!!! We won them for Citizenship, Integrity, Activism, and last but not least the Psi Sistership of The Year award. I was pleasantly surprised, and I feel so proud to be a part of this chapter! Good job and congratulations to all my Iota syzters :D

Here is a brief summary of our time in Orlando.

Yichen, Morgan, Victoria, and I arrived on Thursday, so we had extra time to play. Exhausted from our flights and waiting at the airport, we decided to take a dip in the hotel pool and Jacuzzi when we arrived at the beautiful Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. After lounging in the hammock overlooking the serene lake, we all decided, this was the happiest place on earth.

We're so happy at our lovely hotel

On Friday we went to Typhoon Lagoon, one of two Disney themed water parks. We had so much fun riding water slides, tube rides, and of course the lazy river, ahhhh…

Coming back from a fun day at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon

Friday night, Stephany “Improv” from Mu Charter and Wai Ling who arrived that evening joined us. We all headed to Downtown Disney for a nice Irish dinner, filled with Irish step dancing, music, and of course, full-bellies.

Aquilina, Improv, and Reaper enjoying a nice dinner at the Disney Irish Pub

We found these adorable Steamboat Willie dolls at Downtown Disney!

Saturday was convention day! Our keynote speaker was from the Harbor House, a DV shelter in Florida. She was an amazing and informative speaker. Check out the Harbor House website http://www.harborhousefl.com/. Following that was 2012-2014 Ebod elections. Our very own, Nocturne was elected as Sigma Psi Zeta’s National President! Congratulations! Also, we voted on the convention location for 2014, and it will be located in New Orleans, LA. We then had various workshops, presentations, and activities that were both helpful and fun. It was so nice to get to meet and interact with sisters from across the country. I even found one from my high school!

Hello Sigmas :)

Iota Actives and Alums :)

We all got prettied up for the banquet that night where we had delicious food and were presented our Psi sistership awards. After the banquet, we celebrated the fun packed convention day with a Sigma outing to Bliss Ultra Lounge in downtown Orlando. It was so much fun to dance the night away :)

(L to R) Revelation, Nouvella, Misaki, Reaper, Aquilina, and Improv enjoying our delicious dinner

On Sunday, we decided to go to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It was a fun-filled day of theatric shows like the Indiana Jones stunt show, trilling rides such as Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, delicious food like Turkey Legs, and the grand finale of the day, the Disney Fantasmic water show.

Misaki's favorite :) Turkey Legs! 

Aren't the convention tanks so cute?

Reaper and the Stormtrooper!

Monday was the day we all left Florida. Even though it was sad to see it end, the beautiful weather, meeting new sisters, and the magic of Disney, it was a great kick off to the summer.

Bye Orlando, bye Sigmas. See you soon! 

As Pattie “enACra” said at convention, if we all save $2 a day, come next May, you will have saved more than enough money to go to convention and enjoy the area. So, lets start putting away our monies, and I hope to see everyone there at 2013’s Sigma convention in LA! This was definitely one of my favorite Sigma memories <3

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To the Seniors

Congratulations to the Class of 2012, and Forte ;)!

I realize that I may not be posting this blog entry much as a publicity (since I am no longer one, hehe) but more as a personal note to my dear Sigma seniors who just graduated. So pardon me if it's a bit random, (although I'm sure nothing can beat the randomness of "From Carlson, By Starlit")

Considering that many seniors will be staying in New York after graduation, I have no doubt that there will always be chances to reunite, whether in the city or in the great old Rochester. Nevertheless, I think I’m more worried about spending my last year at UR without the sisters who have become role models and mentors in my life.

Forte, Ebullience and Vitalia

Stop rolling your eyes. I know the class of 2012 is only one year above me, and most of them still make as many questionable life decisions as I do, but that one year makes a difference. You girls and I are basically the same age—so we can still relate to one another—but we’re also at two different points in life. In the past almost-three years at UR, whenever I needed an answer to one of my existential questions, all I needed to do was grab a green tea latte at Starbucks with any of you. We all know that we are nowhere close to the perfect role models, but lack of perfection doesn’t mean that we don’t have something to teach others.

“Who’s going to grab coffee with me next year?” I’ve started wondering to myself and actually, that's the thought that terrifies me the most. 

Ebullience and Comet

I’m not ready to be a senior and I’m sure there are other juniors who feel the same way. “Well, personally, I’m ready to be a senior. There’s a certain ease on campus that they carry,” remarked one of my classmates. What if I don’t think I carry that ease yet? Do I just fake it? I’m not sure if any juniors will come to me for advice next semester, since I think I’m pretty ill-suited to doling out bits of practical wisdom. However, I want to listen. Maybe that’s where the air of “ease” that my friend mentioned comes from. Ease comes from knowing you survived three years at this institution, and you can handle it—and thrive, even—for another year. So, if an underclassman comes to me with distress on her face about her finals, I can be empathetic because I went through the same worries. But I also did just fine, and I can at least try to assure her that she will too­—and give her my old study guides. Because that how you guys helped me through my years here.

Misaki and Vitalia

Anyway, to the class of 2012, I’m not sure to whom I’ll turn when you’re all gone from campus. Maybe I’ll finally call my mom more. But thanks for the coffee dates, shoulders to cry on, arms to hug, laughs to share, boozy brunches, frantic emails and text messages, study guides, late-night study sessions, memories that should probably be forgotten and memories that should never be forgotten. The class of 2013 will pass it on next year.

SyriAe and Andante

One more time, congratulations to Forte, Ebullience, Vitalia, Misaki, Andante, Comet, SyriAe!

Iota Chapter would not be where we are right now with all your work, dedication and passion. Thank you for everything you have done for us and you will forever be our sisters, heart and soul. We do not want to say good bye because tomorrow when we stand there to become a part of your world, we would look for those familiar faces, who would draw their hands out and share their experiences with us. Please come visit us often (it's Rochester, I know) and hang out with us when we come visit. And whenever you have time, don't hesitate to chat, skype or call us, maybe?

[From a super-sad-because-there's-no-one-at-Starbucks-anymore Cavatina]

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Iotas at Installs

Time flies. Before everyone actually realized, we had our last chapter last week and soon enough, it was time for our annual Installs. We all had a fun evening to officially welcome "Aquilina" and "Reaper" into the syzterhood and to celebrate a year of hard work that everyone has put in.


It was a brilliant idea (by Vitalia, I think) to suggest that we should all wear red this year. All the sisters looked extremely nice and Sigmalicious in their red dresses, while the neos looked adorable and fresh ;) in their white attire. Although, Miki and I were stopped multiple times at the restaurant and were asked about who were were and what we were doing (imagine a room full of Asian girls wearing red, I'm not surprised that people were curious, lol)

We started of the evening with a sister event in Riverview. PE Misaki made an adorable and creative video clip to celebrate and welcome the two outstanding girls of the Iota Phi class. Misaki's voice and various clips of Aquilina filled the room with laughters (only because we love you, Aquilina <3).

Next, we had Starlit and Allegro, who have always been famous for their lyrics writing and rapping skills, presented us with a rap song written by themselves.  I wish I had gotten a video of this. However, by popular request, they will be filming an official MV of the song sometime soon :)

Last but not least, we ended the sister event with a senior send-off slideshow that was put together using messages from each of us given to the seniors. The messages and pictures reminded all of us of all the great memories that we shared and all the worked that the seniors had done for Iota Sigmas. We couldn't have been here without you guys. We hoped that you enjoyed the slideshow and that everytime you watch it, you will want to visit us :) (Thanks for the amazing sense of humor of Aranea and Miki and their hilarious messages, social chairs have failed to bring the seniors to tears, which totally was our original purpose, lol)


At around 8PM, we headed out to Bistro 135 in East Rochester for the long-awaiting dinner. We all had a great time bonding with each other over delicious dinner and relaxing atmosphere.

We also handed out sister awards and senior gifts. Sister awards is always my most favorite part of Installs because it shows how much we understand each other, pay attention to what each other does and appreciate each other strengths.

For this year senior gift, we made glass vases with picture collages of the seniors. We hope that everytime you use the vase for whatever purpose, you will think of us too (hehehe, we are determined to haunt your life in every way possible). Hope you all liked the gifts!

Aquilina and I did some magic trick and treated everyone to personalized fortune cookies as desserts for everyone. Okay, some were cute, some were .... stupid, and some didn't have a point, but you girls all liked the idea I hope.

Soon enough, it was picture time. Thank you so much for our pro photographer Comet and Forte for taking beautiful pictures of us, and bearing the cold weather why the rest of the chapter cuddled under the heater. All the pictures came out extremely nice. We all looked pretty and happy :) For more pictures, please stalk our facebooks :)

Every parties eventually have to come to an end. It was a great night spending with everyone and I really hope that everyone had a fabulous time. Thank you so much Priscilla and Michelle for taking you time and joining us. It was so great getting to hang out with you guys.

Installs was a nice ending to a very Sigmalicious year. We have been through a lot this year. There were good times and bad times, but we made it though as sisters. Sticks and stones can't break our bones, they just make us harder, better, faster, stronger ;) Let's keep it up and try even harder next year <3


Again, welcome Reaper and Aquilina,and congratulations on graduation Seniors <3


Oh and good luck with finals everyone. You can do it! Summer is verrrryyyy close.


- cavatina


Photo credits:  Comet

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A Little Late but...

This is a little bit late, but here's a special thank you to the new brothers of Sigma Beta Rho for these beautiful yellow roses! :) I'm happy to say that they're still thriving, blooming, and beautiful in another Brita Filter.

(From the Kappa Pi Class of Sigma Beta Rho)

And we can't forget to thank Lynna "Influence" Gu from earlier on in the year, for the surprise of yellow roses as well! :)

(Sisters with Yellow Roses on Sister Dress-Alike Day!)

It's been a popular year for yellow roses. They definitely always make our day! :)

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Japanese Expo

On April 5^th, 2012, after months and months of hard work and planning put in by the AHM committee (Alice “Vitalia” Wu, Moxi “Comet” Zhou, Hakyeong “Aranea” Lee, Trissha “Nouvella” Higa, Jessica “Firefox” Yao, and headed by Yichen “Misaki” Qiu) Iota Chapter put on our first ever Japanese Expo! Since there currently isn’t a cultural club on campus that focuses on Japan, we decided to take this opportunity to explore Japanese culture. It was a great success, with over 200 members in attendance!

Our beautiful flyer!

So what did we have at this Japanese Expo?

We had tables for learning the language. Upon entering, each participant would receive a nametag with a beautiful background and learn to write their names in Japanese. Then, they would be able to take a leisurely stroll table and learn to write a few simple words. Their reward for learning would be a stamp. (If you collected all three stamps, you would receive a discount voucher for Sakura House and Plum Garden!)

People were very excited to learn something new :)
Photo credit: Starlit

Another way to collect a stamp was to take the Anime identification quiz at the Anime table. If you could accurately identify 3 out of the 12 characters presented, then you would receive a second stamp! Thank you to the Anime Interest Floor for helping us out with this!

Next, they would be able to satisfy their taste buds with California Rolls and Vegetable Rolls prepared for us by UR Dining Services! These rolls went fast! (Thank you so much to Trissha for making this happen!)

Hi Aranea and Ebullience :)
Photo credit: Starlit

After eating a little bit, participants could wander to the Tea Tasting table, where they would be able to partake in an abbreviated version of a tea ceremony and learn more about matcha green tea.

Photo credit: Forte

The Study Abroad Office also came by and presented some information. Rochester’s Japanese Association (RJA) was a great help as well. Not only did they bring many items to showcase, and helped us to administer a brief trivia quiz (if you got 7 out of 10 questions correctly, you would receive a third stamp!), they also brought in many, many costumes and traditional cultural attire for us to use in our photobooth! We have to thank CSA for allowing us to borrow their backdrop for a beautiful photobooth, and our very own Moxi Zhou for taking pictures throughout the night! (More photos can be viewed at Sigma Psi Zeta – Iota Chapter’s Facebook page)

Overall, this event was a huge success. The AHM committee worked really hard to pull this together, and our cultural chair, Yichen Qiu, did an amazing job with all the planning! We also have to say thank you to the brothers of Pi Delta Psi for helping us out and cosponsoring this event with us.

We’ll be sure to do something of the sort, or even bigger and better, in the future! J

P.S. We have to say a special thank you to Annabelle “Cadenza” Estera for spearheading the first ever Asian Heritage Month a few years ago in 2010! And she visited this weekend too!

<3 Misaki.

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Hello Again!

Hello!

From Rush Rhees.

From Starlit.

Just a little spam to either clutter or brighten your day~!

Here's a fun fact I found: "Hippo milk is pink" 

Here's a random quotation I found: "If you want to be happy, be" - Leo Tolstoy 

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Syzterhood

Hello!

From the Greater Boston Area.

From Starlit.

Well here it is: my redemption blog entry! I apologize ahead of time if it is too colloquial, but it’s Spring Break and if formal writing structure could pause for anything, it should be vacations!

On this year’s Valentine’s Day, love was certainly in the air, rocking out to the tunes of sweet Syzterhood.  That’s right, folks, a Sister event! This year we had a Secret Sigma Valentine (props to Nouvella for suggesting the idea at Chapter), where sisters were given the task of giving a randomly assigned sister a card and/or chocolate (and/or other goodies…)

Art Credit: Forte
Photo Credit: ebullience

The results were awesome!

From Revelation to Forte
Photo Credit: Forte

From Andante to me!
[Oh how she gets me ;)]

From Misaki to Cavatina
Photo Credit: Cavatina

The thoughtfulness and time spent on each gift brought smiles and sparked sisterly love. What more can someone ask for?

 (Not that much more)

The gifts also provided a chance for Sigma love to gain some stage presence and rekindle everyone’s spirit…

…to do another Sister Bonding Event! The Sister Dress-Alike Event! In preparation for style-swapping Sisters were paired and had mini Q&A sessions together beforehand. At the chapter following, Sisters showed up, a little unlike their usual selves. Except for Aranea, who still owes us a stylistic interpretation of ebullience. Some notable swaps are seen here:

L-R: Forte and Cavatina (or is it the other way around??)
Photo Credit: Cavatina

Comet and Misaki
(It should be noted that these two not only swapped styles, but walks
-- these two entered chapter with entirely different swaggers)
Photo Credit: Comet

Photo Credit: Comet

To top off the charm of the evening, the Iotas were thrilled to find a gift from Influence, yellow roses!

Photo Credit: Comet

Thank you Influence, they are as awesome and beautiful as you! 

We loved them so much, so we took them to a Chi Phi Speaker event: Ise Lyfe (Is Everyone Stupid?). 

As February ended, a new event was drafted. With the combined powers of Publicity and Sisterhood, an event like no other, and named like no other, was created: Publisterhood. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly (depending on your personal taste in names) enough, the event yielded results far better than the sound of its name. On March 2nd, after Chapter, Sisters sat down with scissors, felt, glitter, and glue and created an unparalleled beauty.

Personally, I think the most appropriate way to illustrate the details of Publisterhood is through a poem.

The Epic of Publisterhood

By Starlit

For March the Second, the voices of publicity beckoned

to me, to see another event to inspire unity

And so they suggested, an idea uncontested

the creation of a chapter banner. "Sounds good!" I opened my planner.

With felt and pens we traced letters of Times New Roman

(What could this possibly spell?)
Photo Credit: Forte

However our energy felt drained from school

Yes, even our strength as young women,

(Poor Allegro :\)
Photo Credit: Forte

But we found ways to stay cool:

(perhaps too cool, right Andante?)
Photo Credit: Forte

And ways to have fun and play

Even after a long and tiring day:

(I think she's forgiven me by now...)
Photo Credit: Forte

So we continued to snip, and glue

And oh the teamwork that ensued!

(Revelation, Nouvella, and Cavatina in mid banner-assembly)
Photo Credit: Forte

So great was the sight, I thought my eyes glittered

With the endless possibilities of teamwork, 'oh, the hope!'

But then I realized it was probably from the glitter

"Still cool," I thought, "it will probably make the banner more 'dope'"

(Allegro, Miki, and Vitalia in mid banner-assembly)
Photo Credit: Forte

With glitter amounts further refined

And a promising image coming to mind

A final piece was being designed!

A yellow rose, for sure

A symbol for all to adore

And need I say anymore?

(Cavatina in mid banner-assembly)
Photo Credit:Forte

Finally, with everything adhered

The banner's epic tale concluded, dears.

        

Photo Credit: Cavatina

           

And of course for something with looks so terrific

We took time to take a large number of pics 

Photo Credit: Forte

"True to our colors, red and gold"

"Sisters forever heart and soul"

Photo Credit: Forte

With half the semester left, there's plenty more to come. 

Just a reminder here is the schedule for the events in Founders' Week which starts this Monday (3/19)!

• March 19th-21st: tabling in Wilson Commons to get people on campus to share a thought or two regarding domestic violence, to create a post it collage
• March 22nd: Elizabeth OuYang from OCA-NY, will be coming to our campus to speak on racial issues regarding the death of Pvt Danny Chen (6:30-8P; Goergen 101)
• March 23rd: Sister Event! & Mixer with PDPsi
• March 25th: Community Service, volunteering at Sojourner's House (1P-4:30P)

Thanks for reading!

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