# Sigma Psi Zeta

Sigma Psi Zeta (ΣΨΖ) Sorority, Inc., also known as Sigmas or SYZ, is a progressive multicultural American sorority. It was founded on March 23, 1994, at the University at Albany and incorporated in New York on March 15, 1996. It is the third-largest Asian-interest sorority in the nation. It is a part of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA).

## History

Plans for the Sigma Psi Zeta sorority were formed in the fall semester of 1993 at SUNY Albany by a group of female undergraduates from different backgrounds. The sorority was formed in part to address the dual difficulties faced by Asian women. Its founding mothers were Gina Han, Sally Hsieh, Jean Kim, Jenny Kim, Sandra Lam, Winnie Liu, Yan-Chieh Liu, Michelle Macaraig, Sung-Yon Noh, and Loan Trang.
On March 23, 1994, the sorority was officially recognized by the university. Within a year, a second chapter was formed at SUNY University at Binghamton. The sorority was incorporated in New York on March 15, 1996.
Internally, the sorority uses the term "womxn" instead of "woman" or "women". Similarly, it uses "sxsters" or "syzters" in place of "sisters". Similar terminology has been adopted by other multicultural organizations.

## Symbols

The sorority's colors are red and gold and its flower is a yellow rose with baby's breath. Its motto is "Lead from the front."

## Activities

Sigma Psi Zeta is a cultural, social, educational, and community service–oriented Greek organization. Its philanthropic focus is to combat violence against women in its various forms. Sigma Psi Zeta is an official partner of the White House initiative, It's On Us, which launched as a result of the ARC3 Survey.
Since 1999, Sigma Psi Zeta's philanthropy has been to combat violence against women. The sorority has worked against violence against women in many forms and has focused specifically on Asian women who are historically objectified and disempowered. Local chapters and colonies participate in events such as the Take Back The Night rallies and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence's Domestic Violence Awareness month.

## Membership

Sigma Psi Zeta has 35 active units (23 chapters and 12 charters) in the states/commonwealths of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin.

## Chapters

Following are the chapters of Sigma Psi Zeta. The sorority differentiates between three levels of organization at its campus units. Chapter status appears to be the ultimate goal. Newer or emerging groups are called charters. The third type is denoted as Interest Groups; an interest group must have permission to form from campus administration and must include at least ten members.
Active groups are listed here in bold, inactive groups are listed in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | March 23, 1994 | University at Albany, SUNY | Albany, NY | Active |
| Beta charter | January 4, 1995 – xxxx ?, 20xx ? | Binghamton University | Binghamton, NY | Active |
| Gamma | January 18, 1997 – 20xx ? | Saint John's University | Jamaica, NY | Inactive |
| Delta | October 3, 1998 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | Active |
| Epsilon | October 10, 1998 – 20xx ? | SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta, NY | Inactive |
| Zeta | November 7, 1998 – 20xx ? | Pace University | New York, NY | Inactive |
| Eta | May 20, 2000 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY | Active |
| Theta charter | November 18, 2000 – 20xx ?; 202x ? | University of Massachusetts Amhers | Amherst, MA | Active |
| Iota | December 1, 2000 | University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | Active |
| Kappa charter | January 7, 2001 – 20xx ?; 20xx? | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA | Active |
| Lambda | December 1, 2001 | University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | Active |
| Mu | June 2, 2002 – 201x ? | SUNY Geneseo | Geneseo, NY | Inactive |
| Nu | July 17, 2002 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | Active |
| Xi | January 3, 2003 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, NE | Active |
| Omicron | June 12, 2004 – 202x ? | Stanford University | Stanford, CA | Inactive |
| Pi | November 15, 2003 | George Washington University | Washington, D.C. | Active |
| Rho | November 22, 2003 | University of Washington | Seattle, WA | Active |
| Tau | December 6, 2003 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park, MD | Active |
| Upsilon | April 18, 2004 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | Active |
| Phi | April 24, 2004 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO | Active |
| Chi | April 4, 2006 – 201x ? | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Shippensburg, PA | Inactive |
| Alpha Alpha | April 8, 2007 – 201x ? | Yale University | New Haven, CT | Inactive |
| Alpha Beta | May 10, 2008 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | Active |
| Alpha Gamma charter | April 9, 2011 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA | Active |
| Alpha Delta | April 1, 2012 | Rutgers University | New Brunswick, NJ | Active |
| Alpha Epsilon | April 7, 2012 | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | Champaign, IL | Active |
| Alpha Zeta charter | April 21, 2013 | Saint Joseph's University | Philadelphia, PA | Active |
| Alpha Eta | November 16, 2013 – 20xx ? | New York City | New York City | Inactive |
| Alpha Theta | November 16, 2013 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS | Active |
| Alpha Iota | October 25, 2014 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | Active |
| Alpha Kappa | November 8, 2014 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | Active |
| Alpha Lambda | November 8, 2015 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY | Active |
| Alpha Mu | March 26, 2016 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS | Active |
| Alpha Nu | November 12, 2017 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA | Active |
| Alpha Xi charter | March 24, 2018 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | Active |
| Alpha Omicron charter | April 8, 2018 | Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN | Active |
| Alpha Pi charter | March 10, 2019 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, WI | Active |
| Alpha Rho | April 20, 2019 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ | Active |
| Alpha Tau charter | April 12, 2020 | New York University | New York City, NY | Active |
| Alpha Upsilon charter | March 21, 2021 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA | Active |
| Alpha Phi charter | April 23, 2021 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI | Active |
| Alpha Chi charter | November 17, 2021 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA | Active |
| Alpha Psi charter | November 18, 2021 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA | Active |