# Phi Sigma Rho

Phi Sigma Rho (ΦΣΡ; also known as Phi Rho or PSR) is a social sorority for individuals who identify as female or non-binary in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The sorority was founded in 1984 at Purdue University. It has since expanded to more than 40 colleges across the United States.

## History

Phi Sigma Rho was founded on September 24, 1984, at Purdue University by Rashmi Khanna and Abby McDonald. Khanna and McDonald were unable to participate in traditional sorority rush due to the demands of the sororities and their engineering program, so they decided to start a new sorority that would take their academic program's demands into consideration.
The Alpha chapter at Purdue University was founded with ten charter members: Gail Bonney, Anita Chatterjea, Ann Cullinan, Pam Kabbes, Rashmi Khanna, Abby McDonald, Christine Mooney, Tina Kershner, Michelle Self, and Kathy Vargo.
Phi Sigma Rho accepts students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics who identify as female or who identify as non-binary. The sorority made the decision to include non-binary students in all chapters in the summer of 2021.
Phi Sigma Rho has grown more than 40 chapters nationally. Its headquarters is located in Northville, Michigan. Its online magazine is The Key.

## Symbols

The colors of Phi Sigma Rho are wine red and silver. The sorority's flower is the orchid, and its jewel is the pearl. Its mascot is Sigmand the penguin. Its motto is "together we build the future."

## Philanthropy

Phi Sigma Rho's national philanthropy is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The Phi Sigma Rho Foundation was established as a separate nonprofit organization in 2005. It supports the educational and philanthropic efforts of the sorority's members and offers merit-based scholarships to sorority members.

## Chapters

The following tables lists Phi Sigma Rho chapters, prospective chapters, and interest groups. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are indicated in italic.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | September 24, 1984 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | Active |
| Beta | 1988 | Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | Active |
| Gamma | 1989 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH | Active |
| Delta | 1992 | University of Toledo | Toledo, OH | Active |
| Epsilon | 1999 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY | Active |
| Zeta | 2000 | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | Active |
| Eta | 2000 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | Active |
| Theta | 2001 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | Active |
| Iota | 2001 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, OH | Active |
| Kappa | 2002 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | Active |
| Lambda | 2002 | Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA | Active |
| Mu | 2002 | University of Washington | Seattle, WA | Active |
| Nu | 2003 | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | Active |
| Xi | 2003 | Rutgers University | New Brunswick, NJ/ Piscataway, NJ | Active |
| Omicron | 2003 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | Active |
| Pi | 2004 | University of California, Irvine | Irvine, CA | Active |
| Rho | 2004 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla, MO | Active |
| Sigma | 2005 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR | Active |
| Tau | 2005 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL | Active |
| Upsilon | 2005 | University of Houston | Houston, TX | Active |
| Phi | 2006 | Howard University | Washington, DC | Active |
| Chi | 2007 | University of California, San Diego | La Jolla, CA | Active |
| Psi | 2011 | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona | Pomona, CA | Inactive |
| Omega | 2011 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA | Active |
| Alpha Alpha | 2011 | Youngstown State University | Youngstown, OH | Active |
| Alpha Beta | 2011 | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH | Active |
| Alpha Gamma | 2012 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY | Active |
| Alpha Delta | 2012 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | Active |
| Alpha Epsilon | 2013 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Urbana-Champaign, IL | Active |
| Alpha Zeta | 2013–2022 | Wright State University | Dayton, OH | Inactive |
| Alpha Eta | 2014 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN | Active |
| Alpha Theta | 2015 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | Active |
| Alpha Iota | 2016–2022 | Penn State Erie, The Behrend College | Erie, PA | Inactive |
| Alpha Kappa | 2016 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | Active |
| Alpha Lambda | 2016 | Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | Active |
| Alpha Mu | 2017 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO | Active |
| Alpha Nu | 2017 | Boise State University | Boise, ID | Active |
| Alpha Xi | 2017 | University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | Active |
| Alpha Omicron | 2018 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | Active |
| Alpha Pi | 2019 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY | Active |
| Alpha Rho | 2019 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA | Active |
| Alpha Sigma | 2019 | University of Nevada, Reno | Reno, NV | Active |
| Alpha Tau | 2020 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA | Active |
| Alpha Upsilon | 2020 | Cleveland State University | Cleveland, OH | Active |
| Alpha Phi | 2020 | Texas A&M University | College Station, TX | Active |
| Alpha Chi | 2021 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | Active |
| Alpha Psi | 2022 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, IN | Active |
| Alpha Omega | 2023 | University of Akron | Akron, Ohio | Active |
| Beta Alpha | 2023 | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Active |
| Beta Beta | 2023 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, North Carolina | Active |
| Beta Gamma | 2024 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Active |
| Beta Delta | 2024 | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Active |
| Beta Epsilon | 2024 | University at Albany | Albany, New York | Active |
| Prospective Chapter | 2023 | Florida International University | Miami, Florida | Active |
* ↑ Started as a prospective chapter in 2001.
* 1 2 Started as a prospective chapter in 2004.
* ↑ Started as a prospective chapter in 2014.
* ↑ Started as a prospective chapter in 2015.
* 1 2 3 Started as a prospective chapter in 2017.
* 1 2 Started as a prospective chapter in 2018.
* 1 2 Started as a prospective chapter in 2019.

## Notable members

* Lila Ibrahim