Ouachita is host to various social clubs on campus: EEE, Tri Chi and Chi Delta being some of the oldest. However, in the fall of 2015, a new social club was formed by four girls with a new idea.
Chi Mu was formed when a casual conversation turned into an unusual opportunity. Kacy Spears, Sydney Allen, Mattie Alexander and Natalie Gill are a group of friends that decided there was a new need on campus. While some of them, like Spears, had been through rush, they did not find a social club that fit their demanding schedule and desired level of sisterhood, so they formed a new one.
The process was long but worth it. The day after discussing this idea, the girls brought it up with Tim Harrell, the director of campus activities. Harrell suggested that they hold an interest meeting, and if a certain number of girls showed up, they would continue with the process of making their idea a reality. That night, they made cards to stick under the sophomore, junior and senior girls’ dorms with info regarding a meeting that was to be held in Maddox Hall to discuss a new social club. The girls were pleased when they had 25-30 students in attendance.
After Harrell checked that all the students in attendance met the campus guidelines for joining a social club, they took the club a step further. The four girls, along with the new charter members, began making a constitution. Their constitution included qualifications regarding general admission into the club, the purpose, want they wanted to accomplish as a club, by-laws and a few other necessary rules. This took around six weeks to create, as the girls wanted to make laws that were timeless but also current with affairs on campus.
The constitution was created and submitted to Harrell and then had to be reviewed and accepted by different groups on campus, including the faculty and staff in general. Along with the constitution, the girls had to have a sponsor and Adam Wheat, a fine arts administrator, was the man for the job. When the girls got the “OK” from Harrell and their club was official, they began electing officers.
Kacy Spears held the office of treasurer, Natalie Gill was to be the secretary, Mattie Alexander took the spot as vice president and Amy Lytle was Chi Mu’s first president. The girls elected new positions this year, and Sydney Allen now holds the spot as president.
The girls worked out all the necessary politics and regulations of the club and began planning for the upcoming pledge class.
Chi Mu’s first pledge class was in the spring of 2016. They gained 15 new members who joined the founders and charter members. Their next and most recent pledge class, in the spring of 2017, would go on to add six new members.
Since Chi Mu was formed, they have been involved in various activities on campus, including the past Tiger Tunes show, where they had great reviews. They have hosted various bake sales, and they hosted an Easter egg hunt fundraiser where kids could hunt Easter eggs; club members also set up games and gave out candy at this event. New mixers are said to be in the works, also.
The club created an atmosphere of flexibility and sisterhood that is refreshing. While many of the girls have demanding schedules, it was a main goal of the founders to consider the girls and their activities above public relations. They also have a wonderful, close-knit sisterhood that shows up to support each other, no matter what the occasion.
Hannah Hill, a freshman Chi Mu member of the 2017 pledge class, said, “I believe God definitely put me in Chi Mu for a reason. I wasn’t planning on rushing, but I took a leap of faith and received a sisterhood that is filled with real girls who are on fire for Christ. Chi Mu has given me sisters who genuinely care about me and encourage me to have a personal relationship with my Savior. I never thought that I would be in a social club, but I am glad that I am, because God is in control, and Chi Mu has been a huge blessing in my life.”
Chi Mu is a wonderful new social club on campus that will continue to grow and make an impact at Ouachita.
By Ashlynn Morton, staff writer
