Lambda Sigma is a national honor society for college sophomores dedicated to leadership, scholarship, fellowship and service. It was established as the National Society of Cwens in the 1920s at the University of Pittsburgh, where it was initially only a society for women in the top ten percent of their class.
When Title IX amendments to the Higher Education Opportunity Act abolished single-sex organizations, men were allowed to join, the name of the society was changed to Lambda Sigma. Today, Lambda Sigma has 39 active chapters across the country. The national service that all chapters focus on is the assistance of underprivileged and at-risk youths.
The Lawrence chapter of Lambda Sigma, Alpha Pi, was established in 1984. It is the only chapter in the state of Wisconsin, and it was originally started with the goal of creating a nurturing environment amidst the academic rigor of Lawrence.
Said student president Alyssa Villaire ‘14, “While Lawrence is full of academically-minded students, Lambda Sigma is a place for very strong students to get together and motivate one another, perform service activities and talk about their accomplishments in an open, supportive environment. It also provides many leadership opportunities for Lawrentians, from organizing service projects, to fundraising, to learning how to delegate and write reports as a member of the executive board.”
This year, Lambda Sigma has continued its partnership with KidsGive, an on-campus non-profit organization that raises money for the schooling of children and teenagers in Sierra Leone. To raise money for KidsGive and for Lawrence, students went from door to door in the dorms to collect spare change, and participated in a Lambeau Field clean-up after a fall Packers game.
Said Villaire, “With these two combined, we were able to raise enough money to support an entire class of students entering high school in Sierra Leone.”
Lambda Sigma has also partnered with the Boys and Girls Club, and has done cooking and crafting with the children. Currently, the Selections Committee has been working hard to recruit the next class of students to continue the Alpha Pi chapter.
Lambda Sigma is currently working to raise more money for KidsGive and the chapter by holding an upcoming ping pong tournament on Friday, Feb. 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. The winner will receive a Harmony Café gift card.