On Sunday Feb. 8, 2015, behind the Lankford Student Union, the sorority Alpha Beta Psi held their second annual walk as an on-campus sorority. They recruited seven girls, consisting of four freshmen, two sophomores and one junior.
ABY used to be an off-campus local sorority that was founded at Richard Bland College of William and Mary. It then progressed to Longwood University in 1998 and was later dissolved in 2002, later resurfacing again in 2008 after four women decided to reinstate the sorority.
In the spring of 2014, after years of trying to become recognized as an on-campus sorority, the Student Government Association finally approved ABY to become an on-campus sorority. This status now gives them the ability to hold on-campus functions such as walk, fundraising and chapter meetings.
Morgan Teeple, the Public Relations chair for ABY mentioned that they have been wanting this for quite sometime, and that “It feels amazing to be recognized by Longwood University, and we’re so excited to grow as a sorority and within the community.”
The difference between ABY and other sororities on-campus is that this chapter is a local chapter and is only recognized within the town of Farmville, but that doesn’t stop the sisters of ABY.
Elise Sanders, a senior who joined ABY in the fall of 2013 said, “I went through normal CPC and did not find my home, but I had a feeling that something better was going to happen to me—and that was ABY.” Other sisters joined Sanders and agreed with her statement. Shakeyau Jackson, who also joined ABY in the fall of 2013, mentioned that they now have a great support system and have more “people rooting for us versus against us,” which is an incredible feeling.
Cassidy Redenz, another senior who joined ABY in the fall of 2012 added, “The process that we went through to become an on-campus sorority has definitely made us all very grateful though, we feel respected as a sorority, and we appreciate all the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life has done for us! Since I’ve joined, the biggest change and difference is the support from other sororities, fraternities and Longwood Clubs!”
Ryan Carey, a sophomore in ABY who joined in the spring of 2014 is now recruitment chair and was one of the sisters responsible for recruitment. She mentioned that their recruitment process is much different from the on-campus sororities. Their recruitment process is called a “Tea Party,” which is where girls are essentially broken up into four groups within the sorority and each sister has someone to interview with.
Teeple added by mentioning, “We hold a few open houses a semester, and each open house [has] a different theme. This semester we had ‘Say Yes to the Crest’ themed open house where we made dresses out of toilet paper and made a competition out of it.” She continued to explain that during the games, is where the sisters begin to bond with the potential members and learn who has similar qualities to the rest of the chapter.
President Amanda Ferguson joined ABY in the fall of 2011 and is serving as president for the second semester in a row, as well as taking the position of treasurer. She will be graduating in May this semester, and she is going to miss her sisterhood and does not want to leave. Though she is also excited about how much she has changed because of her organization. “The biggest comparison from when I joined is that there are more girls interested in us than before and we are now recognized as an on-campus sorority which allows for us to do more activities on-campus and with Longwood.”
The new members were all incredibly excited to find their homes within ABY, and when asked what word best describes the organization Jackson said, “Individually Unique, Together Complete.”
