Each year during the spring semester, the Loyola Student Government presents Student Organization Awards, recognizing the various organizations on campus and their achievements. Groups are nominated by votes from other students and/or the Student Government board. This year, the Gamma Pi chapter was recognized in the "Greatest Strides" category, which refers to the amount of progress a particular organization has made on campus in the past year.
Chapter webmaster Monil Patel says, "Some of the criteria for the 'Greatest Strides' category also included putting on many events that better the organization's name and shows what they stand for. It also includes how they grew as an organization by adding members from other clubs and organizations on campus.
This past year, the chapter participated in multiple service events, which include volunteering at their local Ronald McDonald House, the Anti-Cruel Society (which helps the adoption of lost and unwanted animals) and a Hot Chocolate Run, which benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities.
"This award means a lot to our chapter," says Patel. "Last spring, 14 of our members graduated and a lot of things were unknown regarding how the future of the chapter was going to shape up. We implemented new things such as online marketing which included SnapChat geofilters, social media promotions for events and frequent website updates. Along with that, we had pure dedication of everyone on the executive committee and brothers to make events happen that not only made us better as professional individuals, but also brought up many opportunities in the work field. This past year was huge for the chapter and this award nomination gives us validation the chapter is heading in the right direction. We feel much more confident with people we are attracting and the amount of effort they are putting into making this Fraternity the best it can be. As a lot of brothers would say, Delta Sigma Pi is an experience where you get out what you put in."