History & Facts:

   Phi Sigma Sigma Fraternity INC. was founded November November 26, 1913 at Hunter College, NY, New York City, by ten women committed to strength in friendship and the act of giving. The Founders of Phi Sig came from a variety of religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. They wished to stay together as the group they had become while still in high school, but found that because of their varied backgrounds they all could not join one of the existing sororities on campus. Lillian Gordon Alpern, Ethel Gordon Kraus, Josephine Ellison Breakstone, Shirley Cohen Laufer, Fay Chertkoff, Clair Wunder McArdle, Estelle Melnick Cole, Rose Sher Seidman, Jeanette Lipka Furst and Gwen Zaliels Snyder wanted to begin a sorority, one that would promote open membership to all women of character regardless of background.

  Under the leadership of Fay Chertkoff, the first Grand Archon of Alpha Chapter, the Founders obtained permission and Phi Sigma Sigma was born. Phi Sigma Sigma was the first non-sectarian sorority, the only one open to diverse membership from its inception with a ritual not based on scripture. First in the minds of these ten women were the twin ideals which endure today. To the brotherhood of man and the alleviation of the world's pain, each Founder extended herself to her fullest capacity to live up to the mottos the group chose. The Founders attained high scholastic standing in, an effort to stress the importance of scholarship and the advancement of womanhood.

  Today each member also strives to continue the standards set by The Founders and to carry on the tradition of excellence associated with Phi Sigma Sigma. With over 125 chapters, and gaining an average of 4 a year, Phi Sigma Sigma has become one of the most successful international sororities.