After a long week of recruitment, the chapter to which I accepted my bid was Phi Mu’s Beta Mu chapter. I was very happy. All week when I visited Phi Mu, I felt comfortable. I could see myself being friends with that group of girls and positively contributing to their organization.
What I did not know, however, was how important Phi Mu would become to me. My best friends are in that chapter. I gained a big and g-big who I can always count on. I became a big to my own little who fits in perfectly with our family line. I’ve come to know and love the various symbols and rituals of our sisterhood and have tried to reflect what they stand for in my daily life.
Phi Mu is a very important part of my college experience, and I am so happy to be part of such a great, storied sisterhood that has outstanding chapters across the country. This week, I wanted to pay homage to my Phi Mu sisters everywhere and reflect on some of the things only “The Faithful Sisters” would understand!
1. You sign any written note to a sister or group of sisters with LIOB.
2. Sometimes you say LIOB out loud and know that it’s pronounced like LEE-ob.
3. You know what “LIOB” means :)
4. Pink may not be your favorite color, but you sure do own a lot of pink things.
5. You obviously know what a quatrefoil is.
6. You know that the Phi Mu “throw what you know” hand sign forms a quatrefoil.
7. You have felt the pain of trying to teach a date, a celebrity, or a family member the Phi Mu quat.
8. You have come to terms with the fact that the quat is probably the hardest Panhellenic hand sign to form.
9. You envy how normal other sororities’ hand symbols are.
10. You may not know a single word of French, but you can pronounce “Les Soeurs Fideles” with a perfect French accent.
11. You know that the Phi Mu mascot is a lion named Sir Fidel.
12. You love Sir Fidel’s punny name.
13. You love Mary, Mary, and Martha even though it took you three months to learn their whole names.
14. You know that new members are called “Phi's”. Not pledges, not babies, not anything else.
15. When you first saw the Phi Mu creed, you thought, “I will never learn this thing”.
16. Eventually you learned the whole creed and it was surprisingly not that hard.
17. Sometimes you still forget a line of the creed but that’s okay.
18. Your favorite flower is the rose-colored carnation.
19. You know it’s a “rose-colored carnation” not simply just a “pink carnation”.
20. You love supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
21. Someday you want to visit Peachtree City, Georgia.
22. It’s Phi Mu Fraternity, not Phi Mu Sorority.
23. Phi Mu’s strong southern tradition makes you feel a little southern (even if your chapter is located above the Mason-Dixon line).
24. You know that Phi Mu has the best Lily Pulitzer print.
25. You frequently visit Carnation Collection to see if there’s any cool new merchandise.
26. You know that the Phi Mu T-shirt Swap Facebook group is the best place to find cool Phi Mu apparel.
27. You overuse the little “HΦΜe” trick but it just never gets old.
28. You’ve had extensive conversations with a stranger upon finding out she’s a Phi Mu sister.
29. You took way too long picking out which badge style you wanted when you ordered your badge during your Phi period.
30. March 4th is a holiday to you.
31. Your Phi Mu Alex and Ani is one of your favorite pieces of jewelry.
32. As cliché as it sounds, you try your best to live out the creed every day.
33. You know how important love, honor, and truth are.
34. You have thousands of sisters around the country who love and support you.
35. You have made your best friends and best memories wearing your letters.
36. You are beyond thankful to be a Phi Mu for life.
