Delta Sigma continues Lipscomb’s social club traditions

This year, Delta Sigma is participating in its first New Member Orientation (NMO) week since 2019. 

First established in 1967, Delta Sigma was reintroduced last spring. Like all of Lipscomb’s social clubs, it welcomes new members with a week of orientation activities.

But during the club’s reintroduction, founding members had a chance to reconsider their NMO traditions. Instead of continuing the same activities, Delta Sigma had the opportunity to redesign. They spent months planning for their first rush cycle.

Their process provided a window into the “why” behind Lipscomb’s social clubs’ traditions. 

Delta Sigma president Anna Wren Rogers offered insight into the purpose of NMO week. “Social clubs are created as communities for people to make friends and love each other. So obviously, the goal of NMO week is the same: create relationships that didn’t exist before, or strengthen them,” Rogers said.

Sophomore Emma Vlietstra is on the other side of NMO week. As a new Delta Sigma member, she experienced all the NMO activities that the founding members helped plan.

One tradition that Emma loved was interviews, where she got to know individual members of Delta Sigma.

“They all have such incredible stories and such visions for their lives, and they help to serve the Lord and love people well. I’m just really excited to get to know them all better,” Vlietstra said about the active members she interviewed.

Lipscomb’s social clubs also try to connect with the larger Nashville community. During NMO week, new members participate in a service project. 

Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”

Rogers quoted these verses as the motivation behind Delta Sigma’s service project. “It’s important to count others as more significant,” Rogers said. “A service project allows us to use our gifts to help others.”

“It was really special because service is one of our club values,” Vlietstra said about the project. “It was cool to see what our sisterhood was always about: getting to love each other and love other people.”  

Each of Lipscomb’s twelve social clubs has their own unique traditions. But they all have the same purpose: to create a community for new members. Delta Sigma’s NMO week established traditions that will remain even after founding members graduate.   

Next spring, Vlietstra will help Delta Sigma welcome a new class of members. She will lead the NMO week she just participated in, and keep Lipscomb’s social clubs’ traditions going.

Feature image of Delta Sigma’s new members courtesy of Delta Sigma.