Founding Date

Apr 18th, 2010

The College of Charleston was founded in 1770 and is the oldest educational institution south of Virginia and is the 13th oldest in the United States. The college became a state institution in 1970 with the act of a legislative decree that incorporated the College of Charleston into the South Carolina system. Collegiate Development Consultant Kelly Meierhofer, Eta Beta-Hartford, and Collegiate Development Specialist Jess Gross Patterson, Zeta Rho-Ohio, arrived on campus in January 2010 to begin establishing Eta Sigma. The establishment team handed out DG buttons, lip balm and mints to advertise Delta Gamma to potential new members, and then executed a week of events to meet and recruit the charter members of Eta Sigma. Collegiate members of Delta Iota-Georgia arrived after six hours of travel to perform the preference ceremony. By Bid Day, the very first group of Eta Sigma colony members numbered 100 women. Kelly wrote of the excitement and enthusiasm of the group as they were educated in the Fraternity history, formed bylaws and standing rules, elected officers and held many sisterhood activities, in the Summer 2010 ANCHORA magazine article titled, “How Charleston Charmed Me: Delta Gamma gained a new chapter and 125 initiates, but I got more.” The whole process was a one of a kind experience for her and Eta Sigma’s charter members. By initiation weekend, April 17-18, 2010, Delta Gamma Council members, under the leadership of Fraternity President Beth Searcy, Epsilon Gamma-Virginia, arrived to perform the Initiation events. On Saturday evening, April 17, the Inspiration Ceremony was held in Stern Student Center Ballroom. Initiation of 125 new members took place the next morning at 9:00 a.m. with President Searcy pinning a new anchor badge on each woman. Several of the new chapter members were legacies with mothers and grandmothers in attendance to welcome their daughters and granddaughters as new sisters. The next day a beautiful Installation luncheon was held in The Francis Marion Hotel. Fraternity-Vice President: Membership Shaun Fisher Young, Mu-Missouri welcomed the guests and Collegiate Recruitment Consultant Margaret Hotchkiss Cieslikowski, Epsilon Mu-William and Mary gave the Inspiration and blessing. Assistant Executive Director Tracey Doebling Williams, Beta Sigma-Maryland introduced the university guests who welcomed Delta Gamma Fraternity to the campus. Greetings from the Fraternity and the charter presentation was offered by President Searcy, and new chapter president, Kat Matrangola, accepted the charter and reflected on her new sisters’ hope for the future. She inspired not only the members of Eta Sigma chapter but all who were present with the pride she showed for the group. In spring 2014, Eta Sigma received the Excellence in Citizenship & Social Development and the Chapter of Achievement Awards at the Borelli Awards. At the end of the spring semester in 2017, Eta Sigma held their first Anchor Slam event. Eta Sigma celebrated its first anniversary by moving in to their chapter house on Saint Phillip Street.