Last week, the UA’s Alpha Sigma Phi chapter held its first official philanthropy fundraiser to support cancer research.

Sorority Warriors, a five-day event, allowed active sorority members to compete against each other in a variety of events to help raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which funds cancer research.

“We wanted to establish that men aren’t just considered warriors, but women are too when it comes to fighting cancer,” said Marc Small, president of the fraternity and a sophomore studying political science and pre-business. “This was the motivation we wanted to instill in the women competing.”

Each sorority received a few “coaches” from the fraternity and purchased clothes that members of Alpha Sigma Phi designed in support of their philanthropy. Additionally, sorority members participated in “field day” events like a water balloon toss and an obstacle course, where they were able to get to know other members of Greek Life.

With the help of parents, sorority members and UA students, the fraternity was able to raise $2,000 from the event, and all proceeds were donated to the foundation. As Alpha Sigma Phi’s first philanthropy events held at UA, Small and his fellow members said they were pleased with the results.

“The extensive support we received from sorority members’ activeness showed how supportive they were of the cause,” said Matt Mittelstaedt, a pre-business freshman and the fraternity’s philanthropy chair.

Alpha Sigma Phi’s start

Alpha Sigma Phi, a new fraternity established at the UA, became an active charter in seven months — the fastest expanded charter in Alpha Sigma Phi national history.

Nationally, Alpha Sigma Phi has had a 38 percent growth rate since 2009 and is established at 100 universities nationwide, according to Geoff McDonald, a national recruiter for the fraternity.

During fraternity rush week, held last fall, McDonald attended student and social events on campus, looking for potential brothers to start the fraternity. After the recruitment process, Alpha Sigma Phi’s UA chapter was founded in August with 56 members. They all became founding fathers.

“This was the largest expansion our fraternity has had in national history, let alone the largest amount of founding fathers this chapter has seen,” McDonald said.

The process of going from an interest group to a chapter usually takes longer than seven months. McDonald said that the men selected to found the fraternity were extremely motivated, and that Small and other members have told him that they are pleased with how the fraternity has grown since.

As an active member, Mittelstaedt said that he “enjoys that the members can create their own reputation for their fraternity, and make it a UA experience that they can create for themselves due to the unique way they were founded.”

Next year, the fraternity aims to double its membership and have a chapter house where members can live, hold meetings and host events.