Since its inception at California State University, Northridge, in 1967, the Beta Beta chapter of the Delta Delta Delta (Tri Delta) Fraternity has fostered a commitment to community service and philanthropy. With its recent gift of $25,000 to create and support the CSUN Tri Delta Scholarship Endowment in the Department of Financial Aid and Scholarships in the Division of Student Affairs, Tri Delta continues a tradition of giving.

Sophomore Alyssa Loiselle, Tri Delta’s collegiate chapter president, said that timing played a role in the scholarship’s establishment. “This is something we’ve been working on for years now. We have a savings account, a ‘just in case’ kind of thing, and we finally reached a point where there was enough of a cushion to start the fund. A lot of members had been asking to do this, and we were finally in a position to follow through on it.”

The scholarship will be awarded annually to a Tri Delta member sister, or member who identifies as a woman, or who has been a member in good standing for at least one year and demonstrates exceptional leadership and a dedication to community service. Scholastic achievement — a grade-point average of at least 3.0 — is required. The amount of the initial scholarship will be determined by the CSUN Foundation and Tri Delta; the goal is to increase the award amount — and perhaps the number of recipients — over time.

Although fundraising and membership dues were the primary sources for the $25,000 endowment, another component is vital to the fund’s growth: alumni involvement. CSUN’s Division of Students Affairs, which supports student clubs and organizations and fraternities’ and sororities’ fundraising and development efforts, is key in encouraging alumni involvement, which might include mentoring, sponsoring a scholarship or attending events. Indeed, alumni outreach is an ongoing, pivotal element in ensuring the sustainability and growth of Greek life, and the CSUN Tri Delta chapter is fortunate to have Alumnae Advisor Sydni Powell at the helm.

Powell, a 2013 CSUN graduate, said she has carried the basic Tri Delta tenets of truth, friendship and self-sacrifice into her adult life. She is proud of the sorority’s prioritization of women’s issues. “If you take away our Greek letters, we’re a real premier women’s organization. We’ve developed body image, mental health and sexual-assault–awareness programs.” Powell volunteers virtually and on campus 15 to 30 hours a week, spending time with the sorority’s leaders and pitching in at events. She also oversees the lifetime membership team and said the CSUN Tri Delta chapter benefits from many CSUN alumnae who have stayed in the area and remain connected to the organization.

Powell assisted Loiselle and her predecessor in determining how the money raised by Tri Delta might best be donated. “Ultimately, they chose the CSUN Foundation because the Foundation staff knows our students and their needs, and the sorority wanted to leverage that when reaching out to alumni to contribute.” Powell also emphasized the instrumental support of CSUN’s Division of Student Affairs in creating the endowment.

With this endowment, Tri Delta reinforces the chapter’s legacy of philanthropy (they raise money annually for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Tri Delta Foundation)—just closer to home. “We wanted to help our members,” said Loiselle, “because they work hard and may have struggles, too.”

If you are interested in supporting the CSUN Tri Delta Scholarship Endowment, please click on the link.  If you wish to establish your own scholarship or one in honor/memory of someone else, please contact Jerry De Felice, Director of Development for Student Affairs at jd@csun.edu or (818)677-3935.

Giving, profiles in giving, Scholarships