University of California, Santa Cruz
HISTORY & SYMBOLISM
Alpha Psi was founded on November 30th, 1988 by a group of five dedicated women. We believe that every woman should work to achieve all that is possible during her college experience. Alpha Psi's founding ideals are academic excellence, social development, intellectual thought, and personal achievement. We encourage all our members to take on leadership roles to manage our organization.
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What does it mean to be a local sorority?
Alpha Psi currently functions as a local sorority. As a result, we do not answer to a national sorority, nor do we pay dues to or receive financial support from a national sponsor. We act as a completely self-sufficient body and organize most of the activities we choose to participate in.
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One of the greatest benefits of being in a local sorority is being self-governed. This means there are many leadership opportunities in Alpha Psi. Each year, the ladies of Alpha Psi vote on all chair positions and decide for ourselves whom we want to lead us into the future.
Our sorority symbol is a white rose, representing purity.
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Our crest includes ten white roses that represent the ten colleges at UC Santa Cruz. The color of the white rose represents purity. The wave and the sun represent our locality in Santa Cruz. The candle is a reference to our creed, "I light my candle to ignite the blue core of sisterhood in which STRENGTH and UNITY reside."
Our mascot is the snow leopard. We chose the snow leopard not only because they are rare and beautiful like Alpha Psi, but because they symbolize the power of intuition, determination, and balance.
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Alpha Psi's colors are blue and white. We wear them with pride to represent the strength and purity of our bond as sisters.