UNC Phi Mu
OUR STORY
Founded in 1964, the Gamma Lambda chapter of Phi Mu is an ambitious, spirited, and inclusive sisterhood with an enduring dedication to giving back to others.
Our home is the historic 1925 Brockwell House on Henderson Street, a Chapel Hill landmark located close to Franklin Street and campus. Complete with a study room, lounge, gallery, large backyard, generous bedrooms and more, its beauty reflects our chapter’s commitment to achieving our personal best. We house 41 members each year, mostly composed of the sophomore pledge class and our lovely House Director.
Phi Mu National has continually recognized Gamma Lambda for sisterhood, scholarship, philanthropy, and alumnae relations, including the Outstanding Chapter and Top 5 Chapter in Charitable Contributions Awards. At UNC, we have been named Panhellenic Chapter of the Year four times. Additionally we have five Panhellenic Council Women of the Year sisters, and have been honored for Outstanding Community Service and Outstanding Alumni/Graduate Relations.
Our alumnae, with whom we share a close relationship, have been recognized as the Outstanding Chapter Association in the nation. They include a Miss UNC, UNC GAA Young Alumni Award, Frank Porter Graham Award recipient, two UNC Student Body Vice Presidents, a Forbes Magazine Top 10 College Woman, a New York Times best-selling author, and numerous Chancellor's Award recipients, Morehead-Cain, Robertson and Johnston Scholars, and members of UNC's Board of Visitors and GAA Board of Directors.
Many composites are hung throughout our treasured home, reminding us of the accomplished women who are our Gamma Lambda sisters. Together, for more than fifty years, we have shared the bond of our fraternity’s creed: “To practice day by day…love, honor, and truth.”
PHI MU NATIONAL
Founded in 1852 in Macon, Georgia, our organization is the second oldest and one of the fastest growing sororities in the nation. We promote vibrant living, encouraging members to achieve their personal best. Nationwide, we help young women become better students, stronger professionals, and greater leaders by offering social opportunities, support networks, and personal enrichment resources.
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For more than 160 years, Phi Mu has pursued its mission of providing personal and academic development, service to others, a commitment to excellence, and lifelong friendship through a shared tradition. During this time, over 175,000 Phi Mu women have become vibrant members of more than 247 chartered chapters.
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National Women's History Museum Alliance
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Phi Mu is the first and only national Panhellenic Council organization to have a formal alliance with the National Women's History Museum (NWHM) in an effort to see it built in Washington, D.C., an initiative led by one of our own alumna sisters. Aligned with our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Phi Mu will leverage education, membership building, and programming to support the museum's eventual realization in Washington, D.C., the place where the stories of ALL American women will be told. 2020 marks the centennial of women gaining the right to vote, but there is still much work to be done. Let's build it!
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Motto: Les Soeurs Fideles (The Faithful Sisters) | Flower: Carnation | Mascot: Sir Fidel | Symbol: Quatrefoil | Colors: Rose and White
Our Creed:
To lend to those less fortunate a helping hand.
To think of God as a protector and guider of us all.
To Keep forever sacred the memory of those we have loved and lost.
To be to others what we would they would be to us.
To keep our lives gentle, merciful and just, thus being true to the womanhood of love.
To walk in the way of honor, guarding the purity of our thoughts and deeds.
Being steadfast in every duty, small or large.
Believing that our given word is binding.
Striving to esteem the inner man above culture, wealth or pedigree.
Being honorable, courteous, tender, thus being true to the womanhood of honor.
To serve in the light of truth, avoiding egotism, narrowness and scorn.
To give freely of our sympathies.
To reverence God as our Maker, striving to serve him in all things.
To minister to the needy and unfortunate.
To practice day by day Love, Honor, Truth.
Thus keeping true to the meaning, spirit and reality of Phi Mu.
SCHOLARSHIP
Scholastic achievement is a top priority and source of pride for Phi Mu. Each week, our Academic Excellence Chair coordinates incentive programs to motivate members to improve their academic standing and oversees the implementation of our Academic Policy. She also monitors weekly study hours and organizes a Scholarship Banquet at the end of the spring semester to reward members who are high achievers in their school work. At this banquet, women who have a semester 4.0 GPA are awarded an Academic Excellence charm.
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We are proud to have so many members in UNC's prestigious Greek Honor Societies, the Order of Omega and Gamma Sigma Alpha. Order of Omega is based upon outstanding leadership within UNC and fraternity/sorority community and a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Sigma Alpha seeks members that earn a GPA of 3.5 or better at any point in their junior or senior year
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We continuously surmount Panhellenic Academic standards and stand near the top of all Panhellenic GPAs on campus. Our ongoing goal, addressed through continual encouragement and support, is to ensure that all of our sisters achieve their highest academic potential by Graduation Day.
CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT
Here at Gamma Lambda, our women have unique academic interests and seek diverse extracurricular activities. Year after year, our members serve in leadership positions in a variety of campus and community organizations. Phi Mu currently has two members sitting on the Panhellenic Executive Board and has held representation on the council for five years straight. We have many members involved in Varsity and Club Athletics, such as the Carolina Girls, Campus Recreation, and a manager for the Women’s Basketball Team! Our members range across all university majors and are deeply engaged in their fields of study. Our women are leaders in pre-health organizations such as HeartSafe, Alpha Delta Epsilon, the Undergraduate Healthcare Club, Psi Chi Psychology Honors Society, Delta Delta Sigma pre-dental fraternity, and the UNC Bioethics Journal. Some of our members are involved in business and journalism. These include Carolina Women in Business, Kenan-Flagler GLOBE program, the Buckley Public Service Scholars program, Scale and Coin, and Associate Style Editor for Coulture Magazine. Many of our members are involved in volunteerism through Carolina for the Kids, Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority, Moment of Magic, and UNC Rotaract. Finally, our members are empowered to make positive change within the community. We are active in community involvement ranging from the NC Study Center Fellows Program and YoungLife to North Carolina Public Interest Research Group and UNC Refugee Community Partnership. Our chapter involvement on campus creates our unique home here at Gamma Lambda and allows our members the opportunity to hone their leadership skills in and outside of Phi Mu.
LIOB
This is a phrase meaning "Love in Our Bond." The women of Phi Mu strive to support, love and learn from each and every member from the moment they open their bid to the time they graduate.
Our Flower
Phi Mu’s official flower is the rose-colored, enchantress carnation. While the rose-colored carnation in the language of flowers refers to “women’s love and sisterhood,” Lillian Estes Davis, Alpha, Grand Historian in 1907-1908, wrote that “pink carnations are, and always have been, the emblematic flower.”
