Establishing the Colony

Sigma Beta Iota (view website), which stands for Students of Business at Irvine, began as an idea that originated from Adam Su and Myles Sterrett. Sterrett happened to be family friends with an industrious member of Delta Sigma Pi, Patrick Bonfrisco. When Bonfrisco discovered Sterrett’s interest in business and economics, Bonfrisco encouraged Sterrett to look into the possibility of starting a Delta Sigma Pi colony at UCI.

At the same time, Adam Su, was in communication with Delta Sigma Pi’s Central Office. Dale Clark, Delta Sigma Pi’s Director of Chapter and Expansion Services informed Western Provincial Vice President Charles “Chuck” Brown of Su’s inquiry. Brown forwarded Su’s contact info to Bonfrisco, who in turn set up a time for Sterrett and Su to meet. It was at this meeting, at the Coffee Bean in the Irvine Spectrum, that Myles Sterrett and Adam Su began the process of establishing a colony.

Growth

The winter quarter of the 2006-2007 school year primarily consisted of filling out the proper paperwork and spreading the word of the new colony by Sterrett and Su. A handful of UCI students joined the colony along the way.

As spring quarter of 2007 began, the main focus was to recruit more members for the colony in order to gain momentum. Efforts consisted of talking to friends and classmates who shared the common interests of business and economics. Weekly meetings were held to discuss topics such as recruitment and marketing strategies. By the end of the quarter, the colony consisted of about a dozen students who made up the initial executive committee.

The members of the colony held meetings during summer of 2007 to discuss the upcoming school year. The small group brain stormed ideas to publicize and recruit for the fall quarter. Suddenly, the pressure for money was realized and the all the members tried to land corporate sponsorships. The efforts were not in vain.

At the start of the fall quarter of 2007, the colony made posters, printed flyers, and made t-shirts to attract attention. The members put on an Information Night to recruit more students for the cause. As more students joined the colony, the first fundraising and professional events were planned and executed. Colony members made posters for recruiting purposes, and held weekly meetings on Mondays.

Professional Development and Community Service

Professional Development and Community Service It was during the winter quarter that Sigma Beta Iota gained the most momentum and established itself as a strong organization. There were two waves of successful recruitment, which consisted mainly of interviewing potential members. Two fundraising events with StaffPro were successfully carried out, as well as seven professional events and six community service events. Social outings were also organized to allow colony members to get to know each other and bond. In addition to these events, colony members came together to study at the Student Center study lounges to improve on their academics.

Installation of the Pi Sigma Chapter

On May 31, 2008, after 15 months of hard work, the Sigma Beta Iota colony was installed as Pi Sigma Chapter of the International Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi at the University of California, Irvine. 34 colony members were installed, forming the chapter's charter class.