A sorority interest group (SIG), had its first group meeting Oct. 22. The group currently has 30 official members and is constantly changing and growing, according to Emma Schneidmuller, a Service and Panhellenic representative.

Schneidmuller, an elementary education major at the University, stated that to recruit members for SIG, they have held informational meetings, reached out to people via email and met individually.

Senior Kirsten Chatillon, one of the founding members of SIG, stated that one of the most challenging aspects of SIG thus far is that there isn’t a true guide regarding how to create a sorority interest group.

“We have had a few worries here and there, but we continue to push through those challenges by quick problem solving and team work,” Chatillon said.

Chatillon said that SIG hopes to add to the University sorority community, and make it even stronger than it is today.

“We believed in ourselves and in each other, and we have trust in this group and in our values which has allowed us to become the group we are now,” Chatillon said.

Schneidmuller says that establishing SIG “was such a great opportunity to get involved in the UVM community and give back to Burlington.”

The group has had an extremely positive reception on campus. “We’ve had really great responses and support. There have been groups on campus who have been worried about our presence and what it could mean, but I’ve felt completely accepted, and everyone’s been really friendly,” Schneidmuller said.

SIG’s core values include perseverance, integrity and professional development, according to Schneidmuller, who said service is her main focus for SIG.

“We wanted to create a group that was extremely active in the community through service work,” Chatillon said.

Recently, SIG has participated in cleanups and Phi Mu Delta’s can drive, where they raised 52 cans. They also had some members go with Phi Mu Delta to the greyhound adoption center, and donated teddy bears to a children’s hospital, Schneidmuller said.

Regarding SIG’s future, Schneidmuller said, “We’re extremely excited. The last time this happened on campus it took a long time and it was a long process, we’re hopeful that because its been happening fast it’ll continue to do so [for SIG].”

SIG is looking forward to adding to UVM’s community, Schneidmuller said.