Perspective

Healing and Harmony for Pi Beta Phi

Dear Pi Phis,

As this issue of The Arrow reaches you, the first notes of springtime have just emerged. Both the promise of a new season and the brighter days ahead give us hope for renewal in the coming weeks and months. For Pi Beta Phi, this means renewing our Lifelong Commitment to one another and endeavoring on a pathway toward greater healing and harmony within our sisterhood.

One expression of our core value of Lifelong Commitment is recognizing and allowing the Fraternity to grow and evolve—as do all of us as individuals. The tried-and-true meaning of Pi Phi will always remain the same; evolution doesn’t change that, but it can feel like the ground beneath our feet is less steady. As a Fraternity leader, I recognize that feeling. I also in part bear the responsibility of overcoming such obstacles while ensuring the future of our sisterhood for all.

Recent years have proven difficult in previously unimaginable ways, and at times it feels like we’ve been living in a continual dark, cold winter. Isolation, disconnection, discomfort and uncertainty pervaded our daily lives, and it’s crucial that we take this natural time of revival and rejuvenation for ourselves—and our sisterhood—to heal as well.

As we gathered stories from members for this issue, we had conversations with Pi Phis who have experienced their own healing journeys—physical, emotional, mental and spiritual—and we’re honored to share these members’ stories with you in the coming pages. Not only is this an opportunity to learn from and celebrate the resilience of our sisters, but it’s also an opportunity to express our value of Sincere Friendship by offering support, solace and sympathy.

When the world feels heavy, Pi Phis are there to lift each other up. We help one another find the light in the darkness, quiet the noise and focus on what’s important. Bearing witness to one another’s stories lends each of us the chance to not only aid in the healing journey of those we love, but also to find tools to heal ourselves amid our own pains. Such a topic—healing—can feel distant, undefined, immeasurable. As you venture into these pages, I hope you begin to see how we can heal together and what healing can entail from a variety of circumstances.

On an individual level as well as an organizational level, healing is a necessary component to a productive, healthy future. Pi Phis—as individuals, chapters, clubs, friend groups and a Fraternity at large—have the power to heal from whatsoever we face while building a more supportive, loving and welcoming future. I hope as you read this issue, you feel the inspiration and true power of our sisterhood. There is so much to look forward to and so much to preserve about Pi Phi, and I look forward to us moving toward that future together.

In Pi Phi,