Walk like a Sigma is strolling into year five

BY HELENA KNUTSON / Multimedia Journalist

Walk Like a Sigma is an event held by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity during homecoming week. Students can form groups and compete in a dance competition that consists of six rounds, three rounds for each group. 

Phi Beta Sigma started this event five years ago and it has been growing ever since. One of the men who has helped this tradition live on is Phi Beta Sigma President Carlos Reed.

“We started this to get more eyes on our organization, but also, you know, everybody loves the traditions of purple pancakes but what they don't love is standing in that line. So we figured we would give them something to do while they wait,” Reed said.

This year, two groups performed. However, these groups were not from clubs or sororities; they were simply a group of friends who decided to come together to have fun. One of these group members is Taylor Smith Johnson, who was in the group known as the Divine Six.

“I’ve gained friends as a freshman. I had nobody here. I came here by myself. This has really helped me find my community,”  Johnson said.“We’re strangers from across the campus that came.”

The dancers weren’t the only ones having a good time. The crowd also got in on the dancing during intermissions; one of these fans was Tarleton State University’s very own Lathes “Momma T” Towns.

“We started with just a barrier audience to look at this. It’s a packed house. No, no room,” Towns said. “Walk like a Sigma is all about the traditions and the things they do as a Divine Nine. You know, our historical black organization its led by the Sigmas and the Phi Beta Sigmas here on campus.”

Phi Beta Sigma brought this nationally known event to the Tarleton campus and has used it to help shed light on the nine sororities and fraternities of the IFC, also known as the Divine Nine.

“This is like a national program of ours. So, other Sigmas at other schools do this as well. We just thought we would bring it here to give our African-Americans here and other diverse groups that once again may not want to stand in line for purple pancakes for an hour,” Reed said. “Maybe sit down, be able to watch, and have some fun. We saw everybody come out in the crowd, the line dances and all of that.”

These groups that perform at Walk Like a Sigma spend weeks choreographing and perfecting their dances. One of these dancers was Lajoy Chapell, a junior kinesiology major.

“You get your coach and you immediately start on availability and once everyone is able to practice and meet together, then everything starts ticking down till homecoming and Walk Like a Sigma,” Chapell said.

The winner of Walk Like a Sigma was a group who call themselves the Divine Six.

“I honestly couldn’t believe the results because there is always room for improvement, but I’m very content and I’m so proud of us and all the work we put in,” Johnson said.

Walk Like a Sigma has become a well loved addition to Tarleton homecoming traditions.