Greek Life at Ferrum College

By Anna B., Panther Blogger

Boredom is a choice at Ferrum College. Organizations and clubs are rich with a numerous amount of activities for each student. I am currently Student Government Association President; a founder, Vice President, and a sister of the local sorority Zeta Chi Epsilon (ΖΧΕ); a cheerleader; and a member of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE).

There are four sororities and four fraternities on Ferrum College’s campus. I pledged into a local sorority in the fall of 2010. The Greek community at Ferrum College is tight knit, and we are each different in our own ways but one in the same. Greek life does not possess the image everyone perceives. We enjoy having fun with each other as well as enjoying the time and opportunity to help our community. We have a certain amount of community service hours that we have to acquire, and it is a great feeling to know we exceed those amounts.

Leigh Ann & I. Best friends, roommates, ZXE sisters.

Being a part of Zeta Chi Epsilon has not only helped me with my leadership skills but also with networking skills, communication skills, and more. My ΖΧΕ sisters and Theta Chi Epsilon (ΘΧΕ) brothers are my family away from home, and we always have each other’s back. 

ΖΧΕ sisters with ΘΧΕ brothers

Whether it is hanging out one afternoon for a small cookout, getting together on a Friday night, doing community service on a beautiful morning, cheering for each other during an intramural sporting event, or simply studying in the Academic Resource Center (ARC) in the Library, we love spending time together! They truly are a great family to have and to be able to come back and visit after I graduate!

Ferrum SIFE Team Wins Again: 23rd Year!

BY ANNA, PANTHER BLOGGER

Need a resume-builder? Students in Free Enterprise is the perfect solution for community service, resume-building, finding internships and possibly a job offer. SIFE was introduced to Ferrum College 23 years ago by Dr. Demetri Tsanacas. He has traveled with his SIFE team to the Regional Competition for 23 years and has won consecutively since the very beginning.

2011-2012 SIFE Speaking Team at the competition

This year, I had the privilege of being a member on the speaking team along with 7 other students from the Business Department at Ferrum College. We traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to speak about the projects that we administered over the past year. We had 25 minutes to speak and five minutes for questions. With six of us presenting and two of us running the PowerPoint, our presentation raised the bar for competing teams.

Pictured here are some selected students of the SIFE team who traveled to Charlotte with our speaking team.

Me holding the regional trophy

We won our 23rd trophy as the USA Regional Competition Champions, and we will travel to Kansas City, Missouri from May 22nd – May 24th to compete in the USA National Exposition!

Studying Business at Ferrum

BY ANNA, PANTHER BLOGGER

To be a college student and have your own business is stressful but DEFINITELY a learning experience! I started my own photography business as a hobby when I was 16 years old, and it grew into more than I could ever imagine. I thought that in order to help learn how to run my business more effectively, I should major in Business Management rather than photography, and it was a great decision.

Dr. Basu, one of my professors

My professors all know that I have my own business; they check up on my pictures and how I’m doing quite often. I came to Ferrum as a transfer from Virginia Western Community College, so I took all my general education classes before I got to Ferrum. This allowed me to stay focused on my Business courses for the past two years. I am able to apply all the knowledge I have from my experience with the education I am getting on a daily basis in class. To be an example of everything my professors are teaching has made my experience so much easier.

The business department offers classes such as Business Finance, Entrepreneurship, Economics, Marketing, Accounting, etc. and offers a variety of different professors and students from all over the world. I have the honor to have two professors from two different countries outside of the United States, one from Greece and one from India, and I have also had the privilege to study with students from China and Ireland. It doesn’t matter if you are an athlete or an exchange student – if you want to understand and enjoy learning about business, then it is the best path to follow!

Beckham Hall

Over the past two years, I have grown to know my professors and my fellow business students, and we all can agree that everyone cares for one another! Our main academic building for business classes is Beckham Hall, and by the time we reached the half-way point of our senior year, we realize that we’ve grown quite fond of that brick building in the center of campus. Like I said in my previous blog, the professors here at Ferrum College care very much about your studies and participation – just as much as you do, if not more. They care about you being in class and making good grades because they want you to succeed.

Black & Gold, Let’s Go Panthers Go!

BY ANNA, PANTHER BLOGGER

As you know, I am an athlete for Ferrum College. I love to be out on campus supporting all of our sports teams! I have at least one friend, if not more, on each team that I support, so watching them during a game or a match shows my friends that I care about them and support their extracurricular activities. By doing this, it builds a bond much greater than just hanging out with them outside of class.


Ferrum College offers so many sports for both men and women, and the growth of our athletics department is remarkable! From soccer to swimming, and cheerleading to tennis, our campus is flourishing with sporting events all year long! In order to help facilitate our healthy growth of sports teams, we are adding a new building to campus known as the Hank Norton Center, which will provide a work-out and training location for students and athletes. Learn more about our new Hank Norton Center on our website!

Our team at a conference competition in Georgia

However, when I say I am an athlete, I am an athlete! Most people don’t consider cheerleading to be a sport, but here at Ferrum College, IT IS! Unlike cross country, baseball, lacrosse, etc., our season goes all year long. We are present at every home football game and several away football games during the fall and we are present at every home men’s and women’s basketball games during the winter. We also cheer competitively against other colleges and universities in the USA South Conference, such as Christopher Newport University, Greensboro College, and Methodist College.

My friend & I on the field at a Virginia Tech game

Just like any other team, in order for us to compete and travel, we have to fundraise a bit. Our fundraisers, however, are unlike most. This year, we got the chance to work at the Martinsville Speedway on Race Day in the fall and work at some Virginia Tech football games. For me, these were amazing experiences and network-building! With just these two fundraisers, I got the chance to watch my first race and to stand down on the football field in Lane Stadium for the Virginia Tech vs. Miami game for the final touchdown of the tied game with 1 minute left!

We're doing a two and a half high pyramid at a home game

We strive to show our support for Ferrum Athletics the best way possible, and I believe actions are louder than words. We not only cheer on the sidelines to keep the spirit among the crowd involved but we also stunt. We throw girls as tall as two people high in most pyramids to where it is required that you possess skill, technique and poise to place yourself in precise positions and situations. As I always say, “With most sports, you are either catching or throwing a ball. However, we cheerleaders are catching and throwing a body!” To be loud and proud about your support for someone is one thing, but to actually be present and in the action is much better in my eyes.

Greetings from Ferrum College Student Blogger, Anna!

BY ANNA, A PANTHER BLOGGER

Hey guys, I’m Anna. I am a transfer graduate from Virginia Western Community College, and my major is Business Management. I am from Buchanan, Virginia where I started my own photography business while I was in high school. I went to community college to get my general studies taken care of and then transferred to Ferrum College to focus on my core curriculum classes, as well as to build a network with faculty and friends that cannot be found anywhere else. With my Business Management degree, I plan to advance further as a professional photographer with my business, and to possibly work for the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. With high hopes, I know I can achieve my goals one day. I am a senior this year, and I plan to graduate May 5, 2012.

Copyright A.B.E. Photography

On campus, Ferrum College is nicknamed “God’s Country,” and it fits!  I found out about Ferrum because my cousin attended school here and I came to see him graduate; I fell in love with the college! The scenery at Ferrum, the friendships that my cousin had, and the learning atmosphere that the college offers all made me realize that Ferrum could be the place for me. I graduated from Virginia Western in 2010 and the only place I could imagine myself going was Ferrum! 

Ferrum is small and rural, but that is not a bad thing. You are not just a face; you are a face with a name, and everyone actually cares about who you are and where you are outside of class. Your grades and extracurricular activities are just as important to them as they are to you.  I am constantly in the same building every day—Beckham Hall—and I have come to know that my fellow students in the business department and my teachers are my family. We look out for one another.

My number one piece of advice is to Go To Class!  I never miss class unless I am sick, and even then, I email my professors to tell them I am sick. That shows my teachers that I care. One time I missed my final exam in Accounting because of a long story of events, and my professor sent a resident assistant to come see if I was okay. I was frantic and he knew that me missing class rarely happened, so he offered to give me my exam and I passed the class with an A. Instances like mine do not happen often, so take control of your studies.

My second piece of advice is to Get Involved On Campus!  There are so many clubs, sports and organizations to fit anyone and everyone, and you can be involved in as many as you want!  I currently am Student Government President, a cheerleader, a sister of Zeta Chi Epsilon, and a member of Students in Free Enterprise.  At the same time, I still have the title of professional photographer and take pictures of campus and my life here as much as possible. There are also plenty of other things to do off campus as well. My favorite thing to do is to drive to Philpott Lake and sit on the beach or the dock and do homework, or go out for a day with sorority sisters and fraternity brothers. We don’t swim all the time, but just to have a nice relaxing spot off campus with a pretty view is a luxury that I must take advantage of.  

All in all, there is no Facebook status, thesis paper, picture from an event or blog post that can express to you how much I love Ferrum. Having cookouts with my fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, cheering so hard that I lost my voice, studying with my classmates and making websites for a local cabinetry shop are just a FEW of the things I did in one semester, but in a year, the memories just get to be too many to list!  The faculty, staff, students and family I have made at Ferrum truly are one-of-a-kind and I could not ask for more. Whether it is a Saturday night or a Tuesday afternoon, a memory to cherish is made here.