Pi Beta Phi - Oklahoma State University

PAGE 5 Oklahoma State University "I won't be a Pi Phi." T hese were the last words Janice Worthington Lisko '76 told her mom before she went off to recruitment. Janice only knew one person in an OSU sorority, Melinda McCutchan Kirk '75, who was from her high school. She and Melinda were very different. "She was sophisticated, played the piano like an angel and lived in the country club neighborhood in our hometown," she recalled. "I was pretty much the opposite and figured if Pi Phi loved Melinda and Melinda loved Pi Phi, I would not fit in." Then, they opened the doors and welcomed her to the sisterhood. Janice loved Oklahoma Beta. She learned each sister could be unique and still be devoted friends, and Pi Phi had a tremendous impact on her college experience. "Little did I know at the time that it would be a wonderful, lifelong journey— lifelong friends, lifelong service, lifelong growth and lifelong memories!" Since then, Janice has remained dedicated to the sorority. When asked to serve as Secretary of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Alumnae Club, she said yes, and it turned into many years of fun and new friends. She later had the opportunity to serve alongside more amazing women as a member of the Board of Trustees for Pi Beta Phi Foundation. When she and her husband, Jim, moved to Plano, Texas, in 2021 to be near their grandchildren, an Alabama Gamma friend reached out to four Plano/Dallas-area Pi Phis, and that started Janice's involvement in the Richardson-Plano, Texas, Alumnae Club! As someone whose education was made possible because of scholarships, Janice is also proud to financially support scholarships for Pi Phis at OSU and through our Foundation. Janice wrote a letter to Melinda in 2019, telling her about her experiences that happened because of Pi Phi: "Pi Beta Phi changed my life…. I know without your support of my rush/ recruitment, I would not be a Pi Phi, so thank you, thank you, thank you. I will be continually grateful you wanted me to be a sister because it resulted in having a plethora of sincere friends, significant leadership opportunities, meaningful occasions to serve alongside amazing women and chances to promote the Fraternity's philanthropic mission." With so much love for Pi Phi, Janice supports the Continuing Our Oklahoma Beta Sisterhood at 324 campaign because she wants other women to have a similarly great experience to hers. "It's about priceless relationships, not the brick and mortar," she said. "However, the physical structure of the house does matter, and for Oklahoma Beta to continue its tradition of being a top sorority on campus, the actual house is part of the equation and must be competitive with other modern campus housing." Janice also encourages her sisters to get involved. "Fundraising for this campaign has been about the chance to talk with a lot of Pi Phis, tell the story of how the project came about, share information about it, answer questions and leave the giving decision to the alumnae." When Janice isn't serving Pi Phi, she enjoys writing, traveling and going on day hikes, especially in the mountains, with Jim. Jim loves Pi Phi and Janice is grateful for his loving support of her involvement. You can connect with Janice at janicelisko@gmail.com. A LifeLong Journey Janice Worthington Lisko '76 Shares Her Devotion to Pi Beta Phi Janice Shares How You Can Get Involved! • Reflect on all the gifts in your life that started/happened at the chapter house. • Give what you can because every gift will make a difference. • Reach out to sisters and inspire their desire to be part of building a beautiful and safe house for future generations of Oklahoma Betas. Below: A note Janice Worthington Lisko '76 wrote on the day she became a Pi Phi. It was a tradition to have all New Members write to themselves describing what Pi Phi means to them. Just before graduation, the notes are returned to members at the senior send- off ceremony. Janice shares that her hopes that day, August 20, 1975, came true!

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