Three MSU business fraternities — Alpha Kappa Psi, Delta Sigma Pi and Phi Chi Theta — held their inaugural business networking mixer from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at the Union.
More than 40 representatives from companies including General Motors Co., IBM and Target were present for the event, which drew more than 200 people.
“One of the biggest goals for this evening is to really grab attention on campus,” accounting senior and fraternity consultant for Delta Sigma Pi Savina Mehta said. “We really want people to think of the business fraternities on campus when they’re recruiting.”
The evening was a first for the three fraternities, as they had never organized an event together in the past.
“This is a huge step for us,” Mehta said. “We’re hoping this will be the base for starting the very first Michigan State business fraternity career fair.”
Calvin Lai, the vice president of Alpha Kappa Psi and a marketing senior, said it was a great opportunity for them to learn to work together.
“Based on the outcome of this event, it will determine if we should expand the mixer to all business students in the Broad College next year,” he said.
Although companies were not recruiting Tuesday, the event provided students and representatives alike the chance to network.
“It’s just as much about us as it is about them,” said Luke Vanzo, a partner of finance firm New York Life who attended the event. “For me it’s about billboarding for our companies so when (the students) go off and see a post or a job description, and they recognize my face with the name New York Life, they’ll think, ‘That’s someone I want to have an interview with.’”
Lai said the purpose of the mixer was to create an opportunity for fraternity members to meet businesses not only for internships and full-time job opportunities, but for valuable advice regarding career paths.
Another important aspect of the meeting was to allow networking among the business students themselves.
“I think it’s really good to just network with each other because we all go to Michigan State,” human resource management senior Colleen Grattan said.
Grattan, who has been a part of Phi Chi Theta for four years, said she already has a job but came out to the event to mingle with fellow Spartans.
“Hopefully we can continue this and work together,” Grattan said. “We’re all going to be out in the real world, and you can lean on people from Michigan State, especially if they’re involved in these programs.”
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