The aroma of melted cheese and tomato soup wafted through the Fine Arts building on Thursday as members of the Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) fraternity hosted one of their weekly grilled cheese fundraisers.

For just $5, students enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches, all while supporting the fraternity’s new members by contributing to help pay their fees.

Emily Gillian, a senior English major from Jonesboro and member of SAI, said the chapter began hosting meals as an alternative to other, more common campus fundraisers.

“Our first fundraiser, we ended up making around $400,” Gillian said. “We found it’s more successful than bake sales because they happen so frequently.”

Gillian said, in previous semesters, the fundraising efforts have significantly reduced new member fees.

“I think two semesters ago, we were able to fundraise all of it, and everyone got their fees paid except for maybe $10,” Gillian said.

SAI is a music fraternity that promotes community among those who share an interest in music. While many members are music majors, SAI welcomes students from all academic backgrounds.

Kiara Miles, a junior pre-med biology major from Trumann, Arkansas, and a member of SAI, said she joined the fraternity because of her passion for music and SAI’s professional focus.

“It’s music professional development, really. Anyone who loves music can join, and I really do truly love music,” Miles said.

In addition to professional development, SAI is also committed to philanthropy. Specifically, the fraternity offers aid to visually impaired musicians.

“One of the things we do is print music for blind musicians, so it’ll be in braille,” Miles said.

This initiative allows music to remain accessible for performers of all abilities, which aligns with SAI’s broader mission of supporting the music community.

Beyond just grilled cheese and soup used to help out their new members, SAI hosts other fundraisers to support their philanthropy. 

“We do rose fundraisers where we sell roses at concerts,” Gillian said. “We dedicate those fundraisers to Sigma Alpha Iota philanthropies, and we have a lot of service projects we do that are music-related.”

Gillian said separating the fundraisers helps broaden their impact across campus.

“It’s why we try to fundraise as much as we can,” Gillian said.

While students may have just stopped by for a quick lunch, their hunger helped reduce the financial burden for the chapter, giving opportunities for SAI to support music growth in the community and among those who lack accessibility.

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