New Members of Professional Fraternity Mu Sigma Lambda get together on signing day for the autumn 2026 semester. Credit: Macy Erickson | Lantern Photographer

For students who want a career in the sports industry, the path often runs through connections. At Ohio State, a new fraternity is trying to build those connections through brotherhood.

Mu Sigma Lambda, a professional fraternity for sports industry students, started a chapter at Ohio State in January 2025. Membership for the fraternity is open to students of every major, not just those within the sport industry.?

Mu Sigma Lambda has only been at Ohio State for nearly two years but chapter leadership said the membership is continuing to grow.?

“We are only getting stronger,” said Ella Shmarak, the chapter’s secretary and fourth-year in sport industry and psychology.

The idea of bringing the organization to campus came from an interest in having a professional fraternity centered around sports for students.?

Ilana Rubenstein, the chapter’s founding president and a fourth-year in sport industry and strategic communication, said she got interested in Mu Sigma Lambda after learning her friends were involved in the University of Michigan chapter of the fraternity.?

Rubenstein said she saw a chance to build a culture around the sports industry at Ohio State.

Now, four semesters later, the Ohio State chapter of Mu Sigma Lambda has 91 members after the fall recruitment cycle.?

Sofia Bazley, the chapter’s recruitment director and a fourth-year in sport industry, said 69 students expressed interest in this semester’s recruitment cycle, and 35 of them were given a bid, which is defined as “a formal invitation to join,” according to bylaws of the Ohio State Interfraternity Council.

A selection committee, involving executive members and the recruitment team, reviewed applications, met in July to plan dates and deadlines for the semester and figure out how to keep building involvement, including a social media push led by Kelsee Ortiz, the chapter’s marketing director and a fourth-year in strategic communication.?

According to Bazley, during the recruitment process, potential new members went through three rounds. It started with a “meet the chapter” round, which included a one-week application window, before moving to a “project round” with real-life scenarios and a group event and lastly interviews with current members. There is a deliberation session after every round.?

Bazley mentioned that during the project round, the recruitment committee evaluates for the rushee’s leadership.?

Once selected nrushees receive a bid, they have to maintain standards as a member of the fraternity. Members must maintain a 3.0 GPA and earn 16 “points” per semester by attending Mu Sigma Lambda events, according to Shmarak. Off-campus events are worth six points, on-campus events are worth four and online or Zoom events are worth two. The fraternity also requires one chapter event a month, such as brotherhood events and fundraisers.

Starting out, Rubenstein said finding students to join wasn’t challenging. However, the process with the university was.?

Last semester, the chapter did not have a designated place on-campus to meet or funding as they were in the process of officially getting recognized by the university, which led to leaders handing out flyers at the involvement fair to start becoming an active organization.

Rubenstein described the chapter as her “pride and joy” when talking about how much effort has been put into making Mu Sigma Lambda an Ohio State organization.

Bid day, however, made all the tireless work feel worth it. If a student is selected for admission, Bazley and fellow recruitment committee members will knock classroom or dorm room doors and surprise the new members.?

“Seeing them run through those doors on bid day makes the work all worth it,” Bazley said.

During last semester’s bid day, in February, Rubenstein was studying abroad in Florence studying graphic design and brand strategy.?

She said that she got a FaceTime call, and new members passed the phone around expressing their joy and excitement to be a part of Mu Sigma Lambda, and how they couldn’t wait to meet in person.?

“Seeing it all come together when I was away gave me hope for the future,” Rubenstein said.

Shmarak described a time when she was in class, and the whole row of chairs was made up of Mu Sigma Lambda members.?

“This is crazy how a frat we watched form from the ground up has led to something like this,” Shmarak said.