The Jewish sorority Sigma Phi Alpha was founded at The New Jersey State Normal School in 1928. According to the 1933 Seal yearbook, its members were very active in "the promotion of scholarship, the development of friendship, and participation in athletics. ... Before the students' staff was added to the library, members of the sorority held themselves responsible for assisting the librarian." Additionally, the sorority donated children's books to the school library on an annual basis. Sigma Phi Alpha also sponsored many social activities including teas, card games, parties, camping excursions at the school camp, and dances at the Hillwood Inn and other locations. The sorority regularly competed in sports with other school societies. In later years, Sigma Phi Alpha held an annual poetry contest, with the top poems appearing in The Seal.

The April 13, 1946 issue of The Signal announced that the sorority disbanded.