Same at Penn State when I was there. And I think I heard "SPE" once in a while, but we mainly said Sig Ep. Phi Mu Delta was the "Mud house", of course, and we had our "Crows" from Alpha Chi Rho. And I'm thinking there might have been another shorthand or two, but I can't think of them right now.

Interesting. SPE/SigEp got their charter revoked at W&L too, but are now back and I think mostly called SigEp. I'm pretty sure they were or are called "SPE" at Davidson too, because my aunt knew of "SPE". She went to Davidson in the late 70s so that could have changed by now, or they could not even be there anymore (many of the fraternities at Davidson left or left and then returned later due to the fraternity reforms the school imposed).

So it could be a regional VA/NC thing. Or mid-Atlantic if it happened at Penn State...

Isn't that what happened at several of the elite private schools up north that banned any organization that wasn't co-ed from being recognized on campus?

I want to say I think I heard about something similar at Brown, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

ETA: One of my few friends in grad school who is Greek is a SigEp from MIT. We reminisce about Greek life a lot :)

Well, don't quote me on that, I might have heard the term post-college, I just know I've heard it. We definitely referred to them mainly as SigEp that I can recall. Maybe some more recent grads can attest to whether they're ever called "SPE" there. (I much prefer "SigEp")

I definitely understand why national orgs want to supervise the nicknames on campus after experiencing the frustration of "girl Pi Phi" and "boy Pi Phi." So when SigEp came back to Duke I understand why they wanted the correct national brand... at the same time my heart tells me "SPE." LOL. I hung out there quite a bit before they left campus. (But that's a whole 'nother story.)

I also sympathize with Theta Chi being Theta when Kappa Alpha Theta isn't there, things like that. It's easier to say.

There are instances, of course, where two national orgs having the same nickname nationally. For example Kappa Alpha Psi and Kappa Kappa Gamma are both widely known as "Kappa."

Actually, there was a secret society at W&L known as the Sigma Society, wherein they took really popular guys from the "top" several fraternities and all the guys wore these mysterious/cool rings. Now Phi Beta Sigma is on campus and I wonder since they go by "Sigma" if that causes any confusion. They only revealed their first line at W&L in the spring of my senior year so I wasn't really there for much time after the NPHCs came. :( But, I did go to their step show that year which ROCKED OUT.

Sorry, but your husband is right(about this:) Pika is a local coed group that used to be a chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha. They are NEVER known as Pike!

Delta Gamma went by Dee Gees and Kappa Delta went by Kay Dees!

By SPE, I assume you folks are saying Spee, not S P E? It has been more common in the south, but somtimes up here as well.
We used to call LCA "the Smurfs" because their house was painted blue with white trim. Years afterwards, still smurfs:)
Our (ADPhi) chapter at Johns Hopkins was known as WaWas after the store in the basement of the old chapter house. Most places we're known as AD or Alpha Delts, but at a few schools, we are known as the phis.

Yes, "Spee" is the pronunciation. :)

I don't know if I've ever met an ADPhi on these boards. We had them briefly, sort of, at my school. Speaking of SPE... nevermind.

Someone mentioned these earlier (or at least Dee Gee). I don't consider these "nonstandard nicknames" exactly because they're just phonetic spellings of the standard nicknames (DG, KD). But I guess if they're putting them on shirts and stuff that might could be consider nonstandard/unusual.

All of our sororities pretty much go by the usual 'nicknames'... Theta, Pi Phi, ADPi, Kappa, Chi O, A Chi O, DeeGee, Zeta, TriDelt, Gamma Phi. (Sigma Kappa occasionally goes by 'SK')

I think all of our frats go by the usual nicknames as well... we call Sigma Phi Epsilon 'Sig Ep' and Pi Kappa Phi 'Pi Kapp'.

I have silly pet peeves with certain nicknames. It bothers me when a group with a Phi chooses a nickname with a P to replace the Phi. Phi doesn't make a "p" sound, Pi does. Same with Theta. Theta makes a "th" sound not a "t" sound, Tau makes a "t" sound. So of course, "TPA" causes me much cognitive dissonance.:p

I also hate when people say/write EK, EN, EX, etc. Sigmas are not Epsilons, and it's not that hard to write/draw Sigmas.

Well, technically, it sounds like her husband was a member when it was a Pi Kappa Alpha Chapter and that they still called "Pika" at that time.

The only place I have heard SigEp called SPE was at Oregon State.

Pi Kappa Phi on my campus was usually known as Pi Kapps, but there were some people who called them "Pi Phi for guys." They also tended to pair up with Pi Beta Phi rather often for events (Greek Week, Homecoming, Varieties).

We had PSS & PSK, but that wasn't the issue.

There was a local fraternity called Phi Sigma - I don't know if they broke away from Phi Sigma Epsilon or if they were one of the ones that didn't want to merge w/ Phi Sigma Kappa. So there was much disagreement on who were "the real Phi Sigs." If you would have called PSK "Kappa" it would not have been pretty.

Sigma Tau Gamma tried going by "Gammas" for a few seconds because there had been an underground local fraternity w/ that nickname (Alpha Gamma Phi) and I think they wanted to seem tough. That didn't last though.

I heard someone recently calling the KDRs Kappas, and I have no idea why - is that extra syllable really hard for you? Esp when we have Kappa Alpha Psi on campus!!