To the original question:
There was (is) Delta Sigma Theta Pharmaceutical Fraternity. Their crest included a skull and cross bones, and mortar and pill dish.

A relative of mine who didn't know any better gave me a t-shirt saying I bought you a t-shirt of your sorority for your birthday--hope you like it. :D

We do have one international chapter at the University of Western Ontario, but the copyright issue is a question of our national officers deciding to enforce them as only they or the Fraternity Convention have the authority to act as the owner of the rights.

I was looking at Youtube and saw that this SAE issue has been going on for yeeeeeeears.

Your NHQ may be doing a cost-benefit analysis and finding that it is not worth all of the trouble. Maybe they believe that people with an ounce of investigative ability can figure out that the Philipine SAE isn't associated with the real SAE. Even if they are using all of the symbols.

This is tough. :( Pardon me if this is none of our business but has your NHQ not issued a formal statement about this? Ever?

Yeah, honestly, I can see where the cost/benefit math would come in to play.

As soon as I saw what was obviously their home-made flag, I could tell they were "playing" SAE. And frankly, they seem like pretty decent, clean-cut kids, if they were a bunch of hooligans doing questionable things, I could see your HQ being a lot more concerned. Their choice of SAE to "claim" could be seen as being somewhat flattering; they even give themselves chapter names.

Anyone familiar with the greek system will know they're not "real" SAEs. And I think anyone who otherwise wouldn't have a clue wouldn't get a bad image of SAE from what's up there (in fact, they might be impressed that SAE's reach is so big), so until or unless they cross the tasteful line, maybe they're thinking, what's the harm?

Ya this has been going on for about four decades now. You're probably right on the money (literally) with your the cost-benefit analysis theory. I'm sure it'd cost a fair bit of change to pursue a copyright infringement case across international borders. Our national laws used to contain official position statements with respect to certain specific topics, but those were removed beginning with the 2005 edition of the Fraternity Laws. I don't recall any of those statements pertaining to the Philippine organization, so I'd venture to say NHQ has probably never made any formal, official statement one way or another. I do know they've been commented upon in our quarterly magazine, The Record, and in private conversations between brothers, but that's about it.

There's a lot of this going on in the Philipines. I find all of this lame. There's a Phi Kappa Sigma over there as well (as well as numerous other copycats). I think there are actually a couple of that have affialted with the nationals in the US (I mean like one or two).

On another note though, I heard from one of our advisor once, that some Phi Kap alums in Asia actually statred chapters over there and natioanls were aware but didn't make them official chapters due to the costs that would be incurred with monitoring them over there. I wonder if something similar is how some of these copycat "orgs/chapters" started?

Personaly, I find it irresponsible of any alum to start a chapter without a the consent of nationals particularly in a foregin country where costs would be prohbitive from nationals being able to montior them and make them an offical chapter.

Putting the Philipine crap aside. There's a local at my alma mater called Zeta Chi (a former Delta Chi chapter). Back in college I remember finding another fraternity and a sorority with the same name. The odd thing is they all had the same colors. I just searched to double check my facts and found a third Zeta Chi fraternity out there. I remebr one of the brothers at my school said they had contacted another Zeta Chi (don't know which one) about forming a nationals but that went no where. So, there's at least 4 different Zeta Chi's out there.

There just maybe a cost-benefit analysis going on.
Just found this on the open side of our National site:
Fraternities File for Infringement

SAN DIEGO, CA – More than 30 national and international Greek-letter organizations today filed a joint lawsuit in Southern Florida Federal Court against Greek product manufacturers and marketers Paddle Tramps Mfg. Co, The Brown Bag, joeToga, Taymark, Inc., Tervis Tumbler Company and Rah Rah Company, on charges of trademark infringement and both federal- and common-law unfair competition. The lawsuit was filed as a result of continued, unauthorized use of the Greek organizations’ protected trademarks by the six defendants. Stites & Harbison’s intellectual property group in Louisville, Kentucky, has been retained as legal counsel by the Greek organizations...........
http://www.sae.net/index.asp?r=newsr...=147&art_cat=2

Where I used to advise, one girl started wearing letters from her biological sister's sorority, Sigma Gamma Gamma.* She then got her friends wearing them. Then they started holding meetings, having socials, recruiting members and having some sort of ritual- and all wore Greek letters! They supposedly petitioned Sigma Gamma Gamma Nationals to become a colony.... but we all know that is not exactly how expansion works! (and neither the formal recruitment numbers, nor the Adminstration, supported expansion)

The 3 NPC groups complained to the school's administration, who decided the rogue group could become a club, recognized by the college but that would not be part of the school's panhellenic org (which included the 3 NPC, 1 local and 1 NPHC).

The group chose to become the "Students Going Gaga"* and wore "SGG" (Roman letters, not Greek letters). However, SGG was allowed to function as a sorority socially, including having only female members - even though their name indicated "students" and their charter indicated nothing about being a women's society. The group had none of the restictions of a sorority (like, quota/total, min GPA, required service hours, etc) so they were major competitor for PNM's for all of the sororities. Administration saw nothing wrong with this competitition, although 1 NPC & the local were lagging behind total - and the NPHC closed due to low membership)

The local and one NPC made significant membership gains. The SGG's declined in popularity my last year (2006) on campus.

*Names have been fictionalized for this post.

Try belonging to a female fraternity! Most people think I am ignorant when I say I belong to a fraternity. I am soror of Sigma Alpha Iota, Theta Pi Chapter, Newport News Virginia. We were founded in 1911 - a bonafide female fraternity. No homo jokes.

Many of us do.:p

Yep, a lot of the sororities were founded as female fraternities.

duplicate names?
 

whats the story behind Alpha Chi Omega and Chi Omega??

why are the names so similar? :)

From what I understand, Chi Omega founders chose the letters randomly. And, Alpha Chi Omega was founded as the first musical sorority in 1885 (right?). The chose Alpha & Omega because they thought they were going to be the first and last musical sorority founded. "Kai" was later added to mean "and" (First and last). Kai was later changed to Chi--making Alpha Chi Omega.

Thank you for your post!:)

Informative.

I would take such information with a grain of salt. Without knowing the ritual of both organizations, it is impossible to know for sure whether any similarities exist, and if so, whether by coincidence or design. Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon have similar names, but that's not necessarily an indication of any connection between the two.

I read that thing about Alpha + Kai + Omega on AXO's national website, so I'm sure that's true. I don't know about Chi Omega, though. Probably just a coincidence.

That is, however, the official public story given by Alpha Chi Omega for their name. Whether there's more to the story, only Alpha Chi Omega's sisters know, and I'm sure none of us expect them to tell. ;)

Like Kappa Alpha (Society or Order) and Kappa Alpha Theta? Or Kappa Alpha Psi? Or Alpha Kappa Alpha? Or Pi Kappa Alpha?

Sigma Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon?

Delta Phi and Delta Phi Epsilon? Or Alpha Delta Phi?

Kappa Sigma and Phi Kappa Sigma?

Sigma Kappa and Phi Sigma Kappa?

Phi Mu, Phi Mu Delta and Phi Mu Alpha?

There are lots of these coincidences. I wouldn't read too much into them. ;)

Y'all gotta TELL me when you're talkin' bout Chi O!
 

I can pretty much guarantee that 4 teenage girls in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1895 had not heard of Alpha Chi Omega.

I'm going to second that (granted I'm not a Chi Omega) considering that the first chapters of ACW were no where near Fayetteville, AR!
1885--Alpha, DePauw
1887--Beta, Albion
1890--Gamma, Northwestern
1891--Delta, Allegheny
1895--Epsilon, Southern California
1895--Zeta, New England Conservatory of Music

Y'all gotta TELL me when you're talkin' bout Chi O!
 

:D

Ditto. And some of my favorite coincidences...

Zeta Phi Beta
Zeta Beta Tau
Zeta Tau Alpha

(If there was only a Zeta Alpha Phi, the circle would be complete.)

and...

Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Sigma
Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Theta

REcently D Phi E has noticed that the service fraternity is becoming more like a coed social organization, and they have done some advertising on UTube....using some of our sisterhood pictures and such. It's very interesting and funny to me, but not really in a good way.

And don't forget these as well......
- Alpha Delta Phi (ADPhi)
- Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPhi)
- Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi)
- Alpha Delta Pi (ADPi)
- Alpha Omicron Pi (AOPi)

Also, I just found out that there is a local fraternity @ SUNY-Geneseo called Zeta Beta Xi (ZBXi) that has the same colors and similar crest as ZBT.

And...
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Tau Omega

I guarantee there was no connection between these four when they were founded. :D

Plus.....
- Alpha Gamma Rho
- Alpha Gamma Delta
- Alpha Xi Delta
- Alpha Phi Delta
- Alpha Detla Gamma
- Phi Alpha Delta (Pre-Law)

wow.. that's messed up they are using pics of women in your organization w/o their permission to promote their own org

Truly messed up, I agree.^^

Zeta Beta Xi at SUNY Geneseo began as a chapter of ZBT, but they went local shortly after chartering.

They began as an "Interest Group," before they decided to convert to a local Fraternity. It never gained colony or chapter recognition status, according to the Northeast Expansion Committee.

First of all, let me begin by saying I love my sisterhood with all my heart. But it is pretty murky territory when it comes to fraternal insignia. My own sorority is only one letter different from Delta Gamma in name and our colors are not the same but similar (ours are pink, sky blue and white...theirs are pink, blue and bronze). Not to mention our actual colors are the same (in interpretation...if not by name exactly) as Gamma Phi Delta, Beta Phi Omega, and others I can't think of off the top of my head. Then our mascot, the White Bengal Tiger is the mascot for at least 4 other multicultural organizations (Lambda Psi Delta, Delta Xi Phi, Lambda Fe Uson, and Delta Sigma Chi...that I know of).

Our sorority was founded in 1998; the internet was around...but not every fraternity or sorority was online back then. The NPHC/IFC/NPC groups sure...but not the non-affiliated ones. Even so, it's hard to figure out exactly what was in our founder's minds....I mean we, of course, are taught the meaning behind our insignia. But they had to come up with everything by themselves -- (and I'm not saying they were not original) and they were also going on a lot of precedent. Sometimes, you have to realize there is no reason to re-invent the wheel. If they did a pick-and-choose type-thing...I do not know. But ultimately, it all comes together into something unique.

When I pledged back in 2001, I did not do all this research into other organization's insignia; I was too busy trying to learn and master my own!

I don't know -- personally I've never encountered any beef about my sorority's insignia (LOL...maybe that may change now! :p ). And I'm definitely not condoning copy-cats...don't get me wrong there! I guess I'm just saying that colors and symbolism....even the letters themselves are not all there is to a sisterhood or brotherhood. It's petty to think otherwise; that's all I'm really try to say. ;)

The Chi Omega website also confirms the previously stated origin of their name.

As for AOII and ADPi, there is really no relationship. ADPi started as the Adelphian society then changed to ADPhi then ADPi once they realized that ADPhi was a men's fraternity as well. AOII, however, was always AOII and had the name prior to ADPi changing to greek letters from the Adelphian Society. From the appearance of our symbols, etc., there are no other similarities between the two groups.

That's exactly what I was thinking! I know there's not a problem with another organization duplicating any of the Divine 9 orgs...but again with today's technology and means of communication, there really should be no reason why there should be another organization with another. That's pretty funny that I went to this topic, 'cause I was talking to him about this with my frat bro!

I was surprised to learn a couple months ago that there is a Kappa Delta (local) fraternity at Pomona College. I worked with a girl who goes to Pomona over my winter break, and she noticed me wearing my letters one day, so she told me about them. Apparently they were founded before Kappa Delta Sorority, and they still exist today.

It says here Kappa Delta Fraternity was established in 1903.

You guys were first, 1897.

Yeah, but the internet wasn't very popular back then. Dial-up was slow, too. :p

Oh, thanks. I hadn't managed to find that.

Alpha Sigma is a local sorority in Wisconsin established in 1898.
http://orgs.uww.edu/alphasigma/home.html
Alpha Sigma is a society established in 1957.
http://www.alphasigmaalumni.org/
Alpha Sigma is a local sorority in New York established in 1992.
http://alphasigmasorority.com/alpha/index.html

That's not surprising.

When I was an undergrad there (early 80s), there were about a dozen fraternities/sororities, all local, because the university (at the time associated with the Southern Baptists) didn't allow any to be associated with any national group. (I head that one was, and was immediately 'kicked off campus').

All took greek names similiar to real national groups, BUT 'hide' them in their names. The TKEs were the "The Knights Eternal", the BEs were the "Brothers in Eternity" and the like. They would wear stitch with the greek letters, held rush, did hell week, etc. (for all I know, they might have been better behaved if they HAD been part of a national group and had to follow their rules...).

Since the university went independent, this rule was dropped and AFAIK, all the locals have now associated with national groups.

ZBXi derived from ZBT
 

Replying to an earlier post, The ZBXi frat in Geneseo was originally founded as ZBT, but after just a few years, the fraternity decided that it need not have a religious focus, and should not be restricted in any way socially, so Zeta Beta Xi was formed.

Since then, ZBXi has consistently been one of the biggest and most admired fraternities in Geneseo.