Caught it!

Collegiate Sorosis was still on campus when I went through rush in 1981, but their numbers were low and it wasn't too much later that the chapter closed. They had a long and proud history at The University of Michigan, but I was not interested in a local sorority. I think that was a common sentiment. I remember standing in their living room during the first round of recruitment and we listened to a presentation about their history. Many prominent Michigan women had been members, and I do mean had been, because the women they mentioned were all from generations past. I remember having a sad feeling that the group was in its twilight years and wouldn't survive much longer.

We left Michigan in 1988 and somewhere before then, the collegians changed the name to Chi Sigma so that they could wear Greek letters. Charles Lindbergh's mom was a Collegiate Sorosis member as was John Dewey's wife Alice. They were involved in a housing issue when we left and that may have contributed to the organization's demise. It had a wonderful history, but a history alone cannot compete with so much more.

You're correct! This begins the yearbook pages for Sorosis, with Pi Beta Phi following right after. How did I miss that?

For those interested, Omega Upsilon's entry begins on page 595. Theta Phi Alpha appears in the 1913 issue on page 615 with some unfamiliar names. Theta Phis may recall that Kathlyn Homes was our first pledge, with Marie Sullivan following after--both the week we were founded. However, Kathlyn had already been a member of Omega Upsilon, as evidenced in the Michiganensian.

From White Rose: Oh how interesting! I once found an early Michiganensian at a book sale in Ann Arbor, but I gave it to the Pi Phi archives and it's in there somewhere. Funny thing is that I am almost certain the Pi Phi house is the same house that is picture, purchased from a professor in the early 1900s. It has, however, undergone several renovations and there is hardly any green space around it as was shown in that picture.

I also wonder if Badgeguy has a picture of the CS badge. As I recall, the New York ladies had Tiffany design it for the young ladies.

This thread is probably one of the best Panhellenic threads I've read so far! If I had any pre-conceived biases toward a sorority or sororities on my campus, they definitely went away with reading this! Learned a lot. :) I especially liked SWTXBelle's post on the sororities' creeds. So awesome to read.

Another Emily Litella fan!

Also, my Alpha Delta Pi chapter was originally the Sororsis Society. :)

Oh I so have to get in on this!

Alpha Chi Omega – My mom is an Alpha Chi Omega and I love their history. She has a copy of the history book and I love to read it! The founders were so cool!
Alpha Delta Pi – I love their badge! And their early password was the same as Beta Sigma Phi's which is something I recently learned.
Alpha Epsilon Phi- The mascot is awesome!
Alpha Gamma Delta – Another epic mascot!!!
Alpha Omicron Pi – Yet again, I love love love the panda! And the fact that this sorority is the only one without a crest.
Alpha Phi – I love the ivy they use on their website. ha
Alpha Sigma Alpha – I think it is great that they were once a part of the Pedagogical group with AST and other, now defunct, groups.
Alpha Sigma Tau – I love the anchor as a symbol! It's so beautiful! I also saw on Youtube a candle passing ceremony that was so sweet. :)
Alpha Xi Delta – I love the badge! It is so unique!
Chi Omega – I seriously love everything about Chi O! I read their creed and cried one night. I seriously contacted their nationals and just wrote about how I love everything they stand for.
Delta Delta Delta – I think of Ida Shaw Martin when I think of Tri-Delta! She was an AMAZING woman who wrote so many beautiful rituals, so I bet Tri-Delta has an amazing ritual!
Delta Gamma – such an elegant sorority! I love the anchor and colors!
Delta Phi Epsilon – Ah, my sorority. What else can I say? Any time I see a unicorn I FREAK OUT! Any time I see an Iris, I want to cry. I love that we all have our amazing sororities. I seriously wish every woman in the world could find her perfect sorority.
Delta Zeta – I love the turtle! Another seriously classy sorority. I had a close friend who became a DZ. :)
Gamma Phi Beta – I love that they honored the man that helped them by adopting the color brown.
Kappa Alpha Theta – I've read a lot on this sorority and I am so proud of how much they went through--these women were pioneers! They saw the role of women change so drastically and were able to cope and change with the times and yet remain true to their founding principles. Kudos!
Kappa Delta – I LOVE the crest and colors and find their history to be so interesting! I love that they were considering being absorbed but didn't and now look! What an amazing group!
Kappa Kappa Gamma – I adore the fluer-de-lis and key! Such classy ladies!
Phi Mu – I think this is also a great group of women that saw so many changes! Starting off at an all girl's college and spreading their wings so far!
Phi Sigma Sigma – Their crest is soooo awesome and the sphinx is so secretive! I also like that they had a teenage founder! The maturity these women had to be founders of such a progressive group is amazing!
Pi Beta Phi – I think their letters look aesthetically pleasing!
Sigma Delta Tau – I love the torch as a symbol--how beautiful! To light your way! I love it!
Sigma Kappa – Their motto is amazing!
Sigma Sigma Sigma – I love their colors!
Theta Phi Alpha – the compass is one of the coolest symbols! Hands down!
Zeta Tau Alpha – I've always found their history to be so beautiful!

I am seriously so happy to be Greek and to share Greek bonds with 25 other, WONDERFUL organizations! It makes me so proud to be a woman!

Bump! :)

Bump!

Just read through this whole thread-- I love it! And of course I had to try my hand at it! A lot of my opinions on the different sororities are informed by girls I know. I know a couple girls are not the fullest representation of an entire sorority, but for many, because of a great relationship I've had with a sister, I see the sorority in a very positive light.

Alpha Chi Omega: I have several friends in Alpha Chi, and they are the sweetest girls. I've never met someone who's had a bad experience with an Alpha Chi on our campus!

Alpha Delta Pi: Every ADPi I know, regardless of her campus, absolutely LOVES her sorority wholeheartedly and is very dedicated.

Alpha Epsilon Phi: I think it's really cool that they've honored their Jewish roots to this day. The giraffe is also a very unique mascot.

Alpha Gamma Delta: I don't know many Alpha Gams, but the few I've met are so sweet and friendly. I think the squirrel is adorable, and I love the tradition of serving red, buff, and green food at Convention!

Alpha Omicron Pi: I like how unique they are in only having one color and remaining true to Greek tradition by not having a coat of arms. Very neat.

Alpha Phi: They are the newest chapter on our campus and have done an incredible job building their sisterhood from the ground up! Their hard work and dedication impresses me.

Alpha Sigma Alpha: The Phoenix is so cool! And the crest looks very historic, like it should be a king's coat of arms or something. Goes along with the crown, I guess!

Alpha Sigma Tau: I love the history of starting as an education sorority, plus the tenacity to remain when so many folded. I also think the Order of the Open Book honor society for sisters is super cool.

Alpha Xi Delta: Our house mom was an Alpha Xi house mom before she came to us, and when she left Alpha Xi, they loved her so much that they initiated her. That's left me with the impression that Alpha Xis are sweet and caring women.

Chi Omega: Every Chi O I know is so enthusiastic and always brimming with energy! The kind of girl you want around to make anything fun.

Delta Delta Delta: Every Tri Delt I've met is incredibly outgoing and welcoming, the sort of girl who makes you feel like you're her best friend the first time you meet her.

Delta Gamma: I love how the anchor has led to a full nautical theme for a lot of DG activities, it always looks so good. I also love the simplicity of the open motto, "Do Good."

Delta Phi Epsilon: I have a good friend who's a DPhiE, and I love her so much. She's given me a positive opinion of her sorority, plus I really love unicorns!

Delta Zeta: One of my best friends from high school is a DZ. I love seeing her Turtle Tuesday posts on social media, it's the cutest thing.

Gamma Phi Beta: It's so cool that "sorority" was coined for them! I think the open motto, "Founded On a Rock," really speaks to the strength of their sisterhood. And, I just learned this today, their mascot is the white harp seal, which I think is super cute!

Kappa Alpha Theta: I like the uniqueness of the kite, and the open motto, "Leading Women," sets the tone for their sisters.

Kappa Delta: The KDs on my campus are incredibly smart and leaders in tons of extracurricular activities, so I've always been very impressed by them. A girl who mentored me through our campus ministry is a KD, and my relationship with her has also given me a positive opinion of them.

Kappa Kappa Gamma: This is a bit like cheating... I love absolutely everything about Kappa and am so happy that I amma!

Phi Mu: One of my good friends is a Phi Mu, so again because of her I have a good opinion of the whole sorority. I also like their open motto, Les Soeurs Fideles.

Phi Sigma Sigma: I like the uniqueness of the sphinx mascot! I also think their Twin Ideals Fund, to assist disaster victims, is a great cause.

Pi Beta Phi: I'm a Pi Phi legacy through my grandmother, plus they're Kappa's sister sorority, so I've always thought they were pretty cool. I also think wine and silver blue are gorgeous colors!

Sigma Delta Tau: Like AEPhi, I think it's cool how they've preserved their original Jewish heritage while still being open to any woman who wishes to join. I also like the symbol of the torch, lighting the way for those who come after.

Sigma Kappa: I love the symbol of the dove, and I think it's very interesting that their first three chapters were all at the same school!

Sigma Sigma Sigma: On our campus, they have a really cute house with a little sailboat on the door. All the Sigmas I've met are passionate about philanthropy and very Panhellenic-minded!

Theta Phi Alpha: Again, I really admire how they've stayed true to their Catholic heritage. I also think the penguin mascot is adorable!

Zeta Tau Alpha: The Zetas on our campus are so spirited and excited about our school. I'm also impressed by how much they do for their philanthropy. Plus I love the concept of Zeta Day! Such a cool thing to be together with other chapters in your state!

Sorry, Gamma Phi doesn't have a mascot. Maybe it's a particular chapter's thing?

It might be! I was reading through the Wikipedia page and saw it listed there. By now I should know not to trust everything I read on Wikipedia! Thank you for the correction!!

To be honest, this part isn't true and I feel it's a big misconception about who we are. Theta Phi Alpha was originally founded as a sorority for Catholics, but it isn't at all who we are today. We are as religiously diverse as any other NPC, and while I attended a Catholic university my own chapter is not seen as any more "Catholic" than any of the 6 other NPCs on campus. We are not, say, the Catholic equivalent of Alpha Epsilon Phi. It's simply a part of our history.

Beat me to it.

Glittergal and luv_n_tpa, thank you for explaining that! There aren't any Theta Phi Alpha chapters in my state and I've never met a Theta Phi sister, so I'm not very familiar with your sorority outside of what I can read on the internet. There's a Christian sorority on my campus and I had thought of Theta Phi as similar to that. I enjoy learning about other sororities that aren't on my campus, but there's only so much you can learn from the internet and not from a sister herself, so thank you for the information!

Bumping ahead of recruitment!

I also find it interesting to read back over some of the comments and realize how much things have changed. Speaking for my own organization, our national philanthropy is now the AST-developed Women's Wellness Initiative and we have two national service partners: Dress For Success and Girls Who Code.

Since I didn't finish filling this out, I will do it now.

Alpha Chi Omega- Love how they were founded as a music sorority originally as a violinist myself
Alpha Delta Pi- Love their colors and the diamond symbol
Alpha Epsilon Phi- The ones on my campus were super involved and the giraffe is an interesting symbol. Also having RBG as your sister is something alone to brag about!
Alpha Gamma Delta- Love their fighting hunger philanthropy
Alpha Omicron Pi- Love the panda as their symbol and colors
Alpha Phi- It's cool that they use "the ivy leagues" as their nickname. Also a huge shoutout to the Harvard chapter that fought through the Greek Life ban there, they're amazing.
Alpha Sigma Alpha- I really like how their sorority crest looks.
Alpha Sigma Tau- It's awesome that they recently took Girls Who Code as a philanthropic cause.
Alpha Xi Delta- I love their colors and the quill as a symbol
Chi Omega- I love Make a Wish as a cause and how they use the "XO" in stuff like valentine's themed bid days
Delta Delta Delta- My sorority. I can gush about them all day.
Delta Gamma- I love the sort of nautical/anchor thing they have going on and their colors are fab.
Delta Phi Epsilon- The chapter on my campus did great events for ANAD, including sisters talking about their own experiences with ED's. It was super touching.
Delta Zeta- I really like their colors and symbols a lot, especially the turtle mascot.
Gamma Phi Beta- Shout out to them for starting the term sorority and their colors are extremely unique
Kappa Alpha Theta- I love how the ideals are based on the 4 points of the kite and CASA is a great cause to have.
Kappa Delta- I love how they are partnered with the Girl Scouts! As a former girl scout myself I think being in a troop nurtured my ideas for sisterhood even before I knew what a sorority was
Kappa Kappa Gamma- I really like their colors and the RAH RAH FOR K K G chant they have.
Phi Mu- When I initially found out about NPCs they were the second organization I found out about. Love their colors, open motto, and their symbols.
Phi Sigma Sigma- This was the first NPC org I ran into as an undergrad. The girls were all so polished and put together! I also love their cause of education.
Pi Beta Phi- When I was first exploring sorority youtube a lot of youtubers were pi phis and are extremely passionate about their org, and getting a "inside look" at their house and such is interesting to someone who didn't have a house.
Sigma Delta Tau- They were founded at my dad's alma mater. I also like their crest.
Sigma Kappa- I really like their colors and the Alzheimer's cause. I also loved what Indiana did for their recruitment video with donating the money to research
Sigma Sigma Sigma- I am a sucker for purple as a color scheme and I love violets
Theta Phi Alpha- As a Catholic, it's interesting how they were founded initially as a Catholic based organization.
Zeta Tau Alpha- I love the "royal theme" the symbolism has with the crown and "Seeking the Noblest" as their open motto.