Non-secret sororities?
 

Are there any "non-secret" social sororities in existence? Delta Upsilon fraternity has a policy of non-secrecy, but I've never heard of sororities like this.

Evergreen

Good question, Evergreen!

I'm not aware of any non-secret social sororities. I know that the ones on my campus all kept their rituals and parts of their history private. :) (Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, and Alpha Delta Pi were on my campus.)

I found out about one from GC awhile back, and I think it was something called CERES or something like that. It is the Sorority version of FarmHouse if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah here it is on a search. It's fairly new - 1984 it says here, and like FH dedicated to promoting members in agriculture mainly. Some other threads are coming up as well. It appears they have only about 15 chapters nationally at most.

Personally, I don't necessarily see the draw of being non-secretive. Perhaps it's the whole secret password clubhouse experience that dominated several of my summers as a little kid that I find the secretive aspects a lot cooler. No offense to any DU's, FH's or any other non-secret org members, just MHO.

Betarulz!,

Thanks for your reply. As a city-dweller, I probably live nowhere near a Ceres chapter - but it's worth checking out.

My reason for asking the original question:
I've been following GC threads regarding alumnae initiation - something that I'd love to do. However, I want to belong to an organization whose practices and standards are known to all... so that members are held to those high standards in the eyes of not only their fellow members, but also their family, friends and community.

Not to slander any GLOs: they have many virtures and are a vital and influential part of our society. I just need something... different.

Hmm, anyone else out there looking to start such a sorority with me? ;)

Evergreen

I believe that Ceres members have to be involved in agriculture in some way ("I eat" doesn't count <g>.)

Have you considered membership in a non-collegiate sorority?
The P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded as a college sorority in 1869 but chose to become a community organization in the early 1870's. (www.peointernational.org). Other such organizations are Beta Sigma Phi (www.betasigmaphi.org) and Epsilon Sigma Alpha (www.esainternational.org). They promote philanthropy and service, and provide opportunities for fellowship too.

I also suggest the American Association of University Women (www.aauw.org), which promotes eduation and equity for women and girls, and self-development over the lifespan, and positive societal change.

Hi Evergreen!

Have you checked out the Junior League? As far as I know, they don't have any secrets. I know JL isn't a sorority, but I think that it is based upon many of the same ideas -- community involvement, philanthropy and social activities. There is a thread on JL in the alumni involvement forum that might be helpful.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. With Christmas just around the corner, it may be a week or so before I can check out these leads fully. We'll see what happens!

Evergreen

Evergreen,
Most NPC sororities DO have standards known to all. Each has an open motto, and many have creeds or mission statements that make their purposes very clear. The secret aspect is a shared bond among the members, but it is not something that varies widely from the information known to non-initiated members.

Delta Zeta does not have an open motto.

That's absolutely right, dzsaigirl! :)

On the other hand, Evergreen, our creed is open so that non-members can see what we stand for. :D

Evergreen,

I know how you feel. I am a DU, the oldest and largest non-secret fraternity. After becoming a part of a non-secret fraternity, I saw no reason for having anything secret. As a freshman I just thought it would be "coool" to have secret handshakes and the like, but then realized they aren't necessary. Like Evergreen said, no offense to any other fraternity or sorority, it's just my experience.

This is a description of the Panhellenic Crest. Those of us who are in NPC sororities should take time to understand it, as all of our organizations are striving together to exemplify the meaning of it.

The shield is a protective influence for our entire membership.

A lamp denotes leadership, scholarship and enlightenment.

The laurel wreath signifies victory, or achievement of ideals.

While the sword piercing the wreath indicates willingness to fight for ideals, symbolizing, too, penalty of obligation; also bravery, achievement and discipline.

The mantling surrounding the shield is the protecting cloak that education gives us, and a protective influence of organization.

Thus, there in the mantle is inscribed the name of the National Panhellenic Conference.

The Panhellenic Creed is also something that we should all take to heart:

We, as Undergraduate Members of women's fraternities, stand for good scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards, and for serving, to the best of our ability, our college community. Cooperation for furthering fraternity life, in harmony with its best possibilities, is the ideal that shall guide our fraternity activities.

We, as Fraternity Women, stand for service through the development of character inspired by the close contact and deep friendship of individual fraternity and Panhellenic life. The opportunity for wide and wise human service, through mutual respect and helpfulness, is the tenet by which we strive to live.

Think about how this compares to the creed/symphony/etc. of your organization. You will surely find that when it comes right down to it, we are all essentially founded upon the same principles. :)

AOII does not have an open motto, but our mission statement does say a lot about who we are and what we stand for.

Sarah
AOII-Beta Gamma Chapter Adviser

All of the useful info above brings me to a question that might deserve its own thread: Do you find that the greatest bond comes from shared secrets, or shared experiences?

For example, in 1993, 4 friends and I went to Myrtle Beach for a week for spring break. We had to head home a day early due to a blizzard that was on the way. We met the storm in Virginia and spent the next 3 days in a motel room in the middle of nowhere. When the cable TV went out, things almost got ugly, but we managed to keep our sense of humor (and our sanity). Later we told "hilarious" stories of how we dealt with the isolation, but no one else ever seemed to understand. We became even closer friends then, in some undefinable way. Marriages, children and moving have separated us in some ways, but not in spirit!

What say you all - shared secrets or shared experiences? Which is more valuable to you?

Evergreen -

For me, it's a combination of both. For example, there are experiences I"ve shared with the sisters from my 'home' chapter. Those experiences are dear to me because they are things that happened with friends. The flip side of that is that I may have never met these women had I not made the decision to go Greek and share the secret parts.

Because I share the secret things (rituals & meanings) with every initiated ZTA, that leads to a commonality that helps when meeting sisters from another chapter. Because of our shared rituals, we know there is a bond between us, even though we haven't met or gotten close.

Granted, not every sister I meet will be a friend, but the concept of sisterhood, our ritual, etc. is strong and that helps to overcome obstacles.

The open motto of ZTA is "Seek the Noblest".

Our creed is:

To realize that within our grasp, in Zeta Tau Alpha, lies the opportunity to learn those things which will ever enrich and ennoble our lives; to be true to ourselves, to those within and without our circle; to think in terms of all mankind and our service in the world; to be steadfast, strong, and clean of heart and mind, remembering that since the thought is father to the deed, only that which we would have manifested in our experience should be entertained in thought; to find satisfaction in being, rather than seeming, thus strengthening in us the higher qualities of the spirit; to prepare for service and learn the nobility of serving, thereby earning the right to be served; to seek understanding that we might gain true wisdom; to look for the good in everyone; to see beauty, with its enriching influence; to be humble in success, and without bitterness in defeat; to have the welfare and harmony of the Fraternity at heart, striving ever to make our lives a symphony of high ideals, devotion to the right, the good, and the true, without a discordant note; remembering always that the foundation precept of Zeta Tau Alpha was love, "the greatest of all things."

What is Farmhouse?? Just curious. Thanks.
Loubell80

Farmhouse is an agriculture fraternity.

I must be the only other DU here on GreekChat....so I guess I'll reply...

I think I can sum up my feelings by saying this...what we lack in secrecy, we make up for in our brotherhood/friendship, our character, our culture, and justice. There's nothing to hide. Just because our rituals and meanings are open, doesn't make them any less important to every one of us; and it doesn't weaken our brotherhood at all. If anything, it makes it that much stronger. We still share the commonality of having gone through our ritual and meanings, but we're free to let others know what we're about and what we believe in!

Plus it was pretty cool having my family and girlfriend to see me get initiated...the most important and greatest day of my life, thus far.

No offense to anyone else...those are just my feelings and part of my reasons why I'm a DU. :)

But anyway! To my knowledge there is another non-secret fraternity out there...but the name escapes me at the moment. I think it was founded in California???? Not too sure though! Maybe someone can help me out on this one???:confused:

The other "non-secret" fraternity is Alpha Kappa Lambda -- it stands for Aletheia Kai Logos, truth and reason. Founded at UC Berkeley in 1914.

In my opinion, Delta Upsilon lacks absolutely nothing in not having secret ritual. I feel that the fact that my fiance can share with me what his fraternity stands for is awesome. In DU, your family and friends can see you get initiated! I think that is wonderful. It is so great for them to be able to fully share what it is that they stand for.

As a side note, I know stuff about the secret fraternities on campus that I shouldn't. Also about the sororities. It is not info I seeked out, just info that people let slip or purposely told about their ritual (handshakes, passwords, why the pin is what it is, etc. for several groups). A lot of the DU's I know feel that people would possibly find out their stuff anyway, since they hear about everyone else's stuff, so even if they had secrets, they would eventually get around like everyone else's. Also, keep in mind that while DU is not a secret fraternity, they are a private fraternity. So they keep what is there business their business. Just because they don't have secret ritual doesn't mean that everything their chapters do is up on a billboard for all to see.

Just my $.02

you hit the proverbial nail on the head, dzsaigirl!

AGDAlum...thanks! now its all coming back to me!

An itneresting discussion.
 

What say you all - shared secrets or shared experiences? Which is more valuable to you?

An interesting topic, evergreen.

The "secrets" of our Sisterhood are the beginning our bond - and the bond ultimately grows stronger from the experiences we share. It's a balance of both "secrets" and experiences, IMO.

I really don't like the word secret. There are aspects of my bond that I would not share with anyone except the iinitiated - but it's not so much "secret" as it's special. If there's no meaning in something, except to me and my Sisters, why would I share it with the ininitiated and make it less meaningful? I wouldn't.

Does that make the special stuff publishable material? :) No, of course not. The way I look at it is this - each family has family traditions. And they're not generally known to anyone unless they're (a) a part of the family (b) very, very close to the family (ex. a close family friend, neighbors that are just like family) or (c) have married into the family.

Not that your family traditions are secret - but what meaning do they really have if you're not in the family?

Additionally, a family's traditions reflect a lot about them - their values, their way of life, their heritage. It really says a lot about them - and a stranger may not appreciate or even understand some family traditions.

My favorite example in all of this are recipes that are family secrets. You don't share the recipe - but of course, you share the food itself. There's a joy in that - you share the best of yourself without compromising your uniqueness. Also, there are lots of families that don't have any special/secret recipes...but they're still a family, and they still have that bond. :)

I know that a whole lot of people will disagree with me, but I don't see the need for secrets. My sorority happens to have secret rituals, etc., so I don't give out that information because I promised not to. But I think it's sort of ridiculous, quite frankly. I do not feel any closer to my "sisters" knowing that we all do the same secret rituals than I would if everyone knew about it. And I feel rather stupid when people, especially my parents, ask me certain things about my sorority and I have to say, "Um, I can't tell you that...it's a secret." Brings me back to my days at junior high...

Re: An itneresting discussion.
 

"My favorite example in all of this are recipes that are family secrets. You don't share the recipe - but of course, you share the food itself. There's a joy in that - you share the best of yourself without compromising your uniqueness."

Thanks equeen... A great example, especially since I love to cook. Now I think I understand!

Evergreen

Why do they (at least the one at MU does) have houses? :confused:
I thought only socials were allowed to.

They are a national social fraternity with an emphasis on agriculture. Same with Alpha Gamma Rho (Ag-men). Triangle is a science/engineering fraternity that is social as well. All are members of the National Inter-fraternity Conference.

Any group can have a house, it's not limited to any particular type of fraternity.

Thanks for clarifying. I learn something new everyday.

If you think keeping our ritual secret is *stupid*, why did you join? If you wanted comraderie without secrets, you could have joined the Young Democrats or something...

I didn't really know what I was getting into when I joined. But now that I'm here, I honor the promise I made. Besides, I'm not politically affiliated. :p

My whole take on this:
There's a lot to be said for shared experiences - that, after all, is why we are close with friends up until the point when we join the Greek system, and why we have friends afterwards and during who aren't in our particular fraternity or sorority. There's no replacement for those, and things you do with those people/memories you have of those people will always create a special bond of sorts that can't be replaced. The guys who I'm particularly tight with in my chapter, I've had those experiences with. Whether it's going out and having a few at a bar together, or helping each other out through girl/family/school/whatever trouble, we have those shared experiences that we can look back on and make us tight. Yes, we're in the same fraternity, but those shared experiences make us even tighter.

However....there's also a lot to be said for the secrets and rituals that make me a Kappa Sigma. Not taking anything away from non-secret societies, but my preference was to join a secret society. It's those secrets, the Kappa Sigma ritual, that makes for a certain type of bond that can't be forged anywhere else, through any other means. It's not necessarily a better or worse bond, just a different one. Even if you're not the best of friends with a person, if I meet someone who is a Kappa Sigma, there's an instant connection the first time we meet. Sometimes, that connection makes for an easier time getting to know each other (talking about like experiences leads to conversation about other topics, thereby getting to know the person better, for example). Sometimes, that may be one of the only connections you have. That bond is still there though, and it's something that I really like - a connection forged over those secrets. It's something to be able to see someone from my chapter at school, and know that we took part in something like the Kappa Sig ritual.

Like I said, that's just my way of thinking. To each their own, if you're happy, that's the main thing, but I'm glad I'm in a secret society.

Collin

KSigKid,

You didn't take anything away from non-secret societies. As a DU, I share a common bond with my brothers as well. Just because other people can see what our ritual is doesn't mean that it isn't unique to myself and my brothers. Others can see our ritual, but they do not experience it first hand.

As DU's, we have an instant connection with brothers we haven't met just like you do. Non-secret or secret, it doesn't affect that aspect.

update: good news!
 

valkyrie and others asked for a reply - here it is!

I investigated PEO Sisterhood, Ceres, etc., but none of them sparked my interest. So, I looked closer to home: Girl Scouts. I'm an adult GS, but my GS Council doesn't have activities for adult members.

So... I checked out websites of neighboring Councils. One of them has adult activities year-round! I just talked to a rep from that Council, and she's sending me all the info. I'll have to drive farther to get to meetings/activities, but it will be worth it.

Thanks to all who replied! Sometimes the answer is right in front of you... or just a few more miles down the road! :)

Evergreen

I don't think that having a secret/private ritual is any better than an open one, just different, like others have said. For me, I can know that wherever I go, if I meet a Sigma Kappa, we already have a bond, a shared experience that makes us closer than strangers. Like KSigKid said, it helps the conversation along.
It's like meeting people who went to your high school, or lived in the same neighborhood that you grew up in. You share a bond that other people wouldn't understand, and it's special to you. I think open GLO's have that same bond: they experienced it, even if others knew about it or got to be there as well.

for me, ritual is a place where you know nothing done there will ever be shared with the outside world. it is the place of ultimate trust b/c all of one's brothers have sworn secrecy, not only of the secrets "of" ritual, but also the secrets "in" ritual.

Well, I guess not anymore. Iowa State has a Farmhouse chapter, and they're no longer an agriculture-based fraternity. They have every majors (I think they're "open" early 1990s).

The only fraternity based on agriculture is Alpha Gamma Rho (Aggers). The majors ranged from Ag E to Holticulture. Hey, but I know a landscape architect major joined the house! :confused:

Alongside AGR, Triangle also concentrate on Engineering and Architecture majors.

FYI ....

Epsilon Sigma Alpha
 

Last month AGD Alum suggested some non-secret sororities for me to check out. Epsilon Sigma Alpha is my top choice, but they don't have a chapter in Pittsburgh.

I've been in contact with ESA HQ, and they asked me if I'd like to start a chapter here. Are there any other GC-ers in Pittsburgh who would be interested in teaming up to do this?

For more info, visit http://www.esaintl.com.

Evergreen

I think I saw the AKL letters (or some similar Greek letters) on a rap video I was watching on MTV the other night, it was called "Atlanta" or something like that. I don't know about DZ's crest thing, but I'm GUESSING that it might be totally in Greek because of a secret meaning....maybe I'll ask my roommate about it. Hey Barbara---how've you been getting along lately? PM me!

Actually, I think PEO may have secrets (and just to remind everyone, Chapter S of PEO became AXD's Beta chapter!)

I don't think the secrets have much to do with our bond. The secrets you learn in initiation are a natural outgrowth of what is public knowledge. Most sororities have a public creed, and their ritual is right in line with it. It's not like you get there and they say, "OK, now you slaughter the sheep and we tell you what we REALLY believe." While we cherish our secrets, and use them as a way to guide our lives, you would find that most sororities secrets consist of ideas like love, sisterhood, goodwill toward mankind, etc.

Now, in one sense of course, the ceremeny of initiation IS a shared experience. I do have fond memories of several of our initiations. But I also remember rushing, hanging out at Club I, sitting around and gabbing, teasing lil B about not knowing how to put on mascara, watching our hilariously bad sewing skills while making learning dolls, crying to my sisters when my boyfriend and I broke up, eating the raisins in Trouble's Raisin Bran, and the excitement of welcoming new sisters. If we were just initiated and that was the end of it - we didn't spend any time together otherwise - the idea of sisterhood wouldn't mean much. It would just be a resume-building chore.

Yes, I suppose DZ's motto is in Greek so it would be harder to figure out. I've actually thought about that before, but even if a non-DZ does translate it (which I've seen done and I'm sure it's
happened a lot), they still don't know the significance of it so in a way, it's still secret. ;)

Actually, I think PEO may have secrets (and just to remind everyone, Chapter S of PEO became AXD's Beta chapter!)

**************
P.E.O. (it's always written with the periods) has a ritual and a
secret motto.

It was founded on January 21, 1869, by 7 women at Iowa Wesleyan College. Pi Beta Phi had established a chapter there in 1868 (its second)--Pi Phi was still I.C. Sorosis in those days, so P.E.O.'s English name was not exceptional. Some of the 7 had been invited to join I.C. and some had not, so they decided to start their own society. Within a few weeks of their founding they had initiated 8 more members.

P.E.O. differed from Pi Beta Phi, Beta Theta Pi, and Phi Delta Theta (all at IWC) in that it did not have a pledge period. Upon accepting an invitation to membership, the woman was initiated. That became problematic with college regulations for fraternal organizations. In 1902 the members of Chapter S asked founder Alice Bird Babb what they should do. "She urged them to join a good sorority, preferably a new one. But no hasty decisions were made. Alpha Xi Delta was considered favorably....and on June 7, 1902, [the members of Chapter S] formed the Beta Chapter of Alpha Xi Delta."

P.E.O. decided from that point on that its chapters would be community, rather than college-based. And thus members of NPC groups, like me, can also be members of P.E.O. (It's neat to meet "double" sisters!)

As of March 1, 2001, P.E.O. has 5,866 active chapters (401 disbanded); 251,870 active members (81,228 inactive). Assets in the general fund and the project funds approx. $54million, plus the assets of Cottey College in Nevada, MO, which P.E.O. owns.