A question for Pitt Sorority Girls ;)
 

Hey you wonderful Pitt People! I was just doing some early morning thinking (my job has *such* wonderful hours :rolleyes: )

Do you know if your Panhellenic is thinking of expansion any time soon? Is there enough interest on campus for another organization? I would love to see Phi Sigma Sigma get their Iota chapter back! If you hear about expansion at all.... put in a good word for us! :)

I doubt that they'll be talking expansion anytime in the very near future.... This is the first year that numbers have gone up, but there's still several houses that are still at least 20 girls away from total.

If they did decide, it would probably be Kappa Alpha Theta, because they still have a house here (they rent half of it to KKG). They shut down the year that I rushed due to low numbers. One of my new law school friends is a KAT advisor to the chapter up the road at Carnegie Mellon, and she said that they'd really like to recolonize at Pitt once the 5 years are up. I'm not sure, but they might have some arrangement with Pitt- they let Pitt house students in the KAT house when they run out of rooms on campus.

There have been so many sororities at Pitt over the years it seems. Question for anyone who might know (KillarneyRose? anybody else)- who has been at Pitt but isn't there now.
Who's Here Now:
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Zeta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sigma Delta Tau
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Theta Phi Alpha

How has been here and when they closed:
Kappa Alpha Theta (1999)
Phi Sigma Sigma (????)

I know there's a lot more.

The 11 Danielle listed plus Theta are the sororities at Pitt back when I was there.

I actually have a slightly different spin on the idea of expansion there. I think it could be good because it would draw attention to sorority life.

My junior year (maybe senior; can't quite remember!) Kappa Alpha Theta recolonized and interest was huge. They easily took ceiling (55 back then) and continued to be very strong for a few years after that. Because of the hoopla surrounding that, rush numbers went up for awhile so it benefited everyone.


I was already graduated when Sigma Sigma Sigma recolonized a few years later, but if I recall there was a surge in rush numbers after that as well.

I'm going to have to agree with kddani. I think if they ever did recolonize it would be KAT if not strictly for the housing situation as pitt has a bit of a student housing problem.

I also agree with kddani about the numbers. There are 11 sororities ranging in size from 78+ girls to 29. But who knows, maybe some fresh blood would be nice for pitt. On a side note, we found an alumna from 1938 who is going to give us some of our history that we have lost, so kddani, I'll ask if she knows anything about you all and about what other sororities were on the campus!!

However, and here is a question for kddani, do you think that KAT would have to abide by the policy for the fraternities where they cannot be recognized as a house now? Just a thought. But AngelPhiSig I'll mention it to my girls if it is ever brought up!!!

I think that they'd be sorta grandfathered in...... and since KKG is in the half of the house (they rent it off of KAT I believe) I don't think it would matter much to Pitt. Although i'd love to see these actual pitt "rules" for the fraternities, etc. They've just always sounded bizarre.

I think KAT also has a "scratch my back i'll scratch yours" thing going on with Pitt by letting them use their space to help ease the housing crunch.

Although KillarneyRose has a good point about new interest. It would be interesting to see.

fire1977, that's pretty cool to find that old of an alumna!

I thought that about the "scratch my back" thing, and I agree that you are probably correct. It would be nice to see something new on campus though.

As far as the fraternity rules. I know the one about the houses just came around in the last three years. I agree that they are really dumb!!!

Please be gentle and not call me old here...! Seriously, I was the chapter historian who really read up on the old stuff:

Phi Sigma Sigma's last year was 1973 or 1974. They were on the 6th floor, and it became the "spill-over" floor for the larger chapters who didn't have enough room for as many sisters who wanted to live there (mostly Tri-Delts & ADPis at the time).

Tri Sigma came next, and took over the 6th floor. The same year, DPhiE pretty much went under.

Kappa Delta came on campus - Theta Phi Alpha went under.

Theta Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Theta, Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Phi Epsilon, and heaven knows who else have re-colonized in the past 20 years to stay on campus.

FWIW, as much as I hate NOT having more sororities at Pitt, (and still can't get over Theta's demise!), it always seems that bringing in a new sorority rings the death knell for another. I would have to see at least 3/4 of the chapters making quota during formal rush, and the rest doing better at COB before I'd be in a hurry to interview a new sorority. And yes, with Kappa Alpha Theta having a house & all, they really should get first shot at it.

As we were preparing for our 150th anniversary last year, I noticed that Zeta Tau Alpha was at Pitt at one time, too - and got to meet an older alumna and the founder of the Pitt ADPi chapter. I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting. I did heard some cool stories - like that Shirley Jones (Partridge Family) used to live in the ADPi house, and the one alumna has a picture of her in her bra & panties on the upstairs phone! :)

honeychile

I'm not surprised. I know some of the albums that we have only have like 4 girls. I really think that the sororities have different periods of success and loss. Honeychile, I'm just curious to know who lived where. I know that we shared a suite with Kappa Delta for a period of time (as a matter of fact it's the "green" end).

I believe currently that there are 6 at or above ceiling with another one hovering pretty closely and then 4 that are at 40 and below.

I know that some of the houses would rather raise ceiling than bring another sorority in. Personally I'd like to see everyone doing fairly well before either of those options. Although I do have to say that I think there were 22 women who didn't get bids during formal recruitment, not counting the girls who dropped out. I know that we have to have 25 to start a colony, soooo......

Thanks for the info Honeychile! I have a question if you don't mind me asking, when were you at pitt??? I just wanted to know in case you knew how I got my screenname? :cool:

I know that when the sororities were forced into Amos Hall, there was a lottery to decide who got what suite. ADPi won, and we took the Penthouse (10). I don't know how the others came in the lottery, but as I remember it, the floors were:
10- ADPi
9- Tri-Delta
8- Sigma Delta Tau (formal end only)
7- Theta Phi Alpha (formal end only), then KD
6- Tri-Sigma (formal end only, mostly Tri-Delts & ADPi's on the other side) (formal side WAS Phi Sigma)
5- AEPhi (formal end only, mostly Chi-O's on the other side)
4- Chi-O
3- Delta Phi Epsilon (formal end only, mostly DZ's on the other side)
2- Delta Zeta

Our founder was alive until fairly recently, and she gave us some of the scoops of how things went. Our house was on Bigelow Blvd, where the medical building/parking garage for the Holiday Inn is now. We still have the light from the front of the house, but don't use it.

The Kappas & the Thetas had already started building their house when the big change went into effect (that's why they didn't live in Amos), and even in the suites, they still had to have a housemother! She usually lived in the room(s) off the kitchen, but it was different for each sorority. There was a service elevator in the stairwell (the stairwell is much different from when I was there), and it was bigger than the other elevator. It was shut down in the early 1970's, but you could have larger pieces of furniture brought up on it! It was also open for moving in, I understand. Oh, everyone also had a locker in the basement, for storage. It was around 1977 that everyone had to give that up.

Every dorm on campus had a large portrait of whomever it was named after, ie: Miss Amos (Dean of Women at one point, I think).

I have floor plans of Amos Hall from when it was built, and will be giving one that was changed to ADPi 1960-1980 in the next month or so. If I can figure out how to scan & send it, I'll try to do so, if anyone wants it. I can be a geek about stuff like that!



honeychile

Honeychile you are my new hero!!!!lol
You are a wealth of information!!!

Speaking of Pitt sororities, does anyone know how things are going with the colony/chapter of Theta Nu Xi on campus?

I'm unfamiliar with this GLO. I just looked under the GLO directory and it wasn't listed. Any information?

honeychile

I may have gotten the letters mixed up, but the sorority I am referring to is a multicultural GLO that has a few (from the looks of their websites, very successful) chapters. I am not sure what their main webpage is though. :( There was a thread a few months ago about their wanting to come to Pitt, and someone may have listed more info on there.

Okay I am reviving a crusty thread here.....
I was at the library with my boyfriend and as I had nothing to do I looked up the old baird's manuals, the latest being in 1960 something. Anyway it looks that besides the 11 they have now and Theta I believe we have had....

Alpha Xi Delta - Alpha Alpha Chapter in 1918 to 1935(?)
Beta Sigma Omicron - Alpha Tau chapter 1930-1964 (merged with Zeta)
Phi Mu - Beta Theta in 1920-1933(?)
Phi Sigma Sigma - Iota - 1924 or 1923
Pi Beta Phi - (this was listed diff. than the others) Pennsylvania Delta 1918-1931(?)
Zeta Tau Alpha - Chi - 1915 -?

as far as theta nu xi moxie, I haven't heard anything yet.

Now that you mention it, fire1977, I know that Alpha Xi Delta WAS on one of Pitt's "other" campuses - I think Johnstown. I had a good friend who transfered to main campus, and was crushed to be out of the sorority loop!

The others, well, that's just cool! Is Baird's still published? I've only ever seen the ancient copy we used to have.

And, to those who wanted a copy of the floor plan, I wasn't able to scan it properly. If someone has a fax number, I'll fax it to you.

honeychile

I know one that I looked at had (Johnstown) listed separately. It seemed as though it was there, but I could be wrong. I only had a little bit of time and I was trying to get as much info as possible! Who knows, I like to speculate!!!!

I was cleaning out my subscription list (I had no idea how many threads I was subscribed to! :eek: ), and came across this one. With Baird's in hand (well, in lap) these additions to the above:

Zeta Tau Alpha: 1915-1965 (where was it from 1960-65?)
Phi Mu: 1920-61
Phi Sigma Sigma: 1924-1974

I'm guessing that ZTA & Phi Mu met their demise when they didn't get into Amos, or have the brand new townhouse that the Kappas & Thetas had (all in 1960-61, I think). Also, in old yearbooks (My mother keeps inheriting these things! She didn't even go to Pitt!), it talks about sororities being housed in Ruskin Hall! I've never even been in there, but it would be interesting to see old photos of it, from a sorority point of view.

BTW: note the date. Pitt's Recruitment Schedule is STILL not posted! The only way it's even given a nod is here!

And HC, Alpha Xi Delta did have a chapter at Pitt and at Pitt-Johnstown.

Pitt: Alpha Alpha 1918-1935
P-J: Zeta Kappa 1973-1979

ZTA (Chi chapter) 1915-1965
Phi Mu (?Designation?) 1920-1961
Pi Beta Phi (PA Delta) 1918-1931

It's really funny, about my mother's yearbook "collection"! When she first started her business, she would make home visits, and a dentist gave her all of his and his sons' yearbooks - and a dental drill from the 1800's (with a peddle, like old fashioned sewing machines)! From there, people started getting the idea that she liked yearbooks, and she must have about 40 or 50, mostly from Pitt - one has her mother in it, with the other Kappas.

We know that two other greataunts were in sororities at PSU in the 1920's, and that one was a fraternity sweetheart. I'd LOVE to see that one!

But it does give you a great history of a school, and it's interesting to see things in photos of houses that you know are still around! When I was in school, we had to be able to show people exactly where our house was, and know that the TriDeltas were next door. Interesting, as the TriDeltas live just below the ADPis now!

Hmm... sorry about the double post, but it wouldn't let me edit!

Pitt-Johnstown has only ever had four sororities:
Delta Zeta: 1972-
Alpha Gamma Delta: 1982-
Alpha Xi Delta: 1973-1979
Phi Sigma Sigma: colony in 1990, I don't know anything further.

So, ZTA, Phi Mu (Beta Theta Chapter), and Phi Beta Phi were all on main campus.

Yes - sorry - that is what I meant. I wasn't clear about that. I was only clarifying the Alpha Xi Delta campus information, and adding that the other NPCs had inactive chapters at regular Pitt.

Alpha Sigma Alpha has been at UPJ since 1987. They were responsible for the lifting of the moratorium on new sororities. Phi Sig has been a chapter since 1991. The DZ chapter closed around 2002-2003.

Plus, Omega Alpha Tau and another local sorority (whose name I can't remember and who I believe turned into the Phi Sig chapter, but don't quote me on that) predated the nationals. AFAIK Omega is still around.

Basically UPJ and Pitt (not to mention UPB) have nothing to do with each other as far as Greek life is concerned - it's like comparing Pitt and Lehigh.

Thanks for the update. The ideal situation would have been UPJ & UPB having the same chapters are main campus, and feed into them. It just never seemed to work, though - at least, afaik.

Did more people used to transfer from UPJ and the other Pitt branch campuses to main campus? Very very few do nowadays. It's not like the Penn State system where people can't get into main campus, go to a branch, then try to transfer to main. They are very separate.

UPB is tiny... I don't know how they could even sustain greek life. And UPB is SO far away from main campus (which I learned when I had to drive to Bradford for work)- we're talking 4 hours! Chapters certainly couldn't get together on any sort of basis. Even UPJ is 2 hours away.

I've gotta wander up to the UPJ campus next time i'm in Johnstown with a bit of free time. I'm assuming there's no sorority houses, that they're in dorms or something?

Feeding sounds ideal but doesn't always work. Anymore than you could expect, like I said, your chapter at Lehigh to feed into your chapter at Pitt. It's two different entities, two different groups of people doing membership selection (I'm sure you see where this is going). We have some of our girls from Penn State Behrend transfer into our chapter at Penn State Main, but it's by no means a "feeder chapter." They are two completely separate things. I'm sure GPB will discover the same thing w/ having a chapter at Penn State Altoona and main.

Dani you're right, UPJ is a 4 year school. It isn't a "branch" like Penn State New Ken or something. PSU Altoona & Behrend are the same way (Behrend has been for a long time, Altoona in the last 5 years or so).

UPB has local sororities.

UPJ has lodges which are really nice. http://www.upj.pitt.edu/resources/im...2_008_w240.jpg

There used to be 4-5 satellite campuses for Pitt, all of them only 2-year schools, then UPJ became 4 years. From what y'all say, I suppose Bradford is 4 years, too? That used to be the "my grades are so bad, I can't even get into a community college" school!

Well, there's Johnstown, Greensburg, Bradford and Titusville (affectionately referred to by my little as Pitt at Tit). According to Pitt's website, they are all 4 year except Titusville.

UPJ has been 4 year as long as I can remember, as a matter of fact (and fuzzie would probably say the same) there were people from my HS who transferred from Pitt Main back to UPJ.

I'm not surprised!! UPJ is gorgeous. I almost went there, but in a flash of brilliance, I realized that I shouldn't choose a college for its scenic view.:p

That didn't have anything to do with it - it was because it was closer to home.

The campus is nice and all, but I hate the way all the buildings are all the same age and look exactly alike.

I'll admit it - Johnstown freaks me out! I get very claustrophobic there, but I'm sure it's psychosymatic. The only reason I see going there is to see the Slap Shot sites!

Well, there's downtown Johnstown, and then there's Richland Township (where UPJ is)...the two are very different...kinda like downtown Pgh & Robinson Twp.

I think everyone has been to Johnstown for something. I went there for a play when I was a junior in high school (AIM fieldtrip). I decided there and then I didn't like it there. I went to good ole SRU instead! Have you ever noticed that most Pittsburgh people tend to go to school in and around Pittsburgh? At SRU, I had 15 people from my high school there. Maybe it's just me! :)
Hugs
Jamie

And this, my friend, is the EXACT reason I chose a school out of state! I needed to get away from here to appreciate it more. But you ARE right, quite a few people do go to school close by/ commuter distance.

My plan was to go to Pitt for one year, then transfer to William & Mary, where I had a full scholarship. My parents, in their wisdom, thought that, at 16 years old, I was too young to go away to school, so that was the compromise.

I've called Pitt grades 13, 14, 15, and 16 several times.

Seniors from my high school always go in alternating waves to Pitt or Penn State... one year, EVERYONE picks Pitt, the next, EVERYONE picks Penn State (This year happened to be Pitt's :)).

I thought I'd hate seeing so many familiar faces at college, but some of my best friends now are kids from my high school class that ended up at PSU with me. Ahh, the irony!

I agree, Honey! Not in a malicious manner, either. It's just amazing that, in a school the size of Pitt, I'd always keep running into the same people over and over. I liked it.

My parents live in NY State - really close to Bradford. Actually, I bought my car in Bradford. That 4 hr drive kills me.

I'm starting at Pitt in the fall... I'm excited.

This post is so pointless, but I'm posting it anyway. I need to get a life hehe.

UPJ Sororities at Pitt
 

When I attended Pitt in the mid 70's, Delta Zeta was the only national sorority that had a chapter at both Pitt and UPJ. Due to Panhellenic rules regarding quota and total, we were not permitted to add their actives to our chapter or else we would have had to take less pledges, since our chapter was already at total (which back then = 50 + seniors). As a result, we tried to include their 5-6 sisters who were transfers in some of our events, but they were unable to affiliate as active members.
There was a fraternity at the time that was almost all UPJ transfers called Delta Sigma Chi. They were a local, but were one of the largest and most popular fraternities on campus. Their house was located on Forbes Avenue and was actually on the Carnegie Mellon campus. I was sad to hear that their chapter folded sometime in the 80's. They would have made a great group for a national fraternity to colonize, but I believe some of the members thought that they could maintain without doing that. I guess it didn't work.

LampLady

It must have folded in the early '80s as it was not on the Carnegie Mellon campus when I arrived as a freshman in '83.

Delta Sigma Chi is still active at UPJ, however I don't think they're the third oldest local in the USA (where do people come up with these things??).

http://www.upj.pitt.edu/internet/Tem....aspx?pid=1004