Rechartering and Chapter Name
 

Which groups change the name of a chapter when it is recolonized after leaving campus for a while?

For example, Zeta chapter is on campus, and leaves. 5 years later they come back, and now they are Zeta Deuteron.

Pi Beta Phi does not do this.

Phi Mu does not do this, either. Our Chi Chapter was reinstalled last year.

I can see where the idea comes from -- a fresh start, I'm guessing.

Alpha Delta Pi uses the same chapter designation for a chapter recolonizing, too.

So does Delta Zeta.

Ditto AOII

Theta uses Deuteron after a chapter name.........or they have in the past, though I'm thinking with our latest chapter that has returned to a campus I dont think Deuteron is after their name......but I could be wrong. if any Thetas out there read this please feel free to correct me.

Alpha Chi Omega just uses the regular chapter name if a chapter is rechartered. I know cause my chapter closed in 1969 and was refounded in 1980 and we're still just Beta Lambda.

In APO, the same chapter letters are used, no Deuteron.

In APhiA, SOMETIMES brand new chapter letters are given after a chapter has been dechartered. For example, our Delta Chapter at the University of Toronto was reassigned to Houston-Tillotson College in Texas. When University of Toronto finally got members again, they became Sigma Iota Chapter.

In Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a recolonized chapter uses the same letters as given in the original charter -- no deuteron or other distinguishing designation.

I think from what I've seen in materials Ms. MysticCat has that Kappa Kappa Gamma does use deuteron to indicate a rechartered chapter. (I'm sure a Kappa can and will correct me if I'm wrong about that.)

ZTA uses the same chapter name. If the chapter is never reinstated, those letters are never used again - as new chapters open, we just keep moving through the Greek alphabet.

LXA also uses the original chapter designation as well.

Which is good, because my home chapter is rechartering soon, and will retain their original name, so I still have a "home" to return to for homecoming.

Chapters that are recolonized now do not take the deuteron designation.

As far as I know, the only chapters designated deuteron are Gamma deuteron (Ohio Wesleyan) and Phi Deuteron (Stanford). In both cases, the original letter chapter (Gamma and Phi) were nearby geographically, so I think maybe the new (deuteron) chapter was considered to be an extension of the original chapter.

If Santa grants my wish and I get my Theta history books for Christmas I'll let you know more details.

In general, recolonized chapters of Kappa Alpha Theta re-take their original designation, like Beta Upsilon at British Columbia! :)

AEPhi uses the same chapter name without a distinction. As with ZTA, if a chapter closes and is never reopened, that chapter designation is never used again.

SAI uses the original chapter name, as well.

Alpha Phi uses Deuteron when the chapter is rechartered

You're right. :-)

When Tri Sigma recharters a chapter, they are given their original chapter name....For example, we just rechartered our Delta Omicron chapter at Gettysburg College. They are Delta Omicron once again...I feel we are restoring their glory by giving them their original name :)

Quote:

Alpha Phi uses Deuteron when the chapter is rechartered

This is true for when a chapter's charter is actuallly withdrawn (ie a chapter is closed for some time) However, when Alpha Phi does an immediate re-establishment then no, deuteron is not always added to the chapter's name.

Chapters don't die in Sigma Nu. They go dormant.

When they recharter, the same designation is given back.

Early on in Beta chapters that were closed had their chapter designations reused, so the designations of chapters does not follow the order in which they were founded in the early chapter names. For example, Chapter at the College of William and Mary was the original Alpha Tau chapter of Beta Theta Pi. When they were closed, the chapter at Nebraska (my chapter) was opened and became the Alpha Tau chapter. This is a designation we have held since 1888. We have always been the Alpha Tau chapter during our existence. The reusing of chapter designations was to hide chapter failures from other fraternities and those outside the Beta pale.

Recently, a colony was formed at the College of William and Mary. As a colony, their designation was Alpha Tau ' (AT') or Alpha Tau Prime. Upon getting their charter, they became the Zeta Upsilon of Beta Theta Pi.

Currently, and I'm not sure when the change came about, closed chapters retain their letters and all new chapters are given their designations in order.

Delta G does this too.

<semi-hijack>

There was a big flap about Sigma Nu's Epsilon Theta chapter when they recolonized a few years back.

The original Epsilon Theta chapter had wanted to go coed. They were told they could only go coed if they relinquished their charter - so they did, and became a coed independent living group. They took their Sigma Nu chapter designation, Epsilon Theta, as their new name.

Sigma Nu recolonized in the mid-90s, and Epsilon Theta (the ILG) made a big stink and tried to get Sigma Nu to issue a new chapter designation.

Sigma Nu prevailed, and that chapter is still the Epsilon Theta chapter. Epsilon Theta (the ILG) is also still around.

</semi-hijack>

Why use a different Designation when the Chapter was there?:confused:

They had the designation , been gone for a while! It is the School, where the Chapter was designated. Ergo, when all of the screw ups for what ever reason is gone, then why change the designation!?:confused:

I stand corrected! I was just thinking about one of the chapters in my home state, University of Virginia

DG does keep the same chapter name for recolonized chapters. However, our most recent colonization at Case Western Reserve will be known as Theta Beta. DG was at Case Western (known as Adelbert College then) in the late 1800s as the Theta chapter. So...they are naming this chapter Theta Beta because it is the second chapter on this campus and not Theta because Theta existed on a campus with a different name.

I think they would have done the same if my chapter, Eta, had folded when known as Buchtel College, and recolonized at The University of Akron.

Just a little tidbit of information. Its amazing how much you learn when you attend something for a colonization of another chapter.

Well yeah in these modern times there is little reason not to keep the same designation.

Like I said in my post, early on in many organizations, there was the concern that evidence of a failed chapter was something to be hidden in order to remain "strong" in the eyes of the public and in the ultra competive environment between the various GLO's that existed at the time.

Question: Is it common for colonies to have chapter designations? I always assumed that a colony would just be "Blah School colony" until they were installed, unless a recolonization were taking place.

What's the trend in your GLO?

We used to give the colony whatever chapter designation would be next until a few of them didn't make it. Now it's Blah School Colony.

Exactly the same for D Phi E!

In AEPi chapter letter designations are kept.

Funny because our UChicago chapter was founded in 1923 as Lambda, but went dormant in 1932. When it was re-founded in 1948, however, it was refounded at the Illinois Institute of Technology. In 1990, a colony started again at UChicago so this time they called it Lambda Alpha.

-Rudey
--It was actually refounded once more since then and we have a copy of the 1990 charter with the same LA letters.

Thank you for explaining that because I had wondered why some recolonized chapters use it and some, like Omicron, don't. Officially my chapter is Beta Gamma deuteron but it seems like they don't always list the deuteron because it's cumbersome (i.e - it was dropped off the chapter webpage logo.)

Early in Kappa Alpha Theta, some chapter names were transferred to other schools. If that was the case, and the original chapter came back, a deuteron was added.

For instance, I believe our Phi chapter was originally chartered at the University of the Pacific when it was in San Jose. Then, that chapter closed and Phi was transferred to Stanford when the Stanford chapter was chartered. Then, Stanford forbid all sororities, so that chapter closed. Phi was later reopened at the new University of the Pacific in Stockton. In '79, when Theta came back to Stanford, the new chapter was given the designation Phi deuteron (Phi the second).

At some point in our history, we decided not to reassign chapter names to other campuses, so they stay "saved" should a closed chapter ever reopen. As someone else said, Gamma deuteron is the only other "deuteron" I know of in Theta currently.

It depends on the situation. A re-colonization effort means that they will get their chapter designation back. So our colony at East Carolina is the Epsilon Alpha Colony. New colonizations are only referred to as their school colony.