How/Why did your chapter begin?
 

I don't think I've ever seen this question asked, but why or how did your individual chapter begin?

My chapter was the first sorority on campus. It was started from 2 Delta Sigma Phi little sisters and a TKE little sister-- or maybe the other way around. Either way they were both little sisters, back when they were allowed.

Forgot to mention, when we first were formed we were Kappa Gamma Beta (KGB lol). I think it was after 2 years that we became Phi Mu. If our chapter website wasn't down for formal recruitment construction, I'd know more but this is all I can remember.

An alum on our national foundation had a son attending my school, there was no Sigma Nu chapter. I can't speak for everyone else, but I saw it as a heck of an opportunity. My fraternity is probably one of the larger/better ones in the state. The alumni network is unreal. It also offered something that I didn't find in any of the other houses -- they guaranteed no hazing, and unlike the other chapters at the time, the claim was plausible since I'd be initiated and on the same level as the other colony members within 2 weeks or so of joining.

The national programming was excellent (the LEAD program), and the brotherhood was great. It took us 3 years to get our charter (3 years is a long time to basically be a pledge). Completely worth it though. The chapter's doing really well. It just took home Rock Chapter Honorable Mention meaning that we're on track to essentially being a top-10, chapter.

We were the first fraternity at UMBC. Young campus, it was only about 12 or 13 years old when we got colonized ('79). At the time our chapter was the fastest to charter in our fraternity history, a year and a week.

My chapter's founding fathers were actually the second group of men from our university to petition SAE for a charter. The first group was unsuccessful, though a record of their attempt is still filed in our national archives at HQ. Since over half of our chapter's founders were already connected in some way to SAE, they applied, were recognized as a colony of SAE within 6 months of the local founding date, and got the charter about two and a half years later.

My chapter was chartered in 1862.

I forgot to ask and it's too late now.

I think Tom Earp had something to do with it.

History of my chapter

To make a long story short:

In the spring of 1993, a group of 7 Jewish women approached Panhel about starting a chapter of AEPhi at MIT. Panhel was not prepared to open the campus for expansion at the time (Theta had just colonized a couple of years earlier), but they invited the group to form a local sorority and perhaps petition again at some future date. (I rather suspect the Panhel powers-that-be were hoping they would give up and go away. They didn't know my sisters very well. ;) )

The 7 women proceeded to form a local sorority, Sigma Iota Phi. They held their first recruitment just after formal fall recruitment in 1993; I was a member of that first pledge class.

In 1994 we again petitioned Panhel to become a chapter of an NPC sorority, and this time they allowed us to proceed. We re-approached AEPhi and a match was made. My chapter was chartered in November of 1995.

My chapter filled, and still fills, something of a niche market as an attractive option for female Jewish students - although we are, of course, open to members of all faiths.

My school had had local GLOs for a long time, but about the mid-60's they all started becoming national. My chapter was formerly Delta Theta Pi, a local sorority that was founded back in 1926.

I should mention here there is/was an education sorority with the same or similar name, but it wasn't part of it.

http://www.louisville.edu/ur/ucomm/m...reek/greek.htm (our story is toward the middle of the article.)

Very short version. The Lambda Lambda Chapter of Sigma Chi Fraternity was the first chapter (fraternity or sorority) at The University of Kentucky. Founded in 1893.

For more on the chapter history, please click on the link above, then History then Founding of Lambda Lambda Chapter.

My chapter has a founding history that is quite familiar among fraternities. Several guys at Arkansas State University felt that the existing fraternities didn't quite have what they were searching for in brotherhood. So these guys got together to form an interest group and after looking at three fraternities that had expressed interest in ASU, decided on Sigma Chi. It also helped that Sigma Chi had/has a large number of alumns in Jonesboro, Arkansas (home of ASU) and northeast Arkansas area. The alumns really pitched in to support our founders; even helping to get a house when the colony was only 5 months old. We were the 4th fraternity (of 9 groups) to get a house at ASU (this was the mid- 80's). It took 2 years to get chartered as the Theta Chi chapter of Sigma Chi (Jan. 7, 1987).

Sidenote - One of the well established chapters on campus felt very threatened by our founders and colony. The alumns tell us how the other fraternity, the largest on campus, called our members "The Tri-Lambs", after the group in "Revenge of the Nerds". Well, any of you who have seen the movie know that the Tri-Lambs end up living in the house of the jock fraternity. Guess what, when our chapter outgrew the original house and the 'established/largest' fraternity hit the skids and began losing members right and left; whose house did we end up taking over? Just like in the movie. The once largest group is now one of the smallest on campus and they hate us for taking over their house.

We wanted to get a keg, but nobody had enough money. So we all pitched in so we could get drunk. Thus, my fraternity was born.

Oh DeltAlum!;)

I did the same as many did.

I knew about all of the GLOs at The Pitt. and didnt feel that I fit with them even though I was a Pledge of one. So, I started one, a local.

We were a bunch of mis-fits as one of Our early members wife stated at His Celebration of life at His Death. Yes We were and damn proud of it, We worked harder as mis-fits to prove them wrong. We did!:D

We are not all the same and our Chapters or not the same even though we follow (?) the same rules.

That is what makes us different!

Just a thought, was there a Greek Organization that was not a local so to speak and expanded?

Yes there was and I know of only one.:)

Give me for ifs if You can!!!!

I don't even remember HOW or WHY, just that my chapter used to be Tri-C (Camden Country Club) until they got chartered from TKE in '49. We were the second fraternity to be chartered on the campus of Missouri State, I believe. KA was there before us.

An ADPi from another school came to UCF and founded a local sorority, Delta Pi. At this time, the fraternities still had little sister auxilaries. Most of the Pike little sisters became members of Delta Pi.

Also around this time, Alpha Delta Pi came to UCF and colonized. The effort was supported by the late Mary Esther Van Akin. Mrs. Van Akin stopped a young lady on campus one day and persuaded her that she needed to be a part of ADPi. The student resisted, but Mrs. Van Akin persisted. Zeta Omega of ADPi was chartered in 1982; many of the "Delta Pi" ladies joined. This winter, Zeta Omega chapter celebrates 25 years... and that young lady that adamantly DID NOT want to join a sorority? Mrs. Van Akin must have seen something, because not only did the young woman join, she was elected the first chapter president and was the very first member to be initiated. She has been instrumental on the international level as a vital part of our Housing Corporation Team and is organizing the chapter's quarter century anniversary!

All's well that ends well. Zeta Omega broke ground on its chapter house in 1989, and has consistently held the #1 GPA among sorororities, including last spring when it was the largest chapter on campus (nearly 150 members!).

Ball State FIJI
 

The Beta Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Ball State University, better known as FIJI, was founded on May 1, 1998. A local group of graduates spearheaded by Jon Scott and Edmund Ball (one of Ball brothers for which Ball State is named) orginally attempted to start a chapter in the 1950s, but the the national fraternity did not think Ball State Teachers College was the right place to expand and the request was declined. Then in 1997 Ball State was looking to expand upon its greek system and Phi Gamma Delta was one of several fraternities Ball State was hoping to attract. Headquarters' staff along with local graduates including Edmund Ball and the son of Jon Scott, Jack Scott, started recruiting members in the Spring of 1998. On May 1, 1998, 150 years after its founding, Phi Gamma Delta pinned 20 pledges to start the colony at Ball State. The chapter went on to become the first to put together an electronic petition for chartering, and was granted its charter on February 24, 2001. The next big step for Beta Sigma FIJI was announced at the five year anniversary dinner. Beta Sigma FIJI will be moving into a new house on fraternity row formally occupied by Beta Theta Pi and built in 1995.

Wow, what a history time line!

It is a very neat insight into Fiji History at Ball State!:)

1998 is sounding so old now isnt it?:confused:

I always thought this as a good story. How Pi Kappa Alpha came to the University of Florida in 1904:

"On a clear, cool November night a week before Thanksgiving in 1904, the new Head Football Coach at the University of Florida surrounded himself with a carefully selected assembly of young men. They gathered on the second floor of the old Blue Goose Inn in Lake City for the purpose of founding a chapter of Coach Marvin O. Bridges's college fraternity: Pi Kappa Alpha. Bridges, an initiate of Rho Chapter at Cumberland University , is the father of modern football at the University. That night of November 17th, 1904, Coach Bridges organized and inspired the eleven undergraduates who were to form the core of Alpha Eta Chapter. The fellowship included Bridges's two younger brothers Bernard ‘04 and Benjamin '04. Bernard was Captain of Florida's football team."

my chapter was founded at hunter college but was then expanded to all the colleges in the NYC area. thats all for now, but if you think chapter operations are hectic for just one school, imagine for 100+ colleges!

This is the history of my chapter, though unfortunately Alpha Alpha is now defunct at Oklahoma.

http://www.ou.edu/student/greek/alph...aa_history.htm

LOL, just look at some of the bigger NIC GLOs and then think about it?

But, 100 + is also very tough to run and depending how far across the country they are makes it even tougher doesint it?:)

To make a long story short, the Greek system was just beginning to build up at my school after an absence. Two Kappa Sigs who had transferred decided the time was right for a chapter at the school - within a few months, a colony was formed, a little over a year after that, the Mu Psi chapter was born.

My chapter was local for about a day. We were the first NPC on campus, although there were several locals and little sister groups around on and off for several years, but in September, 1976 we were born.

There's a super old scrapbook in our house, from the late 70s before any other NPC groups expanded to Gannon, and there's pictures from Greek Week. It's kinda neat to see my Alpha Gam sisters competing by themselves against... all men. Actually, it's pretty hilarious, especially since there was a caption to the effect of "Once again, the TKEs feel like they have to rub it in our faces that they won and we came in dead last." Of course that could just be funny to me because the TKEs have been known to break into our house and steal all our Greek Week trophies... a 30 year old rivalry continues.

I founded my chapter, with the help of 7 other friends. I was attending a university with virtually no Greek Life except for one or two MCGLO's, a local or two, and APO.

I had wanted to be a part of Greek Life since I can remember, and since my friends and I really didn't feel comfortable in any of the organizations on campus, we decided to charter our chapter of Phi Beta Psi.

We also all really liked what Phi Beta Psi stood for and why they exist. For those of you who don't know, Phi Beta Psi's core mission is to raise money for cancer research, and all of the Founding Sisters of my chapter were touched by cancer in some way.

The CHPATER got there on 17 November 2001 because we were iniatied the night before and were a colony before that. The people in the colony were succesful I guess in getting us to that point, but they didn't do anything after to ensure the survival or success of the chapter so my pledge class and the one before us are also Founding Fathers.

"Super old?" :eek: ;)

In the fall of 1990, after being dissatisfied with the rush options available to him, Nick DeFina went to the university's student life office and asked how to start a fraternity. There he was handed a copy of Baird's and was told that DePaul had no formal means to bring another group on campus, save the Greek Council giving that group membership. He proceeded to do 2 things - recruit men to join his cause and send letters to every NIC fraternity in the country. Of the 50 letters he sent out, only 15 of them were interested in colonizing what was considered a "commuter school". Of the 15, DeFina's group, of which I was the 3 member, started looking into each group so we could make a decision as to what group we wanted to join.

In January of 1991, we narrowed it down to 3 groups - SAE, Phi Kappa Psi and ATO. We sent letters back to those three groups and asked for more information. 2 of those groups sent us more forms and requests for more information, Phi Psi sent a consultant, S. Michael Wallen, who came to us and explained everything that was expected of us and what we could expect from them if we decided to be Phi Psis. We had a meeting in a room in Seton Hall 320 and decided amongst the 12 of us that Phi Kappa Psi was for us.

On a rainy April 20, 1991, after we played intramural floor hockey, the 12 founders of the IL Zeta Colony were affirmed as provisional members of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. It took 2.5 years, but, after meeting the 10 obligations of membership and submitting a chartering petition, we received our Chapter Charter on October 9, 1993 with 29 Founding Brothers, 7 of whom were Colony Founders. In the 12 years since, IL Zeta has grown to be the largest (over 200 total initiates) and most influential group on campus and, to its credit, can be responsible for the decision of other groups to follow and colonize on our campus.

Live ever, Die never!
V et V

Ten women founded Tau Delta Sorority as the Tomo Dachi Club at Otterbein College in 1915. Greek life was forbidden at the time, so literary clubs were formed using names unique to each organization, with most retaining their original club name in some form to this day. Tomo Dachi became Tau Delta in 1921, when the ban on Greeks was lifted. Due to changing culture and declines in enrollment, the number of chapters and size of chapters fluxuated over the years, and Tau Delta was no exception. The sorority went inactive several times, but was sucessfully refounded in 1989 by 5 awesome women (hey, I'm biased). The sorority as it exists today is the product of this refounding, backed by the spirit of our 1915 start and 1921 founding.

We are thrilled to be celebrating 85 years of sisterhood this fall! :) Local all the way

That happens a lot. Some organizations make it so difficult to obtain that damned charter that oftentimes, founders will get that piece of paper and say to themselves "I'm done."

I will even go so far as to admit that we probably had what I would call a 1 year hangover after getting that charter. It took some new blood to come in and get things moving again.

My chapter was the first sorority at the University of Rochester. We were chartered in 1978, over 75 years after women were admitted to the school. (For those of you who don't know the story... the U of R was an all male institution until Susan B. Anthony cashed in her life insurance policy to pay $10,000 to the school, forcing them to admit women). Even after women were admitted, sororities were still not allowed (fraternities have been there since 1850) because there was some silly codicil in an endowment that said that sororities could not be housed "on campus." After countless years and many complaints, the university finally came up with a plan: sororities were allowed, but they could not be housed on the ground floor of any building. They had to live on the upper floors, so they are not technically "on campus." Sounds silly, but it worked! They kept the endowment, and now there are 6 NPC and 2 NPHC sororities and a few MCGLO's.

We were a little sister program that still wanted to continue after they banned them on campus. So they made a sorority and kept on partying away. At least until they realized that they needed to get serious. I find it to be the highest compliment when an older member finds one of the current members and tells her how proud and surprised she is that we are doing so well, despite our party girl past. We still have our moments (and who doesn't) but at least we have a system and method to the madness.

I was at BSU during this time period, but I think one fact might be a bit off, Edmund Ball's father and brothers are who BSU was named for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_Brothers. The elder Edmund Ball passed away in 1925. I had the pleasure of knowing the younger Mr. Ball from my time at BSU when he would come into the YMCA I worked at to swim every afternoon well into his 80's and 90's. He always took time out of his day to speak to everyone he encountered. He learned to fly planes and climbs mountains during his later life and never knew a stranger. He was a true gentleman and one whom I know I, personally, greatly miss.

APhiA:
Long story short.....from 1907 to 1923, alumni of Beta Chapter (Howard University) just kinda hung around the chapter and helped out. Finally, in 1923, they decided it would be better to have their own alumni chapter: Mu Lambda, the 12th alumni chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha.

Among the 19 charter members are two founders (Jewels), noted historian and past General President Charles H. Wesley, and Charles Hamilton Houston, civil rights lawyer and mentor of Thurgood Marshall. Activists Belford Lawson and Rayford Logan, former Mayor of DC Marion Barry, and Ambassador Horace Dawson have all been affiliated with Mu Lambda.

APO:
Mu Alpha Chapter at Georgetown University was founded fifty years ago by John Buckley, a transfer student from Florida State University. That's pretty much it, lol. Brothers include Bill Clinton and Ambassador Maura Harty.

p.s. my chapter just turned 68 - go 'head Alpha Pi!

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