Kappa Gamma at SCSU
 

Hi im a student at southern connecticut state univ and ive been looking into the greek life on the campus they have 3 sororities one national delta phi epsilon and 2 local omega zeta pi and kappa gamma. Im not sure this is the right spot for the thread but im wondering about kappa gamma they seem to be very similar to the npc sorority kappa kappa gamma (same color and badge) and they say they are looking to affiliate with kkg. . . i guess what im asking is are they like a local immitation of kkg because i kind of feel that they arent that individual and also i was wondering if any framiliar with kkg knows anything about this local sorority affiliating with kkg. . . any help on this would be really appreciated. . . . Thank you!!!

According to Kappa Kappa Gamma HQ website the only active chapters of Kappa in Connecticut are at the schools listed below:

Connecticut, University of
Trinity College
Yale University

There are also no listed colonies of Kappa at SCSU.

If a group is calling itself "kappa gamma" and has the same colors/symbols/etc, then yea, I'd say they were about as real as a fake Fendi bag.

I'm not sure why or how they could be using the same badge as KKG because those are only purchased through HQ's in most all of the GLOs.

I know "they" say "imitation is the highest form of flattery".. but really.. so sad they couldn't come up with their own stuff. It might be that they want to affiliate with KKG, but haven't... even then, if I were part of their HQ, I'd be really turned off by the copy cat thing.

ETA: I just checked irishpipe's NPC/school listing and it doesn't look like Kappa ever even existed at this school, so it's not like they are a bunch of girls who used to be Kappas before the chapter closed or something.

There is a picture on the SCSU TKE chapter's website of a girl wearing a pin that looks very similar to the Kappa key. http://www.southernct.edu/clubs/tke/...pastsweetheart Look at the 2003 sweetheart.

Wow.

That is scarily similar... and lo and behold, she is "Secretary and Sgt. of Arms of Kappa Gamma."

Hmmmm

Didn't we used to have a copy cat Sigma Kappa local one time? I remember that thread made me giggle....

I guess if they really did want to copy-cat they could have a local jeweler make pins that resembled the Kappa Keys... but that's a little hard-core if you ask me ;)

Thank you the more i research greek life at scsu the more i think its a bit of a farce dphie seems really strong and legit ut apparently the other sorority omega zeta pi is known for lots of hazing and a slogan that stands for no ugly people allowed. . . as for kappa gamma are they allowed to be modeled that close to an npc i thought there were like trademarks and things like that???

I can't say that I blame you for not wanting to be part of an organization whose motto is 'No Ugly People Allowed'... even in French or any other language that is kinda mean :)

Regarding groups who closely mimic national organiations, I am pretty sure that is unlawful. There are a couple of groups (Sigma Kappa, and Alpha Xi Delta to name a few) that have had locals using their name/symbols/etc and I'm sure the national orgs do take action against them in some form or fashion because they need to protect their name.

If for example, this Kappa Gamma group was a bunch of booze-drinking, hazing lunatics, they are giving Kappa Kappa Gamma a bad name because they are using their name/symbols/etc and may be falsly representing the national organization. I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know how that works, but I would imagine someone at Kappa Gamma needs a stern talkin' to ;)

As you did say, go to the Un. Web Site and check out who is on campus!:)

I also find something wrong if you are a student and do not know about the GLOs there?:confused:

There isn't anything wrong with being a student and not knowing the groups. Not everyone comes from a background to know one GLO from another.

That's why she is checking them out because she may be interested.

I kno who is on campus and i kno a decent bit about the sororities but i just wasnt sure about kappa gamma and im the kind of person who before i decide to commit to something like to make sure im well informed so i figured it throw it out on gc what my suspicions were and see if any one had any input. . . also i found their myspace which syas their like changing and are going to have new colors and symbol and bdage and everything which i guess could be good but im not sure how i feel about a sorority up and changing everything about it. . .

Beta Epsilon/Delta Xi Omega at Eastern Washington was the copycat SK. Per their website, it looks like they've chosen new symbols to stand out.

To the OP, at this point I'd suggest that you let the KKGs handle it. I'm sure that this thread will likely alert their members to contact KKG HQ to investigate whether or not their symbols are being swiped. I'm pretty sure there are KKG HQ officials already here who lurk the boards as well. ;)

Wasn't there another one? SKEPi?

I'm not sure if that actually got off the ground. I know its original name was the "Sisterhood of Mount Ida," but cristinasmile never stuck around long enough to let us know what happened. She chose SKEPi, but she got so much shit for it here, so I don't know. (My memory's not working well today)

I went to the SCSU website - while Kappa Gamma is listed in the student organizations, it is not listed under the sororities. Also, the link from the student org. site does not work. Hmmmm . . . .

Badge with key, blue & blue, In-ter-est-ing....

ETA: and an email with all of these links and info has been passed on to those that need to know. I'm sure there are big Kappas who will find it just as interesting as we all do.

... and hats that say "Kappa"

http://community.webshots.com/user/kappagammasisters

You can totally see the right half of a key here on their shield: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...58690019MvRceQ

Looks like their Alpha Class happened in 2001.

ETA: I wonder if their official website isn't working because action has already been taken against them? Their listing on the campus website seems as if it hasn't been updated in over a year.

Here's a myspace page of an alum: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endid=13116451

Warning: background will hurt your eyes.

They have pictures from NGLA up on their webshots, so my guess is that Kappa has to at least be aware of their existence.

My guess is that they already were, but if they weren't, they are now.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with Kappa Kappa Gamma. The following is my own opinion, gut feeling, or hunch, and may be wrong.

I checked Southern Connecticut State U's "profile" in U.S. News and World Report's handy listings, and it doesn't look like the kind of institution that I would immediately think Kappa Kappa Gamma would be strongly interested in colonizing if it opened for more NPCs.

As I said, though, that's just me. Who knows.

^^ I think there is zero chance that this is a colony since they have been there since 2001 and KKG has never announced it as a colony.

Right, skylark, I knew it wasn't a colony. I meant that in my opinion it's not likely that Kappa Kappa Gamma would put a high priority on colonizing at Southern Connecticut State.

What confused me was that the sisters talk about affiliating with kkg like its an easy thing to do i got the impression that they just went to kkg and said they wanna be a chapter and if they decided to do it then it would happen. . . But from everything ive read on this site it seems like its actually a huge process to charter an npc so is it as easy as they make it seem or is it mostly talk. . . also they have a myspace its www.myspace.com/kappagammasisters. . . .

I never intened to start any trouble for the sorority with this post im just trying to make an informed decision about greek life

Ok, first, what's with the chica in the full-length fur coat?!? Part of her college wardrobe?!?!?? Lordamighty.

And second, wow, those lettered hoodies could not be MORE of a ripoff of KKG if they tried.

I assume they'll be hearing from Kappa KAPPA Gamma HQ very soon if they haven't already...

IF they ever thought they'd like to have Kappa Kappa Gamma come to campus and take them - I'd think they have pretty much blown it.

It looks like they were dressed up in costumes for 101 Dalmations. Like I'm sure YOU never dressed up in a silly costume for a theme party or Greek Week event...:rolleyes:

Their myspace page says they are changing their symbols and badge. So I'm sure that they've been clued in to the fact that they are copying another GLO. Move on, people...

I don't know that they "needed" to be clued in. They have been (at least according to the OP) telling people they are affiliating with KKG which is not true.. so they were basically mimicing them knowing full and well that everything was copied.

I would imagine that their local website is not working because KKG may have already contacted them maybe in the recent past? And it's possible that is also why they are changing things about their org.


....and I think if Furcoat Girl would have at least used that costume hair color spray to make half of her head white it would have been a little more obvious (the whole 101 Dalmations thing). Maybe it's my contacts being crazy, or my small computer screen... but I didn't even see the other's costumes until you pointed that out :)

It's not unheard of for a local group to form with the goal of becoming a chapter of a national org. My own chapter started out as a local sorority - they wanted to affiliate with AEPhi from the start, but the campus wasn't open to expansion at the time. When Panhel did open the campus for expansion, then we were able to become part of AEPhi.

Kappa Gamma went astray, though, when they selected letters, colors, and symbols so similar to those of Kappa Kappa Gamma as to be nearly indistinguishable, and when they stated that they were definitely affiliating with KKG. KKG may not even be interested in colonizing at SCSU!

It's a bit like a PNM showing up to recruitment dressed head to toe in the colors of one particular sorority and saying things like, "WHEN I am an XYZ..." Offputting, to say the least.

It says that, but it also says they were doing that in fall of 2007, and according to the OP, the group is still touting themselves as a potential interest group of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Until they publicly change their image, symbols, colors, etc... I won't move on. It's not fair to us who are sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma to see another group appropriating these things that have great meaning to the fraternity. Likewise, it's not fair to local groups, such as yours, who have worked hard on your own symbols and meanings.

Totally agree. At my first university, there was a local formed with the intent to eventually affiliate with a NPC. They did not, however, hone in on one NPC org and literally copy everything about them :) They chose their own name/symbols/colors etc even though they were in existance for only a short time before becoming a colony of a NPC.

There was another local on that same campus whose local name started with the letter Zeta and went by the nickname of "Zeta" around campus. When the school finally did agree to bring on NPCs, they wanted ZTA sooooooooo bad just so they could still be called the "Zetas" :rolleyes:. ZTA did not choose to even present when the campus was opened.. but they happily joined another NPC. :)

And that's why I don't like the idea of aligning yourself with a NPC before they decide they want YOU. The Delta Gamma chapter at Texas State started out when a group of Sigma Chi little sisters decided they wanted to form an interest group to become a colony of Delta Delta Delta - which had no interest in TX State. You don't want to look like you aren't 100% excited for the NPC who IS interested in your campus - like you are having to take your second choice.

So i did some more research on Kappa Gamma and was told that they were originally founded by a transfer student who had been a member of KKG at the school she came from but was kicked out (nor sure if she was kicked out of school or KKG or both) but when she got to southern she started Kappa Gamma.

As a whole i have decided that greek life at scsu is not something i want to be a part of as not only is Kappa Gamma shaky interms of reputation the other local Omega Zeta Pi is apparently an off shoot of Phi Sigma Sigma founded by former Phi Sigma Sigma sisters who had been kicked out for hazing. So yea basically i dont think greek life will be a route im taking at this school as i dont feel id be proud to be a member of either of those organizations. . . :confused:

What about Delta Phi? Have you looked at them? It sounds like your concerns are with the local, not NPC, so why not give them a shot?

I have looked into them and i do like them but their dues are a bit more expensive than the locals so thats why i had been looking more at the locals

However im really bothered in general about the hazing rumors i have heard about omega zeta pi and that it seems to be well known around campus such as their no ugly people allowed saying that i mentioned earlier but it seems like the greek life advisors pay it no attention

If you have looked into them and you are genuinely interested, I don't think it would hurt to ask if they offer payment plans to help. ?

I have to say - this is a case of you get what you pay for. If you join D Phi E, it will be a lifetime experience. You will always have sisters no matter where you go, and you will have a national HQ that has developed programming for you and your chapter that will enable you to develop your leadership skills. They also have high standards, including NO HAZING. I know money can be a concern - but if you can swing it, I'd encourage you to give it a shot.
And not only will you have your DPE sisters - you may find, as I did, that even if you don't have a chapter near you, you can be active in alumnae panhellenic and meet wonderful NPC women from other GLOs.
Why not see about attending the next D Phi E rush event and look them over?
No matter what you decide, hope you are able to be active in your college campus. Good luck!

i actually almost wrote that, but decided not to... thanks for throwing this out there. so so true on so many levels.

It needed to be said! Your sorority dues are the best investment you will make in college. What you gain through it is second only to the education you receive.

Speaking of copycats of NPCs, for anyone interested, there is "Zeta Epsilon Tau Alpha" at the University of Rhode Island. Their colors are silver and teal, they support breast cancer research, they go by "Zeta". The link.

damn. their sneaky with those letters and they way they are arranged...